Pairing/Characters: Shuichi, with mentions of one sided Tetsuya/Shuichi.
Word Length: 499
Challenge: Theme of dress up for the monthly challenge Notes: It would be helpful to have read "Youth" first.
Starring up at the man in the rabbit suit that had answered his door, holding a large bouquet of flowers, Shuichi could only stare. Even when the man broke into a long flamenco dance, the gaze on the young man's face could only be described as vapid. He wasn't even aware of the man shoving the flowers into his hand and then leaving. It was only when a cold draft blasted at him that he woke up, realizing the door was still open.
Shutting it, Shuichi set the flowers down on a nearby table, trying to find another vase. A quick scan of the living room revealed that there were indeed no free vases as the five they already owned were filled with roses from previous deliveries, some of them wilted. Looking at the card that had come with the flowers, Shuichi groaned.
He could have sworn that it was Noriko's husband in that suit. Which was absurd, since there was no way the crazy old man would be sending him flowers and chocolates. Flipping open the card, he found himself gasping at what looked like English, written in some fancy script he was far from familiar with. Not that he could have read it to begin with. He'd have asked Eiri or Hiro, but both of them would have laughed at him.
It shouldn't have been a big deal. He got similar letters and flowers from his fans all the time, some of them far more embarrassing than the ones he'd been getting from the mystery admirer. Though this was the first time he'd had an admirer so dedicated.
When it had started, Shuichi had told himself it was Yuki. It had only taken a few minutes for the young man to laugh himself half to death when he realized how stupid the thought was. The sappiest Yuki ever got was when he'd had a few beers in him and about five slices of strawberry short cake and it was no where near this level.
Maybe that was why it bothered him so much. He wished it was Yuki. If it had been, then he wouldn't have to feel so guilty about the part of him that got a thrill from these gifts. As weird as it was, whenever he received a gift from this admirer, he'd get a flush that he'd quickly have to hide from Yuki before he got angry or even worse, teased him.
Of course, it made him wonder once again why he'd thought it was Tetsuya sending him these gifts. Was it a subconscious way of keeping himself from falling too deeply? He felt a pang of guilt; it wasn't fair pretending that Tetsuya was his mystery lover. The elderly deserved respect after all. Taking the letter, Shuichi gently folded it up and threw it into the garbage. It was time to stop fantasizing and take responsibility.