Chocolate Treat: Part Three
By. Box
10/12/03

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Mr. Thompson's party was, thankfully, more tolerable than the one they had left behind. Here, at least, there was more breathing room, and the lights were brighter, but in a soothing way. Nagi was grateful, because he was sure his eyes were bloodshot by now from the eye makeup. How women could stand such torture to their eyes on a daily basis was beyond him.

The guests were more refine, there were no under the table horizontal tangos, and Nagi didn't have to worry about the drinks being spiked, or the food being laced with drugs. So with a small platter of fruits and a few finger sandwiches, Nagi hid himself in a small, discreet corner since Crawford had allowed them relatively free reign of the area--as long as they kept in good distance of Mr. Thompson who hadn't invited them just for the pleasure of their company, they were still on guard duty.

Crawford mingled with Mr. Thompson and his associates, Farfarello had disappeared some time ago in search of the large, cross statue Thompson had claimed to have erected in his backyard, and Schuldig had disappeared, most likely charming his way into some unsuspecting pair of skirts, or pants, for the evening.

Nagi was content in satisfying his protesting stomach and not feeling stifled or suffocated by excessive body heat. Although he'd be more grateful once he was actually out of any public area, out of his costume, and out of his makeup.

He missed his laptop.

Fruits and sandwiches polished off, Nagi remembered belatedly to have gotten a drink.

Resisting the urge to bite down on his lower lip in exasperation (his lips were painted red) Nagi was startled to suddenly find a glass filled with clear liquid being proffered to him.

Looking up in confusion, he found himself at he receiving end of an amiable, and open smile. Gray eyes twinkled at him, and he absently noted that the young man offering him the drink was dressed in a nurse's outfit, fishnet stockings replacing roll-up white socks, and ostentatious six and a half inch heels.

Brows raising, he merely stared at the glass, and the man, with an inscrutable expression.

The man was undeterred, if anything, his smile grew wider, warmer, and Nagi noticed his lips were also painted red, but of a more fiery shade.

"Hello. My name's Alexander Perkins, but everyone just calls me Alex. I couldn't help but notice how you were avoiding mingling with everyone else. You've got the right idea, if you ask me." Nagi didn't ask. "In any case, I couldn't help but notice that you didn't have a drink, so I thought it would be a pleasant excuse to come over here and hide here with you. And talk, if I'm lucky, since you don't seem like the conversational type."

Nagi was flabbergasted by the stranger's incessant yammering. If he knew Nagi preferred to solitude to company, then why bother trying to chat Nagi up? Or flirt, because Nagi had the distinct feeling that he was indeed being flirted with.

Sighing, he took the glass gingerly from the other man's hand, careful to avoid unwanted contact. Alex smiled and made himself comfortable next to Nagi on the floor, legs demurely crossed at his ankles to avoid any further indecent exposure, and together they looked back out onto the rest of the floor were many danced on one side and even more lingered and talking quietly, and at times laughing uproariously, to themselves.

Alex finally broke the silence after several minutes, and turned again to face Nagi, who continued to sit, and sip his drink at a slow pace. Light, fruit flavored water, Nagi was surprised Alex hadn't tried to slip him alcohol, although you couldn't really decipher Nagi's age underneath all of this makeup, despite his petite stature--or maybe that should be because of. Nagi hated to be reminded of his "late blooming", even if it was by himself.

"Hm, you accepted the drink, but you didn't offer a name. Would it be okay if I were to ask you for your name?" Alex's teasing smile suddenly reminded him of Schuldig's smile, although Alex's was a hundred times less perverted seeming.

Several more minutes passed in silence, and Alex was close to sighing and settling back comfortably against the wall when Nagi suddenly spoke. His voice soft, but hardly shy.

"Na-kamura Natsu."

Nagi had nearly given the other man his true name. He frowned and berated himself harshly for the near slip up.

"Nakamura Natsu?" Alex's accent was surprisingly good. "Natsu is your first name, right? You're... Japanese?"

Nagi nodded. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Alex's smile had returned. "That's cool. Are you visiting from Japan?"

Nagi hesitated for a split second, to other observers, there was really no noticeable pause. "Yes."

Alex nodded, still smiling. "Do you like it here?"

Nagi shrugged, the slightest shift of his shoulders, that if Alex hadn't been watching him so closely, he wouldn't have noticed.

The smile widened into a grin. "Yeah, a lot of my friends, when they visit me, get like that a lot." Alex continued to chatter about all of the places he had been to, including Japan (of which, he commented with flirtatious grin, he had loved and hoped to return to sometime soon), and Nagi was interject with a soft negative or positive when asked a question, or a shrug of his shoulders or shake of his head.

The minutes passed on into hours, and ninety-nine percent of it had been all Alex's doing. Nagi paid barely half of his attention to the young man's (who was actually only 19, just two years Nagi's senior) voice, but he was once more taken by surprise when a whirlwind of flowing colors appeared before his glazed eyes.

Next to him. Alex had halted his flow of words, and was now blinking up at Schuldig in surprise, and no little amount of interest. Schuldig's green eyes gleamed, and his lips were curved in a slow smile as he stared down at the two teenagers.

New boytoy, little one? You wound me! Am I not good enough for you, little liebe? Schuldig's voice purred, and behind the mask Nagi could see the green eyes dancing and laughing.

Nagi flushed for the second time that night, thankful that the makeup hid his reaction.

Before he could reply with a retort, Schuldig was already hoisting him up, gracefully controlling Nagi's momentum upwards onto his feet. After having sat down for so long on the hard ground (despite the small cushioning provided by Nagi's thick pants) and he tottered on his feet slightly as the blood flow surged through his lower body. Schuldig helped steady Nagi with a careful hand around Nagi's own, and another around the boy's waist. Nagi's eyes widened in surprise and then narrowed as he jerked himself away from the precocious position he had found himself in with the German.

Schuldig's eyes only glowed a more vivid green before he turned his attention on Alex, who was still sitting on the floor. Schuldig extended his hand, and in a low, smooth voice that left a visibly impressive impact on Alex, asked if he needed a hand up. Alex, not needing to be asked twice, was soon caught up in this stranger who had managed to actually touch the younger Japanese boy without having his hand bitten off.

For that was the impression that Alex got from Nagi: WARNING, DO NOT TOUCH.

Schuldig turned towards Nagi slightly. "Nagi? Aren't you going to introduce me to your new friend, here?" His English accent was by far better than his Japanese one. Nagi shrugged, busy wondering why he was suddenly lightheaded and felt ill-at-ease.

Schuldig pouted at the younger boy playfully before turning back to Alex. "Forgive my young friend, he is what you say, a party pooper." Alex laughed, gray eyes as bright as they had been when talking with Nagi. "My name is Erich, and you are?"

"I'm Alexander Perkins, but you can call me Alex."

Nagi watched the familiar, warm smile glow on Alex's face. For some reason, it seemed to make him sick.]

Then he realized why--because it was familiar. But Nagi couldn't begrudge the young man, could he? It was stupid and pointless to feel twinges of anger and, he was horrified to find, pangs of longing, that he was regarded along the same terms as Schuldig, and possibly everyone else the young man had befriended. HIs open, warm smiles, and the easy way he had conversed (albeit, somewhat one-sided) with Nagi was just the way the young man was.

It didn't make sense to Nagi, this sudden desire to... to what? To feel... special.

The word nearly made Nagi snarl. Where were these idiotic thoughts and feelings come from? This was useless. And would they stop flirting or just get a damn room already? Nagi resisted the urge to turn and stalk outside, where he could most likely find Farfarello and not have to deal with this insanity brewing inside his mind.

It seemed, though, that Schuldig was finished for the night because soon Nagi found himself staring blankly at Alex's disappointed face and saying good-bye while Schulding steered him towards the entrance.

Nagi, when he came to, jerked his arm back from Schuldig's hold. An unusual, uncharacteristically irrational anger, consuming him.

Schuldig's brow arched behind his mask before he suddenly smiled, slow and wide. He reached out to tug gently at one of the chiming bells on Nagi's hat. "Why, liebe, are you jealous?"

Nagi shot the taller man a dark look. "Shut up Schuldig."

Schuldig blew him a kiss. "You are jealous! Mmm, so cute and sexy when you're jealous." The German's voice was a lilting sing-song, and he laughed at Nagi's darkening expression.

"Don't be jealous of me, little one. Your little friend enjoyed your company greatly," he winked at Nagi, "If his thoughts were anything to go by."

Nagi's eyes snapped. "I'm not jealous you."

Schuldig's brow rose once more, and then a simply pleased look entered his face. It was apparent, even to Nagi, the suggestive look that had come over the other man's features. Then Nagi realized why, and flushed hotly underneath his makeup.

"That's NOT what I meant!" The protest stumbled from Nagi's lips furiously, and he knew as soon as they had been uttered that he had spoken them too fast, too strongly.

"Ja, lovely, ja. Of course! Whatever you say!" He purred, smirked, and ran slender fingers along the edges of Nagi's collar. "Don't worry liebe, you're my one and only. I'll be sure to give you a special treat tonight, ne!" He laughed and pursed his lips in a kissy-kissy expression at Nagi.

Nagi's breath hitched, and he was nearly shaking from anger and embarrassment. He would have definitely done something, he wasn't sure what, but it was definitely something painful, to the German when they were interrupted by Crawford and Farfarello coming to join them.

Face brewing like a cloudy rainstorm, Nagi cursed Crawford's and Farfarello's bad timing, and Schuldig's never ending good luck in thwarting Nagi's vengeance for the umpteenth time that night.

Soon, very soon, and Schuldig would pay.

Schuldig had caught the scowling boy's thought, but he refrained from making a jest of it. Instead, a playful smile lingered along his lips as he turned his teasing, innuendo-filled attention on their leader.

Crawford took it in stride and, unlike Nagi, succeeded in keeping his cool and ignoring the other man's jibes and leers.