Chapter 5

Daisuke faintly heard Dark's squeak of shock, the thief's hands jerking against his shoulders. Daisuke tightened his arms around Dark's startlingly thin waist, pulling the violet-haired man closer.

Dark was still beneath Daisuke's questing lips for a moment, and then he began to struggle against Daisuke's hold.

Confused, Daisuke let the thief go. Dark backed himself up against the wall, terror showing plainly on his face. Daisuke blinked, putting a hand towards Dark. "Dark? What's wrong? Did I hurt you?"

Dark shuddered, and Daisuke was shocked to see tears brimming in his eyes. "Just… D-Don't touch m-me…"

Daisuke felt heartbroken. "I-I'm sorry Dark, I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry; I don't know what came over me."

Dark just shivered again, closing his eyes. "You d-didn't hurt m-me…" Dark opened his eyes, not continuing with what he was saying.

Daisuke suddenly realized. "Oh Dark… Gods, I forgot, I'm so sorry. I promise, I didn't mean to frighten you."

Dark wrapped his skinny arms around himself, letting his chin drop to his chest. Daisuke was afraid that the thief was not going to say anything to him anymore, when he suddenly heard a soft sound from him.

Daisuke leaned forward, trying to catch sight of Dark's shadow hidden face. "Dark?"

Dark's shoulders began to shake, and Daisuke moved forward again, his want to comfort his beloved Phantom Thief winning over his cautiousness.

As Daisuke gathered Dark into his arms the thief flinched, and then relaxed, responding to Daisuke. The redhead felt the other sink into his embrace, and thin hands grasped in his coat, tears beginning to wet his neck as Dark sobbed against him.

"Shhh, it's okay now… I'm here…" Daisuke murmured, placing his chin on the top of Dark's head and petting the violet hair. "No one's going to hurt you… I'm here…"

Daisuke let his large crimson wings fall like a blanket around Dark's trembling form, letting the heat from them wrap the thief in protection and love. Dark continued to cry into his shoulder, and Daisuke simply held him, petting his hair and whispering what comforts he could offer.

That was how Emiko found the two of them nearly an hour later, Dark wrapped up in Daisuke's arms and wings, sleeping soundly, tears staining his cheeks. Daisuke was crying too, though his tears were silent in an effort not to wake the exhausted thief in his embrace. Emiko did not question what had happened, she only picked up the empty bowl and left the room, leaving Daisuke and Dark alone. She knew well that the two of them were trying to bond with each other again, and they needed their time alone.

Daisuke knew that the warmth he was sharing with Dark probably wasn't the best thing for him at the moment. Slowly, the boy maneuvered so that Dark was lying on the bed again, and then replaced the cool cloth on the thief's forehead. Daisuke leaned over, pressing a gentle kiss to Dark's hot cheek. "Please get well…"

Dark slowly opened his eyes, blinking in the bright sun that flooded into the room. Yawning, he turned his head to the side, and his eyes instantly flew open wide, a blush coming to his cheeks.

Daisuke was leaning on the bed, sound asleep. There were dried tears along his cheeks, and his face looked positively exhausted, but Dark could never think of a time when he had been so… cute…

With shaking fingers Dark reached out to touch Daisuke's hair, feeling its softness. 'I missed him so much…' Dark thought. 'I wanted to be with him… But now that I'm here, I can't think of anything but what happened to me while Krad had me… I want to be with him, I want to be loved…' Dark retracted his fingers, blinking back tears. 'But I am afraid…'

The thief turned his face away from the redhead, sighing heavily. At that sound Daisuke shifted against the bed, his crimson wings flexing and then relaxing slowly. Daisuke's vermillion eyes slid open, and he looked up to focus on Dark's face as the violet-haired man turned back to look at him. The boy smiled. "Good morning Dark. I trust you're feeling a lot better?"

Dark blinked, and then slowly nodded. "Yes, actually, I am."

"I gave you some pain-meds that Mom went to get, and I think that they really helped with the pain you're getting from your wounds and broken limbs, and your fever broke some time last night, so everything should be good now. And the infection in your back is finally gone!" The boy grinned widely. "Looks like all my hard work paid off!"

Dark couldn't help but smile at Daisuke, but then his face grew serious again. "Daisuke?"

The boy blinked, looking to him. "Yes Dark?"

"I missed you."

Daisuke's face softened, and he smiled at the thief. "I missed you too Dark, and I'm glad you're home."

Dark blinked. "'Home?'"

Daisuke nodded with a smile. "Mom and Dad said that you were welcome here, so you're home. This is now you're home just as much as it is mine." The redhead grinned wider. "You can stay here in my room until we can get another room for you made up."

Dark blinked again, and then smiled slightly. "I… I would like that."

Daisuke nodded. "So would I." Daisuke paused, and then looked down at his hands. "Dark, just so you know, I'm sorry for what I did the other day. It was wrong of me, I knew what had happened to you, and I shouldn't have rushed. But, I do love you, and because of that, I'm willing to wait until you're ready. Okay?"

Daisuke raised his eyes to Dark's face, and gasped as he saw the tears rolling down Dark's cheeks. Daisuke grew afraid. "Dark? Dark, what did I say? I'm sorry!"

Dark shook his head fiercely. "No!" He smiled at the boy. "No. That's not it at all. I'm just… so…happy."

Daisuke blinked. "Happy?"

"I've only been loved… once before… And I couldn't stay with her. And then when I loved again, I was taken away, because he didn't love me… He loved someone else…" Dark sobbed out. "I wouldn't be allowed to love. I am nothing more than a curse on the Niwa family, not even a real person."

Daisuke reached out, grabbing Dark's shoulders and yanking the thief into a tight embrace. "Oh Dark, you are real. You're here with me, and you are not a curse. You are a blessing, one that I was lucky to receive. If I had never known you, I wouldn't have been the same person that I am now."

Dark relaxed into Daisuke's embrace slowly, putting his face against Daisuke's neck and allowing his tears to flow. "I love you Daisuke, I've loved you for a long time. I didn't know what was happening to me, but I began to fall for you." Dark shifted to look up at the boy. "I love you Daisuke, but I need time. I can't just…" The thief shuddered.

Daisuke nodded. "I understand Dark, and I already told you, I will wait forever if I have to. I will wait for you."

Dark settled against the boy, and Daisuke wrapped him again in his arms and wings. Dark snuggled into the crimson feathers, the warmth radiating off of them comforting him. "Thank you…"

Kind of short, and I'm not really very happy with it. It seems too… fairytale to me. I just hope that you like it better. Please review!