A/N: This is my first attempt at a yaoi/slash story. I just always thought Haru's crush on Yuki was kind of cute. Let me know what you think.

Yuki lay on the couch, his eyes shut as he enjoyed the silence that enveloped him. The only sound was that of the gentle evening rain pattering against the roof and resounding from outside. The house was devoid of all signs of life aside from his presence within it. No obnoxious Shigure with his childish teasing, no perky Tohru with her desperate attempts to engage him in conversation, no stupid Kyo with his booming voice making him bristle with irritation. It was just quiet.

And Yuki felt utterly at peace.

His three housemates had actually gone out to buy groceries, leaving him at home. Normally, Yuki would have been more than eager to accompany them, if only to be around Tohru, but he had a splitting headache. He wasn't sick; he was certain it was due to Kyo's flaring temper that had him screaming at Shigure like a spiteful demon all day long. Normally that wasn't unusual, but for some reason Kyo was particularly vicious today. Perhaps he was feeling jealous of Yuki spending time with Tohru earlier that day. Tohru had spent time with Yuki in his garden, watching with interest as he watered plants. They didn't speak much, but Yuki had sensed a piercing gaze that he could probably have detected from a mile away. Kyo had seen them, and that wasn't exactly something to celebrate. Yuki hated being forced to interact with Kyo and he suspected the two of them might brawl it out one day, to see who was truly worthy of Tohru's affection.

It was then that the doorbell rang, jerking Yuki out of his reflections. He frowned as he sat up and looked towards the door. The others had been gone for only about five minutes; perhaps Shigure had forgotten his wallet?

Yuki sighed as he walked up to the door, unlocking and opening it. His face was already set in a grimace, prepared to bark at Shigure just for forcing him to endure looking at his stupid face. Instead, Yuki's prepared verbal lashing died in his throat as he saw that it was Haru who stood at his doorstep, visibly strained but also relieved. His hair was already drenched due to the downpour and even more disheveled than usual.

"Haru? What are you doing here?" It was rare that the ox ventured to Shigure's in the evening, especially by himself.

Instead of answering his question, Haru turned to wave at his parents' car, which must have dropped him off. After the car drove off, Haru faced Yuki again. He smiled bashfully at Yuki, his fatigue seemingly melting away.

"You think I can come inside? It's not a bad time, is it?"

Yuki arched an eyebrow. "It's not like I have much choice," he muttered as he stepped aside, allowing Haru to enter the house.

As Haru walked inside, he took off his large white jacket and hung it on a coat hanger near the entrance. He then moved to sit on the couch in the living room. He sat hunched over, with his hands clasped together.

Yuki cleared his throat, feeling awkward. He wasn't exactly in the mood to entertain a guest, even if it was a cousin who he felt mostly comfortable with. He also wasn't looking forward to Kyo returning and verbally sparring with Haru as he tended to do, thus resulting in Haru turning black. Still, he sensed there was something that was bothering Haru, yet at the same time he wasn't sure if his cousin wanted to talk about it. He stood with his arms crossed, weight shifting anxiously from leg to leg, as though he had ants in his pants.

"I'm actually not feeling that great...so if you could just keep it down after Kyo gets here, that'd be great. Everyone went to get groceries. They'll probably be back soon."

Haru looked up at Yuki then, his eyes crinkling at the edges as he smiled softly. Despite the gentility in his expression, Yuki couldn't help but notice how weary his cousin looked. His eyes seemed duller than usual and even a bit sunken. Haru leaned back and patted the seat beside him on the couch. "Yuki, come over here and just sit for a minute. You're making me nervous."

Yuki reluctantly made his way over to the couch as even he was aware of his rude behavior. He was normally the poster child for politeness, but he had always felt jittery around Hatsuharu. He felt that it was partially due to the boy's spontaneous eruptions into unbridled fury. One second he was serene and practically pacifying. The second he'd snap into a feverish and devilish state, completely out of anyone's control. To be frank, Yuki was a bit frightened of him. He felt as though he was forced to walk on thin ice anytime he was around him.

And it wasn't just Haru's chaotic mind that deterred Yuki from hanging out with him at times, but it was also the fact that Yuki was more than aware that Haru had a crush on him. Despite the fact that he and Rin were together, he still sometimes hit on Yuki, making him deeply uncomfortable. He was used to dropping his face into his hands when Haru would teasingly compliment his features, squirming out of his grasp whenever he held him in his strong arms, and denying any invitations whatsoever for the two of them to hang out. Unless it was to go to the amusement park. Yuki had no one else to go there with, so he would relent and go with Haru on occasion. But that was where he drew the line.

"What's going on Haru? It's not like you to come over here like this. Did you and Rin fight again?"

It wasn't just Haru that unsettled Yuki. Rin's fury wasn't to be taken lightly either. He'd been approached by her on more than one occasion, where she'd threatened him in some way or another. Not that he could blame her for doing so, he supposed.

Haru averted his eyes, turned away from Yuki as he lowered his head. He nodded slightly. "Yeah...Right on the money. We actually...we broke up."

Yuki heard Haru's voice crack and watched as he shed a single tear, that snaked its way down to his chin, then dripped onto his black jeans. It wasn't exactly the first time he'd heard of the two of them breaking up. Their relationship was a turbulent one, often due to Haru's black side and Rin's fierce temper. Yet somehow, Yuki sensed a finality in Haru's admission, as though he was sincerely worried this time.

Despite the fact that his head was throbbing painfully, Yuki forced a smile and reached over to pat one of Haru's hands reassuringly. "I'm sorry," Yuki said, though he had to admit that a part of him just wasn't the least bit concerned about Haru's personal affairs. He was dreading the return of the others and the impending mental torture due to Kyo's inability to refrain from screeching at Shigure.

"You want to talk about it?"

"She broke up with me…because of Akito," Haru ground out, making Yuki pull his hand back reflexively, heart rate quickening. Already a sign of black Haru's possible appearance. "She said she wants to protect me. Until the curse is broken." And at that Haru laughed incredulously, not that Yuki could blame him. They were used to bursting into fits of hysterical laughter at the thought of this horrible curse ever being broken. They had come to terms with the fact that it most likely never would be.

"That sounds pretty caring of her," Yuki admitted, not usually one to compliment Rin. He didn't dislike her; it was just that their personalities tended to clash, especially when it came to their closeness to Haru. "It probably wouldn't be a good idea to piss off Akito by staying together."

"He pushed her out of a window, Yuki," Haru whispered bitterly. "Can you believe that? How could—why-Of all…?"

Yuki's eyes widened. He hadn't expected such a revelation. Despite that he had grown up fearing Akito, had been on the receiving end of the God's wrath, he still couldn't believe that he'd go so far as to push one of them out of a window. It was bewildering to the point that he could have laughed at it. But he was sure that wouldn't be the best response at the moment.

"Oh my God…Is she okay? Did she break anything? Is she in the hospital?"

Haru nodded solemnly. "She didn't break anything. Just cracked a few ribs, some bruises. But she was clearly shaken by it. It scared her so much she doesn't want to risk something like that happening to me, too, you know? It's understandable, but at the same time, I really love her, Yuki. I...I don't want anything to happen to her just because we happen to love each other."

Haru looked at Yuki then, his eyes flickering strangely. It was for the briefest of seconds and yet, Yuki's breath caught. A glimpse of a livid and murderous rage, burning brightly deep within Haru's mind.

Yuki snapped his head away, practically tearing himself away from Haru's sight. He swallowed hard, trying to get a hold of himself, but to his dismay, he felt a hand take hold of his chin, forcing him to face what he feared.

Haru's eyes made Yuki's stomach clench as though he'd been forced to consume something putrid. They looked wise beyond their years. Like they saw through Yuki and everything he stood for. Like he could see deep within him, past the flesh and into his very being that controlled his every action. Yuki felt naked under their piercing gaze and he couldn't help but blush at the intimacy shared between them. Normally, he'd slap Haru's hand away and rebuke him for daring to touch him in such a way. But for some reason he was incapable of harnessing within himself the courage that was necessary to do it. Instead, he felt his throat dry up as Haru seemingly sized him up.

"You're scared of me," Haru murmured, as he finally let go of Yuki. He smirked with satisfaction as Yuki leaned away from him reflexively.

"N-No, I'm not," Yuki said, fully aware of how unconvincing he was. It had been a while since he'd last been completely alone with black Haru in this house, and he found it wasn't something he was enjoying at the moment. It made him feel timid...like the rat he'd transform into. Instead of feeling calm and at ease as he did whenever he fought Kyo, black Haru disturbed him, jarred him. Perhaps it was because his predatory nature made him instantly miss the gentle and compassionate soul that it replaced.

Yuki watched, paralyzed, as Haru reached to place a hand on his right thigh. He began caressing and stroking it tenderly, much too tenderly for Yuki's liking. His touch tickled and sent shivers down his spine. Partly because he couldn't deny that he found it pleasurable, but also because he would have hoped that it was white Haru touching him in such a way. If he had to be touched, anyway. God, it was humiliating to admit such a thing, but Yuki couldn't help it. After all the times that Haru had spent flirting with him, it was inevitable that he'd chip away at his walls until he'd hit him where he was most vulnerable.

Yuki braved a peek at Haru and saw to his concern that his cousin's eyes swiftly met his own, as though in challenge. You don't have the balls to stop me, they seemingly taunted him. Yuki felt meek beneath them, his request for Haru to stop touching him dying in his throat.

Haru's hand began to drift up Yuki's thigh and then slightly to the right to his crotch, making Yuki's heart pound like a drum within his chest. Once Haru's hand hovered over his crotch, he stroked it so gently it made Yuki cringe. It was a teasing caress, like he was toying with him just to see his reaction. His hand seemed to hover there for a few seconds as though he was tempted to take things a step further. Instead, to Yuki's relief, he seemed to reconsider and retracted his hand.

To Yuki's dismay, he was aware that he already felt the slightest bit of arousal from what Haru had done. He was also aware that Haru had shifted closer to him, had wrapped an arm around him. His touch made Yuki tense up, however. It just didn't feel quite right, knowing that Haru wasn't fully aware of what was happening.

Despite the fact that Haru was simply holding him close, Yuki's stomach lurched. He felt as though he was being held by someone completely different from the boy he'd been sitting with up until a couple of minutes ago. It wasn't just that he was certain that he'd almost been sexually assaulted, but it was the way he was touching him in general. The way that Haru held him...it made him feel uneasy. It made him want to squirm.

He knew that Haru, white Haru, would never want him to feel this way, but this wasn't white Haru…and perhaps there was something else going on that was making him behave so abnormally. Even black Haru had never gone to such lengths before. Perhaps it had to do with what happened with Rin and Akito.

Nothing about this was soothing. It didn't make something hot pool in the bottom of Yuki's stomach. Even the erection that Yuki had almost responded with felt wrong, somehow. No, it alarmed him, made him want to dash out of the room and away from this Haru who wasn't Haru at all...

It was at that moment that Yuki saw Haru's eyes flicker and the sinister glow in them vanished, leaving an almost innocent gaze in their wake. His eyes bore into Yuki's, looking confused at first. It didn't take long for his assessment of Yuki's expression to cause something to dawn on him. Haru abruptly let go of Yuki and shifted away, began to shake his head in disbelief. Yuki saw all types of raging emotions swirling within in his eyes.

"Haru..."

Yuki's anxiety gave way to compassion as his heart swelled in response to Haru's turmoil. To his relief, his erection had retreated, no longer causing his insides to war against one another. He tentatively reached to place a hand on Haru's shoulder in consolation. He could tell from his reaction that the ox was deeply upset by what he'd been doing. Perhaps he'd seen the look on Yuki's face, the deep discomfort written plainly on it. Yuki knew Haru cared deeply for him, was protective of him. He'd stood up for him on numerous occasions when he'd been unable or simply unwilling to defend himself.

"I can't believe I...Yuki, please forgive me," Haru moaned. "I don't know what came over me. I...I must be taking things even worse than I thought. Maybe I'm starting to lose it."

"I can't really blame you, what with having Rin for a girlfriend," Yuki teased, trying to lighten the mood. He was feeling slightly better now that he saw Haru feeling regretful. At times, he'd forget white Haru even existed once black Haru made his presence known. But he always felt a massive weight leave his chest once white Haru reappeared. It was reassuring...comforting.

He felt safe again.

"I'm just glad I didn't kiss you," Haru said, laughing a little now as he lowered his hands from his face. Yuki couldn't help but shift uncomfortably at the thought of the two of them kissing. He hoped he'd never allow such a thing to happen, that he'd never succumb to that extent to Haru's pushiness. It could be so hard to not allow his mind to wander in that dreaded direction, though, as it had earlier. To Yuki's relief, Haru didn't seem to notice his internal battle. "I mean, I don't want to force you into it or whatever. As much as I like you and everything, I wouldn't want to do that to you, Yuki. You know I love you, in my own way."

"I don't get why you're so into me, Haru," Yuki chanced to admit. He often felt perplexed and stumped as to what it was that kept Haru on his tail. "And even after all the times I've told you to quit it...Why won't you just give it up?"

"Because I like a challenge," Haru said, his eyes softening.

"A challenge..." Yuki repeated dryly, already feeling like dropping his face into his palms. He wasn't quite sure if it was a challenge or an impossibility.

"You're just really sweet, Yuki. And you're always so calm and at ease. You let me hang out with you even though you're not into me. I kind of like that, you know? Feeling accepted despite everything." Haru smiled sweetly at Yuki, his eyes openly adoring him.

Something fluttered within Yuki's stomach. He couldn't help but notice the tenderness within his cousin's gaze. It was so pure...so untainted...that it stood in stark contrast to his maniacal alter ego. It made him feel so hot inside that he had to look away. God, why did Haru have to look at him like that anyway? It almost irked Yuki, like the boy was trying to rattle his nerves. Despite what he'd thought just a second ago...about it being an impossibility...his heart strings had inexplicably been tugged. Yuki tried to get a hold of himself, but found that he had difficulty doing so.

Almost against his will, he turned back towards Haru, sneaked a peek at his cousin who wasn't looking in his direction. Yuki's eyes drifted up to Haru's hair. He couldn't help but notice how soft it and puffy it looked. He had to quell the urge to push aside the tendrils that lay wet again his forehead. His eyes strayed lower to Haru's chest. His shirt's top three buttons were unbuttoned and he caught a glimpse of his chest hair. Something he never thought much of in the past and, yet, now Yuki had to tear his eyes away before his emotions began to run rampant.

His heart began to pound in his chest as he wondered if he may finally be on the brink of losing his sanity due to all the hardships he'd endured over the years. Maybe he just felt lonely and was craving the intimacy he had been unable to achieve yet with Tohru. Or maybe...maybe...he simply felt curiosity as to how it might feel. Yuki swallowed hard as his mind wandered beyond his control.

How would Haru react if Yuki smiled at him playfully and reached to run his fingertips along his jawline? If Yuki pressed a hand against Haru's chest, making him lie on his back as Yuki took hold of his hands, interlacing their fingers?

At that moment Yuki wondered if he may actually be curious enough to experiment with Haru after all. And he hated feeling this way because it went against his icy exterior, as well as the fact that he'd made it clear to Haru numerous times that he wasn't a fan of his sexual advances.

It was utterly perplexing and yet it was undeniable that, despite it all, something inside him was being sparked, something that had lain dormant up until tonight.

Yuki's hands twitched, as for the briefest of moments, he felt drawn to Haru's grey eyes, that were now calm...almost too calm for his liking. He hated black Haru and yet, now that he thought about it, the passion that he'd displayed earlier was oddly alluring, breathtaking even. To be frank, it turned Yuki on. He felt a sudden urge to rest his hands against Haru's cool, wet cheeks and-

It was at that moment that they heard a key unlocking the front door. Yuki reflexively shifted away from Haru, feeling like he was about to be caught with his pants down. Both boys looked towards the door and saw it open, revealing Shigure, Kyo, and Tohru carrying bags of groceries inside. Shigure was the first to notice Haru.

"Haru, what are you doing here? Did you get lost on your way home?"

Haru scratched at his face sheepishly. "No, I just came to hang out with you guys for a bit. Was just feeling lonely, I guess."

As Kyo was carrying a bag of groceries into the kitchen the handles he was holding suddenly ripped, making his groceries spill onto the floor, a carton of milk spilling its contents as well. Kyo growled with rage as he bent down to clean up the mess, with Tohru joining him, unsurprisingly.

"Silly kitty Kyo! You always take on more than you can chew," Shigure teased. "Maybe you should ask Tohru how to hold a grocery bag properly."

Yuki groaned as he placed hands over his ears, hoping to drown out Kyo's shouting insults at Shigure. As he did so, he felt Haru place an arm around his shoulders, squeezing him against him for a second. Despite the fact that the gesture was meant to console him, Yuki normally would have been annoyed with it. But for now, he rolled his eyes and relaxed into it. He even felt his headache dull slightly in response to the gesture.

Perhaps Haru's visit wasn't such a bad thing after all.

A/N: I decided to edit this chapter since I'm sure even black Haru wouldn't have gone that far without Yuki's permission. Also, I just dislike yaoi stories that have that type of abuse in them.