Notes: And that makes three chapters in the space of a day XD I hope no one minds the spamming of inboxes with alerts :3 Enjoy the story! From next chapter onwards, the trouble starts :D;;
Archive: NO.
Reviews: Appreciated. :D I like them and they remind me to update. Thank you to the people who have reviewed so far.
About Us
Chapter 7
By Miki
Yuuta's first coherent thought upon waking up in the morning was that he needed the bathroom.
Fast.
What had he been doing before he went to bed? He felt like he must have drunk a whole litre of water.
His head felt heavy as he stumbled down the hallway to the bathroom, and on the way back, he nearly fell over his own feet.
"Morning Yuuta," Yumiko said, passing him as she pulled her dressing gown around her waist and tied it.
Yuuta mumbled a reply and trudged back into his room. He made it to his bed, lifting up the covers and climbing back into the comforting warmth.
His pillow was in the wrong spot, so he tugged it a little.
When it didn't move, he sat up again and glared down at it.
"Yuuta? What time is it?" his pillow said.
(S)
Yumiko and Yoshiko heard the thump from the kitchen.
"What do you think that was?" Yoshiko questioned, looking a little worried.
Yumiko shrugged, gravitating toward the coffee machine. "Probably Yuuta," she answered, imagining her brother falling over his own feet. He'd looked as though he were still asleep when she had walked past him, though she didn't think it was because the two boys had stayed up too late. She would have heard if they had.
Sound really travelled in this house.
"I wonder if he's okay," Yoshiko worried.
Yumiko yawned. "I'm sure he's fine," she said, pulling out a mug. "I'm sure Prince Charming will look after him if he's not," she added.
Atobe wasn't exactly her idea of a Prince Charming. Perhaps a knight in shining armour? No, he wasn't that either. He was more like a knight in shining, overpriced designer clothes, perhaps.
"What did you just say?" Yoshiko asked, snapping Yumiko from her thoughts.
Yumiko blinked.
Oops.
"Nothing," she smiled, caught between laughing and panicking, "I was just talking to myself."
(S)
Atobe propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at Yuuta. "What are you doing on the floor, Yuuta?" he demanded, stifling a yawn.
A glance at Yuuta's clock told him he'd barely had seven hours of sleep, and he was less than impressed at being woken at such an ungodly hour.
Yuuta was currently looking slightly surprised, and Atobe suspected he was the sort of person who didn't function properly until he'd put food into his stomach.
"Look," Atobe frowned, "either get back in the bed or go and eat some sustenance, because you look silly sitting there with your mouth open."
He rolled his eyes when Yuuta didn't respond except to close his mouth.
Then he pulled the covers back up and snuggled back into them, curling up on his side and facing the wall where it seemed less bright. He sighed. Did he always have to tell everyone what to do?
On second thought, he should just have ordered Yuuta to get back into the bed, because if Yuuta went downstairs and ate, Atobe would like that even less. And besides, it seemed like he was passing up a good opportunity if he let Yuuta just go down to the kitchen and eat.
He suddenly felt much too awake to go back to sleep, but he kept his eyes closed, listening carefully to Yuuta shuffling around. His footsteps sounded funny, like he was walking to the door, and Atobe held his breath. Then the footsteps came closer again.
And went away again.
And came back again.
Atobe thought someone needed to tell Yuuta to make up his mind, but he was pretending to be asleep, so he could hardly sit up again to tell him so and give himself away like that.
Then he felt a cool rush of air hitting the back of his neck when Yuuta lifted up the covers again, and then felt the mattress sinking a little with the extra weight.
He let himself relax again, and smiled a little, feeling pleased with himself. That was, until Yuuta's knee hit his hip. Atobe frowned, trying to keep his eyes closed through the numbed feeling of discomfort.
"Sorry," Yuuta mumbled, wriggling down into the bed and lie on his back, his side and elbow pressing up against Atobe's back.
Atobe wondered if Yuuta was half hanging off the other side of the mattress. Had they been in his bed, they wouldn't have had this problem.
His borrowed pyjamas twisted uncomfortably as he shifted onto his back, and he had to pull at them in a most undignified manner to stop them from working themselves up into sensitive places and hurting. He suspected he never would understand common people.
Yuuta was just wearing boxer shorts and a t-shirt though, and Atobe couldn't help but wonder if Fuji was just a sadist, wanting to wear such horrid things to bed.
Thinking of Fuji, Atobe suddenly wondered what time he'd be returning home. He wondered if he would be back before lunch or after it, and whether he would be gone by then or not, and then he wondered if it really mattered. Did he want to see Fuji or not see Fuji? He wasn't sure.
"Hey," Yuuta said suddenly.
"Hm?" Atobe answered, turning his head.
Yuuta did the same.
Their sides were pressed together in the small bed, but it was the way Yuuta met his gaze that made the flutter in Atobe's stomach return again. Yuuta's hair looked messier than usual; something Atobe hadn't thought possible. He moved his arm – somewhat awkwardly given their positions – and touched Yuuta's head.
Yuuta scowled a little at the feeling of a hand in his hair, and Atobe couldn't resist smirking. "You really ought not to look so grumpy so early in the morning, Yuuta."
"I'm not grumpy," Yuuta retorted, and turned on his side so he was facing Atobe properly.
"You know you'll get wrinkles if you frown so much," Atobe informed him, lips quirked slightly in a smile.
Yuuta blinked.
Then he stared at a spot on the pillow right in front of him, trying to ignore the funny, fluttery thrill that kept going through his body when Atobe did that. He felt like he was going cross-eyed.
"I won't," he retorted. "I'm not old like you."
Atobe snorted, not having seen that comment coming and not really caring about it either. He wasn't that much older than Yuuta, although sometimes he did wonder if Yuuta felt the gap in their ages.
From his point of view though, it was perhaps less of an age gap and more of a gap in their respective experiences in life and in society…
Yuuta was concentrating his energy on trying not to frown so much, but with Atobe giving him look that he could practically feel on his skin, it was hard not to want to try to glare at him.
It was like Atobe was analysing him. Did he really look so bad?
Atobe was practically pressed up against the wall, Yuuta realised, but he hadn't really complained about that yet. He wondered if the other boy would. Atobe liked to complain about things like that.
Yuuta glanced at him, and he couldn't help but notice the way the top button of his brother's pyjama top had come undone, and the way the sleeve seemed all twisted around Atobe's arm, laying on and extending across the pillow above where Yuuta's head had been a moment before.
Yuuta wondered if Atobe saw him the way he saw Atobe. He wondered if that was possible with a face like his. He knew he liked looking at Atobe's back, and the way his shirts always seemed to perfectly fit his skin, unlike his own school shirts.
He liked watching the way Atobe's arms moved, and his shoulders too. His eyes naturally followed the lines of Atobe's body from his neck to his shoulders, and then from his shoulders to his sides and his belt and his hips…
He didn't think Atobe knew he liked looking at him like that, and he didn't really want him to know either.
It was something he usually started doing without noticing, and by the time he caught himself, it wasn't just his chest that felt tight and his stomach that felt fluttery.
Did Atobe ever look at him like that?
It embarrassed him to think of his own body like that, and he wondered if it was possible for anyone else to do so at all.
He'd gotten love letters sometimes, and the girls who had sent them had written things about liking the way he played tennis or liking his smile – Yuuta usually stopped reading any letter that mentioned his smile because he was pretty sure he had practically never smiled at a girl, so it had to be made up, and he didn't like the thought of a girl imagining him smiling and writing it down in a love letter because it probably meant she was delusional – but none of the girls who wrote those letters ever mentioned anything else, really.
Sometimes they wrote that they thought his scar was cool, and sometimes they asked if he would tell them where it came from. He wondered what Atobe thought of his scar. He probably thought it looked funny.
Something brushing against Yuuta's thigh caught his attention, and he realised quickly that it was Atobe's leg.
Yuuta was starting to feel a bit warm in the bed. He wondered if Atobe could feel it too, or if it was just that he wasn't used to having the extra body heat as well as his blankets.
"What time do you have to go back to school today?" Atobe asked.
Yuuta hesitated in replying.
"Afternoon, before dinner."
Atobe closed his eyes. For a moment, Yuuta expected him to say something about lunch, or about afternoon tea at least. And then –
"You know, you really should buy a bigger bed."
Yuuta let out an exasperated sigh. Atobe just couldn't help himself, could he? He had to mention it sometime.
"I'm sure something like this must be stunting your growth," Atobe continued. "My feet are already at the very end of your bed at any rate, and you're not that much shorter than I am."
Yuuta propped himself up on one elbow and stared down at Atobe.
Atobe frowned a little in irritation.
"You're letting in the cold air," he complained, and Yuuta rolled his eyes.
"Well I'm hot," he said, and frowned back.
Atobe frowned at him a moment longer, then he closed his eyes.
"Fine."
Yuuta wondered if he was sulking.
(S)
"The maid who picked up said that Atobe wasn't at home," Gakuto reported.
Oshitari yawned and pulled the quilt back up to his chin. He'd only woken up two minutes ago, and Gakuto was already bombarding him with useless information and even more useless questions.
"So?" Oshitari prompted.
"So I asked when he'd be home again and she said that she thought the car would probably be sent to pick him up some time before lunch because Atobe has an appointment at two."
"And?" Oshitari sighed, feeling too awake to go back to sleep, but happy enough to pretend that he wasn't entirely conscious.
"And I think we should follow it," Gakuto concluded, giving Oshitari an expectant look.
Oshitari pulled the quilt over his head. Gakuto's mother always had the maid make up the bed in the guest room for him, but Oshitari thought it was a waste of time and effort since it seemed as though whenever he slept in there, Gakuto did too, so they ended up only using one bed between them anyway.
Trying to sleep with someone who slept like a hurricane had serious disadvantages.
The first time Oshitari had woken up with Gakuto in his bed, the covers had been completely thrown off and Gakuto's knee was alarmingly close to his face.
He was more or less used to it now, and Gakuto didn't seem to move around so much anymore, but Oshitari still thought it was rather pointless to even try to pretend they were going to sleep in separate beds.
Last night he'd woken up with Gakuto's knee in his back, and then when he'd gotten back to sleep again, he found his leg pinned under Gakuto's knee.
Now Gakuto was awake, Oshitari was having his ear talked off.
"Maybe Atobe's at Shishido's," Oshitari suggested, as amused as a sleep-deprived boy could be at the prospect of Gakuto ringing up Shishido at this time of morning and demanding to know where their captain had gone.
Gakuto pulled the covers off his head and frowned.
"What did you just say, Yuushi?"
Oshitari rolled his eyes. "I said that maybe Atobe is at Shishido's," he repeated. Not that he really believed that. He just wanted Gakuto to find someone else to talk about rather than Atobe. He was starting to get sick of hearing about Atobe and Yuu-chan and Atobe and Atobe and Atobe and Atobe and –
"But Atobe didn't s-"
Oshitari sat up and clapped a hand over Gakuto's mouth.
"You know, I think I've heard that name enough times already this morning, and you know what time it is, Gakuto?"
Gakuto cast his eyes toward the clock as he pulled Oshitari's arm away from his face.
"It's ten. So what's your point?"
Oshitari sighed, exasperated.
"And anyway, I'm not going to ring Shishido," Gakuto protested. "He never knows anything, and he's so stupid that I feel like my brain cells combust every time I have to listen to anything that comes out of his mouth. And anyway, so what if Atobe likes Shishido? It's not like they're joined at the hip, because Shishido's always hanging out with Ootori, so don't you think-"
Oshitari really wished Gakuto hadn't thrown the covers to the end of the bed. He wanted to stick his head back under them because he felt like he was going to combust any moment.
(S)
Atobe wondered what Yuuta was thinking. He wasn't about to open his eyes, because he'd closed them feeling annoyed, and he wasn't about to open them until he thought Yuuta was feeling bad about letting in the cold.
He wondered if that would take a while. He wondered if he shouldn't be so stubborn. He wondered why Yuuta was so quiet.
He was almost tempted to open his eyes to check, but he could still feel Yuuta next to him, so he wasn't about to give in, though he wasn't quite sure what he would be giving in to…
Why did it bother him so much?
Maybe it was because he still wasn't quite sure what he was doing with Yuuta, or maybe it was because he wasn't really sure what Yuuta was thinking about him.
Did everyone feel like this when they were with someone they liked? Or was it just him? He didn't know, but he knew that uncertainty made him feel funny whenever he caught himself looking at Yuuta and wanting, hoping to do more with him, hoping that maybe Yuuta was just as curious as he was.
Atobe's eyes flew open the moment he felt a touch at the side of his face and he instinctively stared at Yuuta, wondering what the touch was for.
Yuuta stared back at him for a second, before blinking; his cheeks turning a little pink.
"You were frowning," he stated, and Atobe wondered if he was about to repeat his line about getting wrinkles back at him, when Yuuta wriggled a little closer and moved an arm awkwardly across him.
"Sorry," he mumbled.
Atobe wanted to reach up to grasp Yuuta's hand, which was pressing against his arm. He wanted to hold Yuuta there, to make sure he didn't move too quickly, because he could feel the warmth of Yuuta's fingers and hand through his pyjama sleeves, and because he'd never felt Yuuta so close to him before.
He hesitated though, unsure whether Yuuta would automatically take his arm back if he moved first. He wanted to ask Yuuta why he was apologising too, but something kept him from voicing his curiosity.
Yuuta's hand fumbled and found Atobe's, and Atobe wondered if Yuuta had read his mind or if he'd been meaning to do that all along.
He felt like his body was getting hotter from the inside out; maybe nervousness, and maybe thrill.
Yuuta was so close he was almost on top of him, and Atobe ran his spare hand through Yuuta's hair again, eyes dropping to stare at Yuuta's neck as he did so, in part because he didn't quite have the courage to look at Yuuta's face as he moved, and in part because he'd thought he wanted to kiss Yuuta, but he suddenly realised he didn't just want to taste Yuuta's mouth.
He wanted to touch Yuuta's neck and throat and shoulders. He wanted to know if there was a spot there that made Yuuta's mind blank and his toes curl. He wanted to know if it really happened like it happened in movies.
"Yuuta." His voice was barely audible, and much quieter than he'd meant it to come out.
He felt Yuuta's body stiffen a little next to him, and it seemed like Yuuta drew in a big breath before he answered.
"Yeah."
Atobe swallowed.
Yuuta didn't look him in the eye, but as Atobe kept his eyes focused over the other boy's shoulder – too shy still to look him in the eye, but too nervous not to want to try – he spoke first.
It was a mumble, and an almost incomprehensible mumble, but for the fact that Atobe was getting used to them.
"Can I…" Yuuta began, and took another deep breath, "can I… kiss you?"
Atobe's chest felt painfully tight, like his heart was beating too much, too fast all of a sudden, and he just wasn't remembering to breathe.
Was it adrenalin? Or was this feeling the effect of hormones, he wondered.
"Yuuta."
He'd spoken Yuuta's name before he realised it, and he almost smiled at it, for a moment confused and amused and wondering why he couldn't pinpoint exactly when it had been that he'd started thinking about Yuuta like this.
Yuuta's grey eyes were fixed on his when he finally met his gaze, and Atobe moved his hand from the top of Yuuta's head to the back.
It was uncomfortable, but he managed to pull Yuuta just a little closer, as he craned his own neck.
Their lips touched, and Yuuta's felt a little dry.
They kissed again, and again, and then Yuuta shifted and suddenly Atobe realised he could feel one of Yuuta's legs between his own.
Yuuta's other leg was on the other side of his, and Atobe could feel Yuuta shifting his weight where they were holding hands.
The hand that had been on his head moved, and Atobe almost wanted to make Yuuta put it back again, because he'd liked the way Yuuta touched him there, but then Yuuta kissed his lips again and Atobe decided he didn't mind not having the hand on his hair.
Atobe let his head fall back onto the pillow as he felt Yuuta shifting again, moving his leg so that his two legs were on either side of Atobe's body and his weight pressed down across Atobe's stomach and hips and groin.
The covers lifted up again with the movement, and cool air rushed in, but Atobe couldn't have cared less.
Yuuta's hand touched his hair again at the same moment he lowered his lips to kiss Atobe's again. There was a moment of hesitation then, and both boys could feel it, almost painfully aware of the tension in their bodies, but then Yuuta broke it, parting his lips to tentatively press his tongue against the slight gap between Atobe's lips.
Atobe parted his lips without hesitating any further; both curiosity and the tingly feeling in his body getting the better of his worries.
It was less awkward than the first time they'd done it. Yuuta tilted his head a little so their noses didn't bump, and Atobe lifted his spare arm and wrapped it around Yuuta's neck and shoulder, liking the way he could feel Yuuta's stomach pressing against his through their clothes.
There was a pause as both of them registered the fact their mouths tasted slightly sour, and Yuuta pulled back a little, holding his body up and wrinkling up his nose.
Atobe smiled a little, feeling equally silly and slightly embarrassed.
"Kind of weird," Yuuta said sheepishly, smiling back, cheeks flushed and eyes bright.
Atobe could see him moving his tongue around the inside of his mouth, but he resisted doing the same thing. He felt Yuuta moving against him a little, and wondered if he was going to get up. Yuuta didn't though.
His lips moving to kiss Atobe's again took Atobe completely by surprise, but then he parted his lips again, and Yuuta slipped his tongue in, and they were back to where they'd just been before.
Yuuta shifted his hand in Atobe's hair, fingers moving through the long strands of hair.
Atobe closed his eyes, holding Yuuta's hand tighter. It occurred to him later, that even allowing for the slight sourness of the tastes of their mouths, he still couldn't have asked for a better start to the day.
(S)
Yumiko smiled as Yuuta stumbled down the last step and found his way to the table for breakfast. "Did you sleep well?" she asked, and avoided rubbing the top of his head though she wanted to.
There was a nod in response, and though Yuuta kept his eyes downcast as usual, Yumiko noticed they were bright, as were his cheeks.
Atobe emerged a moment later, and Yumiko realised Yuuta must have waited for Atobe to shower and dress before coming down, which could explain his slightly more alert state than usual.
But then she noticed the slight redness around Atobe's mouth, and snuck a glance at Yuuta's when she poured him a drink, and had her answer.
It took all of her self control not to laugh, and she had to bite her lip – literally – to stop herself from saying anything for the first half of breakfast while her mother was still at the table.
When Yoshiko got up to answer the phone though, she smiled across at Atobe, certain that she must have looked right at that moment, like the cat that got the cream.
"I notice your mouth looks a little red this morning, Atobe-kun."
He looked up at her quickly, and then sideways at Yuuta. "No, it's nothing," he replied, and she wanted to roll her eyes childishly at his response, wanting more of a witty retort rather than a denial.
It was now an hour and a half after she'd bumped into Yuuta in the hallway, and she knew he rarely managed to return to sleep for long after waking up, and then she'd heard the bump after that too.
She was pretty sure not even Atobe could sleep through a noise like that so the two boys had to have been up to something during that time.
"Are you sure it's nothing?" she questioned, looking concerned. "Perhaps you have a food allergy you weren't aware of?"
Atobe took a sip of his tea. "No, it's really nothing," he insisted, avoiding looking her in the face.
Yumiko nearly sighed, still missing Syuusuke's presence at the table. Oh, wouldn't it have been fun to have him here.
"No red spots anywhere on your body?" she questioned.
Atobe blinked, seemingly surprised by the question. Then he shook his head slowly and deliberately and looked her in the eyes.
"No, not on mine, but perhaps you're right about there being something funny with the food last night, since I thought I saw some on Yuuta this morning."
Yumiko turned to her brother, half uncertain as to whether Atobe was taking her question literally or not.
"Yuuta?"
Yuuta had turned a bright shade of red.
It clicked in Yumiko's head then that Atobe had gotten the better of her, and she resisted the urge to shoot him a glare. It was hardly the ladylike thing to do, and besides, even she could admit that she hadn't seen that one coming. Syuusuke would probably be horrified to know that she was starting to think that Atobe was more than just an amusing piece of entertainment.
She watched him over the top of her tea. Atobe caught her eye then and stared back.
Yuuta glanced between the two of them, still looking pink in the face.
Yumiko noted the wary look that passed across his face, and she smiled at him for a moment. It was odd to think that she was starting to see what it was about Atobe and Yuuta that attracted them to each other, odd and contrasting in many ways as they were.
Yuuta's voice caught her off-guard then.
"Actually Atobe," he frowned a little, turning to the boy, "I'm pretty sure you have more spots than I do, since your body is so sensitive, remember?"
Then he glanced at Yumiko.
"Maybe Nee-san could examine you. You're good at playing doctor, aren't you, Nee-san? 'Cause you used to do it all the time with your old boyfriends, didn't you?"
Then he took a long sip of his tea, and it was all Yumiko could do not to stare at him in shock or laugh out loud. When had her younger brother learnt to talk like that, she wondered. She couldn't help but feel just a little proud of him though; never having seen him really talk back to her like that before.
The incensed look on Atobe's face amused her more than it ought to, and she found herself smiling at him. Yes, Syuusuke would be absolutely horrified with her, she decided.
.tbc.