On The Beach
Author's Note: This is Becca-chan's Christmas story, so yay! Thank her for this. And thanks to Inu-chan, because I stole the candyfloss scenario from him . God, that sounds wrong, doesn't it? And just for the record, I own nobody. Not even the candyfloss. Set after Sho comes back (as vampire) and before the beach fiasco. Enjoy. And for Azrael, the song is called Orenji No Taiyou .
"Do you want to go to the beach?" asked Sho.
Kei nodded, a smile on his face. It was good to see Sho again. After all those years, the beach seemed like just the right place to go, to think, to remember, to talk, and to do what they had to do.
"Wait," said Kei suddenly. "Before that, can we do something else?"
Sho glanced at him, a puzzled frown crossing his features. When he looked like that, it almost seemed he was human again. "What?"
Ah, all too human, that rich voice, piqued with curiosity. It broke Kei's heart. "Just something. Trust me. You'll find out."
Sho suspiciously narrowed his brilliant blue eyes, all the more dazzling for belonging to a vampire. Did everything have to remind Kei of what he'd done? Hadn't he atoned enough yet, that he had to look at the result of that long-ago selfishness?
"It's nothing bad, I promise," said Kei, half-pleading. Please, Sho. I need to do this, he thought desperately, willing Sho to understand.
There was a little more silence. Then a grudging, "Fine," from Sho.
Kei flashed him a sunny smile that made Sho wonder how he could ever have been mad at him for all those years, and led the way to the car.
"Are you going to tell me what it is you want to do so much?" asked Sho as they sped down the narrow roads. He still didn't have his license, but at least he could drive now.
"Ah, it sounds stupid if I tell you." Kei looked casually to the side, watching the smoke from his cigarette trail in the wind.
"That doesn't usually stop you."
Kei chuckled. "Well, if you put it like that… It's just something I've wanted to do with you for a long time. I'd see you go out drinking with Toshi and Son, and…" He trailed off, but it was obvious where he was going.
Sho shot him a glance that spoke volumes. "You didn't get jealous, Kei!" he exclaimed in mock surprise.
"No!" protested Kei. "Me? Jealous? I just wanted to do the same with you one day. And now I can, right?"
Sho shook his head. "You're getting old, Kei. You're memory's going. We can't drink and you know it."
"And that's where you're wrong," declared Kei. "Luka taught me a little trick, years ago."
"He did? How did he work that one out?"
"Now you're interested," said Kei. "His mentor taught it to him, I guess. Pull up here."
Sho obeyed. A nightclub. And not a very classy one. "Kei, are you sure you know what you're doing?" he asked reproachfully.
"You sound like an old woman," retorted Kei, slamming the car door shut behind him. "You're immortal, what can go wrong?"
Sho raised an eyebrow.
Kei started tapping his foot against the pavement. "Are you getting out or not?" He was grinning wickedly.
Sho knew what he was really saying. Are you scared? Well, he wasn't. He got out of the car and looked Kei square in the eye. "Lead the way," he said grimly.
Kei smirked and obliged.
The music was deafening, and the lights blinding. For a moment Sho lost all of his vampiric senses in the melee. It was frightening to feel so helpless. Slowly he became aware of Kei staring at him.
"Are you okay?" he inquired sweetly. Obviously vampire hearing worked excellently even in the worst situations.
"Fine," muttered Sho abruptly. His sight seemed to be coming back, and he could discern every writhing, dancing body individually. But the feeling of nausea didn't leave him. Strangely, Kei seemed to be almost soaking up the sleazy atmosphere, so much so that his foot began to tap appreciatively along with the beat of the music. He couldn't have looked any more politely contented if he was listening to a violin concerto by Mozart. He only needed a change of clothes and a wine glass in his hand instead of his ever-present cigarette. As Sho watched him, entranced, his slim hips began to sway. With a half-concealed splutter, he tore his eyes away and forced himself to look once more at the sea of mortal dancers. He knew this feeling only too well.
He felt Kei's body rub sensually up against his, and almost backed away. "You ready?" he asked softly, so that others wouldn't hear.
The way he was so plainly revelling in Sho's fever pitch nervousness was winding him up. For a moment he felt like yelling shrilly, "For what??" But he didn't. He said it at an acceptable volume.
Kei winked at him. Then moved closer, so that his hair was tickling Sho's nose. He pointed somewhere at the dance floor, and Sho looked down his finger. "See that guy there?" said Kei, clearly enjoying himself.
"Who, that guy? The one who can't actually stand up straight?"
"That's our man. Or should I say, your man."
"My man?" Sho jumped backwards. "You don't expect me to-?"
"Oh I do. But just a little drink, don't kill him. I want some."
"You can't be serious," grumbled Sho, but one look at Kei's grinning face told him that he meant every word. "How am I supposed to get him to stand still long enough?"
Kei's grin widened, if that were possible. "I'll tell you what I did when I first did it if you think that'll help."
"Please do."
Kei whispered into his ear.
Sho hit him. Hard.
"Now, now," said Kei mockingly. "No need to be like that. Who knows? You might even enjoy it." He gestured to the dance floor. "Knock 'em dead, tiger. Just relax, get into the music. If it makes you feel any better, I won't watch. Look, I'm turning away. I'm not even interested." And he sidled off to flirt with a group of giggling girls.
Sho made absolutely sure he really wasn't watching before making his way over to the hopeless case Kei had directed him to. The natural ease of movement he had always possessed came back to him unconsciously as he walked through the crowds, each movement in perfect rhythm. He couldn't get the words "I am making a fool of myself" out of his head; completely unaware of the way everyone he passed stopped dancing and stared at him open-mouthed. He was acquiring quite a crowd of admirers.
His gaze shifted to the side and he saw them. I must look worse than I thought. And then right in front of him was his mission objective.
Kei couldn't help but watch him slyly out of the corner of his eye. It was all he could do to stop his sides from splitting with bottled-up laughter at Sho's all-too-well executed attempts at flirting, betraying barely a trace of embarrassment. "You know how I used to keep them close and interested?" he'd whispered wickedly into Sho's ear. "I pretend to be… interested… in them."
And Sho was oh so good at it.
Kei didn't even try to hide the fit of explosive giggles that came on when the drunk guy threw his arms around Sho's neck and kissed him, all the while declaring his undying love. The horror on Sho's face was priceless. They'd never had such fun when he was mortal. Maybe this was a change for the better? But he pushed that thought to the back of his mind.
Everything about Sho was so irresistible at that moment, from the embarrassed flush on his cheeks to his ever-present predatory grace that made his awkwardness ever more awkward.
Luckily for Sho, the unexpected embrace provided the perfect opportunity to sink his teeth without any major loss of dignity on his part. Maybe it was because he wasn't prepared for the sheer amount of alcohol in the man's blood, or maybe Sho was just out of practice, but it went straight to his head. He left thinking that it hadn't gone so badly after all…
The stupid smile on Sho's face as he weaved and meandered his way back to Kei, giggling inanely to himself, told him that everything had gone well.
"That really… really hit the spot," slurred Sho happily.
Ah, the fun he could have. But he restrained himself, slapping Sho on the back. Sho lost his balance, and Kei had to reach out quickly to grab him before he fell over. He was laughing to himself.
"Either that man's an incredible alcoholic," muttered Kei, "or you really can't hold your drink."
Sho giggled, and hiccupped.
"Right," said Kei. "You aren't going to have all the fun to yourself. Wait here while I go get some."
Sho flashed him a peace sign and almost fell over.
"That's shome good shtuff!" said Kei, now safely back with Sho, and making sure he didn't run with scissors or play with matches, as he kept on trying to do.
They continued to butterfly around, snatching the odd drink here and there, until their heads were spinning so much they couldn't tell up from down. Then Sho had an incredible brainwave for something to do, as they were getting bored of drinking and trying to fend off potential lovers. "I haven't climbed a good tree in ages, you know," he said happily. "And I remember passing some reeeeeal big ones outside, know what I mean?"
After some moments' thought, Kei decided this sounded like a pretty good idea. So, calling "Sayonara!" and blowing flamboyant kisses to the gang of new friends they had mysteriously accumulated at some point, they made their dramatic exit, to go and climb trees like no one had ever climbed before.
The next thing Sho knew, they were walking along the grey beach, a cold wind blowing, and for some reason they were both holding sticks of candyfloss. Sho stared at the pink mass wrapped around the stick in his hand. "What the-?"
He looked to Kei for clarification. Kei shrugged happily and started eating his, somehow getting a wisp of pink fluff stuck to his nose, and not noticing. All serious thoughts fled from Sho's mind then.
"Aaaah! You're so adorable!" He pinned Kei's arms to his sides, stopping him from walking, and leaned over till their faces were almost touching. And innocently licked the candyfloss off.
It tasted so sweet. Just like Kei, he thought blissfully.
"You're my only friend, you know," said Kei sadly, at some unspecified hour of the night. They were in a small bar with jazz wailing in the background, and it was early morning by now, because it was empty except for them, and the barman cleaning glasses.
Kei was laid across a threadbare sofa against the wall, his head on Sho's lap, and they'd entered the depressed stage of drunkenness.
"Your only friend ever?" asked Sho.
Kei nodded, sniffing slightly. "Yep. Even Luka just felt sorry for me, I think. And Toshi didn't like me, and your brother just thinks I'm a monster, and Son found out, and Yi-Che, and it was only you who ever really wanted to be my friend even knowing what I was. Only you ever really understood me." He closed his eyes with a self-pitying sigh.
"Ah, you're wrong, you know," said Sho, stroking the blonde hair. "I told you, when you were in prison that Yi-Che liked you, didn't I? And she did, too. She liked you much better than me. You're the only reason she ever talked to me."
"But she was mute," pointed out Kei.
Sho made a dismissive noise. "You know what I mean. She only ever hung out with us because of Son and because you were there. She would have married you, not me, if she could have."
Kei opened his eyes to look up at Sho. "Even after she found out I was a vampire?" His scepticism was tangible.
"Yes. When she… couldn't remember who I was anymore…" Even the memory brought a painful lump to Sho's throat. "…she always called me 'Kei'."
He fell silent.
"Hey, Sho," began Kei, a little alarmed. Something warm and wet fell onto his cheek. "Sho, are you okay?" He sat up. "Are you… crying? Hey, come here."
Sho collapsed onto him, sobbing into his shoulder, and Kei held him, rocking him gently. "That's over now," he whispered. "It's all over. We'll go to the beach tomorrow night, like you wanted, and you won't have to cry anymore." And he began to softly sing the song Luka had taught him, as Sho sobbed his heart out.
"Yuugure ni, kimi to mita, orenji no taiyou. Nakisou na, kao o shite, eien no, sayonara…"
-Owari-