Nezumi wanted to bang his head on something hard as he went backstage for a break after the rehearsal. Why on earth had he allowed himself to do something so stupid as to make a "seven days of Christmas" for Shion? On second thought, why didn't he think his "plan" through before just jumping right into it without a second's hesitation? Nezumi shook his head roughly, disgusted with himself. Shion was probably at home, laughing at him….
"Oi, Nezumi! How nice to see you again!" someone said from behind Nezumi. Recognizing the voice, Nezumi couldn't help but groan as he turned to see the same woman from yesterday, only this time her face was covered in powdery white makeup. Nezumi couldn't remember ever seeing her onstage, but then again, he only focused on his own parts of the play, so even if she was a member of the cast, he wouldn't recognize her.
"What do you want?" Nezumi asked, annoyance lacing his voice as he narrowed his eyes. Couldn't the woman see that he wanted to be alone?
"I just wanted to know if you had talked to that boy. What did he say? Would he like to entertain my daughter?" the woman asked, her eyes wide and hopeful—and a bit jeering.
"No," Nezumi said bluntly, and glared at the woman. Why wouldn't she just go away already?
"Oh. Why not?" the woman asked, starting to look flustered. Her eyes narrowed at Nezumi, a determined look clear in her gaze as her cheeks began to get a bit red with impatience.
"Why do you think? On second thought, why don't you go find some other man-whore to entertain your precious daughter?" Nezumi said angrily, and turned the other way, finally deciding that he was fed up with this strange woman. He left the woman standing there staring at him in shock and went to his dressing room, the only place in the theater where he could be alone with no one to disturb him. The soft candlelight illuminated only a small part of the dark dressing room, but Nezumi didn't care, just as long as he could be alone. The anger he felt at the woman was so intense that he could almost feel it in the air, and he felt the burning desire to punch a hole in the wall. Did people like that woman just exist to piss Nezumi off?
Nezumi took a deep breath and tried to calm down. He needed to go back onstage in a few minutes, and if he didn't look his best, the director would, without a doubt, probably make them start the play over from the beginning. Nezumi sighed and leaned against the dressing table, stressed out. Ever since Shion came into his life, nothing had been easy. Now he needed to provide not just for himself, but for the naïve boy living with him. Nezumi couldn't understand why, but he had this strange need to protect Shion, and to provide him with whatever the boy would need. Lost in his thoughts, Nezumi's hand brushed against the vase that held some flowers that one of his loyal admirers had sent him, and Nezumi regarded the white flowers silently as he calmed. The white petals of the wildflowers gleamed softly in the candlelight, reminding Nezumi of the snow outside in an afternoon sunlight. Or in another sense, Shion's hair in the firelight at home. Nezumi gently grabbed one of them and brought it to his face to sniff it. The light flowery scent filled his nose, and he could feel some pollen lightly dust the tip of his nose.
Shion would probably like this….
Nezumi shook his head violently. Why was he thinking this? He needed to stop thinking of Shion and focus on the play, dammit! Nezumi could already hear the director yelling for everyone to take their places on the stage. With a resigned sigh, Nezumi put the flower back in its vase and tried his hardest to push the nagging thoughts of Shion out of his mind as he returned to the stage.
"Dogkeeper, what are you doing for Christmas?" Shion asked politely as Dogkeeper walked up to him, a dog in each of her arms.
"Christmas? I dunno. Probably staying here with my family," she said, and placed the two dogs next to Shion. Shion chuckled when one of them licked his cheek, leaving a wet trail along his face.
"Do you ever get presents?" Shion asked, his ruby eyes sparkling in the cold sunlight as he looked at Dogkeeper, waiting for her answer.
"Presents? Ha! As if I could afford any of that crap," Dogkeeper said, and left him there to wash the dogs. Used to this treatment, Shion just brushed off Dogkeeper's rudeness and continued to clean the dogs while making a mental note to get a gift for Dogkeeper. Shion didn't mind the cold as it bit his wet arms and nipped at his face, but he still tried to hurry so that the dogs didn't suffer too badly in the cold.
Besides, Shion was already feeling quite warm for other reasons. The candy canes were in a pocket close to his chest, and every time he moved, Shion could feel them brushing across his clothes. He hadn't expected Nezumi to do anything for Christmas, and this sudden, sweet gift almost seemed as if Nezumi actually cared about the season. Shion didn't know why, but he felt excited at what Nezumi would bring him tonight—or if he could actually stay awake long enough to talk to him. He wanted to thank Nezumi for his gift, and Shion felt a need to give Nezumi something in return. After all, wasn't Christmas a season for giving?
Shion paused as he thought of what he could give Nezumi. He wasn't sure what kind of gift would be appropriate, now that he thought about it. Lately, things seemed to have been changing for them. It was almost as if they were a bit closer than just friends—but Shion didn't want to voice what else they may be. Shion blushed as a sudden memory of Nezumi giving him an unexpected goodnight kiss only a few weeks ago. Nezumi had blushed right after and rushed to tell him goodnight, but Shion had a feeling that Nezumi meant more by that kiss. When he discussed it with Dogkeeper the next day, she just laughed and told him that Nezumi probably wanted to bang him—whatever that meant.
The dog Shion was cleaning shook itself, splattering water all over Shion. "Hey!" Shion exclaimed, caught off guard, then laughed when the dog began licking his face. "Haha! Okay, I forgive you! Hey, stop!" Shion couldn't help but shriek as two other dogs decided to join in, pouncing on him and licking his face.
"Hey, get back to work! I'm not paying ya to play around!" Dogkeeper yelled at him, although Shion could've sworn he saw her grinning at his distress. For all Shion knew, Dogkeeper probably put the dogs up to this just so she could yell at him.
With a little effort, Shion pushed off the dogs and got back to work, and although his fingers were starting to become numb in the cold, the candy canes next to his chest seemed to keep his entire being warm, simply by being there.
Nezumi was exhausted after the play, his sweat drenched hair clinging to his face as he tried to help move props where they belonged. Practically no one bothered to show up to the performance, much to the director's dismay, and the lack of applause made most of the cast reluctant to continue going on with the play. The director said he would probably cut their payments a little to cover up the theater costs if only a few people show up each night, and everyone, including Nezumi, was a little pissed about that.
Nezumi sighed and tried to maneuver around in his overly dramatic dress, keeping his emotions in check. The cold air hit his sweaty face, making him shiver. He went into the dressing room, took off the makeup and ridiculous dress, and put his hair back up into a ponytail. His gaze wandered to the vase of wildflowers, and he frowned as a pang of worry hit him. Was his "seven days of Christmas" thing even doing any good? He wasn't sure if Shion even liked his idea, and if he did not, then wouldn't Shion think Nezumi was the most ridiculous person on earth if he kept giving him these lame presents? Or if Shion did like it, and Nezumi didn't give him anything, then wouldn't Shion be hurt?
Nezumi sighed and pulled his hands through his hair, thinking. His gaze fell upon one white wildflower among the others in the vase and, with a sudden spasm of certainty, Nezumi made up his mind. He would give it to Shion, and hope Shion liked it. He picked up the flower, hid it in one of his pockets to keep it from the cold wind outside, and set out for home, a soft blush creeping up his cheeks as he tried not to think of what Shion would think of his gift.
Nezumi came home to find Shion sitting on the couch, awake, but just barely. His head kept nodding, and his eyes drooped in exhaustion, but perked right up when Nezumi walked in.
"Nezumi! Welcome home! Thanks for the candy canes," Shion said, jumping up from the couch and wrapping his arms around Nezumi. Nezumi sighed as Shion's warmth surrounded him like a blanket, and he closed his eyes slightly before pulling Shion away from him to look at him face to face.
"It was nothing," Nezumi grumbled, the happy look in Shion's sparkling red eyes nearly making him blush.
"No, really, it means a lot to me that you would think of me," Shion said earnestly, his tired eyes beholding Nezumi's shivering frame.
"I made you some supper. It's not much, but I wanted to thank you for thinking of me."
"Yeah, thanks," Nezumi replied, and averted his eyes. So Shion did like his idea….
Something dark and heavy that weighted down his chest suddenly evaporated and was replaced with a warm, fuzzy feeling that made Nezumi want to smile. He resisted the urge and turned to Shion.
"I'm off to start a fire. You look freezing," Shion said, and without another word, went into the other room to warm up the house. Nezumi looked after him before settling down in a chair. He took out the flower from his pocket and looked at it, grinning. So Shion actually liked his idea, huh? Knowing that made him feel so much better about the whole thing.
Nezumi heard Shion coming back into the room, and quickly put the flower back into his chest pocket before Shion could see.
"It should get a little warmer now that I started the fire. You should eat something," Shion said, and Nezumi noticed Shion's eyelids droop.
"You should be getting some sleep. Don't you have to do something tomorrow with Rikiga?" Nezumi asked, raising an eyebrow.
Shion blushed. "Yeah, I know. But I wanted to see you, since I didn't see you yesterday," Shion said, looking at the ground.
Nezumi felt touched. "Thanks, but I think you should get some sleep. You look like the dead."
Shion chuckled. "Okay, I'll try to stay up tomorrow to see you again."
"Okay. Goodnight," Nezumi said, and got up to get a plate.
"Um, Nezumi?" Shion asked, and Nezumi looked up to see Shion's face looking almost as red as his scar.
"Shion, what's—" Nezumi couldn't finish his sentence, because with a burst of courage, Shion had walked up to him, grabbed Nezumi's face, and gave him a light peck on his lips.
"Uh, g-goodnight!" Shion said, his eyes widening in horror at what he had done. Embarrassed, he ran out of the room like a bat out of hell, leaving Nezumi standing there, stunned. Shion had just kissed him. Why did Shion just kiss him?!
With a shaking hand, Nezumi brushed his thumb over his lips. Although the kiss was brief, he could still feel the sensation of Shion's lips on his. Nezumi suddenly remembered the kiss he gave Shion a few weeks ago, and blushed. He wasn't thinking right then, and although he didn't regret kissing Shion, he had a feeling that they may be just a bit more than friends….
Nezumi shook his head and pulled his hands through his hair, frustrated. He was hungry and tired. Maybe he will figure out what everything means in the morning?
Nezumi sighed and took the flower out of his pocket and regarded it intensely. He still wanted to give Shion the flower, but wasn't sure if it would mean they were just friends, or if they were…something else entirely.
Well, only one way to find out.
Nezumi noted that Shion went into the bedroom and not the living room where the tree was, so he crept into the living room to place the flower beneath the tree. It looked silly; a white wildflower beneath a wilting pine sapling, but Nezumi didn't care. He went back into the kitchen to eat supper before going to bed on the couch, his mind full of what Shion had meant by that "goodnight" kiss.
Sorry for the late upload! I meant to upload this yesterday, but I had so many things to do that I ended up not doing it. Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up in few hours.
Thanks to all who read this! I didn't think this was going to get as many views as it did, so I'm really honored that so many of you liked it! I hope you liked this chapter, and I hope to see you in the next one! :)