paradis | ONE OF SEVERAL BIRFDEE FICS

It was a little remarkable, Yu thought, watching Chatterclock sit on the floor and play with his little sister.

Curled up on his bed and ostensibly reading the book open in his lap, Yu instead found his attention drawn inexorably to the two sitting cross-legged on his floor. Chatterclock still had some difficulty staying corporeal ("solid as fuck," as he'd put it once he'd started to get the hang of it), but these days he could keep his form for longer and longer, and the rest periods he needed were shorter.

It allowed things like this to happen. "Things" in this case being a spread of papers on the floor as Chatterclock and Nanako traded off sketches. Nanako drew a bunny, and Chatterclock gave it sunglasses. ("Shades," he insisted.) Nanako would laugh and squeal "how cool!" before adding a cape onto the bunny.

"What's that for?" Chatterclock had asked.

"So he looks like a hero! Like you and big bro!"

Yu had been forced to duck his head back into his book just to avoid the glance he knew Chatterclock would slide his way. He also felt sure he'd been pretty obvious in so doing and had not really gotten away with it.

Ten minutes passed by quickly. Yu, keeping an eye on the clock on his wall, stood up towards the end of it and knelt on the floor besides Nanako, smiling.

"Can you go get washed up for dinner? Chatterclock and I will clean up here."

"Okay, big bro!"

Hopping to her feet, she wrapped her arms around Chatterclock in an impulsive, shy hug before darting out of the room. Yu found his mouth quirking while Chatterclock simply continued sitting there, pink across the bridge of his nose and looking a little out of sorts.

"Dunno if I'm ever going to get used to her," he said distantly, leaning back on his hands.

Yu's smile gentled as he reached out to start gathering up the drawings, taking some time to gaze at them as he picked up each one.

"She's really something special, isn't she?"

He looked up in time to see the look on Chatterclock's face, warm as it was, lit from within just enough to tilt up the corners of his mouth.

"Yeah."

It happened as naturally as breathing. In that moment, it seemed like the only thing he could do, the only way he could physically react. As if he'd meant to do it, as if he'd always meant to do it, Yu found himself leaning forward, pressing a hand to the floor to keep his balance. He registered Chatterclock staring at him with slightly widened eyes and starting to say "what're you--" before he cut the words off by gently pressing his lips to Chatterclock's own.

The moment was quiet and careful and warmed by the sunlight streaming in through his window. There wasn't much to it. Just their mouths connecting, and there wasn't anything electric about it. Fireworks did not go off, and really, Yu didn't feel that much different. Not when his heart had already felt full to bursting, anyway. If Chatterclock was reacting, Yu couldn't really feel it, outside of a ragged breath that felt hot against his skin.

The kiss broke as gently as it had begun, and Yu pulled away, lips still slightly parted though no words were coming out as his eyes examined Chatterclock's face. He almost wanted to laugh, because Chatterclock had gone from a little pink to almost explosively red in the face, and his mouth was working open and closed, over and over, and overall, he gave the impression of a particularly concussed fish.

And then, winking out like a star, he abruptly disappeared.

Yu burst out laughing even as a voice screeched in his mind dude, you can't just-- what the hell, I didn't even have any time to-- next time you gotta warn a guy--

Shaking with continued laughs, unable to even stop, Yu squished the heel of his palm into his cheek and glanced at the sword sitting on the end of his bed.

Sorry. Was ... that okay?

Chatterclock's tirade cut off all at once, and silence filtered in between them. The color of this silence was red and gold like sunlight, calm and dark like shade, a swirl of thoughts and bubbled over feelings that all came down to a quiet, simple:

Yeah.

Shit, though, next time it's my turn to sweep you off your feet, got it?

... got it.