Introductions and Disclaimers from Tenshi
"Gravitation" and all its characters belong to the talented Maki Murakami. I originally wrote and posted this story here in 2001 in the span of a few days and thought I'd clean it up a bit in preparation for Nanowrimo this year. I hope you enjoy it even though it's just a quick write sort of thing! It's pure fluffiness Gravitation style.

"A Dedication to Gravitation"
Track 1: On The Way

The sound of snow crunching underneath his feet made him smile and step even a bit livelier than normal. It had snowed two inches the night before, and the icy cold morning had turned that snow from soft, gentle powder into packed, crunchy ice. As he waited for the light to allow him to cross the intersection of one of Tokyo's busiest shopping districts, he bent down to touch the snow. Cold, but not completely frozen because it could melt at the slightest touch. Hard, yet flexible because you could change it. Yuki was a little like snow, he though. He decided not to tell him that thought because Yuki would only concentrate on the bad things of snow. "What? Too cold and harsh for you?" would most likely be the reply. So rather than share these thoughts out loud, he stood up and looked at his one and only lover, whom had very reluctantly come shopping with him.

Yuki Eiri... Shindou Shuuichi was delighted that Yuki had come with him. Going shopping alone was, well, lonely, but also dangerous. Last time he had gone out he had been followed by some fangirls who wouldn't leave him alone. He had meant to get Yuki's present then, but buying a gift for a guy would only have made the girls ask more questions and pry into his personal life. Not just his personal life, but Yuki's as well. Shuuichi had grown a little more used to attention but he certainly didn't want to do anything that hurt Yuki.

So today, Shuuichi was prepared. He had dyed his hair back to a natural looking black and had gotten it trimmed just a bit. K had said that was fine because they weren't going to be touring anytime soon and he didn't have to worry about "image" so much. He also dressed rather conservative today in a black jacket and red sweater. The sweater had been a present from Yuki after Shuuichi had complained about it being cold out alone on the couch. While a sweater wasn't was he had been hoping for, the idea that Yuki bought him something seemed just as good. As for Yuki, he looked as he did most days. He was dressed up, but in that loose sort of way that screamed sexy. He was also wearing sunglasses, despite the rather overcast skies.

The light finally changed and a tinny chime filled the intersection to let people know it was okay to cross. Shuuichi ran across to the other side, his energy having been pent up for the roughly 30 seconds he had had to wait before being able to cross. When he turned around, he saw that Yuki had only gotten a third of the way across, so he was stuck waiting again.

Yuki took his time. He always took his time. There was no sense in rushing anything, he reflected, except when there was a novel deadline fast approaching. It was often these stories that ended rather harshly. It was much easier to have a jealous lover murder their partner and explain in roughly two or three paragraphs the remorse they felt. Stories with happy endings took more time and were harder for the cynical Yuki to write about.

"YUKI!!!!" Shuuichi yelled from across the street. But Yuki had no interest in speeding up and was now angered by the idiot who had called his name out loud in public. He got to the other side and scowled at his lover. Shuuichi's face immediately turned into big, tearful eyes knowing what would come next. Yuki sighed and muttered "idiot" quietly, but Shuuichi still heard it.

"I know, I'm an idiot right? I'm sorry Yuki. I'm just excited and... and...." Shuuichi looked back down at the snow. Melts with a touch right? He grabbed Yuki tightly and apologized again.

Yuki sighed and his scowl lessened. "Why are you always in a hurry? Are the stores going to close soon?" Shuuichi shook his head. "Are all the possible presents in the entire department store going to be sold if we don't run as fast as we can?" Shuuichi shook his head again. "Then quit being an idiot. I would have thought you would have wanted to make this trip last as long as possible." Shuuichi nodded and then realized was Yuki was saying in Yuki-talk. Yuki didn't mind being with Shuuichi on this shopping trip. He just couldn't say it aloud. Shuuichi smiled big and cheered.

"I do! I do! I want to stop in every single section and look at everything! And I want to have lunch in that restaurant on the top floor! Hiro said he took his girlfriend there and it was really nice and romantic."

"Ayaka-san." Yuki said bluntly.

"Huh?" Shuuichi looked slightly puzzled.

"You can say her name you know." Yuki pulled out a half-empty pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one up. They walked in silence for a couple blocks until Yuki spoke again. "How are they?"

"Doing well. Hiro seems much more cheerful when he talks about her. He was trying to decide what she'd like for Christmas, but seeing that he doesn't know too much about her and they don't get to see each other very often, he's having a tough time."

"Blue." Yuki said bluntly again.

"Huh?" Shuuichi once again got that puzzled look on his face.

"She likes the color blue. Aneki would buy her presents on my behalf when I was younger and she'd always pick out something blue, because it was a color she liked."

"Yuki... I didn't know you cared."

"Idiot. What makes you think I do care?" Yuki scowled again and took another drag off his cigarette. Maybe it was a mistake to agree to go shopping after all. Suddenly it seemed the day would be filled with Shuuichi talking nonstop about what he wanted to get for people. That in itself would be annoying. Shuuichi never talked about what he was hoping to get for Christmas from other people. He hadn't even suggested the idea to Yuki. All Shuuichi ever did was care and give. It was a puzzle to Yuki, who thought all people operated on some level of give and take. For instance, Yuki wrote tasteless romantic crap and young women all around the country paid for it, which funded Yuki's cigarette addiction. Yuki took another drag off his cigarette and for one very brief moment was thankful that young women in Japan were so needy.

"OOH!!!! Look Yuki!! It's you! What's that one about?" Shuuichi pointed to a window display of books. Sure enough, it was a copy of his latest book "Tension". Selling for roughly 1600 yen, it was priced high enough to show he was a popular author, but low enough that the majority of school girls could buy it and every other book when it came out.

"Nothing that would interest you. It's about girls." Yuki smiled with somewhat of a smirk at his lover. Shuuichi frowned and turned around to face Yuki squarely.

"I like girls," he said defiantly. "It's just that I like Yuki better."

"Yes, yes, I'm sure you do. Come on." Yuki grabbed Shuuichi by the arm and got them walking back towards the department store. He didn't want to be near the bookstore any longer, nor did he want Shuuichi getting into some gushy scene about him. They walked one more block and entered the large department store: Tower 54, named so because it had 54 various stores, restaurants, and so forth when it first opened. When the economic boom was at its peak, the store had expanded and now had roughly 150 places inside, but the name stuck.

Shuuichi gazed in awe at how decorated everything was. Christmas was merely 10 days away, but the apartment Yuki and he shared was still as stark as ever. Yuki didn't own any Christmas decorations, which didn't surprise Shuuichi. But he was hesitant to buy any and put them up, lest he annoy Yuki more. The only luxury he had allowed himself was to buy two Christmas related pillows, which he had put on the couch. He used these when he slept on the couch some nights, so Yuki seemed to treat them more as "Shuuichi-clutter" rather than for Christmas. However, seeing the colors and lights and sounds of the department store made Shuuichi feel that he just had do something to decorate their apartment. It just wouldn't feel Christmassy at Christmas without them.

Decorating would have to wait though. Right now, they were at the department store and it was time to find gifts. "Ne, Yuki, I want to find something special for Hiro and Maiko and Fujisaki and..." Shuuichi continued to rattle off names and Yuki looked at the exit door one last time, seeing the only escape from his prediction come true. He was jerked away from the door quickly as Shuuichi pulled him into the direction of the nearest toy store to find something special for a certain pink bunny.

Next Track: Relatively Speaking

Major changes and notes:
Aneki is a way of saying older sister similar to how Tatsuha refers to Eiri as Aniki. The title of the book was changed cause I've noticed the titles of Eiri's books tend to be just one word.