3Greetings!
.hack/Link, anyone? I seriously can't wait until it's released for America. I don't think there's been an announcement but CC2 has to. It wouldn't be fair if they didn't. If I knew better Japanese, I would've imported that game the day it came out. Anyhow, about this oneshot. This story is connected to my previous .hack fic, Offline Reality. This time, it's focused on Silabus and Kuhn rather than Haseo and Endrance. Also, it sorta picks up after the events that happened in chapter 5 of Offline Reality. You don't really have to read it to understand but...why not take a look if you haven't read it. And Offline Reality had a smutty oneshot 'cause those plot bunnies tempted me. I think this one might have a smutty oneshot too 'cause the plot bunnies for these two have already reproduced! But...I should get crackin' on my current on-going fic. I'm working on it...it's just the plot bunnies, y'know. I'm powerless aganist them. Even now, I kinda wanna make a Durarara fic about Shizuo and Izaya...
Okay, no more rambling!
Everyone, enjoy and review.
Yuuichi Morino hadn't touched his laptop in a while. It was rare. His college friend was even concerned when he walked in on Yuuichi studying instead of playing The World. Yuuichi always cared about his school work but not to the point where he would study when he could be playing The World. It's only been a few weeks, close to a month, that Yuuichi hadn't logged in. He tried once, after the crushing attempt of trying to confess to Ryou. It was fine at first. He logged in as usual, went to Canard and talked with Gaspard before they set out to town. It turned bad when he saw Haseo and even worse when he saw Endrance next to Haseo. Now that he knew what Endrance was to Haseo, it was too much to handle and he had logged out without warning, leaving behind a baffled Gaspard and Haseo.
Yuuichi sighed as he pushed the text book away. He'd been reading the same line for the past thirty minutes now. He was kidding himself; he couldn't study. And he was too down to want to jog. Yuuichi looked at his M2D just lying there beside his laptop along side with the controller. Maybe he'll go online…but just for a bit and he'll set his status to busy. Yuuichi cleared his desk, pushing the book out of sight as he set his laptop where the textbook previously rested. He turned on his laptop and placed on his M2D. The familiar weight on his face made him smile. His inbox was full; most of them were from Gaspard. He was probably worrying his little tail off. He saw a couple, but not nearly much as much as Gaspard, from Atoli and Kuhn…and Haseo.
He didn't bother opening that particular email. Instead, he logged into The World and quickly turned his status to busy. He warped into the city of Breg Epona. He smiled when he realized he missed the buzz of conversation that floated in the air. Silabus looked around and noticed a swirl of blue by the door that led to the lower level of Breg Epona. It turned out to be Gaspard. Yuuichi quickly opened up the warp menu and randomly chose a field. Silabus warped out before Gaspard could spot him. A chime later and he had warped into a field with a clear sky. He looked at the trees and noticed that the leaves gently swayed with the virtual breeze.
Silabus took a deep breath in, arms stretched above his head, "Ah, I missed this." He said loudly. No one was around to hear. He was even lucky enough to chance upon one of those fields that wasn't large and had very few monsters to deal with. For now, Silabus figured he'd make his way around to the temple that housed the Beast Statue and sit along the edge where the sand met the grass. Silabus walked down from the hill as made his way to the temple. He saw a Sleipnir stop and stare at him.
"Hello there." Silabus said, waving to the Lucky Animal. It squeaked and ran away, putting a distance between him and Silabus in case of a sneak kick attack. Silabus grinned as he kept on walking. It really was a beautiful field. The flash mail notice pinged. It was from Gaspard.
Silabus, you're okay, right? You haven't been on for awhile. I hope everything's alright. I'll be at Shop Acorn if you need anything.
"Gaspard, you're a really great guy." Silabus said. Maybe he'll drop by later on to reassure Gaspard. For now, Silabus took his time walking, just enjoying the scenery that allowed his mind to peacefully wander and think empty, irrelevant thoughts. He was already feeling better by just being in The World. He crossed the wooden bridge and nearly stopped dead in his tracks. Just his luck to run into the one person he didn't want to see.
Endrance. And he was out plain in the open. If he ran away, that would mean admitting to the fact that he felt uneasy around him. Yuuichi gripped his controller tighter. Silabus walked forward, ignoring the thunderous beats of his heart.
"Hi, Endrance!" Did that sound alright? Maybe it sounded a little too cheerful. "Are you soloing as well?" Endrance stared at him and regarded him with some interest. Silabus was a rival, one that he didn't need to worry about, but seeing him act friendly towards him made Endrance wonder if Silabus remembered they meet once. Silabus kept on smiling as he usually did.
"No...I'm here with…"
"Endrance, so there you are."
If Yuuichi gripped the controller any tighter, he was scared it'll break. Haseo ran towards Endrance, noticing Silabus standing on the bridge. Silabus couldn't run now. The one thing he didn't want to happen happened. Oh, the bitter irony.
"Silabus? Are you feeling better? Gaspard's been worrying his head off since you haven't been around in about a month."
Yuuichi turned off his mike. He didn't trust his voice.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I caught a nasty flu." Endrance gave him a curious look but didn't ask why Silabus turned off his mike. He simply stood by Haseo's side as they talked.
"And your mike is busted too, huh? That sucks." Haseo noted. Silabus smiled as he brought his hands behind his head.
"Yeah, the flu and a busted mike. Not my best month." Silabus said.
"You should go see Gaspard and Atoli. They've been worried about you the most." Haseo said. Silabus nodded.
"Yeah. Gaspard sent me about 20 emails asking me if I was okay. :) I better go tell him I'm alright now," Silabus typed. "I'll see you later." He waved goodbye to Haseo and Endrance before he walked away. He could hear Endrance start talking to Haseo. That wasn't so bad. He managed to talk to Haseo without messing up. In fact, Silabus felt rather proud of handling that so well. Yet, underneath that his heart wouldn't stop thumping against his chest in a painful way. Silabus walked to the nearest warp point and he just stood in front of it.
They were together; together with finality. Yuuichi put the controller down as he hugged himself in a protective way. He bit his lip in hopeless frustration. It was going to take awhile. At first, Silabus admired Haseo even when he first joined Canard. He was rude and very unsocial when he first joined. The turning point that started his admiration was when he saw Haseo give Bo the item he wanted for a discount. It shocked him that the Terror of Death was generous. He just didn't show it enough. From that point on, as Haseo grew and more of that generosity showed itself and when he began to trust others, Silabus's admiration just evolved into love. If it was only a crush, it would be easy to get over his love for him but it wasn't.
Yuuichi pulled up his M2D and wiped his eyes before he placed them back on. He'll go see Gaspard and tell him he was fine before he logged out for the day. He grabbed his controller and Silabus warped out of the field and back to Breg Epona in a swirl of blue. Once again, he was surrounded by the buzz of conversation. He made his way to the large elevator and warped to the lower level of the Root Town. The buzz of conversation was even louder here but Silabus didn't mind. It was a nice distraction for his mind to focus on. Silabus walked down the ramp and spotted Gaspard doing business. He waited as the player left before he walked over to Shop Acorn.
"Hi, Gaspard." He greeted. Gaspard's ears perked up as he heard Silabus's voice. He looked over and saw Silabus, waving and smiling. A huge grin broke onto Gaspard's face as he rushed over to Silabus.
"Silabus!" He yelled, wrapping his arms around the green-clad Blade Brandier waist and buried his head against Silabus's stomach. He was so happy to see Silabus that he started crying. Silabus smiled as he patted his friend's head. Gaspard definitely had been worrying a lot. "Are you okay! What happened? I was so worried and scared that maybe you decided to quit The World when you hadn't logged in for a long time and…!" He wailed even louder.
"Gaspard, it's fine now. You know I'll never quit The World without any heads-up," Silabus said. "I caught a nasty flu that wouldn't go away by normal means. And I read all your emails you sent. You sent one almost every day." Gaspard sniffed as he looked up at Silabus with a small smile on his face.
"Haha, I was worried." Gaspard said as he pulled away. He quickly wiped his eyes as he grinned, "I wasn't the only one. Atoli was worried too. I should send her a flash mail that you were just sick."
"How's the shop going along?" Silabus asked.
"Good! We've been selling a lot. So much that Haseo has to go on a gathering quest almost every other day. Endrance's been a big help too. Hey, now that you're feeling better we should go on a quest together with Haseo. I'm gonna send him a flash mail to ask." Gaspard said. Silabus panicked and tried to stop him but Atoli called out to him.
"Silabus, you're back!" She said as she ran towards Silabus. Silabus smiled and greeted her, answering the same questions Gaspard asked though without the tears. She even mentioned Alkaid had asked where he was. Silabus felt happy and glad that he finally logged in. He'll have to invite her to form a party with her soon. Something caught Atoli's attention behind him. He turned to look and saw Haseo and Endrance walking towards the stand. He panicked as he turned back around. He forgot about the flash mail Gaspard had sent. He walked back to Shop Acorn as Gaspard was closing it.
"Did you really call him here?" Silabus asked.
Gaspard nodded, "Of course! We should at least go on one quest before we log out today with everyone."
Silabus groaned. He shouldn't be here. He stepped back from Gaspard and the others as they greeted Haseo and Endrance. Endrance had noticed him backing away but he didn't bring the other's attention to him. Silabus tried to think of a reason of explaining the mike to Haseo without letting him know it wasn't actually broken. Haseo and the others began walking towards Silabus. This wasn't good. He still couldn't think of a good enough reason. This wasn't good at all…
"Hey, Silabus, you're back." Kuhn loudly said as he clapped down a hand on Silabus's shoulder. Silabus shrieked as he stepped away and yelled, "I'm sorry!" Then, he logged out leaving the others rather confused.
Yuuichi pulled off his M2D and pushed his chair away from the desk. He could've handled that better. Kuhn caught him off guard by walking up behind him and nearly scaring the life out of Yuuichi. He was so concentrated on thinking of a reason for Haseo that he hadn't heard Kuhn. Well, at least that solved the issue of thinking of a plausible reason for not using his mike when he talked to Haseo earlier. He sighed and pushed his chair to his bed then rolled over to his bed. He was exhausted. He grabbed his pillow and hugged it as he closed his eyes.
"Hurry it up, will ya?" Alkaid shouted at Silabus as she ran ahead of him. Silabus had finally gotten around to spending some time with Alkaid after he had contacted all his friends and told him he was alright. Once he did that, he invited Alkaid to go leveling up. Alkaid was more than eager to. It was another chance to gain more EXP so that she can finally be strong enough to enter the Arena stronger than ever. Alkaid yelled again as she engaged a group of monsters. Silabus hurried over to her side to help. They quickly finished off the monsters; Alkaid using heavy attacks and skill triggers as Silabus kept an eye on her HP as well as his own as he warded off monsters with his own attacks. He was so concentrated on her HP he didn't notice the Lei Ziger approach him from behind.
"Chaotic Strike!" Alkaid flashed past him as the beast dropped dead behind him. He looked behind him just in time to see Alkaid flash him the victory sign. "You gotta be more alert, Silabus." She said as she put her weapons away.
"Yeah, you're right."
Alkaid watched him start walking towards the next dungeon room. She put her weapons away and caught up to him. She reached out and grabbed Silabus's arm to make him stop.
"Spill it." Alkaid said as she gazed at him. For a moment, Silabus was going to deny that nothing was wrong, that there was nothing to spill but the way she gazed at him made him ditch the idea. She honestly wanted to find out and he knew she wasn't going to let the subject drop. Silabus smiled as he walked over to the wall and leaned against it.
"Is it that obvious?" He asked. Alkaid grinned as she walked over to Silabus and stood beside him. She leaned against the wall as well; along side Silabus.
"You're easier to read than an open book. At least you are to me, so you can't hide anything even if you wanted to." Silabus chuckled as he looked around. He took a deep breath in before he started. Then, Silabus told Alkaid everything. He told her about Haseo, about his crush-turned-love towards the Adept Rouge. He told her about the offline gathering he had organized, about being happy when Haseo mistakenly agreed he would go. He told her about meeting Ryou along with Chigusa. He told her how glad he was to have meet Ryou, the player behind Haseo and that he was planning on telling Ryou how he felt. Silabus had paused before he went any further. Then he told Alkaid about Ryou running off before he could say it. Finally, he told Alkaid about seeing Kaoru, seeing the person who played Endrance, and that warning look. Silabus told her everything and in the end he just leaned there against the wall, waiting.
"Is that why you were gone for almost a month?" Alkaid asked.
"Yeah," Silabus said with a nod. "I didn't know what to do if I saw him." He heard Alkaid sigh besides him.
"I don't know if I should feel sorry for you or angry for being such a big idiot?"
"Idiot?" Silabus asked. Alkaid pushed herself off the wall and stood in front Silabus.
"Of course! You don't just go shut yourself in your room! That's such a lame thing to do. Accept it and move on!" Silabus blinked. He wasn't exactly expecting this kind of pep talk from Alkaid. Alkaid had her arms crossed, looking away with an angry pout. Silabus smiled.
"You're right." He said. Alkaid looked at him, still with the angry pout but she eventually smiled.
"Of course. Y'know, you should hold another offline gathering," Alkaid said. "And you should invite Haseo with Endrance."
"…that sounds like a terrible idea." Silabus said after he gave it a quick thought. Once again, Alkaid got angry.
"At least I'm trying to help!" Alkaid shouted as she ran off. Silabus watched her run off towards the next dungeon room. Yeah, it was a terrible idea but it was a good one too. He shook his head as he ran after her. Silabus used a speed charm just to catch up and he ran alongside her; Alkaid doing her best in ignoring the Blade Brandier.
"I'll start planning." Silabus said.
Silabus tried to get used to Haseo and Endrance, as a couple. He felt fine whenever it was just Haseo and someone else. But, whenever Endrance was around, it felt uncomfortable. At least, to Silabus it did. Still, he grinned and bared it. It was difficult but not entirely impossible. After coming back from completing another area with Alkaid, Gaspard and Silabus entered their guild Home in Breg Epona. Silabus immediately threw himself on the couch as Gaspard checked their inventory.
"Alkaid is leveling up quickly." Gaspard commented.
"Yeah, she's really determined to enter the arena," Silabus said. He pushed himself up and sat upright. "Say, Gaspard, I'm thinking about organizing another offline gathering." Silabus said.
"Really? The first one went well, didn't it?"
"Yeah, Kuhn even snuck in-"
"Yuuichi!"
Yuuichi shrieked, dropping his controller. He swiveled around in his chair, pulling off his M2D as he had his hands pressed against his chest. It seemed like his heart might escape if he didn't push it back down. At the door, it was none other than Tomonari. The shock quickly disappeared replaced by confusion and a hint of anger. How Tomonari managed to get into his room, Yuuichi would never know.
"Tomo-kun, what're you…why….never mind…Just…" Yuuichi swiveled back around to his desk. He pulled on his M2D and picked up the controller from the phone.
"I'm sorry Gaspard," Yuuichi said into the mike. "Tomo-kun just stopped by. I'll tell you later about the gathering," With that he logged out just as he noticed Haseo and Endrance walk into the guild. He pulled off his M2D, set the controller down, and swiveled the chair back around. Tomonari had closed the door behind him, now giving a Yuuichi a curious look. "Care to explain why you wanted to give me a heart attack?"
"Your friends say you weren't feeling well. They told me you were actually studying during the time you could've spent playing The World."
"Thanks for worrying but I'm fine," At least, he'll be completely okay once his heart stopped trying to escape his chest. Tomonari looked at him like he didn't believe him but said nothing as he sat down on Yuuichi's bed. "Why are you here, anyway?"
"You mean in Sendai, right? Well, I have a friend who's throwing a mixer so I thought I could sleep here for the meanwhile."
"So that was your true intention," Yuuichi knowingly said. Tomonari grinned as he flopped down on Yuuichi's bed. He finally noticed the duffel bag Tomonari had dropped on the floor near the door. Yuuichi was too busy with his minor heart attack to notice. "I don't mind then."
"Thanks, Yuu-chan." Tomonari said. Yuuichi blushed and looked away.
"I told you not to call me that." He mumbled, turning his chair around so he had his back to Tomonari. Tomonari smiled as he sat up. It looked like Yuuichi hadn't forgotten. It made him want to tease him even more but…
"I might stop if you tell me what's wrong." Tomonari said. Yuuichi sighed. First Alkaid now Tomonari had noticed something was off. Was he really that easy to read? Well, either way, he couldn't really tell Tomonari…wait, if they did that together…then maybe he wouldn't mind. Yuuichi groaned as he leaned back against his chair. Maybe he should just kick Tomonari out.
"It's Ryou, isn't it," Tomonari stated. Yuuichi flinched. Was it really that obvious? "If you're asking yourself how I know it's because I saw the way you looked at him during the gathering over at the karaoke place."
Yuuichi could still deny it all. He already told Alkaid. That was enough, right? Tomonari waited until he had waited enough. He rolled off Yuuichi's bed and walked up behind him. Yuuichi was still focused on his thoughts. He didn't notice or feel Tomonari's presence behind him. Tomonari grinned as he quite suddenly spun Yuuichi around. Yuuichi yelled in surprise as Tomonari pulled Yuuichi off his chair and practically lifted him on to his bed. Tomonari climbed on top of Yuuichi, straddling him as he pinned down Yuuichi's arms.
"Just say that I'm right," Tomonari said. "You're really easy to read." He added.
"Really? Alkaid said the same thing." Silabus said, pouting just a bit.
"Hm? You talked to her?
"She made me," Yuuichi said with a weak smile. "I felt better after I did."
"If you told her then you can tell me." He said, showing no signs of moving. Yuuichi looked away, unable to look Tomonari straight in his eyes.
"I like him…" He softly said. It felt weird telling this to Tomonari.
"I sense a 'but'." Tomonari prompted.
"But…he's dating Endrance…"
Tomonari faltered as he blinked in surprise, "Endrance? Are you sure?" Yuuichi nodded as he felt the familiar pressure build behind his eyes. Even though a month had passed, he still remembered, quite clearly, the look on Endrance's – on Kaoru's face as he glared at him. Not just a normal glare but a glare that warned him. If looks could actually kill, Yuuichi would've physically been wounded.
"What happened?" Tomonari asked as he got off of Yuuichi. Yuuichi pushed himself up into a sitting position next to Tomonari. He looked down at his lap, twiddling his nervous thumbs.
"When he left, I went with Ryou and…I was going to tell him that I liked him…but…he got a call then he ran off. I followed him and En- I mean, Kaoru was there," Yuuichi stopped. He shivered and held back his tears. A month later and it still hurt just as it did when he first saw them together. Yuuichi sighed. "Kaoru sent me a glare that told me to back off. It was obvious…so obvious."
Yuuichi groaned as he threw himself back on to the bed, "It's pathetic, really, to be this affected by them," Yuuichi covered his eyes with his forearm. He didn't want Tomonari to see. "I should be happy for them. Haseo seems to smile more often. It shouldn't matter whose making him smile, right? As long as the one I like is happy then…" His voice wavered and a hiccup escaped.
That was enough. Tomonari grabbed Yuuichi's arm and pulled it away. He could see streaks of tears run down the side of his face. Yuuichi bit his bottom lip as he turned his head away. He really didn't want Tomonari to see him like that. He reached out and pressed his palm against the side of Yuuichi's face. Yuuichi closed his eyes; just soaking up the warmth from Tomonari's palm. Tomonari shifted closer to Yuuichi, leaned down, and kissed him. For whatever reason, Yuuichi kissed back. It was a moment of weakness. Yuuichi lifted his hands and tangled his fingers in Tomonari's dark blue-streaked hair. Tomonari shuffled over, balancing himself on his knees. That small movement was enough for Yuuichi to come to his senses. He pulled away from Tomonari's lips, scrambling away to the edge of the bed.
"I-I should get started on dinner then," Yuuichi said as he stood up. He quickly headed towards the kitchen. "Do you have anything in particular you want to eat?" Yuuichi called out. Tomonari shook his head then called out when he realized Yuuichi couldn't see him. A second later, he heard the clattering sound of a busy kitchen. Tomonari sighed as he lay down on the bed. He touched his lips and recalled the expression he's seen on Yuuichi's face when he had pulled his arm away from his eyes. Heartbroken, devastated. Yuuichi loved helping people, in The World and in real life but, maybe he needed to have someone love him.
"Silabus!"
Silabus turned around, the shadow of a Long-Lived casting over him. He flinched, caught off guard by the monster. Before he had the chance to even form an attack, Haseo rushed forward. He attacked the monster with a combo. Silabus took the chance to attack as well and Haseo finished it off with a Rengeki. The monster dropped dead, fading to black then disappearing. Silabus grinned as he gained just enough EXP to level up.
"Haseo, look, I leveled up!"
"That's great," Haseo said as he walked towards Silabus. "But you really need to pay attention." Silabus smiled as he put his blade away.
"Well, with you around, I won't have to worry 'cause you'll have my back." Silabus said. Haseo grunted in response and continued on. Silabus grinned and followed him to the Beast Alter. It wasn't rare that Haseo had invited Silabus to an area. Well, it was more for Gaspard but it was still a pleasant surprise when Haseo asked him. He was even more surprised when Haseo said it was only going to be the two of them. Of course Silabus didn't refuse. It was a perfect time to spend some time with just Haseo. Tomonari had gone to visit his friend who was throwing the mixer. Last night, Yuuichi acted like that kiss hadn't happened at all. They ate and Tomonari had even brought his laptop and M2D so they played The World together but that awkwardness was still there when it was time to sleep. Adventuring with Haseo was a nice distraction.
"Haseo, can I ask you something?" Silabus asked as he walked beside Haseo.
"What is it?" He asked.
"I'm organizing another gathering. I'm thinking this time we can get together to eat then head for another karaoke place."
"I'm telling you right now, I am not singing." Haseo said as he looked at Silabus. Silabus chuckled.
"Does that mean you're willing to come?"
"Well, yeah," Haseo said. He looked at the cloudless sky. "It wasn't that bad last time."
Silabus smiled, and without realizing it, grabbed Haseo's hand, "This is great! Alkaid's coming too! So is Kuhn. I haven't asked Atoli yet but I'm sure she'll want to come too." Silabus looked down, realizing he was holding Haseo's hands. He blushed and quickly pulled his hand away. "C'mon, let's go the Beast Alter so we can go back to Breg Epona. Atoli said she was going to be on later." Silabus led the way. The doors opened and they made their way in. The Beast Statue hovered in the back with the chest in front. Haseo walked to it, Silabus right behind him, as he opened the chest. It was a high level grimoire.
"Is this what Gaspard wanted?" Haseo asked as he turned around.
Silabus nodded, "Yep, I'm positive. We're already stocked up on dual swords, lances, staves, scythes, bayonets, gauntlets and fans. It's very hard to come across a good grimoire for some reason." Haseo shrugged. He left the shop to Gaspard who did an amazingly good job at managing it. Silabus had started walking back to the exit while Haseo just stood there. Silabus stopped, noticing that Haseo wasn't walking behind him.
"Is something wrong, Haseo?" Silabus asked.
"I might as well do this now," Haseo said, more to himself rather than Silabus. "Do you like me?" He asked, looking straight into Silabus's eyes. Yuuichi blinked, his whole body temperature dropping a few degrees. Haseo seriously didn't ask that, did he? Mistake; it had to be a mistake. There was no way that Haseo would ever ask him that with that kind of context. Yuuichi swallowed thickly as he gripped the controller.
"Of course I like you," Silabus said in his cheery voice. "We are friends so-"
"Not as friends, Silabus," Haseo said, cutting him off. Silabus went quiet. "I mean as in…y'know…"
He did know. He knew very well. Silabus looked away but that might as well been a yes to Haseo's question. He wanted to hide. He wanted to log out but that was rude. In the real world, Yuuichi gripped his controller even tighter. He wasn't expecting this at all. He didn't even dream that something like this would happen. But it did. And he didn't know what to do. There was no point in denying it, was there? Silabus finally lifted his eyes from the stone ground.
"Haseo, I do like you…I like you so much that I think l…," Silabus's voice wavered and cracked. He couldn't say it. Move on, then. Get it over with. "But it's fine…really, it's fine because I know…"
"You know?" Haseo asked, confused. Did Yuuichi have to say it out loud? How cruel…sometimes, Haseo was really dense.
"About Endrance…and you…but it's fine. I mean, if you're happy then that's all that matters." Silabus said, forcing the words out of his mouth.
"…I never realized you felt that strongly for Haseo." Silabus flinched as he quickly recognized that voice. He turned around and there he was, Endrance. Silabus moved away from him, his heart thumping rapidly around his chest.
"Endrance, what're you doing here?" Haseo asked.
"I wanted to make sure you weren't going to leave…" He said, walking towards Haseo.
"We live together, how can I leave?"
Endrance shook his head as he grabbed Haseo's hand, "Not in a physical way but emotionally." At once, Silabus felt like a third wheel. And did Haseo say they lived together? His heart was really trying to escape now. Maybe he can quietly walk away, walk away so quietly that they won't notice. He didn't even take a step away when Haseo spoke up.
"Listen," Haseo began. Yuuichi closed his eyes. Don't say it. "…Yuuichi…" No, he didn't want to hear it. "I'm sorry…" Yuuichi pulled off his M2D and forced a log out. He lost a level up but that didn't matter. He hiccupped as he felt a tear roll down his cheek. He should look on the silver lining of this dark cloud; at least he could finally start getting over Haseo. He sighed as he pushed his laptop away and rested his head on the desk.
"But how long is that going to take…?" He asked himself.
"Yuuichi?"
"You're back already?" Yuuichi asked, not turning around to face him. At least not until he made sure his face was dried. But, there was no point. Yuuichi knew even if his face was dry, his eyes were probably red. Tomonari stared at his back. This had gone long enough. Tomonari reached over and grabbed Yuuichi's hand. Yuuichi blinked as he was suddenly pulled to his feet. Before he could protest, he suddenly felt Tomonari's lips on his. He could taste the alcohol on Tomonari's breath. Yuuichi quickly fought back; having to slap Tomonari's face just to get him to stop.
"You're drunk!"
"Am not," Tomonari said. "I just had a few cans. It takes more than a few cans to get me even tipsy."
"It doesn't matter, Tomo-kun. You should get some sleep." Yuuichi said, stifling a sniff. Tomonari shook his head.
"Only if you come and sleep with me." He said, standing firm. Yuuichi blushed.
"…you are drunk." Yuuichi mumbled.
"Yuu-chan…"
"Don't call me that…" He softly said. Tomonari scratched his head. Things really had gone far enough. Again, without hardly any warning, he grabbed Yuuichi's hand and pulled him on to the bed. He sat down and shifted back, easily over-powering Yuuichi, and trapped Yuuichi in-between his legs. Yuuichi blushed as he struggled against the lean arms wrapped around his stomach. Tomonari didn't yield. He waited until Yuuichi calmed down; when Yuuichi realized Tomonari wasn't planning on letting him go that quickly.
"First of all, I'm sorry that I eavesdropped just now." He said, resting his chin on Yuuichi's shoulder.
"You heard?" Yuuichi asked.
"I heard you and I guessed that Haseo rejected you. It doesn't take much to realize from the way you were acting."
"…he said he was sorry…" Yuuichi whispered. Tomonari closed his eyes. He could feel Yuuichi's body quiver just a bit. "…that hurt the most."
"But it happened. He knows and you can move on," Tomonari said. "Next, I want to know why I can't call you Yuu-chan."
Yuuichi blushed, glad that Tomonari couldn't see his face, "…I don't want to say." He said.
"Was it because of that time we had sex?" Tomonari asked. Yuuichi blushed even more and began struggling again. Tomonari smiled; he guessed right.
"Don't say that out loud!" Yuuichi yelled, pulling at Tomonari's arms.
"Listen to me, Yuuichi, it's important," Tomonari said. Yuuichi gradually stopped trying to pull off Tomonari's arms. "About that night…I wasn't really drunk that night." He said. "I pretended that I was so that I could sleep with you."
"Why?" Yuuichi asked after a moment of silence.
"I like you, Yuu-chan. I didn't know how to approach you so the best plan I had was pretending I was drunk so I could have sex with you."
"…that wasn't nice…" Yuuichi mumbled softly. Tomonari nodded as he slid his hands underneath Yuuichi's shirt. Yuuichi shuddered but he didn't make an attempt to struggle. He could feel Tomonari's finger lightly trace a circle around his bellybutton.
"I've always had trouble forming a serious relationship," Tomonari said with a light chuckle. "But I don't have much trouble with you." Yuuichi blushed. He wrapped his hands around Tomonari's arma as he tried to pry then apart.
"Shouldn't you say that to a girl?" Yuuichi said.
"I'd rather say it to you." He said.
"Tomo-kun!"
Tomonari laughed as he slowly lifted up Yuuichi's shirt. Yuuichi blushed but he couldn't bring himself to stop him. Yuuichi looked at Tomonari's hands, his fingers trailing along his stomach.
"Why are you doing this?" Yuuichi asked.
"Because I'm tired of seeing you hurt yourself over your unrequited love to Haseo," Tomonari said. He loosened his hold on Yuuichi's waist and this time he didn't try to scramble away. Tomonari easily lifted him up and turned him around. Yuuichi blushed as he sat back down on Tomonari's lap, this time he was facing him. And Tomonari had a serious look on his face. It made Yuuichi blush even further. "Yuuichi, I'll love you. Stop looking for love because I'm going to be the only one to love you infinitely." Tomonari said as he ran his fingers through Yuuichi's soft dark honey hair. He held back the locks of hair in front of Yuuichi's eyes.
Yuuichi really had to get a grip on himself. He could feel the tears roll down the corner of his eyes. He cried more the past few weeks than his whole lifetime. It's wasn't really appealing, to have a guy cry so much. Yet, Tomonari said nothing as he smiled gently and wiped away the tears with his thumb. Did Tomonari really say he loved him? Did he really mean it? Tomonari saw the questions in Yuuichi's eyes. He leaned in and softly pressed his lips against Yuuichi's.
"I love you." He said, moving his lips against Yuuichi's. Yuuichi smiled through his tears. He wrapped his arms around Tomonari's neck, knocking him down to the bed. When Tomonari said that, he felt some unknown pressure just disappear. Of course, it wouldn't be that easy to just stop loving Haseo and start loving Tomonari. He can let his affection for Haseo die and his affection for Tomonari, which he always had, grow into something he always wanted it to grow into. Yuuichi hugged him tighter, hiding his face against Tomonari's neck. Tomonari smiled up at the ceiling as he rested his clasped hands on the small of Yuuichi's back.
"I guess we can just sleep tonight." He said.
The next day, Silabus woke up with a massive headache and a churning stomach. Last night felt more than surreal, it felt like a dream and when Yuuichi had opened his eyes to find Tomonari there with him, it made him more than happy… Until his stomach had painfully churned and ruined the moment as he had quickly scrambled to the side of the bed to puke. So, he became bed ridden while Tomonari went out and worked and Silabus planned the gathering. He didn't play The World, he tried on the second day he was sick and for some reason got motion sickness from the M2D, but he chatted with everyone through email.
Sender: Atoli
Subject: Gathering
I can't wait to meet you guys again. It was fun last time and Tomonari was kind enough to walk me to the station. Should I bring something, too, like he did? Oh, and get well soon. I heard from Kuhn that you weren't feeling well.
Sender: Silabus
Subject: Re: Gathering.
Thanks Atoli. I should be getting better soon! I just haven't been getting lucky lately. :] You don't have to bring anything. It's not really a party to Tomonari unless there's alcohol involved. I just know he's going to bring another bottle of sake, lol. This time, Alkaid is going to come too.
As he sent the email, a new email notification popped up from Alkaid. He scrolled over and clicked it.
Sender: Alkaid
Subject: You better come and pick me up!
You got that! I have relatives over in Sendai but I've never been to Tokyo. That's where the restaurant is, right? They better serve miso butter ramen. Kuhn told me you got sick so get better in time to pick me up. I don't want to get lost. Btw, Haseo's been acting kinda strange. Is he going too? And if he is, is he bringing Endrance?
Sender: Silabus
Subject: Re: You better come and pick me up!
Don't worry. I'll be with Kuhn and he has a car. We won't get lost, at least not with Tomonari at the wheel. He's been everywhere! Lol! And I'm already feeling better, thanks for worrying. About Haseo…I don't know. I did invite him and I did say he can bring Endrance but…something happened…he guessed that I liked him and Endrance showed up. It was really confusing.
Silabus clicked send and lend back against the bed headboard. Yuuichi closed his eyes. He heard the door jungle and the footsteps of Tomonari. He heard Tomonari kick his shoes off and not a moment later, he stepped into the room.
"How's the invalid doing?" Tomonari asked as he sat down on the edge of the bed. Yuuichi frowned as he stuck his tongue out at him.
"Better than yesterday," Yuuichi said. "Alkaid and Atoli seem to be really excited about the gathering tomorrow." He added. Tomonari nodded as he closed the laptop on Yuuichi's lap and pulled it off. Then he leaned back and rested his head where the laptop previously rested.
"I should bring two bottles of sake instead of one…and more cans of beer. Ryou almost drank all of them."
"How about you bring none?" Yuuichi asked. Tomonari grinned as he sat up. He shuffled over next to Yuuichi and brought his arm around Yuuichi's shoulder.
"Then it wouldn't be a party," He said. "By the way, how's your stomach?"
"It's fine. I haven't puked all day." He said as he patted his stomach. Tomonari smiled. Then he turned Yuuichi's head and kissed him. Yuuichi blushed but he didn't pull away. Since that night, when everything was laid out open and bared, the peace around them had been calm. While he was bedridden, Yuuichi's thoughts hadn't strayed towards Haseo or Endrance. He thought more about Tomonari. Yuuichi smiled and softly kissed back.
"That's not fair." Tomonari said as he moved closer.
"What is?" Yuuichi asked.
"Seducing me like that with that smile and kiss." Tomonari trailed his kisses down the side of Yuuichi's neck.
Yuuichi blushed and roughly grabbed Tomonari's head, pulling it away from his neck, "I am not!" Tomonari grinned. He gently pulled Yuuichi's hands away from his hair and pounced. Yuuichi yelped in surprise as he suddenly found himself pinned down. Yuuichi blushed even more as he looked at Tomonari. He had a look in his eyes.
"This time I'm going to do it completely sober." He said.
"Eh? Do it? Do what?" Yuuichi asked, even though he already knew what Tomonari meant.
He leaned down and whispered, "I'm going to have sex with you, Yuu-chan." If it was possible, Yuuichi blushed even more. He was so shocked he didn't try to struggle away. Rather, he didn't want to struggle. But, for his part, he wasn't just going to give in that easily.
"I'm still sick." He mumbled, turning his head to the side. Tomonari smiled.
"Lies!" He gleefully yelled. Then, he commenced his love attack on Yuuichi.
The night of the gathering quickly came. With Tomonari, they went to pick up Alkaid. She looked similar to her PC, even to her short hair which was a red-brown color. After that, they drove over to the restaurant, which was only a few blocks away from the Karaoke place they went to last time in Tokyo. Personality wise, she wasn't all too different than her PC either.
"Say, Yuuichi, is Haseo going to be there?" She asked, leaning forward in-between the space of the two front seats. Yuuichi slowly shook his head.
"I don't think so. I did invite him though, and I sent him an email of the restaurant and karaoke bar." Yuuichi said.
"And here I was, totally wanting to see how he looked like." She said as she leaned back.
"Well, he doesn't look like a troll if that's what you mean," Yuuichi said with a smile as he turned around. "I think…maybe handsome."
"Hey now, I'm getting kind of jealous over here." Tomonari said, briefly looking over at Yuuichi before he turned his eyes back on the road. Yuuichi blushed and looked down. Chika looked at Yuuichi then Tomonari. A grin appeared on her face and she leaned forward again.
"So, you moved on, did you?" Chika asked. Yuuichi blushed even more, mumbling something about getting car sick as he sat back down on his seat. Tomonari looked at the rearview window and gave a confirming grin to Chika. Chika smiled and leaned back down as she rested her arms behind her head. "Congrats on moving on, Yuuichi."
After the long drive and parking, they began walking towards the restaurant. Tomonari even spotted Chigusa walking from the direction of the train station. He called out to her, getting her attention. She smiled and ran towards them. After an introduction to Chigusa, the group walked towards the restaurant. Even though Yuuichi didn't like parties, this type of party, with just a few, was more his style of celebrating. Plus, everyone was having fun. Tomonari and Chika kept things lively; Chigusa was even become chattier as the night wore on as they ate. Yuuichi enjoyed himself, talking to everyone. It was a fun night, even if Haseo hadn't decided to show. By the time they left the restaurant, they were all in a cheery and lighthearted mood. At the karaoke building, they borrowed a room and Tomonari and Chika immediately dashed off towards the room. Yuuichi chuckled along side with Chigusa as they walked.
"This is fun," Chigusa said. "Those two seem really excited."
Yuuichi smiled, "Well, I can see the two of them getting along so well. Tomonari has been itching to do this again."
"It's too bad Haseo couldn't come," Atoli said. "Y'know, the more the merrier, right?"
"Right!" Yuuichi agreed. Tomonari and Chigusa had left the door open so they could hear them arguing over which song to play. Yuuichi and Chigusa laughed together as they entered the room and closed the door behind them. Tomonari had already emptied his bag of cans of beer and a bottle of sake.
"I can get you anything to drink since all Tomo-kun brought was alcohol again." Yuuichi said with an apologetic smile.
"I'll like iced tea." Chigusa said. Yuuichi nodded and headed off in search of a vending machine while Chigusa cheered them on. He hummed a soft little tune as he spotted a vending machine just down the hallway. He looked at all the choices, deciding he'll get four different drinks. Chika was bound to get thirsty too. He entered in the money into the machine, choosing four different drinks including Chigusa's iced tea. He leaned down and took them out the slot and cradled the drinks in his arms.
"Yuuichi?"
His heart nearly skipped a beat…or rather, several beats. He straightened up and turned around. Ryou stood there, just a few feet away. He immediately recognized Endrance- rather, Kaoru, standing just a few feet away from Ryou. It was obvious he was trying to give them their space. He looked back at Ryou and, surprisingly, it didn't hurt to see them. It didn't even hurt to see Kaoru. It stung, maybe, but that was just it; a small prick in his heart. In his mind, he was sure if it wasn't for Tomonari, it would've hurt more than just a small prick. He could hear Chigusa voice from the car ride.
Congrats on moving on, Yuuichi.
Yuuichi smiled and he looked at Ryou, "I'm glad you could make it."
"Yea… Listen, about the other day…"
"It's okay," Yuuichi said; the light-feathered smile still on his lips. It really was okay. "As long as you're happy then that's all that really matters." Ryou looked at him, not sure how he should respond. Before he could speak, Tomonari appeared in the hallway from their room. They could hear the voice of Chika and Chigusa momentarily before the door closed. Tomonari spotted them and jogged towards them.
"Yuu-chan, what's taking so long?" He slowed down when he noticed a tall blonde haired man leaning against the wall near Ryou. He stopped when he noticed that Ryou was there.
"Tomonari?"
"Oh, the brooding lump!" He said, walking over to Yuuichi's side. Ryou frowned, not liking that nickname. "So, you decided to join us?"
"Yeah…if that's alright." Ryou said as he looked at Yuuichi.
"Of course you can," Yuuichi said as he smiled. "The more the merrier." Finally, Ryou smiled a bit. Kaoru walked closer to Ryou and gently nudged his arm.
"This is Kaoru Ichinose," Ryou introduced. "He's Endrance."
"Welcome, Kaoru." Yuuichi said.
"Yep, nice to meet you," Tomonari said as he held put his hand. Kaoru looked at Tomonari's hand for a brief moment before he held out his own hand and shook Tomonari's hands. "But, just to put emphasis on this point…" Tomonari grinned as he held Yuuichi's face on his hands. Before Yuuichi could stop him, Tomonari kissed him…right in front of Ryou and Kaoru. Ryou blinked in surprise, shocked. Hell, Yuuichi was pretty shocked himself as Tomonari pulled away. He blushed then quickly glared at Tomonari.
"Kasumi!"
"I must be in trouble if he's using my last name." Tomonari said as he quickly ran back to the room. Yuuichi growled as he stormed after him. Ryou could only stare, not quite sure if he really believed what he saw.
"He must be happy too." Kaoru said, reaching for Ryou's hand and giving it a light squeeze. Ryou nodded as he gave Kaoru's hand a reassuring squeeze.
"C'mon, it'll be loud but it's fun." He said as they walked towards the room. When they entered the room, they found Yuuichi sitting on the couch, looking unamused as Tomonari tried to pacify him. Ryou chuckled, causing Chika and Chigusa to look over at the door.
"Who're you?" Chika asked, stopping the song.
"That's Haseo," Chigusa said to her. Chika looked at him again. She gave him the look over and Ryou, without having a doubt, figured she was Alkaid. Chigusa looked at the other guy behind Ryou, the foreign looking one.
"I'm Ryou Misaki." He introduced himself. "You must be Alkaid."
Alkaid grinned, "Yep, in The World. In real life, my name is Chika Kuramoto." She cocked her head towards Kaoru. "What about him?" Ryou stepped aside and he could feel Kaoru clench the back of his shirt.
"…I'm Kaoru…Ichinose…" He said.
"Eh? Endrance?" Chika said in disbelief. There was no way she could ever mistake his voice. Kaoru looked down at the floor, fidgeting where he was. Chika placed her hands on her hips as she looked at him. She looked at Ryou, the questions in her eyes. Ryou shrugged, understanding her surprise well enough.
"Yeah, he's Endrance and a…"
"…NEET Hikikomori." Endrance finished for him. Now, that caught Tomonari and Yuuichi's attention.
"You're too pretty to be a Hikikomori." Chika bluntly said.
"…thank you…" Kaoru said. Chika grinned and grabbed the mike.
"Hikikomori or not, everyone in here is going to sing." She said. Tomonari grinned and stood up, having successfully calmed Yuuichi. Ryou began protesting about not singing at all while Chika argued her counterpart. Tomonari whispered into Chika's ear and with a grin she called Ryou a brooding lump. Tomonari laughed and grabbed a beer can, tossing it over to Ryou. It was his way of saying, 'drink up 'cause you're singing whether you like it or not'. Chigusa was busy choosing the next song to sing. Yuuichi leaned forward and grabbed a can of beer. He wasn't much of a drinker but he could certainly hold down at least one can of beer. Kaoru walked over and sat down on the same couch. There was no awkwardness between them.
"…This is nice." Kaoru said. He kept his eyes on Ryou, watching him have fun even if his face didn't exactly show it. Kaoru could tell he was enjoying himself. Yuuichi looked at his friends up by the karaoke machine. He smiled as he looked at Tomonari. Somehow, Tomonari looked up at the right time and he looked at Yuuichi. A light blush spread over his cheeks as Tomonari shared a smile at him, just for him, as he went back to harassing Ryou into singing.
"Yeah, it is."
Just a quick note, NEET means Not in Employment, Education or Training. Hikikomori is a really recluse person.