"I'm sorry Kuma couldn't make it..." Tatsuha said, his arm still slung around Ryuichi's slender shoulders.
"Well..." Ryuichi said in a thoughtful voice. "If we ask nice and tell him you missed him, maybe he'll wake up and play with us."
"Really?" said Tatsuha, sounding hopeful and smiling down at Ryuichi. He had decided to play along with Ryuichi antics, even if it meant being friends with the rabbit that had nearly killed him on several different occasions. "Think he will?"
"Let's ask!" Ryuichi replied, breaking into a run and pulling Tatsuha along behind him.
When they reached the suite, Ryuichi let go of Tatsuha and put a finger to his lips. He opened the door slowly and crept inside, Tatsuha following close behind. Ryuichi crossed the room in a cat-like manner, his skills as a thief coming in handy.
Kuma was sound asleep in the next room, tucked in and dressed in his favorite pajamas. Ryuichi quietly approached the sleeping rabbit and shook him lightly.
"Kuma-chan..." Ryuichi murmured. "Wake up..."
The rabbit didn't move, talk, or blink.
"I'm sorry I woke you up, don't be mad..." Ryuichi said, looking worried.
Again, Kuma made no obvious movement. Outside, Cinda ripped up another tree.
"Kuma! How could you say such things?" Ryuichi said, getting more frantic by the second. "Take it back!"
"What did he say?" Tatsuha whispered.
"Shhh!" Ryuichi said, backing away from the bed and pushing Tatsuha out of the room.
Kuma was still lying on the bed, unmoving, silent.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Ryuichi shrieked suddenly, falling to his knees and throwing his arms above his head.
Tatsuha watched from the background, a little unnerved by the entire thing. But seeing as he was incapable of ever thinking a single negative thought about Ryuichi, the scene in front of him only increased his love for the older man. Ryuichi was silent for a couple of minutes, and Tatsuha judged by his twitching that Kuma was lecturing him. Eventually, Ryuichi got off of the floor, dusted himself off, and, to Tatsuha's surprise, picked up Kuma.
"Ok. Let's go, Tatsuha!" Ryuichi said in a sing-songy voice, skipping out of the room with Kuma tucked under one arm.
Tatsuha didn't answer and instead followed numbly after Ryuichi, trying to keep his eyes from looking glazed and unfocused. The trio traversed the hallways in near silence; Ryuichi kept up a constant conversation with Kuma, filling him in on the attempted bugging of Shuichi's door. Tatsuha lead the way to his room, making sure to avoid the patrols that swarmed the palace at night. If anyone saw Ryuichi, serious questions would be asked and the loveable thief would be in danger of being arrested. Hopefully he would be able to convince Ryuichi to stay with him; he'd be safer, and Tatsuha would have him all to himself. A little moan escaped him at the thought, and he clapped a hand over his mouth to keep Ryuichi from hearing him.
"We almost there?" Ryuichi asked, running forward and grabbing Tatsuha's hand. "Kuma has a game for us to play."
"Uh huh, it's just down these stairs..." Tatsuha said quietly, squeezing Ryuichi's hand reassuringly and checking for guards.
"Yay!" Ryuichi said, spinning Tatsuha in a circle.
Tatsuha smiled nervously, thinking to himself that Ryuichi was exponentially more amazing the more time he spent in his presence. He pulled Ryuichi and Kuma down the stairs and into his quarters. Once the door was closed, he sighed a sigh of relief that they hadn't met anyone on the way down. He didn't think he'd ever been so lucky in all of his life. Ryuichi had fallen into his hands without any effort on his part, they hadn't been stopped all the way through the palace, and now he had Ryuichi to himself for the entire night. He took off his belt and sword and sank into the nearest chair, staring contentedly at Ryuichi, who was taking off Kuma's pajamas.
His quarters were quite substantial; he was the guard captain after all. It consisted of two rooms, one of which functioned as his bedroom. In the far corner of the main room was a sunken area and it was bordered all the way around by tiered steps. In the middle of it was a fire pit surrounded by cushions. The opposite corner featured a small snack pantry with a couple cupboards. The center of the room featured a nice coffee table, and the rest of the room was taken up by sofas, chairs, and display cabinets.
"So, what does Kuma want to play?" Tatsuha asked, a tiny bit concerned about Kuma after what had happened in the guest suite.
"He wants to play tea party!" Ryuichi said, turning around and smiling wide. "It's his favorite!"
"Alright." said Tatsuha, not at all fazed. He remained seated, watching as Ryuichi rummaged through one of his cupboards, pulling out plates and cups. "There's a teapot in the guard's kitchen, I'll go grab it."
"Great! Take Kuma with you!"
"O-okay..." Tatsuha said, honored to have Kuma entrusted to him. He accepted the rabbit from Ryuichi and cradled him gently, walking out of the room with slow and deliberate steps, careful not to endanger Kuma.
He returned five minutes later with the teapot, keeping a tight hold on Kuma with one hand and barely balancing the teapot in the other. Ryuichi had taken the cushions from around the fire pit and arranged them around the coffee table. The table itself was covered with mis-matched plates, cups, and silverware. Tatsuha smiled at Ryuichi's adorable effort and sat the teapot down in the center of the table.
"See, see? I made it pretty!" Ryuichi said when he saw Tatsuha and Kuma. He bounded across the room and grabbed Kuma, giving him a big hug. "Thanks for taking Kuma, he likes to help."
"Anytime..." Tatsuha replied, ogling Ryuichi again. "We had fun."
Ryuichi smiled at Tatsuha and lit a few candles that he had scattered haphazardly around the table.
"Ready to start, Kuma?" Tatsuha asked, inclining his head to the rabbit.
"Yep!" Ryuichi answered, indicating a cushion for Tatsuha and plopping down onto his own. Kuma was seated to his left, in the fanciest cushion that Ryuichi could find. He was the guest of honor, seeing as it was his tea party.
"Pass the...crumpets please." Tatsuha said, holding out his hands to receive the food. He had said the most tea-party-esque food that he could think of, given that the table was lacking food entirely. Ryuichi may have set the table, but he had apparently forgotten to provide the tea for the tea party.
"No! Kuma has to choose first, he's the Tea Master." Ryuichi said seriously, shaking his finger at Tatsuha and giving him a dirty look.
"I'm...sorry?" Tatsuha said, withdrawing his hand and gulping slightly. "What would you like Kuma?"
"He fancies the éclairs." Ryuichi said, grabbing a large plate from the center of the table. He put the plate in front of Kuma and folded his hands in his lap, waiting with a contented smile on his face.
"Ok, now we can eat, too, Tatsuha." Ryuichi said, smiling at him yet again and snatching the tea pot. He poured cups for everyone in attendance and started to eat the invisible treats.
The rest of the party was uneventful by Ryuichi standards; the biggest happening was Tatsuha slopping invisible tea down his front and Ryuichi nearly overturning the table to come to his aid. Before Tatsuha realized what was happening, Ryuichi was straddling his lap, dapping at his shirt with a piece of cloth, looking utterly mortified that an accident had interrupted Kuma's perfect tea party shindig. When Ryuichi deemed that the tea was successfully dabbed, he returned to his own seat and apologized through Kuma. At this point, Tatsuha decided that it was best to call it quits for the tea party before he oozed into a pile of adoring goo.
"Mmm hmm, Kuma-chan is tired! I'll clean up!" Ryuichi said brightly as ever, putting Kuma on a cushion and tucking him in with another cloth. He started to clear the table off while Tatsuha returned the teapot.
"Let's play another game, Ryuichi. While Kuma sleeps." Tatsuha said as he re-entered his room. Ryuichi had quickly finished cleaning by shoving all of the dishes under the table and stacking the pillows in a leaning tower dangerously close to the fire pit. Before uttering another word, Tatsuha leapt across the room and moved the pillows, breathing a sigh of relief that Ryuichi hadn't been burned to a crisp; he wouldn't have been able to live without the cute little burglar.
"What game?" Ryuichi asked innocently, oblivious to the glint in Tatsuha's eye.
"Let's have a staring contest." Tatsuha responded, pointing to his bedroom. He walked over to the door and motioned Ryuichi over. "Let's play in here so we won't wake Kuma up."
"Good idea!"
"Shh! Let's not wake him again." Tatsuha said quickly, exaggerating his eyes and covering Ryuichi's mouth.
They entered the room and Tatsuha immediately headed for the bed. He sat down in the middle and again motioned Ryuichi forward. When Ryuichi had joined him on the bed, Tatsuha quickly explained the rules.
"First one to blink loses." Tatsuha said after Ryuichi was sitting in front of him with his legs crossed, his game face on.
"Gotcha."
Tatsuha counted down, and Ryuichi stared as hard as he could at Tatsuha, determined not to lose. He leaned forward until he was almost nose to nose with the guard captain. Tatsuha could barely breathe. Ryuichi was less than an inch away. He did what anyone else who was madly in love with Ryuichi would have done; he grabbed Ryuichi's shoulders, pulled him even close, and kissed him.
"Tatsuha! You blinked!" Ryuichi exclaimed, his eyes big and popping. "You lose!"
"What?" Tatsuha said, a little bit confused. But then again, this was Ryuichi. "That wasn't a blink..."
"Oooh, are we playing tag again?" Ryuichi asked, giving Tatsuha a quick peck on the cheek before the bewildered guard could say no tag backs.
"No..." Tatsuha answered, touching his cheek where Ryuichi had kissed it. He had to fight the urge to faint.
"Oh." Ryuichi said, his brow furrowed in thought. "Than what was it?"
"Ummm..." Tatsuha said, unsure of what to do. On one hand, he could profess his love for Ryuichi and they would end up happily ever after. But on the other, not so happy, hand, he could tell Ryuichi everything and get slapped and screamed at...maybe even Kumagoro beamed. He shuddered; it was definitely too risky to spill his guts at this point and time. "It was nothing...just a...Ryuichi?"
While Tatsuha had been having his internal struggle, Ryuichi had gotten bored. His attention didn't stray far, however, and by the time Tatsuha was ready with an ill-prepared answer, he was sound asleep on Tatsuha's pillow. Tatsuha almost died on the spot at the sight. There was Ryuichi, sound asleep in his bed. He whispered a quick thanks to Allah, and curled up next to the older man, cuddling him close and hoping against hope that he wouldn't wake up before the dawn.
The early morning sunlight illuminated his face perfectly; he looked like an angel. His skin was as smooth as the finest silks, his hair as soft as pillow down, and his beautiful face looked like it had been chiseled by the muses. The way his hair fell across his sleeping face could make anyone sigh, and the way he looked wrapped in the tangled bed sheets could melt anyone's heart. Unless of course that person was the one lying next to him.
Yuki was propped up on one elbow, watching Shuichi sleep peacefully next to him. He couldn't believe that he was here, that last night had really happened. He sighed quietly and sat up, still watching Shuichi's slumbering face. He tore his eyes away, afraid that Shuichi would wake up and catch him. He had a reputation to maintain, after all. He couldn't stand the thought of anyone ever knowing that he harbored a romantic side, or even a side that barely tipped that way. He was the ice king, the heartless master of sarcasm, the devilishly nonchalant cool guy.
He watched the sky lightening through Shuichi's windows. The light allowed him to study his lover even more closely, and he valued the opportunity. Even though Yuki had just met him, there was something about Shuichi that made him feel at peace with his life, and that was worth more to him than anything else in the world. He had never been satisfied with his status and he had always hated the way that he had to live his life. But when he was with Shuichi, none of that seemed to matter. Something about his ridiculous hair, or his gorgeous eyes, or his-
Yuki stopped himself and closed his eyes. He couldn't let anyone see him this vulnerable. Even though he wasn't thinking aloud, he was sure his facial expressions would give him away in an instant. He slid down onto his back and tried to fall back asleep, eager to dream about what had happened last night. His eyelids closed slowly, and a smile flitted across his face.
He rolled off of Shuichi, breathing heavily. He fell back on the pillows and pulled Shuichi over to him, wrapping his arms around the smaller man. Shuichi draped an arm across Yuki's chest, kissing his neck softly. He snuggled closer to Yuki and put his head on his shoulder, sighing deeply.
"Wow..." Shuichi murmured, closing his eyes.
"Shh..." Yuki said, stroking Shuichi's hair. He wasn't quite ready for Shuichi to start talking again. He was enjoying the silence and didn't feel like he had the energy to even attempt a conversation. Being with Shuichi again, and away from K and Ryuichi, had acted as a stimulant for him, and he had never been more exhausted in his entire career.
Shuichi listened for once and stayed quiet. After about five minutes of continued silence, however, he got bored and started to kiss Yuki's neck again. He worked his way up, and when he was about an inch away from Yuki's right ear, Yuki rolled on top of him and kissed him back, successfully distracting Shuichi and safeguarding his weak spot.
Shuichi moaned and entwined his arms around Yuki, arching his back. Yuki broke the kiss and ran his lips down Shuichi's neck and chest-
Shuichi coughed loudly, and rolled over in his sleep, bringing him face to face with Yuki and only inches separated them. Yuki pulled Shuichi partially onto his chest and tried to recall the dream.
Yuki fell away from Shuichi for the second time, again drawing deep breaths to slow his heart rate. Shuichi flopped onto his pillows, panting and drenched with sweat.
"I'm so glad you're not dead..." Shuichi panted, looking sideways at Yuki.
"Hmm." Yuki replied, taking another deep breath and turning over onto his stomach. "I'm happy for you."
"Aww, come on, be nice." Shuichi said, frowning at Yuki's sarcasm.
"I think I've been nice enough." Yuki said with a smirk, turning his head to face Shuichi.
"True..." Shuichi said back, smiling sheepishly. Before he could say anything else, a huge yawn overpowered him. He sighed, and turned to face Yuki again. "Night, Yuki."
"Goodnight." Yuki responded, allowing Shuichi to give him a soft goodnight kiss before he disappeared under the silk sheets. Yuki ran a hand through his mussed hair and burrowed into his pillow, smiling now that his face was hidden from the world. He threw an arm over Shuichi's waist and fell asleep to the sound of his lover's heart beat.
Yuki came to with Shuichi in his arms and the morning sunlight blazing into the room. He rocked Shuichi a few times and kissed his head, trying to wake him up. The dream had given him a few ideas of how they could spend the morning. Instead of waking up, though, Shuichi hugged Yuki and hid his face in Yuki's neck. Yuki shifted away from Shuichi and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him a bit. When Yuki released him, Shuichi fell onto his stomach and continued to sleep, unaware of the attempts to wrench him out of dream land.
"Dammit..." Yuki muttered, thinking of an effective way of rousing Shuichi. "Come on...get up..."
He started poking Shuichi's back, and when that didn't work, he ruffled his hair up and pushed on his head a few times, almost flipping him over. He sighed in frustration and got out of the bed, grabbing his pants off of the floor and putting them back on. He walked over to the balcony and breathed in the morning air. He leaned against the railing and stared over at the windows to his suite, wondering if K and Ryuichi were up yet and back to spying.
He jumped slightly when someone put their arms around his waist and snuggled into his back, terrified that K was trying to trick him, but soon realized it was merely Shuichi. He exhaled slowly and turned around to face his attacker.
"Finally awake?" Yuki asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Barely." Shuichi replied groggily, tying his robe. He hadn't bothered to put a shirt on, and it was a little bit chilly on the balcony.
"Then let's go back to bed." Yuki said, grabbing Shuichi's hand and leading him back to the bed.
"Again?" Shuichi asked in surprise.
Yuki looked over his shoulder and chuckled a little bit.
"Get your mind out of the gutter. I was talking about sleeping." Yuki said, enjoying the opportunity to tease someone without being threatened with an explosive weapon.
Shuichi's face turned red and he ran ahead of Yuki, jumping onto the bed and immediately sliding under the covers. Yuki walked over, and sat next to the lump that was Shuichi.
"What are you doing now?" he asked, slightly curious.
"Nothing..." Shuichi said, wishing his face would return to its normal color. Yuki probably thought he was an immature idiot.
"Right." Yuki replied, throwing the covers off of Shuichi and raising both eyebrows. He smirked at the look of shock on Shuichi's face.
"Hey!" Shuichi said, making a grab for the covers. When Yuki held them out of his reach behind his back, Shuichi smacked his chest and gave him his best glare.
"Is that all you got? I'm so scared..." Yuki said dropping the covers and giving Shuichi the tiniest of shoves.
Shuichi smacked Yuki in the head with a pillow and tackled him, trying to tickle him and failing.
"I'm not ticklish." Yuki said, staring up at Shuichi, hoping that Shuichi would never know the truth about his ears. The prince was sitting on his stomach with his arms folded, glaring at Yuki.
"I hate you." Shuichi said, trying to sound mean. Yuki continued to stare at him, nonplussed.
"Really?" Yuki asked, putting his hands on Shuichi's legs and smiling slightly.
Shuichi bit his lip and shook his head, grinning like a fool. He reached down and grabbed Yuki's wrists, planning on redirecting his hands, but Yuki's gasp of pain stopped him.
"What is it? Did I do something wrong?" Shuichi asked, looking extremely concerned. "I'm sorry!"
"No, no, it's not you..." Yuki said, nursing his wrist. Shuichi had grabbed his lava burn, and it was still tender where he had scraped it the night before. "It's nothing, really..."
"Let me see." Shuichi said, gingerly taking Yuki's hand into his and examining the jagged burn. He pressed it to his lips and released it.
Yuki kissed Shuichi's hand and pulled him down so that the smaller of the two was lying on top of him. Shuichi sat up, removed his robe, and kissed Yuki, running his hands through the golden hair. Yuki returned the favor and twisted around, pinning Shuichi underneath him.
"What, no more blushing?" Yuki asked, noticing the serious, yet excited, expression on Shuichi's gorgeous face.
"Not this time." Shuichi answered, massaging Yuki's shoulders.
"Good. Maybe now you can start repaying your debt." Yuki said in a matter of fact tone, biting one of Shuichi's fingers when he suddenly stopped the massage.
"What debt?" Shuichi asked, slightly worried about what Yuki would make him do. Some of the things he'd already done still blew his mind.
"You owe me. I saved your ass from the guards, I gave you a place to stay, and then..." Yuki replied, leaning in and whispering a few of his exploits from the previous night into Shuichi's ear.
"Then I guess I'd better start repaying you." Shuichi answered, fighting the urge to run and deciding to stay.
Yuki grinned and took a hold of Shuichi's wrists, holding his hands against the pillow, thankful that no one was around to see what he was about to do to the younger prince.
So…I decided to spice things up a bit. Never done that before, as it's waaay outside my comfort zone, but I had fun with it. I miss the comedy, though, and I'm pretty excited about getting back to it. I can promise some intense Caspian/Tohma antics in the next chapter, so there's something to look forward to…for me at least.
Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did,
Amaya