A/N: So this story is a long time coming. I had written it as a gift to SweetLiars, and am only now getting around to posting it.
This story incorporates SweetLiars original characters, Arata and Brielle from her Fruits Basket story "Marionette" I suggest you all read her story, as the characters and plot are extremely captivating and original.
This story also includes MY original characters, Aden McCaffery and Gabriel (Gabe) La Grange. Fun people. Just don't touch them. You don't know where they've been...
That being said, this is really the third installment to a saga I wrote for SweetLiars when I kidnapped Arata from her. The first two stories of this saga are 'So A Playboy, Man Child, and Emo Walk Into A Bar' and 'Hard Rock Life: A True Story'. These stories can be found on Wattpad. And if you like THIS story let me know and I might see about putting the other two on fanfiction.
Hope you all enjoy this, and SweeLiars, so sorry for the lateness in actually putting this up like I said I would.
His heart slammed against his chest. Came so very loud in his ears as he felt the intense pressure of an early onset migraine. Air came in sharp...pained breaths through his slender pierced nose, and he knew. Knew that he must look absolutely...pathetically...miserable.
But then again...so did everyone else.
No one here looked 'happy,' and that was the only thought that kept him from completely drowning in his own despair. This...felt like righteous vindication. Finally...everyone else was as entirely miserable as he was.
Finally...
The mere thought of everyone else's misery made him almost...happy? An emotion not welcome in this place of mortification filled with the screams of small...unattended children. Another shrill screech banishing his momentary content as his thoughts were once again ushered back into this hell. And a deep, rich dark brown chocolate gaze absorbed the ominous sign.
'Please remove shoes, jacket, and all metal and electronic devices.'
Eyes immediately came downcast to the floor in dower contemplation as they finally met his shoes. Thick, black leather studded, chained combat boots. The spare change in his pockets. A lighter. Cell phone. I-Pod with attached earbuds. A thick leather, metal studded belt. Thick metal chain link bracelets. Decorative rings. Razor-blade necklace and leather spiked choker. Piercings.
Then there were the piercings.
...this...was going to take a while.
And far more plastic bins that they had given to him...
Frustration coursed through his veins, and his dark, rich brown chocolate gaze grew even darker as it drifted from this ominous sign to burrow straight into the back of the head of the man in front of him. And his eyes focused on the light brown hair that had been thrown up into a casual, messy bun. Slender, black-tipped fingers clenched themselves tightly into fists as he felt the sudden...overwhelming...intensely violent impulse to punch the man right in the back of the head where his gaze had landed. It would make him feel so much better. And quite possibly get him out of this current situation.
Earbuds forced their way into his ears through painted fingertips as he thumbed through his I-Pod to find a suitable outlet for his rage, though physical violence had not yet been abandoned as a potential outcome. Deciding to momentarily ignore the sign's demand for him to publicly strip himself down, he finally settled on a song as the lyrics were turned up and screamed into his ears at a pain-inducing volume. A sharp inhalation slipped through his slender pierced nose as he allowed his thoughts to rage in time and rhythm to the screaming in his ears. And through the distraction of the pain and noise, he contemplated over the series of events that had led him to this moment.
Reclining in the seat as his eyes stared vacantly out the large sliding glass door, Aden was once again taken by the view and vastness of the city skyline. The way the sunlight played along each building. Each pane of glass or metallic strip of the various skyscrapers coming to life as the buildings almost breathed underneath the tender caress of the light. And the whole of it drew him in so completely, as it often did, that Aden hadn't noticed his roommate standing next to him. Nor had he noticed the man's presence as he began to talk to him.
It was only with the lightest touch to his shoulder that Aden was violently ripped from this world of light and glass as his gaze snapped to his friend's face. The hand on the shoulder was swiftly removed as a slightly startled expression shaped the man's features for the briefest of moments before a small smile twitched along his lips.
"Hey." Gabe's voice came measured and calm as he gazed down at Aden. "One of these days you're going to have to teach me that whole 'zen master' thing you got going on." And the small ghosting of a smirk was the only response as an almost comfortable silence came over the peaceful moment.
"You know...I've been thinking..." Gabe mused as the two stared out towards the vast city skyline. "We tour all around the country, man, but...I've never been to another country." He murmured. "Not once."
"What about that time in Canada?" Aden responded disinterestedly.
"Dude...you can't count Canada as leaving the country." Gabe retorted. "That's like claiming prison time when you've only done an overnighter in a jail holding cell." He prattled on as Aden continued to ignore him. "It's completely misleading. I'm talking about actually leaving the country, you know? Seeing the world. Really experiencing it." His voice came so completely morose at this deprivation of life experience until he finally noticed that Aden was ignoring him entirely.
"Are you even listening?!" Gabe snapped as Aden's dark gaze slowly drifted towards him once more.
"No." Aden responded bluntly, his voice quiet as Gabe's expression furrowed into a childish scowl.
"I'm thinking of seeing my friend, Arata." Gabe finally countered after a moment of silence, reveling in his roommate's expression of distaste at the mention of his friends name...Aden clearly remembered the man now, a fact that pleased Gabe greatly.
"And I care about this, why...?" Aden drawled as his petulant expression burrowed into the man's increasingly annoying, feline-like grin as it grew in proportion to Aden's irritation.
"Because my flight voucher finally came in the mail today." Gabe responded coolly as he simply handed his roommate a simple envelope, peeking Aden's morbid curiously as he opened it.
"Airline tickets..." Aden murmured as his painted fingertips numbly fingered the contents of the envelope.
"Yup." Gabe confirmed, the impish grin spreading in amusement.
"...there are two of them..." Aden continued, his gaze flickering from the plane tickets to his friend's expression of pure jubilation. "Why are there two tickets, Gabe?" Aden practically spat as Gabe began to laugh.
"Well..." Gabe began through the lingering laughter. "Usually when you get two tickets, it's because you plan on taking someone with you."
And that was all it took for Aden to completely lose his composure.
"You booked me on a flight to Japan?!" Aden growled, sitting straighter in the chair as his voice grew in heat and intensity. "To see your friend?! With out me knowing about it?!" These words came practically screamed in rage wrapped in complete disbelief. "Gabe! You ass!"
"Come on, Aden..." Gabe attempted to sooth through the laughter threatening to part his lips. "You need to take this vacation, man." And an expression of dubious irritation etched itself along Aden's features at these words as an impish grin of unspoken concession twitched along the man-child's lips. "Okay, fine..." Gabe conceded to this dubious expression with a slight smirk. "Everyone on the Easter Seaboard of this continent needs you to take this vacation."
Aden's rage was momentarily quelled at his friend's words. He didn't want to admit it...but deep down he knew Gabe was probably right.
...about everything...
And things with Kris were only getting worse as of late...so...maybe a vacation wasn't the worst thing in the world. Finding himself strangely drawn to this forced sabbatical, Aden was so close to accepting his fate quietly. So very close...
That was...until...he actually looked at the information displayed on the flight tickets.
"Gabe..." Aden's voice grew dark and low, seething with agitation at his roommate's antics.
"Yeah..." Gabe's voice drawled in amusement once more in anticipation of yet another tantrum.
"This flight leaves in four hours!" Aden accused angrily as his gaze shot up to meet warm hazel.
"Yup! That gives you two hours to pack, man. More than enough time." Gabe grinned as he watched Aden push himself from the chair and storm off to his room, leaving a trail of Russian vulgarity in his wake before violently slamming the door shut behind him.
Something bumped against his leg drew Aden up from his memories as his dark gaze drifted down and away from the back of Gabe's head. His eyes came veiled through the shock of electric blue bangs as they met the almost terrified gaze of the little boy who had accidentally ran into him without looking.
Aden knew it had been a simple mistake. That the child had meant no harm. Aden also knew that social construct dictated that he should have reconstructed the scowl on his face as he gazed down at the child. But Aden was finding it far too difficult to push through his own emotional regulation...and...the little boy had run away too quickly from him for Aden to say anything.
And Aden had missed his small moment to make recompense.
But...he didn't miss the judgmental look of anger and disdain thrown his way from the woman who scooped up the now crying child protectively into her arms.
...he probably deserved that...
As his dark gaze drifted back to the man standing in front of him as they both waited to go through airport security, Aden thought over his friend's demand that he come with him to Japan.
Gabe had said a lot of things in the two hour span it took Aden to pack, an hour and forty five minutes of which had been spent quarreling with the man-child. Many things had been said. Explanations. Excuses. Everything but the truth. And gazing at the man now, Aden knew. The simple truth was that Gabe just didn't want to leave him alone.
...in fact...as of late...Gabe had become increasingly uncomfortable leaving Aden to himself for any great length of time.
...ever since he had found him on the ledge of the balcony...
Gabe was an expert in hiding the more negative emotions...but...Aden could tell that he was still worried about him. And Aden supposed he deserved that too.
But before he could dive any deeper into this toxic pool of guilt, Aden's thoughts were disturbed by the gentle vibration of his phone, which he still hadn't placed in the plastic bin as demanded. Fingertips ghosted over the screen of his device, and a mild level of confusion furrowed his brows.
'Where are you?
-Shawn Evens'
This text hadn't made any sense at all to the young man. Unless... Removing the earbuds Aden's gaze burrowed directly at the man in front of him.
"Gabe." His voice came harsh and laced with fatigue and frustration. "Did you tell Shawn we were leaving the country?" And he watched as the man turned around in the line to grace him with a mischievous, feline-like grin.
"Hell no!" Gabe snorted a laugh, feigning a haughty tone as he continued. "She refuses to date me...so I have no obligation to let her know where I am." And Aden would have responded to this childish statement had he not been interrupted by yet another notification from his phone.
'Kris says he needs to talk to you.
-Shawn Evens'
And Aden's jaw immediately clenched at this message as his gaze snapped back to his friend.
"You didn't tell Kris we were leaving, either?" His voice came strained as he tried to hold himself together, and warm hazel eyes smiled soothingly at him.
"I figured I owed you a favor." This was Gabe's simple response...such simple words...but they held such strength and comfort that Aden found himself clinging to them now. "I thought dropping off the map and disappearing for a couple of days would do you some good." And Aden felt the strangest sense of gratitude to his friend for having given him an honest moment of freedom and reprieve.
And he might have even found it within his grasp to actually thank the man. That was...until his dark rich brown eyes met with the gaze of airport security. And Aden felt the impulse of violence towards his friend heightened and renewed.
"Besides..." Gabe continued, already having turned his back on his increasingly hostile friend. "Mitchell can kiss my fucking ass." And Aden's gaze once again placed itself along the back of Gabe's head before taking in yet another airport sign as they ushered themselves forward like cattle in the line of people.
'Please refrain from all manner of public obscenity and, or otherwise hostile behavior.'
And a single thought occurred to Aden. Maybe if he made a big enough scene they would remove him from the airport... Ask him to leave
...or...they might just shoot him.
Either way Aden reasoned with himself that he would be made exempt from traveling through security. And it was so very tempting as he continued to contemplate the varied options available to him.
...he could feign being a terrorist. Apparently from the horrified reactions of the little boy and the woman who tended to him, Aden certainly looked the part. And it had taken him a total of three plastic bins to deposit all of his electronic and metallic possessions. His boots had needed to be placed outside of the bins.
He felt humiliated.
He felt naked and exposed.
And the eyes of the TSA agent roamed over him in such a fashion that made Aden's skin crawl with sick tension and a building sense of nausea. Aden could see from the look on the agent's features that they had dangerously narrowed in on him.
...the man meant to lay hands on him...
And Aden felt the ever increasing need to create a scene to remove himself from the moment.
Sharp breaths pulled themselves painfully through his nostrils as the agent moved closer to him. The growing pressure in his head building into agony as the ringing in his ears came to an anguishing climax. The man was actually going to touch him. And lips began to tremble in barely quelled rage as his vision began to grow hazy through the sheer strain before his gaze was veiled completely by the person who quietly stepped directly in front of him.
"Hey, man!" Gabe's overly exuberant voice completely derailed the man's approach as he stopped in place for a moment to take in Gabe's suddenly announced presence. "It's about time you showed up!" Gabe's feline-like grin spread across his lips. "I was starting to wonder when I would get my turn for some servicing..." Gabe practically purred, putting the man off balance as a scowl formed along his features, and Gabe simply took this look of disdain as an invitation to violate the man's personal space as he move himself mere inches away from the man's face. "And between you and me it's been a while since I've had a really good pat down. I might even pay a little extra if you throw in a strip search..."
"Are we going to have a problem here?" The agent lowly muttered, instinctively distancing himself from the man-child who had made himself a human barrier, and Gabe took a moment to mull this question over in his mind before finally speaking seriously.
"Not if you glove up first." He answered seriously. "You really don't know where I've been." And Gabe flashed the most brilliant smile as the man gave an audible huff of disdain before ushering the two young men forward through the line.
"Move forward." The man quipped bitterly, and Gabe's expression became sober once more, folding his hands together as he nodded seriously to the man.
"Bless you, sir." And as they moved forward a helpless snort of laughter loosed itself from the man-child's body as they made their way through the line with little further disruption.
And as soon as Aden had found his seat he closed off the window and leaned himself up against the wall. Earbuds firmly in place once more, Aden slowly let his lashed drift closed. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep on the flight. But...pretending to would keep Gabe from talking to him.
...it would be better that way...for both of them.
Two flight transfers, and no further disruption from Gabe or airport security, Aden settled in for the last flight inbound to Tokyo. And the endless sitting interlaced with music and conversation was far more draining than Aden had anticipated. Slumping his lanky, slender form into the seat, Aden found himself struggling to remain conscious. But he still didn't want to rest. Sleeping in public always left him feeling so completely exposed and vulnerable. And he found himself envying Gabe's ability to slumber wherever he saw fit...much like a cat, actually.
As rich, chocolate eyes took in the now completely alert man next to him, Aden conceded that maybe resting for just a moment might not be the worst idea. Nothing was likely to happen to him, and he reasoned that if anything actually did it would most likely be Gabe's doing. And he would know exactly where to find retribution. So Aden allowed himself to drift along the current of this small moment of peace.
"Aden..."
...just for a moment...
"Aden..."
Only a moment.
"Aden." A gentle touch of the shoulder followed his name as he was roused from the slumber that had unexpectedly claimed him. "We're getting ready to touch down." And Aden's slightly befuddled gaze met warm hazel as his friend smiled at him. "I thought you might like to take a look, man." And Aden watched Gabe motion slightly to the window of the airplane as Aden's gaze followed suit.
...and...it was simply breathtaking as Aden's eyes beheld the very darkness driven away by the vast expanse of the Tokyo skyline.
Beautiful.
And the small ghost of a smile lifted the corner of his lips, gone before it could have been noticed.
"Still mad at me for making you come...?" This question came lightly murmured as Aden continued to take in the city lights...and he had to begrudgingly admit that he wasn't nearly as angry as when he had first started this journey.
Stepping off the plane Aden was grateful for the space to stretch his legs, finding they had become surprisingly stiff and weak through the prolonged flight. And having finally stepped onto firm ground for the first time in hours, Aden felt a strange sense of peace drift over him. As if the worst of himself had been left behind on a different continent. In a completely different world. Another lifetime away. And...he found himself tentatively reveling in this new found tranquility. Until it was completely obliterated by the shriek of his roommate through the Tokyo airport.
"Konnichiwa, bitches! The party has officially arrived!"