[anOTP] Tsuzuki's violet eyes make Titus stay up nights, period {For Titus Groan}

Jul 31, 2010 23:54

Passing by the door of the young earl's rooms, Tsuzuki thinks he hears a sob, choked and dulled from the distance it had to travel to reach him, but clearly one of sadness and longing. He approaches the door and taps on it gently. Titus makes no answer at first at first, then he calls out, "The door is open, you may enter."

He pushes open the door and crosses the deep carpet within, approaching the bed on which Titus lies, a fanciful bit of furniture carved to resemble a graceful white boat, a bed on which a boy might lie and dream of adventures, its appearance slightly at odds with the young man on the edge of adulthood who lies upon it. Titus lies with his arms folded under his head, boots off, vest unbuttoned, the neck of his shirt and the waist of his trousers unlaced. He looks as if he had paused while undressing for the night.

"You all right? I heard you sigh," Tsuzuki asks, perching himself on the foot of the bed.

"No, yes, perhaps," Titus replies with a shrug. "How would you feel, Mr. Tsuzuki, if you arrived in a new world to find one version of your worst enemy waiting for you, no doubt already plotting to destroy you?"

Tsuzuki chuckles sadly. "Well, I can certainly relate to that: I walked into this place when I was trailing my worst enemy, and he somehow followed me here. I haven't seen his face, but I know he's already trying to set a trap for me. But let's say I'm setting a nice trap for him."

"I hope you catch him before he snares you," Titus said.

"I hope so, too. Just be careful: he's dangerous, particularly nice-looking young men like you," he warns. He looks into Titus's eyes. "That probably goes double for you: he, ah, likes guys with violet eyes, too, which is one reason he's got it in for me."

"I shall take care to avoid him, but might I ask what makes him so dangerous?" Titus asks, his smooth brow furrowing in concern.

Tsuzuki figures he'd better lay it on the line. "The thing is, there are people who are... romantically inclined toward people of their own sex as well as people of the opposite sex. I'm one of them, but I'm a lot more shy about it. This guy isn't: he's also known to take what he wants from a person without asking for it, whether they're interested in him or not."

"But what is so wrong in following your desires?" Titus asks innocently enough.

"It's wrong if the other person isn't interested in you." He feels a bit of a pang: was this young man so starved for love that he'd take what he could however he could?

Titus takes this in, pondering it, his violet eyes thoughtful. "So how do you know if you're drawn to your own sex or not?"

"Oh, you'll know when it happens: you'll see someone who just makes you think: 'Wow, that fellow is handsome...' And when they're not around, you'll find yourself thinking about them a lot, wondering where they are, what they're doing. You'll think about who they are are how much you want to be with them, to hold them." He realizes he'd started blushing and that Titus was looking at them.

"Much as one would with a woman," Titus says, putting two and two together. "So this man wants you in this way, but the question is, do you?"

"Well, that's not an easy question to answer," Tsuzuki says. "I think he's a handsome figure of a man, but he's a cruel person. And I've got someone I'm with, and I'm attracted to a few others." He wanted to say what was on his mind, that he was attracted to Titus and that he'd started to understand why so many people found his violet eyes fascinating.

"Might I ask who these others are that you say you are drawn to?" Titus asks.

Tsuzuki feels his cheeks warm. "Well, one of them is... your lordship."

Titus raises an eyebrow. "Is that why you were so quick to fly to my side? Did my groan catch your ear?"

"Well, that was one reason. I just don't like seeing people lonely or upset," Tsuzuki admits.

Titus glances to the door, then looks at Tsuzuki. "You may stay, if you wish."

"Thanks," Tsuzuki says. "Mind if I, ah, use one of your pillows."

"You may," Titus says. Sitting up, he shifts one of the pillows closer to Tsuzuki, then moves aside to give him more room. Tsuzuki pulls himself up further on the bed and lies down next to the young earl. Titus turns onto his side, looking into Tsuzuki's face. Almost without thinking, Tsuzuki slips an arm under Titus's shoulder, drawing closer.

He starts to pull back. "I'm sorry: you just looked lonely, and I wanted to hold you to let you know you aren't so alone."

"No, let your arm stay where it is; I don't mind it," Titus replies.

Tsuzuki draws a little closer, letting Titus rest his head on his chest. The young lord shifts and lays an arm across Tsuzuki's slender waist.

"You're beautiful for a man," Titus says, against Tsuzuki's shirt. "Does this mean I am drawn both to men and to women?"

"Maybe. When you get a little older and know yourself a little better, you'll know where your heart wants to go."

who:titus groan, !anotp

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