:) hello hello. Thank you all for the great reviews! ^_^ waaaahhh! You all are so kind and I'm glad the OC and IC characters are much loved in this story.

And hooray! We are finally at a pivotal plot point- er, I mean...yay. Next chapter...woot.

Update today or tomorrow :) please keep up the feebackies onegai! Huggles!

TBF101

Always

Chapter Thirteen: Release

For the second time that Saturday, a door was annoying rapped on. However, this time it was Yuu who dragged his half-asleep carcass out from in front of his TV and shuffled off to his door. The assistant, after last night's existential crisis, had taken the day easy, and was still in a pair of sweats and a barely clean T-shirt. He had found a collection of old sketchbooks inside his closet and had been going through them, looking with amusement at some of his less than skillful artistic endeavors. His exploration had also had some bitter sweetness to it as well, as he'd found notebooks full of life sketches, most of which were Chiaki. He had glanced at them silently, nodding at some of his better ones, but trying not to pay too much attention to the face his eyes and his pen were so familiar with. He had almost gotten to the half finished upper body nude he'd done at the hot springs on Chiaki's birthday when he heard a knocking coming from the door.

Too mentally and emotionally taxed to try and wonder who was making that hideous racket, Yuu padded down the hallway and to the door, yawning slightly as he opened it.

But as soon as he glanced at the doorstep, shock flooded his lethargic mind.

"Hi Yanase-kun," Hisashi smiled sheepishly.

Yuu blinked a couple times, a little surprised that the half German hermit had come to grace his dwelling.

"Araki-kun," He said, opening the door a little wider. "How'd you know I lived here?'

"I called Yoshino," Hisashi replied, taking care to say the name with tact. "I…I wanted to ask you about something and I thought…in person would be better."

Yuu's face at the moment was a little uncharacteristically shocked. Having had his mask shattered last night and pieces of it shoved into his stomach all day by the bitter nostalgia, Yuu still wasn't quite back to his cucumber composed self. And so when Hisashi had randomly showed up, he was more than a little thrown off.

"Uh, what did you need?" He asked, tilting his head slightly. But he couldn't help but notice the blonde's bashful expression.

"Umm well," Hisashi said nervously. The blonde finally took a deep breath and lifted his eyes, locking his ice blue irises with Yuu's ruby ones.

"Look, Yanase," He said slowly. "I just want to say that…what you did your me last night was the kindest thing I've received since I moved back to Tokyo, and I want you to know how grateful I am…"

Yuu nodded, still staring in shock as the normally stuttering and secretive blonde spoke openly (if shyly) to him.

"It was nothing," He murmured back. Hisashi smiled slightly.

"Well, it wasn't for me. And…Yanase-kun, I'd…"

The blonde's eyes darted back down for a second and he took another deep breath.

"What is it?" Yuu asked.

Hisashi's gaze rose back up and he finally spilled his guts.

"Yanase, would you go on a date with me?"

For one of the few times in his promising life, Yuu's jaw went completely slack and his quick tongue sat limp in his mouth. Hisashi chewed on his lip as the other man went quiet for a few seconds, hoping his skull wouldn't explode from shame.

"If you don't mind me asking…" Yuu finally spoke. "What…what brought this about?"

Hisashi swallowed, what little nerve he had mustered up starting to waver.

"Renaka-san came to see me today."

Yuu raised an eyebrow.

"She's here?"

Hisashi nodded.

"And…we talked about a lot of things. And she told me that Atsushi would want me to find happiness."

Yuu gazed at him passively.

"I'm not looking to become a substitute, Araki. You know that."

Hisashi nodded.

"I know. And no one could ever replace Atsushi. But…after she left, I was thinking. Yanase, I've been holed up inside myself for so long, just pinning and regretting what happened, and it's been eating me up, tearing me apart. And…and now that I have been shown how many people still love and worry about me, I want to try and stop regretting."

Yuu's lips parted again as those gray blue eyes met his own, but for the first time since he'd met Hisashi, a tiny spark had been lit in those eyes.

"But more than that," Hisashi said, a smile of release and flight pulling at his lips. "I truly want to find happiness. Not just for Atsushi…but for me."

The two stood there face to face as seconds edged by like they had been weighted down by rocks.

But shortly, another smile joined the first as Yuu looked at the sheepish blonde and felt his own wings fly through the broken glass that had gathered around his soul.

"I don't really feel like going anywhere today," He said, an old familiar glint lighting up his garnet eyes. "Why don't you come inside?"

The auburn haired assistant reached out a strong hand, and the blonde smiled quietly and took it, climbing up the steps to meet Yuu at his door.

Hisashi followed Yuu inside, slipping off his shoes at the entryway. The blonde's smile suddenly widened and he shook his head.

"What?" Yuu asked, his lip parting into his own grin.

"Nothing," Hisashi chuckled. "It's just that…well, two days ago I hated your guts."

Yuu laughed back.

"Me too. Remember when you didn't hold the elevator door for me on Thursday?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry 'bout that." The blonde replied bashfully.

"That's okay. I thought about emptying my pencil sharpener in your coffee."

Blue eyes went wide.

"What? You didn't did you?" The blond stammered, his hand flying up to his stomach as if pencil shavings and lead had teleported into his digestive tract.

Yuu smiled.

"No, I said 'thought.'"

Hisashi didn't look convinced.

"Believe me Araki," Yuu chuckled. "If I had, you'd know."

The bright solar star that lit the sky had fallen into the chasm of night, dying with a fiery vengeance in a deep blue pool of the moon-shadowed sky. With its last dying rays, the sun stretched its fingers in through the windows of Yuu's living room, where it joined the dim light of the lamps on the end table.

"Oh I like that one, the limbs are great."

"I had to erase that fucking leg three times before I could get it straight. Look, you can see all the old marks."

"Yeah, but I always found that the hardest drawings I did were the ones I liked the best at the end."

"Hah, me too Araki." Yuu said, smiling at the blonde.

The two assistants lounged in Yuu's living room on the couch, flipping through all of Yuu's old sketchbooks. They had spent most of the day just talking and watching a couple game shows on TV. While it certainly wasn't a run-around-till-your-legs-fell-off-from-all-the-goddamned-fun-you-were-having date, after all the "fun" last night, the two appreciated the relaxing atmosphere. Just a while ago, Hisashi had noticed Yuu's leaning tower of sketchbooks on the coffee table, so they had spent the past couple hours going through them together. The second go had been considerably less painful than the first, as Hisashi's commentary took Yuu's mind off the subject and gave him a new perspective on his work. It was refreshing, and the garnet-eyed Yuu found himself thoroughly enjoyed.

"Whoa, is this Tokyo tower?" Hisashi asked as he turned to the last page.

"Yeah, it's actually an original of a background I did for another mangaka. It's one of my favorites."

"It's amazing," Hisashi said with a gapping smile. " I'll draw Ijuuin feet all day but I hate architecture."

"Really?" Yuu asked. "I enjoy it. I love to see just how close I can get it to the original."

"Well I'd say this is pretty damn close." Hisashi grinned, passing the notebook back to Yuu. The fiery-eyed artist set the sketchbook back on the table and picked up the last one from the pile.

"So what was Atsushi's specialty?" Yuu asked.

Hisashi smiled fondly.

"Fantasy creatures. Even Renaka-san was amazed at some of the things he churned out. There's this painting of a griffin he did in her kitchen back at home. He did it when he was sixteen and I've never seen anyone top it." Hisashi paused and laughed under his breath. "Though I guess he had an advantage, growing up with a mom who draws manga where half the characters aren't human."

Yuu returned the smile.

"I know. Both of Rurouri Renaka's sons are lucky bastards."

Hisashi's eyes widened in shock for a second before they melted into soft cool pools.

"Yeah…" He smiled, gazing down at his lap. "I am lucky…"

The gray blue eyes of the blonde drifted over to the last sketchbook in Yuu's lap.

"What's in that one?" He gestured to the book, concern coloring his expression as Yuu gave a half-hearted smile.

"My most recent ones."

Hisashi held out his hand and Yuu handed him the notebook. Hisashi pressed the pages between his thumb and forefinger and quickly flipped through them, understanding why Yuu was quiet. The entire notebook was filled with Chiaki.

Hisashi sighed, setting it back on the desk. He glanced over at Yuu's shadowed eyes and for the first time in weeks, felt a small dab of red take hue in his emotions.

"Yoshino must be blind. He really doesn't know what he missed out on." Hisashi murmured indignantly. Yuu's eyes widened and looked over at the blond.

"Araki…"

"I mean… I'm just happy that I didn't do the same."

Immediately after he made the bold statement, Hisashi lowered his head and smiled shyly, not meeting Yuu's eyes. But he flinched in surprise as he felt a warm set of fingers trace along his jaw line and lift his head. Hisashi's eyes found Yuu's and he forgot to breathe as he saw the warm spark in the man's eyes and wily smile.

The blonde shivered slightly at Yuu's touch, but he found he wasn't afraid in the least.

"Yanase," He murmured. "You…you can call me Hisashi if you want…I'm…more used to it…"

Yuu's fingers traced a warm circle as Hisashi saw him smile.

"I'd like that," He breathed. The blonde shifted again, his body beginning to warm.

"What time is it?" Hisashi asked, completely unaware that there was clock right on the end table behind him.

"I don't know," Yuu replied. A faint drumming caught his ear and his garnet irises flickered briefly to the dark window, which was dripping with clear liquid.

"It's raining…"

Hisashi too glanced at the window before turning back to Yuu.

"Yeah…it is…" He sighed, his warm exhale whispering across Yuu's face.

"Hisashi…"

The blonde turned, just as Yuu leaned forward and wrapped a lean, strong arm around the smaller waist.

"You shouldn't go home tonight. It's too cold and wet…" Yuu murmured, his lips mere inches from the blonde's ear.

Hisashi's mouth parted at the implications of the Yuu's subtle suggestion, but he found his body leaning away from the frosty cold of the outdoor world, and into the warmth of Yuu's fiery eyes.

"Okay…"

NOTE: FROM NOW ON, THIS FIC WILL BE RATED M.

(YAY!)

So if you were just here for the touching Shonen-Ai and flowery emotions of pretty boys, ya might wanna skip the next chapter.

For everyone else:

MANSEX.

FTW.