Southern Comfort
By Ms. Kinnikufan
Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the story itself.
Warning: Contains yaoi and excessive drinking, swearing and many other vices. If you are not into any of that, don't read the story.
Terry woke up with a hangover. Damn that sunlight. Why couldn't it have been a gloomy day?
Terry's mind then became more focused and awake.
He was now fully aware that this was not his apartment. Nor was this his bedroom. Nor was this his bed. This was Mantaro's residence.
Terry then noticed that he was lying naked next to Mantaro. And that Mantaro was naked.
Mantaro was still a state of sleep. Dear God, Mantaro was so going to freak out
when he woke up. Mantaro made a few snorting noises.
Terry's mind, despite the hangover managed to flashback on how all this happened:
Meat was dead. It was the third loss for Mantaro Kinniku.
The first was Mayumi Kinniku, his grandfather and an ex-ruler of Kinniku planet.
3 months later, Rinko died in a car accident.
Needless to say, this devastated Mantaro greatly. His friends and family proceeded to overwhelm with support, long discussions and casseroles.
Less then 3 weeks later, Meat was killed by a D.M.P. wannabe, whom's name had yet to be learned. The D.M.P. wannabe was killed in police fire before Mantaro got a chance to avenge Meat.
This was a loss for all the Kinnikus. Suguru, immediately after Meat's death order that a memorial to be made in Meat's honor. It was to be displayed in front of Muscle Museum.
Suguru, while devastated, now seemed to be doing okay. He was eating again and had mostly stopped sitting in darkness, staring into nothingness. In fact he was throwing himself into the construction of Meat's memorial.
Mari, who had lost both a daughter and a close friend within a short period of time unsuccessfully to take her own life,. She was now seeing a therapist.
Mantaro Kinniku, who had suffered 3 losses, had almost completely shut off everyone. Bowels of his favorite beef gyuudon were shoved in his face. He had no hunger. He cried when he thought no one was looking. It was rumored that he went through a pack of Pink Ladies (a brand of pink, bubblegum flavored/scented cigarettes) a day.
A month passed. Even Kevin Mask had taken a curiosity in Mantaro's unending sorrow. Kevin called Mantaro every nasty insult he knew. He drew on Mantaro's face. No reaction. He dumped a bowel of moldy custard on Mantaro's head. Still no reaction. Bored with Mantaro's lack of reaction, he left.
Sieuchin lated hurled his motorcycle off a pier for being a jerk. Kevin was most upset, probably because he was still on it.
3 more weeks passed. It was up to Terry to get through the wall between Mantaro and the rest of the world.
An emotionally exhausted Sieuchin was in Ireland, visiting family. Gazelleman
Was unfortunately having a family crisis. Checkmate was still recovering from a bout of amnesia.
So it was up to Terry. Terry had 3 bottles of Southern Comfort with him. He had a feeling that both he and Mantaro would need them.
Terry knocked on the door. No answer. Terry found that the door was not locked, so he just barred in. He was shocked at the sight.
There were at least 7 ashtrays full of cigarette butts. The cigarette butts that weren't in ashtrays were lying on the floor. There were various shreds of newspaper lying about. There were several fist-shaped holes in the wall.
Mantaro Kinniku sat on the battered mattress he and Meat use to share, smoking and staring into space. He had no expression on his face.
Terry turned on the light.
"AAWWW! FUCK! SHIT! DAMN! WHO THE HELL THERE'S?" Mantaro covered his face with the hand not occupied by a cigarette.
"It's Terry. Jesus, Mantaro how have you been livin' this past month?"
"Who cares?" was Mantaro's only response.
"A lot of people care about ya and yer 3 losses." Stated Terry.
"Two losses." Mantaro said.
"Huh?" But Mantaro said nothing else.
He continued to stare into space. Terry poured some Southern Comfort into some glasses he found and pushed one into Mantaro's face.
Mantaro stubbed out his cigarette and gulped it down in one gulp.
Terry refilled his glass.
"So I understand things have been tough 'cause you lost yer Grandpa, Rinko and Meat within a short period of time." Terry poured himself a glass.
Mantaro took another gulp. "My grandfather wasn't a loss."
"Why?" asked Terry.
"He was cruel to anyone in his vicinity. My father..My mother. even Harbote.
My uncle Ataru once confided to me that Grandpa was part of the reason he run away, as well as the Spartan lifestyle. My grandpa once told me I wasn't worth shit. I don't recall actually mourning him. I just gave him the courtesy of not telling all the people at his funeral all the nasty things he said to people when I was called to the podium."
"Well that was nice of ya." Terry took a sip of his drink. He needed it.
"Not nice enough. He was my grandfather. I should have loved him even though he was an asshole. God knew I hated my grandpa, so he took away Rinko and Meat away. Mantaro had the beginning of tears in his eyes.
"What? Mantaro, Rinko's and Meat's death had nothing to do with you!
There deaths were a bunch of shitty tragedy that happened, that the consequences of anything you did!" Terry refilled both his and Mantaro's glasses. The first bottle of Southern Comfort was nearly gone.
Mantaro sniffed. "Of course it's my fault, It's in books, and magazines, and on TV. and in.. in..newspapers. People get punished for the bad things the feel. It's called poetic justice!"
"Mantaro. It's only poetic justice if you deserve it. You didn't deserve to have people you care about die." Terry tried to comfort Mantaro.
"It's still my fault. If I hadn't annoyed Rinko so much, she wouldn't have gotten into that car and gotten hit by that truck and crashed into that tree. If I hadn't annoyed Meat by being my stupid, annoying self, he wouldn't have felt the need to go for a walk and wouldn't have gotten murdered by that D.M.P. reject!" Mantaro was the verge of becoming hysterical.
"Mantaro. That simply ain't true. By that logic, every single person you've annoyed would be dead. Ikeman.. The Addams..Doc Nankano..All of Generation Ex..they all found you annoying at one point in their lives and they are still alive and well!" Terry tried to make a point.
"Oh thank a whole fucking lot Terry. That really makes me feel like a have whole lot of loving and supportive friends." Mantaro's tone quickly went from hysterical to pissed off.
"Well, Goddamnit Mantaro! We are trying to help you, but you just wouldn't respond. Can't ya damn well see I'm trying to help ya!" Terry found his patience and understanding reduced by the Southern Comfort.
"Terry I just lost 2 people who were very dear to me-"
"Well-"
"Shut up Terry. Let me speak. I'm not so stupid and emotionally un-deep that I can heal from Rinko's and Meat's death just like that. I miss them Terry. I miss Meat telling me to act with a little dignity. I miss Rinko's last-minute support that she gave me when the chips were down. I have so many regrets over things not said.
I wish to God that I had gotten to know Rinko better. There are so many things that I didn't learn about her. Her favorite color is..was magenta. Her favorite band is..was.The Sugar Pixies. Rinko she had such a strong fighting spirit.
She would have been a great chojin. But she's dead now. She'll never get her chance. And Meat..I never showed Meat that I did care, how much I appreciated him.
I wish I had listened to him more…Made his life easier. He was always there for me. Even during my more disgraceful times, he never gave up on me or told me I was worth nothing. He once even stood up for me when my grandfather told me I would never amount to anything. Meat never took any time for himself…not even after my father left for Kinniku Planet. Damn it, Terry! I should have made him take some time for himself. I should have made him better gifts then like this stupid ashtray! (Mantaro took an ashtray full of cigarette butts and threw it to the ground, smashing it.) And this stupid ashtray (Mantaro took another ugly ashtray and smashed it.) and this stupid birdhouse made out of popsicle sticks (Mantaro threw it against the wall. A few piecies broke off, but it remain mostly intact.) Damn it! (Mantaro proceeded to smash said birdhouse to smithereens with his foot.)
Mantaro proceeded more objects, including an orange juice can pencil holder and something made from clay and glitter.
While this was happening, Terry drank 2 more glasses of Southern Comfort. He had a feeling he would need them. Finally after 15 minutes of destruction, Mantaro finally settled down.
"Oh God, Oh God, They shouldn't have died. They should have lived. I wish they were still alive. I- Oh God," Mantaro buried his face in his hands.
"Ya know Mantaro. Ya are not the only one who misses Meat. He was our friend too."
Terry refilled his glass once more. Mantaro was silent.
"I knew ya Kinniku's have a special connection to Meat, but he helped out us too."
Mantaro was still silent.
"And we knew Rinko too. She was almost like a fellow Muscle Leauger. Remember the time she shot Doc Nakano out of a cannon because ya said you were her fiancée?"
"Yeah," Mantaro became nostalgic. "I was surprised how much a small bald guy could hurt!"
"And what about the time we got stuck in a storage closet with her, Meat, Kevin Mask and that scary-looking chef?"
"We had to send Meat through that dusty air vent to get help. Only he got lost and they had to send a tracking dog to find him!" Mantaro laughed drunkenly.
And so they spent a great amount of time reminiscing about past misadventures with Meat and Rinko, all the while getting more and more drunk.
"And so then after Sieuchin throw him on his motorcycle off the pier, Kevin Mask goes 'You stupid Walrus, why did you do that?' and Sieuchin goes, 'Because you are insensitive. And then Kevin says 'Agreed. Why did you throw me off the pier?"
"You know Terry, I always thought you were a handsome guy." Mantaro stroked Terry's thigh suggestively.
"Ahhh..Mantaro why ya doing that?" Terry felt both uneasy and a little turned-on.
Mantaro then tried to French-kiss Terry.
"Jesus! Shit! Fuck! Mantaro, what the hell are you trying to do?" Terry backed away from Mantaro. Terry was shocked back into a state of half-sobriety.
"Oh Jesus, Oh Jesus, Terry..I'm sorry. I don't know what the hell I was trying to do!" Mantaro was suddenly aware that he just tried to French-kiss a friend and not a lover.
"Just..just don't try it again. It wouldn't be good for either of us. We're friends not lovers."
"Hold Me." Requested Mantaro. Terry was hesitant.
"I swear that's not a come-on." Mantaro reassured him.
Slowly and with outmost caution, Terry held Mantaro. Mantaro felt so warm and squishy thought Terry. Terry found his hand going down towards Mantaro's butt.
And firm thought Terry. Mantaro was not unnerved that Terry was groping him, in fact he appeared to be enjoying it.
One of Terry hands went beneath Mantaro's pant's waistband.
Mantaro let out a little moan. Terry then blushed and withdrew his hand.
"Oh Jesus, Mantaro I don't know what the hell is going on tonight!"
"No Terry, I think that anything we do tonight would be wrong." Mantaro said in an unusually sultry manner.
Mantaro pulled Terry closer. This time Terry accepted Mantaro's kiss.
Terry felt so overwhelmed with heat.
Normally, Terry's alarm system would have gone off: "Warning! Warning! Terry Steven Kenyon! Getting it on with emotionally vulnerable drunk friend is not a good idea! But after the 6th glass of Southern Comfort Terry's warning system had shut done. As was Mantaro's. Their touching became more and more intense.
A scene too hot for fanfiction net happened.
And now Mantaro was waking up. Mantanro rubbed his eyes sheepishly.
"Oh Shit!" Mantaro said simply. Oh God, Oh God, things are really going to get messed-up. Mantaro is going to be even more upset.
"I can't believe I let such a mess happen!" Mantaro got up off the mattress and began sweeping, completely naked except for the mask all Kinniku people wore.
Terry was shocked. Terry thought Mantaro would freak out after last night's…events.
"Terry get out of bed and help me clean." Said Mantaro, concentrating on a very stubborn pile of dust.
"Mantaro (Terry put his pants back on) We just had sex last night." ]
"I'm aware of that Terry. You know what? Drunkenly sleeping with a friend compares lightly with losing Meat and Rinko. YOU HEAR THAT GOD! DO YOUR WORSE!" Mantaro challenged the heavens.
Mantaro continued to clean. Terry busied himself with emptying the ashtrays that had escape Mantaro's wraith the night before and boarded up the walls.
After 5 hours of intense cleaning, the little house was presentable.
"So where does this leave us?" Terry asked Mantaro.
"I don't know. I mean we were drunk. I just don't know." Replied Mantaro.
"What happened was major, even though we were drunk." Terry pointed out.
"Does that mean things have to change between us? I know I'm not your type and after last night, I have no fucking idea what exactly defines my type anymore.
However, If what we did had happened out of affection instead of (Mantaro conted on his fingers.) over 12 glasses of Southern Comfort each, I wouldn't have been against it." Mantaro voice was tender. Terry's face was shocked.
"You're offended." Mantaro wasn't complaining, he merely was stating.
"No..no.. of course not. I don't thin we should just start going from friends to lovers just because of what happened last night. We should just give it some time and say how..how our emotion play out…God I feel stuck in a talk show."
"Yeah..I guess. I guess we should just say how life plays out. I'm thing I'm sure off: It's time to rejoin the Real world. I know Meat and Rinko would have wanted it that way." Mantaro started to walk out the door.
"'Taro WAIT!" warned Terry.
"What?"
"You're still naked! Put on some clothes!"
Mantaro looked at himself and started to laugh. So did Terry.
And so the whole thing ended in laughter.