Lui and Shu had been in a relationship for two whole years. It was not the type of love story where the two of them could meet each other each and everyday. Both of them were well known bladers in the world and had their own set of responsibilities. Most of the times, Shu was in America managing the Raging Bulls while Lui toured around the world participating in tournaments. Their love was about the late night phone calls, surprising texts and pictures. Surprising visits. Did the other bladers have a clue about their relationship? Maybe. Even if they did, none of them were bold enough to come to a conclusion or point it out. Specially if it involved Lui Shirosagi. But they did drop hints. Lui didn't let go of his hand when they walked by others. He would always talk to Shu in a soft tone when he's screaming bloody murder at the others. When you think about it, those were major clues and others might even have figured out by now.

It was summer in America. Shu was sitting inside his air conditioned room going through some papers about new recruits. After he joined the Bulls as the manager everyone knew the initial state of the club slowly started to get better. Theodore Glass left him not club, but an abandoned set of bladers without any aim. Shu sharpened their skills. Helped them to set goals. Slowly, the club was revived and their popularity sky rocketed with the fame of the Spryzen blader and his ability in coaching the new generations. There were both ups and downs in being a manager. He loved to teach and help others grow but his own personal practice time was cut off. He had to skip tournaments because of meetings. There were days he skipped two meals in a row and forget to sleep until Lui calls him and put him into the bed with his voice alone. Shu had always been a perfectionist. Sometimes, Shu wondered why he had to be the way he is.

Everything was going fine. He had been able to help Lean discover his true flare. He had been proud of his student and his effort was worth it. Everything that was bugging him, the stress slowly started to fade away from his mind upon his success. He slipped back to his normal routine. The summers in America was devastating to him. He had long abandoned his coat and decided to come to work with a casual t shirt and jeans. Sure, it was not exactly "manager like" but the insufferable heat didn't let him change his mind. He leaned back against his chair and looked outside. The sun shone brightly against the glass buildings in New York. It was peaceful inside his office. The silence was only broken by the occasional countdowns and the chatter of the members in training rooms. Shu set down his reading glasses and messaged his eyes thinking of taking a break when the familiar ringing tone of his phone flared. It was the same old tune and he was pretty sure half a million people in America has the same one. He frowned seeing the callers ID flashing upon his screen. Mr. Stevenson was one of the highest shareholders of Raging Bulls and rarely mingled with any affairs inside the club. He only wanted the money.

"Hello?" Shu answered the call.

The voice answered him was impatient. Shu had to listen carefully to catch up on his words. He wanted to arrange a meeting with him and according to the man he didn't have much time to waste and he'll be in his office in fifteen minutes because he had something important to discuss. Shu hung up after the call, annoyed at the sudden invasion. There goes his peaceful evening, he thought placing his phone on the table. The fifteen minutes passed rather quickly to his liking. There was a feeling of dread settled inside his mind after the call. His mind wandered into several conclusions and he didn't like them at all.

The door opened after a while. His secretary and a tall man walked in. He had seen Mr. Stevenson in business parties and meetings before. Sometimes, he could be pleasant but Shu didn't like to listen to his neverending rant about the successful son and the modelling daughter. Shu smiled at him leading him to the couches. He advised his secretary to bring coffee for both of them. It was only then he finally sat down in front of him. "I have to say Shu, your work here is impressive"

Shu smiled, "Thank you, sir"

They both fell into a silence as the man looked around the room. His eyes scanning the room with clear accuracy. Shu realized he dodged his gaze. He swallowed almost as if he's collecting his words. Shu watched all this quietly, it didn't take a genius to figure out something was wrong. He didn't seem to be a person who came with good news. "Few parents from the members talked to the manager board last few weeks" He started.

Shu gave him a curious glance, "Yes?"

"They are complaining, Shu. I know you have been keeping this place at its best but some has the idea that you're too young to this position"

Shu frowned, taken aback by his bold statement. "None of them were concerned about my age earlier."

"How should I put this?" He said, leaning back against the light blue couch. "You have done a great job until now Shu, but the authorities wants a new face in the manager position. It's time for you to take a break"

Shu closed his eyes for a second. The silence between them establishing the heaviness of the words, "You want to fire me from this position?"

"I wouldn't exactly say that. We'd like you to resign from the position" Shu looked up to see whether he was joking. Of course he didn't want to resign. He liked the job. He liked interacting with new blades who reminded him of the early days of his own career. They were going to save their reputation by making him resign willingly. Shu pursed his lips, inside he was crumbling apart.

"Mr. Kurenai?"

Shuu swallowed hard. "You're not giving me any chances, are you?"

"I'm afraid I have no say in this"

Shu wondered where it all went wrong. It was possible the reason is he put a stop to the excessive money sneaked into higher ups pockets. He put a stop to the robbing and recruited a new honest staff to manage the club. It was all backfiring. When you become honest in a world like this, there would never be a chance for you to survive. He didn't think his father's words would make sense after years he had uttered them. He stood up without another word. If he didn't resign, he would be kicked out and Shu knew he had no other chance except to accept his proposal and go through with it. "She'll show you the way out, Mr. Stevenson" Shu's voice was cold. He looked at his secretary watching him with sympathetic and worried eyes. Shu gave her a simple nod turning back to Mr. Stevenson. He was not giving the man any pleasure by showing weakness. "I'll hand you my resign letter tomorrow"

"That's very mature of you, Mr. Kurenai"

Yes, I can be mature than you disgusting money minded motherfuc- Shu stopped his thought midway blinking to his own self. If he said it out loud, it would've been a disaster. He watched as the taller man exit the room. The office suddenly felt too big or he himself felt too small. He had worked skin and bones to bring this place back to a good position. Shu wordlessly grabbed his coat and put it over his t shirt heading out. He had enough of everything. He just needed a break.

---

It was a long day for Lui. He came to America just a few hours ago and caught up in a bey battle because some novice got on his nerves. Then he got caught up by some fans and he literally had to keep his murder tendencies in check. When be finally reached his apartment in America, which initially belonged to his parents before they decided to give up on America and move to Japan again, it was already around noon. He shuffled with his keys and entered the familiar space. Taking off his travelling boots, he looked around "Home sweet home"

Everything was in order. The air was a but dusty but nothing he could not get rid of by opening the windows for a while. Lui stepped into his living room and dropped his bag by the door. He just wanted a long shower and a- his thoughts came to an abrupt end when his eyes rested upon his white couch. It was supposed to be empty, at least he thought. Kurenai Shuu, his former rival now boyfriend was there, curled to himself in the couch fast asleep. Of course, Lui didn't have to go and check upon to see whether he's asleep or not. It's the simple observations that grew with time. The relaxed, rhythmic breathing. His slightly puffed cheeks as he exhaled. He had seen this person sleeping soundly beside him countless times. What bothered him was the frown resting upon his brows and the fact he was asleep on the couch instead of the bed. That wasn't like Shu at all. He's usually an organised person and had this weird ideology that a good sleep should always be on a bed.

Aside these out of placed observations, Shu was wearing Lui's shirt. More specifically, the one Lui always called his comfort shirt. He didn't know why he even call the shirt that in the first place. Shu laughed out loud when he first mentioned it. With the shark print in the black material, Shu said it fitted the name. He had seen Shu stealing the shirt every now and then when he's in a bad mood. All these clues gave Lui a pretty clear idea about Shu's mindset at the moment. He walked to the adjoined kitchenette and reached for a glass of water, as quietly as he could. He didn't want to wake up the younger on the couch. First, he need to find out what is going on. He walked to the master bedroom in silence and stripped himself off stepping to a cold shower. He grabbed some fresh clothes from the closet: a t shirt and a pair of shorts. After feeling refreshed, the white Tyrant rummaged through his refrigerator to find something to eat and only found a box of cheerios. He needed to be more organised when he's visiting, Lui thought.

He was quiet doing the chorus, making sure the albino wouldn't be bothered by his presence. He popped himself on a chair, contemplating his choices when the high pitched ringing tone of his phone disturbed the silence inside. Lui almost jumped, grabbing the phone from the kitchen counter, all the time his violet eyes focused on the blader sleeping on the couch. His eyes firmly closed, only twitching slightly to the sound. Lui squinted at the caller's ID.

Valt Aoi

He reluctantly answered the call. Even though he didn't like to accept it most of the times Lui knew when it came to problems of Shu, Valt was always the reliable person. "Hello? Lui, do you know where Shu is?"

Lui let out an exasperated sigh, looking over to his boyfriend. "What's it for you?"

Valt sounded almost frantic as he answered. " I can't get a hold of him. He's not picking up his phone. After what happened in the Raging Bulls today-"

Lui didn't even bother a second before cutting him off. That was something he didn't know. What happened in Raging Bulls? "What do you mean?"

Valt ws hesitating in the other end, "it's all over the news Lui. Shu had resigned from his post as the manager."

Bullshit. That's what Lui wanted to say. He had seen Shu working to his bones to get that club out of the gloomy pit of darkness it had fallen into. The guy he knew would never think of ruining the reputation he had built for the club and would never even think of leaving it behind. "I don't understand"

Valt hummed, agreeing. "Me neither. I'm worried. It's not like Shu to not answer my calls. I hope he's okay"

Lui rolled his eyes but he knew the Hazel eyed blader meant well. If he could leave Shu's hand in someone else's hand for a day, he would effortlessly choose Valt. That's the bond they shared. They had suffered through many things together. "I'm back in America." Lui informed. "Shu's here, don't worry"

Valt let out a relieved breath. "Thank god, Lui... do you think there's another reason for all this?"

"Obviously. Do you think he would just go and resign? That's not Shu"

"You're right. I'll look into this. Knowing Shu, he'd probably just close in about everything for others and try to make everything better by his own"

Lui snorted, "I'm his boyfriend. Watch me"

Valt laughed saying goodbye. Lui pushed the phone back to the dining table and went over to Shu. His eyelids were fluttering softly and after a few second, they opened staring right into his violet eyes. There was no movement of him for a second as Shu just lied there staring, confused. Lui reached his cheek, caressing his smooth skin with his thumb. "Good morning, Snowflake"

Shu sat down, stretching his limbs and looking around. The shirt that fitted well on Lui's muscled firm body was sagging by Shu's narrow shoulders. He had always been slim and petite in his figure. "Morning" Shu mumbled knowing clearly well it's probably past two in the evening. "When did you come?"

"Just a couple of hours ago. Found a trespasser in my apartment" He moved to sit beside Shu opening his arms. The albino wordlessly slipped into his hold leaning his body against Lui's firm, secure hold.

"I missed you" Shu muttered, his voice muffled against his shirt. Lui couldn't see the expression on his face from the angle they were sitting.

Lui leaned in and kissed his hair, taking in the smell of his strawberry shampoo. Shu always smelled of strawberries. The White Tyrant nuzzled against the soft white locks. "Valt called. He was worried about you" Shu's bangs had gotten longer. They almost reached passed his shoulders by now. Lui was glad he outgrew it. But after the nap, it was messed up, most of the locks tangled together. Shu always had a crazy case of a bedhead.

Shu groaned to his shirt and pulled away from his hold. "I turned my phone off. I forgot"

Lui cradled his face in his open palms. "Ain't going to tell me?"

"You already know, Lui" Shu glared, speaking in an accusing tone.

"So you did resign?" Lui asked, the words felt bitter against his tongue.

Shu fell silent. The initial sass gone as his face was replaced with a look which portrayed longing and anger, "I did"

Lui leaned against his face, "Look at me Shu. Did you resign?"

Lui hated having to force the words out of him. But sometimes he had to use some force against his boyfriend. During these long years of his life without his parents and no one to lean onto, Shu had sought to be an independent person. He was used to believing that he had to be independent all the time. At first, he refused to let anyone in. Lui remembered those chaotic years as Red Eye. It had taken Shu years to get close to him. The first months they started dating were practically walking on thin ice. There were moments Lui questioned their own capabilities to lead this together but as the time passed, they grew to love each other and care deeply. They were both different, broken individuals healing themselves together. At moments like this, when Shu tried to hide back inside his shell, Lui had to use a harsher tone to remind him that he's not alone and never going to be. They had each other. That's what it mattered.

"They want me out." Shu confessed, averting his gaze. "The parents are complaining. They-" Shu forced the words out, "They want to kick me out of there, Lui."

Lui's face contorted into an angered expression. He had a hunch even before Shu said anything. Shu worked hard and he was an honest manager. The big shots of the managing board would obviously need him out when they started losing the bribes and the black money. "Lui, you're staring"

"No one plans a murder out loud"

Shu snorted, "Can I land the killing blow?"

"All yours" Lui noticed the crest fallen face of the albino. Despite his attempt to hide the concern Lui noticed the storming and troubled eyes. He was betrayed and lost. Lui realzied what Shu needed at the moment was attention and care. Not him getting furious over some asshole authority.

Hence, he turned back to the male sitting beside him. "Your hair is a mess, Snowflake"

Shu subconsciously reached for his hair caressing a lock between his fingers. "Is it?"

"Let me bring a brush" He said, getting up. Shu fell back into the sofa devouring the space Lui has been sitting on a few minutes ago. "And that's my shirt" Lui yelled accusingly walking off.

Shu tipped his head backward with a scowl, "It's mine now, genius"

"Someone might look at you and think you're homeless." Lui commented shuffling through the drawers. In fact, the pair of white shorts Shu was wearing was his too. He almost never wears them because they are too short. In fact, when Shu was wearing that oversized t shirt you could only see the bottom hem of them.

"I might as well be" Shu called out from his spot at the sofa. Lui went back to the living room with a hairbrush in his hands. Shu was staring at the ceiling with his limbs sprawled across. The albino sat down when Lui walked to him. He slipped back into Lui's arms, without a word or hesitation. Lui stared through sort through the locks brushing them along with a touch of softness that was rare to see in the white tyrants normal demeanor. Shu was quiet for a few seconds. "How was the trip? Your sisters?"

Lui shrugged, "Mom was making a huge fuss that I didn't bring you with me. Lucy and Liya misses you."

Sometimes Shu forgets that Lui is half American. The first day when he found out that Lui's sisters had English names and his mother is originally from New York, he just stared dead into his face before accusing him for not telling. As usual, Lui rolled his eyes as if him being half American is the most obvious thing in the world. "Maybe next time. I'm bound to get free time after all."

They were circling around the same point. None of them outright talked about it, but the resignation and the sadness lingered in the air like a mist. Lui messaged Shu's scalp, running his fingers through his hair. Shu let out a contend sigh almost like a cat before leaning against Lui. "I feel so worthless"

"It's not your fault. Raging Bulls is a rotten place Snowflake. It's the core of that club that's wrong. No matter how much you try to make it better it spirals down to that black hole." This was another thing Shu loved about Lui. He's honest. He doesn't sugar-coat things. He speaks the truth as it is. Lui pulled out a hairband from his wrist and pulled Shu's hair into a ponytail. "There. All done"

Shu turned to him. Lui tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. "What do you need for dinner?"

Shu tilted his head, looking longingly at the kitchen. He knew Lui was obviously tired after his flight home and he was just being clingy and selfish. "I'll cook"

Lui shook his head, "Nuh huh. My turn"

Shu pinched his nose with a sloppy smile that didn't reach his eyes. "You must miss my food. You're tired after the flight Lui. It's not fair"

Lui looked almost he would refuse. Deep in those crimson eyes Lui could see that Shu needed a distraction. "Let's eat Spaghetti"

A smile break on his face. "Yes, sir!"

Lui followed Shu into the kitchen and took a seat by the counter watching his boyfriend pulling out a familiar pink apron. He tied it around his waist and started to take out the boxes and ingredients careful enough to check the expiration dates just in case. There's a charm of the way Shu moved around the kitchen. He knew what to do and at the right moment. He didn't hesitate or took second guesses while he added the ingredients. The air of confidence he held with each action was a foretelling how good the meal would be. "You're beautiful" Lui commented resting his face on his palm. This was a part of their relationship. Subtle intimacy and surprising comments.

Shu briefly looked up from where he was chopping vegetables and flashed a smile. "You just don't want me to poison the food"

Lui sighed, "Well, obviously"

Shu nodded, "Tell me more about home. I miss Japan"

Shu worked while Lui talked about his journey. The albino chimed into ask questions that kept them engaged in a conversation. Just how they were used to. They made each other feel at home. Soon, the aroma of food filled the air. Lui's mouth watered at the sight of food. They both called itadakimasu before digging in. The flavours bursting inside their mouths. Lui let out a content sigh. "Delicious as ever"

Shu looked up from his food. "Thanks" He pushed the food around his plate and only managed a few bites. Better than nothing , Lui thought observing the male in front of him. By then, a soft patter of rain has started to bang against the windows. The French windows in the apartment was showing the landscape of picturesque city beaded with lights like stars. "Summer rain" Shu muttered looking out the window as he gathered the dishes. While he was clearing them, Lui walked to the cabinet and pulled out two mugs. They both could use a coffee. When he had finished, he brought the drinks to Shu who was standing by the window, looking out at the rain. Lui knew Shu hated thunderstorms but he loved the soft rain. Shu wordlessly took the mug. Lui wrapped one of his hands around Shu's slim waist.

"I'll never get tired of this scenery" Shu mumbled, sipping the drink.

Lui raised his mug and clicked against Shu's in a silent toast. Shu turned to him, surprised. "For your new beginning"

Shu looked down at his feet, trying to hold onto his optimism. "You can do it Snowflake. You're not alone, I'm here for you. Let's get out of America and go home for a while. Walk around, spend time together. Catch up?"

Shu leaned his head against the glass, feeling the lingering coldness against his skin. "Right. This doesn't have to be the end. I need to fight back"

"That's my Snowflake" Lui grinned, kissing his temple. "The tough cookie"

Shu turned and smiled, genuine and real which reached his eyes. "Your tough cookie"

Lui shrugged, "Obviously, mine"

They wahsed the mugs and walked to the bedroom. The slight patter of the rain breaking the silence as they wrapped themselves under the covers. The room was dark but the fight lights casting through the window made their faces visible to each other. Lui reached for Shu in the dark, snaking his arms along his arms letting their lips lock against each other. Their lips moved in sink drinking every part of the other they missed through the time. They hands knew each curve, each scar and each flow. The familiarity and the comfort was always there with them. Lui pushed away, "I love you, Snowflake"

Shu snuggled against Lui's chest, listening to the beating of his heart. Feeling Lui's warm hand against his back. "I love you too. Thank you, for everything"

Lui couldn't resist the urge to kiss and so he did. Lingering a moment too long before pulling away again. "You're the best thing ever happened to me Snowflake. Thank you for that."

Shu didnt answer, he just hummed not trusting himself to speak. A steady tear escaped the corner of his eyes. Not sadness. Just happiness and the comfort of feeling safe. The feeling of hope. The feeling of being loved.

For all my lovely readers. Here's a shui treat fresh outta the box. Hope you guys like it! Sorry for typos I didn't reread it. ;-;