Unlocking My Love

Title: Unlocking My Love
Author: JadeHeart
Fandom: Gravitation
Warnings: some bad language, slight sexual thoughts
Author’s Note: Thank you to everyone for their patience.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this, they belong to the creator of ‘Gravitation’.

-oOo-

Chapter 19


Shuichi let out a deep sigh and let his head fall to the table before him, managing to avoid his bottle of water more by good fortune than intent.

He couldn’t believe how bad his luck had been lately. His life was completely ill-omened he was sure. He should have thought things through more clearly when he first had chosen the name for the band. How he now wished he’d named them something different, like ‘Good Luck’, or ‘I Want To See Yuki’, or anything else!

It had been more than a week since he had last seen Yuki. Oh, they had had some contact nearly every day with phone calls but even that had been forced to be short, and quite often more a case of leaving messages on their respective answering services or a very brief text as Yuki liked doing neither. Yuki still hadn’t changed in that respect so Shuichi really didn’t expect anything more from him. He was just glad that he got any response from him, even if it was only one word at times! Still it wasn’t the same as actually having a proper conversation in any way, and certainly not being able to see each other face to face.

He sighed again and drew random patterns in the pool of condensation on the tabletop with a finger.

It wasn’t that he was trying to avoid Yuki after their last evening together, although he had to admit that he was still more than a little nervous about facing him after what he’d said. He felt his face heat as he remembered those words. Had he really said that? There was absolutely no way Yuki could interpret it in any other way except a promise to stay over! He cheeks continued to heat and he buried his face in his crossed arms with a groan. What on earth had compelled him to say that?!

That was an entirely rhetorical question. He knew exactly what had made him say it. The feelings that had been building all that evening as they had eaten and talked together; the way they had worked together cleaning up afterwards, and playing computer games. That comfortable, easy feeling had kept growing, a feeling that kept saying that that was where he belonged. He could remember that feeling, even from before. Okay, he knew their relationship prior had been pretty rocky, especially at the beginning but they had got through that and finally reached a point where they could share those other moments together. He remembered that, and a part of him wanted that again.

By the time they had said goodnight those feelings were almost overwhelming and it had taken all his strength to walk to the door. When Yuki had leant down for that hesitant kiss the desire to taste his lips was too much and Shuichi had taken the initiative.

It was far sweeter than he had thought it would be; that warmth pressed against his lips. Although it was familiar, it still seemed so new, and thus so much more exciting and desirable. That warmth had permeated every part of his body, slowly creeping down his limbs, filling him with a need for more.

After that first taste he hadn’t been satisfied, in fact it had only whetted his appetite so to speak and he’d been sorry when Yuki had drawn away for he had found himself yearning to reach out and hold this man. He couldn’t bear to go with only that single touch so before leaving he just had to taste it again.

He had seen the flash of surprise in Yuki’s eyes as he had pulled him forward, a look which had amused him because it wasn’t often he’d ever taken Yuki by surprise before. He had felt the brief caress of warm breath across his face before their lips had met once more. Yuki’s parted lips had been too much of a temptation and he couldn’t resist flicking his tongue forward, brushing against firm teeth and feeling the more heated warmth of the interior of Yuki’s mouth. That had sent a jolt of fire through his body from head to toe and even now, sitting here just remembering it, made that heat pool almost uncomfortably in his groin.

Shuichi felt his face heat up again and groaned in slight despair. Now was not the time to be getting a hard-on! It’s not like he could do anything about it!

He took a couple of deep breaths, trying to steady his internal emotions before lifting his head and resting his forehead in one hand, gazing out at nothing in particular.

He could try and wriggle out of this one all he liked but there was no getting around it. He was the one who had made the first move this time in indicating this relationship should go further, and he was the one who had made that promise. He couldn’t back out of it now; that would truly be cowardly. But it was a hell of a big step also.

He scrubbed a hand across his eyes. So what should he do now? What should he say to Yuki next time he sees him? How should he behave? Should they immediately kiss next time they see each other? Was that what Yuki would expect after what he had said? Just what would Yuki be expecting of him?

He felt a shiver run down his spine as he thought of something else.

It was more than likely that Yuki expected them to have sex now, after he said it like that. There was no way that he couldn’t think that. It’s not like Shuichi left very much to misinterpretation in what he had said. But he wasn’t really sure he wanted that yet. He wouldn’t mind staying over at Yuki’s and being able to spend more time with the man, but sex? That still held a bit of uncertainty. It’s not that he hadn’t thought about it. The tightness in his trousers right this minute could attest to that, and how he felt about it. But still, he wasn’t really certain that he just wanted to leap right into it.

How would Yuki want it, he wondered. He knew that Yuki could get pretty passionate, even a little rough at times. It had sort of been okay before, but he wasn’t so sure that he wanted it like that now. At least not for their first time. Okay, technically it wouldn’t be their ‘first’ time but it seemed like it! Should he just let Yuki do it the way that he liked first up and then they move on from that?

Argh! He rubbed both hands furiously through his hair as though trying to erase the thoughts in his mind. That wasn’t right! He could hardly simply say, ‘Let’s have sex and get this over with’, could he?! Besides he didn’t want their first time to be nothing but the act. Damn it, he wanted more!

“So what’s up with you?” A voice made him focus on his surroundings again and he saw Hiro sitting across from him. “You’ve been making weird faces for a while now. Are you feeling sick?”

“Nah,” Shuichi answered glumly, not having even heard Hiro come in, let alone sit opposite. He’d obviously been more lost in his thoughts than he had realised.

“Hmm,” Hiro mumbled in reply as he bit into the riceball in his hand. “So it must be Yuki then.”

Shuichi frowned at him. “Why does it always have to be about that guy?”

“Because you haven’t seen him for over a week and you’ve been getting more and more depressed. The only times you cheer up is when you’ve had some contact with him on the phone.” Hiro chewed some more and swallowed. “You’re pretty easy to read, you know.”

“Fine,” Shuichi said waspishly. “I’m depressed because I haven’t seen Yuki. Satisfied?” He picked up his water bottle and drank.

“Well, at least you’ve finally admitted it.” Hiro took another bite and chewed. “So have you fucked him yet?”

Shuichi splurted water out in a fountain, liberally spraying his friend sitting opposite, as he choked and coughed.

Hiro just sat there for a moment, water droplets running down his face and dripping from his hair. Slowly he put his unfinished riceball down before reaching up, carefully wiping his face clear.

“Why you…!” He suddenly reached over and grabbed the corners of Shuichi’s mouth and stretched, glaring at him. “You dirty little…”

“Ah’s ooor aul!!!!” Shuichi tried to yell out with his face distorted and lips unable to form the words correctly.

“It seems impossible to even have a quiet lunch with you two present.” Suguru said with some exasperation as he sat at the other end of the table.

Hiro released the hapless Shuichi and brushed back his still damp hair. “Talk to the fire hydrant here about that.” he replied.

“Hey, I didn’t mean it!” Shuichi defended himself, glaring at Hiro as he rubbed his sore cheeks. “How did you expect me to react to that?!”

“What?” Suguru asked, biting into the sandwich he held.

Shuichi just blushed and didn’t answer so Hiro spoke up. “I just asked him if he and Yuki had fucked yet.”

A plethora of coughing met his statement as Suguru’s face began to turn red, then purple.

“I think he’s choking,” Shuichi said, gazing in some amazement at the colour changes on Surugu’s face.

“Yeah, I think you’re right,” Hiro agreed as he swiftly went round behind Suguru and thumped the bent back expertly three times, almost plastering his bandmate onto the top of the table. However the wheezing and coughing ceased and soon only tired gasps issued from the slumped form.

“Hey, you okay?” Hiro asked, concerned, leaning down so he was eye level to Suguru’s face resting on the table.

Suguru’s eyes seemed glazed for a moment and then snapped back into focus in the form of a glare. “I…” he managed to wheeze, “will get you for that.”

Hiro shrugged, grinning. “I didn’t realize it would get such an enthusiastic response from the two of you.” He turned and made his way back to his seat, picked up his riceball and eyed it with distaste at the moisture that dripped from it before turning and throwing it into the bin. “You owe me lunch,” he said to Shuichi, sitting down.

“Like hell,” Shuichi replied. “It’s your own fault for coming out with something like that just out of the blue. Besides, it’s none of your business!”

“So you haven’t yet.”

“How do you figure that?” Shuichi said indignantly. “For all you know we could be having a mad passionate affair at the moment.”

“No,” Suguru put in, taking a delicate sip of his water and clearing his throat. “If you were you would be telling us about it constantly and acting all lovey-dovey, not to mention be covered in hickeys.”

This blunt assessment by his normally quiet and polite bandmate stunned Shuichi into silence.

“That’s pretty accurate, I’d say,” Hiro agreed, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. He grinned at Shuichi. “You always have been pretty easy to read when it comes to Yuki, and you just can’t keep anything to yourself where he’s concerned.”

“Okay, so you both know nothing’s going on. What’s the problem?” Shuichi said a little grumpily.

“No problem,” Hiro stated. “But why don’t you go and see him?”

“I’d like to but in case you hadn’t noticed we’ve been so damn busy that we haven’t had time to scratch ourselves!” Shuichi said sarcastically.

“True, we have been rather occupied with things.” Suguru agreed. “I hadn’t expected the wrap up for our last tour to be this intense.”

“Yeah, we must have held interviews for every major tabloid and magazine in the country.” Hiro said a little tiredly, raking a hand through his long hair.

“Not to mention the radio and television stations,” Suguru added.

Hiro nodded. “Both of which have actually had a number of daily slots to fill.”

“Then there’s been the photo shoots, the album signings, the impromptu concerts and signings at shopping centres and events, the list goes on.” Suguru finished, ticking each item off on a finger.

“See?” Shuichi said dejectedly. “With all that, we’ve hardly had any spare time at all. On top of that, Yuki’s been busy too.”

“Oh?” Hiro asked with interest. “What’s he been up to?”

“To be honest I don’t know all the details. You know how Yuki is with his work, he’s never told me that much about it all. His last book is being promoted still as there’s talk of it possibly being made into a film and perhaps a television series due to his increasing popularity overseas so he’s been heavily involved in talks to do with that. He had to head to Kyoto to meet with some people there.”

“I didn’t know he was all that well known outside of Japan,” Hiro commented.

“I believe the sudden interest has come from his brief appearance in New York last year,” Suguru put in. Hiro looked down the table towards him. “Apparently he held an unannounced book signing there and he made quite an impression.”

Hiro raised an eyebrow in surprise. “I didn’t think that was Yuki’s sort of thing.”

“I believe it was arranged by my cousin,” Suguru stated evenly.

“Ah, well that explains it then,” Hiro nodded sagely. He knew full well that what Tohma Seguchi wanted, Tohma Seguchi got and even Yuki Eiri had to jump to that man’s tune at some stage.

Hiro turned back to Shuichi. “So apart from not seeing him, are things going okay between you two now?”

“Ye….ah,” was Shuichi’s slow reply.

“Now that hardly has the enthusiasm I was looking for,” Hiro commented. “Don’t tell me you’re fighting again.”

Shuichi shook his head. “No, nothing like that. It’s just…” he paused, unable to go on. He just couldn’t bring himself to talk to his friends about how he had indicated to Yuki that their relationship should go further. It was just too embarrassing.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Hiro said, reaching out and ruffling Shuichi’s hair, smiling. “You don’t have to tell us. We’re just teasing.”

“True,” Suguru agreed, standing and dropping his rubbish into the bin. “I’m sure you’ll do your best no matter what.”

Shuichi smiled gratefully at them both. They were right. Despite what was going on he had to put on a smile and do his best, both for himself and for Yuki. This busy period wouldn’t last forever and when it had quietened down, then he would be able to see Yuki again.

“Right then!” he exclaimed, standing abruptly, beaming at his friends. “Let’s go out there and get them!”

“That’s the spirit!” Hiro encouraged him as they made their way out the door.

“I’ve got some great ideas for our next photo shoot!” Shuichi said as they made their way down the corridor. “I think we should have an English nursery story or rhyme theme. You know, like The Three Little Pigs, or Three Blind Mice. I think that would be great. Hey,” he turned to look over his shoulder at his friends following. “Tohma could be the Big Bad Wolf!”

“And you intend to actually suggest that to him?” Suguru said in a deadpan voice.

“Ah, you’re probably right,” Shuichi paused in his thoughts for a moment then clapped his hands together. “I know. We’ll make it K! Yeah, he’ll be perfect!”

“You’re gonna be shot full of lead if you suggest that to him,” Hiro warned his friend.

“No pain, no gain!” Shuichi airily exclaimed, too caught up in his quirky idea to pay heed.

“No brain, you mean,” Hiro said, shaking his head at Shuichi’s bizarre thoughts.

“No kidding,” Suguru agreed, with a long suffering sigh, trailing along last.


-oOo-

Yuki sighed as he loosened the tie around his neck, pulling it almost violently undone and tossing it on the bed. Ah, finally he felt like he could breathe again! He wasn’t used to wearing ties, although he always dressed smartly where business was concerned. However, this time Mizuki had strongly hinted that it might be best to do so. It didn’t make him feel any better in seeing that she had been correct in suggestion so as everyone else present had so been attired. He still hated them.

His hand automatically went into his pocket and withdrew his cigarettes and lighter as he shrugged out of his jacket which soon joined the tie where it lay, before slumping into a chair. Damn he was tired, he thought, letting his head drop back for a moment.

He gazed up at the uninspiring ceiling of his hotel room. He could have opted to stay at his family home whilst in Kyoto but it was some distance from Kyoto city centre and he hadn’t been thrilled about the idea of the lengthy commute he would have had to endure each day. Also the fact of having to deal with his father each day would only have made his already short temper far shorter. Although he had to admit that he got along better with his father now than he probably ever had, they would never share an entirely harmonious father-son relationship. That was just the way it was between them and he found he could live with that.

So here he was, spending the past week in this dingy hotel. Well, not quite dingy – it did have a five-star rating and everything and everyone was at his beck and call, but Yuki just did not want to be here.

It wasn’t so much a problem with the reason for this visit to Kyoto. The idea that his book would be adapted to the screen, be it the big screen or for television, had honestly never occurred to him before. It was a tremendous opportunity to be sure, and a real feather in his cap no less. No only that, it opened up the possibility, depending on how well it did, for other of his books to be picked up also. Such things were the stuff dreams were made of. If it went like this he would be pretty set for life, or at least until interest waned in him. It would certainly take a bit of pressure off him for a while.

So, no, it wasn’t that he was entirely disgruntled in this visit. He still hated having to go through these polite discussions and meetings, and they hadn’t even got to the stage of real negotiations yet, but he could tolerate them when he had to. And this was certainly worth his while to put on a good face. No, what irked him about this trip was that he hadn’t wanted to be away so suddenly from Tokyo. Or, to be more accurate, from Shuichi.

He raised a cigarette to his lips and lit it, inhaling deeply, before blowing the smoke out slowly. He didn’t bother checking his phone. There had already been a message from Shuichi there not long before and he knew that he would be too busy to have sent another one just yet. Yuki had a pretty good understanding of what Shuichi’s timetable could be like when he was at work.

That was one of the other reasons that he had agreed to this trip as readily as he had. He knew Mizuki had been surprised by his sudden capitulation when she had contacted him. Despite her only being recognized as his ‘editor’, she was actually more like his ‘agent’, always keeping an ear open for opportunities for him to promote his work. Whenever she heard anything of that nature she always brought it to his attention, gently, and sometimes not so gently, pushing him along the right paths. She really had done wonders for him. When she had first phoned, he could tell that she had been prepared to have to argue with him to go along with this trip. If Shuichi hadn’t already contacted him two days prior to say that he was going to be extremely busy and most likely unable to meet for a while, leaving Yuki suddenly feeling rather bereft, he probably wouldn’t have agreed so readily. Still, this trip gave him something to do, something else to focus on besides Shuichi and what he had said, so it was a way to fill in the time at least.

He stood and walked over to the sliding door, stepping out onto the balcony. He refused to acknowledge that he had run away from Tokyo. No, he had not run away at all. Why would he? He had no reason what-so-ever to do so.

He leant his elbows on the railing and let his cigarette dangle from his fingers. Okay, perhaps he had made a …strategic withdrawal for the time. It was just for a short time, that’s all. What else could he have done? After Shuichi’s surprise statement he was now at a complete loss as to what he should do next. If he had remained in Tokyo with nothing to occupy his mind he would send himself crazy. After just two days he had begun to feel that way.

Yuki growled to himself, one hand curling into a fist. Why was this so damn hard?! Finally Shuichi says the words that he’d been waiting to hear, and upon hearing them he runs away! How gods damn pathetic is that?!

He took another deep drag on his cigarette, seeking to calm his anger. He wasn’t angry at Shuichi, he was angry at himself. Angry at his uncertainty and hesitation. He’d always been used to getting what he wanted. From the time he was sixteen he’d lived his life exactly as he wished. He’d taken what he wanted, when he wanted it. Whatever he’d wanted, he got. What didn’t interest him, he ignored or discarded. There had never been any uncertainty, he’d never hesitated in gaining his desires or fulfilling his needs. He wasn’t used to having to deal with these two unfamiliar emotions.

He ran a hand through his hair, closing his eyes for a moment to feel the breeze on his face. He truly didn’t know what he should say when next he saw Shuichi. Should he mention what Shuichi had said that night? Should he ask him to explain exactly what he meant by it or would that make him look stupid? Would Shuichi think he was dense in having to ask for it to be spelt out to him? He hadn’t been able to make himself ask that question over the phone, and it hardly seemed the right thing to raise in a text message.

But what if he had misinterpreted it? What if Shuichi hadn’t meant that he thought he did? Could Shuichi really have meant that he wanted to stay the night? Did that mean sex?

Yuki’s thoughts spun out of control for a moment as he envisioned a naked Shuichi, skin sleek with sweat, hair plastered to his brow, lips parted as moans of desire fell from them as he rode Yuki to climax. He swallowed hard against a suddenly dry throat. What he wouldn’t give to see that sight again!

But what if that wasn’t what Shuichi had in mind, he wondered, pushing aside his fantasies. Sex wasn’t everything – but it fucking well came close to the top every time for him! But that didn’t mean that Shuichi was like that. In fact, Yuki knew that wasn’t the case for Shuichi. But what else could he have meant? Shuichi would hardly have said that because he wanted to play mahjong!

Yuki growled again and violently stubbed out the cigarette on the railing, flicking it out into the open air and watching it spiral downwards towards the ground. He meant, I meant, who meant…what? He was just running around in circles here!

He stomped back inside and headed for the coffee machine, swiftly filling it. As he listened to the bubbling and inhaled the heady aroma of the brewing drink he wondered what Shuichi was doing. Shuichi’s brief messages had given him a pretty good indication of just how busy he was. Knowing Tohma, he was probably running them ragged at the moment, but Tohma wasn’t stupid and he would know just how to pace this circus of his. He would push Bad Luck to their limit, but stop just before they were completely exhausted. Then they would have some time off to recuperate. That will probably be fairly soon. Which meant that was when he could see Shuichi again.

He poured himself a cup and sipped it carefully. In all, this sudden trip to Kyoto was probably the best thing. He needed to calm his thoughts a little so he had a clear head when next he saw Shuichi. Up till now, his thoughts had been a scrambled mess in trying to figure it out and worrying he would somehow make the wrong judgment and screw things up again. He would simply play it by ear, going along with whatever Shuichi indicated. He could hold himself back a little longer – no matter how hard it was.

-oOo-

Yuki stepped off the train and let himself be pushed along with the exiting crowd. He kept a firm grip on his bag and made his way to his desired exit, breathing deeply when he broke into the fresh air above. He pulled off to one side and gratefully lit up a cigarette, standing there for a moment to savour it.

Glancing at his watch he judged how much longer it would take him to reach his destination. Should he take the train and walk, or just get a cab and be done with it? Probably a cab was just as easy; traffic shouldn’t be too bad at this time of the evening.

That decision being made, he finished the last of his cigarette, stubbing it out in the bin by his side and flagged a cab down, giving the address, and settling back for the ride.

It had now been over two weeks since he had last seen Shuichi and the number of times they had actually spoken verbally to each other over the phone he could count on one hand with fingers to spare and all in the first couple of weeks only. It hadn’t stopped Shuichi sending him a number of text messages, to which he had replied, however terse they might have been. He really did hate that form of communication, although not quite as much as ringing and being forced to leave a voice message. Usually he just hung up without bothering but he had made the effort for Shuichi, knowing that the messages he left would sound rather stilted to anyone else but he hoped that Shuichi at least could read beyond the mere words.

For the most part their communications just kept each other informed as to their day to day activities, never delving into the realm of personal matters, which suited Yuki fine. The one time it had was when he had told Shuichi that he would be returning by a particular date and Shuichi had extended the invitation for Yuki to come over and he would cook for him. That had been a pleasant surprise and Yuki had readily accepted. He was a little concerned about what he was likely to be fed, although he knew that Shuichi’s culinary skills had improved a little. Still, they could always order in if anything disastrous occurred.

He looked out the window of the cab to gauge where he was. They were making good time and should be there shortly. He chewed on his bottom lip, frowning. He hoped he was doing the right thing. He was actually a day earlier in returning than he had told Shuichi. He hadn’t deliberately lied about his return date, it had simply worked out that way. He had completed all that he had to do for that day and it had been done far earlier than he had expected, courtesy of one of the film financiers who he was supposed to have dinner with that evening, coming down with food poisoning and unable to keep their appointment. After profuse apologies and assurances that everything that needed to be discussed had been, Yuki suddenly found himself at a loose end. So instead of hanging around in his hotel for another night and leaving the next day, he had checked out and caught the train back to Tokyo.

His initial thought had just been to get home, back to his comfortable apartment and his own soft bed, but on the journey back he had found his thoughts fixated on Shuichi. The last text from him had said that he was now free and that he intended to relax and enjoy himself. He had mentioned about wanting to spend time catching up with family and friends which was to be expected. Shuichi was still very close to his family but he hadn’t said he had intended to go home just yet which meant that he was still most likely in Tokyo.

That was when Yuki realized that he desperately wanted to see him. In some ways he still didn’t know what he was supposed to say when he did see Shuichi, not after their last evening together, but he no longer cared. He just wanted to see him!

During their separation he had found his thoughts turning more and more towards Shuichi. His thoughts were filled with desire and want, so much so that it frequently affected him physically and he was forced to hide his erection on more than one occasion, be it sitting or standing. His only solace had been his attempts to relieve this sexual frustration come evening, where in the darkness he could imagine it was Shuichi’s hands on his body bringing him to climax. But no matter how often he did this, it still paled in comparison to his memories of the real thing. So he had been resolved that when he returned he would speak to Shuichi bluntly about this. He had to make the other man know the depth of his desire and try and find out if this is what Shuichi wanted also.

So here he was, sitting in a cab and heading for Shuichi’s apartment. He hadn’t contacted Shuichi directly to tell him of his plans. He could have phoned, but he was half afraid that if he did Shuichi would say that he was busy. He still could be, for all Yuki knew, but he still thought it would be better for him to turn up and find Shuichi not there, than to be rebuffed before he even got there. So all he had done was send a brief text to say he was on his way. But this was the night that he would kiss Shuichi breathless, filling him with all the desire that Yuki was holding inside, and then they would see where things went from there.

Just thinking about that made his pulse race, imagining the touch of Shuichi’s warm skin under his hands, the silkiness of his hair sliding through his fingers, those soft lips pressed against his. The pressure in his pants increased and he groaned, closing his eyes and sliding one hand discreetly under his coat to cup the bulge at his crotch. He bit his lip as he lightly rubbed it, feeling it stiffen further, before he clenched it hard, hard enough to cause discomfort.

Enough, he snarled to himself, forcing his hand to reluctantly withdraw. What the hell was he doing?! He could hardly get himself off whilst sitting in a cab! Yet he couldn’t help but wickedly think that he probably could get away with it. He wasn’t generally very vocal and he could keep his face hidden easily from the driver’s view by resting it in one hand as he was now. By keeping the other under his coat, it was safely hidden from sight also. With his level of excitement as it was at present it wouldn’t take much to make him come so it would all be over quickly.

His hand inched back under his coat, brushing his still stiff erection, when he jerked it away and steadfastly crossed his arms. No, he wouldn’t be as crass at that. For a start, if he came the driver would be sure to smell it. Secretions of sex had a particular aroma and there weren’t too many adults who wouldn’t recognise it. And apart from that how the hell could he turn up at Shuichi’s door with such a compromising stain on the front of his trousers?!

The cab halted and he forced his desires down, gratefully feeling his erection flagging slightly, at least enough to not be so noticeable. He quickly paid the driver before exiting and hurrying up the stairs of the building before him. His fingers tapped against his leg in an agitated tempo as the lift rose, the doors swishing open as they reached the chosen floor. His steps echoed in the corridor as he strode past the other apartments, before pausing outside one.

He took a deep breath, and raised a hand to knock. There was no answer and he felt his spirits begin to drop. Damn it! Guess he wasn’t home after all, he thought. Tohma had probably called them back for something to do with Bad Luck, or perhaps he already had left to stay with his family. What a waste this had been.

He was about to turn away when he sniffed. Turning back to the door he leant forward and sniffed again. He wasn’t mistaken. The cooking smells were definitely coming from behind Shuichi’s door. There was no way even Shuichi was that much of an idiot to leave stuff cooking and then going out. Perhaps he just didn’t hear the knock?

Yuki reached out and knocked again, louder this time, rapping his knuckles hard against the wood. He waited a little impatiently but there were still no answering sounds and the door remained closed. He scowled now. What the hell..? He knew that Shuichi was home, he was sure of it! Was he deliberately avoiding him?!

He knocked again, almost thumping on the door with his closed fist, reaching down with his other hand to rattle the door knob, and was completely surprised when it turned easily in his hand. What the..?!

He opened the door and looked in. The lights were on, soft music was playing from somewhere in the apartment, and he had been completely correct in that there was something cooking as the aroma grew stronger. All the indications were there that someone was present in the apartment.

Yuki stepped forward, leaving the door open behind him for he was, after all, intruding in a way. It wouldn’t have been polite to have closed the door as though he had been invited in. Still, he was irked at having to act this polite.

“Shuichi!” he called out, taking another few steps inside. “Hey!”

He heard the sound of running footsteps on the wooden flooring, light steps, swiftly drawing near. Finally he’s coming! Yuki thought, stepping further into the hall and slipping out of his jacket. Politeness be damned, he thought. The moron had probably been lying on his bed with his earphones on and hadn’t heard anything. He should at least lock the door properly if he was going to do that!

“You took long enough, you idi…..” he said, turning to look up as the footsteps halted.

Yuki’s words halted at the sight of the person who suddenly appeared around the corner, sliding to a surprised halt. The long hair was wet, testament of having just exited a shower, droplets still clinging to bare shoulders. A towel was clasped tightly around the slim body, arms and legs bare to view, one long fingered hand holding the ends together.

Yuki was frozen in place, unable to move, unable to even speak. His world seemed to darken, plunging him towards despair.

Before him, just as frozen in time, was Annette.