Chapter Eight

Warning: definitely R, malexmale (duh), very lime-y

Souji wasn't sure how he ended upside down with his knuckles brushing the carpet and his head cradled against a black couch cushion that slid to the floor beneath him.

Groggily, he tried to lift his head and promptly slammed the back of it into the low coffee table making it squeak indignantly and him hiss with pain. Sliding off the couch and into a pile on the floor, he held his injured skull while trying to wiggle out of the pile of limbs, blankets, and hair.

"Are you always this graceful in the morning?"

The droll comment made him blush and hastily straighten up.

"Here. Take a shower, and be careful of your bandages. I'm not redoing them if you are careless."

Souji smiled lightly, "Are you sure you don't want to help me? After all, I'm such a dirty boy." A white, cotton towel smacked him across the face.

As he pulled the towel off his eyes, he managed to notice that Toshi had already had his shower for the morning. Long, ebony hair cascaded around his shoulders and chest, leaving an inviting trail for the eye to roam down the bare skin below. Unfortunately, there was a slight landslide in the way, and that simply had to be moved. Towels were merely for drying.

Getting up, Souji slowly wandered across the room and partially leaned against the doorframe. His slender fingers traced down the path his eyes had taken with infinite lightness. He had almost reached that meddlesome towel when a warm, rough hand grabbed his own and pulled it back.

"Shower."

"You sure you don't want to help?"

"Seducing me won't get you out of that phone call." The grip tightened slightly, promising not to let him run away.

"Now I need a reason to seduce you? That doesn't seem too fun." Souji smirked mischievously, "Maybe I just thought that towel looked hideous on you and was trying to save your image?"

Toshi merely grabbed his other, wandering hand, twisted the two arms behind his back, and frog-marched him towards the bathroom.

"Stop imitating a dead body." Toshi growled in annoyance as Souji went totally slack.

"Better than a cold fis--." Before the last word left his mouth, he was swung around and pressed into the hard wall behind him. Hot lips shoved insistently and an equally hot tongue twisted around. Fingers tangled in long, unbound hair and their bodies melted together for a brief-yet-eternal instant. It was a searing, stunning instant at that.

Knees buckling and lungs burning, Souji sagged, not quite ready or able to speak yet. He hoped Toshi wouldn't draw back because he had already met the floor once already that morning.

"So, that is a way to shut you up." Toshi muttered gruffly with an insincere frown, "You're bleeding again."

Dumbly, the young man glanced at over to see he was bleeding again. He turned to Toshi, wondering if that was really all the man was concerned about. Really, was that all he had to say? If so, then maybe he was just a cold fish with hot lips, although Souji wasn't quite sure if that was possible. Then again, Toshi was impossible in a lot of ways, so it made some sort of sense.

"I don't even feel it." Souji lied, "I think you left off in the middle of something very important, and I'd like you to continue."

"Take out a shower and clean that wound."

"Thanks mom." Souji snipped back in frustration, his eyes getting slightly darker with ire, "You can't just stop in the middle; that's not fair!"

"Use the cold knob on the shower." Toshi replied coolly, glancing down with black, unreadable eyes.

"Good to know." The young man snapped back, "You got a vibrator in there too?"

"No, but you have two perfectly functional hands."

Souji really wished he had a death glare, or at least a witty retort. Instead he muttered vengeful words under his breath and vowed some serious payback later on. And he had actually thought they were getting somewhere for all of three seconds.

Taking Toshi's advice, he flicked the shower on cold and grumbled some more under his breath. Instead of thinking of that infuriating man, he turned his thoughts towards what he was going to say to Kondo. There was no excusing his actions, and although he was technically an adult with his own life and his own choices, he still had obligations to the people who cared about his well-being. Arguably, Toshi was not in his best interest.

Flicking off the water, he toweled off his body and wrapped his wet hair up. Not seeing any other towels around, he snatched a terrycloth robe off the back of the door and folded it around him loosely. It was far too big and basically all it did was drown him in cloth that hardly covered anything at all but his feet, but at least he wouldn't be yelled at for running around naked.

Padding out quietly, he wondered where Toshi had put the bandages from before. The shower had rinsed off most of the fresh blood, but he did need to sterilize and wrap it again. Years of injuries had taught him that wounds needed flawless care to heal properly.

"…I am aware of that. Just give me his number." There was a pause and Souji had this sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Obviously Toshi didn't think he would call Kondo on his own and was getting the number from Sannan. "Listen, he will want to speak to me because I have something of his. No, I don't want YOU to come over, that is why phones were invented so you don't have to deal with people face to face, and it is none of your business in any case."

Souji walked up behind him and asked pleasantly, "Can I talk to Sannan?"

Toshi jumped slightly, having been concentrating on the phone, and handed the receiver over without a word.

"Sannan? Hi, yeah." Souji said, sitting on the arm of a leather chair with his legs dangling and swaying slowly, "I just slept the night, that's all. Todou and the other two are sleeping at my house because they were in town and… well, yeah, dressing like a—." Souji hissed as the cold antiseptic pressed against tender skin and big fingers made sure to knead it in, "No, I'm okay, really. I just got into a bit of an altercation last night and Mister Hijikata's disinfecting it. No, he didn't do it, someone else did, but that's my fault too! I'm such a little troublemaker, aren't I? I do have Kondo's number, so he didn't really need to call you. How's everything going? Really? That's great! Am I invited then? That's--."

Toshi grabbed the phone, clearly tired of his happy chatter, "I expect those papers later." And Souji barely shouted a good bye before the phone clicked down.

"That was rude."

"He is a business partner, not a dear old friend."

"Well, he's my dear old friend, not my business partner."

"It is my phone."

"Now that's just petty. Surely you can afford a decent sized phone bill for once? With manners like that you can't be running up a huge tab otherwise." Souji smiled calmly, secretly hoping he was pushing some buttons.  although, I'm assuming it's a landline and the call was a local call and … well that would make it free… snorts

"What do you eat for breakfast?" It took Souji a moment to realize that Toshi really wanted to know. He wasn't sure if that entailed actually making breakfast or ordering some food. Then again, he couldn't really see Toshi was a brimming refrigerator and imagined it would have odds and ends of film, old milk, and maybe some Chinese containers.

"Cereal is fine."

Toshi looked unimpressed by that statement, "That is a snack. I asked what you wanted for breakfast."

"French toast!"

"Better."

Souji's jaw dropped a tiny bit, since he was expecting his cheekiness to be rewarded with a scowl. Apparently their slight fight from earlier was forgotten, if not forgiven, and Souji was going to accept that. For now.

Sitting on the stool that cozied up to the breakfast bar (Toshi didn't seem to have a real table), Souji watched quietly as Toshi glided around his kitchen pulling out all manner of cooking utensils and ingredients. He was certainly making more than French toast, or maybe he had some bizarre new recipe that called for bell peppers.

Souji's own puttering in the kitchen had resulted in soggy, cherry jell-o flavored bread that bled pink butter. No one, even Saizou, would touch it and after that Souji was banned from the kitchen unless he was washing dishes.

"Do you want me to help?"

"I want you to sit there and stop opening up your wounds." Souji made a face behind his back and wanted to point out that Toshi was the actual perpetrator, but decided against it in the interest of possibly ever getting more than a kiss, "Besides, I know that you can't cook and I don't want my kitchen to burn down."

"I can too cook! Just… it always seems to come out black. But you like the color black, so I think that would be alright."

"Dying of food poisoning is not 'all right.' Perhaps Saitou's fears are justifiable." Toshi grumbled, cracking eggs into a bowl easily.

Souji sat still for another few minutes before asking, "Then do you want me to call now? I could do that."

"Just sit. Sit and be quiet."

"I can't do that. It's so boring." Souji complained, combing through his hair gently with his splayed fingers. The wet strands untangled and slid into place like well-trained dogs. When anyone asked how his hair stayed so nice all the time, he replied that they had a deal and the hair received only the softest brushes and best conditioner as a reward for behaving. That was when most people either laughed or walked away. "Do you have a newspaper?"

"Here." A stack of the Entertainment section plopped down before him, "Read that."

He had been hoping for some actual news, although he usually didn't look at newspapers because they were always so depressing, and went through the section with only a cursory glance. In order to stay quiet and wait for his food, he simply stared at Toshi. If the bigger man was bothered by the slightly heavy stare from behind, he showed no signs. And of course to be totally unfair, Toshi still had no shirt on, although he had ditched the towel in favor of some tight, black jeans.

Sliding off the stool, Souji cautiously placed his palms against the sleek skin. It was warm and comfortable, so he placed his cheek down too, feeling the deep, even breaths. He even enjoyed the deep rumble as Toshi used his name to reprimand him for the liberties he was taking.

"You're so tense. Here." Souji withdrew his cheek and began to push and tweak the tight muscles with his fingers. He worked his way across the muscles in the shoulders, pinching roughly in specific place, then made his way lower, pushing with flat palms against the man's sides and mid back. It almost felt like petting a large panther. He started to pull his hands back, not sure if his attentions were received well, when they were grabbed firmly.

"Thank you."

Carefully Souji pressed a butterfly-light kiss on his back and leaned flush against him with slender arms wrapped around the broad waist.

"Comfortable now?"

"Very." Souji smirked into his back, "And don't think you're getting away."

"That should be your worry." Toshi growled, clasping his arms and pulling him off, remembering his shoulder. Flicking the half-cooked food off the heat of the burner, he backed Souji into the refrigerator and let his fingers wander under the too-large robe. They circled and nipped at Souji's nipples with sharp, little pinches while Toshi's teeth nibbled precisely at the junction of Souji's collarbone. Souji gasped and wiggled at the sudden assault, going from zero to sixty under those maddening touches.

Trying to get around Toshi's weight, his creative little fingers squirmed and reached until he found the waistband of those tight jeans. Tugging at the stubborn button, he cursed at it under his breath and gave an extra hard yank. It gave a defeated pop and flew around the room. And Souji appreciated the other pop that happened at the same time. It didn't take long to slide the hip-hugging jeans back and oh my, there was nothing underneath. Souji couldn't decide if he missed the unwrapping or if it would have just gotten in the way anyway.

Toshi's mouth had moved up his neck, leaving a trail of evaporating, angry marks on his white skin. The cool air soothed the sting and blended the pain with pleasure. His hair smelled like the shampoo and was slightly damp. It pressed against Souji's cheek and eyelashes, partially blinding him, although he really didn't need to see where he was going.

Finally reaching his goal, Souji teased the tender skin within his reach making Toshi pause and groan. The younger man could feel the hard member pressing insistently against him and it only encouraged him to drag his short nails up and down the length in a lazy way. Luckily he was already braced for when his sinful actions made Toshi's hips buck so hard it would have knocked him off balance.

Strong, harsh fingers wrapped around his hair and pulled his head back hard enough to jerk his playful fingers back from Toshi's pelvis. Those searing lips from earlier assaulted his lips, drowning out the need for air and filling him with a need for only the taste of Toshi. A strong, slick tongue pushed into his mouth, intending to win an easy dominance. Souji fought back, giving a quick bite to the intruder, earning a muffled curse into his mouth and an unwelcome breath of air. Displeased, Toshi's hold on his hair tightened, pinning him down tighter, until he was wedged in a very compromising position with his toes just barely touching the ground and his shoulders shoved against the smooth door behind him. The extra height gave him better access, and his arms reached out mischievously, determined not to let Toshi have all the fondling fun. He fully intended to make the big man earn his keep.

While one hand kept him pushed back, the other hand slid down Souji's slender frame, carving a path down his flat chest, past his belly, and down into his navel. Souji gasped when Toshi roughly grabbed him and shoved hard against the other man's firm erection with his hips. This only encouraged Toshi to pull harder with rough, friction-loving strokes while his mouth remained on Souji's and his knee was shoved between Souji's leg, pushing them open further.

Souji was vaguely aware of the annoying ringing sound in his ears, but he ignored it in favor of marking Toshi's back with some very stunning scratch marks, since that was all he could reach at the moment with his free hand.

"Meddlesome phone." Toshi's heavy, lust-filled voice rumbled from somewhere beneath Souji's long hair, "Quit squirming you little brat."

"But I want—ahh—something more than just your talented mou--." Souji hitched, feeling his chest constrict and his body complained at the semi-foreign intrusion at his lower half. He tried to grind himself down further, searching for the right spot.

A long, harsh beep sounded from across the kitchen and bland message sounded off. Souji was too busy nibbling on an earlobe to really notice. In fact, at that point he wasn't noticing much by his hot and bothered body and Toshi's attention to it.

"Toshi… Toshi, I know you are there. Pick up the phone this instant! I insist! Sannan gave me your number and told me that you have--."

Toshi swore loudly, practically dropping Souji as he dove for the phone. Unfortunately, Souji's restless legs had done a good job of sending his pants down to his ankles.

Still shaking and rather peeved at the interruption, Souji slid over the man and picked up the phone.

"Hijikata residence."

There was a long, heavy pause on the other end of the phone.

"Souji?"

"Yes?"

"Why are you answering Toshi's phone."

"Why, Kondo, because I was closer of course. What a silly question." Souji purred trying not to sound like he had been interrupted in the middle of a steaming before-breakfast session. It didn't help that his throat was raw from the whimpering and moaning and he couldn't seem to make his heart calm down enough to let him stand normally, it would just have to pinch. "Did you wish to speak to Toshi or did you want to talk to me? Because I know I haven't called like I should…"

"Put Toshi on."

Souji let a bit of whine creep in his voice, "Fine, don't talk to me…"

"I want to speak," Kondo's voice dropped coolly at that word, "to you as well. About why you're answering the phone at Toshi's house in the middle of having sex."

Souji wordlessly handed the phone over to Toshi.

A/N:slams head down Tatsu-style: I'm so sorry! Okay, not really. This is actually chapter eight version four. The first version was deleted by a school computer, the second was written in my head and (thankfully) never made it to paper, and I hated the third one. I do have to give credit to fyyrrose for whining that I do yuri so I should do yaoi (help… me…), Boogey, my meddlesome rat, for typing random 8s and fs in my sentences as encouragement, and to Bible Beater Bubba's radio show in Texas when we went down for A-kon. Listening to him rant about the sin of homosexuality was helpful in writing the first part of this chapter. Three more chapters, two of which are pre-written, aren't you guys excited? Hopefully this chapter still fits in the catagory of M, I tried really hard to tone it down.

Beta's comment: Folks, I deserve credit here, she wanted to stop at midnight and wanted to do something called 'sleep' (whatever the hell that is). I made her stay up the extra few hours and coerced her into writing what you see before you! All I can say is thanks E for writing this! bows head please forgive your favorite writer for not updating and take this as compensation for her carelessness! Another great chapter!