D. N. Angel Fan Fiction ❯ Snippets ❯ Ears ( Chapter 14 )

Ears:

 

Disclaimer: I don't own DN Angel or Loveless.

 

Warnings: Shounen-ai, references to intercourse, AU.

 

A/N: I was just reading some Loveless fanfiction and was reminded of this idea, which has been lying dormant in my mind since I watched the anime. It's not really a crossover, more like an AU type thing…you'll get it when you read. My exam results just came back and my birthday's on the 26th August (four days from now) so I'm a happy person. So I bring to you this little piece as a `before I go back to school and have no time to write' piece. Enjoy!

 

The sun's rays filtered into the room through the cracks in the curtains. Although thin, they were directly on Dark's face, making him groan and turn over uncomfortably. He was a night owl; not a morning person. Sleepy amethyst eyes peered at the digital clock on the bedside table, which read 7:40am in bright red numbers. Mumbling under his breath, the purple-haired man rolled out of bed and stretched before stumbling into the bathroom. He had a job to go to.

 

Dark looked around the apartment, noting that his roommate was not yet home; a surprise in itself. Usually his friend would make it a point to be home by five at the most, and if he was staying at someone's house, he would always call. Of course, this could be very inconvenient, especially when the call came at, say, three in the morning. Dark frowned lightly before shoving a piece of toast in his mouth. Oh well, he thought. Daisuke's a big boy. He can take care of himself now.

 

Dark and Daisuke met in their first year of high school and became fast friends almost immediately. Nobody knew what the punk saw in the teacher's pet, but the novelty of such a friendship soon died down and their friendship melted back into the network just like so many others. They'd graduated together and been separated for four years as they both pursued degrees, then met once more at a party in San Francisco. They'd found that nothing between them had changed and six months later, Daisuke packed his bags and moved in with Dark.

 

The purple-haired man's tail twitched as he ate breakfast, curling around the chair leg at points as his ears moved around. Just as he was about to finish his toast, the doorbell rang. Dark almost choked and walked quickly over to the door, hastily chewing and swallowing the bread. A quick glance through the peephole told him that Daisuke was home. The man flung the door open, tail waving slowly as he felt irritation at the redhead build up. “Daisuke!” There was different about his roommate, Dark knew, but he couldn't tell. His tail twitched as he scowled at the other. “Where were you?” The redhead hastily flushed and then looked away. Then Dark saw the difference. “Oh my God.”

 

Daisuke's head jerked up and he quickly walked forward to comfort his friend. “Dark…” he started to say, but was cut off by the other.

 

“We'll talk about this tonight,” the purple-haired man quickly said. He drew himself up with a dignity one rarely saw and then walked back into the living room to grab his bag and coat. “See you, Dai.” He rushed out of the door without another word, slamming it shut behind him. Daisuke stood there, stunned for a moment before sighing and placing a hand on his forehead.

 

Dark growled and slammed his foot harder on the gas pedal, causing the little Mitsubishi to shoot forward on the freeway. His ears and tail twitched agitatedly, normally merry purple eyes now narrowed and icy. He lost his ears. He lost his f---ing ears. Glaring at the jay-walking pedestrian, he slowed the car and impatiently waited for him to cross. Fifteen minutes later, on the Bay Bridge, Dark ran into a traffic jam. A very big traffic jam. He groaned and rested his head on the steering wheel, knowing that nothing would move for a good forty five minutes at least. Oh joy, he thought sarcastically. I'm late.

 

Daisuke:

 

Daisuke reached a hand up to run long fingers through his hair, ignoring the whispers and giggles from most of the female staff. It felt odd without his ears, even more so when he had had them just yesterday. He was somewhat relieved that they, along with the tail, were gone, but at the same time he missed them. It felt strange not having them after so many years, although admittedly his co-workers would not try to hook him up anymore. The memory of Dark's face upon seeing him, though, made his heart sink just a little and he wished that he could have explained. Sighing, he turned once more to the computer and glared at the hash of files that made up LyrenCo's client database.

 

Dark:

 

“Shut up,” Dark moaned as Krad smirked and tugged his ear. He swatted at the offending hand, only to find it resting on his tail. “Get off!” He slapped the other man, who merely grunted. “Screw you, Krad.”

 

“Oh, so you want to lose your ears now?” The other asked, arching an eyebrow. “I'll have to ask Satoshi about that first, though,” he laughed. Dark groaned and buried his face in his arms.

 

“Lay off,” he growled half-heartedly. “And get your grubby paws off my tail before people get the wrong idea.” Krad quickly withdrew his hand, wiping it on a napkin with exaggerated disgust. Unfortunately for Dark, the phrase `lose your ears' reminded him all too sharply of his roommate and he cringed at the unfairness of it all. Granted, he had received many offers to lose his ears, but all the same…well. He wasn't going to dwell on it forever. He swilled down the last of his wine and stood up, determined to be cheerful. “Well, then I'll see you, Krad,” he shortly said before leaving. He missed the pensive look on the other's face as he left.

 

The businessman stretched, amethyst orbs straying towards the clock on his desk. It read 7:15pm and Dark sighed in relief. Thank God, he thought. Fifteen minutes left. However, his report was still unfinished and it was due in two days' time, and his `in' tray was groaning under the weight of still-unread documents. “Guess I'll be working overtime,” he thought before leaning over to pick up the phone. However, his hand froze as he remembered Daisuke's current state and after a moment's thought he returned to work, leaving the phone untouched.

 

Daisuke:

 

There was no one in the apartment. A wave of disappointment rose in his throat and Daisuke slowly walked into his room, readying his things for a shower. Dark wasn't home yet; a rare occurrence, for his friend liked to be home at 7:30pm whenever it was possible. The redhead rinsed himself off, again shaking his head a little when his fingers ran over the spots where his ears used to be. Part of him was sad at Dark's obvious disapproval, but the other part of him couldn't care less. He was legal now, anyway, so what was there to stop him from losing his ears? Besides, almost half the class in university had lost their ears already, so there was really no harm in his losing them now. Or so he kept telling himself.

 

He stepped into the shower and breathed a sigh of relief, glad to finally wash off the dust from the streets and the sweat from his `night out'. Whilst he had rinsed himself off in the hotel room, a hurried shower was no substitute for a leisurely one that was sure to relax the muscles and wash all the dirt away. Crimson eyes focused on the cream tiling as the redhead wondered how to explain the loss of his ears to Dark.

 

As he stepped out of the shower, he caught sight of his left shoulder in the mirror and stared for a moment before flushing deeply. It was a hickey, a dark one that looked like it would take a week to fully disappear. He prodded the mark, his face turning even redder as he remembered just how he had acquired it.

 

Dark entered the apartment, noting with some relief that Daisuke was already home. The sound of running water caught his ears and Dark quickly changed his direction, heading for his room. He didn't know whether he wanted to see Daisuke just yet, especially knowing at least part of what had transpired during the LyrenCo party. Then the purple-haired man shrugged to himself, smiling wryly. I sound like Daisuke's mother now, he thought, worrying about him like that.

 

Daisuke walked out, wearing an oversized T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. “Oh, hi Dark!” He smiled a little awkwardly, a hand at the back of his head in that familiar gesture. However, this caused the other side of the shirt to slip, revealing a pale shoulder. Which had a hickey on it. Dark stared at it, images of an unknown mouth lapping at the pale skin flashing through his mind. Heat coursed through him, hot, jealous heat. “Dark?” Daisuke was next to him in a flash, one hand on his ear and gently stroking the furry body part. “Are you all right?” The businessman turned to face him and Daisuke hastily backed off, thinking that Dark was angry at him.

 

“It's nothing,” the amethyst eyed man answered brusquely. “I made dinner. Let's eat.”

 

The meal was a tense affair, neither one willing to say anything that would set the other off. Daisuke, however, did not like the silence and as he reached for the fish, carefully asked, “How was yesterday evening?” There was an ominous pause.

 

“Quiet,” Dark finally replied. “I read a little and finished up some documentation. Yours?” He snapped his mouth shut as soon as the word came out, knowing that the answer would only irritate him further.

 

Daisuke paused for a moment, obviously thinking the same thing as Dark. Then he said slowly, “It was nice. I met a lot of people.” He ignored Dark's pointed look at the top of his head, and the swishing tail that almost certainly meant that the other was annoyed. He could just hear the other's unspoken comment: `Oh, I bet you did.' Daisuke continued, doggedly avoiding naming people. “Someone fell into the punch bowl, and Kotoe-san was very angry.” He smiled weakly, hoping it would lure Dark's laugh out. “Turns out the punch was spiked…but I didn't drink any of it!” He hastily added. Dark's eyes only narrowed further as the amethyst-eyed man processed the information.

 

“Meet any nice girls, then?” The question was obviously asked in sarcasm and Daisuke felt his hackles rising. He chewed deliberately slowly for a moment, letting Dark stew.

 

“Yeah,” he replied nonchalantly. It was a laconic answer. Dark didn't ask for names, and Daisuke didn't offer any. The tension continued to grow, looming over the pair like an invisible monster.

 

Dark finally snapped. “Huh. Did you have a nice time warming someone's bed, then?” Daisuke didn't say anything, but his trembling hands were enough. The older man rushed on. “I bet you did, you've even got a hickey to prove it. Who was it?” He asked with a sneer.

 

Daisuke slammed his chopsticks down onto the holder violently. “What does it matter to you?” He hissed angrily. “Why do you care? It's not like it's any of your business what I do with my time, is it? You're probably just jealous because you haven't lost yours yet!”

 

Dark's tail was now swishing violently and his ears were flat against his head, a sure sign of animosity from the amethyst-eyed man. However, a bark of harsh laughter escaped his throat. “Keep telling yourself that,” he said icily. “And I care because it's not exactly a good reputation to build up, Daisuke!”

 

“Who cares? The clients? My co-workers? The university students? Most of them have already lost their ears, Dark! It's just you who seems to be making such a big production out of things!”

 

Dark didn't know why he was so worked up about Daisuke's losing his ears. After all, wasn't it the redhead's own decision. Still, he was determined to stick to his opinion to the end. “I thought you said you were going to save them for someone.” Daisuke laughed bitterly, much to Dark's surprise.

 

“Maybe I just got sick of waiting,” Daisuke shortly snapped. “Maybe I just didn't want to wait any longer.”

 

“You can't just say—“

 

“How would you know?” Daisuke barked, crimson eyes flashing dangerously. “Have you ever had to wait for anyone?” At the look in Dark's eyes, he rolled his own derisively. “No; didn't think so,” he sneered.

 

At that moment, the phone rang, causing the two roommates to turn around and glare at it. Dark silently walked over and picked it up. “Hello?”

 

“Dark.” It was Satoshi.

 

“Yah?” With another venomous look at Daisuke, Dark leaned casually against the wall with the phone in his hand. “Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Yeah. So the deal came off?” He grinned, glad to know that his hard work had paid off. “Say, why don't we go out to celebrate a bit? You know, hit a couple of the classier bars, meet a few…no? Aw,” he joked, pouting. “You're no fun.” Satoshi's caustic reply, however, caused him to pause.

 

“I don't think you can say that when you haven't even lost your ears yet, Mousy,” the blue-haired man commented. “See you.” The phone clicked and Dark turned around, sore from both the argument and his friend's comment. If only he knew what I'd been doing before I got the call, he thought wryly. Talk about karma.

 

Daisuke was standing in the middle of the living room, away from the dining table. He ignored his friend's presence, choosing to stare intently at the building opposite theirs. It was clear from his body language that he had not yet forgiven Dark, and in a way Dark hadn't backed down either.

 

Both had a night to stew in their thoughts, Dark wondering why he'd gotten so worked up over Daisuke's ears and the redhead wondering why he'd been so bent on justifying himself through insults and shouts. Neither slept well, but of course they both pretended that they had in the morning.

 

The redhead took a vicious sort of pleasure out of yanking Dark's furry appendages for the next two days, more so than usual. He used to tease the businessman gently about it, but now his insults were barbed and more calculated to sting. “It's nice to see some of us are so moralistic,” and `He's saving himself for that special someone,' were only two of the things he said in public when ladies approached his older roommate, causing them to titter.

 

Krad sighed at the sight of Dark, huddled up in his apartment scowling at the flashing pictures on the television. “So that's what, the fifth time you've come here?” The blond asked, hanging his coat up as he approached his friend. “Fight with Daisuke again?” Dark had told him all about the fight, albeit unwillingly, and ever since then the purple-haired man had stayed over every time he got into an argument with Daisuke. The blond wasn't happy with this; it meant no `alone time' with Satoshi, but he very well couldn't leave a friend out now, could he? “Maybe you should talk things over,” finally said. “You can't hide out here forever.”

 

Dark scowled. “I told you,” he said shortly, “I'm looking for an apartment.” Krad nearly tripped over the rug; he made a mental note to tell Satoshi to get rid of the blasted thing; and whipped around.

 

“What?”

 

The businessman groaned. “I'm looking for a new apartment. Daisuke and I talked it over, and we decided that it's obviously all for the best. We're getting on each others' nerves too much, and it'll help us sort things out on our own.” Talked it over my foot, the blond thought darkly. Of course, he very well couldn't say that out loud, so he chuckled instead.

 

“You mean Daisuke kicked you out,” he dryly replied. Sighing, the blond joined his friend on the couch. “I still can't believe that you made such a fuss over his ears though.”

 

“Don't start,” Dark growled. He was in no mood for a lecture. Unfortunately, the blond had never seen fit to listen to him, despite the flattened ears, the flashing eyes and of course, the bristling, swishing tail. Right then and there, Dark decided that Satoshi was a bad influence on Krad.

 

“In any case, why are you so worked up about it?” Krad's eyes were now staring into the distance, and Dark flinched. Oh no, he thought, gearing himself up for another of Krad's analytical and all too often boring lectures. “How about we hypothesise, Dark?” The blond leaned forward, golden eyes glinting with evil and suddenly he looked like the predator he'd been when trying to trip his blue-haired lover into bed for the first time. “How about…Dark-san's jealous?”

 

Dark leaned casually back, avoiding that piercing gaze and trying to look nonchalant. “Been there, heard that. And it's not true,” he added shortly, hoping he sounded bored.

 

“What about if I said you were jealous of the one who took Daisuke's ears?”

 

“That's a new one.” Krad chuckled, truly amused now. He never did quite lose that sadistic streak.

 

“Yeah, well, we all know De Nile's just a river in Egypt,” he added cheerfully, emphasising `De Nile' in particular. “But,” he added, face now serious and devoid of any traces of Schadenfreude, “he said he was tired of waiting, mm?” Dark snorted.

 

“It's none of my business. Go find out yourself.”

 

Krad feigned shock. “Oh? Suddenly it's none of your business as to who he was waiting for? Please, Dark, use your brains.”

 

The purple-haired man stood up abruptly, irritation written clearly in every line of his form. “Shut up,” he told the other brusquely. “This isn't one of your shoujo manga, nor is it a Meg Cabot romance novel. I'm just concerned about Daisuke.”

 

“Please,” the other snorted derisively, “you must be joking. A one-night stand never did anyone any harm, provided they followed safe-sex rules of course.”

 

“F--- off,” Dark snarled before walking out the door. It was clear that he wasn't wanted there, so why should he stay any longer? “I'm leaving.”

 

His blond friend waved casually. “See you then. It was nice having you over for a chat.” The purple-haired businessman didn't bother replying, as it was clear that Krad could not care less about the whole conflict.

 

Daisuke inhaled deeply, shooting looks over at the door every now and again. His roommate still had not come home, and truth be told, he was little worried about the other, even if he was still annoyed about the whole ears affair. He's probably just at Krad's, he told himself firmly for the fifth time before glancing at the clock. If he doesn't come home in half an hour, I'll eat first and he can re-heat his own meal. Sighing, the redhead drew his knees up and wrapped his arms around them, wondering where his friend was. He'd forgiven Dark and long time ago, but he was unwilling to say sorry when it wasn't even his fault to begin with. He'd never believed in the motto, `Say sorry even when it's not your fault'. The doorbell rang, and Daisuke smiled a little at his friend's absentmindedness before remembering that said friend was currently not happy with him. Sighing, the redhead stood up to open the door.

 

Without a word Dark stepped in, his coat flaring out behind him in a dramatic arc. He barely glanced at Daisuke before walking over to the table and pulling a chair out with a resounding screech, which caused the redhead to flinch. He hated the sound of the legs scraping against the floor, not to mention the scratches that were caused by such an act. The younger one was tired of this now; he just wanted to go back to having a normal life with his roommate, being able to joke around and talk to his best friend whenever he wanted to. “Grow up, Dark.”

 

The man slowly turned around, amethyst eyes narrowed. “What did you say?”

 

“I said grow up.” Daisuke's voice came out strongly, his eyes calm and confident. “Get over it. I've lost my ears, and they're not going to come back.” The purple-haired man sat there silently, staring at the redhead accusingly, but he ploughed on doggedly. “Why is it bothering you so much?” His friend, instead of standing up and shouting defensively, bowed his head lower and stared at his knees, brushing at a piece of lint that refused to go away. The silence stretched on, lingering and growing like some awkward entity that didn't know what to do with its life.

 

Dark chanced a look at Daisuke and his breath caught as he realized just how much he wanted his friend back. He didn't want to fight anymore and he certainly didn't want to argue anymore. “I guess…I guess I was just in a bad mood that night.” Krad's little speech from earlier on in the evening came to the forefront of his mind, but he pushed it down. Say what you like, Krad, but that doesn't make it true. He refused to entertain the memory of his crush on Daisuke when they had first started living together, shutting his eyes subconsciously to prevent himself from looking at the redhead and noticing how striking and innocent he looked, even without his ears. “I don't know. Just leave it, okay?”

 

Daisuke was silent for a moment, red eyes downcast. However, he was quietly relieved that Dark wasn't shouting at him anymore, and he finally seemed to have gotten over the whole ears issue. “…All right then,” he smiled at the other, knowing how difficult it was to get Dark to admit that he was wrong, even indirectly. It was as close to an apology as he would get out of the other man, anyway. He walked over to the dining table and sat down, picking up his chopsticks. The least he could do, he felt, was to start acting normally again. They'd both been dodging each other for far too long now. “Itadakimasu!” As though nothing had ever happened, the two began to eat.

 

They re-watched Dark's entire collection of `Without a Trace' and CSI: Miami, finishing the night off with one of their shared guilty pleasures, Weiss Kreuz. It felt just like before, Daisuke happily noted as he made a grab for the popcorn again. He was, however, leaning across Dark's lap now, hands vainly reaching for the blue plastic bowl. “C'mon, Dark, give it to me!” He begged, laughing as the other shifted the food out of his reach.

 

“I will, baby, I will,” Dark jokingly promised, his voice husky. At the sound of his voice, though, Daisuke felt himself flush as he realized how awkwardly he was positioned over Dark. The purple-haired man blinked and looked at him closely, ears twitching lightly in curiosity. The dark tail snaked its way up and poked the redhead's cheek, denoting its owner's curiosity. “Eh, Dai-chan, what's up?” Daisuke felt himself hardening and he quickly backed off, not wanting the other to feel him. He briefly wondered whether the loss of one's ears and tail meant an increased libido before hastily grabbing the pillow behind Dark's back and clutching it. Not only did this serve as a way to hide himself from the other's probing gaze; it also allowed him to divert the man's attention. “Oh no you don't,” the other mock-growled beforelunging forward-and pressing himself flush against his embarrassed roommate.

 

Daisuke squirmed away, panting slightly. Then he remembered. He reached a hand out…and gently tugged one of Dark's furry ears. True to form, the man dissolved into a purring puddle of goo and he immediately sprawled out over the couch, rubbing his face against Daisuke's chest and purring for more. The redhead blushed as he felt himself harden further and desperately tried to call images to mind in order to banish his…condition, but the noises his older roommate was making were too much for him. He didn't know how long he could keep up the pretense; it was only a matter of time before Dark pressed up against -that- part.

 

Dark nuzzled Daisuke's chest, purring happily at the way the other was scratching his ears. Then he felt something hard poking at him and he shifted, thinking that it was just the remote control. However, at the soft gasp from Daisuke, another, dirtier suspicion came to mind. He swiftly ground down a little harder, and as expected the little redhead gasped and flushed more darkly, clutching the pillow more desperately. Springing up, Dark grabbed the other's chin gently but firmly, forcing the other to look him in the eyes. “My, my, Dai-chan,” he whispered softly. “Is that the remote control, or are you just happy to see me?” Both stared intensely at each other for a moment before bursting out into laughter at the bad pick-up line, but the meaning was not lost. The noise of the TV blurred into meaningless background noise as they slowly gravitated towards each other and their lips met.

 

Dark groaned softly into his roommate's mouth, his tail wrapping around Daisuke and pulling the redhead closer. Hands roamed all over the place, neither caring further. The redhead giggled lightly as Dark's furry tail brushed over his side, tickling him, then whimpered as Dark nibbled at a particularly sensitive spot on his neck. The night passed in a pleasurable haze, both roommates exploring each other for the first time.

 

Next morning:

 

Dark stared at the mirror, unsure of what to do. Should I run down to the store and buy fakes? He wondered. Or should I saunter into work like this? He sighed once more before rubbing the spots where his ears used to be. A pair of small, warm hands suddenly snaked around him and Dark yelped at the sudden intrusion before leaning back into the warmth of his lover. “Daisuke!”

 

“Mm,” the other hummed into his back. “Leave it. Let them think what they will.” Dark grinned at the thought of it and then moaned softly as one of those devious hands moved upwards to rub gently at his chest. “Come back to bed, Dark,” Daisuke huskily whispered in his `bedroom voice'. “They can wait.” The purple-haired businessman smirked and let his lover coax him back into the bedroom and show him more delights. After all, who was he to turn down such an offer?

 

Note: For those of you who don't know Loveless, it's set in a universe where everyone is born with cat ears and a tail. They lose these parts when they have intercourse (all the way), so everyone's love life is out in the open. Hope this might clear up any confusion.

 

I hope you guys enjoyed this fic, seeing as I originally didn't plan for my next oneshot to be along these lines. In fact, this new one was supposed to be a sci-fi type and it's all typed out, but it's so badly written (in my opinion) that I decided to make a new one and let you guys have that instead whilst I edit the other. However, you're a lucky bunch; since I have that one and another typed out already, you'll get them fairly quickly provided I don't get bogged down in schoolwork first. Watch out for `Cassandra' and `September', coming out soon! Thank you for reading this fanfic, and please leave reviews! See you around!