"Hey, Kaname!" Naoya Itsuki ran up to his serious-looking best friend after school. "I don't have work today! What'd'ya say we hang out for a bit, yeah?"
The other boy shook his head lightly, "Itsuki, for once in your life, leave me alone. I have to go straight home today; it's my mom's birthday."
Itsuki looked troubled for a moment. Kaname's parents had died seven years before, in an incident involving Erasers, which led to the young boy waking up in a pool of blood with shady memories. It was probably going to be tough for him to go home and act normally to his older sister when he knew so much more about it than she did. He made a split-second decision, like he always did. Clapping a hand on his friend's shoulder, he said, "Okay, then I'll come over for dinner and spend the night! There's no school tomorrow, after all."
"No, Itsuki, I really want to-" Kaname looked over at him, but the blonde was already snapping shut a cell phone.
"My mom says it's good, buddy!" he flashed a thumbs-up.
The other boy only groaned, wondering why he tried.
The door pushed open to the Kusakabe residence with a creak. From the kitchen, a pretty woman in her twenties called, "Kaname-kun? I was hoping that was you. No doubt Itsuki-kun's there with you. Show yourself in, Itsuki-kun."
Itsuki walked into her line of sight and held a hand up in a half-bow, half-apology. "I'm sorry for the short notice, but is it alright if I stay over tonight?" He grinned, like always. Kaname's bedroom door slammed shut.
"Itsuki-kun, make sure he doesn't get lonely, alright? I've been worried about him," the boy's older sister winked conspiratorially. Itsuki grinned again, and disappeared after his friend.
After dinner, Itsuki sat around in the somewhat drab room that Kaname supposedly inhabited.
"Jeez, Kaname, there isn't even a poster here! It's not like you're a guest or anything."
The dark-haired boy lying on the bed shrugged. Looking up, he said, "I'm only here on Nee-san's kindness. I figure, as soon as I don't have to impose on her, I should start supporting myself, you know?"
"Hey, it's not like she'll throw you on your ear the day you're outta high school, okay? She loves you, and I'll bet she wishes you would rely on her more." He frowned slightly, remembering his own home life. When he was just a boy, he was already living in fear of sudden attacks. And when Haruna had-
'Haruna? Can you hear me?' he thought to his twin sister, seeking assurance that it wasn't just a dream. She had really gotten out of her holding room inside E.G.O.
'Yeah, Onii-chan, what is it? Master and I are out shopping,' was the answer.
'Without you talking in my head all the time anymore, I get lonely. It's good to hear from you once in a while.'
There was a pause. '…Onii-chan, you're with Kaname-kun, right? Master says he's feeling really down right now. You're not talking about his family, are you?'
'I…Yeah, actually. I'll stop, I'll stop. I'm spending the night over here, by the way. It's…his mom's birthday was today.' Kaname was looking over at him now, probably knowing that he was talking to his sister.
'Onii-chan, be nice. And don't try anything stupid, alright? Or lecherous, you pervert.' Haruna cut the connection.
Itsuki laughed a little. What lecherous thing would he be doing with Kaname, of all people? All right, a few things came to mind, but that was just because the author was a yaoi fangirl. He got up, and laid himself out next to Kaname on the bed. "G'night…"
"What? Itsuki, don't sleep in the bed with me! Sleep on the floor or something!" Kaname jerked away from him.
"But, my best friend's feeling down, so I gotta cheer him up. So just go to sleep, you pansy." The blonde mumbled.
Kaname slapped his hand over his eyes, but figured that, as long as everyone's clothes stayed on, this was probably not as bad as him getting hugged in broad daylight by a neurotic E.G.O. idiot. He eventually drifted off to sleep.
Itsuki drifted slowly out of unconsciousness, blearily opening his eyes. It was dark. The bed creaked, the blankets rustled. Oh, right. He was sleeping over at Kaname's. Partially-lit shadows made more sense when he oriented himself in the room.
This led him to consider the situation with his arm.
Kaname's nightshirt had fallen high up on his chest, so his abdomen was showing. Also, somewhere in the course of the night, Itsuki's own hand had fallen across the bare skin. This led to discomfiture on the part of the latter party.
The guy was buff, though, for a sixteen-year-old. Itsuki fingered the defined lines of his friend's abs, wishing he had nearly the muscle tone. Maybe he should start showing up for morning practices, too. Remembering his position, and how dead he was if Kaname woke up, Naoya gingerly removed the invading appendage.
Then, Kaname rolled over to be face-to-face with the blonde. He whispered something under his breath, and, obviously dreaming, cringed. Itsuki leaned closer to hear.
"Mom…Dad…You're not here…I'm covered in blood…oh my god, where are you? I can't remember anything! Please, come back!" He was almost shouting now, remembering the moments just waking up after the incident. In an attempt to comfort him, Naoya wrapped his arms around the trembling body.
"Ssh, Kaname, it'll be alright. I'm here, just like I said I would be. You won't hurt anybody. Your hands won't be stained red anymore, okay?" Itsuki said soothingly, feeling the shaking ease slightly.
"Oh, God, what if I killed them? They're gone, dead, what if it was me?" The sleeping boy's arms rose and gripped Itsuki's shoulders tightly. Tears had started leaking out of the corners of his eyes, dripping onto the pillow.
"Then I'll still be here, right beside you, if you need me." Itsuki said it with such gravity, it half startled Kaname out of sleep.
"Oops…shit, did you hear that just now?" He whispered, embarrassed. "Um, you were having a nightmare, so…I was calming you down, alright?"
"Itsuki…Is that you? Oh man, Itsuki, it's my parents…I think I've killed them!" He seemed like he was still dreaming.
"Come on, Kaname! What're friends for, if not to help each other?" Itsuki was hoping the dull confusion of sleep wouldn't fade before he could stop hugging him. He was so dead if Kaname actually realized what was happening.
"I just wanted to tell you…something…" Kaname's eyes slid closed again. Hopefully, he would go back to dreamland now.
"Kaname…?" Itsuki ventured. Yes! He had lived!
He tried to pull his arms away, but he was too entangled to get out without Kaname waking up. He sighed, and settled to wait until he rolled over, away from his own arms.
Kaname curled slightly into him.
"Shit, don't do that…" he whispered desperately. This was going to make it harder to up and leave without a word.
To pass the time until he could leave, Itsuki looked around the room. Kaname really didn't act like he lived here permanently. It looked like a hotel room. For lack of anything interesting on the walls to look at, Itsuki looked down at his sleeping friend.
He really had been a cute kid, with chubby cheeks and a sort of protective innocence to him. Itsuki still teased him about that from time to time. Now, though, seven years had passed, and his cheekbones and jaw line were more defined. He was still protective of his friends, but it had a battle-hardened weariness to it.
A lot had happened to him in just those seven years, to make him so distant.
Itsuki wasn't there.
That was the first thought through Kaname's mind as he woke up. He was growing cold, from the lack of a heat source that had been next to him all night. He sat up, looking around the room. He opened his door, and saw his older sister.
"Nee-san, have you seen Itsuki?" He was trying hard to shake off the effects of sleep on his mind.
"He just left. Something about a family gathering he just remembered?" She was sitting at the table, reading the newspaper.
"Okay. I've got to talk to him," he walked to the door, and then turned. Considering what Itsuki had said the night before, he added, "Thanks, Nee-san." Then he disappeared down the hall.
'Odd kids,' the woman thought, sipping her coffee. She smiled.
Kaname took off his shirt, not wanting to ruin it. He looked down the stairs, with did a wide spiral all the way the building, and saw Naoya walking down five floors below him.
"Itsuki!" He yelled. The boy looked up, and then started hurrying down faster.
That left him no choice. He jumped over the side of the railing. He flapped his black wings once, twice, before landing in front of his quarry.
"Oh, sh-…Uh, hi, Kaname!" Itsuki started backing away. Kaname grabbed his shoulders and pushed him against the wall.
"Why are you leaving like this, Itsuki?" He growled under his breath, inches from his face.
"I just thought…Well, with your nightmares and all…You might have wanted to be alone?" Itsuki gave up struggling to free himself. Damn, should've gone to morning practices.
"No! I hate being alone. That's when I remember everything…every detail…every last sensation of ripping flesh from bones!" He leaned his head on the wall above Itsuki's shoulder.
Hesitantly, Itsuki lifted his arms around his friend's body. "Listen, I'm sorry, okay? I promise I won't leave you alone with those memories again. Calm down, it'll be alright."
Kaname's eyes widened. Just like in his dream the night before, Itsuki was comforting him. It really did make him feel better. A thought struck him.
"Did you…do this for me…last night? When I was having those nightmares? I thought I was still dreaming…" He backed his head up to look him in the face.
"I…um…Yes, okay, I did, but you were practically screaming and I thought it would help and so I sort of…um…" He noticed that he was hugging him, again. "Shitpleasedon'tkillme."
"Itsuki…I…what? Oh, um, sorry…" Kaname hurriedly let go of his friend and backed away, turning red.
"Hey, um, Kaname…Last night, you were dreaming, but you were sort of talking to me, too. You said something about wanting to tell me something…?" Itsuki was blushing, as well.
"Th-that's something completely…! Um, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that, and, uh…" he looked Itsuki up and down, thinking, "Okay, so maybe it's not something completely different. But, I didn't want to just tell you in a stairwell or something, I mean, it's kind of important to me…"
Itsuki couldn't take it anymore. He knew he loved Kaname, in a more than friendly way. This was what attracted him! That stiff, polite kind of protection, not wanting to get too close, that was what made him want to just jump on him. He couldn't control himself when he said, "I love you!"
He promptly slammed his hand over his mouth.
"Wh…what..?" Kaname stared at him. He took a step backward, against the railing. Carefully keeping his balance, he looked his friend in the eye. "How did you know what I wanted to say…?"
Itsuki looked at him. This was certainly unexpected, wasn't it? So, Kaname loved him back. What now? Itsuki reached out with his mind, and called to his sister.
'Haruna? You there?' There was a considerable pause.
'Onii-chan, it's six-thirty in the morning. This had better be good, and not a stupid loneliness issue.'
'Haruna, get Kirihara. I need to know something.'
'Oh, she's right here. I spent the night at her house. One sec…Alright, what do you need to know?'
'How Kaname's feeling right now.'
'…Surprised, and happy. Why? What did you do to him, you perv? Onii-chan!' Itsuki completely ignored her from there on, because, frankly, he didn't appreciate being called a pervert.
He moved toward Kaname, and held out his hand. His friend eyed him a little, then took the proffered invitation and came closer as well. Itsuki grinned happily.
"This is turning out better than I'd ever hoped, you know?" He beamed.
Kaname didn't say anything, but leaned forward and kissed him full on the lips.
After Naoya could think again, he noticed his sister yelling in his head.
'Onii-chan! You'd better tell me what you've done! Master says she's never felt Kaname happier! What's happening?'
'Quiet a minute, Haruna. I'm busy.' He thought back, his smirk obvious even in his words.