Title: Winding Down
Author: tarotgal
Fandom: Gravitation
Rating: PG
Pairing: Mr.K/Ryuichi
Disclaimer: The gravitation universe and its lovely characters are not mine. This is fanfiction. I am only a fan. I make no money off this.
Summary: Ryuichi has a concert, K has the sneezes.
Notes: Written as a thank you to Aimee :-)
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Winding Down He stood in the wings, a slender finger pressed to the bottom of his nose and a fist covering his mouth. His deep blue eyes were fixed on the stage, where Ryuichi was performing. The wings on the other side of the stage were empty apart from one grip whose attention was elsewhere. K peered out into the audience, giving it a critical look. Nothing but adoring fans ready to throw themselves at the stage in excitement. No one looked like a danger. If anything, they looked just about as ready to take a bullet for Ryuichi as K was. K pulled back into the darkness, behind the curtains where the stage and spotlights could not reach. The stage manager was to his left, and another grip was to his right. Neither saw him rubbing at his nose, but both noticed when the next sneeze seized him. "heh-ihkkkk!" He half-stifled against his finger. The sneeze tipped him forward, but he straightened immediately afterwards, rubbing at his nose some more. He shot them each strong looks that told them to be silent with their inquiries. He was not catching a cold, no matter what it might look like. He simply didn't catch colds. Especially not when he was on the job. The ever-present, building tickle in his nose had nothing to do with a cold. "hah-heh-IHKShh!" He was starting to have trouble restraining the sneezes, now. The tickle had constantly plagued him since halfway through the performance and no amount of rubbing at his nose now seemed to do anything. "IhKshh! Ehh-Kshhh! hihKShhhh! IHShh!" The sneezes were short and rapid, and he pulled back further into the wing, not wanting anyone to hear. He could imagine how mortified he would be if the microphones somehow picked up the noise. But K could not see the center of the stage from his new position, and as soon as the small fit of sneezes passed, he stepped back up. Ryuichi was on the last song of his set. He always did one encore, maybe two, of just a few songs each. The concert was on its way to winding down, however, which was a good sign. Ryuichi looked spectacular on stage, even from a side view. The way the man moved, the way he gripped the microphone, the way the lights danced on him and in the smoke behind him, the way his eyes sparkled with youth when he sang. "h'IHkkkkk!" He stifled, and rubbed his finger beneath his nose just as the song ended. He straightened and put on a smile as Ryuichi joined him in the wings. The singer was a bit breathless with excitement and held onto K for support as he caught his breath. K wrapped an arm around the man's waist and Ryuichi leaned into him. "You were great out there," K told him. "They simply love you!" In the house, the crowd was going nuts, chanting for Ryuichi to come back out for an encore. "Here," K said, grabbing a bottle of water he'd brought with him. "Have some water first. You look..." K's breath caught and he prayed he could hold back the sneeze. But a second later the urge built, tickling the tip of his nose, and he lifted a finger. "IhhKshhh! IhShhh! Kishhhh!" "K?" Ryuichi looked concerned. "Are you all right?" He pulled back and took a gulp of the water, not needing to be told again. K nodded and
grinned convincingly. "Now go back out there and dazzle them all. And remember,
we're in Ryuichi
gave a determined nod. He took a deep breath, then
headed back out to the microphone. The cheers from the crowd were deafening.
Ryuichi greeted them again with a "You want more, With a sigh, K relaxed a bit. The concert was almost over. Ryuichi was doing well. Everyone was safe and fine. "IhhKshhhh!" Except for him, that is. Not with such a resilient tickle in his nose. He kept a finger or two pressed to his nose, but that only delayed the sneezes a little. When they finally decided to strike, they came in a strong fit which completely overpowered him. "IhShhhh! IHKShhh! IHSHhhh! HIHSHH! IhKShhh! KuShhhhhhh!" "Mr. K?" asked the stage manager. K's head snapped up in a second. His eyes focused on Ryuichi, assuming there was an immediate danger. His hand moved immediately to the gun in its holster. But then K realized the man had simply been worried about him and his sneezes. He sighed and rolled his eyes. Then he waved a hand to dismiss the concern. Ryuichi finished his first encore, the curtain closed, and the stage went dark apart from a few dim lights. Ryuichi returned to K's side for another few gulps of water. K wrapped his arms around the man, feeling slightly insecure in the near darkness. Apart from a stuffy, runny noise, he was alert and ready to put himself in harm's way if someone were to come at them now. The first concert in a new location always made him a little jumpy like this. Ryuichi whispered to him, "It's okay." "It's okay." K nodded, trying to reassure him that things were indeed fine. His heart beat fast, however, and his eyes zipped around looking for possible dangers. With Ryuichi pressed against him, K could feel the younger man growing hard. Frequently the excitement of being on stage did this to him. But, somehow, K didn't think that's what it was this time. "Just two encores tonight," Ryuichi reminded him. There was a special sparkle in his eyes that K never saw when the man was on stage singing under all the lights. He hugged Ryuichi tightly as they waited for the curtains to part and the signal from the stage manager. K raised a hand and swiped at his nose. He sniffed softly a few times and Ryuichi looked up at him. "Have you caught a sniffle, K-san?" K shook his
head and sniffled again. He felt the need to sneeze but didn't want to risk it
now. "No, I'm not sick." The manager gave them 'one minute' signal. He cleared
his throat and patted Ryuichi on the back. "All right, now get out there and
give them the best encore so far!" That wasn't saying much, considering that
this was the first formal performance of the new tour. He rubbed at his nose
again, a bit more frantically. Then his eyes closed and he turned his head,
sneezing into a fist. "IHShhh!" He sniffed hard, feeling more sneezes coming on but
wanting them to leave him alone just until Ryuichi was back out on stage. Ryuichi pouted, looking up at him and noticing the conflict on his face. "Only two more songs," he whispered reassuringly. The curtains parted, and Ryuichi headed back out onto stage to sing his last two songs. K sighed and cupped his hands to his nose and mouth. He gave himself just one more fit of sneezes before he had to be in full bodyguard mode. "h'IHShhh! IhhKShhh! ihhShh! ihh-ihhhHShhh! hihh-KShuhh!" It was bad enough that he was sneezing now; he couldn't risk Ryuichi's safety because of a ticklish nose. The two songs went quickly, and left a sense of closure the way some of his more upbeat songs could not have. When Ryuichi left the stage, he gave K an excited hug, and K squeezed him back. Then K led the way backstage. They were flanked by security when they hit the hallway, guys all handpicked by K who were able to keep the backstage crowd from swarming them. They reached the dressing room and ducked inside. It was small, and K looked it over carefully before he felt comfortable with Ryuichi settling in. The younger man ran his hands vigorously through his hair and shook his head to get some of the hairspray from it. He looked at K's reflection in the mirror, seeing the man rubbing at his nose more. "I think you are sick," he said playfully. "Oh you do, do you?" K laughed. But he rubbed at his nose as well. He was trying his best to look as relaxed and laid back as always. When really he felt less in control than he could remember. "Mmm," Ryuichi gave a nod and picked up Kumagoro. He made the fluffy stuffed bunny's head nod affirmatively. "And Kumagoro agrees." He lifted the bunny's arm and pointed it at K's mirror reflection as the man stood a few yards behind him. Speaking in the bunny's voice, he said, "You've been sneezy and sniffly all night. You're sick!" For a moment, K considered pulling out a gun and holding it to the bunny's head to warn him not to be so observant and obstinate. But he felt another sneeze coming on and didn't think Ryuichi would take kindly to threats against Kumagoro. The singer
watched with large, worry-filled eyes as his bodyguard and manager tensed and
shook with yet another sneeze. "IHHKshhhhh!" Ryuichi frowned and spoke in his own voice again as he set the bunny on his head. "If you're sick, we don't have to do this. We could just head back to hotel now," he suggested. K shook his head. He'd never known Ryuichi to act so logical or want to look after him like this. He was half tempted to accept the offer just to see what Ryu would do. But as the man's manager, he couldn't allow it. "Absolutely not. If news got out that you didn't sign autographs on the first night of your tour, they'd be saying you let your adoring fans down and we might not be able to fill those last few venues we have scheduled. Besides," he said, cracking one of his characteristic smiles and putting one hand on hip. "I'm not sick. Everything is a-okay!" He held up his hand with a 'thumbs up' sign. His eyes were fixed upon Ryuichi's mirror reflection's for a second, five seconds, ten seconds, then his expression wavered and he turned to sneeze with his finger up to his nose. "HIIIHChhhh!" Upon recovery, he sniffed hard and pointed out towards the door. "Go!" he ordered with a laugh. K ushered both Ryuichi and Kumagoro out the door. There was a crowd four people deep lining the hallway on both sides. He glanced around for a moment, then let Ryuichi approach to sign autographs. The session was intense but mercifully short, and soon K was guiding Ryuichi out to the limo with security around them both and his hand on his gun just in case. K checked to be sure the limo driver was the correct one and that the car was otherwise empty before he allowed Ryuichi inside. Then, once the doors were locked and the car was on the right road back to the hotel, they could both relax. Sitting back in the seat, K cupped his hand to his nose and mouth. "hihh..." He let go, feeling another fit coming on. "ihhh-IHKShhhh! IhShhhh! Kishhhh! Ehh-IHShhhh! IhhKshhh! IhhKshhhh!" "Awww," cooed Ryuichi. He kissed K's cheek then curled up on the seat with his head on K's thigh. "Bless you lots." K smirked as he sniffed back his runny nose and rubbed the back of his hand at his nostrils. His other hand gently worked its way through his charge's hair, petting softly and comfortingly. Then his hand moved down, rubbing shoulders and back in turn. Ryuichi snuggled closer, hugging Kumagoro to his chest. "I feel so safe and comfy when I'm with you," he murmured thoughtfully. Something warm rushed through K. "And I feel safe and comfortable when you're with me." He sniffed and held his finger under his nose. "Even if you are sick." "I'm not!" K laughed. "It's okay," Ryuichi said sweetly. "I don't really mind if you're a little sniffly." Still laughing a bit, "That's much appreciated, but I wouldn't dare snuggle with you if I really were sick." "Mmm," Ryuichi said thoughtfully, but left it at that for
now. K could see the gears in his head turning and wondered what the man was up
to. They reached the hotel in no time, and K forced a baseball cap onto Ryuichi's head. The man smiled up at him from beneath the rim with big eyes and a wide smile. He sat up and K slipped a tan trench coat around him. K wore a black one, which covered his gun. The hotel knew he carried one, but they didn't really want him walking around with it in plain view. For the life of him, he couldn't imagine why. They walked up the back stairs for a few flights, then caught the elevator up to one of the top floors. They'd been offered the penthouse but K didn't feel safe in a place with two stories. So they got one of the regal suites beneath the penthouse. K swiped his card and led the way in. Then he turned quickly and, in one full movement, he closed the door and pinned Ryuichi against the wall. "Don't move from this spot until I give the all-clear. Okay?" Ryuichi grinned but nodded. He rather enjoyed seeing K in his overly cautious, overly protective mode. "Okay." K gave the place a good sweep, checking every corner, every closet. Finding nothing and no one, he tossed his coat onto a chair and shrugged dramatically. "No obsessed fans or celebrity serial killers here tonight." Ryuichi faked a relieved sigh and tossed his coat on top of K's. "Guess there will be no excitement here tonight, then." The singer gestured across the suite and they both walked slowly, headed towards the bedroom to wind down after the intensity of the concert. "Well, I wouldn't say that. I can think of a few exciting..." K stopped immediately, his nose twitching, his hand snapping up to rub at it. But for all the good it did him he would have been better just finishing his sentence. "IH-HITCHhhhhh! KIHshhhhh! KShhhh!" He took a deep breath, hand cupped to his face, and sneezed once again. "huh-KIShhhhh!" This one snapped him in half as he stumbled towards the bed. Feeling weaker than he wanted to and looking more helpless than he wanted to, he swayed as he tried to straighten back up. But Ryuichi giggled and, taking advantage of his manager's weakened state, pushed K onto the bed. By Ryuichi's hands, off came shoes, the holster and gun, pants and shirt. Then up came the blankets, tucked tightly around K. Then he stuck Kumagoro and a Kleenex box under the covers and into K's arms. "Now you stay there all snuggly and warm until you get over your cold," he insisted, sitting down on the edge of the bed in front of K. K smiled and shook his head. He hugged the bunny to his chest and pulled out a tissue to blow his nose a few times. He felt grateful for the relief it afforded him. "Ryu-chan, I appreciate this. But I know this isn't a cold." Ryuichi gave him a skeptical look, then dove under the blankets. He crawled over K and snuggled up to his back. "Oh you do, do you?" he said, trying to imitate K's voice from earlier that night. Ryuichi reached over and slid K's hair tie off, pulling out the ponytail. The long blond hair flowed freely onto the pillow and down K's back, stretching nearly to his waist. He ran his hands through it then nuzzled his face into it and the back of K's neck. "Then why have you been sneezing so much?" With a deep, resigned sigh, K answered. "It's an allergy, Ryu-chan." "An allergy?" Somehow the words seemed strange as they fell from Ryuichi's lips. They were filled with curiosity and concern. "What to?" He sniffed at himself. "I'm not using a different scent, or shampoo or anything." K shook his head. "It doesn't matter. You can't do anything about it any... anyway." He pulled another tissue out of the box and held it up in front of his face in expectation. The sneeze took a few seconds to come out, a few seconds in which he wrinkled his nose and closed his eyes. "hah... hahhh... HAH-Ihchhhhhh!" Now that he was off the job, he did not mind sneezing without restraint, even if it did make the bed shake a bit. He hoped Ryuichi wouldn't mind that, though the man had never before complained when the bed shook. Ryuichi kissed the back of K's ear and then kissed his cheek. "I can be sympathetic. That much I can do. Come on... tell me. What is it?" With a deep sigh, and his eyes closed, K admitted, "It's that new smoke machine they use during your performance." He gave a few soft sniffles. "It makes my nose tickle." He tensed and then looked back, pointing his finger as though it were his gun. "But don't you go telling anybody that!" Ryuichi shook his head with a promise. "K-san... you should have told me earlier. We can just get rid of the smoke machine." Again, K shook his head. "I didn't know until tonight. It wasn't hooked up during the rehearsals. But don't you worry about it. And don't get rid of it. The way the lights bounce off it... the way you step out and separate yourself from the fog during 'Stormy Serenade'... it makes you look so fantastic. I don't want you to lose that." "And I don't want you sneezing every time I have a concert," Ryuichi insisted. Though he would easily sacrifice his sinuses for a more impressive show, K had to admit it hadn't been easy to stay professional while sneezing his head off. Not to mention the fact that he'd put Ryuichi at risk. Had there been any sort of problem, he probably would not have been able to react as quickly as needed. His thoughts were brought to a halt quickly as another sneezing fit seized hold of him. "Ihhh... IHHChhh! IhKshhh! EhKshhh! IhhKushhh! IhhKshhhh! KShhhh!" He blew his nose into a tissue and sighed. "Can we talk about this later, perhaps?" Ryuichi nodded. "Of course. Bless you lots more." He stroked K's hair gently. "Is there anything I can get you to help you stop sneezing now? Medicine maybe? We could ring room service." K wasn't sure what he could take, but he wasn't too fond of medicines in general when there were other, more enjoyable alternatives. "I think a long bath in the Jacuzzi tub would help," he said. "That's a good idea," Ryuichi agreed, pulling back a little to give K room to get up. With a deep breath, K sat up. His head felt full as he moved, and he pulled a few more tissues from the box to hold them to his nose in case the runny nose got worse. Then he set Kumagoro on top of the pillows and patted his head in a sort of thank you for the moral support the bunny had provided. He rose with a bit of a groan and a strong sniff. After all the sneezing, and the pressure in his sinuses, his head felt a bit fuzzy when he stood up again. He headed
towards the bathroom but turned around, half-way there. His long hair flowed
down over his shoulders, nearly to the waistband of his underwear. "I was
thinking..." He walked back and knelt on the bed. "You were right there in that
fog." He plucked at Ryuichi's shirt and sniffed at it
curiously. "Your clothes, your hair, your-ihhh!" He pulled back, holding the tissues over his nose. "IhhhShfff! IhKuffff! EhhhChufff!"
he smothered the sneezes into the tissues. "You should probably take a bath, too,
you know." Ryuichi nodded enthusiastically and sprang out of bed, shedding his clothing on the way to the bathroom. K drew the bath and Ryuichi turned up the bubbles before they both slipped into the warm water. The tub was just big enough for them to stretch out in it, one on each side. The bubbling water was nearly shoulder height. If they slumped, they could feel the bubbles on the bottoms of their chins. K relaxed, breathing through his nose as best he could. It was still stuffy but the steam from the water seemed to be helping reduce the tickling. Feeling a little livelier now, he grabbed the bar of soap and rubbed it feverishly all over himself. He scrubbed at his face, at his neck, and at his arms the most, as they'd been exposed more directly. Several times he dunked his head into the water and worked his fingers through his long hair from the top downward, determined to get as clean as possible. Ryuichi took the soap from K when he was done with it and similarly rubbed it against himself. Following K's lead, he also ducked beneath the water to wet his hair, and rinsed it well. K sat back, watching carefully as Ryuichi went through the motions of cleaning himself. K noticed the way the soap glided so beautifully over the slightly-tanned skin. The bright blue-violet eyes were now peacefully closed. A few seconds after the bar of soap left a spot, the man cupped his other hand to pour rinsing water over the area. When his hair was wet, it hung down, dark brown, around and in front of his face. One bit snaked down between his eyes and followed along his nose. Repeatedly he brushed it out of his face but not long after each attempt the pieces fell back there naturally. Something stirred in K, watching the singer at so private a moment. He shared so many such moments with the man. Some exciting. Some heartbreaking. Some tender. And some, like this one, quiet and precious. There was a gentle beauty to the man in whatever he did. Whether he was on stage singing his heart out or napping with his stuffed bunny on the couch. K knew what Ryuichi's fans saw in the man. But he had also seen more than most of them ever would. He'd sensed the magic that lay within and he'd felt the warmth of the man's touch. Ryuichi came up after rinsing off entirely beneath the water, gasping for breath and smiling. K cocked his head and smiled back. He felt pulled to the man, and wanted him closer. "What are you doing all the way over there?" K asked playfully, but softly. He reached over and poked the man gently on the nose. "I didn't want to set off your sneezing," Ryuichi said innocently. He picked up a rubber ducky where it sat on the edge of the tub and squeezed it until it squeaked. "Mmm." K watched him, licked his lips, and sighed deeply. "I can put up with a little more if you can." Ryuichi's eyes lit and he leapt across the tub at once and K caught and held him tight. Water splashed over the tub's edge, spilling onto the tile floor. The bubbles were accompanied by waves now, which slowly settled as Ryuichi stayed put in front of K. The man knelt on the underwater seat K sat on, and sat on K's lap. He put his arms around K's neck and kissed him sweetly. The sweetness was deceiving, however, as the singer's thighs began pressing tightly against the outside of K's, indicating his true desires. K closed his eyes and pushed his pelvis up to meet Ryuichi's. His hands slid down beneath the water to find a comfortable spot on the small of the man's back. The warm water had made them soft at first, but not as soft as if it had been cold water. At all the touches and the kisses, they both grew hard quite quickly. But when K tensed, it wasn't because he was ready to shoot. "IhhhKshhh! hihh-hihhhKShhhhh!" He sniffed and grabbed the soap again. "You still smell like... like..." His eyes snapped shut and he fell forward. "HIHHHShhhh!" "Sorry,"
Ryuichi murmured around another sweet kiss. Their lips slipped playfully
against each other's in partial kisses. K ran the soap across Ryuichi's back, then brought it around
to his chest. The slick bar glided over the man's nipples, making him smile and
sit forward a bit so his crotch pressed against K's. He leaned into K, grinding himself against the elder man who dropped the soap immediately and held the younger man closer with a moan. He closed his eyes and buried his face in Ryuichi's hair. Another tickle built in his nose as he breathed in with deep gasps. He tired to restrain it, tried not to let it bother him. But the scent in Ryuichi's hair was too strong to resist and his nose tickled madly, begging him to submit to it. And though K did not like the idea of such a submission, he soon had no choice. His hands slipped on Ryuichi's back and he turned his face away at the last moment. "herrshhhhhhhh! HIHShhhhh!" He lifted a wet hand and rubbed it against his nose. But before he had a chance to seem miserable or even apologize for the outburst, Ryuichi cupped his face with a hand and administered an understanding kiss. K sighed happily then, playfully, he forced Ryuichi beneath the water to give his nose a break. He scrubbed at the other man's brown hair until Ryuichi came up for air, laughing. Their eyes met for a moment, Ryuichi's face just poking out above the bubbles. Then the man dove back underwater. A moment later, K stiffened with a moan as soft, pruney fingers and then a rough tongue carefully caressed his cock. The water seemed to be no hindrance at all with Ryuichi's touch. Never had he wanted to be so close to the man. He didn't care if it would make him sneeze for hours on end. He just wanted to be even closer. "That's it," K sighed, reaching beneath the bubbles to grab hold of Ryuichi's hair and steady himself. Beneath the water, Ryuichi exhaled slowly, bubbles tickling K in just the right places. K groaned with pleasure. When the
man came back up, looking longingly back at K, K took charge of the matter. Still
feeling a bit sneezy and sniffly when Ryuichi came
near, he nonetheless grabbed the man and pushed him to the side of the tub. He
carefully positioned the singer against the side so one of the jets blasting
bubbles into the water was just beside Ryuichi. The man could still feel the
bubbles, and the pressure, against his crotch, simply not hard enough to hurt
if left there for any extended period of time. K slid up behind, positioning
himself carefully before slipping inside. With Ryuichi relaxed from the bath, K found his way in easily. But it was far warmer inside the man than in the hot water. And when he pushed all the way in, making Ryuichi move forward as well, the bubbles from the nearby jet caught Ryuichi in such a way that the young singer cried out. Torn between making the moment last and finishing before he had to sneeze again, K sped up. Decidedly, he felt far too close to wait any longer. He sped up his pace, and Ryuichi's cries sped up as well, increasing in pitch and in desperation until K recognized it as a very familiar song. Anxious to hear its end, K gave a few last, powerfully deep thrusts before shooting. Ryuichi's cry was full of pleasure but so loud that K was glad they had requested soundproof rooms. As a singer, that came in handy. But as a lover, it was almost a necessity. K felt something repeatedly tapping at his back and glanced over his shoulder to see that the yellow rubber ducky had been riding the waves back and forth along with his thrusts. He barely had the strength to bat it over to the other side of the tub before pulling out and then hugging Ryuichi to him. His fingers slipped through the damp hair, which still made his nose tickle. Wondering how many baths it would take to get rid of the scent completely, and looking forward to each and every one, he rested his cheek against the top of Ryuichi's head, closed his eyes, and cupped a hand to his nose in order to catch the next sneezes, whenever they came. |