Chapter 10
"Professor Yuri Arbatov…"
"Do you know anything about him?" Akihito asked in a measured tone.
Pjotr looked over to where Mikhail was sighing contentedly, adjusting to Fei's body as if they had been sleeping together all of their life. He looked so relaxed, so different. Their provocative sunny boy, always putting on a show.
"No, I don't…we'd have to ask Misha himself…", Pjotr trailed off. "Oh." Mikhail had pulled Fei's head against his neck, burying his face in his hair. Pjotr slowly, wonderingly shook his head. "No. If you think I can wake up that happy guy…to hassle him with his creepy uncle…", he shuddered, involuntarily fingering Fei's clothes, which he had gathered and folded, carefully returning the photograph of a perhaps eight year old child to the breast pocket of the jacket, "you must be seriously pissed." He swallowed as Mikhail began grinding his hip against the willing body of the Chinese… "…holy shit…!" Alexej too was acting up, sliding his left hand underneath Mik's jumper, on Fei's skin…all three of them still asleep.
Akihito surveyed the idyll on his bed wryly.
"What is it with you Russians? Do you all have a thing for the Chinese?" He sat up, putting his arms around his knees. "Or…should Takato here and me be worried too? Is it Asians generally…?"
Pjotr shot him a grin. "Jealous? No, my dear - Akihito, it is? You can rest assured, no Russian bear will ravage you in your sleep…", he smirked a little, "…but perhaps a Japanese lion?"
That hit home! Pjotr enjoyed Akihito's discomfort. He was normally a mild, friendly person, but something about Akihito's politically super correct airs provoked him.
Also he felt Akihito had acted rather coolly towards Fei in his distress, avoiding more direct contact than was absolutely necessary, never looking at him directly, even snubbing him outright when Fei murmured something to him that sounded Japanese before conking out.
Takato, too, though he hadn't heard what Fei had said (his classmates knew he spoke several languages), had wondered about the slight hardening of his old school friend's boyish features. He was the only one of them not awash in some sort of gushy emotion towards Liu Fei Long. Himself, Mikhail, Pjotr…cool clever Alexej, always surrounded by attractive girls, groping the naked, touchingly drug confused Asian for all he was worth while helping to dress him (and look at him now, sidling up to him, thank goodness the other Russian couldn't see that). Yoh, Fei's companion, heartbroken…Professor Asami, passionately protective, with that strange look on his face when they had discovered Fei's scars (we shouldn't have seen that, Takato regretted, a wave of shame washing over him).
Aki, though, remained distant. And that was strange, because the Akihito he knew was actually an extremely warm, caring person underneath his sometimes arrogant activist ways. And not to be overwhelmed by pity and concern after what they had witnessed tonight…
"Feeling sorry for Fei? He would really hate that, I think…and I'm surprised he lets you call him that…"
Akihito was looking at Takato intently.
"You know him?"
Akihito hesitated.
"Met him personally the first time today. But I've heard about him. You are crazy. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into."
"And you know everything, yes?" Pjotr raised his eyebrows. "Tell you what, you're not as cool as you pretend either. I noticed you…that's what we small guys with the big plush ears are really good at." He leaned in, not unkindly. "You're really jealous, aren't you…and not because of us Russians…but because that compatriot of your's, that James Bond, Rhett Butler, Professor Snape, Sherlock Holmes and Superman all rolled in one, that Asami, because he cares for Fei…"
The night had grown still but for an occasional drunken shout or laughter.
Akihito's colour heightened, and he remained still for a while.
"What would you know…", he finally said with forced calm. "But that's not why I am warning you of Liu Fei Long. I am warning you of him, because however regrettable it may be what has happened to him…there is something you have to know about him. He is a Triade leader."
- to be continued -