CHAPTER FOUR: The Arrival
Soon enough the boys were on the road, on their way to Felix's party. Yoichi banged his seat in excitement, smiling widely in anticipation.
"Step on it Mr Perfect! We gotta get there ASAP!"
Natsumi's eyebrows raised in motherly disappointment. He looked at the mirror to stare at his purple-haired companion.
"Yoichi, I am not going to speed drive, break laws and endanger others just to get there faster."
"Pfft like that time you out drove the-"
"WE DO NOT TALK ABOUT THAT!"
Hunter sighed at the two "I swear with every passing minute I regret not just renting us all a limo."
"YOU COULD'VE GOTTEN US A LIMO?"
"Yeah, but then I realized I wouldn't want them to deal with a drunk Yoichi."
Yoichi raised his finger ready to protest, only to realise the truth of the statement.
"You've got me there, Twinkerbell."
Taiga laughed from the backseat. "While you guys are there crying over a long car, I'm focusing on the important things, like what the hell we're gonna be doing there." Everyone stopped to think about Taiga's question.
"Well Felix is prestigious person. And he's quite wealthy. Not to mention that we're in suits. It's obvious that we're going to be attending some banquet or ball in some form." Hunter answered, pondering back to similar events he had attended with his parents.
"But then why did we need the change of clothes? And what's up with the password Felix wrote about in the note? This just doesn't add up." Natsumi supplied, also confused on the matter.
Taiga's eyes widened as he let out a large gasp, startling the others.
"SECRET PARTY!"
Yoichi side glanced his good friend.
"A... a what now?"
"Dude, secret party! I've seen it in my spy movies. When they need to find the bad guys at the party, there's usually some secret entrance to the real party, where all the cool shit is!"
"Man, that's some of the stupidest shit I've heard."
"No Yoichi, trust me, it makes sense! There's always some tough bodyguard and when they say the secret code and then BAM they get into the coolest club, with the coolest games and the greatest food!"
"...Ok you've been hanging out with Seto too much."
"You say that now, but don't get mad at me when you're stuck eating tiny shrimp while I'm playing poker with celebrities."
Hiro tittered, lifting a hand to his coloured lips. He twisted himself to look at the person behind him.
"What do you think Keitaro? Ya think there's gonna be some secret party or is this whole thing gonna be a snore?"
Keitaro himself was abnormally quiet. Why you ask? Well, he had a small predicament. Due to Natsumi's car being a five-seater, there's wasn't enough room for the four people in the back. After various competitions of Rock, Paper, Scissors and Thumb War, and following the the brilliant idea from someone, one thing had lead to another and Hiro had ended up on Keitaro's lap for the whole car ride. And while the problem of no space had been solved and Hiro was very light, it was just that fact that Hiro, his crush of like, forever, was in his lap. A Hiro in a tight dress which cling to his lucious ass was in his lap. So, in short. Keitaro was dying. Nevertheless, he hoisted his head to answer Hiro.
"I'm not really sure. Either way I'm sure we're gonna have a good time!"
Hiro's eyes sparkled at his best friend's positivity. "Haha, of course Keitaro! Anywhere is great when I'm with woah-!"
The car leaped, throwing Hiro further into Keitaro, his backside brushing roughly on his crotch. Keitaro held Hiro by the waist and pulled, his back right against his chest. Keitaro held back a startled moan.
"Oh, sorry about the speed bump Hiro!"
"It's ok Natsumi! Are you ok, Keitaro?"
At this point, Hiro's ass sat directly on his dick. Keitaro burned red and internally screeched.
This was going to be a long car ride.
"Yo Mr Perfect, can I take off my seatbelt?"
"I- no Yoichi. Why would you do that?"
"Cause I'm uncomfy, duh."
"Well the answer is no."
"Can I at least get some fresh air?"
"Well that's alright. If you want you can open the win- OH MY GOD YOICHI CLOSE THE DOOR THERE'S A CAR COMING-"
"Natsumi, are we there yet?"
"No, Hunter."
"... how 'bout now?"
"Not yet, Taiga."
"When are we gonna get there?"
"I don't know Hunter."
"We gonna be there soon?"
"Sigh, yes Taiga."
"..."
"Are we there yet?"
"NO!"
"I'm hungry Natsumi! Can we stop for McDonald's?"
"There's food at the party, Hiro."
"But I'm hungry!"
"We're almost there, Hiro."
"So... can we stop for ice cream?"
"... there's chocolate under the chair."
"Yay!"
"Natsumi, I'm bored!"
"Try playing I Spy, Keitaro."
"The car's moving too fast for that."
"Hey, let's sing Bottles of Frog! I think I've got a new beat!"
"Taiga no! I can just turn on the radio-"
"Yeah let's do it! I wanna do percussion!"
"Yoichi please-"
"Actually, that doesn't sound so bad. I'm down."
"Hunter I thought you hated that song!"
"When you can't beat 'em, join 'em."
"Pleaseeeee Natsumi?"
"Guys c'mon I'm driving. Besides it doesn't seem like Hiro wants that either-"
"What's 'Bottles of Frog?"
"Hiro no-"
A collective inhale of breath.
"69 BOTTLES OF FROG UP MY ASS-"
"WHY?"
"TAKE THEM OUT, FUCKING ABOUT-"
"OK WE'RE HERE, GOD!"
The blaring vocals of the five friends came to a halt as Natsumi rounded the corner. The boys peered out the window to see a tall building, with people dressed to the teeth in fancy clothes. They had finally arrived at the party. Yoichi batted his eyes in bewilderment.
"Huh? Already? Damn car rides are fun. See Natsumi, we made it on time. There was no need to worry."
The beep of a car horn could be heard from outside as Natsumi banged his head against the wheel.
Quickly the boys found a parking space and made their way to the line, bags and invites in tow. Finally they reached the top, being met by a tall man in a butler uniforms. He raised his eyebrows at the sight of six well dressed boys with rucksacks on their backs.
"Invites please."
Each boy extended their arms to present the paper slip in their clutches. The man nodded and stepped aside.
"Welcome Mr. Clermont's Birthday Baloza. I truly hope you enjoy yourselves." He said in a bored manner. Despite the less than warm welcome, the boys rushed inside, only to stop in shock.
The ballroom was one of the most extravagant things Keitaro had ever set eyes on. Chandeliers gleamed, marble statues stood tall, and fountains poured down sparkling. The staircase in front of them was wide and majestic, looking right out of a fairytale, with a long velvet red carpet rolled out on the steps. It was so elite and elegant Keitaro felt very out of his depth. The others looked just as marvelled as he did.
"Holy. Shit."
"Couldn't have said it better Wolfboy."
"Took the words right outta my mouth."
"This place is so beautiful!" Natsumi gasped taking in the sight. "And I thought William's store was fancy."
"This place is huge! I don't even know what to say." Hunter exclaimed, astounded by the vast size of the staircase in front of the group.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go see what's at the top!" Hiro encouraged, lifting his dress to walk up the steps, with the others swiftly following. When they finally reached the top, they were met by two familiar figures.
"Felix!"
The birthday boy himself looked to his fellow campers and flashed a polite smile.
"Guys! I'm so glad you made it! I didn't think you'd come!"
"Pfft miss out on a rich friend party? Nah, wouldn't miss it for the world." Yoichi smirked at the smaller boy. Yoichi had always seemed to have a soft spot for Felix. During the beach, it was obvious Felix wasn't scared of Yoichi's abrasive attitude. Ever since, it seemed that the two got along quite well.
"Well I'm just glad you guys were able to attend. I'm sorry I can't talk for long, I have to go greet the guests. But hopefully I'll catch you guys later on. If you see Seto, tell him I'll be there soon. But for now, I hope you enjoy the party!" He addressed as he returned back to his father. The group were just about to leave the staircase, but Felix caught their attention once again.
"And hey, before you go, I hope you can find the silver fox." He said coyly with a wink, finally going back to Mr Clermont. The COC blinked in confusion at his suspicious statement, before moving into the crowd.
"Uhm, so, does anyone knows what the heck that was all about?" Hiro questioned as they weaved their way through the crowds of posh party goers. The majority of them shrugged just as baffled, but Taiga looked determined.
"Guys, it's obviously the secret party!"
"My god will you shut up about that damn party?"
"I'm not sure Yoichi, I think Taiga might be right." Keitaro defended. "Felix might've wanted to have had a separate celebration more suited to our interests. And look around. I'm not seeing anyone our age. Do you?"
Keitaro seemed to be right. As the surveyed the large ballroom, the people seemed to be slightly older to much older than the pack of 6. Not a person of their age demographic was in sight.
"Well that doesn't seem right. This is Felix's party after all. Where are all the young people?" Natsumi inquired as he continued to look for a familiar face.
"How about we ask that guy?" Taiga wondered as he pointed across the room.
Following Taiga's finger, their direction of sight landed to a hefty muscle man with tinted shades. Looking at his suit, he almost looked like security. Hiro sweated nervously.
"T-That guy? He looks as if he could snap me in half. I don't think so." Keitaro and the others shook their heads in agreement.
"C'mon there's gotta be someone else we can Taiga where are you going?!"
Taiga had apparently taken the initiative to go and approach the burly man, striding with confidence across the room. The others quickly followed, prepared to do damage control. Hunter groaned with annoyance.
"I swear, I knew I was going to die because of one of you, I just didn't know which one."
"Hey!"
"Don't worry Natsumi, you were tied for least likely with Keitaro."
Finally they had caught up to Taiga, who had decided to lean his hand against the wall near the man. The redhead gave him a cocky smirk.
"Yo. The name's Taiga. You've probably heard of me."
The man didn't answer. Yoichi slapped his forehead.
"Great party, isn't it Bill. Can I call you Bill?"
Silence.
"So Bill, my man, my dude, ya like animals? I love animals. There's so many animals in the world, ya dig. Personally I love myself a silver fox." He finished with a eyebrow wiggle. The crew bleaked. Now they were seriously in trouble. Natsumi stepped forward.
"Sir, we are so-"
The man moved aside to open a door he was hiding behind his large back. He reached to open the entrance and gestured for the group to follow him. Taiga smiled and turned to gloat.
"Aha! See? Secret entrance!"
"Or he's leading us to our deaths."
"Quit that negativity Yoichi and let's follow him."
Cautiously the COC pursued Bill through a dark, narrow hallway. Looking to his left, Keitaro saw Yoichi and Hiro were just as scared as he was. He was 90% sure Natsumi was praying. Taiga looked pretty excited. Hunter just looked done.
They reached the end, and at this point they were all shaking in anticipation or in fear. Bill turned to face them. For the first time since they met, he showed a smile.
"Welcome to the real birthday bash, boys. Bathroom's to your right for changing rooms. Hope y'all enjoy yourselves." And with a nod directed to Taiga, Bill pried open the door and left.
The COC blankly stared at Bill as he walked away from the door. Shaking off the shock of not being brutally, they finally fully opened to door, only to let out a amazed breath.
Compared to the fancy ballroom, this place humongous. There seemed to be several floors, almost up to four levels. The biggest difference between the two party areas were that this place was a real party. There were arcade areas with several video games, with people their age running around, screaming and shouting. A gigantic play place with slides and ball pits could be seen as well. There were so many things to do, it looked like a hotel. While the other place seemed fancy, this place was downright fun. Taiga turned to Yoichi.
"HA! I told you! SECRET PARTY! WOO!"
"Sweet Jesus you were right."
"You say that like it's a surprise."
"Exactly."
Hiro meanwhile was just as excited. "Oh wow! Keitaro look at this place! It's so cool! I don't even know where to start!"
Keitaro had to agree. Felix really did know how to throw a party. He was just so excited! "What are we waiting for you guys? Let's go change and get started!"
Soon enough, Keitaro emerged out in casual party clothes, with blue jeans and a nice shirt. Natsumi, Hunter, Yoichi and Taiga were already outside waiting for the others.
"There you are Keitaro! We've been waiting for ages."
"It's only been 10 minutes Taiga."
"Potato, potato, Hunter."
"Absolutely no one says potato like that."
"That's what you think. Don't be fooled blondie, don't be fooled."
"Where's Hiro, Keitaro? Did you seem him while you were coming out?" Natsumi asked as he did his usual head count (when it came to his friends, it was always important he kept track of where everyone was. He was just a mom like that.).
"Here I am! Sorry for the hold up, it's hard to do a zip by yourself."
Keitaro stopped at what Hiro said. Did he say zip? Turning around, he had gotten his answer. Just when he thought he had escaped Hot Hiro️, he spinned, only to see Hiro. In a dress. Once again, the dress was black, this time being having a pleated skirt that laid just about midway on his thighs. It hugged his waist and exposed his shapely thighs. The skirt was rather short, leaving little to the imagination. Hiro completed the look with converse sneakers and a leather jacket. Keitaro underestimated how well Hiro could pull off black. Hiro smiled widely.
"You like it? I realized we probably wouldn't be in our fancy clothes for long, and I still wanted to wear a dress. So ta da!"
His friends smiled at his outfit choice. "You look awesome Hiro!" Keitaro complimented fondly.
"Aww Kay, that's so sweet of you! But no time! Let's go!" With that, he strided forward, linking arms with Taiga and Yoichi. The two boys grinned evilly and followed their orange haired friend.
"ADVENTURE!"
"HELL YEAH!"
"Guys no running!" Natsumi rushed forward, trying to keep up. Hunter looked at Keitaro, who looked to be stuck in place.
"Keitaro? You ok there?"
"Hunter?"
"Yes, Keitaro?"
"I'm so gay."
"I know, Keitaro."
"Hiro is going to kill me."
"That's nice Keitaro. Now shut up and let's go."
"What should we do first? There's so much do to!" Keitaro questioned as they marched their way throughout the party area. Right now, the boys were trying to find something to do, which was difficult with all the people surrounding the devices and games. Keitaro spied something out the corner of his eyes. He veered over to his subject of interest and stopped.
"What about that?"
The thing he was referring to was a large sign over a dome entrance. The sign flashed brightly, with the words 'LASER TAG' showing. Hiro gasped.
"Woah! Laser tag?! Here? Awesome! Keitaro we gotta play!" Hiro exclaimed as he tugged on his best friend's arm.
"Laser tag? The fuck is that?" Yoichi said as he furrowed his eyebrows.
"It's like playing a shooter video game but in person! Kinda like spy movies taking down the bad guys like badasses." Taiga answered, also excited to play.
"Woah, we get to shoot people?"
"Dude no! We shoot the tag thingies!"
"Damn it. Eh, still sounds fun. Let's do it!"
With that, the six boys entered the arena, making their way to the reception desk.
"Hi! We'd like to play please!" Natsumi greeted politely.
"All six of you playing?"
"Yes please!"
"Alright, take your equipment to the left, get suited up and get your team name registered. Hope you guys have fun!"
The boys tugged on their laser gear, slid on the laser tag glasses and hooked on their weapons. Soon they stood at the computer, typing in their individual code names to the system.
"Alright, now, what's the team name?" Taiga asked after putting in his own nickname.
"Well, obviously what we always call ourselves. The Cabin One Crew!" Keitaro said happily, the others in agreement. Taiga blinked.
"W-We? Like, uhm, all of us?"
"Well, yeah! We all stayed in Cabin One, didn't we?" Hiro queried.
"Well, you did. I didn't, remember? I'm not really a part of the Cabin One Crew. Hell, I'm just kinda a plus one right now." Taiga admitted, not making eye contact with his friends. Yoichi frowned at what Taiga had just said.
"What do you mean 'plus one'? Don't be stupid, you're already a part of the crew! We invited you cause you're our friend, ya dumbass."
Taiga glanced up at Yoichi. "Huh? So you didn't just invite me cause I live at camp?
Yoichi clasped his friend's shoulder. "Nah. We invited you cause we really think you're one of us."
Taiga's eyes shimmered with unexpected emotion. "Oh. I- I didn't know you guys thought of me that way. Uhm... thanks."
"So... Cabin One Crew sounds good?"
"Yeah. Sounds good to me."
"Aww! That was so sweet you guys!" Hiro cooed.
Yoichi rolled his eyes with a laugh. He really was going soft. Damn friends. "Whatever Torch-Head, let's move it."
Finally they had reached the waiting room, where they and the opposing team were to reside until their game was to begin. Yoichi and Taiga were playing pretend with their guns, until a nasally voice interrupted their chat.
"So these are the people we're up against? A mangy mutt and a stupid lil kitty? Ugh this is gonna be so easy."
The two boys spiralled to see boys who looked a year or two older than them looking down at them. All wearing polo shirts, it was clear to see they were the richer guests that were invited to the party. Yoichi growled in anger while Taiga squinted in irritation.
"Who the fuck ya calling mangy mutt?" Yoichi growled at the boy who had just thrown the insult.
"Who else am I talking to? Where on earth did you get those sad excuses for clothes? The recycling bin?" The guy sneered, his goons snickering at the mean joke. Yoichi withered slightly, the comment hitting too close to home. Taiga stepped up and pointed his finger at his chest.
"Hey! Fuck off asshole! No one asked for your opinion!"
"No need to get all winded up man, just a joke. Hey, the Halloween store called, said they want their fangs back." Once again, the group laughed. Taiga promptly closed his mouth, bringing his sharp canines out of view. He had never really made it clear, but he was slightly self conscious about his teeth. Being with his friends usually made him forget about it, until those douchebags brought it up.
"Guys, whats going on? Are these guys bothering you?" Natsumi and Hunter advanced, just managing to overheard the argument.
"Nothing we can't handle Twinkle Toes. Just a bunch of fancy Nancys being jerks."
"Watch your mouth, mutt, or I'll have you kicked out faster than your card declining." Natsumi frowned upsetly at his friends being made fun of.
"You leave my friends alone. We're just trying to have fun, and it seems you are ruining it." Hunter came up behind Natsumi and crossed his arms.
"As a fellow elitist, I'd appreciate if you backed off my friends. And who are you calling mutt? The only bitch I see in here is you."
Natsumi 'ohh' at the roast, Taiga snapped his fingers sassily while Yoichi and Hunter exchanged high five. The boys looked disgruntled at the sass coming from someone small as Hunter. Before they could retort, Hiro and Keitaro had arrived, only to hear their team having some sort of stand-off with the opposing challengers.
"Hey! Can we all come down please? We're just here to have a friendly competition. There's no need for insults." Keitaro panicked, trying to defuse the situation like the mediator he was. Hiro stood beside him agreeing.
"Yeah, Keitaro's right. Just leave us alone and let's have a good time, ok?" Hiro pleaded, looking at both groups. Suddenly, the apparent ringleader of the team smirked and verged down to Hiro, leaning over the shorter dresses up boy.
"Yeah, I'm down for a good game. But I gotta say, you look great in that dress."
The COC gagged at the asshole who was trying to flirt with Hiro, with Keitaro blinking in bewilderment. Hiro raised an eyebrow, but Keitaro could see the lightest pink beginning to dust over his cheeks.
"Uh, thanks, I guess."
A bell rang, signalling for the opposing team to enter the arena. The boy quickly reached Hiro's hand and gave a kiss. Behind him, you could see Keitaro obtaining a look of shocked disgust.
"How 'bout later when I win I'll take you around the place? We'll make it a date."
"Uh-"
"See you around cutie." With that, he left with his group. Hiro was still dazed from the interaction. Keitaro meanwhile, was reeling from his last sentence. Did... did he just call Hiro cutie? Has he just asked Hiro on a date? He wasn't one to get jealous, but that guy was mean. He didn't deserve Hiro's attention. Keitaro turned to the COC.
"Guys. We are going to crush them."
"Oh jeez, they've awaken the beast. Here we go." Hunter said, slightly impressed by Keitaro's competitive nature. The bell rang again. It was time.
The boys creeped into the dome arena, guns at the ready. To be frank, Keitaro had done this a few times at parties and play dates with Hiro, and he was pretty good. But unlike the other days when he didn't really care if he won or lost, he felt that quite a bit was at stake. If the other team won, not only would they gloat and tease his friend to no end, Mr. Steal Your Man would definitely make a bigger move on Hiro. And while he knew Hiro wasn't stupid enough to be attracted to guys like him, Keitaro didn't like the feeling of someone else showing their affection towards his best friend, especially blatantly flirting. No he wasn't jealous... it was just that he was giving Hiro a helping hand in rejecting the guy. It's what best friends did.
"Ok, team. We've been out here for a good ten minutes scouting the war zone. What's the game plan?" Keitaro stated with authority, making his voice deep and gruff. Everyone became stationary to stare baffled at their friend's voice. Hunter cringed slightly.
"Please never speak like that again."
"Aww what? I thought it was pretty cool."
"It was pretty traumatising."
"Not my point. What are we gonna do to win this thing? They could be anywhere."
"Don't worry Keitaro, I know exactly what to do!" Hunter said. "I've read about this in my comic books. When they want to find the bad guy, they always use bait."
"Bait? This ain't no pond for fishing Twinkerbell." Yoichi grumbled as he kept guard.
"No, not like that Yoichi. But you're close. We need something that'll lure them out. Something that they think they can take down easily. Something they want. Something small, cute, innocent and ok why is everyone staring at me?"
The rest of the team smirked evilly.
"Ah man, I'm the bait aren't I?"
"Yup."
"Dang it."
"Ok, you understand the plan, right Hunter?"
"Yes, but is this really necessary?"
"Well you did say we needed bait. So we got the bait."
"Yeah I get that Taiga, but this is ridiculous."
"Just stick to the script!"
"Ugh, you guys are the worst."
"We love you too, now go!"
In the middle of an open space, Hunter stepped out behind a pole and stood bang in the middle. Behind the pole where he had just emerged, the rest of his group hid, with their thumbs up in encouragement. Hunter sighed. The things he did for friendship. He cleared his throat before speaking.
"Guys? Where did you go? Is anyone out there?" He spoke with a small, shaky voice. He sounded a lot like how he did before camp. Although he was more confident these days, the voice did come in handy, especially in situations like these. He heard movement from behind him. Hunter smiled. Their plan was actually working! He continued.
"H-Hello? Is anyone there? Please don't hurt me, I just want to find my friends."
Another shuffle or two. It was time for the finishing move.
"I'm so scared! WAH! Don't shoot please!"
Finally, all of the other team emerged from their hiding place. Bingo. He heard small chuckles and snickers from the group. They probably thought he looked like an idiot. To be honest he sure felt that he sounded like an idiot.
"Let's make this quick. I wanna scare the shit outta him and take him down." The main guy said, sneaking along with his goons. Before they could tap his shoulder, Hunter screeched.
"AH! Call an ambulance! Call an ambulance!"
The boys were quickly shocked, pausing in their planned assault. Hunter spinned around, gun in his arms and pointed directly at them.
"But not for me! ATTACK!"
As quick as lightening, the COC jumped out behind the pole yelling a loud war cry, laser guns blasting. The opposing team screamed in terror.
"Shit! It's an ambush!" The leader said. "Let's get 'em!"
"Hell yeah it's an ambush! And you're gonna get crushed!" Taiga bragged. "Take that you son of a gun! Woohoo!"
Keitaro laughed merrily, the adrenaline rushing through his veins. He had taken down at least two people, taking them by surprise. Suddenly he saw the main man of the team run by him to Hiro, preparing to take him out by the back. Keitaro halted to try and warm him.
"Hiro, look out!"
Hiro whirled, his dress swishing in the air. He inhaled sharply, trying to grab his gun from the holster. Before the guy could shoot, Keitaro stepped in, aiming and firing him right in the chest. The guy groaned in annoyance.
"Ugh! You ass!"
Keitaro smirked heroically. "You snooze, you lose."
"This game is stupid anyway."
The bell sounded out again from the speaker.
"Winners: THE CABIN ONE CREW."
The team cheered, celebrating their victory. Hiro smiled and hugged Keitaro.
"Keitaro! You saved me!"
"Anytime Hiro! I've always got your back."
Keitaro could see him blush red in the dark.
"Kinda glad you took him out. Or else he probably would've asked me out on some date."
"He wasn't worth your time anyway. He wasn't very nice."
Hiro giggled. Before he could pull away, Hiro quickly leaned in and kissed his cheek. His blush got darker.
"My hero. Thanks for the save."
Before Keitaro could reply, Hiro rushed to the exit where his friends stood. Keitaro blinked surprised. He gently touched his cheek. Did Hiro just kiss... his cheek? He shook his head and walked to the exit.
He had a small feeling the fun had just begun.
