Flight VI

"We're never going to make it!"

Izumi tossed another handful of clothes into the suitcase. Thanks to Takamiya's insistence on "making up" for his being tired last night, they now had less than twenty minutes until their late check-out deadline.

The hotel was booked solid for a convention so they couldn't linger another day. And besides, they had plans for a few stress-free days at Takamiya's country house before Naoya and Aoe arrived.

Izumi would be glad to see Naoya, but he intended to stay as far from Aoe as possible. Maybe he could get Takimiya to take the old fart out somewhere so he and Naoya could talk.

"Get moving!" Izumi demanded, pushing his lover towards the bathroom. The man still hadn't showered and after they way they had spent their morning, he needed one.

"Kiss first," Takamiya insisted, leaning down and claiming one before Izumi chased him into the bathroom.

"Ten minutes," Izumi called out a few minutes later when Takamiya was still in the bathroom. All their belongings were packed and the suitcases lined up neatly by the door.

"Ready," Takamiya announced, throwing open the bathroom door with a flourish. He stood framed in the doorway clad in tight jeans and t-shirt with tendrils of steam escaping around him. Izumi stared.

"Aren't you ready?" Takamiya teased, breezing to the door and picking up his suitcases.

"Ah. Um."

Takamiya just grinned and swept out of the room.

*****

It glowed like honey-colored silk. Izumi reached out, fingers aching, yet afraid to touch something so beautiful. The lid was closed over the ivory and jet colored keyboard yet Izumi could almost see...

"Izumi?" Takamiya walked into the room, cell phone in hand. "Miko-san promised not to call me again - at least until Sunday."

Izumi half-turned and smiled. Eyes holding Takamiya's as the taller man approached, setting the phone aside.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Izumi nodded, eyes returning to the aged wood with its finely crazed finish. The small imperfections just made the piano more beautiful.

"Would you like to try?" Takamiya's body was so close Izumi could feel the heat of his skin.

"No, I couldn't."

"I could teach you," Takamiya's offer was a seductive breath against Izumi's cheek.

"I..."

"Shhh. Close your eyes and listen."

Izumi obeyed, closing his eyes and leaning his head back slightly so the hairs at the back of his head brushed lightly against Takamiya. He felt his lover lean forward and heard the keyboard cover being lifted.

"Put your hands on mine."

Izumi lifted his hands and felt the backs of Takamiya's being fitted against his palms.

"Relax," Takamiya coached, moving their combined hands into place, angled over the keys. "The secret is the combination of motion and sound." A short downward motion and the first chord was struck.

"If you're playing something grand, your movements are big, bold. Like this." Movement and another chord was struck. Izumi could feel it resonate through his body. "If you're playing something softer, it's more like this." The chord whispered against Izumi's skin. "And if you're playing something like this," Takamiya moved his hands again in an almost-stroking motion. The notes caressed Izumi's fingers.

"After Shiki, I didn't play for a long time. But you... you made me feel this again. Made me want it - the way I want to draw sound from you."

Izumi could feel Takamiya surrounding him, well-loved body firmly pressed against Izumi's own. There was a warm, prickling sensation radiating up from his fingertips.

"Izumi." Takamiya's whisper was a prayer and a plea.

How could Izumi deny this man anything?

Tilting his head back to rest against Takamiya's shoulder, Izumi looked up at his lover and whispered his reply. "I love you." The words meant so many things - affirmation, permission, entreaty.

"Relax," Takamiya urged, his hands moving with practiced assurance, preparing them both. "When you're ready."

Takamiya never forced their joinings, not after that first, terrible encounter. If anything, he was too gentle at times when Izumi wanted something a little more... primal.

Like now, pressed forward, clothing draped carelessly, hands braced against the well-polished surface of the wood, Takamiya moving against him, urgently but never carelessly. The sounds of their breathing underscored by the vibration of the strings within the piano.

"Katsura," Izumi begged, pressing back as much as he could while his body curled over the end of the piano, the vibrations working under his skin until he felt like the sounds were inside him desperate to escape.

Takamiya gasped something in response that might have been "love", Izumi wasn't sure. It didn't matter anyway. The words meant nothing when compared to this... incredible...

He would have fallen if Takamiya hadn't caught him, their bodies separating reluctantly as they sank to the worn carpet. Izumi's eyes wouldn't obey, fluttering closed despite Izumi's need to see his lover's face.

"Rest," Takamiya insisted, pulling the old quilt from the sofa and tucking it in around Izumi before covering himself. "I'll stay with you."

That was all Izumi needed to hear. He slipped away into dreams filled with warmth and gentle melodies.

::end::

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