Here be fluff; enjoy. Thanks to Risque Tendencies for giving me some ideas here! Cheers!

/GG/

He Means the World to Me

Working in the basement level of a bookstore often felt like working in a dungeon, especially with the lack of direct sunlight. Yukina'd go to the roof of the building during his breaks just to make sure he could feel the sun dance on his skin or breathe the fresh air. Even with the air conditioner running, the basement's air was stale and smelled of new books. Yukina loved the new book smell, but there was only so much a man could take.

Some days, though, didn't require him to go up to the roof. On those days, Kisa-san would show up and be Yukina's personal ray of sunshine. The editor didn't like the description of himself and would pout whenever Yukina said as much. Kisa-san's little pout was just an added bonus, in Yukina's mind, to the sunshine the man brought with him.

It was a normal enough afternoon in which Yukina was busy stocking shelves with the newest volumes of manga recently purchased. He'd started work early in the morning because Kisa-san would be home all day and the earlier Yukina started, the earlier he could get off and go meet his boyfriend. The change over in working schedule did mess with his sleep habit a little, but it was worth it when a few extra hours could be added to his awake time with Kisa-san.

He wasn't expecting his lover to walk through the door, so when that happened, his normal smile was immediately replaced with a few seconds of shock. Then that same smile found its way back onto his lips as he walked over to greet the manga editor.

"Kisa-san," he called jovially. "What are you doing here?"

Kisa's eyes twitched a little as he replied. "Since I didn't have to work today, I thought I would come pick you up after your shift and we could go to a nearby coffee shop."

"Really?" Yukina was excited. "We haven't been able to do that in longer than I can remember. I'm off in an hour and a half, do you really want to hang around that long though, Kisa-san?"

"I can look at the new volumes from Marukawa as well as check out the competition for a while. You do your work and I will keep myself occupied."

The way Kisa spoke made Yukina feel as if the man were older than his almost thirty-one years. Secretly, Kou had hopes of becoming just like Kisa-san when he reached that age. Kisa would always be older than he, but the book store clerk knew that he'd eventually reach all of the milestones Kisa-san had already passed. That idea thrilled him because it would bring him closer to the object of his affection.

Yukina went back to his book-cart and started to place more volumes on the shelves. It was a job he could complete absent-mindedly after so many hours of repetition. Out of the corner of his eye he could still see Kisa-san thumbing through new editions of manga and magazines from other publishing companies. Yukina was in awe of how much the older man did to keep ahead in his job. His dedication was admirable and made Yukina work that much harder at his own.

After finishing up one shelf of books, he walked back into the storeroom for another box. The college student knew he had two more boxes to unload before he could go home, but he was making good time and would be finished early if he continued at his current pace. Usually when he had thoughts of his lover on the brain he tended to get a little absent-minded, but when the person was actually standing in the store he worked clearly.

Books loaded on the cart in alphabetical order, Yukina pushed them toward the next section. He found Kisa reading through a magazine at the end of the aisle where he would be working. With a slight nod and a huge grin he continued halfway down the row and used a stepstool to climb to the higher shelves. Those shelves were reserved for excess books that could be easily attained when the books on the display shelves ran out. Yukina needed to move the books from those shelves down and put the newer volumes in their place. Such was the life of a book store clerk.

"Excuse me?"

The voice caused Yukina Kou to turn, trademark smile ready for a customer. He was surprised to see that it wasn't someone speaking to him. No, there was a girl who had approached Kisa-san, who looked rather perplexed at being approached. Yukina watched the interaction with curiosity.

"I notice you come in here quite a bit," the girl, obviously still in high school by the uniform she was wearing, said shyly. "I was wondering; would you like to get a coffee sometime?"

The books in Yukina's hands immediately were too heavy to hold and fell to the floor, causing both Kisa-san and the girl to look his way. In complete shame he jumped off the stool, bowed an apology, and started to clean up his mess. Multiple thoughts were running in his head at that point and he'd been lucky if a coherent sentence could have been formed.

Kisa-san…his Kisa-san had just been approached by a girl. Yukina was used to girls approaching him, but he'd never even thought about how his cute boyfriend might draw some attention. Girls liked the adorable characters in manga, so why not in real life too? He could actually feel jealousy bubble in his veins as he thought about girls confessing to Kisa-san when he wasn't around.

"I…uh…" He could hear Kisa stumbling on words. "I'm flattered, but I already have someone. He means the world to me."

The last sentence was added as more of an afterthought than part of the rejection. Yukina's heart jumped into his chest. A smile graced his face as he continued to stock books. He means the world to me. Such a confession, and in public no less, was something light-haired man could only have dreamt about. Yes, it had been indirect, but it still made Yukina's heart beat faster than normal.

"He's a lucky guy then," the girl said with slight dejection.

Yukina watched as Kisa-san smiled and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "I'd say we were both lucky, in that respect," Kisa stated.

Again, Kou could feel his heart beat speed up and a familiar warmth spread through his body. The same feeling happened, always, just after he and Kisa-san had made love. How he was enamored with his older boyfriend.

/GG/

Yukina returned from changing into his street clothes and met with Kisa at the front of the book store. Kisa had been sitting on the railing and gave a slight nod toward the younger man. They walked in silence for a time before Kisa started to speak.

"Are you okay after that display back there?" Yukina would never get used to the empathy Kisa-san showed at times.

"I guess I know now how it must feel for you, when you witness girls asking me out all the time," he admitted softly.

"If it makes you feel better, that's the first time something like that has happened to me in years," Kisa said softly. "I meant every word I said," he added shyly.

Yukina brushed his shoulder with the raven-haired man walking beside him; the only public displays of affection usually allowed. Words like that reminded him of why he loved his Kisa-san. Who couldn't love such a beautiful creature?

"You mean the world to me too, Kisa-san." Kou whispered for only the other man to hear.

He watched as Kisa blushed and ducked his head a little. Yukina was rewarded for his efforts when Kisa Shouta reached over and took the taller man's hand in his and gave it a little squeeze. Kou had expected Kisa-san to drop the hand after the brief bit of affection, but instead he could feel the other man's fingers grab onto his own. Even though the street wasn't empty, his lover had decided to hold his hand while they walked.