Hey, guess what? These characters aren't mine...how sad...

Desire.

Kazahaya couldn't remember seeing that expression cross Rikuo's face before, and it was so shocking that when it disappeared a few seconds later, he couldn't be sure it had been there in the first place.

Rikuo was still staring at him after having just called his name, but he was no different than the Rikuo that had smirked at him before leaving...how long ago had that been?

How long had they been standing there? Was he just going to keep staring? Did he have something to say? Kazahaya didn't let himself imagine what he must be thinking about him right then, and dared not look him in the face or prompt him to reply.

And somehow the eternity they stood there erased all the tension. Rikuo bent to pick up the spilled contents of the bag as if he'd dropped it only seconds ago. As if he'd never left, never returned to find Kazahaya...

He couldn't even think the words. He hadn't masturbated since he was 15 in the bathroom, where he'd been caught for being too loud and beat for it. What in the world was going on with him?

"Kakei wanted me to give these to you...when I got back." His voice wasn't quite normal, but sounded as if he'd just choked on something. He tossed that bag onto Kazahaya's own bed rather than take the two steps forward and hand it to the silent teen.

Kazahaya turned and walked out the door. Rikuo made no move to stop him.

Outside, the cold air hit his damp hair and skin and caused goose bumps to erupt on every exposed surface. But that cold was quickly shoved aside as a hand shot out from the shadows of the alley. Sometimes Kazahaya hated being able to see into people just by touching them- sometimes he just didn't get paid enough to actually acknowledge that he had this so called 'gift.'

Though he jerked away compulsively, that instant of contact brought a wave of heat, of sickeningly impure lust that would have normally made Kazahaya wretch, notwithstanding the fact that he'd recently been overtaken by such desires himself, though not in quite the same way this man was experiencing it.

"Hey, buddy." A leech of a creature, with greasy hair and a greasier voice, stepped out of the darkness. "I'm looking for a friend of mine- tall, dark, ruggedly handsome. The polar opposite of you, in fact." He seemed to contemplate this for a moment and decide that it was safer to stick with his original story, though his lingering gaze did nothing to hide his interest in Kazahaya.

"I told him I'd meet up with him inside, but it seems I've...forgotten my key. Do you mind letting me in?"

Kazahaya moved on, hoping it'd be enough of a hint for the man to get lost. He was sure that Rikuo was who he was after, and frankly whether or not that had been the man Rikuo left with earlier was none of his business. This was definitely not an appropriate time for him to be prying into his roommate's private life.

But the greasy man was more than willing to do a little prying. He fell into step behind Kazahaya. "If you won't let me up to see my friend, maybe you'll be so kind as to keep me company. What's your name?"

It is widely known that the cold shoulder only works in certain circumstances, and when dealing with horny men, it's about as effective as a tank top in January. "Hey, kid, I'm talking to you-" He stuck out his hand again, but Kazahaya spun away, only getting grazed in passing. The flash of heat was lust intermixed with anger.

His first reaction was to get inside- he'd never been a big fan of confrontation. He ducked back through the door he'd just exited, slamming it on the greasy man, who decided against making a scene outside.

Leaning against the frame, it was several moments before he could stop shaking, his body trying to find equilibrium between two temperature extremes. But he had all the time in the world to loiter downstairs- he hadn't planned to return for hours, maybe not until he had to be at work in the morning. He didn't want to be alone with Rikuo long enough for...anything to come up.

"Back so soon?" Kazahaya thought he'd have a heart attack when he saw the dark haired figure out of the corner of his eye, but it was only Saiga.

"Y-yeah." He glanced nervously at the door behind him again, and at the stairs. Saiga gave his characteristically hearty laugh and drew Kazahaya away from the door, draping an arm over his shoulder and continuing to walk down the hall, towards the stairs.

"You'd better get some rest. Tomorrow's going to be a long day." He laughed again and gave Kazahaya a little shove up the steps. He had no choice but to continue up, though he gave a quick glance back to see that Saiga was watching to see that he made it up.

But he couldn't bring himself to open the door to his room. He could almost feel Rikuo inside. He stood there so long, imagining his roommate laying in the same place he'd laid earlier, where Kazahaya had been laying when he walked in...

The same heat he'd felt when greasy man touched him started to rise in his stomach- the same heat he'd felt when he looked in the mirror earlier.

"You can go inside, if you want." This time it wasn't Saiga talking to him. Rikuo closed the door with an audible click that pulled Kazahaya out of his thoughts. As he brushed by, a searing wave washed over him and subsided like tide going out when he disappeared down the hall.

Kazahaya went inside and tacked a sheet over the bathroom mirror (careful not to look in it) before burying himself in his bed. He dreaded waking up to a new day and what other horrors it might bring into his life.

So? How are we feeling about this? Good, I hope, or else bad in a good way. And I couldn't fit in that nice little KakeixSaiga scene in, so the NEXT chapter is opening with my fav non-main couple. Until then, thanks for reading!