STILL ASLEEP

It had been hours since Raikou had last seen Gau.

Not that he was complaining, of course. Raikou hadn't exactly noticed until Yukimi brought it up in the middle of one of his drunken slurs. The boy was last seen correcting the maid on the way she placed Raikou's pillows on his bed and how the blankets she used weren't warm enough. Although Raikou had told him that it was not necessary, Gau locked himself in the bedroom and decided to clean it himself. That had been earlier in the afternoon, and it was now late at night. The snow outside was falling ever so delicately, and Raikou had not remembered Gau wearing anything for the cold. The curious samurai drank a small bit of hot chocolate and stood up from the table, leaving the dazed blonde mumbling to himself on the floor.

When he reached his bedroom, he heard no movement inside; it was silent. The door, luckily, was not locked as it had been before, and Raikou entered, slightly worried. The room was dark, and he tripped over a broom and a bottle of glass cleaner in order to find the lamp.

He found poor Gau's body thrown over the armchair by the window, his chin resting on his chest. From beneath his ebony locks, the pink haired male saw the boy's eyes lightly closed and his torso rising up and down gently. Raikou smiled, the soft sound of his breathing filling his ears. He was pleased Gau didn't wake when he placed an arm under the boy's dangling legs, then another under his back. The older male was even more pleased he didn't stir as he was raised up from the chair. Gau turned his body slightly, naturally leaning into Raikou's hold as would a small child—warm and secure in Raikou's arms.

When his carrier let him down onto the bed, Gau hesitantly let go in his sleep, holding on a moment longer than the other expected. Thus, Raikou was pulled down onto the bed as well, using his arms to quickly stop his face from crashing on to Gau's. Recovering from sudden shock, he made sure that Gau had not awoken. When he did so, he found himself closer to the boy more than he had ever been before, noticing the calm features he had never realized the easily riled up boy possessed, as well as the softness of his slightly parted lips…

Raikou began to pull his buried arms out from under the boy. His winter glove stayed caught under Gau's weight and was tugged off Raikou's hand, which he didn't notice until both arms were free. He contemplated going back under and getting it, but, in the end, thought against it. Doing so would be too much work, as would be placing Gau underneath the blankets the boy had worked so hard to perfect. Raikou decided upon taking off his coat and draping it over the boy.

Accordingly, Raikou placed it over Gau lovingly, tucking the ends of it lightly under the younger male's sides, as well as under his shoulders, where he once again became aware of how peaceful Gau's eyes were closed, how his cheeks were a startling cherry, and how his breath passed through his pink, calm mouth…

The boy's body jerked suddenly. Before Raikou realized he had bent forward, his lips were touching Gau's, and his eyes quickly checked to see if the other woke up. When he saw that Gau had not opened his eyes, Raikou shamelessly kissed deeper, boldly testing Gau's sleeping limits. But it felt right, like Gau's lips were locking him in, enchanting him, pulling him in closer. It was like a feeling like no other, a surprise unveiled from his sight. He watched it as if he were a third person, an invisible figure watching both of them together, his hands creeping around Gau's stomach…

Raikou withdrew, his childlike eyes gleaming in the light. Desire filled his lungs. He had only yet tasted a small piece of this new sensation, longing to taste more. He leaned in again, his eyes glued to Gau's precious face resting soundly on the pillows. Oh, how he loved the way Gau looked so innocent, so gorgeous, so…needed to be touched…

Raikou stopped. His mouth was barely an inch away from Gau's, noticing his hand under the coat and caressing the inside of Gau's thigh. He quickly removed it, shocked by his lustful actions. He stood up and reached over to turn off the lamp, fixing the coat so that it covered Gau's legs once again. Raikou stroked Gau's cheek, smiling affectionately in the darkness, and he turned around to leave, feelings of regret and lust mixing dangerously in his mind.

When Raikou left the door slightly open behind him, heading back down the hallway, Gau's eyes opened, revealing a delighted expression on the boy's face, like he had planned it all. He watched until Raikou's shadow could no longer be seen, and, using the dim light from the hall, his hands felt around bed to locate the pink glove beneath him. He held it up close to his mouth and kissed it.

"I love you," Gau whispered, inaudible to anyone but him.

The fuzz from the glove tickled his skin, and held it tightly in his hands, holding it close to his chest like a beloved treasure.

Sometimes something that important doesn't always need to be said aloud.

Author's Note: This was posted on LiveJournal weeks ago by me, and since I just noticed there's a Nabari No Ou section, I thought I might as well put it here.