A series of five drabbles based on the stages of love, written for the stagesoflove LJ community. The series title and drabble titles, along with the summary, were all lifted from e. e. cummings. Eliza betaed.

quite new a thing
Attraction

Kubota doesn't like people, and he doesn't fuck animals. People lie, but they get him off. Animals are unarousing, but they're honest and loyal. So he fucks whores and pets strays and doesn't expect to like what turns him on.

Then he meets Tokitoh.

Tokitoh's honest as an animal, innocent and wild, but his hand's still a hand under the fur and his body's angles align perfectly with Kubota's. Or they do when Tokitoh's not pushing him irritably away. Even that's okay, though. Tokitoh'll get used to him.

And Kubota will get used to the conjunction of liking and want.

shocking fuzz of your electric fur
Romance

He's running an errand for Koh when he sees the kid gesturing, dark gloves flicking through air. He thinks of claws and fur, of Tokitoh's refusal to leave the apartment, and stops by a store when he's finished Koh's business.

Leather catches his eye, black like Tokitoh's hair. He can see it against Tokitoh's skin, picks out the size based on the memory of Tokitoh's hand clasped in his, fingers intertwined.

Tokitoh's frowning when he comes home, rubbing at the fur. Kubota takes his hand and he tenses, wary. "Kubo-chan, what--"

Kubota slips the glove on. It's a perfect fit.

again and again and again kiss
Passion

Tokitoh's not a fan of curry, but Kubota keeps making it. The first kiss Tokitoh allowed was flavored with curry, spicy and wet, and Kubota's always hungry for more.

Which isn't to say Tokitoh doesn't taste good otherwise; Kubota's passion to try new foods has another purpose now, and he likes coaxing Tokitoh into sharing. Tokitoh prefers salty to sweet, but he still takes candy from Kubota's mouth. It's encouraging.

Kubota kisses Tokitoh other places, too, just to hear Tokitoh pant, "Kubo-chan."

"Mm," he says against Tokitoh's skin, and Tokitoh's hands clench in his hair.

It's proof Tokitoh's also hungry.

under me you
Intimacy

Tokitoh has bad dreams. Kubota's learned to wake him up as soon as he starts muttering. Tokitoh shakes like a leaf, and sometimes he clings, and sometimes he tries to push away. Kubota's response is always the same.

Kubota rolls them over until he's looking down at Tokitoh, until he's between Tokitoh and the rest of the world. He leans on his forearms and his hair falls forward on Tokitoh's face, another shadow to hide his stray. Then he waits.

After Tokitoh's breath steadies, he always pushes until they roll again. Then he settles onto Kubota like a favorite pillow.

when it is with your body
Commitment

They hunt Tokitoh's memory along with W_A, and the discovery of either will change things. Kubota's sure one of the changes means he won't see the others.

There was a time he was okay with that, but Tokitoh had --has-- other ideas.

Tokitoh throws himself between Kubota and bullets, Kubota and knives, Kubota and fists, and has no patience for fatalism. He's not above bruising Kubota to keep him alive, either.

Kubota's not above anything to keep Tokitoh as long as he can. He's lied, stolen, killed, he'll bring the yakuza to their knees--

And live. For Tokitoh, he'll live.

~END~