Author's Notes- Well well well, here we are again. Never thought I'd last this long, did you? … In truth, neither did I. Hey, pleasant surprises abound. Who knows, perhaps you'll all get some nice, smutty action in this chapter… One never knows what my strange and twisted mind will come up with. Of course, this could all be some sort of cruel plot to keep the lot of you constantly on your toes… But I'm not that evil… Am I?
Disclaimer- Now, THIS is what's cruel… this short, depressing little reminder every chapter that I am not the owner of everything Outlaw Star related, and am not making any money whatsoever off of this thing. … Unless, of course, some kind soul out there would care to donate?
Warning- Hm, you never know, we may actually get up to that yaoi rating in this chapter, oh ho ho ho… No, not really, no lemons this early in the plot, kiddies. So sorry, still just shounen ai.
"Ow."
"Sorry."
"Ow."
"I have to make the bandage tight, or it won't do anything for you."
"Ow."
"All right, now you're just saying that."
"Ow."
"Come now, it can't hurt that badly…"
"Ow."
"Ok, maybe it can… But still, it's your own fault."
"Ow."
"Truly, if you don't quit that, I'll have to make you."
"….How?"
Fred smirked. "Why, by occupying your mouth with other things." Gene blanched, and promptly shut up. "Oh, you're no fun." Shaking his head slightly, the dark-haired young man continued wrapping his roommate's ankle, which was resting in his lap. "How did you do this to yourself, again?"
Gene frowned, glaring at his twisted limb as Fred continued to bandage it. "I already told you."
"Humor me, I'm giving you medical attention." The redhead's frown deepened, but the expression turned into a wince as Fred gingerly picked up his ankle to tighten the white cotton bandage.
Regaining his grumpy air soon enough, Gene scowled. "I was standing on my bed and fell off."
"Indeed?" Fred's voice sounded mildly interested, though Gene knew it was hiding laughter. "And what were you doing standing on your bed?" The redhead didn't answer. "Hm?" Still not receiving a reply, Fred took one hand from the bandage and lightly tickled his roommate's toes, chuckling as Gene squirmed. "Tell me."
"…Playing my guitar." Now Gene was refusing to meet Fred's eyes; instead burning a hole in the wall. He managed (though just barely) to keep a straight face as the dark-haired man opposite him ran a finger tip slowly down the center of the sole of his foot.
"Ah. Playing your guitar while standing on your bed." Fred tied the bandage in a tight knot, then doubled it. "That, to me, sounds insanely intelligent. I have no idea how anything could have gone wrong. It must have been some sort of freak accident."
"Hmph." Gene continued to glare at an innocent wall, not entirely sure that Fred was the best person to have asked for medical attention. "It was the closest thing to a stage I could find, all right?" His roommate laughed.
"Whatever you say." Running one hand up Gene's leg in a manner that would have directly contributed to quite a few avid church-goers' fainting, Fred gently wrapped his other hand around the redhead's ankle, slowly removing it from his lap and placing it on the ground in quite a delicate fashion. "I'd refrain from jumping on the bed for a while, were I in your shoes."
"I wasn't jumping on the bed." Finally turning to give Fred a rather insolent look, Gene attempted to stand, wound up putting entirely too much weight on his bad ankle, and promptly collapsed. He considered it quite fortunate that his roommate had jumped up to catch him before he had an untimely meeting with the floor, even after such impudence. "… Thanks."
"Of course." Twisting his neck slightly, the redhead found himself staring into a smiling face, which was quite near to his own. So near, in fact, that he could feel Fred's breath on his lips. So near, in fact, that he could count the other man's eyelashes. So near, in fact… he knew very well what was coming next.
Sure enough, Fred closed that ephemeral distance between them, covering Gene's mouth with his own. It was a sweet kiss, chaste and innocent. Fred pulled away before either had a chance to further the meeting of lips, and even before Gene had the time to spaz about the fact that he had been considering it. "Did you know, Gene… your cheeks are clashing with your hair something terrible."
Fred took the opportunity of his roommate staring at him in open-mouthed—luckily, quite literally—shock, and stole another kiss. This one, though not amazingly passionate, was considerably deeper than the one previous, and left Gene a bit more flushed than he had been before. "Ah, see, now you match."
As Gene sputtered, trying to come up with a suitable retort, Fred just smiled and gently rubbed noses with the other man. "Don't strain yourself; remember, you're injured."
"So you're going to abuse your position and molest me, you insidious lech?" Despite the admonition, Gene couldn't hide the grin on his lips. He wondered at his sudden comfort around this dark-haired man, this person who had turned his world upside-down, and had yet to right it properly… Before he had the time to figure that out completely, though, he was jerked back into reality by a very hard something pressing into his thigh.
"Molest?" Fred raised his eyebrows, taking one arm from around Gene's torso (where it had been since his heroic catch) to lace his fingers with the redhead's. Gene couldn't quite bring himself to obviate the action. "Ah, my dear Gene… molesting is only when one party is not willing." Bringing the captured hand to his lips, Fred gently kissed the back of his roommate's palm. "And according to an inside source, that is not the case in this situation."
Gene gulped, now wondering seriously about the direction of this conversation and the actions that went along with it. "Wh… what source would that be…?" He wasn't sure if he really wanted the answer. Fred's knowing grin only served to make him even more unsure about the entire predicament.
"Why…" The dark-haired young man tilted his head forward slightly, placing his mouth next to Gene's ear. "The one between your legs."
The redhead tensed suddenly, belatedly realizing that his own body had betrayed him, and not for the first time. Well, it may be ready for certain things, but his mind most assuredly wasn't. Azure eyes considerably wider than was customary, Gene tried to pull away from the tight embrace of his roommate, simultaneously attempting to escape from the arm wrapped around his chest and the fingers entwined with his own.
Quite unfortunately (for that one particular corner of his mind), Gene was not the world's greatest multi-tasker.
"F-Fred…" Gene's effort to make his voice as abstemious as possible failed, quite horribly. His plea came out in a high, slightly broken measure, as though he wasn't quite sure what he was doing. That, of course, was the truth of the matter, but he had been doing his best to hide it. The warm hips in such close proximity with his own did nothing to allay his nerves. Quite the opposite, really. "Don't…"
"Don't what?" Fred slowly caressed the redhead's lower back with his palm, somehow managing to keep his grip on the other man as inextricable as it had been previously.
"Don't…" Gene's throat seemed to constrict, successfully blocking off any further vocalizations. Feeling rather helpless, he placed his free hand on Fred's chest, trying to push his roommate away. When the dark-haired man made no move to withdraw, Gene squeezed his eyes shut, fearing the worst.
Still not allowing his eyelids to open even a crack, the redhead felt himself being slowly pushed backwards. As he felt the backs of his knees bump against the side of his bed, Gene gulped. He had been hoping that Fred would not prove this obdurate, but…
However, before Gene could finish that thought about his roommate, he felt himself being lowered into a sitting position. Fred only held him long enough to see that he wouldn't fall over once left to his own devices, then pulled away. Hardly daring to believe his luck, the redhead peeked through his eyelashes at the other man. Sure enough, Fred was now across the room, sitting on his own bed and looking at him with a mild expression.
"Perhaps you should try to avoid worsening your injury when moving about?" Fred raised his eyebrows slightly, a hint of laughter behind his voice. "I wouldn't want all of my hard work to go to waste."
Gene had no idea how the other man was able to speak so calmly. He was still trying to allay his erratic breathing, and was certainly in no condition to engage in light, friendly banter. Still, he couldn't just sit here as Fred laughed at him, especially with this uncomfortable situation in his shorts. Feeling his cheeks burn, the redhead brought his knees up to his chest in an effort to hide the evidence of his body's reaction to his roommate's amorous advances.
"Well, how was I supposed to know the strength of my ankle?" Gene, discovering something new to contemplate, focused each and every brain cell on the dull, throbbing pain in his ankle. "I had to test it out, didn't I." Fred quirked an eyebrow.
"If you say so…" The dark-haired man grinned. "But don't come crying to me when you really injure yourself." Fred tilted his head to the side slightly. "Is that position very comfortable?" He gestured at Gene's legs, which the redhead now had his arms wrapped around to keep them tight against his chest.
"Extremely." The two young men stared at one another for a moment, Gene, trying his hardest not to let anything slip in front of his roommate, and Fred, thoroughly enjoying the fact that the object of his affections was so flustered as a result of his actions.
It was Fred who finally broke the silence. "Well, my ever-so-graceful friend…" Gene scowled. "I have voice practice, and that's not exactly something I can do in the library." The dark-haired young man gave his roommate a look that clearly stated that his practice was a very precarious matter, dependent on his consent. Perhaps it was a bit exaggerated, but it got the point across. "So, if you wouldn't mind…"
"…Sure, practice in here." Gene blinked in confusion as Fred smiled broadly, eyes closing in happiness. "Why bother asking me?"
"Oh, I don't know, I wanted to be polite, I suppose." He opened his eyes again, irises sparkling. "And if I feel the need to jump on my bed, I want someone to be here to catch me." Fred laughed as Gene began to sulk.
"I wasn't jumping on the bed."
"Whatever you say." Standing, Fred crossed the room to where his roommate was sitting. The redhead tensed slightly, fully aware that he still hadn't quite calmed down from their last interaction. However, again he was proved wrong. Smile still on his face, Fred leaned over to place a quick, soft kiss on Gene's temple before continuing across the room to the desk where his school bag lay. He rummaged around for a moment before returning to his bed, climbing over it to retrieve a small stereo.
Popping open the CD player, Fred hummed to himself softly as he placed a disc in. Turning the miniature boom box on with a flip of a switch, he turned, the slight trepidation on his face upon seeing Gene plain evidence that he had almost forgotten the other man was there. "Oh… I didn't mean that you had to stay here and watch me…"
"I don't mind." Gene lowered his knees slightly, so that he was sitting cross-legged. His lower body, finally realizing that it wasn't going to be getting some any time soon, had finally calmed itself. "I'd like to hear you sing."
Judging from the look Fred was sporting, the redhead could tell that this was definitely an aberration from what the other man was used to during his practice sessions. Nevertheless, before Gene could offer to leave if he wasn't wanted, his roommate was smiling again.
"All right, but you'd better be prepared for the consequences." Fred tucked an unruly lock of hair behind his ear. "Not everyone is fond of my voice."
"I'll risk it."
"What if you can't stand the songs I'll be singing?"
"I'll do my best to be a polite audience, I promise."
"Well then, if there's absolutely nothing I can do to deter you…" Gene shook his head when Fred paused for some sort of answer. "It can't be said that I didn't try, keep that in mind for the courts, roommate of mine."
The redhead rolled his eyes slightly, placing one elbow on his knee and resting his chin in his hand. "Now you're just delaying. Come on, if you ever want to make a living off of this voice of yours, you're going to have to get used to singing in front of people."
"Ah, but singing to an auditorium full of people whom I don't know and couldn't care less about is very much different than performing in front of one person." For some reason, the statement sounded brief, as though it had been cut off. Indeed, Fred's comparison was rater lopsided, and Gene knew very well what the other man had left out.
But why had he omitted such a thing…? Was he embarrassed…? The azure-eyed young man mentally rolled his eyes at that. Fred, bashful? Not likely. But then… did that mean that Gene had been mistaken all along, that it was merely lust that his roommate felt for him? Was it all-
Gene blinked as his very thoughts we cut off by a finger resting lightly on the tip of his nose. Crossing his eyes to stare directly at the offending digit, the redhead frowned slightly, confused. Before the situation could be elucidated properly, he felt warm lips press against his forehead briefly in a swift kiss. "In front of one person whom I do care about."
Before the (now quite flustered) Gene could react, Fred had pulled away, smiling as he retreated to the side of the room where his CD player lie in wait. As he turned to adjust the volume and track number, Gene allowed himself a soft sigh of relief that was not to be questioned or analyzed in any way shape or form.
Fred did care about him. The redhead grinned slightly. He just had to say it in a way that his roommate would notice. But, that was Fred.
However, Gene's thoughts were yet again cut off in an untimely fashion. He vaguely wondered if he would ever again be able to complete a cogitation. Still, that was in the back of his mind. The front was occupied by other matters.
Preceding the redhead's knowledge of the fact that Fred was through delaying his little practice session, an odd, varied drum beat began to emanate from the speakers of the man's small stereo, punctuated every few seconds by something that Gene could only describe as an odd gulping noise. He blinked, trying to find the song in his memory banks, but had his search delayed by the sudden addition of Fred's voice to the music.
"Please allow me to introduce myself,
I'm a man of wealth and taste.
I've been around for a long, long year,
Stole many a man's soul and faith."
Finally recognizing the song as an old Rolling Stones tune, the redhead frowned slightly. Fred's voice was matching a different tone than the original of Mick Jagger, and, now that he paid more attention, he could tell that the music was slightly different as well.
"I was around when Jesus Christ
Had his moment of doubt and pain.
Made damn sure the Pilate
Washed his hands
And sealed his fate.
Pleased to meet you,
Hope you guess my name.
But what's puzzling you,
Is the nature of my game."
Resting an elbow on his knee, and then his chin in his hand, Gene watched on his roommate as he sang. Fred wasn't looking at him; indeed, he wasn't really looking at anything. His gaze was pointed at the wall behind Gene's left ear, but his eyes were slightly unfocused, loudly—from a mental standpoint, at least—advertising that he was seeing nothing in front of him.
"I stuck around St. Petersburg
When I saw it was a time for a change.
I killed the czar and his ministers,
Anastasia screamed in vain.
I rolled a tank,
Held a general's rank
When the Blitzkrieg ragedAnd the bodies stank."
The redhead smiled slightly as Fred began to move with the beat as he sang the chorus again, hips swaying slightly as he began to loosen up. Dark eyes once again came into focus, then turned on Gene, causing the blue-eyed young man to blink suddenly. With a grin at his now-acknowledged audience, Fred snapped softly in time with the music as he waited for his cue to continue singing.
"I watched with glee
As your kings and queens
Fought for ten decades
For the gods they made."
Fred seemed to enjoy this verse; or, at least, teeth flashed into his grin for a moment as the words flowed from his lips. Gene couldn't help but grin in return as his roommate got more and more into the song he was singing. However, he was a bit taken aback as Fred crossed the room, not once breaking the rhythm in his motions or voice, to set himself down gracefully on the redhead's lap.
"I shouted out,
'Who killed the Kennedeys?'
When after all,
It was you and me."
The redhead gulped audibly as Fred continued to wriggle his hips in time to the song, seeming completely unconscious of the fact that he was rubbing Gene in, to coin a phrase, all the right ways. Gene tried to lean back away from his zealous roommate, but found that the further he went back, the further Fred went forward.
"So let me please introduce myself,
I'm a man of wealth and taste.
I laid traps for troubadours
Who get killed before they reach Bombay."
The song began to slow, and Gene let out a soft sigh of relief as Fred's movements simmered down as well to stay with the beat. However, the dark-haired young man in his lap moved no further away, instead choosing to lean lightly against Gene's chest as he continued to sing, voice dropping slightly to suit the song.
"Just as every cop's a criminal,
And all the sinners saints…
As the heads is tails,
Just call me Lucifer,
'Cause I'm in need of…
Some restraint."
Fred's grin widened slightly, and he shifted his body so that his lips were mere centimeters away from those of his roommate, breath drifting warmly over Gene's mouth.
"So if you meet me,
Have some courtesy,
Have some sympathy,
And some taste.
Use all your well-learned politesse,
Or I'll lay your soul to waste."
Using the next instrumental verse to his advantage, Fred tilted his head forward slightly, planting a kiss on the redhead's slightly parted lips. It lasted longer than Gene would have expected, since the song continued without the need of a vocalist. In fact, the blue-eyed young man didn't quite grasp the situation at hand until he felt a tongue gently pressing against his lips.
"Hey!" Gene jerked back, and, because of his previous position, wound up lying flat on his back, pinned at the hips by his grinning roommate. Now that he thought about it, this seemed to be more of a step backwards than anything. "… Oh."
"Oh indeed." The song's last riff began to fade, and soon there was no sound at all in the room but the heated breathing of the two college students.
Gene stared up into the dark eyes of the young man sitting on top of him. They were narrowed in mirth, and the redhead found himself a touch nervous as to what that look would lead to, exactly. However, before he could think up a suitable plan for escape, his thoughts were interrupted by a soft voice.
"Thank you for listening to me practice, Gene." Warm lips pressed against Gene's in a sweet, chaste kiss before pulling away. The redhead tensed slightly as Fred dragged his body off of his roommate's in a highly suggestive manner, then proceeded to cross the room once more to retrieve his CD player.
Unable to do anything else (except breathe in a highly embarrassing fashion), Gene raised his head slightly to watch Fred's retreat, noticing as the other man began to purposely swing his hips upon feeling the redhead's eyes on him.
Allowing his head to drop back onto the mattress, Gene stared at the ceiling with a defeated air.
Holy shit.
Author's Notes- Wow, aren't you all so lucky… sticking that song in there so late into the chapter made me write about five hundred words more than I normally do… Consider yourselves blessed by the deity of your choosing.
The song used in this chapter was Sympathy for the Devil, and, as Gene had supposed, I was not using the original version by the Rolling Stones. I prefer the Guns N' Roses version myself, so, Fred was singing that one. The lyrics are no different (as far as I know), only the music and the voice. I am not implying, however, that Fred's voice is at all like Axl Rose's… Ah, maybe I am, who knows. Fred's voice sounds however you choose it to sound, all right? Happy?
Anyway, was that a good choice of song? Originally, I was considering having Fred sing Through the Night, but that would just be entirely too tacky. Such is life.
I apologize for not being as witty as usual in this endnote, but I assumed that explanations ranked a bit higher than your ha-has. I'm terribly sorry if I misjudged, and shall do my best to be as scathingly sardonic as possible when I am next given the chance, ok?