Title: Under The Influence
Summary: Kikuchi and Yoshikawa get drunk on the school rooftop. Kikuchi/Yoshikawa
Word count: 1090
Notes: This is pointless fluff written for a friend who requested "liver" in a story. I've never been drunk my entire life, so what you are about to read on drinking is pure fabrication. 'Course, the whole fic is pure fabrication. I blame OOC!Kikuchi on the alcohol. This was supposed to be just a drabble. Supposedly.
Disclaimer: Great Teacher Onizuka and its characters are by Tohru Fujisawa. Not making profit from this, really.

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Yoshikawa had heard about the evils of drinking alcohol many times, how it turns normally respectable people into animals, drains you of money better used to feed your family and pay bills, clouds your judgment to make you do things you regret for a very long time (especially if there were witnesses), does bad things to your liver and brain, among other things. But right now, Yoshikawa wasn't thinking of those things. There was only one thing running through his head, and that was, Kikuchi looks cute with that drunken smile on his face.

Of course, the moment that thought registered, Yoshikawa almost fell off the rooftop ledge he was perched on, being saved only by his drink-impaired balance, which caused him to tip the other way and land rather painfully on his knees on the rooftop. Somehow, he felt that falling five floors would be much better, because now he could see the light blush on Kikuchi's cheeks, and knew that the warmth he felt was not chemically-induced.

To distract himself from his (hopefully passing) thoughts, he started counting the bottles between himself and Kikuchi. Five or ten, he didn't know, because his vision wasn't quite what it used to be. Apparently, those warnings about his eyes getting ruined by too many video games were true. Or maybe he was just really drunk.

Where had they gotten the booze? Kikuchi could've bought some over the 'Net, but that took too much effort. Maybe one of the teachers...no, it couldn't be, because if they had beer, they'd be drinking it, not giving it away so students could get sloshed. Or maybe Kikuchi had bought it from a shop downtown. He looked mature enough not to be carded, unlike himself, who looked exactly his fourteen years on earth. Yeah, that was probably it. He tried nodding to himself and ended up on his back beside Kikuchi, who had been sprawled--quite appealingly--on the ground ever since the second (or was it third?) bottle.

"Glad to see you here, stranger," Kikuchi murmured, head tilting slightly towards Yoshikawa's direction. His glasses were askew, much like the lopsided smile that was a rare sight on the usually stoic boy. "You enjoying the drinks?"

"I don't know." Yoshikawa felt the hard concrete pressing against his back, but Kikuchi's half-lidded eyes made him think twice about changing positions. "They taste bad."

Kikuchi laughed softly. "You're not supposed to taste it." His hands curled around the neck of the nearest bottle, letting the amber liquid inside swirl almost hypnotically. He tipped it towards his mouth, and Yoshikawa's fingers just twitched to wipe the thin trail of beer leaking from the other boy's mouth. He averted his gaze towards the creases on Kikuchi's sleeves.

"Then why do people drink it?" Yoshikawa's beer-spiked mind tried to comprehend why people would drink something they're not supposed to taste. In hindsight, he should've asked this question before they started drinking, but then Kikuchi would think he didn't know how to have fun, if getting drunk on a school night could be considered fun. Not that it mattered what Kikuchi thought of him, but still, the other boy's opinion was somehow important to Yoshikawa.

"Why did you drink it, then?"

"I--" For a moment, Yoshikawa was frozen by Kikuchi's husky whisper--was the other boy that close? He didn't want to look up, didn't want to see the knowing smirk on Kikuchi's face, see the glasses slightly askew, see the alcohol-induced tinge on his skin. He wanted to swallow so badly--his throat felt so dry even though he had drunk something five minutes ago--but then Kikuchi would notice it. "Why did you drink?" Well, he hadn't expected that from his mouth.

Apparently, neither did Kikuchi. "Answering a question with a question? Not fair." The glass bottle was pressed lightly against Yoshikawa's forehead in a reprimand.

Yoshikawa shrugged as best as he could, a small apologetic smile curling up the corners of his lips. His eyes caught a glimpse of the setting sun over Kikuchi's shoulder. He tried steadfastly to not acknowledge the voice in his head that pointed out the way the sun highlighted Kikuchi's hair and skin. "The sun's setting."

"So it has. Well, I suppose we better get going." And Kikuchi was on his feet, remarkably well-balanced, holding out a hand to Yoshikawa, who took it and was hoisted up, eyes closing briefly against the change in position. He opened them to see Kikuchi collecting the last bottle into a plastic bag. Yoshikawa took the opportunity to smooth down the wrinkles on his uniform and mentally stop himself from straightening the other boy's collar.

Kikuchi caught his eye and grinned. "Mustn't litter on school grounds, right?" Yoshikawa grinned back.

The two of them stumbled--actually, Yoshikawa stumbled and tried not to let Kikuchi see--down to the ground floor, miraculously not encountering any other student or school staff. As they stood there on the pavement in front of the school gates, Kikuchi suddenly spoke up, "I'll walk you home."

This statement was enough for Yoshikawa to look up, startled, at Kikuchi. "But--"

"No buts, you're drunk."

"And you're not?" Yoshikawa couldn't quite hide his disbelief.

"I can hold my alcohol better. Now, come on, before night falls." Without further ado, Kikuchi grabbed Yoshikawa's wrist with his free hand and led him down the street.

A few minutes later, Yoshikawa was infinitely grateful that Kikuchi offered, no, insisted on walking him home. The world was all blurry, and lampposts kept getting into his way. It was only Kikuchi's steady hand on his arm that prevented him from kissing the hard concrete. Aside from a minor accident with a postbox that led to a stubbed toe, Kikuchi managed to deposit Yoshikawa at his doorstep. The two boys stared at each other under the weak porch light.

Yoshikawa was the first to speak. "Um, thanks for taking me home. And for the drinks."

"It's okay." Silence. "Aren't you going inside your house?" Kikuchi half-teased.

"Wha--? Oh, right!" Blushing darkly--and hoping the light was too weak for the other boy to see a thing--Yoshikawa fumbled for his keys. Looking through his pockets, he didn't notice Kikuchi lean closer until lips brushed gently against his ear. "I got drunk to see you drunk. It was worth it." And with that, he was gone, striding down the walk and into the night.

Yoshikawa reached up and cupped his ear, feeling the heat left by Kikuchi's whisper. "...me too."

- end -