[morley]
UNTITLED
by caitlin_chan
Hikaru was asleep on the couch when Akira got back to their apartment. The dark rings under his eyes and the pallor of his face had Akira hesitant to disturb his much-needed rest. Hikaru wouldn't be pleased to wake and discover Akira had gone on to bed without him, though, so Akira shook his shoulder. Hikaru woke slowly, rubbing a hand across his face and sitting up with a groan.
"You're home-what time is it?" he asked around a yawn.
"It's a little before eleven."
"You're late tonight." Hikaru stood and stretched. "Let's play a game."
Akira frowned as he loosened his tie. "Are you even awake enough to play right now?"
"I'm fine. Come on." Hikaru knelt at the goban a few feet in front of the couch and took one of the goke.
Akira suppressed a sigh and went into the kitchen to get a cup of tea. "Can't we play in the morning? It won't be a good game - we're both tired; our match schedules have been packed lately and I know you haven't been sleeping, well."
There was no response for a moment, and Akira took his tea back into the main room. Hikaru was still at the goban, his head slightly bowed and hands gripping the goke so tightly his knuckles were white. Akira frowned - Hikaru could be so selfish sometimes.
"Hika-"
"Akira," Hikaru interrupted him.
About to issue a snippy reply, Akira was stopped before he could speak again by an odd, strangled noise from Hikaru.
"Hikaru?"
"Please."
Akira's hand tightened unintentionally around his teacup at the desperation he could hear in that one word. He couldn't bring himself to refuse again, not after hearing that. Akira knelt at the goban, setting his tea carefully on the floor, and took the other goke.
"Nigiri."
Akira had been right-it was a poor game-but somehow he got the feeling when they finished that Hikaru didn't care if it had been good or not. He'd played the whole game with a different kind of intensity than usual, and on the rare occasions he had looked up from the board, he'd seemed to stare right through Akira. It was like playing a stranger, and highly unsettling, to say the least.
Akira moved to clear away the stones, but Hikaru grabbed his hand.
"Don't."
Akira looked questioningly at Hikaru, but he simply stood and went into the bedroom. Frowning at the one more strange thing on top of all the other strange things Hikaru had done and said since he'd gotten home, Akira sighed in resignation and took his teacup to the kitchen sink, then followed Hikaru into the bedroom.
They changed in silence and got into bed. Akira turned off his bedside lamp and lay on his side in the darkness, listening to Hikaru breathe and feeling the tension in the warm back pressed against his. Akira didn't want to sleep yet, not with Hikaru oddly, but he didn't want to speak, either.
In spite of himself, Akira had nearly fallen asleep when he heard a quiet sob. Akira rolled over and wrapped an arm around Hikaru's waist, and buried his face in the back of his neck. He felt Hikaru take a deep, shuddering breath, and then slowly relax. Akira let his eyes slip closed again as Hikaru shifted slightly to cling to his arm like a lifeline.
"Thank you."
by caitlin_chan
Hikaru was asleep on the couch when Akira got back to their apartment. The dark rings under his eyes and the pallor of his face had Akira hesitant to disturb his much-needed rest. Hikaru wouldn't be pleased to wake and discover Akira had gone on to bed without him, though, so Akira shook his shoulder. Hikaru woke slowly, rubbing a hand across his face and sitting up with a groan.
"You're home-what time is it?" he asked around a yawn.
"It's a little before eleven."
"You're late tonight." Hikaru stood and stretched. "Let's play a game."
Akira frowned as he loosened his tie. "Are you even awake enough to play right now?"
"I'm fine. Come on." Hikaru knelt at the goban a few feet in front of the couch and took one of the goke.
Akira suppressed a sigh and went into the kitchen to get a cup of tea. "Can't we play in the morning? It won't be a good game - we're both tired; our match schedules have been packed lately and I know you haven't been sleeping, well."
There was no response for a moment, and Akira took his tea back into the main room. Hikaru was still at the goban, his head slightly bowed and hands gripping the goke so tightly his knuckles were white. Akira frowned - Hikaru could be so selfish sometimes.
"Hika-"
"Akira," Hikaru interrupted him.
About to issue a snippy reply, Akira was stopped before he could speak again by an odd, strangled noise from Hikaru.
"Hikaru?"
"Please."
Akira's hand tightened unintentionally around his teacup at the desperation he could hear in that one word. He couldn't bring himself to refuse again, not after hearing that. Akira knelt at the goban, setting his tea carefully on the floor, and took the other goke.
"Nigiri."
Akira had been right-it was a poor game-but somehow he got the feeling when they finished that Hikaru didn't care if it had been good or not. He'd played the whole game with a different kind of intensity than usual, and on the rare occasions he had looked up from the board, he'd seemed to stare right through Akira. It was like playing a stranger, and highly unsettling, to say the least.
Akira moved to clear away the stones, but Hikaru grabbed his hand.
"Don't."
Akira looked questioningly at Hikaru, but he simply stood and went into the bedroom. Frowning at the one more strange thing on top of all the other strange things Hikaru had done and said since he'd gotten home, Akira sighed in resignation and took his teacup to the kitchen sink, then followed Hikaru into the bedroom.
They changed in silence and got into bed. Akira turned off his bedside lamp and lay on his side in the darkness, listening to Hikaru breathe and feeling the tension in the warm back pressed against his. Akira didn't want to sleep yet, not with Hikaru oddly, but he didn't want to speak, either.
In spite of himself, Akira had nearly fallen asleep when he heard a quiet sob. Akira rolled over and wrapped an arm around Hikaru's waist, and buried his face in the back of his neck. He felt Hikaru take a deep, shuddering breath, and then slowly relax. Akira let his eyes slip closed again as Hikaru shifted slightly to cling to his arm like a lifeline.
"Thank you."