Hee, lookit me quickly updating, you lucky lovers you!
Actually I had been waiting to write this chapter since I first came up with Skool Daze... you'll see why! Oh ho ho!
BUA thanks for the super awesome and speedy reviews guys! I feel so spoiled right now, you have no idea 8D and your positive feedback and suggestions make me wanna please you. Oh, baby, lemme pleeease you~
Thank you A3shFaerie AND glostarz for editing this chapter for meee.
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Three weeks had passed since Kazahaya had visited Rikuo for lunch... they seemed to go by very fast. Kazahaya didn't pay attention, not even realizing that October 31st, Halloween, was right around the corner.
He wasn't paying attention because he was mostly concentrating his entire being on growing his relationship with Rikuo... which was actually kind of hard to do.
It seemed the closer Kazahaya got to Rikuo, the more a side to him started to show, a side that Kazahaya didn't particularly enjoy: teasing. Kazahaya supposed it was an improvement from when he first met Rikuo though; when he would hardly, if ever, talk to him.
Kazahaya sometimes wondered if he liked it better when Rikuo used to ignore him. The constant teasing now was really uncalled for and sometimes just plain rude. It sometimes got to the point where Kazahaya would take a swing at Rikuo, surprising himself at his own hostility. He would flare up again though, when Rikuo found his retaliations amusing.
Maybe it was the "true" Rikuo, the side of himself he never showed to his classmates... that would explain why his face is always one expression at school; stoic. Even now, Rikuo was still "The Brick Wall," until Kazahaya would greet him in class, or in the hall, then he would relax a bit, smirk, and tell Kazahaya his fly was undone.
Ugh.
Is he flirting with me? Or does he just enjoy making me angry? Kazahaya would constantly ask himself these questions, but recently grew to ignore them, and just roll with the punches.
On a Thursday afternoon, Kazahaya sat alone in the cafeteria for lunch, not wondering if Rikuo was going to show up, and not thinking about when Fai would bound over. Just cutting his breaded chicken and ignoring the loud noise of people chattering around him, when...
"Kazahaya!" Fai pounced on his friend, making the golden eyed boy drop the fork he was using in a spaztic movement, eyes almost popping out of his skull to join the vegetables on his plate.
"What!" Kazahaya said impatiently, wiggling his body to make Fai get off.
Fai did, sitting next to him.
"Kurogane is hosting a Halloween costume party and he invited me," Fai smiled, but somehow Kazahaya knew he wasn't done talking. He raised his eyebrows in a "Please, continue" gesture.
"Well…" Fai rolled his head to the side, holding the suspense. Kazahaya frowned.
"He said I could invite a friend if I wanted to."
"… You want to me to go?" Kazahaya did not do parties, at all, especially with people who seemed to kill a fun atmosphere… how does Kurogane host a party? Kazahaya shuddered at the thought. And a costume party on top of that? What could he possibly wear?
"No, you want you to go." Fai made a face, interrupting Kazahaya's train of thought and pointing at Kazahaya.
Kazahaya blinked, confused. "And, why would I want to go?"
"Because, duh, Rikuo Himura is going to be there." He stole Kazahaya's cookie and began nibbling on it.
Kazahaya paused, his mind slowly clicking that together and sighing at himself after wards. "How do you know Rikuo will actually be there? He doesn't seem... social enough to be at a party. And give me the cookie." He held out his hand.
Fai shrugged. "I asked Kurogane who was on the guest list and he mentioned Rikuo." He licked the cookie, claiming it.
Kazahaya sighed, quickly mourning for his cookie, but deciding he had other things to worry about.
Like, Rikuo at a party? That was probably weirder than Kurogane actually hosting one. And... if Rikuo knew there would be a party going on in his apartment, why didn't he invite Kazahaya? Was it too soon? No, parties are like extreme versions of get togethers... making new friends. He scratched his head, shaking it, and groaning.
"Alright," Kazahaya nodded. "I'll go." He would find out for himself when he arrived.
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Kazahaya glanced around carefully.
Here he was, in Kurogane and Rikuo's lodge again, alone (for the moment, Fai, the wizard, had ditched him and ran off somewhere), and surrounded by juniors and seniors he would not normally associate himself with.
Kazahaya only knew Kurogane through Fai... although they were slowly becoming closer, more tollerable, because of mutual friendships. They never really spoke to one another though, just an nod or a short greeting when they passed each other down the hall. And whenever Kurogane was around the two blondes, he only maybe acknowledged Kazahaya, hanging about because of Fai, Kazahaya was certain.
Taking a single pretzel stick and having a seat near the snack infested table, a fat Jack-O-Lantern as the center piece, Kazahaya began to nibble, bored already. He looked around the surrounding area.
There was no real divider from the living room and dining room… just a table that was on the other side of the room… so it was more like one giant… room? Orange and black streamers criss-crossed along the ceiling, paper ghosts and plastic skulls decorated the rooms, and candy dishes could not be missed (perhaphs it was for the best that the naturally hyper Fai stay away from the sweets). Kazahaya briefly wondered who did the decorating; it didn't strike him as something Rikuo or Kurogane would do. It seemd too... jovial. He looked out the window, seeing the school building, a few lights on, siloueting the trees that blew in the wind. Angling his head, he then stared into the living area, making out a few bodies.
Kurogane was missing, surprisingly enough. Kazahaya smirked, having an idea where he might be- and more percisely who he might be with- and licking salt off the pretzel, trying to keep down a rising head ache he felt with every pulse of the loud music. He watched his classmates mingle. He recognized all of them, a few by name, most by face. He found Mukofujiwara, dressed as Dracula, Kazahaya guessed, who was chatting in a corner with Satarou (a... mouse?), a good friend of Kazahaya's from 10th grade. He also saw Hinata (a bumble bee), a girl he only knew because she was one of the more popular girls in school... not for her looks, but her outrageously naiive and polite personality.
The rest he couldn't place a definite name for, but there seemed to be an equal ratio between girls and boys... about twenty people overall; a little cramped in the small house.
No one bugged Kazahaya though, which was fine. He was so out of his element right now anyway... he hadn't even bothered finding a costume. He did manage, however, between himself and Fai, to look like a "rock star". He wore eyeliner (which took an hour to finally get on properly), gelled and spiked his hair messily (with help from Fai), wore a heavy chain necklace, with a ripped shirt and jeans... converse sneakers finished the nutty ansamble.
Kazahaya thought he looked ridiculous. And he wanted to rub his itchy eye, god-dammit! He didn't want Rikuo seeing him like this. But... he would be in costume too, right?
"Are you trying to be a punk rock superstar?" A voice spoke right into Kazahaya's ear.
Kazahaya screetched as he stood up and spun around, getting dizzy and almost falling sideways onto the chair he had just leapt out of. Rikuo held his arms out, ready to catch him if Kazahaya did fall.
He laughed. "Damn, why are you so easily scared? It's hilarious," Rikuo grinned widely. Kazahaya blushed.
Rikuo wore a green hoodie and blue jeans, keys jingling with a grocery bag in one hand and two more bags in the other, straining against the weight inside.
No costume.
"You snuck up on me!" Kazahaya retorted, his voice getting lost in the chatter in the house as well as the loud music.
"You were oblivious," Rikuo countered, pushing past Kazahaya and setting the bags on the table, pocketing the keys, and taking three 6-packs out. The bottles clinked as he pulled them out and onto the table. Rikuo then pulled a large white bottle out of the other bag, setting that down as well and crumpling the bags together, walking over to the trash can to toss them.
"... What's that?" Kazahaya guestered to the bottles on the table.
Rikuo turned back, taking the handle of one of the cardboard bottle cases.
"Heineken and Vodka," he nodded to the tall glass bottle that was nearest to Kazahaya. He looked down at it then back up at Rikuo, following him to the fridge.
"I figured it was beer, but why do you have it?" Kazahaya yelled accusingly (only to be heard over the hip hop currently being blared), like a father to his underage son.
Rikuo popped up from the fridge door, laughing.
"Cos I'm young and don't give a shit... and Kurogane lent me the money," he answered sarcastically, but obviously, walking around Kazahaya to grab the next two 6-packs.
"Alcohol isn't aloud on campus!" Kazahaya squeaked, flailing his arms. "Also, how did you even get it?" Rikuo paused to finally look at Kazahaya bewilderedly.
"Um, one: who cares?" Rikuo threw the Heineken into the fridge, closing it, and facing Kazahaya again.
"And two: I hate parties, and so I plan on getting wasted to at least try and enjoy myself," he made a face like, obviously. "And fake ID, duh."
Kazahaya gaped like a fish, Rikuo grinned again.
"You are such a good student," he ruffled Kazahaya's messy hair.
Kazahaya slapped his hand away.
"If you don't like parties, why are you letting Kurogane have one?" Kazahaya crossed his arms, feeling even more silly in his getup than before.
Rikuo shrugged, walking deeper into the kitchen and pulling two glasses out of the cabinet, handing one to Kazahaya, who took it dubiously.
"Kurogane can do whatever he wants; I don't make any rules. If he wants to host a party, then he can. But I'm not helping in the clean up," he walked back to the snacks. A couple was on the other side of the table, munching on the chips and dip, greeting Rikuo as Kazahaya and him made their way back.
Rikuo grunted in response. He tore off the plastic and unscrewed the cap of the Vodka, pouring himself a generous amount into the glass.
"Here, lighten up," Rikuo addressed Kazahaya, who scowled, but let Rikuo pour some of the clear liquid into his glass as well, not even a quarter full.
Kazahaya studied the liquid in his glass, sniffing it. Rikuo set the bottle back down, grinning at Kazahaya's actions.
"Cheers," Rikuo lifted his glass slightly, taking a quick swig and swallowing slowly.
Kazahaya took a tiny sip after watching Rikuo, eyes bugging out after he swallowed, taking the rim of the glass as far away from his mouth as his arm allowed.
"Ugh! That's- that's awful, no," Kazahaya coughed.
Rikuo laughed, so did the girl and boy at the table, obviously witness to Kazahaya's reaction.
"Geez, have you never had alcohol before? Guess you're lucky I didn't buy the sake," Rikuo joked, taking a sip of his drink, watching Kazahaya with amused eyes and then setting his drink down.
"C'mere," Rikuo walked past Kazahaya, guesturing with his hand. Kazahaya followed, drink still in his hand. That shit just now he drank tasted... like perfume. If perfume had a taste.
"I haven't. What makes people enjoy it so much?" Kazahaya asked no one as he followed Rikuo on the short trip to the fridge. He watched Rikuo pull out a plastic bottle of cranberry juice.
"Try this, it should take the intensity down," he held the bottle up, cap already off. Kazahaya hesitantly held his glass out, letting Rikuo pour a good amount of the red juice in. After he capped it, Kazahaya swished the liquid around his glass, moving his hand around in a circle.
He took another sip, preparing for the worst.
After Kazahaya swallowed again, he remained still, smacking his lips and trying to figure out why it still tasted like perfume... cranberry scented perfume.
"Better?" Rikuo asked.
"A little," Kazahaya lied, forcing himself to take another sip.
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"Where did you come from anyway?" Kazahaya asked Rikuo. They were still in the kitchen, leaning against the counter, away from the party, and slowly drinking from the Vodka bottle. Some people had come in just to open the fridge and take a beer, ignoring the boys in conversation.
"... What do you mean?" Rikuo asked, running low on his second glass of the clear liquid, a can of Cola on the counter next to him.
"When you came up behind me," Kazahaya pointed toward the table where he had been sitting, a small crowd floating around there. He was starting to feel tingly inside, and oddly the Vodka and cranberry was getting easier to swallow... it still tasted vile though. He only continued to drink it to impress Rikuo. Ah, high school and it's peer pressures.
Kazahaya had just started on his second glass.
Rikuo smirked. "The back door," he unhooked one finger from the persperating glass to point toward the dining room.
"Oh... that was very sneaky," Kazahaya narrowed his eyes playfully, his body swaying as he leaned forward, drunkedness beginning to fall, unbeknowest to him.
Rikuo snickered, shaking his head and taking the last gulp in his glass, setting it on the counter and belching into his hand.
Kazahaya wrinkled his nose.
"Oh, by the way," Kazahaya started, straightening up and brushing hair out of his eyes. "Why did you not invite me to this party? Am I not cool enough?"
Rikuo rolled his eyes. "No, you're not cool enough, but that's not why I didn't invite you."
A crash and a girly yell emminated from the living room. Both boys turned to see Fai walking in briskly, his hair disheveled and his eyes dancing. He put his hand up against a wall for support. Kazahaya raised an eyebrow.
"Um, we're about to play a game in the living room if you wanna join, Kazahaya," he had been looking at both of them, but Fai now stared at his friend.
"Oh, I don't think-"
"Rikuo should come too!" Fai suddenly grabbed Kazahaya by the arm, smiling at Rikuo as he pulled Kazahaya away, as if daring him to come because Kazahaya would be playing.
Rikuo sighed, pushing himself off the counter and following the boys.
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"Okay so, here's the rules..."
It was late, some of the guests had left, most of them had stayed to play this game... which was about to be introduced. Everyone sat in a circle (Fai and Kurogane sitting next to each other, while there was another person sitting inbetween Kazahaya and Rikuo) and a beer bottle lay sideways in the center.
Kazahaya had a horrifying suspision that the game would be truth or dare... or that kissing game.
"The game is called 'Smile'..." the female senior continued, also in the circle.
"... and basically, whoever is spinning the bottle has to make who the bottle lands on, smile, by any means necessary," she paused to grin. Kazahaya and Rikuo's eyes met.
"However," she spoke again. "If the person does smile, they're out of the game. And if the person who spun the bottle is unable crack a grin, he's out. There is a 5-minute time limit. The last person standing wins!" She finished.
"Oh," another girl spoke up. "And when you spin the bottle, you say the phrase, 'Baby if you love me, smile' to the person, that's when the time officially starts. Then the person will respond with, 'Baby I love you, but I just can't smile'."
Kazahaya nibbled on his lip. Sure, okay, this might not be so bad, he thought. But then he thought he saw the bottle moving on its own.
Fai was bouncing. He sat cross-legged, and his knee was lightly hitting Kurogane's, Kazahaya noticed. He narrowed his eyes at Fai, the wandering thought of where the hell he had disapeared to in the past couple hours reamerging.
Kazahaya switched his gaze to Kurogane... his eye's weren't glazed over; no spell. Very interesting. Although he did try to half-heartedly shove Fai off with one arm, it was to no avail. And... was that the start of a smile on Kurogane's lips?
"Everyone ready?" The same girl who introduced the rules grinned, satisfied with the nods and sounds of approval, and began the game by spinning the bottle first.
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The game had been going on for about 20 minutes or so. The circle, which started out large and spaced out, was becoming smaller and more condensed. The bottle had landed on him once, and Kazahaya had surprisingly been able to not crack a smile while a girl joked around and even violated his personal space by trying to tickle him.
A lot of the girls, Kazahaya noticed, had been very... randy toward any boy the bottle landed on. Kazahaya had seen more boob than he had ever wished for, and the sexual tension was becoming thick between many of the teenagers. Boy's were fighting down semi's and girls chewed on their nails, eyeing the men they hoped their spin would land on. It was horrifying, and Kazahaya wondered why he was becoming so affected by it all. His neck was sweating, even though it wasn't hot in the house, and his stomach was churning... but not in nausious way.
Now, Kazahaya took the last gulp of his Vodka, trying to eliminate the scene going on before him, using the bottom of his glass as a censor; Fai up in Kurogane's lap, stradling him. He was on his knees, so he wasn't sitting on him. Both of Fai's hands cupped Kurogane's face, just staring at him. This was all Fai did when his bottle landed on Kurogane, and it was all he had been doing for the past 4 minutes.
People around the circle mumbled quietly to themselves, eyes glued to the pair, the awkward silence growing as everyone slowly started to realize Kurogane's hand sneaking up Fai's thigh, holding onto it.
Kazahaya peeked at Rikuo, who had his head down, shaking it slowly back and forth.
Kurogane must've been drunk... wasted. Kazahaya noticed for the first time the small pile of beer bottles around the couple.
Then it happened; Kurogane grinned. It was lazy, stupid, and predator-like, all at the same time.
No one called Fai as the winner, and no one told Kurogane he was officially out of the game. But Fai whispered something.
"You lose," he said, moving his hands up and through Kurogane's hair.
Kurogane hummed. Someone caughed. The staring ceased. Fai got out of Kurogane's lap... kind of, and picked up the bottle, looking around at the faces in the circle with a smug attitude.
A rule had been explained after the game had begun. If the person the bottle landed on didn't smile, he or she was able to take the bottle and spin it. However, if they lost, instead of the victor spinning the bottle again, he or she could choose who got to spin it next.
And guess who Fai chose?
He pointed the tip of the bottle at Kazahaya.
What a great friend.
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Kazahaya licked his lips as he spun the bottle, tasting the bitter sensation of his Vodka and cranberry juice. He didn't understand why this game would be fun in any way... all it managed to do was make people feel awkward around each other... and himself, for some reason.
The bottle started slowing down. Kazahaya glanced up at the faces around him; a scarily uneven toss-up between boys and girls; boys being the dominant number. His eyes darted quickly to Rikuo, sitting close by. Kazahaya blinked as he focused now on the bottle, watching it turn and becoming rather dizzy himself. Shit, it was probably the nasty Vodka. He really hoped he wouldn't throw up on whoever the glass bottle landed on.
The bottle stopped. Everyone's heads turned simultaneously at the next victim: Rikuo.
Kazahaya almost threw up in his mouth.
Fai started giggling maniacally, clinging to one of Kurogane's arms and shaking his bent knees back and forth. He and Kurogane were now one entity, so to speak. Even though the latter had been eliminated, he never left the circle. So if the bottle landed on him, it just meant Fai was tagged.
Kazahaya had his eyes trained on the bottle's opening, trailing his eyes upward to meet Rikuo's just as he looked away from the bottle too.
They stared at each other for a while, Kazahaya becoming increasing scared by the look in Rikuo's eyes; a look that said, "Don't you fuckin' dare crawl into my lap."
Someone nudged Kazahaya forward. He regretfully got on his hands and knees and crept up to Rikuo, who was sitting cross-legged. The two bodies next to him moved out of the way to give the boys some space.
Kazahaya sat in front of Rikuo. This won't be so bad, Kazahaya thought. He obviously doesn't want me here, so I'm sure he'll smile before the game even starts.
A senior pointed out that Kazahaya had five minutes, and to start.
Kazahaya sucked in a breath of air and quickly spat out the phrase:
"Baby, if you love me, smile."
Rikuo hummed. Kazahaya's eyes bugged out a bit.
"Babe I love you, but I just can't smile," Rikuo replied with a straight face.
Kazahaya panicked; now what?
"R-really?" Kazahaya whispered, more like demanded, leaning up onto his knees, tentatively bringing his hands out, touching Rikuo's ribs with his fingers, remembering other tickling acts that had worked.
Oh, God... please don't let me throw up.
Kazahaya studied Rikuo's face carefully, unnerved by the tense silence in the room, well aware of the audience they held. He pressed his fingers to Rikuo's ribs, dragging them up and down. Surprised that the digits weren't shaking. The Vodka probably had a calming effect on him... but he still didn't have the nerve to make funny faces as a means to make Rikuo smile.
"Don't," Rikuo whispered as Kazahaya wiggled his finger on a certain rib. The blonde stared at Rikuo questionably. Don't what? Was he about to laugh? Did Rikuo want him to continue? Kazahaya looked away from Rikuo's face at that one. Impossible... but oh, how he could dream.
Kazahaya took a peek from under his lashes at Fai, who met his eyes. He was almost halfway in Kurogane's lap now, although the bigger boy didn't seem to mind. Fai grinned and drew his tongue out and licked the air. Kazahaya swallowed and quickly looked back to Rikuo's chest. Shit, he really needed to focus. He shook his head, clearing it, he sat up all the way to come nose-to-nose with Rikuo, unblinking.
Rikuo flinched back a bit. Kazahaya opened his mouth as if to apologize but cut himself off, bringing his hands up to Rikuo's shoulders, draping his fingertips down his chest and onto his stomach. Kazahaya watched his fingers go down before looking back up at Rikuo, giving him his best mischievous grin, letting his eyes dance.
Was it the alcohol? Kazahaya wasn't sure... he had never tried the stuff before this... but he was starting to feel... floaty? His eyelids were getting heavy, blood was rushing and his heart was beating differently. His fingers played with the hem of Rikuo's shirt.
Rikuo's fingers twitched on the carpeted floor. "What are you doing?" he spoke quietly, a look of genuine surprise over his face. He was nervous... but not scared, more like anticipation, curiosity, Kazahaya could feel it, he was sure.
Kazahaya lifted the hem of Rikuo's shirt, pressing the pads of his fingers to his stomach. The skin he felt there made Kazahaya shiver, spreading his hand out so his palm was flat against it. Rikuo brought his lips inward so they didn't pucker; a thin line, watching Kazahaya carefully.
He brought his lips to Rikuo's ear, speaking hotly.
"If you want me to stop, just smile," Kazahaya paused, waiting for a response, then nipped at Rikuo's ear lobe. Rikuo turned his head slightly, making a small noise. Kazahaya raised an eyebrow, taking note of the neck now displayed before him.
Leaning down, Kazahaya pressed his mouth to the tan skin, kissing it. The light smack resonated in the dramatically quiet room. Rikuo remained motionless, Kazahaya noticed. Not satisfied at all, he then licked the broad neck, from the base to the top of Rikuo's ear. Kazahaya felt Rikuo go completely stiff and then…
"Fucking hell!" Rikuo finally shouted, shoving Kazahaya off him and scooting backwards on his hands like he just got burnt.
Kazahaya blinked. He caught himself on his elbows and watched, perplexed, as Rikuo rubbed his neck where he had been.
Rikuo kept his mouth open, as if he wanted to say something, but no sound came out. Kazahaya seemed to snap out of whatever haze he was in and looked around him. Half of the students in the room were staring at Rikuo and the other half was watching Kazahaya.
After what felt like an hour, someone coughed.
"Uh, you still have a few minutes…"
"I admit defeat," Kazahaya's tongue stumbled out, quickly jumping to his feet, head down in shame, and clumsily maneuvering out the front door, slamming it behind him, not bothering to check if Rikou was watching him or not.