Hikaru no Go

Hello, hello! Below the cuts, you will find drabbles galore from our first only? Hikago Drabble Exchange! They'd have been up sooner, but after the ER yesterday morning and all of the painkillers I am currently hopped up on, I needed the sleep. Sorry!

Without further ado, let the drabbles commence! ♥


Title: And... This
Recipient: chagrined
Author: mmmdraco
Characters/Pairing: Touya/Waya
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Tentacles, Sounding, Oviposition
Author's Notes: When I saw that I got you, KRIM, I knew I had to do something along these lines. I hope you like it!

Waya wanted to scream, but it was impossible. The bulk on his tongue was pulsing enough as it started to slide down his throat that he couldn't concentrate on anything else for a long moment: not the way his fingers scrambled to find purchase on slick flesh, not the way other squirming tendrils pushed away his clothes to roam across his body, not even to fathom how so many tentacles could have been hidden away by one pair of khaki pants under a button-up and an argyle vest.

He could still breathe, though, and once he realized it, he took several long breaths through his nose to calm himself and looked up to the source of the tentacles: Touya Akira. He had long known that there was something different about the other man, but he'd stopped thinking of it in recent years as his frustration had turned to fascination. He'd gotten to the point where his own antagonism was no longer brought forth because of a desire to win, but to simply be acknowledged. Today had pushed that to the brink. Waya had brought up a game that Touya had lost to Shindou recently and had watched the other man's reactions as he called out the several obviously poor moves contained within Touya's white stones as well as the holes in black's game of which he'd neglected to take advantage. Touya had taken it well enough at first, holding firm in his disregard, until Waya had joked that Touya had let Shindou win because he had feelings for him.

It had been a heady experience at first as Touya had lunged at him, grabbing him by the collar and putting answers to questions that Waya hadn't dared ask even himself, and things had progressed. Touya had blurted out that his feelings weren't for Shindou but another player who couldn't keep his mouth shut, and Waya had countered with Ochi's name which prompted Touya to kiss him to shut him up and confess in one fell swoop.

Waya was still a little embarrassed by how quickly he'd turned to trying to take off Touya's clothes after noticing that they were alone in the room, but then Touya was hesitant, almost disturbingly so for how often Waya had seen Shindou dragging him around by his arm. He'd muttered something, probably about wanting to get to know him better without insults, and then Touya had dropped his pants, and... this.

The tentacles were a purple shade and very limber. Waya realized that he was naked now, warmed only by the moist heat of Touya's tentacles wrapped around him. His view of the other man was mostly blocked by the tentacle in his mouth, releasing some sort of delicious fluid that he was beginning to greedily swallow, so he couldn't see much of Touya's body or how it was that he was able to slide purple tendrils of flesh along every plane of his flesh that had longed for the other man's touch. Then one of those larger slick tentacles began to work its way inside of him. There was no pain, no discomfort, just joy at the way Touya was filling him.

The tentacles surrounding his legs slid up higher, crossing behind his back and supporting his body, lifting him in the air to hover in front of Touya whose eyes were wide. "I'm sorry. My father informs me that sometimes, when people are needing release, they may come on a little too strongly. I..." His hands rose up, so pale and marked with the calluses of his chosen profession, and cupped Waya's face gently. Waya watched as Touya bit his bottom lip and let it go only as he seemed to pull Waya closer, kissing him on the cheek so near the penetrating tentacle that his lips just brushed Waya's own. "I like you. But I understand if this is something you can't find your way to accept. I should find someone to mate with in order to take care of these urges..."

Waya grabbed Touya's vest with one hand and the tentacle crossing his stomach with the other and looked at the other go player carefully. He'd had so many reasons to question Touya's actions since meeting him, and this was an explanation to attribute all of those things toward. He couldn't find it within him to mind, though, perhaps because those lovely purple tendrils were filling him so much. A tiny tentacle had curled up from the base of his cock, gently stroking him and bringing him to full hardness before sliding into the slit at the top and palpating him from the inside. The one in his mouth was still dripping with whatever heady liquor he couldn't bring himself to spill a drop of now. The one in his ass was pushing across his prostate with tiny strokes. Waya caressed the tentacle in his hand and reached up to briefly pull the one from his mouth, saying softly, "Then mate with me and stop saying stupid stuff." He pressed the tentacle to his lips again, growing more sure of himself by the moment. Touya's eyes widened, but then his hands were reaching back to spread Waya's ass open, the tentacle fucking deeper and deeper into him, and Waya groaned around the one in his mouth. Suddenly, Touya's face tensed and Waya felt himself being spread further open, almost feeling like a succession of rounded objects were being shoved into him. It wasn't uncomfortable. Quite the opposite. Each one was a moment of perfection. When the last one passed, he felt full and the tendril teasing inside his cock pulled out and Waya came, probably all over that argyle vest.

Waya let his eyes close as the tentacles pulled away, leaving him on the floor. When he opened them again, Touya was hastily zipping up his pants, but he reached down and helped Waya to his feet, smiling softly. "Thank you for that. For carrying my young."

"Wait... your what?!"


Title: Jerk
Recipient: chagrined
Author:mmmdraco
Characters/Pairing: Ochi, implied Shindou/?
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Masturbation, Auto-erotic asphyxiation
Author's Notes: I kept looking at the other prompts you put and the fact that you requested Ochi, and then I had to. XD I hope you enjoy!

Ochi wasn't sure why he'd found the shirt in the bathroom stall, his usual, but he knew exactly whose it was. No one else wore anything that tacky, that vile, that yellow. Still, he'd come into the bathroom for a reason, so he unzipped his pants, pulling them and his underwear down and taking a seat, the obnoxious shirt still sitting on the tank behind him. He took a deep breath and wrapped a hand around himself, starting a rhythm of shallow strokes.

Damn Shindou, anyway, for all of his confidence. He had a bad habit of looking intently at the board whenever he played and then Ochi would get all caught up in his rhythm and he'd stare (even from across the room) and have to pretend like he was distracted for another reason. But, that stupid attitude that only came out when he was playing go... That was why Ochi was here now, jacking off. Leaning his head back, he tried not to enjoy it, but it was too late. He was close enough to the shirt to smell Shindou's scent on it and his cock seemed to throb with the realization. Ochi scowled and reached back with his free hand to grasp the edge of the shirt, pulling it over his shoulder where he let it sit as he continued to play with himself, teasing his foreskin right along the bottom of his glans and inhaling deeply. It wasn't enough.

He turned his head to let his face press against the shirt, and the scent... Ochi had never been so close to it before, breathing in everything that made up Shindou from his natural scent to the splashes of ramen broth down his shirt. A moment later, even that wasn't enough. He lifted the shirt to his face, pressing it tightly against his nose and mouth, breathing through it so that he was panting for more almost before the previous air had reached his lungs. He was light-headed and his wrist was growing sore from a day of laying stones with a snap and now jerking himself to the smell of Shindou's shirt in the bathroom. So close... He was riding the edge of his orgasm, the fingers on the shirt clutching it and twisting it tightly against his lips, and then he smelled something else just as he was overwhelmed. He dropped the shirt in his lap as he came and stared at it.

That was Waya's cologne... and Waya's scent with it. Had they...? It explained the shirt in the bathroom, at least. Ochi's eyes shut tight, trying to shut out the bits of his vision that seemed to swirl from the lack of oxygen. His fingers were sticky under Shindou's shirt now, and the shirt... Ochi wondered how he was going to explain it, then realized he didn't have to. He cleaned himself up with the shirt and stood up, flushing the toilet after fixing his pants. Opening the door, he checked that no one else was in the bathroom before moving to the trash can and throwing the shirt away, scowling. He held his head high as he left. Next time he found himself looking at Shindou, he'd work harder to find something else to occupy his mind.


Title: Obsession for Men
Recipient: juin
Author: flonnebonne
Characters/Pairing: Ochi, Waya, a little Touya, Shindou, Shindou, Kuwabara
Rating: G
Warnings: Kuwabara
Author's Notes: Ju, I thought you asked for "Ogata & Kuwabara (older rivalry); Waya & Ochi (younger rivalry)." Oops. So this is what I wrote.


"You wanna be my what?" Waya squawked.

"Your rival," Ochi enunciated, reminding himself that Waya, even if he could play a decent game of go, was still something of an idiot. "I hate to say this, but we're pretty evenly matched, we're not too far in age, and we seem to get get annoyed at each other a lot. It fits the pattern."

"Pattern?"

Ochi gestured at Touya and Shindou, who were off in their own little corner of Waya's apartment, radiating their usual absurd levels of obsession with each other, or something.

As they watched, Touya slowly, slowly moved his arm, grasped a stone between his outstretched fingers and, with a piercing look in Shindou's direction, laid the stone on the goban with a kind of vicious intensity.

Then there was the way Shindou stared back, not breaking eye contact at all as he played his own move - he must have very good peripheral vision, Ochi noted - as if was auditioning to be a poster boy for Obsession for Men and not playing, well, a board game.

"Ugh, you want to be like that?" Waya made a face.

"It's creepy," Ochi admitted, "but one can't argue with the results."

"Yeah, I guess it does help them focus."

Ochi nodded and rolled his eyes. Trust Waya to take this long to figure it out.

"What are you two talking about?" Isumi asked, coming over from his game with Honda, which seemed to be over. Honda was looking at the board in a depressed manner. "You seem to be talking pretty intensely."

Ochi nodded. "We're just discussing how to become rivals."

"It's Ochi's idea" Waya added quickly. "He says we should copy Shindou and Touya, since it seems to work so well for them."

"Oh?" Isumi gave them an odd look. "But what exactly does that mean, being rivals? In practical terms."

"Well," Ochi began, "Touya and Shindou meet twice a week on set days in a set place, discuss go, play games - "

"Yell at each other," Waya broke in.

"We can skip that. Let's see...watch games together, study kifu...and I notice they spend a lot of time with each other outside of go as well. I know they eat out together, watch movies sometimes, and I ran into them when they were shopping together once. They said they were buying a present for Shindou's mother. And they sometimes sleep over at each others' homes."

"They used to kind of stalk each other too," Waya noted, "before they hung out regularly."

"Yes, that too."

Isumi's eyes widened.

"Uh, guys, you know that Touya and Shindou are a couple, right?"

Ochi had not known that.

"What?" Ochi said, intelligently, at the same moment that Waya said, "Huh?" equally intelligently.

Isumi's tone was apologetic. "All that rival stuff you talked about, it's actually...boyfriend stuff."

Before Ochi (or Waya) could formulate...any kind of response at all to that world-shaking revelation, Fuku called out, "Hey, everyone, Kuwabara-sensei is doing an interview!" and every head in the room, thankfully, swivelled toward the TV.

"...You want to know my opinion on Ogata Juudan?" Kuwabara cackled, showing off his copious lack of teeth. "Why, he's my rival! My one and only, ever since Kouyo retired. Not that I'm the type to have more than one at a time, mind you. I'm a traditional sort of man, and I believe it's important to stay loyal to the one you've chosen."

"He and my dad were never like that," Touya swore.

Kuwabara was still talking; Ochi wished he would stop. "Yes, Ogata-kun is quite the spitfire, isn't he? Thinks he's quite something. The boy's been stalking me lately, I'll have you know, showing up at all my games and proclaiming - passionately - that he has no interest in me. Ha! As for our actual games together - dynamite, pure dynamite. Sometimes we share a smoke afterward if it was a particularly good one. Yes, we do have a wonderful rivalry, the two of us. But it'll be a long, long time before that young turk can
catch this old codger, if ever. That's what keeps the flame going."

"I...see," said the hapless interviewer.

Kuwabara laughed his horrible old man laugh, and that seemed to be the cue for the end of the interview.

In the wake of that...thing, Ochi turned to Waya and said one word.

"Nevermind."


Title: Rival Shmival
Recipient: juin
Author: flonnebonne
Characters/Pairing: Ogata & Kurata
Rating: G
Warnings: Ogata being mean
Author's Notes: For the prompt "Ogata & Kurata (older rivalry)." This time I got it right.

"Is Ogata-sensei here my rival?" Kurata thought the question over, chewing his fat cheek like a cow chowing its cud. Ogata felt a little sick at being part of the question. "Well, I suppose he is! We're supposed to be the top contenders in this tournament, aren't we? So we must be at about the same level."

Ogata gave his "rival" a look that showed exactly what he thought of that.

"See! He agrees with me!"

"And there you have it!" declared Kosemachi (or whatever the reporter's name was) before Ogata could get a word in. "These two rising young stars of the go world are bitter rivals, destined to fight each other in the coming rounds of the New Under-Thirty Tournament! Whose go will reign supreme? Now let's cut to two even younger players who are even bitterer rivals."

A little ways away, Ogata could see another reporter accosting Akira and Shindou, who were standing very close to each other and fielding questions like old pros. Or young pros, rather. They probably got asked about their rivalry once a day.

"He's my rival and I'm his," Shindou was telling the cameras without a hint of embarassment. "I help make him stronger because he knows that I'll whoop him if he slacks off at all." The reporter was lapping it up; Akira was rolling his eyes.

"Do you get the feeling the press likes to create rivalries out of thin air to up the ratings?" Kurata asked suddenly.

There was a sharp look in his eyes. Ogata gave Kurata a surprised look, silently chiding himself for underestimating the man - Kurata Atsushi wasn't a fool, for all his foolishness.

"Of course they're doing it for ratings," Ogata replied. "Shindou Hikaru and Touya Akira are the best things that have happened to Weekly Go since Touya-sensei retired. The public are fascinated by them."

"Hm. But that's only because they're the real thing."

If Ogata thought he heard a note of regret in Kurata's voice, it was gone a moment later. He must have imagined it.

"Well, my bitter rival," Kurata addressed with his usual tiresome good humour. "How about we get something to eat before starting on the road to our destined battle? I know a place that has good beef bowls near here."

"Beef bowls?" Ogata pushed up his glasses; they were heavy and fell down his nose a lot. "I think with your salary you can afford something better than that. Udon or ramen at least."

"Don't be so snobby!" Kurata yelled even louder than Shindou did. "Just because you think you're an old geezer doesn't mean I have to be one."

Ogata tried not to grin like a shark. Rival shmival. He was going to suss out the enemy over their "friendly" lunch, and when it came time for their match he was going to crush that fat head until all that annoying overconfidence was squeezed out. No doubt Kurata was thinking the same thing, minus the part about the fat. Ogata was not fat.

"Actually, we can have udon, if you pay for it," Kurata said, seeming to change his mind all at once, like a child. "I think that's fair."

"...Fine, if it'll make you stop complaining."

"You're so kind, Ogata-kun. Thank you in advance."

"My pleasure."

Yes, who needed a rival when you had someone you truly wanted to destroy?


Title: Head under water (and you tell me to breathe easy)
Recipient: Ver
Author: Ju
Characters/Pairing: Kaga/Tsutsui
Rating: PG
Warnings: none

The first time that Tsutsui Kimihiro meets Kaga Tetsuo, it begins with him being shouted at by the Potions master for blowing up his second cauldron of the day, while the Slytherins are practically turning purple with their efforts to keep their laughter quiet.

This is when a voice suddenly says, in a mildly curious tone, “Professor, could you come and check on my potion? I think I’ve made a deadly poison by mistake and I’d hate to hurt anyone in this room with it.”

The professor stops shouting, and the Slytherins no longer look quite so amused.

Relieved that the professor’s attention has been diverted to making sure that no students are dying in his class in the first week of school, Tsutsui glances towards the back of the classroom and sees a boy with messy auburn hair, a loose green tie and sharp eyes.

Tentatively, Tsutsui smiles at his saviour.

The boy grins back, baring his teeth like a shark.

* * *

“H-Hi. My name is Tsutsui Kimihiro,” he stutters, nervously. “I’m in Hufflepuff.”

The other boy looks pointedly at his bright yellow tie, but only says, “Kaga. Tetsuo.”

“N-Nice to meet you,” Tsutsui says, and smiles shyly.

Kaga’s eyes flash briefly down to his mouth, as if tracing the movement of his lips. Before Tsutsui has a chance to feel self-conscious, though, he says abruptly, “Do you play shogi?”

* * *

Tsutsui doesn’t play shogi, but when he discovers that Kaga plays go with the casual genius of an untrained savant, they spend hours upon hours playing games of go in between History of Magic essays and Transfiguration assignments, in an empty classroom that smells like burnt gurdyroot leaves.

Kaga never complains about the smell, and Tsutsui is too happy to care.

* * *

It isn’t until their fifth year at Hogwarts that Tsutsui finally works up the courage to ask, “Kaga, are we... kind of, maybe... friends?”

Kaga grunts, and slaps down a stone on the board. “If you don’t know, then I’m not gonna tell you,” he mutters, reminiscent of his answer when Tsutsui was failing Potions in second year and just couldn’t remember the final step for the Swelling Solution they had to make in the exam.

Tsutsui frowns at the board, but his mind isn’t on his next hand. He thinks about saying what he’s thinking, then decides against it. Then he changes his mind again and decides to say it after all.

“You’re my friend,” he says, his voice lilting like he’s asking a question, his eyes fixed firmly on the black and white stones.

And he doesn’t see Kaga lean in, not until he’s mere inches away and closing in further– Kaga’s lips are dry and slightly chapped, and warm, so warm that Tsutsui feels the heat flush all the way down his body from that one point of contact between them.

After what feels like minutes but is probably only seconds, Kaga leans back, and Tsutsui remembers to breathe.

“Oh,” he mumbles. And with a sudden flash of terrible clarity, he realises, “Are we dating? Have we been dating for five years?”

Kaga grins, a sharp twist of his lips that’s no less scary now than when they were eleven. “It’s your turn,” is all he says.

Tsutsui stares down at the board until the stones are swimming before his eyes, and he finally admits, “I have nothing.”


Title: Kifu Call
Recipient: verloren1983
Author: mmmdraco
Characters/Pairing: Ogata/Isumi
Rating: NC-17
Warnings:
Author's Notes: Because you are my Ver-bear, I had to write you a thing, so I hope you like it. <3

The only light in the room came from the computer screen, illuminating Isumi's face as he struggled to focus. "7-9," he said with a gasp. His eyes closed. "Can I stop now?"

Ogata lifted his head, licking his lips. "Of course not. You can't stop just after Yoshida extended. Tell me what Matsumoto did." He took a deep breath and took Isumi's cock back into his mouth.

"5-12," Isumi said, letting his fingers twine through the older man's hair. "Look, as much as I appreciate this, couldn't you, hngh, finish and then I can read these to you in bed?"

"Next," Ogata said as he pulled back to tease at the head of Isumi's dick.

"7-11." Isumi spread his legs further, pushing himself harder against Ogata's tongue. "Quit it, you tease. We're forty-seven moves in." He licked his own lips and let out a groan. "2-11."

Ogata began to speed up his pace, taking just enough to Isumi's length into his mouth that he could groan around it. He slapped his hand against the younger man's thigh to encourage him to keep reading the kifu.

"2-12!" Isumi slid down in the chair slightly, hands gripping the ends of the armrests. "7-12. 6-11. 6-12. Damn it, more!"

Sliding his arms under Isumi's calves, Ogata pulled him closer, angling his throat so that he could take all of the younger man in, sucking hard when his lips were wrapped around the base.

"6-10. 9-11. Tengen!" Isumi thrust his hips upward at the same time that he pushed the other man's head against him, grunting as he came.

Sputtering slightly, Ogata pulled off a moment later, wiping his mouth with a handkerchief. "That wasn't very polite."

Isumi leaned back in the chair, smiling. "And neither is making me read you the kifu to the latest Ouza prelim final when I haven't had the chance to catch up to this point."

"I'll make it up to you, then."

Leaning forward again, Isumi wiped a strand of drool from Ogata's chin. "But you're exactly the kind of man who makes promises he doesn't keep."


Title: Keeping Score
Recipient: stillskies
Author: trixie
Characters/Pairing: Yeong-ha/Yashiro
Rating: T (for nudity... i guess!)
Warnings: none
Author's Notes: happy hikago day!!

---

There was a wet towel on his tatami floor.

Since moving to Tokyo, Yashiro had gotten used to many things. Living in a cramped, one room, aging apartment required a lot of him, but freedom was something he had to fight for, so this was just part of the battle. A naked Korean go diva drinking milk straight from the carton in front of his open refrigerator was not.

Reminding himself that he could always throw his guest out if need be, he picked up the towel with disgust and tossed it onto the counter. He arranged his expression sternly and crossed his arms over his chest. "I've told you before, hang up your towel in the bathroom! You can't put something wet onto the tatami!"

Yeong-ha looked at him quizzically, and then he smiled. He replied in light-hearted Korean, which Yashiro was pretty sure translated to something like Welcome home. And he still hadn't closed the refrigerator door.

"I think you understand me perfectly, you just like playing games with my mind," he grumbled. "Put on some clothes, at least!"

Yeong-ha still gave no outward appearance that he understood what Yashiro was saying, but he looked amused none the less. He moved in closely to give Yashiro a kiss, but Yashiro steeled himself and pulled back before it got too heated. It had been three weeks since Yeong-ha had come to Japan to participate in tournament play as part of an international exhibition. He had moved in with Yashiro without asking, at least as far as Yashiro remembered. They'd slept together once in Korea. Moving in together, before they could even speak with each other properly, was definitely a bold move on Yeong-ha's part, which was why Yashiro couldn't back down.

He was pretty sure Yeong-ha was keeping track of points somehow, and he didn't want to lose.

Yeong-ha tilted his head to the side and said something in Korean, his voice musical, his tone either condescending or complaining. Yashiro just shook his head. He knew he knew some of those words, but Yeong-ha steadfastly refused to slow his speech down for Yashiro. "Just get dressed," Yashiro sighed, turning away from Yeong-ha.

That had to have earned him some points, because a frustrated Yeong-ha came around him purposefully to grab Yashiro's wrist. He pulled Yashiro over to the goban, and pointed, saying emphatically, "Baduk."

Unable to refuse, Yashiro nodded, and sat down before the goban. Naked, Yeong-ha sat down, naked, on Yashiro's tatami floor.

Yeong-ha pointed insistently for Yashiro to nigiri. Yashiro tugged insistently at his own clothes and repeated, "Clothes!"

Sighing heavily, Yeong-ha - naked - rolled over - naked - and grabbed a pair of boxers, wriggling around on the floor - naked - to put them on. He then rolled back and said something impatiently that Yashiro knew meant it was time to begin.

Yashiro nodded, took some stones, and waited. He won, so he took the white stones, and looked over the board. At Yeong-ha's abs, wrinkled where his body was bent, his boxers too open and too loose to really be considered covering.

Licking his lips, Yashiro put his first stone in the center of the board, knowing that Yeong-ha would then roll his eyes and huff as if Yashiro was underestimating him again.

He smiled, and ignored the fact that he was enjoying this.

---

Title: My Dearest
Recipient: stillskies
Author: trixie
Characters/Pairing: Touya Kouyo/Touya Akiko, Touya Akira
Rating: G
Warnings: none
Author's Notes: happy hikago day!!

---

---

"Akira-san, what are you doing?"

Akira's head shot up, but he couldn't speak. His mother crossed the room, and he knew that she knew what he was reading. These notes... were hers, her shoebox, her closet.

"Oh, son. We don't have time to reminisce. There's still plenty of time for that," she smiled.

She still smiled, like always. "I'm sorry... mother. I didn't mean to pry, I just wasn't sure if this was..." he looked at the notes. Some were in envelopes and some were loose, some on random scraps of paper and some on fine stationary. "I never knew he..." But it would be rude to finish.

His mother crouched down next to him. "Akira-san, your father was never good with words. In time, I learned to read his lack of words, but... that's probably because I had a roadmap," she chuckled, gently taking the notes and putting them back in their box. She kissed his temple, and rubbed his hair. "C'mon. We have to finish packing up. The movers will be here in the morning.

"Your father and I had our life together in this house... now, it's your house, and your life to make with the one you love. I need to start my own new adventure. The time for looking back will come," she winked at him, and then pushed herself up using his head.

---

Title: Planning
Recipient: stillskies
Author: trixie
Characters/Pairing: Saeki/Ashiwara
Rating: G
Warnings: none
Author's Notes: happy hikago day!!

---

"Oh, and don't forget, tomorrow morning is the meeting with the loan officer, so you need to wear a suit. Preferably with a tie, but."

"I'll remember, don't worry."

"We should have occupancy on the 15^th, but it will take at least two weeks to get everything cleaned up and the painting done, the new floor in the sitting room, everything, so I'm going to schedule the movers for the 29^th. We also get a discount for a Monday move."

"Sounds good."

"I have all the colors except for the bedroom. Remember, I showed you two different paint strips? We don't have decide right now, because we can't even start until the 15^th, and probably not really until the 16^th, but please look it over. I mean, it's our bedroom, so you should definitely have a say."

"Mmhm."

"Oh! And I was shopping with Akira-kun yesterday, and I saw the nicest set of end tables! They were modern, but without being too modern, you know? I think they'd go really well with the couch we picked out. I took a picture, let me just find it..."

"If you like 'em, just get 'em."

"No, well, I'd like you to at least see them... ah, here! They're nice, right? And I think they'll be functional, too. I think we can store a goban on that shelf. I can remeasure to be sure before buying them."

"Looks good."

"Don't forget your seal tomorrow. All the loan paperwork will be finished then. So, you'll definitely need your seal. I don't know how long it will take, but we should have time to go out to lunch before matches in the afternoon. By the way, I did order the bed last night, so we'll need to go shopping for sheets this weekend. I really like bamboo sheets, but I don't want to be too picky. Anything you like is fine with me. We should have enough cooking supplies. Or, well, really, I do. We could make do with the plates and bowls we each have, or we could get new ones. We'd have to look at patterns then. I like the idea of getting new ones, but we are buying a lot of furniture and other things, as well as, you know, the house, so it might just be more practical to make do. But it'd be nice if it were ours, too. Same thing with towels and bathroom things. You're free all weekend, right? There's a great outlet place just outside of Chiba, and if we went there..."

"Enough! Ashiwara, enough! I can only handle so much at once, ok!"

...Silence.

Saeki looked up from his lunch. Ashiwara looked like he'd just been slapped across the face, but he quickly forced a smile. "You're right, I'm sorry. It's almost time to get back, anyway. I've got some students after lunch. So I-I'll see you later." He quickly gathered up his things and nodded later to Saeki, still forcing himself to smile.

Saeki swallowed down his noodles and guilt.

•º•

"I'm home."

"Welcome back."

"........"

Smiling. "Why do you feel guilty?"

"I don't just get you flowers when I feel guilty. ...And I snapped at you at lunch...."

"You don't need to feel guilty. I know I can be annoying. We're buying a house together... it's a big move. Don't worry, I'm not trying to get on your nerves."

"Hiroyuki... I don't think you're annoying..."

"It's ok. Koji. I annoy myself sometimes, too, so..."

Kissing.

Ashiwara stared wide-eyed at Saeki, as if that was their first kiss all over again.

"The flowers are because I know I could be a lot more helpful with all this stuff. I wouldn't be buying a house with you if you annoyed me. Promise."

Ashiwara smiled slowly, a true smile, so Saeki had to kiss him again.

"Yeah... but... I really am making you shop with me all weekend."

Sighing. "I know."

---

Title: The Carp Flags Are Flying
Recipient: stillskies
Author: mmmdraco
Characters/Pairing: Akiko/Kouyou
Rating: G
Warnings: None.
Author's Notes: I had to. So, I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing. <3

5th May, 2017

The carp flags are flying today and I am gladdened by them because they are reminding me of Akira-kun. At 30 now, he is no longer a little boy, and hasn't been for quite some time. Still, he will always be my child, and I will always be proud of him.

I am not a young woman anymore, either, and neither is my husband a young man, and yet our love has blossomed through the years. We had difficult times, of course, such as when I failed to recognize the importance of something such as an upcoming title match when I had wanted to plan a dinner party, or when go consumed my husband so much that his health was at risk, and yet we are in perfect agreement that our son is everything that is good about either of us and then some, so we allow ourselves a little of the wickedness to slip back in as we grow older. Responsibility isn't as much of a worry as it used to be, and it is a wonder to allow ourselves to relax.

My mother asked me once if I regretted marrying a man who loved a board game more than me. I can tell her now that it is his love for me, expressed upon those 361 points, that allows him to win so irrefutably. Or so it is that Kouyou has told me with light shining in his eyes that I am drawn to as hopelessly as ever.

As those flags flap in the breeze today, I hope the children who smile up at them have the hope of finding themselves as happy as I am in this moment.


Title: 99 Problems
Recipient: readerofasaph
Author: degrees
Characters/Pairing: Waya Yoshitaka
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Author's Notes: This was really fun to write, thanks for the fun prompt Lynn! I hope you like!

Sometimes when Yoshitaka has a quiet moment to himself, he thinks about his life, and how much more complicated it's become since becoming a pro. He had thought everything would be simpler: no more wondering if he'd ever make it, he's already there. Now he just has to show the pro world what he's got, and he's more than up for that challenge. But the longer he thinks about it, the clearer it's become that the complications in his life can be attributed to five things.

1. Shindou
He made the mistake of letting his mother meet Shindou, and now she thinks he's some sort of delinquint Go player hanging out with the wrong crowd ("He dyes his hair, after all! And not some respectable color, like brown!"), and eating nothing but junk food. He's practically 18, and because of Shindou his mother has started nagging him to come home for dinner more often than she had when he first moved out.

2. Shindou
Yoshitaka hadn't meant to yell at Yoshino-san, one of the Ki-in's schedulers. She is a very nice woman, and he had been yelling at Shindou on the phone. But she had misunderstood the situation, and now it almost takes an act of god to get assigned to any of the interesting seminars, and he pretty much has to beg for more side jobs as a scorekeeper or timekeeper. He feels like he's going to go broke buying Yoshino-san flowers and expensive chocolates to try to get back on her good side.

3. Shindou
As if the situation with Yoshino-san isn't difficult enough on his wallet, after a study session at Morishita-sensei's house Shindou let it slip that Yoshitaka had made a decent amount of money at the last Young Lions Tournament in front of Shigeko. Who has now decided that she just HAS to start a designer purse collection. Yoshitaka has no idea how he's going to get out of having to pay for that hobby, unless he can somehow find a way to foist that off on Saeki-san. So far the prospects are looking a little bleak.

4. Shindou
Speaking of the fragile hearts of the Morishita clan, Yoshitaka owes Shindou a swift kick in the butt for letting it slip that he was going to be going to a study session that included Touya. He had left that night wondering if he would ever hear normally in his right ear again.

5. Shindou
Shindou Hikaru has been a constant thorn in his side, pain in his butt, pebble in his shoe. He's like a hurricane, creating havoc and chaos and Yoshitaka sometimes can't remember why they're friends. But he can't deny that Shindou can be loads of fun to hang out with when he's not being a one-man wildfire, and loathe as he is to admit it, Yoshitaka knows that his Go wouldn't be the same without him.


Title: A Normal Beginning
Recipient: daisyface
Author: stars_apart
Characters/Pairing: Touya/Shindou
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Author's Notes: It's a bit short, but I hope you like it! ♥♥♥

They weren't much for talking about things - well, about games, sure, but that usually deteriorated to shouting and insults to their respective intelligence, clothing, and eating habits - and so it probably wasn't so surprising that they didn't talk about this one, either, at least not the way normal people would. Not that, realistically, Akira had much firsthand experience with normal.

Maybe it was perfectly normal to be reviewing a game and have your eternal rival give you a considering look and say, "I want to try something," and then grab a fistful of your hair and kiss you until you couldn't breathe. Maybe.

So they hadn't talked about it ; Shindou had pulled back after a few moments, wide-eyed, hand still tangled in Akira's hair, and said, "Okay," and then Akira had closed the distance between them and bitten his swollen lower lip and they had wound up on the floor of Akira's room, fumbling with Akira's shirt buttons and Shindou's stupidly complicated belt, because words would have been a waste of time at that moment.

And at some point, Akira had had the bright idea to drag out his futon and a blanket, and Shindou had flung his leg over his hip and his arm across his chest, and put his head on Akira's shoulder, his breath tickling Akira's neck as he wiggled to get comfortable, then went heavy and still. Lying there, in the dark, with Shindou pressed against him, he found he couldn't stop himself from grinning like an idiot. "What?" Shindou muttered against his neck, and Akira found his hand, and squeezed, and told him, "Nothing. Go to sleep."

"'Kay." Maybe, Akira considered, it wasn't conventional, it wasn't what normal people did. But it was going to work for them. He closed his eyes and drifted off.


Title: Travel Necessities
Recipient: flonnebonne
Author: verloren1983
Characters/Pairing:Waya/Isumi
Rating:PG, or so I'm told
Warnings: None that I can think of
Author's Notes: It's not funny or cracky, but I hope you like it nonetheless. Happy Hikago Day! :D


"Fuck!" Waya said, running from the bedroom to the bathroom, stayed there for a moment, then ran back. A second later, he ran out again, this time to the living room where Isumi was sitting.

"Waya, what are you-"

"Where's my ipod?"

Isumi blinked at him, then took it off the coffee table in front of him. "You mean the one you dug out last week?"

"Yes. Thank you. You're a lifesaver," Waya said, giving Isumi a quick kiss before grabbing the ipod and running back into the bedroom with it.

"I told you that you should've packed ahead of time!" Isumi called.

Waya poked his head out of the bedroom to stare at him. "Yeah, well, somebody was being all naked and distracting last night, so whose fault is it really?"

Isumi blushed. "I meant before last night."

"Uh-huh," Waya responded, disappearing again. He came out into the living room with a duffel bag a few moments later.

"You have everything?"

"I think so."

"Plane tickets and money at least? You can figure out anything else when you get there."

Waya pulled an envelope out of one of his several pants pockets. "Got it covered."

Isumi smiled. "Nervous or excited?"

"A little of both. Leaving Japan is... weird."

"You'll be fine. And you'll do great."

"As long as I can keep Shindou from killing Ko Yeongha, we'll be good. Actually... that means he's out of the running and Shindou's in jail, so I have a better shot. Maybe I should just let them go at each other."

Isumi smiled. "I think that might have unintended consequences."

"...yeah, you're right. Shindou would probably whine at me till I helped him get rid of the body and stuff. Bad idea."

It wasn't what Isumi had meant of course, but he laughed and didn't correct him. "Something like that. You'll be fine. Just focus."

"Thanks," Waya grinned. "I'll call you when I get there."

At that, he reached into another pocket for something and then frowned and checked another pocket, and another. "Shit."

"What's missing?"

"Would you call my cell?"

"...you realize that your phone won't work in Korea, right?"

"That's not the point," Waya huffed.

Isumi rolled his eyes, but dialed Waya's number. Immediately he heard Waya's ringtone, which was basically permanently set to some Zelda song or other. Currently it was something Waya had told him was "Lost Woods," though it was muffled. Waya immediately sprung into action, trying to find the device by sound, inevitably ending up at the couch that Isumi was sitting on. He spent several minutes digging through the cushions before he raised his arm, phone in hand.

"Doo doo doo doo~" Waya chirped, which Isumi recognized from listening to his boyfriend play video games for waaaaaay too long.

He rolled his eyes. "You're a dork."

"Yeah, well, you love me anyway," Waya grinned. He put the phone back into a pocket and sat on Isumi's thighs. "I've gotta go. I'll be back in a week."

"I'll be here."

Waya kissed him, and even though it was probably supposed to be short and sweet, it very quickly started to turn more heated. Isumi was tempted to let it, but he knew he couldn't.

"We don't have time," he breathed.

"But-"

"In a week."

Waya groaned and bit Isumi's bottom lip just hard enough to hurt. "You're so paying for this later."

"I look forward to it. Now go. Good luck."

Waya got up and grabbed his bag. "Okay. See you," he said and left the apartment, finally. Isumi looked at the clock. Waya would make it, but it was probably going to be close. He was probably more nervous than he was letting on, with all of the procrastinating.

It was then that he saw the envelope sitting on the coffee table, and two seconds after Isumi had picked it up, Waya burst back into the apartment. He grabbed the envelope out of Isumi's hand.

"Thanks. Lifesaver. Love you. Bye!" he said quickly, gave Isumi one last peck on the lips, and disappeared out the door again.

Isumi smiled. "Love you too."


Title: Waking Up
Recipient: stars_apart
Author: troisroyaumes
Characters/Pairing: Yeongha/Yashiro
Rating: G
Warnings: none
Author's Notes: none

Yeongha stirred, the warm cocoon of blankets slipping from his bare shoulders, as he yawned, propped himself up on one elbow, and stared blearily outside the window next to the bed. The glass was streaked with rivulets of water, through which he could make out a gray, cloudy sky. With a groan, he buried his face in the pillow.

"Awake?"

"No," he muttered and let his limbs sprawl beneath the covers.

A weight settled next to him on the bed, and he could smell something rich and tempting--

He lifted his head. "Is that chocolate?"

Kiyoharu grinned, his hands wrapped around a steaming mug. "Chilly this morning, even though it's May."

Yeongha made a grab for the mug, but Kiyoharu scooted back. "Get your own, you lazy bastard."

Yeongha sat up in bed, hooked a hand behind Kiyoharu's neck, and pulled him close to lick the chocolate from his lips.

"Careful, you'll make me spill," Kiyoharu complained, but he leaned back in to kiss Yeongha anyway.

"Good morning," Yeongha said, his mouth curving into a smirk.

"Morning," Kiyoharu said and pulled all the blankets off the bed.


Title: Bittersweet
Recipient: stars_apart
Author: mmmdraco
Characters/Pairing: Yashiro/Yeong-ha
Rating: PG
Warnings: None.
Author's Notes: You and Sherri made me love this pairing, so take responsibility!

Ko Yeongha looked at him and held out his hand. "Give it to me," he said in the perfect Japanese he'd decide to reveal only after Yashiro had struggled to become conversational in Korean.

With a frown, Yashiro put his bag down on the ground, opening it and digging through to the bottom. "It might have melted," he said as he pulled out the cardboard-protected and foil-wrapped rectangle. "I tried to keep my bag off my lap, but..."

Taking it in hand, the other man smiled. "I wanted to get it in the freezer anyway."

"Really? I like my chocolate a little melty, and sweeter than that stuff, too. But you like it, so..."

Moving through the apartment, Ko Yeong-ha placed the bar lovingly in the freezer and turned to say something further to Yashiro when he was presented with another stack of chocolate bars. "Oh. I only asked for one."

Yashiro rolled his eyes and put his stack on top of the bar already ensconced beside packages bearing stylized writing that he couldn't quite read. "You said you liked it. Of course I wanted to get you a bunch."

Closing the freezer door, Ko Yeong-ha leaned against it. "But now I don't have a reason to tell you to buy me more and smuggle it in for me."

"Oh." Yashiro frowned. "So, I was the real reason after all?"

Ko Yeong-ha laughed. "I can buy that chocolate online. But a box in the mail isn't nearly as pretty a package as you are. Besides, you flew out here to give me ten chocolate bars-"

"A dozen."

"-a dozen chocolate bars just because I asked. Am I incorrect to think we're still on the same page here?"

Yashiro squirmed a little under the other man's gaze, but nodded. "I guess."

"Good. Because I did wonder how that particular chocolate would taste if I let it get, what did you say, melty? But on you."

"Then maybe it's a good idea that I bought plenty?"

"Indeed."


Title: untitled
Recipient: troisroyaumes
Author: chagrined
Characters/Pairing: Kaneko, Mitani
Rating: G
Warnings: none
Author's Notes: none

"Hmmm." Kaneko tilted her chin down into her cupped hand and studied the goban before her.

"'Hmmm,' what?" Mitani snapped. "That's the third time you've made that noise, and you still haven't placed a stone. You're not going to win anyway, so--"

Kaneko snapped her head back up and grinned. "Okay, I've decided." She reached out and pointed one finger into Mitani's face, hovering a few inches from his nose. "If you beat me, then take me out for dinner!"

Mitani's cheeks turned nearly as red as his hair and he batted Kaneko's hand away. "Wh- What! Take you out for dinner? Why would I-- And if I win, why should I be the one who has to do something? Hey!"

Kaneko ignored him and fished a stone out of her goke, grinning. "I think maybe I'm in the mood for soba." The stone hit the goban with a clear resounding pachi.


Title: Frost in Summer
Recipient: tarigwaemir
Author: mmmdraco
Characters/Pairing: Hong Su-yeong
Rating: G
Warnings: None.
Author's Notes: I was indeed inspired by the Li Bai poem. So, I hope you enjoy this! Thank you for years of fandoming with me. <3

Hong Su-yeong sat at the foot of the futon, kicking his slippers off as he looked out the window. The ground looked white in the moonlight and he wrinkled his nose at the very idea that frost could have coated the thin blades of grass in the tiny section of it visible from his uncle's house in the middle of summer. He looked up at the moon, knowing it was the source, and smiled softly because it was the same moon he had known since he was a child. He'd gotten used to being away from home quite often, training so many hours with the other yeon-gu-saeng, but he'd always gone home at night, and that's where the difference lay now. He looked back down at his feet and the floor beyond them. He hadn't been here long enough for things to feel comfortable yet, but he wondered how long that would take. He'd taken comfort for granted at home and he'd ended up here for a while. Tomorrow, his uncle was taking him to his baduk parlor again and he would play against more old men and prove his dominance, even if the games were as satisfying as the idea of frost in summer.


Title: Wherever You May Hide Away
Recipient: trixie_chick
Author: daisy
Characters/Pairing: Isumi/Waya
Rating: safe for work
Warning: gratuitous quoting
Summary: A Les Miserables AU fusion set in feudal Japan. Shh, just come.

“Waya Yoshitaka, at last, we see each other plain.”

Isumi clenches his hands around the frame of the doorway, trying to steady his breath, his heart still pounding in time to his horse’s hooves from his frenzied ride through the city. Waya sits seiza on the floor, calmly sweeping out the last characters on the page, his back a straight, proud line.

Isumi had seen that back bent and broken for years in the Sado gold mines, can trace the prisoner tattoos hidden beneath the fine cloth of Waya’s haori from memory, has seen the triumphant look in Waya’s eyes from the day he escaped in his dreams at an unacceptable frequency.

And yet, Isumi hadn’t recognized his face, even when it was right before him all this time.

What a fool he was.

What a fool Waya seemed to relish in making him.

At length, Waya stands to face him, his features belying his determination, and Isumi tensed his whole body, ready to match him, fist for fist, steel on steel, will to will.

“I don’t suppose you’re here to treat me one last time, ne, Isumi-san.”

“I’m here to bring you to face your final justice, Waya,” Isumi tells him. His throat closes around the thought of all the meals they’d shared in this town, the cups of sake he’s so willingly ordered when “Zelda-san” leaned in against his arm, breathing life into all of Isumi’s secret hopes.

Isumi had borne out his soul across Zelda-san’s goban and thought he’s been met with equanimity.

But Waya had been laughing at him all along.

“Touya-sama won’t be so forgiving this time.”

"Yes, his previous kindness left a heavy mark," Waya hisses, pressing his hand to his shoulder blade, almost by rote.

Immediately, Waya flinches and if Isumi had thought him capable of remorse, that is what would have shown on his face. But Waya’s expressions only reflected whatever he felt would benefit him most at the time. The kind of monster that held no shame or decency, that used others to in pursuit of its own ambitions.

Isumi was a man of the law though. He could appear convincingly heartless, devoid of these containing emotions, if he had to. He could pretend he felt nothing.

That his heart was not made to break.

There were no gray areas in orders or oaths, and one could follow and be rewarded or fall and pay the price. For Isumi, it wasn’t even a choice.

“Touya-sama’s mercy reprieved you from death, but you were always unworthy of it.”

Waya bristled a little, shoulders hunched up to his ears, jaw set. Isumi recognized that look from when Zelda-san would be backed into a corner, faced with certain defeat, but still determined to play at least ten more hands out of stubbornness. “Everyone looks unworthy compared to you, Isumi-san.”

He visibly regroups, firms up his tactics. “Listen,” Waya says, taking a step forward. Isumi doesn’t move back, doesn’t look away. “Listen, I have a duty that I am sworn to. I may fail by your every measure, no matter how I try, but I have to do this one thing. I will return within three days and then you can do with me what you will. I swear to you.”

“You must take me for an idiot.”

The balls that are Waya’s fists are nearly white from clenching. His glaze does not waver, even as his body shakes. “I have finally found where they have taken Morishita-sama’s daughter. I must ensure her safety. I promised, Isumi-san. I swore to Morishita-sama that I wouldn’t let any harm come to her. I cannot fail him further when I have the chance to make it amends. My honor could not bare it.”

“You have no honor left to swear by or put to shame,” Isumi tells him. It had never occurred to him before that Waya might be in love with Morishita-sama’s daughter, but now that the thought has come to his mind, it is festering already. He remembers some of the stories from when the Touya and Morishita clans clashed, and how when Morishita fell in battle, the whole of his household committed seppuku.

Except for Waya, who took his lord’s child and fled for the mountains.

By the time Isumi met him in Sado, he was thin, dirty, and resigned. But never broken.

It is only now, that Isumi sees desperation in Waya for the first time.

Waya’s eyes are alight with it and Isumi is transfixed for a moment long enough for Waya to have him pinned against the opposite wall with a long slender dagger pressed firmly to his neck.

Isumi had never pulled out his katana. It hadn’t even occurred to him.

“I could kill you here,” Waya rushes out, his voice betraying every hesitation that his hand does not reveal.

“If you can,” Isumi says, “you should have killed yourself beside your comrades. And died with some semblance of honor.”

Waya makes a terrible, harsh sound from the back of his throat, and brings the hand that is not holding the blade up to touch the side of Isumi’s face.

Isumi does not press into it, does not close his eyes, does not let his heart leap from his chest.

He does pass out when Waya hits him over the head, but he grants himself that small allowance.

When he regains consciousness some time later, Waya is gone, but there is a letter addressed to him left out on the goban. Inside, is a story of a man who has always loved him.

He takes a breath and reads.


Title: Build Up
Recipient: degrees
Author: mmmdraco
Characters/Pairing: Ashiwara, Isumi/Saeki
Rating: R
Warnings: Innuendo
Author's Notes: I... couldn't resist? XD Have a bit of rare pair shenanigans, darling!

Ashiwara smiled as he approached the apartment door, ready to knock and deliver a housewarming gift. He paused when he heard voices, though.

"No, Saeki-san, you need to twist a little there... Yeah. Like that. Mmm... I think that's plenty deep for the moment. Wait, you're wearing protection, right?"

"Isumi-san, do I really need it for this?"

"You should always wear protection!"

Ashiwara's eyes went wide. He shouldn't be listening to this! And yet...

Saeki could be heard to sigh. "Fine, I'll put some on. You know, there aren't exactly instructions for this."

"Wait, you've never done this before?"

"Not like this!"

Biting his lip, Ashiwara leaned closer to the door.

Isumi cleared his throat. "Maybe we shouldn't have jumped into the deep end, then. We could have done something a little... easier."

"If you can do it, so can I!" Saeki grumbled. "Is this right?"

"Almost. Slide that bit down a little further before you try to put it in place. It should go pretty easily now, at least?"

"Oh, yeah! Man, this looks amazing. I'm really glad I decided to do this with you."

Ashiwara couldn't quite seem to pull himself away from the door.

Isumi groaned softly. "If feels pretty good, too."

"Yeah, this desk is going to look perfect in that corner. It's too bad we had to import it."

"It's less difficult doing it together."

Outside the door, Ashiwara wiped sweat from his brow, glad that he wouldn't actually be intruding on anything more than desk assembly. On second thought... Maybe not so glad after all.


Title: All Things in Their Places
Recipient: degrees
Author: stillskies
Characters/Pairing: Su-yeong, Hikaru
Rating: G
Warnings: Absolutely none!
Author's Notes: I tried to add in the pairing, but you can probably see one if you squint? Anyway, I hope you like it!

When Su-yeong had agreed to a game with Shindou, he hadn't expected to be paraded around a salon while Shindou grinned and self-importantly declared this was his salon. Instead of playing anything resembling a game of go, Su-yeong stood impatiently at Shindou's side, listening as Shindou blathered on and on about how Su-yeong was good ("He beat Yashiro, which sucked for us, but he's not too strong because he can't beat me") which really pissed him off.

"Are we going to play?" Su-yeong interrupted while Shindou went on and on about some ridiculous move that barely put him ahead of some guy named Tsujioka. The man Shindou was talking to – some guy who Shindou said had introduced as cute or something – blinked at him behind huge sunglasses. "Who even wears sunglasses inside?" he said aloud, which resulted in a blustered response in what Su-yeong supposed was Japanese and Shindou gaping at him like a carp.

It was probably a good thing Yeong-ha had decided to stay behind; he hated to think of what his friend would have said instead. Probably something to cause yet another international scandal.

The sunglass-wearing man stormed off after shouting at Shindou that he'd better not lose. "You can't just ask why someone wears glasses indoors," Shindou scolds him. "Even though he does look stupid with them."

"Can we just play?" He felt like he was beginning to whine, which would be unacceptable; he was a grown man (a voice that sounded suspiciously like Yeong-ha's laughed in his head) and he would not be caught whining just because Shindou wouldn't play with him.

"Fine," Shindou replied, sounding entirely aggrieved. "Let's just get your ass kicking over with."

Su-yeong's ass kicking resulted in a 4-moku loss for Shindou. "Thanks for the game," Su-yeong said graciously while Shindou glared. He would say something else, but he couldn't think of anything that could make this victory sweeter. Instead, he cleared the board, thanked the owners of the salon and walked out the door, not bothering to check if Shindou was following.

If he was, he could buy Su-yeong a burger. If not, well. He would make his way back to the hotel, regale Yeong-ha with how he put Shindou in his place, and have Yeong-ha buy him a burger. Either way, victory was sweet.



Title: A Fresh Start
Recipient: mmmdraco
Author: stillskies
Characters/Pairing: Yeong-ha/Yashiro, Shindou/Touya
Rating: PG
Warnings: Um. Bieber?
Author's Notes: I actually saw the haircut prompt and died laughing. Hope you like it!

It had been a stupid fight – most of them were, if he were honest with himself – and had started over something small: Kiyoharu's gel. He had been in the bathroom of his hotel room (his) and was attempting to wrangle his hair into some semblance of control. Instead, it had ended with half a bottle of gel being flung across the room and Kiyoharu stalking out of his (HIS) room with his head looking like a hot mess.

He was halfway out of the hotel's double doors before he realized he hadn't grabbed his wallet. Fortunately, Shindou and Touya were just outside, arguing about something – either a stupidly brilliant move on Shindou's behalf, or Touya voicing his frustration about Shindou's ramen diet. Either was a possibility with those two.

Pushing through the doors, he headed straight for the pair and grabbed hold of Shindou's shoulder. "I have a favor to ask," he said. Shindou frowned, but shrugged. "Okay," Shindou said. "What's up?"

"I need to borrow some money."

***

Shindou had tried to talk him out of it, naturally. "Who the hell cares what that bastard thinks?" he'd argued. "I mean, sure. You look like a hedgehog and could probably use a better dye job, but you like looking like that, right?"

He glared at his so-called friend while Touya nudged Shindou sharply in the ribs. "What he means to say," Touya cut in smoothly, "is that you should never feel the need to change for another person."

"Yeah," Shindou chimed in, "after all, if Touya did that, he'd have a more stylish haircut and better clothes. But he doesn't, and I still like him."

"I beg your pardon?" Touya's glare was in full force and Kiyoharu decided it was best to keep moving forward. "I think that my clothing and hair are far preferable to the mess you call style. And let's not get started on your ridiculous attempt to stay hip by bleaching your bangs," Touya sneered. "You are twenty-five years old, Shindou. Perhaps it is time you started to act like it."

"Oh, no you didn't." Shindou looked horrified. Touya looked like he had just proven his point. Kiyoharu really should have sucked it up and gone back up to retrieve his wallet; dealing with Yeong-ha's smug face would almost have been preferable to Shindou and Touya sniping at each other.

***

He hadn't expected Shindou and Touya to march up to the counter, demanding that they get haircuts, as well. Kiyoharu shook his head, reminded Shindou that he was paying and he'd give him the money later that night, and followed the bewildered stylist to the chair.

***

"Well," Yeong-ha mused, walking in a circle around Kiyoharu who was doing his best not to fidget. "It's not half bad, chibi."

The stylist he'd gotten was apparently a sadist. Kiyoharu's hair, which had been a nice length, if a little long for his usual style, was now shorn short and was dyed entirely black. He resisted the urge to run his fingers through it again. "Even at this length," he bit out, "I'll still use the exact same amount of gel."

Yeong-ha smiled and brushed his thumb across Kiyoharu's forehead. "It looks much better," he said sincerely before leaning forward to kiss Kiyoharu.

***

(Shindou's and Touya's new styles were, of course, hounded by speculations of new girlfriends, lost bets, and the possibility of them forming a boy band. Touya's hair apparently resembled something called a Bieber, which only further fuelled that particular rumor.)




Make sure to leave a comment with appropriate squeal and awe! ♥♥♥