CHAPTER 23
'Cause we belong together now,
Forever united here somehow,
You got a piece of me
And honestly
My life would suck without you
Kelly Clarkson
The blade spun on the table, its vibrations and movement Hiro could feel in his body. Somewhere between his chest and neck. It rotated steadily, glowing once or twice in response to his requests. Once for yes. Twice for no. The sun was setting, Hiro could see through the window before him, behind the desk and chair.
"Ask him how he's doing," Hiro instructed, gulping, palms clammy. "Tell him I want him to come back." Metal Driger lit up green in reply. It would convey his message to Brooklyn. "Tell him he doesn't have to-" Hiro cut himself off. Tell him he doesn't have to hide, he wanted to say, but his disciple was more likely to scoff than listen to that. "Tell him he's dearly missed. That we would be overjoyed to see his face again." He went quiet for a beat. Hiro wondered how Brooklyn would react to these words. Would he feel guilty? Wanted? Would he miss them in return? Hiro closed his eyes.
Sighed
"Tell him I miss him," he uttered quietly, a guttural sound, coming from his chest, right where it hurt the most. The bitbeast picked up speed with a high pitched whir of metal slicing through air. It flashed bright green, for a second or two, then went out as quickly as it happened, losing momentum and clattering to a stop on the desk. Driger had been reluctant to cooperate with Hiro at first, but when Hiro went out of his way to spend time with the blade and the bitbeast inside, sparring day and night with a kid from his coaching gym, who was overly enthusiastic about mastering the sport after coming across the anime on television and multiple ads posted all over the town, Driger began warming up to Hiro again, and last night, he had finally flashed in affirmation when he'd inquired about Brooklyn. It had confirmed he was alive after all and agreed to carry Hiro's messages to Brooklyn.
Hiro stepped out of the darkening room, shutting the door behind him and leaning against it to collect his bearings. Brooklyn would finally hear from Hiro, after all this time and he would know that his coach hadn't given up on him. Now, if only Driger could hurry, he'd get to hear back from him too.
His imagination begged to go wild with the possibilities of what he might send in response, but Hiro refused to let it, pressing the urge down with every last bit of determination he had in him. "Hiro?"
He threw his eyes open. Leah stood before him. "You okay?" she asked, worry lining her features.
"Yes" he answered, then tried to smile.
Leah walked toward him, touched a hand to his arm where he'd crossed one over the other and cradled his face with small fingers. She rubbed her thumb back and forth over his stubble, then leaned forward to kiss him, but Hiro moved his mouth away at the last moment. She froze, eyes running wild over him. She waited, but her patience felt like thin ice tonight, about to shatter in an instant. "I'm not in the mood," said Hiro and the ice broke.
She took her hands off of him and put some distance between them. "Of course you're not," she replied, exasperation thick in her tone. "You haven't been in the mood for months. When was the last time you kissed me?" She crossed her arms too. "Do you even want to?"
He looked at her then. Her thin, angled face with no particularly notable features. Her lips were dry and thin. He didn't want to kiss her. Not now. He wondered if he'd ever actually wanted to.
"Leah," Hiro began, sensing a headache building. "I've been going through a lot lately, you know that."
"No, I don't," said Leah. "I don't know what you've been going through because you don't talk to me." She was angry, he realized.
"I'm sorry I haven't been the same since I came back, but I have been trying my best. Although recently, things have been hitting harder."
"Things?" she asked with no empathy in her voice. "What things?"
"My student's death, Leah," he told her, half-lying, because now he knew for sure that Brooklyn wasn't dead.
"You're still on that?" She shook her head slowly, like she couldn't understand what was wrong with him. "He was a student, Hiro. Just a student," she reiterated with emphasis on the 'student'. "And it happened over two years ago. It is high time you got over his death. It's not as though he was a family member or a very close friend-"
"No" Hiro interjected, getting mad as well. "He wasn't just a student," he admitted, eyes shut against her expression. "He was more- he was...like a friend." He couldn't go on. Didn't know how to express how much Brooklyn had meant to him, to her.
"That boy," she whispered. "Was seven years younger than you. You can't have been that close." She swallowed her next sentence, looking at him. Staring at him as he leant against the door, trapped under her scrutiny. Although they'd spent a lot of time together, they still remained more of a mystery to each other than not, but when Leah looked at him now, Hiro worried she saw him better than she ever had. Than he himself had. He was stripped naked by her stare, his insides torn open for her judgement. He shielded his own gaze but she didn't need to read his eyes. She knew him well enough to do it without. "Were you in love with him or something?" she asked out of the blue and Hiro's eyes snapped up at the same moment his heart screeched to a halt.
He saw only one word in his mind in answer to that question, the letters painted in red: NO.
"Of course not," he denied after a moment of life-altering shock. "That's disgusting," he said under his breath.
"Well what else am I supposed to think?" she posed like an idiot. "You let our engagement go to shit over that boy."
That gave him pause. His ring finger was stark empty, the spot where the ring should have been feeling cold. He hadn't worn it in months. Sadness dawned upon him. The permanent kind. Because he knew this was it. There was no saving their relationship. Hiro gulped thickly, unable to say anything.
Leah wasn't crying though. She had always been strong and she got over things quickly which was part of the reason why no matter how hard she tried she never could quite empathize with Hiro's constant sense of loss over Brooklyn's death.
Her eyes were hard. "You have issues, Hiro," she said at last. "And I don't think I can deal with them anymore," she spoke each word slowly, as though she wanted to hold on to these final moments. "You need to...open your eyes and really, really, look at yourself." She fiddled with the ring he'd given her, then slipped it off her finger. "Inside of yourself." She gave it back to him, dropping it into his outstretched palm, her fingers lingering on his briefly. "Sleep on the couch tonight. You can leave in the morning." Leah left him standing in the hallway, staring at the floor, wondering why he was letting her go.
o - o - o - o - o
The ball had come and gone uneventfully. Kai had yawned all throughout the evening, discreetly of course. He'd even gotten a word in with Gabriela and was delighted to find out she knew nothing of his involvement with Black. King had been as cautious as ever, mouth full of words and none unintentional. He was exasperatingly cunning.
But however clever he may be, Kai knew there had to be a loose end somewhere and that loose end were his employees. Black had warned him to be more careful, and that meant only one thing, King was tightening the invisible noose he had around Kai's neck. He hadn't figured out what it was yet, but he knew it was already in place. And that meant he had limited time to stop King before the rope was pulled taut and the stool kicked from under his feet.
The house was dark, as was appropriate for the hour – seven minutes past midnight. The time of the day the creatures of the night came out to play and illegal businesses opened shop. He stood in his silken bathrobe facing a mowed lawn lit by artificial lamps, the pastel glow outlining his form by the transparent sliding door. The operator on the other end of the line picked up on the third ring. "Hello, you've reached The Elite Gentlemen's Club, how may I help you?" A woman's voice spoke into his ear.
"I'd like to book an appointment," he said smoothly.
"Name, please?"
"There's customer privacy isn't there?"
"All personal details of a customer including name and age are protected at our club, sir. Your information is safe with us." Of course they exercised customer privacy, because men cheated all the time and didn't want anyone finding out about their shameful acts.
"Kai" Kai breathed deeply. "Kai Hiwatari" He heard the sound of someone typing in the background.
"Alright, sir. Is this your first time with us?"
"Yes"
She seemed excited all of a sudden, tone turning more polite and seductive. "Lovely, Mr Hiwatari. We like to give our first time clients the best experience we have to offer. Would you like me to sign you up as a new member right now or would you prefer to do that later?"
"Later"
"Very well, you're booked for the sixteenth of June, at 10 pm. Make sure to drop by a little earlier to enjoy our freebies. Thank you for choosing to spend a night with The Elite Gentlemen's Club. We're looking forward to your visit." The call finally ended and Kai sighed. That was it. He'd completed the first step of registration. Now all he had to do was spend a night at King's luxurious strip club that he suspected to be illegal.
o - o - o - o - o
A volleyball whizzed past his head, missing him by one-third of an inch. "Bryan, toss the ball to me for fuck's sake. Where the hell are you looking?" He heard a team member yell at the moron who tried to give him a concussion.
Tyson cursed under his breath. What was wrong with their volleyball team? Why were they so noisy and hyper all the time? Even when he passed by them in the halls, he could hear at least four simultaneous shouts and saw someone getting kicked in the balls. Consistently.
By his ever fantastic luck the one and only respectable hacker in their entire university had to be a regular member of the volleyball team. Fucking hell. Tyson dodged another stray hit and smiled tightly at Tanaka, the guy he was here for. "Alright! Take five!" Screamed their crazy coach and Tanaka clapped along with the others. "Good work, everyone."
Good work? Tyson thought to himself. They're a disaster. He'd eat a sock if they made it to the nationals. Tanaka jogged over as his teammates finally got to yell at each other with leisure. He was tall and lanky, a pair of neat glasses perched atop his nose.
"Hi, sorry about that earlier," he apologized.
"Don't mind," replied Tyson, mimicking their captain, then got right down to business. "So, the files?"
Tanaka nodded. "Right. The files are highly encrypted. It would take me a week minimum to break the code."
"A week?" Tyson hunched forward in surprise. "I can't wait that long."
"Well, you have to. Even if you found a better hacker, they'd tell you the same thing. There's more than one key involved, Tyson. The computers we have right now are only-"
"Okay, Okay!" Tyson interjected. "I get it. Save the technical jargon for someone who actually understands what you're saying." He laughed awkwardly. "Urm, thanks anyway. I owe you a lot."
"No, you owe me a date," Tanaka reminded him and Tyson paled. Shit. He'd forgotten about his part of the deal.
"Right, the date…," he said slowly. "Haha, with Emily…" The volleyball player smiled. "I'll talk to her about it."
"Good" The coach blew the whistle, signaling the end of their break. "You uh talk to her," said Tanaka, already beginning to walk back toward the court. "I'll-"
"Yeah, yeah, see you later." Tyson waved as the hacker spun around with a final smile and got in position. Then the ruckus began and Tyson shot out of the gym like a bullet. He hated the damned volleyball team. And so did Emily. How the fuck was he going to make her agree to go out with Tanaka? He'd chosen to ask Tanaka for help instead of Kenny because he didn't want him finding out about what he did. He'd never hear the end of it. Moreover, Kenny would tell Kai about it and then he'd be well and truly screwed. He couldn't have that and so he'd accepted Tanaka's conditions without considering the possibilities of actually being able to fulfill them. Ah shit.
o - o - o - o - o
"Is it me or is today exceptionally hot?"
"That's a big word, Ty."
"Argh!" Tyson peeled his shirt off his body, unable to take the heat any longer. "I'm going to die! I have so many assignments, finals are around the corner, I have make up tests to write. Literally, these professors have no mercy! I hate them all!" He complained to Michael who was trying to text his girlfriend.
"Are you even listening?" He shouted at his roomie when he got no reply.
"Yes, Tyson," Mike grumbled, tapping away on his phone. "You're drowning in the sea of academics, your professors are evil, yada, yada, yada. You've been whining about the same thing for the last one month."
Tyson shot him a nasty look. "You could be a little more encouraging, you know?"
Mike, sat up, finally looking up at Tyson with a scowl on his face. "Yay" He began fake cheering in the deadest voice ever, one fist pumping in the air. "Go Tyson, you can do it. You can beat the evil profs. That enough?"
"You're of no help." Tyson picked up his laptop and focused on the ten page essay he was supposed to hand in by tomorrow morning. He wasn't even halfway done. Four pages. That was all he could come up with. His tank was empty and his wrists hurt from typing too long. "Worst roommate ever," he muttered under his breath.
Somebody knocked on their door and Mike got up to get it. Tyson was in the middle of wiping the sweat off his neck with his shirt when Michael opened the door and started talking in his annoyingly nasal voice he used to tease people. "You're right on time, sir," he was saying. "The show has just begun."
Mike swung the door wide open to reveal Kai standing in the hall. Tyson, sweaty and stinky, swore loudly. "Ow ssshhhittt"
Kai's mouth hung slightly ajar, the long coat he wore reaching the middle of his shin, still as a picture. "Come in" Michael invited him sweetly. "I was just about to head out to my girlfriend's place, so…you two can have fun." He wagged his eyebrows at Tyson, turning his head almost one eighty degrees to look at him over his shoulder. "Byeeee"
Michael disappeared as Tyson dropped the smelly shirt in his grasp and grinned at Kai like a clown. He watched as he shut the door and ventured in, taking in the surroundings as he did. "It's cramped," he commented.
"Sir, this is a college dormitory," he said, sounding cool but his heart was aflutter. What was he doing here?
"I'm aware." Kai sat down near the foot of his bed, moving the rumpled blanket out of the way. He saw him take a breath and tried to imagine what he smelled. Dirty socks, Nachos, cigarettes…
Yep, all good things.
"Thought you were rooming with your frat brothers?"
"Oh, not anymore, since I've been kicked off the track team." Tyson scratched his shoulder unknowingly. "Mike refused to stay there all on his own so he moved back out too."
"He's thoughtful"
"Yeah, he is." Tyson sniffed, wondering how long it'd been since he last got laid, then wondering why he was thinking about that now, all of a sudden. Was it because Kai was in his room and they were all alone? Possibly.
But come to think of it, he hadn't had sex since he met Kai in the alley. How ridiculous was that? Tyson blinked in shock at the laptop and caused Kai concern. "What are you working on?" He asked, like a nice boyfriend.
"Um, my Business Economics assignment," he turned the laptop around so it faced Kai. "A ten page essay on 'market structure and factors of production'. I've written four pages so far." Kai drew the computer closer and seemed to read through it. "Actually, I've typed out pretty much everything I know about markets and production factors. I can't believe he gave me an entire unit as an essay. I hate him so much."
"'What is a market?'" Kai read out loud with a slight frown. "'Classification of markets'…" Tyson scooted toward him and tried to make out his assignment upside down, his dark brown locks softly brushing against the tips of Kai's hair.
He smelled fresh and clean, like mint soap. Tyson felt hot and icky. "I don't really understand any of this stuff."
"Then how do you pass your exams?"
"Emily tutors me." He smiled at Kai. "I massage her feet in return."
"What don't you understand?"
"The concept of different markets." Kai looked up at him. "I don't really get the difference between each, like they all pretty much sound the same to me."
"You read from the textbook?"
"Yeah"
o - o - o - o - o
Kai explained the different market structures to Tyson using the example of his own company and the market they produced for, and Tyson's mouth made a little O shape when it clicked in his head. "That's what it meant?" He asked incredulously. "Man, that's so simple. The textbook made it sound so confusing."
He was shirtless. And sweat gleamed on his tan skin. Kai found it hard to keep himself from looking. The dreamcatcher necklace he'd gifted him rested delicately against his chest. He couldn't exactly pinpoint what made Tyson as alluring as he was. Was it the shape of him? How he was muscular but lean? He had a runner's bod, his lines were sexy. The colour of his skin was unique. Kai wanted to put his hands and mouth on him. Dip his tongue in between the light outlines of his abs.
He was gaping at Kai now, eyes wide and sparkly. There was not a single feature on him that didn't stir something in Kai. It was as though the universe had deliberately designed Tyson to be Kai's kryptonite. "You're really good at teaching," he was saying. "And you're not scary like Emily when she explains things to me. She gets angry whenever I ask her to repeat something, like really fucking angry. You're not like that. You're calm. I like you."
I like you too, thought Kai.
"I have to write another six pages before midnight, but I'm tired," he said with a yawn, scratching again. He did that whenever he was sleepy. Scratching at his shoulder, his neck, his ears. Like a fucking cat. "I've been typing since morning."
"How many assignments have you done today?"
"Uh three"
The workload his professors had assigned him to make up for the classes he missed because of the accident was crazy. Barbaric. Nobody should have to submit eight different essays within a span of three days. "Why don't you get some rest and I'll complete this for you?" Kai suggested.
Tyson was shook. "What? You- you would?" He stammered in disbelief. "For me? Didn't you just come from work?"
"It was a light day today," Kai stood up to shed his jacket on a chair. "And I know this stuff better than you anyway." Tyson twitched at the sudden jab. Kai sat higher up on the bed, picking up the laptop and leaning his back against the headboard. "Get some sleep, Tyson. You've worked hard for one day."
Tyson smiled at him warmly, his eyes pooling like honey with emotion. He looked soft. Kai wanted to kiss him. Tyson beat him to it, by leaning over and pressing his lips into Kai's. And for a moment the world stopped moving and he and Tyson were the only two people alive. Nothing else existed. Just them and this feeling blooming between their hearts.
Was this love?
o - o - o - o - o
Michael was on his way to his girlfriend Chelsea's when he bumped into Max and they chatted for a while. They talked about their moms and classes and girlfriends. That was right. Max had a girlfriend now. Who would have guessed? A tattooed, heavy eyeliner-wearing, biker chick with piercings. Mike had to do a double take when he first saw Danielle.
Of all the people, Michael would have seen Max ending up with, he'd chosen one he couldn't have dreamt up in his wildest imaginations. No offense though, Dani was cute and loved Max to bits, in her own weird and intense, I'll tear your balls off if you upset Max type of way. They were an adorable pair. Max with his puppy dog eyes and dimpled smile and Dani with her glares and bloody punches.
Truly a sight to behold.
Mike had just said bye to Max and was walking toward the exit when he remembered that he'd left his hat upstairs. He ran back to his room and knocked on the door before entering because he didn't want to walk in on his best friend going at it hard with his boyfriend, but when he stepped in he was blessed enough to witness yet another miracle: Kai working diligently on Tyson's essay while Tyson himself slept soundly curled up next to him, a thin sheet drawn over his naked shoulders.
Fucking precious these two.
Michael fetched his hat and slipped out wordlessly.
o - o - o - o - o
Kai worked on the essay quietly, his hand slipping into Tyson's hair with confidence every now and then when he stopped to think. With confidence because he knew Tyson was deep asleep, snoring and all. He would never find out that Kai liked his hair. A lot. It was feathery to the touch and voluminous. Felt good against his fingers.
He played with it, once he was done with the essay, grabbing fistfuls and making cones with his tresses by rubbing them together. He stopped when Tyson suddenly opened his eyes and stared up at him with confusion.
"Hey" Kai patted his hair down flat. "What would you like to eat?"
"Mm?" Tyson grunted, rolling on to his elbows. "Chinese" he mumbled, then fell back on Kai's lap, resting his head on his thigh and wrapping an arm around his hips.
"Okay" He placed an order through his phone and then put all the gadgets aside, before sliding down next to Tyson and pulling him into his chest. They slept till the food reached the dorm, got up and ate, and then Kai waited while Tyson showered.
When he stepped out, Kai got ready for bed, knocked off his jeans and settled down beside Tyson on the single cot. They fit because they cuddled, Tyson arranging himself lavishly on Kai's body.
He put his hand on his chest, enjoying the feel of him. Kai sighed into the dark, trying to get used to the sensation of Tyson's heat and weight on him to no avail. He was hyper aware of his every breath, every movement. He tried not to think about the creamy skin on the other side of the two flimsy pieces of clothing separating their bodies. Tried not to imagine how good it would feel against his own.
Why did they make that stupid bet in the first place? Oh that's right, they were both proud and stubborn. And all of this torture for what? What could they possibly gain from putting themselves through this hell? He entertained the idea of giving up, or giving in and having Tyson under him. Wow.
Wow
But no. There was no fucking way he was losing to him. He'd make Tyson touch him. He'd make Tyson beg him to touch him. Yeah. That was it. Fucking brilliant.
Kai nudged Tyson's chin up with a finger, then captured his mouth with his own. He heard him sigh and felt him hitch his knee up higher on his leg. He tasted like apples, courtesy of the flavored toothpaste he used, and something else. Something distinctly Tyson that he could never get enough of, and kept reeling him back in each time he broke contact.
Tyson's hand brushed against his collarbone and Kai tightened the arm he had around his neck, pressing him closer. He felt Tyson move against his hip, hot and heavy between his legs. Kai moaned into his luscious mouth and Tyson ran his hand up and down his torso, sending little sparks through him. His chin grazed Kai's, lips wet and soft, so fucking soft. He couldn't stop kissing him.
He was aroused and Tyson's knee was only inches from his cock. Kai licked the roof of his mouth and Tyson inhaled sharply, clutching his shirt and thrusting into the side of his hip. He would make him lose this fight. He was already halfway there, rubbing himself against Kai's leg with abandon. He wanted those thighs around him, squeezing him hard. And in a thoughtless action, Kai flipped them around and held himself on his hands and knees above a whining Tyson.
Their noses met, breaths labored. "Say it, Tyson," Kai prodded. "Say it," he whispered into his open mouth.
Tyson sighed, the sound almost a whimper. Kai saw his lips tremble and felt himself go crazy. He bit into the enticing flesh. Tyson moaned, his back arching off the bed even as his wrists were trapped in Kai's grip. "Say it, Tyson," he spoke into his ear. "Say you give up." Tyson's foot slid down the sheet. He was at the end of his wits. Kai could feel his pulse thudding beneath his thumbs. His own cock begged for some friction. He was about to talk to Tyson again when he lifted his legs and wrapped them around Kai's waist, pulling their hips flush together.
He nearly came right there. His dick pressed deliciously against Tyson's. Oh god. He heard a moan escape his lips, the sound traveling straight to his groin. They were chest to chest, he could feel his nipples through the shirt. Tyson urged him closer, moving their bodies together and they were a mess for a wild minute, lost in the pleasure. Lost in each other. Kai kissed his mouth. Relished in the feel of his tongue, his dick, his ankles, all pressed up against him. "Mmm" His fingers let go of his wrists and skidded down, toward the hem of Tyson's shirt, where it met the waistband of his boxers.
He cupped his hips for a moment and Tyson pushed him back, till Kai was the one under him and he could sit up straight. They moved still. Unable to keep themselves still. Kai let his thumbs slip beneath Tyson's waistband and roughly seized the soft fabric in his hands. Tyson touched his abs, tried to stop thrusting his hips into Kai's, then threw his head back in helplessness when he couldn't. He sigh was loud and clear in the room, mind-numbingly sexy.
Kai rose up to kiss his exposed throat. "Say it, Tyson," he begged, his hands itching to pull his boxers off and run them along his butt. He squeezed the material in his grip, and Tyson groaned again. He knew he'd give in. He could hear it in his broken gasps and whimpers. Kai exhaled against his neck before giving him a little lick and Tyson bucked against him, grabbing his shoulders and touching their foreheads together. "Tyson" Kai pleaded, unable to keep the desperation from his voice.
"You say it," Tyson breathed into his mouth. "Say you give up." His nails dug into Kai's back. No, he couldn't. He hoped Tyson would because he couldn't not touch him any longer, but even now, at the razor edge of molten pleasure, his pride refused to let up, and he said no.
Tyson gulped, his lashes flittering against Kai's. For a moment, Kai thought he would give up, and his heart beat wildly. Tyson's fingers eased off his back and he brought a hand down to grasp the one Kai had on his waistband. Their lips brushed and his dick twitched. "Then no," he whispered, taking Kai's hand off his boxers and kissing him, rocking them back onto the mattress. You're kidding, Kai thought as his head hit the pillow, Tyson's tongue in his mouth, his dick hard and painful, but his heart swollen and flying. Tyson Granger, you pigheaded loser. I can't believe your stubbornness.
I hate you.
He couldn't get off, but he kissed Tyson with everything he craved to do to him dancing in his mind, shamelessly taking whatever he could get out of the kisses.
What was this feeling?
Was this love?
It felt too big and too strong for such a small and silly word. His body trembled with need, a slave begging Tyson's lips to kiss him again and set him on fire. He couldn't get enough. He couldn't get enough. He kissed him hoping he would tire of it, but he didn't. And he fell asleep with his mouth pressed against Tyson's.
A/N: Ahem. Sorry. *grins* There was a little bit of a lag this time, but I promise I'll update the next chapter within a week. I hope you liked this chapter. I SEE YALL IN THE COMMENTS! YALL SHAMELESS! HAHAHA! I'M TRYING, OKAY? I'M WORKING UP TO IT. IT SHALL COME IN TIME. What am I even saying? Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. I hope you're all taking care of yourselves, especially the ones who are in more affected places. Stay safe, okay? Stay home. (And as for, Ellaorants's question, I completely forgot to answer at the end of the last chapter, but I will do now. Blu kissing Tyson is related with the emotional abuse he used to undergo under his uncle's reign. If you recall that one scene in chapter 1 where Blu's uncle kisses him after chastising him, you'll see the exchange between Tyson and Blu in chapter 20 is sort of similar, with the roles reversed - Blu walking in on Tyson doing something 'wrong' or damaging to him, and Blu telling Tyson to sort out his mess - Tyson being the helpless one and Blu the one in control in this situation. It will be explained further in the later chapters when more things happen. This is a sort of like a foreshadowing of what's to come. I hope it made sense.)
Happy quarantining. Thank you for reading. Leave a review. I'll see you soon.
