A Promise

~*~

A Promise

~*~

Strands of rich yellow, bathed in the orange glow of the setting sun, flickered before equally golden eyes that pondered over a very, very grave matter. The novelist’s proud brow furrowed, seeing as how there was no-one within those four walls to see it, save for the very faint light shining through the hall and beneath the door of his study. The little brat had set up a vibrant Christmas tree in his - in their - living room, and left it on from morning ‘til night.

When he pranced off to the studio to work with Hiroshi and Suguru (if those even were their names, Eiri thought) on their sophomore album, he would flip the bright red switch at the base of the tree lights and set every one ablaze. There, the wide variety of colors would stay until Eiri decided to turn in for the night, and he would flip that claret switch off, an unconscious habit that would save him a bit of money on electricity.

A bit of a nuisance as it could have been, seeing as how the stubborn blond was never really one to acknowledge the season, it actually added a bit of… warmth to the household. He would never admit it in front of another living soul, but he did take a liking to the brightly colored ornaments that hung off the branches, and the glass figurines that had been set in every caddy corner imaginable. From the garland around the fireplace to the stockings Shuichi had hung on the mantel…

It was a nice change.

No-one had a chance in Hell at seeing the faint smile that crossed the novelist’s features, and then it was gone. He still had that dilemma, and that dilemma was staring him in the face at that very moment.

He narrowed his beautiful golden eyes at it.

A box.

A black box.

A small, black, velvet box, no bigger than the palm of his hand.

Mulling over the same subject as the half-hour before with an empty word processor just begging for attention, Eiri stared at it as though it was a carrier of the Black Plague.

He had gone out and bought it, hadn’t he? He had his reasons for it, didn’t he? So why the hesitation? Why the constant echo of Should I? that had begun to drive him mad?

Shutting his eyes to rid himself of the sight of it for the moment, he slumped further back into his chair, elbow to the armrest so he could plant a hand to his forehead in thought. Spools of gold framed his features, almost curtaining his visage from the outside world while he pondered and pondered until his brain begged for a reprieve.

So complicated, it was now. He had no doubts in the world when he had gone out the day before, and now that the damn thing was sitting right in front of him, it started to become a hassle. A hassle that should’ve been so easy to deal with. Either do it or don’t. Do it, or don’t.

Still, he hesitated.

Grabbing the godforsaken box, he ripped open one of his computer desk’s drawers, tossed it in and slammed the drawer shut. A slam of wood meeting wood protested.

“Make up your mind already…”

Yuki Eiri wasn’t normally one to talk to himself, save for those very few times in his slumber when he managed to utter something relatively embarrassing with someone standing right over him. Other than that, he debated with himself in silence.

But this wasn’t any normal situation. It was actually very abnormal.

Though he may have wished time to be on his side, it worked against him ever quicker with each passing moment. He dared to steal a glance toward the clock on his computer.

17:39, it said.

Shuichi will be home any minute, it taunted him even further.

Tick-tock, tick-tock. What are you gonna do?

Eiri groaned.

He didn’t have enough on his mind, now he had to have his clock using his own dilemma against him. He soon found himself willing the damn thing to Hell so he could think it over in peace and quiet.

Much to his dismay, he didn’t have any longer to think it over in his beloved silence.

“Yuki!”

Damn.

“Yuki, I’m home! Yukiiiiii… Where are you?!”

Now that time was no longer a factor, he didn’t hear that damned clock teasing him. Now it was the drawer where he had thrown the velvet-lined square. It started to remind him of a cereal box, just itching to be opened to reveal the prize inside. Only then did he notice that when he slammed the mahogany drawer in the first place, it had managed to use the desk as a spring and bounce open in the slightest, offering the tiniest peek at the papers and black box that sat within.

“…”

“Yuki!”

The brat had begun to scour the house in search of him, Eiri noticed, considering the fact that every two seconds, he heard a door being opened and slammed shut when Shuichi found another one to look in. It wouldn’t be long before the kid found him in the study, sitting like a log in front of a Word document, with one bar flashing on and off in its patient little way.

So are you going to, or not? asked the desk drawer.

Eiri glared at it.

Shuichi got closer with every tick of the clock. Eiri could hear his socked feet treading down the hall.

“Are we playing hide and seek? Yukiiii!”

He’d been found.

“YUKI!”

Before he had a chance to turn around to face the doorway, the blond novelist was pounced by the energetic, pink-haired little nuisance. The fact that he was sitting in an office lounge chair with five wheels to support it, and this chair sat upon a hardwood floor, resulted in the piece of furniture being pushed by Shuichi’s delicate weight, and sending it right into the wall.

Shuichi only clung to his lover.

“There you are! Get any writing done? Gosh, I had such a long day at the studio today! K says we’re doing really good, you know; a second album already! I mean, it’s-”

“Shut up.”

And he did.

As badly as he wanted to, Eiri fought back the urge to smirk at how quickly he’d gotten the rock star to quiet down. Only he could do that. Only he could calm that tremor Shuichi caused with his effervescent personality, and the way he brought down the roof with his mood swings. Only Eiri knew how.

Before long, he’d peeled the vocalist off the back of his chair, and managed to stand up himself. He worked out the kinks in his back and sighed to regain his bearings.

“… Long day, huh?”

Shuichi beamed. “Yup. It was a blast, though.”

The novelist reached out to plant his hand atop Shuichi’s pink head of hair and ruffle up the strands a bit, in his own playful little manner where he could show his affection and still keep his dignity.

“Good.”

He shoved Shuichi at arm’s length, golden eyes watching as his young lover’s expression fell. He hated to see that. He hated to see Shuichi’s innocent reaction to his own recoil. He fought to keep his own face solid.

“Go wait for me in the living room,” he requested (or commanded, in the way he spoke). A raise of Shuichi’s eyebrow prompted him to say more.

“… I… want to give you something. But not in here.”

That was all it took for the teen’s face to brighten up with the velocity of a bullet, and the vibrancy of ten Christmas trees.

“Okay!” Shuichi chimed. He went to hop away, but before he did, he gave his elder lover a quick hug around the stomach. Only then did he traipse off into the living room as he was told, singing something about his Yuki giving him a present.

Eiri shook his head as he watched him go.

“Brat,” he murmured to himself as his study door was shut.

He sighed again. Now he’d gone and sealed his fate. Now he had to give Shuichi that damnable little box. Bright amber eyes shifted over to the just-barely-open drawer with a look of mixed emotion. It took a considerable deal of effort to sit down, reach to the drawer, open it and retrieve the small item.

“Alright…”

Silently coaching himself, he stood, temporarily abandoning his beloved laptop and leaving his study behind.

The empty Word document he had left behind, still flashing its patient little bar.

He slid the tiny box into his pocket as he headed down the hall, his half-buttoned dress shirt flapping at his sides. Soon, he saw Shuichi, his kawaii Shu-chan, sitting on the floor of the living room like a patient little puppy dog, bathed in the glow of the tree he had set up weeks ago.

For a split second, Eiri could’ve sworn he saw Shuichi’s nonexistent tail wagging in anticipation.

“Yuki, Yuki, Yuki!” he chimed.

Eiri said nothing.

“What’d you get me, huh? Huh?” Shuichi crawled over on all fours, padding around the novelist’s bare feet.

Eiri blinked. How in the Hell did this kid manage to stay like this 24/7? It took him a few moments to snap out of his reverie to lay his hand over Shuichi’s mouth to silence his repetitive questions regarding his present.

“Quiet,” Eiri scolded him gently.

Shuichi quieted down.

Eiri immersed in the waters of his silent triumph as he sat upon the edge of his sofa.

“Come here,” he called the Shu-pup over. True to puppy form, Shuichi trotted over expectantly, hopping up onto the couch and warily watching his lover.

Taking in a breath and steeling his will, the novelist worked up the nerve. It wasn’t as though he was taking some gigantic leap, was it? Everyone - including Shuichi - knew that the two of them were bound together for good. Why else would Eiri have purchased their new apartment under both of their names? Even Tohma had been shocked when he heard the news. Eiri hadn’t seen the platinum blond shark look so rattled since that day in a New York City cemetery when the novelist had announced he was homebound.

Tohma had no hold on Eiri’s love life now; Eiri had gone to lengths to make sure of that. Whatever makes you happy, Eiri, Tohma had said with a sigh, a regretful sigh from behind his desk at N-G Productions, and then Eiri had left without another word. True, there were times when the overzealous shark of a keyboardist tried to get his hooks into Eiri’s relationship with Shuichi, but he had gotten nowhere. No, this time, the ever-popular novelist had made it perfectly clear what he wanted.

Eiri knew what he wanted, and he knew there was no going back on it now. He mulled over this fact as he pulled the oh-so-mysterious box from his pocket and stared at it. Even though he wasn’t looking at him directly, Eiri could just see the sparkles lighting up Shuichi’s beautiful violet eyes. Yet, he said nothing. Shuichi knew better now. When Eiri was ready, Eiri would make his move.

Eiri made his move a moment later, holding out his opened palm so his lover could take the small package. “Here,” he said coolly.

Excited as he was, Shuichi made it a point to keep himself under control as he took the item and looked it over. He knew his Yuki would appreciate the gesture. Though, being who he was, Shuichi couldn’t resist poking and prodding the box in repetition, even shaking it a bit to get a noise out of it.

“Hmmmmmmm,” he hummed. “I wonder what it is…”

“You can open it, you know,” Eiri grumbled in his usual tone that Shuichi never took to heart.

“Mm, no, I wanna guess first.”

Eiri had to fight not to smirk. Curious little thing. Curious, but dense.

“Hmmmmmmm… Is it a guitar pick? A coin? A candy or something?”

The novelist raised his hand up to his forehead, where he could put pressure on his right temple and suppress the laugh that wanted to break through. It wasn’t so much Shuichi’s dense little shell that he wanted to laugh at, it was just the way he questioned what was inside the box itself. He sounded like a seven year old, and he looked like a five year old, the way he knocked and poked it, almost as though he could get a reaction from the damn thing.

“Shuichi…”

“Hm?”

Though he did want to laugh, and smack him at the same time, Eiri reached over to grab the poking hand’s wrist to still him. His golden eyes, usually hardened and icy, held a certain softness to them, warmer than the glow of their Christmas tree to the young Shuichi.

“Just open it.”

One of Shuichi’s more reserved smiles (those damn smiles of his were usually so childish and goofy, but this one matched his lover’s sincerity) crossed his face and he nodded. “Alright.”

Eiri held his breath as his young rock star lover cracked open the velvet box, and he could’ve sworn Shuichi’s eyes bugged out of his head once he saw what lay inside.

Two platinum bands, woven together as one in a unique double-rib shape sat nestled within black satin. It was clearly fitted for a slim finger. Sitting atop the white of the platinum was the most brilliant, most round and most perfect ruby Shuichi had ever seen. The shimmering claret stone stood alone, just the way it had been designed to be, beautifully accenting the light color of its matching band with its vibrancy. The light from the tree across from them served for a little show of colors to dance across the top of the polished stone.

“Y - Yuki…”

“It’s a promise ring,” Eiri said at last. Now was usually the time when he’d light a cigarette to keep his casual appearance, and hide his emotion from his lover. He made no movement to do such a thing.

Shuichi had to use force to look away from the ring he’d been given, and to Eiri instead. Had his muscles worked the way he wanted them to, he probably would have gawked. The novelist knew it was highly out of character for him, or so any outsider would say. But what did they know about him, really? After all… he wanted this.

“A… promise ring?” the vocalist breathed shakily. Eiri nodded, inching his way over to take the box from his lover’s hand and fish out the ring himself.

“Mmhmm,” he murmured as he took Shuichi’s wrist in his free hand. “A promise ring,” he repeated. “Because I’m promising you here and now that you’re stuck with me.”

A smirk crossed the author’s lips when Shuichi’s irresistible violet eyes widened in surprise.

“Yuki…”

“You can run or you can die,” Eiri told him as he slipped the platinum band onto the ring finger of his lover’s left hand. “But I’ll search for you and I’ll find you.“

The same words that had worked on Uesugi Eiri’s ice cold heart just a year beforehand were telling Shuichi pages and pages of feeling that the novelist could never hope to put onto paper, pages he could never hope to express any more clearly than he was at that moment. Amber eyes, those brilliant pools of gold, worked to fuel the fire.

“I‘m never letting you get away from me.”

Surprise and that typical undying love and devotion flashed across his young lover’s eyes… and Eiri loved him all the more for it. Every word he’d said struck a chord deeper and deeper within the chambers of Shuichi’s heart, and he knew it. The clincher was that he’d never been more sincere with the brat in his life. Of course, he would deny all of this in the morning. But right then…

… he couldn’t.

“Why? Because I…”

Shuichi had already begun to move closer. Eiri’s arms soon encircled that slim waist to pull him over. He wasn’t sure when the tiny velvet box had been cast aside, but it didn’t quite matter anymore. With Shuichi - his Shuichi - so close, so dangerously close, nothing else mattered.

“… love you… Shuichi.”

“… Eiri…”