Authoress here.
I'm pondering now how this story will end. I'm wondering if I should write a lemon... (pales, realizing that there is no choice now that it's already been typed) Oh, shit. Now I have to write one, don't I?
I've never written a lemon before! That means I have an excuse to be dirty and read some others to get ideas... (runs off to read Three Way Tie lemon, by PenPusherM) It seems like I advertise her a lot... is that weird? Oh well. She's talented, so it's not like it's a bad thing.
START CHAPTER
It took only a short while before Yuki tired of his "human pillow" status. Shuichi and Alira were both asleep, and only she was unaware that she was snuggled against him. Yuki frowned at Alira's sleeping face before gently shoving her head onto the back of the couch and standing up. He cast a glace behind him at where Shuichi had slumped over, his head now on a soft cushion.
He rolled his eyes. Getting mixed up in a love affair with a brat who enjoyed cuddling was a bad idea. Why had it happened, then? He grinned to himself, finding that even in his novelist's mind, he couldn't think of a better word than "insanity" to describe the nature of his actions. Love, insanity...what's the difference? he wondered, muffling a yawn.
He walked into his office to where his laptop sat. He had been suffering from writer's block lately, which was unusual. His cursor blinked on the annoyingly blank page. It was a sex scene, which normally came easily to him. Not this one, however.
He knew why, too. The female lead was too much like Alira. She was a woman with ice water in her veins in the beginning, which the love of the main male melted her cold exterior and enabled her to trust again. He was stuck.
as he whispered, "Are you sure that you want to do this?"
Aiko's smile was answer enough. He leaned towards her, pressing her down onto the mattress with his body. Her hands explored his strong pectoral muscles as he slipped a hand up her skirt.
That was as far as he had gotten. Half of his mind wanted to delete the entire story, and the other half wanted him to wait it out until he had ideas. But Aiko was too much like Alira, so it felt strange to write a sex scene. And naturally, the lead male reminded him of himself.
It was just plain uncomfortable to write about himself and Alira having sex; even if it wasn't really them, the characters made it seem like it. The characters in his books all had faces and identities of people who didn't really exist except this one. Why had it happened this time?
Having a woman in the house had changed quite a few things. Shuichi had taken to picking up his clothes and putting his dishes into the dishwasher, and despite himself, Yuki's ashtray proved that he hadn't been smoking as much lately. Maybe that's what he needed.
He tugged open a desk drawer and rifled around, nosily jostling pens and a stapler, until he found a pack of cigarettes. Lighting one, he inhaled deeply and sent a puff of wispy smoke into the air. He shut his eyes momentarily.
A squeak from the couch and the patter of stocking feet on the wood floors told him someone was coming towards him. He knew it was Shuichi even before the teen stepped through the door. Yuki didn't give him a chance to speak. Instead, he pressed the teen against the wall with his stronger arms and forcefully kissed him. Shuichi let his eyes close, relishing in his lover's strong grasp and pure passion.
Over the noises that the two were making, Yuki heard a second set of footsteps. He heard the curtains rustle, and knew Alira was looking to see if the police were outside. He knew what she would see.
Two or three police cars, depending on the amount needed for other affairs, were sitting in the driveway, blocking the garage. He heard Alira sigh sadly, and let the curtains swing back into place. He shut his eyes, trying hard not to listen.
Shuichi rubbed his hands on Yuki's still-bare chest. "What're you thinking about?"
Yuki looked down to see Shuichi's eager face, radiating innocence, staring up at him. "Nothing."
"C'mon," Shuichi purred, snuggling against Yuki and tilting his head up. "You've gotta be thinking about something!"
"I'm not." It was a half-lie. Yuki suddenly sidled away from Shuichi and peered out the doorway. Alira was not looking towards him. She had sunk onto the couch, her eyes open and staring blankly at the wall. He knew what she was thinking about. The trial, now that he could see the clock, was tomorrow, and Alira didn't have a lawyer or a case.
She headed upstairs after a few silent minutes.
"Anything wrong?" Shuichi had noticed that Yuki was no longer paying attention to his advances and was looking at the stairs.
"The trial is tomorrow."
"Oh yeah. But she'll win, right?"
Yuki shrugged. "Probably."
He didn't say aloud what he thought next. Except that Tachi-whatever has money, a good lawyer, and the testimony of a millionaire. And if Alira loses, she has to pay the court costs.
He glanced back at the eager face topped by a mop of bubblegum hair, curious violet eyes meeting his. "Go to bed. I have work to do."
Shuichi made a face. "You always have work to do! Is it more important than spending time with me?"
Yuki cast him a glance that clearly asked if his lover really wanted to know the answer to that question. Shuichi pouted in reply and headed upstairs to wait and see if Yuki would come up to bed anyway.
Even after turning on the hallway light, he could see light streaming from underneath Alira's bedroom door, and hesitated at the top of the stairs. Did she want to be alone?
He could hear her voice faintly from the other side of the door.
"Tairu? Sorry to wake you up, but-" She stopped, obviously interrupted. "Yeah. I couldn't sleep. The trial is tomorrow...I know that. I know that!"
There was silence then. "No. I don't have enough money for a lawyer. Tairu! This isn't America anymore! They're not going to give me one."
Shuichi couldn't hear Tairu, but figured what he had asked when she spoke again.
"No. If she wins...I'll go bankrupt."
He tone changed ever so slightly as she said, "Anyway, I'm going to bed. See ya." He heard the phone being placed on the hook.
Shuichi turned to head to his room, feeling as though he had intruded, when Alira's door opened. She didn't look remotely surprised to see him.
"Alira, I-"
She raised her hand to signal him to be quiet. "I saw the shadow of your feet underneath the door." She looked tired, and much older than eighteen. Shuichi found it hard to believe that she was the same age as him. "So you heard what I said, huh?"
"I didn't mean to. I'm sorry," Shuichi replied shakily, his eyes filling with tears.
Alira sighed. "It's okay. I figured you'd find out anyway after I lost the trial that I'm broke, so it's not a big deal."
"You aren't gonna lose, so don't say that!" Shuichi replied sharply, his amethyst eyes on hers. "Yuki and I are gonna testify for you. He saw the bruise that day from your dad."
Alira turned away self-consciously, twirling a piece of hair around one finger. The last bits of the bruise would have been visible if she hadn't put makeup around her eye. Shuichi and Yuki didn't know about the other bruises on her body, and wouldn't ever if she had her way.
Of course, nothing ever worked out in her favor. She was wearing her pajamas, which consisted of a pair of baggy flannel pants and a tank top. The neckline of the top showed a bruise on her collarbone. She normally had makeup on that as well, but she had taken it off before going to bed. She remembered that fact at the exact moment that Shuichi noticed it.
"Oh my God!" he cried, his eyes growing wide. The bruise was purple and green, and was the shape of a man's fist. "Yuki! YUKI!"
His abrupt shouts caught Yuki's attention violently, causing him to jump and hit several random keys. He was up the stairs in a moment to ask what the matter was.
Alira had grabbed a sweatshirt from on top of her dresser and yanked it over her head before Yuki had come into her bedroom. He came towards her swiftly, and being unable to read his expression, she stepped backwards until she tripped over her backpack and fell onto the floor.
Yuki crouched beside her. "Take off the sweatshirt. Now."
Shakily, Alira obeyed. She wouldn't look at him as he stared at the bruise.
Yuki remembered wondering when she had first come into their house, if she didn't care about the black eye, what had her father done to make her run away from home?
Alira sniffled, suddenly looking helpless and small as she cowered on the floor beside the older man. She was so distraught that she didn't react when Yuki lifted up the back of her shirt. Similar bruises covered her back. He recognized the outline of a belt buckle on her shoulder, and several slightly rounded purple splotches caused by swift kicks.
"He beat you and you never said a word." It was not a question in the quiet way that Yuki said it.
Alira shut her eyes tightly and pulled her knees up to her chin, bowing her head forward. Part of her was terrified, and the other part was relieved that this information was out in the open.
Yuki released the back of her shirt, and it fell into place. "Where else did he hit you? And why didn't we see that bruise on your collarbone?"
"I used makeup to cover it," she murmured into her knees.
"And my other question?"
Alira was quiet, struggling with the different emotions she was feeling. "All over. I...Yuki, Shuichi, please, I can't-"
"You can't talk about it?" Shuichi asked softly.
Alira nodded, relieved that he knew exactly what the problem was. "I don't think I can testify against him," she said suddenly, her words spilling out before she could stop them. "I'm scared. I'm so scared that he'll hurt me again."
"That asshole is never going to come near you again," Shuichi assured her, but it was clear that she was not convinced.
Alira bowed her head again, messy auburn hair falling forwards to show yet another bruise around the back of her neck.
"Shut up about him. We're here. Nobody is going hurt you, okay?" Yuki placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "I'm right here, and I won't let him touch you."
Alira's head lifted from her knees again.
"You're safe here. There's nothing to be scared of," Shuichi said gently. "You don't have to go through this alone."
"You...you mean it?" Alira stammered, her hazel eyes growing moist with tears. Only after they had both nodded did Alira feel safe enough to climb into bed and fall asleep.
She couldn't help feeling betrayed when Hiroshi hadn't come. Shuichi had said he was sick, and she accepted that. So why did her heart ache when it hadn't been his hand on her shoulder? Why did she feel like crying when Shuichi had promised to be there for her?
She knew she was in love with Hiroshi, so it hurt her when she found herself wishing that she could be the one that Shuichi or Yuki held against them.
She fell asleep crying her frustration.
END CHAPTER
My brother's friend wanted to read this. Naturally, I closed the document quickly.
I'm still sore from the mile and a half.
Authoress leaving.
