LIVE/EVIL
the war of the universe
Naruse Ryou/Ariake Koichi | Maou/Ryuusei no Kizuna crossover | R | ~2,000 words
Takes place right after when all the clouds darken up the skyway.
Rough, unbeta-ed and I'm kind of half-asleep and just wrote this in like, an hour and the ending is lame, lame, lame, but I am posting this and will deal with it further in the morning. For ferinough. ♥
George is out the door before Koichi's halfway inside, shouting back instructions - going to the cabaret club, make sure to watch the pot of chicken curry, do your best with the dinner rush. Koichi sighs, leaning back against the counter. A Friday night and he was going to have to handle the dinner rush by himself again. He didn't exactly mind, but he was wet and cold and tired and barely in the mood to work at all.
"Why don't you take a shower, or get changed?" Naruse asks him and Koichi jumps. He had barely remembered that the lawyer had followed him into the shop. "If you want, I can try to watch things down here while you do." He gestures at the two customers eating at a table near the door. "It's not that busy at all right now."
"No," Koichi shakes his head, grabbing his apron. "Thank you, but I'll be fine. You've done enough for me today, Naruse-san."
Naruse's hand catches his wrist, stilling his hand on the apron. "I want to," he says, with steel in his tone.
Koichi blinks. "All right," he says, not sure why he's so quick to trust the lawyer.
*
The evening rush finally dies out shortly before closing time, a small crowd of regulars shouting their goodbyes as they leave. Koichi's feet ache and he's tired, but the night went a lot smoother than he thought it would have, with Naruse-san taking orders and passing out water glasses and cutlery while he dished out orders.
"Thank you," Koichi says, when they finish dragging the night's garbages outside. He leans back against the counter. Naruse's hair is wet, slicked back a little against his forehead (the rain still hasn't let up) and his apron is all stained now, the crisp white sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up to his elbows. "For everything."
Naruse smiles at him, untying his apron strings. "It was nothing."
Koichi bites his lip, something inside him weighing the risks of offering. He watches Naruse lift the apron over his head. "I'm staying just upstairs," he says quietly. "It's late and you're. I." He takes a breath, trying to compose himself. He can't look at Naruse. "You can take a shower."
Naruse is silent. Koichi shifts his feet. It feels like he's burning from the inside out with the friction between what he wants and what he should do.
"You can stay too," Koichi adds, in a rush. "If you want. Stay the night." He chances a look at Naruse's face.
Nauruse's expression is unreadable. "Is that okay?" he asks finally voice lower than usual.
"Yes," Koichi says. Yes, he thinks, please.
*
Koichi stands in the center of his room for what felt like a very long time, until he can hear the sound of water running in his small bathroom. He shakes his head as if to clear it, stumbling over boxes until he reaches his dresser and began digging, eventually emerging with a box of condoms that was slightly squashed in on one side and a small tube. He tosses them on his cot, taking a look around the room and raking his hands through his hair nervously.
He counts to five, tries to breathe normally, and then he slinks down into his chair, clicking open a game of Solitaire on his computer.
He is looking for ten of spades when the door to the attic bangs open.
Koichi leaps up from his chair. "Taisuke -" he begins, angry and heart racing too fast, thinking shit, shit, shit. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Taisuke shrugs out of his jacket, holding up a plastic bag loaded down with carryout containers. "I left George-san at the cabaret club, and I picked up some dinner. Shi is out with Togami-san and I thought you might be getting tired of curry."
"You can't," Koichi is panicking slightly, not sure how to get rid of him, but Taisuke peers at the items scattered across the cot before Koichi can fling the blanket over them.
"Oh-ho!" Taisuke looks up at him with an ear-to-ear grin and an expression of newfound respect. "Aniki." He pauses, looking towards the bathroom and Koichi closes his eyes, feeling a headache coming on. "You've got a girl over, don'tcha, aniki?"
"Shut up," Koichi grits out through his teeth.
"You do," Taisuke breathes, looking awed.
"It's just - a friend, got caught in the rain." Koichi realizes that he's babbling. He shoves Taisuke towards the door. "Look - would you just get out?"
"Oh, absolutely!" Taisuke practically skips down the stairs, and Koichi just knows that he's going to be hearing about this from everyone, Shi and George, and probably most of the shop's regulars. He rubs his forehead, wishing that he hadn't used up all of his cold pads last week.
"Safe now?" There's a hint of humour in Naruse's voice and Koichi realizes then that the water has already stopped running. Naruse is leaning against the doorframe of his bathroom, towel wrapped around his hips. He was smiling, arms crossed across his bare chest.
Koichi shrugged, digging his hands into his pockets and trying to look at anything in the room except the broad expanse of Naruse's bare chest. "Just my little brother," he says offhandedly. "He's an idiot."
There's a pause and Koichi glances up quickly over to Naruse. He looks a bit distant, uncomfortable and Koichi is suddenly aware of the room, small and cramped and stuffed with boxes and containers, the faded yellow blankets on his cot.
"Who's that?" It takes Koichi a second to snap out of his thoughts and realize that Naruse has moved over to look at his monitor desktop.
Koichi moves in behind him. He can feel the heat radiating from Naruse's bare skin. "Just someone I'm trying to kill." He tries to say it offhandedly, like he's joking.
The corner of Naruse's mouth twitches into a smile. "I wonder if you even have it in you," he says, barely above a scratchy whisper, turning around. He traces a finger down Koichi's cheek, dark eyes serious.
"I might." Koichi's throat feels dry. His breathing sounds ragged and too loud in his own ears and he's half-hard already, just from Naruse's elegant fingers tracing sharp rise of his collarbones, down across his chest. His own hands feel heavy at his sides, hanging uselessly.
Naruse moves in closer, their hips bumping together as if by accident, and slides his other arm around Koichi's waist, heavy and warm. He presses open-mouthed kisses to Koichi's jaw, under his ear. "It's all right to touch me," he whispers, his fingers dipping below the waistband of Koichi's jeans, making Koichi shivers.
Koichi lets his hands slide down Naruse's sides, liking the slow heat against his palms. He tilted his head so Naruse could have better access to his neck. He closed his eyes, feeling his legs shaking and holding on tightly to Naruse. "Maybe - ah - let's sit down." It feels like Koichi's legs are going to give out on him. It's been too long and it feels too good.
Naruse doesn't let go of him, but he pulls back and looks doubtfully at Koichi's cot. "Are you sure that's going to work?"
Koichi bites his lip. "Couch," he decides.
It's a little awkward, though some of the tension dissipates when Koichi nearly trips over two boxes trying to lead Naruse over the couch. He finally collapses onto the couches, practically dragging Naruse down on top of him, heavy and solid across his thighs.
They stay together like that for a moment, Koichi getting used to Naruse's skin hot against his, the slow breaths measured in beats against his own. He can't remember the last time he let someone else get this close to him.
"It's okay to want this," Naruse says, sliding his hand into Koichi's hair and gazing at him levelly. He tilts his head forward, his touches touching against Koichi for the barest of second. "Like this," he whispers, lips wet and hot against Koichi's. "This is okay."
Something inside of Koichi snaps and he twists, pinning Naruse down on his back against the cushions, kissing him until they both need to break apart for air. Koichi doesn't stop, not until he feels dizzy. He cups Naruse's face in both hands, losing himself in the slick friction of lips and tongues. Naruse arches up under him, one hand gripping Koichi's bicep tightly, the other trapped between their bodies, tangled in Koichi's belt, teasingly close to Koichi's erection. He rocks his hips down, hoping Naruse gets the message.
Naruse rolls his palm against the front of Koichi's pants and Koichi moans, pushing his hips down, wanting more.
Koichi shifts, sitting back for a second while Naruse efficiently takes care of his belt and pants. He slides Naruse's towel down his hips, trying to hide his shaking hands. Naruse pulls him down against him, so they're lying side-by-side, facing each other on the narrow couch. It's electric, the bare friction of hot skin, their bodies flush against each other as Naruse takes them both in hand, long slow pulls that make Koichi keen and clutch at Naruse, touching as much of him as he can. He likes the slow, lazy darkness of Naruse's eyes, his gentle kisses as Koichi shudders, riding out his orgasm, in an almost embarrassingly short time.
Koichi breathes in and out, slowly against Naruse's chest. He kisses Naruse's skin, licking at the faint sheen of sweat, the clean scent of soap. "Lie on your back," he whispers, moving down Naruse's torso, scattering tiny kisses as he goes.
"You don't have to," Naruse protests, as Koichi maneuvers in between his thighs, and "Oh," a strained moan as Koichi wraps one hand carefully around the base of his cock, licking at the tip. Naruse's hand tangles in Koichi's hair as Koichi sucks his cock inside his mouth.
It feels weird to have his mouth open so wide around another guy's cock, and Koichi isn't entirely sure what he's doing, although Naruse seems to be enjoying it, if the hand tightening in his hair and the harsh panting breaths are any indication. He bobs his head and presses his tongue forward, and Naruse barely manages to mutter his name in quick warning - Koichi sits back, pumping Naruse's cock and watching Naruse slowly come undone, like puzzle pieces scattering in the dark, thrusting up into Koichi's hand.
It's barely awkward afterwards, even though they don't even talk, Koichi crushed up against Naruse's chest in the narrow space of the couch. He feels warm and heavy and there's a strange lightness in his chest as he drifts off to sleep.
*
Naruse is gone when he wakes up, the sun streaming into the dusty room.
Koichi can't really bring himself to be surprised and he's soon in too much of a rush to care; he's running late to open the place and George and Taisuke needle him all day about his new girlfriend. He feels a little less prickly than usual, humming as he washes dishes and serves customers, like there's a warm spark inside his chest. He wonders if Naruse will come back that night.
He stays in the shop long after the last customer has left, polishing the counters with a cloth and keeping an eye on the window, watching for the slowing lights of passing cars.
He doesn't see the red envelope propped up against his desktop monitor until later that evening and it isn't until three weeks later and the bold print headline of the newspapers that Koichi finally begins to realize that he's never coming back at all.
It's more resignation than shock, it's more of a confirmation of what he had slowly pieced together than a revelation of unknown secrets.
He goes to the funeral, standing awkwardly at the back of the small crowd. He can't see a familiar face anywhere, and he leaves early, stumbling out into the cold night, barely stopping to apologize when he nearly knocks down a slight, crying girl huddled outside, away from the lit doorway.
He carefully burns the red envelope after reading Naruse's letter one last time. There's nothing else to do but keep moving. Koichi has known the swallowing, sharp ache of loss for too long to know how to do anything else.
Besides that, he has his own plans. Naruse would have understood that better than anyone.
FIN
Naruse Ryou/Ariake Koichi | Maou/Ryuusei no Kizuna crossover | R | ~2,000 words
Takes place right after when all the clouds darken up the skyway.
Rough, unbeta-ed and I'm kind of half-asleep and just wrote this in like, an hour and the ending is lame, lame, lame, but I am posting this and will deal with it further in the morning. For ferinough. ♥
George is out the door before Koichi's halfway inside, shouting back instructions - going to the cabaret club, make sure to watch the pot of chicken curry, do your best with the dinner rush. Koichi sighs, leaning back against the counter. A Friday night and he was going to have to handle the dinner rush by himself again. He didn't exactly mind, but he was wet and cold and tired and barely in the mood to work at all.
"Why don't you take a shower, or get changed?" Naruse asks him and Koichi jumps. He had barely remembered that the lawyer had followed him into the shop. "If you want, I can try to watch things down here while you do." He gestures at the two customers eating at a table near the door. "It's not that busy at all right now."
"No," Koichi shakes his head, grabbing his apron. "Thank you, but I'll be fine. You've done enough for me today, Naruse-san."
Naruse's hand catches his wrist, stilling his hand on the apron. "I want to," he says, with steel in his tone.
Koichi blinks. "All right," he says, not sure why he's so quick to trust the lawyer.
*
The evening rush finally dies out shortly before closing time, a small crowd of regulars shouting their goodbyes as they leave. Koichi's feet ache and he's tired, but the night went a lot smoother than he thought it would have, with Naruse-san taking orders and passing out water glasses and cutlery while he dished out orders.
"Thank you," Koichi says, when they finish dragging the night's garbages outside. He leans back against the counter. Naruse's hair is wet, slicked back a little against his forehead (the rain still hasn't let up) and his apron is all stained now, the crisp white sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up to his elbows. "For everything."
Naruse smiles at him, untying his apron strings. "It was nothing."
Koichi bites his lip, something inside him weighing the risks of offering. He watches Naruse lift the apron over his head. "I'm staying just upstairs," he says quietly. "It's late and you're. I." He takes a breath, trying to compose himself. He can't look at Naruse. "You can take a shower."
Naruse is silent. Koichi shifts his feet. It feels like he's burning from the inside out with the friction between what he wants and what he should do.
"You can stay too," Koichi adds, in a rush. "If you want. Stay the night." He chances a look at Naruse's face.
Nauruse's expression is unreadable. "Is that okay?" he asks finally voice lower than usual.
"Yes," Koichi says. Yes, he thinks, please.
*
Koichi stands in the center of his room for what felt like a very long time, until he can hear the sound of water running in his small bathroom. He shakes his head as if to clear it, stumbling over boxes until he reaches his dresser and began digging, eventually emerging with a box of condoms that was slightly squashed in on one side and a small tube. He tosses them on his cot, taking a look around the room and raking his hands through his hair nervously.
He counts to five, tries to breathe normally, and then he slinks down into his chair, clicking open a game of Solitaire on his computer.
He is looking for ten of spades when the door to the attic bangs open.
Koichi leaps up from his chair. "Taisuke -" he begins, angry and heart racing too fast, thinking shit, shit, shit. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Taisuke shrugs out of his jacket, holding up a plastic bag loaded down with carryout containers. "I left George-san at the cabaret club, and I picked up some dinner. Shi is out with Togami-san and I thought you might be getting tired of curry."
"You can't," Koichi is panicking slightly, not sure how to get rid of him, but Taisuke peers at the items scattered across the cot before Koichi can fling the blanket over them.
"Oh-ho!" Taisuke looks up at him with an ear-to-ear grin and an expression of newfound respect. "Aniki." He pauses, looking towards the bathroom and Koichi closes his eyes, feeling a headache coming on. "You've got a girl over, don'tcha, aniki?"
"Shut up," Koichi grits out through his teeth.
"You do," Taisuke breathes, looking awed.
"It's just - a friend, got caught in the rain." Koichi realizes that he's babbling. He shoves Taisuke towards the door. "Look - would you just get out?"
"Oh, absolutely!" Taisuke practically skips down the stairs, and Koichi just knows that he's going to be hearing about this from everyone, Shi and George, and probably most of the shop's regulars. He rubs his forehead, wishing that he hadn't used up all of his cold pads last week.
"Safe now?" There's a hint of humour in Naruse's voice and Koichi realizes then that the water has already stopped running. Naruse is leaning against the doorframe of his bathroom, towel wrapped around his hips. He was smiling, arms crossed across his bare chest.
Koichi shrugged, digging his hands into his pockets and trying to look at anything in the room except the broad expanse of Naruse's bare chest. "Just my little brother," he says offhandedly. "He's an idiot."
There's a pause and Koichi glances up quickly over to Naruse. He looks a bit distant, uncomfortable and Koichi is suddenly aware of the room, small and cramped and stuffed with boxes and containers, the faded yellow blankets on his cot.
"Who's that?" It takes Koichi a second to snap out of his thoughts and realize that Naruse has moved over to look at his monitor desktop.
Koichi moves in behind him. He can feel the heat radiating from Naruse's bare skin. "Just someone I'm trying to kill." He tries to say it offhandedly, like he's joking.
The corner of Naruse's mouth twitches into a smile. "I wonder if you even have it in you," he says, barely above a scratchy whisper, turning around. He traces a finger down Koichi's cheek, dark eyes serious.
"I might." Koichi's throat feels dry. His breathing sounds ragged and too loud in his own ears and he's half-hard already, just from Naruse's elegant fingers tracing sharp rise of his collarbones, down across his chest. His own hands feel heavy at his sides, hanging uselessly.
Naruse moves in closer, their hips bumping together as if by accident, and slides his other arm around Koichi's waist, heavy and warm. He presses open-mouthed kisses to Koichi's jaw, under his ear. "It's all right to touch me," he whispers, his fingers dipping below the waistband of Koichi's jeans, making Koichi shivers.
Koichi lets his hands slide down Naruse's sides, liking the slow heat against his palms. He tilted his head so Naruse could have better access to his neck. He closed his eyes, feeling his legs shaking and holding on tightly to Naruse. "Maybe - ah - let's sit down." It feels like Koichi's legs are going to give out on him. It's been too long and it feels too good.
Naruse doesn't let go of him, but he pulls back and looks doubtfully at Koichi's cot. "Are you sure that's going to work?"
Koichi bites his lip. "Couch," he decides.
It's a little awkward, though some of the tension dissipates when Koichi nearly trips over two boxes trying to lead Naruse over the couch. He finally collapses onto the couches, practically dragging Naruse down on top of him, heavy and solid across his thighs.
They stay together like that for a moment, Koichi getting used to Naruse's skin hot against his, the slow breaths measured in beats against his own. He can't remember the last time he let someone else get this close to him.
"It's okay to want this," Naruse says, sliding his hand into Koichi's hair and gazing at him levelly. He tilts his head forward, his touches touching against Koichi for the barest of second. "Like this," he whispers, lips wet and hot against Koichi's. "This is okay."
Something inside of Koichi snaps and he twists, pinning Naruse down on his back against the cushions, kissing him until they both need to break apart for air. Koichi doesn't stop, not until he feels dizzy. He cups Naruse's face in both hands, losing himself in the slick friction of lips and tongues. Naruse arches up under him, one hand gripping Koichi's bicep tightly, the other trapped between their bodies, tangled in Koichi's belt, teasingly close to Koichi's erection. He rocks his hips down, hoping Naruse gets the message.
Naruse rolls his palm against the front of Koichi's pants and Koichi moans, pushing his hips down, wanting more.
Koichi shifts, sitting back for a second while Naruse efficiently takes care of his belt and pants. He slides Naruse's towel down his hips, trying to hide his shaking hands. Naruse pulls him down against him, so they're lying side-by-side, facing each other on the narrow couch. It's electric, the bare friction of hot skin, their bodies flush against each other as Naruse takes them both in hand, long slow pulls that make Koichi keen and clutch at Naruse, touching as much of him as he can. He likes the slow, lazy darkness of Naruse's eyes, his gentle kisses as Koichi shudders, riding out his orgasm, in an almost embarrassingly short time.
Koichi breathes in and out, slowly against Naruse's chest. He kisses Naruse's skin, licking at the faint sheen of sweat, the clean scent of soap. "Lie on your back," he whispers, moving down Naruse's torso, scattering tiny kisses as he goes.
"You don't have to," Naruse protests, as Koichi maneuvers in between his thighs, and "Oh," a strained moan as Koichi wraps one hand carefully around the base of his cock, licking at the tip. Naruse's hand tangles in Koichi's hair as Koichi sucks his cock inside his mouth.
It feels weird to have his mouth open so wide around another guy's cock, and Koichi isn't entirely sure what he's doing, although Naruse seems to be enjoying it, if the hand tightening in his hair and the harsh panting breaths are any indication. He bobs his head and presses his tongue forward, and Naruse barely manages to mutter his name in quick warning - Koichi sits back, pumping Naruse's cock and watching Naruse slowly come undone, like puzzle pieces scattering in the dark, thrusting up into Koichi's hand.
It's barely awkward afterwards, even though they don't even talk, Koichi crushed up against Naruse's chest in the narrow space of the couch. He feels warm and heavy and there's a strange lightness in his chest as he drifts off to sleep.
*
Naruse is gone when he wakes up, the sun streaming into the dusty room.
Koichi can't really bring himself to be surprised and he's soon in too much of a rush to care; he's running late to open the place and George and Taisuke needle him all day about his new girlfriend. He feels a little less prickly than usual, humming as he washes dishes and serves customers, like there's a warm spark inside his chest. He wonders if Naruse will come back that night.
He stays in the shop long after the last customer has left, polishing the counters with a cloth and keeping an eye on the window, watching for the slowing lights of passing cars.
He doesn't see the red envelope propped up against his desktop monitor until later that evening and it isn't until three weeks later and the bold print headline of the newspapers that Koichi finally begins to realize that he's never coming back at all.
It's more resignation than shock, it's more of a confirmation of what he had slowly pieced together than a revelation of unknown secrets.
He goes to the funeral, standing awkwardly at the back of the small crowd. He can't see a familiar face anywhere, and he leaves early, stumbling out into the cold night, barely stopping to apologize when he nearly knocks down a slight, crying girl huddled outside, away from the lit doorway.
He carefully burns the red envelope after reading Naruse's letter one last time. There's nothing else to do but keep moving. Koichi has known the swallowing, sharp ache of loss for too long to know how to do anything else.
Besides that, he has his own plans. Naruse would have understood that better than anyone.
FIN