Endling – Chapter 7
Back home, this kind of building was much more common. It was to be expected, given the density of the population and the lack of privacy in regular life. Sometimes it wasn't even a matter of covering up an illicit affair; it was just couples that needed to get away from their cramped houses and apartments, and into a world of affordable fantasies.
Kaito barely knew how these places worked. For starters, most people tended to either ignore or badmouth him using that inimitable passive-aggressive style that his countrymen excelled at. Not everyone reacted to Kaito in that way- a girl or two turned crimson at the sight of him, a guy or two seemed a bit too eager to talk to him. But none of his fumbling relationships had merited a rendezvous in one of these hotels.
So Kaito guessed he looked about as puzzled as Gakupo by the room before them. They stood at the entrance, with Kaito holding Gakupo by the waist, and boggled at the faux-medieval 'instruments of torture' around the big bed, the many mirrors lining the walls and ceiling and the chains hanging here and there.
Slowly, the fae pulled away from Kaito, then dispelled the illusion hiding his wings and tail. Once again in his true form, Gakupo started examining the different implements in the room with an intrigued expression. Gradually, it seemed to dawn on him what the purpose of the building was. Once he got to a bunch of toys fashioned after a certain organ of humanoid males lined on a table, he downright started laughing.
In contrast, Kaito remained woodenly by the door, suddenly wishing to be miles away. It had made sense to pick this place, it was the most private spot he could think where he could leave Gakupo for a few hours, since regular hotels usually required detailed information about their guests. From what Hiroshi had explained to him, the payment for this kind of services was masked and rerouted in such a way that third parties wouldn't pinpoint the origin, even if his account was being monitored somehow. It had made sense.
Gakupo sat on the bed, still chuckling as he tried to decipher the labels to some of the flasks on the nightstand. After a few seconds, he raised his eyes and met Kaito's gaze. His smiled became mischievous when he saw Kaito's embarrassed expression.
"I…" Kaito swallowed nervously. How could anyone be comfortable in a place like this?!
"Come here." Gakupo approached him, eyes twinkling; he obviously thought his shy human needed an extra push. He grabbed hold of Kaito's hands and gently started pulling him towards the bed. However, Kaito shook him off and took a few steps back.
"Ah, I have to go back my apartment and get a few things…erm, wait here, ok?" The human stuttered, and bolted from the room before Gakupo could get a word edgewise. He headed towards the emergency exit at the end of the hall, helpfully marked with a green sign.
Congratulations, idiot. That was excellent, well done. Weren't you the one itching to be alone with him? The only reason Gakupo puts up with you is that he doesn't know any better…
Kaito's hand rested on the exit door for a second, as that last thought bounced around inside his head. That was true; as far as he knew, the endling had little experience when it came to relationships. So how much of his interest in Kaito was just having no basis for comparison? And what would happen when Gakupo realized how dull he really was? What if the fae girl they were supposed to rescue was more attractive than him?
'A king needs a faithful knight,' Yuki's voice suddenly echoed in his mind. That was what Yuki and Goya were probably counting on, wasn't it? They were hoping the new queen would take Gakupo as her husband.
Kaito shook his head, cringing. He stepped outside and began to descend the emergency stairs on the side of the building, barely paying attention to his steps. He was being stupid, he knew that. But it made no difference. Not even when he stumbled and almost rolled the rest of the way down; the image of Gakupo turning his back on him remained pinned to the inside of his eyelids.
Stop it. He finally reached the street and began blindly walking towards his apartment.
He's mine. He's mine! Another childish voice replied inside of him, fiercely. Remember that night with the storm outside!
Remember how you brushed him off, just now? With a sigh, Kaito hung his head. What was he even doing? After a moment, he looked around, and realized that he had managed to reach the train station without even noticing. According to the sign in front of him, the next train was about to reach the platform. Dejectedly, he prepared to board.
Gakupo laid face-down on the bed, in the middle of the ridiculous, slightly chilly room. His tail swung like a pendulum from right to left and back, betraying his bad mood.
So he was being too forceful. Kaito was wise and gentle and yet, instead of acting accordingly, Gakupo was being coarse and unappealing. But what was he supposed to do? He had nothing to give but himself; besides, the human had been the one to make the first move.
Maybe Kaito felt ashamed of feeling attraction towards a fae. Maybe he was beginning to realize what an inconvenient burden Gakupo was. Now that they were back in the city, the proper thing for Kaito would've been to dive right back into his own life, instead of doing this.
'It's not going to last, pup. You already gave him what he wanted; he'll get bored and leave. That's what humans are like.'
Goya was prejudiced against humans. That had been the origin of their big argument, before Gakupo stopped accompanying his father on his rounds. But even after all that had happened to his people, Gakupo couldn't accept that humans were half as bad as the wolf-man claimed. How could the creators of so many beautiful and amazing things be the abominations his father hated?
However, what if Goya was right, this time? What if Gakupo had made a mistake, that night back at the cave? The unknown had a certain allure, but he had surrendered to Kaito completely, removing all mystery. Now Kaito could see what he really was: a stupid beast still alive merely due to chance, a crude little thing trying to be loved…and nothing more.
For an instant, Gakupo felt like going outside and make a scene until the Pale Line arrived to capture him. Just to get it over with. But no, that would only inconvenience Kaito further. He had to respect his attempt to help them; Kaito had to know what he was doing.
Kaito wasn't sure how to proceed. He didn't like spy movies in general, but right now he felt they would've given him a pointer or two regarding his current predicament. He had circled around his apartment building as casually as he could, searching for any vehicles parked nearby, or suspicious individuals. Nothing really jumped out as out of place for his neighborhood, but that didn't meant the Pale Line weren't keeping tabs on him. His apartment could be bugged, or cameras could be installed somewhere nearby.
In the end, his only feasible course of action was to go in, get the things he needed and get out quickly. And that was exactly what didn't happen, of course. Aside from the usual electronic surveillance, his building employed a doorman who divided his time between surfing the net and questioning any strangers coming in. As soon as the man saw Kaito, he jumped out of his chair, eyes wide.
"Kaito?! Where the he- where were you?!" The doorman came from behind of his desk and grabbed Kaito's shoulders. "Are you alright?"
"I...er, I'm fine, Mr. Stevens. Sorry for making you worry."
"Are you kidding me? The cops are looking for you! Your father is flying in! Where were you?"
"My father? When does he land?" Kaito felt heavy with guilt. His father had been so worried as to drop everything and come to this country?
"Tonight, from what I've heard. Kaito, he kept calling you and you never replied, so he called the manager of the building and the police. And then we contacted the college and your friends, and no one had seen you in days! You can't disappear like that!"
"Er…" Kaito stared stupidly at the man. He had completely failed to consider he would need an excuse for his disappearance. He couldn't mention the endling, or admit he had done something illegal. "I…wanted to get away for a while."
The silence stretched for an uncomfortably long time, before the doorman finally stepped back, shaking his head. "This was a very irresponsible thing to do, Kaito. If I were your dad…well, you'll get to explain yourself soon enough. Go and clean up while I call the cops."
"…Right." Kaito practically ran to the elevator, hiding his face. He'd have to take the emergency exit, again, and face the consequences later.
His apartment was like the aftermath of a hurricane: either the Pale Line or the police (or both) had been looking for clues of his whereabouts. Kaito ran into his bedroom with a lump in his throat, but his laptop was still in the closet. He hastily emptied his backpack on the bed and jammed the laptop and fresh clothes inside, then stood in the middle of the room. What else? What else could be useful? After a moment, he remembered his electronics toolkit and some traveler's cheques hidden in his socks drawer and added them to his pack.
While he changed into a new jacket and muffler, Kaito chanced to look outside at the street below. A police car was quickly approaching from one end of the street. The youth shouldered the backpack and ran outside, without even bothering to lock his apartment.
Dad is going to kill me- and he's going to be fully justified.
The next stop was a shop to get some clothes for Gakupo. Kaito chose an out of the way place he had visited on one occasion with his friends; he remembered as a fashionably backwards store, where cash and even cheques were still favored over electronic transferences.
"Honey, that's too loose; do you want me to check for a smaller size?" A tall store attendant covered in a metric ton of makeup appeared next to Kaito while he was trying on a black hooded jacket.
"Ah, it's not for me." Kaito wasn't sure of Gakupo's exact measurements, but the fae was taller and had wider shoulders than him, even though he was overly thin, almost malnourished. "I'm getting them for a friend." He gesticulated vaguely to include a black t-shirt and a pair of faded jeans on a counter nearby.
"Why didn't your friend come? We don't bite…much." The lady winked.
"Yeah, why isn't he here with you?" A familiar voice asked sarcastically from behind Kaito's back, startling him. The store attendant blinked, and Kaito reluctantly turned to find Hiroshi and Akane standing a couple steps away from him. Hiroshi was carrying an almost cartoonish tower of packages, but Kaito found little humor in his incensed expression. On the other hand, Akane was pulling nervously at her cute braid and looking from one young man to the other with a mortified expression.
"Um, hi…" Kaito mumbled.
"You're an absolute ass, you know that?!" Hiroshi growled. The attendants and other customer at the store began to stare at the trio with varying degrees of interest.
"I…let me pay for this, and…and I'll explain, ok?"
"Yeah, just try and explain this one." Hiroshi followed him to the cashier, with Akane trailing just behind.
After the clothes were paid off and bagged, Kaito marched woodenly out of the store. After an instant of indecision, he continued walking along the sidewalk, in the direction of the hotel, but Hiroshi stepped in front of him almost immediately. "Where do you think you're going?"
"I can't talk in the middle of the street," Kaito said in a low tone. "Please, Hiroshi."
"Why don't we go have a coffee somewhere?" Akane suggested softly. She jerked her head lightly towards a franchise café on the other end of the street. "My treat."
"…Sure." Not that he enjoyed the idea of leaving Gakupo alone for too long, but it couldn't be helped.
Probably thanks to the calming presence of Akane, Hiroshi kept quiet until they were sitting on a corner near the back of the café. But once there were two steaming cups of coffee and a sundae on the table, he decided it was time to unleash his vitriol. Kaito observed him with equal parts amazement and uneasiness. He had never seen his friend lose his temper like this: the Hiroshi he knew was full of quips and inappropriate humor, always trying to push him into doing silly, adventurous things.
"Are you listening to me?!" Hiroshi barked.
"I…um…"
"Hiroshi was very worried about you. Everyone was," Akane interjected.
"I guess none of us matter in comparison to a pretty face!"
"Please, Hiroshi. I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, but please keep it down," Kaito interrupted him, casting nervous glances at the people at the other tables and the waitress.
Akane placed a hand on Hiroshi's arm, rubbing it slightly; that gesture alone seemed enough to calm him somewhat. He sighed and took a sip of coffee before continuing. "You sprung that fae from the museum, didn't you?"
"Yeah."
"And you've been with him all this time." The questions were merely a formality, but Kaito confirmed them nonetheless.
"Why? Why put yourself through all of this?"
"Why?" Kaito repeated, honestly perplexed for a moment. Wasn't it obvious? "I couldn't see him wither inside that cage. Not him." He played with the ice cream before him, all too aware of how his answer would fail to impress his friend, and shoved a spoonful into his mouth.
"He's really in love with that fae…" Akane rested her chin in her hands, looking at Kaito as if he was the most fascinating thing she had seen lately. Kaito almost choked in response.
"I don't doubt that, unfortunately. The problem is that the fae is taking advantage of this doofus' sugar-laden idiocy."
"That's not true!" Kaito cried out, unwittingly dropping the spoon; it rattled with an unpleasantly harsh sound when it crashed against the floor.
"Oh really? I think you've watched one too many romantic movies, buddy. Did he promise to take you to Arcadia as his blushing bride yet?"
"Hiroshi…" Akane's tone was mildly chiding; by her standards, it was the harshest of condemnations.
Hiroshi ruffled his already messy hair and sighed. "I should call the police, I really should. If he does anything to hurt you, I'll rip his freaking tail off, you got me?"
"Got it." Kaito smiled, genuinely moved by his friend's worry.
"So where did you stash him?"
"Um, how should I explain this…?"
Kaito peeked inside the hotel room and discovered that Gakupo was on the bed, hidden by his wings. I wonder why he sits like that. Is it comfortable? Does he do it to shut off the outside world?
"I'm back," he said hesitantly. For once, Gakupo failed to react in any way, even when Kaito moved closer and dropped the bags over the covers. "Are you alright?"
One of the wings twitched, and then partially moved out of the way. Gakupo stared at him with a severe expression without saying a word.
Fighting the urge to shrink back, Kaito gulped. A painfully long moment later, he managed to sputter, "I'm sorry I ran off so abruptly."
"No matter." The wings retreated and Gakupo pushed himself off the bed.
Kaito began rummaging through the bags, grateful for the chance to look away from that intense gaze. Akane had actually insisted he needed to buy more clothes and a second backpack, so he had several items to sort through, but Kaito decided to start with the first outfit he bought in the trendy store. "Can you try these on? I think they should fit, but you never know, right? It's the first time I do something like this; it's kind of interesting to buy stuff thinking of how it will look on someone else." He unfolded the dark jacket and added, "It's darker than the stuff you usually wear, but I thought you'd look good, and- well, you always look good, I mean-I just wanted to see you in…erm, actually, I..."
"You're speaking with no road." There was a slight wavering in his tone, a laugh trying to get out. Kaito looked up, relief flooding every part of him. Gakupo took the jacket and examined it with a smile. "This…is jacket, right? Good jacket. Thank you, Kaito."
Kaito laughed softly, rubbing the back of his neck, as Gakupo sang to bring about the transformation. He watched as the now wingless fae removed his short cape slowly to avoid unbalancing himself and tried on the jacket. Yes, it fit pretty well, and the contrast between the black fabric and the pale skin under it was more than a little fetching.
"Would you like me better if I looked like this always?" Gakupo asked, touching his hair gingerly.
"Huh?"
"Would you like me better if I were human? I could go outside, I would know things." Gakupo then made a brusque movement, maybe forgetting himself, and wobbled in place. Thankfully, Kaito was close to keep him from tumbling down. "I would stop falling," the fae added with a grimace.
"This is just a momentary thing," Kaito replied. "But to answer the question…" He breathed deeply. In a flash, he imagined how it would've been to meet Gakupo as just another student in campus. He would be seen such a sight: handsome, fit and confident, unburdened by the scars of the past. Would someone like that even bother to look at Kaito? The Gakupo in front of him, unlike the fanciful creation in his mind's eye, needed him. So that meant… What am I even thinking! Hiroshi is right; I'm a selfish jerk! Kaito winced internally, trying to keep his thoughts from being reflected on his face. This Gakupo was better, because he was vulnerable? Because protecting him made Kaito feel less maladjusted and lonely?
"What are you thinking?" Gakupo unknowingly echoed the turmoil inside his head. He made a little sound of frustration and pushed the jacket off his shoulders. A few notes later, he was back to his usual self. Now stable, he leaned forward and grabbed Kaito's shoulders, pulling him close. "Tell me what you want! I'll do it!" His voice was equal parts forceful and pleading.
Kaito's jaw dropped, but for once, he managed to connect his mouth to his brain before the moment completely passed, even if he couldn't avoid laughing nervously. "What I want? I- I want you. I've never met anyone I wanted more."
"Even if I only make trouble for you?"
"I'd rather be in trouble with you than safe anywhere else," Kaito replied, and felt a small spark of pride when he saw Gakupo's touched expression. I'll work hard to deserve that look, I promise, he thought warmly.
"Kaito…" Again the fae's voice trembled a bit, flavorful with many unspoken promises. That rich tone drew the human in, awakening once more the terrible hunger to take Gakupo's mouth, over and over again. He gladly yielded to the impulse and pulled Gakupo down until their lips met. What did Kaito care about trouble when he had someone as his endling kissing him?
His touch erased every worry from Kaito's heart; his heat was like fierce sunlight, burning away every doubt.
The kiss deepened, reducing Kaito's world further to an increasingly heated dance. Suddenly, they bumped against the bed and Gakupo fell backwards, dragging him along. Kaito tried to apologize and pull back, scared of squashing Gakupo's wings, but the fae just gripped him harder and rolled their bodies until he was on top. His hands travelled downwards along the sides of Kaito's torso and disappeared beneath his t-shirt. Then the fingers changed direction, pushing the fabric upwards as they gently explored his skin. "Tell me to love you," Gakupo whispered into his ear.
The words swept Kaito's body, galvanizing him. There was nothing else to do but comply. "Please love me."
The fae's lips curved in a victorious, pleased smile: like a musician plucking their instrument, he pinched, stroked and soothed the body beneath his. Layers of fabric were peeled away, clothes were tossed aside; once again they were pressed against each other, ebbing and surging. Kaito repeated his plea once, twice, three times and more, the words unraveling with each movement. Gakupo replied with his mouth and his body, unrelenting. Kaito cried out incoherently, moving by instinct, lost in his urges. Gakupo came to him, sank into him and escaped him, carving scorched roads over Kaito's skin.
They pursued each other, they drank from each other, and instants stacked themselves in a frenzied parade. The flame grew brighter and brighter until it broke into shards of unbearable and utterly ephemeral light. The world dripped back in and rationality clawed back from the recesses of Kaito's mind. Pleasure cooled on his skin.
"Say it…" Gakupo began once more between ragged breaths, before he rested his head on Kaito's chest. He didn't need to continue.
"I love you."
Hours later, Kaito gently pried himself from under Gakupo's sleeping form. Honestly, he would've been more than content to stay where he was, but he had things to do before the day was over.
"I'll protect you," he mouthed in a barely audible tone, before kissing Gakupo´s forehead. The endling didn't stir.
After cleaning himself in the annexed bathroom, Kaito sat on the edge of the bed, clad in a bathrobe. He examined his laptop for signs of tempering, but the casing looked pristine. Just to be extra careful, he carefully opened it using his toolkit and checked the interior components. Still nothing. Satisfied, he closed the casing and powered it up. After the OS loaded, he ran the antivirus. It was clean.
His first task was to investigate the Pale Line and see if he could find the address for their private club somewhere on the net. He opened the browser and began to search for an official site, but nothing relevant popped up, no matter what search engine or word combination he used.
"What now?" Kaito mumbled, chewing one of his nails. Either they didn't have net presence (unlikely) or the Pale Line had an unlisted site. That meant using different means of accessing the net; of course, Kaito wasn't exactly familiar with using anonymous net access or 'alternative' software, much less with visiting online black markets or services. "Time to learn, I guess."
It actually took very little time to download and install the necessary programs. The hard part was figuring out where to go, once he dived into the hidden part of the net. It was clearly set up for people who knew where to go, and how to get there. The laptop's clock reminded him repeatedly of the passage of time, as he fruitlessly jumped from site to site. It was terribly frustrating.
But all of the sudden, he ran into something that chilled him. There wasn't anything disturbing to the image itself, paradoxically. It was a picture very much like the ones still housed in the data assistant: Gakupo inside the cage, smiling brightly as he examined a long ribbon. But the context was someone mentioning a ''job offer' recently posted in a certain marketplace. Kaito followed the directions of the forum goer, and after some more difficulties, he finally found the posting. The Pale Line was offering a big reward for the retrieval of the endling, and smaller sums for information. Fortunately, there was no mention of Kaito by name, although they did say Gakupo might be in the company of a 'blue-haired young man.'
I really wish I didn't have to look at the comments for this…If the comments for common sites of the net were oftentimes toxic, what could be expected of a place like this? But he had to know if they had been seen around the city earlier in the day. He scrolled down.
There were some professional-sounding (for lack of a better word) comments regarding the hunt, but most messages were from people eagerly anticipating the moment Gakupo would be available to service clients; the commenters often left uncomfortably detailed blocks of text describing all the lewd things they wanted to do to him. A few even lamented how old Gakupo was and hoped the Pale Line could procure a preteen fae boy at some point in the future.
"Pigs!" Kaito blurted out loud, enraged.
Behind him, Gakupo groaned and sluggishly rose to a sitting position. "What's wrong?"
Kaito quickly slammed the laptop closed; the last thing he wanted was to explain to Gakupo about the filth he had been reading. "Nothing, I'm just having trouble finding the headquarters of the Pale line. Sorry I woke you up."
Gakupo crawled towards him over the rumpled covers, and hugged him from behind. "I shouldn't waste time sleeping when I'm with you," he said hoarsely and kissed Kaito's neck.
Kaito leaned back and inclined his head to one side, enjoying the warmth of Gakupo's embrace with closed eyes. Gakupo's lips and tongue continued to trace figures up and down his neck, while his fingers pushed the bathrobe off his shoulders. "Mmm…wait, wait a moment," Kaito gasped, remembering the hour. "We need to get dressed."
"Why?" Matching the playful tone in his voice, the fae's fingers travelled downwards and began to play with his nipples.
"Ah…Hiroshi offered me his spare room, so I wouldn't waste more money renting this one. I…I told him we'd be there around 10 o'clock."
"Hiroshi?" It barely sounded like a question; clearly Gakupo didn't remember who that was, and didn't care at the moment.
Kaito stifled a moan and continued. "A friend…Remember the first time I went to the museum, the one that took photographs? Come on, we have to move." He reluctantly pried Gakupo's fingers off him and stood up. "Have you ever showered in a human bathroom? I think you'll like it."
"Show me," Gakupo replied non-committedly after a moment.
As it was to be expected, the bathroom had a two-person shower. Thankfully, it meant that Gakupo could stand inside the enclosed space without bending his wings.
"Are you staying outside?" Gakupo asked surprised, as the hot water began to soak him. Kaito was sitting outside, close enough to help in case the fae needed something.
"Yes, it wouldn't be comfortable with me in there, unless you used the spell…" Kaito shook his head. Not to mention how hard it would be to keep focused. The mere thought of a wet, soapy Gakupo rubbing his body was flustering enough. Later, we'll have time for more later, he promised himself.
By the time they reached Hiroshi's street, Gakupo was beginning to adapt to his human guise, although his pace was still painfully slow. Kaito and him walked arm in arm down the sidewalk, two of the few people still around at that hour. It was a residential neighborhood relatively far from the center of the city. The street itself was very quiet and a little dark, thanks to the trees leaning over the sidewalk, filtering the light of the lampposts.
"Ok, here we are." The house in question was pretty nice, thanks to Hiroshi's father and his high-paying job. Thankfully, the job in question involved long trips to other states, so Hiroshi was alone at the moment. "Don't mind him if he gets snippy, he's a good guy."
"Snippy?"
"Eh, I mean…you know, Hiroshi doesn't like fae all that much, but I'm sure that when he gets to know you-"
"I understand," Gakupo cut him off, somewhat drily.
"Look, I just mean-" Again Kaito's words were cut off, when the door opened and Hiroshi appeared, staring at them with raised eyebrows.
"What the? Where are his wings and tail?" Hiroshi circled around them and examined Gakupo's back. Immediately, the fae's image wavered, and his true form appeared with a loud ripping sound. Hiroshi sputtered when one of Gakupo's wings hit him in the face and fell on his rear, mouth agape.
Kaito pulled Gakupo inside the house quickly, before returning to the sidewalk. He looked around, dismayed at the thought of anyone seeing the transformation, but it somehow seemed to go unnoticed by the couple making their way in his direction, or the man walking his dog. He breathed out a sigh of relief and helped Hiroshi up. "I'm sorry, I should've mentioned he was using a spell to disguise himself as human."
"You don't say!" Hiroshi replied, dusting his pants off. "Though I was wondering how you planned to get here unnoticed."
"I broke the clothes you gave me," Gakupo's voice grumbled from inside the house. "See!"
"Oh, we can see quite a bit," Hiroshi commented with a wincing smile. Apparently the absurdity of the situation was beginning to steer him back towards his usual mood. "Get him upstairs, will you? Last door to the left."
"It's ok, don't worry." Kaito guided the pouting Gakupo across the nicely furnished living room, towards the stairs.
"Do you guys need something to eat?" Hiroshi asked while closing the main door.
"That would be nice." Kaito paused for a moment, studying Gakupo. The endling stared back tilting his head. "Could you get him something organic? I don't know how well he handles processed food."
Hiroshi scratched his scalp vigorously. "Um, I'm not sure I have healthy junk around. I'll see what I can do."
"Thanks. For everything, I mean."
"Yeah, yeah, shut up." Hiroshi waved a hand and disappeared into the kitchen.
Kaito exhaled. In truth, he was expecting a much more hostile meeting, but Hiroshi was clearly making an effort to be supportive, in his own way; it was actually pretty heartwarming, he had to admit.
"Are all human homes like this?" Gakupo asked looking around, as he ascended the stairs. The lamp hanging on top created huge shadows as he moved his wings inspecting the pictures on the walls.
"Not all. My apartment is tiny next to this place."
Gakupo made a little sound of acknowledgement, just as he reached the hall upstairs. "Many doors."
"Yeah," Kaito agreed. Funnily enough, it somewhat reflected his situation back home: his father owned a huge traditional house in the countryside, with most of the rooms simply collecting dust. It would be a great place to hide Gakupo, if I could get him across the Pacific…
The spare room had a single bed, an empty closet, and little else. Kaito left Gakupo removing the formerly trendy outfit and returned downstairs. He found Hiroshi in the kitchen, leaning on a counter with a phone on his hand. His friend gestured him to keep quiet as soon as he entered, as he listened to the person at the other end of the line. Out of reflex, his friend nodded a couple of times in response to what they were saying, until it was his turn to reply. "Around seven…Oh, sure, of course, yes," Hiroshi's Japanese sounded a little awkward, but it was to be expected of someone that had lived in the western world all his life. "If I hear anything, I'll let you know…. Yes. Goodbye," Finally, he hung up, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Was that-"
"Your father? Oh, yes. He just arrived at the hotel. He wants to meet me tomorrow."
"And you said yes?"
"Of course I said yes. Look, why don't you call him and explain what's going on? He sounds like he's gonna crack any minute now!" Hiroshi offered him the phone.
"I don't know…" It felt horrible to leave his father out of the loop like this, but the alternative scared him. Mr. Fuuga was kind and understanding, but also very mindful of the law. Even if he accepted that his son was in love with a male fae, Kaito had basically committed a crime. There was a chance that his father would call the police and surrender the fae to them, out of a sense of justice. No, Kaito couldn't allow that to happen. "Maybe I'll call tomorrow, I need to figure out some things."
"Like what? Just tell him the truth: 'Hey, dad, I stole a fae boy toy, can I keep him?'" Hiroshi mimicked speaking on the phone, twirling a strand of his hair and batting his eyelashes.
"Funny. Just give me some time to think, ok? Please promise you won't say anything to him tomorrow. Please?"
"Fine, I won't spill the beans. But my dad returns on Monday, so you better figure out what you want to do by then. Oh, I had to order some food, it should be here any minute now."
While they waited for the deliveryman, Kaito told Hiroshi about the Pale Line, and what Gakupo and him were supposed to do. His friend just shook his head repeatedly. "I really hope that the fae is worth it, mate. Sounds like the wrong people to mess with."
"He is, Hiroshi."
His friend smiled crookedly. "I have to give him one thing: I've never seen you so determined about something." At that moment, the doorbell rang.
Five minutes later, Kaito was back in the spare room with a big tray of 'healthy junk', as Hiroshi described it. It looked quite good, actually. Gakupo stood up from his spot on the bed and examined the salad and fruit basket with interest; rather distractingly, he hadn't bothered to get dressed again after removing the torn clothing.
"Er, aren't you cold?" Kaito placed the tray on the bed and sat next to it. Gakupo shook his head and sat on the other side of the tray. "Well, I hope that Hiroshi doesn't decide to barge in here without knocking." Gakupo shrugged, clearly unconcerned. That was an interesting question, actually: whether that lack of inhibitions was a personal quirk, or something he had picked up growing up with the wolf-man.
"Kaito, I want to ask something of you…" Gakupo started, interrupting his train of thought, but then stopped to munch on a celery stick, perhaps to give himself more time to construct his sentences. "I want you to take me to old Titania."
"The former queen? I don't know if that's a good idea." It fact, it sounded like an absolutely terrible one. "You know how easily the disguise can fail, and we'd be surrounded by visitors and security guards."
"I want to understand. You said she's in a museum, right? The museum teaches why humans and fae fight. I want to understand why humans did what they did, back then."
"Gakupo…"
"Please Kaito, I need to see her."
"I can't risk you like that."
"Please!"
"Don't make that face, I'm trying to protect you." Kaito averted his eyes. It had been nerve-wrecking enough to get to Hiroshi's home in the first place. And yet…He didn't want to say no, especially after upsetting Gakupo earlier in the day.
A hand softly touched his knee. "I'll be careful." Barely aware of his own movements, Kaito grabbed the hand and brought it his lips. Gakupo wordlessly pushed the tray aside and drew closer, straddling Kaito. "Please," he repeated in a low, breathy tone.
"How am I supposed to say no when you do that?" Kaito said finally, red-faced. "Fine, let's go tomorrow."
Gakupo just smiled prettily and kissed him.