Gravitation Fan Fiction ❯ White Butterflies ❯ gardening with the usegi's ( Chapter 3 )

Tatsuha woke up the next morning to the sound of the bathroom shower running, with Ryuuichi not beside him in bed. He had been so tired from the night before that it had taken him a moment to remember that he had fallen asleep beside his idol. He vaquely remembered wking up a few times in the middle of the night, his eyes taking in the smooth curve of Ryuuichi's back as he slept soundly on hsi stomach.

He had not doubts that it was Ryuuichi that was in the shower, his clothes strewn about the room. Tatsuha sighed as he spread out flat on his back, imaging Ryuuichi under the hot, steamy water, the slightest hint of soap trailing across his bare chest and legs and various other interesting places. Thinking about Ryuuichi in such a way never failed to arouse him, and he started to loosen his pants to releive the pressure before there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it." Ryuuichi shouted form within the bathroom.

Tatsuha scrambled to make himself presentable as he sat politely over the rumpled blankets on the bed, his eyes widening as Ryuuichi came out of the bathroom, answering the door with only a towel around his waist.

"Good morning, Mr. Sakuma." the maid squeaked out in surprise.

Ryuuichi smiled. "Good morning, young lady. Bright and early this morning as always. I see you brought breakfast as well?" he asked.

The maid smiled with a slight blush. "Oh yes, Mr. Seguchi himself insisted on having breakfast delievered to you and Mr. Usegi. Pardon me while I clean your room." she said.

"By all means." Ryuuichi said, examing the contents of the pair's meal.

Tatsuha walked over to where Ryuuichi was standing, keeping out of the way as Ryuuichi returned tot he bathroom to finish dressing, returning with said towel slung around his neck and a pair of low slung black jeans on with bare feet.

"Help yourself to whatever you like, Tatsuha. Touma always arranges for all of us to have hardy, nutritious meals sent up. Would you mind handing me my black tank top from the dresser?" he asked.

Tatsuha nodded, retrieving the garment after a short search, taking inventory of their breakfast selections while Ryuuichi pulled the shirt down over his head, sweeping the plush towel across his damp hair.

"Much better." he said.

Waiting politely until the maid left, the two men made themselves generous plates filled with freshly cut fruit, slices of crunchy bacon and fluffy omelets. Ryuuichi barely blinked an eye as there was a brief knock on the door before Touma and Noriko walked in.

"Good. I see you've gotten breakfast already. Good morning, Sakuma-san, Usegi-san. I trust you had a pleasant evening, no problems getting back?" Touma asked.

Tatsuha smiled. "I don't remember exactly whe we made it in last night, but we just woke up just before you got here." he said.

"Well, I just came by to let you know that I have checked Ryuuichi's schedule for today and he has no media obligations for the day, so the two of you are free to spend the day however you like." Touma said.

"Just don't forget about that promotional softball game with Bad Luck that's going to be recorded live for that music television station this weekend." Noriko scolded him.

Ryuuichi smiled. "I'm looking forward to it. I'm plannign to prove to Hiro and Shuichi that just because they're younger than me, doesn't mean I can't keep up with them. Thanks for the reminder." he said.

Noriko smiled. "No problem. Just keep your eye on this young stud today. I wish I was the lucky one instead of you." she teased playfully, stroking a hand across Tatsuha's backside.

Tatsuha jumped, startled and a little embarrassed, as the two musicians left the two men alone in the room. Ryuuichi gathered up Tatsuha's empty plate and his own, returning them to the maid's room service tray, sighing as he slumped down across the bed. Pushing his hair away from his face, he caught Tatsuha's eye by pulling his shirt away from his midsection to expose his flat stomach.

"So, do you have any plans for today? I can hang out here if I have to, but you know I'd rather not." Ryuuichi complained with a smile.

"Well, since I really didn't pack that much stuff in my hurry to show up on time to take you to the zoo yesterday, I thought I would go over to my brother's house and finish doing that." Tatsuha told him.

Ryuuichi thought about this for a moment. "Going over to your brother Eiri-san's house, huh? I guess I can handle that, if you don't mind me tagging along." he said.

"Of course not! I did make a promise to you, right? This is supposed to be our unforgettable summer together, so you couldn't get rid of me if you tried." Tatsuha said with a smile.

"I definitely wouldn't try. I've had a blast already and it hasn't even been a whole two days yet. I enjoy your company, Tatsuha." he said.

"I feel the same way about you. I guess we can leave whenever you're ready." he told the singer.

The singer rose up off the mattress to put on his socks and heavy black boots. "Tatsuha?" he asked.

The teen turned to look at him "Yes?" he asked.

"I'm sorry about last night. I have to admit that it's been a long time since I've genuinely wanted to be close to someone. I guess I have some issues with that." he admitted.

"You don't own me an apology. I was out of line in the first place for what I did at the zoo. You mean more to me than just a fullfillment of a fantasy." Tatsuha said.

Ryuuichi smiled, walking over to the teen and embracing him. "Thank you. You don't know how much I appreciate hearing that." he said.

Tatsuha closed his eyes with a soft exhale, returning his idol's embrace, breathing in the scent of his freshly washed hair and the earthy essense of the man he loved even more than ever.

"What the hell are you bastards doing here, interrupting me while I'm busy working?" Yuki asked his brother and Ryuuichi, as they walked inside the blonde writer's sparsely decorated home.

Tatsuha narrowed his eyes at him. "We didn't come to disturb you. I just came by to finish packing for my summer job. Eiri, this is Ryuuichi. I'm sure you've met before." Tatsuha said.

Yuki shook the singer's offered hand. "Yes. We've met before. We met a long time ago when he and Touma first formed Nittle Grasper." Yuki said.

Ryuuichi returned his handshake. "Yes. Your brother Eiri-san is not one easily forgotten." he told Tatsuha.

"I just hope my idiot brother isn't giving you any grief. Lord knows, I'm going to be glad to be rid of him for the summer." Yuki said.

Realizing it would do him no good to try to defend himself, Tatsuha instead concentrated on what he had come there to do.

"Make yourself at home, Ryuuichi, since my brother is obviously too impolite to even offer you a drink. Tell me, whose idea was it really to hire my brother for the summer?" Yuki asked Ryuuichi.

Ryuuichi frowned at him. "I think you're being much too hard on your brother. I've never had any reasons to doubt your brother-in-law Touma's decisions on my behalf. Or is there more to it than that, like the age difference between us?" he asked.

Yuki frowned. "My brother may be young, but he is definitely not innocent. Don't let him fool you into thinking anything different." Yuki said.

Ryuuchi sighed. "I can see that you haven't changed at all since I knew you last, Eiri-san. I would have thought that being with Shuichi-san would have softened you a little. I guess I was wrong. I hope you'll excuse me." Ryuuichi said.

Yuki barely looked up to acknowledge the singer walking away, drowning himself on calls on his cellphone. Ryuuichi searched the house for the younger, more friendly brother, finding him busy folding clothes into lightweight nylon suitcases.

"Hi." Ryuuichi said.

Tatsuha smiled. "Hi. I'm nearly finished here. Did you and my brother have a nice talk?" he asked.

"Yes. It just reminded me why I never kept in contact with Touma's in-laws, even though I get along fine with you and Mika-san." Ryuuichi said.

"Yes. His personality is often a hard pill to swallow. I honestly don't see what Shuichi saw in him, although they seemed happy until Shuichi chose Hiro. I sometimes wonder if Eiri-san is bitter about that." Tatsuha thought aloud.

"Oh yes, Nakano-san is very handsome and so very loyal to Shuichi-san. Touma and I have been best friends for nearly as long, but we've never been as close as they are. I almost envy them." Ryuuichi sighed wistfully.

Tatsuha was about to respond just before his thoughts were interrupted by his brother's angry shout from the living room. Concerned, the two men rushed out to find what the commotion was about.

"Yes, you bastards, I told you to be here an hour and a half ago! I don't know why I hired you in the first place! I have that photo shoot crew arriving in less than three hours! Screw you! I'll take my business elsewhere! Goodbye!" Yuki exclaimed.

"What's the matter, Eiri-san?" Tatsuha asked.

Yuki sighed. "Well, if you must know, I had been asked by one of the publishers of Houses and Landscapes Magazine to showcase my home in an upcoming issue of their magazine. I had arranged for some landscapers to come by and set up an arrangement for my front yard. I don't know what I'm going to do now." he told them.

"I have a great idea! Since your brother and i have no plans for the day, he and I could take on this gardening project ourselves! What do you think, Tatsuha?" Ryuuichi asked him.

"Before you say no, Eiri-san, think about this. That magazine may even be intriqued to see the three of us communing with the soil." Tatsuha told him.

Yuki's eyes widened. "Three? I never volunteered to help! But if you insist on helping out, I guess I'll accept your offer as long as it doesn't involve me." he told them.

Ryuuichi smiled. "Great! I have some costumes back at the hotel that we can wear to the gardening supply store." he said.

"Costumes?" the two brothers said in unison.

"I didn't think it was that funny." Tatsuha complained, making lat minute preparations on the costume Ryuuichi had given him to wear.

"I don't think Yuki was laughing at you, Tatsuha. It was probably my costume more than yours." Ryuuichi said.

In truth, Tatsuha thought they both looked ridiculous, dressed as an aged old botanist and his very pregnant granddaughter. The matching wigs that they wore made them look much more the part, Ryuuichi's hair down his back, Tatsuha's in a long braid. The huge bushy eyebrows and thick glasses on Tatsuha were nothing compared to the huge pregnancy belly and fake bosom tha this idol wore beneath an oversized blue floral dress.

Yuki, upon seeing them, had laughed so hard he had given himself a nosebleed. The good part was that because he had garnered so much entertainment at their expense, Yuki had given them a little extra money for their trouble.

"You can be so hateful sometimes, Eiri-san." Tatsuha chided him for his continued laughter, waving his cane at his brother.

Yuki glanced over at them for where he was sitting with his head back with a hand pinched over his nose to stop the bleeding. "Just go already before I change my mind." he told them.

Thinking better than to take his motorcycle with Ryuuichi in his "condition", they opted instead to borrow one of Yuki's many cars, one that wouldn't draw that attention to them.

"Your brother made us a really extensive list, didn't he?" Ryuuchi asked, absentmindingly stroking his enormous stomach.

"That's okay. I think it will be interesting to get down in his yard and make it look even better than it does now." Tatsuha said.

"He does have a beautiful home." Ryuuichi agreed.

Not having spent that much time there himself, Tatsuha didn't really have an opinion about his older brother's home. He knew for a fact that Yuki had orginally bought the house as a home for him to Shuichi to share, and now it had become a burden and a reminder of better times. The fact that Yuki had decided to showcase his home for the media proved that maybe there was hope for his brother after all.

Tatsuha hadn't even noticed that he had been lost in his thoughts until he felt Ryuuichi reach over to brush a bothersome hair away from his face.

"Sorry. You just looked thoughtful just now. Do you have a lot on your mind?" Ryuuichi asked.

"No more than usual. I'm sorry for getting distracted. My attention should be on you since it's my job to watch over you for the summer." Tatsuha said.

'Don't worry. You're doing a great job. I'm actually excited about doing some gardening. I haven't gotten to do anything like that in years, probably since I was a teenager." he said.

"Well, if it means anything, this will kinda be a first for me too, especially gardening with one of my musical idols." Tatsuha said.

Ryuuichi blushed. "I don't know what to say...thank you." he responded.

Tatsuha smiled over at his companion, finding himself as enchanted as ever by the older man's flushed state. There was a part of him that wanted to believe that there was a certain amount of intimacy to gardening together, and even if he never got the chance to be close to Ryuuichi like he had the day before, he wouldn't change a thing about their time together.

He'd forgotten how uncomfortable it was to wake up with a raging erection, the cause of his troubles lying right beside him in bed. He had been sorely tempted to accept Ryuuichi's offer the night before, wishing forever that he could claim the singer body and soul and call him his own. He had to stifle his groan thinking about the sweetness of his idol's mouth, the lean strength of their bodies against each other...

"Is this the place?" Ryuuichi asked him, as they drove into the parking lot of the gardening center.

Tatsuha nodded as he parked the car, lending his hand to his companion to help him out of the car to keep up the premise of their costumes. When Ryuuichi made no effort to extract his hand from his own, Tatsuha accepted this simple affectionate gesture, hobbling beside the falsely pregnant singer into the building.

The peaceful strains of a soft jazz melody greeted them as the pair browsed through their colorful surroundings. They hadn't realized how impressive a selection they would have, ranging from the colr varities of many fragrant blossoms, the brillant foliage of large tropical plants or the heights of maturing shade trees.

After staring at the strangely dressed twosome for a moment, the store manager came out to greet the old man and his pregnant granddaughter.

"You're the Skye's, I'll presume? Welcome. Mr. Eiri has already called his order ahead, so my men are ready to leave whenever you are. I can only hope the two of you are not the ones doing the work?" he asked them.

Tatsuha squeezed Ryuuichi's hand affectionately. "Of course not! I wouldn't even consider letting my precious granddaughter here get her fingernails dirty doing such manuel labor. Wouldn't want her to go into labor before she's ready." Tatsuha said.

Ryuuichi leaned over to place a kiss across Tatsuha's cheek. "You're so thoughtful, Grandpa." he said in a convincing feminine voice.

Tatsuha stifled his blush as he informed the manager that they were indeed ready and arranged to meet the workers at his brother's home.

Falling silent on the drive back to the house, Tatsuha could tell that Ryuuichi was excited about the events ahead, making him wonder how much his idol had missed out on being in the spotlight for such a long time.

He guessed that there were downsides to being famous, even if being so allowed a person a better lifestyle. His own family had never suffered for money but appreciated all they had, and Tatsuha was as comfortable being a monk as he was being Ryuuichi's bodyguard. If this truly was the first time for Ryuuichi to do something like this in a long time, he wanted to make sure it was memorable for him.

His dedication to his idol did not surprise him. He felt as though he owed the older man for all the years of pleasurable fantasties and musical talent he had been honored to share. The teen's only skills were that of the monastic variety, and to be able to garden with his honey Ryuuichi...words failed to describe his feelings.

Tatsuha was still awash with emotion over his good fortune as they made it back to the house, shedding their heavy costumes for much lighter clothing. Surprisely enough, a pair of cut off denim shorts of his own fit the much more petite singer and he was more than happy to lend him one of his comfortable baggy tee shirts to get sweaty in. Tatsuha changed into a pair of shorts himself and a white tank top.

"Wow. Wearing white really puts a lot of emphasis on your dark hair." Ryuuichi commented.

"Thanks. I think the men from the landscaping supply are finished. Let's get started." Tatsuha said.

The two men passed Yuki as he walked up to the doorway with a cigerette in hand. "Those people from the magazine are already here. They heard Ryuuichi was going to be here and they couldn't get here fast enough. Just remember I'm not getting involved." he reminded them.

Tatsuha ignored his brother's coldness, focusing instead on the job ahead of them. Yuki followed them outside to greet his guests.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Eiri. When we contacted you before about showcasing your home, we had no idea that you had asked Ryuuichi Sakuma of Nittle Grasper to help with the photo shoot. And who might this young man be? He's very photogenic." one of the reporters said.

"This is my brother Tatsuha. He's working for Sakuma-san for the summer. The two of them volunteered to help out with the gardening when other plans fell through." Yuki said.

"How wonderful! This would be a great angle for our feature. Would it be okay with the two of you if we photographed you hard at work?" the rporter asked.

Tatsuha smiled. "Only if my brother Yuki agrees to be a part of this with us." he said.

"What?!" Yuki exclaimed. He narrowed his eyes at the teen with clenched teeth. "Why, you little..." he said under his breath.

"We'd hate to put you out if it's an inconvience, Mr. Eiri, but I'm sure that doing so gardening with your brother and Mr. Sakuma would only cause your female readership to endear themselves to you more." the reporter told him.

Not wishing to alienate those that provided him the lifestyle in which he was accustomed, Yuki sighed and went along with the changes in the magazine's photo shoot.

He would never admit it aloud, but the uptight blonde writer actually found himself almost enjoying himself as he crouched on his knees to assist his brother and Ryuuichi in their gardening efforts. He was sure that Touma would have a fit if he could see the childlike Ryuuichi digging into the earth like a man possessed, tenderly planting the many colred blooms of various flowers around the most scenic parts of his yard.

Tatsuha had gone inside to make them some cold iced tea and had brought damp washclothes for all of them to wash the sweat away. The magazine photographers devoured this scene as if there were at a buffet and were as eager to celebrate afterwards as the trio were.

"I hope you gentlemen will excuse me, but I think I'm going to borrow Mr. Eiri's shower now, if that's okay with him." Ryuuchi said.

Yuki waved him away with a sigh. "Yes, yes, fine, fine. Go ahead." he told him.

"Thank you for an eventful photo shoot, Mr. Eiri. I'm sure this will be the most collectible of all of our issues." the reporter said.

Yuki nodded as he shook the man's hand. "Thank you." he told them.

Barely taking note of their departure, Yuki glanced over at his teen brother, slumped over on his back on his nearly maincured lawn, mindlessly swatting away ants as they atrempted to crawl onto him. He walked over to Tatsuha and kicked him softly in the foot.

"Get up, you lazy bastard. You're ruining my lawn." he told him.

Tatsuha squinted at him, shielding his eyes from the sun as he sat up. "Yeah, okay. Would you mind giving a guy some help up?" he asked.

"Gods, you're useless. Here." Yuki said, offering his brother a hand.

"Thanks." Tatsuha said, brushing the grass off of himself.

"I just wanted to let you know that since you and Ryuuichi offered to help out, I decided to cook the two of you dinner. You'll here to make dessert yourselves though, if you want it." Yuki said.

Tatsuha stared at him dumbfounded for a minute. "Thank you, Eiri." he said.

Yuki managed a faint smile at his brother before walking away to go inside.

As much as Tatsuha wanted to strip down and shower himself, he knew the bathroom was already occupied by Ryuuichi. Throwing his tank top into his dirty clothes hamper, he rested against the closed door with his eyes closed, almost falling backwards when Ryuuichi opened the door.

"Oh Tatsuha, it's you. I'm done in here if you want to use the shower. It's okay if you come in." Ryuuichi said.

Too exhausted to argue, Ryuuichi accepted his invitation, once again surprised to see his idol in only a towel. This towel was much more revealing than the thick one at the hotel, one that Tatsuha knew Yuki kept around as a spare when laundry needed to be done.

This towel rested very low on his hips and high on his thighs, molding itself to his rounded backside. Keeping his eyes from venturing below his idol's waistline, he instead focused on his own hardening arousal as he prepared to step into the shower.

"Tatsuha, wait. Are you going in dressed like that?" Ryuuichi asked him.

Tatsuha stammered to find his voice. "I think that would be best, yes." he told him.

"You know, you really do have an impressive frame for being so young. I wasn't aware that monks were so lean and muscular." Ryuuichi said.

Tatsuha laughed nervously. "It must be all the rice and homemade wine." he said.

Ryuuichi nodded. "Perhaps, or it could be from less than a monastic lifestyle. Not that I would ever judge you, Tatsuha. I know when I was your age, I definitely wasn't interested in being a singer because of the music." Ryuuichi said.

"The only music I ever really cared about was the music that you created, Ryuuichi, not the kind I created with others." Tatsuha told him.

"Yes. It took me a long time to realize that real pleasure was in making other people happy. Making you happy, Tatsuha, makes me happy." Ryuuichi said.

"I couldn't be any happier than I am right now, Ryuuichi." he told him.

Tears almost came to the teen's eyes when he saw Ryuuichi's face break out into a smile, something he had helped the singer achieve with his words. This reminded him of some of his bathroom fantasies about Ryuuichi, about them being pretty much in the same scenario, either occupying themselves with favors tended to each other, or wrapped in each other's arms beneath a steamy shower.

It would be too easy to give in and drag Ryuuichi into the shower with him, to have their wet bodies slide against each other in anticipation of more...lost again in his daydreams, he hadn't noticed that Ryuuichi had inched closer to him in the effort to get his attention. The feeling of Ryuuichi's hand sliding to the nape of his neck to weave into his hair did the trick, forcing Tatsuha's eyes to meet with his idol's.

"Ryuuichi." he said softly.

The two men stared into each other's eyes for the longest time before finally coming together in each other's arms, Tatsuha's mouth slanting over Ryuuichi's for an intense, fevered kiss. He hadn't expected to be quite so forceful with the singer, but his need to be close to his Ryuuichi had called all the shots.

Ryuuichi's skin was still damp against his hands, Ryuuichi's hands sweeping down across the small of Tatsuha's back. Tatsuha parted from the kiss slightly with a sharp gasp when Ryuuichi echoed his action from the night before. This reaction caused the singer to bury his head in the teen's hair to test his bodyguard's restraint.

"You shouldn't get in the shower with those on." Ryuuichi told him, his hands roaming to the fastenings of Tatsuha's shorts.

"Ryuuichi..." he gasped, feeling the singer part the fabric to touch him.

Tatsuha reached out to press Ryuuichi closer to him, allowing Ryuuichi to distract him with a deep, passionate kiss as he continued his hand's assault. He so badly wanted to return the favor in too many ways to count, and could feel Ryuuichi arch his hips towards him in invitation just before they were startled apart by a loud knock on the door.

"What are you two doing in there? Dinner's ready!" Yuki shouted.

Tatsuha blushed furiously. "We'll be right out." he told him.

Sighing with relief as Yuki walked away, Tatsuha smiled over at his flushed companion, still in shock that they had been so intimate.

"I don't think anything but a cold shower is going to get rid of this." Tatsuha said about his condition.

Ryuuichi nodded, understanding completely. "I guess we'd better hurry so we don't make Eiri-san more upset. I'll see you in a few minutes." he said.

Tatsuha smiled. "Okay." he said.

Damn Yuki and his bad timing, Tatsuha thought. He still couldn't believe that he had practically been leaning against the bathroom wall, allowing Ryuuichi to pleasure him with those long talented fingers of his. If Yuki hadn't interrupted...all sorts of things might have happened. Ryuuichi might have continued his hand's journey instead with that sweet mouth of his or Tatsuha could have done the same to him.

Would any amount of icy cold water relieve him of this problem that had no end, he wondered. He wondered what would be worse, an neverending erection or blasting his most sensitive area until it was an icicle? Those thoughts finally allowed him some relief, along with a little help of his own.

"I didn't know that you were such a good cook, eiri-san. How did you know to make my favorite dish, curried noodles with Jasmine tea?" Ryuuichi asked Yuki.

Yuki rolled his eyes, setting out on the counter the dish that had lured the singer out into the kitchen. Thoughts of the similiarties between Ryuuichi's slight build and of the memories of his ex-lover's flashed through his mind, another one of the many reasons he disliked the singer that shared almost as many years as he did.

Yuki knew he had to tolerate Ryuuichi for his brother's sake as well as for Touma, owing the man for a lifetime of dedicated friendship. True friends were hard to come by, especially ones that could deal with him on a personal level.

"My brother is always ranting on and on about what they write about you in magazines, your height, hair color, eye color, favorite foods. I guess I must have paid attention once or twice. It wasn't intentional." Yuki said.

"Don't let him fool you. He's a great cook when he sets his mind to it. You didn't shower, Eiri?" Tatsuha asked, walking into the kitchen.

Yuki narrowed his eyes at him. "No. My bathroom was occupied for some reason. You could've at least let me use it if you weren't going to." he scolded his brother.

"Ryuuichi and I will be gone tomorrow and you'll have the house to yourself again." Tatsuha said.

"I honestly don't care either way. I've already gotten the table set. Let's sit down and eat before it gets cold." Yuki said.

The two brothers and Tatsuha's honey Ryuuichi wasted no time sitting down at the table to pay homage to Yuki's offerings from the kitchen, the sweet jasmine tea cooling against the spicy heat of the delicious steaming curry noodles.

Tatsuha was grateful that Yuki had remembered such a minor detail about the man he adored and almost admired his brother for the small token of brotherly affection. Surprisely, he was closer to Yuki than he was Mika, Mika mainly concerned with the trappings of being the high profile wife of their record producer brother-in-law. Neither he or Yuki had ever heard any complaints about their long standing marriage, knwing their very vocal sister would definitely have something to say if she wasn't happy.

Losing himself in thoughts of what he and Ryuuichi had shared in the bathroom, Tatsuha could definitely see himself in the long term with the older man. What bothered him, however, was that Ryuuchi seemed to be seeking a relationship of a less emotional nature.

This was more than proven by the way he aggressively sought to intiatite intimacy between them everytime they were alone, not that he minded. He wanted desperately to be Ryuuichi's lover, more than anything, but the look in his eyes the night before had spoken volumes about his fragile emotional state.

As much as he wanted to share the older man's bed, he couldn't shake the demons that lurked behind Ryuuichi's eyes. There had to be some reason that Ryuuichi feared getting too close, and he hoped that before the summer ended, he would find out.

Despite all that, as he looked over at Ryuuchi across the table, sharing a smile between them, he loved him as much as he always did, maybe more so, especially now that the two of them were building such a close friendship.

"You know, Eiri-san, Shuichi-san has told me that you have quite the sweet tooth. Is that why you hinted at your brother and I to make dessert?" Ryuuichi asked Yuki.

Yuki stiffened at the mention of Shuichi's name, picking up his empty plate to take it into the kitchen. "I don't know why that little bastard persists on gossiping about me, but yes, I do keep a variety of sweets around in case I want them. As far as the cake goes, I already bought a mix. I'm just not in the mood to make it myself." he told them.

"Well then, we wouldn't want to disappoint the great Yuki Eiri, would we? Ryuuichi and I would be happy to make it for you." Tatsuha teased him.

"Fine. Just don't involve me. I mean it this time!" he told them sternly.

Tatsuha stifled a laugh at his brother's expense, even though he knew that Yuki wouldn't have afforded them the same luxury. He instead reviled in Ryuuichi's urgency to start on a new project. He loved the way that Ryuuchi dove into adventure body and soul.

This could only mean that he would be an adventurious, sensual lover, that thought only fueled by memories of shared intimacies so far. He didn't know if Ryuuichi genuinely had feelings for him or if he was just a target of the man's lustful cravings, but time would answer these questions.

While Tatsuha had been busy with his ever persistant thoughts, Ryuuichi had decided to raid the kitchen in search of accomplishing their goal, decorating the counters with bakeware, cake and frosting ingrediants.

He suggested that they make the frosting homemade, with powdered sugar and a hint of cinnamon. Tatsuha agreed, knwing that cinnamon was one of Yuki's addictions, and he prepared the cake mix ingrediants while Ryuuichi mixed the frosting. Putting the cake mixture into the pan and placing it in the oven, Tatsuha offered the mixing bowl for Ryuuichi to taste from.

He accepted the offer with a smile, Tatsuha playfully smearing his Ryuuchi's nose with the sweet frosting. Ryuuichi laughed as he cleaned the mess away, doing the same to Tatsuha's cheek. This time, however, he did not use his fingers to wipe away the offending sweet, but slowly ran his tongue across Tatsuha's cheek instead. Tatsuha shivered with a soft moan, reaching out to keep the singer close as their eyes met once again.

"Mmm...you don't know what you do to me, Ryuuichi." Tatsuha told him.

Ryuuchi smiled. "I just wanted to find out which was sweeter, the frosting or you." he said.

"And what did you find out?" Tatsuha asked.

Ryuuichi cocked his head at him. "I'm not sure. I may need another taste." he said.

Padding through the living room to venture into the kitchen to check on his two housemates, Yuki silently reeled at the sight of his his teenaged brother and the object of Tatsuha's most ardent affection in a passionate embrace, engaged in a deep, sensual open mouth kiss.

He couldn't tell whose idea it had orginally been, but it seemed they had already been familiar enough with each other to allow their hands to roam over each other's bodies. The last one to interfere in Tatsuha's love life since he wanted the same for himself, he knew now that he would never hear the end of Tatsuha's obsession with Ryuuichi, especially if they kept going the way they were now.

He could recall their parents' complaining about his brother's preoccupation with the singer, and it didn't seem as though the very eager and willing Ryuuichi minded at all.

"Hey! I'm going to bed. I'll have some cake tomorrow. Just don't burn it tonight. You're welcome to stay here tonight as long as you're gone in the morning." Yuki shouted from the living room.

Tatsuha parted reluctantly from his idol to answer him, almost relieved in a way for the momentary distraction. "No problem." Tatsuha shouted back.

Ryuuichi rubbed his eyes with a yawn. "I think I'll settle in too." he said.

Tatsuha nodded. "Okay. I'll be in to check on you once the cake is done." he said.

"Thank you." Ryuuichi said softly as he walked away.

Sitting down lotus style on the cool kitchen tile in front of the oven, Tatsuha wondered how much Yuki had seen of their brief interlude. He had gotten instantly aroused the second Ryuuichi had licked him across his face and that ache had only intenstified when Ryuuichi had backed up his need for a second taste test by spreading frosting across Tatsuha's lips with his finger. His reaction was swift and unyielding as Ryuuichi rolled his tongue against the teen's mouth suggestively.

This time it was Ryuuichi who gasped as Tatsuha hauled the shorter man into his arms, returning his teasing and then some. That was probably where Yuki had come in, when he and Ryuuichi had been engaged in that kiss that seemed to have no end.

He was grateful for when the cake finished baking, and he slid the unfrosted cake and it's frosting mix into the fridge for the next morning. Because in his bed like he had been in many of his fantasties, Ryuuichi was probably sound asleep under the blankets or was waiting up for him. Either way was good for him, his expectations for the summer already exceeded.

He made his way quietly into his bedroom, finding Ryuuichi sprawled out across the last of the clothes he had wanted to pack, dressed only in a pair of black satin boxer shorts. He guessed he didn't mind Ryuuichi wearing his favorite sleepwear, which meant he could sleep in the nude if he wanted as long as he locked the bedroom door.

It would be comfortable to do so with the way Ryuuichi made him feel, and he got a secret thrill at the thought that Ryuuichi might get curious in the morning and definitely continue what he had started before.

Tatsuha grunted as he woke up the next morning to the sound of his cellphone ringing on his bedside table, sitting up in bed to answer it.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Oh Tatsuha, were you still asleep? Pardon me for waking you, but I thought it best to check in on you and Ryuuichi since you didn't make it back to the hotel last night. Noriko-chan and I were very worried." Touma said.

Tatsuha scratched the back of his head, laughing nervously. "Yeah, sorry about that. We got a little behind in what we came here to do. We decided to help Eiri-san out for a magazine shoot and he offered to make dinner for us." he said.

"He must have been very appreciative to have cooked for you himself. I heard about the photo shoot. The magazine's publishers called Mr. K this morning to get his permission to use Ryuuichi in their magazine." Touma said.

"Do you need to speak to Eiri-san?" Tatsuha asked.

"No. That's alright. I'll speak to him later after he's woken up some more. How is Ryuuichi anyway? I'll take it from the photos I was faxed that he's been having a good time?" Touma asked.

"I'd like to think so. He got up before I did, so i'll assume he's having breakfast with my brother." Tatsuha said.

"That sounds like a cozy scene. Makes me almost wish I was there. I won't keep you then." Touma said, hanging up.

Hanging up the phone, Tatsuha looked around the room for his discarded clothing just as Ryuuichi came into the room with a tray full of food in his arms.

"Oh good, you're awake. Good morning. Tatsuha." Ryuuichi said.

Tatsuha smiled. "Good morning, Ryuuichi." he said.

"I thought I might bring you a few servings of the cake we made last night. Eiri-san was more generous than I expected, considering what you told me about his love of sweets." Ryuuichi said.

Once again Ryuuichi had borrowed some of his clothes, a pair of faded black jeans and a fitted black shirt. Ryuuichi really did have the most wonderful build for a man of his age and stature, even fully clothed.

Tatsuha blushed furiously when he realized he wouldn't be able to get out of bed without exposing himself to the singer, and his reaction to his attire only made that all the less desirable of an action.

Ryuuichi seemed to sense this, as he sat the tray down on Yuki's dresser and crawled onto the bed to slip under the blankets with him. He stiffened slightly as Ryuuichi reached out to embrace him, curling up against his companion's sleep warmed body.

"It's been way too long since I've done this with someone. I hope you don't mind." Ryuuichi sighed wistfully.

"No...no, of course not! I don't mind at all." Tatsuha stammered out.

The teen took a quick inventory of the sudden itimate gesture, noticing that Ryuuichi was indeed enjoying being close to him, but still seemed very far away. Still, it was a sign of affection from the man he loved and he allowed himself to enjoy the closeness until he felt as though he might fall asleep again.

"Come on, Ryuuichi. I need to finish packing so we can leave. I promised Eiri-san I wouldn't waste any more time." Tatsuha said.

Ryuuichi nodded, understanding completely. "Okay. I'll wrap up our dessert so we can take it with us." Ryuuichi told him.

Without Ryuuichi in the room to distract him, Tatsuha was able to finish packing in record time and was surprised when Yuki offered to drive them back to the hotel, Tatsuha on his motorcycle ahead of them. Yuki and Ryuuichi had very little to say to each other on the way back, Yuki being considerate enough not to smoke around the singer, who was very sensitive to such things. It was a small gesture from the blonde writer, but one that Ryuuichi appreciated.