The Week After

xxx

Seven Days

xxx

Sunday, Noon

Touji lost track of time. He hadn't realized that he'd been standing in one place for far too long, and if it weren't for the movement of the sun, he wouldn't have any inkling of the passing of the hours.

The sun had reached its zenith, right at the middle of the sky. It was noon, and a noisy rumbling in his stomach alerted him that he was already missing the second meal of the day. Touji paused to ponder the merits of finding something to satisfy his hunger, versus staying in the park for a little while longer to…well…to do nothing. He sighed, disgusted at his indolence. What was he doing, sulking around in a dating area?

He took a lungful of air, hoping for a moment of clarity, but to his frustration, he remained as confused as ever. And so, bracing himself for what other misfortunes the rest of the day could bring, he pushed himself off the fence, like a fugitive leaving his sanctuary. His phone vibrated at that exact moment. Another unknown number. Touji pressed a button, terminating the call.

With no particular destination in mind, Touji wandered the nearby streets for a few minutes, eventually settling on an outdoor café. He ordered coffee and pasta from a very attentive waitress, but when the food came, Touji immediately lost interest in it. A girl from a nearby table was trying to catch his eye, but Touji stared resolutely at some spot in the distance, ignoring everything.

The world seemed so dull. Everything seemed so colorless. The food, when Touji had finally compelled himself to eat, was flavorless. He sighed. The table quivered; his phone was vibrating once again. Someone was calling. Touji didn't even bother to look this time. His fingers found the end button, pressing it without a second thought.

He didn't know how long he sat there, replicating his movements without much deliberation. Stare at the distance. Eat a little. Stare. Reach for his phone to end a call. Stare. End a call. Stare…

Time was flying, soaring, without him being the least bit aware of what was happening around him. The same waitress came to inquire whether he'd like to order dessert. Touji nodded absently, and before long, a slice of cake topped with berries and slathered with cream cheese was set in front of him. He took one look, unmoved at this appealing sight, before his mind floated away once more.

The diners around him had come and gone. Touji was only dimly aware of slight changes in the volume of the chatter around him. There were the occasional whines of children, the laughter of adults, and the raucous banter of a group of guys. Mostly – and irritatingly – there were girlish giggles and speculative whispers.

"You think he's waiting for someone?"

"Definitely. Aww…he's really cute."

"Cute? He's gorgeous!"

For the most part, Touji managed to pay no heed to everything, retreating into himself and completely disregarding his surroundings. But some minutes later, the sound of girls sniggering and muttering to one another increased considerably, jerking Touji back to reality. And then something else shook him up completely from his stupor.

"You know," a familiar voice said, "when an unknown caller has called you fifty times in a row, it means that the caller is already desperate."

Touji straightened up in surprise. He'd been thinking of him so much that it was as though the person before him had materialized out of his head.

"Y-Yuzuru-san!"

"Are you that mad that you'd want to kill me?" Yuzuru-san demanded. "I've practically scoured the entire region to find you!"

"I—"

"And here you are, eating cake!"

Touji's brain was struggling to catch up, and in his astonishment, all he managed to say was, "Ah…would you like some…Yuzuru-san?"

Yuzuru-san narrowed his eyes. "I don't believe you. You can't bribe me with cake!"

"I-I wasn't..."

"Aaahh…I'd really like to punch you right now!"

They stared at each other, neither one willing to break the eye contact. Touji's heart was beating too fast for comfort, but amid his nervousness at a probable confrontation soon to ensue, there was relief and happiness too at the fact that Yuzuru-san had come to find him.

"Yuzuru-san…"

"Seryou."

And then at almost the same time, as though they could never stand to stay angry at the other for very long, they burst into laughter. People were starting to stare at them, but Touji didn't care.

"This is ridiculous," Yuzuru-san said, sinking to the chair opposite Touji.

Touji smiled. "I guess it is."

"Ugh…I'm so tired," said Yuzuru-san, and now that Touji took a closer look, he noticed that his upperclassman was in a very disheveled state, with his clothes crumpled and his hair sticking out at irregular angles. Touji felt that same urge to reach out and bury his hands into Yuzuru-san's hair, and only the awareness that they were in a public place stopped him from acting on the impulse. Yuzuru-san…did he really "scour the entire region" in search of Touji?

"Yuzuru-san—"

"I'm hungry too," Yuzuru-san cut in. "Are you going to finish that?" He nodded toward the plate of pasta, which, Touji realized, was still relatively untouched. Touji shook his head and pushed the dish across the table.

"You haven't had breakfast?" Touji inquired.

Yuzuru-san had already dug into the plate, attacking the food with a ferocity that suggested that, no, he hadn't eaten anything since this morning. The implications were obvious. Touji felt a mixture of guilt and delight at the fact that Yuzuru-san had gone after him as soon as he discovered that Touji was gone.

"I left early," Yuzuru-san confirmed between mouthfuls of pasta. "Then I went to the dojo. Sensei told me that you weren't at practice."

Touji winced. "Oh. I meant to go, but I…changed my mind."

Yuzuru-san looked dubious but said nothing. Touji watched as Yuzuru-san speared into the dish once again, but when it emerged, the trajectory of the loaded fork headed toward Touji. Touji hesitated, but the glare Yuzuru-san gave him then forced him to open his mouth and accept the food. Strange…it tasted wonderful, the sourness of the tomatoes marrying perfectly with the flavors of the rest of the ingredients. Was it the same dish he'd deemed to be so bland moments before?

"Then I found out from Natsuki that you hadn't gone home," Yuzuru-san added.

"Ah…" Touji took his time chewing his food, wondering what to say. Finally, he settled with, "I didn't want to go home just yet."

Yuzuru-san glared at him. "So where have you been?"

"At the park."

"Harbor View?"

"Yes."

"Why would you go to a dating spot on your own?" demanded Yuzuru-san, regarding him with suspicion. "Were you really alone?"

It was moments like this when Touji could wholly forget whatever it was that had him so disturbed in the beginning, and all he could focus on was how happy he was when Yuzuru-san was by his side. He nodded, feeling his heart swell and surge with something that he recognized as pleasure.

"I felt that I needed some time to think," he explained, "I didn't realize it was already noon."

"And you're still not answering unknown numbers," Yuzuru-san griped. He had started on the cake, carving out small bite-sized portions for the two of them, slipping a piece into his mouth before scooping another piece and offering it to Touji.

Touji allowed himself to be fed. Was it because he had been so hungry that he found every piece Yuzuru-san gave him to be so delicious? Touji tasted the sweetness of the frosting combined with the tartness of the berries inside his mouth, and right then and there, he decided that it was the best cake he had ever had so far.

"Do you know how much trouble I had to go through just to get your phone number from Natsuki?" Yuzuru-san asked.

And it was instances like this when Touji was induced to remember why he was in a bad mood, and the taste in his mouth suddenly seemed anything but sweet.

"You…met with Aniki, Yuzuru-san?" he asked, feigning a casual tone that sounded fake to his own ears.

Yuzuru-san paused, a tiny bit of frosting smeared upon his lips. Then he put his utensils down with a dull clatter and held Touji's gaze. "Hey," he said, wiping his mouth with a napkin, "about that…I want to apologize, for how I behaved last night. I can't help being such an idiot sometimes."

"You didn't—" Touji began to protest, but Yuzuru-san cut him short.

"I did things that you didn't like. I suppose I should have known that you wouldn't like any of it. I just didn't realize it at the time."

"Yuzuru-san…?"

"You don't like me being so close to others, isn't that it?"

It sounded so childish, spoken aloud like that, and it only succeeded in making Touji so keenly ashamed of himself. Wanting to have Yuzuru-san all by himself – was that the only thing that mattered to him? But that was impossible and illogical, Touji knew that! What did he want? He didn't know.

"I'm sorry," Touji said with a rueful shake of the head. "I'm being an idiot too, aren't I?"

Yuzuru-san grinned at him, as though to agree. Then his smile vanished and his face turned serious. "Seryou…I don't really care whether I see any of them again."

Now that was unprecedented. Touji took a ridiculously long moment to process that statement.

"E-Eh?"

"Not Koike-chan though," Yuzuru-san went on with a shrug. "Let's face it – she's really fun to have around. But as for Sanae-chan…can't you even tell that she isn't my type?"

Touji opened his mouth to respond, but he could hardly think of anything to say. He tried once again to speak, but he seemed to have forgotten how to work his tongue. What Yuzuru-san said…had Touji heard it right? Was Yuzuru-san volunteering not to see anybody else if Touji were to ask him to? How did Yuzuru-san even come to this conclusion? Had he talked to Arisa-san again? Or—

"But Natsuki's a different case," Yuzuru-san continued. "He's weird, and he tends to talk a lot, but in all fairness, he really cares about you."

And then somehow, Touji knew. It was Natsuki, his brother.

"Yuzuru-san," he said slowly, "you talked to Aniki about me, didn't you?"

Yuzuru-san scratched his head sheepishly. "Uh...are you going to be mad if I say yes?"

"What did he say?"

"I don't remember completely. It's just…"

"Just what?"

Yuzuru-san chuckled. "It's just that he's the second person to threaten me now about making sure you are happy – or else. Koike-chan said something of that sort the other day, and I have a feeling they're not going to be the last. Seryou, you realize that you're very lucky to have people who care about your happiness so much?"

Touji took this in. If his embarrassment at his immaturity wasn't bad enough, hearing this from his typically naïve upperclassman was just too much. What had he been moping about, wallowing in his own uncertainties, up to the point where he'd already started doubting the extent of Yuzuru-san's feelings? He'd never paused to consider how his actions had affected Yuzuru-san, or Natsuki, or anybody else. Still, in the end, Natsuki had helped him out, and Yuzuru-san was being so understanding about the entire situation. Touji gritted his teeth. He was so—

"…I've been so selfish," Touji finished the thought aloud. "I'm so sorry, Yuzuru-san."

Yuzuru-san nodded knowingly. "And distrustful."

Touji hung his head. "Yes, I know."

"And greedy," said Yuzuru-san.

"G-Greedy?" What a strange, but entirely appropriate, word to use. Touji felt the blood rushing to his cheeks.

"But still," Yuzuru-san growled, looking so fierce all of a sudden, "I could really just punch you for leaving me like that!"

Touji felt his heart skip. "If it would help," he said mildly, "you could punch me right now."

Yuzuru-san scowled at him, but didn't take the offer. Instead, he asked, "Seryou? Just promise me one thing."

"Huh? What is it?"

"Don't disappear like that. You scared me."

And it was moments like this when Touji could clearly remember what falling in love had been like for him – an explosion of something inside that rendered him incapable of thought or action or the all-too fundamental act of breathing. Once again, in the most offhand and straightforward manner that Yuzuru-san was notorious for, Touji was made aware of just how deeply he had fallen for the person opposite him, and he knew he could never refuse anything Yuzuru-san asked of him.

"I…I promise," Touji said softly. "I'm sorry for making you worry, Yuzuru-san."

Yuzuru-san grinned at him. And then his face turned serious once again. He fell silent, looking so uncharacteristically contemplative, before he said, "Hey Seryou…want to come over?"

"Eh? To your house, Yuzuru-san?"

Yuzuru-san stood up. "Yup. We'd be better off there."

Touji's brow creased with confusion. "Better off?"

"Because," said Yuzuru-san deliberately, "unlike you, I'm allowed to lock my room."

xxx

Seven Days

xxx

Sunday, Afternoon

He must have misunderstood. Definitely misunderstood.

Touji laughed quietly to himself as he followed Yuzuru-san through the door. Yes, he must have completely gotten the wrong idea. Being invited into Yuzuru-san's house for the second time was probably just dredging up memories of what happened last week inside Yuzuru-san's room—

But when they entered, Touji couldn't help but notice that the hallway was deserted. The silence was deafening. There was no cute girl who looked awfully like Yuzuru-san meeting them by the door. As far as Touji could tell, there was no one else there.

"My parents are out," said Yuzuru-san, glancing at him. "My sister's on an errand."

"Oh," was all Touji could say, looking around uncomfortably. They were alone then.

"We're going to be on our own for a while," Yuzuru-san went on.

"I see…" said Touji.

"Let's go to my room."

Silently, Touji followed Yuzuru-san, their footsteps echoing slightly as they crossed the corridor. Yuzuru-san was saying something, but Touji could no longer concentrate as his mind churned dizzyingly with images of locked doors and what lovers did behind those. He shook his head. It was that kiss – that first real kiss they'd shared last weekend inside Yuzuru-san's room – that had Touji so strung up. His brain must be making these perverted associations, forcing him to assume that something beyond a kiss was going to happen—

"Seryou?"

Touji started, suddenly alert. "Uh, yes?"

"I said come in," said Yuzuru-san. "What are you standing there for?"

"S-sorry," Touji murmured.

The sight of the bed didn't help. Touji physically forced himself to look elsewhere, but Yuzuru-san readily threw himself at the mattress, drawing Touji's attention back to it like a magnet. If the bed was bad enough, the bed with Yuzuru-san reclining on top of it was worse. Touji had frozen in place.

"Hey, come here," said Yuzuru-san, patting the space next to him, much as he did yesterday, back at the woods.

Touji hesitated. It was different out in the open, where there were obvious limits and unspoken rules governing what people could – and should – do. In the privacy of one's home – in one's room – these rules were broken without a thought, and the limits were practically nonexistent.

"Seryou."

Touji finally moved, taking as much time as he needed to reach the bed. But Yuzuru-san was having none of that. As soon as Touji was within his reach, Yuzuru-san's arm shot forward to grab Touji and pull him down.

"Ah!" The cry escaped his lips as he fell awkwardly onto the bed, and Touji scrambled to right himself into a more decent position. "Yuzuru-san!"

"Serves you right for being too slow," Yuzuru-san laughed.

"Aren't you just in a hurry?" Touji parried, straightening himself self-consciously. "W-what did you want to do anyway?"

Yuzuru-san's smile seemed to echo with meaning – or was it merely Touji's imagination? There was a creak, the bedspread wrinkled under Yuzuru-san's weight as he shuffled closer, nearer, until his lips touched – barely touched – Touji's. Touji felt torn. His mind made a valiant attempt to control the awakening of his body, and he reminded himself over and over that he must be misunderstanding things – but to no avail.

"Y-Yuzuru-san…what…?"

"Yes?"

Touji fought to salvage whatever command he still had of his senses. "Did you want to go to sleep, Yuzuru-san?"

He expected Yuzuru-san to agree, to tell him that yes, he was sleepy and not thinking of doing something ridiculous like, say, really sleeping together. Now that would make more sense. But what Touji did not expect was for Yuzuru-san to explode into a peal of laughter.

"Honestly!" Yuzuru-san blurted out, sounding both amused and exasperated. He leaned forward, brushed his lips against Touji's again, and pulled back a little, eyes twinkling with mischief. "How many hints do I have to drop for you to get it, Seryou? And I'm supposed to be the thick one around here."

Touji blinked. "Eh? What...?"

Yuzuru-san regarded him with a fond sort of expression, and there was laughter in his voice when he spoke again. "Okay, look. Since you're obviously not going to do anything, I'm going to take advantage of you, alright?"

Take advantage. The words rang with the obvious connotations, and Touji turned red.

"Yuzuru-san…?"

Yuzuru-san grinned. He shifted closer to kiss Touji again, and at almost the same time, as though to leave no more room for Touji to doubt his intentions, Yuzuru-san's hand began to wander, up, slowly, firmly, taking a most sensual path along the inside of Touji's thigh. Touji was nearly overwhelmed with a riot of emotions and a loud hammering that he recognized belatedly as his own heartbeat. He had never allowed himself to be touched like this. He hadn't – not even once – permitted others to come this close. Not even Shino. He couldn't think—couldn't breathe—couldn't make sense of what was happening—

Touji wondered dimly whether this was what it should feel like, being intimate with the one you loved. Was it this intense? How did one focus on anything? Touji didn't know. Yuzuru-san's mouth parted against his, and for a moment, Touji was completely riveted to the kiss. But then the skin along his leg prickled and burst with heat, marking the trail of Yuzuru-san's fingers, intensifying with each stroke until Touji felt that he was ready to explode.

It was at this point that Yuzuru-san drew away. He took one look at Touji's expression, then threw his head back, and roared with more laughter.

"Don't look so scared!" Yuzuru-san sniggered. "People might think I'm forcing myself on you or something."

Touji couldn't help but feel a little cheated. Why did this keep happening? He remembered a similar time, when he'd thought that Yuzuru-san was going to cut his ties with him, but instead ended with Yuzuru-san confessing to him and asking him out officially! And now, when he'd almost convinced himself that nothing of this sort was going to take place, Yuzuru-san was—was—wait, what was even happening?

"It's okay if you don't want to," Yuzuru-san said. "I understand if now isn't a good time."

Wait—that wasn't—but Touji was—he wanted—he—

Touji struggled to find his voice. "No, it's fine—I was—it's just that—you surprised me, Yuzuru-san…"

"Surprised you? Was it so surprising that I'd want to sleep with you?"

How blunt. Why couldn't he be a little more like that?

"You said you were tired, Yuzuru-san," Touji said, sounding defensive despite himself.

"A little," Yuzuru-san admitted. "What? You think I'd fall asleep halfway? That wouldn't be my fault now, would it?"

Touji didn't know what to say. Suddenly, despite Yuzuru-san's enthusiasm over the entire thing, despite Yuzuru-san practically giving him the green light, Touji felt too uncertain to act on his desires. The fact that he had never done this before took center stage inside his head, and all of a sudden, his inexperience seemed to mock him, forcing him to hesitate.

"Ser—you." Yuzuru-san's voice had lost some of its good humor. "Don't over-think it. I get it already, okay? Let's not do this now."

"Uh, Yuzuru-san—"

"Now I'm really sleepy," said Yuzuru-san, standing up and moving toward the door. "Let's just go have coffee or something."

"Wait—"

The door was already ajar. Yuzuru-san had one hand on the doorknob. "C'mon, Seryou. Seryou?"

Touji hadn't moved. Common sense was returning to him, and internally, he was already cursing himself for being so slow on the uptake. No. The day couldn't end like this.

"Seryou?"

Touji made up his mind and stood up too, crossing the room quickly, extending an arm to push the door close. Ignoring Yuzuru-san's look of confusion, Touji turned the lock, satisfied to hear a reassuring click.

"Eh, Seryou?"

Touji smiled. Even in his bewilderment, Yuzuru-san was too beautiful for words.

"Wait, what are you—?"

"Yuzuru-san." Touji leaned closer, bumping his forehead against the older boy's. He didn't know how to say it. Did he even need to ask for it? Wasn't that too crude? What was the right thing to say? How did Yuzuru-san say it?

'I'm going to take advantage of you, alright?'

The very thought made Touji's body burn. To hell with asking. Not wasting another second, he took Yuzuru-san's mouth with his own, seeking and demanding, kindling the fire inside him until it seemed to him that he was already melting. Yuzuru-san made an attempt to speak and his hands rose halfheartedly to push Touji away. But the muffled words turned into a moan, the push changed midway into an embrace, and Touji lost his head a little more. Kissing Yuzuru-san like this was like gorging himself with wine, and despite the vast amount of self-control that Touji knew he possessed, he found it ludicrously too easy to get drunk in the taste of him.

It seemed like forever when the need to breathe finally overtook him. Touji pulled away, gasping for air, and Yuzuru-san did the same. Yuzuru-san's hand drifted to Touji's cheek, glided down to Touji's neck, then lower still, to the topmost button of Touji's shirt. Yuzuru-san fingered the button tentatively, before pushing it back and popping it open. He lifted his gaze to meet Touji's.

Touji had to wonder whether Yuzuru-san could feel it too. This growing hunger that seemed to increase with each passing second that they were apart. This heat that was alternately excruciating and yet gratifying at the same time.

Yuzuru-san tapped the next button.

"Now?" Yuzuru-san asked him evenly.

"Now," Touji agreed, and his voice shook with a tremor of excitement that he had never felt before.

Until now.

xxx

Seven Days

xxx

Before Yuzuru knew it, he was back in bed. Seryou was all over him, kissing him as he had never kissed him before, with a fervor that eclipsed all the previous kisses that they'd shared prior to this moment, a skirmish of lips and mouths and tongues that made Yuzuru's pulse thunder madly.

Yuzuru blinked rapidly in bemusement, then he closed his eyes and allowed himself to enjoy the moment. He was suddenly so conscious of his hands, and how they lay uselessly to his side, and how it was a good idea to find some other way to occupy them. What was it that he was doing with his hands before this? He had a vague recollection of…buttons… Yes, that was right. The buttons on Seryou's shirt.

Yuzuru felt his way around Seryou's back, to his torso, and across the center of his chest, looking to complete the unfinished task. He realized quickly that he wasn't any good at it, at least not in this position, with his eyes closed and his body pressed against Seryou's. His futile attempts left him frustrated. Why did undressing another person have to be this tricky?

"Yuzuru-san…"

Yuzuru heard his name whispered between intervals of breaths, and much as he thought that those few seconds were squandered opportunities for more kissing, he felt a sound of pleasure forming and growing in his throat at the incessant murmur of his name.

"Seryou…" he whispered in return, "Seryou…I…"

"Hm…?"

"…love…you…"

There was a thoroughly unwelcome gush of air into his lungs, and his head now seemed too clear for his taste. He saw why. To his confusion and irritation, Seryou had pulled back a little. Yuzuru reached out to draw him in and kiss him again – but Seryou resisted. He was saying something – asking him something – what was so important for him to stop?

"…it again…?" Seryou said, refusing all attempts Yuzuru made to pick up where they had left off without further delay.

"What?" Yuzuru asked impatiently.

Seryou smiled and kissed him on the forehead. "Please say it again."

"Say what?"

Seryou gave him a peck on the cheek. "Say it again."

Yuzuru finally understood, and despite himself, he flushed. "Y-you—you—"

"All of it," Seryou said, amused. "Not just the last word–ouch!" he cried, for Yuzuru had smacked him on the side of the head.

"Don't try to be cute," Yuzuru warned in his most dangerous tone. "I've said what I said, you masochist."

"Sorry," Seryou laughed.

"And how many times have I told you not to laugh when you're apologizing?"

"Yes…I'm sorry," repeated Seryou, concealing a smile. He seemed so giddy for some reason. And not to mention so darned cocky. 'Where does he get all this confidence from?' Yuzuru wondered, shaking his head.

"Eh, what's wrong Yuzuru-san?" Seryou asked, misinterpreting the movement.

It was Yuzuru's turn to secretly smile. Seryou had always been so cool, and Yuzuru had always imagined what the boy would be like in bed. So far, everything that had happened was nothing like he'd expected it to be. Yuzuru should have known that Seryou was bound to surprise the hell out of him.

"Yuzuru-san?"

Seryou moved toward him once again, but Yuzuru stopped him with a hand pressed against the former's chest. Yuzuru shifted, drawing himself to a seating position.

"Wait," he said, "stay like that for a moment."

"A-ah…" Seryou paused uncertainly. "Alright…"

Yuzuru's fingers flew over the remaining buttons on Seryou's shirt, pushing and tugging, making quick work of revealing what was underneath. Seryou shivered.

"Cold?" Yuzuru asked.

Seryou shrugged his shirt off. "No."

There was a little less opportunity for a conversation after that. Yuzuru was quick to find that there was so much to do, so many things to experience and share together, to discover and learn about the person he loved. He set about to uncover as much as he could, and pretty soon, his lips and hands were occupied with the undertaking. Seryou was faring similarly, his breath hot upon Yuzuru's neck, his hands traipsing all over, tracing the contours of Yuzuru's body, taking as much as he gave in return.

"Yuzuru-san," Seryou murmured against his ear. At the same instant, Yuzuru could feel hands against his waist; then fingers took hold of the edges of his sweater and yanked up. By the time Yuzuru realized that he was bare from the chest up, Seryou's lips were upon him once more and his hands feasted over his nakedness.

As with everything he'd done in his life, Yuzuru gave everything over to instinct. It wasn't in his nature to think or to analyze what should be done and how he should respond to a given situation. Being with Seryou like this felt so amazing – that was all he knew. He wasn't about to stop to think about the logistics, or the process, or any other thing that should be done before, during, or after. It was enough that his body was responding all too eagerly to Seryou's touch, that his body arched willingly toward him, that his lips welcomed the intrusion of Seryou's tongue, that he was on fire because of him—

The minutes passed in a swirl of kissing and touching. Seryou grew bolder, and Yuzuru became more impatient. Yuzuru had no idea how much he wanted this up until this moment. He had no clue that this was going to feel so—

Yuzuru lost his train of thought. A hand pressed upon his navel, moving ever downward—

And then Seryou touched him for the first time. Diffidently at the outset, betraying a lack of experience that Yuzuru found to be simply endearing. He remembered tactlessly asking Koike-chan whether she'd done this exact thing with Seryou. He remembered Koike-chan telling him about the girls who had flung themselves at Seryou, but with whom Seryou had done nothing. Seryou was too much of a gentleman for that. What was it that Koike-chan had said?

"Whether it's holding your hand or putting his arm around your shoulder, Seryou would never touch you unless it's necessary."

'Unless it's necessary, huh?' the thought squeezed itself into Yuzuru's head. Seryou – who never did anything unnecessary in his past relationships – was giving him too much. Seryou must really want this then, and more than anything that was said and done so far, it was this knowledge that heightened Yuzuru's yearning for more. This was – to him – an irrevocable proof that he owned this person, and that in return, it was this same person who had possessed his heart.

It was this person that he loved.

The emotion filled him with warmth, and the warmth simmered into a fiery burst of desire. The desire impelled him into action, and he opened his mouth to speak. The word that came out was a name.

"Seryou."

And as though the name had been a fuse before the explosion, a push before the plunge, Seryou's response was a distinct lost of his usual inhibitions. It was as if the name thrust him over some invisible line, from the relative docility of making out, right into the heat and thrill of making love.

Seryou pushed him down upon the mattress. Yuzuru felt hands cupping his backside, and in what seemed to him to be a blink of an eye, his remaining clothes went in quick succession. Not a second too soon, he found himself completely uncovered, bared and vulnerable before Seryou's gaze. Seryou paused to look at him, his eyes dark with need, and Yuzuru trembled at the sheer passion behind that gaze.

"Cold?" Seryou asked quietly, and there was a certain timbre in his voice that Yuzuru found to be so…seductive. It had always been there, but it was more manifest than ever. As if Yuzuru needed anything more to turn him on.

"No," Yuzuru whispered back. "It's too hot, isn't it?"

Seryou pressed down upon him, and Yuzuru sunk deeper into the bed.

xxx

Seven Days

xxx

When Touji had first kissed Yuzuru-san at the park last Wednesday, he thought it was the most wonderful feeling in the world. He was proven wrong on Saturday, when Yuzuru-san had kissed him back with such ardor that Touji nearly forgot himself. Every day afterwards had forced Touji to amend his thoughts, and he had long since surrendered himself to the idea that being with Yuzuru-san was only going to make him feel better and better from then on.

Every second of the past minutes had been proving him wrong once more, so that by the time Touji had taken all his clothes off, he was already wondering whether he really knew what it felt like to be happy.

Yuzuru-san was like alcohol, stripping Touji of every scrap of self-control that he had in him until he was well past the point of inebriation. He couldn't even tell if he was sane any longer. He had never wanted someone so badly, and the feeling – it seemed – was mutual.

Yuzuru-san held him close, eager to move on. Touji yielded, matching the movement of Yuzuru-san's body, taking his cue from the way his lover's hands clenched and unclenched upon the bedspread, or how Yuzuru-san threw his head back, or how his eyes brimmed with emotion. Being able to touch one another without the hindrance of clothes was an entirely different experience, a thing that Yuzuru-san seemed keen to prolong. Touji had no objections. He reveled in each stroke, relished every caress that was given and received, committing to memory the sweep of Yuzuru-san's waist, the crook of his neck, the feel of his bare chest against his, the flavor of his skin—

It was too much, but in a strange way, it wasn't remotely enough. There was more. Touji needed more.

"Yuzu—" he began, but Yuzuru-san was way ahead of him, guiding Touji with his hand—with a precise nudge of his hips—with one leg hooking around Touji's waist—

Touji entered him. It was slow, and – Touji could discern as much from Yuzuru-san's expression – agonizing. But a little while later, it was only just agonizingly too slow. His muscles tensed painfully with the effort to hold himself back, and more to distract himself, Touji leaned down to rest his head against the curve of Yuzuru-san's shoulder and whispered, "Yuzuru-san…where have you been all morning?"

Yuzuru-san sighed and answered in a hoarse voice, "…I missed."

The fragment took a while to sink in. Touji swallowed hard, trying to focus. "What?"

"I missed," Yuzuru-san repeated.

"I don't understand…"

"I told you I went to the dojo," Yuzuru-san said by way of an explanation.

Archery. Yuzuru-san was talking about archery, Touji realized. But what on earth did that have to do with anything?

"I…I have never missed before," Yuzuru-san went on, "but this morning, every shot I took went astray. I couldn't get anything right."

"Maybe…you were just tired, Yuzuru-san."

Yuzuru-san shook his head slightly. "That wasn't it. I wasn't thinking straight. All I could ever think about when I held my bow was…you."

Touji lifted his head to stare at Yuzuru-san, realizing what the latter was telling him. Yuzuru-san – the consummate archer – had missed a target. Several targets. Shino Yuzuru, the champion archer who had the peculiar capacity to shut the world away when he was holding a bow, was sidetracked into something else. Someone else. Him.

"So about what I said earlier," said Yuzuru-san, one hand cupping Touji's cheek. "Please take it seriously, Seryou. I could never stand it if you'd leave me like that."

It was so unfair, really so, so unfair, that Yuzuru-san could unhinge him like this with just his choice of words. Touji felt himself burning, and he could see his own desire mirrored – amplified – in Yuzuru-san's face. There was too much heat—too much wetness between them—as Touji moved, his pace quickening with each passing second—Yuzuru-san's gaze infusing him with a desperate, almost frantic, energy—

Sweat trickled down Touji's nape, and he realized that he was being pushed to his physical limits. Sex, he mused, was more complicated than he'd thought it would be. Making love, Touji reflected, was finding a balance between restraint and abandon, a tricky dance of holding back and losing control.

Yuzuru-san was making it so easy for Touji to lose all semblance of control. Yuzuru-san's hair was in a dire state, plastered all across his face with sweat and covering most parts of his cheek and forehead. Touji had never seen his upperclassman so messed up as he was right then, but even so, Touji had never found him to be so damn desirable—

The thought prompted him to move faster, harder, deeper, as he discovered another form of hunger that implored and insisted to be satisfied. Touji was elated to find that Yuzuru-san was with him, meeting his every movement, each step of the way. It was funny how their bodies were in sync in a way that their minds never were. Opposites though they may be in terms of personality, Touji found it rather ironic that it was being one with Yuzuru-san that he felt so complete.

Touji couldn't tell when it was precisely when all thoughts inside his head finally grounded to a halt, ceasing so abruptly, like someone turning off the lights. But the moment came, his mind was wiped clean of all activity, and all that was left to for him to do was to feel. To just lose himself in bliss as they reached the pinnacle of their lovemaking, and then finally in the rapture of their release.

Touji felt himself unraveling, stitch by stitch, as the heat pooled into his center and every part of him seemed to burst and shatter into bits and pieces. Yuzuru-san's hands held him together, just as much as Yuzuru-san himself pulled him apart again and again. Everything cycled back, from coming apart to being put back together, until it seemed to Touji that he could no longer take it—

And then, everything stood still – for a second, a minute, a day…it could have been a week, for all Touji cared. Everything seemed blank for a moment, suspended into nothingness, as his body unwound and his heart rate slowed down to a leisurely rhythm.

Sound returned to him first, and it was the most wonderful sound of all – Yuzuru-san's voice.

"Seryou…"

Touji drew back. "Hm?"

"I'm sleepy…"

Touji laughed. He felt so enlightened, and it was like he finally knew what it was like to hold someone. He'd known the meaning of joy and contentment when he was in Yuzuru-san's company, but after this moment, Touji felt like he knew love as he had never seen it before, love as he had never dared to dream about.

"You can go to sleep," Touji said, smoothing out the hair that was strewn over his lover's eyes. "I don't mind."

Yuzuru-san closed his eyes. "Don't leave."

And Touji kissed him on the forehead and replied, "Never."

xxx

Seven Days

xxx

Sunday, Night

"You don't need to see me off, Yuzuru-san," Seryou protested at the door, stopping Yuzuru on his tracks as he made to put his outdoor shoes on.

"You're sure?" asked Yuzuru. "It's no big deal."

"I'm fine," said Seryou, smiling. "Better than fine, actually."

"Heh…you look happy."

Seryou's smile broadened, but he said nothing.

"You know," said Yuzuru, watching as Seryou put his jacket on, realizing how much he loved this person and how close he was to losing Seryou because of some stupid and careless thing he did, "we really shouldn't do that again."

Seryou's head snapped up, and his eyes sought Yuzuru's. He looked suddenly disconcerted. "W-what?"

Yuzuru shrugged. "It was too tiring, don't you think?"

"But it was amazing," Seryou objected. "It was…really amazing."

"It was terrible," Yuzuru disagreed. "I get that we couldn't avoid doing that now and then, but let's try hard not to do that again."

"No, it wasn't," Seryou argued. "We should definitely do it again."

"Hah? What are you talking about?"

Seryou seemed to be reevaluating his thoughts, and he said slowly, "Wait…Yuzuru-san…what are you talking about?"

"Fighting," Yuzuru said. "I hated not talking to you. I didn't like fighting with you."

"Oh." And then much to Yuzuru's confusion, Seryou started laughing.

"Don't just laugh. What were you saying before?"

"Nothing," said Seryou, leaning forward to put his arms around Yuzuru. There was a beat, a slow intake of breath, and then, Seryou whispered, "I love you."

It was Yuzuru's turn to laugh. "Yeah…I know." He leaned up and kissed Seryou lightly. "I love you, too."

Seryou's smile was back, and his eyes seemed to sparkle a little more. "I'll see you tomorrow, Yuzuru-san."

It wasn't just going to be tomorrow, Yuzuru amended inside his head. They were going to talk again, laugh again, go out again, walk to school together again, kiss each other again…maybe they were going to fight again, but Yuzuru was sure that they were going to make up again…make love again…from tomorrow onward until the rest of their lives. Or at least that was what he wanted…what he resolved to make a reality…

"Yes, tomorrow," Yuzuru agreed.

And as Yuzuru watched Seryou disappear around the corner, he found himself looking forward to tomorrow, to the start of a new week – of the rest of his life – with Seryou.

Yuzuru smiled as he closed the door shut.

Tomorrow couldn't come fast enough.

Xxx

The End

Xxx

A/N:

Ending the story this way was meant as a challenge – but I didn't expect to have so much fun! It was quite tricky, working within the limits of what I felt comfortable writing (and reading), what I am capable of putting into words, and what felt "right" considering the story and the characters. And so it ends…

While this is the end of the week, I think I might come back with a few extra chapters…like a few scenes into the near or far-off future maybe… I guess that would be fun!

Please leave a review and tell me what you thought of this chapter in particular, or of this story as a whole. Thanks for reading!

Updated 08/10/2014

To the guest reviewer who asked for a copy of this story, I hope you get to read this. This site has an anti-spam feature that deletes any sort of website or link or email address sent in a PM or review. I'm sorry but I didn't get your email address.