Title: 9. More cocaine to kill the pain

Pairing/Character/s: Yuki/Machi, Kakeru, Ayame, Shigure, Haru, Hiro

Word Count: 1053 words. Technically too long, but hey, I'm not cutting anything out.

Summary: Yuki's bachelor party. Oh yeah. Way lamer than it sounds.

A/N: I haven't posted in forever, and I'm really, really sorry. I got stuck in this vortex of college homework. To make up for it, it's a Yuki/Machi special! (Hint: It's TWO drabbles!)

The Get Yuki to His Surprise Bachelor Party by Using Our Astounding Wit and Charm Committee's Plan

Members Present: Kakeru, Ayame, Shigure

Step 1. Book a night at Ayaa's and Shigure's favorite hostess club

Step 2. Send out invitations to everyone Yuki's ever met, and threaten to strangle them if they tell Yuki (Those that may need more convincing will be personally dealt with)

Step 3. Convince Yuki to attend bachelor party by saying it is a 'formal dinner'. (Note: We must wear fancy suits and rent a limo)

Step 4. Get Yuki drunk in the limo so that he can't leave when he finds out what is really happening

Step 5. Place candles all over the club. Don't want Yuki to see the oddly stained floorboards or the bathrooms without doors.

Step 6. Encourage Yuki to have a dance with the hostesses. He is easily influenced when drunk.

Step 7. Sit back and enjoy the company of a dozen beautiful hostesses

xXx

The plan works perfectly up to step 2. Several people refuse to attend. Hatori goes so far as to ignore Ayame and Shigure for a whole week. In the end, only two people decide to attend. Kakeru, Ayame and Shigure receive reservations from Haru and Hiro.

Normally, they would be suspicious of Hiro, but the trio is thrilled to provide Hiro with his first hostess club experience.

Yuki looks confused when they invite him to a formal dinner. He agrees, which at least completes step 3. In the limo, he refuses to drink more than one glass of champagne, and so Step 4 is shot down faster than a man who uses cheesy pick-up lines.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE BATHROOMS DON'T HAVE DOORS?" Step 5 is thrown out the window too. Yuki stalks back to the booth with a disgusted look. "I can't believe-"

He stares.

He rubs his eyes.

No, it's true. Twelve beautiful hostesses are sitting around the booth right now. Six of them are flirting and laughing loudly with Kakeru, Ayame and Shigure. Four of them are deep in conversation with a serious looking Haru and an uncomfortable looking Hiro.

That left two more women, who greet him with cheerful smiles. "Hello, Yuki-kun," they chime together. They have the same messy brown hair, although one of them has red lowlights while the other has blonde highlights.

Yuki uses his politest tone when he says, "I'm really sorry, but there's a misunderstanding. I'm getting married in a week. This wasn't my idea-"

"We know," the blond one interrupts.

"Haru-kun and Hiro-kun already told us about it."

"We called for a car to take you home, but-"

"While we're waiting, can you tell us about your girlfriend?" the red one pleads, pouring another glass of liquor.

Yuki sits down, unsure of how to proceed. "Um… well, then. Her name is Machi…" He accepts the drink with a smile. "Thank you."

xXx

The next thing he knows, he's squinting at the ceiling. He vaguely wonders if he dreamt the entire nightmare, but the very real hangover convinces him otherwise. Yuki can tell this is his bedroom because he recognizes the curtains in the window. By turning his head the other way, he can see the bottle of medicine on the night stand.

He tries to reach for it but his fingers have a mind of their own. They knock the bottle to the floor. Yuki seriously considers enduring his headache instead of picking up the medicine.

It just so happens that Yuki is freaking lucky because Machi walks into the room at that very moment. She looks mildly relieved to see him awake. "How are you feeling?"

He moans in pain, making an exaggerated effort to sit up. She picks it up, gives him two pills and a glass of water and brushes his hair back. Yuki enjoys every second of it, especially the feel of Machi's hand on his forehead.

"Yuki," she begins softly, "Do you even remember what happened last night?"

This makes him pause. What had happened?

"I didn't think you would remember," she continues. He's panicking now; cursing himself for agreeing to go in the first place. "Why don't you look in the mirror?"

Was it his imagination or was Machi trying not to laugh?

That had to mean he'd done something dumb, didn't it? Dumb, but not stupid. He sighs in relief; it wasn't like he'd cheated. Yuki carefully sets down the bottle and the glass. Machi hands a mirror to her perplexed boyfriend.

Yuki hates mirrors. He has trouble believing that the face he sees every day is handsome. At first he holds the mirror too close, so all he sees is a pasty white cheek. Slowly he pulls back, revealing a nose, a mouth, eyes and a forehead covered with writing.

Squawking with disbelief, he brings the mirror closer to his forehead. Machi is stifling a laugh in the background.

It's hard to read the kanji and hiragana backward. The characters are written in smudged black marker. He can only make out some of the sentences. "Congratulations. Kiss Me, I'm Getting Married. Your wife sounds lovely. Wishing you lots of luck. Call me if this doesn't work out."

"Imagine this:" Yuki lowers the mirror to see what his lover found so amusing. "Hiro-san calls me to say that my brother brought you to a hostess club. I'm thinking this can't end well. The thought of you surrounded by beautiful women terrifies me. I sat up, waiting for the car, expecting the worst to happen.

You stumbled out of the car at half past midnight. I was so worried; I waited two whole hours, outside the building, in my bathrobe. You walk into the apartment and the first thing you do is fall asleep on the couch. I took one look at your forehead and somehow… I knew nothing happened."

If Machi was expecting a reaction, she doesn't get one. Yuki blinks rapidly in an attempt to stay awake. The pills are making him drowsy. Machi lovingly helps him settle back into bed. She smoothes his blankets and cradles his cheek.

"Yuki?" He flutters his eyelashes. "Last night, I realized, I can trust you with other women. From now on," She takes a deep breath. "I trust you."

There is no response.

"Are you asleep?"

A/N: 4 more to go. I'm worried this was a let down. I may have been watching too much sappy television.

Anyway, I'm going to edit all the chapters when I'm done, and it would help if you guys could answer this question:

Was this your favorite chapter, or does it suck? Which chapter was your favorite?