Disclaimer: I by no means own any of the rights to the Clamp manga story of Legal Drug or its characters.

Third Tuesday

By Crystal Delphina

Completed: January 23, 2007

Revised: April 20, 2008

Part III of III

It was with great duress that Kazahaya realized his clothes had fallen off of the shelf he'd placed them on before taking his shower and that they now lay in a heap of water and fabric on the floor of the bathroom. Ultimately this meant that Kazahaya had to either: one, put back on his sopping wet clothes and exit the bathroom in this fashion, or two, leave in nothing but towels. Neither option sounded that appealing. Groaning, he finally reached for the fluffy green towels they kept and wrapped one firmly around his waist as best he could, wishing there was a way he could double knot it. He briefly considered grabbing another one to wrap around his shoulders but then decided the cape look had not been an approved fashion statement since he was five and that there'd be no end to the mocking if Rikuo happened to see his ridiculous outfit.

He was being paranoid. There was nothing wrong with just going out in a towel, in fact, he did it all the time. This time was no different. No different whatsoever.

Even though it was no different, he was hoping that Rikuo was in his 'room' on his side of the curtain. Better yet, he hoped that the other teen was still occupied with washing dishes from dinner and his back would be to Kazahaya as he quickly exited the bathroom to race to his side of the apartment. However when he considered it, there had been very few dishes to wash. Looking to the possible bright side, maybe Rikuo was the world's slowest dish washer, aiming to set a record that just happened to outlast Kazahaya's thirty minute shower.

This seemed highly unlikely.

Regardless, he moved towards the bathroom door and pressed his ear against the wood yearning to hear the sound of running water from the kitchen. Although the door didn't provide the best sound quality by any means, he was a little annoyed that he actually couldn't hear anything at all; no water running in the kitchen, no sound of the radio or even the padded footsteps of his roommate walking around their living quarters. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a brief glimpse of himself in the mirror hanging on the opposite wall. He was forced to do a double-take. Turning fully towards it and craning his neck, he realized a dark splotch had appeared above his collarbone. Damnit!

Taking a deep breath, he stepped back from the door and regarded it and the mirror with a small amount of contempt. He finally realized that he'd have to leave at some point despite how tempting sleeping in the small bathroom seemed. Damnit, he was paranoid. For Kami's sake he was considering sleeping in the bathroom just to avoid Rikuo. This was ridiculous. With a huff of sudden determination and courage, he flung the door open and proudly marched out into the living room and made the first few steps towards his side of the apartment enclosed by curtains. He would have looked half fearsome if instead of wet clothes he was holding a spear or sword and instead of a towel, he had some sort of armor. Hell, a loin cloth would have looked (slightly) more imposing. Golden fire burned in Kazahaya's eyes, determined to face his adversary, even the curtain in between their bedrooms wasn't drawn closed. He would not let Himura Rikuo make him into a paranoid psychopath that Kakei would be forced to put into an insane asylum just because there was some newly evolved...tension between the two teenagers.

Kazahaya flung his curtain aside in a flurry of white cloth and stepped inside, his head held high, posture straight, and a grim look of determination etched into his features. He surveyed the room with a quick sweep of his eyes and let out a happy sigh. Immediately, his shoulders relaxed and he even gave a small grateful smile. Rikuo seemed to be on his side of the room. Giving a small cheer, he practically skipped with glee over to his dresser in the corner that was beside his bed, happy to be changing his clothes in privacy. Perhaps he could even get into bed and fall asleep before Rikuo could attempt anything further.

Sadly, his skip faltered mid-stride and he jumped when someone cleared their throat from behind him. In fact, he nearly fell forward to the floor in surprise, where he would have been sprawled wrapped up in a towel and wet clothes. Kazahaya was faced with one of those crucial decisions again that he'd been forced to make repeatedly over the course of the day. He wasn't sure if it was worse that his roommate had seen him skipping half naked in only a green towel – or - that his roommate had watched him skipping in only a green towel. Oh… were those options the same? Fuck. That means Rikuo had really seen him…well you get the idea.

The room was eerily quiet; Kazahaya refused to turn to acknowledge Rikuo and Rikuo continued to stand in the space that the partially opened curtain between their two rooms left. Kazahaya had forgotten to shut it all the way previously in the day and had failed to notice when he entered that it was only halfway drawn across the expanse of their rooms. He cursed himself for his stupidity as his thoughts began to race. Both waited for the other to make a move, to say something, to do anything. He could feel his heart speeding up again and that electrical current seemed to make its way through his veins again. He could feel his skin begin to heat up, and he was sure it was more than just a blush of embarrassment. He could feel Rikuo's gaze crawling up and down his exposed back, could feel the eyes make their way up his spine in painfully long seconds. He felt warmth strike his center with the thought and a lump form in his throat making it difficult to breath. He couldn't even see the other boy's dark green eyes but he could certainly feel them.

He wanted Rikuo to keep looking at him like that forever. Wait – What?!

Kazahaya heard the footsteps, although they were muffled against the hardwood floors by the socks that the taller young man was wearing. He heard the tentative steps, slow but with purpose; could hear the floorboards squeak ever so softly under the shifting weight. He could hear them make two steps towards him, and then after a moment's pause, turn to take their trek to the space in between their two beds. He heard the mattress shift and springs groan in protest as weight was placed onto the gentle surface. He kept his back to whole production, kept his eyes closed, and only heard the happenings around him. He realized with some dismay that he wasn't sure which mattress it was that had squeaked. He needed to change. He needed to change now and just crawl into his own bed and go to sleep in attempts to avoid this whole mess. At this point, he partly didn't even care that Rikuo was in the room with him, still watching him.

Alright, that may be somewhat of lie. He was mortified at the fact he was prepared to strip down in front of Rikuo. Mortified and filled with unexplainable excitement at the prospect.

The wet pile of clothes dropped from his hands in his urgency to open his dresser drawers and pull out a pair of pants while making sure the towel stayed secured around his waist. Pants were always a good place to start. He shut the drawer with a loud thud, sounding like a sonic boom in the too quiet of a room. He didn't need a shirt at the moment, just to get out of the green towel and into his dark green sweatpants. A shirt could come later. It wasn't as if he didn't walk around shirtless a lot of the time anyway, unlike the psychic whose upper body always seemed to be covered. Kazahaya had noticed that Rikuo would always wear a shirt, even when he was just wearing boxers and – Shit! Boxers! He had nearly forgotten.

He grabbed the handles of the drawer again and pulled, grabbing the first pair of boxers that came into view. He was thankful that they weren't hot pink or some equally embarrassing color at the moment and instead were a tolerable shade of dark green. He was suddenly very annoyed with all of the green that seemed to surround him in his home that was above the Green Drugstore. He promised himself he'd go out promptly tomorrow and buy lots of blues and yellows. Then he realized he had no money.

Losing his fragile nerves to change in front of Rikuo despite feelings of embarrassment, he turned his head ever so slightly to regard his silent room mate – only to discover him facing the opposite direction towards the window. He gave a small sigh of relief. The fleeting feeling of relief vanished however upon realization his coworker was sitting on his bed. Oh well, he'd kick him off in a bit. "Go ahead and change. I promise I won't look," Rikuo drawled never turning to look at the other young man. Inside he gave the appearances of seemingly examining the city skyline as the last traces of day disappeared behind the tall skyscrapers, casting the room with a dim orange glow. It'd be dark soon. Kazahaya gave a small nod, although he realized Rikuo couldn't see this.

Rikuo could hear the sound of the towel dropping to the floor, the soft rustle of fabric being pulled up; Heard Kazahaya struggling to pull the sweatpants over his still slightly damp legs. The snap of the elastic drawstring against Kazahaya's waist, caused Rikuo to briefly imagine what exactly the soft material had just concealed and he had to suppress the sudden urge to pull that elastic hemming away from the pale skin of Kazahaya's hips. Fuck suppression.

Kazahaya felt the briefest of touches at his hip which caused him to freeze. Tentative fingers brushed along his exposed skin on the sides of his torso, becoming bolder with each caress. Soon, hands slid around his waist firmly holding him in place, his back to their owner. He could feel those dark green eyes again on his back and moving to the back of his neck, finally resting on the back of his head, only to slide back down again to restart the process. He felt on fire now; he was sure he was smoldering where hands made contact with him – that he was slowly melting in the intimate hold. He closed his eyes as he was gently directed and urged to turn around in the hand's grasp to face his captor.

"Open your eyes Kazahaya," Rikuo whispered gently, his thumbs making small circles on the skin of Kazahaya's hip and torso. Shuddering from the touch and the sound of Rikuo's voice, Kazahaya shook his head slightly in embarrassment. Something larger than butterflies felt as if they were fluttering wildly in his stomach and the thought of having to look at Rikuo only made the fluttering worse. In all honesty, the butterflies were not only made from nervousness and embarrassment but also a very distinct feeling of fear and dread. What was all of this? What was going on? And… what would happen if he really did open his eyes to discover it was Rikuo playing some cruel sadistic joke on him? What scared him the most was that… he wasn't sure what he wanted at the moment.

He…he wanted…

"Kazahaya. Please. Open your eyes."

He wanted….what did he want?

"Look at me Kazahaya," Rikuo repeated again softly.

"Rikuo…" Kazahaya faintly breathed out, eyes still closed, refusing to look up at the taller boy in front of him. Rikuo, still keeping a hand firmly against the brunette's hip, moved his right hand to gently take Kazahaya's left hand that was clenched at his side. As soon as he touched the pale knuckles, the fist relaxed allowing for Rikuo to grip the hand. Applying a bit of pressure against Kazahaya's back and softly pulling at his hand, Rikuo began guiding Kazahaya onto the bed he himself was currently kneeling on. When Kazahaya's knees bumped against the soft mattress, Rikuo pulled a bit harder in insistence. Complying with the unspoken request, Kazahaya bent his knees and moved onto the bed to kneel on it as well, shuffling forward a bit so eventually only his feet hung off the edge. When he attempted to lean back on his legs to sit, the hand at his back pressed a bit harder, urging him to remain upright to which he submitted.

When Rikuo's hand left his own, he was curious to know where the wandering hand would appear next, only to be surprised by feeling slightly calloused fingers cup his cheek. The rough pad of a thumb was stroking his cheekbone, when he suddenly felt the soft lips of his teammate at the corner of his right eye, just a gentle pressure against the sensitive skin there. He couldn't stop his eyelids from fluttering from the brief contact but he managed to keep them firmly shut. He managed to keep his eyes closed even as Rikuo began to place small kisses to his cheek, his temple, his forehead, his nose, and the side of his mouth. And as a pale dusting of a blush began to color his cheeks and as he felt difficulty in drawing breath – he still kept his eyes closed.

He wanted…

"Please let me see your eyes," Rikuo requested again, pausing in his kisses. He was quickly beginning to fear that perhaps his co-worker really didn't have any interest in pursuing anything past friendship and his actions were only serving to make the young man uncomfortable. Those gold eyes would show the truth. However, the voice that finally replied was so quiet and small, he was unsure if he even heard it correctly. "I'll open my eyes," Kazahaya took a deep breath, attempting to steady his slightly shaking voice. "only if you promise that…you're not just playing a cruel joke on me."

Although a pain shot through Rikuo's heart at Kazahaya's sad plea, he ignored it. He supposed in some regards, Kazahaya's request was a valid concern. "I promise."

Kazahaya's eyes slid open slowly to take in the black haired teenager in front of him, who was kneeling on the bed in the same fashion as himself. Rikuo looked… as he almost always did; stern and sincere. However there was the glimmer of a new light in his eyes, one that Kazahaya was not familiar with. He was surprised at the thrill that seemed to vibrate throughout his body at seeing Rikuo in front of him, both of those hands on his own smaller frame. He even gave a small thought of appreciation to the still slightly damp hair, due to Rikuo's previous shower, that hung in small chunks. And although he was wearing his standard long sleeved black shirt, the sweatpants he wore hung a bit low on his hips due to all of the shuffling around on his knees. Although his eyes strayed down the exposed skin there at his hips, Kazahaya's eyes shot back up to meet forest green irises. They seemed to pierce straight through him.

"Why…?" the empath asked softly, letting the question trail off and hang above the space between them. "If this isn't some new cruel way of teasing me… than why?" Rikuo seemed to take a moment in consideration, not replying immediately, instead continuing to stare intently at Kazahaya, until the light blush deepened an incremental shade. Finally, shuffling closer to the smaller male, the space between them decreased so only a 5 inch or so gap remained. "Because, I want to. I want to be close to you; to feel you," he said, determined to convey his full meaning by gazing intently at the teenager across from him. Kazahaya began to open his mouth, but was unable to get a sound out before Rikuo promptly cut him off.

"And I don't just mean physically. I want to…" Rikuo faltered, struggling with the words and unsure as to how to proceed. Rikuo had spent a significant amount of time distancing himself from people and to have that be put in jeopardy now was troubling. To a degree, he was still very uncertain himself as to what he really wanted. "I want to…get to know you…be closer to you," he finally managed, finally shifting his gaze away in his own show of embarrassment. This was the extent of what he could offer to Kazahaya at this time; and all he could allow himself to give.

Kazahaya had been completely unaware that Rikuo could have such feelings and was shocked and surprised not only by the fact that he did, but that he would actually be willing to admit to having them. He was further surprised when he found himself wrapping delicate fingers around the wrist of the hand that still cupped his cheek, while his other hand found its way to Rikuo's shoulder. There were no words, because Kazahaya stopped thinking when he lurched forward to kiss Rikuo firmly against the lips. They both momentarily froze in amazement at Kazahaya's initiative, while wide eyes locked in astonishment at the situation. Kazahaya broke the kiss and quickly pulled back as far as Rikuo's hands would allow him. That was his first kiss! Well… his first real one at least! "I-I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me .I just – mmph!"

Rikuo's lips did a remarkable job of managing to cut Kazahaya off mid-sentence as he pulled the smaller young man firmly against him, the hand he had placed on Kazahaya's hip sliding instead to the small of his back. In response, Kazahaya moved his hand from Rikuo's shoulder to the nape of his neck, his fingers weaving into the black locks found there. Exhilarating shocks seemed to course through both of their bodies as Rikuo's kiss became more insistent, to which Kazahaya replied with equal intensity. Kazahaya felt Rikuo's mouth open ever so slightly to allow his tongue to sneak out and give a delicate lick to Kazahaya's sensitive lips. Quickly picking up on the hint, the brunette parted his lips to permit Rikuo's curious tongue to dart into the warm cavern of his mouth. At first unsure what to do with the curious and foreign, although pleasurable, feeling of someone else invading his mouth, Kazahaya allowed Rikuo to explore at his own discretion. He felt the dark haired male begin to coax him into a responding when the hand against his back began to rub in small circles and Rikuo's tongue mimicked a similar action against his own.

Although new to the whole affair of 'making out', Kazahaya quickly became a diligent and responsive student, copying Rikuo's actions to the best of his ability. It wasn't long before he found himself pulling on Rikuo's neck, urging him to deepen their kisses, and his other hand sliding around his back, clutching the material of the black shirt tightly in his strong fist. Even when they would momentarily break the heated kiss to suck in a few needed precious breaths of air, Kazahaya's lips would begin assault upon Rikuo's jaw and neck before the other pulled him back into a kiss.

He felt as if he needed to be closer to Rikuo. He had never felt this way before, not about anyone, but at the moment all he wanted was to be closer. To feel Rikuo's skin against his own, to touch and caress it all; to memorize every line and detail found there. Although thoughts such as these would have normally have made him turn a shade similar to that of a fire truck, these thoughts only caused him to grip the boy in front of him harder and to deepen their kiss. There were no feelings of awkwardness, no need to explain oneself or look for reasoning. All he wanted was Rikuo.

So it was with these feelings and thoughts coursing through his mind that Kazahaya began to grab for the hem of Rikuo's shirt, attempting to pull it up, to expose that skin he wanted to see and touch. He had never anticipated Rikuo breaking their kiss and pulling back suddenly from the intimate grasp they had on each other. Rikuo's mouth still hung partially open due to his gasping for breath and apparent shock at Kazahaya's action as his eyes began to search the hazy gold of his roommate's.

Forget Kazahaya's previous statement of 'no feelings of awkwardness' between the two. He mentally began panicking. Had he done something wrong? Granted he was by no means an expert, but he knew that that type of response from Rikuo did not seem to bode well of his actions. "What's wrong?" he asked panting, and trying to decipher the look in Rikuo's eyes. The cloudy desire previously found within the jade depths seemed to have been pierced by a subdued graveness. Rikuo took a large deep breath and reached to grab Kazahaya's hand that still limply clung to his shirt, bringing it between their two bodies. Holding the hand that seemed especially tanner in comparison to his own paler skin tone, he noted that it was shaking slightly. From excitement or fear, he was unsure, and frowned in response; he certainly hadn't meant to scare the empath, he had just felt it necessary to –

"We… should stop," Rikuo said finally, still looking at their hands. He didn't see the flicker of dismay in Kazahaya's golden eyes or the lowering of his head in shame, his bangs shadowing the features on his face in the now dimly lit room. However, he couldn't miss Kazahaya withdrawing his hand and pulling out of his grasp. "You regret –"

"No!" Rikuo nearly shouted, hastily grabbing for the hand and taking a firm grip of Kazahaya's shoulder. Kazahaya flinched with the contact and harsh refusal but averted his eyes from meeting Rikuo's stern gaze. "I don't regret this. I just think… that'd it would be for the best if we stopped right now. I don't want to rush anything." Of course he wanted more with the other young man but not tonight. Not when they still had more to learn about each other. Not when Kazahaya may regret it in the morning. Not when Rikuo wasn't quite ready to show all of his secrets.

Deliberating the words carefully, Kazahaya finally looked at Rikuo and after another moment of consideration, finally agreed by giving a small nod of his head. Feeling they had reached some type of conclusion for the night, Rikuo gave a squeeze to the hand and then began to slide backwards off of the bed. "We should get some sleep. We still have work tomorrow."

"What? It's only 9."

"It's 10:42 Kazahaya," Rikuo replied flatly but mirth evident in his eyes. Kazahaya looked over to his bedside clock too see it was in fact later than he had thought. "Man, that means we missed watching Lonely Bakery. We always watch Lonely Bakery on Tuesday nights," Kazahaya said and couldn't seem to prevent the slight whine from entering his voice. Rikuo merely scoffed and rolled his eyes in response. "I can't believe you love that show so much."

"Hey! You watch it too!" Kazahaya accused. "Only because you make me. The show is rather boring if you ask me," Rikuo replied, giving a shrug of his shoulders. "Liar! I saw you when Mizuko was worried about Arumata after that car accident. You were practically about to burst into tears and start crying like a big-" Suddenly Kazahaya found himself tackled to his bed and pinned down underneath the larger teen who was struggling between maintaining a glare and smirking down at the empath. "You didn't see anything, and if you ever tell anyone you did, you'll regret it," Rikuo growled out, his voice low and most likely more playful than what he had really been hoping to accomplish with his empty threat.

"What'll you do?" Kazahaya responded bravely, attempting the best glare he could muster. It was a rather pitiful attempt to say the least, made worse by the fact he couldn't stop the large grin spreading across his face.

Of course he already knew what Rikuo would do as 'punishment'. It was so painfully obvious and cliché, it would be impossible not to know. So when Rikuo slowly brought his head down to within reach of Kazahaya's, the caramel haired boy's eyes fluttered close in anticipation. He felt the warm puffs of air against his lips, and began to tilt his head so he'd be closer to the kiss he wanted to receive.

That was when he felt a warm wet tongue lick the tip of his nose. His eyes burst open in annoyance. "You! Bastard! I – I ! Argh! I can't believe you sometimes!" He tried his best to hit Rikuo, however his hands were quickly pinned down by the larger boy who was rather close to laughing at Kazahaya's outrage but settled for merely smirking down at him. The golden-eyed teen was left with the option of only fuming and glaring up at his co-worker, this time being quite successful in his endeavors.

The excitement from the moment slowly began to dissipate and Kazahaya and Rikuo were left in a moment of stillness, where only soft breathing could be heard and the occasional shifting of fabrics. They kept starring at one another, the glare from Kazahaya and the smirk from Rikuo long forgotten, and began to feel as if they had remained that way for hours. In reality, it was only a few minutes. Silence enfolded them in the moment and it began to feel as if they were waiting for something to happen – they just needed someone to make the first move.

Rikuo decided upon a course of action. Giving a small and quiet, "Goodnight", he began to slide off of Kazahaya and the boy's bed. "Wait." Rikuo turned towards the smaller man who was biting his lip, indicating he was nervous. "Could you…stay? And sleep with me I mean. In my bed." Raising an eyebrow in surprise and amusement, Rikuo at first didn't make a move in either direction of leaving the bed or joining his roommate back on it. Finally, tentative fingers reached behind Rikuo to rest on his back and gently push down, urging him to return to Kazahaya's side. Succumbing to the ministrations, the black haired teen finally swung back onto the bed and, after Kazahaya had moved to the side, settled down beside his companion. He hesitated a moment before finally wrapping his arm around Kazahaya's waist and pulling the brunette against his side.

It took a moments for them to find comfortable positions and to relax. It was awkward to share a bed with someone to whom you normally displayed adversity to the thought of even drinking from the same straw as them. Finally though, after much shuffling and a few grunts of pain and annoyance, Kazahaya's head was resting upon Rikuo's chest while the other boy held him in his arms. Rikuo recognized that most likely his arms would fall asleep during some point of the night, or within ten minutes, but he was willing to make the sacrifice for their moment of peaceful solitude.

However, for the record, Kazahaya still felt rather… odd. The whole thing was odd. Good, but certainly odd and weird.

He could feel himself beginning to gradually drift into sleep, his breathing slowing, his eyes slowly beginning to close because of how heavy they suddenly felt. Any second now he'd be asleep - with Rikuo sharing his bed. In fact, not just Rikuo sharing his bed but actually Rikuo and him cuddling. Cuddling! This third Tuesday of the month was definitely going down in record books as the strangest day Kazahaya had ever had to experience. Yes, it was even going to beat out many of the outlandish missions he had been forced to go on. This was just a whole new realm of bizarre. For the record, he still despised third Tuesdays. Regardless of late night outcomes, he still had to do the stocking during the day and endure the relentless teasing from Saiga. However, if Tuesdays would end in this fashion from now on, he may be more willing to endure the day without as much complaint.

Who ever knew he'd end up kissing Rikuo? And have a hicky to prove it? And even more amazing, that he'd like it??

"Shut up," Rikuo growled out, in a voice laced with drowsiness, interrupting Kazahaya's thoughts. "What? I didn't even say anything," the empath murmured back.

"I know, but I can still hear your thoughts. So shut up so I can sleep."

"You don't even have that power; Kakei does," Kazahaya accused, yawning partway through the statement. "I'm still psychic, which means I can still hear and feel some things. And I can hear you thinking. So shut the hell up and go to sleep," he replied, grumbling and shifting to try and readjust limbs that were already beginning to go numb. Kazahaya opened his mouth to protest, considered it, and took the wiser course of action to just drop the subject and nuzzle his head against his roommate's chest. Remember earlier how he wouldn't be caught dead 'swooning'? Right, swooning was bad, but nuzzling had apparently been deemed acceptable. "Fine. Goodnight Rikuo." He heard what sounded like a gruff, "G'night" in reply, and then felt lips pressed firmly against his forehead.

Unbeknownst to Kazahaya, his little 'gift' from Saiga was stashed away under Rikuo's bed to be used at a later date. Let's just say that Rikuo was hopeful that they would get to use the condoms before the shipment next month on the third Tuesday. And hopefully that day would prove to be just as amusing when it came to teasing poor Kazahaya Kudou.

-- -- --

1/23/07

Thank you everyone for your continued reviews and support. I really did appreciate it considering this was my first Legal Drug fic. In all likelihood, there will be a sequel, but anyone that has read previous works of mine knows how long a promised sequel/chapter/update of any kind/etc. can take for me. However, the sequel has a very bare bones skeletal frame to start working off of right now. To be honest, the desire is to have the rating go up in the following fic. But we shall see. Thank you again.

-Crystal Delphina