"TELL ME ON A SUNDAY"

Written By: anti-nostalgic kuma

Disclaimer: I don't own Gravitation. It belongs to the great Maki Murikami. But I had a dream once that I owned it! ...Well, not really, but it sounds impressive!

Summary: Shuichi makes an unusual request to Eiri late at night. Songfic. Romance, slight angst, slight fluff... Not really sad, not really happy.

Song: 'Tell Me On A Sunday' from the musical 'Tell Me On A Sunday'. Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Don Black... So, I don't own it. Got it? Good!

Author's Notes: This is the product of me listening to far too many show tunes... I guess that's just what happens whenever you're in the High School musical and you've got far too much free time on your hands and you also happen to be a huge Gravitation fan. Mmmyep. The thing is, we're doing Cole Porter's 'Kiss Me Kate', so this isn't a song that I hear everyday... Unlike 'Another Openin', Another Show'... But, I digress... This is in Eiri's POV... Onto the story...

Don't write a letter when you want to leave.
Don't call me at 3 a.m. from a friend's apartment.
I'd like to choose how I hear the news.
Take me to a park that's covered with trees.
Tell me on a Sunday please.

Let me down easy, no big song and dance.
No long faces, no long looks, no deep conversation.
I know the way we should spend the day.
Take me to a zoo that's got chimpanzees.
Tell me on a Sunday please.

Don't want to know who's to blame,
It won't help knowing.
Don't want to fight day and night
Bad enough you're going.
Don't leave in silence with no words at all.
Don't get drunk and slam the door,
That's no way to end this,
I know how I want you to say goodbye.
Find a circus ring with a flying trapeze.
Tell me on a Sunday please.

I don't want to fight day and night,
Bad enough you're going.
Don't leave in silence with no words at all.
Don't get drunk and slam the door,
That's no way to end this.
I know how I want you to say goodbye.
Don't run off in the pouring rain.
Don't call me as they call your plane.
Take that hurt out of all the pain.
Take me to a park that's covered with trees.
Tell me on a Sunday please.

"Ne, Yuki...?" Shuichi asked softly. I knew he was watching me as I lay next to him, a cigarette dangling listlessly from my mouth, gazing out the window, seemingly unaware of his presence. He fisted the satin sheets and blankets nervously, chewing slightly on his bottom lip, thinking that I wasn't looking at him. He must've been worried about something. And he obviously wanted to talk about it. Which meant that I probably wasn't going to be getting any sleep anytime soon. The strange thing was, it didn't sound so terrible. Sometimes, I could listen to him talk for hours and say nothing, provided that he wasn't screaming it at the top of his lungs while I was trying to work. This had been one of those times. The wind was blowing strong outside, whistling lowly every so often, the rain pounding against the window and the roof, the thunder rumbling, vibrating with it's own personal timbre. The sound provided a nice backdrop to his voice, though I never told him that, and it helped me think. These times were peaceful, calming. I never wanted them to end. They also scared the hell out of me.

"...What is it?" Shuichi looked up at me, eyes wide with shock, his big, brown eyes staring into my hazel ones. He must've thought I hadn't been listening. I can't say I blame him. Alot of people don't take my silence well. They usually think I'm ignoring them rather than giving them my full attention or thinking about my answer. Maybe that's how I wanted it, though... It sure works when I want to avoid discussing uncomfortable topics. He swallowed, hard, and took a deep breath, running his hand through his black hair, gathering up the courage to continue.

"Don't write me a letter, okay?" He blurted out, his eyes gazing at mine intently. "And don't call me at three in the morning from Tohma's. Just do it quick; no drama. Don't make it a long conversation with meaningful looks and tears and sad faces. And don't tell me whose fault it is, because I don't care. It doesn't matter in the long run anyway, right?" I don't think he meant for it to come out all at once like that, but he couldn't stop now, not until he got everything he needed to say out in the open. He was rambling, but I didn't stop them. I wanted to know what he was talking about. "And don't fight with me about it, because it'll be bad enough anyway, so don't make it worse. And don't just say nothing. That makes it worse. Please don't get drunk and slam the door in my face, either, because that's worse than saying nothing at all. Don't run off in the rain, either, because you might get a cold. And don't call me just when they're calling your plane... Because that would hurt worse than it would already... Make it the best day of my life... Take me to the Zoo, the Circus, the park... Buy me icecream and smile that smile you only use for me... And when you do it, just kiss me. Make it as swift and painless as possible, and just... Just, tell me on a Sunday, okay? Promise me."

Normally, I might of derided him or poked fun at him, asked him what the hell he was talking about. But I've never seen him look so passionately, so intense about anything before. I didn't have the heart to do it. "Do what?" I asked him quietly, taking one last drag from my cigarette and then putting it out, so he knew he had my attention. "Tell you what? What I am supposed to promise?"

He blushed and looked down at the sheets in embarassment, obviously realizing that he had forgotten to tell me that important piece of information. And now that I had pointed it out to him, he had lost his zeal. He didn't seem to be willing to go on anymore. So I prodded him.

"Shuichi." His head snapped up, surprised. Was it really so rare of an occation that I called him by his name? I reached out, my fingers brushing against his cheek softly, tenderly. He leaned into the touch like a kitten. "I can't promise you if I don't know what I'm supposed to promise," I pointed out, stroking his cheek.

He looked into my eyes, as if scared of my possible reaction. Did I enstill so much fear into him? "Tell me on a Sunday... when you leave me again...," he answered finally, visibly bracing himself for one of my outbursts.

I pulled my hand away slowly from his face, shocked. I could see tears forming in his eyes from the loss of contact, and I shook my head, trying to snap out of it quickly. "Shuichi, who said I was going to leave you again...?" My voice was quiet, as usual, hardly any emotion in it.

He blushed, not meeting my eyes. "Well, you are... aren't you...? That's what you do when things get hard. It's been that way since we first got together..."

God, wasn't that the truth. I've been a right bastard. I sighed after a few mintutes, shaking my head. "I'm sorry, I can't promise that."

"But why?" He was looking at me again, tears running down his cheeks now. Why is it that no matter what I do, no matter what my intentions are, I still make him cry? I still make him unhappy. "If you care for me at all, you'll promise me this, Yuki! I can't have you leave like you did all of those other times. It hurts me too much!" He burst into sobs, crumbling before my eyes. Why do I always do this to him?

I reached out, lifting his chin to make him look at me, trying to mend him. Tears were flowing soundlessly down his cheeks, eyes rimmed with red, hiccupping from crying. "Shuichi, I can't promise you that. I won't promise you that. But you didn't let me finish. You didn't let me tell you why."

His lip trembling, he said softly, "I'm listening."

I leaned closer to him, cupping both of his cheeks in my palms, wiping away the tears with thumbs. "I won't promise you that because I'm not leaving you." He looked up at me, eyes wide with awe. He was beautiful in that moment; the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. "I've done that too much. I'm not going to leave you again when things start to get rough. I'm not going to run away from my problems. I'm going to take things as they come, let them roll off of my back, take them in stride. I'm going to stop living like I'm dead, or only half a person, because I'm not anymore. The moment you came into my life, you made it noisy, difficult, and complicated as all hell, but I wouldn't have it any other way. You better be willing to put up with me, because I'm not going anywhere."

I can't tell you who made the first move, but soon we were kissing. Hands in hair, running down backs, tongues dancing, eyes screwed closed as tight. And I can't tell you who stopped, either. It could have been either of us, really... We both needed to breathe. He looked up at me, a soft smile setting his face aglow. "Yuki... Thank you... I love you..."

I kissed him again, softly. I still wasn't ready to say those words back. But I was making progress. "I know, Shuichi... I know."

FIN

Author's Notes Part Deux: Honestly? The more I read this, the more I dislike it... Hmm... Well, perhaps one of you will like it? Or tell me how to make it less... crap? Thanks!