The Smell of Vodka

Chapter VII: Unexpected Results

By: FallingBreathless


Sorry that I took me so long to upload, but hey 4th of July and celebrations. What can I say? I hope everyone's been doing well. And without further adeu...another chapter! Okay, I don't want to ruin much but lets just say that I had this chapter written awhile ago...then when I say that comments, I was like "Oh crap. They are going to kill me." Hahaha. You'll see. Read on :D

"You have good connections; I want the you to convince Yong Soo to collaborate with me in his business adventure into the Anime field."

Yao felt stupefied, and strangely relieved.

"What? That's it aru?" Kiku frowned, Yao's response was rather lackluster.

"Of course that's NOT it. I also want something else," he replied, becoming uncharacteristically flustered. "Why else would I have pushed you down on to the ground like this," he demanded. "I also want the contact number for Heracles Karpusi."

"Fine," Yao agreed, all but eager to exchange his freedom for the number of one of his business clients. "Now get off of me aru! I can't breathe!"

Kiku nimbly got off of the other and waited for the said other to get up. Yao stiffly got up, gasping for air. He shot a dirty look at Kiku before dropping on to a couch unoccupied by a still unconscious Arthur. Why was it that Arthur just had to stay unconscious while Yao basically got coerced into doing things for Kiku? "Look aru, can I just ask 'why me'?"

The other sighed and shifted to lean against the wall.

"Yao, since you are my old friend, I'll entertain you for a bit. Honesty, Yong Soo doesn't like me as much as he does you. That much should be obvious." Yao kept silent and Kiku continued. "I figured if anyone could convince him it'd be you. It would be so easy for you to do. A few words and he'd do anything for you."

Yao frowned. Somehow, as he thought about it, it did seem very realistic.

"I can't do that Kiku," Yao stated simply. "I can't make him do anything aru."

"Ah, but certainly you can just mention it to him," Kiku said smiling expectantly. "Also, remember that one time when I dressed you in Sakura cosplay?" Yao's face flushed, and that was all the confirmation Kiku needed. "I have pictures, that you certainly wouldn't want everyone to see, right?"

"Right," Yao agreed darkly. "Fine, so I talk to Yong Soo. But why do you want to talk to Heracles aru?"

"Um..." Kiku floundered for a moment. "All I can say is that it's personal."

Yao raised an eyebrow but didn't ask for more. If Kiku claimed that he had business with someone whose phone number he didn't even know, then it was none of Yao's business.

"Fine, I won't get involved in your personal life anymore. I'm sure you are well aware of that aru." Kiku nodded in response. "I have his business card in my office, but in exchange I want all of the pictures you took and the negatives. Got it aru?" More eager nods on the other end.

"That's fine with me Yao. Tomorrow morning then" with that, Kiku turned and strolled away business style leaving Yao to smolder in the filming room.

xxx

"Damn him aru, " Yao muttered, wanting to punch something even if it'd be useless and irrational to do so. On the side, Arthur groaned and stirred. He had a massive headache and the back of his neck hurt like someone had hit him with an anvil. He glanced around and found himself staring at Yao, and in the filming room.

"What the bloody hell happened!" he demanded. "And why are we in the filming room?"

On the other side, Yao glared in response. The Brit chooses to wake up not when his co-worker is being coerced, not when his friend is being blackmailed, but now?

"How would I know aru?" Yao spat back angrily. "If you weren't so drunk up to the point that you were exhaling alcohol, then maybe you'd know!"

Arthur scratched his head in puzzlement.

"Ah sheesh. Sorry, did I miss something?" Then one look at Yao, the Brit wished he hadn't asked.

"DID YOU MISS ANYTHING? DID YOU MISS ANYTHING ARU? -" Was all Arthur could understand before Yao's words became incomprehensible in the tide of torrent anger.

xxx

Yao fumed again back at his office. The nerve of that Arthur to even ask!

As he logged onto his laptop, Yao felt a teeny, tiny, almost not there, prick of guilt for going off on the Brit, but only a little. He decided to ignore it, and proceeded to mow through some work files like the dutiful workaholic that he was. Seriously, Yao reasoned, he had every right to be angry at Arthur, not to mention Kiku, and whatever gods there were who were responsible for his terrible luck.

xxx

In the lounge, Arthur crashed into one of the corner seats with a cup of coffee and a bad temper almost equal to that of Yao's at the moment.

Shit, his neck hurt, and it felt as if Alfred had sent a bunch of carpenters to refurnish the inside of his head. Also, it didn't help that after he had come to, Yao had completely exploded at him. He still didn't know what had happened, and Yao probably wouldn't be speaking to him for a while. The last thing he could remember was seeing Kiku in the hallway...the rest was completely fuzzy.

Sighing, Arthur made up his mind to find Kiku later and with this excuse, go talk to him. In the mean time, he continued to sip the bitter drink while letting his mind wander. It was at these times, Arthur thought of his long forgotten ambition, to become a novelist. In his mind, he created characters of pure fantasy…creatures with magnificent wings... But when he was about to decide what color wings the Pegasus named "Charlie" would have, wet, sucking sounds derailed his train of thought. Irritated, Arthur immediately locked in on the source, Francis, sucking face with the Canadian makeup artist.

"Hey, Francis," Arthur growled. "If you have time to be snogging the poor guy to death, why don't you do some work?"

Francis, who had Matthew pressed against the wall, glanced over. It was that always in a foul mood Kirkland. Not wanting to stop, since Matthew was making deliciously cute little gasps, he held up a finger as he continued to deepen their kiss.

Farther away, Arthur was about to hurl. It was like the scene of a wolf devouring a lamb...albeit a very willing lamb.

"Aw, feeling lonely?" the Frenchman asked, when he finally surfaced for air. "Don't worry mon amour, I will comfort you too."

Both Arthur and Matthew blushed at this.

"F-Francis!" Matthew stuttered, a bit hurt.

Francis ground their hips together to assure the other of his undying love and devotion.

"Don't worry mon amour. You are my only love. Even if I-"

"This is outrageous," Arthur huffed cutting in (frankly not wanting to hear the rest of the man's sentence, lest he be scarred even more). "I bloody well as jump in front of a freight train before that happens damn it! Aren't you even ashamed of yourself? Matthew?" At this point the Canadian did have the decency to blush. "This is a public place!" he finished with a sweeping gesture to the front desk and lounge. "I'm going to get Yao to put up a no PDA sign up! Do you hear me damn it? And it's going to have a nice picture of you Francis with a big, red slash across your face!"

"Ah, but I don't think you understand," Francis spoke up, completely unaffected by the other's threat, and shaking a finger dramatically as if he was reprimanding a naughty child. "Love has no boundaries, and, plus, everyone needs a little love. A sign would do nothing to stop what is only natural."

("Ah..." Matthew started.)

"W-Whatever!" Arthur sputtered, at a loss for words to encompass as to just how completely stupid the Frenchman was. "Just do it somewhere e-else. Because I for one at least have some sense of shame, unlike you."

("Francis? Maybe we should do this later.")

Arthur watched as Francis glance towards Matthew for a split second seemingly for no reason before retorting, "Fine, mon amour. It is just a shame that you don't understand the power of love and affection."

Arthur, knowing that he was just being baited, clenched his teeth in response.

One more word and nothing, nothing would stop Arthur from jumping the self-absorbed pervert and finding a shear for that mess of blond hair... Luckily for Francis, he picked up on the killer vibe and quickly gave a jaunty "Adieu" before retreating from the lounge with Matthew being dragged along. Francis wasn't about to let that grumpy Briton ruin his lovemaking.

(Plus, he found the Canadian too cute to resist.)


Apologies guys who were expecting some sort of steamy scene with Yao and Kiku. Let's say I'm a smut killer. Oh yea. Hopefully, you still found it enjoyable though. Hahaha. Also I just couldn't help throwing in some FrancexCanada moments. But, I'm serious, who else could France be paired up with? Matthew is just...Well he's just so calm and collected and well...quiet. Then you've got France. Yin-Yang guys.