Disclaimer: While Gravitaton is one of the best animes I've ever seen, I can't take any credit for anything at all. Am I really going to have to write these disclaimers every time I write a fanfic?

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I don't believe this!

It's four in the morning, and I've finally had it with working on my novel, which now just needs an ending and a title. Staring at that laptop's liquid screen for the last two days was beginning to make blinking a painful chore. I'm still wearing the same navy dress shirt and black pants from two days ago, smelling of the countless cigarettes I smoked in my drab office during the countless moments I had to stop because of my damn writer's block. At least I've accomplished something within the last two days.

Except sleep.

And I would have accomplished that too if my phone hadn't start to ring, sounding like an alarm in my already chaotic head.

The auto message of the answering machine picks up the call in the living room, and I hear the faint female sounding voice telling the caller I'm not home and to leave a message. I never felt the need to make a personal message. Why should I when there is a perfectly good automated one? He always says I'd create a more nicer and homier feel if I make my own, but that would go against everything I am. I protested to him afterwards that I don't want him making one of his own, but I don't have anything to worry about since he can't seem to figure out the complexity of my answering machine's menu. Thank the powers that be.

Clearly I'm home, lying on top of my gray comforter, stomach side down and a pillow slightly over my head, but I don't need to bother answering. I know who it is. Everyone who knows a cranky, cold bastard like myself doesn't like to be bothered, especially when my deadline is only a few fleeting days away. But there's one person who always calls despite my annoyance, even after I made him promise not to call me at these god-awful hours when he was away on his tours.

Though this time he was away doing back-to-back music videos on location in Kyoto for the last month. I hope he isn't using this as a loophole.

"I don't believe this," I mutter into my pillow as I hear the irritating beep go off, though I should have known better than to think that way. "Damn it Shuichi."

Yep, it was he, shouting so loudly on my machine that was all the way in my living room; I would have probably thought he was actually there, continuing to dent my sofa cushions.

"Yuki!" he cheers, and I'm glad he isn't here to see a small grin come across my face just by hearing his voice say my name. "Yuki you there? I know you are. Are you working? Sleeping? Dreaming about me?"

"No, no and no," I mumble into my pillow before reaching into the irritated part of myself to find enough energy to roll off my bed and slowly make my way out of my bedroom, passing my office and seeing the blue screen of my computer taunting me to finish the book.

"Yuki?" he is shouting again, and I slip my fingers through my blond hair and let out a sigh. "Your mad because I'm calling aren't you?" I'm sure now he's welding up in tears. "I know I promised not to call you when you were working or sleeping or showering or contemplating why you put up with me," he begins to ramble, and I decide to let him while I pull out my pack of cigarettes from my shirt pocket and light one up. "But I figured if I called now I could give you ample time to get over your irritation with me before I come home in the next ten minutes, ringing your buzzer because I forgot my key on that red string that is probably wrapped around the Kumagorou Sakuma gave me."

I look over at that ridiculous stuffed pink bunny with the never-ending smile that is sitting on the couch. I return my attention to the machine and he's still talking without stopping for air. Thank God for the soothing effect of this cigarette.

"So when we wrapped up today, K-san said we couldn't stay in our hotel because of the mobbing fans so we should just start on our way back now and--"

Letting out swirling smoke, I finally pick up the phone, and in my head I'm thinking, "Glad you called Shuichi," but my mouth says to him, "You promised not to call, Brat!"

"Yuki!" He sounds like his sobbing just ended. I guess after living with me for so long he had translated my various insults. This isn't necessarily a good thing. I'll have to become clever. "You're up!"

"How can I not be?" I quip. "Your idiotic ramblings won't let me sleep. You promised not to bother me."

He's laughing on the other end, and I hear music playing loudly in the background. At four in the morning? Where the heck is he? I hope he doesn't plan on bringing that racket into my home. I think he's in a car. Didn't he say something about being ten minutes away? "Oh, Yuki, you'll be glad to see me. I had to call to let you know about my early arrival. I've got so much to tell you."

"Great, now I'll never hear you shut up," I sigh.

"Yu-ki!" he places emphasis on each individual sound of my name, a sign he's beginning to pout. He looks cute when he pouts, but he doesn't need to know that.

"Ten minutes away, Kid?" I question at him, looking forward to his boyish face and small frame. I wouldn't call him Kid if he didn't 99 of the time act like one, because he is only four years younger than me. We're both adults.

Though I use that term loosely when it comes to Shuichi.

"More like five," he cries as if that sounded longer. I'm starting to wonder if I have been cooped up in my office for too long because I thought I heard someone shout, "Slow down!" Am I hearing voices? It sounds like it's coming from wherever he is.

"Fine, carry up your own luggage," I say.

"Nope, don't need to worry about that," he replies. "We left so quickly that Sakano-san had to stay behind and pick it up, and we didn't even get to change."

I can't be sure but I think I hear that odd looking cousin of Tohma's, Suguru, yelling, "Sakano-san would probably be dead right now from a coronary if he were! I think I might be on the verge of one myself."

"Hush!" Shuichi shouts so loudly I have to pull the phone away from my sensitive ears. "Anyway Yuki, don't laugh at me when you see me. I'm still in my music video clothes. No luggage is a good thing! It'll just be me when I come home."

Great, he's making me smile again and I hate it when he does that. I think I hear his friend Hiro in the background, protesting he get off the phone for a reason I'm not exactly sure why. I know we don't get along, but who the hell is he to order Shuichi around in such a harsh tone? That's my job. K, his manager, apparently is there too, telling Hiro to calm down and threatening Suguru to keep quiet or else he'll pull the trigger, to which I hear Shuichi say thank you to K and he loves his car. I find this all very peculiar as I take another drag of my cigarette.

"I can't wait to tell you what I learned to do the past few weeks up in Kyoto and--"

"Enough!" I say. "Tell me when you get here Brat."

"Sooner than you expect! I love you!"

We hang up, and I delete the machine, even though there are other calls on it, mostly my publisher pleading and yelling at me to get to work on my novel, though now it's the last thing on my mind.

He has big news? Everything he categorizes is big news, but he sounds exceptionally cheerful today. Is that possible? I suppose I can wait five more minutes to find out what it is.

TO BE CONTINUED

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