Taste of You

Taste of You

"Hi."

Junpei startled awake at the greeting, eyes blinking to clear the fog of sleep and the Dark Hour from them.

"Long time no see."

Heart thumping, he sat up and looked to the side. Ryoji was sitting on his bed, looking at him calmly, smiling though his gaze was sad. Swiftly, he grabbed his lamp's chain and yanked. Nothing. He was sweating when he glanced at his clock and saw it dead.

"It's the Dark Hour, Junpei-kun."

Junpei looked back at Ryoji, trying to steady his breathing and heartbeat. "I... I knew that." He frowned. "What are you doing here?"

"I..." Ryoji looked down briefly. "I just wanted to come see you in your world..."

Junpei's frown creased even more. While part of him felt bad for Ryoji, who was wandering... wherever he was all alone until New Year's Eve, probably cursing himself, his fate and his newfound humanity—if that wasn't all an act of course—the rest of him wanted to beat up and kick out the fucking Shadow who had lied to him behind its cheerful human façade.

Ryoji laced his long fingers together in his lap and looked down at them, hiding his mouth behind that long scarf of his. "Of course, I understand if you don't want to see me..."

Goddammit, could Naoki really have taught him to emote like that? Because that didn't seem possible. And he hated himself for the fact that even if Ryoji was faking it from beginning to end it still made his heart crack a little more for him. "Why here? Why me?" Shouldn't you want to go see Naoki instead?

Looking away, Ryoji lightly thumped his thumbs together before mumbling something so low Junpei didn't understand.

"What?"

"I'm lonely," Ryoji admitted, louder but still barely above a whisper.

Junpei blinked. "You're a Shadow! And aren't you Death?"

Ryoji didn't answer, simply looked down at his feet.

After several minutes of heavy silence, Junpei nudged Ryoji's thigh with a covered foot. "Hey."

Ryoji turned his head to look at him.

"You didn't answer me earlier," Junpei asked, his anger deflated a bit. "Why me?"

Ryoji let out a sigh. "I... we're friends right? I like you all... you especially. You were..." Ryoji paused. "So welcoming, I suppose. So friendly to me. We got along well, didn't we?"

There was another long silence as Junpei looked down at the covers to avoid Ryoji's gaze. That much was true. They had hit off immediately. They got along like peas in a pod, to Yukari's great despair. And as much as he hated to admit it, even after learning his new friend was a Shadow, Death, the Shadow that would preside over another bigger, meaner Shadow sweeping in to suck his mind right out of his head... he missed his friend Ryoji.

"Do you hate me?"

Junpei sighed heavily as he looked up at the ceiling. He could almost feel Ryoji's gaze on himself. "As much as I've tried... I don't." He felt the mattress dip closer to his body; when he looked, Ryoji was sitting just beside him.

"Thank you. And I apologize again."

Junpei shrugged. "Yeah, w—!!!" Ryoji's lips on his interrupted him, just before he pulled back in shock. "... wh..." Junpei nervously licked his lips, looking at Ryoji with wide eyes. "... why???"

"I just... been wondering what it would feel like."

Junpei could barely believe his ears. "What? But... come on, all the girls! You've never kissed before?"

Ducking his head a bit, Ryoji let out a soft chuckle. "Oh, I've kissed girls before. I was wondering about kissing you." He smiled at Junpei, his usual small smile that looked too human and sincere for a Shadow. "Does that bother you?"

"I huh..." Junpei cleared his throat in lieu of a response. Did it? Before he learned the truth about Ryoji, he had actually thought about it himself, once or twice, never really making a big deal about it. Hell he probably had thought about kissing everyone in SEES on the mouth—except probably Ken and Koromaru—at least once. But now that he knew Ryoji was a Shadow, a big fucking scary one, he... wasn't all that sure about it, even if the fleeting touch had felt warm and normal, just human skin brushing against human skin.

A fleeting touch on his cheek brought his attention back to Ryoji, who was laying gentle butterfly kisses on his skin.

"You feel good," Ryoji told him as he pulled himself closer, resting a hand on the mattress, on the other side of Junpei's thighs. "Can I touch you more?" he asked against the corner of Junpei's lips.

Junpei slowly, tentatively turned his head to look at Ryoji; Ryoji who looked at him as he always did, smiling a bit, looking and feeling and smelling nothing like the Shadow he was supposed to be. He, too, right now, was just like a normal teen, scared and wringing his hands and cursing fate just as much as they probably all were right now, and fuck it, Junpei leaned in and firmly pressed his lips to Ryoji's, feeling the latter's smile widen. Damn that guy, really.

He paid little attention to Ryoji's hands slipping under his T-shirt, but he gasped out loud when Ryoji splayed and pressed said cold hands against the warm skin of his back. "Ryoji!" he growled under his breath.

"Sorry, sorry," Ryoji whispered and laughed nervously. "Just wanted..." and he climbed on the bed to straddle Junpei's legs, leaning against his torso. And then he slipped his still cold hands under the front of Junpei's T-shirt. "You're warm..."

"And your hands ain't!" Junpei hissed as he yanked Ryoji's hands away. Still, he clasped them in his and brought them to his lips, trying to warm them with his breath, even if that proved more difficult than expected when Ryoji insisted on leaning over to press small kisses over his head, forehead and cheeks. Not to mention rather distracting. "Gimme a chance here, man, am tryin' to help you out," he mumbled as Ryoji pulled their hands down to try and kiss Junpei's lips again.

It seemed that Ryoji was having none if it, though; he brushed his lips and his warmed fingers against Junpei's mouth as he moved closer, pressing the bulge in his pants against Junpei's stomach. He smiled when Junpei tentatively wrapped his arms around him, one hand stroking the curve of his back. Still, he pulled back and away from Junpei, one hand sliding down Junpei's arm to grab his hand. "Wanna?" he asked in a soft voice, gently tugging on the hand.

Junpei's eyes widened as he swallowed.

"Are you scared of me?" Ryoji asked again, softly, though he feared the answer.

"No..." Junpei followed Ryoji's lead and moved on top of the covers, then over Ryoji on all fours as the latter turned and lay down on the mattress, smiling up at Junpei.

"You can control what'll go on from there," Ryoji said, stroking Junpei's cheek with one hand. He pulled his suspenders off, then his long scarf, which he offered to Junpei. "If you want, you can tie my hands up."

Junpei's eyes widened even more as he took the scarf. "I huh..." Holy shit, he had no idea Ryoji was into kinky stuff... wait. He had probably just suggested that because he wanted to reassure Junpei by letting him make sure he wouldn't do anything funny... As much as Junpei thought a mere yellow scarf, no matter how long, was not going to stop Death in any way if it decided to snap his neck or suck his soul out of his head, he was touched by Ryoji's thoughtfulness. Nonetheless, he set it aside and began to unbutton Ryoji's white shirt.

"You're not going to...?"

Junpei looked down at him. "We're friends, right? I trust you to not go all headmuncher on me."

Ryoji let out a soft chuckle and let Junpei peel the shirt off him before pulling him closer so he stood before him on his knees. "I can do that... I'll just eat this here instead..." he said with a small grin, then nuzzled Junpei's abdomen through his PJs T-shirt. He slowly slid a hand up Junpei's thigh, caressing him, smiling as he heard Junpei's breath hitch. He then hooked two fingers over the elastic waistband and pulled Junpei's pants and underwear down together until Junpei's erection was freed. Leaning back, he pulled Junpei forward until Junpei's cock was within easy reach of his mouth and he was as comfortable as he could, before pressing a gentle kiss on Junpei's cock, just below the head. "Is that okay with you, Junpei-kun?" he asked softly, looking up at Junpei's face.

"Fuck yeah it is," Junpei breathed out, slipping a hand under the hem of his T-shirt to pull it up and out of Ryoji's way, putting the other on Ryoji's shoulder for balance.

Smiling widely, Ryoji ducked his head and gave Junpei's abdomen a wet lick before he turned his attention to his cock, wrapping his hand around the shaft before kissing, then suckling on the tip. He chuckled around it softly when that made Junpei gasp and clench his hand tighter on Ryoji's shoulder.

The vibration from Ryoji's laughter, in turn, felt like pure Heaven on Junpei's cock. He let go of his T-shirt, then hesitantly put his hand on Ryoji's head and petted his hair, trying to encourage him silently, as he didn't think he could speak right now without his voice breaking.

Swallowing, Ryoji pulled back, then looked up at Junpei. "Deeper?" When Junpei nodded, panting softly, he smiled again and turned his attention back to Junpei's cock, taking it further into his mouth as he caressed one of Junpei's thighs with his other hand. Closing his eyes, he tried to focus on committing all these new details about Junpei to memory: the weight and feeling of his cock on his tongue, his scent mixed in with a hint of shower gel, the soothing warmth of his body... He didn't even mind too much when Junpei let out a small whimper and closed his fist in his hair, pulling on it a bit. Maybe he deserved it, he thought.

What he hadn't thought about was that it could be Junpei trying to warn him. Junpei's orgasm took him by surprise and he let out a small cry, mercifully muffled by Junpei's cock, as he yanked his head back, undoubtedly losing a few strands of hair in the process. He nonetheless used his hand to stroke Junpei until he was done, small strings of white come falling on his bare stomach and his pants.

"Oh man," Junpei exhaled as he fell sitting on Ryoji's legs, "I'm sorry, I tried to tell you..." He gently brushed Ryoji's hair back into place in an attempt to soothe his scalp.

"It's okay." Ryoji wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. "Now I know how Aiko-chan felt."

Junpei blinked. "Who?"

Once again, Ryoji let out a soft chuckle. "Oh. Nothing, nothing." He looked at Junpei, waiting for him to catch his breath and move off so he could get out of bed and leave. The Dark Hour was almost over.

Junpei, however, took the pause and the slightly awkward silence that followed as his cue to do something. He opened the fly of Ryoji's pants with trembling fingers, then put a hand on his chest to push him lightly. "...Lay down, okay?"

Ryoji looked at him with wide eyes. "You don't have to..." He had expected Junpei to feel he should reciprocate; he had only half expected him to go through with it, however.

"Yeah but I'd be a jerk if I didn't. Beside," he continued in a lower voice as he tucked himself back in his pants, then lay down between Ryoji's legs, "I'm... I'm kinda curious to try this out..."

Ryoji was still surprised, but he smiled at him. "All right." He spread his legs wider for Junpei and lay down, resting his head on Junpei's pillow. "I'm yours."

Laughing nervously at that, Junpei went to the task of pulling Ryoji's pants and underwear further down to get his cock out; he caught himself being relieved that it looked normal. Clearly, he was reading too much hentai online; why wouldn't Ryoji be normal? Aside from the fact that he was Death inside, of course... "Hey. If I'm good, do I get some sort of deal? Like, I get to live to be real old or something?"

Ryoji laughed, wholeheartedly for once. "'I like you. I'll kill you last.'?"

Junpei chuckled. "Yeah, something like that." Then, not giving Ryoji or himself time to reflect on what was probably not a laughing matter, he sealed his lips around the head of Ryoji's cock and sucked, trying to mimic what Ryoji had done earlier. It... honestly did not feel as weird as anticipated to have a dick in his mouth. The tip was slightly moist, but the rest was not very different from putting a finger in his mouth, saved for the girth. The taste wasn't so bad, either, rather like salted water. He wouldn't do it all day long, but, so far, it wasn't something he'd never do again.

He started a bit when he felt Ryoji lay a hand on his head. "Use your tongue more," Ryoji moaned softly as he caressed Junpei's short hair, and Junpei complied, pulling back to give Ryoji's cock long, wet licks. Emboldened by Ryoji wrapping a leg around his back, Junpei lay Ryoji's erection flat on his belly to kiss and lick it wetly, stroking it with one hand as he cupped Ryoji's balls with the other. He grinned when that made Ryoji squirm and moan through gritted teeth. Obviously, he wasn't too horrible at this.

Ryoji came with a loud gasp, one hand trying to find purchase in Junpei's too short hair, the fingers of the other curling in the sheets. "Ah... c'mere, c'mere," he panted, trying to pull Junpei closer, as soon as he was able to catch his breath enough to talk.

"Hey," Junpei whispered as he crawled closer. He barely had time to settle down when Ryoji was kissing him gently, again and again, running his fingertips over his face, his head, his neck, his shoulders. It felt a bit weird to be touched by a guy like that, Junpei thought, but he let Ryoji caress him as much as he craved to. Without really thinking about it, he wrapped his arms around Ryoji's back and caressed it lightly. He didn't even protest when Ryoji rolled on top of him, still caressing and kissing him urgently but with the utmost care.

Gradually, Ryoji slowed his touches and kisses, until he stopped completely, breathing softly, resting his head by Junpei's with one of his hands still cupping the side of Junpei's face.

"Ryoji?" Junpei called out softly after a minute of still silence.

"I have to go," Ryoji announced softly. It took him a few more seconds before he actually pulled himself away from Junpei's warm body and moved off the bed to fix his pants.

Junpei blinked in surprise. Go? Just like that? "H-hey... you..." he moved to the edge of the bed, but, somehow, he couldn't get up. He just looked at Ryoji, his friend Ryoji, Death itself, who, paradoxically, in the feeble light of the Dark Hour's moon, looked fragile as glass. "... are you gonna... come back?"

"On December 31st, as I told you." Ryoji picked his shirt and scarf up from the floor, but didn't bother putting them on. Where he was going, it didn't matter.

"I know that, I meant... before that? Here?" To see me? he nearly added, but that would seem too needy and girly.

He barely had time to see Ryoji turn around to answer him before he vanished, washed away by the end of the Dark Hour like the remnant of a dream.