Shounen-ai: Yuki x Shuichi
Created 29th May 2005
Contains mild coarse language.

"Yuki! Are you nearly done? I'm booooored!"

"Brat. Go away, I'm busy."

"But Yuuukiiiii-"

"Go!"

Yuki massaged his head, frowning, and from somewhere behind him the door clicked shut.

---

"Ano, Yuki, I-"

"Baka! Can you not see I'm trying to get some work done?"

Shuichi's lower lip started to tremble, and Yuki looked determinedly away, refusing to make eye contact.

"B-but Yuki..."

"..."

"You've been shut in here for hours... did you even sleep last night?"

"..."

"You didn't!" Shuichi wailed, the tears building up. "You've been in here two days and haven't come out? You'll make yourself sick, you'll have to go to the doctor, you won't be able to- mmpph!"

A hand clamped over Shuichi's mouth, forcefully stopping the near-hysterical words.

"Then get out, and I'll be able to finish sooner! I would have finished already if you hadn't bugged me a few hours ago!"

"That was yesterday!"

Yuki looked surprised for a moment, then shrugged.

"So leave. I'll finish soon."

"Yuki, please, at least let me-"

"LEAVE!"

Shuichi fled the room, and Yuki got up to lock the door. His headache, still existent from yesterday, grew and pounded into his skull.

---

A timid knock.

"Yuki... please let me in."

"..."

"Yuki?"

"..."

"Yuki!"

"What!"

"Let me in! You can't do this any more, you've been in there for nearly three days and you'll get very sick if you keep doing this!"

"I won't. Now piss off, I'm working."

But the screen had blurred before Yuki's eyes, and his voice was not as strong as he would have liked. Shuichi, seeming somehow to sense Yuki's moment of weakness, redoubled his attack on the door. The thumping was not helping Yuki's headache, or his mood.

"At least eat something! Can you even move right now? Is that why you won't open the door?"

"Baka, grow up! Of course I can move..."

The blonde's voice trailed off, uncertain. Of course he could move... it was just that he couldn't be bothered right now...

"Yuki..."

Shuichi really was crying now – muffled sobs could be heard from the darkened study.

Yuki lurched up, grabbing the table for support.

"There, I'm up! Happy now? I'll be out shortly – 'til then, don't bother me!"

He sat again, and Shuichi heard the gentle clicking as Yuki once again began to type.

---

Yuki opened the door, blurry-eyed and swaying, and was almost immediately assaulted by a pink-haired... limpet. Or at least, Shuichi had wrapped his arms around Yuki's ankles hard enough to be one.

"I'm not letting you go back in there!"

Yuki rose an eyebrow. Surveying the scene around him, it looked as if Shuichi had been practically camping out by the door to the study. A blanket lay, crumpled and crumb-infested, a few feet away. Next to that was three boxes of pocky and a water bottle.

"How long have you been there?"

"Three days", mumbled Shuichi.

"...Oh."

Yuki's eyes widened suddenly – without warning his legs gave way, and he was falling, the carpet rushing up to meet his face-

And then he stopped, amazingly, supported by Shuichi, who looked at him from tear-filled blue eyes.

"I told you you'd make yourself sick!"

Yuki was about to protest. He was fine, he was about to get up, there was no need to worry...

"Crap."

Okay, so maybe he wasn't feeling all that well, and it was true that he might have just a little trouble moving, but if he just waited a moment until the room stopped spinning-

"What are you doing?"

"Carrying you to bed. You can't move... or did you think I wouldn't notice?"

"I..."

Yuki couldn't really form any other words – not because he was too tired, but because he knew Shuichi was right. He had been selfish.

"Shuichi..."

"Sshhh. Don't talk. Just sleep – I'll take care of everything."

Yuki felt his outer layer of clothing being pulled off, and was soon left in a light shirt and bare feet, shivering at the sudden change in temperature.

Shuichi noticed that, too, and scuttled out of the room. When he returned, Yuki had managed to undress himself properly, and yank on an old pair of pajamas.

"Here."

Yuki sipped from the offered cup, letting it warm his hands. He didn't usually drink hot chocolate, usually hated the stuff, but now it actually tasted quite good.

His head fell back against the pillow, and Shuichi pulled the cup away just in time.

"Sorry, I'm sorry-" muttered Yuki, appalled at his own weakness. Could he not even sit up anymore?

"Its alright. Just sleep, okay?"

A drop of liquid on his cheek made Yuki open his eyes, squinting at Shuichi's face hovering above him.

"Are you... crying?"

Shuichi shook his head, but another tiny drop landing on Yuki's face gave the true answer.

"Shuichi."

Yuki's hand inched upwards, wiping his lover's face and removing the traces of the tears.

"Please don't ever do that again."

Yuki nodded, closing his eyes again.

"Promise", he breathed, before his body relaxed completely.

On the line between sleep and awareness, he sensed rather than felt Shuichi's lips lightly on his own for the briefest of moments.

Shuichi looked at the novelist, hair spread a dull gold on the pillow for a minute, before creeping out of the room. The door he left open, just in case.

And inside the bedroom, for the first time in over three days, Yuki slept.