One Plus One
by Lethe Seraph
Chapter Ten: In which the 'Secret' is finally mentioned, and Raenef takes Action
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Can any of you imagine Eclipse and Krayon being a pairing?
Neither can I.
I didn't know 'dilemma' was spelled with two 'm's… I thought it was with an m and an n… Man, I suck. Thank you, MS Word.
And now, a Special Moment!
I am going to reply to a certain reviewer, because I just couldn't pass this one up.
(Thanks to all of you, though. I love you. Each and every one of your reviews is appreciated. Seriously!)
Rhana Sedai of the Yellow Ajah! Thank you very much for the kind review. :smiles: I've been trying to do well, and I hope that I continue to amuse you. This is also my first Demon Diary fic, so I'm pretty much blazing down a trail I've never been on before. But …
… I was amazed. I made an allusion to A Tale of Two Cities without even having read it! (I've been meaning to pick it up.)
That in itself made a good part of my day. Actually, I did refer to something – but it was an anime.
(For the rest of you: The review was for Chapter Seven.)
Thank you again!
Maybe I can pick out another review to reply to next chapter …
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"Krayon, sir, I don't know what you're talking about."
"When you call me 'sir', I know that something is up." The teacher smiled, unconsciously straightening his skirt. Eclipse noticed this. Flustered, he looked away.
"I should probably be going."
"Do I bother you, Eclipse?"
"Not at all," said Eclipse quickly. "However, there is a class that I should be getting to."
"Tell me what's on your mind first. It won't do to have it fester there."
"I don't know what you mean …" repeated the boy, bending his head to retie dark hair.
"Don't lie. You're my top student; you know better than that."
His head snapped back up. Garnet eyes blazed. "Fine, then. Krayon … I …"
-
Raenef tentatively stroked Eclipse's cheek, smiling when he found that it was indeed as soft as he had imagined it to be.
It was then that a question of possible Great Importance chose to strike home.
Raenef blinked.
Was he gay?
-
"Damn it! Damn fizzling swizzle sticks, purple sheep to hell and back!" swore Erutis when Chris conversationally pointed out that they were now being followed; not by one, not by two, but by three police cars.
Well, the lights were pretty, anyway.
They slowed to a stop.
-
One will note that, when faced with a Very Important Question, one's mind seems to almost stop working; to slow down at the very least if not to cease functioning completely. For one whose mind tends to do this on a regular basis, the event is of no great consequence to the brain cells; however, it does make for one hell of an embarrassment.
Raenef blushed.
Why hadn't he ever thought of that before?
He had only thought of Eclipse as his friend; his tutor, yes, but his friend first and foremost. Raenef had never really had a crush before, to his knowledge, as he had informed Eclipse in his roundabout way not too long ago.
His hand had drifted without his knowledge to Eclipse's bare arm.
"Oh, you must be cold," he whispered. But if he got up, then he would disturb the sleeping man. What to do?
Well, Eclipse wasn't shivering yet, so he was probably still okay.
Back to the dilemma at hand.
Well, so there was no evidence that he was attracted to girls. But there wasn't too much evidence that he was attracted to guys, either, right? He just really … admired … Eclipse. What wasn't there to like? Eclipse was a very attractive, educated man, and Raenef looked up to him.
…Okay, so at the moment, he was looking down at Eclipse. That didn't change anything.
Unless it did. How weird! Raenef looked up to Eclipse, but now he was-
Bad Raenef. Don't get distracted.
He was determined to stay on the subject until he figured it out.
Or until Eclipse woke up. Whichever came first…
-
"Come on!" pleaded Erutis, her eyes impossibly large and shiny. She added a small sniff for good measure. "I was only going a little bit over the speed limit, and my friend, he's really … sick …"
"He looks fine to me," said the policeman cynically.
"No, not Chris," said Erutis. "Another friend. We were … going to see him."
"You weren't going a little bit over the speed limit," added another policeman. "You were going a whole damn lot over."
The first policeman glared at the second.
"…Excuse my language," the second mumbled, averting his eyes.
"Now, then. I'm going to have to test you for-"
Chris snickered.
"What?! I'm not drunk!" protested Erutis.
"You were swaying pretty far," said the policeman.
"Well, that's because I was driving really fast!"
He raised an eyebrow.
Erutis hit her forehead. "Dammit."
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Quandary: Raenef - blond, feminine teenager - does not know his sexual orientation.
Evidence to Female Attraction: None.
Evidence to Male Attraction: None.
Unless…
Raenef perked up considerably. He had an idea.
Proposed Solution: Perform experiment.
Maybe if he kissed Eclipse, then he would know.
Under experimental conditions, have Raenef kiss Subject A. If Raenef experiences attraction or enjoyment during said kiss, then attraction to males is affirmative.
Besides, Eclipse was asleep. What did he have to lose?
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"Krayon … I … have a crush on someone."
"Ah. As I thought. Is she pretty?"
"…Yes. He is."
A momentary silence. Krayon smiled.
"So that's what you've been hiding. You're…"
-
"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to issue you a ticket."
Erutis groaned. "But I'm such a dainty young female-"
"Stow it, lady. Have a nice day."
The officer left, and Erutis drove away very, very slowly.
Chris grinned.
-
Raenef brushed his fingers once again through Eclipse's soft hair, leaning down over him.
He stopped.
No. I can't do this. It's not … right. It's not right to me, or Eclipse.
Years of child-oriented television programming had driven into Raenef's skull the notion that a kiss should be between Mutually Consenting Soulmates. Especially a First Kiss.
…Not that it could possibly be Eclipse's first kiss, but still, it would be Raenef's.
Even if Eclipse… was… asleep.
He looked really pretty when he was sleeping. Not that he didn't look pretty when he was awake, but there was a certain sweetness about him that showed through more clearly now. Raenef was mentally rambling, still in the same position, and his muscles were about to give up on him because they weren't meant to support him in such a position for a very long time. So.
It was time to decide.
Yes, or no?
Well, it was only an experiment, right?
Yes.
He would do it.
For the sake of science.
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"Finally!" cried Erutis. "Hallelujah! We've finally made it!"
"Okay, so … what apartment does the tutor guy live in?"
"One-thirteen," she replied promptly. "See? I told you I knew. Let's go."
"Right."
Hands joined, the two trekked onward.
-
Raenef carefully leaned down once again, bangs brushed out of his face, and prepared himself mentally for the task at hand.
Just an experiment.
Nothing more.
He was millimeters away…
…and that was when Eclipse woke up.