"A Kiss Between Friends"

Written By: Emily Fisher

Disclaimer: I don't own Gravitation! It belongs to Maki Murakami! I just love it!

Dedicated To: My friend Lauren, who described Shuichi and Hiro as 'emo' the first time I showed her the Manga, which led to me writing this while listening to nothing but Something Corporate! Hopefully, this will get her into reading the Manga (If she isn't already)!

Summary: A scene from the first issue of the Manga: Shuichi home sick, Hiro and him talking about Yuki and the future over pocky and tea, and a kiss between friends.

"It was a noble effort, Shuichi! You definitely made an impression on him!" Hiroshi Nakano said, grinning at his best friend as he always did, a spark of hope ignited in him. After all, how could a big-shot producer and musician like Tohma Seguchi forgot Hiro's best friend screaming the name of their school, grade and homeroom teacher? Shuichi had a way with making people remember him. He wasn't exactly the most subtle person in the world.

Shuichi looked slightly embarrassed, rubbing the back of his neck, before transforming into his more confident side, inspired by his friend's encouragement and excitement. His eyes got bright, forgetting that, if his mother came into the room, it would be painfully obvious that he wasn't really sick at all. "If nothing else, those guys'll remember what school we go to!" Shuichi lifted his arm, awaiting for Hiro to hook elbows with him. It was a special best friend's handshake between the two of them, something that they had made up back in Junior High.

Hiro laughed, hooking elbows with him. "I'll bet that's not all he remembers!" They were both glowing, dreams of success filling their heads.

Mrs. Shindou walked into the room, holding a tray of tea, her usual wide smile on her face, ready to give out some 'good vibes and motherly love'. Shuichi cursed under his breath and got back into bed, going into some impressive theatrics of fake coughing. She laughed, her short brown hair shaking out of her eyes. "Oh, my. For someone who's staying home sick from school, you're awfully energetic… Why don't you try going to class and put a little of that energy into your schoolwork?"

Shuichi sighed and mumbled something under his breath, ("That's one of the oldest lines in the parenting book…") and Hiro smiled, putting on a polite smile for his friend's mother. "Hello, Mrs. S! You're looking lovely today!"

Mrs. Shindou laughed delightedly and set the tray down on the floor next to the two boys. "Aw, Hiro, you're such a charmer! I wish you would teach my Shuichi how to be so well mannered!"

Hiro smiled at her and ruffled Shuichi's hair as he grumbled in indigence. "I'll work on that if you wish," he teased and she laughed again, leaving the room.

Shuichi sighed in relief and sat up again, grabbing a mug of tea and taking a sip. "Man, I hate it when she does that," he complained, sighing in contentment as the tea's warmth filled him up. He watched as Hiro grabbed a stick of strawberry pocky, thinking wistfully about his meeting with Tohma Seguchi. "…Tohma used to play keyboards in Ryuichi Sakuma's band. Sakuma was some singer…"

Hiro tilted his head to the side, holding the pocky stick like a cigarette, looking at Shuichi. "Weren't they called Nipple Twister?"

Shuichi shook his head and looked mildly angered. "Nittle Grasper!"

Hiro laughed, running a hand through his long, auburn hair. "Oh, right, of course! I remember you wore the grooves off your records. You couldn't stop playing his music, and today you met him. You're so lucky!" He sighed, placing the pocky stick into his mouth and sucking on it as he talked. "What a waste, though, huh? You didn't really get to talk to him properly… But, I guess what's done is done…"

Shuichi's eyes got wide, not believing what he was hearing. "Done? What's done! Seguchi is good friends with Eiri Yuki! Yuki may be a jerk, but I'll still use that connection!" His face was flushed determinedly, and a smile broke across his face. "We can ask him to introduce us!" He was glowing again, the way he always was when he talked about Eiri Yuki, and Hiro raised an eyebrow, using his pinky finger to scratch his ear.

"Yowza! Eiri Yuki again?" He studied his friend for a moment, nibbling his pocky stick, before saying in a more serious tone, "You really have a thing for this guy, don't you?" He noticed his friend's shocked, blushing face, confirming what he had been mulling over the past few days, and he added, "Why don't you just tell him you're in love?" Shuichi looked terrified and Hiro moved closer to him and smiled, trying to reassure him. "It doesn't matter if it's two guys, you know. Love is love. Don't get caught up in that moralistic society crap, okay?" He finished his pocky, lifting the box, about to get a second. "You didn't dig that girl I set you up with, did you? And you were pumped up at the concert because Eiri Yuki came, weren't you?"

Shuichi's embarrassed face was all the answer he needed and he smiled, chuckling warmly. "You were always bad at hiding your feelings. I think it's cute… That's what makes you a great songwriter…" He leaned closer to Shuichi, advancing on him and making him tremble slightly, leaning very close to his ear. "You've got his interest, so close the deal. It'd be a shame to lose him to some other guy…," he whispered softly in his ear, before he pulled back slightly, leaning towards his face, as if he was about to kiss him. He pulled away last minute, laughing. "Just kidding, dude!" Shuichi gave him a confused glare, his face bright red. Hiro stood up, ruffling his friend's hair again, still laughing. "It seems like he might like you, though. Why else would he come to our concert?"

Shuichi sighed despairingly, crossing his arms. "Ugh, wrong, you doofus!" He groaned and slumped his shoulders, the picture of disappointment. "…He's got a girlfriend… I know, because he was originally supposed to have a date with her that night…"

Hiro sat back down and glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, a new pocky stick in his mouth, surveying him in the same manner as a psychiatrist. "Oh really…," he said, raising his eyebrow, before coming to a conclusion. "La De freakin' Da! Don't be an idiot. He blew off the girlfriend to come see you play, so he must like you more than her…"

Shuichi sighed, draping his arms over Hiro from behind, resting his forehead at the point where his neck melted into his shoulders. "No way. How could he?" His voice was sullen and doubtful and Hiro turned slightly to look at him, concern evident in his eyes.

"Don't be so negative, Shindou. Guys get turned off by low self-esteem." He felt Shuichi nuzzle his neck slightly, still not cheered up. He placed yet another stick of strawberry pocky in his mouth. "You worried about kissing him, right? You can practice on me!" He munched a little on his pocky before adding, "I'll even tongue you for 10,000 yen."

Shuichi laughed a little, still holding fast to his best friend. "Only you would charge someone for a kiss…"

Shuichi let go of him, still sitting close, and leaned in, saying, "Let's say you're right, I'm in love…," before taking the opposite end of the pocky stick into his mouth and nibbling it. He sighed, eyes closed in thought. "It's still not normal for a guy to…hmmm."

Hiro's eyes widened at how close his friend was to him, but laughed a little, not moving away. "I wouldn't exactly call this 'normal' either, you know," he pointed out.

Shuichi looked at him determinedly, chewing on the candy. "First one to turn away loses."

Hiro laughed, eating some of the pocky, the distance quickly disappearing between the two of them. "Is that all a kiss from you is worth?" He asked, before he bit off the last bit of pocky, chewed, swallowed, and moved in, gently brushing his lips against his friend's. Shuichi took a moment to react, before he too, timidly, kissed back, feeling a little awkward. He felt Hiro's hand reach up and his fingers slowly running through his hair, their lips still brushing against each other strangely. After a moment, they were used to kissing, and it felt a little less weird to wrap their arms around each other and run fingers through each other's hair. Hiro's tongue darted out and licked at his friend's bottom lip, asking for entrance. Shuichi's mouth opened in response, his fingers tangled in Hiro's long hair. The tongue slipped in and explored for a moment, before they both pulled away, flushed and mussed from kissing, and smiling slightly.

"See? That wasn't hard. Just do what you did to me when you kiss Eiri Yuki, alright?" He smirked before holding out his hand.

"Now. Where's my 10,000 yen?"

fini

Author's Notes: Mwahahaha! I love that scene the best! It's so adorable and I was always mad that they never showed if Hiro and Shuichi practice kissed or not! The pocky thing is so freaking cute, I squeal every time I read it! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! 3!