Delaine Residence [Private, unless invited]

The Delaine household is a small three bedroom, two bath house. But despite what it lacks in space, it makes up for in it's "homey" feel.

Current Occupants: Toki and Irene Delaine along with their three children, Kaien, Kukaku and Tsukiyoko.


Kitchen:

Spoiler:

Living Room:

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Bathrooms:
Toki and Irene's:

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The "Kid's":

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Bedrooms:
Toki and Irene's:

Spoiler:

Kaien and Kukaku's:

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Tsukiyoko's:

Spoiler:

A sudden shrieking sound jarred Tsukiyoko awake. She blearly looked around for the source of the offensive racket and spotted the alarm clock that sat next to her bed on her nightstand. She shut it off and picked it up to see what time it was. Six o clock, huh. Time to get up then.

She yawned as she stretched and attempted to wipe the sleep from her eyes. When she was satisfied, she got out of bed and made her way down the small hallway that connected her room to the kitchen. Tsu looked around briefly and spotted her father, Toki, making breakfast as he liked to do when he woke up early enough to beat his wife to the job. It was almost like a game between the two of them; certainly one that neither Tsu nor her brothers understood but accepted as part of everyday life.

“ Good morning Dad,” she told with a happy smile as she sat down at the table. She would have tried to help but he always refused stating that he liked cooking. She thought it had something to do with her lack of cooking skills but she guessed it didn’t really matter.

After breakfast was finished being cooked and was eaten, she did wash up the dishes though, before going to get ready for work. She had an early shift today and she didn’t want to late. She quickly brushed her teeth and set her hair in a tight bun before dressing in her uniform.

Tsu jogged back down the hallway back to the kitchen, where Toki was reading the paper at the table and gave her father a kiss on the cheek,” Bye Dad. Tell everyone I said good morning ok.”

“Sure,” he replied, looking back down to the article he was reading in the paper,” Don’t overdo it.” He warned sternly but the statement was meant to show he cared. Not that many would have taken it that way given his rather blank tone. Toki was a suprisingly neutral sort of person but it fit well with his wife (her mother Irene) who seemed to possess an infinate supply of energy.

Tsu sighed,” Roger that captain. I’m off.” And with that she put on her shoes and was gone.


[Tsu has left DELAINE RESIDENCE and is going to url=https://loveless.forummotion.com/t489-court-yard]Tori Courtyard[/url]]

Shizuo stood solidly in front of the Delaine household, holding his position in the early fall air. He was feeling very uneasy just standing there, but, try as he might, the young man couldn't seem to get himself to move. The tension held within his shoulders was keeping him quite stiff. Looking at the house in front of him was enough of a trial let alone actually walking up to it, going inside and seeing his old friend.

Kukaku was the whole reason he was here in the first place. Here, in front of the house, but also here in Japan. At this point, Shizuo felt he had a lot of himself overseas, but it wasn't enough to keep him away. Kukaku was pulling him back with a connection stronger than any simple friendship. The adult lifted a hand to his face, his fingertips grazing the fringe of his choppy cut. He wanted to see Ku more than anything. However, it was his friend he wanted to see, not the other half of his unit.

"Valour... guess I'm not really living up to my name at the moment." the brown haired male snorted into his hand. Looking around, everything was terribly familiar and it was making things harder. The time Shizuo had spent away had been so long for him, but for the neighborhood it hadn't been much. It brought back memories of the time the two of them had spent together before their graduation.

How many years had it been, two? Maybe even more than that at this point. Shizuo couldn't help but frown at the thought. It motivated him enough to take a couple steps forward, but nothing more. Dead weights appeared in his feet when he thought of seeing Kukaku again. He and Ku had been friends, good friends, and in this male's eyes he knew that he feelings has even amounted to more than that. But when Zu had found out they were partners it threw all that emotion into question. Was it real or just brought about by this invisible thread?

The thoughts turned in him like a scalding sea, but out of it one fact seemed to emerge, "He's going to find out eventually." Though that particular thought made the young man want to turn right back around, he was able to hold his ground. He felt it would be better to meet his other half face on than run into him by chance later on. Also, without weighing in the presumed mess, seeing Ku-kun again was what Shizuo really wanted most.

Driven by that emotion, Shizuo strided up to the house and knocked on its door. The rigid tension returned to his body as he held his breathe and waited for what might come.

Kaien nearly fell off the couch when he heard the knock at the door. He had worked the late shift last night at work so he already wasn’t feeling too welcoming at the moment. You can imagine how much happier he was to have some knock on the door and wake him up. (Yep, no sarcasm there. Nope, none at all.) But he yawned as he dutifully shuffled towards the door, running a hand through his very messy hair to try and tame it a little. His parents were big on manners after all and it wouldn’t do to not look at least a little presentable.

But the whole time he couldn’t help but wonder who it was. They didn’t get visitors often so naturally one had to come while he was sleeping. Of course. Anyway, he made it to the door and yanked it open, ready to give the lowlife that woke people up from well deserved naps a piece of his mind; he was quickly forced to scrap that plan.

He was face-to-face with someone he had honestly doubted that he would ever see again if his sudden disappearance from his brother’s life was any indication. The boy that was single-handily responsible for breaking his brother’s heart into a thousand pieces and leaving him (and the rest of the family) to clean up the mess; great, now he owed his mother money. They’d had a bet going on whether he would show up again. He should’ve known better than to bet against Mom and Tsu. Those two really did know everything. Left him and dad outta luck, didn’t it? Anyway, there were other things to deal with right now.

“Well, well, long time no see Sanada-kun,” he said a bit patronizingly as he leaned casually against the doorway. He couldn’t help but smirk as he took in how nervous Shizuo looked. Good, served him right; but he couldn’t help but mentally sigh as well. Kukaku would probably instantly forgive him the second he heard he was even in town, just like he always did. Stupid lovesick moron.

He nodded towards the inside of the house and said,” Come in. I’ll even make tea.” He didn’t have many doubts about this meeting was about. Ok, yeah he had no idea but this guy was trouble and he wouldn’t have been a very good big brother if he didn’t at least try and protect his poor stupid brother from getting his delicate little feelings hurt again.

He half walked/half shuffled back into the house. Let the battle begin!

The half-minute it took for the door to open seemed like forever. His mind raced for those few moments, wondering how long it'd take him to come back to this spot if he wasn't able to see his other half today. Shizuo almost jumped back when the door finally opened with greater force than he had expected. Ku's face greeted him, though not with the sort of expression he'd hoped. Surprise was there, but not much else was blatantly apparent. Maybe there was a hint of annoyance, but Zu had never been good at picking up on such nuances.

The shorter male had so expected something when he met Kukaku that he almost faded out entirely when nothing happened. Meekly, he took a step inside the house, nodding to the other man and watching him shuffle out of the doorway. Shizuo took a few steps inward himself, staying a good ways behind the host. "Did I ruin our relationship for nothing?" The thought nagged at him, but he moved to dismiss it, so sure as he was that his high school buddy was also the other part of his unit. The air around this boy was hinting at something else. His posture too, and the way his hair was kept, though fimilar it seemed strange that his once friend would have changed so much. It took the adult a beat, but he finally made the connection.

"K-Kaien!" The name slipped out as the sacrifice's face flushed a bit. He would have laughed at his own foolishness if he wasn't already so down. He had been so focused on Kukaku that he forgot about the members of the Delaine family. "I thought you were your brother for a second there." Shizuo admitted, honest as ever, "Guess it really has been a while. How've you been?" He wore a smile despite how he was feeling. It wasn't like it was the first time this had happened. Though there personalities where different, by looks the twins were truly identical. His heart dropped a little, this was just like the old days.

After such a foul, Zu felt able to settle down a bit, even if a bit of guilt seeped forward in the tension's stead. At the very least, he was inside the house, which was a step in the right direction. The brown-haired man sighed quietly as he looked over the the home's interior, there was a burning question that he was unable to contain. "Is Ku-" Shizuo had to stop himself mid-sentence to think of how to continue. "Ku-kun" had almost slipped out, a nickname that he wasn't sure if Kukaku was fond of when they had been friends, let alone after two years of no contact. After staring at his feet for a second, he just decided to rephrase, "-is your brother around?"

Kaien laughed a little at that. Same ole Shizuo. “Yep, that’s me.” He replied somewhat blankly; sleep still clogging his voice a little.

“I figured that you had us mixed up. People are always confusing us and besides,” Kaien replied as he set about making the tea,” it’s not like you haven’t done it before. Just don’t let tell Tsu that you got it wrong again. You know how she gets sometimes.”

Kaien couldn’t help but tease him a little at the mix-up. Really, he had been Kukaku’s friend for a few years before the spilt so he should’ve had some idea that he wasn’t his brother. Ah, but then again it had been a couple of years hadn’t it? So maybe he’d forgive it this time. Realistically, it wasn’t the first time the two had been mistaken for each other and it likely wouldn’t be the last.

“I’ve been ok, can’t complain too badly. Yourself?” he set the tea pot on the stove. His mother had taught him how to make tea the Western fashion instead of the traditional Japanese way but it didn’t really matter all that much. Tea was tea.

If Kaien hadn’t had enough control over himself he would have busted out laughing when he took in how nervous Shizuo was; he didn’t have to look at him to tell. He couldn’t even make himself say his brother’s name. This was just sad and funny all at the same time. Kaien didn’t know to think anymore.

"Ku-kun, isn’t here right now. He’s at work but he’ll be home in about,” he glanced at the kitchen clock,” ooh, five minutes. If you want to see him, just sit down and get comfy.”

He finally turned back to look Shizuo straight in the eye and his voice was deadly serious as he spoke, finally breaking through his false friendly act. It was now or never if he was ever going to get his piece about all of this mess,” Is this just a one-time just-dropped-by-because-I-was-in-town visit or are you trying to fix your bond? ‘Cause if this is just a one time deal then don’t get his hopes up about having anything more. You did enough damage the last time you dropped him by the wayside and I don’t think we could fix him again.”

Kaien doubted that Shizuo even knew what he was talking about since the other boy didn’t read people all that well but he could still try and get his message across. Honestly, anyone with eyes could have seen how much Kukaku had loved that boy. It tore him up to think that Kukaku would get hurt by this person again.

So he continued,” He wouldn’t even talk to Tsu for a while after you left him behind and you know how he adores her.” Kaien took a step forward and pointed an accusing finger at him. He wanted to say more but all he did in the end was sigh and slump against the counter, his hand running though his hair again in a futile effort to calm himself down.

“I know you don’t get what I’m talking about and it’s not my place to tell you. But I just wanted to ask you for one thing,” Kaien looked back up at him, his voice cracked a little but you’d never hear him admit that it happened,” Please,..... don’t hurt my baby brother anymore.”

Spoiler:

Shizuo calmed down a little as Kaien continued to speak. Hearing mention of Tsu-chan and all the good times he had in this house lifted is spirits slightly as well as took his mind off of Ku-kun for the moment. He snickered slightly as he remembered how quite Tsukiyoko was when they first met and then how she immediately called him out when he mistakenly referred to Kaien as Kukaku. He hoped that she was doing alright, maybe he'd get a chance to see her again soon.

The emphasis on his brother's name wasn't missed by Shizuo. His face reddened, it was rather shameful that he couldn't even make out his old friend's name. "Ku-kun, Ku-kun, Ku-kun." He tried to cement the word in his mind, but the repetition just made him blush more. Not wanting the other male to see, he took up the offer of a seat, staying turned away from elder twin as long as possible without making it awkward. He sat at the dining table, choosing a seat that faced towards Kaien with it's back to the entrance, "Cannot complain either, I've been alright."

A bit of the anxiety had crept back to the guest when he heard of Shizuo's arrival, but after the chat he was beginning to feel better about the whole thing. He held off asking about where Ku worked despite his curiosity; he'd be able to question him in person soon enough.

The atmosphere of the room changed rather quickly after that however. The loaded question knocked Shizuo off guard a bit. He almost interrupted his host to confirm that he'd be staying in Japan, but the grave look on Kaien's face kept him quite. The sacrifice listened intently, staring through his legs at the wood floor after failing to maintain his eye contact with the other male. Though he hated that his mind wandered towards such a thought, he couldn't help but wonder if that same expression would also end up on his fighter's face.

How badly had he hurt Kukaku? Though he never thought his disappearance would be easy on his friend, he hadn't occurred to him that it would have such a negative effect. But had he really meant that much to his former classmate or was his reaction just from the strain of their connection. Either way, Zu was feeling pretty remorseful.

The cord that bound them was certainly not unbreakable. Even with their partnership it could be so easy for one of them to just slip away from the other, causing more pain. A bit of brown hair slipped from behind his ear and fell across his face. "I'll try my hardest to make him happy." Shizuo said solemnly, looking at Kaien through the strands of his hair. He couldn't promise that he'd never hurt Ku-kun again, but he was certainly going to try is best to protect him. Even if his status as a sacrifice forced that role on him it was still something he wanted to do regardless.

Kaien sighed at the response. Yep, it was safe to say that Shizuo didn’t have any idea how Kukaku felt at all. Well, he had done all he could to hint around; now, it was up to Shizuo to ask the right questions.

“Good,” That was all he said in reply. The minutes ticked by ominously in the tense atmosphere as they waited for Kukaku to get home and then before he knew it he heard the front door open. Whelp, time to see where this meeting would lead; only time would tell if this would be a god-send or soul-shattering for Kukaku.

“Excuse me,” he said to Shizuo as he went out into the hall to warn him. Kukaku deserved that much and he didn’t need to walk into this sort of thing blind. More blind than he already was at any rate.

Kukaku looked exhausted when he gave him the once over. Crude, just how busy was the site today. Construction work was never easy but man, he looked like he had gotten run over. His brother’s clothes were covered in cement dust, calk, and heaven knows what else and his ears were practically buried in his hair. That’s what had him worried. Kukaku’s (and Tsu’s, come to think of it) ears were dead give-aways to how they were feeling and no matter how they tried to hide how they felt, the ears gave them away every time.

Anyway, all in all, this was not the first impression that you wanted to give a possible lover but there wasn’t much that could be done about it. When he made it over to where his brother was trying to take off his dusty shoes, he coughed a bit to alert him to his presence. Kukaku looked up at him and he could see the strain in his face.

“Hey bro, what’s up? You’re usually not up at this time of day,” Kukaku said curiosity making him a bit livelier than he had seemed.

“Not much. You just have a visitor is all,” Kaien replied, a hint of teasing in his voice and when Kukaku looked at him even more curious than before, he let him off the hook,” You-know-who is back in town.”

Kukaku knew exactly what that meant; his family had insisted on using the moniker after even the mere mention of his name would send him into tears. (Yeah, Kukaku would freely admit to being a little….unmanly at times) Kukaku’s eyes widened, making their honey color all that more noticeable.

“Shizuo’s here,” he said his voice nothing more than a happy whisper and then, he promptly tripped and fell over trying to get his other shoe as fast humanly possible. Kaien stifled a giggle at the spectacle and helped him up. He then nodded towards the kitchen and gave his brother a stern look.

“Yeah, bro I know. I’ll…uh…be on my guard,” Kukaku replied and made his way to the kitchen. Kaien just stood there for a minute before sighing and making his way towards their bedroom, passing by the kitchen but not stopping to see how things were going. He didn’t need to see the awkward fest that was surely taking place.

Meanwhile, Kukaku took a deep breath and finely entered the room where Shizuo was waiting. Shizuo looked as perfect as ever but one thing was missing that made his heart ache. His cute little ears were gone. Kukaku kicked himself, as if he would wait for you; I mean what sort of loser waits around for someone for years. (Yes, he was including himself in that statement) It wasn’t like he liked you that way. You were nothing more than friend at best…..relic of the past at worst. He took a deep shuttering breath and tried to ignore the thoughts on how he must look, covered in dirt and sun-baked from hours of working outside. (How he managed not to tan was beyond him but he couldn’t manage more than a light one. He was still more tan than he had been when Shizuo had seen him last.)

“Um,…..uh…..Hi Zuzu,” he then promptly cursed himself and his ears twitched and flattened even more into his hair. Yep, great way to sound like loser Kukaku,” What….uh… what’s the occasion?”

His statement was met with a notable sigh and afterward the room was still as the two waited for Kukaku to arrive. From what he could tell, the elder Delaine son hadn't been happy with his response, though Shizuo couldn't put his finger on why. He wasn't able to shake the feeling there was he was missing, but what? When he had left for France, everything has been clear to him. He and Ku had a friendship that was about to be destroyed due to his own feelings and their unit status. He was the thing that was causing a problem, so he removed himself from the equation, but yet his friend was still hurt. Had there been something else in play that he had missed entirely?

The sound of the front door opening broke him out of his thoughts. He felt the antsy sensation creep back to him, but this time it was different. The dread was gone, the only thing important to him now was seeing his partner as soon as possible. He was about to get up, but Kaien ended up beating the sacrifice to the punch, leaving him alone to wait a bit longer. Shizuo didn't get up, he just stayed content by sitting sideways in his chair to get a good view of the entrance.

When Kukaku finally came into sight the tension Zu had been holding finally left him. Whatever he had thought would happen when they first saw each other again had not. The only thing that happened upon seeing Ku was like the sensation of letting out a breathe you'd been holding in for two years. Whether it was a difference of time or of their partnership, even the amber-eyed idiot was able feel a distinct change. If he hadn't been looking for it, however, it might have passed him by.

He completely missed Kukaku's disheveled appearance, the adult was just delighted to see his only friend again. Though he high schooler he had known had turned into a much more rugged version of himself, the same old guy still shown through. There was one thing that put Shizuo on edge a little. Mixed in with his partner's was expression was a blip that even the sacrifice couldn't miss. There was some form of clear disappointment, but of what caused it the male was at a loss. He figured he was the trigger, but nothing came to mind as to what the main cause could be. "Maybe he doesn't want to have to deal with this sort of drama after work?" A twinge of sadness passed through him and Shizuo stared down at the floorboards. Apparently he had already caused his friend some sort of pain already. This was just another thing to add to the list of items he quite didn't understand.

In the midst of his unease, his old nickname made him smirk all the same. He couldn't quite get himself to call Ku by his own, but hearing his made him feel a great deal better. "What kind of welcome is that? I'm back in town now and I wanted to see you, that's all." He paused, knowing that his statement was not completely true. He gathered his courage to look at the kind-hearted face before him. Just being able to see him and speak to him, it broke his smile into a full grin, "...Do I need an occasion?"

Kukaku could feel sense a bit of hurt in that sentence and that brought him back to his senses. It was more than enough that Shizuo was here, his mere presence was enough. It didn't matter that he had left so suddenly or that he would never returned his feelings. He was here and that was all that mattered. He had so much to tell him, so much to ask him. Well, here was the chance to get their old friendship back. And really...what more could he ask for?

The name emblazened over his heart burned a bit at that thought. He rubbed at it vaguely, not really sure why it was doing that but he put it out of his mind for the moment. He had other things to think about.

" You're right, you're right. That's a lousy welcome," he slapped a happy smile on his face and moved forward. He was good at that," I'd give ya my famous tackle hug but I didn't think you wanted cement dust all over that nice coat of yours." He gave Zu a friendly shoulder punch instead.

" How have you been, man? It's been way too long. We've got so much to catch up on and I've got so much to tell you," he used this as a subtle hint to spill what he had been up to. Well, maybe not that subtle. After all, Shizuo couldn't read the atmosphere for crude. Just one thing that Kukaku loved about him, despite how much it sometimes annoyed him.

But to be fair he was a little dense himself so it wasn't fair to focus on the same flaw in someone else. Besides all that, he had really meant it when he said that he had a lot to tell him. Like the aforementioned name for example. He wondered if Shizuo knew anything about that stuff or would it leave him looking dumb. All he knew was that something was telling him to spill the beans and his mother had told him to trust his instincts, so that's what he was doing for better or worse.


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( It's not much but here it is. Merry Christmas! ^_^ )

A spark of joy raced through Shizuo when he saw his old friend smile back. The small punch to his shoulder was not as much contact as he would have liked, but he figured he'd just make due. At the very least, it gave him a reason to move a bit closer to his old friend. Removing himself from his seat in a hurry, he stood leaning slightly against it with his eyes fixed on Kukaku.

“I have a lot to tell you about too!” The guest replied excitedly, but his own words caused him to paused. Though he hadn’t meant to do so, the one thing in particular he really needed to tell him had flickered back from the depth of his subconscious. With how things were going it was becoming harder to remind himself he was going to have to admit to their partnership. He’d kept it a secret so long that he wasn’t sure what life would be like with it out in the open. How was the other male going to react? Shizuo just wanted how they were right now to carry on forever.

He pushed back the thoughts and moved on with the conversation, wishing to delay the inevitable reveal a little longer, “I completely agree though, it feels like it’s been forever. You have to tell me about what you’ve been up to all this time!”

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(Ahh, sorry for the short reply. Happy New Year though! )

Kukaku smiled back in return, happy that his love...oh whoa there, cowboy.....FRIEND, was happy. But he really should have known that Shizuo wouldn't tell what he had been up to first. He couldn't read subtly for the life of him. He chuckled to himself about that. But back to the subject at hand.

How was he going to start? There was so much to say and he honestly didn't know where to begin. Especially about the unit stuff. He knew his mom might blow a gasket if she knew that he had told him. As much as she liked him, his mother was kinda secretive about it. Kukaku could sort of understand why it was needed but she could go overboard on it. But he decided it had to be done. He wasn't sure why but something was telling that this was the way to go, that he needed to tell Shizuo about it. So that's what he was going to do.

Even if it blew up in his face.

And when he focused back on what was going on around him, he found that Shizuo had gotten up and was suddenly really close to him, leaning over a bit to look him in the eye. He could smell the other man's shampoo from this closness and let's just say that it didn't help his concentration in the slightess.

Ooooh, he smelled good. (Kukaku didn't realize it but he leaned closer to Shizuo in an attempt to get a better sniff. His face fell into a strange dreamy look, one that would not be out of place in a romantic comedy) Now he really wished that he had hugged him after all. And Kukaku knew from experience that his hair was as soft as it looked. He could just imagine running his hands through it as he tugged his face closer for a........ and yeah, that's enough of that.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He really needed to stay on topic. He took a deep breath and dived right in," What would you say if I told that Kukaku isn't the only name I have?"

He didn't give Shizuo a chance to respond," What if I told you that I'm something called a Fighter and that I have to defend someone else whose called a sacrifice with my life?," and once he started he couldn't stop," That I have to obey every order that person gives me, even if it's something like kill your next oppenent? That this person owns me and that Tsu and Mom are in the same boat as me?"

His eyes began to fill with tears but he couldn't stop the words from pouring out," We have no say over our own lives and some complete stranger who probably won't care one bit could tell us that we have to go with them and never see Dad or Kaien or each other again." He looked up Shizuo and tears finally slipped down his face," Or that I'm not allowed to love any one but them and.. (hic)...and..(hic)...and I'm scared Zuzu. I don't what to do."

Kukaku leaned his head on his folded arms on the table and just began to cry in earnest. He just couldn't stop the tears now that they had started. He didn't even care that he probably looked and sounded like a nut case right then. It just felt like a giant weight was off of him now that he had told someone. Even if they didn't necessarily understand what he was talking about.

The words hit Shizuo like a ton of bricks. He was left speechless as his friend kept going. At first, his heart sank thinking the truth was already out there and he was already hated, but as the fighter went on the guest was met with a different kind of pain - seeing Kukaku distraught.

"Ah..." He started, trying to get a word in, bending in even closer. Zu's hand reached out towards him, but before he could say anything else Kukaku continued. Shizuo was forced to just stand there, watching his love's face fill with anguish. Any trace of his smile had faded. It was painful to see - physically, even, as his own name burned with an intense ferocity. Everything else in his mind cleared away, in that moment he just really wanted to see his partner smile again.

This was the time, if there was ever going to be one. Every second he was holding in the truth was just another bit of suffering for the person he cared for the most. The shorter boy shivered slightly. Even though his resolve was there, his fear for the future hadn't dissipated entirely.

"Ku-kun!" The guest shouted like they were the only two people in the house. He flung himself at the adjacent male, containing his urge just to kiss him then and there. The sacrifice settled for hanging on his partner's shoulders, stretching up on his tip toes to cradle the man's head. Kukaku had a good few inches on him. It seemed like an eternity since the last time he'd been able to observe the man's extra ordinary height. Shizuo's face burrowed into a dusty jacket, but all he could focus on were the soft shudders that still ravaged the taller male's torso. He gripped the fighter tighter in response.

Shizuo dipped slightly as one of his hands moved through Kukaku's hair, past his ears and onto his face. He couldn't bring himself to look at the other - some "valour" he was - but he could feel his palm dampened by a few escaped tears.

"I'm scared too, but I swear that you don't have to worry!" Shizuo spilled. He wanted to shout it, but didn't have the strength. At this point, he was feeling a bit like crying himself. It was almost as if he was receiving some of the other's pain with them conjoined like this - the only fair thing, as he could have prevented that pain from ever taking place. Slowly, his hand slid down from the fighter's face, resting on the construction jacket over his heart would be. His other arm loosened itself from Kukaku and he hid his face in the tough chest. Partly obstructed as he was, the words still came out clearly, "...I-I'm your other half."

Kukaku didn't know what to make of Shizuo suddenly launching himself at him and holding him so close. He just buried his face into the soft hair that he had been admiring earlier as he put his arms around Zu and held him close, but couldn't stop the tears.

Because there was just no way that it could all be that simple. Shizuo just couldn't be his much feared other half. It just .....was too good to be true. But then why would Shizuo know what he was talking about then? He...he knew about units. And he did have the weirdest urges to open up to him after all, so maybe it was true. If it was, then it could be that simple. Maybe this was fate's way of kicking his butt into gear and make him finally spill his secret. No, now wasn't the right time for that. That could come later. For now...

" Shizuo, you.....you're the Valour Sacrifice," He understood the weird burning sensation where his name was now. His thread was just trying to tell him that his Sacrifice was close, that the other half of his soul was close. He really needed to pay more attention to that thing," Then that means I belong to you? Oh thank goodness."

There were no other words to express his relief. All that worrying was over. He belonged to the one he loved, even if wasn't in the way that he might have liked, it was still nice. He could fly on cloud nine; he was that happy.

Kukaku held him just a bit tighter as that processed in his brain, reaching a hand up to tangle into his Sacrifice's soft hair. Not much could make him happier in that moment. Well, maybe if Shizuo started professing his love for him but he wasn't going to get his hopes up for much more. It wouldn't do to get greedy now.

" I had always hoped it was you but my luck's not the best in the world so I just figured that Fate screwed me over. If all the bad luck was payment for making you my partner, then I don't care if I have the worst luck in the history of the world," he whispered quietly in his partner's ear. The time to make his move would come later. For now, he was content to hold his secret love close and pretend that Shizuo loved him too.

Hearing his other half's relief meant the world to Shizuo and having Ku say that he belonged to him wasn't half bad either. He was really happy to know that his friend had always wanted him as a sacrifice. It was probably because they'd been so close and he was someone Kukaku could trust. The guest felt a bit ashamed for having kept it from him for these years.

Shizuo just let himself be held for the while, raising his head so that is could rest it on his partner's shoulder. His head was tilted slightly, so his forehead just barely touched the nape of Kukaku's neck. His eyes remained downcast however, finally noticing how much dust had been transferred to his clothing. Not that he minded. Now that the blast of emotion the only thing he cared about was being embraced with the person he loved. His hand moved back up around the other male's neck and he returned the bit of a squeeze he'd been receiving. The guest chanced a glance up at his fighter, just to see his expression. He looked happy, thank goodness.

The sacrifice didn't quite know what would happen that the two were officially partners. Kukaku had been so concerned with being overly controlled by his other half that Zu did not feel right coming out with his love confession in the slightest. His old friend had even brought up worrying about not being able to love whoever he wanted. If he told him about his feelings now he'd probably feel obligated as a fighter to accept them. That was the last this Shizuo wanted. So of course, he would let him be with whoever he wished. Definitely, he's let Ku be with ever he wanted, no matter what sort of damage seeing them together may cause himself. He wanted to tell himself it'd be a relief, but his heart just couldn't let him.

A lump rose up in his throat. He just swallowed it and clung to his partner for comfort. This was supposed to be a happy moment.

It took another few minutes, but Shizuo finally released himself from the other male, but did not step away so they were still close. His fist playfully tapped over his fighter's heart before falling to his side. "Don't wish bad luck on us so quickly." He smirked. His happiness was not feigned, hearing those words said really did make him want to smile. The sacrifice focused on that and continued on, "But seriously, what have you been up to since high school? I feel like I've missed a lot." His eyes darted into the hallway, "Does your room still look the same?"

Kukaku just couldn't seem to control the smile that had stretched itself across his face. It was actually starting to hurt his face a little but that pain was bearly registering in his mind at that moment. He was just too happy.

" I'm not wishing for bad luck. It seems to find me all on it's own," he replied.

Shizuo was that other half, the one that he had so long feared would doom him. One of his biggest fears in life was no longer a problem. It was almost too much for him but he composed himself and tucked all those crazy, whirling emotions of his away for later inspection. There would be all the time in the world for that later when Shizuo wasn't here with him. Right now, he had soak up his prescence for when he would ineviatebly leave. The universe would probably not be kind enough to grant both of his dearest wishes. Shizuo would never love him the all-consuming way that he loved him.

So he took in a deep breath and went forward, just like he had always done," I actually haven't been up to all that much. I've been looking after Tsu and mom, working my behind off in constrution. It's dirty work but I love it. It makes me proud to see a building that worked on come together and be put to use to help others, even if it's just to give a dry spot from the rain." he laughed a bit at his own joke, which it kind of in poor taste, especially since it wasn't all that funny to begin with, " But that's enough about me. I'm boring anyway. What have you been up to? And just where have you been hiding out all this time?"

He did raise an eyebrow, however, at the mention of his room. He smirked abit and leaned his forehead against Shizuo's as he spoke with that flirty tone he knew made Zu- zu blush," What's with the sudden intreast in my bedroom, hmm? Got something fun planned?" he teased.

He knew it was probably a bad joke but Zu had walked right in that one. Kukaku would have been a rotten prankster if he let that slip past him. He had a title to maintain afterall and it simply wouldn't do to slip now. Plus, a part of him was curious to see how his sacrifice (man, that felt wonderful to say) would respond. Would he just laugh it off (could happen but it was rare), sputter and hit him blushing a color red that would make tomatos jealous (the most likely option), or would actually go along with it (the least likely option but dang wouldn't it be great)?

Ah well, only time would tell.

"Construction fits you perfectly, if you do not mind me saying." The guest piped in with the utmost sincerity. "You should show me all the buildings you've worked on sometime." Since he was in the market for a place to live, maybe he'd get lucky and Kukaku would have worked on an apartment building with rooms that were available. To him, the idea of living in something his friend had a part it was simply delightful.

Another pang of guilt swept through Shizuo when his absence was mentioned. He shook it off as best he could though. Things were being set right now, at the very least. That was all he could really do in the end. Running away wasn't something that could be taken back now. "You'll be the first to know outside of my family actually. I was in France... if you can believe that." He smirked despite himself. It was embarrassing to share, but he was a bit proud of his over-seas study, "I'm a pastry chef now." He opened his hands as if his palms somehow displayed his new-found skill, "I'll have to cook you something soon, it'd make me really happy to have you eat one of my creations. Just so long as your sweet tooth hasn't disappeared yet." He paused for a moment before adding, "I bet Tsu-chan would eat anything you didn't finish though."

His hosts face coming in to meet his gave the male quite a start. For a quick second it seemed like he was going to be kisses, but the invading head stopped just short of that. Kukaku's face so close to his was enough to turn him pink, so needless to say the addition of his partner's voice colored him beet red. It'd been quite a while since he heard that tone - and never had he dreamed he'd actually welcome to hear it again. The sound brought him back to their high school days when the boy was well known as a teasing flirt. Back then it still had a similar effect to as it was having now, but the addition of hearing it so unexpectedly made Zu unresponsive for a good moment while the blood rushed through his head. After a minute, he was able to regain his composure, though his face was still flushed. "You're terrible as always!" He sputtered jokingly, smiling warmly from ear to ear, "One of these days I'm going to take you seriously, you know?" Shizuo added, pushing back slightly against the other's forehead. His nose brushed briefly against the other male's causing him to sigh and pull away.

"But, maybe you should get out of those dirty cloths before your mom throws a fit?" Predictably he couldn't face his partner while he said this, even though he didn't mean anything too dirty by it. He wouldn't admit it to himself, but the possibility of catching a peek of Ku's physique was floating about in his mind. His eyes fell off to the side somewhere, as if he was talking to some third, unseen, guest. His face has lost the majority of it's rosy color by this point, with only a light pink hue holding fast; His smile remained however.

Shizou smiled when his partner chuckled, and laughed a little himself. The pink in his face was still present, but he tried to ignore it, even though it did not seem to have anything interest in fading. "You were always too modest, you know! All the things I have 'built' have been eaten, so you should give yourself some credit." He said. The male's smile held out at the possibility that he could maybe live in one of the buildings. It was so lucky that's what Kukaku had been working on. For all he knew, it could have been parking structors.

He was unable to resist looking away when his cooking skills were mentioned, despite how the laughter has helped with his nervousness. He touched his neck, glancing down at the floor, but his smile held fast, "Thanks, that's always nice to hear. I'm not sure how good I am, but really enjoy it at the very least." He snickered and looked up again, the memories of high school flooding in. Cooking class had been a good excuse for him to stay close by his crush. He'd been kind of shameless about it: leaning in to see recipes, reaching by him to get ingredients, and teasingly feeding him treats. It may have had something to do with why he had the cooking ability he did. "Don't get me started on Home Ec. It's a good thing I was your partner on most of the assignments or you would not have even passed!" The sacrifice said with his hand pointed accusingly, though his expression was easy, "For shame Ku-ku-chan." He teased.

Shizuo scoffed at his old nickname and stuck out his tongue a bit. The flush on his cheeks started to return, but his pushed it down, "Yeah, well, I missed you all too. You guys are pretty much family to me..." he trailed off, remembering their unit partnership. That connection was almost just as deep as blood. Even if it was a betrayal of their friendship, he couldn't help but he a little happy about it. Ducking his head down again, he tried to hide his emotion with laugher, "Yeah, get changed already! I'm ready to go out at see some old sites." He turned away form Kukaku, addressing the wall, "I have all the time in the world for you."

Kukaku shrugged at that,” I guess but it’s the guys I work with that deserve most of the credit. They’re pros at what they do, all I do is manage everything and back check stuff. It’s all pretty boring if you ask me, I’d love to help out more but the boss doesn’t like it. He thinks that I get too involved with the guys as it is but really how else are you supposed to get anything done? If they don’t like you or at the very least respect you then how can you expect them to do the best job they can? People do a better job if they actually care about the people they work with. You can’t just stand there and order everyone around like a drill sergeant. Tsu’s boss does that and you know how people just love him right?” The sarcasm dripped off that final sentence like water dripping out of a tipped over glass.

He didn’t really care that he was babbling a bit. It was nasty habit of his when he was comfortable with someone. He’d just started rambling on about whatever crossed his mind and rarely censored out the unimportant bits, if ever.

“Yeah that’s true,” he replied sheepishly,” I think I inherited Mom’s lack of cooking ability.” He looked alarmed for a second before quickly stating,” Swear you won’t tell her that. If she hears about it, she’ll cry and if she cries dad’ll have my head.”

He smiled brightly at that. ” They missed you too you know. You’re practically part of the family already,” he replied, wondering how he was going to break the whole Shizuo’s-my-unit-partner thing to the rest of the family but he was sure they’d be nearly as thrilled as he was…..right? I mean they seemed to have largely forgiven him for running off without a goodbye (and crushing his heart in the process) but now that would make a whole lot more sense. Especially since some people didn’t handle being in units well, so he guessed that maybe Shizou suddenly being in a unit freaked him out or something, making him run off. That was his best guess at the moment anyway. He’d find out the real reason later, now it was time to celebrate.

“K,” he said, nodding his head,” I’ll take you to one of the more recently finished ones. They’re more likely to have places available still.”

He turned to walk away but only made about two steps before he heard the last bit. It made stop dead in tracks and head back the short distance to the other man. He tucked his pointer finger underneath Shizuo’s chin so that he was looking him in the face. He brought his face close to his lovely partner’s before whispering,” Careful now, guys like me could get the wrong idea from a statement like that.”

He gave him a quick peck on the cheek before letting him go and going down the hallway to the room that he shared with his brother. He quickly changed clothes while simultaneously trying to be as quiet as possible (a process a lot easier said than done, mind, since Kaien was a light sleeper) so that he wouldn’t wake his brother from his well deserved sleep. Kaien worked hard, so it would make him feel like a grade A jerk to wake him. Well, that and his brother would exact embarrassing vengeance if he woke him so he wished to avoid that as much as was possible.

After changing into a clean set of jeans and a t-shirt and cleaning up a bit, he made his way back to his guest,” Shall we head off?” He asked with a smile.



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[OOC: Oh sweet goodness, I'm so sorry that this took forever but I tried to make it nice and long to make up for it though. ^^]

All the breath caught up in the sacrifice's chest when his partner's finger caught under his chin and gently brought it up so their gazes met. It had been a long time since he'd been able to get so close to him. Though the he nearness was over sooner than he liked, the kiss was more then enough to keep him happy. Shizuo, still tense, watched his partner walk away and wondered to himself how such a joker could also be so sly. He made sure to wait until his friend was out of range before snorting "That would be good." under his breath.

While he waited for Kukaku he replayed the scene over and over in his head again, sometimes with new endings. Like, maybe if he had been more aware and turned his head to catch the side of his partner's mouth, or leaned forward to steal a real kiss before the other had ran off, or maybe if Kukaku and been bold enough just to kiss him on the lips - though Shizuo chuckled to himself at how self-indulgent that was of him to hope for. All of his alternate fantasies involved them kissing all the same. In one, even, Kukaku opened his shirt off to show him where their name was. Needless to say It didn't take long for his face to blaze an even brighter red than before.

As a unit, they would probably end up kissing at some point. It was only natural. Though it was selfish he was really looking forward to it.

Within a few minutes Shizou figured he needed to stop so that he wouldn't faint before the other returned. As it was, he was so overwhelmingly happy with the action. It was hard to know if his feelings for his friend were genuine, but in the moment it certainly felt that way. His mind wandered a bit, and fell back to when Kaien had asked him not to hurt Kukaku anymore.

Before he could really think about it his old friend was already ready to go. "Yeah! Lead the way." Shizuo said, snapping out of his thoughts, "I'm all set."