NOTES::

Camui-Alexa: Oh, that makes me feel like I'm making a difference if an update can give you a vacation...And if I update at the perfect times, well, then I'm psychic. Secretly, though. PS - Do you want to come and take my Spanish exam for me on Wednesday? I don't really want to...at all.

Fanren: Oh, it's still sucking (senior year, that is). But it's gotten better. And Kei's wicked side makes me smile during classes when I'm really bored. Hah. I had actually planned out Meredith keeping Sho hostage in his own office...like, stalking outside the door and then Sho never wanted to go out...

Minako Sayaka: Kei and Sho actually tend to keep me sane when my brain is dying. They help out too many people, which is strange because they aren't actually real...

Mak41: Uh...all November did to my writing was probably make me throw in crazy things that no one will understand from my NaNoWriMo story. But I don't think I actually did very much in this...Disney's only four hours away from you? It takes us about nineteen hours to get there with very little stopping.

K.R. Ukido: It's actually only their third or fourth busiest time of the year. Their busiest is Christmas/New Years (the last time I was there) and second busiest is Fourth of July. But we definitely got on a lot of rides. It was amazing. And I miss the weather. Now there's ten inches of snow outside my house...

Tenouharuka101: November and Disney World were both enjoyable. Too many stories from both of them (25,000 worth of them for just November...)

ChibiAzn3: Aww, yes. I'm pretty dedicated to this fic. But I'm slowly falling out of the loop. So I think I'll carry out my plan that I've got in my head (that's a secret and I can't say what it is) and I'll give it up then for a bit. And I don't know how you could read all of them in one day. xD There are a lot. And thank you for all of your other reviews (...you did leave other reviews, right? My brain's kind of going...)

SINCE NANOWRIMO IS NO LONGER EATING MY SOUL (though it is still attacking my brain), I CAN UPDATE! I apologize, but…you know. NaNoWriMo.

ALSO! This chapter deserves a dedication. As some of you know and others don't know, Belle Constantine Chappy died this past weekend, so I'm dedicating this chapter to Gackt's beloved dog (who definitely isn't deceased in this fic, don't worry. She'll show up next chapter.)
Chapter Fifteen – Healing Touches

"Uh, Sho?" Kei said over his shoulder to the brunette, who was sitting at the kitchen table sipping a can of pop.

"Yes, angel?" Sho asked, eyes flickering up to Kei.

"Why is there a cooler in our freezer?"

"…I didn't tell you about that?" the younger vampire said, completely stunned.

"Sho…what did you do now?" Kei asked, turning around to glare at the vampire, his hands on his hips. Sho stood up and walked over to his lover, wrapping his arms around Kei's stomach.

"Now why do you say that so accusingly?" Sho murmured, leaning down and kissing the blonde.

"Because you're trying to distract me," Kei replied against Sho's lips. "Now tell me what you did." The brunette simply smiled and let his eyes flicker to the small cooler in their open freezer. Kei let out a sigh as he reached out and slid open the top of the cooler. He let his hand slide over whatever was inside and pull the item out. Immediately, he began to laugh. "Unbelievable," he managed to gasp as he gazed at the bag of blood.

"Kurisu is actually the one who told me to do it," Sho explained as he took the bag from Kei and placed it back in the freezer. "She said that the nurses that take stock can't really count, so they just make up whatever number seems good to them and they won't notice when a few go missing every now and then."

"Hmm," the blonde murmured. "Well, I suppose it will definitely be more convenient. And probably helpful, too, although I hope it never comes to anything that drastic."

"Of course," Sho agreed, pulling Kei close. "You do remember that I've got a twenty-four-hour shift coming up tomorrow, right?"

"How could I forget it? I'll only have Belle to keep me company," Kei murmured against his lover's chest. "But I'll survive."

"I hope you will," the younger agreed. "I don't think it would be very fun to come home to your dead body or ashes or whatever you would be." Kei laughed and snuggled into Sho's warm chest with a sigh…

I married in the sun
Against the stone of buildings built before

Sho's arrival home the night of the end of his longest shift ever was announced a loud thump on the other side of the front door. It startled Kei, who was reading a book on the couch like he usually was whenever Sho got home at a decent hour of the late night/early morning. Slightly worried, he set him book down and headed over to the front door. But before he could reach out to open it, it opened on its own and Sho entered—rather, fell—inside; luckily, Kei was close enough to catch the vampire before he hit the hard floor. "God," Kei hissed as he sank to his knees, Sho cradled against his chest.

Without hesitation, he bit into his own wrist, tasting blood, and thrust it against Sho's lips, smearing it until the brunette unconsciously began to suck. A wave of relief swept over the concerned blonde and he held his lover close, wrenching away his wrist as he watched Sho's eyelids flutter. Kei lapped away the trails of blood on his arm, the puncture already having healed over, as Sho woke up, confused, licking his lips.

"What a wonderful way to arrive home," Kei commented softly, earning a weak smile from Sho. "How the hell did you manage to drive?" Sho shook his head, unable to speak at the moment. "It doesn't matter anyway. As long as you're here now and safe…"

"Shower," Sho croaked a few moments later.

"No way, Sho," Kei protested. "I'm not having you pass out on me in the shower. You can take one in the morning if you'd like, but right now, you need to change into some pajamas and sleep." The brunette shook his head in protest as Kei cradled him in his arms and stood up. "You don't want to sleep?"

"I want—" Sho said weakly, arms wrapping around Kei's neck tightly. "—you—hold me."

"All right," the shorter vampire agreed as he entered their bedroom and set Sho down on the bed. "We'll change your clothes and then we'll go and lay out in the recliner in the family room." Sho nodded and closed his eyes, sliding out of his white trench and managing to pull off his shirt while Kei dug through the bottom drawer for a pair of pajama pants. "Lie back on the bed, Sho-chan."

You and I were born
And to my heart confusion rose against

The brunette obeyed silently, falling back onto the bed with a soft sigh. He watched as Kei walked over and set the pajamas next to him, reaching out and unbuttoning the pants he was wearing. Sho arched his hips as best as he could as Kei pulled them off and replaced them with a much softer, more comfortable material. "Can you stand?" he asked hesitantly as he pulled Sho into an upright position. Sho nodded but motioned for Kei to support him and the blonde obliged. He helped Sho wrap an arm around his shoulders and leaned on the shorter vampire while he held onto Sho's waist tightly and they began to walk out to the family room once more.

They managed to make it to the recliner. As quickly as he could, Kei sat down in the comfortable chair and let Sho nearly fall on top of him. The younger vampire curled up on Kei's lap, resting his head on the elder vampire's shoulder and sighing deeply as Kei threw a blanket over them both and ran a hand through Sho's bangs. "Are you going to be all right?" Kei murmured softly against Sho's forehead, an idle hand going to stroke up and down his lover's bare arm.

"Mmm," Sho replied, nodding his head as he cuddled closer to the blonde. "Sleep," he said in a slurred voice, already falling asleep.

"Adorable," the older vampire breathed as he watched Sho be overcome by slumber. He nuzzled his cheek against the top of Sho's head and let out a sigh, relaxing into the back of the recliner.

It felt as though it was going to be a long night…

The muscles fought so long
To control against the pull of
One magnet to another magnet
To another magnet

Kei had carried Sho to their bedroom several hours after he fell asleep and tucked him into bed. The blonde woke early the next morning and decided to call Kurisu and complain. If long shifts were really going to kill Sho this much, he would have to do something about it. Seeing Sho hurt was like watching a puppy cry.

"Hello?" Kurisu said after a few rings.

"What the hell have you been doing to Sho?" Kei spat into the receiver at the doctor.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"He came home last night and passed out right when he stepped inside the house!" the vampire fumed angrily. "I don't know how overworked his is at the hospital, but I swear—"

"Kei, I can assure you that Sho-kun is not being overworked—" Kurisu tried to explain, but Kei cut her off.

"Don't sugar-coat this, all right?"

Now we look up in
To the hours of bodies breaking past

"I'm not—!"

"Don't think you'll up-end me by trying to act so kind towards this!" the blonde snarled. "Sho won't be in for a while, so don't expect him."

"Okay," Kurisu said in a quiet voice before Kei hung up.

"I love when you stick up for me," Sho's weak voice said from the hallway. The blonde turned his head to see his lover leaning weakly against the wall, a smile on his face.

"You don't think I was too tough on her, do you?" Kei asked as he walked over and hugged Sho, making sure that he was supporting most of the vampire's weight. He didn't want Sho overworking himself so soon; the brunette needed time to heal and regain his strength.

"No," Sho replied, resting his weight against Kei as he took a deep breath. "You were completely honest with her and that's what Kurisu needs sometimes."

"And I know exactly what you need right now," Kei said, inspiration suddenly striking him. "Would you like me to help you out into the kitchen?"

"I'll try on my own," the brunette said slowly after contemplating for a few moments. "Meet you out there?" He gave the blonde vampire a wink and Kei couldn't help but laugh.

They seem so very tough
They seem so very scared of us

"Of course," he replied, pushing Sho off of him. He watched carefully to see whether Sho was going to fall or not, but the taller vampire seemed sure of himself. Deciding that Sho would be all right on his own, Kei headed out into the kitchen and went straight for the freezer. As he pulled out a bag of their blood supply, a thump from the hallway caught his attention. "Sho-chan?" Kei called, setting the bag down on the kitchen table. But Sho didn't respond.

Worried, the blonde went back into the hallway to find Sho had collapsed face down on the floor. "Sho!" he yelped, running over and kneeling next to his unconscious lover. He rolled Sho over onto his lap and leaned down, breathing a sigh of relief: he was still breathing. "You're just too weak," Kei murmured, cradling the man's lithe frame in his arms and carrying him over to the family room, lying him down on the couch. He raced back over to the kitchen and brought the bag of blood back to where Sho lay.

"Please let this work," he prayed in a lament as he punctured a hole in the top of the bag; with his other hand he pried open Sho's mouth. Slowly and carefully, Kei tipped the bag to the side and let a bit drain into his lover's waiting mouth. Immediately, Sho swallowed and Kei breathed another sigh of relief.

After several more mouthfuls of the cold blood, Sho began to stir, his eyes fluttering and rolling, head shifting from side to side. When he returned to total consciousness, he turned and looked at Kei. "I guess I won't see you in the kitchen," he mumbled, words slurred. Kei laughed, tears gathering in his eyes.

"God, Sho," he said, letting the vampire drink from the bag on his own. "You need to stop trying to give me heart attacks!" Sho gave his lover a remorseful look, too intent on draining every last drop of blood out of the bag to give a vocal apology. "Are you trying to kill me?" Sho replied a few moments later after finishing the bag of blood.

I look into the mirror
For evil that just does not exist
I don't see what they see

"Never kill you, no," he said, eyes slipping closed as he cuddled against Kei's hand that was stroking his cheek. "Just leave you in suspense—"

"—While you're stuck in limbo between life and death?" Kei cut him off before he leaned down and pressed a kiss to his lover's forehead, speaking against the skin there. "Sho-chan, I thought all of your near-death moments were done after your relapse in memory!"

"Apparently not," Sho muttered before tilting his head up and catching the edge of Kei's mouth with his lips.

"Quit trying to distract me," Kei murmured against Sho's parted lips, tongue lapping out at the seam.

"But your kisses…make me feel better," Sho groaned, tongue flicking out to meet Kei's. He moved his shaking hand and pressed it against the back of Kei's neck, pulling the blonde into a slow, but deep, kiss. The older moaned and kissed back, letting his hands trail all over Sho's body, stopping as the fingers of one hand traced the outline of the bulge in the front of his lover's pants.

"Calm yourself, love," he breathed as he pulled out of the kiss. Sho whimpered and rocked his hips against Kei's hand. But Kei just kissed Sho softly and pulled his hand away. "Not while you're recovering."

"Fine," Sho said, pouting. "But you owe me a massage."

"Deal," Kei agreed. "But later. We'll fix you up first…"

Try to control the pull of one magnet
To another magnet…

Lyrics are I Was Married by Tegan and Sara…although, I'm really into Peeved, a new Wizard Rock band.

Exams are this week! I only really need to study for Calculus and Spanish since those are border A/B grades and I really want As in them!

This is probably your Christmas present chapter, unless I'mreally awesome and manage to update. But I probably won't, although I'll try. A gigantic hug to all of those who have been waiting for me to update this whole time! I apologize greatly, but things have come up. Senior year really sucks—I kind of wish I could skip it and go straight to college. But I'm battling through, don't worry! (Let's not even get into the whole 'my-boyfriend-has-actually-been-gay-the-whole-time-and-I've-known' thing…it's way too complicated).

I will try my hardest to update again before the year is done. Comments are love, as always!