Yuki moaned in despair, covering his face with his hands, burying them in his kneecaps. The beginning of an asthma attack tightened his throat, making his breath shallow and quick.

"I can't do this. Not with you. I can't." He repeated, shaking his head wildly. He had been found out. The dawning awareness in Kyo's eyes was obvious, he had figured out everything. When he felt the weight of the cat on his bed, his eyes snapped back open, peering through his fingers. Kyo's face was solemn, but as hard as he searched for disgust or repugnance, he found none.

"Yuki, please." The two simple words made him go limp, and Kyo's firm arms encircled him, pressing the slender uke into his own chest, his hands stroking the silken strands of silver. With the both of them on their knees, torsos pressed flush together, the rat's face buried in his cousin's shoulder, Kyo held him with an iron grip. He inhaled, letting the rat's somewhat familiar scent flow through him, filling his head with all the thoughts he had been plagued with as of recently regarding the popular teen.

"I didn't want you to know." Yuki admitted, breaking the silence. Is this really happening? "That's why nobody told you."

Suddenly, Kyo's head shot up, eyes wide, breaking the calm stillness that had overcome them. "Shigure knows, doesn't he?" His fingertips itched to trace over the boy's face, to linger over his pale eyebrows and small, straight nose, and serious mouth.

Yuki hesitated, wondering what the dog had hinted at to make Kyo know that he had known. "He, Aya, and Ha'ri are the only ones. And now you."

"All the things I said to you. . . How can you even stand for me to touch you?"

"What do you mean?" Yuki tilted his head slightly, pulling back so he could stare intensely into the cat's eyes, searching for whatever emotion he was feeling.

"I called you a whore." He stated bluntly, lowering his eyes. "I was upset that you weren't a virgin." Because I wanted us to be the same, for once.

"I know."

Kyo took a deep breath, knowing this was the time to put his cards on the table, but still unsure if he could confess. "I can't do this anymore." He admitted, lowering his own head to rest on his cousin's shoulder. Yuki was surprised, but raised his shaking arms to hold the obviously conflicted cat, stroking hands down his back in his best effort to give comfort.

"Do what?"

"I'm tired of hiding from you, Yuki." His voice rough with emotion, he sighed at the feeling of the rat's hands travelling up and down his body, the gesture offering him healing succor. "Leaving a room when we're alone because I don't want you to figure out what I'm thinking. Fighting you because I don't want you to know that I. . . I don't want to fight you." When he didn't get a response, he took another deep breath and rushed on. "I know it's stupid and you don't feel that way about me, especially after the things I said to you. But I'm fucking tired of this. I can't keep pretending." Yuki's hands had stilled on him, he realized. The rat had stopped moving, and still hadn't said a word. Shit. "Like I said, I don't expect anything but I just needed you to know and-"

"You can't." Yuki shook his head slowly to deny it, trying desperately to combat the rush of warmth that overtook him at Kyo's words. His soft words cut the cat's words off, leaving the capricious male frozen. "Because of Akito." He specified quickly, noting the practically traumatized look on his cousin's face.

"No." Kyo grabbed the rat's hands with his own, holding them firmly, staring into his companion's eyes intensely. "Yuki, I don't care about that. I can understand if you don't have feelings for me, but don't blame it on that. I want you no matter wh-"

"Don't have feelings for you!?" Yuki exclaimed, huffing out a slightly hysterical laugh. He tugged lightly to get his hands back, but the ginger-haired teen stubbornly held tight. "You have no idea about anything, as usual." He lowered his eyes, wanting to hate the feeling of the cat's rough palms against his own smooth ones. "Like someone else. Please." His voice cracked on the last word, counteracting his attempt at sounding indifferent.

"No. I'm tired of this. Shigure was right, and you know it. Don't you?" He demanded roughly, yanking the rat's hands so their faces were inches apart.

"No." He denied again, shaking his head.

"You don't have feelings for me."

He considered agreeing with the words to make it easier, but the mortified look on the cat's face clenched his chest, preventing the lie from leaving his mouth. "I do." The confession was so quiet, the cat could barely hear it.

"Then you're a coward, just like he said!" Kyo snapped, snarling. "You won't be with me because of what everyone will think!"

Yuki stared at him for several seconds in complete shock. "Are. . . Are you really that stupid?" He asked. When he recieved no answer, he continued. "Yes, I am a coward. I'm terrified of what you told me tonight. But not because of what people will think, or anything as meaningless as that."

"What, then!?"

"I'm terrified for you, Kyo."

The tone unnerved him slightly, but he held firm, his heart feeling lighter than it had felt in months. The breathtaking rat really did have feelings for him. "What does that even mean?"

"You don't understand about Akito. Kyo, he-"

"I told you I don't care about that, Yuki! I mean, I care. I could kill him for. . . What he did to you. But. . . It doesn't make me feel differently for you. You're so goddamn beautiful, and-"

"Kyo!" The normally soft-voiced teen's vocal exclamation interrupted the cat yet again. "Akito is. . . " He hesitated, trying to find a word to describe he and the Sohma God's volatile relationship. "Territorial." He decided. "I can't. . . Be in a relationship." At Kyo's dark stare, he flushed. "Please tell me nobody else knows about this."

"Shigure lives with us, he's not an idiot. And. . . " He paused, considering Yuki's reaction. "Haru."

The rat sighed slightly with relief. The cat's revelations were not likely to get back to Akito from either of them. Sacrifice was nothing even close to new for the popular teen, so it was obvious to him what he had to do. Though he was used to the feeling, even had had to admit it would hurt a great deal. After lusting after the fierce male for so long, and finding out his feelings were mutual. . . I was stupid to even look at him in the first place.

"Yuki. It doesn't change anything. I still want you. And you want me. I can see it now, in your eyes. In the way you stare at me when I come in a room and try to pretend you don't. You've probably fantasized about exactly this, me confessing my feelings to you. Haven't you?" He asked sharply, the pink blush rising to the violet-eyed teen's cheeks as confirmation to his question. He isn't taking no for an answer, Yuki realized, half in exasperation and half in shock at the intensity of the cat's feelings for him. Can he really want me so much?

"So what? It doesn't mean anything can happen between us. I told you, Akito-"

"Fuck Akito!" Kyo snapped, baring his teeth in disdain. "You're going to let him control you!?"

"You don't know what he'll do to you." But Yuki knew. The thought of the 'God's wrath concerning Kyo sent shivers down the pale teen's spine. He knew that to ignore the repercussions that he knew were inevitable, just because of his strong feelings for Kyo, would be one of the most selfish things he could possibly do.

"I don't care, either." Kyo replied in disgust, shaking his head. He stood, tucking his thumbs into the waistband of his jeans. "Well, I already told you. I'm through hiding."

"Nobody can know about this." Yuki replied flatly. "I mean it. Nothing changes between us. If it gets out that you have feelings for me-"

"You mean that we have feelings for each other." Kyo interrupted, eyes narrowed at Yuki's sudden change. It was like a switch had been flipped, from emotional and needy Yuki to the icy and indifferent Prince Charming. Not that the rat's impulsive mood swings were anything new and unusual, but it had always irked the hell out of him.

"I'll deny it." He shrugged one shoulder, crossing his arms over his chest in a gesture of apathy. "And Akito will make you leave here. He won't want you around me if he knows."

"Are you threatening me?"

"Don't think of it as a threat. I'm just telling you what will happen if you don't do what I say. It's a promise."

Kyo cocked an eyebrow, their eyes locked. He finally broke the eye contact by smiling bitterly, shaking his head. "I knew you were cold, Yuki, but this takes the cake."

"Thank you." He deadpanned. "Now get out."

The pumpkin-haired teen turned, still shaking his head. He opened the door, stepping through it, but stopped at the last second, turning his face back. "Is this some kind of fucked up punishment for the things I said to you?"

Yuki stood fluidly, gripping the doorknob with his hand. "Don't be overdramatic." He stated patronizingly, closing the door behind the cat, and locking it with a dull snap. He released the breath he had been holding with a shudder, pressing his palms to his violet eyes, resisting the urge to sink to his knees. It was always so easy at school to keep up his cold facade, but doing it to someone he felt so much for had been difficult.

"Frigid bitch." Kyo muttered under his breath, before storming off, but he was still reeling mentally from the knowledge he had learned. He had always hated the rat's talent for being a condescending ass.

After hearing the bedroom door slam, Shigure peeked his head around the corner, wiggling his eyebrows for comic effect, though nobody was there to see him. Pulling his cellphone out of his pocket with agonizing slowness, he dialed it, eyes still darting between the closed bedroom doors of his young cousins.

The phone on the other end rang twice, but was picked up quickly.

"Ayame." The phone was answered with the white-haired snake's peppy voice. Shigure grinned, always finding it funny that the conceited man had named his shop after himself.

"I needed to talk to the most beautiful shining jewel in all of the world." Shigure commented, cradling the phone against his shoulder, keeping his voice somewhat low, to make sure the boys wouldn't hear him.

"Speaking."

"I have a little update for you, in the case of the forlorn rat and cat. I thought you might be interested."

"Do tell." The man purred back over the phone, his attention clearly captured.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o- o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"I'm home!" Tohru's cheerful voice rang out through the halls of the Sohma home, prompting Yuki to exit his room and meet her at the front door. She gave him a sweet smile, gesturing with her hands, though her arms.

"Isn't there more to carry in?"

"Well, yes, there are a few more bags. If you wouldn't mind, Yuki."

"Of course not, Ms. Honda." He replied softly, using his preferred name for her. "It's my pleasure." Capturing her knuckles smoothly in one of his hands, he pressed a chaste kiss to her soft skin, before moving out of the door to bring in the rest of her luggage.

"Yuki sure seems in a good mood." Tohru remarked happily to Shigure, who leaned back comfortably against the wall, watching the display between the two of them. "I was hoping I wouldn't come back to find the house destroyed, to be honest!" She laughed, glad to be home from the trip that the females in their grade had taken to a historical district of a city for the week.

"It's been interesting, for sure." The dog replied, amusement twinkling in his eye. "You're looking even more beautiful than usual. Must be excitement from the trip."

"Thank you." She blushed a little at the compliment, but her smile remained in place. "Where's Kyo?" She wondered aloud, glancing around.

"Ah, I wouldn't take it personally if he doesn't greet you until later. He's in a mood."

"Oh." She nodded quickly, to show that it didn't offend her at all. "Well, I'll have dinner ready as soon as possible! Hopefuly a nice a homecooked meal will cheer him up."

"Hopefully." The older Sohma agreed, but his eyes were still sparkling with hilarity. He wondered how their naive houseguest would react to what he was certain was a budding relationship between the two cursed cousins.

I started watching that new anime Free! - Iwatobi Swim Club, and I am in loooove with it ~ Thinking about doing some fics with my ships from the show. . .