Authoress here.
(random unintelligible grunt complete with gestures)
Haru: Mostly we figure that means 'hello'.
I do not own Gravitation, Solitaire, the couch, Pirates of the Caribbean (as much as I may want to), or Avenue Q (if you've heard the songs or seen the play, you'll know what I mean).
START CHAPTER
"Yuuuuukiiiii! I'm hooooome!"
Yuki stopped where he was as the ever-cheerful pink-haired teen bounced into the room. His eyes were aglow as he jumped to hug the older man. "I'm home!" Shuichi cried as he leapt towards his lover. Alira smiled and set the photo album aside.
Standing there, Yuki allowed himself to be hugged. "So I heard."
Giving Yuki one final squeeze before relinquishing his grip, Shuichi looked up to meet his eyes. "Why are there cops all around our house?"
Yuki flinched at the word 'our', but replied calmly, "Alira seems to attract a lot of unwanted attention."
"If you're home already, where's Hiro?" Alira asked, flushing with embarrassment at the mention of her house arrest status.
Shuichi frowned at the floor. "He...went home for the night. Said he wasn't feeling well."
Alira blinked a few times. "Oh."
After a silence that seemed to last an eternity, Alira walked slowly from the room, heading towards the kitchen. She wasn't intending to make dinner, but needed to be alone for a moment. Another reason was that she felt it was her fault that Shuichi and Yuki didn't get along perfectly.
They'd probably be happy if she left them alone for a while.
Yuki watched her exit, then turned his attention to Shuichi. Before he could speak, the younger man was standing on his tiptoes to press their lips firmly together.
If his mouth had not been otherwise occupied, Yuki would have smiled. He had to admit that it was a little strange at first to have a man as the object of his affections, but he had gotten used to it. Even the sex seemed normal now, despite what Shuichi was obviously lacking.
As they drooped to the couch, Shuichi lying on top, Yuki mused, I wouldn't mind it if he had tits...but you can't have everything.
Yuki let his hands roam up the back of Shuichi's shirt. Shuichi nuzzled into his neck. "Not here," he muttered, his actions showing that despite his words, he would have enjoyed going a bit further right there and now. "What if Alira comes back?"
"Then she'll have enough to satisfy her sexual fantasies for the rest of her life," Yuki replied.
From in the kitchen, Alira could hear them talking. She heard enough to know what was going on, and found herself wishing she didn't have to walk past them to get to the front door.
She sighed. Sitting down at the kitchen table, Alira shifted a few cards from an old game of solitaire. After only a moment, she knew that she had already lost. Solitaire was strange in that respect.
The doorbell rang moments later. She waited to see if either of them was going to get it. It was obvious that they weren't, so she braced herself and walked through the living room swiftly, her eyes focused straight ahead of her. She tried to ignore the shirtless embrace on the couch.
Maybe it's Hiro, she thought, grinning. Once she opened the door, however, that grin faded. "Tachikara. What the hell do you want?"
The older woman was dressed in a crisp suit, her straight pinstriped skirt hugging her thighs. Her blazer was cut a little too low for it to have been worn into a courtroom, and the swell of her breasts was exposed. Alira scowled at the glitter flecks sparkling in her cleavage.
They're married already. That was fast.
"That's awfully rude. You can at least call me your stepmother."
"Is there a reason for you to be here?" Alira asked sharply.
"Actually, yes. I'm here to tell you that your court hearing is in two days."
"What?" Alira snarled.
Tachikara's carefully painted crimson lips curved into a smile. "You heard me. You have two days to prepare your case."
She heard the squeaking of a pair of feet on the floorboards behind her, but didn't turn. It was Shuichi, she figured. Yuki would let her fight her own verbal battle. He didn't care.
She was wrong.
"Get the fuck off my property," the blonde novelist said icily. One of his hands was on Alira's shoulder. She felt him apply gentle pressure to pull her back into the house. Alira looked to the side, not having realized that she had even stepped outside the door. She obeyed, stepping backwards into the house.
Tachikara took a moment to admire Yuki's strong pectoral and abdominal muscles (he hadn't bothered to put on a shirt) before she smirked. "So, you're the guy she's been living with, hmm? I can't say I blame you, honey. He's cute. I bet he's taught you a lot in the bedroom apartment."
Shuichi padded into view, looking curious. He hadn't heard much of the conversation, but had seen the furious look on Alira's face moments before and couldn't help wondering what had been said to make her so angry.
Tachikara's lips parted in a silent "O" of surprise when she saw the bubblegum pink haired boy. "There are two of these hotties?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "There's no way you're a virgin. You little slut. One isn't enough for you, huh?"
Hearing a grown woman say "hotties" was bad enough, but the next remark sparked her temper. Her voice shook. "Get away from me, you fucking whore."
Tachikara was frowning now. "That's no way to speak to your mother. No wonder Teizo was so unhappy with Kristine. I'll bet you're just like her."
She had been about to say more, but it's fairly difficult to speak when you've just been punched in the face. Tachikara stumbled backwards and fell. She stared up at Alira. "You hit me," she said, startled. A thin line of blood traced a crimson pathway down her chin and dripped onto her blazer.
"You're not my mother, and you never will be," Alira replied, her voice white-hot with fury. "You ever say her name again, and I'll kick your ass."
She scrambled to her feet and staggered down the steps. "This isn't over! I hope you like jail, kiddo, because you're getting tried as an adult!"
Alira watched her go, heaved a sigh, and visibly deflated. She turned and trudged towards the stairs.
"Aren't you even going to thank me?" Yuki snapped.
"Thanks."
"You could at least pretend you mean it," he replied evenly.
Alira stopped walking, but didn't turn to face him. She kept her eyes fixated on the steps before her.
Kristine.
Alira flinched visibly. The name shot through her body like fire, scorching her. She felt tears spring to her eyes. Her knees buckled, and she slumped forward to her knees. Not again. She wouldn't cry in front of him again. She just couldn't.
But she did. Before she could stop herself, she moaned softly and leaned forward, pressing her hands to her face. The tears came, instantly soaking her hands. She slipped sideways, her arms underneath her and her face on the soft carpet of the stairs.
Shuichi stared for a moment before he moved forward and crouched beside her. He put his arms around Alira gently, and was startled when she collapsed helplessly against his bare chest. Her shoulders shook with dry sobs.
Shuichi looked up at Yuki and mouthed, "What do I do?"
Yuki was silent. Shortly, he went to sit on the stairs and placed a hand on her head gently. The motion was awkward, and it was apparent that he wasn't really quite sure either.
When her sobs subsided, Alira pushed away from Shuichi's chest and inhaled deeply. Her eyes were red and puffy. She dragged a hand across her eyelids and sniffled.
"Sorry," she muttered thickly.
She stood up and passed by Yuki on her way up the stairs. Her calf brushed against his arm and she was surprised to feel a tingle.
There's a fine, fine line between a lover and a friend.
There was no way she had just thought that. She nearly tripped, she was so shocked. Truly told, she had thought he was absolutely breathtaking when she had first met him. Did she still? That was impossible. Her heart belonged to Hiroshi Nakano, not Yuki. It was just that he was so handsome that it was hard not to be captivated by his charms.
Charms? She laughed quietly. Yeah, right.
When she had reached the top of the stairs, she realized that she didn't want to go to her room again. She turned around and tromped back down, passing by a rather confused-looking Yuki and Shuichi.
"Pick somewhere to go and stay there," Yuki suggested, standing up. He followed her into the living room, where she had sunk onto the couch.
Yuki tugged his shirt (and Shuichi's, for that matter) out from underneath Alira's legs, tossed them to the floor and unfolded his long frame on the couch beside her. Shuichi bounded over and cuddled against him on the other side.
Yuki picked up the remote, and turned on the television.
It wasn't until her head drooped on his shoulder that Yuki realized that she had dozed off. He glanced at Shuichi. He looked ready to fall asleep too.
So I'm a human pillow. Whatever.
END CHAPTER
So...I need a nap. Badly. I just spent twenty minutes hanging out with my friend's boyfriend, and found out that he was ticklish. You hear that, PenPusherM? Ticklish! Near his hips! Try it!
Authoress running away before he stomps in here and kills me for saying that.
