Come What May

Disclaimer: I do not own Gravitation nor do I make any money from using the characters. I am a part owner of Kyosuke, though.

NC-17

If you have time, please review. Thank you!!


Note: Hello, again! Yep – I’m back again. By the way, yes, I’m writing the spin off, Slices of Life, but no worries, I will finish Come What May. I think there’s another arc on the horizon, but for now, I’ll focus on the two stories.

As always, Kri*Kri and Ashcat have managed to make the story presentable. They are wonders!


Come What May


Chapter 17
High


And when I see you
Kitten as a cat
Yeah, as smitten as that
I can't get that small
The way you fur
The how you purr
It makes me want to paw you all
And when I see you
Happy as a girl
That lives in a world
of make-believe
It makes me pull my hair all out
To think I could've let you leave

And when I see you
Take the same sweet steps
You used to take I know
I'll keep on holding you
In arms so tight
They'll never let you go
(never let you go)

********************

For a moment, I was confused as to what woke me. I glanced at Shuichi, snuggled up against me and sleeping soundly for the first time in over a week. Usually, he was the one that woke me, but I’d been so worried he would disappear again that my own sleep patterns tended to be rather erratic of late.

I heard my phone ring. Ah, that was what had awakened me. I settled back down, inhaling Shuichi’s wonderful scent, lazily stroking the warm, bare skin on his back with my right hand as I drifted back to sleep again. That is, until my phone rang again and then again a few minutes later.

On the sixth ring in less than an hour, I was amazed to find Shuichi still sleeping. I, however, was wide-awake and somewhat irritated. Gently disengaging from him and immediately missing his warmth, I watched him curl into himself and settle back into a deep sleep. Sighing, I covered him up and then hunted around until I found a robe, my smokes and my annoying phone. Then I padded out to the kitchen.

Personally, I feel that cell phones are a clear sign of humankind’s decline, so to me, it was far more important to make coffee before I gave the cursed thing a moment of my time. It was after I had a freshly brewed cup in front of me and a cigarette I had smugly managed to light with my right hand that I finally glared at the offending piece of technology.

Mizuki. Mizuki. Mizuki. Mizuki. Tohma. Mizuki.

Well. That was not a good sign.

I crushed out my cigarette as I stared at the incoming call list. The nagging fear that lurked in the back of my mind rushed to the forefront. Shuichi and I did not need any more difficulties, yet I suspected what Mizuki had to tell me was precisely that, more trouble. As I glared at the phone, wishing it away, the damn thing rang again.

Sighing, I answered it. “What’s the bad news, Mizuki?”

“Oh, Yuki-san, I’m so glad I got through.” I could picture her smiling face as I heard her words.

“Mizuki.” I took a sip of my coffee. “Get to the point, will you?”

“You won’t like it,” she warned.

“Yeah, I suspected as much.”

She cheerfully continued, “I’m afraid that I could not get you out of your television interview.”

I didn’t answer her. I did wonder briefly, however, that if Mizuki had been a doctor, would she smile sweetly when she told people they were dying? My editor had a ruthless streak in her that she hid behind that innocent smile.

After a moment she said quietly, “I am sorry, Yuki-san.”

“When?” I grumbled.

“Two weeks from next Monday.”

“Impossible,” I stated as I took a drag from my cigarette. “I’ll be in Europe.”

“Yuki-san,” she answered and I could tell by the tone in her voice that she was gearing up for a fight. “I really can’t get you out of this commitment. This will be your first television appearance since your return to Japan. Your interview is huge for the show, the station the show will air on, and the advertisers that have opted in for the show. This is also huge for the publisher and for you as well.”

“Not to mention for you,” I snarled.

She laughed as she answered, “Well, of course.” After a moment she added in a much more somber voice, “But Yuki-san, if you try to break the contract…”

Her words hung in the air making the threat evident.

Well, hell. I reached for my cigarettes and after a few tries, I managed to light a smoke, inhaling deeply to soothe my building anger. If I refused to do this television appearance, I would be up to my ears in legal hang-ups. The hassle might go on for years and while it probably wouldn’t hurt my reputation for long, it might make an ocean of trouble for Mizuki and the publishing company. My mind raced as I weighed the possibilities.

“Can’t you reschedule my appearance?” I bargained. “Maybe six months from now? I’d be willing to do… more minutes.”

“Yuki-san, believe me, I can’t. My superiors have been very clear about this. I’ve done everything I could to get you out of it.”

I sighed. “Let me check first, okay?”

She answered evenly, “Yuki-san, really, I can’t…”

I hung up.

Before I could set the damn thing down, it rang again. I stared at it.

Tohma. Well, great.

“What do you want?” I growled into the phone.

His ever patiently chiding voice replied, “Eiri-san, I have some news.”

“So do I,” I grumbled.

“Ah, yes,” he answered. “I believe your departure has been delayed.”

“I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that you would know before I did,” I sighed.

“I’ve checked our schedule. It appears as if you will meet up with us in Amsterdam.”

“Amsterdam? You are going to Amsterdam?”

“Yes.”

Fuck. Shuichi in Amsterdam with that crazy, girl singer he was so fond of from that other band, Suspended Animation. Not to mention that nutbar Sakuma.

Thoughts of legal drugs, red-light districts and a certain threesome tumbled through my mind. There were times in the last year when Shuichi’s actions would remind me so much of my own younger, wilder days. I knew that his “acting out” – as the shrinks liked to call it – was all a big “fuck you” to everyone who cared about him. I also knew that for me, if I had ever heard, “We’ll be in Amsterdam, sorry but no drugs, no hookers, and no wild parties,” might as well translate to “Time to party my brains out!”

I couldn’t leave with him to begin with, how would he react? Would he feel abandoned? Would he feel as though I had betrayed him? Would his anger blossom again and result in his “acting out?”

Or, even more unlikely, would he finally be able to believe in me?

Tohma’s concern brought me back. “Eiri-san? Are you listening?”

“Not really,” I confessed.

I could practically hear the wheels and cogs engage in Tohma’s head. “I can assure you, Eiri-san, I will alert all the members of Bad Luck concerning your delay. I am certain that Nakano-san and Suguru-san will be on their proverbial toes looking out for Shuichi-san.”

“Sure they will. If they are not to busy screwing each other’s brains out, that is. Or Inoue’s.” My stomach turned with the name of my former rival. “Fuck.”

I could hear his quiet chuckle. “Eiri-san, sometimes you tend to be so negative.”

“Gee, I wonder why?” I took a drag of my smoke as my brain picked up some speed from the input of nicotine and caffeine. “Do you have Fujisaki’s number?”

He asked with confusion, “Suguru-san? But Eiri-san, I told you, I will be notifying everyone of your delay.”

I waited.

He sighed. “Yes. Suguru-san’s number.”

After he gave me the number, I said smugly, “What’s the matter, Tohma? Are you worried that I’ll steal your spy?”

“I believe Kyosuke has already beaten you to that,” he answered.

“Tohma,” I started again. “Did you call me to gloat about my delay or did you have something you actually wanted to tell me?”

“Ah, yes. I wish to give you an update on Maiko-san.”

“Maiko?” I answered. “What’s going on with her?”

“Oh, no, she is doing very well, although she continues to have some issues with sleeping.”

As if he could see me, I nodded like an idiot. “So does her brother.”

“Is Shuichi-san continuing to battle insomnia as well? That is upsetting.”

There was a false note in Tohma’s voice that I found unsettling. “What’s going on, Tohma?”

He paused before he said, “Maiko-san doesn’t know at this time, but I have received a report that the Shindou family has received a couple of… distressing phone calls.”

I caught my breath. “Miyamoto?”

“Yes.”

“That fucker!” I hissed as I crushed out my cigarette.

“Yes.”

“I should have killed him when I had the chance. What else?” I waited a moment before I snarled, ‘What else, Tohma? Don’t make me drag every word from you.”

There was a long pause before he said, “He’s called here as well.”

“What?” I answered. “How is that possible?”

The answer was clipped, “I don’t know.”

What he didn’t say was that he was working on finding out. I was certain he had his minions working on the problem, undoubtedly that psycho American and the irritant Inoue.

I had a sudden thought and asked, “Miyamoto is in Korea, correct?”

“At this point, we are not sure.”

I sighed in frustration. “What do you know, Tohma?”

He sighed. “We know he’s not in Japan. K-san and Kyosuke cannot seem to find his trail. My other contacts have also come up empty-handed.”

I thought about that. K had very extensive connections and I was certain Inoue’s information web was even more considerable, put those networks together with whatever other contacts Tohma had and the thought that someone could slip past all that was nearly unbelievable.

“Who is this guy?” I blurted out.

“That is a very good question, Eiri-san. Personally, I am under the opinion that Miyamoto Daisuke is very lucky at avoiding… surveillance, but even so, I feel we must not underestimate him. As you know, I do not like surprises.” Tohma’s anger bubbled to the surface, only revealing itself in his tight speech pattern.

I nearly laughed. “You just don’t like being outsmarted.”

“I must admit, I do find his luck to be extraordinary.”

“Huh,” I took a drag of my cigarette. “Maybe he’s more than just a manga artist.”

“Yes. I’m checking on that very possibility.”

“I’ll bet you are.” I had no doubt when found; Miyamoto Daisuke would meet an unfortunate and accidental demise. Good riddance, I thought.

“Well, now that unpleasantness is aside, I do have some good news,” he said.

“What?”

“The arrangements that you asked me to make have been completed.”

“That was fast.” I answered and added belatedly, “Thank you.”

“Eiri-san, sometimes your romantic, tender side surprises me,” he chuckled.

“Shut up,” I grumbled.

“I’m sure Shuichi-san will be thrilled.”

“Huh. Don’t push it, Tohma. I’m not in a very good mood at the moment.”

“Ah, yes. You have had some bad news today.” He paused before he said, “About Miyamoto, I’m not certain that informing Shuichi-san would be the best course of action.”

“I’m hanging up now.”

“Well, thank you, Eiri-san. Normally you just hang up you don’t bother to tell me fir…”

I hung up.

“Who was that?” Shuichi’s silken voice said behind me. His black, purple, and pink peppered hair was wildly askew as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

“Tohma,” I answered. “Are you still tired?”

He moved behind me, leaning over and wrapping his arms around me. “Well, you did give me a pretty good workout last night, but I’m okay now.” He kissed my neck as he stood there, holding me close for a moment. We’d worked so hard to get to this peaceful place in our relationship; I was almost terrified to tell him about the delay.

“Do you want some coffee or breakfast?” I asked.

“Not yet,” he sighed into me. “I just want to hold you.”

“Here,” I said as I pushed the chair far enough from the table in order to make room for him to sit on my lap. I held out my hand to him and waited.

He moved so that he stood in front of me, dressed only in a t-shirt and a pair of boxers as he tipped his head to one side and stared at me.

“What?” I asked.

“Sometimes you kind of freak me out now, Eiri,” he explained.

“Oh,” I nodded. “I forgot to call you dumb ass, or to give you a general insult, right?”

His smile was brilliant, lighting up both his eyes and my heart. He crawled into my lap as he chuckled. “No, it’s not the insults so much, but you are really different. You’re softer now.”

“Don’t press your luck, brat,” I grumbled but wrapped my arms around him anyway. I buried my nose in the crook of his neck, he smelled of sweat and sex. I couldn’t resist tasting him, my tongue getting the tang of salt.

“Geez, Eiri,” he muttered. “Didn’t you get enough last night?”

“No,” I muttered as I licked him again. I groaned as my erection came on so quickly it was almost painful.

“I don’t think I’m capable, Eiri,” he sighed. And then he smiled. “Unless…”

“Forget it,” I grumbled as I pulled away from him. “Maybe some other time.”

“Really?” he smiled that radiant smile at me again. “I’ll hold you to that, you know.”

I sighed and I tried to will away my aching hard-on as I pulled him close again. I thought about my upcoming delay and my erection vanished. I needed to tell him right away. I had to tell him about Miyamoto as well. If I took Tohma’s advice and opted not to tell him, eventually Shuichi would find out that I knew and he would freak out about it, insisting I was withholding information from him.

I had to be as honest as I could with him.

We spoke at the same time.

“I have something to tell you.”

We moved so that we could stare at each other and again spoke in tandem.

“Go ahead.”

He laughed and the sound was like magic.

“I’ll go first,” he said.

I nodded.

“I’m going to see mom and dad tomorrow.” He plucked nervously at my robe.

“Oh.”

“Mom wants me to stay the night.” He continued to pick at the silk robe. “I, um… I wanted to ask you if you will…”

“You want me to drive you?” I finished for him.

His violet eyes met mine and they filled with tears as he shook his head.

“What?” I asked.

“Mom doesn’t want you…” he started to cry. “She doesn’t want you to come.”

“Is that all? What are you crying for dumb ass?” I almost smiled. “So what? Your mom thinks I’m a bastard, that’s hardly a news flash to me.”

“What?” I said as his eyes widened.

“She called me when I was in New York. I’m not sure how she got my number, must be a Shindou thing, talking people into giving out unlisted numbers. Anyway, she managed to get my number and once she got me on the phone, she called me all kinds of -- unpleasant things.”

“She did?” His surprised look was almost comical.

“Yeah. It’s not like I didn’t have it coming, but she was very articulate in her opinion of me.” I couldn’t resist running my fingers through his speckled hair; I really wanted to feel the soft, colorful mess. “I’ll drop you off and pick you up the next day. It’s not a big deal.”

He shook his head again. “No. I want you to go with me.”

“Why?” I asked as I found myself torn. I really didn’t want the hassle of dealing with his angry mother, but I also didn’t want to be apart from him. What would happen if he took off again during his visit? Would his mother even bother to call me? I was suddenly uncomfortable with the idea of him being out of my sight. I was beyond pathetic.

“I want you to go because I want her to know, I want everyone to know that I won’t have you separated from me anymore, and I don’t care who is trying to do it.”

“You could do that without me, you know,” I answered as I reached for my coffee.

“No!” He started to cry again, before he added, “We’ve already lost so much time.”

Oh good. I got the feeling that he would not take my delay well.

“So you’ll go with me, right?” he said hopefully.

“I don’t want to intrude. If your mother doesn’t want me there, it would be rather rude of me to go anyway, don’t you think,” I answered.

He moved on my lap, straddling me completely as he wrapped his arms around my neck and stared into my eyes. “I promised Maiko I would visit them. I told mom, in spite of her argument, that I wouldn’t come unless you came, too.”

“Listen, brat, there are things that are going to come between us whether we like it or not, okay?

“Please, Eiri, I need you to do this for me.”

Fuck. Before I could finish my eloquent refusal in my mind heard myself say, “Okay, but if she’s too angry, we leave.”

He blinked at me a few times before he broke into laughter. “Deal. I love you, Eiri.”

“Yeah, yeah. Me too,” I answered in irritation. I couldn’t believe that I had just agreed to a full twenty-four hours of abuse at the hands of Shuichi’s mother. Believe me; the woman had a fairly acidic tongue when she unleashed it. This would be a long couple of days.

He kissed me with passion, his tongue pushing passed my lips and he rubbed himself against me, the silk from my robe caressing my rapidly reawakening erection. I let my hand drop between us in order to feel his hard-on through his thin boxers.

I broke the heated kiss to say, “I thought you weren’t up for this.”

He smiled seductively at me before he said, “Sorry, Eiri, I guess I lied.”

My mind was guilt-ridden, I really needed to tell him about Miyamoto and about my delay but when he slid off my lap, parted my robe and licked at my cock, my cognizant functions seemed to dwindle. I told myself that I could wait just a little longer before I told him. He wouldn’t be that mad.

Just a little longer.


I put out my cigarette and lay back staring contently at the ceiling. Shuichi snuggled into the crook of my left arm as our bodies cooled and we rode the wave of our post-coital bliss.

Closing my eyes, I listened to his steady, calm breath as my conscious tugged at me, demanding I tell him at least one of the two pieces of bad news. I knew which piece of information I needed to share with him first, but of course, my irrational fear got in the way. I decided to tell him about Miyamoto first.

I was still concerned about his reaction, so I started warily. "I have a couple of things to tell you."

He pulled away, careful of my broken hand as rearranged himself on his side, still close enough to tangle his legs with mine, but far enough away so we could look at each other comfortably. His expression was still soft and unguarded as he stared into my eyes. "What?"

I reached my left arm above my head and turned to face him. With my right hand, I stroked his soft hair. "It's about what Tohma called to tell me."

He smiled and said, "You mean he wasn't just calling to speak with his favorite brother-in-law?"

"No." I took a deep breath and held my gaze steady. "It was about Miyamoto."

His smile faded. "What about him?"

“According to Tohma, he’s not where he should be.” I caressed his cheek with my thumb, my fingers still threaded through his hair.

His eyes grew wide. “Korea. You mean he’s not in Korea, right?”

“Right,” I answered.

“Then where is he?” He sat up abruptly and his voice took on urgency. “He’s not here is he? In Japan? Does Maiko know?”

“Calm down,” I started but he cut me off in his ever increasing panic.

“What about mom and dad? Do they know?” He was bordering on outright fear for his family. “Eiri, that fucker tortured Maiko. You have no idea of the things he did to her!”

“Before you get too excited…” was as far as I got before he interrupted me the second time.

“Knowing Maiko, I probably only know a fraction of what he put her through,” he continued frantically as his eyes searched mine. “And what about you? That bastard probably holds a super grudge against you!”

“Look, we really don’t know…” I tried to reason with him a third time but the results were the same as he spoke over me.

“You know what rejected stalkers can be like, Eiri!” He continued breathlessly. “I’ve got a scar on my back from one of them! And that crazy girl that stabbed me wasn’t nearly as insane as Daisuke is. What if he seriously tried to hurt Maiko or you?”

“Shuichi!” I shouted as I sat up and faced him. “Calm the fuck down!”

He paused, startled into silence by the use of his name. He stared at me, wild-eyed with his breathing shallow and fast from the adrenalin overload he was dealing with.

“Now listen,” my voice was softer but stern as I explained, “your parents already know. They received a phone call from him.”

“What?” he sputtered.

“Let me finish before you freak out anymore,” I snapped at him.

He glared at me but remained quiet.

I exhaled, trying to expel some tension. “He called your parents and I don’t know what he said to them, but they took the initiative and called Tohma. Okay?”

He nodded and waited.

“Tohma’s network knows that Miyamoto is not in Japan, but that’s about all they know.”

“Not in Japan?” he asked for clarification.

“No,” I almost smiled at his obvious sign of relief.

“Okay,” he nodded again. “That’s good.”

“You should know that Miyamoto has also called Tohma’s house.”

Shaking his head, his eyes wide again he said, “You’re kidding? That’s just…”

“Stupid,” I finished the thread for him. “By calling Tohma’s home, Miyamoto has crossed a line and made a very dangerous enemy. If I know Tohma, he’ll leave no stone unturned, he is not accustomed or appreciative of his home being invaded.”

Shuichi smiled thinly. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right. How did he manage to get Tohma’s phone number? Maybe the guy is smarter than I gave him credit for.”

“Possibly,” I reached out and touched his cheek. “Are you okay with this? You don’t need to worry about this on top of everything else you’re dealing with.”

He leaned into my touch and moved closer to me. “Yeah. I’m so glad you’re with me Eiri. This thing with Maiko has been harder than I ever imagined it could be. I don’t know what I’d do without you right now.”

“You’d be fine,” I assured him. “You survived eighteen months without me.”

“I’m not sure I’d call that survival, Eiri. You’ve kept me sane and steady,” he told me as he placed his arms around me and hugged me tightly. “I’ve tried, but I’m just not whole without you.”

His words sliced through me as I realized he was beginning to trust me again. Sure, it was only a hint of trust, but it was a step. How could I tell him I wasn’t going to leave with him now? How could I even consider not going? My mind reeled with possible scenarios.

If I told him I wasn’t going, would he lose it with me? Would he assume I didn’t want to go? Would his newfound trust evaporate? Should I tell him?

If I opted to go with him and broke my publishing contract, how seriously would that decision affect my career? Would my publisher drop me? I knew they would probably sue me.

“Eiri?” I heard him call to me. “What else?”

“What?” I asked with confusion.

He pulled far enough away so he could look into my eyes, a small smile on his face. “You said you had a couple of things to talk to me about.”

Had I? “I… er,” I stammered as I tried to figure out what to say.

His eyes were dark with sorrow as he said tiredly, “It’s not more bad news is it? Because I don’t think I could take anymore at the moment.”

I cupped his cheek again. “Dinner is at eight on Friday and we need to be on time.”

“Oooh,” he said as he gave me his brightest smile. “Sounds interesting. What should I wear?”

“Whatever you want, but try not to be too slutty.”

Laughing he jumped on me, forcing me onto my back. He looked at me intently as he said breathlessly, “I love you, Eiri.” Then he kissed me passionately.

Well, hell.

Just before I succumbed completely to his charms I decided I had better contact my lawyer soon because I was certain I was about to be sued for breach of contract.


She’d tried to shut the door in my face. For dinner, she’d purposely set the table for three people and not four. When I went outside to smoke, she locked the door. She completely ignored me during conversations and she brought up that bastard Inoue, constantly.

There could be no doubt, Shuichi’s mom was still angry with me.

To be honest, it didn’t really bother me. I had thought it would. After all, Shuichi’s family had always been more of a family to me than my own. But separation, time, and her anger had affectively severed any bond we’d shared. I supposed at some point I would try to woo her, but at the moment she was still too furious with me.

In the end, she would get over it, or she wouldn’t. As long as Shuichi got what he wanted, I could handle a few insults. Besides, I couldn’t deny that from her perspective, I had it coming.

We’d been at his parent’s house for about six hours and I was standing in the backyard smoking, wondering what I should tell Shuichi about the television interviews. I had decided to go to Europe instead of attending the interviews, but the fallout over my breach of contract would probably affect him, I was certain there would be all kinds of paparazzi speculation over it. I realized that Tohma should know as well.

The door opened behind me and I turned to see Shuichi’s dad.

The elder Shindou was the oddity of the family. He tended to be quiet and contemplative, perhaps shy as well. He rarely speaks to me and in fact, when I think about it, he rarely spoke at all. I knew that Shuichi and Maiko had a happy childhood and spoke often and fondly of their father. Finding out that his only son was gay had not stunned or disappointed the man. His love for his children never seemed to waiver.

It was such a difficult concept for me to grasp, a happy family.

“May I have one of those?” he motioned at my cigarette.

Nodding, I fished the pack out of my pocket along with my lighter and handed them to him.

He lit one and handed them back with a wry smile and a mild cough. “Michiyo made me give them up while she was pregnant with Shuichi. She said they made her morning sickness worse.”

“Won’t she be angry now?” I answered as I put the pack away.

“Of course,” he smiled. “But the beauty of it is that you’ll get the blame.”

I stared at him. He was right, of course she would blame me for this.

After a moment, he started to laugh. “Don’t worry, I’ll come clean with her.”

Great. He was really a nutbar under the quiet exterior. Well, it did explain a few things about Shuichi, I guessed.

“Michiyo had two miscarriages before Shuichi.”

“Did she?” I stared at him.

He smiled again. “The doctors told her that she would probably never be able to carry a child to term. When she became pregnant with Shuichi, she was so careful. He was still premature, and there were days at first where it was touch and go, but he was always such a fighter.”

How did I not know this? “He never told me.”

“That’s because he doesn’t know, we never spoke of it to him. Once it was clear he would survive, she began treating him normally.” He took a drag and coughed, unaccustomed to the smoke. “She never wanted to be the kind of mother who was overprotective. In fact, there were times when she seemed a little cold to even me. She wanted Shuichi to grow up strong and confident.”

“He is that,” I muttered.

“Not always,” he said as he tipped his head to look up at me, a motion that was so like his son that I could not deny Shuichi’s resemblance to him. “Your disappearance hurt him deeply.”

For some reason, hearing the words I already knew from Shuichi’s father hit me harder than anything had before. I sat down on a nearby bench as I exhaled. “I know.”

His voice was soft as he continued, “I am not a simpleton, Yuki-san. I know things happen in relationships that can’t be understood by outsiders and most of the time it’s situations that can be avoided, stupid misunderstandings that can be solved with a few words. Communication is one of the never-ending struggles that can make a relationship so difficult. Personally, I will tell you that I don’t know what happened between you and Shuichi, and honestly, I don’t really care to know. I probably wouldn’t get it anyway.”

He inhaled on the cigarette and coughed again. “I do know he’s happy now and you seem to be happy as well and to me, that’s all that matters. However, I would ask one favor of you.”

I nodded and waited.

“Please try not to judge Michiyo too harshly. It doesn’t always appear that way, but she tends to be rather passionate about her children. I know she’s been very difficult with you and I appreciate your patience with her.”

“It’s okay,” I explained, as I put out my cigarette in a nearby ashtray. “I can understand her anger.”

He smiled again as he put out his barely smoked cigarette. “Come on, there’s a baseball game on and we’re missing it.”

When we went inside, Shuichi met up with me and gently took my hand. “Are you ready to go?”

“We aren’t staying?” I answered his question with my own question.

“No,” and then he smiled brightly. “I explained we had a lot of stuff to do. She understands.”

It was more likely that she wanted to get my detestable ass out of the house, but either way, I was okay with it. I was growing weary of hearing about the wonderful, charming, and handsome Inoue.

I could hear her in the other room commanding that Shuichi’s father get out of his chair long enough to see his son off. The two of them hugged Shuichi and told him to be safe. His mother handed him a big bag of food to take with him as his father bade me farewell. Shuichi was on his way to the car and I was just about to close the door behind me when I heard Shuichi’s mother call my name.

Opening the door wider again, I waited as I braced myself for more insults. She stared at me until finally she tipped her head in a partial bow. “Thank you for what you did for Maiko. I am indebted to you.”

“What?” I asked, confused by her sudden change.

“You were injured in a fight with Miyamoto Daisuke were you not?” she asked. “Shuichi told me about it. I am thankful to you.”

“Er…” I looked at her in confusion. “But it wasn’t…”

I could see Shuichi’s dad behind her and he nodded at me. “Thank you.”

“Sure,” I managed to say.

With that, she turned away from me and left the room. Shuichi’s dad smiled and said, “Good luck to you, Yuki-san.”

I closed the door and shook my head. When I got to the car, Shuichi was already sitting in the passenger seat waiting for me, a smug smile on his face.

“What are you smirking about,” I snarled at him.

“Oh, nothing,” he grinned as unlatched his seat belt and leaned over to kiss me. “Thanks for going with me and dealing with this, Eiri. It really means a lot to me.”

“Listen, brat…” I began and then swallowed, overwhelmed with emotion for some reason.

“I know, I know,” he nodded as he got back into his seat and buckled in again. “I promise, only one dance, okay?”

“What?” I asked as I blinked at him.

“That’s what your issue is, isn’t it? That you don’t want to go on our date? I promise only one dance.”

“That’s not…” his eyes were wide and brimming with hope. I swallowed again as I turned away and put the key in the ignition. “Fine. But only one.”

“I love you, Eiri,” he said.

So many times in the last few days he had said that. I was please by the words but I also felt guilty.

“Me, too,” I finally managed to answer after so much time had past it didn’t even make sense anymore, but he still gave me that smile.

“Friday morning, can you drop me off somewhere?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“I need to do a few things for Friday night.”

“Oh,” I answered. “Do you want me to wait for you?”

He shook his head, “No. You have your doctor appointment for your hand anyway. I’ll tell you what; I’ll come get you up when I’m ready. Akira…”

“I’ve already spoken with Akira and he’ll be calling me when he arrives at our building,” I answered. “I’ll be the one to come get you this time.”

He smiled brightly. “I would like that very much.”




Friday evening found me to be stupidly anxious as I got ready to go on our date. I wasn't quite as nervous as I was six months earlier, but I was still chain smoking and pacing. At least we wouldn't be running into Nakano or Sakuma this time. Or Tohma. Although, I did consider the possibility that we would run into an ex or two of either one of us. I sighed with the thought. I hoped not, Shuichi and I could use a quiet night together. I wasn't pleased that he had held fast on the dancing, but he had promised he would only insist on one.

I didn't see what the problem was with staying at home to do that. Then again, I also had a perverse need of wanting to the two of us seen together in public, especially by the paparazzi. Normally, I don't care for the camera-snapping scavengers, but this time... this time I wanted the pictures and a lot of them. If Shuichi had to be on the cover of the tabloids, I wanted it to be my hand he was holding. I wanted it to be me who had him with his back pressed against a wall and freshly kissed.

Maybe Shuichi did, too.

Hmm. Maybe it was time to have our own little public display of affection. My thoughts of what we could do to get the sensationalism caused my pants suddenly to feel a bit snug. Sometimes I really am hopeless.

I looked at my watch impatiently. I was hideously early. I checked my appearance one more time and I couldn’t help the smirk. I was sure Shuichi would be pleased.

I stared at my watch one more time.

“Fuck it,” I said aloud and walked out of my apartment and across the hall to his. I knocked on the door but there was no answer. Was he not back yet? I pulled out my key and opened the door.

“Hey, brat?” I shouted.

“Eiri? Is that you?” I heard him answer from his bedroom.

“Were you expecting someone else?” I snapped as I moved towards the room.

“You can’t come in here!”

My curiosity bloomed. “Why not?”

“Because I’m not ready yet! Eiri, you’re 45 minutes early.”

“Tch,” I answered. He could be such a girl sometimes. I felt the fact that he wasn’t ready was a perfect reason to see him but as I stepped closer to his bedroom, I heard the door slam shut.

Well, that was definitive. I sat down on the couch and waited, soothed at least, by being in his apartment. We hadn’t seen each other all day and I found I missed his presence. I was glad I was going to Europe with him, being apart from him so soon would be difficult for me, maybe for him as well.

I sighed. When had I turned into such a sap?

“Eiri?” he said behind me.

Turning so I could look over my shoulder at him, I found myself speechless at his appearance. Inexplicably, I rose to my feet.

He smiled. “Well, I tried, Eiri, but I’m afraid there will always be a bit of tart in me. Especially for you.”

The first thing I noticed was that he’d had his hair done again. It was now a dark brown with deep auburn streaks and it was no longer spiky. He’d parted on the side and his hair lay flat for the most part, practically covering his left eye in a surprisingly innocent yet seductive way.

He was dressed all in brown. Dark brown leather pants rested dangerously low on his hips, held loosely in place with a wide, brown belt decorated with silver rivets and chains. His sleeveless shirt was a silk brocade, also brown, but with random streaks of beige for design, making it look as if splashed with paint. The shirt had a mandarin collar that came to a slight “V” at his throat but it actually zipped closed down the left side of his chest. He was jewelry free except for a silver bracelet on his left wrist.

The bottom of his shirt didn’t quite meet the low rise of his pants and I knew if he raised his hands, I would see that enticing naval piercing. I tore my eyes away from the thin patch of bare skin and looked into his eyes, realizing that he was gawking at me in very much the same manner. We were unabashedly devouring one another on the spot.

Before I could say anything, he spoke. “You look awesome, Eiri. Really hot. And don’t worry, okay? I have a jacket to go over this.” He raised his hands and gave me a twirl, the chains on his belt made a musical sound. He was such a tease.

I stared at him.

He smiled again. “Is Akira here, yet?”

I continued to gaze at him as I pulled my phone out of my pocket.

“I’ll get my jacket,” he said as he disappeared into the bedroom again.

Moments later, he reemerged with a thigh-length leather jacket that matched his pants. I realized as I stared at him again, that I wanted the whole world to know he belonged to me.

“Akira’s here,” I finally managed to speak. “Are you ready?”

“Just my shoes,” he said as he passed me.

I grabbed his wrist and pulled him to me, kissing him soundly.

When I broke the kiss, I could see the lust and amusement in his eyes. “You must like my outfit,” he purred as he stood on his toes and pressed his groin against mine. “I can tell.”

“Hey,” I said sternly. “No skipping ahead.”

“I thought that was my line,” he grinned at me.

“Maybe it was last time,” I answered as I placed his left hand under my left elbow, trapping it against my side as I pushed up his jacket cuff with my clumsy right hand. The bracelet he wore bore the characters of my name in large, distinct strokes. Looking into his eyes, I smirked as I said, “But I claim the phrase this time.”

“Well,” he was still grinning. “That sounds like a challenge to me. I guess we’ll see who is trying to skip ahead by the end of the night.”

“Give it up.” I rolled my eyes and released his imprisoned hand but remained physically close to him. “It hasn’t been eighteen months for me this time. You don’t stand a chance.”

“Oh, really?” he raised an eyebrow. He stepped away from me and stretched his hands up over his head, his amethyst naval piercing sparkled and his hipbones gleamed creamy white. He tipped his head to the side and said, “Care to make a bet of it?”

I glared at him. “Yeah. I would.”

“If I win…” he grinned again. “You already know what I want, what about you?”

He’d want to be on top, we both knew that. What did I want?

“Sex in a public place,” I answered.

His smile faltered but he nodded in agreement. “Okay,” he swallowed and then slipped on his brown leather ankle boots with their low heel. Standing up again he said, “Well, then, I guess we’d better go. Are you ready?”

I returned his smile and nodded as the two of us stepped out for our second date in less than a year.

This time the stakes weren’t nearly as high, but they were still very interesting.

The game was on.


TBC


Lyrics for High by The Cure