WEEK ONE: Sunday, Part 2 (Touji)

Sky Garden was an observatory at the top of Yokohama's Landmark Tower. It provided an amazing three-hundred-sixty-degree view of the city, especially the iconic CosmoWorld Ferris wheel. On a clear day, you could even see Mount Fuji in the distance. I'd been to Sky Garden dozens of times. It was one of the quintessential dating spots in town, and most every person I'd taken out had asked to go at one time or another. The most popular time to visit was just before sundown, because the sunsets from this high up were incredible.

But honestly, it had gotten kind of boring after a while. All my dates wanted to do the same things: wander slowly around the glass walls, seek excuses to reach for my hand, cuddle on the candle-lit benches after dark talking about poetic stuff like their dreams for the future or the meaning of happiness. It was a lot of standing and sitting around, a lot of strategic dodging when they got too touchy, a lot of the same overdone notions of romance.

Yuzuru was different. He ping-ponged from one side of the observatory to the other, cheering and pointing, beckoning me to come look at whatever caught his eye. He spent a good fifteen minutes trying to convince me he knew which of the tiny, twinkling lights out there was his apartment building. He oohed and aahed over the fancy light displays covering the nearby hotel buildings, and huffed his breath on the cold windows until they fogged over and he could play connect-the-dots with the traffic lights. He marveled at the beauty of the snow that glittered in the colored lights as it swirled past the windows. In general he was loud, distracting, and so full of wonder that it was contagious even to the people who'd come for a much more serene dating experience. It amazed me how many of them started off glaring at his antics, yet within seconds were smiling and laughing along with him instead.

I'd told him everything and he hadn't run from me. I was expecting him to. He'd run when Shino called me on the phone, run when he first met her, run when he saw her hugging me. It wouldn't have shocked me in the slightest if he'd run the moment I told him what else I'd done with her. But he hadn't. He'd—

God. I could still feel the rough, cold bricks at my back, his iron hold on my wrists, the liquid heat of his tongue in my mouth. You're mine now, right?

Was it really possible that this bubbly, childish fireball of excitement was the same guy who had just pinned me to the wall of an alley and made my knees buckle with his kisses? We hadn't been drinking, but I felt tipsy just watching him. He made my head feel light, and my heart too. All I could think, as I followed his zig-zagging path around the floor, was how utterly I worshipped him.

At one point, though, he did actually come to a full stop next to me, and got so quiet that I turned to look at him. He was staring wide-eyed at my neck, with a couple fingers pressed to his lips in chagrin. "Um..."

"Eh?"

"I think I may have, uh..." He flicked a finger in the direction of my collar, almost shyly.

"Huh?" I turned to look at my reflection in the window, and my mouth dropped open when I caught sight of the mark near my clavicle. I held my shirt collar out and tipped my head to see it better—even in the dim candlelight, it was dark enough to be unmistakable.

Next to me, Yuzuru was actually blushing. "I'm sorry. I didn't know it would do that."

Well, this'll be tough to hide at school tomorrow. A warm glow spread through me, and I struggled not to grin as I laid my collar back in place.

"It's okay," I said. "Don't worry about it."

"I was too rough, wasn't I?" He reached out like he was going to touch my neck, then hesitated. "Does it hurt? I'm really sorry, Seryou."

Oh my god, his big-eyed innocence was going to kill me.

Okay, now I couldn't resist. I stepped behind him, put a hand on his upper arm to pull him into me, and dipped my mouth by his ear. "No one's ever given you a hickey before?"

He scooted away, rubbing his ear like it tickled. "No," he said in a resentful tone that meant he knew I was teasing.

"They don't hurt. Trust me." I propped a finger under his chin and skimmed my thumb over his mouth. I meant it as a playful gesture, but it turned out that it actually wasn't a good idea because the tantalizing softness of his lips took over my senses. I was drawing him closer, helplessly, and to make it worse his eyes fluttered shut and he exhaled like he was really going to let me kiss him right there in front of everyone in the observatory. It took everything I had to stop myself a few centimeters from his mouth.

"Let me know if you'd like me to show you sometime," I murmured, and managed to peel back a respectable distance.

He opened his eyes and blinked. I watched his face undergo the most adorable transition from arousal to confusion, then to a pout, and finally to a scowl. "Hey," he protested.

"What?"

"You... what do you think you're... you can't just... Argh!" He scruffed the back of his hair violently, and I laughed a little only because I couldn't help it.

"I'm going to go get us some drinks," I told him, and headed to the small bar at the center of the room. I needed the distraction as much as he did, because that had been intense.

He had no idea how close I'd come, in that alley, to shoving him into the pile of trash bags behind us and tearing his clothes off. I'd held back because, well... trash was pretty unsexy, and it was freezing cold out. More importantly, I could tell that he'd had very little experience with sex. I saw it the moment I told him about Shino, and his face had gone red with a funny mixture of awe and horror. No, jumping him in a snowy alley was definitely not the right way to go about things. If he hadn't run from me earlier, he certainly would have if I came on that strong.

But oh, it had been hard to rein myself in. That wild tongue of his had just about stripped me of common sense. Even now it was consuming my brain, and I wanted to feel it again. I was too impatient, and he was so new to all of this. I had to take it slow.

The bar had strawberry soda, so I got that for Yuzuru and a cola for myself. While I was waiting for the bartender to hand them over, a familiar voice piped up at my elbow.

"Seryou-kun?"

"Tajiri-senpai!" I supposed I shouldn't have been surprised to see her here, the Landmark Tower wasn't that far from school. She was in jeans and a sweater, which was a little disconcerting since I hadn't really ever seen her in anything other than archery gear or our school uniform.

"Ooh, are you here on a date?" she asked. "But wait, it's Sunday, isn't it? I guess you probably want to be left alone."

She thought I was here dumping somebody. I shifted uncomfortably. Man, everyone really saw me as a cold-hearted rake, didn't they? "That's not really—"

"What bad timing. Running into you on a Sunday night right after I started seeing someone. Guess I'll miss my chance this week." She winked and nudged me.

"Oh, you have a new boyfriend?"

"I do," she said with a bashful smile. "Masamune confessed to me on Wednesday, so..."

"Masamune Akira-san? From archery club?" He was a second year student from class three. Nice guy, a little on the short side. He'd always struck me as the very serious, no-nonsense sort, so I was impressed. For a guy like him to break the school's dating rules, he must really like her. "Congratulations," I said, and I meant it.

Tajiri was beaming. "Thanks." She rose on her toes and started scanning the room over my shoulder. "I suppose it's too much to ask who your date is tonight? You aren't gonna tell me, huh?"

I was feeling brave. She'd already heard the rumors, so did it matter? Besides, she was here on a date too, which meant she was breaking school rules just as much as we were. "Actually, I'm here with—" I turned, but Yuzuru wasn't where I had left him. "Well, I'm here with Shino Yuzuru-san, but he seems to have gone off somewhere."

"Shino-senpai? He's here?"

The bartender slid two glasses, one pink and one dark brown, across the counter to me. I gave him the bill in my hand. Tajiri turned and waved at someone behind her. "Masamune! Look who's here!"

"Hey, Seryou-kun."

I nodded acknowledgment as Masamune came over, handing Tajiri a coffee cup. It was a small exchange, but I caught the way his eyes lingered on her as she took it from him and sipped. He was definitely smitten. I'd never noticed in club practice.

"He says Shino-senpai's here too. Come on, we should go find him." Tajiri started walking around the bar with Masamune at her heels. I followed, carrying the drinks.

We found Yuzuru sitting on the floor by one of the windows. He had one leg extended in front of him, one knee propped up, and one arm tucked between his head and the glass. He'd fallen asleep. Behind him, the cityscape was a galaxy of colored lights, and snow was swirling past the windows. I pulled up short, a lump forming in my throat. He'd looked awful when I arrived at his house, and I was sure he hadn't slept or eaten in a while. He'd even fallen asleep on the train getting here. Purple shadows still ringed his eyes, but right now he looked so peaceful. If Tajiri and Masamune hadn't been there, I probably would have just sat down next to him and let him sleep... but Tajiri went bounding toward him before I could call her back.

"Shino-senpai! Who comes to Sky Garden to take a nap?"

He stirred, then blinked drowsily as she pounced on him. "Tajiri-chan? You're here?" He sat up a bit and his eyes searched behind her until they landed on me. His expression relaxed.

I smiled and raised the glass of pink soda toward him, then walked over to join them.

"And Masamune-kun, too. Is there a club meeting I don't know about?"

"No, silly." Tajiri plopped down next to him, balancing her coffee mug. "We're on a date and ran into Seryou-kun at the bar. He said he was here with you so we wanted to say hi."

"Hi," Yuzuru said, still looking a little groggy. I moved beside him and sat down, handing him the drink. He looked at it and his eyes lit. "They had strawberry?"

"Yup."

"Yeah!" He put the straw in his mouth and sucked down about a third of it before stopping for air. Then he let out a loud burp.

Tajiri made a face. "Ew, Senpai! No wonder you have to come to places like this with Seryou-kun. You're never gonna get a girlfriend with manners like that."

Oh. She hadn't gotten it, then.

Yuzuru raised an eyebrow in my direction, as if to ask if I had minded. I shrugged and took a sip of my own drink. He seemed satisfied with that. "Are you guys ready for the festival tomorrow?"

"I think so. The club stuff is all set up and we have the demo schedule figured out. Hey, did you hear that there will be some recruiters coming from Tokyo University? Sensei told me today that a member of their archery club will be coming to watch our demonstrations, can you believe it?"

"Tokyo University?" I said in amazement. "Seriously?" It was only one of the most prestigious universities in Japan.

"Yeah, I guess there's some kind of archery competition that they host just before winter break every year, and they invite high school students from all over the country to come participate. It's, like, a really big deal."

"Whoa," Yuzuru said. "I guess we all better really do our best, then, right?" He stuck his glass out, and we all touched our drinks to his in agreement.

He waved a pointed finger between Masamune and Tajiri. "And you two... what's going on here? You guys are dating?"

I noticed Masamune's mouth curve upward a bit as Tajiri took his arm, but he didn't speak up. Tajiri was all too happy to answer, though.

"Yeah, but shhh. You know the rules. Dating's not allowed, so you gotta keep it under wraps, Senpai, okay?"

"Sure," Yuzuru said. "You guys look good together, though."

"You think? Hey, that reminds me, can you take a picture for us?" She set down her coffee cup in order to rummage through her purse. After a few seconds of annoyed chirping noises, Masamune quietly handed her his phone.

"Want to use mine?"

She took it from him with a bright smile. "Aww, thanks! Here, Senpai."

There was a bit of shuffling as she shifted toward her date, smoothing her short-cropped hair with her hands. "Do I look okay?"

Masamune's expression said he thought 'okay' was an understatement, but he just nodded and ducked his head. Tajiri's face fell a bit at his lack of response, and I made a mental note to find him later and offer to teach him a thing or two about flirting. It was obvious how much he liked her, but he would need to do a better job of expressing it if he wanted to keep her interested. His cheeks darkened as Tajiri curled into him, holding up a V with her fingers for the camera.

Yuzuru snapped a couple of pictures. "Wow, you guys really do look great. Hey, Tajiri-chan," he looked up from the phone screen, "let's get a couple with you giving Masamune-kun a back hug, I think it would be really cute."

"Ooh!"

I stole a glance at Yuzuru while she was getting into the suggested pose, which involved putting her arms around Masamune's shoulders from behind. Masamune's face colored even more.

Yuzuru checked the phone screen and gestured with one hand. "That's good, get a little closer."

Tajiri laid her cheek against Masamune's, and he closed his eyes happily for a second. Yuzuru hit the shutter button fast. His face didn't betray a thing, but I was certain he was doing this on purpose—giving his underclassmen a little romance boost for their date in his own good-natured way. I fell a little more in love with him right then and there.

He snapped a few more, then handed the phone to Masamune.

"Can I see?" Tajiri asked, leaning even further over his shoulder to watch him scroll through the pictures. "Ah, these are awesome! Thanks, Senpai!" Masamune still hadn't said a word, but he looked up at Yuzuru and the gratitude in his eyes didn't need a voice.

Yuzuru looked at me, and I gave a tiny nod. I saw what you did there. His grin widened and he picked up his drink again, averting his gaze coyly.

"Hey, guys, since we're all here, let's take a group shot, huh?" Tajiri gestured us over, so Yuzuru and I ended up perched on the leather bench behind her and Masamune, which was the only way we could all fit on the screen. We leaned forward until she was pleased with the angle, and Yuzuru draped an arm around my neck. Tajiri took a few pictures until apparently there was one she found acceptable.

"This is awesome guys, it was great to see you! We're gonna go check out the view on the other side before they close. See you tomorrow!"

Universal date-speak for we're ready to be alone now. Yuzuru and I nodded and waved as they wandered off, and I noticed Masamune's hand sneaking into Taijiri's as they went. I grabbed our drinks off the floor and carried them to the bench.

"Speaking of tomorrow," I said, "you probably ought to head home soon. It's going to be a big day and you're tired."

"Not ready to leave," he pouted.

"But you need sleep."

"I'll just sleep with you."

My heart punched into my ribcage. He seemed to realize what he'd said and his eyes got wide, probably because he saw everything I was feeling flash over my face. I knew what he meant, of course, but that didn't mean my mind didn't zip straight into the gutter anyway.

I could be embarrassed, or I could roll with it. And I was feeling brave tonight... I smirked and laid a hand on his knee. "Okay. Let's do that."

He spluttered and knocked my hand away. "I meant here. Actually sleeping."

"So did I," I replied with mock indignation. "What are you thinking of?"

Oh my god, he was precious when he was flustered. Precious—and sexy as hell, especially given what I was teasing him about. I couldn't keep up the game, and patted my leg. "Come on, lay down. If you promise to get some sleep we can stay a little longer."

"Yeah?" He dove for my lap, then peered up at me. "Are you sure it's okay? I don't want you to be bored."

"I won't be," I assured him. Then, because I was still holding his drink and mine, I bent over him to set his on the floor by my feet. In the process, I kissed him lightly on the forehead. "Sweet dreams," I whispered, straightening up and brushing his bangs with my fingers. He blinked up at me like he wanted to say something else, but his eyelids were already drooping.

I watched him fall asleep on my lap, and sipped the last of my drink while fingering the silky strands of his hair. Outside, the snow kept falling gently into the sparkling city below. It was by far the most beautiful view I had ever seen.

Definitely not bored.