lotus_beauty (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lotus_beauty) wrote2005-09-07 09:49 pm
lotus_beauty) wrote2005-09-07 09:49 pm
Once upon a time... Part 7
Thank you ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lastsecretgarde for reminding me ^_^
Fic description and first two parts can be found here
When last we saw our heros, You was about to get a bath... ;D
Part 7
“Come on, I’ll help you,” Gackt said as he returned to pick You up.
The blonde squirmed in his grasp. “Thanks and all, but I really don’t need any help.”
“Stop being difficult,” the vampire told him and carried him into the bathroom. “I’m just going to help you make sure that your bandages don’t get wet. I’ll be very gentle, I promise,” he said as she turned the water off.
“I’ll bet.” You rolled his eyes.
“I’ll supervise!” Hiromi offered.
This was getting ridiculous. “No, I think we can handle it Hiromi. Thanks though.”
“No problem. Just call if you need me!” she told them and trotted off to the main room.
You sighed and felt extremely self-conscious. He looked up to see Gackt motion for him to get off the counter, so he slipped off and stood on his good foot. Being a good boy, he stood still and let Gackt take his pants and boxers off. Still, the thought of someone undressing him like this made him uneasy. He was thankful when Gackt didn’t say a word and helped him over to the tub. Getting into the water was a completely different task now that he was injured. His balance wasn’t that good to begin with, so while You concentrated on keeping his leg up, he had to rely on Gackt as the man lowered him into the water. He murmured his thanks as the other man rolled up his sleeves and retrieved the soap and a cloth, lathering it up to scrub the spots You would have had trouble reaching in his position. When he was finished, he handed the items to You and let him clean the easier to reach spots.
After his body was clean, the blonde washed his hair and was surprised when Gackt appeared again after he washed the shampoo from his hair. The vampire let the soapy water out before running another bath of clean water for You. The young man almost fainted of happiness. A good soak would feel so good. He nodded his thanks to Gackt as he leaned back against the edge of the tub and relaxed. The vampire sighed and grunted as he sat down next to the tub.
“Why didn’t you tease me?” You asked, wondering why Gackt hadn’t said anything, since he’d been so eager to before.
“That seemed in bad form,” he replied. “Would you like me to join you?”
The blonde blushed and stammered out a form of no to hear Gackt laugh again. “Would you even feel the water?”
“Of course, just not the way I would if I was normal.” He added, “I would feel your body more.”
“Are you teasing me again?” You bristled.
Gackt chuckled and shook his head. “I mean, the warmth of your body and your blood would be felt more by me than the water.”
“Oh.” You tried to find another topic of conversation other than his body to talk about. “Why are you spending so much time with me?”
A sigh echoed in the room. “I want to get to know you.”
“You’re not watching me to make sure I won’t escape again?” You pushed.
“You, why do you think I saved you?” he asked.
“So you don’t go back on the deal with my father?” the blonde ventured.
“Because it was my fault that you ran,” Gackt told him, making him feel guilty. “I was playing the piano to help make you feel comfortable. I didn’t realize you might follow the sound to me. When I saw you in the wing I told you not to enter, I was furious. I hadn’t wanted you to see all the things I’d destroyed in my rage.”
“Why didn’t you get it replaced?” You asked curiously.
“I would inevitably end up destroying it in some way again. My anger was far too strong in the past, and after I started to control it, I wanted to keep the ruined things to remind me of what I didn’t want to be anymore.” He then asked suddenly, “Are your fingers pruny?”
You blinked, caught off guard, and lifted his hands from the water to see that they were indeed pruny. “Yes.”
“Time to get out then,” Gackt said as he got up and held his hands out to the wet one.
You was surprised to see how easily the vampire pulled him up and held his weight as he let the blonde lean against him to get out. Once You stood on the tile floor, Gackt handed him a towel and You wiped it over his body, drying himself as a yawn escaped his lips. He wrapped the towel around his waist and looked up, staring in surprise as he saw that Gackt had taken off his shirt that had gotten wet from helping him. It wasn’t so much the fact that he’d taken off the shirt as his well muscled physique that had You staring. He had expected Gackt’s body to skinny or gaunt, but apparently he’d taken perfection seriously and kept his body in shape.
“Like what you see?” Gackt asked with a cheeky grin.
This time, You decided to play along. “Nah, I like my men really beefy.”
Gackt laughed and shook his head. “See, that wasn’t hard, was it?”
You smiled as he realized he could jibe back and not make the vampire angry. “Nah.” His heart felt a little lighter as Gackt lifted him and carried him back into the bedroom to set him on the bed. Maybe they really could be friends.
“Do you wear pajamas to bed?” Gackt asked.
The blonde shook his head. “Just boxers.” He received a nod and watched as Gackt went though his wardrobe and tossed him a pair before moving off toward the windows. You did his best to wiggle into the boxers after discarding his towel on the floor. It was harder than he’s expected, but he managed to get them on. He then realized that the lights in the room were dimming and looked over to see Gackt turning them off. Remembering Gackt’s dislike of electric lights, You was amazed that he’d put up with them for so long. The master then moved to one of the chairs near the fireplace and sat, probably expecting You to go to sleep, but the young man wasn’t tired.
He leaned back against the pillows and gazed at Gackt’s profile. Those yellow eyes glanced at him and he heard Gackt sigh.
“How about I tell you another story like last night?”
“Okay.”
“Once upon a time…”
And he was out like a light.
Over the course of the next week, You spent a lot of time with Gackt, mainly because he found out that the west wing was being renovated and Gackt needed somewhere to haunt while his rooms were being made over. You didn’t mind of course, because he enjoyed Gackt’s company and found him an interesting companion. He actually found himself seeking out Gackt if he got bored or wanted someone to talk to. He would send Hiromi looking for the vampire since he couldn’t walk around himself.
One day in particular, You was in his main room, writing a short composition with his guitar when Gackt returned. His eyes seemed to light up when he saw what You was working on and started to help him with it right away, offering his advice. The young man was surprised at Gackt’s knowledge of music and Gackt told him that Cha had taught him almost everything he knew when he was younger. That was the day that Gackt admitted how much he enjoyed their friendship. You felt that even if Gackt told him he was free to leave, he would never leave for good. He cherished their friendship too much. He could never be complete without a friend like Gackt.
~***~
“Huh?” Gackt turned to Ren, who had said something while he was concentrating on something else and was therefore not heard.
“I said, my mother’s birthday is in a few days. Do you mind if I go and see her overnight?” Ren repeated.
“Sure, just remind me before you go so I can adjust the wall for you,” Gackt replied absently as he watched some of his staff working on the rooms in the west wing.
“I’m surprised you took the time to finally renovate,” the red head commented and followed Gackt as he wandered away from the workers.
“It’s time I pulled my head out of the past,” the vampire murmured.
“Difficult, isn’t it?”
“Very.” Gackt smiled a little as Ren started to ramble on about something in the town and he stopped at the top of a set of stairs to see You at the bottom, plucking out a tune on the guitar Gackt had given him. The vampire smiled as he watched the young man fondly. He’d finally been able to hobble around the castle on his own. Gackt would miss spending his nights watching the blonde sleep so peacefully when his rooms were finished. He was almost sad to help make him fall asleep with his powers most nights, because he liked talking to You. Gackt’s thoughts came to a screeching halt as he caught something Ren said about the blonde and turned with wide eyes to stare at the shorter man.
“WHAT.”
Ren jumped in surprise. “W-what?”
“What did you say about You?” he asked quietly.
“His father said he never really chased after girls and that he probably isn’t attracted to them,” the man repeated quickly.
Gackt just stared at him in shock. “You’re not messing with me, are you?”
Ren shook his head. “His father really thinks his son doesn’t like girls, but guys.”
“Why did he tell you?” The vampire was bewildered. His father actually accepted it?
The servant shrugged. “He’s a really nice man, he tells me all sorts of stuff. He told me about his wife. She sounded like a really nice lady.”
“She’s dead?”
“Died of some congenital disease when You was sixteen.”
“I see.” Gackt turned back to see You staring off into space as he plucked at random chords of the guitar.
“Gackt.”
“Hm?”
“You know I’m the only one who knows about before.”
The vampire flinched and turned to the shorter man. “Is that why you told me about what his father said?”
Ren shrugged. “I know you don’t like girls either. If you have to learn to love someone, you might want to do it with someone who will love you back.”
“What says he’ll love me back? I am keeping him here against his will,” Gackt reminded him.
“You know, at this point, I don’t think he’d leave if you told him he could. He likes you.” The red head smiled.
“How do you know?”
“Whenever I mention you, he goes off on something, talking about all the things you did that day, or what you talked about. He goes on and on about you and the things he likes.” Ren chuckled. “I’d think its fairly obvious.”
“I hope you’re right.” Gackt leaned on the banister. “I don’t want it to end up like it did last time.”
“Gackt, you’re not a naïve child anymore.” Ren reached out to grip his shoulders and squeezed them. “That won’t happen again, not with someone like him. The curse was supposed to teach you that love might be a mistake, but it’s worth making. Everyone hates to be hurt or see someone hurt because of their emotions, but we all hurt for some reason or another. Promise me you’ll give him a chance”
Gackt nodded. “I will.” He glanced back to the young man to see that he was rubbing his leg. It was probably sore from all the wandering around Gackt had seen him doing earlier. “I’ll check with you later,” he told Ren absently and meandered down the stairs to You. “Sore?”
“Yeah,” the blonde replied. “It’s frustrating not being able to walk on it.”
“Getting bored then?” Gackt sat down beside him and sighed as he rubbed his face. “I’m sorry I’ve been so busy with the renovation.”
“Still feeling guilty about my leg?” You glanced at him and the vampire nodded. “Don’t. It’ll heal.”
“I know.”
“You look terrible.”
“I know.”
“You’re not going to…”
Gackt shook his head as he looked off away from You, not wanting him to see his deteriorating state. It was upsetting.
“I don’t care what you look like.”
The vampire turned to the young man to see him smile. He frowned a little. Didn’t You just say he looked terrible? What was the young man getting at?
“The person inside is what’s important.”
If he could have, he would have blushed. He felt You’s hand squeeze his shoulder and smiled sheepishly. He’d been concentrating so much on looking good to You that he didn’t realize that wasn’t what the young man liked about him. He wondered what You had told Ren he liked.
“Right?” You looked at him expectantly, still smiling.
He returned the smile. “Yeah.”
~***~
Please comment if you read ^_^v
lastsecretgarde for reminding me ^_^Fic description and first two parts can be found here
When last we saw our heros, You was about to get a bath... ;D
Part 7
“Come on, I’ll help you,” Gackt said as he returned to pick You up.
The blonde squirmed in his grasp. “Thanks and all, but I really don’t need any help.”
“Stop being difficult,” the vampire told him and carried him into the bathroom. “I’m just going to help you make sure that your bandages don’t get wet. I’ll be very gentle, I promise,” he said as she turned the water off.
“I’ll bet.” You rolled his eyes.
“I’ll supervise!” Hiromi offered.
This was getting ridiculous. “No, I think we can handle it Hiromi. Thanks though.”
“No problem. Just call if you need me!” she told them and trotted off to the main room.
You sighed and felt extremely self-conscious. He looked up to see Gackt motion for him to get off the counter, so he slipped off and stood on his good foot. Being a good boy, he stood still and let Gackt take his pants and boxers off. Still, the thought of someone undressing him like this made him uneasy. He was thankful when Gackt didn’t say a word and helped him over to the tub. Getting into the water was a completely different task now that he was injured. His balance wasn’t that good to begin with, so while You concentrated on keeping his leg up, he had to rely on Gackt as the man lowered him into the water. He murmured his thanks as the other man rolled up his sleeves and retrieved the soap and a cloth, lathering it up to scrub the spots You would have had trouble reaching in his position. When he was finished, he handed the items to You and let him clean the easier to reach spots.
After his body was clean, the blonde washed his hair and was surprised when Gackt appeared again after he washed the shampoo from his hair. The vampire let the soapy water out before running another bath of clean water for You. The young man almost fainted of happiness. A good soak would feel so good. He nodded his thanks to Gackt as he leaned back against the edge of the tub and relaxed. The vampire sighed and grunted as he sat down next to the tub.
“Why didn’t you tease me?” You asked, wondering why Gackt hadn’t said anything, since he’d been so eager to before.
“That seemed in bad form,” he replied. “Would you like me to join you?”
The blonde blushed and stammered out a form of no to hear Gackt laugh again. “Would you even feel the water?”
“Of course, just not the way I would if I was normal.” He added, “I would feel your body more.”
“Are you teasing me again?” You bristled.
Gackt chuckled and shook his head. “I mean, the warmth of your body and your blood would be felt more by me than the water.”
“Oh.” You tried to find another topic of conversation other than his body to talk about. “Why are you spending so much time with me?”
A sigh echoed in the room. “I want to get to know you.”
“You’re not watching me to make sure I won’t escape again?” You pushed.
“You, why do you think I saved you?” he asked.
“So you don’t go back on the deal with my father?” the blonde ventured.
“Because it was my fault that you ran,” Gackt told him, making him feel guilty. “I was playing the piano to help make you feel comfortable. I didn’t realize you might follow the sound to me. When I saw you in the wing I told you not to enter, I was furious. I hadn’t wanted you to see all the things I’d destroyed in my rage.”
“Why didn’t you get it replaced?” You asked curiously.
“I would inevitably end up destroying it in some way again. My anger was far too strong in the past, and after I started to control it, I wanted to keep the ruined things to remind me of what I didn’t want to be anymore.” He then asked suddenly, “Are your fingers pruny?”
You blinked, caught off guard, and lifted his hands from the water to see that they were indeed pruny. “Yes.”
“Time to get out then,” Gackt said as he got up and held his hands out to the wet one.
You was surprised to see how easily the vampire pulled him up and held his weight as he let the blonde lean against him to get out. Once You stood on the tile floor, Gackt handed him a towel and You wiped it over his body, drying himself as a yawn escaped his lips. He wrapped the towel around his waist and looked up, staring in surprise as he saw that Gackt had taken off his shirt that had gotten wet from helping him. It wasn’t so much the fact that he’d taken off the shirt as his well muscled physique that had You staring. He had expected Gackt’s body to skinny or gaunt, but apparently he’d taken perfection seriously and kept his body in shape.
“Like what you see?” Gackt asked with a cheeky grin.
This time, You decided to play along. “Nah, I like my men really beefy.”
Gackt laughed and shook his head. “See, that wasn’t hard, was it?”
You smiled as he realized he could jibe back and not make the vampire angry. “Nah.” His heart felt a little lighter as Gackt lifted him and carried him back into the bedroom to set him on the bed. Maybe they really could be friends.
“Do you wear pajamas to bed?” Gackt asked.
The blonde shook his head. “Just boxers.” He received a nod and watched as Gackt went though his wardrobe and tossed him a pair before moving off toward the windows. You did his best to wiggle into the boxers after discarding his towel on the floor. It was harder than he’s expected, but he managed to get them on. He then realized that the lights in the room were dimming and looked over to see Gackt turning them off. Remembering Gackt’s dislike of electric lights, You was amazed that he’d put up with them for so long. The master then moved to one of the chairs near the fireplace and sat, probably expecting You to go to sleep, but the young man wasn’t tired.
He leaned back against the pillows and gazed at Gackt’s profile. Those yellow eyes glanced at him and he heard Gackt sigh.
“How about I tell you another story like last night?”
“Okay.”
“Once upon a time…”
And he was out like a light.
Over the course of the next week, You spent a lot of time with Gackt, mainly because he found out that the west wing was being renovated and Gackt needed somewhere to haunt while his rooms were being made over. You didn’t mind of course, because he enjoyed Gackt’s company and found him an interesting companion. He actually found himself seeking out Gackt if he got bored or wanted someone to talk to. He would send Hiromi looking for the vampire since he couldn’t walk around himself.
One day in particular, You was in his main room, writing a short composition with his guitar when Gackt returned. His eyes seemed to light up when he saw what You was working on and started to help him with it right away, offering his advice. The young man was surprised at Gackt’s knowledge of music and Gackt told him that Cha had taught him almost everything he knew when he was younger. That was the day that Gackt admitted how much he enjoyed their friendship. You felt that even if Gackt told him he was free to leave, he would never leave for good. He cherished their friendship too much. He could never be complete without a friend like Gackt.
~***~
“Huh?” Gackt turned to Ren, who had said something while he was concentrating on something else and was therefore not heard.
“I said, my mother’s birthday is in a few days. Do you mind if I go and see her overnight?” Ren repeated.
“Sure, just remind me before you go so I can adjust the wall for you,” Gackt replied absently as he watched some of his staff working on the rooms in the west wing.
“I’m surprised you took the time to finally renovate,” the red head commented and followed Gackt as he wandered away from the workers.
“It’s time I pulled my head out of the past,” the vampire murmured.
“Difficult, isn’t it?”
“Very.” Gackt smiled a little as Ren started to ramble on about something in the town and he stopped at the top of a set of stairs to see You at the bottom, plucking out a tune on the guitar Gackt had given him. The vampire smiled as he watched the young man fondly. He’d finally been able to hobble around the castle on his own. Gackt would miss spending his nights watching the blonde sleep so peacefully when his rooms were finished. He was almost sad to help make him fall asleep with his powers most nights, because he liked talking to You. Gackt’s thoughts came to a screeching halt as he caught something Ren said about the blonde and turned with wide eyes to stare at the shorter man.
“WHAT.”
Ren jumped in surprise. “W-what?”
“What did you say about You?” he asked quietly.
“His father said he never really chased after girls and that he probably isn’t attracted to them,” the man repeated quickly.
Gackt just stared at him in shock. “You’re not messing with me, are you?”
Ren shook his head. “His father really thinks his son doesn’t like girls, but guys.”
“Why did he tell you?” The vampire was bewildered. His father actually accepted it?
The servant shrugged. “He’s a really nice man, he tells me all sorts of stuff. He told me about his wife. She sounded like a really nice lady.”
“She’s dead?”
“Died of some congenital disease when You was sixteen.”
“I see.” Gackt turned back to see You staring off into space as he plucked at random chords of the guitar.
“Gackt.”
“Hm?”
“You know I’m the only one who knows about before.”
The vampire flinched and turned to the shorter man. “Is that why you told me about what his father said?”
Ren shrugged. “I know you don’t like girls either. If you have to learn to love someone, you might want to do it with someone who will love you back.”
“What says he’ll love me back? I am keeping him here against his will,” Gackt reminded him.
“You know, at this point, I don’t think he’d leave if you told him he could. He likes you.” The red head smiled.
“How do you know?”
“Whenever I mention you, he goes off on something, talking about all the things you did that day, or what you talked about. He goes on and on about you and the things he likes.” Ren chuckled. “I’d think its fairly obvious.”
“I hope you’re right.” Gackt leaned on the banister. “I don’t want it to end up like it did last time.”
“Gackt, you’re not a naïve child anymore.” Ren reached out to grip his shoulders and squeezed them. “That won’t happen again, not with someone like him. The curse was supposed to teach you that love might be a mistake, but it’s worth making. Everyone hates to be hurt or see someone hurt because of their emotions, but we all hurt for some reason or another. Promise me you’ll give him a chance”
Gackt nodded. “I will.” He glanced back to the young man to see that he was rubbing his leg. It was probably sore from all the wandering around Gackt had seen him doing earlier. “I’ll check with you later,” he told Ren absently and meandered down the stairs to You. “Sore?”
“Yeah,” the blonde replied. “It’s frustrating not being able to walk on it.”
“Getting bored then?” Gackt sat down beside him and sighed as he rubbed his face. “I’m sorry I’ve been so busy with the renovation.”
“Still feeling guilty about my leg?” You glanced at him and the vampire nodded. “Don’t. It’ll heal.”
“I know.”
“You look terrible.”
“I know.”
“You’re not going to…”
Gackt shook his head as he looked off away from You, not wanting him to see his deteriorating state. It was upsetting.
“I don’t care what you look like.”
The vampire turned to the young man to see him smile. He frowned a little. Didn’t You just say he looked terrible? What was the young man getting at?
“The person inside is what’s important.”
If he could have, he would have blushed. He felt You’s hand squeeze his shoulder and smiled sheepishly. He’d been concentrating so much on looking good to You that he didn’t realize that wasn’t what the young man liked about him. He wondered what You had told Ren he liked.
“Right?” You looked at him expectantly, still smiling.
He returned the smile. “Yeah.”
~***~
Please comment if you read ^_^v