NOTES:

Anne: It was fluffy…oh yeah! It was. XD Sorry. I'm losing my mind. You and Hyde and not having his pants on…smack him for me and ask him to steal Gackt for me sometime. I LOVE GREY'S ANATOMY! OH MY GOD I LOVE THAT SHOW! The song lyrics in this chapter are actually from one of the saddest episodes—the season finale. I loved when Sho said that he was Kei, it made me squee when I wrote it all three times…sensating. Yeah. That's not a word, but I know what you mean, don't worry. I hope the luck worked on my exams and yes, I still love you for sending me everything back!

Kei-Sho: I'm actually quite proud of the smut from last chapter, but if you liked that, then you'll love next chapter's…it's delicious, although it doesn't involve blood…well, it involves blood red silk pajamas, but you'll just have to wait and read!

Hiroyukishinji: Awww, you got robbed on Halloween? That's so horrible! ONLY MALLEPA PEOPLE CAN DO THAT! And GOOD. I killed you with the smut. XD Too bad next chapter isn't dedicated to you, too. I'd kill you again. ;D

Fujipuri: Yes, I thought of the created on Halloween thing a while ago, but I had to make sure Toshi died in the right month and that sort of stuff (I've already screwed up on times several times…) and it worked out, so I was happy. Oh well, they're giving in to each other's urges next chapter…although it will be Christmas Eve…

Hoshino Haruka: iGracias! (did I miss an accent on the i?) I hope it helped. My Spanish exam was actually very easy and the essays were very random. I had to write how to get home from school…so I sat there and counted the stoplights. XD And yes. You better go see Platree because I love Tarou-chan so much! And at my school you can take German, French, or Spanish. I don't like French, bad experiences with German, and I've always liked Spanish…and if you liked that line, you'll love some lines in the smut for next chapter…

Namida: Somebody already suggested that. If you missed my author's notes a while ago, I had a dream where I showed Gackt my fic and he pouted and asked why he was on the bottom. XD Since it's KeixSho… but I love the idea of them feeding off of each other while having sex, I just had to write it.

Shin: xD Glad you thought so. I really liked it a lot and I'm glad I got someone to blush. You'll be blushing next chapter, too. Oh god, I love next chapter's smut so much! And I need to get a tan, too! But I'm lazy and just automatically get one when I go swimming…

Yvonne: Well, I'm glad I could make you less depressed! That's what this fic is here for, when it's not so depressing itself, of course. I do love the picture of you and Yura-sama. You should have randomly asked him to start para para-ing. XD I would have laughed hysterically. Glad you had fun at the convention! The way you described it to me it sounded amazing. But you'll like this chapter, so don't worry.

Ryu: "Action"-y scenes? XD And I'm glad that you're glad that the smut's back. You'll like next chapter, then! And it's okay, I forgive you, honey. You and partially your computer. Don't take it personally if I have to slap it when I come over sometime again.

Puptastic25: Oh god. Pocky highs with me and Kris and decorer pocky…that's not good at all. If you want a huge high, strawberry pocky and vanilla ice cream. XD It's mind melting and gives you amazing realizations. Like what the MS stands for in Gackt MS Camui. XD I'll tell you next chapter notes, unless you realize what it means on your own…

This chapter is dedicated to Yvonne. Not sure who else I've dedicated them to, but next chapter is dedicated to…Hoshino Haruka. For the rest of you, if I haven't dedicated you one (Ryu, I know what one you're getting, but it's in the sequel, I think. ;D) just tell me in a review, okay? I don't want to leave anyone out!


Chapter Fifteen: Armchairs and Blankets

"I hope these blood stains come out…" Kei called to Sho as he added club soda to the dark brown stains on the white sheets in front of him. As careful as he had been the night before (although it hadn't seemed like it to Sho), a fair amount of blood had still fallen onto the sheets.

"Yeah…" Sho said from the doorway. Kei turned around, worried by the tone of Sho's voice.

"Something wrong, honey?" he asked. Sho looked around hesitantly before pulling his shirt up slightly, exposing his stomach. The blonde vampire gasped. "Y-you're scarring…" The brunette nodded. "Oh, Sho-chan…your skin…"

"That's all your worried about? My skin?" Sho asked angrily, letting go of his shirt. "Do you just love me for my looks and that's it?" And he stormed out of the small laundry room. Kei's anger began to rise as he finished getting the stains out. Tossing the soiled sheets into the washer and turning it on, he walked out into the family room to find Sho sitting on the floor. Walking over briskly, he kneeled down next to Sho and entwined his fingers in the vampire's braids. Quickly, he yanked down hard, earning a cry of pain from Sho.

"Don't you dare tell me I just love you for your looks," Kei growled in a pissed-off tone, glaring at his lover that had tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry!" Sho cried out, a tear slipping down his cheek. "I overreacted! Please, Kei-chan, don't hurt me!" These words calmed the blonde down greatly and he let go of Sho's braids, running his hand through Sho's hair apologetically.

"Just please promise me you won't say anything like that ever again."

"I promise," Sho said truthfully. "But…what is your love like?" He asked, quickly changing the subject to something much more loving.

We'll do it all
Everything
On our own

"My love…is like…the wind," Kei answered slowly, contemplating. "Every time you feel a soft breeze against your skin, it whispers to you that I love you so much that it's always around you, guiding you though the day, always with you. And…whenever you feel sad, you can just breathe deeply, filling yourself up with my love and keeping yourself alive." Sho smiled warmly. "What's your love like?" he asked back.

"My love?" Sho thought for a moment. "My love is like an armchair…" Kei chuckled at the thought, but Sho shook his head, obviously serious. He stood up, bringing Kei to his feet as well and wrapping an arm around his waist. "It's inclined to recline—" He tilted Kei backwards slightly. "—And sweep you off of your feet." The brunette picked the vampire up and spun around in place once. He sat down on the couch, sitting Kei down on top of him. "My structure is perfect." He wrapped his arms around Kei's waist, making him lean back against his chest. "There's no flaw in design…" Sho leaned forward and whispered in Kei's ear, "A decent buy for you." Kei laughed and leaned back against Sho.

"I'm sorry for overreacting, too," he said gently, closing his eyes and soaking in the warmth of Sho's embrace.

"Kei-chan, it's all right. I forgive you."

"How can you so quickly?" he asked. "I just came in here, pulled your hair, and yelled at you—"

"It's because I love you," Sho said softly. "I can forgive you no matter what you do…if I couldn't, we wouldn't be together for this long."

"Or be married," Kei added.

"Or be married." Sho grinned and placed a kiss on Kei's neck. "Now move—your armchair has to get up and show you something." Kei smiled and turned around on Sho's lap, wrapping his arms securely around the young vampire's neck.

"Maybe my armchair will just be nice and carry me," he suggested, laughing when Sho actually did pick him up and walk to their bedroom. He rested his head on Sho's shoulder and sighed. Lifting his head up suddenly, he leaned forward and kissed Sho. "I love you, too," he whispered, placing a final kiss on Sho's pouted lips.

"Nnn—tease," Sho whimpered when Kei didn't continue kissing him. The shorter vampire simply smirked and caught his balance when Sho let go of him quickly, obviously trying to make him fall.

"And what do you have to show me?" Kei asked, watching as Sho opened up his closet and pulled out his guitar case. "You're playing me another song?"

"No," Sho replied, pulling the guitar out and setting it down carefully on the floor next to the case. He opened up a small compartment in the bottom of the velvet-lined case and pulled out a blue spiral notebook. "I'm going to read you this…"

We don't need
Anything
Or anyone

"Read me what—" Kei tried to question, but Sho silenced him with a look and began to read.

"Kei-kun,

Just thinking of the past few days brings a smile to my lips and I'm starting to hate it. The last three days was nothing—just a friend taking care of another friend that was sick. It wasn't anything special, but it still makes me happy…I wish it wouldn't—I'm just hurting myself. My thoughts are just wishful thinking that anything will ever happen between us. I'm sitting here in the dark writing this and smiling because it's worth it."

He stopped reading and looked up at the blonde, whose mouth was hanging open in disbelief, tears slowly welling in his eyes. "Keep reading," he whispered furiously. Sho smiled and continued to read the note he had written.

"This happiness will be fleeting, I know, but while it's here I'm going to enjoy it. I looked into your eyes without you knowing my feelings and your soft words faded and the world stopped. I was looking into your eyes and my breath caught in my throat and I wondered if my emotions were plastered transparently over my face and even if they were, I don't care. I just wish that I could do that every day for the rest of my life.

"I know I'm crazy and I know it's dangerous to let these feelings get the best of me, but they are. This is what I feel and this is what's in my head all of the time. So for now I think it's okay for me to look back on the past days and the images and the moments that have been frozen in my brain and smile. I've been glowing since then, I can feel it. From the moment you held my hair when I threw up—romantic, I know," Sho commented, chuckling. "—To when you held me in your arms as I fell asleep yesterday, I was trying to suppress my grins.

"I've had this feeling before, but I suppressed it, and now it's back, but this time it's different. This time you don't have anyone else, so by default that gives me a chance, right? But do I even have a chance in the first place? You seem so hopelessly out of reach. But I know that's not going to stop me. To quote a person from a rerun of a TV show I saw once, 'I hate how I'm so into you.' I just hope I can somehow get past these feelings…"

Sho closed the notebook slowly, a tear slipping down his cheek. He looked over at Kei to find him crying softly. Smiling sadly, he crawled over to his lover and wrapped his arms around the thin figure. Kei curled himself up in Sho's embrace and cried into the brunette's shoulder.

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

"We should have told each other sooner," Kei managed to say once he had calmed down.

"I know," Sho agreed, kissing Kei's forehead. "But how could we have known…? More importantly, why did my letter have that huge of an effect on you?"

"I don't know," Kei said, drying his face on the back of his hand.

"Maybe I can cheer you up the only way I know how…" he breathed seductively in Kei's ear. Kei shuddered and kissed Sho deeply, their tongues caressing gently. After a few minutes, the pair broke away and smiled warmly, kissing again.

"We're never going to leave this room, are we?" Kei asked after they broke away for the second time.

"Only if you can leave right now…" Sho told him. Kei jumped up and pulled Sho with him, leading then to his old bedroom. He sat down in front of the chest and opened it up as soon as Sho sat down next to him. Moving a few items around, he extracted a large lumpy object. "…Do I want to know what that is?"

"Yes you do," Kei answered, unfolding the object until Sho squealed happily.

"You didn't!" He gasped, reaching out for the cloth. "You kept…my blanket…"

"The one you always used to carry around whenever you wandered around in the house and you'd have it washed with all of my clothes so it would smell like me," Kei said, realizing why the child had always demanded the blanket to be washed with Kei's laundry. He watched Sho unfold the blanket more, a small box falling out of the middle.

"Oh? What's this?" Sho picked up the box, setting the blanket in his lap and taking the top off of the box. "…Oh my god…"

"What? A smutty box?" Kei said jokingly.

"You kept all of my baby teeth!" Sho exclaimed, turning the box so Kei could see the small white objects inside.

"I guess I did…that proves that I love every part of you," he said, taking the box, putting the lid back on, and placing it back in the chest. "Although it seems a bit stalker-like…" He looked back at Sho, who had his face buried in his old blanket.

"I thought you threw this out…" he mused quietly, breathing deeply.

"Nope. I saved it," the vampire told him. Sho looked up at him and smiled brightly, his eyes twinkling with the childish sparkle Kei loved.

"Oh Kei-chan," he said, leaning forward and hugging his lover tightly. "I love you so much!"

"Just because I saved your blanket?"

I don't quite know
How to say
How I feel

"Well, that too," Sho said innocently. "Do you have any memories of me losing my baby teeth or me with my blanket?" Kei smiled and nodded.

"They're probably two in one, actually," he said. "You never went anywhere without it…" Placing a hand on the side of Sho's head, he launched them both into a memory…


"KEI!" A voice screamed from the bedroom. The vampire sighed loudly and walked to the child's room.

"What, Sho?" he said, leaning in the doorway. The nine-year-old Sho was sitting up in bed, pillow in his arms, looking rather distressed, his light green and white blanket thrown over his shoulder.

"The Tooth Fairy didn't leave me anything last night!" He said, obviously hurt.

"You lost a tooth?" Kei asked. "You know the Tooth Fairy only comes when you tell me first! She's not like Santa—she doesn't see everything." Sho cocked his head to the side, looking confused.

"Really?"

"Really," Kei said. "So since you told me, I can tell the Tooth Fairy and she'll come to visit you tonight. Is that okay?"

"Yeah," Sho replied, smiling brightly and jumping out of bed, blanket gripped in his hand as he went to the closet to get changed into some clothes…


Several hours after Sho went to bed, Kei entered the darkened room quietly. He snuck over to the side of Sho's bed and stuck his hand underneath the pillow, leaving a few coins there and taking the tooth. Smiling at the slumbering child, he left the room, going to his own and opening a wooden chest at the bottom of his bed. Extracting a small box from within the chest, he placed the tooth in it along with several other teeth…


Three years later as Kei sat in the kitchen, Sho walked in. "Morning," the vampire said lazily, flashing a smile at Sho.

Those three words
Are said too much
They're not enough

"The Kei Fairy—I mean…the Tooth Fairy didn't visit me last night," the preteen said, a mischievous smile on his face. Kei grinned and shook his head.

"You do remember that you have to tell me first when you lose a tooth, Sho," he answered.

"I think you're making that up," Sho told him, sitting down across from him. "I think you're having an affair with the Tooth Fairy." Kei blinked, shocked at Sho's words.

"You know that in order to have an affair, you have to already be in a relationship, right?" The young child nodded. "Besides, where did you get that idea?"

"Well, you always say that I have to tell you so you can tell her since she isn't Santa Kei—I mean Santa Claus—and doesn't see everything," Sho said, blue eyes sparkling. "I think she actually does see everything."

"Well I would know and she doesn't see everything," Kei replied nonchalantly, trying not to start laughing since Sho already knew neither the Tooth Fairy nor Santa Claus existed.

"How do you know?"

"I just do."

Sho stuck out his bottom lip and pouted. "That's not an answer," he told the vampire.

"Of course it is. It's just not a very good one," Kei replied, smirking at Sho.


"You always were a smart-ass," Sho told the vampire, punching him softly in the shoulder.

"It's in my nature," Kei replied, gently punching Sho back.

"Kei-chan?" Sho asked meekly. The vampire looked up at him and smiled.

"Hm?"

Sho looked down at his hands and blushed slightly before talking. "I…uh…know there's going to be a full moon tonight with no clouds in the sky and I was wondering if you'd like to…ah…" Kei put a hand underneath Sho's chin, making the vampire look into his eyes as he said slowly, "Lay under the stars with me…?"

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

"I'd love to," Kei replied, twining his fingers with Sho's and pulling them both to their feet. "Go get a blanket or two." He pushed Sho towards the laundry room as he went out to the patio doorway. He figured they would be sitting in the backyard; it may have been small, but it was much nicer and more private than their front yard.

"I could only find one," Sho said from behind him.

"That should be fine," Kei replied, turning around to flash a small smile at Sho.

"Ready?" The taller vampire asked. Kei leaned upwards and pressed his lips to Sho's gently and lovingly. Sho shuddered at the sincere touch and he kissed back with the same emotions. "I take that as a yes." Kei simply opened the glass door and walked outside.

"It's cold," Kei commented as he helped Sho spread out the blanket on the cold lawn.

"Well, we'll keep each other warm," Sho replied as he lied down on the blanket. "Come on." Kei smiled and lied down next to Sho. He rested his head and a hand on Sho's chest, sighing happily when Sho wrapped his arms around him. "The sky's so beautiful tonight…"

"Mmm. But it's not as beautiful as you, of course," Kei said, snuggling closer to Sho. He felt the vampire's arms squeeze him gently.

"Can I tell you again that you compliment me too much?" Sho asked, blushing.

"No you can't," Kei replied, the hand on Sho's chest sliding down Sho's side and stopping at his waist. The vampires stared up at the sky, mesmerized and purely content with just laying in each other's arms. After a long silence, Sho began to sing softly.

I need your grace
To remind me
To find my own

"My love's like an armchair. It's inclined to recline and sweep you off of your feet." Kei looked up at him, obviously confused. "My structure is perfect. There's no flaw in design. A decent buy for you—"

"It's a song!" Kei said. "I thought you made that up!"

"Nope. It's a song. Not a very popular one, though," Sho said, leaning down and kissing Kei's cheek. "I know other ones that are just as cute."

"Cute? Like how?"

"You know that you are the center of my attention and you leave me no choice," Sho sang, staring into Kei's eyes. "But the chorus is cuter—Don't hang up on me, cause I'm hung up on you. Don't tell me how to feel like you always do. I know you're right, I don't want to fight. Is this how our story ends or a new chapter begins?"

Kei smiled, knowing how true the lyrics were and planted kisses along Sho's jaw line until their lips met. "This definitely isn't staring up at the sky," Sho commented as he helped Kei slide on top of him.

"No. You're my sky because with you, I couldn't be any higher," Kei said, kissing Sho's neck tenderly.

"So I'm made of drugs?"

Kei laughed. "Fine then. It is staring up at the sky because I see the stars in your eyes."

"Complimenting…" Sho mumbled against Kei's lips.

"You know you love it," Kei mumbled back, placing a hand on Sho's head and unexpectedly launching them into a memory…


The lonely vampire sat hunched over at the end of a dark alley, the only source of light coming from the lighter he was holding. In his other hand, he held a pen poised above a blank piece of paper. "Just write, dammit!" he cursed. But when he couldn't bring himself to move his hand down and write the final words, he threw the pen to the side and picked up the paper, beginning to read it out loud.

All that I am
All that I ever was
Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see

"Sho, I don't know how to tell you all of this in a letter, so I'll just keep it short. I ran away for your own good and I hope you'll realize that sooner or later. I just pray that you haven't forgotten about me or all that I've done for you, otherwise my life with you would have been useless and like one long con-artist act. Please—treasure these few words until we're together. I'll be coming home to you, until the day I do… Kei. PS…" The writing on the paper stopped, and Kei sighed.

"I love you, Sho," he whispered to himself as he tore the paper to shreds. "I need to talk to you…see you…please Sho…"

The half-crazed vampire stumbled out of the alleyway and into a phone booth. Reaching into his pocket, he extracted a few coins and inserted them into the phone. Hearing a dial tone, he quickly dialed the phone number he knew by heart. After a few rings, a person picked up.

"Hello?" The familiar voice said.

"Sho," Kei breathed, more to himself than the man on the phone.

"Wh-who is this?" Sho's scared voice asked. "Why do you know my name?"

"I—" Kei said softly into the receiver, but nothing else came out.

"K-Kei?" he choked. "Is that you? Say something!"

With that, the vampire hung up the phone quickly before sputtering out, "I love you—dammit!" He swore at himself. "Just tell him!" Slamming his hand on the side of the booth, he yelled in frustration. "I'll never be able to tell him…" he whispered to himself.

"You're a coward," a forgotten voice whispered in the back of his mind. "That's why you didn't end it when Luka did. And if you would have, you wouldn't be in this mess, completely confused about your emotions and not knowing what to do."

"SHUT UP!" Kei screamed, clamping his hands over his ears and sinking to the floor of the phone booth…


"I hate ourselves before we confessed," Sho said, turning sorrowful eyes on Kei. "But I am happy to find out that it was you that called and I wasn't just being desperate…and hopeless."

"I'd never consider you to be either one of those things, honey," Kei replied, curling up on Sho's lap. "And I'd say let's watch the sunrise and fall asleep outside, but…we'd get killed." Sho chuckled softly.

"Should we go back inside?" The brunette asked quietly, arms wrapping around Kei securely.

"No. Let's stay out for a little bit longer…"

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?


Lyrics are Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol. I found it while looking for songs from Grey's Anatomy…and I seriously love it. Snow Patrol is probably my crack right now. xD Just not Run, because that one's way too sad, if you guys recall that chapter in Lost Memories where Sho kicks Kei out into the rain…and there's too many painful memories from that song, too. But enough ranting about past experiences…

Credit to Sho's little diary entry/letter goes to Kris since they were her own words in a note she wrote to me. Except it was talking to me about the guy she secretly loves and not actually about me.

SUMMER IS HERE! That means more time for me to write, especially while I'm babysitting! The only plans I have are going to Toronto this weekend, Vacation Bible School Monday thru Thursday of that week (I have to teach four year olds. Fun!), and a short trip to Gettysburg the first weekend in August. Not getting a summer job because I don't feel like it, I'm lazy, my mom won't let me, and I've got babysitting 2 or 3 times a week, so that's good enough.

Oh. And my parents got me a car. Just in case you were wondering. :D White Saturn Ion. I love it! Except…it's only a lease. ;-; But still. It's a car!

Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. The sitting under the stars was actually going to be the beginning of this whole fic if I would have taken it a different way, but I changed it around, so it's randomly in the middle…

TWO MORE CHAPTERS AND THEN THIS FIC IS FINISHED! And then the sequel, of course. I'd never leave you guys without a sequel! At least until I run out of ideas…so please review. We're nearing the end. And then next chapter has hot smut in it! You'll love it, don't worry. ;D

PS – The songs that Sho sings are two songs by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. The armchair one is called Love Seat and the one he sings the chorus to is Disconnected.