p class="western"The bar where Iori worked with his band was hosting a big Halloween party. Iori's band played Jazz, but sometimes they played Bossanova and other similar genres. However, the owner wanted something different for the party and asked if they could play Gothic rock. As professional musicians, they were able to adapt to different genres. The bar's owner paid well, so they accepted even though that meant lots of extra hours of /br /Halloween was a big deal in Japan. In recent years the event became a business opportunity for lots of shops, especially for bars and clubs. So this year, the owner wanted to celebrate it with a live rock band and he wanted everyone to wear creepy costumes during the /br /"You're gonna what?" Kyo snorted when he told him the news "Nooooo way...! I gotta see it!"br /br /"No! Don't dare come near the bar or I will burn you to crisp!" Iori replied with his cheeks slightly /br /"Nothing will stop me from seeing you dressed in some silly Halloween costume!" Kyo exclaimed in a singing voice. "Fucking Orochi can escape from his seal tomorrow and it won't stop me from going to that bar and seeing you dressed as a Ghost!"br /br /"Werewolf" Iori /br /Kyo stared at him while holding a cup of green tea then suddenly burst into laughter spilling the tea on the sofa where they were /br /"I can't..." He said with a tiny voice in between /br /"I hate you!" Iori murmured while looking pretty /br /"I know" Kyo replied barely holding his /br /"Are you 5? This is a job! I'm a professional, I gotta do what it's needed" Iori grumbled, crossing his arms on his chest. Kyo finally calmed down and wiped a tear from his right eye, he sipped some of his tea quietly and Iori stared at him squinting his eyes, daring him to laugh /br /"Yagami the emOkami/em*" Kyo murmured looking at his cup. Iori closed his eyes and hold his nose bridge in between his fingers "Yakami" he /br /The brunette burst into laughter again and Iori stood up intending to leave. He was already pretty embarrassed and only accepted the stupid requirement because he was under a contract. Also, his band-mates all accepted (And they were actually pretty excited about it) therefore he couldn't say no. He was part of a /br /"If I'm going to be a fucking werewolf, I'm going to be the most badass one you'll ever see!" He spatted, his cheeks were now fully /br /"Of course you will! The creepiest of all!" Kyo replied amused by Iori's /br /"Don't you dare to go!" The redhead /br /"Dare me to do something and I will do it twice"br /br /Iori sighed and headed for the small studio in the back of the apartment, he needed to practice, the new music sheet had lots of solos with riffs, besides it was a music genre he hadn't played in a while. He couldn't afford to make mistakes on top of looking ridiculous in a werewolf costume./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"***/p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"Iori practiced for a while. The sound of his instrument always had a calming effect on him. He eventually forgot his embarrassment and focused only on the music. When he played, the world around him disappeared and he was one with the /br /Although Jazz was his favorite genre, he took that new music sheet as a challenge and enjoyed it. It sounded more menacing and darker than what he usually played. He liked it too. Somehow he felt connected to /br /He lost track of time and only the smell of food that triggered his hunger snapped him out of his trance. He stopped playing and was a bit surprised by Kyo standing next to the door frame. He was /br /"Not in the mood Kyo" Iori /br /"Hope, you're in the mood for food tho," He said while /br /Iori left his bass on the chair and stood /br /"Gotta feed the wolf," Kyo said and before Iori could say anything else he added "Or he may want to eat me"br /br /Iori approached him placing a hand on the wall next to Kyo's /br /"Well, that doesn't sound so bad..." He /br /"I know" He replied looking into his crimson eyes "Because I'm irresistible" the brunette smiled /br /"And annoying" Iori said putting a finger on his lips. Then he headed to the kitchen./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"***/p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"They ate some bento that Kyo got from the nearest 7/11, black pepper beef with rice for Iori, and seared eel with mushrooms for Kyo. It was already 7 in the evening when they finished and Kyo shared his plans for the night. He had a fight at the makeshift ring where Iori found him last week. The brunette was still wearing a band-aid on his nose (Courtesy of his headbutt) although his nose healed quite fast and was not inflamed, it still hurts a bit. The redhead was uneasy at first, the idea of Kyo fighting some randoms in an illegal fight where weapons were allowed, was not the brightest, but he knew Kyo didn't have many options since he couldn't finish high school (Thanks to being kidnapped by a terrorist underground organization on his last year) and most decent jobs required a diploma./p
p class="western"It was a tolerable option at the moment, but Iori wanted him to find something else to do in the long run, he was not kin of the idea of someone else hurting Kyo./p
p class="western"The Kusanagi heir em belonged /emto him./p
p class="western"Kyo promised to be careful. Thankfully, Kyo's fighting skills backed his mouth, he was pretty good (even if Iori didn't want to accept it) The amateur fighters weren't able to hit him yet./p
p class="western"After Kyo left, Iori went to the studio and continued his practice. With his shoulder injured (Due to fighting Kyo), he was taking longer than expected to learn the new songs, since he could only play for a certain amount of time before he had to stop. The painkillers helped and he was feeling so much better than before, but still, he hadn't regained full mobility of his arm. They promised the owner to play for 3 hours, so there were a lot of songs to practice./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"***/p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"That night, Kyo took down 4 opponents before being declared champion once again. He made decent money, mainly because one of the challengers had a katana sword and that drew the attention of the crowd making them spend more. As expected, Kyo managed to beat him without getting hit /br /"Kusanagi-san, Do you think you can manage to get Yagami-san to fight again?" The question surprised Kyo. For a moment he stared at the organizer blankly. The organizer was a short chubby middle-aged man that was always chewing on a /br /"Why?" Kyo asked while putting on his jacket, he was next to his motorbike and was about to leave the place when the organizer approached /br /"Because he's clearly the only one that can fight you as an equal" The man responded and then added "And the crowd went wild! Do you know how much money we made that night? Most people have seen KOF you know, Yagami-san's presence is impressive "br /br /"Yeah... well... What makes you think I can just contact Yagami and ask him to come?" Kyo replied with a somewhat pretentious smirk. "It's not like we're friends, you know?"br /br /"I supposed you're not" The organized sighed "But if you could find a way to bring him here... I'm sure the bets would be out of the roof and we'll make serious cash"br /br /"My rivalry with Yagami is not some publicity stunt" Kyo complained feeling a bit annoyed by the implication, he was sure Iori would not accept such a thing /br /"Just think about it" The announcer insisted. Kyo got onto his motorbike and put on the /br /"Don't get your hopes high" He replied while frowning./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"He drove his motorbike through the solitary streets of Osaka and arrived home around 2 A.M. He kept thinking about fighting Iori again. But the idea of doing it to put on a show for other people annoyed him. When he encountered Iori in the tournament in the past, it was always an exciting and thrilling experience. Kyo took it seriously, although he showed himself cocky and disdainful in the ring. If he didn't take Iori seriously he could... well em die /em. Iori was a strong opponent after all./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"But the idea of milking their rivalry for money made him feel uneasy. If he were to fight against Iori it would be because he wanted it and not for money./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"He entered the apartment and heard music coming from the small studio. Iori was still practicing. The brunette quickly forgot the situation with the organizer and remembered the Halloween party and the possibility of seeing Iori dressed as a werewolf. He smiled maliciously while thinking that he needed a costume too. With all the problems he caused with the cops last time, he didn't want anyone recognizing him, not to mention, Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami together at the same Halloween party would make people talk./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"He headed to the bathroom and took a quick shower, then he went into the studio dressed just in shorts and a towel around his neck. Iori was focused on his music as always, he looked like he was in another world. Kyo noticed that he had the laptop on the desk showing a video of what looked like a finished Livestream with the remaining members of the band, probably they had met online and played /br /Kyo was about to make a funny remark regarding the Halloween party, but when Iori lifted his face and looked at him with tired sleepy eyes, the jokes died out in his throat before he could say anything. Instead, Kyo felt the urge to embrace him in his /br /He didn't do it. He felt utterly embarrassed about hugging Iori out of nowhere and wasn't sure how the redhead would /br /"Hey... You're still playing?" He asked although the answer was /br /"Yeah"br /br /"Then I'll head to bed first... I..." Kyo mumbled avoiding Iori's gaze "I won a couple of fights," He said /br /"Good"br /br /"There was a guy with a Katana" Kyo commented while drying his hair with the /br /"A What?" This caught Iori's attention fully. He left the bass and turned the laptop /br /"Yeah. Funny tho"br /br /"Funny?" Iori raised an /br /"I mean... funny they think it would make a difference" Kyo shrugged "Anyway..."br /br /Iori stood up while frowning. He looked at Kyo for a moment with his tired crimson eyes now full of something else that at the moment, the brunette couldn't decipher. Then Iori headed for the bedroom without saying /br /They fell asleep soon after./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"***/p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"The Halloween party was finally happening. Iori was in the dressing room feeling self-conscious about his outfit. He originally thought his band-mates would come with silly cheap-looking Halloween costumes from a store, but instead, the guys bought outfits that look more like the kind of clothes a Visual Kei band would wear. The saxophonist was supposed to be a Zombie, the Vocalist a Vampire, the Pianist some sort of marine monster, and the drummer a ghost. They were chatting lively while putting on makeup and painting their nails black. Only Iori remained quiet while looking at himself in the /br /He was wearing a black faux fur jacket that somehow resembled the fur of a wolf. A black leather choker with metal spikes and under the coat he wasn't wearing a t-shirt, just his bare chest with several leather belts crossing from side to side. Finally, he had black rugged jeans with several holes around his legs to simulate the clothes being ripped apart by the werewolf's transformation. The band-mates insisted that he should let his nails grow like claws and paint them black. They also got a set of black wolf ears to put on his head and a long furry tail to clip to the back of his pants./p
p class="western"em He felt ridiculous! /em/p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"But there was nothing he could do about it. He accepted the terms of the contract. Besides, he knew his fans would be utterly disappointed if he was the only one not wearing a costume. /p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"They went to the stage after an hour or so of preparation. The audience when wild as soon as they saw them in their new attire. Iori avoided the stares of people and looked at his bass, playing with the cords while the vocalist addressed the excited crowd and introduced the set for the night./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"Then Iori felt the energy of someone he knew pretty well in the place./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"He frowned knowing who was the owner of such warm pleasant energy. He felt a wave of embarrassment rushing through his body at the thought of Kyo hiding somewhere making fun of him. Iori considered taking revenge somehow once they were back home. If the Kusanagi heir were to do something stupid tonight, he'll make him pay later./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"However, the performance commenced and there was no sign of Kyo. The redhead tried to focus on his instrument. He practiced for too long and didn't want to make mistakes. They played several covers of famous western and Japanese gothic rock bands. Luckily the vocalist sang decently in English. The audience danced to the music while the bar's ambiance became dark and mysterious. It was perfect for a Halloween theme party and the owner showed enthusiastic thumbs up from the bar counter during the intermission./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"After playing for almost two consecutive hours, they had a recess, Iori went down the stage intending to hide in the dressing room. He didn't want to deal with his fans and get his picture taken with that outfit. /p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"Without saying a word Iori walked through the crowd. His were eyes fixed on the floor and his hands in his pockets./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"Then he bumped into someone, he lifted his head and a man of his same height was dressed with... his own clothes?/p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"em Wait, what? /em/p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"Iori recognized one of his long red coats and tight leather pants. Then upon further inspection, he felt the Kusanagi's sword energy coming from this individual that was wearing a masquerade black mask./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western""Hey wolfy!" Kyo said while smiling. Tiny sharp fangs could be seen in his mouth./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western""It's that my coat?" Iori asked dumbfounded by Kyo's appearance. He was unrecognizable unless you paid special attention. But under the bar's dim lights and with people focused on dancing and drinking, nobody noticed./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western""Yeah, it turns out that, after looking for Vampire outfits on the Internet, your clothes pretty much matched the aesthetic." Replied Kyo putting his hands on his hips, his nails were painted black and he was wearing the black leather belts Iori had for the KOF tournament years ago. Kyo even wore one of his white shirts with the long collar out. He certainly looked like a Vampire straight out of the late ' /br /"Idiot" Iori replied with a subtle smile. Then dragged him around the dance floor, towards the back of the bar where the dressing room was /br /Iori pushed Kyo into the dressing room and closed the door behind him with a quick movement. Then he trapped the brunette against the wall putting his hands at both sides of his /br /He took the black mask and threw it to the side. Kyo was wearing black eyeliner and for some reason beyond his comprehension, it suited him so /br /"You look hot" Iori murmured taking his lips in a hungry /br /The brunette answered back opening his mouth and letting him in. His hands quickly traveled through the naked chest under Iori's fur jacket caressing the exposed skin of his /br /Kyo liked it when Iori was straightforward and showed his desire directly, although he felt embarrassed talking about feelings, having Iori express his attraction towards him felt satisfying. It fed his ego. And Kyo Kusanagi's ego was already high above the /br /Kyo felt Iori's hands also caressing his own chest while the kiss continued. He was feeling lightheaded. Suddenly the room felt /br /"You... look hot too," He managed to say stopping the kiss to breathe. "I was... honestly expecting a cheap costume... but it looks... really good".br /br /Iori grinned maliciously enjoying the compliment, then his right hand found what he was looking for inside Kyo's /br /The brunette gasped, feeling the heat rushing towards his head. They were still in the dressing room and, he was not expecting Iori to go that /br /"What are you doing?"br /br /" I'm about to snack on a juicy meal" He replied. His crimson eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. Or was it Kyo's imagination?br /br /Then Iori bit his neck earnestly, making Kyo wince in /br /Kyo closed his eyes overwhelmed by the mixed pain and pleasure he felt when Iori stroked him while biting his /br /"I'm a Vampire... I'm should be the one biting and sucking your blood..." Kyo said playfully while his breathing became /br /"It's that so?" Iori replied licking his neck. Then hold Kyo by the hair pulling it a bit "It suits you since you like sucking me"br /br /Kyo quickly blushed and was taken aback by the comment. Iori smirked, quite pleased with the brunette's reaction. There was something about his blushed expression that always awake something deep inside of him. It was like a dormant beast waiting patiently to surface and Kyo's submissive expression always did the /br /Iori was pretty hard now and did not want to stop until the brunette was screaming his name. He kissed Kyo aggressively moving his hand faster inside his pants. The brunette whimpered in between the kiss while scratching Iori's chest /br /Then someone tried to open the locked door and eventually started /br /Iori and Kyo froze on the /br /"Yagami-san are you there?" The voice of the drummer could be heard through the door. Iori cursed in a whisper. Kyo felt like he was about to get a heart attack at any /br /"What do you want?" Iori replied, his voice low almost sounding like an annoyed /br /"Oh... well... the performance... we need to continue playing" The drummer /br /"Give me a minute" Iori /br /"Ok... we'll be waiting at the stage" The drummer added and /br /"Wait for a while before going out" He /br /"I know... I'm not an idiot" Kyo whispered back feeling irritated by the interruption as well. He understood Iori needed to go back to the stage. But he couldn't conceal his /br /It was difficult to think straight while Yagami stroked his crotch like /br /Now he had a painful erection to deal with it for the rest of the night. Kyo pouted and Iori smiled mischievously as if he could read his mind./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"***/p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"Iori returned to the stage a couple of minutes later and continued the performance as if nothing had really happened. The band played for another hour and a half. Meanwhile, Kyo left the dressing room while carefully avoiding being seen and sneaked to the back while wearing his mask again. He ordered a Martini shoot and laid against the wall looking /br /He was drinking while watching Iori play, when the pretty face of a woman, appeared in front of /br /"What are you drinking handsome?" She asked with a sensual smile on her black lips. She wore a short black dress that allow her well-toned legs to be seen and a deep cleavage, showing half of her round boobs. She wore a witch hat and violet highlights on her jet black hair./p
p class="western""Hey" Slightly startled by the sudden apparition Kyo replied. "Do I know you?"br /br /"You know me now" She replied winking. "I'm Akane and you?"br /br /"Kyo...suke"br /br /"It's a pleasure Kyosuke," She said "Umm Martini? Good choice, although I'm a Mojito kind of girl"br /br /"I see" Kyo replied not very sure where the conversation was going. His mind was still on what happened in the dressing /br /"Come here often?"br /br /"First time" Kyo finally laid eyes on her and paid attention to her appearance and body language. He quickly realized that she was tipsy and noticed how her eyes shamefully traced the muscles of his chest that were visible through the cleavage in his white /br /"The band is good, isn't it?" She said. Kyo just nodded. "The bassist is so dreamy but is a total asshole"br /br /Kyo nearly choked on the martini and turned his head curiously./p
p class="western""Why? Something happened?" He asked./p
p class="western""Well... maybe you're not interested in petty gossip..."/p
p class="western""I have nothing better to do" Replied Kyo shrugging./p
p class="western""Ok... the gossip is that he used to sleep with lots of his fans," Akane told him with a malicious grin, Kyo look at her disdainfully. "And then... he suddenly stopped"/p
p class="western""And?" Kyo asked failing to see why that made Yagami an asshole./p
p class="western""And it's unfair! He is single you know? But he rejected all the girls that approached him with a cold attitude... what an asshole, my friend cried for weeks after she slept with him once."/p
p class="western"Kyo closed his eyes thinking that perhaps the 'em friend /em' she was referring to was Akane herself. /p
p class="western""Well, maybe he got someone special" Kyo retorted, and right after saying that, he was aware of the implications./p
p class="western"Was em he /em that em 'special someone' /emin Yagami's life?/p
p class="western"Honestly, they never addressed that part of their weird relationship. They never discussed if they were allowed to see other people. He had no idea about what kind of relationship they had in the first place. They rented a place together because it was convenient for having sex, and sometimes it felt like living with a roommate, not with a lover./p
p class="western"Kyo was suddenly aware that he didn't feel like he was in a committed relationship with Iori./p
p class="western""You think? But his official profile says he's single... he is a KOF fighter as well" Akane continued then her eyes went back to Kyo. "How about you Kyosuke-kun?"/p
p class="western""Me?"/p
p class="western""Got someone?" She asked./p
p class="western""Umm... yeah, girlfriend" He replied vaguely while sipping his Martini./p
p class="western""Where is she? Surely she wouldn't allow his cute vampire boyfriend to come along to a party like this..." Akane was now pressing herself on his side. Kyo felt her soft chest against his arm and felt a bit embarrassed. Then his eyes met with Iori's who was still on stage. The Yagami heir was looking at him like an assassin that just locked his next target./p
p class="western""She went to the 7/11 to grab some snacks" Kyo lied feeling uncomfortable in-between Iori's gaze and the girl's insistent attention. Probably in a different timeline, Kyo could have reacted differently, but at that moment he honestly had no interest in the woman, despite being quite sexy./p
p class="western"em What the hell was happening? /em/p
p class="western"Abruptly Kyo realized that since he kissed Iori in the tournament's locker room 6 months ago, he never stopped thinking about him. He no longer paid attention to women. The realization took him by surprise. He felt scared of what that could imply./p
p class="western"Did he feel something else for Iori than just physical attraction?/p
p class="western""Oh... I see. Got it" The girl replied and awkwardly excused herself to go to the restroom./p
p class="western"Kyo felt dizzy out of sudden. em Was it the Martini? /emHe could no longer look at Iori who was still staring at him while playing. The brunette felt the urge to leave. He finished his drink in one gulp then scurried back to the entrance looking on his phone to call a cab./p
p class="western"He didn't ride his motorbike to the bar thinking that he may drink. Plus he was expecting to go back in Iori's car at the end./p
p class="western"At the moment Kyo just wanted to clear his mind. He needed to put some distance between himself and Iori. He didn't like the weird feeling that settled in his gut. He felt overwhelmed./p
p class="western"em And scared. /em/p
p class="western"Then when he was about to press the button to call a ride, he hesitated./p
p class="western"em What the hell was he doing? /em/p
p class="western"He was Kyo Kusanagi for god's sake, he was no coward. He closed his eyes trying to shake that odd feeling and regain composure./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"***/p
p class="western"One hour later, the performance finished. The band members stayed in the party that continued nonstop until early morning, a Dj was taking the stage after them. But Iori quickly went to the dressing room, gathered his bass and bag without caring about changing into his clothes./p
p class="western"He was feeling quite uneasy after noticing Kyo talking with the pretty girl. It was obvious that the woman was filtring with him./p
p class="western"Iori didn't like that uncomfortable jealousy that crept out of nowhere and settled in his gut during the night./p
p class="western"Once again, he tried to feel Kyo's energy. Who would have thought that his ability to feel the sacred treasure inside Kyo was so handy? He was using it more than expected even after they started living together. And he stopped stalking the Kusanagi heir./p
p class="western"After clearing his mind and focusing for a bit, he felt it. He walked down the quiet streets at a quick pace feeling suddenly anxious. em He hated it. /em/p
p class="western"The spiritual trail led him to the parking lot where he left his car. It was around 2 A.M. the place was desolate. He found his black Nissan and saw a lonely figure sitting on top of the hood. Kyo, still dressed as a vampire looked at his phone with a lazy expression./p
p class="western""Finally," He said when Iori approached. The brunette lifted his face with a tiny smile and jumped on the floor "Almost fell asleep for a moment"br /br /"Why did you leave?" Iori asked while opening the driver's door. Kyo got into the passenger seat and got /br /"Because the party was annoying" He replied. Iori left the bass in the back seat and secured it with a /br /"Hmn..."br /br /"I mean, I like your music, although you know, I prefer hard rock or metal, but it was good" Kyo clarified. Iori stayed quiet for a long moment without starting the /br /"You didn't have to wait for me," He said realizing that Kyo waited for more than an /br /"I didn't bring my bike, I was not sure if I would end up drinking" Kyo replied with a yawn "I know I'm a reckless idiot, but not that stupid to drive while drunk" He added in a joking /br /"You could take a cab" Iori continued, his hands holding the steering wheel with much force than /br /"Just... drive okay?" Kyo said turning his blushed face to the side./p
p class="western"Iori sighed and finally started the car. What a weird night that was. Kyo waiting for him in such cold weather was a sweet gesture. Iori didn't like how it made him feel, he didn't like that fuzzy feeling he had in his stomach at that very moment and he hated even more that he was jealous of a random woman that approached Kyo. And on top of that, he felt nervous and eager to find Kyo./p
p class="western"That vulnerability was uncomfortable. He hated it./p
p class="western"em They both hated it. /em/p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"em *** /em/p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"Almost an hour later, they arrived at their shared apartment, and just when Iori was about to take off his fur jacket, Kyo hold his arm and made him turn around. With a quick movement, the Kusanagi heir took a selfie./p
p class="western""The fuck? Delete it!" Iori exclaimed while trying to grab Kyo's phone but the brunette anticipated his reaction and hide the phone behind his back. Iori tried to grab it again and they struggled for a bit./p
p class="western""Stop it! I want this photo for myself!" He added while giggling. "Besides, it's not like I can show it to anyone... like... well you know" Iori finally stopped and crossed his arms looking irritated./p
p class="western""Oh, come on! Don't look at me like that" Kyo complained because Iori kept stating "You know we both look good, it deserves a selfie"/p
p class="western""Whatever" Iori said frowning. Then headed to the bathroom./p
p class="western"em First Halloween together /em, Kyo thought but didn't dare to say it out loud. He looked at the picture and smiled, Iori's expression was funny, he was caught out of guard and looked almost innocent in the selfie./p
p class="western"He carefully saved the picture and sent a copy to his own Email, just in case the redhead snatched his phone. Then he joined Iori in the bedroom after taking a hot bath and cleaning all the makeup./p
p class="western"Kyo waited for Iori to fall asleep and when he noticed his calm breathing, he approached timidly embracing him with his arms, hugging him from his back. Kyo placed his face against Iori's nape. His crimson hair smelled like lavender. Slowly the brunette fell asleep while holding him tightly./p
p class="western"He didn't realize Iori was awake./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"strong Owari. /strong/p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"strong Ending notes: /strong/p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"I had an idea for this one-shot and things got out of control and eventually ended like this. So many ups and downs in just one night. *Sighs* Iori and Kyo are definitely having a hard time accepting their feelings./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"***/p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"Iori practiced for a while. The sound of his instrument always had a calming effect on him. He eventually forgot his embarrassment and focused only on the music. When he played, the world around him disappeared and he was one with the /br /Although Jazz was his favorite genre, he took that new music sheet as a challenge and enjoyed it. It sounded more menacing and darker than what he usually played. He liked it too. Somehow he felt connected to /br /He lost track of time and only the smell of food that triggered his hunger snapped him out of his trance. He stopped playing and was a bit surprised by Kyo standing next to the door frame. He was /br /"Not in the mood Kyo" Iori /br /"Hope, you're in the mood for food tho," He said while /br /Iori left his bass on the chair and stood /br /"Gotta feed the wolf," Kyo said and before Iori could say anything else he added "Or he may want to eat me"br /br /Iori approached him placing a hand on the wall next to Kyo's /br /"Well, that doesn't sound so bad..." He /br /"I know" He replied looking into his crimson eyes "Because I'm irresistible" the brunette smiled /br /"And annoying" Iori said putting a finger on his lips. Then he headed to the kitchen./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"***/p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"They ate some bento that Kyo got from the nearest 7/11, black pepper beef with rice for Iori, and seared eel with mushrooms for Kyo. It was already 7 in the evening when they finished and Kyo shared his plans for the night. He had a fight at the makeshift ring where Iori found him last week. The brunette was still wearing a band-aid on his nose (Courtesy of his headbutt) although his nose healed quite fast and was not inflamed, it still hurts a bit. The redhead was uneasy at first, the idea of Kyo fighting some randoms in an illegal fight where weapons were allowed, was not the brightest, but he knew Kyo didn't have many options since he couldn't finish high school (Thanks to being kidnapped by a terrorist underground organization on his last year) and most decent jobs required a diploma./p
p class="western"It was a tolerable option at the moment, but Iori wanted him to find something else to do in the long run, he was not kin of the idea of someone else hurting Kyo./p
p class="western"The Kusanagi heir em belonged /emto him./p
p class="western"Kyo promised to be careful. Thankfully, Kyo's fighting skills backed his mouth, he was pretty good (even if Iori didn't want to accept it) The amateur fighters weren't able to hit him yet./p
p class="western"After Kyo left, Iori went to the studio and continued his practice. With his shoulder injured (Due to fighting Kyo), he was taking longer than expected to learn the new songs, since he could only play for a certain amount of time before he had to stop. The painkillers helped and he was feeling so much better than before, but still, he hadn't regained full mobility of his arm. They promised the owner to play for 3 hours, so there were a lot of songs to practice./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"***/p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"That night, Kyo took down 4 opponents before being declared champion once again. He made decent money, mainly because one of the challengers had a katana sword and that drew the attention of the crowd making them spend more. As expected, Kyo managed to beat him without getting hit /br /"Kusanagi-san, Do you think you can manage to get Yagami-san to fight again?" The question surprised Kyo. For a moment he stared at the organizer blankly. The organizer was a short chubby middle-aged man that was always chewing on a /br /"Why?" Kyo asked while putting on his jacket, he was next to his motorbike and was about to leave the place when the organizer approached /br /"Because he's clearly the only one that can fight you as an equal" The man responded and then added "And the crowd went wild! Do you know how much money we made that night? Most people have seen KOF you know, Yagami-san's presence is impressive "br /br /"Yeah... well... What makes you think I can just contact Yagami and ask him to come?" Kyo replied with a somewhat pretentious smirk. "It's not like we're friends, you know?"br /br /"I supposed you're not" The organized sighed "But if you could find a way to bring him here... I'm sure the bets would be out of the roof and we'll make serious cash"br /br /"My rivalry with Yagami is not some publicity stunt" Kyo complained feeling a bit annoyed by the implication, he was sure Iori would not accept such a thing /br /"Just think about it" The announcer insisted. Kyo got onto his motorbike and put on the /br /"Don't get your hopes high" He replied while frowning./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"He drove his motorbike through the solitary streets of Osaka and arrived home around 2 A.M. He kept thinking about fighting Iori again. But the idea of doing it to put on a show for other people annoyed him. When he encountered Iori in the tournament in the past, it was always an exciting and thrilling experience. Kyo took it seriously, although he showed himself cocky and disdainful in the ring. If he didn't take Iori seriously he could... well em die /em. Iori was a strong opponent after all./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"But the idea of milking their rivalry for money made him feel uneasy. If he were to fight against Iori it would be because he wanted it and not for money./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"He entered the apartment and heard music coming from the small studio. Iori was still practicing. The brunette quickly forgot the situation with the organizer and remembered the Halloween party and the possibility of seeing Iori dressed as a werewolf. He smiled maliciously while thinking that he needed a costume too. With all the problems he caused with the cops last time, he didn't want anyone recognizing him, not to mention, Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami together at the same Halloween party would make people talk./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"He headed to the bathroom and took a quick shower, then he went into the studio dressed just in shorts and a towel around his neck. Iori was focused on his music as always, he looked like he was in another world. Kyo noticed that he had the laptop on the desk showing a video of what looked like a finished Livestream with the remaining members of the band, probably they had met online and played /br /Kyo was about to make a funny remark regarding the Halloween party, but when Iori lifted his face and looked at him with tired sleepy eyes, the jokes died out in his throat before he could say anything. Instead, Kyo felt the urge to embrace him in his /br /He didn't do it. He felt utterly embarrassed about hugging Iori out of nowhere and wasn't sure how the redhead would /br /"Hey... You're still playing?" He asked although the answer was /br /"Yeah"br /br /"Then I'll head to bed first... I..." Kyo mumbled avoiding Iori's gaze "I won a couple of fights," He said /br /"Good"br /br /"There was a guy with a Katana" Kyo commented while drying his hair with the /br /"A What?" This caught Iori's attention fully. He left the bass and turned the laptop /br /"Yeah. Funny tho"br /br /"Funny?" Iori raised an /br /"I mean... funny they think it would make a difference" Kyo shrugged "Anyway..."br /br /Iori stood up while frowning. He looked at Kyo for a moment with his tired crimson eyes now full of something else that at the moment, the brunette couldn't decipher. Then Iori headed for the bedroom without saying /br /They fell asleep soon after./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"***/p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"The Halloween party was finally happening. Iori was in the dressing room feeling self-conscious about his outfit. He originally thought his band-mates would come with silly cheap-looking Halloween costumes from a store, but instead, the guys bought outfits that look more like the kind of clothes a Visual Kei band would wear. The saxophonist was supposed to be a Zombie, the Vocalist a Vampire, the Pianist some sort of marine monster, and the drummer a ghost. They were chatting lively while putting on makeup and painting their nails black. Only Iori remained quiet while looking at himself in the /br /He was wearing a black faux fur jacket that somehow resembled the fur of a wolf. A black leather choker with metal spikes and under the coat he wasn't wearing a t-shirt, just his bare chest with several leather belts crossing from side to side. Finally, he had black rugged jeans with several holes around his legs to simulate the clothes being ripped apart by the werewolf's transformation. The band-mates insisted that he should let his nails grow like claws and paint them black. They also got a set of black wolf ears to put on his head and a long furry tail to clip to the back of his pants./p
p class="western"em He felt ridiculous! /em/p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"But there was nothing he could do about it. He accepted the terms of the contract. Besides, he knew his fans would be utterly disappointed if he was the only one not wearing a costume. /p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"They went to the stage after an hour or so of preparation. The audience when wild as soon as they saw them in their new attire. Iori avoided the stares of people and looked at his bass, playing with the cords while the vocalist addressed the excited crowd and introduced the set for the night./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"Then Iori felt the energy of someone he knew pretty well in the place./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"He frowned knowing who was the owner of such warm pleasant energy. He felt a wave of embarrassment rushing through his body at the thought of Kyo hiding somewhere making fun of him. Iori considered taking revenge somehow once they were back home. If the Kusanagi heir were to do something stupid tonight, he'll make him pay later./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"However, the performance commenced and there was no sign of Kyo. The redhead tried to focus on his instrument. He practiced for too long and didn't want to make mistakes. They played several covers of famous western and Japanese gothic rock bands. Luckily the vocalist sang decently in English. The audience danced to the music while the bar's ambiance became dark and mysterious. It was perfect for a Halloween theme party and the owner showed enthusiastic thumbs up from the bar counter during the intermission./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"After playing for almost two consecutive hours, they had a recess, Iori went down the stage intending to hide in the dressing room. He didn't want to deal with his fans and get his picture taken with that outfit. /p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"Without saying a word Iori walked through the crowd. His were eyes fixed on the floor and his hands in his pockets./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"Then he bumped into someone, he lifted his head and a man of his same height was dressed with... his own clothes?/p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"em Wait, what? /em/p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"Iori recognized one of his long red coats and tight leather pants. Then upon further inspection, he felt the Kusanagi's sword energy coming from this individual that was wearing a masquerade black mask./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western""Hey wolfy!" Kyo said while smiling. Tiny sharp fangs could be seen in his mouth./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western""It's that my coat?" Iori asked dumbfounded by Kyo's appearance. He was unrecognizable unless you paid special attention. But under the bar's dim lights and with people focused on dancing and drinking, nobody noticed./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western""Yeah, it turns out that, after looking for Vampire outfits on the Internet, your clothes pretty much matched the aesthetic." Replied Kyo putting his hands on his hips, his nails were painted black and he was wearing the black leather belts Iori had for the KOF tournament years ago. Kyo even wore one of his white shirts with the long collar out. He certainly looked like a Vampire straight out of the late ' /br /"Idiot" Iori replied with a subtle smile. Then dragged him around the dance floor, towards the back of the bar where the dressing room was /br /Iori pushed Kyo into the dressing room and closed the door behind him with a quick movement. Then he trapped the brunette against the wall putting his hands at both sides of his /br /He took the black mask and threw it to the side. Kyo was wearing black eyeliner and for some reason beyond his comprehension, it suited him so /br /"You look hot" Iori murmured taking his lips in a hungry /br /The brunette answered back opening his mouth and letting him in. His hands quickly traveled through the naked chest under Iori's fur jacket caressing the exposed skin of his /br /Kyo liked it when Iori was straightforward and showed his desire directly, although he felt embarrassed talking about feelings, having Iori express his attraction towards him felt satisfying. It fed his ego. And Kyo Kusanagi's ego was already high above the /br /Kyo felt Iori's hands also caressing his own chest while the kiss continued. He was feeling lightheaded. Suddenly the room felt /br /"You... look hot too," He managed to say stopping the kiss to breathe. "I was... honestly expecting a cheap costume... but it looks... really good".br /br /Iori grinned maliciously enjoying the compliment, then his right hand found what he was looking for inside Kyo's /br /The brunette gasped, feeling the heat rushing towards his head. They were still in the dressing room and, he was not expecting Iori to go that /br /"What are you doing?"br /br /" I'm about to snack on a juicy meal" He replied. His crimson eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. Or was it Kyo's imagination?br /br /Then Iori bit his neck earnestly, making Kyo wince in /br /Kyo closed his eyes overwhelmed by the mixed pain and pleasure he felt when Iori stroked him while biting his /br /"I'm a Vampire... I'm should be the one biting and sucking your blood..." Kyo said playfully while his breathing became /br /"It's that so?" Iori replied licking his neck. Then hold Kyo by the hair pulling it a bit "It suits you since you like sucking me"br /br /Kyo quickly blushed and was taken aback by the comment. Iori smirked, quite pleased with the brunette's reaction. There was something about his blushed expression that always awake something deep inside of him. It was like a dormant beast waiting patiently to surface and Kyo's submissive expression always did the /br /Iori was pretty hard now and did not want to stop until the brunette was screaming his name. He kissed Kyo aggressively moving his hand faster inside his pants. The brunette whimpered in between the kiss while scratching Iori's chest /br /Then someone tried to open the locked door and eventually started /br /Iori and Kyo froze on the /br /"Yagami-san are you there?" The voice of the drummer could be heard through the door. Iori cursed in a whisper. Kyo felt like he was about to get a heart attack at any /br /"What do you want?" Iori replied, his voice low almost sounding like an annoyed /br /"Oh... well... the performance... we need to continue playing" The drummer /br /"Give me a minute" Iori /br /"Ok... we'll be waiting at the stage" The drummer added and /br /"Wait for a while before going out" He /br /"I know... I'm not an idiot" Kyo whispered back feeling irritated by the interruption as well. He understood Iori needed to go back to the stage. But he couldn't conceal his /br /It was difficult to think straight while Yagami stroked his crotch like /br /Now he had a painful erection to deal with it for the rest of the night. Kyo pouted and Iori smiled mischievously as if he could read his mind./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"***/p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"Iori returned to the stage a couple of minutes later and continued the performance as if nothing had really happened. The band played for another hour and a half. Meanwhile, Kyo left the dressing room while carefully avoiding being seen and sneaked to the back while wearing his mask again. He ordered a Martini shoot and laid against the wall looking /br /He was drinking while watching Iori play, when the pretty face of a woman, appeared in front of /br /"What are you drinking handsome?" She asked with a sensual smile on her black lips. She wore a short black dress that allow her well-toned legs to be seen and a deep cleavage, showing half of her round boobs. She wore a witch hat and violet highlights on her jet black hair./p
p class="western""Hey" Slightly startled by the sudden apparition Kyo replied. "Do I know you?"br /br /"You know me now" She replied winking. "I'm Akane and you?"br /br /"Kyo...suke"br /br /"It's a pleasure Kyosuke," She said "Umm Martini? Good choice, although I'm a Mojito kind of girl"br /br /"I see" Kyo replied not very sure where the conversation was going. His mind was still on what happened in the dressing /br /"Come here often?"br /br /"First time" Kyo finally laid eyes on her and paid attention to her appearance and body language. He quickly realized that she was tipsy and noticed how her eyes shamefully traced the muscles of his chest that were visible through the cleavage in his white /br /"The band is good, isn't it?" She said. Kyo just nodded. "The bassist is so dreamy but is a total asshole"br /br /Kyo nearly choked on the martini and turned his head curiously./p
p class="western""Why? Something happened?" He asked./p
p class="western""Well... maybe you're not interested in petty gossip..."/p
p class="western""I have nothing better to do" Replied Kyo shrugging./p
p class="western""Ok... the gossip is that he used to sleep with lots of his fans," Akane told him with a malicious grin, Kyo look at her disdainfully. "And then... he suddenly stopped"/p
p class="western""And?" Kyo asked failing to see why that made Yagami an asshole./p
p class="western""And it's unfair! He is single you know? But he rejected all the girls that approached him with a cold attitude... what an asshole, my friend cried for weeks after she slept with him once."/p
p class="western"Kyo closed his eyes thinking that perhaps the 'em friend /em' she was referring to was Akane herself. /p
p class="western""Well, maybe he got someone special" Kyo retorted, and right after saying that, he was aware of the implications./p
p class="western"Was em he /em that em 'special someone' /emin Yagami's life?/p
p class="western"Honestly, they never addressed that part of their weird relationship. They never discussed if they were allowed to see other people. He had no idea about what kind of relationship they had in the first place. They rented a place together because it was convenient for having sex, and sometimes it felt like living with a roommate, not with a lover./p
p class="western"Kyo was suddenly aware that he didn't feel like he was in a committed relationship with Iori./p
p class="western""You think? But his official profile says he's single... he is a KOF fighter as well" Akane continued then her eyes went back to Kyo. "How about you Kyosuke-kun?"/p
p class="western""Me?"/p
p class="western""Got someone?" She asked./p
p class="western""Umm... yeah, girlfriend" He replied vaguely while sipping his Martini./p
p class="western""Where is she? Surely she wouldn't allow his cute vampire boyfriend to come along to a party like this..." Akane was now pressing herself on his side. Kyo felt her soft chest against his arm and felt a bit embarrassed. Then his eyes met with Iori's who was still on stage. The Yagami heir was looking at him like an assassin that just locked his next target./p
p class="western""She went to the 7/11 to grab some snacks" Kyo lied feeling uncomfortable in-between Iori's gaze and the girl's insistent attention. Probably in a different timeline, Kyo could have reacted differently, but at that moment he honestly had no interest in the woman, despite being quite sexy./p
p class="western"em What the hell was happening? /em/p
p class="western"Abruptly Kyo realized that since he kissed Iori in the tournament's locker room 6 months ago, he never stopped thinking about him. He no longer paid attention to women. The realization took him by surprise. He felt scared of what that could imply./p
p class="western"Did he feel something else for Iori than just physical attraction?/p
p class="western""Oh... I see. Got it" The girl replied and awkwardly excused herself to go to the restroom./p
p class="western"Kyo felt dizzy out of sudden. em Was it the Martini? /emHe could no longer look at Iori who was still staring at him while playing. The brunette felt the urge to leave. He finished his drink in one gulp then scurried back to the entrance looking on his phone to call a cab./p
p class="western"He didn't ride his motorbike to the bar thinking that he may drink. Plus he was expecting to go back in Iori's car at the end./p
p class="western"At the moment Kyo just wanted to clear his mind. He needed to put some distance between himself and Iori. He didn't like the weird feeling that settled in his gut. He felt overwhelmed./p
p class="western"em And scared. /em/p
p class="western"Then when he was about to press the button to call a ride, he hesitated./p
p class="western"em What the hell was he doing? /em/p
p class="western"He was Kyo Kusanagi for god's sake, he was no coward. He closed his eyes trying to shake that odd feeling and regain composure./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"***/p
p class="western"One hour later, the performance finished. The band members stayed in the party that continued nonstop until early morning, a Dj was taking the stage after them. But Iori quickly went to the dressing room, gathered his bass and bag without caring about changing into his clothes./p
p class="western"He was feeling quite uneasy after noticing Kyo talking with the pretty girl. It was obvious that the woman was filtring with him./p
p class="western"Iori didn't like that uncomfortable jealousy that crept out of nowhere and settled in his gut during the night./p
p class="western"Once again, he tried to feel Kyo's energy. Who would have thought that his ability to feel the sacred treasure inside Kyo was so handy? He was using it more than expected even after they started living together. And he stopped stalking the Kusanagi heir./p
p class="western"After clearing his mind and focusing for a bit, he felt it. He walked down the quiet streets at a quick pace feeling suddenly anxious. em He hated it. /em/p
p class="western"The spiritual trail led him to the parking lot where he left his car. It was around 2 A.M. the place was desolate. He found his black Nissan and saw a lonely figure sitting on top of the hood. Kyo, still dressed as a vampire looked at his phone with a lazy expression./p
p class="western""Finally," He said when Iori approached. The brunette lifted his face with a tiny smile and jumped on the floor "Almost fell asleep for a moment"br /br /"Why did you leave?" Iori asked while opening the driver's door. Kyo got into the passenger seat and got /br /"Because the party was annoying" He replied. Iori left the bass in the back seat and secured it with a /br /"Hmn..."br /br /"I mean, I like your music, although you know, I prefer hard rock or metal, but it was good" Kyo clarified. Iori stayed quiet for a long moment without starting the /br /"You didn't have to wait for me," He said realizing that Kyo waited for more than an /br /"I didn't bring my bike, I was not sure if I would end up drinking" Kyo replied with a yawn "I know I'm a reckless idiot, but not that stupid to drive while drunk" He added in a joking /br /"You could take a cab" Iori continued, his hands holding the steering wheel with much force than /br /"Just... drive okay?" Kyo said turning his blushed face to the side./p
p class="western"Iori sighed and finally started the car. What a weird night that was. Kyo waiting for him in such cold weather was a sweet gesture. Iori didn't like how it made him feel, he didn't like that fuzzy feeling he had in his stomach at that very moment and he hated even more that he was jealous of a random woman that approached Kyo. And on top of that, he felt nervous and eager to find Kyo./p
p class="western"That vulnerability was uncomfortable. He hated it./p
p class="western"em They both hated it. /em/p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"em *** /em/p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"Almost an hour later, they arrived at their shared apartment, and just when Iori was about to take off his fur jacket, Kyo hold his arm and made him turn around. With a quick movement, the Kusanagi heir took a selfie./p
p class="western""The fuck? Delete it!" Iori exclaimed while trying to grab Kyo's phone but the brunette anticipated his reaction and hide the phone behind his back. Iori tried to grab it again and they struggled for a bit./p
p class="western""Stop it! I want this photo for myself!" He added while giggling. "Besides, it's not like I can show it to anyone... like... well you know" Iori finally stopped and crossed his arms looking irritated./p
p class="western""Oh, come on! Don't look at me like that" Kyo complained because Iori kept stating "You know we both look good, it deserves a selfie"/p
p class="western""Whatever" Iori said frowning. Then headed to the bathroom./p
p class="western"em First Halloween together /em, Kyo thought but didn't dare to say it out loud. He looked at the picture and smiled, Iori's expression was funny, he was caught out of guard and looked almost innocent in the selfie./p
p class="western"He carefully saved the picture and sent a copy to his own Email, just in case the redhead snatched his phone. Then he joined Iori in the bedroom after taking a hot bath and cleaning all the makeup./p
p class="western"Kyo waited for Iori to fall asleep and when he noticed his calm breathing, he approached timidly embracing him with his arms, hugging him from his back. Kyo placed his face against Iori's nape. His crimson hair smelled like lavender. Slowly the brunette fell asleep while holding him tightly./p
p class="western"He didn't realize Iori was awake./p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"strong Owari. /strong/p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"strong Ending notes: /strong/p
p class="western" /p
p class="western"I had an idea for this one-shot and things got out of control and eventually ended like this. So many ups and downs in just one night. *Sighs* Iori and Kyo are definitely having a hard time accepting their feelings./p