Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Contradictions ❯ Hopscotch ( Chapter 3 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Contradictions
ch 3: Hopscotch
by: falsechaos
falsechaos@mail.com

Be a man. His father told him this a long time ago.

The water had turned lukewarm some time ago. It never stayed hot for long anyway. The harsh pink of his skin was fading slightly as the temperature lowered. It had been what? an hour ago? since he had entered the shower. Purification. Scrubbing away dirt that was never there in the first place, real or imagined. Jounouchi sat down, ignoring the 'plink, plink' around him. The shower head was covered with lime. The most it could manage was a forceful spatter. Water was running down his face. Didn't matter. His eyes were closed.

Be a man.

So what did that mean? Never back down from a challenge. Never let people know when you hurt. Never let people know when you're afraid. And above all, stand on your own two feet. To do otherwise is to admit weakness. A lot of nevers there. Okay, not too bad. But what did it mean coming from Jounouchi's old man? A lot of brave talk for someone who had run from his own family. To be fair, Mom was the one that left; but Dad was the one that did the running, long before *she* did.

What else could you call it? Working long hours at the office, spending longer evenings in bars. Coming home sloshed off his ass, spitting out a few hurtful words. Passing out on the couch, not moving until the next morning to begin the cycle anew. True, he worked hard to support his family. But he acted like it was a prison term to be served. 'Great example you set for me, Dad.'

The water continued to fall cold around him.

Jou got to his feet and climbed out of the shower. He wrapped a threadbare towel around his waist and walked down the short hallway to his bedroom. His hair was rubbed vigorously after he closed the door behind him. The dresser was empty again, so he dug through his hamper and pulled out the least offensive smelling clothes. He tugged them on and made a mental note to do laundry after taking care of the rest of the apartment.

He set about cleaning the kitchen first. Mom and Shizuka would spend most of their time in there, talking and maybe playing a couple card games with him. Games. Yuugi. Jounouchi smiled a bit. How funny was it, that such a little guy could teach him so much? Always there for his friends, never running from the challenges that actually *meant* something. And Jou had thought *he* had something to teach the kid when they first met.

The kitchen was a mess. His dad was slob and Jou wasn't much better in that respect. Dishes were scraped off and stuffed in the dishwasher. Wrappers and cans were startled to find themselves in the trash can after so long a stay on the counters. The table was a challenge. He found a homework assignment that he had been missing for two weeks. Jounouchi even went so far as to clean out the fridge, holding his nose as he dumped out foods that were starting to breed new species of mold.

The living room was easier. Pick up the scattered beer cans and pop bottles. Dump the microwave dinner trays into the trash. Vacuum the orange shag. Jou frowned. He'd had a pet hamster once. He wouldn't have been surprised to find out that the carpet ate it. The shag certainly looked like the pelt of some exotic predator. A very flat predator.

He was working his way around the landing in front of the apartment door when Jounouchi heard his father setting heavy feet on the rickety metal stairway.

"What are you doing, boy?"

"What's it look like?" Jou replied, biting back as much sarcasm as possible.

His father laughed. It was a harsh, barking cough that sounded like it had to claw its way up from his chest. "Not much good it'll do you. Your mother called. She won't make it here for another couple of weeks. Something about work." The words themselves were cruel in an offhanded, casual way... Even through the quiet look of hurt that seemed forever to hang in the elder Jounouchi's eyes.

Jou looked up and wanted smack that hurt look off his father's face. He asked quietly, "Why'd she call you?" His posture was stiff and he clutched the railing of the landing tightly. "Why not me?" Why wasn't *he* worth contacting, worth telling directly?

Again, that harsh, barking cough. "She doesn't even know the number to the apartment! She had to call me just to get the address." Jou's father shouldered past him. "Nice job on the apartment, Katsuya," he said with a gruff kindness that seemed almost an afterthought.

The familiar knot of disappointment yanked tighter in Jou's chest. Mom and Shizuka weren't coming. Because of work. And Mom couldn't even bother to find the number and call and tell *him* the news directly. Ever since the operation, something had blossomed between Jou and his mother. A strange sort of affection and forgiveness for things beyond either of their control. A faint hope that maybe, just maybe, he could redeem *some* of the time lost between them. And now *this.*

Jou growled and slammed to the door to the apartment shut. He leaned against the railing for a moment, trying to calm his temper. Terrific. He hung his head. Not like it was much of a surprise, given his current run of luck. And the old man was home now. The blond sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. There wouldn't be any peace in the apartment now. Not tonight, and certainly not for the rest of his spring break.

'I can't put up with him now. Not until I can stop worrying about yelling at him. And it isn't even his fault this time.' Jou opened the door to the apartment and went to his room. He deliberately kept his back to the living room. His father remained silent, planted on the couch and showing no signs of moving from in front of the television. Jou grabbed his coat and a handful of change.

"I'm going out. Be back later." Silence for a reply as he left. A tiny bit of luck. Sort of.

The sun glowed pink in the horizon and shadows rose from daytime slumber to cover Domino City. Heavy clouds sat sullen on the skyline. Good chance of rain later. He'd have to find a roof somewhere if he got caught out in a storm. Jounouchi shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked down the narrow sidewalks. Another reason he'd have to be careful. Domino was renowned mainly for the intensity of the Duel Monsters craze, not for any severity of crime. Still... He'd gotten in enough scrapes around town to know not to go down any dark alleys at night.

He cut through the park, sticking close to the paths with lamps. Jou sat down for a moment at one of the benches and stared at the hopscotch design drawn in front of it. Shizuka used to play hopscotch. Jounouchi remembered a time when his little sister had begged him to play with her. He'd relented in the end and was even enjoying himself, until his friend Yamato had showed up and told Jou to stop acting like a little girl. Needless to say, Yamato hadn't remained a friend for much longer. Jou met Honda not long after, so that more than made up for--

'Shit.' The comfortable mental block Jounouchi had constructed earlier that day shattered. He hung his head and cursed softly. Get the idea out of his head and go on with life. It worked before. His parents' divorce, his sister's danger of going blind, it wasn't like he could do anything about those, right? Just let it go and move on. Duelist Kingdom changed part of that. He saved his sister. It took the hardest duel of his life, and the help of his friends, but he did it.

So what was he going to do now?

Jou knew he couldn't ignore what had happened between them forever. The little episode earlier that afternoon in the park had pretty much killed *that* desperate hope. 'And what does Honda want? Me. Thank you, Hiroto, for making it so delightfully clear.' So what did all that mean? That was the big question he didn't have an answer to.

There were little questions that were bothering Jounouchi as well. What brain glitch had possessed him into kissing Honda in the first place? And over a piece of candy? Why didn't he pull away for real when he caught himself? What was Honda thinking, kissing him back anyway? Why did he himself go along with any of it at all?

'Because it felt *good,* ' a far part of his mind whispered. 'It felt good and I *wanted* to kiss Honda back.' It was during interior dialogs like this that Jou wondered if an extra spirit or two was snarking about in the back of *his* mind.

'Did not,' he argued feebly back at himself.

'Really? They why the screaming?'

'Natural reaction.'

'Good thing his parents weren't home for that little "natural reaction." '
'So it's been a while since I got laid, big deal.'

'So it's fixed by jumping Hiroto?'

'I didn't jump him.'

'Really? Then why all the rubbing and moaning? Face it, it was something Hiroto and I *both* needed."

It made sense in a twisted sort of way. Honda was about the only stable facet of his life. His sister, while dearly loved, at times seemed more of an idealized symbol than a real person. Mother dearest didn't even know the phone number to the apartment. And his dad... barely there even when they were both in the same room. Even Yuugi's friendship was called into a strange sort of examination. A fierce loyalty that seemed to spring from nowhere all at once and meant almost everything.

And through all of it, duels, blind sisters, and ancient Egyptian spirits, Honda was there with him. He was as comfortably unremarkable as the blond's old school jacket. Now this.

A groan passed Jou's lips and he clutched his head in his hands. He glanced down at the game squares before him. The bright, awkward lines suddenly seemed garish and twisted, a tangled structure to reflect his current state of mind. He surged to his feet in a single angry motion.

"It's not fair!" Jou shouted. He kicked and scuffed at the hopscotch grid, intent on blurring the now mocking lines. An irrational anger flowed like acid through his veins, burning away rational thought. The blond's motions became frantic and jerky as he threw himself into the task of obliterating a child's chalk scrawls. Jounouchi's breath came in harsh pants. It was such a childish action, below even a temper tantrum, but he needed it... He brushed salty moisture away from his eyes with angry hands. He was not crying! Not here, alone, in the Domino equivalent of nowhere!

The blond didn't hear a familiar voice calling his name. Jou kept struggling to erase the grid even as strong arms wrapped around him from behind. He lashed out at the sudden presence. A sudden gasping wheeze followed as Jou rammed his elbow into the stranger's gut. Instinct squashed any remnant sanity at this point. For now it was just enough to have a convenient target and a blank face.

Tears blurred his vision as he whirled around and swung at his opponent. It was a sloppy move. Jou's fist should have connected directly with the other's cheek, cutting the sensitive flesh inside and hopefully cracking a few teeth. He clipped the stranger's jaw, cracking his knuckles instead. Jou was shoved roughly to the ground. The sudden impact jarred his tailbone and his breath. He felt the other's weight settle heavily on the single knee grinding into his back. A sharp prick of pain capered gleefully across his shoulders as his arms were pinned as well.

"Will you calm down!?" that familiar voice demanded of him. "Jou?" The weight on his back lessened for a moment and then moved away entirely.

He lay there a moment. Didn't trust himself to respond. The blond gathered to his feet sluggishly. Jou looked up at Honda, shadows pooling in the hollows of his eyes and almost masking his frustrated tears. He spat out, "What are *you* doing here?" and wavered unsteadily on his feet for a second.

Honda almost defiant in front of Jounouchi. The brunet's hands were shoved deep into his pockets and he ignored his throbbing jaw. "I came looking for some peace and quiet."

"Why here?" It was one of those rare times when Jou knew the answer even as he asked the question. This was, after all, roughly the same place where Honda had kissed him earlier that afternoon. So why not? Why *wouldn't* he run into one of the last people he wanted to see right now? And why not here? Jou bit back a snicker. The timing was perfect.

Honda narrowed his eyes. "Now what's so funny?"

He couldn't help it. Jou spit out a mouthful of choked laughter. (The snide voice in the back of his head was relieved to note that he didn't sound like his old man when he laughed; a small relief if any.) He ignored the sudden look of anger that settled over Honda's face. Both of them were running from something they didn't want to deal with. And both of them had run smack into something *else* that demanded a solution. It was funny. In a frying-pan-to-the-groin sort of way.

His shoulders shook with the force of his laughter. Jounouchi stumbled over to Honda, wrapping his arms around the brunet's neck to hold himself upright. It hurt to laugh this hard. He buried his face into the crook of Honda's shoulder and ignored the other's startled queries. Tears squeezed from his eyes, but that was kind of funny too. And so was the look on Hiroto's face when Jou turned to kiss him.

It was a very sloppy kiss at first. Jou's lips slid wetly over Hiroto's mouth and their teeth clicked together painfully and they may have bumped noses at one point. He wasn't that sure. Then suddenly Jou found the right angle at which to tilt his head and *everything* aligned perfectly. The way Hiroto pulled their bodies flush together. The way his tongue flicked at the roof of the other's mouth. The saline taste of his own fading tears. Even the way the dark lining of the sky gave way and drenched them both with rain.

Hiroto was the first to pull away. He looked odd with his normally prominent spike of hair matted down into soppy bangs around his eyes. "I'm so glad to see that I amuse you," he said, his expression deadpan.

A muffled chuckle answered him. "Anytime," Jou answered, his face once more buried in the crook of Hiroto's shoulder. 'And when did I start calling him Hiroto?' he wondered in the back of his mind. He backed away from the brunet entirely and brushed the sopping blond hair from his collar. "We need to get out of this."

"That's the first thing you've contributed tonight that makes any sense," Hiroto answered with a slight grin. "The picnic shelter should be around here somewhere."

They walked companionably through the pouring rain. Jou was cold and wet, but it didn't seem to matter that much for some reason. No words passed between them. For the first time in days, however, the silence was comfortable and not forced. They reached the shelter after a few moments of such silence. The shelter wasn't built to house anyone during a heavy storm, but it acted as adequate shielding against the showers despite having no walls. A couple of tables turned on their sides provided a convenient corner to huddle into away from the cold wind.

Hiroto had to raise his voice to be heard over the drumming of rain against the roof. "So what brings you out in this mess?"

"Same as you. Looking for some peace and quiet." Jou sat with his arms hugging his knees. He snickered. "Bad thing is, this is more peaceful than home right about now."

"At least you don't have to worry about your overbearing older brother sleeping in your room," Hiroto said elbowing Jou gently in the ribs.

"And where'd your dear parents decide to put you?"

Hiroto sighed. "Mom and Dad already have me sleeping on the couch. Next step would be the garage."

"Least then you could sleep in the same room as your precious bike."

The brunet mock growled. "Leave my bike out of this, Jou."

"Why?" Jou said with another snicker. "I swear man, you treat that machine like you gave birth to it or something."

"I do not."

Jou grinned. "Yes you do."

"Come home with me."

"Huh?"

"You heard me." Hiroto looked at Jou a moment, hazel eyes earnest. "Just... come home with me tonight. I'll make sure to get you home early and I'll even help with any cleaning or stuff you've still got to do tomorrow." He turned away and Jou could see the barest line of the brunet's profile.

Jou remained silent a moment and his heart fluttered suddenly in his chest for some reason. His voice was soft and could barely be heard over the rain. "Doesn't matter. She's not coming."

Hiroto furrowed his brow and turned to face Jou again. "Why not? She promised you didn't she?"

"Something came up. Her job she said." Anger creased his face and Jou tightened his grip around his knees. "At least, that's what she told the old man. Didn't know the number to the apartment so she had to call him. Didn't try to find me or anything, she just called the old man at work."

"I'm sorry."

Jou snorted. "Don't be." He stiffened when Hiroto slung an arm around his shoulders and tugged him close. A soft sigh seemed to release the tension inside of him, however, and Jou leaned into the other's soggy warmth. "Yeah."

"Yeah what?"

Amber eyes rolled. "Yeah to your question, idiot."

"Oh. We'd better get going then." He got to his feet with a slight groan. "Mom's gonna be pissed enough at me as it is."

"Pissed enough about you dragging home a stray?" Jou grinned.

Hiroto laughed and held up his hands. "Hey, you said it. Not me." He helped Jounouchi to his feet and the two left the picnic shelter.

It was a fifteen minute walk from the park to Hiroto's home. Roughly half that if one ran. The two boys set a steady dash through the streets and the rain. A vaulted fence, four corners, and two crosswalks brought them to the Honda residence.

"Honda Hiroto! Where have you been!" the brunet's mother screamed when they tried to slink in through the back door. "You said you were going for a walk, not a swim!"

Hiroto grinned sheepishly, a gesture thoroughly lost on his angry mother. "Aw mom, I just ran in Jou, okay?" He continued to walk rapidly through the kitchen, tugging Jou behind him, and praying his mother would let it go.

"Just what *are* you doing here, Jou?" Her voice softened slightly. "And in this weather? You could get sick."

"Hiroto offered me a chance to get dried off a bit before heading home. It's not that far." He turned to glare at the brunet who was still trying to pull him away from the kitchen. The only response was that same sheepish grin. Nice try.

She sighed and rubbed her temples. "A very nice little white lie, Jou, one that almost had me convinced. Yes, you can stay the night. And yes, Hiroto, I know that was what you really asked him. For goodness sake you two, get upstairs and get dried off."

After a brief thanks, Jou turned to follow the equally damp Hiroto upstairs. Entering the brunet's normally clean room turned out to be something of a surprise. Dirty clothes were strewn about from wall to wall and the bed sat sulking and unmade in the corner.

Hiroto growled under his breath and kicked the most of the offending clothes into a large pile. "I don't care if he's just visiting, the slob's gonna clean this up before he leaves!"

"I take it this is where Kenji's sleeping?" Jou asked with a smirk.

A glare and raised eyebrow were the only response for a few moments. Hiroto sighed and said, "Don't worry. We can sleep in the game room tonight." The two changed into drier clothing, Jou borrowing a shirt and pair of shorts that hung slightly on his lankier frame.

The game room (barely that even if you counted the pool table) was once Hiroto's, before Kenji moved away to college and the younger Honda moved into a larger bedroom. It was barely large enough to hold a battered and worn pool table (missing the 6 ball), a moth eaten couch (missing part of the stuffing in one of the two cushions), and a closet (missing the third shelf). Jou grabbed some blankets and piled them on the couch. A rude rumble reminded the blond that he had yet to eat dinner or a reasonable equivalent thereof.

"Gee, if you're that hungry, there's some stuff left over from dinner downstairs," Hiroto said with a smirk. "I'm gonna go get a shower."

Amber eyes lit up at the mention of food and Jounouchi dashed downstairs, leaving his laughing friend behind. He gave a brief hello to Hiroto's parents. Both gave a lackluster response before returning to their conversations. A plate of cold spaghetti later, he returned to the game room to curl up in a pile of blankets. He turned and twisted, but something kept bothering him.

It took a few moments of poking and prodding with his tongue, but Jou finally came to the inevitable conclusion that the fuzzy feeling on his teeth was not going to go away if he didn't brush his teeth. Grumbles and groans accompanied him as he struggled from his impromptu nest of blankets and stumbled towards the upstairs bathroom. Door was closed. 'Greaat. Someone's still in there.' He turned to leave but heard the unmistakable sound of Hiroto's voice on the other side of the door. Singing.

Jounouchi quirked his head to the side and pressed his ear against the door. Yeesss... That was Hiroto singing. Sort of. It was more of a loud, melodic mumble than actual singing, but not entirely unpleasant to listen to. The blond shrugged. Fine, just as long as the curtain was closed. He entered the bathroom, closed the door behind him, and gulped.

That damned curtain left little to the imagination. Jou could see every lean outline. Tall and slightly muscular, but lean enough to hide that strength. Long fingers rubbing shampoo into his scalp. The subtle curve of the small of his back. It wasn't as if Jou hadn't seen his friend naked before (of course, he didn't count that sex thing a few days earlier). Just not... not quite like this. Fine. Just keep quiet, brush the teeth, and go back to sleep.

He swallowed and reached for the spare toothbrush that was kept in the Honda household for his frequent unexpected visits. The treacherous instrument of dental hygiene fell from his fingers and clattered against the porcelain sink. He barely had time to cast a frantic look in the direction of the shower when Hiroto stuck his head out.

"For that last damn time Kenji--!" The brunet blinked owlishly at his duelist friend while a few remaining suds slid down around his shoulders. "Jou?"

The aforementioned blond grinned and rubbed at the back of his neck. "Eh, just needed to brush my teeth. I'll be out in a minute. Go back to your shower." The same strange flutter he had felt earlier in his chest repeated itself. He turned away sharply and began scrubbing vigorously at this teeth.

"Jou?" Hiroto chuckled. "It might be easier if you put toothpaste on it first."

"Ah, shut up wiseguy." He reached for the paste and glared at Hiroto, who had already ducked behind the curtain. 'I wonder what--' he cut that train of thought off with ruthless efficiency. 'I'm making progress with this, don't rush it,' Jou admonished himself silently. 'Gone from not thinking about it entirely to thinking about it a little. Dirty thoughts... Dirty thoughts about another guy are way, way down the line if they're there at all.'

He spit into the sink and reached up to wipe a clean swath in the fogged mirror. Jou could tell his cheeks were red even through the moisture still dotting the glass. Great. Blush. Slight shaking. An odd hollowness in his chest and gut. He only acted like this whenever... 'Whenever I'm around Mai or another cute girl,' he finished in his head. 'Or whenever I'm around Hiroto the past few days.'

And for some strange reason, it was like Hiroto had said earlier that day. The world didn't end. Sure, Jou's perception of it had altered out of recognition, so that sort of counted... But still. He was still here and Hiroto was still here and that was what really counted, right?

Jou pulled his shirt off over his head and stepped into the shower before he could change his mind. He ignored the shocked look on the brunet's face, his hands reaching and pulling Hiroto into a deep kiss. For the second time that evening, he became thoroughly soaked. And for the second time that evening, he didn't care.

Hiroto stood in startled stillness for a moment. His brain processes boiled down to two essential thoughts: What brought this on? and How do I make it continue? Even those bare queries fizzled away when he felt Jou settle himself flush against Hiroto. Jou, wet and in the shower with him, wet and mostly naked. Damn good start. He pulled away just long enough to ask the blond, "What are you doing?"

"Just going along with it like you suggested," he replied in a suddenly husky voice.

"Great idea, Katsuya." A pause to nip hungrily at the boy's lower lip. "Very, very great idea."

Katsuya's hands moved swiftly over Hiroto's slick skin. He rubbed his fingertips against every curve and dip of flesh and muscle that moved beneath his palms. Blood rushed through his veins and settled in that ache at the very pit of him that moved so desperately against Hiroto. He felt the other boy's hands tangling in his sandy blond hair. Pulling him deeper into the frantic caress of lips and tongue.

Wet tile met bare back when Hiroto pushed Katsuya against the wall of the shower. A brief surge of alarm flooded the blond as he felt the other's heavy weight pin him in place. He tore his mouth from Hiroto's and panted in the steam filled air. Sharp cries echoed in the small room. Hiroto ground his pelvis hard against Katsuya's boxer-clad hips.

Too much. Too much weight, too much control in the hands of another. Even if it felt so good, it was still too much. "Stop," he managed to gasp out through the sensations of pleasure and panic. "Stop!" he said again and pushed Hiroto away. Katsuya took in a shuddering breath at the sudden relief.

Hiroto stared at the blond with wide hazel eyes. His would be lover was pressed against the wall, his chest heaving to draw air and his face turned away. A sharp guilt lanced Hiroto's heart and cooled his growing ardor. His words came out in tangles. "I'm sorry, Katsuya, god, I'm sorry, I--"

"Not the touching!" The blond reached for Hiroto and settled his arms around the other's waist. "Touching's good, not the pinning or pushing shit, Hiroto, I can't do that, just don't push me like that." He tilted his head and leaned in to renew the kiss.

"No pinning or pushing, got it," the brunet mumbled. His hands moved uncertainly over Katsuya's back, hesitant at first. The faint gasps he received in reply urged Hiroto to move his hands further down. He tugged Katsuya's boxers down and the blond stepped smoothly out of them, barely breaking contact. The boxers were flung out of the shower to land with a wet "thwock!" on the linoleum floor.

Katsuya brushed wet brown hair away from Hiroto's eyes. He pulled away to lick at the heated moisture behind the other's ear. White teeth nibbled gently on the tender earlobe. Katsuya trailed his mouth down, nipping at Hiroto's jawline in what was an oddly familiar manner. He sagged against the brunet and uttered a long groan when he felt long fingers stroke his half-erect member.

"I wanna try something," Hiroto whispered in Katsuya's ear. Even through the faint pink caused by the hot water and his own darker skintone, Katsuya could see a sharp crimson blush spread across the bridge of the brunet's nose and his cheeks.

"What?" the blond asked cautiously.

"Just... hell, just trust me, okay?" He pushed Katsuya against the wall. "Trust me," Hiroto repeated softly when he saw the sudden hard look in the other's eyes.

Soft kisses placed at random on Katsuya's collarbone did much to calm him. The gentle brush of lips against flesh moved lower and strong hands cupped the firm curves of his rear. Hiroto's tongue darted in and out of his navel and Katsuya stifled a snicker. He noticed with a start that his friend was now on his knees on the pebbled surface of the shower mat.

Hiroto gulped. This was... This was going to be odd, to say the least. Once a girl had agreed to do this to him on one of his rare dates. He knew what felt good, what drove *him* half crazy. It was the specific techniques that escaped him at the moment. He rubbed gently at Katsuya's inner thighs, a little closer to the true target with each movement.

The blond almost doubled over when Hiroto wrapped his lips around the tip of Katsuya's erection. His breath was reduced the barest gasps for air. A sudden tight heat enveloped half the throbbing ache and strong fingers gripped the rest. Katsuya fought against the urge to thrust blindly into that heat. He grasped desperately at Hiroto's shoulders with trembling hands. The water continued to fall on and around them, steaming the air and making it so very difficult to think properly.

A brown head of hair moved with a steadier rhythm. Such an odd taste, salty and bitter, flavored mainly by the few drops of thin milky fluid that had clung to the tip before he started. Hiroto ignored the protesting of his gag reflex and sore jaw to take more of Katsuya's member into his mouth. His teeth grazed lightly at the sensitive skin and he heard Katsuya utter a low moan. Hiroto's gag reflex won out briefly and he moved quickly to lick and nip along Katsuya's length. He nipped at bit hard at one point and Katsuya yelped.

"What was that!?"

"Take it easy, alright, I'm new at this."

Katsuya glowered down at Hiroto. "How'd you like if I started biting *you*?"

A rakish grin twitched at the corners of the brunet's lips. "If you think you can do any better..." he trailed off and brushed a soggy spike of brown away from his eyes. The sharp blush still spread across his face slightly ruined the seductive attempt. "Thought so," he muttered when Katsuya didn't bother to respond.

Muffled cries filled the small room again when Hiroto resumed his earlier actions. Katsuya bit harshly at his lower lip to stifle the noises. He looked down and arrived at the conclusion that watching his best friend going down on him was surreal to say the least. The sight of warm lips wrapped tightly around him finally unraveled that tight knot of pressure building at the root of him. Katsuya pushed at Hiroto's shoulders in a feeble attempt at warning and released with a low growl.

Hiroto lapped at the thick seed, grimacing faintly at the taste for a moment and allowing the hot water of the shower to wash the rest away. He got to his feet and grinned (with no small amount of pride) at the look on Katsuya's face. The blond was leaning against the wall, cheeks red, and breath panting. "This is a good look for you," Hiroto said with a small, affectionate smile.

"Ass. I'll get you back for that," Katsuya said between breaths.

Teasing kisses graced the tip of the blond's nose. "You can barely stand up." Hiroto was startled to find himself spun around and shoved against the wall in Katsuya's place. "What are you doing, Katsuya?"

A wide leer was the only response. Katsuya fastened his mouth on Hiroto's neck. He sucked and bit on the darker flesh until a mottled marking appeared, partner to the fading bruise on his own neck. Gentle laps of his tongue soothed the slight ache. He continued his attentions to every inch of flesh that moved under his mouth. Katsuya's hands wondered aimlessly over Hiroto's back and chest never paused to linger for very long.

Now it was Hiroto's turn to lean against the shower wall. He arched his back against the wet tile and pressed himself desperately to the other. Thrusting against Katsuya's did little to relieve anything until the blond covered Hiroto's erection with calloused fingers and stroked firmly. All of his strength seemed to drain with the water around them. He clung to Katsuya's shoulders for support and ground his hips into the delightful pressure of the blond's skilled hand.

Katsuya snaked his free arm around Hiroto's back to help hold the brunet up. The smooth texture of the throbbing member in his hand moved smoothly along his palm. He stopped for a moment to graze blunt nails along the vein trailing beneath the other's length. Hiroto's agonized hiss of pleasure followed the sticky mess that coated Katsuya's hand.

"Not quite as fancy as your moves, but it got the job done, right?"

"Shut up Katsuya."

The two climbed out of the shower and dried themselves off. Katsuya had to settle for a towel wrapped around his waist and a grin when Hiroto returned with a dry pair to replace the boxers slouched wet against the wall. Brief shouts issued from downstairs as they walked down the hallway and to the game room. Apparently Kenji had come home.

A crumple heap of blankets beckoned to Katsuya who burrowed eagerly into them. He yawned and stretched. He looked quizzically at Hiroto when the other boy settled down beside him swaddled in blankets. Warm arms laid loosely around his own. Ah. So that's what he wanted. Katsuya let his weight melt into the warmth behind him.

He waited until he felt Hiroto's breath become soft and rhythmic. Disentangling himself from the other's embrace proved a bit difficult for a moment. Katsuya furrowed his brow and sat in the darkness of the tiny room. A quick glanced revealed that Hiroto still slept. He curled into a tight ball next to his friend and let sleep approach softly.

Sex was one thing. The intimacy of Hiroto's simple embrace was not. Laying here however, next to him in the dark, feeling his solid warmth, was something else. Katsuya slid into the first quiet sleep he'd had in days. And the first truly peaceful sleep he'd had in an unmeasurable time. In his mind he saw the garish line of the hopscotch grid melt away in the rain.