A Drug store bet
It was sickening.
The way they just didn't care. As if their constant presence was for the sole purpose of annoying them. Or tempting them!
That would fit more to their usual behaviour.
The two adults who served as Kazahaya and Rikuo's guardians would usually find some excuse to settle the discord between the two teens, to promote, what they felt was a healthy relationship. But to Kazahaya it all seemed rather perverse.
The chocolate incident a while back came to mind.
Failing that, the present wasn't much better. All of yesterday and this morning Kazahaya and Rikou were forced to watch, or listen, to Kakei and Saiga's little love match. Trying to out-do each other in flirtations and romantic gestures.
It all started with a bet (and we all know those never end well). One evening of casual teasing, aimed for once at the expense of Saiga.
"Thanks, Saiga… for the jumper. It looks… cosy…" Kazahaya wanted to show appreciation for the knitted garment Saiga had laboured over, but was more concerned with how to gently reject it.
"Well, winter may be gone but that doesn't mean their won't ever be another one." Saiga's reasoning seemed a little off, but true non-the-less. With a beaming smile he leaned down to ruffle Kazahaya's golden hair. "hehe, don't you think it suits ya though" he continued, pointing at the front of the jumper.
Rikou, looming behind and above Kazahaya, seemed to think so "A golden/green kitten with large eyes. I won't be able to tell which is the real thing. You'll have to get used to me talking to your chest from now on." A grin the size of his fist spread across Rikou's face.
"I tried to make it look like him. Ii surpasses my expectations on that account."
Wanting to stop this embarrassing moment Kazahaya changed the subject. "Well you certainly worked hard on this, in fact Saiga I don't think anyone could surpass your skills when it comes to knitting and sewing… and cooking… AND all the cleaning you do around here. To bad your not married because you would make a great wife." Kazahaya teased unflinchingly.
Saiga's only reply was a booming laughter.
Though Kazahaya's words hadn't fazed Saiga, luckily Rikou took the bait.
"It's only natural to be good at more than just sleeping and inappropriate touching. So did you learn all that stuff because you have to had to or because the prospect of womanhood excited you?"
Kazahaya was glad that for once Rikou had backed him up on this occasion, but teams of two were required for this game,
"Saiga may be the best housewife in practical terms, though I like to think I outshine all in the physical department." Kakei had been in the room all along but seemed more concerned with tagging stock than their conversation, uo till now.
"No one's denying that" Saiga said "Hey, we make a pretty god wife team, don't we." he finished with his unnaturally long arm draping over Kakei intimately.
Kazahaya had all of a sudden lost his head for sarcasm and reverted to his natural state of perplexing innocence.
"You can't both be the wife… hang on, neither of you can be a wife!" Rikou looked at Kazahaya with pity but did nothing to shut him up. "wives can only be girls. Otherwise Rikou could be a wife because he can cook."
Rikou wanted to stare daggers at Kazahaya then but instead looked at Kakei and Saiga as if they were one, pleading with his eyes, 'Don't' they said from across the room.
Kakei, of course, pretended not to see. "Oh, so that would make you the man of the relationship, Kazahaya?"
It amazed everyone that Kazahaya actually paused a moment to think on the question. "Well no, we're both guys-WAIT, I! What do you mean relationship. There's no relationship between Rikou and me! He shouted.
"except being colleagues, roommates, partners in crime (the vase incident) and… didn't you share a bed once, what's that called?" Saiga's tone almost always sounded jokingly, so it was safe to assume that whatever he said was a jest of some sort, even in truth.
"Well, yes. I suppose that's true. Except the bed thing, that never happened." Kazahaya said flushing red.
"No, but you DO have a habit of forcing yourself into my bed. But that's called being desperate."
Saiga boomed with laughter against Rikou's insight. Kazahaya to embarrassed for speech.
Bored with Kazahaya's reaction Rikou turned back to Kakei in Saiga. With confidence.
"Men and wives aside, I do wonder sometimes which of the two of you would be the, uh… romantic.?"
They all acted as if the answer could be plucked out of the silence. The two adults seemed to dwell deeply on the notion.
"That's a goof question Rikou. I always thought romance was a concept that required the involvement of both parties." It was surprising for Rikou to see his employee and Saiga looking so puzzling at each other, he almost regretted asking, even in jest.
"hmm" voiced Saiga "I would say Kakei. Who always looks beautiful. It makes me feel-"
"That's not the kind of romance he was talking about Saiga."
"-special, was what I was going to say if you had let me finish."
Even in disagreement Kazahaya couldn't help but notice that they would always smile at each other.
"You're the more romantic anyway. Remember the other week when you secretly put a bunch of flowers on the coffee table. It really brightened up the back room."
"Actually, that wasme" Kazahaya spoke up reluctantly "I noticed those flowers growing through the cement outside and thought they might… brighten the back room." Once he had stoped talking he regretted doing so in the forst place, it embarrassed him all the more.
Luckily for Kazahaya, Kakei and Saiga were back to being perplexed, and Rikou had started shovelling the last of the snack cakes that were left on the table. He moved so swiftly at times Kazahaya couldn't believe was possible for someone his stature and size.
"Well, since we can't seem to decide on which of us is more romantic, how about we make a bet. Saiga and I will try to out-romance each other, and who ever makes you two gag or complain first wins. Oh! And the first one to complain, or gag, will be docked a weeks pay. How does that sound."
Saiga's response was his usual laughter, in the form of consent. Rikou gave a disinterested look that hid the words 'why me' in it. Whilst Kazahaya…
"Wha-a weeks pay… but, why should I even be part of this bet?"
"You mean we." Rikou said ignoring that waterfall of tears coming down Kazahaya's face.
Three days had passed in silence between Kazahaya and Rikou. They dared not even speak in private either, for fear that Kakei would hear them. Even two storeys up in their own apartment.
Every time Kazahaya felt he wanted to say something he remembered admitting to the flowers which proved to shut his mouth.
The contest between Kakei and Saiga had not bothered Kazahaya much- it confused him mostly- until last night he had had a dream where instead of Saiga offering to brush and braid Kakei's fine longish hair, it had been Rikou in Saiga's place and Kazahaya suddenly becoming Kakei, long white coat and all.
He was pleased to wake up afterwards to find that no hairbrush continued to exist in their bare apartment. Unfortunately the drug store down stairs, which served as their setting all day, contained many hair brushes in fluoro colours, and disposable for some reason.
Each hour and every minute at come to haunt Kazahaya, with little reminders seemingly popping up everywhere. Being in the store surrounded by hairbrushes, chocolate and condoms made Kazahaya wish for the first time for a 'special' job, just to take him outside, and perhaps far away.
After serving a young customer, who seemed to linger to long, the shop became empty and it was Kakei's who turned on his affections. Coming up to Saiga, sitting lazily at the entrance to the store, no doubt scheming (if not sleeping) behind his dark glasses. Leaning over Saiga to cast a shadow, Kakei reached into his pocket and produced a somewhat large velvety looking box. From behind the counter Kazahaya could barely see let alone hear. Once opened Siaga seemed to jump to his feet and tower once again over Kakei (and everyone else) almost knocking over a display, which Rikou dived in out of nowhere to save.
Saiga seemed speechless for a time just, looking into the deep blue box Kakei still held. He reached in gingerly, smiling all the while.
Moving closer with interest Kazahaya saw the pair of dark sunglasses Saiga now held in his hands. He quickly became disappointed when he recognized them to be the same exact style as the ones he was- and always- wearing.
A flash of thought provoked him to move closer. In front of Saiga. He wanted to see…
Kakei returned to empty box with silver lettering to his pocket and looed at Kazahaya as he approached. "What do you think of Saiga's new shades, Kazahaya?"
Leaning in close to inspect, Kazahaya replied "They are exactly the same as the ones he has already."
"What do they teach kids now a days?" Saiga scuffed at him "of course their different. These are designer shades."
Still not quite understanding, Kazahaya looked up expectedly. "What?" Saiga asked at the boys stared figure.
"Aren't you going to put them on?" He asked
"Haha. Yer right, you're not getting me that easily." Dammit, Kazahaya thought, another attempt to see past his shades failed! That sneaky, suspicious devil.
Kazahaya moved off, back into the store where their was work to be done, At least that's what Kakei's gaze said.
Kazahaya left the two adults outside, just as the wind blew a little colder.