Toeing the Line
Series: Saiyuki AU
Pairing/Rating: 58/M
Author: pixie_blade
Beta: ginnyvos
Prompt: Schoolteacher!Hakkai is blackmailed by his student, the notoriously seductive highschool!Gojyo.
He wasn't sure if he could do this. Walking down the hallways, students skirting to close to corners and barreling down stairwells, giggling girls batting eyelashes curled to the point of ludicrously, frustrated bruised-eyed teachers who kept glancing furtively at the clock, just praying to make it to three o'clock and freedom from this lunacy. He must be a masochist to willingly walk in here.
The cold, sterile ring of the bells was drowned out by the raucous noise of the students in third year, class 3-A as he slid the classroom door open. There was a moment when droopy violet eyes met chipped emerald ones before the harsh crash of splintering wood on metal had everyone, himself included, jumping nervously in their skins. Amidst the sudden hush that descended his skin crawled; how long had it been since he'd last had this many eyes watching him?
Nodding once at the teacher he turned military precise on his heel and bowed low to the class; surreptitiously glancing around as he did. Most wore the typical high school uniform and looked to be from your average middle-class families, but there were a few notable exceptions along the far wall by the windows. A bright eyed brunette who looked more ADHD than anything else and who hadn't even bothered with the tie or jacket was veritably bouncing in his seat. There was a blond yankee punk with a half-dozen earrings down both ears making them appear slightly pointed and who obviously thought taking the sleeves off the regulation jacket was the pinnacle of fashion sense, the poor, stupid fool.
At the back of the row bright shock of red hair shimmered in the morning light. He paused, breath catching as half-lidded eyes caught his and held. The loose tie hung limply over the woven school vest, the edges of the cream material pulled up to expose the tan skin of his stomach as he leaned back heavily in his chair. From the mound of pink envelopes and notes sticking out of the bag by his feet he appeared quite the playboy. The tips of the teen's fingers seemed to be a bit yellow--smoker then--but the most disconcerting thing about him were the brown-red eyes that hadn't left his since he'd entered.
He stood back up as Mr. S. introduced him, "This is Mr. Cho; he'll be taking over as a student teacher until you graduate or flunk out in three-months." Mr. S. rolled his eyes at the girl's excited twitter before continuing. "Just because he's close to you all in age doesn't mean you can treat him as a friend. I'll be here less as he takes over. I expect you, all of you Mr. Sha, to treat him just like a real teacher."
Or else, the class thought in unison.
Mr. S. was a fanatic about finding the easiest possible solution to any problem. When explaining the rules at the beginning of the year he'd written three words on the board:
Behave or Die.
Since most of the class had siblings by default their parents wouldn't mind losing one or two of them should they act like 'fucking monkeys' in his classroom. How he'd ever become a teacher no one knew, but here they were, and he was completely serious about the whole dying thing, too.
Gojyo should know he'd been on the receiving end of chalk and books and pens for most if the year. Well, him and Goku anyways, that kid's home life must suck real bad if he thought hanging out with their shit-head teach was so much fun. But this new guy...
"Yes?" He perked up at the lightly lilting voice, though the corners of his mouth still turned down in consternation. Something about the guy was off, though he couldn't place it. Looking the man over again he mentally ticked off the points that grated on his nerves: his pale hands were folded neatly in front of him, his posture was stiff and proper, his feet were together and facing forward....it was like he was on display or something.
"Mr. Cho, can you tell us about yourself?" One of the girls asked breathlessly as he watched the pretty brunette, and really, there was no other word for it, the guy was pretty, downright gorgeous when he flashed that smile, but why did it feel so forced?
"Yeah, like why you're faking that smile so much?"
Oh shit. Gojyo mentally slammed his head into his desk. Had he really just said that out loud? From the icy death glares the girls were giving him and the shocked, 'we don't know him' vibe from the guys, he figured, yeah, probably. Shitshitshitshit. Dark, river-green eyes flashed wickedly behind the thin rimmed glasses as Mr. Cho walked down the aisle, stopping a mere foot from his desk and looked down at him pleasantly enough, if one could ignore the razor sharp edge in his every move and breath.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Sha, was it?"
"Gojyo, yeah." That's good. When all else fails put up that bad-boy front all the girls loved and the guys edged nervously away from.
"Yes." He corrected automatically, turning the full power of his Smile of Compliance on the younger man. "Perhaps I'm nervous; you all do outnumber me after all."
He smiled enough to show the edges of slightly pointed, pearly canines against dusky lips, eyes disappearing behind reflected incandescent light before turning on his heel, the squeak of his shoes twanging painfully along Gojyo's coiled nerves.
"Besides, I'm AB; does that answer your question Miss? Now, if there is nothing else, perhaps we can look over your homework from last night. Please turn to page 115."
Gojyo stared at the man dumbfounded, screw Mr. S. and his Ruler of Doom--Pretty Boy was a dozen times scarier. He was damn sure the rest of the class didn't even get the 'outnumbered' line, and what the hell was wrong with the guy to make some off-colored comment about being ganged up on to a student he'd just met?!
Fucking hell, he groaned silently. Slumping down in his seat he spent the rest of the day avoiding direct eye contact with either Mr. S. or Mr. Cho. They both pissed him off, but Cho scared the shit out of him, and Lord knew he wasn't about to ruin his rep because of some fucking mentally unstable Student-Teacher. No, he'd just keep his head low and wait it out. Three months wasn't that long after all.
***
Screw three months, he wasn't going to last the next two weeks if things kept going the way they were. Two days in they'd had a pop-quiz. That sucked. 45% was bad, right? There had been that one-on-one chat with Mr. Cho and his 'I'm sure if you'd spend half the amount of energy on your studies that you do chasing girls' diatribe, then there was getting caught smoking in the bathroom with Banri, who of course punked out and left him holding the literal smoking butt, and then he'd gotten hit in the face with a stray tennis ball from the courts while skipping class, which meant a trip to the infirmary, which meant Mr. Cho was informed...again.
Yep, he officially hated his life. Between having detention with a man who, he swore, could freeze a polar bear with that icy glare of his and the random acts of God condemning him to social oblivion, he was pretty damn sure someone upstairs was laughing at his expense.
There was one good thing though. Well, maybe 'good' wasn't the right word...opportune might be more appropriate. Apparently, Mr. Cho was seeing a little blond from 1st year, Class 1-C. Karen... Kanon... something or other. Not that it mattered, but it finally meant he had some sort of leverage on the guy. A quick snap of his cell camera and a well placed email was all it took to make his classroom experience nice and comfy.
That was three weeks ago. Since then he'd had the 'pleasure' of Mr. Cho's company every few days after class to go over the answers for their pop-quizzes and tests while his class time was spent in free periods which mainly involved him staring out the window or flirting shamelessly with the girls.
"Mr. Sha, a word before you leave, please?" Glancing up at the dull green-eyes he felt a twang of guilt. Smothering the feeling, he forced on his usual look of self-satisfaction before lazily pushing out of his chair and sauntering to the front of the room. The man had brought this upon himself after all.
Leaning back against the desk he smiled sultrily and licked his lips in anticipation, he'd found out that any overt display of affection from the students made the guy light up like a Roman Candle a week ago when he'd accidentally stumbled upon Gojyo and some first year girl screwing in, what he thought was a locked storage room. There'd been a definite moment where Mr. Cho had gone sheet white before a bright fuchsia stain had bloomed across his high cheekbones. The man's swift covering of his mouth and aversion of noticeably darkened eyes as he stammered an apology and fled the small room had his groin pulsing. For some reason he'd had a hard time not rushing after him; the smell of sex and sweat and sin heavy in his nose and mouth as he cleaned himself up.
"What's up, babe?" Those river green-eyes narrowed slightly but he didn't rise to the bait.
"I understand you feel compensation is in some form of order from me, but this..."
"You're telling me you and what's-her-name have never done it before?" He sneered, reaching up to remove Cho's glasses, lightly drawing them down the finely boned nose and up to his own eyes as he toyed with the thin silver rims and glanced over at him.
"Please do not speak about her." He ground out coldly, "You don't know what you're talking about anyways. I've tried to explain it to you...no, never mind, you'd never understand. Besides that, this latest demand, you do realize I'm a man, correct? Or should we add Anatomy to your remedial lessons as well?"
Gojyo bared his teeth at the snide remark, "Ba~be~," he drawled long enough to thoroughly piss the man off, "You know, Anatomy's the one class I'm Acing, and considering I have this photo of you and a student...well, maybe you should be more accommodating in your responses. Think it over; I'll be waiting at the arcade on Broadway at 10 tonight. If you don't show..." He shrugged nonchalantly, sliding the glasses back across the desk he flipped his bag over his shoulder and pushed off, waving as he left the room.
Sliding down bonelessly in his chair, Cho smothered a soft whimper with his fist. How had he let everything get so wrong between them?
***
"You're going out at this hour?" Glancing over his shoulder he smoothed a stray, straw-colored lock of hair from grass-green eyes and smiled shakily.
"Remedial lessons," he muttered, "I forgot to give them to a student. I shouldn't be long, but don't wait up for me, you've got class tomorrow."
"So do you." She eyed him critically: the sunken cheeks, dead looking, bruised eyes...lack of sleep and skipping meals had taken a toll on her beloved.
"You're not having any problems, are you? Nothing like at our last school?"
He smiled, a fake one she noticed and sighed dramatically, "Just let me know if it gets to be too much. Uncle Genjo can help, you know, you're not in this alone."
"Yes, yes. Now go get ready for bed, I'll be back shortly." He smiled softly down at her concern and gently brushed a feather-light kiss across her brow before leaving their apartment.
Broadway was one subway stop and three blocks away; if he could catch the 9:30pm he'd just make it.
***
"What the hell; you run here or something?"
"I'm nothing if not punctual, Mr. Sha." He puffed out, breath still ragged from jogging from the station.
"When we're out like this it's Gojyo. Mr. Sha was my bastard father and before you side-track me with stupid fake concern teacher questions, what's your name? I'm not calling you Mr. Cho."
"Ha...Hakkai."
"Hakkai, nice, suits you, soft and pretty. Come on, might as well get this over with."
"Pretty?!" He choked on the word, "Men aren't 'pretty'."
"Well you are so deal with it," he snapped, making a quick check of the time before roughly shoving his hands in his pockets and walking down the dark alley. 10:15pm, he had just enough time to do this and get home before she noticed he'd snuck out.
"Gojyo, why are you doing this? From everything I've learned you're the school play-boy, why go after me?"
Gojyo snapped around angrily, frustration mounting as he slammed Hakkai into the crumbling brick facade and pinned him there. He hadn't thought he'd push things this far. A few test answers to bump up his GPA before graduation and maybe tease the man a bit, but this...
"You piss me off! That fake ass smile that you keep plastered to your face like a God-damn shield against the world. You had it on that first day you came to class and every time I make you do something, like it doesn't faze you to be degraded by a student. You and that smile piss me off! What the hell does that girl have on you that would make you go this far?! You shouldn't even be considering it! You'd be better off if she was dead!" He shouted heatedly.
A cold fury settled over them. He felt the trembles running along Hakkai's arms as the man dropped his chin to his chest, eyes squeezed shut as he breathed deeply and let it out before glancing up at Gojyo.
"Do not speak of her like that." Acid dripped venomously from Hakkai's mouth as he pushed against Gojyo's arm and weight. "We're done here, it was a mistake to come in the first place, I thought if it was you....but no. Let me go Gojyo, I don't want to have to hurt you."
Gojyo seethed. There was something in the way he spoke, the deadly intent behind the words that made Gojyo back up a step before he grabbed both his nerves and Hakkai's shoulder and jerked him back against the umber wall. There was a stunned moment as they stood there blinking at each other confused and then Gojyo pressed in, mashing their lips together in a tumultuous cacophony of teeth and tongue.
"Go…jyo…why?" Hakkai gasped around the assault. With their bodies pressed flush together he could feel the others arousal through the thin denim jeans and knew there was an answering twin in his own loose slacks.
"Hell...Why do you get so angry about her? This last month, you and I, we've just...fuck, it just pisses me off that you only look at her. You'll take anything if it's to keep her out of this, won't you? If I told you to drop to your knees and suck me off right here in this alley, you'd do it without a second thought. Probably take it if I turned you around and fucked you into the wall, wouldn't you? Wouldn't you Hakkai?!"
"Why are you shaking, Gojyo?" The soft voice threw him.
"Wh...What?"
"Gojyo. I've tried several times to tell you it was a misunderstanding, but you wouldn't listen. So if this is the only way for you to understand, then I'll do it."
Gojyo pushed away from Hakkai, confusion, embarrassment, and fear flitting across his features as he stepped back and turned on his heel.
"Gojyo..."
"Enough! Enough, Hakkai. Just... enough."
Hakkai gripped his elbow and pulled him back against his chest, one hand holding the joint in a crushing grip while the other palmed the front of his pants eliciting a choked cry and thrown back cascade of red-hair onto his shoulder. Slipping a cool hand between the tight jeans and flushed skin he held Gojyo against him as he ran those same fingers up and down the heated length of him, a small smile inching across his face. A few quick strokes had him coming undone in his hand.
"I believe you demanded something more than this though, didn't you Gojyo?" Hakkai murmured in his ear before extracting himself from behind the teen and walking him back against the wall. Kneeling, he unzipped the jeans and palmed the still sticky member before wetting his lips with the tip of his tongue and then enveloping the semi-hard muscle in moist warmth.
Gojyo gasped and bucked up into Hakkai's mouth, his eyes rolling back into his skull as his mouth slackened and his body shook with the rolling sensation of a skilled tongue dragging up from base to tip, tracing the thick purple vein that ran along the underside.
Somehow it wasn't what he thought it'd be...it was...mind-blowingly better; intense to the point of pain; between the slight bite of a sharp canine and the harsh suction of Hakkai's mouth Gojyo thought for a fleeting second that he could get use to this. He had to admit, he made a pretty sight bent down between his legs like that. Knees not touching the dirty ground he was managing to hold himself up by one hand pressed against the grimy brick wall behind him. Running his fingers through the soft mahogany tresses he absently wondered what shampoo Hakkai used to make it so silky.
He hissed sharply, "Bite me now and the whole arrangement goes out the window, Hakkai," he warned, smiling as Hakkai strangle-laughed around the base, backing off enough to look at him from the floor.
"Oh no, a real gentleman would never bite here."
Gojyo's smile grew wider; he'd expected a horrified teacher, not this dangerously playful man before him. It just made things more interesting.
"Really?! And where exactly do gentlemen bite?" Gojyo sucked in a breath as something shockingly dark shifted in his eyes. Rising fluidly, Hakkai produced a pristine handkerchief from somewhere and wiped away the red clay dust from his hand.
Sliding in close against the red-head he smiled seductively, "Do you really want to know? I assumed you just wanted a quick blow-job, but if you're looking for some true remedial lessons..." Gojyo shivered as the warm breath skirted across his exposed neck and throat as the tip of that talented tongue swiped a scorching line across his Adam's apple. Swallowing hard he pushed against Hakkai's chest, embarrassment flashing behind brown-red eyes as he rearranged himself and moved past him.
"We're done for today. I'll let you know the next time we'll meet."
"Very well. Be safe going home... Gojyo."
Gojyo glanced over his shoulder for a second, "Whatever," he huffed, fleeing the alleyway and Hakkai.
"Well, that went better than expected I guess." Hakkai muttered to himself as he smoothed the front of his shirt and readjusted his glasses before turning and walking in the opposite direction.
***
Gojyo wasn't in class the next day, or the one after that. Asking about his whereabouts seemed to cause a strange reaction in the class as well. His 'friends' said he was sick, though after class the girls clustered around his desk whispering in hushed tones that since his father died last year he'd had a lot of 'sick' days. Even though the boy was a player, he was still liked by the class, an odd situation that piqued Hakkai's interest if nothing else.
Break time found him venturing into the forbidden land of the Teacher's Lounge Smoking Room looking for Mr. S., their newest permanent member since Hakkai'd taken over the daily lessons. Finding the grumpy blond in an empty corner reading the paper, he sat down opposite the man and asked about the situation in hushed tones.
"The kid's dad ran off with another woman last Spring." The blond puffed out along with a lungful of gray smoke, "Dumb-ass went and got them both killed in a head-on collision. Since the woman he was with had red hair, it put Gojyo in a tough spot. He was adopted, but the new widow swears he's the other woman's kid. He's out a few days a month. We normally get notice from his older brother, but he recently left for University in the next town. Don't think the mother will bother to report his absence herself."
"Wait a minute, you're saying he's probably being abused and you don't care?! Even for you that's cold."
"Not my blood, not my problem." He sucked in another carcinogenic lungful and held it, relishing the slow burn that filled his lungs.
"Neither are we by that definition!" Hakkai shouted, earning him some reproachful glares from the older teachers on the other side of the room.
Narrowing violet eyes, he crushed the half burned paper into the ashtray and sat back, glancing over the younger man. "You and Kanon were raised in the same Church I was training at, that makes you my responsibility by default, just like that idiot Goku."
"Goku?" The 180 turn in the conversation confused him.
"Yeah, the kid got dumped on me my last year, been taking care of him ever since."
"'Last year'...that was six years ago and you never told us?!"
"Been a long time since seminary, Hakkai. A long time."
"So you'll take care of one but not the other? What the hell about Gojyo?"
"What about him? According to Kanon something or someone has been keeping you distracted this last month. She said you've been having 'remedial lessons' with one of the students. From the grade book, I'd say it was that little cockroach. I told you a few weeks ago, if a kid has got a problem send them to the counselor, don't try and get involved yourself."
Tapping out a fresh cigarette he leaned in conspiratorially, "You straighten out that misunderstanding with him about Kanon yet? You know the rules Hakkai. I can't save you this time. If you screw up you're on your own and then where will that leave her? Trust me on this, just leave him be, the kid won't die from a few discipline sessions with his mommy."
"You... Sanzo, you're a complete ass. No wonder you got kicked out of the church; you'd make a horrible priest!" Hakkai barked, storming out of the room. The slamming of the door sent the closest ashtray clattering to the floor, the splintering glass shinning up in a million specks of glittering mockery and admonishment.
"Horrible priest, eh? Yeah well, that's why I'm a teacher."
***
The student record books were in Sanzo's desk drawer like he thought...a quick flip and hastily written note with directions had him up and out the door before he could really stop and think straight. He didn't even notice the two blonds following him out of the school.
***
153 83rd Ave was in the bad part of town. It might have been a cute little apartment complex a dozen years ago, but time and neglect had taken their toll on the three story walk up. He glanced at his note again, apartment 2A, mother's name is Mary, brother Jien, father deceased. Taking a deep breath he pressed the buzzer and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
He hit it again, straining his ears to see if he could hear its twin buzz inside the building. There was a click as the front door opened and an old man pushed past him, not bothering to ask who he was or even get a good look at Hakkai, who figured that was just the kind of neighborhood this was. He stood, back to the door, as he took in the dirty hallway strewn with broken children's toys and discarded junk mail. A loud crash upstairs made him jump. Steadying his nerves he pushed off the cold metal door and took the stairs carefully, pausing to check the faded numbers as he went.
2A was the third door on the left. The paint was cracked and there was a definite boot imprint above the kick plate. Taking a deep breath he rapped softly, then again, harder as he heard raised voices within. A second round of knocks yielded the same result, nothing, and then there was the splintering sound of glass shattering against the very door he was standing in front of.
"Gojyo?" He called out, concerned.
A muffled yelp of pain and a woman's frantic screeching had him shaking the door handle, "Gojyo?! It's Hakkai, open up! Gojyo!?"
Another set of shattering dishware from somewhere off to his left in the apartment and a shout of "Mom, stop it!" had him kicking the door down and bursting in on a sight he thought he'd never see again.
Gojyo was curled under the front end table near the door clutching at fresh knife wounds across his arms and face. His hair was chopped raggedly while a whole handful still lay clutched in the waving hands of a psychotically unstable blond woman he could only assume was the boy's mother. She swung at him once and went down, a single palm thrust to the throat dropping her hacking form to the floor, the long kitchen knife sent clattering across the tiles.
"Mom!" Gojyo pulled himself out from under the table and ran towards the gasping figure.
Hakkai stood there for a long moment in silence as Gojyo tried to comfort the deranged woman, only to have her push him away repeatedly. There was a 'Tch' from behind him and he knew without turning that Sanzo had followed him. He wasn't prepared for the soft touch at his elbow though.
"Sweet Lord, Hakkai, what do we do?"
"Sanzo, would you call the paramedics and the police, please?"
"Yeah, yeah." Sanzo snapped open his cell and wandered out into the hallway to make the call, "Kanon, come here."
"Uncle Genjo?"
"Now, Kanon, leave them be for a bit."
Kanon looked wide eyed at Hakkai and Gojyo before hastily retreating back out into the hallway.
"Gojyo..."
"Why'd you come, Hakkai?" His voice was broken as he sat a few feet away from his mother's still coughing form.
"You missed school. I was... I was worried about you."
"You were worried?! What a joke. Why the hell would you be worried about someone that blackmailed you into doing everything I did? You even brought her!"
"I didn't, but I'm glad they came. Kanon? Come here please." He called out.
Gojyo watched the petite blond pick her way across his broken home and take Hakkai's outstretched hand.
"Gojyo, this is my little sister, Kanon Cho. Kanon, this is the student I was giving lessons to after school, Gojyo Sha."
Kanon bowed slightly, big doe-eyes wide as she looked at him, head cocked to the side slightly. "Pleased to meet you. I'm sorry, I was suspicious about your relationship and followed because my brother seemed to be having another problem like last time. I didn't know about this."
"'Last time'?" Gojyo murmured confused.
Kanon shook her head as Mr. S. came back in, unlit cigarette hanging loosely from his mouth.
"Cops and such will be here in five minutes. You, cockroach, have a shit load of explaining to do later. Kanon, we're going home."
"Wait, huh?" Gojyo asked confused.
"Gojyo, that's what I was trying to tell you, Mr. S., Genjo Sanzo, he was our guardian in the orphanage we grew up in. Kanon had a problem with a stalker in her last school and I got into some trouble because of it."
"Trouble? You damn near killed the guy; he was in a coma for a week." Sanzo quipped.
"He deserved it. He shouldn't have touched her!" Gojyo's eyes grew wide at the sudden outburst from the normally quiet Hakkai.
"Sorry, I have a short temper when it comes to people I care about. Unfortunately, I tend to get a bit possessive." Taking a steadying breath he kneeled down next to Gojyo. "When you threatened us I got angry, so angry I was afraid of what I might do to you. Sanzo talked me down, told me to try and get through to you some other way."
Reaching out he smoothed a strand of bloody hair away from Gojyo's eyes, a sad smile curling his lips, "Regrettably, I couldn't think of anything. Normally I'd just snap your wrist and be done with it, but I couldn't bring myself to hurt you. By the time I had finally figured out why you bothered me so much, why I wasn't able to just take out my frustration on you in a more violent means that happened and well..."
Kanon gave his shoulder a little squeeze before smiling down at Gojyo.
"My brother has a hard time expressing his true feelings. You took his compliance of your demands for an admission of guilt and it was, but not because of me, it was because of you. Did you really think a picture of him kissing me was enough to warrant all of this?" She asked, arm out and sweeping the room. "He'd given in and crossed the student/teacher line with you and he couldn't figure out how to go back; of how to re-draw that line and start over fresh. I almost want to thank her for doing this, for forcing this confession. I don't think you'd ever know otherwise."
"So then, that time, the arcade..."
"I could have gotten free whenever I wanted and you could have never been found again. But I...I wanted to do it, that's why I went with you, but you had to bring Kanon into it and that almost broke my resolve. I realized what I had done and tried to leave, but I couldn't hurt you to do it, so I made you leave me first. I didn't know about this. I'm sorry, Gojyo. I truly am."
Coughing from the doorway drew their attention to the three police officers and two paramedics who were shown inside. Everything over the next few hours was a blur of statements and x-rays and paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. At the end of the night Gojyo was taken into protective custody and the others went home.
Weeks passed with no word and no Gojyo. Class 3-A graduated, mostly, and the summer break came and went without incident. Kanon went on to her second year and Mr. S. was back to tormenting a new batch of students. Hakkai passed his teacher's certificate with flying colors and then promptly re-enrolled in his Universities Pre-Med program, a renewed determination framing his new out look on life.
The seasons changed again.
***
It was winter break and Hakkai was just pulling into the driveway when his headlights bounced off something shiny sitting on the front stoop. Pulling himself out of the Jeep, groceries in hand, he gasped and didn't notice when the eggs splattered across the icy drive.
He noticed the three thin scars on a warm honey cheek though. He noticed the bright red hair and even brighter smile. He noticed the warmth of those tan fingers and the heat of that supple mouth as they closed over his. And he noticed when Gojyo murmured his name against his willing lips. If nothing else, he noticed all of him.
He smiled as he thought ruefully that if nothing else, he would always remember the one that almost got away.
Almost.
Fin.