Scars

"Akabane-san?"

"Hm?"

"I'm bored."

"So?"

"I wanna go out."

Akabane switched his gaze from the television to Ginji. They stared at each other with different gazes. Ginji hoped Akabane would agree. He was told that he shouldn't go out on his own in case something happened. He was still a little fragile due to his memory loss. At last Akabane smiled at him.

"Where were you thinking of going?"

"I dunno…just out, I guess."

"Well, we need to get some groceries. Would that be enough of an outing for today?"

"That would be great! I'll even cook!" Ginji practically bounced from the room to get his shoes on.

Akabane watched as he did so. He had a little trouble due to his clothes. He was wearing one of Akabane's white dress shirts and a pair of black jeans he had found. The blond needed to role them up a bit so as not to step on them. The older male stood from the armchair he was seated in and walked towards the entrance to his home. Ginji was waiting for him outside. He had a large smile on his face as he watched the almost cloudless sky above him.

When Akabane exited the house, Ginji walked down the short path to the black Mercedes in the driveway. Akabane unlocked the doors with the device in his hands before Ginji opened the door and sat in the passenger seat. He quickly put on his seatbelt as the dark haired male entered and did the same. The grocery store wasn't far from the house. It had only taken fifteen minutes to drive there. The second the vehicle was parked, Ginji was out of it and running inside. Akabane let a chuckle escape his lips as he soon joined the younger male.

"…um…Akabane-san? What would like to eat for dinner?"

"I'll eat anything. It's entirely your decision."

"Alright…how does pasta sound?"

"That's fine."

"Alright." Ginji smiled up at him.

They wandered the many rows within the store, looking for things they needed for dinner as well as for the next week or so. Ginji didn't know if his memories would come back before then but he planned for the future anyways. When they turned down the next aisle, Ginji froze at the people a few feet from him. It was a mother, father, and a small boy. They were smiling and talking about the food before them. Akabane noticed where his gazed had landed.

"Akabane-san…" His voice was so low that it almost went unheard. "…where are my parents?"

"Oh, are you sure you want to know?" The question was to bide some time for him to think.

"…uh…yeah…I want to know."

"Very well. They died a long time ago in a car accident. You had been living in an orphanage."

"Oh." Ginji watched as the small family turned the corner before look down at his shoes.

Akabane saw this as a perfect opportunity to strengthen Ginji's belief in their "friendship". He moved to stand in front on the blond male and tilted his head up with his gloved thumb and index fingers. His eyes glistened with unshed tears. He didn't want to cry in the middle of the store. Akabane smiled down at him and moved his hand so it rested on his cheek. He massaged the skin with his thumb.

"It is all in the past now Ginji. Do not worry about it now." Ginji nodded at his words and let a small smile form on his face. "That's better." Akabane bent down and kissed his forehead before turning down the aisle and searching through the food.

Little to his knowledge, Ginji blushed. His eyes were slightly wider. He raised a hand to his forehead and watched as the older male started to turn back towards him. He quickly dropped his hand and ran over to him.

Within Akabane's mind, he was laughing with such an evil intent. His plan was finally starting to work. He didn't think Ginji would wave such a reaction. He figured the blond would smile wider and continue to shop. But he blushed at the contact. It seems things are going better then I had initially planned.

The making of dinner had been another interesting ordeal. Ginji had been true to his words. When they had arrived home from the grocery store, they had placed the items where they belonged. The younger male had started cooking instantly. Akabane was sitting at the small table, watching him.

"You lose your memory yet you know how to cook."

"Cooking is like instinct to me." Ginji turned to smile at Akabane. "And pasta is the simplest thing to make anyways." He turned back to the task at hand.

Akabane continued to watch him. It wasn't long before it was ready. Ginji placed a plate before Akabane and himself before digging in. He had made himself hungrier while cooking it. They ate in silence for a few minutes before Ginji decided to speak.

"Akabane-san?"

"Yes."

"Why do you wear gloves all the time?"

"Due to me job, I've gotten injured quite a bit and have acquired scars. Most people think my appearance frightening because of them."

"Oh…um…you should be more careful then."

Ginji went back to eating. He didn't know that Akabane was watching him again as he did so. His expression was thoughtful. No one had ever told him to "be careful" in years. People feared him so it wasn't necessary. At length, a smile formed on his face as he too continued to eat. I suppose there is a first time for everything.

It didn't take long for Ginji to finish eating. He sat back in his chair, closed his eyes, and sighed in content. It had taken him longer to cook the food then to eat it. He had done a good job cooking dinner. And since Akabane had no complaints, it meant he really did so a good job. He found himself smiling more at the fact that Akabane liked his cooking then how good he himself found it to be. His eyes snapped open when he felt something to the side of his lips. A napkin was there and it was connected to Akabane's hand.

"You had some sauce on your face."

"Oh!" Ginji smiled as the napkin moved from his face. "Thank you." He grinned sheepishly across the table as the blush from before returned to his face. "Are you done? I'll clean up!" He stood quickly and grabbed his plate and reached out for Akabane's as well.

"I'll help you." The older male rested his hand on top of Ginji's as he grabbed the plate. "It is my place after all." He smiled as the blush darkened.

Ginji nodded before the plate was released. He turned with both in his hands to the sink. He placed them inside and turned on the water, testing the temperature so it wasn't too hot or too cold. He saw Akabane reach his side from the corner of his eye. He turned fully when he saw him remove his gloves. He had a scar on both hands, back and palm, which resembled an ink splotch. The skin was even lighter then his already pale skin. After a few seconds, Ginji had caught himself staring and turned back to the sink.

"Don't worry. I don't mind the looks I receive in public either. It's just bothersome when you want to be ignored."

"Oh."

Ginji grabbed a sponge before him and squirt some dish soap into it. He ran it under the water and soon created white, fluffy bubbles. He began to scrub at one plate while Akabane repeated his action and grabbed the other. Each were thinking their own thoughts. Ginji was wondering about the scars on his hands and was curious as to if there were more. Akabane was reflecting on the day. He had made the blond blush twice without even trying. His was having less trouble playing his game then he thought when the ordeal had begun.

Since there were so little dishes, it had only take ten minutes to clean, dry, and place them back where they belonged. It was almost ten when they had finished. They had eaten later then most people but that was because they had done a lot of grocery shopping. Ginji went to the living room when he was done and sat on the couch. He smiled when Akabane appeared in the doorway.

"If you want, you can sleep in my bed tonight."

"But where will you sleep!"

"It's big enough for us both."

"…um…it would be better then the couch…is it alright with you?"

"If it wasn't, would I be offering?"

"I guess not." Ginji smiled and rose from the couch.

He really did want to sleep in a nice, comfortable bed. He and Akabane were friends, right? If he was offering, then maybe he had slept over before. Of course, he didn't remember but that didn't mean he couldn't guess at how his life once was. He entered Akabane's room and stood at the doorway. He didn't have much in there. He had a bed, a small table with drawers to both sides, and a desk across from it with a small lamp and a laptop.

"Are you going to enter or stand here all night?" Ginji yawned nervously before entering.

Akabane went to one side of the bed and pulled down the blankets. His room was pretty basic. It was white save for the wooden furniture. He sat down on the edge before watching Ginji shift nervously from foot to foot. He was wearing a pair of light grey pajama pants and a buttoned up matching top. They were Akabane's of course so they were bog on him. All of his clothes made the blond look younger then his actually age. The older male was wearing the same style of clothes except the color was dark blue instead.

Ginji finally started to move towards the bed. He climbed in on the other side and lied down before Akabane. The blush crept back to his face. He didn't know why he continued to blush. He couldn't understand it. But he didn't want to think anymore, his mind was telling him to sleep. He rolled over on his side, his back to Akabane, and closed his eyes.

Akabane placed one hand under his head and one over his stomach, above the blankets. He smiled up at the ceiling. It excited him to no end on how things were going. He simply could not wait to begin another day.