Never Say Never
Chapter 2

"Yuki?" asked Shuichi quietly as the two had arrived home. "Yuki, are you sure you are all right? You don't look very good." He glanced warily at his blond lover, concerned about him.

"No, I'm not all right," replied Yuki, surprising him. The pinkhaired vocalist had been wholly expecting him to deny everything even though it was clear that something was wrong. He even knew what was wrong.

Now, Shuichi watched as Yuki's hand wandered to his pocket. Seeing how the novelist drew his prescription bottle from his pocket, opened it, and swallowed two pills dry, the younger man's eyes were filled with tears. "Yuuu-kii," he whined. "You're not going to get sick again, are you? You can't"

Yuki merely sighed and rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. "No, I have not planned to fall sick on you, brat," he said. "It's just that... Well, Tatsuha's words upset me pretty much"

Now, Shuichi stared at him, bewildered. It was extremely rare that Yuki talked about his feelings this way. Still wordless, he followed his lover into the living room, where they both settled onto the couch. Yuki sat on the couch and Shuichi curled up next to him, laying his head in the blond's lap and looking up at him with large violet eyes, waiting. And finally, Yuki started to speak.

"Tatsuha is the one I have always trusted," he said quietly, his eyes staring somewhere to the distance. "True, we bicker and fight occasionally, but never with any ill intentions. He's the only one who has never treated me differently because of my appearance, and the only person in my family I can somehow stand for an extended amount of time. Basically, he's been my best friend for as long as I can remember"
Shuichi had this far just listened to him wordlessly. Now, however, he opened his mouth to speak, only to find a finger placed over his lips. Then Yuki started to distractedly pet his hair, a gesture which Shuichi found almost alarming. Yuki never showed his affection like this. He must be really upset.

"Of all the people, I could have never thought that it would be Tatsuha to bring that up," the blond novelist continued. "Sure, he was drunk, but that's not an excuse of any kind. It doesn't change the fact that he intentionally hurt me. I can't think of a single thing he could have said that could have been worse. Tatsuha is so close to me that he knows exactly what to do to make me as upset as only possible"

Now, Shuichi was most certainly alarmed. "Yuki," he started to say, "you know that I would never "

"I know, you baka, I know," the other man interrupted. "You're simply too much of a well-meaning whirlwind to even try to hurt somebody. However, you and Tatsuha are not much alike. Now, my dear brother has shown just how much I can trust him -- a stuffed bunny's worth." With a sigh, he added, "I don't trust easily, Shuichi -- you, if anybody, should know that, given how long and hard you fought to achieve that trust. And a trust once broken is even more difficult to rebuild"

Now, Shuichi finally got to speak. "I'm sure that Tatsuha will regret his words when he's sober again"

Yuki merely snorted. "I bet he will," he said. "But what proves that he won't just do it again next time I insult his adorable Ryuichi's precious little bunny?

Nothing. And that's why I can't trust him"

Shuichi sighed. "I hate seeing you this way," he said quietly. "Calm down, Yuki. This'll do no good to you"

"I know." The novelist sighed, too. "The problem is just that I can't help it. Believe me, I would much prefer not to remember anything of my past." With a smirk, he added, "Well, anything prior to you, anyway. You've caused me far too much trouble to be forgotten that easily"

The pink-haired vocalist smiled faintly. "Always nice to know that you care," he teased lightly.

To that, Yuki didn't say anything. Instead, his hand momentarily stopped on its many a time repeated journey over his lover's pink locks. Then the hand was lowered to briefly touch the vocalist's cheek in a gentle caress before it returned to its previous position. To most, it probably wouldn't have meant much, but to Shuichi, coming from Yuki, it was a declaration better than any that could have been expressed by words. So, he happily snuggled up to the taller man, his eyes shining with happiness and love.

Yuki's expression softened a bit, as much as it ever softened, anyway. Then he smirked at his petite lover. "I think I still need some consolation," he said. "Would you be willing to help me with this problem"

Shuichi's expression brightened even more as he nodded eagerly. At this, Yuki lowered his head, and the vocalist raised his own to meet the waiting lips. A moment later they were kissing passionately, Yuki having pulled Shuichi's whole upper body into his arms. Then he lifted the boy into his arms, heading towards the bedroom with him. Of course, this action of his did not meet much resistance.

Shuichi never took his eyes from Yuki as he was lowered to the bed. As the blond then leant over him to place a kiss onto his lips, he responded eagerly, hands searching the buttons of Yuki's shirt. At the same time he felt a pair of equally eager hands undressing himself. When wandering fingers brushed over his nipples for the first time, he moaned into Yuki's mouth.

"I love you, Yuki..." he whispered as they broke the kiss at last.

And that was the last full sentence either of them uttered for a long time.

Tohma sat down in his favourite armchair with a deep sigh. After Yuki and Shuichi left, the whole party had gone just worse. In the end, about everybody had been mad at somebody else.

"Tohma?" asked a quiet voice behind him. As he turned around, he saw his wife, who looked serious.

"Yes? What is it, Mika?" he asked. However, he had a bad feeling that he already knew what it was.

And truly, next he heard the question he had feared. "Were you telling the truth?" asked Mika, sounding anxious and a bit annoyed. "Back in the party. Were you really telling the truth, or were you lying"

"I wasn't lying," replied Tohma levelly. "I've truly never played guitar." At Mika's annoyed gaze, he sighed. "Yes, I did tell the truth," he said. "I am not attracted to your brother any more than you are. Brotherly love is the only thing I've ever felt for him." With a serious tone, he finished, "That is the whole truth"

Mika sighed. "I wish I could trust you," she said. "However, Tatsuha's words made me... think"

"And this makes me think." Now, Tohma's voice turned from serious to icy. "It is obvious that you don't trust me, which makes me ask whether I can trust you. So, tell me, my dear wife... did you tell the truth"

"What?" exclaimed Mika. "Are you implying that I'd cheated on you? I'd never"

"And I would never sleep with Yuki," replied the blond coolly. "Still, you accused me of doing that"

For a moment his wife just glared at him, fuming. Then she stormed off, leaving him alone.

Tohma sighed, hiding his face in his hands. He had a feeling that this all would end badly.

Tatsuha blinked as a bright light hit his face. Groaning, he tried to cover his eyes with an arm. This did not help much, however, as he next felt somebody grasping his wrist, tearing his arm from his face.

At last, he forced his eyes open despite the pounding headache. The first thing he saw was Ryuichi's serious face. Having too bad a hangover to even smile at his lover, Tatsuha groaned again.

"I must say that I'm almost happy to see you're suffering," said Ryuichi, perfectly serious for once. "You certainly deserve the worst hangover ever for what you did yesterday night"

"What do you mean?" asked Tatsuha. Well, he meant to ask that. However, all he could get out was, "What --" Then everything from the night before came crashing down on him, and he groaned again, this time for a reason that had nothing to do with his horrible headache. "Kami help me," he muttered. "If I'm lucky, Yuki will be on a good mood and merely tear me into tiny pieces. That's not very probable, though"

Ryuichi merely nodded. "On that you're right," he said. "If Tohma or Mika doesn't get you first, that is"

"You're my lover," whined the much younger man. "Shouldn't you protect me from those maniacs"

"Yes, I am your lover," said Ryuichi levelly, "and that is the only reason why I'm not doing anything nasty to you myself. However, I will not stop your family from doing whatever they deem fitting to you"

At first, Tatsuha pouted, then merely sighed. "I probably should try to call Eiri," he said quietly. "If I let him build his anger, he will never say a word to me again." At this, he also sat up on the bed.

His lover merely nodded, not making any comment on his plan. Instead, he merely took Tatsuha's cell phone from his pocket and handed it to its lawful owner. The darkhaired man groaned.

"I am too predictable, aren't I?" he asked as he dialled the number of Eiri and Shuichi's apartment.

"Not predictable," Ryuichi said, shrugging a bit. "Let's just say that I know you, and I also know Yuki to some extent. Given both of your personalities, this would be the logical next step"

Tatsuha even managed a small smirk. Then, however, all his attention was turned to the phone.

Yuki groaned as he sat up. He would have much preferred to sleep some more, but the phone was ringing and wouldn't stop. Sending a glare at Shuichi, who had simply shoved him out of the bed as the phone's sound first reached them and then gone back to sleep himself, the blond novelist then sighed and started to look for the phone. As it was wireless and resided in the same apartment with one Shindou Shuichi, it could be practically anywhere. Not that Yuki himself hadn't misplaced the phone several times himself -- usually on purpose -- but after Shuichi had used it, it could be found in the most ridiculous places.

Like now. The poor receiver piece of the phone was under the couch of all places. Relieved at having finally found the phone and annoyed at Shuichi for losing it, Yuki pressed a button to receive the call. "Moshi moshi," he muttered into the receiver. He wasn't really interested in whatever the person in the other end of the line wanted to say. Just in case it was important, however, he did answer.

"Aniki?" asked a tired, slightly hopeful voice. Without a second's hesitation, Yuki hung up. The phone started to ring again, but he ignored it. Tatsuha was the last person he wanted to talk with.

As he turned around, he saw Shuichi's serious eyes looking at him. Brushing past the young vocalist, Yuki ignored the hurt look he got from his lover. Not even Shuichi's puppy eyes would change his mind this time. Hurrying to his office, he closed the door and locked it. Sinking into his chair, he sighed, then turned his laptop on. Maybe killing some inexistent characters would help him calm down a bit.

"I'm sorry, Tatsuha," Shuichi muttered into the phone, wanting to make sure that Yuki wouldn't hear him talking to Tatsuha. "Yuki seems determined not to talk with you. The fact that you were drunk doesn't seem to help the case at all. He's convinced that you value Kumagorou over him"

"That's not true," he heard his lover's brother's voice whining from the other end of the line. "I don't know what possessed me to say that. I would never deliberately hurt him"

"I'm sorry," sighed Shuichi, lowering his eyes. "However, I fear I can't help you in this matter"

After talking for another moment, the vocalist finally hung up. Knowing that it would be no use to try to get Yuki out of the office and that he simply couldn't go back to sleep, he sat down on the couch and leant back, sighing. He, if anybody, knew how hard it was to get back to Yuki's good side if he was truly mad. In fact, to most people, it was fairly impossible.

He could just hope that Tatsuha wasn't one of those people.

After some time, Yuki frowned. He had expected Shuichi to come banging to his door before long. Not that he'd hoped for it, no, anything else, but he had indeed expected it. The fact that his lover still hadn't given any sign of himself was almost worrying in its rarity. And Yuki didn't like feeling worried.

At last, he sighed and turned his laptop off. There was no way he could concentrate now that the seed of worry had managed to sneak into his mind. Unlocking the door, he stepped out of his office. Listening for any sound of his lover, he frowned as he heard none. Then, he headed towards the living room.

And there Shuichi was. Lying on the couch, sound asleep, the pink-haired vocalist looked even younger than he really was. He must have been exhausted to fall asleep there. Not even Yuki could deny that he looked cute, even though this made shivers run down the novelist's back. He didn't consider anything cute.

Walking silently to Shuichi's side, he looked down for still another moment before carefully reaching down and wiping a stray lock of pink hair away from the boy's face. Watching the sleeping form for still some time, he then sighed and turned around, heading towards the kitchen. He was hungry and needed to take care of that little problem. Anything else could wait until later.

End Chapter 2