PSOH Fallout Boy
(NB: To my dear 'Rival' followers, I've not forgotten it, truly. But I have to rewrite Chapter 3 entirely before I can go on. I read it over, you see, and realized it did not pass muster. Don't be afeared; t'will be posted soon. Thanks for waiting!)
I
"Why me?"
T-chan asked himself that all the time anymore, generally when Leon came hurtling through the Pet Shop door in his usual hurricane fashion. The detective's vivid presence only exacerbated the already over-wrought tenor of the Shop's current discombobulated state, Tet was sure (though perhaps he wouldn't have put it quite that way), sending an excited Christopher right up like a helium balloon. Chaos ensued.
… Not that it was a bad thing, necessarily - the detective's looking out for his little bro' like that – just annoying, 'cause Leon didn't exactly pay attention to little things like 'bedtime' or 'bath time' and he upset the kid's schedule more often than not. Hell, the kid was still settling in, for chrissake!
Tetsu asked himself that very same question, too, when Count D and Leon went out on their so-called 'dates' and he and Pon were stuck babysitting. Not that he really minded it – Chris was a cute little bugger - but still, he had a life of his own. Kinda.
Sorta. Or he had, before that damned detective came along.
It pissed T-chan off, rather. Made him grumpier than he would've been normally. But he couldn't actually mind it too much 'cause the detective's little bro' really was adorable – innocent as a lamb and yet worldly wise, exactly the type the Toutetsu would have desired as an entrée had he still been cruising the restaurant scene in search of untainted flesh. …and exactly the traits he shared with his big brother the detective, too, if Tetsu thought about it.
It was exactly that type of uncomfortable pondering that drove Tetsu out – to the bars, gay and straight, to the dance halls, to the late night restaurants and private clubs and youthful raves – wherever the hell he could get a taste of 'adult' company and get himself clear and away from the saccharine sweetness of the Pet Shop's resident 'couple'.
Which is how he ended up uptown most of the time, at a hole-in-the-wall bar frequented by folk such as he – city dwellers, haunting the heels of mankind, users of magics big and small.
T-chan felt comfortable there, more so than the flesh pots of the Strip. Wyrd lived up to its name – a happenin', hopping, swinging refuge for all the ones who weren't just 'dressing up' - the wannabes who dyed their hair, donning fake nails or eyelashes or ringlets, decking their all too human bodies out in unfamiliar velvets and leathers and silks, in some odd attempt to appear more than the mere mortals they were.
No, the denizens of Wyrd really were weird, as in 'unearthly', and most in a hip and cosmopolitan way Tetsu truly appreciated. Big guns from foreign shores were regular visitors, as well as small gods from the Islands, the local Tooth Fairies and Brownie-types, and also those powerful spirits whose names were known well to the Californians of Asian ancestry; every one of them crossing the 'big pond' as if it were nothing, ostensibly to check in on their transplanted subjects on American shores – all of them old friends, to Tetsu, or at least certain of them, like Sohki and Rikugo and Byakko.
Souryuu would drop by, too, and Suzaku – every one of the old gang of troublemakers showed up at Wyrd at some point or another, including the sardonic and silent Touda. Sometimes some of the Shinigami – more usually Tsuzuki and Hisoka - came in for a drink on special occasions, dragging Chief Konoe in their wake. Even the elderly Puck would come, representative of the Eldest, emerging Pan-like from the forests of Sherwood, his wizened old-young face a merry sight, and accompanied always by the brash and handsome young Anasazi god, pipe in hand, his grey wolf at their heels. Wyrd was great big party, all the time, and absolutely the only place in town for people like T-chan to really let loose.
Tetsu found himself looking forward to his visits there more and more, what with every day that passed spent chasing the kid, cleaning up after the kid, feeding the kid, doing the kid's laundry. Hell, Christopher was great, absolutely, no doubt about it, but….was being a trumped-up babysitter all there was to his wild and magical life anymore? Clearly, the only remedy to this malaise was strong drink and raucous company… and Wyrd had plenty of both.
Tet sighed into his gimlet this chilly early autumn evening, for Ten-chan was sleeping again, and this meant he was stuck at the bar all by his lonesome till somebody he knew showed up – or till he got drunk enough to find a cute little Sidhe of like mind and screw her silly, banishing the loneliness of immortality to a mere pinprick.
Or, he could just go home and make sure all was well with Shop, make sure the kid was sleeping, and…..
Sigh.
…Which was when Byakko strolled in, still half-furry from changing, his stripy tail lashing at the crowd. He found his way over to the mahogany bar after being social, slapping hands with his buds and kissing the women, his red eyes twinkling. Tetsu perked up immediately as soon as he saw the slim form of the Tiger – here was a friend at last – someone who would listen to his petty bitching.
"Hey!" Byakko slapped him on the shoulder in a teasing way and slid into the next seat over. "How's with you?"
Tet-chan turned and eyed his old friend, noticing that the tail was now hidden entirely by tight worn denims that clung to a fine ass. No wonder the women were murmuring with excitement, their avid eyes all fastened on his companion. Byakko grinned at him, unfazed, and then turned to order a beer.
"Yo." Tetsu smiled into his glass, discreetly, not willing to let Byakko know just how grateful he was for company. "Good. You?"
"Fine, just fine. So, hey, how's that kid you're babysitting?"
Byakko nodded his thanks to the bartender, sliding coin onto the table, passing easily over Tet's enquiry as to his state and condition. He much preferred to think about others, anyway, and Sohki had filled him in on the situation at Count D's Pet Shop a while back, so he knew enough to ask about Tetsu's new position as nanny. The Toutetsu looked a little tense.
"Don't talk to me about the kid!" Tetsu responded fiercely, shaking his horns in irritation. Right now, the last thing he wanted to think about was home. Home was where the Detective was, and his little brother.
"Sorry, sorry," Byakko smiled sweetly, for he meant no harm – he never did, being a very genial man. He cheerfully searched his memory for the other things Tetsu always talked about when he was drinking, hoping to jolly the grouchy Toutetsu into a better mood.
"S'alright, then. How's your Detective? Does he still have no clue?"
Tet downed his gimlet in one gulp, slamming the glass down hard on the bar and impatiently motioning for another.
"Don't ask me about him, either!"
Byakko blinked his lovely eyes and rested his chin in his hand, considering. T-chan was apparently not his normal, collected self. His goatish nature was definitely showing through.
"…'Kay. Sure, no problemo. I'm good with that….So, what else is going on, Tet? Why are you out tonight? You stressed or something?"
T-chan grunted, and took up his refill, sipping it in a meditative manner.
"Yeah, I guess. The Shop's kinda difficult to deal with right now, what with the kid and his brother and all….so, what about you? What're you up to? Why're you on this side of the Pacific?"
"Ah, well….just in town for a day or two. The Boss cut me loose."
It was Byakko's turn to chug his drink, his eyes sliding away from Tetsu's, breaking the air of easy camaraderie. Tet frowned at that, briefly bothered – Byakko was usually the most straightforward, happy-go-lucky guy you could meet, not someone known for his brooding behaviour. But Tsuzuki always had that effect on his Shiki – pulling the Tiger's panties into a twist, making him act a little weird. Tetsu had just never thought much about it.
"Tsuzuki, you mean? The Emperor?"
"Yeah. He and Hisoka are off visiting his elder sister, so we Shiki aren't needed right now. I got a little vacation time coming, so…." Byakko shrugged and grinned at his nearly empty pint, obviously shooing away any unpleasant thoughts he might've been entertaining.
"...anyway, I ended up here at Wyrd. Thought I could use a good, stiff drink."
The Tiger's expression was all that it usually was when he faced his friend again – bright, charming, sweet – but somehow Tet had the impression that Byakko wasn't exactly as happy as he made out. Tetsu could relate – he wasn't all that happy with his lot in life either, what with Leon in the Shop more often than not and the two of them canoodling in the corners whenever they thought they weren't being watched.
Whatever. It was definitely time to drink. And maybe screw, to ease the latent ache in his loins. He needed a real animal evening, as a matter of fact, and Byakko was the perfect guy to spend it with, at least till they both found their prospective partners for some one-night-stand satisfaction.
"Yeah, ok. Me, too. Buy you the next round, old buddy, to welcome you to town," Tetsu winked and leered, finishing off his third gimlet of the evening with a flourish. His head a nice spin to it now, and he could practically feel the tension draining from his shoulders.
The Tiger toasted him enthusiastically with the last of his lager and promptly swallowed it down, his long throat exposed as he tilted his shaggy head back to drain the dregs.
He smacked his lips and grinned at Tetsu's raised eyebrows. Byakko wasn't usually that eager to tie one on.
"Cool. If you're the one buying, Tet, I want champagne – a whole magnum! Barkeep!"
"Jeez!" Tetsu muttered under his breath, but he wasn't really pissed. The Tiger was good company, drunk or sober, and sure as shit a lot more fun to be with than—
II
"H-how?" Tetsu croaked, staring in horrified amazement at the face on the next pillow. He'd come awake most reluctantly, his sated body wrapped around another's warmth, a surfeit of contentment filling his bones. The sight of the sleeping Tiger chased all that comforting warmth away in one great cold rush.
"Shit!"
Tetsu sat up abruptly, clutching the sheet to his naked chest, even more horrified at his growing embarrassment. It wasn't like he hadn't been in this situation before – waking up to see somebody he didn't know naked next to him – but not ever with a friend-
How the hell-?
"Hey," came a sleepy purr. "G'morning."
Byakko grinned up at him, blinking ruby red eyes awake, rolling onto his narrow back and stretching, just like a big cat. T-chan shuddered at the sight of his best bud's unashamed nakedness and turned away, biting his kiss-swollen lips in irritation.
What in the world had they done!?
….Well, and T-chan blushed at this, ducking his head, it was kinda obvious what they'd done – it was why they'd done it that bothered him. Fucking old friends on a whim wasn't his style – neither was staying out all night when he had the kid to care for. What had he been thinking?
"You alright?" A hand rested tentatively on Tetsu's bare back and then stroked down, making Tetsu shudder, raising goosebumps on his bared flesh.
"Don't touch me!"
"Why not?" Byakko sat right up, entirely uncaring of his state of undress, and wrapped his arms around Tet's hunched shoulders. "What's the problem? You hungry?"
"Damn it! Get your hands off me, you asshole! Who the hell gave you permission to touch me?" T-chan shrieked, unhappily aware of the relaxed and satisfied state of his privates. He felt too damned good right now to be this friggin' upset, but, hell, it was Byakko in bed with him! What had he been thinking?
"You did, best buddy. Last night, remember?" Byakko yawned and grinned and shrugged, resting his chin on T-chan's shoulder. "I remember."
'I did not!"
"Oh, yeah, you did, T-chan. I recall it quite clearly." The Tiger pressed a casual kiss on Tet's neck, still smiling, unconcerned by Tetsu's obvious distress. "Yup, you were good. Hell, we were good, you know? Wanna do it again?"
"Arrgh! You cretin! What were you thinking?"
"…Actually, breakfast. I'm a little puckish, you know."
"No! I mean – last night! – we – what the hell were we doing!?"
Byakko stared Tetsu straight in the eye, forcing T-chan's chin around so he could. He winked and nodded, knowingly, looking owlishly wise.
"Sex, my friend. S.E.X. Banging, humping, doing the nasty. You know, taking care of the urges? Can't think of a better way to put it, Tet."
"But, why?" Tetsu howled, drumming at the bed with shaking fists. "You're my best friend, Byakko! Why would I sleep with you?"
"Felt good, maybe? Felt safe?" Byakko's eyes twinkled at the word 'safe', as if he knew more about what was going on with T-chan than T-chan did. An errant and casual hand slid down T-chan's naked chest all the same, distracting him, coming to rest in the hollow between his thighs.
Byakko squeezed what he found there and T-chan gasped, open-mouthed and deeply shocked.
"I know I enjoyed it, Tet. Wasn't a problem for me. So, why're you so freaked out? Didn't you like cumming in me? Didn't you like making me scream with pleasure?"
Byakko pouted, pushing his full lower lip out and making it quaver, an act that would've normally only irked his companion. Now, it was unbearably inviting, breathtakingly sexy, 'cause T-chan damned well had enjoyed it and he knew it. Every single heart-stoppingly prurient minute of it.
"Uh—well—"
A kiss stopped Tetsu's protest, driving his ready anger away, soothing his transient fear of letting the kid down. It deepened and he sagged within Byakko's grasp, eyelids drooping, mouth open to the Tiger's plundering tongue.
"Didn't you?" Byakko murmured a moment later, taking a breath, tugging Tetsu back down to lie on the bed.
"Didn't you?" he asked again, straddling T-chan's hips, his tail dancing down the length of the goat-boy's hairy legs. He sat down, hard, and T-chan plunged into him, willy-nilly, gasping at the pleasure gained, gurgling his acceptance of the god's honest truth.
Oh, yeah…he had. He'd fucking loved it, going crazy, reveling in Byakko's every little moan and cry. It was the best sex he'd ever had, last night – no wonder he'd been so weirded out, for it was his friend he lusted after, his ol' buddy who made him pant and growl and groan with desire. Not that Tetsu had a problem with casual sex – immortality kinda lent itself to casual sex, after all – but to do it with a pal was fucking strange.
"Not strange at all, T-chan. It just means you trust me, that's all," Byakko smiled, dropping a quick kiss on the Toutetsu's frowning forehead. "That's why it's so good."
"Yeah—"