Sceleratus (latin; to pollute with guilt and blood, etc)
Summary: It was a mere mistake at the beginning, another hitch in their relationship. But when something sinister begins to unfold, Yuriy finds his life unravelling before his very eyes. YuriyxKai.
Disclaimer: Beyblade does not belong to me.
Warnings: Yaoi, language, violence, and death.
Also; this is not set in a world where beyblading doesn't exist, at all. I'm merely borrowing the characters for my own amusement. Call it an AU if you want.
Kai and Yuriy are adults here (20's) and do not share a past. They met along the way and now reside in Japan.
Notes: This is something that's been brewing in my mind for a long time now. When I read Sinners by Ladya C. Maxine it just had to be written. Originally it was a tyka but Sinners inspired me otherwise! I hope you enjoy reading.
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The door of his office opened slowly, the voices in the busy corridor drifting inside momentarily before footsteps sounded and then the door was firmly shut, cutting off the noise again.
"Hey."
Yuriy sighed and rubbed his eyes, watching as his friend and colleague strolled over and perched on the desk, grinning at him. He sighed once again, now in exasperation, when a wink was sent his way before dropping his head into his hands.
"Long morning?" came the amused question.
When he didn't answer, the other leaned over and whispered in his ear, "I can make you feel better…"
"Bryan," he snapped, looking up, "I've been taken for five damn years and yet you still flirt with me. What's your problem?"
Bryan looked surprised for a moment before it crossed and he wore a neutral expression, holding his hands up in a placating manner, "Hey, what the hell is yours? I was just teasing you." He eyed the other as though just noticing something on his face.
"Well, now's not the time. I'm not in the mood."
A short silence fell before Bryan stood, walking over and standing behind his friend. Before Yuriy could protest, firm hands were placed on his shoulders, massaging the tense muscles. He relaxed into the soothing touch and stared off into space.
"Spill. Now."
The sudden words brought him from his reverie to look over his shoulder. Bryan's face still held a neutral expression, but his eyes betrayed the fact that he knew something was up.
"It—there isn't anything to spill. I'm just tired." He jerked when a thumb was dug into his skin, "Fuck. What's that for?"
"Don't try to lie to me, Ivanov."
"Bryan…"
But the other continued to firmly massage his shoulders, the touch dangerously demanding. He contemplated the matter for a while before speaking.
"It's Kai."
Bryan snorted, "Like I didn't guess that much."
"It's nothing. I'm just upset because we had an argument."
"Just an argument?" the hands from his shoulders disappeared, only to grab his head and pull it back so that he was looking up at his friend. Before he could speak, the square bandage that had been on his upper left cheek was peeled off, making him wince. The other held his head in place, reaching out to touch what resided in the now red patch of skin. It wasn't a cut or something of the sort, but an ugly bruise that stood in contrast to his pale complexion. "He hit you," he said, accusingly.
Yuriy pulled away from the touch and spun his chair around to glare at him, "That fucking hurt," he hissed.
"That son of a bitch!" Bryan retorted, "He fucking hit you!"
"He was stressed, alright?"
"Stressed?" was the incredulous answer, "He's always stressed. But that doesn't give him the right—"
Yuriy shook his head, cutting his friend off, "No, he was really stressed. I don't know; he didn't seem like his usual self last night."
"Bullshit," Bryan spit out, "If I get my hands on him…"
"I'd rather you didn't make threats about my boyfriend," Yuriy snapped, his anger sparking, "And that's not what's bothering me, anyhow."
"Of course it's bothering you, look at yourself!"
"No, it's not!" when he was shot an expectant look, he continued more calmly, "Listen, he wanted to talk to me about something important. I don't know what it is since we didn't get around to it," Bryan snorted at this, but Yuriy ignored him, "But it's killing me." His hand strayed to touch his bruised cheek tenderly, "Great, now I don't have anything to cover it up."
Bryan dismissed the dirty look shot his way, but raised an eyebrow and stepped back when Yuriy stood, "Going somewhere?"
"Grab something to eat."
He eyed the clock, "Twenty minutes of lunch break left."
Yuriy continued on his way to the door, "I don't care. They're not going to miss me." As he reached for the handle, he heard the other approaching and shot him a questioning look.
Bryan shrugged, "I'm coming."
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Yuriy had appreciated Bryan's attempts to cheer him up, but found himself with a resounding headache at the end of their little outing for lunch, which the other had insisted to be a date. They both now walked back to his office, greeting random colleagues and being obligated to stop for small chats with unwanted inquiries about his bruised cheek. A figure suddenly jumped before them, narrowly missing hitting them and spilling Bryan's coffee before it sped off. Bryan cursed as they heard a female voice screeching threats after it.
"What did Kinomiya do this time?" Yuriy stated more than questioned when Hilary Tachibana came to a halt in front of them. Bryan disliked her for reasons unknown, but Yuriy treated her just as any other colleague. His bruise was shot a curious look but she didn't comment.
"Oh, just being his usual irritating self," she smoothed down her lab cat, similar to the one Bryan wore over his clothes, "It's hard getting work done when you work in the same office."
Bryan raised an eyebrow, "And just who put you two in the same office again?" he asked, sarcasm dripping from every syllable.
She shot him a glare, "You're just pissed Ivanov isn't yours, Kuznetsov."
"Office partner, or something entirely different?" Bryan's voice was of smooth inquiry.
"Still pursuing, I see." She crossed her arms haughtily at his dangerously narrowed eyes, and Yuriy decided to step in before the awkward moment got violent. He knew that Bryan drew his line when it came to women, but with Hilary he wasn't so sure.
"We work in different fields anyhow, there's no way we could've shared an office," he grabbed Bryan's arm, noting his tightening grip on his cup of coffee, and began to steer him away, "We're late enough as it is. Good day, Ms. Tachibana."
When they reached his office, he threw Bryan inside and closed the door behind them.
"Control yourself," he ground out, "They won't hesitate to kick you off if your temper gets the better of you, especially if the receiving end is a female."
"I can't stand her," Bryan growled, scowling.
Yuriy rolled his eyes, "Well you better get to the labs then before someone starts to wonder if you're skipping work. Don't do something stupid on your way down, either," he added as the other stalked to the door, pulling it open. When it was shut again, he sighed wearily and moved to his desk, plopping down into his chair and leaning back, eyes closed. When he opened them, he wasn't at all surprised to find a thick file of paperwork that had materialized during his absence lying on his desk. Before he could reach to flip through it, however, his cell phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and checked the number, his heart fluttering.
"Hey." The voice on the line was quiet after he had flipped the phone open.
"Hi," was all he could bring himself to say.
He heard Kai take a deep breath before speaking again, "Listen, I—can I take you out to dinner after work?"
"Okay."
"Yuriy…" the voice now sounded tired.
"What? I said okay. I have work to get done, Kai," even as he said those words, he felt slightly guilty.
"I—alright. I'll pick you up after work. Don't worry about your car, we'll get it later."
Before he could respond, the line was cut off and he found himself listening to silence. He discarded the mobile on his desk, reaching for the file awaiting him. Reading over the page quickly, he picked up a pen more out of habit than anything else to look over their newest multiple sclerosis research.
"Damn it," he muttered after a while, eyeing the small stack of abundant information before resigning himself to his fate, "I could use some more coffee right about now."
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As the clock ticked tauntingly closer to five p.m., Yuriy found himself getting restless, nervously shooting it looks every ten seconds. But when five struck, ending his working hours, he didn't make a move to leave. He had long since finished reading over the assigned research pages, as well as made his own report. But he continued scanning over each and every sheet of paper, even as the time neared to ten after five. He knew that he was running away from the situation at hand, but he was dreading meeting Kai. Last night hadn't been one of their best times together, and he didn't know how both their reactions would be after meeting for the first time since. Even though they'd been together for such a long time, him and Kai officially still had separate places and he hadn't seen him in the morning. He put the papers down, making to get up, but his phone went off. He watched it for a while as it vibrated, making its way closer and closer to the edge of the desk, then snatched up it to answer.
"Your car's still here, so I know you hadn't left," there was a pause, and then, "Aren't you going to come out?"
"I—yeah, just had something to finish up. I'll be right out." He shut the phone and put it in his pocket as he made his way out the door. He wondered idly why Bryan hadn't come to bother him after work, but before he could brush off the thought, somebody called out to him. Stopping in defeat, he waited as the aforementioned man jogged up to his side.
"You're still here," he stated rather unnecessarily.
"Really?" He could hear the grin in the other's voice. "I had some lab work to finish— figured that I might as well. Then I had to come up here to pick something up," he indicated the folder in his hands, "How come you're still here?"
Yuriy merely shrugged, not caring whether the taller man caught it or not. To his relief, Bryan chose not to pester him, and they continued their way to the elevators. Even though most employees had got off work about fifteen minutes ago, there still were a few people conversing down the hall. One of them left the group, a woman, and walked over. She eyed Yuriy critically after nodding at Bryan in acknowledgement.
"What happened?" Julia Fernandez asked, and Yuriy rubbed his cheek self consciously. He shook his head, hoping she'd get the hint. She did, only shooting him a disapproving look before stepping away, "Well, I have to get going. See you guys tomorrow."
Before either of them could respond, she strolled away and the elevator doors opened. Stepping inside, Bryan pressed the button for the floor underneath before pressing the G for ground floor as well. Yuriy raised an eyebrow in question as the doors shut behind them.
"Did you think I'd take paperwork home with me? I have to drop this off," he said pointedly, now flipping through the folder. A ping informed Bryan of his destination, fourth floor, and he slipped out after a quick goodbye. Yuriy slumped against the smooth wall of the lift, his mind now once again plagued by a certain blunette.
When he stepped out of the building, he found Kai's sleek Mercedes waiting for him by the front doors. Taking a calming breath, he opened the passenger door and got in, fastening his seat belt. Kai wasn't looking at him; he was eyeing the steering wheel as though contemplatively. Finally, Yuriy couldn't take the silence.
"I'm sorry for being late."
Kai shook his head and started the ignition, "It's okay," he said, even though Yuriy knew he was impatient. They remained in silence as Kai pulled out of the parking lot of the Multiple Sclerosis Research Center, better known as the MSRC, and into the main street. But then he spoke again, "I've made reservations at Masa."
Yuriy almost wanted to object. Instead he merely nodded, knowing that the other would catch it out of the corner of his eye. Masa was one of the most expensive restaurants around, but he wasn't surprised. Kai always had rather expensive tastes, a luxury that came with being the CEO of a famous company. But Kai also knew that Yuriy didn't care for expensive things, even if it was a make-up dinner that he had in mind. He turned to stare out of the window, wondering about what Kai had wanted to tell him the previous night.
When they reached the parking lot of Masa and Kai smoothly parked the car, neither of them got out. Yuriy kept staring out the window, now at the view of the expensive restaurant. Finally, Kai reached out a hand and gently grabbed his chin, turning his face to look into his. His eyes were unreadable and Yuriy found himself getting lost in them, but then they flickered away and to his cheek. Kai left his chin, hand now fluttering over the bruise before leaning over, soft lips taking the place of his fingers. Yuriy's breath hitched and he closed his eyes.
"I'm sorry," Kai murmured against the tender skin, his breath ghosting over it as he kissed it gently. Yuriy blindly reached for the other's hand and entwined it with his, remaining silent for a while. The lips had stopped their movements but remained pleadingly still over his skin.
"Is this your idea of making up?" Yuriy asked after the pause, motioning with their entwined hands in the direction of Masa, and regretted it when Kai pulled back. The blunette merely studied him for a moment, but Yuriy couldn't meet his eyes.
"I can't believe I hit you," he said, sounding disgusted at himself, "Nothing I say is going to take back my actions but—"
"I've already forgiven you," Yuriy interrupted, their eyes locking once again. He was about to say something else but it fled his mind when a mouth met his, and he melted in the slight embrace.
As they waited for their dinner, Yuriy fidgeted. Despite the luxury of the restaurant, he was consciously uncomfortable even though he felt much better that last night's dispute had finally been resolved. Kai watched him from across the table, and after a few seconds of trying to evade the gaze, he finally looked up to meet it.
"Sorry," Kai said, giving him a slight smile. He usually wasn't one for apologies and Yuriy wasn't sure what exactly he was sorry for, but he didn't have a chance to reply. "You don't seem comfortable; we can leave if you want."
Yuriy shook his head, "You made reservations, and this place is damn expensive."
He felt more at ease when his lover reached over and grabbed his hand, caressing his knuckles with a thumb. He waited for Kai to speak, but decided to take the initiative when no words where forthcoming.
"Kai?"
"Hm?"
"Yesterday, there was something you wanted to talk to me about," it was a reminder, not a pressing statement. For a moment, something flickered in Kai's eyes, and then he let go of Yuriy's hand.
"After we eat," was all he said, leaving Yuriy at a loss of reassuring contact.
But Kai didn't speak all evening, and Yuriy was getting rather impatient by the time they pulled into the driveway of Kai's large house, where he parked behind his hummer. Yuriy never understood why one person needed two cars; Kai liked to spoil himself.
"What about my car?" he asked, when the other moved to get out.
Kai looked back, "I'll drop you off at work tomorrow."
Yuriy wanted to protest, but decided that he might as well spend the night at Kai's. Sighing softly, he also got out, closing the door after him and following his boyfriend to the house. Kai unlocked the door and punched in the security code before he ushered him inside.
He had been here just the previous evening, when Kai had received a phone call that had completely changed his mood. Yuriy didn't know what it had been about, having written it off as business-related. But a sudden argument had sprung up not long after Kai had admitted he had something to tell him, and then Yuriy had stormed out with the initial shock of getting struck. Now that he thought about it, he felt that the call had been most suspicious. Kai hadn't given much of a response to the speaker, and then he had clammed up. Anticipating an explanation, he made his way to the kitchen after taking off his shoes, Kai automatically following. They weren't about to eat or drink, since they'd just had dinner, but it was a habit that both had picked up a long time ago, always choosing to relax around the kitchen table.
While Yuriy seated himself, Kai remained standing, leaning against the wall across. Suddenly, he seemed unable to keep whatever he had been holding in any longer.
"I did something wrong," he started, and Yuriy looked up with a raised eyebrow, "A long time ago, and now it's coming back to haunt me."
The way Kai was speaking made it hard to decipher if it that was what he had been meaning to tell him all along.
"What is it?" Yuriy finally asked when Kai didn't continue, and the other ran a hand over his face and then through his hair. He resisted the urge to do the same to his.
"Yuriy, there isn't a good way to say this, but please don't say anything until I finish."
Nodding mutely, Yuriy continued to regard his boyfriend. Kai met his gaze head on when he said, "I slept around with this girl. I was drunk."
Yuri's breath caught before he remembered the other's previous words and his eyes narrowed. He didn't especially like that fact, but it probably didn't have anything to do with him. 'A long time ago' was possibly before they'd gotten together. Kai wouldn't cheat on him—he wouldn't.
"She got pregnant," Kai continued, helpfully.
For a moment, he was confused, and then realization started dawning on him.
"She didn't want to abort, so she kept the child. I have a son. That was five years ago, when we'd first gotten together."
A shocked silence ensued, and through the haze, Yuriy felt his throat constricting.
"And you're telling me this now?"
Kai shook his head, pushing away from the wall and suddenly looking extremely tired, "Yuriy, something happened."
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How is it so far? Please review and tell me, I have a whole plot thought out for this. Also, reading over it, it seems that some parts resemble Sinners, but that's completely unintentional and my plotline is not similar to it at all.