Unspoken words definitely hurt the most. Yeah, definitely.

Or at least that was what Akira thought as he made his way home from the battle scene that had prior taken place.

As Shirogane had slipped through his fingers, disappearing into a light that made his eyes burn not from the brightness, but from what it meant, he'd realized that he'd never said a single word to the man that had suggested he'd returned his feelings.

Even now he was a bit confused. Did he really feel the same way back? Or was Shirogane just bluffing all those times? He certainly didn't act like it, but who knows; the guy was a complete mystery case.

As he closed the door behind him, he instinctively glanced at the empty hallway behind him. Yes, empty…no white-haired man following him, sticking close to his side or lurking in the shadows. Sighing, he dropped his jacket carelessly on the floor, kicked off his shoes and made his way upstairs, hands in pockets.

His room was no different. Strangely, almost horribly deserted. Bed neatly tucked (for some reason), walls clean and not backdropping a black outline with a rimmed hat. The window was like a black paper cutout lined with blue rimming.

After all that had happened, admittedly, he was tired. So tired that he didn't even bother undressing or tucking himself in and just flopped onto the surface of his bed, succumbing his exhausted mind to rest almost as soon as his head made contact with the pillow.

Several days had passed since that night, but they seemed all blurred into one confusing madhouse. He couldn't concentrate in school, even if he just hung out on the rooftops anyway. He often spaced out and tripped over his own feet, or forgot entirely what he was doing and was left to a blank stupor instead.

And his dreams still continued.

The dreams where he would seem to wake up and find Shirogane standing there, or sitting on the edge of his bed, and say, "Akira-kun, you know I can't stand to see you with that look on your face." At first he had merely stared, the blue eyes he knew so well staring back with the pink lips just below curved into that signature smile that used to so piss him off, but now tormented him more than anything.

Every time, the white-haired shadow had started to fade, glowing like that day in the cavern as his expression would turn sad. After a few times, Akira would reach out and try to make him stay, and eventually he was thrown to desperation, crying out and lunging for the disappearing man with tears in the corners of his eyes. He would wake up, sweating, wide-eyed, and already sobbing.

Every time he would baffle himself. He never cried, never, not even in the worst of circumstances. But somehow, reliving that loss over and over again was too much for him to handle.

So there he was, lying on his back in bed with his hands behind his head, buzzed on caffeine to try and keep awake for as long as possible. It was late, early at this point, but he refused to surrender himself just yet.

It had been exactly two weeks since Shirogane's departure. Had it really only been two weeks? It felt like both two days, and two years at the same time.

After what felt like a few minutes he opened his eyes. Wait. Shit. Opened his eyes? Cautiously he let his vision wander over to the side. He almost choked on the breath that caught in his throat.

There he was again, sitting on the edge of his bed, looking down at him with the warm gaze that, this time, made a wave of reassurance sweep through his body. The breath that had formerly been caught was almost taken away; none of the previous dreams had been this vivid.

The sudden realization that if this was more vivid than the previous, it would be far more painful as well, hit him and he rolled over on his side away from the shadow king.

"Akira-kun…why do you turn away from me?"

Akira tensed. This was almost TOO real. He had closed his eyes for just a few moments…was it really possible he'd dozed off in that short of a time?

Maybe this isn't a dream, squeaked a tiny part of his brain, making his entire body, including his mind, freeze. No, it had to be a dream. Shirogane wasn't coming back.

"Are you mad at me, Akira-kun?"

Stop. Please.

"You're not real," Akira said flatly, not moving from his current position. "You can't be."

He almost rolled over when he heard a soft laugh spread through the air like a sweet scent. Almost. But he held back, just in case he saw something he didn't want to see.

"Not real? How mean."

Akira did actually move when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Okay, this was definitely different. Shirogane had never reached out to him in any of the dreams, or even made a move to. And this felt so achingly real.

When the teenager's eyes once again fell on the man leaning over him, he practically gaped. Shirogane had taken off his hat and was holding it in the hand that wasn't currently on Akira's shoulder, some humor putting a twinkle in his eyes as he smiled just a bit wider.

In short, he was quite possibly the most stunning and beautiful sight Akira had ever laid eyes on.

Shirogane's face slowly became blank, and he looked slightly worried. Akira was about to ask what was wrong when the white-haired man beat him to it and inquired, "Is there something on my face?"

Akira snorted, regaining some of his former attitude as he retorted, "Nah, just your goofy mug."

This immediately brightened the shadow king's expression and he threw himself down against the boy on the bed, earning a disapproving yelp from said student as Shirogane nuzzled the side of his head and said, "Oh, Akira-kun, you haven't changed a single bit. What a relief."

"Alright, alright! Get off, for crying out loud," Akira huffed, becoming a bit surprised when his words were met with an unresponsive silence.

"Oi, Shirogane…?" he said after a few moments, only to become quiet once again when the man's arms tightened around him.

"I…really missed you, you know, Akira," Shirogane whispered against Akira's neck, causing the teen's eyes to widen.

"You…you can cut the sappy stuff," Akira mumbled, though he didn't push Shirogane away, which the man found a bit surprising but naturally he didn't protest.

"I'm not being sappy, I'm being honest," insisted the shadow king, pulling back so he could cup the light king's cheeks in his hands, which, this time, were not gloved. It took Akira a moment to notice but when he did his features lost their annoyed edge.

"Shirogane…what exactly…what happened after you vanished?" Akira asked, his tone lowered and hesitant, as though even mentioning that event was not something he wanted to do.

Surprisingly, Shirogane's expression didn't change, and he just chuckled softly under his breath before answering, "This and that, really. But I'm back now, and with you, so that's all that matters."

A few hesitant seconds after he'd finished speaking the man leaned in to kiss the boy below him, but Akira turned his head away and he paused, looking hurt.

"You're still as secretive as always," said the teen with obvious scorn. Shirogane stayed where he was for a moment before drawing back with a sigh, closing his eyes and turning away. Akira looked over to watch him, his expression hard.

"I almost died…these last two weeks have been possibly the most painful of my entire existence," said the shadow king with a soft, almost defeated voice, which made Akira feel slightly guilty. "If you were asked to retell a point in your life like that, would you oblige?"

Immediately the light king's mind reeled back into memories of the last two weeks from his point of view, how he'd experienced them, and he bit his lip. "…No…"

"But, aside from that…what has happened in my absence?" Shirogane inquired in a lighter tone, obviously trying to lighten the atmosphere again. Instead it had the opposite effect and Akira scowled.

"Tch, why should I tell you?"

Shirogane looked blank. "Why not?"

"Didn't you just ask me if I would oblige to retell the most painful time in my life?"

Needless to say, the white-haired man was shocked. It took him a some time to recover his voice but when he did he asked almost incredulously, "Akira-kun, you…actually missed me…and that much...?"

"What, you need me to repeat myself? You should know I won't."

Silence.

Why wasn't he saying anything?

Finally his curiosity got the better of him and Akira turned his head to see why Shirogane had fallen silent, and he practically jumped.

To see that expression on the man's face was almost overwhelming. Akira had never seen him look so happy; it was as though his heart had just overflowed and was spilling in the form of tears out of his eyes. The way his eyebrows were angled gave a hint of something like sadness, but looking again it appeared to be closer to relief.

"Jeez, what's with the face?" Akira asked, masking his surprise with an almost sharp tone, though it was empty of hostility. Shirogane seemed to notice that small factor, and his smile became even sweeter.

"And how would you expect me to react to something like that?" asked the shadow king, once again leaning down over the light king with his hands on either side of the boy's head. Akira's expression became hard, but he waited to see what would happen anyway, which he figured he knew.

He turned out to be proven right when Shirogane bent down a second time to attempt to convey his feelings. As before, Akira turned his face away, but this time the white-haired man wouldn't have it; he gently but firmly grasped his chin and turned his head back to its former position, wasting no time in closing the rest of the distance and pressing his lips fully against Akira's.

"Hey, Shirogane! …Cut it out!" the teenager exclaimed, pushing him back just far enough to speak. The man's eyes were just barely open, and a soft smile now decorated his pink lips. "I am sorry, but I won't let you get away from me this time," he said with a hint of mirth to his tone.

"I don't want this!"

There was a pause, in which time period the man let out a tiny chuckle.

"Are you sure?"

This time it was Akira who paused. To his own befuddlement, he actually had to think about that question. No, he wasn't sure…in fact he was starting to think that maybe, just maybe he did.

Wait! What? No!

Shirogane was a man…but then again, what did it matter? Hadn't most of his beliefs been torn to shreds when he'd been dragged into this mess?

And Shirogane had been nothing but kind to him; cared for him, put his life on the line to keep him safe. Stayed by his side to make sure he was alright.

"…No."

"No?"

Finally giving in to the aching, nagging feeling that had been bothering him for all this time in the back of his mind and on the tips of his fingers, Akira reached up and twined his fingers into the fine white hair at the back of Shirogane's head. His expression was still hard, as if steeled from the man's deep gaze, as he pulled the other down and into a kiss.

"I'm sure…that I do."

Disclaimer: I don't own Monochrome Factor nor any of the characters within it. I'll probably write more chapters, but reviews certainly help~. 3