Daisuke sat on his haunches, chewing his lip nervously. Maybe Dark hadn't liked it… but he could have just said so. He didn't have to get up and leave. The boy pulled at a loose thread on his comforter, feeling awkward.
Just then, the door creaked open, and Dark walked in, running a hand through his hair. "Hey." He greeted uncomfortably.
"Hey." Daisuke returned in a disappointed voice.
Catching the tone in the boy's voice, Dark practically vaulted into the bed, tackling the boy and kissing his adoringly. "Dai!" he keened. "Thank you so much!"
Daisuke blinked, taken off guard. "Wha-?" he stammered, confused. "But I thought…"
"Dai… Baby…" the older man silenced him, pressing a finger to the boy's lips. "You have no idea how amazing you are."
The redhead blinked again. "Huh?"
"That was sooooo good; soooo sexy," he continued, running his hands gently up the boy's back.
"But I thought…" Daisuke flushed. "I mean, you left. I thought you didn't like it."
Dark pulled away, admiring the boy with affectionate pity. "Dai…" he explained gently, "I was going to cum."
"What? Huh!" Daisuke flushed crimson. "That's so embarrassing! Don't say that!" He pushed the older man away frantically.
"Dai!" Dark laughed. "It's true! Would you have rather I hadn't told you? I think you would have been a bit surprised…"
"You… you…" then the full realization of what Dark was telling him sank in. "You were gonna… when I was… oh. Um…" he flushed even darker. "Thank. You," he replied stiffly.
"Yah." Dark replied with a grin. "I thought you might take it that way." He leaned in, giving the boy a kiss and a lecherous smirk. "Do you want me to do that to you?"
"What? N-no!" he faltered quickly. "I, that's fine."
"It's no trouble." The older man added with a grin.
"I know." Daisuke gave a clipped reply. "But I'm fine. Really."
Dark laughed, pulling the boy down into the soft blankets with him. "You're such a prude," he accused.
"I am not!" Daisuke argued, flustered.
"Don't deny it," Dark kissed the shell of his ear. "I think it's unbelievably sexy."
"…You do?" the younger boy asked hopefully.
"Nn-hn." He replied. "Oh yah."
The two fell into giggles before finally relaxing into each other's presence.
"Um, Dark?" Daisuke asked sheepishly. "There's this play at school I'm going to be in…"
"Oh yah?" Dark asked, to let the boy know he was listening.
"Mmhm…" he hesitated. "Do you think you could come watch?"
There was a moment of silence. "I'll have to cut my hair again."
Daisuke glanced up. "…oh…" he hadn't thought about that. He felt a slight pang. He was starting to grow really attached to the blonde locks.
Dark chuckled. "People are going to start thinking I'm a slut." He lamented. "It'll be my second haircut in as many weeks!" ((A/N: In Japan, when a girl breaks up with her boyfriend, it is customary that she get an extreme haircut, one that completely changes the way she looks. It's symbolic of making a change in her life. Conversely, if a girl gets her hair cut changed a lot, it is easy to assume that she is going through many boyfriends. Dark is implying that people will hold him to the same standard.))
Daisuke nuzzled up against the older man. "You don't have to go…" he offered quietly.
Dark gave him a squeeze. "I'll be there," he promised, kissing the top of the boy's head.
-scene-
How could such a thing have happened? The ebony haired girl stood in the middle of her room, surrounded by shredded posters; the last remnants of her former collection. How had she been made such a fool of?
"I tolerated you."
She cringed, slumping to the ground, burying her face in her knees. "Stupid… stupid… stupid." She cried.
"You're horrible, Daisuke! Don't act like you're my friend now, I hate you!"
She hadn't meant to say such mean things… not to Daisuke. He was always so nice to her… but… but it hurt so much. She hated him. She really did. How could he have let her act like a fool, going on and on about a man who would never love her? He'd taken away her chance at happiness. She felt foolish, and insignificant, and lonely, and worst of all, she felt betrayed. Riku… knew. She glared at the floor between her feet, gritting her teeth. Her own sister, her own twin knew, and she hadn't said a single word!
-scene-
It was only one week away.
Daisuke stared into the mirror nervously. It was only one week until the production. He knew all his lines, the costumes were finished; everything was running smoothly… well, almost everything.
"Satoshi! Can't you at least pretend to be interested? Daisuke is your one true love, after all!"
Daisuke felt himself flush at the statement. He knew they were talking about the play, but it seemed to hit too close to home.
Satoshi blinked from across the stage. "Sorry." He apologized dully. "I haven't been getting much sleep."
The statement seemed true enough. Satoshi had been falling asleep in class, backstage, even on stage for the past several weeks. Daisuke had tried to talk to him, but the other boy merely turned away, saying It's nothing for you to worry about.
If that weren't the least of their worries, Risa hadn't been to practice, let alone school since her little altercation with Dark, and Daisuke couldn't help but feel responsible. He'd tried to ask Riku about it, but apparently, she wasn't talking to him.
The redhead felt suddenly choked up. They said love hurts. He'd always figured they were right, but he hadn't understood at the time. Things were fine with Dark; more than fine, phenomenal. The man loved him more than Daisuke had ever dreamed of being loved, and the feelings were more than mutual. Each night was an extacy of consolation or exploration as the two got to know each other more intimately with every passing day. Though Daisuke had been afraid of loving Dark, he had not considered that there would be other consequences of their love. He had not considered that he would soon find himself at odd with his closest friends at a time when he most wanted to share his happiness with them.
"Daisuke!" He startled at his name.
"That was your cue! God, this is going aweful! We should just call the whole thing off!" the overdramatic director lamented.
"No, no," Daisuke hustled to his spot. "Look, we're all tired. We've been working hard for weeks. Let's just… take it from the top. We'll do it better this time." He practically begged.
The girl pursed her lips, assessing him. "Alright," she agreed. "But no more mess-ups. It's too close to production."
-scene-
"Late last night, the Eye of Despair went missing from Hakusoku museum in Kyushuu," the reporter was saying. "Authorities are unsure if this was the work of Dark or someone other. Sir?" she addressed a uniformed officer beside her. "What is it that has the police force stumped on this one?"
The man shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck in a disconcerted fation. "There was no note," he replied with a baffled tone. "There's always a note."
"There you have it," the reporter told the camera. "The latest on the unexpected burglary."
"The Eye of Despair?" Emiko wondered aloud. "Why would anyone want that? It's practically worthless." She bit her lip nervously. Something about this didn't feel right.
-scene-
Riku tapped gently on the door to her sister's room. She didn't know what was wrong with her sister any more than the next person, and that really bothered her. They were twins, they were supposed to know everything about each other, but ever since this whole Dark fiasco…
"Risa…?" she called out.
"Go away!" the reply was shot back.
She pushed the door open anyway. "Risa, please tell me what's wrong. Why are you mad at me?" Riku asked quietly, approaching her sister's bed. She glanced dazedly at the scraps of paper littering the floor.
The other girl spun around to glare at her. "Why am I mad at you?" she scoffed. "Don't tell me you don't know! Not this time!"
"Risa, what are you talking about?" she asked, chewing her lip nervously.
"It was Dark, Riku!" the other girl shouted, tears welling up in her eyes. "I made a fool of myself! You let me be a fool! It was Dark and you never told me!"
Riku blanched. "You… you mean…"
"You know what I mean." The other girl accused with acid. "What? Trying to protect your little fag boyfriend?"
"He's not my boyfriend." Riku mumbled, blushing.
"I'm your sister!" Risa howled. "How could you do that to me!"
"You wouldn't have listed anyway!" Riku burst out. "He was perfect in your eyes! You said so! Too bad I didn't have a boyfriend like Dark, right? He would never be into things like that!"
Risa blinked, shocked to have her own words thrown back at her.
"Word gets around, Risa. I know you were talking about it. Some sister… and you have the nerve to be angry with me. I let you make a fool or yourself? At least I let you do it! You took the liberties yourself! Making fun of me behind my back, pretending it's all out of sympathy! You know, I would have liked to have been friends with Daisuke, but now I'm too embarrassed! The looks people give us whenever I try to talk to him? It shouldn't have to be like that! What he told me about Dark, he told me in confidence, as a friend! A word you apparently don't know much about!" she spat. With that, she turned around, slamming the door behind her as she left.
Risa was left gaping and speechless. Riku was right. She had been saying those things; she couldn't deny it, but she hadn't meant them out of anger. More… pride than anything. Her whole life, she'd been jealous of her little sister. Riku got everything. She was more outgoing, she got the better grades, better parts in plays, the perfect boyfriend, for once, it looked like Risa was succeeding, not living in her sister's shadow. She knew a lot of people didn't see it that way. They were identical, so it wasn't a matter of looks, and sure, she always seemed like the more composed one, but nothing ever worked out for her. She hadn't been in love with Daisuke, no, but it still wasn't fare that his emotions could so easily flip. She hadn't been in love with him, but it was nice to have someone love her. She paused, her eyes widening. Was that all it was with Dark?
You imagined I was something I wasn't. You got too caught up in your own fantasies. You don't even know what love is…
She swallowed hard. She didn't want to believe that, and yet… it seemed truer than any of her self-pitying laments.
-scene-
Daisuke flopped down on his big bed, sighing exhaustedly. Two more days; just two more days to production. He was excited. He always was about a show, but even more so this time. Dark would be there, and for the first time in his life, someone realized that this wasn't just a passing fancy for him; someone realized that he was serious about this. He wanted to be an actor, and finally, the dream wasn't impossible, not only that, but Dark was there to support him.
"Hard day?" Dark's voice roused him from the doorway.
"Mmmm…." He replied, burying his face in the soft pillows.
The older man chuckled, strolling to the edge of the bed. "That's too bad," he purred. "I was hoping you'd have energy for a little… fun."
Daisuke rolled over suddenly, a light flush on his cheeks. "I might have a little energy left." He replied hurriedly.
Dark laughed outright. "What have I done?" he lamented playfully. "I took a sweet young innocent boy and turned him into a sex-addict."
Daisuke glared at him, flushing deeply. "I'm not a sex-addict!" he protested. "I haven't even had sex!"
Dark paused, wetting his lips and clearing his throat. He paused again. "I was hoping to change that." He said seriously.
"What?" Daisuke deflated, feeling his face pale.
Dark brushed his knuckles gently over the younger boy's cheek "We don't have to, Dai," he reassured him. "I like what we have, truly, but… It feels like we've reached a… stale mate. We do the same things, the same feelings and tastes, not that I don't like them!" he protested, "But," he leaned in, brushing his lips lightly over the younger boy's neck. "I feel like we're… postponing it, just waiting, without any reason. I don't like meaningless action, or meaningless inaction. What are we waiting for? I want this with you. I know that you want it with me," he slid a hand lightly under the younger boy's shirt, tracing his fingertips over taut muscle. "You can trust me, Dai," he murmured. "I'll do it right; I'll make you feel so good…" He ran his tongue hotly over the boy's collar bone and Daisuke shivered.
"I- I do trust you…" he stammered. "It's just…"
"It's just?" Dark pulled away momentarily, but allowed his hand to creep lower.
Daisuke whimpered, looking down. "It's… It's embarrassing," he protested, almost whispering. "I-I mean, it's, we were just fooling around… before. This is… I mean it's… sex." He finished, his cheeks coloring darkly.
"It's only a word," Dark defended. "Just a word linking together the actions and feelings we've already shared. It's just the next step, just another way of expressing how very much I care for you." He leaned in again, unfastening the boy's trousers. "Don't be afraid." He murmured against his young lover's lips.
Daisuke wasn't sure how to respond, what to do, or say, or think! His mind was frantic and the blood was humming in his veins. Dark's hands on him were both welcome and terrifying! He'd dreamed of this moment and dreaded it. He could feel his body growing hot and responding against his will. Sure, everyone expected it of him, and it wasn't like he was a child anymore. He knew that Dark loved him, and he knew he loved Dark, so why did he even hesitate? He was scared. He knew he was; more terrified than he had ever been, but of what? He trusted Dark; he loved Dark. It was ridiculous to be afraid. He kissed the man back. Softly at first, but escalating into a fiery kiss as his hands found purchase in the man's shirt. "I'm scared." He admitted, panting. "I'm scared, but I do want this, Dark…"
"I know," Dark replied, just as breathy, unbuttoning Daisuke's shirt, trailing kisses down the boy's chest. He slid a hand to the front of his own trousers, unbuckling them hurriedly.
Daisuke's eyes followed the man's hand and he swallowed thickly, looking away as Dark took himself in hand.
The redhead helped to wriggle out of his own trousers, feeling both free and vulnerable in his nudity, but somehow protected by the sanctuary provided in the immense bed.
Dark caressed the boy's thighs gently, pushing them apart, taking up his position between them as he leaned down, capturing the boy's lips in a kiss.
"Wait… wait," Daisuke panted, bracing his hands against the man's shoulders.
Dark backed off momentarily, afraid his young lover had lost his resolve. He searched the boy's eyes frantically. "What, baby?" he asked, panting. "Don't be afraid, I love you. No matter what. If you can't, if you're not ready, I-"
"I don't want to be the only one." Daisuke cut him off abruptly. "I- I mean…" he glanced to Dark's trousers. "You- you should…" he flushed, unable to finish his request, but Dark already understood.
He chuckled, relieved as he admired the young boy beneath him. He stood swiftly, divesting himself of his clothing and returning to his position above the younger boy, leaning in for a kiss, pressing their bodies together, flesh on hot flesh. There was no going back now, so he hoped to god the boy wouldn't ask him to!
He kissed Daisuke's throat, the side of his neck, the shell of his ear, "Are you ready?" he panted.
"I- I don't know" Daisuke mumbled. "Don't ask… just do it."
Reassured, Dark slid a hand between the boy's legs, pressing gently against his lover, at first.
Daisuke stiffened at the slight intrusion, his breathing becoming erratic. "Dark- I- I-!"
"Shhhh…" Dark cut him off, kissing him softly, pressing a little bit more; a little bit harder. "This is the hard part," he told him. "Then it gets better, okay? Trust me."
Daisuke nodded, biting his lip, whimpering and gripping Dark's arm. He squinted his eyes shut. He knew Dark wouldn't hurt him, not really, all the same, he was terrified. He knew he needed to relax, he knew that was why he was resisting, and suddenly, "Uh!" he groaned as he felt Dark's fingers slide inside of him. He tightened his grip on the older man's arm as his body was racked with both pain, and an odd sensation.
Dark waited a moment before pressing in a little deeper. He hated to see the boy so uncomfortable, but he knew it would get better.
"D-don't move them!" Daisuke protested. "It feels weird…"
"It will," Dark apologized. "At first." He kissed the boy softly, withdrawing his fingers.
Daisuke sighed into the kiss, grateful for a moment's repose.
"I'm going to do it, Dai," Dark murmured into the boy's lips. "Are you ready?"
Daisuke didn't reply. He wanted to say No but he knew if he did, he'd never be ready, not after that, so he just kept his peace.
Dark took himself in hand, pressing against the boy once again and was met with much less resistance.
Daisuke hissed between his teeth, gripping the man's arm even harder. The feeling was strange, painful, there were good and bad things about it. He groaned slightly as Dark moved farther into him. The feeling made him nauseous. "Dark, wait…" he whimpered. "It… it doesn't feel good."
The man looked down at him with concern. "You're not getting used to it?" he asked worriedly.
The younger boy shook his head emphatically. "No!" he protested, gasping painfully.
"Okay, shhhh," Dark cooed, kissing the boy softly as he withdrew himself.
"Nn-!" Daisuke bit off his cry, finally shuddering in relief.
Dark pulled the boy into his arms, holding him close against his own beating heart. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry, Dai."
For a long moment, there was no reply, but Daisuke clung to the man, needing his attentions and reassurance more now than ever. "I- I didn't mean to…" Daisuke began, crying softly.
"Baby, no," Dark protested, pulling the blankets up around the boy and drawing him closer. "There is nothing for you to be ashamed of! I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry."
"But I really wanted to!" Daisuke sobbed, "I really did! It just… I jut couldn't. It hurt and… and…" he buried his face in the older man's chest, succumbing to his tears and Dark held him, rubbing his back gently as he cried.
"Shhhh," he cooed, rubbing in circles, petting the boy's hair softly with his other hand. "It's okay. We'll try again sometime, okay? It doesn't have to be now." He kissed the top of the boy's head. "I'm fine," he smiled, tipping the boy's chin up. "See? I'm not mad."
Daisuke sniffled. "I just keep… messing up." He whimpered.
"No!" Dark protested, pressing an adoring kiss to the boy's forehead. "These things take time! You're just a kid! I can wait." He told him. "I want to wait… for you."
Daisuke glanced up, his lip trembling slightly. "Yah?" he asked quietly.
"Mm-hm." Dark nodded. "It wasn't supposed to happen yet. That's fine."
The redhead nodded softly, but he couldn't help thinking he'd let Dark down.