---This chapter is dedicated to Melfice for all of her wonderful contributions to this section. I'm loving all of the shounen-ai! XD---
Notes: I'm glad this story got a positive response. I'll admit, I was quite worried that the Fire Emblem section of FF.net would be less than supportive, but you guys have proved me wrong. I love how everyone here is so eager to read everyone else's work and critique it positively and respond with nice comments. Everyone here is so nice…
I know this idea is kind of wild, but I promise that it will make sense later on. I've already planned out how it will tie in with the game, and the result will be quite humorous…that is, if I can write it well enough.
Warnings: Do I even have to repeat myself? You guys know what it's all about, especially if you've already read the first chapter or anything else I've written. Very brief KentxSain action in this chapter and implied RathxWil and MatthewxGuy.
Disclaimer: Fire Emblem is not mine, sadly. If it were mine, Kent and Sain would be more than just "companions." Alas, I do not own it. I'm still in school for God's sake. Oh right, and Iron Chef belongs to some other dudes, not me. Plus, I don't own Blink-182 or their song, "Always." (I use some of its lyrics later on, in case you were wondering.)
So, without further ado, I give you:
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Simply A Corporate Affair – Chapter Two
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A steaming cup of coffee was placed in front of a very worn-out Kent. The hot beverage warmed his hand as he picked up the Styrofoam cup and raised it to his lips, his eyes inspecting the swirling shades of creamy brown. Kent took a small sip of the drink, testing the temperature and flavor.
Coffee; something had tasted like coffee to Kent earlier today. On the subway, when he and Sain had kissed…Sain had slightly tasted of coffee. Yes, like coffee, with a hint of hazelnut and something sweet. Savoring the taste of the coffee that reminded him of his new secretary, Kent quickly downed half of his cup of the hot liquid.
After a moment, Kent realized what he was doing. Did he only like the coffee because it tasted like Sain had earlier? Suddenly disgusted with himself, Kent spit out the remaining coffee that had been in his mouth, dotting his paperwork with light brown specks.
"Is it not to your liking?"
Kent lowered his cup and looked up at a very pissed off Erk. Well, he always looked irritated, but when people didn't like his coffee, it really seemed to unsettle him. Purple eyes narrowed and Erk's hand snatched away the Styrofoam cup from Kent's loose grip.
As he turned to leave the office, Erk suddenly stopped and faced Kent. "That's odd; just a minute ago, you seemed to be enjoying it quite a lot." After shooting Kent an annoyed look, Erk faced the door and exited Kent's office, coffee still in hand.
Kent grimaced; yes, he had been enjoying it. He had savored the taste of Sain's lips and-
"Gah! Not again!" Kent rested his head in his hands as he tried to block out his thoughts of a certain lecherous secretary.
Why was it that Kent was being affected so much by one stupid kiss? Really, it wasn't even a kiss; it had turned out to be something more along the lines of a sloppy…spit exchange, although if he thought about it, the two were very similar.
Kent mentally reprimanded himself to stop thinking about anything spit, kiss, or Sain related. He also decided that looking through the window of his door (just to look at Sain in his smaller office right outside) was not helping the situation at all.
Sighing, Kent made his way back to his desk as he raked a shaky hand through his hair. What was he going to do with Sain? Could Kent actually expect him to do his job? Could he trust him with his clients' calls and paperwork? Whether he would be good with handling Kent's paperwork was questionable, especially since his suitcase that had busted open against the wall earlier that day had been far from organized.
The soft leather of Kent's desk chair was very inviting to Kent at that time so he decided to sit down in it, prop his legs up on his desk, and sleep. Now this was highly abnormal for Kent, the company's usual high-achiever, but today was just one of those days; sometimes Kent couldn't deal with stress, much like what today had brought. Hoping that he went unnoticed, Kent finally dozed off, not worrying anymore about work, coffee stains, or Sain. Well…he tried not to as best as he could…
---
Soft humming could be heard inside the copy room as Wil, a youthful guy with somewhat spiky brown hair, danced about. Erk's coffee had really revved him up, and for Wil, that was a bad thing. A coffee-drugged Wil was almost two times as hyper as a normal Wil.
"So why's your name only spelled with one 'l,' anyways?" Serra asked the currently bouncy Wil as she slammed the top of the copier down over that week's agenda.
Wil stopped humming but didn't cease to dance for one second as he responded. "Honestly Serra, I don't really know." He shrugged as he spun around in circles. "Maybe Mom was a bad speller."
Serra giggled as she sat herself on top of the copier, accidentally hitting the "copy number" button and tracing her leg over "9" twice. Being somewhat oblivious to what was going on, Serra twirled a cotton candy colored pigtail around her index finger, eyes fixated on Wil's dancing form.
"You know, if you take that tray out that catches the papers, they fly all over the room since the AC vent is right by where they come out." Wil laughed as he spun over to the copier. "Wanna see?"
Serra's slender legs swung back and forth over the copier's buttons, pressing five different numbers all at once. "Of course!" she said, the fluorescent lights shimmering in her colorful eyes.
Wil held down a switch under the tray and removed it with ease. The remaining copies began to flood the room; they slid out of the copier, fell slightly, and were propelled into the air by the gust of cool air coming from the vent on the floor.
Serra and Wil both tried to catch the papers, laughing like small children all the while. Unfortunately for them, the door to the room opened in a matter of minutes and in walked Raven, the building's notoriously moody head janitor.
"What the hell is going on here?!" Raven shouted as he swatted away an onslaught of flying papers.
Serra and Wil flinched simultaneously as they shared looks of distress.
"Er…" Wil tried to stop the machine from copying; after faking pressing buttons, he managed to muster up enough courage to look back up at the very angry janitor. "Must be…broken. Ahahaha!"
Raven hardly bought Wil's excuse, his nervous laughter easily giving himself away. "Shut up and make it stop, idiot."
Serra hopped off of the copier and pushed Raven aside as she left the room, escaping the situation without a worry and purposely leaving Wil behind to deal with the mess.
Will sighed as he pushed buttons on the machine, programming it to stop. Serra had never been the most loyal friend to Wil; however, Serra was like that with everyone, well, everyone but Erk.
"You got it to stop?" Raven asked. Disheveled brown bangs fell over his face as Wil silently responded with a curt nod. "Good, now attach the tray and leave me to clean up your mess." The final sheet of paper flew at Raven's face and he dodged it with ease, catching it in his left hand instead of ending up with a paper cut by his left eye. Reading over the title, Raven mumbled something that sounded like "Agenda…" and proceeded to rip the piece of paper in two.
Wil soon did as he was told and quickly left the room, not having enough courage to deal with Raven's rude sneering any longer. Plus, that paper ripping display that the crimson-haired man had put on struck Wil as semi-threatening. If he hadn't left the room when he did, the janitor probably would have given him some sort of bodily injury.
Wil lazily flopped himself against the nearest wall and let out an exasperated groan; his day had been going so well, too. All of a sudden, the elevator doors opened to reveal a man clad in a brown uniform who stepped out into the room. Both of the men immediately locked eyes; it seemed that there had been a change of fate for Wil.
The shy, long green-haired man walked forward a few steps. He looked quite foreign and owned two of the most exotic eyes Wil had ever seen; of course, this most certainly wasn't the first time he had admired them.
"…UPS delivery." The deliveryman proclaimed, still looking at Wil with a serene gaze.
Wil eagerly accepted the package from him and offered the man a warm, very Wil-like smile. Looking behind him, Wil frowned as he realized the copy room was currently occupied. Noticing the storage closet on the other side of the room, Wil smiled once more and gestured towards it. "Rath, I'll sign for it…in there."
Rath, the UPS man, tried his best not to grin; their weekly ritual had started to have a strange effect on him.
"Fine." He stated, noticing Wil's small wink and the hint of pink fluttering across his cheeks. Wil walked towards the door and held it open for the other, waiting for him to decide whether or not he wanted to enter.
Following the cheerful copy room-manning guy, Rath tightened his doo rag and closed the door behind him and Wil, surrounding them in a much-welcomed privacy.
---
"Kent…"
Sain closed the door behind him and stepped into Kent's office, holding a cup of coffee tightly in his right hand.
"Sain! What are you doing in here? I'm busy right now…" Kent explained, gesturing nervously to his paperwork and to the pen in his hand.
Sain slowly approached Kent's desk and drank a portion of the coffee, then placing it gently on the ground. His playful eyes glimmered mischievously underneath his bangs and he swept his arm across half of Kent's desk, scattering paperwork all over the room; Kent's eyes widened as Sain got very comfortable on top of his now half-bare desk.
"Are you too busy for…this?" Sain asked as he plucked the pen out of Kent's grasp and threw it over his shoulder, then sliding into Kent's lap. Kent's body began to grow warm as Sain wrapped his legs around his waist.
"I'm completely…free," Kent gasped, his breathing becoming heavy. He lunged forward in his chair, pressing Sain against his desk as he kissed him fiercely, the taste of hazelnut coffee overcoming all of his senses. Kent's tongue traced along Sain's bottom lip, hungrily begging for entrance. Sain complied willingly, opening his mouth for Kent to explore.
Kent was unable to think straight (ha); he was finally doing what he had been longing to do the whole morning, he was making out with his secretary. After a minute of passionate kissing, the pair pulled apart, panting softly as Sain clung to Kent's muscular form, their foreheads pressing softly together. Sain's hand gripped Kent's shoulder as he looked up at his boss with an intense gaze.
" Sain…you taste like…like hazelnut and…coffee…" Kent said as he brushed Sain's bangs out of his eyes, placing a gentle kiss on his parted lips.
"Really? That's interesting…I thought only the women found that out," Sain exclaimed, pondering over what Kent had just admitted.
Kent immediately snapped to his senses and out of his brief and somewhat naughty daydream. Raising a hand to his temple, the bright haired businessman found himself developing a very nasty headache.
"Well? What's up with you, Kent? Sleeping on the job, huh?" Sain navigated towards Kent's desk.
"Nothing's up with me…I'm fine," Kent reassured him with a weak smile, trying to get Sain to leave his office as soon as possible. The last thing Kent wanted Sain to realize was how unusually happy he was to see him; the blatant evidence of Kent's feelings was currently poking through Kent's disguise.
Sain arched an eyebrow curiously. "Are you hiding something from me?" he asked, guiding his hand over the edge of the desk as he came around the corner to Kent's side.
Kent's eyes widened; Sain was coming a little too close for his own comfort. Kent slammed his chair as far into the desk as he could, trying his best to not to let Sain see what he was so ashamed of.
Sain looked shocked as he came closer to Kent. "Cool it, dude. It's just me! You know, Sain. Your secretary." Sain placed a hand on Kent's shoulder, trying to get him to calm down. Of course, Sain didn't know why Kent was really nervous. "Having a nightmare or something?"
Kent flinched at the sudden contact, frowning as he replied. "I guess you could say that."
---
"Matthew, if we make any more 'trips' to the bathroom, I think Eliwood or Hector will get suspicious." Guy whined as they both left a stall together and tried to flatten out the wrinkles in their clothes.
Matthew smirked. "Aww, but Guy, I thought you liked our 'lunch breaks.' You're always so hungry!"
Guy blushed, his face providing ample competition for the red apple he had been munching on earlier. "I am not! It's just…oh, forget it, you're hopeless." A small sigh escaped his lips as he began to re-braid his hair.
The bathroom was quite spacious, Matthew noted. Yes, it was a good place to bring Guy and be undiscovered, or so he thought. The ugly green tiled walls stretched up a fair amount, and there were at least seven stalls that lined them. What both Matthew and Guy had failed to notice was the person in the stall behind them.
A flush sounded, and Matthew and Guy both came to sudden realizations.
"Er…Matthew? I think there's someone else in here," Guy whispered.
Matthew cursed under his breath, a look of horror on his face; had that person been in there while he and Guy had been-
Matthew didn't have enough time to finish his thoughts as the door violently swung open and out walked Bartre, a big man who worked as a janitor alongside his friend, Dorcas, and the grim, scarlet-haired man named Raven. He was dressed in the typical janitor garb, which consisted of gray overalls and a plain white t-shirt. For some reason, his pockets were unusually large and baggy.
"Oh, what a surprise! I knew Matthew was in here, but Guy, too?" Bartre laughed heartily as he stared at the very surprised and somewhat ashamed couple.
"Uh…how'd you know I was here?" Matthew asked, curious as to why he couldn't recognize Guy's voice. It was one thing if he had heard the chorus of moaning, but it was something else entirely if he had thought it was someone else.
Bartre chuckled again. "It was kind of hard not to know! That girl of yours was crying out your name louder than anything in the entire office; the whole city could hear her!"
Guy's eyebrow twitched. "H-her? Her?! How could you mistake m-" Matthew clapped a hand over the infuriated man's mouth, restraining him around the waist with his other arm.
"Really, Guy, that's enough." Matthew said, staring him in the eye.
Guy, stubborn as he was, wouldn't give up and struggled under Matthew's hold. "Mhmmmftttt!" Matthew released his hand for a second. "You bastard!" After that sudden exclamation, he slammed his hand back over his friend's mouth.
Bartre looked hopelessly confused. "Anyways, I heard you were hungry, Guy, or so Matthew said. If you're always hungry, why don't you carry around a sandwich in your pocket like I do? If you get hungry, you can just pull it out and take a bite out of it instead of…biting your neck like that." Bartre was eyeing Guy's hickeys curiously.
"Um, yeah. Thanks for the…advice, Bartre." Guy responded, his face heating up when Matthew smiled at him for going along with it.
"Hey, no problem, Guy!" Bartre answered, slapping him on the back with a firm hand before leaving the room without even washing his hands.
Guy scowled and wiped off the back of his shirt with a paper towel. "You'd think a janitor would wash his hands every once and a while…"
Matthew smiled and drew Guy to his side, draping an arm over his shoulders. "You're cute when you're aggravated, Guy." He laughed as he traced his fingers over the bruised skin on Guy's neck. "You should turn your collars up…either that or stop biting yourself."
"Not funny, Matthew. If it weren't for your amorous biting urges, we would be in this situation."
"Yes, but who was the one who wanted to come here in the first place?" Matthew reminded him.
"Damn you." Guy said, directing his curse at his sly friend. He disentangled himself from Matthew and made his way for the door. "I need more coffee, it's way too early for this."
Matthew grinned as he watched Guy turn up his collar and leave the somewhat smelly bathroom. He had done a pretty good job on Guy's neck, Matthew thought. After all, what was wrong with leaving a mark on your most treasured possession?
---
"Kent, where are you going?" Hector's booming voice sounded from behind Kent as he hurried to the elevator, briefcase in hand.
Hector, Kent's boss, forcefully turned Kent around and looked him in the eye. "I'm going home early today, Hector. It's just…been too much for me to handle."
Sighing, Hector released his hold on the stressed businessman. "Fine, but only for today. If you so much as think about skipping tomorrow, I'll get Raven to come to your house and personally escort you to the office."
"You wish," Raven said as he walked by the two, flipping Hector the finger while his back was turned. The two rarely ever got along since Raven seemed to hold some sort of grudge against the blue-haired president of the company.
Kent cringed at the thought of having Raven anywhere near his apartment. "I promise I'll be in tomorrow, Hector. I've got a lot of work to do concerning our new client."
Hector smiled and pushed Kent into the now open elevator. "Now that's more like it!" The doors slid closed and that was the last Kent saw of his boss for the day.
Sagging against the wall of the modern elevator, Kent tried his best to sort out the thoughts that were bubbling through his brain. Why was he reacting to Sain in such a weird way? Could he possibly be developing some sort of sexual feelings for his new secretary? It was all so confusing, and the only way Kent knew how to get everything in his mind back to normal was by talking to someone. Was there anyone better to talk to than a local reverend? Kent knew that confession would be the healthiest and most helpful thing for him at the time. When he reached the ground floor, he raced out of the main lobby and onto the streets, making a left and jogging down the sidewalk leading to the local Catholic church. It was time for some serious soul-searching.
---
"Good afternoon, my child." The reverend's voice sounded from the other side of the confession booth. "How may I help you today?"
Kent didn't know where to start; there were so many things about his life that he needed to talk about. Lyn, work, coffee stains, and…Sain. He decided to start with what mattered most, his ex.
"My fiancée recently left me, and I don't know what to do. I'm getting over her slowly, but someone else has just entered the picture and I'm afraid that…well…I'm not sure what I'm fearing, but it has something to do with this new person."
"Are you afraid that if you get involved with this…person, you'll forget about your fiancée forever?" The reverend suggested in an optimistic tone of voice.
"I guess, except, this new person…he's; well, I'm having trouble dealing with my own feelings," Kent admitted to the eager listener.
The reverend seemed pleased that Kent had told him so much. "Is it because he's a guy, or something else?"
Kent's narrowed his eyes as he pondered over the question. "I think it's because of that, but…he's so…different from anyone I've ever befriended. And when we met, we-"
The reverend stopped Kent from running off onto a silly tangent and just ending up more confused. "Forgive me, child, but to me, it sounds like you really care for this person. If you just give it time, you will start to understand your relationship more clearly. And I promise, the memories of your old lover will fade away and that will leave you much happier than you currently are. Just trust me on this - everything will get better. It truly will."
Kent managed to smile slightly, and stared through the tiny holes in the wooden window in the wall that separated them. He could make out two shiny, sky blue eyes smiling back at him, a pale, milky complexion, and long, silky blond hair. To him, this "reverend" looked more like a female than the typical male reverend.
"Um, I'm Kent. I know we're not supposed to tell you our names, but I feel comfortable around you. You've helped me out a lot, Father…"
"Lucius," the reverend responded. "Father Lucius. I'm glad to find that I've helped you, Kent. Now go and be filled with Elimine's glory. Elimine will guide you, I promise."
"Thank you, Father Lucius." Kent said, nodding his head slightly before leaving the confined space. He took one final look at the beautiful antique pews and colorful stained glass windows before leaving the church, feeling somewhat more confident and normal than he had been before.
---
Kent settled down on his leather couch, opening a can of beer as he watched two chefs cook to find out whether or not their "cuisine reigned supreme." Iron Chef was just one of those silly shows that was so ridiculous that it was funny to Kent. Plus, Guy and Kent had gathered in their living room every week to watch it at the same time; it was just another one of those weird rituals that he had developed with his friend.
Matthew slowly emerged from the hallway, his haired soaked and shirt slightly dripping with water. "Ooh, Iron Chef! Who's dueling this time?" He asked sarcastically, since he had barely ever seen the show and found it humorous that Guy and Kent were so wrapped up in its competitions.
"Shut up, Matthew. Why are you so wet, anyway?" Curiosity got the best of him; Kent had to ask. It would make Kent happy to see Matthew ashamed, too.
Guy stepped out of the bathroom wearing his pajamas just like Kent, his green hair covered with a towel. "Matthew did a little peeking."
Kent laughed; maybe he didn't want to know. "Stupid peeping Tom…you're more kinky than I thought!"
Matthew grinned. "Well, I do have some strange fetishes, I'll admit that. But at least I don't watch Iron Chef every week!"
Ignoring Matthew's last remark, Guy sat down next to Kent on the couch and was soon followed by his voyeur.
The minutes the three spent together, watching Iron Chef and joking around, made Kent feel a heck of a lot better than he had before. It seemed to him that his friends could get him through even the most confusing social problems. Around eleven, Matthew dragged Guy off to get some "sleep," and Kent decided that he should try and rest as well.
Turning the TV off with the little red button on his controller, Kent finally said goodbye to the show commonly known for its horrendous dubbing. He would have to wait until next week to see the show's host bite into that yellow pepper again.
Stripping himself of his pajama top, Kent laid himself down in his bed pulled the cotton sheets over his body. He soon realized that he had forgotten to make a trip to the local gym, but no matter. He was still in a good mood, and that was all that mattered to him.
Pressing down the radio button on his alarm clock, Kent closed his eyes and settled his head into his fluffy pillow as a chorus of words filled his ears.
"I'll take you back if you'd have me…
So here I am, I'm trying…
So here I am, are you ready?
Come on let me hold you, touch you, feel you, always…
Kiss you, taste you, all night, always…"
Fancy guitar riffs and drum beats pounded through his brain as he processed what the lead singer was actually saying. Every word seemed to remind him of what he had been troubled with earlier that day: Sain.
A loud moan filled Kent's ears, and it seemed to be coming from the room next to his. Kent knew he should have never let Guy invite Matthew over, although Matthew probably invited himself over, knowing him.
Kent covered his ears with his pillow, trying to block out the unceremonious noises sounding from the other side of the wall. Even with his head under the pillow, Kent could still hear the lyrics of the song playing on whatever random channel he had set his radio to.
"Kiss you, taste you, all night, always-"
Kent slammed his hand down on the "off" button, commanding the singer to shut the hell up and to let him get some sleep and rid his mind of images of Sain.
"Sain…" Kent murmured, seeing his secretary's smile in his mind. And at that exact moment, Kent came to a final realization: he was obsessed.
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End of Chapter Two
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Poor Kent, he's so confused. --evil grin-- Wonder whose fault that is…
Sain: --whistles innocently-- Hiiii, Kent!
Kent: --twitch--
I'm so happy that Kent finally realized it! I've been longing to write KentxSain slash this whole week! --sigh-- I had to resort to using "--" instead of asterisks since the damn QuickEdit thing seems to delete them.
"…evidence of Kent's feelings was currently poking through Kent's disguise."
-Yay for innuendo! XP
Bex: --whacks me in the head with nearest inanimate object--
Me: Owww…you'd think my friends would be used to it by now…sheesh.
Er, right. I hope you…enjoyed this somewhat eventful chapter of SaCA (yay for abbreviations!) and will come back in a week or so to read the next one. Yeah I know my updating is a little slow, but I'm quite a busy person. I've really got no other excuse to offer you guys, but since my school gets out in a week, I'll have a little more free time on my hands to use for writing and other creative devices.
Worship the KentxSain.
Worship, I say.
Look down, there's a pretty little button. Look, isn't it nice? Don't you want to click it? You know you do. XP My bones ache for criticism; I know I'm doing something wrong, but I can't put a finger on it. ;;;