Yo. I think I may have confused people about whether or not the last chapter was the end. It probably didn't help that it took me like…a year to update this hehe

Just so we're all clear this time around, this chapter is the last one!

Warnings for this chapter: awkward family encounters.

And final disclaimer for this story: I claim no ownership of the Gravitation characters.

And last thing, sorry about the length. This is much longer than I generally like my chapters to be. But I wanted it done, so take your time and enjoy!

-xXx-

Shuichi awoke to a sharp flick in the middle of his forehead.

"Wha—?" He mumbled, blearily opening his eyes and looking around.

"If he was already taken you should have just told me." Maiko stated, grinning smugly down at her brother who wasn't entirely awake enough to process her words. When they finally did sink in, he sat straight up, staring at his sister in mortification, throwing Eiri's arm off of him in the process and jolting the blonde awake.

"Ow! What the fuck, brat!"

"Oops. Sorry." Shuichi mumbled, looking back down to make sure he hadn't re-opened any of Eiri's wounds. Satisfied that Eiri was only irritated at being woken up in such a manner he turned back to his sister, chewing on his lip as he tried to find the proper words to say in such a situation.

"Save it, big brother. What or who you do in your spare time is of no interest to me."

"Huh? We're not—we haven't—Eiri!" Shuichi gave the blonde a pleading look, begging him to get him out of the awkward situation.

Eiri was just watching the siblings with an expression of pure amusement. Apparently this was worth the sudden wake up.

"This has nothing to do with me." He stated simply.

Shuichi scowled.

"Fine, fine. We haven't done anything of the sort that you seem to be implying." Shuichi smiled at him gratefully. "Well, not yet at least."

Shuichi turned bright red at the comment and whirled back around to face his sister who only looked mildly surprised.

"Don't tell mom!" Shuichi blurted, not even considering denial of the situation as an option.

"Mom? Alright…but she was in here earlier, you know. Guess we should have figured that there would be a side effect to all your cross-dressing." Maiko muttered thoughtfully to herself, ignoring the glare her brother was now giving her.

"That was forced cross-dressing and you know it!" Shuichi protested indignantly.

"True, true!" Maiko said, grinning again. "Anyway, mom told me to let you know that the doctor was on his way and that you should go get some breakfast and some ice for that bruise of yours."

Shuichi looked momentarily confused before remembering that Yuki had hit him rather hard the previous evening. Shuichi gingerly put his one hand to his cheek and winced. He could tell it had swelled up during the night and he didn't even want to know what it looked like.

"Alright." Shuichi said, sliding over to the edge of the bed. "I'll be right there." He gave a rather indiscreet glance back at Eiri.

"Whatever you say. But don't be too long." Maiko said with a wave as she left, closing the door a little too loudly on her way out.

"Yuki…" Shuichi began, defaulting to his old way of referring to the blonde.

"Shuichi?" Eiri mocked, enjoying Shuichi's awkwardness—he knew where this conversation was headed, but that didn't mean he had to make it any easier for Shuichi.

"Did you…mean that?"

Eiri attempted a shrug only to hiss in pain as it pulled at his injuries.

"Are you ok?" Shuichi asked, his focus quickly changing to one of concern for Eiri's wellbeing.

"I'll be fine. You should do as she says and get some ice—you look like some kid tried to watercolor around your eye."

"What about you?" Shuichi asked uncertainly.

Eiri rolled his eyes. "I think I can take care of myself for the 5 minutes it'll take for the doctor to get here. I'm not a complete invalid you know."

Shuichi shrugged. "You're sick enough for me to have to take care of you."

"I'm not sick, you idiot. I was shot. There's a difference."

"Oh. Then, you're crippled enough for me to have to take care of you. Better?"

Eiri just groaned in frustration. "Never mind. Just go."

Shuichi looked at Eiri momentarily before shrugging and making to leave. Halfway to the door, Shuichi turned around and ran back, kissing Eiri on the cheek with a shy smile and a bright red blush. Eiri just watched him leave, wondering for the millionth time what it was that attracted him so much to silly kisses, stupid comments and not to mention the ridiculous amount of near-death situations.

Oh right. Eiri thought, touching his cheek with his good hand, He's damn well adorable.

-xXx-

It had been eight weeks since Eiri had been shot and for most of the time since then, the blonde had been completely confined to the bed, though at the very least his arm was free of the sling and splint. Shuichi had insisted on spending every night with Eiri, explaining to his parents that someone needed to be there in case anything happened. His father had made a small speech telling Shuichi how proud of him he was for taking on such a responsibility while his mother had just laughed and nodded with a slight twinkle in her eye.

Eiri hadn't gotten a say in whether or not Shuichi stayed with him and surprisingly there were only a few nights when he legitimately wanted to toss the smaller boy out the window. Regardless, he made the threat every night.

Neither man touched on the subjects of the past or the future—Shuichi wanted to let Eiri heal in peace and Eiri didn't want to discuss anything until he was feeling less pathetic and more like his old self. He would have sworn that being trapped in the bed was starting to take a toll on his mental health, especially with Shuichi around.

Finally the doctor had given the ok for Eiri to spend longer periods of time out of bed, though he stressed that he wasn't allowed to be up for long periods of time nor was he allowed to do anything remotely strenuous. Nevertheless, Eiri had been thrilled at the news—on the inside at least—he was absolutely sick of being trapped in the same room.

"Eiri!" Shuichi called, jumping into the room, just as the doctor was helping him to sit up.

"What the hell's got you so excited this time?" Eiri asked, slowly putting weight onto his feet as he stood.

Shuichi grinned at the sight—usually someone would be helping him support his weight and Shuichi could only imagine how happy Eiri was to not have to rely on someone else.

"Can I take him to lunch?" Shuichi asked the doctor who nodded his consent.

"Take it slow and if he starts getting dizzy have him sit down." The doctor cautioned as he grabbed his bags and headed out.

"Ready?" Shuichi asked, approaching Eiri.

"Sure." Shuichi moved to wrap his arm around the blond as he usually did to support him but stopped, remembering that theoretically, Eiri should be able to walk by himself. Shuichi seriously doubted if Eiri would let him do that ever again now that he was well on the mend.

A hand interlocking with his own broke Shuichi out of his thoughts.

"Just for security." Eiri muttered and Shuichi's smile was back in full force.

The two made it to the dining hall just as the food was being served.

"Did Shuichi tell you the news?" His mother asked, cutting into her chicken.

Eiri glanced over at Shuichi who was now frantically trying to pull something out of his pocket.

"No, he hasn't mentioned anything."

A piece of paper appeared before him, held out by a slightly sheepish looking Shuichi.

"Sorry, I kind of forgot. We got a letter from your family. They're coming down to see you!"

Eiri took the letter and scanned the contents. It seemed to have been written in haste, simply stating that they were overjoyed that Eiri had been found, alive and healthy—he could only assume the letter from Shuichi's parents had been sent before he was shot—and finally the letter mentioned that they were on their way down to visit as soon as they were packed. Meaning they would most likely be arriving within the next few days.

Emotion after emotion raced through Eiri, ranging from happiness to fear to dread.

"You ok?" Shuichi asked, resting his hand on Eiri's upper arm.

"You really couldn't think to mention this before?" He hissed.

"Sorry, I thought you'd be happy to see your family again."

"I am happy!" Eiri defended, sounding anything but happy. "It's just a surprise is all."

"Really? Because you don't look too happy. I don't know if you know this, but usually people smile when they're happy."

Eiri scowled. "Excuse me for not being as overly dramatic with my emotions as you are."

Shuichi opened his mouth to retort but was interrupted by someone clearing their throat and the two were suddenly brought back to the fact that they weren't quite as alone as they usually were.

"If you two are quite finished with your little lover's quarrel, I think your food is getting cold." Shuichi's mother remarked calmly, the tiniest smile on her mouth.

"Lover's quarrel?" Shuichi sputtered, his facing turning bright red at the words. "Mom, what are you—"

"Please, sweetheart, don't insult our intelligence. You've been practically glowing these past few weeks. Wouldn't you agree, dear?" She asked, addressing her husband who sat across the table.

Shuichi's face became even redder and he slowly sunk down into his seat, looking over at his father.

Shuichi's father seemed to want to have as little to do with this conversation as Shuichi himself did. His skin was a little more pale then usual but he nodded and even managed a slight smile.

"Of course." Shuichi could only imagine his mother had a huge amount to do with his fathers relatively easy acceptance of this bizarre situation.

"Lovely." Shuichi said sitting up and fully intending to change the topic of conversation. "So…what's for dessert?"

The rest of the lunch conversation, much to Shuichi's relief, steered clear of Shuichi's relationship with Eiri and instead focused on Maiko who had apparently found some guy she was completely infatuated with. Even so, as soon as lunch was over, Shuichi all but jumped up, not only to escape the ever-watchful eyes of his family, but because Eiri hadn't said a single word after the little letter fiasco.

Shuichi felt a hand on his arm as he exited the room and he looked up to see his father staring at him.

"Shuichi may I speak to you?" Shuichi blanched, a sinking feeling that this conversation was not going to go well filled him.

"I'll take Eiri back." His mother promised softly and then the two were left alone.

"I won't take much of your time. I just want to tell you…I love you. You're my son, Shuichi, and I love you so if this is what you want, I give you my blessing. But if you ever become unhappy just say the word and I'd be more than happy to get rid of him."

Shuichi stared at his father in absolute shock before flinging his arms around his neck and hugging him tightly.

"That won't be necessary." Shuichi whispered. "But…thank you!"

His father simply patted his back awkwardly and pushed him off. Shuichi smiled once more at his dad before darting off to find Eiri. His mother was just exiting the blonde's chambers as he rounded the corner.

"Shuichi! That was quick!"

"Er yeah…how's Eiri?"

"You know him better than I do, but I have a feeling that you might want to talk to him about his family."

Shuichi nodded even as his mother was walking away and slowly entered the room to see Eiri back in his usual place on the bed.

"Sorry I didn't tell you earlier." Shuichi said as he approached the blonde.

"It's fine." Eiri responded mildly. "It's just been a while since I had any contact with them…So what did your father have to say?"

Shuichi shrugged. "Ehh…Just that he loves me and such. Also he threatened to kill you."

"That's…sweet?"

Shuichi grinned and shrugged, settling onto the bed next to Eiri.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't let that happen."

Eiri rolled his eyes. "Yes. I feel so at ease now."

-xXx-

Within the next two weeks, Eiri's family had arrived—or part of it at least. His mother had to see someone about a dog and hadn't been able to make it. However his father and brother both showed up at their door late one night long after Eiri had fallen asleep. Shuichi had very quickly made the executive decision to let Eiri stay asleep with the promise of ensuring Eiri would meet them first thing in the morning.

"Sure we can't just pretend I got violently ill and can't see anyone?" Eiri questioned as he followed Shuichi to the room his father was staying in.

Shuichi just gave his lover a look and all but shoved Eiri through a set of doors they had arrived at. Eiri glared behind him though Shuichi just grinned and shut the door.

Before Eiri had barely taken 5 steps into the room, he was knocked back to the ground by a dark-eyed, ebony-haired duplicate of himself.

"Bro! It is you! I admit I wasn't entirely convinced when they told us." He pushed away slightly, looking down at Eiri with a scrutinizing frown. "It is you, isn't it?"

"Yes! It's me!" Eiri exclaimed, shoving his brother away in annoyance. "Now get off, Tatsuha, before I punch any remaining sense out of your head."

Tatsuha jumped up and reached down to haul his brother to his feet.

"You sure became charming during your mysterious absence." Tatsuha remarked dryly.

"And yet you're still the same annoying brat." Eiri shot back.

"If you're quite done bickering," a voice cut in, "I, too, would like a chance to greet my son."

Eiri approached his father with the tiniest trace of hesitation, holding out a hand for his father to shake. The eldest Uesugi instead pulled his son into a heartfelt—if slightly awkward—hug.

"It's good to see you, son." Eiri mirrored the sentiment automatically and released his father. He hadn't lied when he told his father it was good to see him, however something was telling him that this reunion wouldn't go too smoothly.

"Now then, we've got a lot of catching up to do!" He said, motioning for his two sons to take a seat. "I'm afraid once you left Tatsuha took over as my successor in the court but nevertheless, I'm certain with our connections finding you a job in London will prove no difficulty."

"Father, with all due respect, I would prefer to stay here."

"Here? Nonsense. You've been away for long enough. You've had your fun here, I'm sure, but you've got a real life waiting for you in London. It's high time for you to get married and settle down."

"Married?" Eiri chocked out. God this was worse than he had expected.

"Certainly! I'm afraid your original fiancé—Ayaka, lovely girl—has been married, not too long ago actually."

"How wonderful." Eiri muttered sarcastically, realizing a moment too late that he probably hadn't chosen the best tone or comment for the situation judging by the dark look that came across his father's face.

"You're coming back to London with us and that's final. We're leaving in two weeks." His father clipped shortly.

"I've already told you, I want to—"He cut himself off, realizing there was no way his father would back down. "Fine. Now if we're done I'll be on my way." Eiri said, standing and quickly exiting the room—he had a letter that needed to be written and sent immediately.

-xXx-

"Eiri!" Shuichi sang, dancing into the other's room and jumping onto his bed. "How'd it go?"

Eiri was silent for a moment. "I'm going back to London."

Shuichi sat up.

"What?"

"My father wants me to settle down—you know, marriage, kids, the whole deal."

Shuichi went very quiet, torn between doing what he thought to be the right thing and giving the blonde his support or asking for him not to go.

"Will you? Get married I mean."

"I don't know." He muttered, without any real commitment to the words. Shuichi was looking at him with a lost expression and Eiri could tell he was trying to find the right words to use.

"Look," he began, interrupting Shuichi's mental confusion, "you were the one who was so insistent on me meeting with my family. You can't really say you didn't expect they would want something like this."

"No…I guess I was just hoping they would be happy enough to see you that they'd let you do what you want."

Eiri studied Shuichi for a moment. "Yeah, well not all parents are as understanding as yours."

-xXx-

Eiri and his family weren't scheduled to leave for another couple weeks, and during that time Shuichi, when not with Eiri, spent his time puzzling over what course of action he should take.

Finally, the night before the Uesugi family was set to leave, Shuichi made his way to Eiri's father's rooms.

"Sir, I have a request." Shuichi said, after being admitted and doing his utmost to appear tough and confident.

"Yes, what is it?" The elder Uesugi asked, busily packing the last few objects scattered on his desk.

"Please allow me to accompany you to London."

The lawyer looked Shuichi over carefully, scrutinizing him as if he could read everything about him from his appearance.

"I don't see why not." He said finally. "You're family has been very kind in taking care of my son, I'd love to return the favor. I assume you've talked to your parents about this?"

"Eh…" Shuichi cursed mentally, he had entirely forgotten about his own family. "Of course! Now if you'll excuse me, I should get packing." Shuichi said, running off to find his parents as soon as he was out the door. Luckily his mother and father took little convincing, only requesting that Shuichi stay safe and to keep in touch. The remainder of the night was used for packing and spending time with his family.

It wasn't until the next day that Shuichi realized he had entirely forgotten to tell Eiri he would be accompanying them.

Oh well.

Surprises were always fun.

-xXx-

Mid-afternoon the following day, both families made their way down to the docs to the large ship that waited to carry four of them across the sea.

"What the hell are you doing?" Eiri asked, taking note of Shuichi's bags.

"Didn't your father tell you?" Shuichi asked grinning brightly, "I'm coming with you!"

Eiri's eyes widened. "What? Since when?"

"Since I asked him last night." Shuichi had to resist the urge to laugh at Yuki's look of surprise.

Eiri sighed, leaning back against the railing of the ship. "I swear, you're like a little abandoned creature that won't stop following me."

"Hey! Don't bring Rue into this!" Shuichi chided angrily. Eiri looked momentarily bewildered but shrugged it off in the end; Shuichi really had a knack for misunderstanding things for his benefit. It was something Eiri found oddly endearing.

"Speaking of that little rat—"

"Cat!"

"Whatever. She coming along?"

Shuichi gave a dejected sigh. "No. Mom said London wouldn't be safe for her. Besides, if I'm leaving, Maiko's going to be lonely."

"That's disgustingly thoughtful of you."

"Shuichi! Let's get your stuff to your room!" Shuichi's mother called, interrupting or perhaps saving Shuichi from saying anything if response.

"I'll be back soon." Shuichi promised, running off to join his family. Eiri remained on deck, not really having any luggage to have to take to his room.

By the time Shuichi had said his final good-bye to his family and put everything away to his satisfaction, the ship had apparently long since set sail. Running back up onto deck, Shuichi began his search for Eiri. It didn't take long to find him, standing out at the railing, looking out at the sea with a rare smile on his face.

"You look happy." Shuichi commented, walking up to stand next to him and looking around at the view which contained only water and sky.

Eiri's smile quickly disappeared and he shrugged, turning away from the scene. "I suppose so."

Shuichi scowled. "What's wrong with you, you've been very distant lately. More than usual I mean."

"Sorry. Let's go down to the room, I have something for you."

Instantly Shuichi's demeanor brightened and he skipped alongside Eiri, chatting unendingly until they were below deck.

"So what was it you wanted to give me?" Shuichi asked once they had entered Eiri's room.

"Gee, you're so patient." The blonde said sarcastically with a roll of his eyes. Shuichi just smiled. "Alright, close your eyes."

Shuichi looked at Eiri suspiciously. "You better not try anything weird." He muttered but did as he was told. He felt Eiri take his hand and press something cool and metal into his palm. His eyes snapped open as he recognized the shape of a heart attached to a chain.

"How'd you end up with this?" Shuichi asked; he had assumed the necklace to be lost forever.

"It was hanging on my door with a note attached that night. Of course Yuki didn't have the decency to give me a specific location and I had to search that whole damn garden for you!"

"Sorry." Shuichi mumbled, blushing lightly. "Oh! So that's how you knew where to find me!" He exclaimed after another moment.

"Well, yeah…what did you think happened?"

"I don't know. I guess I just assumed you had miraculously sensed that I was in trouble and ran to help."

Eiri gave and exasperated sigh. "Sometimes—no—most of the time, you worry me."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Shuichi exclaimed. "What have ever done that's worrisome?"

"Do you want me to start the list?"

"Just try." Shuichi said defiantly.

"Alright then," Eiri began, lying back on his bed with his hands behind his head. "One: you decided it would be a good idea to sneak onto a pirate ship. Two: you almost got yourself lost in Curacao because you just couldn't stay put. Three: you wandered off into the caves after I specifically told you to stay put. Four:—"

"Ok! I get it."

"Good, I'm glad you've realized your stupidity."

"I never said I was stupid!" Shuichi argued.

"Really? Because all of those things I think were really, really stupid."

"Everything turned out alright, didn't it?"

"That's because I was there." The blonde retorted.

Shuichi crossed his arms and looked away in a pout. "At least I'm not as full of myself as you are."

When he got no response he looked back at Eiri to find that his companion had closed his eyes.

Shuichi's expression immediately softened and he reached over to brush some the hair away from Eiri's face.

"Tired?"

"Yes. Being around you is wearisome." Eiri responded bluntly.

"You really are a complete bastard sometimes." Shuichi retorted with a scowl.

"So I've been told. Several times, actually."

"Well." Shuichi began with a cheerful smile. "Doesn't mean I still don't love you!"

Eiri just stared at him blankly for a moment. "I'm going to sleep. So shut up or leave."

Not feeling tired in the least, Shuichi gave his love a goodnight kiss and left the room.

"You and my brother seem close." Shuichi jumped at the voice, not expecting anyone to be outside the door. Whirling around, he saw Tatsuha leaning against the wall looking at him with a very serious expression. It still irked him how similar the two brothers were in appearance.

"I…guess you could say that." Shuichi said hesitantly. His mother had given him a small lecture before he left explaining that he shouldn't do anything to make his relationship with Eiri obvious.

"You guess? Please. I saw you guys together one night." Shuichi froze, completely at a loss for words. Tatsuha continued. "Yeah, I was taking a message to him from father. I knocked but apparently you guys were way too distracted to notice."

Shuichi's face went from pale to red in a matter of seconds. "You won't—I mean—are you going to…"

"Tell? Let's see…" Tatsuha looked severly thoughtful for a while before breaking into sudden peals of laughter. "Sorry, sorry. I just couldn't help it, you're too easy to scare."

Shuichi's head tilted in confusion. "So…you didn't see us?"

"No. I did. But really, I could care less. If my brother's happy then what the hell. Just don't let my old man know, that would not go over so well." Shuichi smiled, he liked this guy.

"Thanks."

"Yeah, yeah. Now come on, let's go explore. I'm bored out of my mind already and it's not like I can ask my dad to entertain me."

-xXx-

Eiri was still asleep when Shuichi returned, so quietly as possible, he snuck in and slipped under the covers, promising himself that he'd wake up before anyone could walk in on them.

It was sometime around midmorning the following day that either of them stirred.

"Hey. Stupid." Eiri started, poking Shuichi in the head until he woke up.

"Hm?"

"You really going to continue sneaking into my room like this? What if father decides to come and see me."

Shuichi closed his eyes, not yet wanting to be awake. "Then he'll probably just send Tatsuha again."

"Again? Wait, don't tell me, Tatsuha knows." Shuichi just nodded against his Eiri-pillow.

"Oh well…You hungry?"

Shuichi very hesitantly nodded again. He was quite hungry, but the last thing he wanted to do was move.

"I'll go get us some food then." He said, easing himself away from Shuichi and getting out of the bed.

"Want help?" Shuichi offered, more out of concern for Eiri's remaining injuries than any real desire to assist him.

"No, I'll be back soon."

Shuichi nodded and closed his eyes again. About 20 minutes later Shuichi was starting to get worried; just how long did it take to go and get food? It wasn't as if anything bad could have happened—they were on an isolated ship, right?

As if on cue, a loud crash and raised voices alerted Shuichi to the fact something must have gone very wrong outside. The series of gunshots and screams that followed only served to solidify that conjecture.

He threw open the door, fully intent on tracking down Eiri and making sure he was safe—not to mention finding out what the hell was going on—when a strong arm grabbed his waist and hauled him back into his room.

"Let go!" Shuichi yelled, squirming around and attempting to elbow or kick his captor.

"Hey! Watch it now!" An amused voice said into his ear. "Is that really anyway to treat a friend?"

Shuichi's struggles immediately came to a halt. "Eric?"

"The one and only!" He said, releasing Shuichi who immediately turned around to hug the brunette.

"What are you doing here?" Shuichi asked once he finally let go. "Oh god, you aren't actually attacking this ship, are you?"

"Ummm. That's a bit of a gray area. And anyway, we really don't have a lot of time so I need you to listen…"

-xXx-

Eiri made his way back to his cabin, mildly excited to be able to relax in his own space on his own ship once again. The "abduction" had gone rather well as far as he was concerned. True, his brother and father would think he had been killed which he felt kind of bad about. Maybe he would send them a letter eventually. And Shuichi. If anyone were to figure it out, it would be him…maybe. The blonde himself felt a little sad at the thought of never seeing the pink-haired boy again. Being able to stay with that brat was the one reason he had almost called off the whole thing and obediently gone with his family back to London.

But there was no way he could have lived there and he couldn't have asked Shuichi to come with him; he knew that stupid idiot would have agreed in an instant, but he also feared that he would have soon come to regret his decision for any number of reasons. Perhaps, someday, he would go and track him done. Once everything had blown over.

"Oh well." He said to himself. "What's done is done." He opened the door to his living quarters, smiling softly at the familiar objects that filled the room. Everything was in it's—

"What in the nine-layers of hell are you doing here?" Eiri sputtered, staring in shock at Shuichi who was glaring at him from across his own desk.

"Who me?" Shuichi asked, putting on an air of innocence. "I'm just a hostage."

"Sure you are. None of my crew would be stupid enough to let you back on this ship much less into my chambers without my permission so how did you get here?"

Shuichi just shrugged and grinned.

Eiri stared at Shuichi searchingly and, after a moment, stated: "It was Eric, wasn't it?"

Shuichi's smile dropped for a brief second in his surprise at Eiri's astuteness. "Perhaps. Or perhaps I just sensed your intent and made my way here on my own."

"Highly unlikely; your intelligence is a little too lacking for you too be that perceptive. And anyway, what on earth makes you think that I even wanted you to come along?"

Shuichi bit his lip; apparently Eiri had touched on the one subject Shuichi wasn't sure about. "Well…you were willing to take a bullet for me—two, actually." He said softly. "I'm hoping that counts for something."

"Maybe I just didn't want your family thinking I had anything bad to do with the situation." Eiri stated before he could stop himself. He felt more than a little guilty when he saw the insecure look cross over Shuichi's face, but couldn't quite think of a way to amend his actions.

"I know you find me irritating sometimes," Shuichi said finally. "And I know I tend to mess things up, but I promise to try and help! I'll stay out of your way this time, Eiri, I really will—"

"Yuki." The blonde corrected.

"Huh?" Shuichi asked, confused at the interruption.

"As long as I'm—we're— on this ship, it's Yuki. And quit your babbling, it's annoying…and anyway, I have no problem with you staying." Shuichi instantly closed his mouth. After a long moment he opened it again.

"Then why didn't you ask me to come with you?"

"Maybe I didn't want—" Yuki cut himself off before he said anything more he might regret. "I didn't want to feel like I had forced you to come."

"Didn't you hear me all those times I told you I loved you? I promise, I meant it." Shuichi said with a pout. Yuki's mouth quirked up in a tiny smile, suddenly wondering how he had ever thought Shuichi would have opted to stay behind.

"Fair enough. But if you decide you miss your family then that's too damn bad, you're finding your own way home."

Shuichi grinned and stepped closer so he could take hold of Yuki's hands. "Fair enough."

Yuki slipped his hand out of Shuichi's and wrapped his arms around his slender lover, twisting a hand into silky pink locks and kissed Shuichi, gently at first and intensifying it as he maneuvered them closer to the bed.

The back of Shuichi's legs hit the bed first and he fell away from Yuki with a startled yelp, not having been fully aware that they had moved at all.

"When did you do that?" He cried in bewilderment.

"The boat must have rocked." Yuki replied with a small smirk and a shrug. Shuichi gave the blonde an unconvinced look but slid back onto the pillows to let him up onto the bed in exchange for another kiss.

"I love you." Shuichi breathed once Yuki pulled away for a moment.

Yuki nuzzled Shuichi's neck and placed kisses along his collarbone, smiling slightly when he felt Shuichi shiver beneath him. "I'm glad you're here, brat…I love you too."

"What did you say?" Shuichi asked, opening amethyst eyes to stare into golden ones, face slightly flushed.

"You heard me." Yuki retorted with a scowl.

"Say it again! Please?" Shuichi pleaded, tugging on Yuki's arm only to be shrugged off.

"Hell no. If you didn't hear me then that's your fault."

"But Yu—" The blonde in question quickly cut Shuichi off with a kiss, locking his fingers into pink hair and using his other hand to tease the smooth skin along the waist of his pants and toy with the fastenings.. After spending so long sleeping next to his brat and not being able to properly touch him due to injury or the high potential of unwanted family intrusion, Yuki felt he might go mad if he didn't act now. Even so…

Yuki stopped, momentarily regaining control of his logical side.

"Shu?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you feel ok about this?"

Shuichi blushed and nodded, throat suddenly too dry to say anything.

"Good. That's the answering I was hoping for."

-xXx-

"Hey Yuki?" Shuichi ventured as he was about to doze off into sleep. "What are you going to do after all of this?"

"After what?" Yuki asked.

"This whole pirate thing."

Yuki sighed and flipped onto his back, lying next to Shuichi on the bed. "I…suppose I'll take some money and settle down somewhere warm. On a coast. Preferably without a lot of people around."

"Why? So no one recognizes you?"

"Among other things." Yuki said with a soft smirk, running his fingers through Shuichi's hair.

"Won't you be bored?"

"With you around? I doubt it. Besides, I've been thinking of writing down some of these stories. I imagine that will take a while."

Shuichi smiled to himself, flushing warmly at the thought of Yuki including him in his future plans without any prompting. "Will I be in them?"

"Of course. You'll be the annoying brat that always messes everything up."

"Yuki!"

"What? Did you have another role in mind?"

"Love interest?" Shuichi offered rolling up to lean over Yuki.

Yuki pulled Shuichi down for a quick kiss. "I'll consider it."

-xXx-

Finished. Um. It's late. I'm tired. And I'm too lazy to ever find a beta reader, so any mistakes—typos/grammar—that you find, please point them out. I don't care how small they are. Otherwise hope you guys enjoyed the story, I had a lot of fun writing it and I hope that showed through.

And to everyone who reviewed, you guys are amazing!

LoveLove!

Rajanakhi