A/N: Finally I've gotten back to this poor story! *embraces
it* I missed it so, but this chapter gave me SO much trouble.
But, now . . . *sticks a fork in it* . . . it is DONE! Mwahaha!
Still Mr. Q's POV. -^__^- Beware the evil of the transition chapter.
*
*
"The Scent of Forgotten Cologne"
*
*
Hao gives me a dubious look through the bars of the cell. "Do I even want to know, old man?" he asks, sighing faintly around the unlit cigarette in his mouth.
"Shut up and post our bail before I have to make Yuu my bitch," I order, sticking my tongue out at him. "And I'm not old, you little perv. I am young and virile and could so outlast you."
"What happened?" Ailin asks curiously, getting up on her tiptoes and hooking her elbows around the bars.
"Officer Raye Thatcher's partner," Yuu retorts dryly from the bed. "He wasn't very happy when he caught her screwing around with Koibito behind the bar."
"Feh, he's just jealous of my natural beauty and whorish boyfriend," I scoff.
"Who's a whore?" Yuu demands, glaring at me.
"Who said YOU were my boyfriend? Besides, you're the one who's reclining half-naked on the bed," I retort glibly.
"Because you stole my SHIRT!" Yuu yells. "And I'm not 'reclining,' thank you very much! I have a bullet hole in my arm thanks to you two and your psycho antics!"
I smile innocently. "Well, mine's in the wash," I tell him. "Did you want ME to waltz about half-naked? Personally, I don't think they could handle it."
"It wouldn't BE in the wash if you hadn't gotten BLOOD all over it," Yuu snaps sourly.
"You started the bar fight, not me," I huff in reply.
"I was defending your honor," Yuu grumbles. Ailin tries very hard to keep a straight face. Hao just cracks up. "Oh, shut up," he mutters.
"Still, it's a shame," I continue wistfully, taking a moment to reminisce about the underside of the counter and one of the better fifteen minutes of my life. "That Raye is a hot little bitch."
"Shut up, slut," Yuu says sourly. "Ma, did you bring my checkbook?"
"Yup," Hao replies, brandishing said booklet between his index and pointer fingers. He has very nice fingers. Long and thinly elegant, though it's hard to tell under the rings and leather bracers. He's so pierced up that it's not even funny, but he's got a classical beauty concealed underneath (and hiding very, very well).
"Hey, where's the oh-so-scrumptious Binary?" I ask, suddenly realizing that the overall sexiness factor of our local punk kids is down by a significant amount.
"She didn't wanna come when she found out we were hittin' the station," Hao explains, handing Yuu his checkbook and lighting his cigarette. "And all things considered, I don't wanna be here either, so if we can get this over with . . .?"
"No worries," I assure him. "Yuu-chan! Quick, break down the bars!"
"Perhaps we could wait for the key, koibito?" Yuu drawls dryly.
"You're no fun," I mutter.
"Moron," Hao snorts even as one of the officers unlocks the door. I breathe in deeply, vaguely recognizing a scent, and wind up with my face in Hao's chest.
"That," I say with a content sigh as the others give me odd looks, "is the best cologne EVER."
Yuu leans over slightly and sniffs also, wrinkling his nose. "Really?" he asks doubtfully. "But isn't it the kind that Mr. Roses uses?"
"Do you have to ruin all of my orgasmic experiences?" I ask him sourly. "Besides," I add softly, "it reminds me of Lenore."
"Oh God," Yuu says in exasperation. "Not this again."
"Who's Lenore?" Hao asks in confusion, surreptitiously trying to wriggle away from me. Ailin looks dismayed.
"You don't really mean that Hao is your Lenore, do you?" she asks softly. There probably isn't a person in my apartment building that doesn't know about my soulmate-obsession.
"No, just that he smells SO good right now," I correct her, breathing in deeply again. And he does. He smells like leather and cigarettes and THAT cologne: the one that makes my fingers itch for the violin that I can't play.
I love that cologne. I think, in one life, that my soulmate- my Lenore- might have worn it.
I also think that Hao understands what we are talking about, even if he doesn't understand the words, because he doesn't push me away or try to escape again.
"You didn't react like this earlier," he says dubiously.
I want to explain, but I don't think I'm in any condition to. Only, I didn't remember before. There is so much in me right now that I don't think I ever really experienced, but I can't seem to get it all straightened out. At any given moment, anything could come to mind.
He's shorter than he used to be. Or am I taller?
But what do I mean by "used to be?"
I can smell it still. That cologne, and the memory of grease and the sharp tang of metal and sex and rocket fuel; pressed in a cramped space and desperately wanting That Person and feeling so embarrassed/beautiful/loved, and oh God, I want him back . . .
I say a name that never reaches my ears, and suddenly my heart hurts and everything goes black.
The last thing I think of is green.
*
*
* tbc . . . *
*
*
. : this is the now : .
Still Mr. Q's POV. -^__^- Beware the evil of the transition chapter.
*
*
"The Scent of Forgotten Cologne"
*
*
Hao gives me a dubious look through the bars of the cell. "Do I even want to know, old man?" he asks, sighing faintly around the unlit cigarette in his mouth.
"Shut up and post our bail before I have to make Yuu my bitch," I order, sticking my tongue out at him. "And I'm not old, you little perv. I am young and virile and could so outlast you."
"What happened?" Ailin asks curiously, getting up on her tiptoes and hooking her elbows around the bars.
"Officer Raye Thatcher's partner," Yuu retorts dryly from the bed. "He wasn't very happy when he caught her screwing around with Koibito behind the bar."
"Feh, he's just jealous of my natural beauty and whorish boyfriend," I scoff.
"Who's a whore?" Yuu demands, glaring at me.
"Who said YOU were my boyfriend? Besides, you're the one who's reclining half-naked on the bed," I retort glibly.
"Because you stole my SHIRT!" Yuu yells. "And I'm not 'reclining,' thank you very much! I have a bullet hole in my arm thanks to you two and your psycho antics!"
I smile innocently. "Well, mine's in the wash," I tell him. "Did you want ME to waltz about half-naked? Personally, I don't think they could handle it."
"It wouldn't BE in the wash if you hadn't gotten BLOOD all over it," Yuu snaps sourly.
"You started the bar fight, not me," I huff in reply.
"I was defending your honor," Yuu grumbles. Ailin tries very hard to keep a straight face. Hao just cracks up. "Oh, shut up," he mutters.
"Still, it's a shame," I continue wistfully, taking a moment to reminisce about the underside of the counter and one of the better fifteen minutes of my life. "That Raye is a hot little bitch."
"Shut up, slut," Yuu says sourly. "Ma, did you bring my checkbook?"
"Yup," Hao replies, brandishing said booklet between his index and pointer fingers. He has very nice fingers. Long and thinly elegant, though it's hard to tell under the rings and leather bracers. He's so pierced up that it's not even funny, but he's got a classical beauty concealed underneath (and hiding very, very well).
"Hey, where's the oh-so-scrumptious Binary?" I ask, suddenly realizing that the overall sexiness factor of our local punk kids is down by a significant amount.
"She didn't wanna come when she found out we were hittin' the station," Hao explains, handing Yuu his checkbook and lighting his cigarette. "And all things considered, I don't wanna be here either, so if we can get this over with . . .?"
"No worries," I assure him. "Yuu-chan! Quick, break down the bars!"
"Perhaps we could wait for the key, koibito?" Yuu drawls dryly.
"You're no fun," I mutter.
"Moron," Hao snorts even as one of the officers unlocks the door. I breathe in deeply, vaguely recognizing a scent, and wind up with my face in Hao's chest.
"That," I say with a content sigh as the others give me odd looks, "is the best cologne EVER."
Yuu leans over slightly and sniffs also, wrinkling his nose. "Really?" he asks doubtfully. "But isn't it the kind that Mr. Roses uses?"
"Do you have to ruin all of my orgasmic experiences?" I ask him sourly. "Besides," I add softly, "it reminds me of Lenore."
"Oh God," Yuu says in exasperation. "Not this again."
"Who's Lenore?" Hao asks in confusion, surreptitiously trying to wriggle away from me. Ailin looks dismayed.
"You don't really mean that Hao is your Lenore, do you?" she asks softly. There probably isn't a person in my apartment building that doesn't know about my soulmate-obsession.
"No, just that he smells SO good right now," I correct her, breathing in deeply again. And he does. He smells like leather and cigarettes and THAT cologne: the one that makes my fingers itch for the violin that I can't play.
I love that cologne. I think, in one life, that my soulmate- my Lenore- might have worn it.
I also think that Hao understands what we are talking about, even if he doesn't understand the words, because he doesn't push me away or try to escape again.
"You didn't react like this earlier," he says dubiously.
I want to explain, but I don't think I'm in any condition to. Only, I didn't remember before. There is so much in me right now that I don't think I ever really experienced, but I can't seem to get it all straightened out. At any given moment, anything could come to mind.
He's shorter than he used to be. Or am I taller?
But what do I mean by "used to be?"
I can smell it still. That cologne, and the memory of grease and the sharp tang of metal and sex and rocket fuel; pressed in a cramped space and desperately wanting That Person and feeling so embarrassed/beautiful/loved, and oh God, I want him back . . .
I say a name that never reaches my ears, and suddenly my heart hurts and everything goes black.
The last thing I think of is green.
*
*
* tbc . . . *
*
*
. : this is the now : .
