Clamp Academy Detectives Standalone

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Branch

A bit of Nokoru and Suoh, because, really, nothing could be cuter.

Ink Burns

This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.

This is a work of fanfiction, produced according to the principles of transformative fair use as put forward in US copyright law, and abiding by the custom and practice of fan-produced work in Japan, where the source texts were created. No author is in any way affiliated with any of the creators of the source texts, nor with the companies who distribute their products, nor any other rights holder, and these stories were not authorized by either the creators or the producers. Ink Burns is a fan site and the material here is freely provided for the enjoyment of fellow fan-community members; there is no commercial infringement.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 US license at the Ink Burns fanfiction archive (http://www.branchandroot.net/archive/).

"Else the Bottles Break and the Wine is Spilled" published on 2008-06-19 14:23:47.

Attributions can be made by author's name and a link to the archive.

This ebook edition was published on September 6, 2019 by the Ink Burns fanfiction archive.

Cover illustration is "Still Life with Three Medlars and A Butterfly" by Adriaene Coorte, public domain (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Still_Life_with_Three_Medlars_1696-1705_Adriaen_Coorte.jpg).

Cover design by Branch.

Else the Bottles Break and the Wine is Spilled

Nokoru finally figures out how to approach Suoh. Written for Porn Battle, with the prompt: Nokoru/Suoh, futurefic, "can't seduce your best friend like you would a lady". Romance with Porn, I-3

Imonoyama Nokoru, darling of the Clamp Academy, Chairman of the High School Division, and all-around gentleman, sat and stared glumly at the top of his desk. For once there was no paperwork on it, waiting to be done; he'd finished everything.

Suoh had taken his temperature and, when that was normal, checked the weather forecast, which wasn't quite the response Nokoru had been hoping for.

The problem with seducing one's best friend, he decided, was that none of the usual methods worked. If he handed Suoh flowers, Suoh figured they were for the office and went looking for a vase and put them on Nokoru's desk. He couldn't very well open doors for Suoh, because Suoh felt that was his job, as Nokoru's bodyguard.

Best not to think about the attempted candle-lit dinner. At least Akira and Utako had gotten some use from it in the end.

So Nokoru had tried adapting his methods instead. The way to a lady's heart was to do sweet things for her. He could expand on that, surely. Unfortunately, doing anything for Suoh was difficult. Suoh never seemed to need help with the little chores around the office. He flatly refused to let Nokoru do any of the security work, on the grounds that he would wind up finding damsels in distress on the surveillance cameras and get distracted. And as for being obliging by finishing the paperwork on time...

Thump.

"Since you're in such good form today, Kaichou, here's the paperwork for the festival next week." Suoh gave Nokoru a brisk nod and went back to his own desk.

Nokoru wondered if banging his head against the new stack of papers would help any.

He looked over at Suoh, calmly absorbed in calculations and future planning and all the things Nokoru wasn't really very good at. Everything Nokoru wanted. How did Suoh do it? How did he capture Nokoru's complete attention, so easily? He was nothing like the ladies Nokoru had always delighted in helping.

Nokoru sat up straight, eyes gleaming as he replayed that thought. Nothing like the ladies. So maybe, just maybe, the approach Nokoru needed was something nothing like he used with ladies!

Right.

Nokoru stood up and marched over to Suoh's desk. "Suoh."

Suoh looked up with a faint smile. "Yes, Kaichou?" Nokoru's heart did turny-trippy things at that smile and he sternly quashed the urge to be courtly and indirect in response. Instead he took Suoh's face in his hands and kissed him.

He barely heard Akira say something strangled about tea cakes and scramble out the door, because he was paying too much attention to the way Suoh's eyes widened, the way his hand lifted and hesitated and finally settled softly against Nokoru's shoulder. When Nokoru drew back Suoh stared up at him for a long moment before finally murmuring, "Nokoru."

The sound of Suoh saying his name gave Nokoru a sweet, breathless moment of thrill. "I should have figured this out much sooner," he declared, and promptly sat himself down, straddling Suoh's legs. Suoh flushed and Nokoru laughed softly, delighted. "Much sooner." He leaned in again to kiss Suoh, and was pleased to feel Suoh's hands slide slowly up his back.

"Nokoru," Suoh repeated, husky this time, "not here."

"All right, then," Nokoru agreed, sunny, and stood, grabbing Suoh's hand to haul him up, too. "How about my room?"

Suoh looked amused and resigned as Nokoru towed him down the hall, waving cheerily to Akira as they passed him, coming back with a tea tray.

"We'll be back for tea later," Nokoru assured him. "Probably."

Akira turned bright red and Suoh groaned. "Nokoru..."

Nokoru just laughed. In fact, he had a hard time keeping himself from laughing all the way across campus, just because he was so brilliantly happy. He positively pounced Suoh into bed, once he had the bedroom door closed behind them.

Suoh went with good grace, mouth quirking as he settled Nokoru more comfortably over him. "Never have been able to resist you, I suppose."

Nokoru was laughing softly, again. "You probably shouldn't tell me that right now."

Suoh looked up at him, eyes serious, and lifted a hand to run through Nokoru's hair. "You can have anything you want from me," he stated quietly. "You know that."

That struck Nokoru silent and breathless. "Suoh," he whispered, and leaned down to kiss him again, more passionate than ever but slow this time. Suoh gave it all back to him and smiled.

Nokoru felt like he couldn't speak above a whisper any more, and it was Suoh's name he said, over and over, as he undid Suoh's clothes, kisses following the parting cloth over Suoh's skin. Suoh arched under him, gasping as Nokoru's hands curved around the sharp line of his hips and Nokoru's mouth closed on his cock. Nokoru thought, distantly, that Suoh always knew him, knew what to do for him, but most of him was taken up with the texture of Suoh's skin under his fingers and the weight of Suoh between his lips and the gift of Suoh's body, stretched out and taut, under the scarf of sunlight from the window.

When Suoh moaned, husky, shuddering under Nokoru, it was enough to make him dizzy.

Nokoru twined himself tightly around Suoh, burying his head in Suoh's shoulder, and Suoh's fingers combed slowly through his hair.

"I hope you don't try to seduce ladies like this," Suoh said, at last, so solemnly that Nokoru knew he was teasing.

"No," he answered, softly. "Only you."

Suoh's arms folded around him. "Good."

End