Title: Evening Routine
Author:
write_my_dreamsPairing: Asagi x Ruiza
Genre: AU, vampirism, fluff
Warning/Disclaimer: Mentions of death. Asagi and Ruiza belong to themselves, I own the storyline and the writing.
Rating: PG
Chapter(s): 1/1
Summary: Asagi wakes Ruiza from a nightmare and helps him calm down.
Author's Comment: Dedicated to
desert_apple because she isn't feeling well. Also... Ruiza demanded that he be written with Asagi. Oh, does anyone have any AsagixRuiza icons? I need to get one for these two.
Ruiza kept reaching into his yukata to curl his fingers around the small bag of coins. With this money, he could buy food for his family. They might even have full bellies! Such times had always been rare for them. Ruiza would usually fall asleep to the sound of his little sisters crying from hunger. He hated how he and his siblings were always hungry. There was never enough food or money to support his family. At least life would be better for a little while with this money.
A chill breeze made him wrap his arms around himself. The day had started out warm but got colder once the sun went down. He was also out later than he usually would be. His parents would be angry at him for that, yet surely that would be replaced with smiles once Ruiza showed him the money he won. Although… if he admitted that he’d won it through gambling…
He could imagine it already.
Ruiza, you fool! How could you risk gambling away the little money you have? His mother would say. She always despaired about money and how to provide for her family. His father would agree with her, but the coins would please him.
Ruiza passed an alley between two buildings. He tried to shout as his arm was seized, sound muffled by a second hand covering his mouth. Ruiza stumbled as he was dragged backwards into the alley. He was roughly turned and pushed against the worn brick of the wall, held in place by a man Ruiza recognized from the gambling den. He began to tremble as the sharp tip of a knife pressed against his throat.
“The money,” the man growled. “Give me the money or I’ll cut your throat.” He traced the knife over Ruiza’s throat to indicate what he would do.
“Please… my family…” Ruiza trailed off as the knife pierced his skin enough to draw blood but not so deep that it would kill him. The sharp pain and the utter lack of mercy in the man’s eyes made him tremble again. This man cared nothing for Ruiza or his family. All that mattered to him was getting the money.
* * *
“Rui,” the blonde squirmed as someone shook his shoulder. “Ruiza! Wake up!” The voice wasn’t coming from the man menacing him or someone in the town, yet it was familiar. He knew this voice. “Ruiza!” A harder shake had his eyes snapping open. Ruiza gasped for air that he didn’t need as he looked up at the familiar ceiling of Asagi’s apartment. That view was obstructed by the man himself leaning over him, expression of concern on his face. “Rui?” Asagi repeated his name. “Were you having a nightmare? You were whimpering in your sleep and kept calling my name…”
Ruiza sighed softly. His hand moved to his chest, feeling phantom pains from the man’s knife sinking into his chest. After robbing him the man had stabbed him then left him to die alone in that alley. If Asagi hadn’t come along… he would be dead. “I was dreaming about the night I died.” He looked up at Asagi. “You woke me before I could see my murder. Again.” It wasn’t the first time he’d dreamt about that night and it wouldn’t be the last. At least he’d had company.
Asagi smiled sadly. “I’m glad I woke you in time.” He leaned down to kiss Ruiza’s forehead. The blonde wrinkled his nose as Asagi’s long, black hair tickled his face. “It’s a little too early for us to be awake but I imagine you have no desire to go back to sleep.” Asagi lay down at Ruiza’s side then drew the blonde into his arms, holding him close to his chest.
“Mm.” Ruiza glanced at the clock. Sunset was at least another hour away. He, like most vampires, preferred to wake up after the sun had set so it was possible to go outside. Being stuck inside (especially when bored) was such a pain in the ass. But there was nothing he could do. Ruiza glanced back at Asagi again then blinked. He’d been too disoriented from the dream to notice his lover’s… interesting hairstyle. Asagi’s normally well-groomed hair now resembled a hedgehog since it was sticking up in all directions. Ruiza bit his lip in an attempt to keep from laughing but couldn’t stop the giggles that escaped him.
Asagi looked confused. “What’s so funny?”
“Your hair!” Ruiza laughed. “You look like a hedgehog.”
“What?” Asagi quickly sat up. His hands shot to his hair as he frantically began to smooth it down. Still giggling, Ruiza moved over to help him. Poor Asagi’s long hair always worked against him when he was asleep. His hair was especially wild if he went to sleep after having sex. Ruiza smirked as he glanced over his shoulder, thinking about the trail of clothes that led from the front door to the bedroom. That sex had been as wild as Asagi’s hair.
“Does my hair look normal now?” The question had Ruiza looking at his lover again. Asagi’s hair was still messy from sleep and sex, as to be expected, but it didn’t look bad.
Ruiza combed his fingers through the dark locks. “It’s still messy. You don’t look like a hedgehog anymore at least!”
“That’s good…” Asagi muttered. He fussed with his hair for a little longer before returning his attention to Ruiza. “I don’t think either of us will be sleeping anymore tonight. Would you like some tea?” Vampires had no trouble with liquids, which made both of them happy. Ruiza didn’t know what he’d do if he couldn’t drink tea anymore. It was the same with Asagi.
Ruiza nodded. “Tea would be nice.” Having his cool hands clasped around a warm cup of tea was always calming. Part of him was still on edge from the nightmare so he needed the tea to help him relax. Asagi’s crazy hair, and Asagi himself, had helped him calm down a little. The older vampire was always so warm and loving. Ruiza was glad he’d spent the night with him instead of another. Someone else surely wouldn’t have been so comforting. Ruiza pushed the sheets off his bare body before stretching. He smirked as he saw Asagi’s eyes tracing the lines of his body. Asagi might be more than willing to replicate last night. And why shouldn’t he? They had nothing better to do while they waited to go out.
Asagi, realizing he’d been caught staring, flushed slightly. He rolled off the bed, which gave Ruiza his turn to admire his very attractive lover. That man was far too beautiful for his own good. Asagi pulled his closet open then glanced over his shoulder at Ruiza. “Rui-chan, stop staring at me like a hungry wolf.”
“You were checking me out earlier.” He smirked as Asagi blushed. “I’d suggest we skip the tea and have you come back to bed, but I know you have more fun when you get to undress me.” Ruiza laughed as Asagi blushed even more. Oh it was so fun (and easy) to make his lover turn scarlet.
“You’re such a brat sometimes.”
Ruiza chuckled softly. He knew it was true so wouldn’t deny it. He joined Asagi in front of his closet, watching as his lover pulled on underwear and pants. The black-haired vampire took a shirt out of the closet, starting as Ruiza snatched it from his hands. “I’ll just wear your clothes. I don’t feel like gathering mine.” He smiled sweetly then pulled the shirt over his head. Ruiza was smaller than Asagi so didn’t need to bother wearing pants. The shirt was long enough to cover him. Once the shirt was on, he made a face at the heavy scent of roses. “I’m going to smell like a rosebush again.” Ruiza trailed his fingers up Asagi’s bare arm as he spoke, making it clear that the scent didn’t bother him all that much. It was something that one had to learn to like if they wanted to be with Asagi. He never smelled like roses when they were apart. But as soon as he returned to Asagi’s arms (and his bed), Ruiza’s scent changed. It was impossible not to when the black-haired vampire’s bath and cleaning products smelled of roses. Then there were the roses scattered around the apartment in various vases too. If it was rose scented, Asagi would buy it. Or Ruiza would buy it for him to make him smile.
“I like when you smell like roses.” Asagi smiled at him then took out another shirt, pulling that over his head. He reached for his hair but Ruiza stopped him. Gently he pulled his lover’s hair out from under his shirt then combed his fingers through it. “Rui, does my hair look like a madman’s now?”
“No.” Ruiza shook his head. It was messy of course but that was nothing a good shower wouldn’t fix. “So, tea?”
Asagi slid his arms around Ruiza’s waist. He abruptly tugged the blonde forward, causing Ruiza to stumble into his chest. So he wasn’t the only one in a playful mood. “The tea can wait for a few minutes.” Asagi smirked as he kissed Ruiza.
Waiting was fine with him.
* * *
After tea and a shower, they moved to the couch where Ruiza was now brushing Asagi’s damp hair. He swore his lover would start purring whenever Ruiza did this. The black-haired vampire’s head was tilted back, with a look of total contentment on his face. His expression was identical to his cats when they were brushed. Although… Ruiza wasn’t too happy with the cats at that moment. They had rudely disrupted the kissing lovers to demand their evening meal. Ruiza hadn’t been pleased about having to stop kissing Asagi but had followed his lover to help him get the cats fed. At least they wouldn’t be disturbing the lovers now. The cats were busy amusing themselves with new toys, which meant that Ruiza had Asagi all to himself. Just how he wanted things.
“Your hair is so long,” Ruiza mused as he brushed out Asagi’s almost waist-length hair. He preferred to keep his own hair around shoulder length since it drove him crazy if it was much longer. Asagi loved his long hair though.
“It is,” Asagi hummed. He started toying with a lock of his hair. “I might trim it soon though.”
“And deny me your sex hair?” Ruiza laughed as Asagi smacked his (still bare) thigh in rebuke. He hadn’t bothered to put on more clothes after his shower. Asagi’s shirt was perfectly comfortable.
“Yours is pretty wild too.”
Ruiza couldn’t deny that. Oh well… it wasn’t as if the appearance of his hair mattered to him. And, since Asagi was a little vain about his hair, it was easier to hurry him into the shower or the bath so he could go about restoring his hair to its original state. Ruiza smiled to himself as he continued brushing Asagi’s hair. “Did you have any plans for once the sun goes down?” he asked, setting the brush down and leaning forward to kiss Asagi’s neck. The black-haired vampire sighed and automatically tilted his head to expose his neck. Ruiza chuckled, swiping Asagi’s hair over his other shoulder so he could keep kissing his neck. It was obviously hard for his lover to concentrate since it took a few moments for Asagi to speak up.
“I wanted to go walk in the park.”
“And get ice cream?”
Asagi snorted. “You and ice cream…”
“It’s tasty,” Ruiza pouted, nuzzling his lover’s neck before giving it a playful nip. He did have an unhealthy addiction to human food. “I need to buy chocolate too.” Ruiza kept having dirty fantasies of licking chocolate off of Asagi’s thighs. By the time he was done with his little treat, Asagi would be so impatient to fuck him that the sex would be even better than it usually was. And the sex was already amazing. Out of all the lovers Ruiza had had throughout his vampire life, Asagi was his favorite. Sometimes he wondered if that was because Asagi was the one who had turned him… but there were other vampires that had little to no connection with the vampires who turned them. Ruiza reckoned that it was just Asagi himself that made him so addicting.
“Chocolate?”
Ruiza made a noise of agreement then continued to brush Asagi’s hair. The black-haired vampire was having a hard time holding still now. He knew there was something on Ruiza’s mind. Something about that chocolate. Once Ruiza had brushed Asagi’s hair he moved to sit in his lover’s lap, smirking as he draped his arms around Asagi’s neck. “I want chocolate for this,” he whispered, leaning forward to kiss Asagi. As they kissed he sent images of exactly what he wanted to do to Asagi. And have done to him. The black-haired vampire shivered, arms sliding around him and holding him tightly.
Does that sound fun?
It does… I wish I wouldn’t have to wait for the sun to set.
Ruiza pulled back with a playful smile. Asagi’s dark eyes were focused on him, promising that the night would be fun. He reached up to brush Ruiza’s hair back behind his ear then pulled him back into a kiss. Ruiza moved closer to him, content to just sit in Asagi’s lap and kiss him. His surprised noise was muffled as Asagi grasped his waist then abruptly flipped them over so they were now lying on their sides. Ruiza snuggled up to him and laid his head on Asagi’s arm, gently stroking his hair.
“I can’t decide if you want to jump me or if you want to cuddle.”
“Mm… it’s both.” Ruiza pressed a kiss to Asagi’s arm. “I need to get the chocolate first though so for now, I just want to cuddle.”
Asagi nuzzled Ruiza’s hair. He didn’t bother with responding, just reached over the top of the couch to take down a rose-print blanket. He draped that over them then brought Ruiza closer to him. Being wrapped in Asagi’s arms was one of his favorite places in the world. He always felt safe in these arms… and loved. Their relationship had changed so much over the years but no matter how much time passed, they still cared for each other.
Notes
1) This is obviously before Asagi meets Tsunehito
2) Asagi and Ruiza are an off and on couple, which is a common element in my vampire series. He meets Ruiza shortly after the end of World War II and they're together for a while, then separate because they want different things in life. Then get back together. And so on and so forth.
3) About the icons... I'll trade you a fic in exchange for some icons?