Fleeting Inspiration, my Gravitation fic.

[Questina]

Eiri smiled smugly, reclining in a lounge chair by the side of the hotel pool. This time he'd made sure the book haunting him was nowhere around to ruin the rest of his day. He'd left it locked in the hotel room weighed down under an enormous potted plant sitting in the corner. There was no way it could follow him now!

He and Shuichi had gone for a soak in the hotsprings for awhile until Eiri decided he'd had enough of the heat and went to buy a cup of coffee (he still hadn't had the first thing to eat all day) and a newspaper. Now he was sitting in his swimming trunks flipping through the entertainment section, pleased to find a scathing review of what that bookstore had called "Mamoru Eto's latest masterpiece". He still couldn't get over that. Masterpiece? More like a disaster piece.

"Although humorous at times, Eto's new novel does not live up to his usual standards and has left many fans disappointed..."

Eiri grunted. Disappointed? Now THERE was an understatement if ever there was one.

The review went on to list many of the same flaws he himself had complained about both to Eto in person and in the email he'd sent to the author's website. The critical blonde flashed a self-satisfied grin at the picture of Eto in the paper as if to say "I told you so!". The photograph stared back at him indifferently. The writer frowned, displeased by its lack of reaction. It was supposed to feel some remorse, damn it!

At any rate, he'd found new respect for the reviewer. He'd been furious when she'd published an especially bad review of one of his own novels in the past. The truth was that he wasn't overly fond of that piece of work himself; he'd rushed it to meet his deadline and wasn't satisfied with the ending. But now she'd reassured him that there were still SOME sane people in the world whose minds weren't infected by Eto's garbage, and for that he was grateful. Someone out there still knew trash when they saw it.

"Yukiiiiiiiiii!"

Eiri looked up from his paper. About time the brat got out of the hotsprings; he'd been in there well over an hour. Or was it two? The singer's skin was flushed red from having been in there too long.

"Listen to this!" Shuichi yelled, running up to him. He held up a portable radio on which a familiar song was playing.

"Isn't that Shining Collection?" Eiri asked.

"Yes! And it isn't me or Sakuma-san singing it which means someone STOLE it!"

Eiri listened to the female singer on the radio belt out the lyrics he'd written about Shuichi. Whoever she was, she needed vocal lessons badly. The background music had been changed to make the song sound dark and creepy, which didn't suit the lyrics at all.

"Who is she?" the writer asked, annoyed that someone was murdering his song on air.

"I don't know the name of the singer, but the announcer said that the group's name is Whispering Phantom."

Eiri reached for his pack of cigarettes. "Whispering Phantom? Never heard of them." Why did the names of music bands all have to sound so weird?

"Me neither. How come they're allowed to sing your song without your permission?"

"They could have gotten permission from Nittle Grasper. Could you turn that off?" he asked, lighting up a cigarette.

Shuichi switched the radio off. "Sakuma-san wouldn't give anybody permission to do THAT to a song!"

Eiri had to agree. Listening to Shining Collection in that form made him embarrassed to admit he'd written the song. "I'll call Seguchi when we get back and find out what's happened."

"Okay..." The singer looked like he was about to cry. Or scream. Or burst. His face was beet red and his breath was coming out in short, uneven pants.

"Just calm down, okay?" Eiri told him, noticing that he was trembling. "We can get this all settled when we get home. There's no reason to overreact-"

"But there IS!!!" Shuichi cried, bursting into tears. "You wrote that song for me and some horrible person is ruining it!!!"

Great, the last thing Eiri needed was for his emotional lover to go off the deep end and spend the rest of their vacation crying like a chick. It would put the writer's nerves on constant edge for the next three days and kill any chance of relieving some of his tension. With everything else that had gone wrong so far he did not need this.

"Look," he said severely, his voice thick with annoyance. "we're supposed to be on vacation, remember? Isn't that why you dragged me out here? If I've got to spend the next three days stuck here with you and that piece of s**t under the plant in our hotel room then give me at least one damn day to relax! Otherwise what the hell was the point in our coming?!"

His words were overly harsh and he knew it, but was it TOO much to ask for a little peace and quiet without SOMETHING popping up to ruin it?

"I-I'm sorry, Yuki..."

The writer turned his attention back to the newspaper.

Shuichi turned to leave, feeling even worse than when he'd come running in. Not only was his favorite song being massacred over the airwaves for all of Japan to hear, but now he was bothering Yuki. The last thing he wanted was to stress out his lover and cause him to start coughing up blood. Again. He'd secretly hoped that their vacation might turn into a romantic getaway, but there seemed to be little hope of that now. He walked along the edge of the pool, heading for the door. His body was still hot from the hotsprings, and he was starting to feel... lightheaded...

Eiri heard a thunk as Shuichi dropped the radio. It was followed a few seconds later by a splash. "The clumsy idiot fell into the pool," the writer thought to himself, continuing to read the paper for a few more seconds until he noticed strange gurgling sounds were coming from the water. Eiri looked over his newspaper. The radio was laying on its side by the side of the pool. The back of the machine had popped open and its four AA batteries were scattered around it. In the swimming pool bubbles were floating to the surface of the water in the spot where Shuichi had fallen in, but the singer himself did not rise to surface.

"Oh s**t!"

Eiri dove into the water and grabbed his petite lover, instinctively pressing their mouths together and transferring all the air in his lungs to Shuichi's as he propelled them both to the surface. Once he had the boy out of the water and flat on his back he frantically began trying to resuscitate him. Water came flooding out of Shuichi's mouth and splashed in Eiri's face as the younger man began coughing up the chlorine-filled substance.

"Get help NOW!" Eiri screamed at a passing hotel employee, who saw at once the severity of the situation and began running as fast as she could in her four-inch high heels to call an ambulance.  

[Questina]

Shuichi woke up several hours later to the sound of a heart monitor beating in his ear. An oxygen mask was strapped to his face feeding him air.

"Yuki?"

His blonde lover sat by the side of the hospital bed, holding his hand. His eyes were red and puffy. Had he been crying?

"I'm here. It's about time you woke up," the author answered, squeezing his hand.

"How come I'm in the hospital?" Shuichi asked groggily, his voice muffled by the oxygen mask.

"You were overheated from being in the hotsprings too long. You passed out and fell into the hotel swimming pool."

"I fell in the pool?" Shuichi asked sleepily.

"You almost drowned. Don't you remember?"

"All I remember is... lots of water. I couldn't breathe..." He smiled slightly. "I dreamed that you kissed me."

"Damn brat... I'm gonna kick your a** if you ever scare me like that again!"

"I'm sorry," Shuichi whispered. Eiri caressed his young lover's cheek and his eyes fluttered closed. The singer began to fall back asleep.

Eiri watched him intently, carefully studying the face of the man he loved. Little brat... He'd never been so afraid in his life. By the time the paramedics had arrived on the scene Shuichi had stopped breathing, causing Eiri to break down in front of the paramedics, the hotel staff, and all guests standing around watching the "action". God, how embarrassing...

Outside two nurses were chatting as they walked down the hall.

"Have you read Mamoru Eto's new book? It's SO funny!"

Eiri shot up from his seat and closed the door to the hospital room. Could his vacation possibly get any worse? He hadn't been away from home a full twenty-four hours and already the trip was a disaster. He switched on the hospital radio.

Whispering Phantom's version of "Shining Collection" was playing.

It was official, the powers that be were out to get him. He moved to change the channel, but changed his mind. The song was almost over so he let it play through to the end, renewing his determination to find the person responsible for this atrocity when he got home. The announcer's voice came blaring over the airwaves after the song came to an end.

"And that was Whispering Phantom's "Shining Collection", sung by their beautiful and talented young singer Lola Eto."

Eiri did a double take, staring at the radio as if it were a bomb about to explode in his face. It couldn't be... Lola Eto?!!  

[Questina]

Chapter Six: The Great Indoors

.

Shuichi was released from the hospital the next day under doctor's orders to get at least a full day's rest and then take it easy for the rest of the week. Eiri took the doctor's instructions both seriously and literally, refusing to let Shuichi get out of bed. "Yuki, I'm fine," Shuichi insisted in the morning, but Eiri was resolute. He ordered room service at the beginning of the day to deliver all three of their meals.

"We'll go out tomorrow," the writer promised. "But only if you stop complaining."

Shuichi tried to make the best of his enforced confinement and began working on the two remaining songs he needed to finish. Eiri left to go buy the morning paper, and when he came back he found Shuichi sulking in bed with a blank tablet of paper.

"You can't write?" he asked, after Shuichi had told him his dilemma.

"No! Every time I try to work on my lyrics I just keep hearing that awful girl's voice butchering our song!"

The writer could definitely relate. "Have you tried listening to a different song?" he asked. "Maybe that will get it out of your head."

Shuichi shook his head. "I can't find my radio."

Eiri cursed inwardly. He'd never retrieved it after Shuichi dropped it by the side of the pool yesterday. "We'll get you another one when we get back," he promised. With everything that had happened he'd never given the device a second thought.

Shuichi buried his face in his pillow. "I don't know what to do, I have to have these songs finished by the end of the month or K will shoot me! I promised him that I'd get them done on time if he'd let me go on vacation, but I can't think of anything. Nothing helps, not even cuddling Tatsuha!"

Eiri twitched. Cuddling TATSUHA? He glared at his lover suspiciously. "Since when do you get inspired by cuddling with my brother?"

"Not THAT Tatsuha," Shuichi said, holding up the pillow he'd been squeezing against his chest. "THIS Tatsuha!"

"You named your pillow after my brother?" Eiri asked, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"No, Sakuma-san did. He carried it around the apartment for over an hour yesterday and then cried when I wouldn't let him take it home."

"You should have," Eiri grumbled. He hated to admit to being jealous over something so moronic, but he did NOT want his lover having a pillow named after his brother.

"But it's my favorite pillow, Yuki! I can't sleep without it," Shuichi responded, hugging it tightly to his chest. "I've had it ever since I was a little kid..."

"It's old, flat, and you spend most the night sleeping on me, not the pillow."

"Not when you make me sleep on the couch..."

The singer's eyes held just a hint of sadness, causing Eiri's heart to ache as he remembered the terror that seized him yesterday after pulling his unconscious mate from the water. The thought of those violet eyes never opening again had shaken him to the core.

"If I promise to never make you sleep on the couch again, will you buy a new pillow?"

Shuichi's eyes widened. "Really?"

The blonde nodded.

The singer's face lit up, and he latched onto Eiri happily. "Deal!!!"

Eiri stared blankly into space, letting himself be hugged. He'd never expected to be in a monogamous relationship, ever, in his lifetime; so how had he gone from needing nothing and no one to needing this hyper, overly cute idiot of a popstar... and to the point of being jealous of a pillow, no less?! He just couldn't figure it out. Finally he gave up contemplating and wrapped his arms around his lover, returning his embrace.

"Shuichi?"

Shuichi's ears perked up, taking notice of the rare use of his name. "Hm?"

The writer took a deep breath and rested his chin on the top of the singer's pink head. "I'm never going to be able to get rid of you, am I?"

"Never!" Shuichi declared fiercely, tightening his grip on his grumpy blonde boyfriend. "Like it or not, I'm here to stay!"

Eiri smiled slightly and closed his eyes. "Good."

Shuichi felt his heart melt at his love's indirect way of telling him that he was wanted, loved. God, how he loved this man... "Yuki?"

"What?"

"Do I really have to stay in bed ALL day?"

"Yes."

"With you?" Shuichi asked, sliding his hands inside his lover's shirt and feeling the soft, smooth skin underneath.

"Unless there's someone ELSE you'd rather spend the day in bed with," the blonde answered with a feral grin, pushing the younger man back onto the pillows. Shuichi pulled Eiri down with him and began unbuttoning his shirt as the writer's lips captured his own.

Suddenly spending the whole day in bed didn't sound so bad after all.  

[Questina]

In return for always getting to top in bed, Eiri rewarded his submissive lover with mind-blowing blow jobs. No one could make Shuichi moan, beg, and scream the way he did, and he took great pleasure in trying to coax every sound imaginable from the vocalist's diaphragm. This time was no different, the singer's cries had echoed off the walls as Eiri's hands and mouth brought him to climax. Unfortunately by the time Eiri had released the boy's manhood and crawled on top of him to satisfy his own aching need, he found that his boyfriend had passed out, completely dead to the world.

Which left a certain author feeling frustrated and crabby. He sat smoking on the edge of the bed, frustrated beyond belief. He just couldn't believe the damn brat had fallen asleep! He knew it probably wasn't the kid's fault; with everything that had happened yesterday his body was probably still too weak to handle too much at once.

I wonder if sex was included in the "strenuous activity" the doctor told him to avoid...

He glanced back at his naked lover, who was slumbering peacefully under the sheets.

Nah.

There was no way in hell he was going to leave Shuichi alone. Both his mind and his body wanted to take him over and over again; to lose himself inside his lover and assure himself that the person he loved was here, safe, alive.

I'll just be more gentle when he wakes up. He likes it when I'm gentle, anyway.

In the meantime, he needed someone or something to take his anger and frustration out on. He decided to call Tohma and find out what was going on with this new music group "rearranging" Shining Collection. Forget waiting until he got home, the more he thought about it the more he wanted answers. He grabbed his cell phone off the nightstand and dialed his brother-in-law's number.

"Seguchi speaking."

"Who the hell gave Whispering Phantom permission to sing Shining Collection?"

"Eiri-san, I believe it's customary to announce yourself before yelling at someone over the phone," Tohma's voice answered reproachfully on the other end. "You should begin a telephone conversation more politely."

"Just answer the damn question!"

"I gave them permission to create their own version of Shining Collection for their debut album. They just signed on with N-G and-"

"Have you heard them sing?!!" Eiri shouted into the receiver.

"No, I don't produce their band, but I figured you would approve since Whispering Phantom's lead singer is the granddaughter of that author you're so fond of. She's also a huge fan of your..."

Eiri never heard the end of Tohma's sentence. In a state of rage he threw the cell phone out the window, where it plummeted twenty-seven floors below and hit a passing monk on his bald head. The said monk looked up, wondering if this strange occurrence was some sort of divine message. Didn't objects falling from the sky usually mean something to that effect? That's right, it must be a sign! Pocketing the phone he hurried on, filled with a renewed sense of purpose.

Meanwhile twenty-seven stories above, Eiri was cursing his lack of restraint. Damn it, now he was going to have to buy another cell phone!

"Yuki?" a sleepy Shuichi called out to him from the bed, awakened by the sound of his shouting.

Eiri sighed. He really needed to learn to control his temper. He threw his cigarette out the window and returned to the singer's side, determined to finish what they'd started before he passed out again. Then maybe he'd give him a hand with those lyrics, just this once... He did NOT want that crazy American shooting holes in his walls again.  

[Questina]

Chapter Seven: The Customer is (Not) Always Right

.

Shuichi clung to the arm of "his Yuki" with hearts in his eyes as they walked though the streets of the resort town. Yesterday had been SO wonderful. Seeing the kinder, gentler side of his lover for a full 24 hours had been a dream come true. The critical writer had even helped him with his lyrics, something he'd sworn he would never do. It had renewed Shuichi's determination to restore the pessimistic man's faith in love so that maybe, someday, they could have days like that all the time. Maybe one day they could even have a normal, loving relationship. So what if he was a dreamer, dreams could come true! Yesterday had been proof!

"I'm so happy," he cooed, leaning on Eiri's shoulder.

"You've told me that a hundred times already."

"Well I am. Yesterday was SO wonderful..."

"Don't get used to it," Eiri grumbled. He wondered if a full day of spoiling Shuichi with gentle sex, cuddling and massages had ruined his icy, apathetic image.

Still, the day had been productive. Massaging the singer while he worked on his lyrics had helped relax and focus his mind while Eiri helped him find words that rhymed and gave suggestions whenever he got stuck. He had to admit they made a good team when he dropped the attitude and offered encouragement instead of criticism. They finished a full song together and got halfway through the second.

"I wish you hadn't broken my lucky pencil, though," Shuichi sighed sadly.

Eiri growled. Why did he have to keep bringing that up? "Will you shut up about the damn pencil already? I said I'd get you another one, so quit harping on it!"

Eiri hated mechanical pencils. He hadn't used them since he was a teenager under the tutorage of Yuki Kitazawa in America. He'd never liked the bother of having to figure out how to open and refill them, in his younger days he'd brought them to his tutor to refill for him. So when Shuichi asked him to refill his favorite pencil Eiri had been completely bewildered as to what to do. He couldn't even get the damn thing open. He tried using his hands, his teeth, and finally a pocket knife and only succeeded in breaking it. Shuichi had burst into tears claiming that he couldn't write a thing without it, and that had been the end of their cooperative efforts.

"I wish you'd have just asked me to open it for you," Shuichi said, as he had several times since yesterday.

"And I wish YOU would have just gotten up off your lazy a** and filled the thing yourself!"

"You wouldn't let me get out of bed!" Shuichi retorted. "I had to wait until you were either out of the room or asleep just to go to the bathroom!"

"Don't exaggerate!"

"But it's true!" the pink-haired man replied, before bursting into fits of giggles at their silly argument. He tightened his grip on Eiri's arm. "But it's okay, it was SO wonderful getting to spend the whole day with you!"

And their conversation was right back to where it had started. Eiri looked away, hiding a small smile. God, he's an idiot...

"Can we go in there?" Shuichi asked, pointing to the souvenir store.

"Whatever."

Eiri had absolutely forbidden Shuichi to go anywhere near the swimming pool or the hot springs for the rest of their trip, so to stop the boy's whining he'd promised to take him anywhere he wanted to go.

"Isn't that owl CUTE?" Shuichi asked, pointing to a plush bird in the window of the store.

Eiri stared at the stuffed animal in question. It was about four inches tall with a black leather beak and feet. And no wings. Weren't birds supposed to have wings? "It's hideous!" he exclaimed as his lover dragged him into the store.

"It is not! He's cute!"

"It's furry. Birds aren't supposed to have fur. And why doesn't it have any wings?"

"I don't know. Hey lady, do you think this bird's cute?" Shuichi asked a nearby shopper, grabbing her by the arm and pointing to the object in question.

"Uh... s-sure," the woman responded nervously, quickly moving to another part of the store.

"See, he IS cute! I'm going to go buy him!" The singer grabbed the bird and dashed off to go pay.

Eiri just rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He stepped outside the shop to smoke a cigarette and noticed a large crowd gathering at the bookstore. I wonder what's going on?

"I'm gonna name him Eiri-chan!" Shuichi announced a minute later, waving the owl in front of the real Eiri.

"Don't name that ugly thing after me!" Eiri yelled, pushing it away from his face. The distracted author hadn't noticed that his lover had exited the shop. He'd even forgotten that he wanted a cigarette.

"He's not ugly, Yuki, he's just misunderstood! Like you! That's why I'm naming him after you."

Eiri rolled his eyes again and turned back to the commotion going on at the bookstore.

Shuichi turned to see what had attracted his lover's attention. "Let's check it out!" he said, pulling Eiri by the hand.

The couple read the large sign sitting outside the front of the store.

Mamoru Eto book signing!
One day only!
Please form an orderly line here.

Shuichi looked up and noticed a familiar manic fire in his lover's golden eyes. Oh no... Before the singer could stop him, the irate author marched into the store.  

[Questina]

"Way to get us thrown out, Yuki!"

"Oh, shut up!"

"Do you think that guy's really serious about pressing charges?" Shuichi asked nervously.

"Who the hell cares?" Eiri snorted, reaching in his pocket for a cigarette. The box was empty. Damn!

"But he thinks you're stalking him, Yuki! What if-"

"Hey, do you want to go in there?" Eiri cut him off, pointing to the CD store across the street.

"Huh?" Shuichi looked at where his boyfriend was pointing. "Yes!!! I need to get Nittle Grasper's new CD!"

Thank Buddha that idiot is so easy to distract. Eiri stuck his hand in his other pocket, hoping that by some odd chance a stray cigarette might have magically found its way there. No dice.

"Look!" Shuichi pointed at the window of the music store, which was covered by various signs and posters. One of them read:

Whispering Phantom
Debut Album
GRUDGE
On sale now!

Shuichi bolted in the door, where the advertised CD was on display in the front of the store. He grabbed a CD off the shelf and read the back of the case. Sure enough Shining Collection was listed; it was the second song after Grudge. "Who the hell ARE these people?!" he shouted, looking at the picture of the band on the cover.

Eiri also took a CD and examined it. He wondered which of the four bimbos on the cover was Lola Eto. There was only one male in the group, a husky black man sitting behind a set of drums. Eiri hadn't seen a dark skinned person since the last time he was in America. In fact, only one of the members of Whispering Phantom looked even remotely Asian. He assumed that to be Eto's granddaughter. The other three women were Caucasian, and is his opinion not the least bit attractive. Two had ratty blonde hair in desperate need of combing and the third, a brunette, was overweight. How had these losers become part of N-G?

"We have to ask Seguchi-san about this, Yuki!"

Eiri decided now would not be the best time to tell the aggravated singer that he'd had that very opportunity yesterday and blown it by throwing his cell phone out the window. "What are you DOING?" he exclaimed suddenly, as Shuichi began grabbing all the CDs from the display.

"We can't let people buy these!"

"Put those back!" the author ordered, grabbing them from Shuichi's arms. "What are we supposed to do with so many copies of a CD we hate?"

"We can melt them in the microwave!"

"No!"

Shuichi's eye caught a teenage girl passing by holding a copy of "GRUDGE" is her hands. "You can't buy that!" he cried, snatching the CD away from her.

"Hey, give that back!" the girl yelled, grabbing for it.

"Shuichi, stop it!" Eiri shouted, but the singer refused to release his hold on the CD.

Pretty soon a crowd had gathered to watch Shuichi and the girl's game of tug-o-war. Deciding that he wanted no part of this stupidity, Eiri decided sneak away and try to find someplace that sold cigarettes. He would just slip off without being noticed and Shuichi could take care of the problems created by his own stupidity. He needed a nicotine fix. He slowly moved away from the scene his lover was causing and headed for the door. Unfortunately he'd forgotten that he was still holding a stack of CDs, which set the alarm off as soon as he tried to exit premises. So while security was breaking up the fight between Shuichi and the teenager, he had the pleasure of trying to explain to the staff of Music World that he was NOT trying to steal the fourteen copies of "GRUDGE" he'd tried to walk out the door with.

. . .

"Way to get us thrown in jail, moron!" Eiri yelled at his new cell mate.

Shuichi whimpered under Eiri's death glare as the cell door slammed shut behind them, closing off any chance of escaping his lover's wrath. He gulped, wondering what his chances were of living to see tomorrow.  

[Questina]

Three hours later the lawyer had still not arrived, and the lack of Nicotine combined with missing a dose of his medication was starting to mess with Eiri's head. He felt like every nerve in his body was on edge.

"I can't stay in here!" Eiri shouted at the guard. "I need my medication! And a cigarette!"

The guard was not sympathetic. "I'm sorry our accommodations aren't to your liking. Maybe you should have thought of that before you decided to go shoplifting."

"For the last time I was NOT trying to steal those CDs! I forgot I was still holding them!"

"Like no one's ever told me that one before," the cop replied, rolling his eyes. "Just how do you forget that you're holding fourteen CDs?"

"Look smart a**, I'm getting DAMN tired of your attitude! Do you have any idea who I AM?" Eiri shouted.

"Nope, and I assure you I don't care. Now sit down and shut up and we'll both be a lot happier."

Eiri growled and kicked the bars, adding a sore toe to his list of problems.

Shuichi decided to have a go at the cop next. "Please let us out! Yuki really needs his medicine, he might get sick if he doesn't take it! Plus he gets really crabby when he misses a dose and I'M the one who's locked in here with him!"

"Thanks a lot," the writer muttered, glaring at him.

"Well it's true," Shuichi told him, before turning to the cop again. "Please, I can make it worth your while Officer... huh..."

"Eto," the cop told him. "Officer Eto."

The writer and the singer exchanged looks.

"Eto? Are you by any chance related to Mamoru Eto, the author?"

"As a matter in fact, yes. He's my father."

Eiri felt like his head was about to explode. No more... he just couldn't take any more. How much was one human being expected to endure? He sank to the ground, still clutching the bars. Either the entire Eto family was out to get him or he was officially losing his mind.

"So that means you're Lola Eto's father?" Shuichi asked.

"No, she's my niece. Her father lives in America."

Thank heaven for that. Eiri thought, clutching the bars so tightly his knuckles turned white. At least there was one Eto out there who wasn't trying to destroy his vacation... his sanity... his LIFE.  

[Questina]

In the end, the combination of Shuichi's pleading and Eiri's banging his head against the bars like a crazy man convinced Officer Eto to send for a dose of Eiri's prescriptions. The author began to feel much better after the drugs had time to reenter his system, but he still wanted a cigarette.

The so-called "dinner" provided for them was the most disgusting thing the writer had smelled in a long, long time. Even the bread smelled like celery. Neither he nor Shuichi touched the soup, and any remaining hope Eiri had had in at least being able to eat the side dish was also lost. Celery sticks. He wondered if there was some kind of conspiracy going on and someone was using his most reviled food to torture him. He threw a celery stick at Officer Eto after the passing guard told him to "be a man and deal with it" while chugging down a can of beer to wash down the bag of Skittles he had just consumed.

"Are you allowed to drink on duty?" Eiri asked, his eyes narrowing.

"I'm off duty, buddy. I'm going home!"

Shuichi eyed the empty bag of candy mournfully. "Can I at least smell the wrapper?" he asked the cop, his eyes filling with tears.

Eto handed him the bag. "Here."

"Do you want to smell the can?" he mocked the author, waving the now-empty can in front of him.

"Go to hell!" Damn, was he ever sick of cops. They were either chasing him, fining him, or locking him up. Self-righteous assholes, his taxes paid those son of a bitches! Eto just laughed and continued on his way out.

Eiri went over to the bed and flopped down. When life sucked, it sucked HARD.

"Yuki, there's a Skittle in here!" Shuichi squealed, running over to him like he'd found a priceless treasure. "We can split it!"

"How the hell do you split ONE Skittle?"

"I don't know. Maybe I could bite it in half?"

"Just eat the damn thing!"

"Okay..." Shuichi popped the candy into his mouth and sat down next to his lover. "Yuki?" he asked, beginning to rub the stressed blonde's back and shoulders.

"What?"

"Your lawyer's gonna be here soon, right?"

"I sure as hell hope so."

"I don't want to stay here overnight..."

"You think I do?"

"No! They do things to people in jail, you know? I don't want to become some scary guy's girlfriend!"

Eiri snickered. "Too late, brat."

Shuichi moved his hands up to caress his lover's ears. "Meanie. Is that anyway to speak of your devoted wife?"

"You're a real nut job, you know that?" Eiri asked, feeling his nether regions awaken as his partner continued his gentle assault on his oh-so sensitive ears. He turned around to face the singer. "Besides, you might like doing things in jail."

"Yuki!"

"We've never done it in a jail cell before..." he whispered into the younger man's ear, who blushed as he was pulled him down for a kiss.

"Are you sure about this?" Shuichi asked, coming up for air a minute later. "Someone might see..."

"So?" the blonde replied as he began kissing the panting singer's throat. "Who cares?"  

[Questina]

Chapter Nine: Headache

.

It was ten-thirty when Eiri's attorney arrived, and by that time he was ready to strangle her. He was tired, hungry and his head was killing him. It took another half-hour to get them released, due to a stern talking-to they'd received about their choice of "leisure activities" while being detained. Apparently the sound of their love-making had caused several of the other men jailed there to suddenly decide to explore their homosexual nature. Eiri smirked, wondering if Shuichi's screams of "Oh GOD it's so good!!!" had been what set the chain reaction in motion. The little brat just couldn't keep quiet in bed to save his life. The author grinned with self-satisfaction. He was just that good.

By the time they left the station Eiri was ready to kill (if necessary) for a cigarette. He stopped at a nearby drug store on a mission to relieve his nicotine depravation. Shuichi disappeared immediately upon entering the shop, while Eiri headed straight to front counter where the cigarettes were sold.

"Aren't you going a bit overboard?" Shuichi asked when he returned, eyeing the four cartons Eiri was clutching protectively.

"Shut up."

Shuichi decided not to push the matter and dumped the pile of junk he was carrying on the counter. "See what I found?" he asked, holding up a two-pack of mechanical pencils. "Just like my other one!"

"Good for you. Just don't ask me to fill them." The blonde examined the rest of the crap his boyfriend had dumped on the counter. Pocky, candy, Eiri's preferred brand of headache medicine, lube, a music magazine and... douche?

"Why the hell are you buying douche?" he asked his lover.

The younger man blushed. "For... you know..."

Eiri raised an eyebrow. "What? Did you turn into a woman while I wasn't looking?"

"To keep clean. I don't want to be dirty or smell bad for you when we..."

"Sir? Are you ready to pay?" the clerk asked, saving Shuichi from finishing his embarrassing explanation.

Eiri blinked. Now that he thought about it he'd probably seen empty boxes of that stuff in the bathroom trash at home; he'd just never taken notice of it. He was beginning to think there were a lot of things he never paid attention to. Shuichi, on the other hand, seemed to take note of every detail of his life; like how he'd known which brand of pain reliever Eiri used and had known to buy some even though the writer had never mentioned that he had a headache. The younger man always put so much effort into their relationship and it was actually starting to bother Eiri that he rarely, if ever, made any effort at all.

"Hey, don't be embarrassed to let your man know what you go though to make him happy," the fruity-looking guy behind the counter was telling Shuichi as he rang up his purchases. "They never appreciate what we go through being on the receiving end, do they?" He scanned the box of douche and held it up. "I use a turkey baster for this myself."

"Turkey baster?" Shuichi asked, blinking.

"Yeah, it's good for getting in there deep. You should try it sometime."

"Just hurry up and bag this s**t, will you?" Eiri yelled at the man. With all of the stupid things Shuichi ALREADY did on a daily basis, the last thing he needed was some idiot encouraging him to shove a turkey baster up his a**.

"Ready!" Shuichi piped cheerfully as the cashier handed him his change. He grabbed his bag and followed Eiri out the door.

Eiri wondered if on previous occasions some of Shuichi's ridiculous stunts could have been avoided if he'd simply paid more attention and put a stop to them before the situation got out of hand. The incident at the CD store was a perfect example. Since he was just brooding over the fact that he never put any effort into their relationship anyway, perhaps now was a good time to start.

"If I catch you with a turkey baster you'd better be basting a damn turkey with it or I'm throwing your queer a** out a window!"

There. Making an effort felt good. Perhaps he would do so more often. He tore open a pack of cigarettes and pulled one out.

Shuichi took the bottle of painkillers out of his bag and handed them to his grouchy lover. "We need to get you a drink so you can take these."

"How did you know I have a headache?" Eiri asked, fumbling in his pocket for his lighter. Keys... change... pocket knife... Where the hell was it?

"I can tell," Shuichi responded. "Your eyes always have that glazed-over look whenever your head hurts. Plus it's time for your medicine again. I know you never feel good if you miss it."

How did this kid know him so well when he seemed oblivious the rest of the world?

"Where's my ******** lighter?!" he shouted, when he came up empty for the third time. The brat was right, he DID need his medicine. His unstable nervous state was always a sure sign.

"Check your other pocket," Shuichi advised.

Eiri did so, feeling monumentally stupid as he recovered the object he was seeking. He vowed never to go this long without nicotine again as he lit up.

Shuichi watched him for a moment before turning his attention to the bag he was holding. Eiri watched him out of the corner of his eye. The memory of his little lover laying unconscious by the side of the hotel pool two days ago still haunted him. The image was burned into his brain. It held him back when he wanted to hit the boy for doing something moronic, forced him to be gentle in bed, and filled him with an irrational fear that caused him to check and make sure the idiot- his idiot- was safe.

It was also starting to make him question himself. The brat had nearly drowned and he'd only taken notice after the boy had swallowed half the pool. A normal person would have looked up as soon as they'd heard the radio drop, and probably could have retrieved him before his head went underwater. If he hadn't been sitting there with his head up his a** Shuichi would have never had to go to the hospital. What was wrong with him?

"Can we get something to eat?" Shuichi asked, shuffling from one foot to the other as he waited for the blonde to finish smoking his precious cancer-stick. "I'm really hungry..."

"YOU should talk," Eiri scoffed. "I haven't had anything since breakfast."

"I haven't either!"

"You have too."

"Two slices of bread and a Skittle don't count!"

"And I suppose the pocky you're eating now doesn't count either?"

"No, it doesn't!"

"Fine, where do you want to eat?"

"Anywhere with food."

"Sounds good to me."  

[Questina]

In the end they settled on McTeriyaki Burgers from McDonalds, which they could eat in the car on the way back to the hotel. The hungry men devoured their food like they hadn't eaten in weeks and were both finished by the time they reached their destination. It was after midnight when they got back to the hotel, and Eiri looked and felt like a wreck. He'd washed down two capsules of the headache medicine with the soda from McDonald's (damn burger joints, why didn't they ever have any BEER?) but his headache was only getting worse. He nearly drove into a concrete pillar in the parking garage and wound up parking in two spaces.

Let them fine me, I don't give a damn anymore.

"Don't worry, Yuki," Shuichi said soothingly as he put the older man's arm over his shoulders and led him into the hotel. "I'll run and get your medicine as soon as we get in the door."

"Just shut up!" Eiri tried to yell, but his voice only came out hoarse and exhausted. "Your voice is grating..." He leaned on the smaller man tiredly and let himself be guided to the elevator. He felt like little elves were jack hammering inside his brain. The fact that he was seeing double wasn't helping either.

Shuichi obeyed his demand for quiet, and silently steered him up to their room and to the bed. The author collapsed onto it, closing his eyes and trying to will the pain to go away. A minute later he felt gentle hands tugging at him. He opened an eye. Shuichi was standing by the side of the bed with his bag of medicines in one hand and a glass of water in the other.

"You should have brought beer," the tired blonde complained, forcing himself to sit up and sort through the bag until he found the right bottles. He downed the pills in one quick gulp and handed the glass back. Shuichi set it down and began helping him undress. "I can do it myself," Eiri grumbled, swatting his hands away. "I don't need your help."

"Yes, you do," Shuichi answered gently. "You're trying to unbutton your zip-up jacket."

He was still wearing a jacket? He hadn't noticed. At least that explained why he couldn't find any buttons. He conceded and let Shuichi help him remove his clothes.

"Don't worry Yuki, I promise I'll take good care of you," Shuichi whispered, after he'd stripped his lover down to his underwear and helped him to lie down. "Just like you always take care of me."

"I don't do a damn thing for you," Eiri snapped, pressing his hands against his throbbing skull. "I'd wonder why you were still with me, but I've finally accepted the fact that you're just too stupid to leave."

"That's not true," Shuichi whispered, covering him with the sheet. He knew Eiri's emotions fluctuated wildly when he missed a dose of the stabilizers his psychiatrist prescribed for him, especially when he was in pain. His partner could go from angry to paranoid to self-loathing in a matter of minutes. On rare occasions he had even broken down in tears, making Shuichi fully grasp the scope of the damage that Yuki Kitazawa's betrayal and violent death had done to his mind. Nobody knew what this man went through, the singer wondered if even Mika and Tohma fully understood the depth of the suffering Eiri hid under his cold exterior.

"Two days ago you saved my life," the singer said softly. "And all yesterday you stayed with me and took care of me. You were nicer to me than you've ever been and it made me so happy."

"If I had pulled you out of the water sooner, you wouldn't have stopped breathing... I should have paid more attention..."

Shuichi shushed him gently, combing his fingers though his hair. He knew Eiri had been crying when he woke up at the hospital that day, but he never dreamed that the blonde might blame himself for what had happened. You really are a good person. Shuichi thought. I'm going to be here for you for as long as we live, cherishing every beat of your heart, and someday I'm going to figure out how to make you happy.

He hoped that one day his lover wouldn't need all the pills, alcohol, and nicotine he used to get himself through each day. Maybe someday the blonde would smile instead of scowl, and hold "his Shu-chan" close instead of pushing "the brat" away. Maybe there would even come a time when Yuki's laughter would become commonplace instead of a rare occurrence. That was Shuichi's fondest dream, to give his Yuki a normal life free of the emotional and psychological baggage that weighed him down. Someday, even if it took his entire lifetime, he was going to help Yuki get well.

"Aren't you coming to bed?" the blonde inquired. "Or are you just going to stare at me all night?"

Shuichi smiled and kissed his love's aching head before shrugging off his jacket and crawling into bed, not bothering to undress. He curled up against his mate and fell fast asleep.  

[Questina]

Chapter Ten: Of Crazed Monks, Lost Luggage, and Giant Hamburgers

.

Eiri woke up to soft humming and the feeling of a gentle hand stroking his hair. He liked that tune... Shuichi's smiling face greeted his vision as he opened his eyes.

"Good morning," his pink-haired cherub said softly.

"What's so good about it?" the blonde grumbled, determined not to be taken in by his lover's cuteness. "And why are you still up? I told you to go back to bed." Shuichi had woken him up earlier to take his medicine, something he'd never done before. Eiri wondered why he'd bothered to do so today.

"That was hours ago, Yuki. It's after noon now."

Eiri rolled over to look at the clock hanging on the wall. 12:36. Damn. He stretched and sat up, reaching over to grab his lighter and pack of cigarettes from the nightstand. "Why did you wake me up this morning?" he asked.

"So you wouldn't have a headache when you got up," Shuichi responded. "With everything that happened yesterday and how horrible you felt last night I thought I should start taking better care of you."

"I don't need you to take care of me," Eiri replied stubbornly, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and lighting his cigarette.

"I know," Shuichi smiled, hugging him from behind. "But that's what people who love each other do, right? They take care of each other."

They sat in silence for a few minutes as Eiri smoked. The singer was so uncharacteristically quiet as he snuggled against his mate's back that the blonde started to wonder if he'd fallen asleep until he heard a sigh of contentment. Finally he stubbed his cigarette butt into the hotel ashtray and asked, "Did you get our stuff packed yet?"

"No, why?"

"Because we're leaving as soon as I take a shower and get dressed."

"What? But we're not supposed to leave until tonight!"

"Our plans have changed."

"But Yuki I don't WANT to go home yet!" Shuichi whined. "This is suppose to be our last day of vacation!"

"Too damn bad. I've had enough vacationing to last me a hell of a long time. You'll be lucky if I EVER go anywhere with you again after what you've put me through on this trip!"

Shuichi pressed his face against his lover's back, trying not to cry. "I'm sorry our vacation turned out to be such a disaster. I really wanted us to have a good time and get away from our problems, you know? I kinda hoped it would be like a long date or something..."

"Dates don't include visits to the hospital or the local police station. Neither do vacations... except ours."

"I'm sorry, Yuki..." the singer whispered sadly.

The writer stood up, leaving his dejected boyfriend sitting on the bed staring at him like a sad, lonely puppy.

"Get everything packed and ready to go," he commanded, getting a towel and fresh set of clothes. Shuichi just continued to stare at him pitifully. "Come on, we've got a lot to do before we go home. We've got to buy a mattress, a pillow, a radio..."

Shuichi perked up immediately. "Really?"

"Yes, and if you hurry up and get everything packed by the time I'm done I'll take you out to eat before we go shopping," Eiri added, hoping it would encourage the kid to get moving. It did. Satisfied that the day was off to a good start, he headed for the shower.  

[Questina]

The couple met with a strange sight as they exited the hotel with their luggage. A monk was standing across the street ranting about how he had been "awakened" when a divine object sent by Buddha had fallen from the sky and hit him on the head. Eiri scoffed as the man waved the "divine" cell phone in the air, telling the story to any idiot who would listen. He shook his head and headed to the parking garage with his luggage. Where did people come UP with this s**t? After a few steps he noticed that his pink-haired "shadow" was missing from his side. "Shuichi?"

He turned around to find his gullible lover crossing the street to see the "divine cell phone" for himself. With the exception of the large duffel bag strapped over the boy's shoulder, his luggage lay abandoned at the hotel entrance.

"Come on, you moron!" Eiri yelled, causing Shuichi to stop in the middle of the street. He turned to look at the blonde, nearly getting hit by a car in the process. "Get out of the road, idiot!" Eiri shouted. The singer ran to the other side of the street, where the "awakened" monk was waiting to tell his story. The writer groaned. Where did all these religious nuts come from, and why was he always the unfortunate person who chanced upon them?

"Yuki, this phone has our picture on it!" Shuichi yelled from across the road.

The writer left his suitcase against the side of the building and marched across the street, not heeding the cars honking at him. Of all the stupid, moronic...

"See?" Shuichi pointed excitedly when Eiri had reached the other side. "Look!"

Eiri examined the "phenomenon" for himself; and sure enough the brat had been telling the truth. The print club photo he and Shuichi had taken at the amusement park ages ago was still stuck on the inside flap of the phone where he'd strategically placed it so that Shuichi wouldn't see it.

"That's my phone!" he yelled at the monk accusingly, as if the poor man had picked his pocket rather than innocently picked up the discarded item off the ground.

The monk bolted, phone in hand, deciding that the irate blonde was a madman trying to steal his holy relic. Buddha had sent it to him after all, why should he give it away to some thief? Eiri took off after him, and after standing around bewildered for a few seconds Shuichi followed suite, still lugging the heavy bag over his shoulder. Four blocks later Eiri recovered his cell phone after catching up with the monk and threatening to beat him within an inch of his life if he didn't hand it over.

"That was a terrible thing to do, Yuki!" Shuichi scolded as they headed back to the hotel. "Monks are supposed to be treated with respect!"

"Well then shut up and get off my back already. I'm a monk, treat me with respect." He pocketed his broken cell phone, grinning smugly. Shuichi just sighed tiredly.

When they reached the hotel entrance, the two were in for a nasty shock.

"Where's our luggage?" Shuichi asked meekly, hoping his lover would have a good, logical explanation as to why their suitcases weren't where they'd left them.

"It got stolen, you IDIOT!" the other man roared.

Any explanation except THAT.