FicWad

Title: Ground Rules
Pairing: TatsuhaxTaki
Fandom: Gravitation
Theme: #12. In a good mood
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters or this series and I don't profit from this work.


The moment they sat down in the cafe and the waitress handed Tatsuha the menu, the boy had made sure to order the most expensive item there was. "I'm not made of money." Taki looked out the window sulkily, determined not to enjoy himself.

"You have more money on you than I do." Tatsuha snickered as if Taki had said something incredibly stupid. "Who would you have to spend it on besides me?"

"Listen, we need to talk about this annoying personality trait of yours." The waitress had came back and set down a huge plate of what had to be the most fattening, carb loaded cake known to man. Tatsuha eyed it as he picked up his fork and knife, beginning to drool.

"And that is?" Not meeting Taki's eyes, Tatsuha went to work on the cake, savoring each bite before swallowing. It was a little distracting, but the whole boy was a distraction in a sense, so Taki decided to do his best and not pay attention to his eating habits.

He just had to stand his ground and not let the boy's overconfidence get to him. "The way you keep just barging in and doing whatever you want without my say so." And just making a mess of his life in general.

"That's not a personality trait. That's a habit. And you like it otherwise you'd have stopped me by now." Tatsuha gave him a chocolate smudged smile before whipping off his lips. He hadn't even made it through an eighth of the cake yet.

"Listen, I don't..." Taki thought better of his denial though. Tatsuha would just twist it around and confuse him further. "The point is, we need to lay down some ground rules."

Tatsuha stared at him for a moment, than shrugged. "Okay, shoot." For a moment, Taki was stunned by the fact that there had been no big protest, but then continued

"First, no more stalking me." He let the "or else" hang there silently, even though he truly didn't know what he could do to get through to Tatsuha. The fact was, any public fallout from this would be worse for Taki than for Tatsuha. In the end, it was going to come down to who could bluff their way through this. Taki may have lost the first few rounds, but he wanted to win this one, to see if he could.

Tatsuha didn't seem to like this first rule in any event, so it was definitely going to take all the will power Taki had. "I'm not stalking you." Tatsuha returned to the cake at that moment, as if Taki had been talking about the weather.

Choosing not to be put off by his indifference, Taki continued. "Rule number two, no clinging to me in public." Tatsuha didn't say anything as he continued to eat his cake. "And no claiming we're together."

"Fine, whatever you say." The way he said it and the fact that Tatsuha wasn't even looking at him lead Taki to doubt that he'd even heard him. In fact, the boy's eyes had a slightly glazed look to them.

Sighing to himself, Taki continued, hoping that Tatsuha was one of those types who learned through osmosis. "Third, you don't' get to mooch off me." The boy choked on the mouth full of cake he'd had in his mouth.

"I don't have any money on me!" He said as managed to swallow the cake, pounding his chest as if that would help it go down faster.

Despite himself, a smirk crossed Taki's face. The boy was just such an unbelievable idiot, though in a charming way. Didn't change the fact that he was an idiot though. "I meant after today."

For a moment, Tatsuha seemed relieved, then he raised his spoon in protest. "I can't even raid the fridge?" The conversation was beginning to remind him of college when he had made the mistake of rooming with Ma-kun.

So much so that he gave the exact same answer he had given back then. "Not even that." Unlike Ma-kun though, Tatsuha didn't pitch a fit, but merely dug back into his cake.

"Do I get a key?"

"Why should I give you a key?"

"Because, it'll be fun. Besides, if you don't, I'll just make one of my own. I know this locksmith who-"

Not wanting to really know why a locksmith would help out Tatsuha, Taki cut him off. "Okay, I'll give you your damn key." The boy's face lit up in a way that the singer hadn't thought possible and that for some reason, he liked it.

"You sound so grudging about it." He grinned as he dipped his spoon into the desert and then held it in front of Taki. "Here: something to sweeten you up a little."

Taki made a face and turned away. "No thanks." But, Tatsuha once again held the spoon toward him, giving him a cheesy grin. Taki glanced around and when he saw that no one was looking, he took the spoonful into his mouth. It was rich, luscious and overpoweringly chocolaty, just the way he liked it.

"See, if you just listen to me and do what I say, you'll be a lot more content." Tatsuha shoved the rest of the plate of cake towards Taki.

"Don't get over confidant." Taki glared at him as he began to finish off the cake. "I'm not going to give you anything in return."

"But, you already have." Tatsuha was grinning mischievously and Taki was half tempted to give the cake back. In the end though, he decided that he might as well keep his sinful prize.