Gravitation Fan Fiction ❯ Fleeting Inspiration ❯ Open House ( Chapter 38 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Anna Sartin 
Yuki and Shuichi investigate a potential new home.
Anime/Manga: Gravitation Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Comedy | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 04.04.2012 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.0K | Visits: 419 | Status: Work In Progress
Yuki and Shuichi investigate a potential new home.
Anime/Manga: Gravitation Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Comedy | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 04.04.2012 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.0K | Visits: 419 | Status: Work In Progress
Fleeting Inspiration
by Anna Sartin
. . .
Chapter Thirty-eight: Open House
.
"I can't believe you took him all the way down to Kyoto and LEFT him there!" Shuichi said when his lover returned a few hours later.
"He'll be back once he gets his motorcycle out of the repair shop," Eiri said, hanging up his coat. At least he'll be out of my hair until then.
"Mika-san called asking for him while you were gone and I told her you were bringing him home!"
"I did," the author smirked. "Home to Kyoto."
"She's gonna be mad..."
"She'll get over it," Eiri said nonchalantly, heading for the kitchen.
"She'll come over."
Eiri stopped in his tracks. That was the last thing he needed. He couldn't properly enjoy the break from his troublesome brother if he had to deal with his bitchy, pregnant sister instead. Mika had called to check up on him every day since Tohma had left town and the only thing that kept her from coming over to nag him live and in person- other than having a baby to look after and another one on the way- was the reassurance that Tatsuha was there to "look after things" in her stead. She was still angry with Shuichi over the incident in Osaka (and had probably heard from her husband that he wasn't well) and if she learned that her youngest brother was no longer there- or, indeed, no longer in the city- she might feel the need to come over herself, where Eiri couldn't just hang up when he was tired of listening to her.
"Get your shoes on!" Eiri commanded, turning around and grabbing his coat again.
"What? Why? Where are we going?" Shuichi asked.
"Out." The blond opened the door and waited for him to slip into his shoes.
"I can't wait to get the bandages off so I won't need these stupid crutches!"
"Tomorrow morning, hopefully," Eiri said. "Unless of course you trip over something else between here and the hospital... which I wouldn't put past you considering how clumsy you are."
"Yuki!" The singer pouted cutely, earning him a kiss for his trouble. He hopped out the door and Eiri locked it behind them. "So why was your brother walking around the convention in his underwear?" the singer asked as they headed for the car.
"Apparently there was a contest for the 'most daring costume'. They told him that parading around in a pair of boxers with "I Love Ryuichi!" written all over them didn't count as a costume and called security when he refused to put his clothes back on."
"Your brother is weird."
"You're one to talk."
Shuichi laughed shamelessly. "So where are we going?"
"To an Open House. I saw a sign this morning so I figured we could check it out."
Shuichi nodded enthusiastically. "Let's go!"
. . .
"Well, what do you think?" the real estate agent asked, after she'd given the couple a tour of the house.
"It's beautiful..." Shuichi breathed.
"It's smaller that I thought it would be," Eiri sniffed in an aristocratic air.
Shuichi stared at him in disbelief. "How can you call a house with five bedrooms small?"
"Actually it's a four-bedroom house," the woman explained. "The room on the first floor is a den."
"Well still! This house is huge!"
"The living room is only half the size of the one at the apartment," Eiri pointed out.
"It's not THAT small," Shuichi said. "Besides, even if the living room is a little small the houseis still big. The bedrooms are huge, and I've never been in a house with THREE bathrooms."
Eiri grunted in response.
"Two and a half," the real estate agent piped up.
"There were THREE, I saw them!" Shuichi told her. "Besides, how could a house only have HALF a room?"
Eiri rolled his eyes and wandered out the back door while the woman explained to his idiot partner that a bathroom with no bathtub was called a "half-bath". The master bedroom had it's own bathroom, and he had to admit he was rather fond of the oversized bathtub...
He surveyed the backyard as he lit up a cigarette. The place wasn't bad. The property was spacious and well-kept and it was in an upscale neighborhood; it just didn't have the same feel of his oversized (and over-priced) apartment. He was also beginning to realize that owning a house would mean that he would be directly responsible for its upkeep. The grass would have to be cut regularly, the garden would need weeded and they would have to shovel the sidewalk when it snowed. He'd never had to deal with any of these things living in apartments. He could foist the majority of the outside chores on Shuichi, but he did NOT trust the boy with a lawnmower. The idiot was liable to run over his own foot.
Still, despite his misgivings he was already more than half in love with certain aspects of the place, including the large wrap-around porch he was currently standing on. It could not have been cheap to build and it ran the full length of the house. He could imagine bringing his laptop out here on nice days to smoke while he worked. All he required was a table and few chairs (one for himself and one for Shuichi to sit in while he pestered him about working too much) and he could make this work.
"Well, do you like it?" he asked when Shuichi came out a few minutes later.
"Oh, yes! Yuki, it's perfect!"
"Then let's do it."
"Really? Eiri, I love you!"
Before the writer could respond Shuichi dropped his crutches and leapt into his arms, kissing him passionately, happily, excitedly. The world around them melted away, leaving the blushing real estate agent standing in the doorway feeling somewhat awkward.
"Um... Sirs? Sirs?"
. . .
"How long do you think it will be until we can move in?" Shuichi asked later, when they were back at the apartment.
"You heard the woman. As soon as the paperwork comes through."
"How long is THAT?" The singer persisted, tugging on his sleeve childishly.
"One to two weeks. Weren't you LISTENING?"
"Not really. I was kind of floating in a happy daze," the pink-haired man smiled, leaning on his lover's shoulder. "Do you think it'll be ready by my birthday?"
"Maybe. It's still a week away. We're going to have to start packing."
"I'm so happy!" Shuichi cooed, squeezing the blond's arm affectionately. "Hey, Yuki?"
"What?"
"Will... will it be OUR house?" he asked softly. "I mean, like yours and mine?"
Eiri pondered the question for a minute, not exactly sure of the answer. Of course they were going to live together, but... were they actually going to buy the house together?
He thought back on when they'd gone mattress shopping together. At the time he figured letting Shuichi help choose a mattress was a small way to show his commitment to their relationship. After all, they would both be sleeping on it every night since Eiri had promised that he would never force his lover out of the bedroom again. Putting Shuichi's name on the deed to the house they purchased would be another way of showing his commitment, but on a much larger scale.
Right now we're all but married in his eyes, and if we're going to start owning property together then...
There would be no getting rid of the singer. Ever. He highly doubted that he could get rid of Shuichi now, but if they were going to own the same house there would definitely be no escaping him. Not that he wanted to escape, but... Owning a house together was about as close to married that two men who were having sex together could legally get in Japan. Despite the matching rings that he'd bought for them less than a year ago he wasn't sure if he was ready to be "married".
"Yuki?" the singer asked, when the writer didn't respond.
"Is that what you want?" the author asked, stalling for time. He needed to think...
Shuichi responded by tightening his grip on the blond and bursting into tears.
Eiri blinked. Not exactly the response I was anticipating... "What? What are you crying for?"
"I'm so happy! I'd love to buy a house with Yuki!"
"I didn't say that we were! I just asked if you wanted to!" Shuichi's emotional outburst had shaken the writer up a bit, making him feel like he was being backed into a corner.
Shuichi pulled back slightly. "So... are we?"
Eiri tried to quell the feeling of panic rising in him. Don't panic! So I won't be able to throw him out whenever I want to anymore, but I'll still be my own man! I don't have to do anything I don't want! I can leave whenever I want and if I don't like it then I don't have to come back!
He wasn't seriously considering abandoning Shuichi, but for some reason the thought of being tied down scared the hell out of him. He hated feeling trapped. His palms were sweating now, and the way Shuichi was looking at him expectantly wasn't helping either.
I don't have to do this! I need more time to think! I-
His thoughts were suddenly disrupted when Shuichi kissed his hand and smiled at him understandingly. "It's okay, Eiri. If you're not ready or the idea scares you then I understand."
How does he know me so well?
"As long as we're together, that's all that matters to me," Shuichi continued reassuringly.
Eiri forced himself to take a deep breath. "Just... give me some time to think about it, okay?"
"Okay."
He settled back on the couch, letting his nerves settle and his heart rate return to normal. I want to be with him. I don't want to lose him. Ever. This shouldn't be freaking me out like this...
So what did it mean when you knew with absolute certainty that you wanted to be with someone for the rest of your life but were terrified to own property with them? It made no sense. He was suddenly glad his appointment with his psychiatrist was tomorrow morning, because he needed to talk to her desperately. He just hoped SHE wouldn't need therapy by the time their session was finished.
End chapter thirty-eight
by Anna Sartin
. . .
Chapter Thirty-eight: Open House
.
"I can't believe you took him all the way down to Kyoto and LEFT him there!" Shuichi said when his lover returned a few hours later.
"He'll be back once he gets his motorcycle out of the repair shop," Eiri said, hanging up his coat. At least he'll be out of my hair until then.
"Mika-san called asking for him while you were gone and I told her you were bringing him home!"
"I did," the author smirked. "Home to Kyoto."
"She's gonna be mad..."
"She'll get over it," Eiri said nonchalantly, heading for the kitchen.
"She'll come over."
Eiri stopped in his tracks. That was the last thing he needed. He couldn't properly enjoy the break from his troublesome brother if he had to deal with his bitchy, pregnant sister instead. Mika had called to check up on him every day since Tohma had left town and the only thing that kept her from coming over to nag him live and in person- other than having a baby to look after and another one on the way- was the reassurance that Tatsuha was there to "look after things" in her stead. She was still angry with Shuichi over the incident in Osaka (and had probably heard from her husband that he wasn't well) and if she learned that her youngest brother was no longer there- or, indeed, no longer in the city- she might feel the need to come over herself, where Eiri couldn't just hang up when he was tired of listening to her.
"Get your shoes on!" Eiri commanded, turning around and grabbing his coat again.
"What? Why? Where are we going?" Shuichi asked.
"Out." The blond opened the door and waited for him to slip into his shoes.
"I can't wait to get the bandages off so I won't need these stupid crutches!"
"Tomorrow morning, hopefully," Eiri said. "Unless of course you trip over something else between here and the hospital... which I wouldn't put past you considering how clumsy you are."
"Yuki!" The singer pouted cutely, earning him a kiss for his trouble. He hopped out the door and Eiri locked it behind them. "So why was your brother walking around the convention in his underwear?" the singer asked as they headed for the car.
"Apparently there was a contest for the 'most daring costume'. They told him that parading around in a pair of boxers with "I Love Ryuichi!" written all over them didn't count as a costume and called security when he refused to put his clothes back on."
"Your brother is weird."
"You're one to talk."
Shuichi laughed shamelessly. "So where are we going?"
"To an Open House. I saw a sign this morning so I figured we could check it out."
Shuichi nodded enthusiastically. "Let's go!"
. . .
"Well, what do you think?" the real estate agent asked, after she'd given the couple a tour of the house.
"It's beautiful..." Shuichi breathed.
"It's smaller that I thought it would be," Eiri sniffed in an aristocratic air.
Shuichi stared at him in disbelief. "How can you call a house with five bedrooms small?"
"Actually it's a four-bedroom house," the woman explained. "The room on the first floor is a den."
"Well still! This house is huge!"
"The living room is only half the size of the one at the apartment," Eiri pointed out.
"It's not THAT small," Shuichi said. "Besides, even if the living room is a little small the houseis still big. The bedrooms are huge, and I've never been in a house with THREE bathrooms."
Eiri grunted in response.
"Two and a half," the real estate agent piped up.
"There were THREE, I saw them!" Shuichi told her. "Besides, how could a house only have HALF a room?"
Eiri rolled his eyes and wandered out the back door while the woman explained to his idiot partner that a bathroom with no bathtub was called a "half-bath". The master bedroom had it's own bathroom, and he had to admit he was rather fond of the oversized bathtub...
He surveyed the backyard as he lit up a cigarette. The place wasn't bad. The property was spacious and well-kept and it was in an upscale neighborhood; it just didn't have the same feel of his oversized (and over-priced) apartment. He was also beginning to realize that owning a house would mean that he would be directly responsible for its upkeep. The grass would have to be cut regularly, the garden would need weeded and they would have to shovel the sidewalk when it snowed. He'd never had to deal with any of these things living in apartments. He could foist the majority of the outside chores on Shuichi, but he did NOT trust the boy with a lawnmower. The idiot was liable to run over his own foot.
Still, despite his misgivings he was already more than half in love with certain aspects of the place, including the large wrap-around porch he was currently standing on. It could not have been cheap to build and it ran the full length of the house. He could imagine bringing his laptop out here on nice days to smoke while he worked. All he required was a table and few chairs (one for himself and one for Shuichi to sit in while he pestered him about working too much) and he could make this work.
"Well, do you like it?" he asked when Shuichi came out a few minutes later.
"Oh, yes! Yuki, it's perfect!"
"Then let's do it."
"Really? Eiri, I love you!"
Before the writer could respond Shuichi dropped his crutches and leapt into his arms, kissing him passionately, happily, excitedly. The world around them melted away, leaving the blushing real estate agent standing in the doorway feeling somewhat awkward.
"Um... Sirs? Sirs?"
. . .
"How long do you think it will be until we can move in?" Shuichi asked later, when they were back at the apartment.
"You heard the woman. As soon as the paperwork comes through."
"How long is THAT?" The singer persisted, tugging on his sleeve childishly.
"One to two weeks. Weren't you LISTENING?"
"Not really. I was kind of floating in a happy daze," the pink-haired man smiled, leaning on his lover's shoulder. "Do you think it'll be ready by my birthday?"
"Maybe. It's still a week away. We're going to have to start packing."
"I'm so happy!" Shuichi cooed, squeezing the blond's arm affectionately. "Hey, Yuki?"
"What?"
"Will... will it be OUR house?" he asked softly. "I mean, like yours and mine?"
Eiri pondered the question for a minute, not exactly sure of the answer. Of course they were going to live together, but... were they actually going to buy the house together?
He thought back on when they'd gone mattress shopping together. At the time he figured letting Shuichi help choose a mattress was a small way to show his commitment to their relationship. After all, they would both be sleeping on it every night since Eiri had promised that he would never force his lover out of the bedroom again. Putting Shuichi's name on the deed to the house they purchased would be another way of showing his commitment, but on a much larger scale.
Right now we're all but married in his eyes, and if we're going to start owning property together then...
There would be no getting rid of the singer. Ever. He highly doubted that he could get rid of Shuichi now, but if they were going to own the same house there would definitely be no escaping him. Not that he wanted to escape, but... Owning a house together was about as close to married that two men who were having sex together could legally get in Japan. Despite the matching rings that he'd bought for them less than a year ago he wasn't sure if he was ready to be "married".
"Yuki?" the singer asked, when the writer didn't respond.
"Is that what you want?" the author asked, stalling for time. He needed to think...
Shuichi responded by tightening his grip on the blond and bursting into tears.
Eiri blinked. Not exactly the response I was anticipating... "What? What are you crying for?"
"I'm so happy! I'd love to buy a house with Yuki!"
"I didn't say that we were! I just asked if you wanted to!" Shuichi's emotional outburst had shaken the writer up a bit, making him feel like he was being backed into a corner.
Shuichi pulled back slightly. "So... are we?"
Eiri tried to quell the feeling of panic rising in him. Don't panic! So I won't be able to throw him out whenever I want to anymore, but I'll still be my own man! I don't have to do anything I don't want! I can leave whenever I want and if I don't like it then I don't have to come back!
He wasn't seriously considering abandoning Shuichi, but for some reason the thought of being tied down scared the hell out of him. He hated feeling trapped. His palms were sweating now, and the way Shuichi was looking at him expectantly wasn't helping either.
I don't have to do this! I need more time to think! I-
His thoughts were suddenly disrupted when Shuichi kissed his hand and smiled at him understandingly. "It's okay, Eiri. If you're not ready or the idea scares you then I understand."
How does he know me so well?
"As long as we're together, that's all that matters to me," Shuichi continued reassuringly.
Eiri forced himself to take a deep breath. "Just... give me some time to think about it, okay?"
"Okay."
He settled back on the couch, letting his nerves settle and his heart rate return to normal. I want to be with him. I don't want to lose him. Ever. This shouldn't be freaking me out like this...
So what did it mean when you knew with absolute certainty that you wanted to be with someone for the rest of your life but were terrified to own property with them? It made no sense. He was suddenly glad his appointment with his psychiatrist was tomorrow morning, because he needed to talk to her desperately. He just hoped SHE wouldn't need therapy by the time their session was finished.
End chapter thirty-eight