A/N: It's finally here. I've spent so much time writing this I cannot remember the stuff I had to say.
Disclaimer: I don't own. Simple as that.
Last time:
Firm fingers curled around his nape and he was drawn into a new spate of affectionate kisses.
An odd prickling feeling on his exposed nape, diverted Kai's attention and he rolled onto his back, ignoring the disgruntled sound of discontent at breaking Bryan's carefully woven spell. Yet Kai hadn't become the Abbey's most prized student by being inattentive.
A sinking feeling settled inside his gut though when the sight before him registered. Staring with an increasing disconcertion Kai's own crimson gaze met the dumbstruck maroon stare of an imp.
A loud clank resounded through the garden from the dropped firework rocket, Ian gawked at the pair with a thunderstruck expression.
Kai's jaw slacked and suddenly his mind seemed clear. His lips were marked from Bryan's kisses only minutes before, his hair ruffled and clothes tussled but it was the purple marks on his neck that sprung into Ian's eyes.
The usually tightened scarf had been loosened during the encounter, now pooling on the ground exposing the hickeys on his pale neck.
Ian gawped, moving his lips in silent incomprehension. He looked like a stranded fish. Kai and Bryan usually snapped at each other, wrestled like they always had done and would always gloat whenever either one won a training match against the other. There was no possible way that they could be found making out in the garden. And they were too antisocial. It couldn't...
Ian took a step back.
I have to find Tala. The captain always knows what to do.
"ll Ianll," Kai started threateningly. The maroon eyes regained presence as Ian was yanked out of his speeding mind. "ll Ian, I swear I'll...ll" Kai trailed off searching his mind for a suitable threat.
Before he was able to do that the imp bolted. Cursing vilely Kai clambered to his feet, standing far more secure on his feet now than when Bryan had been busy pillaging his mouth. Still it took a while for his blurry mind to catch up with his resolution and he turned and started to run towards the dojo.
The music blasted through his being again as soon as he set foot on the but for once Kai couldn't find the wherewithal to complain about it.
That was the reason he sometimes hated that blasted imp with a passion. He was too young to drink, had a memory that was tuned in for remembering any of his teammates shortcomings, spanning for explicit narrations of how poorly they looked on days they were sick to any and all embarrassing prank, dares and challenges they had ever issued to each other and lastly, of course, peculiar secrets that, and Kai could testify to this, should have never ever been discovered.
Verily breaking the door to reenter the dojo, he went off in his search for Ian.
The party was still going at full hog but the more fragile of people had already surrendered to the pull of alcohol and was slumbering sweetly in sundry places as evinced by Gary who had thought it comfortable to sleep on the kitchen counter. Luckily the music drowned out his snored. Most of them anyway.
Kai made his way through the crowd, pushing roughly to several people who in return yelled at him. The words disappeared in his single minded pursuit of Ian. Where the hell was he?
Kai reached the dojo itself and faltered. Granted he hadn't seen that coming.
Aside from Tala and Steven who was still busy dancing on the table Kenny had joined the. The mousy boy moved, twirled and swayed like a pro. Kai stared flabbergasted at the display though only one thought registered: Blackmail material for ages. Luckily Tyson stood nearby with a camera, recording everything.
Idly Kai wondered how much beer they had forced down his throat to get him to act like this. Or he just happened to be a closet party animal.
Further ahead he passed Rei and Michael who had managed to get hold of a pair of black markers, putting them to good use on Max's face. The blond remained oblivious, deeply slumbering as he was. The prize of being unable to hold your liquor. Max would have a hell of a time explaining the whiskers, little black hearts and the flower that encircled his nose - just to mention a few - to his mother come morning.
Feeling something akin to sympathy, though it might as well have been simple mirth, Kai snorted and ventured further into the dojo in search of Ian.
Finally he caught sight of the trademark mop of hair encircled by green goggles as the crowd separated and a new song boomed through the dojo.
"llIan!ll" Kai yelled, barely audible through the music. Ian didn't hear him and later Kai reckoned it most likely were for the better. He had the element of surprise.
Dirty tricks came into play and Kai supposed more than a few people acquired a bruise from his elbows but all that equaled none when he found the rough material of Ian's vest. The imp had never seen him coming and in an astounding short while he had been dragged out of the dojo and slammed against the wall.
"ll Tell anyone what you saw and you're dead. Hear me?ll" He shook Ian's collar. "ll Understood?! ll" Ian nodded frantically, heaving desperately for breath. He flailed helplessly. In this light he saw another side of Kai, the side that nowadays rarely came into view. It was the gang leader who could assault someone for amusement and coldly walk away with the adoring members guffawing as Kai's knuckles dripped with blood. Here was the cold-blooded enigma living for the family image of strength and indestructibility.
"ll Y-Yes,ll" he ground out, squirming in the unrelenting grip.
"ll Ian, you have to promise me you won't tell anyone?ll" Kai said, tightening his grip. In this light he couldn't see the rapidly reddening faces
"ll I won't I s-swear!ll" Kai sighed, a relieved note in the exhalation. "ll Then there's no problem.ll" "ll Can't... breathe.ll"
"ll Hm? Oh.ll" Kai relinquished his hold and Ian slid down the wall, spluttering.
"ll That's the way it's gonna stay. No problems. Nobody knows and if you tell anyone so help me God I'll rip out your entrails and feed them to the goldfishes.ll"
Ian nodded again, feeling like his neck would come off any minute.
"Kai?!" The sudden, intrusive yell came from behind. Cold anxiety still had it's grip on him but it was with far more nonchalance than he would have been able to gather mere moments ago, that he turned and to face Tala. Tala who was seething within his own skin
"What do you want?" Kai feigned indifference. Thank god his voice had lost the worst of the slur he had possessed minutes ago. Imminent disaster had managed to sober him up it would seem.
"You lied to me. You've been lying all along."
"What?" Kai's hands began to feel clammy. Without reason. Ian said he wouldn't tell anyone.
"You're having an affair with Bryan."
Snitch! "No!"
Tala narrowed his eyes. "Ian told me."
"It's not true," Kai persisted, silently vowing to do horrible things to Ian. The imp had the decency to look uncomfortable.
"Fine, then take off your scarf."
All air was knocked out of Kai. "What?"
"Prove to me you aren't sleeping with Bry. Take it off." Kai stood indecisive. Tala peered at him critically as if he didn't want to believe the allegations but unable to not.
Conceding defeat Kai decided he may as well get it over with. Pinching his eyes shut, he slowly untied the already loosened knot, letting the silky material fall to the ground, pooling around his feet.
A needle hitting the moist grass could be heard. "Oh my God."
Kai steeled himself for the worst. "Oh my God!" The next utterances came out in muffled versions of the same three words. Tryingly Kai opened one eye. Tala had slapped a hand for his mouth and was - blatantly put - freaking out.
"Tala..." Unsure. This was exactly what he had feared. This humiliating exposure. He's going to skin the runt alive! Accusingly he turned towards Ian, lightning shooting from his eyes promising a painful and drawn demise. "You said you hadn't told!"
"I said I wouldn't tell anyone anymore. That doesn't account for who I've already told," Ian enlightened still fidgeting beneath Kai's unrelenting, almost hateful glare.
"Why... How... When?" Tala's newer version of the favored one syllable words.
Kai shook his head and redirected his eyes. He was at a loss for words. Unfortunately someone was not experiencing the same predicament.
"You look... stupid, Talala." Oh no! Anything but that. Kai ransacked his memory for a graceful and subtle exit. No solution came to mind. His only option was to stay and try to achieve some damage control. He knew how Bryan was when he was drunk. Disaster was brewing.
"Tala what's going on?" Spencer had decided to throw his lot with them as well. Marvelous. Tala in the meantime had managed to regain a modicum of peace within his speeding mind. "Kai and Bryan that's what!"
Guilt, a feeling foreign to Kai, started to well up in him. Granted it hadn't been completely fair to lie to Tala for such a lengthy period of time.
"They've been dating right under our noses."
Spencer looked shocked but he grappled reality with amazing calm. "Dating? Tala that's ridiculous." Spencer reached a hand out and steadied Bryan who was swerving dangerously.
"Check out his neck," Tala gestured to Kai's spotted skin. "See that. Bryan made them. Ian caught them in the garden. Kissing." The last was spat out as though it was most vile. Kai could do naught but take ill umbrage. "Now wait a minute, Ivanov. You just shut the f-"
"Bry, what's going on?" Spencer cut in. He had seen the angry glint in Kai's eyes.
"Vodka."
SPencer snapped his fingers in front of Bryan's face. "No. Focus." Bryan stared at them intently before going cross-eyed.
"How long... Have you and Kai... Been together?" Slowly, easy words. Hopefully he could get a decent answer from the rowdy Russian.
"I've fucked Kai." Or maybe not so much a decent as an honest answer.
Kai felt his cheeks flame and earnestly wished for the apocalypse to begin. As the cackling laughter seemed belated he settled for slamming a palm to his forehead and feeling incredibly stupid. Bryan had never been the sensible kind.
"I get that. For how long?" Spencer asked again.
Bryan stared at Spencer for a goodly amount of time before the question was understood. He then held up two fingers staring at them fascinated. "Two," he said. He flexed his fingers, positively spellbound.
"Two weeks?" Tala offered. That's not so bad but if it's months I'm kicking your ass, Kai."
"Two years," Kai informed them dully. "Two years?" Then it sunk in. "Two fucking years and you didn't tell me?!"
"No... I..."
"Kai's great in bed." Bryan still looked intently at his hand; clenching and unclenching it to his snorts of amusement. "Nice and tight and-"
"Thank you!" Tala cut in.
Ian made a noise of disgust. "Didn't need that picture." Kai's beet red. "Sometimes I hate him," he muttered. Spencer just smirked overbearing. He decided to help Kai out. There had been enough revelations for the evening. Night. Whatever.
"Let's discuss this tomorrow."
Kai nodded, grateful. Spencer was at least being helpful: Tala had reverted to single syllable murmurings and Bryan lost his footing again, tumbling about in the grass.
Kai rolled his eyes. "Ian, you are so dead tomorrow." The midget wisely kept silent.
Spencer and Kai grabbed one of Bryan's arms each, hauling him - with some difficulty on Kai's part - off the ground.
Spencer helped Kai drape Bryan's arm over Kai's shoulders. In a low voice he said: "Put him to bed. I'll talk some sense into Tala. Give him some time and he'll come around."
Kai gave a half smile. "Thanks." Turning to the last two he glared at them again, though Tala remained oblivious. "I am going to kill you all tomorrow," he stated simply.
There might be something strangely erotic about the heavy muscles when Bryan collapsed on him after a bout of steamy sex but right now where he had to haul the behemoth of brawn, plastered no less, into the room that was assigned to him and Tala it was nothing short of a pain in the ass. A title Bryan also claimed, very diligently at that.
Kai himself was slightly buzzed and the arousal Bryan's sudden ardor had imposed on him hadn't been assuaged completely in the hunt for the midget nor in the following stream of death threats, promises and warnings.
In Bryan's heady presence it became all too clear for Kai just the exact impact Bryan had on his libido. He would have a very hard time explaining this if someone walked out in the garden right about now. Kai mentally slapped himself for the very bad pun. Trying to steady his wobbling boyfriend Kai took a tentative step forward. No disaster as of yet.
With a sigh of relief Kai deposited Bryan on his bed. Kai stretched making his spinal cord crack and pop into place. On the bed Bryan mumbled, snuggling into his pillow and writhing to make himself more comfortable.
Kai sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He sincerely hoped Tala wouldn't be so opposed come morning. Not that he had been outright hostile still it was going to be awkward for a while.
Suddenly Bryan jerked, drawing Kai's attention. "But no- No tell no one. Kai's don't like that. He don't like.." Bryan trailed off again and fell down on the bed.
Yes, he was uncomfortable. Still was. But the world hadn't come to an end yet. Kai was unsure of how long he spent just looking at Bryan, following the contours of his face with a finger. "It's okay, Bry," Kai whispered. "We can tell."
"I love my Kai."
One last sigh escaped Kai's lips as he lay down beside Bryan. Instinctually a broad arm was wrapped around his waist. "I know."
Closing his eyes, Kai let death in his gentler form claim him.
A/N: Finally done. Corny ending, I know.