Work Text:
#01 – Comfort
Kio was glad Soubi had Ritsuka, because he needed someone to hold him through the darkness - but why was there no-one to comfort him?
#02 - Kiss
It was little more than the suggestion of lips-on-cheek, but Kio felt his heart jump anyway.
#03 - Soft
"Sou-chan, your hair is so soft!"
#04 - Pain
Kio hated inflicting pain, but Soubi needed it, so he shut his eyes and raised his hand anyway.
#05 - Potatoes
Soubi was a good cook, and there was nothing better than bumping hips with him as they peeled potatoes at the sink, in anticipation of a meal.
#06 - Rain
They ran together through the storm, laughing and hand in hand, barely noticing the water soaking through their clothes.
#07 - Chocolate
"Sou-chan, look, I got chocolate-flavour!"
#08 - Happiness
One evening, they'd gotten a little carried away; now, sides aching, they looked at the splotches of paint all over each other's skin and burst into fresh hysterics.
#09 - Telephone
"Dammit, Sou-chan, answer your phone, you promised, you bastard!"
#10 - Ears
He'd given his to Soubi, of course; how could he not?
#11 - Name
Kio didn't know why, but the name carved into Soubi's flesh gave him a sick feeling in his stomach whenever he looked at it (so he closed his eyes).
#12 - Sensual
Soubi's brush caressed the canvas, and Kio had to look away, suddenly uncomfortable.
#13 - Death
The day after the funeral, Kio broke his paintbrush in half, and didn't pick it up again.
#14 - Sex
It was nigh-mindblowing, and even better once the amount of alcohol required for it to happen had dwindled down to nothing.
#15 - Touch
For the first few weeks, it took nothing more than their fingers brushing as Soubi handed him a brush for Kio to turn bright red.
#16 - Weakness
Soubi's hand on his back, pulling him in further, and Kio felt weak; he clung to Soubi's shirt to stay upright, and felt it overwhelm him.
#17 - Tears
"I'm not crying - I'm not!"
#18 - Speed
A friend had had some at a party, and Kio had contemplated it...until Soubi's contemptuous gaze made him cringe away, and back to sobriety.
#19 - Wind
The butterflies looked as if they could fly off the canvas, borne upwards by some enchanted wind, and Kio could not be more envious if he tried.
#20 - Freedom
Though Kio would never admit it to Soubi, he was a little glad Seimei was dead - at least now, Soubi could live for himself (if only, if only).
#21 - Life
Life was too short, too fleeting, so Kio vowed to live it as fully as he could; starting, of course, with finally getting his hands on Soubi.
#22 - Jealousy
Kio watched Soubi and Ritsuka, heads close together and murmuring, and felt something stab at his heart like a blade.
#23 - Hands
The first time Kio felt Soubi's hands in his hair, long fingers teasing through the soft strands, he thought he'd imagined it.
#24 - Taste
"Sou-chan, this tastes weird...what the hell is it?"
#25 - Devotion
"I'll be with you 'til I die," said Soubi, and Kio could only stand and watch and hurt as Ritsuka nodded his acquiescence.
#26 - Forever
It wasn't a forever thing, and both of them knew it; but living for the moment had its advantages.
#27 - Blood
"Kio, have you...have you got any bandages?"
#28 - Sickness
Kio had never been so sick in his life, but Soubi's hand was cool on his forehead, and his voice soothed the feverdreams away.
#29 - Melody
Kio couldn't sing to save his life, but the alcohol and the offer of karaoke had been too good to resist, and anyway, he had someone in the audience to sing for.
#30 - Star
Oh, but Soubi burned brighter than any star, in the cold of the night.
#31 - Home
It was empty beer cans, and half-finished projects, and odd earrings, and paint trodden into the carpet, and it was the two of them, and it was perfect.
#32 - Confusion
"I...Sou-kun, do you...I mean, I want...mmph!"
#33 - Fear
Soubi sometimes came back with bruises, or cuts, or just with a terrible weariness about him; and then one night, he didn't come back at all, and Kio thought he'd die from the fear.
#34 - Lightning/Thunder
Neither of them feared storms, so they sat with their faces pressed to the window as lightning turned the world white.
#35 - Bonds
Soubi kept rope in the closet, and Kio knew it was only a matter of time until he brought the subject up; to be honest, he wasn't dreading it at all.
#36 - Market
Kio sulked as they wandered through the market - this was stalking, for heaven's sake! - but he followed Soubi anyway.
#37 - Technology
A beginning: "Um, Agatsuma-san, could I...could I have your cell phone number?"
#38 - Gift
"Sou-chan, you...you painted this for me?"
#39 - Smile
In the weeks after Seimei's death, Kio thinks he would give anything to see Soubi smile again.
#40 - Innocence
Of course, Kio had had boyfriends before, but not like this, nothing like this.
#41 - Completion
Sometimes, Kio despaired of Soubi's inability to actually finish a project on time; and then he remembered what Soubi was doing instead, and felt much better.
#42 - Clouds
A languid cloud of smoke flowed from between Soubi's lips, and Kio had to bite his tongue, hard, to maintain some self-control.
#43 - Sky
Sometimes, Kio thinks they could be butterflies, and fly away together into the deep, deep blue.
#44 - Heaven
A fresh canvas, a brush, and Soubi pressed to his back, guiding his hand.
#45 - Hell
Soubi wouldn't look him in the eye, and then Kio saw Ritsuka's earless head and wanted to scream.
#46 - Sun
Kio tanned, but Soubi burnt; neither really cared, as long as they had an excuse to have fun with the suncream.
#47 - Moon
"Let me paint you in the moonlight."
#48 - Waves
Kio giggled as the waves lapped at his toes - and then shrieked when Soubi pushed him in headlong.
#49 - Hair
Kio, who spends a fortune on lotions and potions to keep his hair looking good, may never quite forgive Soubi for letting his own dry naturally into perfection.
#50 - Supernova
They were burning much to brightly, and it could never last, but - just for now - they would cling to each other and let the world explode around them.