Chapter 17
russle: Your friend has good taste, that's all I can say. :p
Death comes to those who wait: Careful! You're wreck the manga! :p
Castles in the Sky: Irony indeed, and yes, it's progress however how small
Kappy Locks: Know a good fan artist who would draw it and we would be able to see it. drools
Koneko no Rei: Oh! Poor Kevin! saves him from cage and cuddles him Yes, I'm aware Lee would kill me if he saw me doing this, but oh well. :D
KuronekoHikage: I'm so glad you like the pairing. Have you read Detention? It features it as well.
phoenix of order: Stop getting Lee into trouble! :p
Ashla: He blames Lee all right. One screwed up Monkey right there.
Chibi Wingzero: Everyone's smacking him over the head at the moment. Even me. ;)
Yamialex18: As I've previously commented, I've been suicidal as well so I understand what Lee is going through to a degree. I wasn't going to kill myself for love, however. ##
So while Kevin's out partying, just what is Lee up too?
Several blocks away, in a small bar, the Lion sat in a dark corner. Sipping his beverage, he let the liquid slide down his throat, savouring the burning sensation. There were some up sides to being 19, one being he could go to bars and drown his sorrows.
He looked up as he spotted another man enter, looking as equally haggard. He stepped to the bar and ordered a shot, tossing it back smoothly. The bartender poured him another, the man downing this too before he ordered something larger and harder. As the bartender went about getting it, the man wandered to the jukebox, staring at the playlist before punching in a song, returning for his drink.
As the first bars began to play, the bartender raised an eyebrow. "Fight with the Mrs?"
The man nodded, sipping his concoction.
Lee frowned, wandering how the bartender had known and turned his attention to the song, taking in the smooth male vocalist, listening to the words.
I got myself into some trouble tonight
Guess I'm just feeling blue
It's been so long since I've seen your face
This distance between me and you
Lee tilted his head to the side, noting the mournfulness of the tune and saw that the man was listening keenly, mouthing the words.
That voice you showed me is not the one I know
I must be strung out on what I do
Don't hang up again
There's nothing else I know how to do
An eyebrow rose ever so slightly, seeing himself in the song, seeing Kevin. Though he had never heard it before, he felt as if it had been written for him.
But I burn for you
What am I going to do
I burn for you
Burn for you
Sipping his drink, Lee looked around the bar, noting that there was no one else inside except him, the man, and the bartender. Sighing, he returned his attention to the voice as it once again began to sing.
I guess it feels like you're always alone
And I feel that way too
It's so hard to explain to you
Please understand what I do
Lee's grip tightened around his glass, feeling the coolness that seemed to spread from his fingers and through his body, chilling him. The song was hitting too close to home.
But I burn for you
What am I going to do
I burn for you
Burn for you
Lee took a long drink from his liquor, regretting it as it tore its fiery path down his throat. He shuddered, feeling his breath catch in his throat until the sensation past, allowing him to breathe and concentrated again. He was hooked.
Took my trouble to a bar tonight
For another point of view
But there's nothing new
I'm missing you
Lee nodded his agreement to the last, looking up and spotting the man watching him. A small smile played across the mans lips before he closed his eyes, singing along to the chorus as it came again.
But I burn for you
What am I going to do
I burn for you
Burn for you
The song faded away, leaving the room feeling empty as the powerful presence of the vocalist faded with it. Lee wasn't surprised to find himself choked up and took another sip from his drink to force the lump down.
"John Farnham."
Lee looked up sharply. "Pardon?"
The man nodded toward the jukebox. "That was John Farnham. One of the greatest vocalists to ever come out of Australia. One of the best in the world if you want my opinion." The man shrugged. "Helps me settle after I fight with my wife."
Lee smiled faintly. "I can hear why."
The man nodded toward him. "I saw you agreeing with some of the lyrics. Fight with the girlfriend?"
Lee shook his head. "Boyfriend."
"Ah." The man smiled. "So who started it?"
"I'm not sure." Lee shrugged. "We've been fighting our entire lives. It could be the repercussions of an argument from our youth."
"You're very eloquently spoken." The man frowned, running his eye over him. "You're neko-jin? Chinese?"
Lee nodded.
"You're classed very high in your village, aren't you?"
Lee bit his lip. "I was only recently informed that I've been chosen to become the next elder for my clan."
"And by the looks of it, you don't like it." The man shifted. "I know what its like to have family values and placement forced upon you. When I was a boy, all I wanted to be was a painter, or a writer. I wanted to travel the world." He shook his head and sighed. "These days I run the family business, and not by choice. I try to make the most of it, but my hearts not in it. That's why I have music."
Lee frowned. "You lose yourself in it?"
"My freedom." The man sipped his drink. "I gave up a lot of my freedom when I married. It's not that I don't love her, I do very much, but devoting yourself to someone is sacrificing a part of yourself to be with them. And that's why it hurts so much when you fight."
"Sounds like you fight a lot."
The man nodded. "My wife can be… difficult at times. It doesn't help that her father died recently. She was very close to him, and she blames me for her not being there when he died. It wasn't my fault that there was a traffic jam on the way to the hospital. She says we should have taken a back road, but had we have done that we would have found ourselves terribly lost. I did what was right."
Lee sighed. "I know the feeling. My boyfriend went through a rather traumatic experience a year ago, and it damaged him mentally and emotionally. My best friend's boyfriend's best friend went through something similar and reckons my boyfriends at the stage where reality bites and it breaks him down. It's making my boyfriend very emotionally unstable, and recently he's taken to shutting me out. Nothing I do or say will make him open up."
"Do you love him?"
Lee nodded. "He's convinced himself that I don't. He's threatening to leave me."
"Sounds to me like it's something he needs to work out himself." The man sipped his drink thoughtfully. "I'd put money on the fact he knows you love him, but is currently closed to all outside emotion. He's denying that anyone cares for him. The best you can do is give him space and let him ride it out. Do that, and you just might get him back."
Lee nodded, smiling faintly. "You know a lot."
"My wives a marriage counsellor. She doesn't talk about her patients directly, but she's told me about some of the main problems when marriages go on the rocks."
"So what's the normal outcome for this one?"
The man raised his glass toward Lee. "They all live happily ever after."
"Well that's good to hear." Lee chuckled, then sobered. "Thank you."
"The pleasure was mine." The man finished his drink, paying the bartender and standing. "Well, I'm going to see if there are any florists open at this time of night. Buy some nice flowers and go home and apologise to my wife."
Lee gave him a nod. "Good luck."
The man nodded back. "You too."
Yet another song for the Honesty II soundtrack: "Burn For You" by John Farnham. And it probably did Lee some good to find that he isn't the only one with a problem, but I doubt the drinking is going to help anyone.