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“Oshi-saaaaaaaan!”
Shu was sitting on the couch and looked up just in time to see Kagehira dive towards him. A pained gasp escaped him as Kagehira’s full weight pressed into his side. As Shu pushed him off, he snapped “God, Kagehira, was that necessary?” He rubbed his arm which had taken most of the brunt of Kagehira’s dive.
This entire week, Kagehira had been a bundle of excitement. Shu had to admit he too had a bit more energy this week than usual. Today was Valentine's Day and they were staying at his family’s vacation home. Shu had been planning a Valentine's surprise for Kagehira, when the boy had come up to him and said he wanted nothing more than them just spending the week together, just the two of them. Nobody else. Nowhere else other than at his beloved Oshi-san’s side. After making sure Kagehira wanted this, they packed up, bought enough groceries for their stay and made their way to the vacation home. They had been staying there for the past week, enjoying their time in their own world. They talked, kissed, went on walks, kissed some more, cooked together, went further than kissing, painted, etc. All the things they enjoyed doing together they did.
It was nice spending quality time again. They had been so busy with their unit and solo work that they rarely had time to just be. Being in Kagehira’s presence was something Shu treasured. While he appreciated Kagehira’s enthusiasm for spending time together, sometimes it was a bit too much…like right now with the pain shooting up his arm.
“Oops, sorry Oshi-san.” Kagehira scratched the back of his neck. “I forgot you were a little fragile.”
Frowning, Shu stopped rubbing his arm and sat up straighter, glaring at the other boy. “Fragile?” Annoyance started bleeding into his words. “Who are you calling-”
Just as Shu was about to continue, a small bag was shoved in his face.
“Look at this candy I got!”
“Don’t just shove things in my face!” Shu pushed the bag away, glaring. “Have some manners!”
Scratching the back of his neck, Kagehira laughed. “Sorry again Oshi-san.” He lifted the bag to Shu’s eye level, his happiness returning just as quick. “I bought these just for today! Perfect time to eat them, no?”
“You bought more candy? Don’t you already have some?” Shu asked. “And didn’t you say you were waiting for the discounted Valentine's candy tomorrow?”
Kagehira laughed and scratched at his neck again. “Yeah, I said that. I know we already have some Valentine chocolate and candy here,” he trailed off for a moment before continuing. “But I saw these in the store and just had to buy them! Look how cute they are!” He shook the bag.
Focusing on the bag in front of him, Shu scrutinized it. The bag was see-through, making it easy to see what was inside it. Tiny, heart-shaped candy filled the bag in a myriad of colours spanning the entire rainbow. He had to agree with Kagehira; the candy did look cute.
“Not only that,” Kagehira continued, opening the bag. He pulled out a yellow heart and showed it to Shu. “It has cute phrases on them!” Sure enough on the candy, Shu could see the words “Be Mine” sprawled across it in red lettering. All the candy hearts in the bag had the same red lettering from what Shu could see.
“Hmph. They could have done a better job with the lettering.” Shu said, narrowing his eyes. He leaned forward to scrutinize the little yellow heart more. “It’s a bit faded. I would have made sure the instrument being used to print the letters wouldn’t run out…and I’d find a new way of packaging it all together. The other candies are rubbing against each other which is another reason the writing is so faded…”
“Nothing gets past you Oshi-san.”
“Of course not.” Shu straightened up and smiled, chest puffing out slightly. “An artist has to have a brilliant eye for detail after all.” All the years of sewing and various other artistic endeavours combined with his excellent eyesight had allowed him to point out the most minuscule details. While it was great for his work, it also meant he could see the tiniest of errors and he felt compelled to voice them.
Nodding, Kagehira looked back at the candy in his hand again “Be mine.” he read out loud before holding the heart back out to Shu. He giggled. “Will ya be mine Oshi-san?”
Sighing, Shu smiled. “You’re asking me when you've already claimed me?”
“Try it!” Kagehira shoved the bag towards Shu, taking care not to shove it in his face.
Shu reached in and plucked a heart from the middle of the pile. He pulled out a light blue heart with the words “I Love You” written on it.
“What’s on it? What’s on it?” Kagehira asked, bouncing in his seat.
“I love you.”
A bashful smile appeared on Kagehira’s face. “Awww, Oshi-san.” He giggled again. “I love ya too!”
Shu rolled his eyes, an amused sigh leaving his lips. “That’s what the candy says you dolt,” He said, leaning forwards and flicking Kagehira’s forehead, chuckling at the small gasp of surprise that followed. “And that’s for jumping on me. But yes,” He continued, turning the candy over in his hand. “The sentiment is genuine.”
Kagehira rubbed at his forehead. “Ngah, ya didn’t have to flick ma forehead like that.”
“I just said that was payback for jumping on me. A flick is nothing compared to having a fully grown human jump on you.” He heard Kagehira whine. “You brought that upon yourself.”
“Just try it already!” Kagehira whined. His voice dropped lower. “One of these days Imma flick ya back and then you’ll know” Despite him mumbling, Shu still heard him.
“You always say you would, but you don’t.” He answered.
“I mean it this time!” Kagehira crossed his arms over his chest. “Ya won’t see me comin’!”
Shu didn’t answer, choosing to laugh again before putting the blue heart in his mouth.
Chalk.
That was his first thought when he bit down on the candy. It was a little hard. The more he chewed, the more it ground down until it was almost like powder in his mouth. It was sweet. Obviously, since it was candy, it was sweet, but it was just a tad bit too sweet for Shu’s liking. It wasn’t terribly unpleasant, though. There was a hint of flavour he couldn’t quite place. He grimaced as he chewed once more, a last burst of sweetness coating his tongue before he swallowed it. He stuck his tongue out, making a small “blegh” sound. Normally he wouldn’t make noises like this in front of another person, but it was only Kagehira, and he was comfortable doing this in front of him.
“Ya look like ya didn’t like it,” Kagehira said, scanning Shu’s face.
Wrinkling his nose, Shu said, “This tastes like sweetened chalk.”
Kagehira stared at Shu, not saying a word. Shu squirmed, feeling incredibly self-conscious. “Why are you staring at me like that?” He touched his face gingerly. “Is there something on my face? Did I say something wrong?” A slow, teasing smile spread across Kagehira’s face as Shu wondered what was going through the boy’s head. “Kagehira, answer me! Why are you suddenly smiling like that? It’s creepy!”
“How do ya know it tastes like chalk, Oshi-san? Hmmm?” Kagehira asked, sitting cross-legged on the couch. He placed his elbows on his knees and held up his head in his hands. His smile reminded Shu of the Cheshire Cat. “Have ya eaten chalk before?”
“Of course not!” Shu retorted. “I just think this tastes like what chalk would taste like!” Rolling his eyes, he dusted his shirt off even though there was nothing on it. “Who in their right mind would eat chalk?”
“Ngah, it was only one time!”
“HUH?!” Shu whipped around to stare at Kagehira. “You’ve eaten chalk before Kagehira?!”
“Once!” A silent moment passed with Kagehira, now the one squirming in his seat. “Actually twice…no, no no,” Kagehira’s gaze moved upward, looking lost in thought. “I think it was, like, four times.” Shu stared at him, a look of disbelief and mild disgust aimed right at his partner. “It was always only a nibble! I wanted to know what chalk tastes like and if it’d taste good!” Shu raised an eyebrow and shook his head slowly. Kagehira’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink as he pointed at him. “Now don’t ya go judgin’ me and everythin’! I was a kid when I did that! I’m sure ya did weird things as a kid, Oshi-san.”
Shu rolled his eyes again. “I assure you I have done nothing of the sort.”
“I doubt that. All kids do weird things!” Kagehira shouted. Suddenly, a mischievous smile appeared on his face that filled Shu with apprehension. Usually, when Kagehira smiled like that, it meant Shu was about to be teased. “I’m sure if I ask Ryuu-kun-san, he’ll tell me some things.”
Shu stared at Kagehira for a solid minute, pressing his lips together.
Kagehira hummed disapprovingly. “See, I still don’t believe ya.” He pulled out his phone and held it up between the two of them. “So if I call Ryuu-kun-san and ask him about weird stuff ya did as a kid, he’s gonna tell me ya did nothing weird.” He said teasingly. “Maybe I’ll call yer grandpa too~,”
Shu snatched Kagehira’s phone out of his hand and hid it behind his back. Letting Kagehira call his childhood friend and his grandfather would have him sold out by them immediately. They both had the unfortunate commonality of loving to remind Shu of things he did or things that happened in his childhood. His grandfather especially took great pleasure in recounting Shu’s embarrassing childhood moments he witnessed. “Funny stories”, as his grandfather liked to call them. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before saying, “I assure you I have done nothing of the sort to that degree.”.
Kagehira’s smile grew larger. “I knew there was something! I’ll find out what it is, eventually. I ain’t bluffin’ this time! You know I will!” Kagehira said. “Anything to get more stories about you as a child!”
Pouting, Shu leaned back into the couch, crossing his arms over his chest. He couldn’t understand his lover’s excitement over the prospect of hearing more stories about his child self. His childhood was a sore spot for him and he hated being reminded of that time. That’s why he burnt all the photos of him as a child. Sometimes it wasn’t completely terrible, but the negatives far outweighed the positives in Shu's mind. He crossed his arms tighter. Delving into his childhood always soured his mood. Once a particular terrible memory surfaced in his mind, others followed, sucking him into a mental whirlpool of pain and loneliness that was hard to escape.
He felt a nudge at his side, bringing him out of his thoughts. He looked over at Kagehira, who was pouting at him with a disappointed stare. “What?” He asked.
Kagehira sighed. “Ya know, Oshi-san. Yer annoyin’ me a little.”
“I’m annoying you?” Kagehira nodded. Shu turned his entire body to face him. “How?”
“It’s Valentine's Day today.” Kagehira said, putting his hands on his hips.
“Yes, I’m well aware, Kagehira.” Shu said flatly.
“Right. So since it’s Valentine’s Day, we’re ‘posed to be all lovey-dovey, all up in each other’s arms, bein’ all romantic and here ya are thinkin’ about other things!” Kagehira’s pout turned into a frown. “I want ya to forget about everyone else and everything else and pay attention ta me and me only.”
“And here ya are, thinkin’ about other things!”
Ah, so that explained Kagehira’s sudden change of emotions. He knew the boy was obsessive about him. But he also knew Kagehira was attempting to stop him from dwelling on unpleasant thoughts. That boy was attuned to his moods rather than his own. It annoyed Shu sometimes with how quick Kagehira could tell something was off with him. Most of the time, though, he was grateful. Kagehira would just know, and he knew how to respond to his nonverbal cues. It was a big help, especially since speaking was impossible when he got too stressed. Kagehira always took great care of him during these times.
He gazed down at the boy he called his partner in life. This boy was his safe place away from the world. His rock, his muse, his everything. And he knew Kagehira felt the same way about him. He told him these things pretty often after all, sometimes expressing jealousy over the smallest things that took Shu’s attention away from him. “You’re being quite possessive.” He responded with a laugh as he opened his arms. Kagehira settled in, squirming as he hugged him back. “You’ve had me all to yourself for the entire week, and it’s still not enough. You’re insatiable.”
“I can’t help it!” Kagehira cried, breaking away from the quick hug. “Yer so pretty and amazin’ and it’s been so long since we had time to ourselves! I want to soak up every second of this before we have to leave our world and go back into society.” He sighed. “If only we could live in our world just a little longer.”
“It is a shame we have to leave here in a couple of days.” Shu said. “Well, at least you can bask in my beauty a little more.”
“I sure can and will!” Kagehira beamed. He stroked Shu’s cheek and Shu leaned into the touch. “Yer so beautiful and yer all mine.”
“Kakaka, of course I am!”
“Ya sure love bein’ praised, Oshi-san.”
“Doesn’t everyone?” Shu laughed. Just as he stopped laughing, something was pressed against his lips. He could taste something sweet on his lips with a hint of cherry.
“A sweetheart for ma lil sweetheart!” Kagehira beamed, pulling the candy away from his lips. “See?”
“The word is smudged.” Shu said, narrowing his eyes at the blurred red letters. He tilted his head. “My saliva must have done that.”
“Wha-” Kagehira turned the candy so he could see the words, or rather lack of words. “Oh! Yer right. Lemme find another one.” He ate the candy in his hand before digging in the bag.
After a minute of searching, Kagehira shouted “Aha!” before triumphantly pulling out the same heart out of the bag. It was pink with the word “Sweetheart” stamped across it. “Yer my sweetheart, so this heart is perfect for you.”
“I…see.”
The candy was pressed against Shu’s lips again. “Say ah.”
Shu followed, parting his lips to let Kagehira push the candy into his mouth. Kagehira’s fingers lingered, just the tip of them sandwiched between his lips. He could taste hints of different flavours on them. Cherry, lemon, grape. Without thinking, he started sucking on Kagehira’s fingertips. Heat rose to his face and pooled in his stomach. He knew Kagehira loved when he did this. And he enjoyed doing this too. After a couple of minutes, Shu pulled away, licking his lips. “Is that a new term of endearment for me?” He asked.
The level of intensity Kagehira was looking at him with set him on fire. He squirmed as Kagehira leaned closer, a teasing smile appearing on his face. “Maybe.” Kagehira shifted, nudging Shu’s legs apart as he did. It was then that Shu became aware that somehow his back was up against the couch’s armrest and Kagehira was straddling him. “Ya look as red as a tomato, Oshi-san.”
“My face is not red!” Shu turned away with a huff. “How dare you compare me to a vegetable!”
“A strawberry then!”
“Non! That’s even worse!”
“But ya like strawberries.” Kagehira said. “And strawberries are sweet and tasty, like you. Oh, and strawberries are always associated with romance! How’s that worse?”
Shu stuttered, not having an answer to his question. Strawberries were his favourite fruit, and he loved that his favourite fruit was associated with romance, something he also enjoyed. He didn’t know how to respond, so he commented on something else. “I’m sweet and tasty?”
Kagehira nodded. His hand went into the bag and pulled out another heart shaped candy and held it up to Shu. “Mmhm. Yer like a piece of candy ta me. Very sweet and tasty.” Slowly he placed the candy on his own tongue, staring right at Shu. “I just want to keep eatin’ ya up.”
Shu looked away, his pulse racing beneath his skin. When Kagehira was like this, confident and alluring, it set Shu’s body alight. He never thought someone could elicit such a response from him. Then Kagehira came along and, well…he proved him wrong. He looked back, meeting Kagehira’s intense and playful gaze. His gold and blue eyes seemed to brighten, shining like two small gems.
Instead of giving a verbal response, Shu took the bag out of Kagehira’s hands and shook it, scanning the words on the candy. After a couple more shakes, his eyes fell on a light green heart. He reached in and pulled it out, staring at the words “Kiss Me” printed on it. His face grew even warmer as he held it out to Kagehira, making sure he could see the words on it. He watched as the other boy’s gaze dropped to the candy for a moment before looking back up at him, a mischievous smile appearing on his face as he leaned forward.
The closer Kagehira got, the faster Shu’s heart beat. His breath stopped as Kagehira’s lips closed around his fingertips, slowly sucking them as he took the candy in his mouth. It was as if millions of little electric jolts ran up his arm and across his body. His stomach flipped, and the world felt hazy in an intoxicating way. Kagehira looked up at him, eyes full of mischievous delight. With the looking and the electricity running through his veins, Shu couldn’t take it anymore. He pulled his fingers out of his mouth and brought his face close to his. They stared at each other for a few seconds before letting their lips meet. Hot. With how hot Shu felt inside and out, their kiss felt hot as well. They quickly deepened the kiss, turning slightly rougher than usual. Kagehira’s hand came to rest on his shoulders while Shu’s own hands came to rest on Kagehira’s waist. The electricity beneath Shu’s skin grew more intense, turning from little jolts to sparks. Kagehira’s hold on his shoulders tightened and Shu mirrored it by tightening his hold on his hips. They groaned with delight at feeling and hearing the reaction coming from each other.
A moment later, they pulled away, breathless. “You taste like those chalky hearts.” Shu murmured after a few minutes.
A small giggle left Kagehira. “Would ya like me to go get some chocolate so we can share? That might take the taste away.”
“Later.” Shu wrapped his arms around Kagehira and hugged him close. “Right now I want to keep you here.” He smiled, running his fingers up and down Kagehira’s sides, delighting in watching his partner shiver.
When Kagehira next spoke, his voice was right next to Shu’s ear, sending shivers up his own spine. Shu felt Kagehira’s fingertips running through the ends of his hair. It had gotten longer during the winter and he hadn’t yet cut it. “Of course, sweetheart. I didn’t really want to leave yer arms, anyway.”
The bag of candy fell to the floor, the sound reminiscent of falling dominoes as some of the candy fell out and scattered across the floor. Shu didn’t pay it any mind. They could always clean it later. Right now he was focused on his partner nibbling on his ear while whispers of affection left his lips.