[LOG] Haircuts and cuddles

[demon_muga]

Characters: Akaya, Shiraishi
Location: The Island
Time: July 12
Rating:PG
Summary: Akaya spends more time with Shiraishi and gets a proper introduction to Yukari.



Shiraishi had meant to set out by himself, but with Yukari fussing about her sunburn and wanting to meet people, he let her follow him along the trail he had already memorized to Kirihara’s fishing spot.

Yukari trailed along after her brother. “...Are you sure you know where we’re going, Ku-chan?”

Shiraishi nodded, finally coming up on the river. He spotted the familiar figure and pointed. “See, there’s Akaya-kun.” He raised his voice. “Akaya!”

Akaya turned his head at the sound of someone calling his name. Smiling, he raised his arm to wave before quickly returning it to hold his fishing rod. Using both arms, he swung the rod tip toward the shore, pulling a large fish out of the water.

Shiraishi smiled. “Good catch!” He gave Kirihara a thumbs up as he jogged towards him.

Akaya grinned widely. “Thanks! If you two are hungry, there should be more than enough here for the three of us. I think I have some fruit stashed nearby too.” Looking at the young woman who had followed Shiraishi to the river, he smiled. “You must be Yukari-chan. Nice to meet you.”

Yukari smiled brightly at Kirihara. “Wow! Your hair looks even nicer in person! Will you let me play with it?”

Akaya blushed a bit. “S-sure. I don’t really mind.”

“Yukariiin!” Shiraishi cried. “Don’t go embarrassing people!” He scolded.

Akaya bit back a smile as he walked over and pushed back a boulder covering a hole in the ground. Kneeling next to the hole, he pulled a knife out of a cloth bundle on the ground and began gutting and cleaning the fish. “Really, it’s fine. I’m just not used to having people think my hair is that great.”

“But the curls are just so soft and the color is perfect...” Shiraishi pointed out, walking over to kneel next to Kirihara. He patted the younger man’s head. “So soft!”

Akaya’s eyes slid about halfway closed as he leaned his head toward Shiraishi’s hand. “Mm, I’m surprised. It’s hard to take proper care of it here with limited supplies of shampoo and clean water.”

“If it’s naturally good hair it doesn’t need a whole lot of care. Just a trim now and then to take off the split ends.” Yukari reached out the grab and examine the ends of Kirihara’s hair. “...you’re due for a trim. Want me to give you one!?”

Akaya turned to Yukari with wide eyes. “Really? I mean, we would have to see if there are scissors in the supply tent unless you can use a plain knife. I would really appreciate it though. It’s starting to get long enough to annoy me.”

Shiraishi laughed. “Yukarin carries scissors with her. Don’t you, Yukarin?”

Yukari grinned and dropped the large tote bag she was carrying on the ground so that she could dig through it. Let’s see, water bottle, manga magazine, hair gel... Ah. There it was. The case that held her scissors and her manicure kit. “A good stylist never goes anywhere without her scissors, you know! So cutting your hair is no problem.”

Akaya grinned in amusement. “Wow, you look like you’re all set. Let me finish cleaning the fish, and then we can worry about my hair. Unless the two of you are hungry and want to cook this up right away.”

Shiraishi smiled. “I’ll take care of the fish. Let Yukarin give you a haircut, and I’ll cook.”

Once the fish was sufficiently cleaned, Akaya took it over to the fire pit and cut it into pieces to lay on the grill rack he had set up. Carrying his knives to the water, he looked over his shoulder as he washed the blades and his hands. “There is a spice rub and a box of matches in the hollow tree behind you. I already put new kindling in the fire pit.”

Shiraishi nodded. “Alright! Just leave this to me!” He said, beginning to go about preparing and cooking the fish.

Yukari patted the spot in front of her. “Okay, Aka-tan! Sit down and I’ll get to work on you!”

Akaya nodded and plopped down on the ground in front of Yukari after safely storing his knives again. “Ok. I’m trusting you to not make me look like a doofus. But I think you’ll do a great job, I have faith in you.”

“I do Ku-chan’s haircuts all the time. And my dad’s.” Yukari pointed out, splashing some water from her water bottle onto Akaya’s head to wet it down and getting to work trimming the hair. “Most cuts are pretty simple, actually. It’s the styling part that can be tricky.”

“Luckily, my hair doesn’t take much in the way of styling.” Akaya flinched a bit when the water hit his scalp, more from surprise than anything else.

Yukari hummed happily and snipped away. “How much do you want me to take off? An inch or two?”

Akaya closed his eyes to keep the hairs from getting in and irritating them. “Make it two, if you don’t mind.”

“Sure thing!” Yukari replied, glancing over to her brother for a second. “Ku-chan, don’t burn my dinner, okay?”

“I won’t!” Shiraishi called idly, very focused on cooking.

Akaya smiled and relaxed under Yukari’s scissors. “You know, it sucks that the two of you ended up stranded, but I’m glad you’re here all the same.”

Yukari laughed. “Yeah, it just means that we’ll all be rescued together, right? And it’s always good to make new friends!”

“You’re right about that. It’s been a long time since I’ve had friends to hang out with. Most of mine are also pros, so I didn’t get to spend time with them when I got hurt.” Akaya couldn’t help thinking that he was smiling more now that the siblings were on the island than he had since before the cruise started.

“Eh!? That sucks!” Yukari really couldn’t imagine her friends not spending time with her if she got hurt. “They should have come and visited you when you were injured, even if they are tennis players. There’s no reason you couldn’t watch them, right?”

“Oh, I did watch their matches on tv, and some of them emailed me. But I had fallen out of touch with my old teammates by then, and none of them knew that I was hurt or came to visit me apparently.” Akaya’s smile turned a bit wistful as sat in the sun.

“Well, for what it’s worth me and Ku-chan would definitely have come to cheer you up when you got hurt if we’d known you then.” Yukari paused. “Well, I guess Kura knew you, but that was way back in middle school, right? It might have been kind of weird for him to randomly show up at your bedside.”

“Maybe just a little. But I wouldn’t have minded. Though, I promise not to get hurt again and guilt you into visiting me when we finally get rescued.” Akaya chuckled softly.

“You won’t have to guilt me! I love an excuse to travel, so I’ll be sure to visit you a lot!” Yukari sat down her scissors before handing a compact mirror to Kirihara. “There, all done! What do you think?”

Akaya took the mirror and examined his hair critically. When he was satisfied, he handed the mirror back to Yukari and beamed at her. “Better than my usual barber. Once I start making the big bucks again, I might just have to hire you exclusively.”

Yukari laughed. “Awesome! I’ll be set for life!”

“You’ll have to bring Kura with you as often as possible though.” Akaya laughed lightly as well, feeling happier and lighter than he had for months.

Shiraishi smirked as he finished the last touches on the fish. “I think that after this, Yukarin won’t ever want to travel with me again, unfortunately.” He sighed dramatically. “The fish is done.”

Yukari laughed. “Nah, I’m sure it will be fine as long as we stay out of the Bermuda Triangle, Ku-chan. Besides, I guess this wasn’t really your fault. You just wanted to see the dolphins.”

Akaya pushed himself to his feet and walked to the edge of the water. Kneeling in the grass, he took a deep breath before dunking his head and shoulders for a moment. Pulling himself back out of the water, he swept his bangs back out of his eyes. “There. Now I won’t itch from all the trimmed hairs laying on my head and neck. I’ll get the bowls and chopsticks.” As he walked over to the hollow tree, he realized it was a good thing he had brought more than just two sets of dishes out to his spot.

Shiraishi sighed at his sister. “And we didn’t even get to do that.” He set down the fish for a moment, using his right arm. His left hung there, like it did most of the time now. “Yukarin, I made sure yours didn’t burn!”

“Yay! Real food!” Yukari gave her brother a big grin, trying to make him feel a little less depressed. “And who knows. Maybe we’ll see dolphins while we’re here!”

Shiraishi smiled. “Maybe.”

“If we were able to catch one we could feed a lot of the people here too! Dolphins taste like whale, right?” Yukari looked thoughtful.

Shiraishi stared. “Eat them...? I don’t want to...” But what she said made sense. “...I guess it would be smart. Everything is food, now, huh?”

“And it’s not really that different from eating whale back in elementary school.” She was of course talking about the school lunches- which did on occasion include whale meat. “...I don’t think I could actually kill the dolphin, though. I’m really going to suck at this survival thing...”

“Big Brother will take care of you.” Shiraishi said. “Just keep being yourself.”

Akaya smiled softly as he walked back over with the bowls and chopsticks. “I don’t know about dolphins, but I know Saeki-san has had good luck catching sharks. He gives me some of the meat in exchange for giving him chum to use as bait.”

Shiraishi stared at the chopsticks and grew silent.

Yukari blinked. “Really? Wow, like... Jaws type sharks!?” She was clearly imagining something totally fantastic, probably involving Rokkaku battling it out with a huge shark.

Akaya looked at Shiraishi with concern, but thought better than to voice it in front of Yukari. Turning back to the young woman, he shook his head with a slight smile. “Nothing that big. I’m not sure what kinds of sharks he’s caught, but he’s been lucky about it.”

Yukari finally noticed her brother, and quickly dove into her bag to pull out a plastic spork. “Here Ku-chan! I have it!”

Akaya cursed himself mentally. ‘You idiot! Of course he can’t use chopsticks. God, what was I thinking. I hope he’s not mad at me.’

Shiarishi smiled, embarrassed. “Why do you have my spork in there?” He laughed. “Were you expecting us to crash, Yukarin?” He took the spork. “Thanks, though. You’re the best little sister ever.”

Yukari shrugged. “I grabbed it when I grabbed your pain pills, just in case we were out longer than expected. I’m kind of regretting not bringing your lotion too.”

“I’m sure there’s probably some in the supply cave. Several of the more able bodied guys stripped the cruise ship of everything that wasn’t nailed down or ruined by water pretty much.” Akaya did his best to smile as he slowly picked at his fish. It tasted just as good as it always did, but he was still angry at himself for forgetting Shiraishi’s injury.

Shiraishi shot Kirihara a smile, reading his mood. “A lot of people forget I’m left-handed, so I’m given chopstick all the time. No big deal~” He smiled at Yukari as well. “Best little sister of the year!”

Akaya returned the smile as best as he could. “I remembered that. It was the extent of your injury I forgot.”

“I forget it all the time. Yukarin, remember when I tried to pick up that encyclopedia?” Shiraishi laughed. He had screamed pretty loud, and he dropped it on his foot.

Akaya cringed slightly. “I take it it didn’t end well?”

Yukari cringed. “...Yeah, not so well. Anyway, I’m a little tired now. I think I’m going to find somewhere to sleep.”

“You remember the way we came, right? Go back to the caves.” Shiraishi instructed.

Yukari nodded. “Okay then. Goodnight Ku-chan! Goodnight Aka-tan!” And with that she turned and headed back off for the caves to get a little sleep.
Shiraishi waved at his sister as she headed off and then smiled softly back at Kirihara. “She did a good job with your haircut!”

Akaya found himself returning Shiraishi’s smile easily. “She’s talented with those scissors. I’ll have to remember to stay on her good side because of it.”

“You will. She likes you. As a friend.” Shiraishi poked at his fish with this spork. His right hand still needed training. “Thanks for catching us the fish!”

“You’re welcome. I’m sorry for forgetting about your arm. I should have remembered that you would need something other than chopsticks.” Akaya looked down at his bowl.

“Hush, it’s fine.” Shiraishi said. “It’s so uncool that I can’t use chopsticks anymore.”

“Maybe you just need to practise with your right hand. Can you still use your left hand to write with?” Akaya picked up a chunk of fish and chewed it carefully in case there were any bones he had missed.

“I can still do my signature.” Shiraishi answered. “It’s a good thing this happened after I graduated.” He laughed. “Now, enough about my useless arm.” He lifted it to let its hand rest on Kirihara’s head. It was still good for that. “I was thinking about you all last night.”

Akaya hid his face with his bowl. Between the comforting weight of Shiraishi’s hand on his head and his comment, the bowl was the only thing hiding the bright blush painting his cheeks.

“I was worried. Did you speak with your...partners at all?” Shiraishi was worried that Kirihara would hide any strife he might be having, just so Shiraishi wouldn’t have to worry. Which, of course, only made him worry more.

“No...not yet. I stayed out here, and they live in the caves. I need to though. One of them...gave me something important to him to take care of. I need to give it back to him.” Akaya’s voice was soft and perhaps a bit regretful. He did still care about Niou and Yagyuu, but had realized that he was happier not pursuing them.

Shiraishi nodded. “...Akaya...I’m sorry I showed up and messed everything up.” It was a sudden apology. “I didn’t mean to be a homewrecker...”

Akaya’s head shot up as he looked at Shiraishi in near panic. “No! You didn’t mess up anything! Things...weren’t going well before you got here. But...you showed me what I was missing and why I wasn’t as happy as I thought I should have been. I had been fooling myself, and that’s never a good thing to do.”

“...The one that gave you that important thing. He wouldn’t do that unless he cared about you.” Shiraishi said. “I’m sure with time, things might have looked up...”

“He’s also the one that pulled away and ran from me the last time I saw him. It was sudden and shocking...and it hurt. I didn’t know what I did or why he did that. That’s not...it’s not something you do to someone you care about like that.” Akaya’s voice was quiet as he remembered the last time he had seen Niou. They’d been just sitting and holding onto each other until Niou had recoiled from him and bolted for no reason.

Shiraishi hung his head. “Is that how it is, then? I’m sorry you had to go through that, Akaya.” Shiraishi set aside his bowl, wondering why his left arm wasn’t listening to. It resulted in the bowl tumbling over. “...Without Yukarin, I’m useless.”

Akaya set his bowl down before reaching over and righting Shiraishi’s Scooting a bit closer to the blonde, he shook his head. “No you aren’t. You just have to teach your muscles to behave again. It’ll take time, but you’re strong enough that I’m sure you’ll do it pretty easily.”

Shiraishi continued to look at the ground. He was supposed to be silly, cheerful. When he tried to get his arm to work, he grew frustrated and angry. Not him. So it was easier to just ignore it. He hadn’t even let himself cry over it, because it really was his fault. He had no one to blame but himself. Even now, he was mad at himself for not just being able to reassure Kirihara that, yeah, he was strong. Because he wasn’t.

Akaya stacked the bowls together and moved them out of the way. Reaching over, he tugged at Shiraishi until he could get the blond to lay down with his head in his lap. Running his fingers through soft blonde hair, Akaya’s voice was soft and gentle. “Just because you’re strong enough to beat this, doesn’t mean you have to hide how much it bothers you. You’ve been strong for me yesterday and today...let me be strong for you for a little while?”

Shiraishi looked up at Kirihara, tears welling in his eyes. He covered his face with his good hand, choking back a sob. “I just...I don’t want Yukari to feel guilty. It wasn’t her fault. But she takes all the blame. She watches over me like that...And I just can’t tell her I can’t even feel the damn thing half the time...”

Akaya kept combing his fingers through Shiraishi’s hair. “I’m sorry. I would be willing to talk to her about it if you think it would help. But you aren’t helping your own recovery by bottling all this up. If you feel like you have to be that strong in front of her, then I’ll help you be strong.”

Shiraishi let himself cry a bit, every second seeming to melt away more of his stress. He took a deep breath and smiled at Kirihara, his face blotchy. “You’re right. I do need someone I can be weak in front of.” He lifted his left arm, flexing it a little. “...Just being able to be frustrated by it has made me feel a little better. I just...” He blushed, a stubborn pout on his face. “I don’t want you to see me being this uncool.”

Akaya fought down a grin at the sight of Shiraishi pouting. Really, it was just too cute to see the blonde looking like that. “You’re still plenty cool in my book. And once the burn has healed more, deep tissue massage might help recover some feeling and function. It’s also something I learned to do while I was laid up with my ankle in a cast.”

Shiraishi smiled. “Yeah...” He was just so happy Kirihara didn’t think he was pathetic that he tightly hugged the other man around his stomach, since he was still laying down.

Akaya smiled back at Shiraishi, the hug warming him heart. “Even if you act like a total dork, you’ll still be cool in my book. And I say that because I remember some of your teammates. And the hippie Turtle Queen.”

“Chitose is a free spirit, but he can be very serious at times...” Shiraishi sighed. “...Like about that boytoy of his.” The sound in Shiraishi’s voice was that of an unrequited love.

Akaya tilted his head slightly at the tone of Shiraishi’s voice. “He’s the one that got away, huh? For what it’s worth...I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Shiraishi laughed. “I still flirt with him like mad. But he’s always been in love with Tachibana. Oh well. You can’t really know what love feels like until you know what heartbreak feel like!”

Akaya smiled a bit. “I suppose that true. Though is Tachibana ever tries to get jealous of you, I’ll put him in his place.” There was a thread of steel in Akaya’s voice as he spoke. He wouldn’t let anyone tear down the blond resting in his lap if he had the power to stop it.

Shiraishi laughed loudly. “I don’t think that’s necessary. Tachibana knows that Chitose is a flirt. But he accepts that.” He smiled at Akaya. “But thank you. I’ll be okay. I’m more worried about being double-teamed by some jilted ex-lovers. You know, when I win you over.” He winked playfully, hoping Kirihara would laugh.

Akaya chuckled a bit as he blushed. Again. “I’ll protect you from them too. And eventually, I might even stop blushing around you all the dang time.”

Shiraishi’s eyes widened. “Don’t do that! I like when you blush!”

Akaya couldn’t stop the grin from spreading over his face as he looked away. “But it’s embarrassing! You’re the only one who makes me blush like this! Even if I do kind of like it.” His voice trailed off into a mumble as he glanced back at Shiraishi.

Shiraishi grinned. Kirihara was just so cute. “That makes me happy! Really happy!” He sat up, leaning close. “If it’s just me, then that makes me even happier.” Shiraishi was the type to act casually around everyone, and the more he liked you, the closer and more casual it got. He felt at ease with Kirihara, so he lightly pecked him on the cheek without even really thinking about it.

“Kura...” Akaya’s voice was quiet and a touch giddy as he grinned. Biting his lip for a moment, he leaned over and laid a quick pack to Shiraishi’s cheek in return, his blush intensifying to extreme proportions as he did so.

Shiraishi’s grin only got bigger. He was never the type to take such small steps (Usually, he had romantic prospects in bed after the first night. Maybe that’s why it never worked out?), but with Kirihara it was fun and rewarding. “You just make me so happy, even though it’s a stressful time. Your energy is addictive.”

Akaya fumbled for something to say to that, and came up empty. Instead he just reached out and hugged the blond, hiding his burning face against Shiraishi’s neck.

Shiraishi hugged back. Urging these little reactions out of Kirihara was fun, but it also made him fonder of the younger man. “Was that a little much? I apologize.”

Akaya shook his head as much as he could without moving. “I-it’s fine. Really. I’m just...not used to being complimented so much on anything other than my tennis skill.”

“Well, I could throw that in too, for familiarity.” Shiraishi laughed. “But I can’t help it, really. You’re easy to compliment.”

“If you say so...I suppose it must be true.” Akaya was surprised his face hadn’t melted away from how much he was blushing around Shiraishi.

“I don;t lie just to get people to like me.” Shiraishi said. “Where is the fun in that? Besides.” He separated from Kirihara just enough to idly touch his lips with his bandaged fingers. “There is so much to compliment here.” Like those pretty green eyes.

Akaya swallowed hard. He couldn’t tear his gaze away from Shiraishi. ‘This is...I don’t think my heart’s ever beat this fast during a title match!’

Shiraishi stared a bit more. ‘Not running away, that’s a good sign. Hmm.’ He tilted his head and leaned in, looking like his might give Kirihara a proper kiss...and then gave him another peck at the corner of his mouth.

Akaya was certain that his heart was going to leap out of his chest and put on a taiko show with the way it was pounding. The peck on the corner of his mouth was sweet and endearing, and it made him want to take his time with Shiraishi. “Kura...”

Shiraishi smiled. “Yes, Akaya?”

His eyes were wide and wondering as he stared at Shiraishi. “Why me? You could have probably anyone in the world. Why me?” Akaya wasn’t sure why he was asking. Perhaps it was the remnant of the damage his ex had left behind, forcing him to question why anyone would find him worth their time.

Shiraishi blinked. “Well. Let me start by saying, normally, when I date people, it goes a lot faster than this. Which, I know, is horrible, because it’s only been a couple days. But I fancy people and then decide whether I like them or not after the sex. But...” He sighed and stretched his back out. “Your passion for tennis back in school was awesome. You were so energetic, and so you left an impression on me. Enough that when I heard you were going pro, I just had to follow your progress. And then I see you here, and you’ve still got that energy, even though you’ve been hurt...are being hurt. In my moments when I was despairing the most over my fate, you were there to smile and make me feel like everything was going to be okay. It was enough to keep me acting normal. I guess when I say you’re an angel, it’s because to me, you are.”

Akaya was at a loss for words. He knew that Shiraishi wouldn’t lie to him, so everything the other man said...it had to be the truth. Smiling brightly despite the moisture threatening to spill from his eyes, he burrowed into the blond’s arms again. “...Thank you...For picking me...”

Shiraishi tightened the hug. “I’ve never wanted to go through all the tiny motions with someone like this before. I’m going to enjoy getting to see every little reaction.” He chuckled. “I guess you just have that effect on me. Don’t dwell on it too much. Just know I’m sincere. I’m not just doing this because being stranded has made me go crazy or anything. If I ran into you on the street I would have given you my phone number or something.”

Akaya was certain that his cheeks were going to start aching from how much he was smiling. “I believe you. I’m not totally convinced that you aren’t trying to see if my face will spontaneously combust from blushing so much, but I know you’re sincere.”

“Well, I don’t want it to combust. I like it the way it is. But seeing you blush means you like me too. And that’s nice.” Shiraishi was smiling like a loon himself.

“I do. Like you too, that is. I didn’t even realize that I was missing feeling like this until yesterday. It’s so nice when you don’t have to fight to get someone to see you because they already do.” Akaya gently stroked his fingers over the bandages on Shiraishi’s arm, trying to avoid the spots that had looked the worst the day before.

Shiraishi just smiled tenderly. “It’s nice to have someone to just sit like this with, isn’t it?”

Akaya nodded softly. “It really is. Dunno if you noticed, but I’m a cuddler.”

“I am too.” Shiraishi laughed. “All my friends get cuddles. But the best cuddles are for those I really like.” He squeezed Kirihara a little, kissing the top of his head.

“Good. Because I can be kind of demanding about cuddles.” Akaya sighed happily as he pressed himself against Shiraishi.

“Even if you didn’t want me, and only wanted to be friends, I would still cuddle you.” Shiraishi promised.

“Well, that’s good. But I don’t want to be just friends, you know.” Akaya looked at Shiraishi a little shyly. “I like you a lot, Kura.”

Shiraishi smiled. “And I’m very fond of you, Akaya. But let’s not be too quick to say anything heavier. We’ve got plenty of time.”

Akaya nodded. “Yeah we do. And I like that plan. It means plenty of time to learn everything about you.”

Shiraishi nodded. “And falling in love is a fine time to spend on a desert island.”

“Yeah, it is. Especially when we have a place to escape to when we need some quiet. This whole stranded thing isn’t as bad as it was a few days ago.” Akaya gently held onto Shiraishi’s left hand, studying what he could through the bandages.

Shiraishi felt at ease, glad that Kirihara could so freely touch his injured arm. But he still had to ask. “...It doesn’t bother you, does it?”

“No. It’s as much a part of you as the scar on my ankle is a part of me. I’m sad that you’re hurt, but the scars don’t bother me.” Akaya looked at Shiraishi with a sad sort of smile.

Shiraishi smiled. “Thanks, Akaya. But it doesn’t hurt so much now. “

“I’m glad. You’ll tell me if you need help with it, right? Like with changing the bandage and stuff?” Akaya’s smile twitched a bit bigger and lost the sadness tainting it.

“I will. I’ll even check in regularly with one of the medically-minded people, so long as it eases your worries.” Shiraishi promised.

“Good. I want you to heal as well as possible.” Akaya nodded once before laying his head back on Shiraishi’s shoulder. “You’re comfy. Even more than...Niou.”

“Niou...? So he’s one of the two?” Shiraishi dared to ask.

“...Yeah. Him and Yagyuu. I let myself get swept up so quickly. I should have taken the time to think things through before stubbornly insisting that we could make it work with all three of us. Niou tried. He really tried to let me in, but he and Yagyuu are still too much of a pair to have any room for anyone else. And I got tired of trying to fight for them to see me and spend time with me. I still care about them, but not like I thought I did.” Akaya’s voice was soft and a touch wistful as he stared at the river.

“The problem with three is that someone will always feel left out.” Shiraishi said. “Even if that’s not the intention.”

“You’re right on that one. I need to talk to them soon. Apologize for it all and hope they don’t hate me after.” Akaya was dreading the confrontations with his two senpai. He knew things wouldn’t end well.

“Feelings will probably be hurt. But once you’re done, you can come right to me, and I’ll wipe away any tears you have, okay?” Shiraishi frowned a little. “But if they hurt you...”

“I don’t think they will. It’s not in their natures. But...” Akaya stretch to peck Shiraishi’s cheek softly. “I appreciate that you’d do something about it. And I’m sure I’ll be looking for you after I talk to them anyway.”

Shiraishi nodded. “Okay. If you want, we can come here, away from everyone else.”

“I’d like that. Thank you. That way...you’re the only one who will see me cry.” Akaya felt safe in Shiraishi’s arms, and it was a feeling he was coming to rely upon quickly.

“And when you’re ready, I’ll make you smile again. I promise.” Shiraishi said, idly playing with Kirihara’s hair; an activity he enjoyed immensely.

Akaya sighed happily and nodded. The feel of Shiraishi playing with his hair nearly made him purr in contentment. “I like it when you do that.”

Shiraishi grinned. “Well, you’re in luck, because I like doing it.”

“It’s the fastest way to calm me down when I’m angry or upset.” His eyes were sliding closed despite the fact he felt wide awake.

“I figured it would be.” Shiraishi said gently, his voice softening. “But I’ll do it even when you’re happy.”

“Mm, good. It feels nice.” Akaya knew he was likely smiling like a fool while doing his impression of a happy cat, but he didn’t care. Shiraishi was warm and comforting, and his hand seemed to know just how to move to make him relax.

Shiraishi continued to touch, his fingers occasionally gently sliding on the nape of Kirihara’s neck. “I’ll have to learn all of your sweet spots.”

“Just no tickling. I flail and have been known to bite.” Akaya warned as he melted a little more into Shiraishi.

“Hmm...maybe I like a little biting.” Shiraishi said. “Hearing your laughter would be worth it~.”

Akaya pulled back just enough to pout at Shiraishi. “Only if I get to tickle you back. And if you aren’t ticklish...then that’s so unfair I can’t even explain it.”

Shiraishi wiggled his fingers. “We’ll just have to find out, won’t we?” He teased.

Akaya looked suspiciously fearful as he glanced between Shiraishi’s face and his hand. You wouldn’t...”

“Wouldn’t I?” Shiraishi’s hand edged closer, enjoying the playful interaction.

Akaya gave Shiraishi a pitiful pout. “You would tickle little old me?”

Shiraishi drew back his hand, looking shocked. “Not the pout! I can’t defeat the pout!”

Akaya was cackling mentally. On the outside, he widened his eyes even more, and made his lower lip start quivering.

“Oh, No!” Shiraishi flailed onto his back dramatically. “I’ve been defeated!” He stopped his flailing and pretended to be dead.

Akaya was quiet for a moment before busting up laughing. Collapsing on the ground next to Shiraishi, Pumped one fist up into the air. “Victory is mine!”

Shiraishi suddenly rolled around, so that he was now pinning Kirihara to the ground. “You so sure about that?”

“Ep.” Akaya squeaked, no longer sure that he was safe.

“Never declare victory without making sure the enemy is dead.” Shiraishi said. He began moving his hand up again, but retracted it just before it touched Kirihara’s skin. Instead, he dipped his head and kissed the hollow of Kirihara’s neck.

Akaya gasped softly and turned his head to give Shiraishi more access. He had been so sure that he was about to be tickled, but the kiss was a complete surprise.

Shiraishi was completely occupied with Kirihara’s neck, kissing it some more before leaving a hickey or two. He then kissed behind Kirihara’s ear. He completely wasn’t thinking at the moment.

Akaya moaned softly as he wrapped his arms around Shiraishi’s waist. He had no will to resist, and no good reason to summon the will either.

Shiraishi was motivated by the moan and left some more love bites before moving to finally claim Kirihara’s lips.

Akaya kissed Shiraishi back without a hint of hesitation. The blond tasted like melons and mint, and he found himself hooked.

Shiraishi found himself quite addicted, and had to conjure up the will to separate from Kirihara. “...Eh...I didn’t mean to move so fast...” He rolled onto his back and scratched his head. “Ah...Kuranosuke....” He lightly berated himself.

Akaya rolled over and put his head on Shiraishi’s shoulder. “I liked it. A lot. We can...do that again sometime, right? The kissing?”

Shiraishi laughed. “I would be sad if we didn’t!”

Akaya brightened up and snuggled closer. “Good. Then there’s nothing to be sorry for.”

“Heh...I guess so.” Shiraishi held Kirihara closer, closing his eyes. “...Mind if I stay here for a spell?”

“I was thinking of insisting on it. I’m comfy.” Akaya smiled and wrapped his arm around Shiraishi’s chest.

Shiraishi left out a small yawn. “Good. It’ll be nice to wake up to you.”

Akaya yawned as well, Shiraishi’s own becoming contagious. “I agree.”

Shiraishi’s body relaxed, comfortable in the heat Kirihara provided. Soon enough, his breathing even and it was obvious he was asleep.

Akaya smiled softly and shifted a bit. Once he was satisfactorily comfortable, he let his eyes slip closed as he drifted off to sleep.