Disclaimer: You tell me where I can buy the member of Malice Mizer and I’d love you. Actually, I’d love you if you could give me an email address for them or something. Needless to say, I have no form of contact with anyone who was in the band. ^_^
Mana: Um, Puff-chan, are the straps really that necessary?
Puff: Of course, Mana, I wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself.
Mana: I never said that I was going to.
Puff: Not intentionally. I don’t want you to hurt yourself accidentally if something freaky happens. Now be a good boy and stay still while I poke at you with this sharp metal thing I found out in the backyard. Don’t worry about that reddish tint. I think it’s fine. *smiles*
Mana: O_O
Gackt: That can’t be healthy…
Chapter Eleven
*Three or four days later*
“Allison, what do you have prepared for breakfast this morning?” Adam asked eagerly, plopping himself down at the kitchen table in the chair he claimed as his, “It doesn’t matter, because you’re such a brilliant cook. I’m just curious to see what goodies you’ll be feeding me on this radiant day!” He grinned boyishly, his green eyes overflowing with happiness.
“Haven’t decided yet,” Allison said plainly, leaning wearily against the counter as she pushed her flame colored hair off of her face.
“Haven’t decided?” Adam asked worriedly, a tone of panic slipping into his voice, “How does a nearly perfect chef like you not have meals planned days in advance?”
“I’d kind of like to do that, but I work for Mana and Gackt. I have to go with what they want. They haven’t told me if they want breakfast or not,” Allison explained slowly, smiling to show that she was sorry for not being able to feed him at that particular moment.
“You know that they never want breakfast. They just don’t seem too eat much,” Adam muttered, letting his head fall to the table with a noticeable thud. He sighed loudly, stabbing at the glass vase in the center of the table with his pointer finger.
“Do I want to know what’s up with him, Allison?” Britney asked as she walked into the kitchen, her brown eyes clearly amused. She delicately set herself down in the chair opposite Adam, carefully watching the claws at the bottoms of the chair legs; her ankle had already met the sharpened points.
“Adam is simply upset because I haven’t heard if our employers want anything to eat this morning. He’s protesting that they never eat breakfast anyway,” Allison explained, her voice lit by a light laughter. She grinned and joined her two friends at the kitchen table.
“Well, since we’ve been here, they haven’t had a single breakfast,” Allison said, defensively taking Adam’s side before she leaned as far over the table top as was possible, “But I’ve got something a lot better to discuss than Mana and Gackt’s eating habits.” Allison and Adam looked suspiciously at Britney, leaning their own heads forward when the maid gestured.
“What did you learn?” Adam asked eagerly, his lack of a morning meal all but forgotten, “Is Mana single?” He smiled to himself, his eyes clearly displaying his thoughts. Allison slapped him across the shoulder, glaring reproachfully at him.
“There is absolutely no reason in the world that would motivate Gackt and Mana to pretend they’re married. Now get your mind out of the gutter and let’s hear what Britney wants to say,” Allison scolded sharply, her time with her twins obviously shining through.
“Every morning, I go upstairs and see what needs to be straightened out or cleaned up. I check in every room except for Mana’s sewing room, since we aren’t allowed to go in there,” Britney began, slowly twirling her hair as she picked her words, “So, that includes the supposedly spare guest room. It doesn’t seem so spare since the bed is messed up every single morning we’ve been here.” She looked extremely smug as she leaned back into her chair, folding her hands into her lap.
“That doesn’t mean anything. Maybe they’re just staying in that room until they adjust things to their liking in the master bedroom,” Allison reasoned hurriedly, sighing when both Britney and Adam rolled their eyes at her.
“No, that’s not it. The bed in master bedroom always needs to be made, too,” Britney stated in a definitive tone, her voice set in such a way that it would have normally signaled the end to the conversation after she finished speaking, “If they are married, it probably won’t last long. I mean, it seems like they’re having problems already.”
Allison wasn’t quite ready to give up yet and, so, the debate continued in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Mana was standing silently just outside the kitchen door, his brilliant blue eyes shifting worriedly in the dim light. He listened for a second longer, to make sure that he wasn’t going to miss something important, and then hurried off to find Gackt.
“There you are!” Mana said suddenly, his words spilling forth almost in a jumble. Gackt looked over his shoulder, his blue eyes confusedly focused on the guitarist. He stood up and walked over to Mana, curious to find out why his friend seemed to be in such a hurry to find him.
“Do you need something?” Gackt asked nervously, cautiously watching as Mana pulled the living room doors shut, “Did something horrible happen? Did someone get sick? Mana! Say something!” Stunned, as if he hadn’t really heard a word the vocalist had said, Mana whirled around to face him.
“We have a problem,” Mana said darkly, pulling Gackt across the room to stand by a heavily curtained window, “And this could be a very big problem if we don’t remedy it soon.” He pushed a dark lock of hair out of his eyes, allowing the clear blue to shine brightly.
“What is wrong?” Gackt questioned, unable to keep the fear out of his voice, “What do we have to do to fix the problem?” He caught one of Mana’s small hands, holding tightly to the willowy and lissome fingers.
“What do you want me to tell you first?” Mana asked softly, even though no one in the house besides Gackt could have possible understood what he was saying.
“If it’s important enough for you to look so worried, I think we should just start with the solution. You can explain the problem afterwards,” Gackt said, gesturing for Mana to hurry things a bit. The guitarist glared slightly, not liking the fact he was being rushed to pick his words.
“You have to sleep with me,” Mana blurted out, staring directly into Gackt’s cerulean eyes. Gackt blinked, staring at Mana quizzically for a moment before he grinned amusedly. He laughed slightly and let Mana’s hand drop out of his grasp.
“I never knew you felt that way about me,” Gackt teased, quite sure that his friend didn’t mean it the way it sounded but still unable to let such a perfect opportunity to catch Mana off guard pass without comment. Gackt was biting his lower lip in an effort not to laugh while Mana realized just what he said.
“I didn’t mean it that way,” Mana muttered embarrassedly, a brilliant crimson quickly staining his pale cheeks. He let his sapphire gaze dart away from Gackt’s handsome face, not quite willing to look the vocalist in the eyes at the moment.
“I know you didn’t mean it that way. Now, would you mind telling me why I have to sleep with you?” Gackt asked brightly, grinning when Mana’s already rosy cheeks darkened even further, “I’d also like to know who decided on this very interesting course of action.” Mana brushed past his still extremely amused band mate, letting himself fall onto one of the leather couches. Gackt followed suit, sitting on the end of the dark chaise longue.
“I overheard the servants talking in the kitchen,” Mana began, seemingly fascinated by his delicate hands, “Britney was saying that she didn’t think that we were truly getting along and that the marriage would end because we’re staying in different rooms. Adam was asking Britney if she knew if I’m single and not married like we told them. It’s a little unnerving that they’re catching on so quickly. ”
“That makes sense,” Gackt said calmly, pushing a strand of his chestnut hair off of his face absentmindedly, “Though I don’t really see why it would be any of their business in the first place. We just pay them to take care of the house and us. They may be right, about the fact we aren’t married, but they should keep to their tasks. Don’t worry, Mana, it’s obvious that Adam likes you. He’s just wishing. Not one of them can prove anything.”
Mana nodded, still slightly unsure that servants wouldn’t find something to confirm their suspicions. He was starting to let his mind quiet down as he realized the issue at hand wasn’t as serious as he had first thought.
“But, then again, they do seem to be putting things together already,” Gackt stated suddenly, resting his chin on his loosely formed fist, “One slip-up on our part and the whole ruse could be shattered.”
“You don’t mean that, right?” Mana asked anxiously, toying with the rings on his finger, “I’ve kind of gotten used to this house. I would hate to think that we wouldn’t be able to come back for at least a visit after our vacation is over.”
“I was joking,” Gackt soothed, moving to sit next to Mana, “I know how you feel about the house. I like it here too.”
“What are we going to do about the suspicions that they were discussing already?” Mana questioned, turning his head slightly so he could see Gackt better. Smiling enigmatically, the vocalist wrapped a strong arm around his friend and pulled him closer.
“You’ve named the best solution,” Gackt said, winding a long strand of Mana’s dark hair around his fingers, “We simply have to sleep together.” Mana, his skin having just returned to its normal pale color, flushed a lovely pink hue; it was, however, much less noticeable that his previous color changes.
*Later that night*
“Where do I sleep?” Gackt asked, running his fingers over the silvery silk tied to the bedposts with ornate bows of black brocade. The long curtains fell gracefully from an elegant canopy, pooling onto the soft white carpet.
“The side that isn’t mine,” Mana called from the bathroom where he was brushing out his hair into soft waves. He had already washed off most of his make-up, leaving only a vague touch of eye shadow.
“Like I’m supposed to know which side is yours,” Gackt muttered jokingly, looking for any clues on the nightstands. Just as Gackt was giving up, Mana walked out and carefully folded back the covers on the right side of the bed. He sat down on the smooth snow-white sheets and pulled off his delicate slippers, setting them down on the floor.
“That would be your side,” Mana said lightly, smiling over his shoulder.
“I figured as much,” Gackt said in return, not bothering to turn down the blankets. He just slid underneath the layers, pushing at the plump down pillow until it was perfectly adjusted.
“I wonder what Kami, Yu~ki, and Kozi would say right now,” Mana said, pulling the blankets over him as he lay down. He reached over and pulled on a thin silver chain hanging from the lamp, turning off the last light.
“They would probably tell you to stop wondering what they would say and get some sleep,” Gackt teased, turning over so he could try and see Mana in the dim moonlight that was streaming in through a single window. Mana had pushed back the heavy curtains before he had gone to brush his hair.
“Probably,” Mana laughed, wiggling slightly as he tried to find a comfortable spot, “Sleep well, Gackt, and stay on your side.”
“What kind of good night is that?” Gackt asked incredulously, “It sounds like you don’t trust me.”
“I trust you, Gackt. I just don’t want to wake up in an,” Mana said, pausing for a moment as he searched for the perfect words, “Awkward position that would embarrass us both.”
“I hope you realize that I don’t have control over what I do when I’m asleep,” Gackt warned in a pleasant tone, not even remotely upset by anything Mana was saying because he knew that the comments weren’t meant to be offensive, “But if I have to stay on my side, you have to do the same.”
“I will, don’t worry,” Mana said, his voice fading as he slipped into a half-sleep. His blue eyes were completely closed, thick eyelashes resting lightly on his smooth skin.
“I’ll take your word on that,” Gackt said as he began to search for his comfortable spot. He quickly found it and pulled the blankets up further, smiling softly as the still cool sheets settled onto parts of his face.
Author’s Note: I swear, I couldn’t resist. ^_^