So, here's where the drama begins...
This chapter was late just because last week was Christmas so I've been busy with family and friends. I know this is late but I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year! :D
Thank you to: xxalexisurgodxx, TheWonderBunny (x6!), IchigoMelon, Scorpling, Randomanime456, Hikaritears, ZemyxDexion, Kinklife and LovelyHikari
Kiku withdrew the key that Heracles had given him and slid it into the door knob key hole. He thought this was more considerate than knocking as the Greek man often took evening naps. Kiku had been given the key after an awkward incident where he'd knocked then waited for two hours assuming the teacher was still at work and not inside dozing on his sofa. Heracles had come out to collect the mail only to discover the Japanese boy lying against the wall fast asleep. So as not to repeat this Kiku was given his own set of house keys which he treasured.
Heracles lived in a block of neat, little apartments occupied mainly by young bachelors. Many of his neighbours knew Kiku as the shy boy that was failing maths and often came by for tutoring. The Asian boy placed his umbrella on the counter next to a bento box he had prepared in case Heracles had forgotten to eat again. The interior was tidy. An open kitchen at the front of the house and the living room adjacent where a plasma screen T.V was set up. There was a coffee table and couches surrounding it but no feature stood out as odd. A world map was placed up on the corridor wall next to a picture painted by the maths teacher of Helen of Troy.
"Heracles," he called gently then walked over to the familiar bedroom and opened the door without hesitation. Suddenly, he was being strangled by air and his heart moved as fast as his legs wished they could. Heracles was in his bed with the teen's economics teacher, Sadiq Annan, who lay over him nipping at his neck.
The blue sheets were tangled, threaded through their legs and both men were shirtless. The second they heard the click of the door Sadiq turned to greet the intruder while Heracles turned away. "Honda!" The Turkish man shouted surprised.
Heracles squeezed his eyes shut in obvious agony. "Heracles-?" Kiku choked on the name of his former lover then covered his mouth with a fist begging silently for a moment that the man would make eye contact with him. When an explanation refused to come he darted from the bedroom. His heart ached. It hurt so much. Tears fell from the corners of his eyes so he was blinded by blurred anguish. He'd run out, leaving the door open and left his umbrella on the counter.
The Japanese boy lacked in body strength so he collapsed after reaching the main streets as if the weight in his chest was too heavy for him to support. He sobbed against the wall of a children's toy store, not caring that people could see him or that he was soaking wet. He curled into a ball against the surface and cried.
He had no idea how long it had been since he'd reached this place and not a single stranger had extended their hand to help him. "Kiku?" Came a startled voice and the rain disappeared from over his head. He recognised the voice of his childhood friend but was unable to acknowledge Yao. "Kiku! Are you alright-aru?" He bent over his old friend and pulled him close into his collar bone while giving him hysterical shakes.
Kiku shuddered then grabbed at the front of his shirt and rested his forehead on Yao's shoulder. He was silent for a minute, allowing the sound of rain hitting the flooded earth to fill the silence. He'd been betrayed by this boy and he knew it. However; at this moment he needed someone close to him. "Why don't you come to my house tonight-aru?"
His legs moved without permission as he dragged himself over to the other teen's house. Yao supported him with an arm getting wet in the process. When they arrived at the small but lively house Kiku was taken to Yao's room where he was given a towel and ushered into the bathroom. "I don't want you taking care of me!" He suddenly shouted and Yao looked hurt then composed himself.
"I'm sor-."
"No!" He started blubbering, whipping away the fast falling tears with his palm. "I don't want an apology! Stop caring about me! I thought you stopped!" He cried.
"I'm not going to fight you now because you're upset-aru." The Chinese boy said in an empowered tone. "But I wasn't the only one that ruined this friendship!" Kiku froze, his lips trembling then he covered his face with both hand in a state of utter despair. "I'm sorry Kiku."
"What if it never happened? If I didn't- if you-?" He peaked through two parted fingers to look at Yao who was upset as well. "Can we just pretend that-?" He stopped then turned to face the floor in agony once more.
"Kiku, you're tired and you're wet-aru. Please have a bath."
"…with me."
"Hm?" Yao leaned closer to hear the muffled request.
"Please have a bath with me."
The taller boy was surprised by the request. "Really?"
"It's normal in Japan." Kiku gave a bitter chuckle. "I think I want to talk to you about it." Tears welled up in his eyes. "I need to talk about it."
Yaofelt as though he had no choice but to comply since in all his life of knowing Kiku he never really opened up his emotions to anyone. "Alright." He placed his hands on the frail boy's shoulders. He looked so delicate in this state as if he were made of a fragile glass that would shatter if he was harsh. "Let's go-aru."
The two bathed in the large, spa like baths that was constructed into the floor and therefore tiled. In the water the Japanese boy felt his strength returning. They spoke for then or more minutes about the house they were in as they'd shared many memories here then Kiku went quiet when his thoughts strayed back to Heracles. He recounted the story, admitting that he'd never left Heracles since Yao had caught them together and telling him about his economics teacher. Yao listened carefully, the awkward state they were in forgotten when he became absorbed in the story.
They sat opposite each other with the jet spa generating bubbles and filling the silence at the end. "So you stayed with him all this time?"
"Hai."
"He seemed like a jerk to me-aru." The Chinese boy said naturally then his tone darkened. "When I saw the two of you that day, I knew he was bad news but to do 'that' to a student. He's cruel." Yao sounded disgusted. "The worst-."
"It was my fault." Kiku admitted softly. "Everything," his soft voice was shaking as he brought his hands over his face again. "It's all my fault."
Class had just ended and Kiku was packing up his teaching equipment when the door shut and the last student exited the room. The loud noise caused the Greek man to stir and lift his head, locking gazes with Kiku for the first time. He sat up and stretched yawning. "You're the boy that takes over my classes?" He asked lazily.
Kiku shuffled nervously on the spot and nodded; unsure if he would be scolded for taking the class. "Yes."
"Thank you."
"Nani?" He blurted out in his first language then shook his head and scrunched his eyes closed mentally scolding himself. "What?"
"I haven't been sleeping at home because I fight a lot with my boyfriend," he said nodding off to sleep again; he came to his sense and turned saying. "uh, I shouldn't have said that- sorry."
"No, I understand, please rest." Kiku said in an almost endearing tone. "I hope you resolve the difficulties with your partner." He sounded respectful now.
"We split up, but I appreciate it." He smiled over at the boy who became mesmerised by the face of his teacher which he'd never seen move. His olive skin, green eyes and dark hair suited him perfectly. He was only twenty-five which made him very popular despite the neglect he showed towards his job. "Your hair is nice." He said absent minded and standing.
Kiku blushed, embarrassed when he placed a hand on top of the boy's head. His eyes were glazed over as if he were sleepwalking or at the very least delirious.
"It's soft." He threaded his fingers through it and slid them down, tugging gently then allowing his eyes to shut as he stumbled only to catch himself by resting a hand on the desk. The Japanese boy steadied him and guided him into a sitting position. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?" He ran a hand down his troubled face feeling faint.
As it turned out, Heracles had gone two nights straight without sleeping and this month had been particularly difficult. He shuddered, retaining a sob then pressed his index finger and thumb to the brink of his nose, trying not to let his exhaustion stimulate his emotions. "You can go, Kiku."
It came as a surprise to the Asian boy that his teacher knew his name resulting in him smiling with pleasure and pride. "If you'll let me, I'll stay." He pulled a chair up into the teacher's desk and gestured with his hand. "Please sleep." He hoped that by staying the Greek man would sleep easily and not think about his troubling relationship. Heracles took Kiku's hand in a daze then gave him a sleepy smile and shut his eyes, lying on the desk with a folded arm supporting his head.
He always took Kiku's hand when they slept together as if he needed assurance that their connection was real. While they lay in bed he would often stroke the teen's hand as if to comfort him when in reality it was self assurance.
There was something magnetic about the touch which drew Kiku to him. He smiled warmly feeling the connection then slid his hand out and pulled his English Homework for his bag. He stayed until seven thirty often distracted and watching the man sleep then scolding himself for it. At this time he had to wake Heracles before the school was locked down.
From that day and for two moths onward their relationship developed into a dependent friendship where they constantly sought comfort in each other's presence. They both knew the impact they had on one another and the inevitable dissolution of their relationship. Heracles had made the first move. He had kissed Kiku before school break and started the taboo.
Yaostood up pulling Kiku from the reverie he'd become tangled in. "I'll prepare your bed; you can stay in here if you'd like-aru." Kiku didn't want to be left alone for two reasons: he wanted to forget about Heracles and he wanted to mend his broken friendship with Yao. However; he accepted the offer as the Chinese boy was already walking away with a towel tied tightly around his waist.
The Japanese boy sniffed but the sound was drowned out by the jet spa which then muffled his choked sobs. After five minutes of wallowing in self pity, he stood up and dried himself off completely then ventured out into the familiar bedroom wearing just a towel. The room was small and covered in Kanji and Chinese art. There was a desk squished into the corner opposite the door and two mattresses adjacent, covering the floor completely. "Is Ivan good to you?" He asked earning a jump for the older teen who failed to notice his presence while he placed sheets on the bed.
"As always." Yao replied dismissively.
"Then I'm happy for you." He lay down on the mat despite his hair being wet. He looked up at the light and allowed black dots to dance across his vision. "Thank you."
"It's alright, I'm just glad you're feeling better-aru." Yao wrinkled his nose, cringing at their formal conversation then sighed. "We used to be so close." He muttered sadly while smoothing out the sheets.
"Mmm…" The Japanese boy agreed and brought his arm across his eyes. "What happened to us?"
Scott whistled cheerfully walking to the garage while Arthur and Alfred were silent in their descent. The American straightened his back and grinned. "This was fun, thanks for having me."
"Anytime Al," The red head said merrily.
Alfred looked to Arthur expectantly who gave him a malicious smirk causing the American to pout as he was unable to decipher the meaning in the expression. "Sure."
"Geez Arthur, don't miss me too much." He teased while head locking the secretly melancholy boy then messing up his hair. Arthur squirmed trying to pry his arm from around his neck.
"Get off!" Scott turned and laughed heartily before he flicked on the lights and spun the car keys around his fingers. "Alfred!"
The American laughed finding amusement in watching the Brit squirm but looked up when a refracted glint flew into his vision. A green motor bike sat in the corner with a matching helmet. "Dude!" He quickly released Arthur who rubbed his neck, sulking at the red marks forming. "Scott, is this yours?" Al examined the bike as if it were a magical creature; he was shocked yet giddy.
"No, that'd be Arthur's."
"Artie's?" Alfred shouted at the blonde boy who cringed while making eye contact with his older brother. Scott looked troubled for a moment, his forehead creased and eyes narrowed but he turned away to hide it.
Arthur had a look of fury on his face which Alfred hadn't seen, it frightened it somewhat but he laughed it off anyway. "What did I do?"
"Don't call me Artie!" He snapped forcefully and Scott made a face complimenting the silent groan he repressed. He unlocked the Toyota and ushered Alfred in.
"Alright, alright, someone's grumpy." He observed still looking at the bike while climbing in next to the English boy who decided to sit in the back to be polite. Alfred beamed at him. "You're so cool, man! Where have you been all my life?"
"England." Arthur relaxed knowing that Alfred was unaware of the true hatred he held for the nick name and not just because of it's absurd abbreviation. It hadn't troubled him much until Scott had heard it and gave him 'that' look.
"Well, say goodbye to England for a while because there's no way you're leaving until I get to ride that!" He pointed enthusiastically at the bike while Scott reversed.
"Good riddance." He muttered and Scott smiled from the front seat. The ride home was short as Alfred lived notably close to the Brit. Arthur walked the American to the door claiming he wanted a word with him when it was really his gentleman instincts kicking in. He shuffled his feet nervously but passed it off as being cold. "So, s'up?"
"I-well- wanted to see the uniform now actually." He lied quickly and shyly while avoiding eye contact.
"You can't now, Saturday." He insisted but Arthur didn't ask why since this wasn't his real reason. "See you tomorrow." He bent down and hugged the Brit who clapped him twice in a frigid hug. The younger teen laughed at this making Arthur's heart rate increase and scowl because of it.
"Get off, you sod." He pushed Alfred back who smiled fondly and opened the door. "Good night." Arthur said bluntly and turned away, stalking back to the car.
Yay! This was about 600 words longer than usual; maybe this makes up for lateness? I'm actually a little bit stuck on the next chapter but hope to have it done by this time next week.
Thank you all for your support and just know that this will have a happy ending, so don't hate me yet pwease! And if you do, submit it in writing... I like reviews :)
Once again, Happy New Year!
