[Action] A few of my favorite things...
"Hey Cookie." Touya gave Nakuru a smacking kiss on the cheek. "Scram."
Nakuru huffed and rubbed her cheek. "You have something for me, Mr. Owes-me-a-favor?" she asked, holding out a hand.
Touya shifted the picnic basket he carried and presented Nakuru with the cake box he'd been holding behind his back. "As ordered: one mocha latte chocolate chip cake. Tell your guy I said 'hey' or something."
"You owe me two favors for pushing me out the door like this," Nakuru said as he shut her own door in her face.
"Sure," he called back, heading for his target.
"Touya..." Yukito was staring at him from the couch. "What's going on?"
He took Yukito's arm and drew him to his feet. The kiss he laid on Yukito's mouth was soft and light and he lingered as he pulled back. "I'm ambushing Yue," he said. "Send him out?" He leaned back in for another kiss. Yukito was addicting that way--warm and smooth and
"That's enough," Yue said, pushing him away. "I am here."
When Touya leaned back, Yue folded his arms and regarded him impassively. It made him smile. "Things I know you like," he said, opening the picnic basket. "Hey, Biz," he said as Serious Business jumped out, giving him a furious look.
Yue's impassive look got a little more impassive. "Your kitten?" he asked dryly.
Touya looked at Biz. He wasn't much of a 'kitten' anymore, but a sleek, young cat in the lanky years of cat adolescence. "Well, he likes you," he said. "And he's picking up bad habits from Honey and Clover so I thought I'd bring him with me." He watched Biz blink up at Yue with his parti-colored eyes. He knew his cat was just waiting for the opportunity to leap up and be held. He wasn't sure if Yue deliberately relaxed his arms or if he had simply not interpreted Biz's interest correctly, but as he reached into the picnic basket again, Biz leapt lightly and settled himself in the cradle of Yue's arms, looking regal and self-satisfied.
"...cookies?" Yue said and Touya blinked, refocusing.
"Yeah." He frowned. "I guess I was thinking more of Yuki," he confessed. "He always says he's not that fond of cookies but they never lasted long, you know?" Though he could never quite figure out why Yukito would bother to hide the fact that he ate cookies. It was still strange even after ten years of knowing him. "If you want one, you'd better have it now. If you eat. I don't know that you do. Never seen you do it." Yue made him slightly nervous and a little...stupid. "Your brother eats all the time, though, so..." he stopped. Let out a breath. Emptied the basket. "Some books. All library books, so you can keep them for a while."
He'd got a large selection of books. One on Italian art, one on French cathedrals. He'd got a copy of The Canterville Ghost , one of the books that Spinel had recommended that he'd enjoyed immensely. A popular 'noir' murder-mystery that had been featured at the library, a book of zen philosophy, and a book of movies 'in fifteen minutes'. He'd also brought along several investment magazines, the third book in the vampire-alien-bounty-hunter series he was reading, and a copy of an article he needed to read for class. He dropped the books in a pile on the coffee table.
Yue raised one eyebrow ever-so-slightly.
Touya smiled. "And, the most important thing," he mimed zipping his lips shut and then held out his hand to Yue. When Yue only stared at him he rolled his eyes meaningfully and shook his hand slightly until Yue, blinking, held out his own. Touya mimed dropping the keys into Yue's hand.
That done he grabbed his book and settled on the couch, snagging a cookie out of the container. He tried to ignore Biz's ecstatic purring and the way Yue settled gracefully at the opposite end of the sofa with the book of art in his hands. He couldn't quite manage to ignore Yue, but he did put him mostly out of his mind as he became engrossed in his book. He was pretty sure that the alien they were chasing wasn't actually the one who committed the crime--and that the real criminal was probably following the heroes--when it happened. Something white flickered just out of the field of his vision.
He lowered his book slightly and studied Yue and his cat. Aside from the pages occasionally turning (without a rustle and he wondered how Yue managed that) they were both unmoving. He went back to his novel but the second he did, the flicker happened again. He looked again, but Yue was still reading and Biz was sprawled in Yue's lap, his eyes closed down to little slits of feline bliss. He went back to reading and wasn't surprised at all when, again, the something-white did it's almost-flicker out the corner of his eye. This time he didn't lower his book, merely strained his eyes to see over the top of it as he watched his two companions.
Biz, he thought fondly. After glancing at his master, Touya's cat was batting stealthily at Yue's hair, making the spindrift strands float out before settling back in. Touya set his book down on the floor and sat up. He smiled at Yue when Yue looked at him and reached out, sliding his fingers into Yue's hair, intent on untangling his cat's paw. He paused and then stroked the hair between his fingers. It was smooth and cool and somehow weightless. Like the night breeze, he thought fancifully, sliding his fingers through it again.
"What are you doing?" Yue asked, his voice icy cold.
Touya smiled up at him. "Somebody was playing with your hair," he said. He looked down at his cat. Biz, for his part, had his paws curled under him and was, for all intents and purposes, fast asleep. He let out a slight laugh. Sneaky business cat, too, he thought.
"Really."
"Yeah," Touya gave Yue's hair a friendly tug. "Me."
The next thing he knew he was on his back on the floor and his cheek was burning. Biz had moved to the coffee table and was giving him an irritated look. Then he licked his paw and began scrubbing at his face. Taking the hint, Touya reached up and felt his cheek. His fingers were wet and when he looked at them, there was blood smeared on them. "Got it," he said, shifting to rub the knot rising at the back of his head. "Don't touch the hair." He pushed to his feet and regarded Yue for a moment, looking closely at the moon-blue eyes that were fixed on him. There were still ice crystals in the air. "I love you," he said and then headed for the bathroom to clean himself up.
Nakuru huffed and rubbed her cheek. "You have something for me, Mr. Owes-me-a-favor?" she asked, holding out a hand.
Touya shifted the picnic basket he carried and presented Nakuru with the cake box he'd been holding behind his back. "As ordered: one mocha latte chocolate chip cake. Tell your guy I said 'hey' or something."
"You owe me two favors for pushing me out the door like this," Nakuru said as he shut her own door in her face.
"Sure," he called back, heading for his target.
"Touya..." Yukito was staring at him from the couch. "What's going on?"
He took Yukito's arm and drew him to his feet. The kiss he laid on Yukito's mouth was soft and light and he lingered as he pulled back. "I'm ambushing Yue," he said. "Send him out?" He leaned back in for another kiss. Yukito was addicting that way--warm and smooth and
"That's enough," Yue said, pushing him away. "I am here."
When Touya leaned back, Yue folded his arms and regarded him impassively. It made him smile. "Things I know you like," he said, opening the picnic basket. "Hey, Biz," he said as Serious Business jumped out, giving him a furious look.
Yue's impassive look got a little more impassive. "Your kitten?" he asked dryly.
Touya looked at Biz. He wasn't much of a 'kitten' anymore, but a sleek, young cat in the lanky years of cat adolescence. "Well, he likes you," he said. "And he's picking up bad habits from Honey and Clover so I thought I'd bring him with me." He watched Biz blink up at Yue with his parti-colored eyes. He knew his cat was just waiting for the opportunity to leap up and be held. He wasn't sure if Yue deliberately relaxed his arms or if he had simply not interpreted Biz's interest correctly, but as he reached into the picnic basket again, Biz leapt lightly and settled himself in the cradle of Yue's arms, looking regal and self-satisfied.
"...cookies?" Yue said and Touya blinked, refocusing.
"Yeah." He frowned. "I guess I was thinking more of Yuki," he confessed. "He always says he's not that fond of cookies but they never lasted long, you know?" Though he could never quite figure out why Yukito would bother to hide the fact that he ate cookies. It was still strange even after ten years of knowing him. "If you want one, you'd better have it now. If you eat. I don't know that you do. Never seen you do it." Yue made him slightly nervous and a little...stupid. "Your brother eats all the time, though, so..." he stopped. Let out a breath. Emptied the basket. "Some books. All library books, so you can keep them for a while."
He'd got a large selection of books. One on Italian art, one on French cathedrals. He'd got a copy of The Canterville Ghost , one of the books that Spinel had recommended that he'd enjoyed immensely. A popular 'noir' murder-mystery that had been featured at the library, a book of zen philosophy, and a book of movies 'in fifteen minutes'. He'd also brought along several investment magazines, the third book in the vampire-alien-bounty-hunter series he was reading, and a copy of an article he needed to read for class. He dropped the books in a pile on the coffee table.
Yue raised one eyebrow ever-so-slightly.
Touya smiled. "And, the most important thing," he mimed zipping his lips shut and then held out his hand to Yue. When Yue only stared at him he rolled his eyes meaningfully and shook his hand slightly until Yue, blinking, held out his own. Touya mimed dropping the keys into Yue's hand.
That done he grabbed his book and settled on the couch, snagging a cookie out of the container. He tried to ignore Biz's ecstatic purring and the way Yue settled gracefully at the opposite end of the sofa with the book of art in his hands. He couldn't quite manage to ignore Yue, but he did put him mostly out of his mind as he became engrossed in his book. He was pretty sure that the alien they were chasing wasn't actually the one who committed the crime--and that the real criminal was probably following the heroes--when it happened. Something white flickered just out of the field of his vision.
He lowered his book slightly and studied Yue and his cat. Aside from the pages occasionally turning (without a rustle and he wondered how Yue managed that) they were both unmoving. He went back to his novel but the second he did, the flicker happened again. He looked again, but Yue was still reading and Biz was sprawled in Yue's lap, his eyes closed down to little slits of feline bliss. He went back to reading and wasn't surprised at all when, again, the something-white did it's almost-flicker out the corner of his eye. This time he didn't lower his book, merely strained his eyes to see over the top of it as he watched his two companions.
Biz, he thought fondly. After glancing at his master, Touya's cat was batting stealthily at Yue's hair, making the spindrift strands float out before settling back in. Touya set his book down on the floor and sat up. He smiled at Yue when Yue looked at him and reached out, sliding his fingers into Yue's hair, intent on untangling his cat's paw. He paused and then stroked the hair between his fingers. It was smooth and cool and somehow weightless. Like the night breeze, he thought fancifully, sliding his fingers through it again.
"What are you doing?" Yue asked, his voice icy cold.
Touya smiled up at him. "Somebody was playing with your hair," he said. He looked down at his cat. Biz, for his part, had his paws curled under him and was, for all intents and purposes, fast asleep. He let out a slight laugh. Sneaky business cat, too, he thought.
"Really."
"Yeah," Touya gave Yue's hair a friendly tug. "Me."
The next thing he knew he was on his back on the floor and his cheek was burning. Biz had moved to the coffee table and was giving him an irritated look. Then he licked his paw and began scrubbing at his face. Taking the hint, Touya reached up and felt his cheek. His fingers were wet and when he looked at them, there was blood smeared on them. "Got it," he said, shifting to rub the knot rising at the back of his head. "Don't touch the hair." He pushed to his feet and regarded Yue for a moment, looking closely at the moon-blue eyes that were fixed on him. There were still ice crystals in the air. "I love you," he said and then headed for the bathroom to clean himself up.