A/N: Alrighty, here I am writing this kind of odd one-shot. It actually took me a long time to write this because I can never sit and just write out a whole thing; I always walk away and do something else for a while. Anyways, here it is, and I really would love it if you can review! I mean, I did work very hard on this, and I really would appreciate feedback. Please review! It does not take that long and it means the world to me.
Okay, this whole thing was based off of an RP that did not last very long but this was part of a segment of it that I liked RPing so I decided to make it a one-shot. I changed a few things but the idea and some of the dialogue is the same as in the RP, so I am giving credit to my bestest buddy Locked because she did supply the idea of this during the RP as well some of the dialogue and ideas. :P Also giving thanks to my friend Carrie who betaed this for me. Thanks a million!
Summary: Ryuichi and Shuichi stumble upon something unexpected, something that is not going to make Yuki a happy camper. YxS Cute, funny one-shot.
Disclaimer: Gravitation is not mine. None of the characters belong to me. They belong to the lovely genius Maki Nurakami.
Warnings: Okay, the rating is PG-13 strictly because the 'f' word is used in this a few times. If you don't like swearing I suggest you leave. It's not overused but Yuki would use it in certain situations so it's in there. Also, Shonen-ai! I'm assuming anyone reading this is a fan because this is the Gravitation section, but just saying, boyxboyness is in here. Nothing Yaoi or graphic. Just kisses. Very few too. :-)
An Unexpected Surprise
By PyroFirePower
Posted: 8-3-05
SYSYSYSYSYSY
Ryuichi loved this time of day. The sun was just going down, settling behind the horizon for the night, waiting for the moon to rise in its place. Everything would soon turn into shadow, once the sun was officially gone, and darkness flooded the city, the only light provided by electricity flowing through the power lines that went all over. That was the time the famous rock star liked to be inside with Kumagoro cuddled up to his chest, knowing he was safe away from the many stalkers that circled his apartment building. Ryuichi had a bigger home in the United States, but for now when he was staying in Japan he kept a rather large apartment that he made sure was cozy for his visits.
Sure, he was flattered that he has so many people devoted to him and his music. In fact, just the thought of them made him giggle with glee, but he preferred to stay away from the obsessed fans who would more than likely rape him if they got the chance.(1)
The brunet was currently wearing a long sleeved striped shirt with a red jacket over top of it. He was wearing a necklace made of paperclips, proving how bored he had been that day. He wore normal jeans, sunglasses sitting up in his dark hair, holding back tresses that threatened to fall in his face. Comfortable sneakers adored his feet as he walked along the side walk, one arm holding his trademark pink bunny while the other grazed along the tops of fences belonging to different houses on the street. His apartment was a few blocks away, and though normally the rock star would drive home himself, he had decided to walk today. The night was perfect for it, and he always took quiet streets where he would not have to pass many people. The less people that saw him, the more likely it was he would not be trampled by raging fans demanding autographs.
Ryuichi's walk ceased for a moment, his eyes falling onto a shadow rising on a wall in an alleyway. Fear fell into the pit of the man's stomach as he stared at the shadow, watching it grow. Soon it was monstrous, resembling that of a large monster that could be seen in a horror movie. Maybe it was a giant wolf man coming to eat any unsuspecting people passing by its haven. Ryuichi could think of many things that the shadow could belong to, but he really had no desire to stick around and find out.
The rather immature rock star felt a squeak escape his mouth as he turned to run, stupidly sprinting off in the opposite direction of his apartment. Should his pink bunny have been alive, it surely would have been suffocating under the death grip of his arm. Thankfully for it, the stuffed bunny did not need to breathe, so it remained rather motionless as the panic stricken Ryuichi ran smack into a certain pink-haired person.
The startled Ryuichi fell backwards onto the ground with a thud, watching as his rival rock star and friend fell forwards, nearly losing his balance but clinging onto a white picket fence to keep from hitting the ground.
"HEY! What's the big idea? Everyone has something against me! First Yuki kicks me out and now I almost fall over because someone doesn't know how to stop!" The pinked haired man turned, his slightly annoyed expression turning into a shocked one when he noticed who had indeed run into him. "Sakuma-san!"
"SHUICHI!" Ryuichi found himself tackling his friend in a hug, sending them both to the ground. "I saw a monster!" The brunet pulled out Kumagoro, manually making the bunny nod his head in agreement to the statement Ryuichi had just made.
Shuichi's eyes grew wider with fear as he struggled to release himself from Ryuichi's grip. "But there is no such thing as monsters!" The pink-haired man was still attempting to squirm his way out from under his friend, but he was not having very much luck at the moment.
The dark-haired rock star pointing in the direction he had come from, sitting up and moving off of the pink-haired man beneath him. Shuichi stared in that direction curiously, half expecting some giant evil monster with large fangs and red eyes to come bounding its way towards them in a rabid heat. Pink hair shook in all directions as Shuichi shook his head, repeating to himself monsters were not real.
"Come on! Let's go see what it really was!" Shuichi stood up, Ryuichi beside him. The pair of them reluctantly made their way back towards where the shadow of the monster had first appeared. Eyes wide they walked, one clinging to his bunny while the other hugged himself for comfort.
They soon reached the alleyway where Ryuichi had first seen the monstrous figure, his eyes widening in fear as he pointed to the keep of the monster. "It was there!" He whispered, fear enveloping his voice as he held Kumagoro tightly against him.
Shuichi stared at the spot, waiting for something to come springing out at him. For a few moments nothing happened, the the pink-haired rock star was about to become angry at his friend for pulling such a trick, when the shadow came back. The shadow was huge, and Shuichi found himself being clung to by Ryuichi as they stared helplessly. Eyes closed in fear, the two prayed their imaginations were running away with them.
The creature soon stepped into view, and Shuichi opened his eyes to reveal a vicious, crazy, and evil...
Puppy?
The shadow of the small thing was still incredibly large because of the way the light was hitting it and its surroundings, but the puppy was small and adorable. Shuichi squealed with delight as he pushed Ryuichi from him and ran over to the small animal, picking it up and instantly cooing over it.
"AW! It's so CUTE!" He declared, causing his rival rock star to open his eyes in wonder, his grip on Kumagoro instantly loosening when he saw what the monster really was.
"PUPPY!" He ran over, plopping down onto the pavement with Shuichi as the pair of them pet the small thing, hearing a soft yip that made them both 'aw' the adorable sound at the same time.
They sat their for a while, playing with the puppy before Shuichi noticed its lack of collar. It did not seem to have a home. It was quite dirty, and pretty skinny, as though it had not eaten in a while. "I want to keep it!" He said this with pride, holding the tiny creature close as it licked at his hands. "It's a stray. It needs a home!"
Ryuichi nodded, reaching over and petting the small thing on its head. "Yeah! And you can name it and feed it and give him a bath and everything!" This was said with excitement, a grin spreading across the man's face as he bounced in place.
Shuichi was beginning to wonder what the gender was of this dog. How could they give it a name without knowing? Sure, there were lots of dog names that could go both ways, but the pink haired star still wanted to know the gender of his hopefully soon-to-be puppy. He lifted the puppy up and looked under before putting it back down. The conclusion was fairly obvious from what he saw.
"It's a boy." He stated simply, his mind browsing through names. "How about Yuki Jr.?" Suddenly Shuichi's mind drew blank. Yuki! The man would surely murder him for trying to keep a puppy in their house. The thought had not even occurred to him until just now, and he was overcome with a wave of longing. He wanted this puppy, and he was not sure what he was going to do to convince Yuki to let him keep the pup.
"Naw." Ryuichi said this, still pondering names while Shuichi went into plan mode. "How about Ritz? They are a kind of cracker in America! I've always liked the name! And the color of the cracker matches the pup's fur!" He pointed to a spot of golden brown fur, a color that was not seen so much because of the layer of grim and dirt that coated the puppy.
Shuichi was lost in his thoughts about what to do about Yuki when he heard Ryuichi declare the name Ritz was a good one. Shuichi had to say he liked it, because something about it rang in his ear as a name he could see belonging to his puppy. "I like that name!" It was weird to name a pup after a kind of cracker, but Shuichi liked it and he was not going to change it. "Now I just have to convince Yuki to let me keep it." Shuichi's eyes hit the ground as he thought about it. There was no way Yuki would say yes. This plan was doomed.
Ryuichi caught the look of despair that crossed his friend's face, frowning for a moment as he thought about the tall blond man. That Eiri Yuki was sure a grump, and Ryuichi was trying to think of ways to prove to Eiri that Shuichi would take care of the puppy they had just found. It did not take much common sense to see that Shuichi was not exactly a very responsible person, but it was also obvious to see how much he cared about the small pup in his arms.
"Tell him that you'll take care of Ritz and he won't have to do anything to help!" Ryuichi suggested happily, standing up once more and striking a pose. "He'll have to let you keep it!"
Shuichi stood up, a small smile encasing his face before he added, "You don't know Yuki like I do." The small smile turned into a frown as he looked down at the puppy in his arms that seemed to be smiling up at him with happiness and love.
"Then hide him! Maybe Yuki won't notice!" Ryuichi glanced up at the sky, seeing the moon was indeed rising now. It was getting dark, and he did want to get home. As much as he wanted to help his friend, his apartment was the only place he wanted to be at night. "Don't worry Shuichi! Things will be all right! Now it's getting dark and I want to go home. You should too!" The brunet clung to his bunny happily, flashing a bright smile at Shuichi before yelling a goodbye and running down the block in the direction of his apartment.
Shuichi watched the man disappear into the rising shadows of the night, his head tilting for a moment as he thought about what he should do. Going back to Yuki's seemed like an option, but the blond author had indeed kicked him out. He had a deadline tomorrow, and just hearing the pink haired man's voice tended to annoy him to death. Shuichi knew this was not the best time to bring another burden into Yuki's life.
Shuichi began to feel depressed. He felt his eyes well up with tears as he clung a bit tighter to the puppy in his arms. Ritz let out a playful yip, as if it was trying to cheer him up. He smiled down at him, a sinking feeling settling in his stomach. He sighed for a moment before he decided to head over to Hiro's. Yuki would not worry; he had more important things to worry about. The blond man probably would not notice he was missing until the morning. Shuichi would stop by then anyway with some kind of speech prepared about the puppy. He just hoped things turned out all right.
The pink haired man ended up taking a bus to Hiro's, too afraid to walk around after dark. He had no car; he usually got around by rides from Yuki, Hiro, and sometimes K. Shuichi was just happy he had enough money in his pocket for bus fair.
Shuichi could see Hiro's building approaching, so he instinctively called for the driver to stop the bus, standing up and heading down the rather dirty stairs and out the door. The bus immediately closed its doors once he was off, heading off down the street and disappearing into the distance. Shuichi really had never liked public transportation, but he had to admit he thought some of the buses here were better than the one's he had ridden in America when he went after Yuki.
Puppy still clutched to his chest, Shuichi soon found himself standing in front of a buzzer. A doorman was looking at him expectantly, holding open the door he had just passed. He was glancing down at the puppy distastefully, obviously appalled by the state of the small thing. Still, the man said nothing because pets were allowed in the apartment.
There was a nice little lounge through glass doors that were locked, but right now in order to get through Shuichi would need to be buzzed in by his friend. He knew which button rang for Hiro, having been here so many times. He smiled a bit as he pressed the button, knowing his best friend would make him feel better. He always had a nice way of comforting him when he really needed it, a quality that Shuichi wished Hiro would pass to Yuki.
It was not long before Hiro's slightly groggy voice flew from the buzzer and into Shuichi's ears.
"Hello? Who's there?"
Shuichi patted the puppy's head as it looked to him as if it was confused as to where the voice was coming from. "Hey Hiro! It's Shuichi. Can I come up? I have a puppy with me though, is that okay?"
There was a short pause before Hiro replied, "You have a puppy?" Shuichi could not tell through the buzzer, but he had a feeling up in his friend's apartment Hiro was sighing. "Come up. We'll talk about it up here." A loud buzz indicated Hiro was unlocking the door for Shuichi. The pink haired man watched as the doorman released the outside door and opened the next door for him, still eyeing the puppy as if it was a piece of vermin.
Shuichi, feeling the looks towards Ritz were quite rude, did not bother to thank the man as he walked through the door, heading into the air conditioned building. The elevators were straight ahead, and Shuichi felt the sooner he was up in Hiro's apartment the better. His best friend always had a plan for things like this. He was incredibly smart; Shuichi sometimes wished he could be like that, but the work put into it was not worth it to the pink haired rock star.
It did not take long for Shuichi to be standing in front of Hiro's apartment. His thoughts ran away with him on the elevator ride upstairs, and before he knew it he was nearly running straight into Hiro's door. He reached out with his free hand to knocked on the door, finding himself nearly jumping up when it swung open almost instantly.
Hiro smiled pleasantly at Shuichi before his eyes migrated downwards to the puppy. "Come inside Shuichi. It looks like this puppy could use a nice bath and something to eat."
A grateful smile came onto Shuichi's face, nodding at Hiro before heading inside. He glanced around at the familiar setting; a place he often found himself when Yuki kicked him out for whatever reason. There was a lot of various guitar equipment set up all over the room along with Hiro's favorite guitar resting peacefully on its stand in the corner. Needless to say, the band had equipment at home as well as in the studio, except for Shuichi, who just attempted to write lyrics at home whenever he was not being hassled by Yuki for something.
Shuichi knew how much Hiro loved playing guitar. That fact would be obvious to anyone who ever entered this apartment before.
"Thanks Hiro..." Shuichi sat down on the couch, finding his red haired friend scooping the puppy away from him and heading to the sink.
"I don't have any dog shampoo, but I think just some of mine will do fine. It will clean this dog's hair up nicely." Hiro proceeded into his bathroom, the small puppy left in the sink shivered slightly at his current position.
"His name is Ritz, Hiro!" Shuichi was always grateful for Hiro's kindness; the man just had always been that way to Shuichi without asking. He had not even asked where the puppy came from, or why Shuichi was here instead of at Yuki's. The pink haired rock star had a feeling that there were a few theories developing in his best friend's head already.
"Ritz, then." Hiro said as he came back into the kitchen, shampoo bottle in hand. He headed to his sink and turned on the water, making sure it did not touch the puppy just yet. He reached his hand out to test the temperature, adjusting the faucet slightly to make the water warm but not hot. Once this was accomplished he took a clean wash cloth from a cabinet to his right and soaked it with water before running it along the puppy's fur, making it wet.
Hiro could not help but scrunch his noise a bit when he looked down at the cloth, seeing how dirty it had become. He continued wetting Ritz's fur until the little dog was officially soaked to the bone. His original color of fur was much more obvious now, but without a proper shampoo the dirt that had just been washed away with water would still linger. He grabbed the shampoo bottle and squeezed a significant amount onto his hand before rubbing it along Ritz's back, scrubbing away the remains of the dirt. A nice fresh smell filled the air, and for this Hiro was glad. No offense to the puppy, but it had not smelled very pleasant when it had entered his apartment.
The bath of the puppy was nearly complete, and Hiro simply rinsed the small creature off, smiling down at his now clean form. He took another dish towel to dry Ritz off, who was quivering slightly from the cool air hitting his wet skin and fur. Now that the sink was off Hiro heard the loud sound of sniffling coming from behind him. He turned from Ritz, whose fur was now a sparkling golden brown, to Shuichi, who was sitting on his couch, crying and sniffling as he watched Hiro bathe the small pup.
Ritz was dry enough now, so Hiro just picked him up and placed him on the ground, allowing him to roam the house as he pleased while the guitarist went to find out what was going on with Shuichi and where this puppy had come from.
Shuichi felt his best friend sit down beside him, turning his head to face Hiro. His face was now quite wet, covering in fallen tears he had been unable to hold back. He missed Yuki and he wanted to keep Ritz as his own but he did not want his lover to leave him over it. He was not sure what exactly he should do. He was about to say something, perhaps a word of thanks to his best friend's kindness before Hiro interrupted him.
"He kicked you out again, didn't he?" Hiro looked at Shuichi with a bit of sadness lurking in his eyes. He hated that Shuichi shed so many tears over the man named Eiri Yuki, he hated how badly the other man treated his best friend, and he hated that Shuichi loved the other man so much that he could not leave him without screwing up his entire lifestyle. He was dependent on Yuki, and Hiro sometimes wished that he was not.
Shuichi nodded at his friend, surprised the first question was not about the puppy, but about Yuki. "Yeah, he has a deadline tomorrow and I was annoying him." Excuses, excuses. That's all that ever seemed to come out of his mouth.
"What about this puppy? Ritz you said? Where did he come from?" Hiro questioned, choosing not to comment about Yuki's stupid reasons for kicking Shuichi out of their house.
"Ryuichi and I found him earlier this evening. Yuki kicked me out so I was walking around and ran into Ryuichi." Literally... Shuichi smiled a bit at his own thought. "He said he saw a monster and we went to look and it was Ritz! Then Ryuichi had to go and I wasn't sure what to do so I came here." He heard a small yip of excitement, looking down at a now-clean Ritz who seemed to be smiling up at him. "I want to keep him Hiro, but I don't know what to do! Yuki will kill me if I even ask!"
The guitarist shook his head a bit, glancing down at the pup before he turned his head back to his best friend. "You don't know that. Have you even asked? Try it first." Mr. Yuki would not leave him over something like this. That man is much smarter than that, and even if he does not admit it I know he loves Shuichi. "Don't be so bummed out. Mr. Yuki has more sense than to kill you over something like this." He smiled at his friend.
Shuichi smiled back, obviously calmed a bit before he asked another question. "Can I stay here tonight? I don't want to go back now because Yuki is busy and I can't disturb him getting his deadline met by bringing in Ritz. It's just not good timing." Hiro had to agree with that. If Yuki was already annoyed with Shuichi and had a deadline to meet, it would be a good idea to wait until after his editor left tomorrow to bring Ritz into the picture.
"Yes, Shuichi, you can stay here." He did not bother saying where anything was; Shuichi had been here enough times in his life. "I'm going to bed; it's late. You might want to get some rest too. We do have work tomorrow."
Shuichi had to stop Hiro before he went to bed, knowing that he needed to feed Ritz something before they went to bed. The dog looked starving enough already; he would certainly need something to eat. "Hiro? Do you have any meat or anything in the house I can give to Ritz? He looks so hungry."
The red-haired man nodded at his friend, heading into the refrigerator and pulling out a small container. He opened it and revealed a bit of turkey, showing it to Shuichi. "This is all I've got. It's leftovers and I haven't gone shopping. I'm going to go to bed though. You can heat it up in the microwave. See you in the morning Shu." The pink haired man nodded, watching Hiro go into his room before getting up and going to the counter where Ritz's dinner sat. He put it in the microwave, heating it up just enough to it was not cold but it was not too hot. He smiled at it, hoping that it would be a good enough meal for Ritz right now until they could buy some puppy chow or something along those lines.
"Here you go Ritz!" Shuichi put the container on the ground, watching the pup hungrily come up to it, sniffing it for a moment before digging in greedily. Shuichi smiled and left Ritz to enjoy his dinner privately. He then headed into the bathroom for a quick shower. He always kept spare clothes at Hiro's no matter what. This was definitely a good thing because his shirt was currently very dirty from holding Ritz as long as he had.
Warm water poured all over his form, dirty clothes discarded on the floor as he stood in the shower, thinking about what he was going to say to Yuki the next day. Many ideas came to mind, but no matter what they were, all Shuichi could see was that hateful glare filling Yuki's golden eyes and the loud, harsh noise of the door being slammed in his face. Shuichi knew a puppy would not be worth losing Yuki over, but he wanted Ritz so badly he was beginning to ache. It reminded him of that very familiar longing he had for Yuki's true affection.
Maybe he could use an argument such as his having Ritz would make him bother Yuki less because whenever the blond novelist wanted to be left along Shuichi could always receive affection from Ritz. The small dog could keep him company whenever Yuki had a lot of work to do, not to mention be a good friend to Shuichi in their home. If the pinked haired man promised he would take care of it, doing things such as feeding and walking it, maybe Yuki would let him have him.
I hope so...
Shuichi rinsed his pink hair out, scrubbing his body clean of any dirt before he turned the shower off, stood there shivering for a moment before he reached for one of Hiro's white fluffy towels that Shuichi loved to smell. They always had a specific smell of detergent, and the pink haired man always wanted to ask his best friend just what that detergent was, but he always managed to forget before he could get the chance.
Shuichi dried himself off, heading into the guest room where a small bag of clothes rested alone. Shuichi smiled a bit as he bent down and unzipped the bag, taking out some checkered boxers and slipping them on. He then reached in and pulled out a very large shirt; one of Yuki's. Before putting it on Shuichi picked it up and smelled it, smiling as he inhaled his lover's musky scent. He was slightly amazed that the smell would last that long. After all he had brought this bag here a while ago.
Turning to glance in a full length mirror, the pop star stared at his appearance, looking down at his skinny legs and raising his gaze up to the large shirt adorning his chest. Wearing this made him look even more skinny than before, but he could not help but smile at himself in the mirror. He was skinny, but Shuichi was perfectly happy with his appearance in every way. He could not see himself being in anyone else's skin. Being himself had always been good enough for him, a trait that was lucky. The only thing he wanted to change was anything that would get Yuki to behave more kindly towards him, but he learned long ago that there was nothing he could do about it. No use blaming himself because he was in love with a grump. Yuki would come around eventually; Shuichi knew it. It had to happen some time.
A smile covered Shuichi's face as he heard a soft yip coming from the ground. He looked over at Ritz, his beloved puppy, and smiled at the small creature, leaning down to lift him up onto the guest bed. Shuichi plopped himself down beside his puppy, leaning backwards to fall against the soft comforter. Ritz was making his way over the mounds of covers, clearly perplexed by the way the fabric sunk when he walked on it. Eventually he found his way to Shuichi, greeting him with a lick on his outstretched hand.
Shuichi lifted the covers and slipped beneath them, leaning into the pillows as he closed his eyes, feeling Ritz move around before it seemed the puppy settled itself as well. A yawn covered Shuichi's face as the man began to drift to sleep, a smile coming onto his face as he fell into the world of slumber. One name crossed his lips, the same name that always seemed to lie on the tip of his tongue, waiting to be said in this exact moment.
"Yu-ki..."
SYSYSYSYSYSY
That same blond novelist was not too far away when he discovered that his little Shuichi had not come home for the evening. Even though this had happened before, Yuki still felt his heart quicken for a moment with a bit of worry. What if this was the time that Shuichi would not come back? He felt so incredibly idiotic for even worrying about something as stupid and pathetic as this, but every time he exited his study after kicking Shuichi out and did not see his lithe lover lying asleep on the couch, his heart stopped for a moment. He knew he could call it stupid as much as he wanted to, but he could not help himself. This just happened, and he hated it more than anything.
Yuki knew Shuichi was not in the house anywhere, but he still checked the bathroom, just incase. Of course, it was empty as usual, no hint of pink anywhere in the large outstretch of shiny white tiles.
"Eh, get it together. The brat will come in tomorrow, being annoying as ever and you'll wonder why you seemed to miss him."
Yuki found himself looking at the kitchen counter for a note, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. A sigh of annoyance and worry escaped the blond's lips, his eyes rolling upwards as he tried to stop himself from behaving like suck a lovesick girl. This happened; Shuichi would be back in the morning.
"I'm going to bed," Yuki said this to himself, not quite sure why he uttered it out loud as he glanced to the couch once more for the evening. He entered his bedroom, unbuttoned his shirt the rest of the way (part of it was already unbuttoned) and sunk into bed. He found himself staring at the empty spot next to him, a spot that sometimes was occupied by a certain pink haired man, while other times remained empty as it was now. Yuki never exactly knew why on nights like this one he would find himself growing lonely without the familiar and friendly presence Shuichi brought into the house. He always told himself that if either of them left each other he would always be the one to leave. That way he had some control; telling himself he could leave anytime he wanted to, it was just too much of a hassle.
Despite these thoughts, Yuki missed his little pink haired baka. As much as he hated it, he did.
Fuck, I'm going to sleep. I think I'm going insane.
Yuki's golden orbs were soon shut out from the world as his eyelids closed over them, his body relaxing as much as it was capable of as he drifted off into an uneasy slumber, his hand instinctively reaching over to that empty spot beside him and brushing over cool sheets.
SYSYSYSYSYSY
Sun poured through the transparent curtains in Hiro's guest bedroom, but that was not what awoke Shuichi so abruptly and early that morning. No, that was the rather foul stench that flew into his nose, causing his eyes to open a bit, a drowsy moan escaping his throat as he glanced at the beside clock. It was barely five in the morning.
What is that smell? He found himself questioning the horrible smell that caused him to be awoken so early. He heard a yipping noise from the floor, his eyes drifting over to his beloved puppy to see the puppy looking to him urgently, barking as if the world was about to end.
"Oh crap." Shuichi uttered when he noticed the small pile of waste laying right next to Ritz, the fumes from it still covering the room. Shuichi plugged his nose, silently thankful that Hiro's guestroom had no carpet, but rather a hardwood floor. He looked around frantically, trying to think of a way to clean up the mess his puppy had created while he was asleep. He knew he should have walked the little creature before bed, but it had completely slipped his mind.
Thank God this isn't Yuki's house.
Slipping out of the warmth that was the guest bed, Shuichi tip toed towards the kitchen, knowing there would have to be a plastic bag somewhere in there. He spotted the empty container that Ritz had eaten the turkey out of the day before on the floor, so he picked it up and placed it in the sink before his eyes turned to something white sitting on the counter. A grin flew to the pop star's face as he spotted one sitting alone on the counter. He checked it for holes before heading back into his room, his grin of triumph turning to a look of horror when he saw his perfect little puppy lifting his leg and befouling Hiro's floor even more than he already had.
"SHIT!" He yelled, running over to the small puppy to somehow try and stop him from peeing on the floor. His movement did not seem to do much, for Ritz just stared at him as if he was insane and continued doing his business on the floor. Shuichi watched in horror as the small puddle on the floor beneath his dog grew larger.
"Bad dog! Bad bad dog!" Shuichi heard that you had to scold the dog and catch them in the act in order to train them not to go to the bathroom in the house. Ritz put his leg down and began to whine, looking a bit ashamed. "That's right." The pink haired man had to stop himself from comforting the little dog, hating the way Ritz looked so sad at his scolding.
It took until about six in the morning until Shuichi was completely satisfied with Hiro's floor. There was not a trace of Ritz's calls of nature anywhere in the house. He had spray this weird spray he found in Hiro's bathroom all over the guest room when he finished, eliminating the awful smell from his nose and the room. He decided that a walk would not be necessary anymore because Ritz had already rid himself of everything he needed to for now.
The pink haired man crawled back to the guest bed, lying there for a moment before sitting up again. He could not go back to sleep now. He was too restless. He had this strong longing to go back to Yuki's now. He missed the older man, as odd as it was to other people, he really did. He loved his Yuki, and he wanted to go home now where his presence was evident in every spot of the house.
He changed into new clothes for the day, surprising himself by wearing a incredibly normal set of jeans and a tee shirt. Sure, there were rips all over the pants, one large one in the knees, but generally the outfit was very ordinary. His pink hair was messy as usually, not brushed and sticking up all over the place.
He heading into the kitchen, a scurrying behind him indicating that Ritz was following him. He began on a desperate search for paper, wanting to write his best friend a note before taking off into the early morning. He managed to find some in a random drawer on a side table in the living room, spotting a pen by the phone and using it to write his note to Hiro.
Dear Hiro,
I decided to go back to Yuki's this morning. Thanks for letting me and Ritz stay the night. I'll see you at work.
Shuichi
P.S. Ritz went to the bathroom on the floor in the guestroom, but don't worry! I cleaned it up! Just telling you so I don't feel guilty and so if it still smells you know why. Thanks again!
Shuichi placed the note gently on a counter in the kitchen before exiting Hiro's apartment, Ritz following him with a bit of curiosity. The pop star bent down to pick up the dog, holding him in his arms as he headed back to the elevator.
The journey back to Yuki's felt incredibly long to Shuichi. He was not sure if it was nerves that made time slow down, or if it was this longing he felt in his stomach, burning him with each second that passed. He supposed it was a mix of both; wanting to see Yuki and fearing to see Yuki. He was not sure why the puppy in his arms held so much value with him but it did. He wanted the little creature. He wanted him so badly it was going to kill him if Yuki flipped out on him. He knew in his mind he would obviously pick Yuki over the pup if he was forced to choose, but he felt ready to put up a fight to keep Ritz.
The nerves in Shuichi's stomach seemed to be expanding with every step he took that got him closer to Yuki's. He had just gotten off of the bus, his eyes on the ground as he walked towards the house he had claimed to be his home a while ago. It seemed everywhere Yuki went was home to him, and he would have told the blond man had he believed his statement would actually be appreciated and returned in some way. 'I love you' starts to get old when the one you say it to never says it back.
Shuichi was scrambling to remove his key from his jean pocket. He was now standing if front of Yuki's door, his worry nearly exploding within him as he desperately searched for his key. He sighed once he discovered he had indeed left it at Hiro's. A groan escaped him as he plopped down on the doorstep, trying to come up with something he could do to get inside. It was still early, around six forty five in the morning, and Shuichi did not think that his lover would be awake yet. He did not want to knock and wake him up, knowing that would only make the man cranky and make him more irritable to anything Shuichi had to say.
Shuichi pondered about this for a moment before he decided to try and see if the door was unlocked. Yuki probably would have not bothered to lock the door if he thought Shuichi was out; either that or he locked it purposely for the same reason. The pink haired man only hoped that his lover had indeed left the door unlocked. Normally he would have been upset about things like that because he did not want to think about what could happen if a burglar just waltzed right into their house and stole something, but in this particular situation he was willing to let his usual fears be pushed aside.
A smile came to Shuichi's lips when he turned the knob and pushed, discovering the door was indeed open. He tip toed into the house, biting his lips in the silence of the morning. He still held Ritz to him, shutting the door quietly and heading into the living room.
A yawn came to the pop star's face as he realized he was incredibly tired; now that he was back home he really wanted to get a bit of shut eye before Yuki woke up and saw Ritz. The puppy had already gone to the bathroom so Shuichi was not so worried about that right now.
Shuichi closed his purple eyes and leaned back against the couch, thinking a short nap would be nice. He released his grip on Ritz and felt the small dog curl up on his lap. Pretty soon the pair of them were asleep, all worried thoughts lost in the world of dreams.
About an hour later Yuki woke up to an odd noise coming from outside of his room. It almost sounding like a whine. He could hear yelping coming from outside of his door, and abruptly sat up when he heard a loud bark. He stood up slowly, staring at the door as if he was terrified to see what was on the other side. What the fuck was in his house?
Yuki opened the door and before he got the change to do much of anything he was tackled by a familiar pink haired man.
"YUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUKI!" Shuichi called loudly as he lunged for his lover, his legs securely wrapping around Yuki's legs and his arms doing the same around the novelist's neck. This move would make him appear to shrink down in size a large amount, but Yuki knew differently. (2) His lips touched Yuki's for a moment and the blond man felt his arms unconsciously raising to hold his lover around the hips.
"Brat, what are you doing?" Yuki said after they broke apart, trying to shake the man off of him even though he was holding him, but found the Shuichi's grip on him to be much to tight and strong. He would not be able to do much of anything until his pink haired baka allowed him to break free.
"Uh...nothing!" Shuichi appeared to be rather nervous about something, and this only made Yuki suspicious. What had the brat done now? The last time he had behaved in this manner was when he had spilled a cup of coffee on the carpet and had attempted to hide it by moving the coffee table a bit. Of course, the change had been obvious and Yuki had found out. There was also a lot of yelling done by Yuki after that, and Shuichi had ended up crying alone in the living room. Though the blond man would never admit it, remembering memories such as this one always made him feeling incredibly guilty. He just hoped whatever the baka had done this time did not make him that angry.
It was then that he felt something biting at his pants. He stiffened considerably at that feeling, almost fearing to look down and see what Shuichi had brought into the house. His gaze turned to a glare as he heard a bark coming from the ground, his body stiffening even more, if possible. He felt like a board at the moment, stiff and unable to do much of anything as his lover clung to him.
The pink haired man visibly winced when he heard bark from the ground. Shuichi caught the glare being sent in his direction as he loosened his grip on his lover, his feet touching back down to the ground. He took a step back from his lover and watched as the blond looked down at Ritz, who was staring back up at him, tail wagging as he saw those golden eyes glaring down at him. Shuichi was surprised that the dog was so happy that Yuki was looking at him that way.
"Why is there a puppy in my house?" Yuki's gaze rose to Shuichi, his glare once again fixed on his lover.
Shuichi's eyes fell to the floor as he fiddled with his hands, his somewhat planned speech gone out of his head. He could not remember it for the life of him. "Because I found him..."
Yuki's hands were clenching and unclenching as his anger grew. "Please tell me that it's only staying here until you bring it to the shelter today." Even if that was the case, he still would be angry that Shuichi had brought a puppy, a living thing, into his home without his permission.
The pink haired man would not meet his lover's burning gaze. How was he going to tell Yuki that he wanted little Ritz to be his puppy? The novelist would never understand; he never did. "But...but..." He felt his hands shaking, wanting to say anything that would get him what he wanted but Yuki would not yell at him. "I want him." His voice came out so small that Shuichi almost did not recognize it as his own. He bit his lip, his eyes closed as he waited for the explosion from his lover.
Amazingly enough the yelling did not come, and this caused Shuichi to look up at his lover, a questioning look in his eyes. What he saw made him want to put his head back down. Yuki looked furious; he was positively fuming, and from what Shuichi could tell, it seemed the other man was attempting not to explode. When his lover's lips opened, the pink haired man was surprised at how calm he sounded.
"You want the puppy so badly? Keep him. I won't have anything to do with it." And with that Yuki disappeared into his room only to emerge a few moments later while buttoning up his shirt.
Without another word to Shuichi he grabbed his coat, slipped on his shoes and was gone. Shuichi would have done something to stop him had he managed to find his voice. At the moment his mind was spinning. Had Yuki really just left over a puppy? The pop star did not believe that he had really left for good, but he still felt that familiar sting in his heart that indicated it was breaking. He was hoping this would not happen.
Shuichi felt himself sinking down to the floor, the back of his eyes tingling as he felt tears forming. He closed his eyes and released a sob as buried his face within his hands. Was it so wrong to want a puppy? Shuichi had thought that adding Ritz into the picture would really make him and Yuki like a family. That was exactly what he always wanted.
The pop star suddenly felt as though he was being selfish. He really did ask a lot of Yuki already, and adding this puppy would only add to his lover's stress. He just could not help but want Ritz. He wanted the pup very badly. This puppy had stumbled into his life by chance, and Shuichi knew that another opportunity like this one would not come up. It was not like he had gone to a pet store or a shelter and gotten a puppy; this dog had basically come to him. It was fate, and the pink haired pop star felt a need to keep this puppy. Who knew what could happen to him at a shelter? What if no one wanted him? What if the other dogs were mean to him? (3)
Shuichi knew his heart was very much set on keeping Ritz, but that was certainly a problem when it came to his stubborn lover. He would not lose Yuki over this; he refused to do that.
Crawling his way over to the couch, Shuichi decided it would be best to call Hiro up now. It was a habit of his to call upon his best friend whenever Yuki made him cry. Not only that, but he was not really feeling up to going to work today. He would much rather wait at home for Yuki to come back so they could talk out everything that had just occurred. Well, Shuichi knew there would be much more yelling than talking coming from the pair of them, but he still wanted to work things out.
Shuichi dialed his best friend's number, waiting patiently as the one rang once, twice, thrice-
"Hello?" A familiar voice answered.
"Hiro? It's me." Shuichi sniffled a bit, and somehow he could tell Hiro was frowning on the other line.
"Shuichi? What's wrong? You sound awful." Hiro's voice changed from casual to concerned.
"Yu..uki walked out after I told him I wanted Ritz. Heh-he left! And I don't know where he is! I don't feel like going into work today, could you maybe tell K I'm sick?" Shuichi was having trouble talking, his voice hazy with tears as he stuttered on some words.
"Shuichi you can't skip out on today. We have a meeting with Tohma remember? We're talking about our new album. You have to be there." Shuichi heard Hiro sigh on the other line. "Look, Yuki will be back later. Maybe you can write him a note."
Shuichi thought this over for a moment. That seemed like a good idea. He could indeed write a note for Yuki. Maybe if he apologized enough Yuki would not be so angry with him. "Yeah, that's a good idea, and Hiro? Do you think you could maybe-"
"Pick you up for work? Yeah Shu. I can do that." Shuichi was a bit amazed how his best friend somehow knew what he was going to say.
"Also, I'm going to have to bring Ritz to work! If Yuki comes home and he's here and I'm not then who knows what could happen." The pink haired pop star shuddered a moment at the thought of leaving Ritz alone when Yuki could be home anytime. Tears were still on his cheeks, now drying thanks to being distracted. Sometimes that could do wonders for the human mind.
"Okay Shuichi. Tohma probably won't like it but if we keep him in one area I'm sure it will be fine."
"Yeah! So, I'll see you in a bit! Bye Hiro! Thanks!" Shuichi hung up the phone and instantly went to write his note to his lover. He really felt the need to apologize; springing the dog on Yuki was not the best approach he could have taken.
Soon Shuichi was scribbling down a note for his lover, ready to leave it on the novelist's laptop so he would find it right away. It only took a minute for Shuichi to be satisfied with what he wrote.
Dear Yuki,
I'm really really sorry about the whole puppy thing. I know I shouldn't have brought him in without your permission. It is my fault that you are so mad, but I really am sorry. I just want him a lot. I just hope we can talk about it later.
I'm so sorry.
I love you,
Shuichi
Shuichi could only hope now that he had said he was sorry enough to make Yuki feel a little differently. He smiled down at his note, satisfied with it as he went to put it on his lover's computer.
Not too much time later a knock was heard at his door and Shuichi went to answer it to find his best friend on the other side, motorcycle waiting outside. The trip to the studio was an interesting one, especially because Shuichi was terrified of falling off of his friends bike as well as dropping the puppy that he was clutching desperately. He realized once they arrived that he would much prefer K to drive him home.
Shuichi and his guitarist friend entered the studio building to begin their day at work, Ritz still in his hopefully new owners arms.
SYSYSYSYSYSY
The day passed by pretty quickly. Yuki found himself bored after a few hours of being away from the house. He did have another deadline on a novel approaching, and he should have been working, but he just could not get his mind from this whole puppy ordeal. He felt he had indeed overreacted to his lover's wanting of the small creature, but he just knew that Shuichi would soon grow tired of the pup and then he would be the one who had to take care of it. Not to mention the stains as well as smells it would bring to his lovely, clean, home.
A sigh escaped his lips as he headed into his home, glancing around when he was greeted by the blissful sound of silence. Shuichi must have gone to work. Yuki found himself glancing around the room in search of the puppy, sighing in relief when he found none. Hopefully the brat had taken the little thing with him to work so the blond would not have to deal with the creature.
Heading into his study, Yuki instantly noticed the note sitting atop his computer. He approached it and lifted it up, his eyes scanning the words Shuichi had written. For some reason he felt himself begin to feel guilty about his reaction earlier. He hated the feeling of guilt that always came through him during times like these. It annoyed the hell out of him.
Yuki found himself glancing to the door before he made his next move, his eyes expecting to see his lover standing in the doorway. When he saw nothing, he got up and closed the door to his study before heading to one of the bookshelves lined up neatly on the wall. He reached to the top shelf and pulled down a old shoe box, heading back to his computer and setting the box down in his lap. He sighed for a moment before he opened the box, staring down at its contents.
There were several other notes just like the one he had in his hand resting in there, each from Shuichi. Yuki could not bring himself to really think about why he kept them all, but there they were, sitting in this box along with a few pictures of his baka. He placed the most recent one inside before lifting out older ones, reading them carefully. Some were pointless, just saying that the laundry had been done or Shuichi would be out for the evening.
Yuki found himself flooded with old memories with Shuichi, sighing a bit when he realized how stupid he was being. Saving notes like a stupid school girl with a crush. This whole thing was pointless, and yet, here Yuki was, re-reading those pointless notes with a small smile on his face.
The novelist was so caught up in reading the old notes that he did not notice the sound of the door opening, or the soft footsteps making their way towards his study. He had not realized he had been out for so long, but it was already almost five in the evening, and Shuichi had just returned home from work, a little earlier than usual, but basically on time. He was broken out of his thoughts when a small knock resided at the door, causing the blond to nearly jump out of his skin.
"Yuki...?" The older man heard his lover ask his name, wondering if he was there at all. Not wanting Shuichi to come in and get curious about the box, Yuki answered.
"What, brat?" He was scrambling to get all of the stray notes back inside of the box, his mind racing at the thought of Shuichi coming in and discovering this. "Shit," he mumbled to himself, finally getting them all into the box and jumping up to put them back in their original place.
"I'm home." He heard Shuichi say with a soft sigh, and he could tell his pink haired baka was scared of his reaction. He knew it would be best to remain calm in this whole situation, but sometimes he could not help himself. His lover really had this way of annoying him and pushing all of his buttons.
"I can tell," he said coldly, inwardly wincing a bit as his tone came out much sharper than he meant it too. It was in his nature after all. Yuki got up and headed to the door, opening it to be greeted by the sight of Shuichi holding the puppy tightly, tears forming in his eyes. Damn, the brat really needs to get less sensitive.
Yuki found his eyes narrowing at the little creature, suddenly just wanting it to disappear. If it had never showed up he would not have to deal with this guilt about not wanting it when Shuichi obviously did.
"I...uh...I..." After talking with a lot of the people at work, Hiro, K, and Ryuichi again, Shuichi had come to the conclusion that he was keeping this puppy whether or not Yuki liked it. He had even gone to the pet store with Hiro after leaving work early to get a large bag of dog food, treats, dog bowls, a collar and leash, a small dog bed, and plenty of chew toys for Ritz to enjoy. He had been so confident about the whole situation, that is, until this moment when he knew he had to confront his lover about it. Now butterflies were coursing through his stomach.
"Yes?" Yuki said, his hands crossing over his chest as his gaze shifted over to Shuichi, his eyes still narrowed.
Shuichi kept telling himself that despite his lover's cold behavior towards him, Yuki would not leave him over wanting a puppy. He had to stay strong about this whole thing. "I...I really want this puppy." Shuichi heard a sigh escape Yuki's mouth, and he decided to continue before his lover could butt in. "I mean, I know you don't like dogs and you don't want him, but he doesn't have any place left to go besides a shelter and who knows what will happen to him there!" Hands locked around Ritz securing the puppy in his arms, Shuichi was doing his best to hold Yuki's hard gaze. The pop star released a breath before continuing, "I swear I'll take care of him! I'll feed him, and walk him, and play with him, and-"
"This isn't a toy, brat. You can't get bored with it. Can you honestly say that you will take full responsibility for this mutt?" Yuki's eyes landed on Ritz again, his face looking at the puppy with obvious distaste etched into his handsome features.
Shuichi kept strong; he was not going to back down now. "I know he's not a toy," he said this with a glare. "And I will take responsibility for him. I swear I will." The pink haired man gulped, his eyes still fixed on his lover.
"I seriously doubt that," was all Yuki said at first, and Shuichi could feel his heart sinking and he could feel tears developing in the back of his eyes. He knew he had to stay strong, but what had he expected? Yuki would never let him keep a puppy. He felt his eyes sink to the ground below him in utter defeat, feeling a bit surprised at Yuki's next question.
"You really want that damned dog?" Shuichi's head jerked up as he nodded viciously, staring at the blond with wide eyes. Yuki released a sigh, feeling defeated. Although he never really showed it, he really cared about the brat, and when he wanted something this badly it was just hard for Yuki to say no and watch the tears fall. "Keep him, if it means that much to you."
A grin broke out on Shuichi's face, and Yuki decided to add something before his little lover got too excited. "But the second that little animal does anything to this house; that means furniture and all, it's gone, and you with it for that matter." Adding that did not seem to dampen Shuichi's happy spirit. "Don't go neglecting it either and expecting me to comfort it. I won't. That I can promise you."
Shuichi bent down and put Ritz on the floor, letting his roam his new home as he stood up and ran up to his lover. "He won't, and I won't! AND THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!" The pop star was beyond excited now, and he wrapped his arms around the novelist's neck, getting up on his tip toes to reach Yuki's lips. He planted a soft, chaste kiss on the blond, pulling back and smiling.
Yuki was beginning to feel like he deserved a reward for allowing his lover to keep his little puppy, and found himself leaning back down and kissing Shuichi again, backing him up towards the bedroom when...
"Arf!"
"Aw!" Shuichi squeezed his way from Yuki's arms and ran over to his new dog to pick him up once more. "Yuki! None of that in front of our baby!"
Shuichi headed over to the many bags he had left by the entrance to their home and pulled out some dog food. "You're hungry aren't you Ritz? Yes you are!" Shuichi cooed his new pup over and over again, pulling out his bowl and pouring in some Puppy Chow for Ritz to eat.
Yuki, meanwhile, was staring at the scene, glaring at the pair with his golden eyes. He deserved some kind of reward did he not? Besides, that dog would not care. It really was not their baby; if they ever managed to have a baby and it looked like that the blond would seriously question one of their genes.
"God, I'm going to bed." The novelist grumbled this, heading into the bedroom and closing the door behind him, blocking out the sound of his lover's cooing. He fell onto his bed, a sigh escaping his throat as he glared at the ceiling.
I knew I was going to regret this...
-End-
A/N: Aw, poor sexually frustrated Yuki. Oh well, Shuichi's the one who will be paying later. -laughs- Okay, well, that's my little one shot, in fact the longest one I've ever written. Sad, I know. Anyways, please read and review! I really really really really would like feedback from people. As I said above, reviews mean the world to me. They make my day and it only takes a second to write one. Also, no flames please! I've never gotten one and I think if I did it would make me cry, so please don't.
(1) Tatsuha! Lmao, I could see him attacking Ryuichi at night if he ever had the chance.
(2) Little Shuichi! I had to add that little comment in cause I think it's so funny whenever Shuichi jumps on Yuki and suddenly he's tiny.
(3) I got that from Harry Potter, when Hagrid is worried about sending Norbert away.