Title: Little Conversations

Author: Hawk Clowd

Disclaimer: As always, I own nothing and I want nothing. I think these boys would cost me too much money in condoms and lubricant, quite frankly, if they didn't run me dry from the beer and cigarette runs.

Blood Type: NyQuil

Warnings: Sleep-deprived insanity.

Part: Eight

Author's Notes: I'm writing this during November, which I'm sure most of you know is NaNoWriMo, an event in which I participate every year. I must be completely mad to be doing this at this time, but whatever. In other news, this is the first part of the story I've actually written on my own computer and not at work. Hm.

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Tatsuha had been trying to get a hold of Eiri for days now, but his brother had killed his phone or something or had always hung up on him after a few sentences. It was frustrating, but Tatsuha thought he could probably understand why the blond kept doing it; he had work to do, after all, and Tatsuha knew better than to interrupt the writer at work. Luckily, he had heard from Shuichi, with whom he exchanged the occasional email, that Eiri had just finished his latest novel, so Tatsuha took the chance and, once his father had gone to bed, dialed Eiri's number.

The writer picked up quickly, for once. "What do you want?"

"Hello to you, too," Tatsuha said cheerily.

Eiri sighed. "Hello," he said stiffly. "What do you want?"

"I've got a question."

"A question?"

"Yes."

Eiri waited. When Tatsuha didn't say anything, he sighed irritably. "Well?"

"Well," Tatsuha began, "I was kind of wondering if maybe I could hang out with you and Shuichi sometime soon. Stay at your place and all that. Like... next week-ish. Since they're closing school for bugs or something. Mice. Something involving infestation."

"No."

"Aniki! Come on!"

"Stay home," Eiri said. His voice sounded strained. "You can't stay here."

"Aniki!"

"No."

Tatsuha scowled at the phone. "Aniki, it would just be for, like, a --"

"No. I mean it. You can't stay here."

Tatsuha paused. "Why not?"

"Because."

Tatsuha waited for more. Eiri didn't supply anything, but Tatsuha was almost sure he heard someone -- Shuichi -- giggle. From somewhere very close to the phone. Too close, almost.

Tatsuha knew what that meant, and he groaned. "I called you while you were fucking Shuichi!"

Eiri snorted and Tatsuha heard another giggle. He thought he heard -- but wasn't entirely sure and hoped he really didn't -- Shuichi saying something that sounded like "Were?"

Tatsuha slapped a hand to his forehead. "Ewwww."

"Don't complain," Eiri snapped. "You called. Not me."

"But you picked up!"

There was a brief pause and another giggle from Shuichi, coupled with the slightest of moans. Fuck. Tatsuha closed his eyes tightly shut, trying to burn the image out of his mind. It didn't work.

"Anyway, it's not my fault you have bad timing," Eiri continued. "Think before you call, you freak."

"I don't have psychic powers, Aniki!" Tatsuha cried. "How am I supposed to know when it is or when it's not okay to call you because you're fucking your goddamn boyfriend?"

He wasn't really mad. Not really. Just... Well, most people knew better than to answer the phone when they were in the middle of sex. Shuichi was obviously affecting Eiri with stupid and making him lose his common sense. Freaks.

Shuichi hissed something from Eiri's side of the conversation and there was a brief argument on that end. Then Eiri sighed. "The brat wants to talk to you. Hang on."

There was a brief pause and then Shuichi picked up. "Hi!" he said cheerfully.

"Tell my stupid brother that he shouldn't answer the phone when he's doing... you!" Tatsuha ordered.

"Okie dokie," Shuichi said. "What was it you were asking him about?"

Tatsuha paused to get his mind back on track. "Staying with you guys next week."

"Yuki won't be here," Shuichi explained, "and I may not be, either, so I guess that's why he said no? Maybe if you apartment-sit for us or something. Or if you promise to be really really really really good, ne? There'd have to be rules and stuff and... And..." Shuichi's voice faltered and there were noises as though the singer was covering the phone with his hand. "Yuki," he hissed, "quit it!"

Eiri said something on the other end of the line and Shuichi giggled.

Tatsuha rolled his eyes. "Look, how about I just call you back later? Or better yet, you have Aniki call me, so I don't end up... interrupting anything, okay?"

Shuichi snerked a little, but his snerk turned into a near-moan. "Oh, don't worry," Shuichi assured him. "You aren't interrupting --" a small hiss and a gasp -- "anything. Honest."

"Somehow that's even worse," Tatsuha grumbled. "Just have him call me back, okay?"

"Okie dokie," Shuichi agreed. "Bye, Tatsuha!"

Tatsuha hung up quickly. It would be a long time before he called Eiri ever, ever again. Blah. He totally needed to go dunk his head in a bucket of bleach now. That had definitely ruined his night.