DISCLAIMER: same as last time- I am far too lazy to put it all in again . . .
Static Electricity
Chapter 2: The Weight of Gravity
"No." Yuki's voice was cold and unmovable, and unforgiving.
Shuichi was relieved to find that it was not directed at him for once. Even so, Shuichi could hear Yuki's voice loud and clear, even though he, Shuichi, was in the living room, and Yuki was in his office with the door closed tight.
"No, DAMN IT!" Came his voice again. He seemed to be having an argument with someone. "I already said I wouldn't do it – would you leave me the hell alone?"
"What do you think that's all about?" mused Hiro, staring at the television screen. Shuichi, without stopping to think about what his lover would say if her found the two of them in his living room, had let Hiro in earlier, and now they were both sprawled out on the floor, eating strawberry Pocky and playing Halo 2 on Hiro's Xbox.
"I'm hanging up now Tohma," came Yuki's voice from the office. "Don't call me again, or I'll get a restraining order." Pause. "Go to hell!"
Shuichi shrugged, and turned back to the TV, only to find that Hiro had owned him. Again.
"Play again?" The pink-haired singer asked helplessly. Hiro grinned and nodded.
"Think you'll beat me this time, Shu-chan? I don't"
"Whaah! Hiro! Don't be so mean!"
"I know . . .but I'm right."
They were halfway through the next round, with Hiro winning 12 kills to zero, when Yuki, having finished his phone conversation, sauntered into the room.
Golden eyes narrowed as they took in the sight before him.
"Why the hell are you here, Nakano?" Yuki growled, taking a long draw out of his cigarette, and exhaling. He threw himself onto the couch and took another draw.
"You two are melting your brains with mindless video games I see," he muttered. "Not that either of you have any to loose of course."
"Who was that on the phone, Yuki?" Shuichi wanted to know. He winced as Hiro shot his player's head off with a plasma rifle. The score was now 16 to zero.
Yuki frowned. "It was Tohma Seguchi, that's who!" He snapped. "The stupid git has no one to MC for that concert NG is doing, and so he's been after me for the past two days to do it!" Yuki looked livid at the very thought.
The round had ended. Hiro, as if he could sense the writer's impending mood, began to pack up his Xbox and controllers. He finished quickly, and Shuichi walked him to the door – both boys were eager to get out of the direct path of Yuki, who was likely to explode without warning.
"We'll do this again sometime," Hiro grinned as he said farewell. "Though maybe with some game you don't suck so badly at – not Soul Calibur though – you beat me every time. Damn button masher." He smiled again and ruffled Shuichi's rose-coloured hair before taking his leave. "That's unless Suguru doesn't kill us with all the practicing he'll make us do for that concert next week!"
Shuichi shut the door softly behind his best friend before making his own way back to the living room. He was feeling slightly apprehensive; there was no telling what type of mood his lover was in now.
Pausing at the door of the living room, Shuichi peered in carefully, preparing for the worst. Yuki, though, seemed asleep, distinguishable in the gloom only by the thin curl of smoke rising from the cigarette still protruding from his mouth.
Shuichi tiptoed farther into the room, knowing full well that if he dared make a sound Yuki would wake up – and he would not be pleased about it.
Shuichi began to relax as his violet eyes assured him that his lover was really asleep. He began to move around quietly, picking up the pillows and Pocky boxes that lay scattered about the floor. The room was lit only by the dim light coming from the blue screen on the TV, giving the room a ghostly atmosphere. It made Shuichi just the slightest bit freaked-out.
Trying to swallow his fear Shuichi began to gather up some of his stuff for the night. He'd have to go sleep in Yuki's bed tonight, since Yuki had commandeered the couch. A voice coming from behind him made Shuichi jump almost a foot in the air and muffle a startled squeak of surprise.
"Do you think I was wrong to blow off Tohma like that?"
It was Yuki; though his eyes were still closed, and to all aspects he was still asleep.
Covering up his initial fright, Shuichi decided that it was best to answer him.
"Erm, well, you do seem like the best person for the job, Yuki."
"Why?"
Shuichi rolled his eyes in the darkness. He was tired, the Pocky was doing substantially less that it's job of keeping him awake, and he had a recording session in the morning. Trust Yuki now of all times to be coherent and wanting conversation. Well, at least he wasn't yelling at him.
"I asked you a question, Brat! Why should I MC this stupid concert Tohma is setting up? Hmm?" There was a note of annoyance now in Yuki's voice.
"Well, you know us – I mean you know me. And I guess you'd know Seguchi-san pretty well too, because of Mika-san." Shuichi's words tumbled over themselves as he tried to get them out before Yuki got really pissed off. "And, I dunno, you're really popular and everything, so more people might come. It'd be a good publicity thing for you too, y'know? Plus ASK is going to be there. Maybe Seguchi-san knows that Aizawa is scared of you, and wants you to be there in case anything happens."
Shuichi trailed off, realizing he was babbling. He winced as he realized some of the meaning of what he'd just said, wondering how his lover would react.
Yuki had sat up during Shuichi's little speech, looking more infuriated by the word. "So that's it?" he snarled. "You think I'd do this for money or publicity? I'm not that dense you Damn Brat! As for protecting you from Aizawa, well, I've got better things to do with my life! Besides, maybe you need to take a couple more beatings in order to knock some sense into that empty head of yours!"
Shuichi cringed, his eyes filling up with tears, as he shrank farther and farther down to the floor with every hurt-filled sentence. He tried hard to keep the tears from coming to his eyes, but didn't quite succeed, and a few salty droplets fell silently to the floor.
"So now I ask you again – Why?" Was it Shuichi's imagination, or did Yuki's voice seem softer? He raised his head from where he was on his hands and knees, and really looked at Yuki, scarcely daring to believe his ears.
The writer was still looking down on him from where he was seated on the couch. His shirt was wrinkled, his shaggy blonde hair ruffled and falling over one amber-coloured eye, a lit cigarette dangling from one long, white hand, but the thing that struck Shuichi most was the look on Yuki's face. He had never seen it before; it was almost – regretful?
Shuichi slowly got up from the floor, and walked over to the couch to sit beside Yuki.
"Do it because it would be fun," he said softly into the half-light of the living room. "Do it because you're sorry. Do it because you care."
He heard Yuki laugh softly at this, and felt a hand come up to run its fingers gently through his rose-coloured hair. Shuichi shivered at the sensation.
"No wonder your lyrics sucked so badly," Yuki's voice was amused now. "You are far too sentimental for your own good!"
His arms came up around the smaller boy as Yuki gathered Shuichi into a tight embrace. Not a kiss – not this time. Just the two of the sitting with their arms around one another, drawing strength and comfort from their nearness.
Sooner rather than later, though, Yuki pushed away from Shuichi, and, getting up from the couch, proceeded to wander back towards his office, banging and slamming an irregularly frequent amount of things on the way.
Shuichi smiled to himself as he heard, after a short pause, his lover call out, his voice back to being moderately aggravated, "Hey! Brat! Any idea where I put Tohma Seguchi's phone number?"
Author's Note: Unfortunately, I haven't even seen all of Gravitation yet (cringes). I know what's going to happen, I'm just, well, fuzzy on the correct details. And I've been known to assume some pretty wacked stuff! So just cut me some slack, and if anything is disastrously wrong, let it be known!