Disclaimer : I don't own the Kamen Rider series; if I did, this wouldn't just be a fanfiction, because you can totally see this happening.
A/N : This is another runaway muse that had brought me back to fanfiction from tumblr; the talk and RPs on Den-O there is so intense I just couldn't block this from entering my head. The pairing is meant to be discovered as the story unfolds, although as expected the characters involved in this little fanfiction are Ryoutarou, Urataros, Yuuto and Deneb. Rated M for smut (very-much likely), and for all the other lemon and fluff and.. Stuff. Weird pairings, I know, but enjoy!
Warning : Mature topics in the story. Discover all the pairings! ;)
Temptation.
His heart jolted when his sight brushed across the width of the street, and landed on a familiar figure with a recognizable strand of bright, lime green lock barely hidden within a flowing shower of hazel hair.
Immediately he halted on the spot, his eyes locked on the same spot, and without consciously trying he was unable to even tear his gaze away; the girl by his side protested at the sudden stop, but neither her honey-laced voice nor her overpowering perfume could capture him like the pacing character in the distance had. His mind was racing, contemplating, calculating; he had time and attention only for a prey which could reward him better.
Before he realized, he had slipped his arm off her waist- then, he found himself pushing her away in the opposite direction, brushing her off with some half-hearted apology that went unregistered in his mind. Finally, she left after trying (but failing) to slap him tight across the face, and without looking at her disappearing silhouette, he paused to give himself just enough time to adjust his suit, spectacles, and facial expressions.
The jolt he had experienced wasn't his to feel, but he had felt it all the same. Ignoring the protesting conscious in his frame that was fighting his way to the surface, the bespectacled male sauntered forward with the familiar kick to his steps, and relaxed his lips into one of his best smirks.
"Nogami-kun!"
The figure turned around just as he stopped a comfortable distance away, almost jumping in surprise to notice Urataros's presence.
The corners of Urataros's lips lifted sharply into a small smile.
"It's Urataros though, Odebu-chan," the blue Imagin raised a hand casually in greeting, and winked beneath his thick-black framed spectacles.
"Ah, Urataros-kun.." Noticing how Deneb's eyes habitually searched for his recognizable electric-blue highlights before hesitantly greeting him again, Urataros felt his smile widening - he had to focus on the other male's curious emerald irises to keep his own expression in check. Then Deneb caught his gaze again, and they broke into a light round of laughter.
"My name is Deneb.." the green Imagin protested quietly, his lips pursing into a tiny, endearing pout that Urataros would never imagine ever seeing on Yuuto's face. At this thought, he felt his heart skipped a beat again - despite how strictly Ryoutarou had been trying to restrain his hidden consciousness.
Urataros almost smirked.. Almost.
"Hai, hai, Deneb-chan," the bespectacled male corrected himself tactfully, and lowered his gaze to glance at the half-filled basket Deneb was carrying. "Out shopping for grocery?" He asked casually as he carefully studied the other male for his reaction; even though it wasn't as if he hadn't figured that out on his own..
"Yes," Deneb grinned widely in response, no doubt thinking about Yuuto, who hadn't even been directly mentioned. "It's mostly for dinner tonight.. What about you? I rarely see you.. Well, around.."
"I'm just taking a stroll," Urataros lied, smoothly returning a smile. Deneb must have been talking about usually meeting only either Ryoutarou or the other Imagins on the streets. "Walking around to perhaps get rid of the restlessness I've been feeling the entire day," he added after a second of thought.
"Restlessness?"
"Restlessness," Urataros confirmed, amused by the confused look on the other's face.
Deneb sank into thoughts for a second, but went back to grinning soon after. "Would you like to join me then? Grocery shopping is a good form of distraction.."
Normally, the blue Imagin would have declined immediately- grocery shopping was just not his thing. This time, however, he was waiting for that invitation; Urataros shrugged nonchalantly, and reached up to adjust his glasses. "I.. Alright, I guess-"
"Let's go then!" Deneb exclaimed brightly, and grabbed the hand Urataros had been lowering to drag the sapphire-locked Imagin towards the fruit stands he had been browsing just now - without allowing Urataros even a second to hesitate. With the other Imagin's back towards him, Urataros allowed himself a brief moment to smirk widely.. Until the hidden consciousness of Ryoutarou kicked him hard from inside their connected minds.
He'd casted his line to find his target taking the bait almost immediately.
As expected, grocery shopping was nothing like other forms of window shopping- perhaps only because Urataros knew not what to look out for. He dutifully offered to and helped hold the basket as Deneb filtered through the large marketplace, watching as the green-eyed male run long and graceful fingers down the ingredients out on display; sometimes, he found himself offering general advices to Deneb's random questions about the dinner's menu, while at the same time mentally noting how he should look up some basic recipes for future uses. Conversation was limited between the two Imagin and the buzzing noise in the marketplace was quite a distraction, but somehow Urataros was still able to engage the other male with his seemingly half-hearted responses. Even though the trip went slow and mostly uneventful, they eventually decided that they should definitely come together for a culinary session sometime, perhaps over at ZeroLiner's kitchen when Yuuto was in a good mood to agree.
Urataros had foresaw that much.
Fishing was, after all, a sport for the most patient; but his bait was fresh and his target was promising, and there was nothing for him to worry about.
Possibly the only thing that was bothering him right then was Ryoutarou's reaction.
Right after the grocery shopping trip, where Deneb had bid him goodbye onboard DenLiner before returning to ZeroLiner on his own, Ryoutarou had proceeded to shut Urataros out of his mind completely; thankfully no one else onboard DenLiner was sensitive enough to tell. It was as if Ryoutarou knew that if he had given Urataros a chance to even speak, he would be buy it eventually - he'd be brought over to the 'dark side' - like he knew exactly what Urataros was up to.
And it wasn't as if Ryoutarou was wrong, either.
Fortunately, Urataros was able to corner Ryoutarou just outside of the dining car of DenLiner shortly afterwards. It didn't take long for the blue Imagin to assure Ryoutarou completely- not when the Rider had already half-convinced himself that the Imagin's idea would indeed work.
"But Deneb.." Ryoutarou murmured, staring frightfully at the door to the dining car as though he was afraid that it would sudden burst open to reveal Momotaros, Kintaros and Ryuutaros all eavesdropping behind it.
"He'll understand," Urataros cooed, bent over his Rider with a smirk that was invisible on his Imagin mask, inwardly cheering at his impending victory.
After that, all Urataros had to do was wait for his prey to tug at his line.
Deneb proved to be an efficient target- or rather, he was an eager little one, seeing how quickly he had arranged for their first culinary meet-up just two nights later, buying Yuuto into agreeing with the idea by making him shiitake-free meals the entire day before. The session was arranged to be late at night, and the general plan was to make breakfast for both Yuuto and Ryoutarou - and in return, each Imagin would be permitted to possess their own Riders, since Deneb was insistent on Urataros learning basic culinary skills in human form first. Urataros foresaw it to be a slow but steady session, since Deneb appeared to be strict when he was involved in cooking.. But no matter, Urataros found himself thinking, as he prepared a pancake mix while watching Deneb heat up this oil on his pan.
He could wait.
Their joint culinary sessions sped up drastically after the first- after Deneb was satisfied with the basic culinary knowledge that Urataros had picked up all in one night. Soon they started meeting up more often, working on recipes of higher difficulty, though it was mostly Urataros helping with the preparation while Deneb did the actual cooking. They went with assorted desserts and snacks, mostly, because sweet dishes were greatly welcomed by the rest of the Imagins; and then, the duo found Urataros facing the first difficulty that had stumbled him completely.
They had decided on baking a chocolate cake, but Deneb preferred using melted chocolate rather than cocoa powder. Urataros was completely helpless with the kitchen knife; the chocolate bar he was asked to dice ended up in uneven blocks, and he gave up after the first few tries.
Deneb could help bursting into laughter when he noticed how the Imagin by his side was staring at the chopping board with incredulousness, and he could only stop when he noticed the pained glare Urataros was throwing in his direction.
"Here, I'll show you how to do it," Deneb smiled, his voice heavy with laughter. The green Imagin shifted to stand right behind Urataros and leaned forward to take the blue Imagin's hand, bringing their frames together as he breathed humour-laced instructions into Urataros's ears.
Feeling the heat from the human figure pressed into his own from behind, Urataros found his heart speeding up irregularly, and was taken aback by the heat he felt on his cheeks; but this was no doubt Ryoutarou's reaction he was feeling, not his own.
Urataros closed his eyes for a moment as Deneb's voice buzzed in his ears, paying only the minimum attention to how the green-eyed Rider was puppeteering the hand he was holding the knife with, while trying not to let any of his original skills show.
All according to plan..
