I'm glad everyone has liked it so far. The second part wrote itself a lot quicker than I would have thought, but I'm glad. This weekend is going to be a different story, though. I may not be able to get the third part out for a while. Not only do I have business training this weekend, but I have finals coming up and reports to write for the Uni.
Out of lazyiness, I'm not going to change the form of italics I was using. I upload this to a journal first, and italics are marked like this /I. I'm leaving those in in stead of trying to find them all to change them to // like last chapter. Sorry if this confuses people.
*grumbles* Damn html coding, anyway.
*****
The rules of the auction stated that the person 'bought' and the buyer had to spend twelve hours of seven days with each other. Because of school and classes, and such, the auction was held the Friday before Spring Break and each participant, those being the ones auctioned off, had to clear their schedule to allow for the guidelines.
The actual time started on Sunday, the first 'official' day of Spring Break. After placing the winning bid on Ken and hiding in the corner of the gym by his coach, Daisuke hadn't actually seen his 'prize'. While that saved him some embarrassment at the time, it also meant that they never worked out a plan that would allow them to know when to meet up, where to hang out, and other details like that.
That was the reason why Daisuke was pulled from his bed at nine o'clock Sunday morning by his older sister and shoved into the living room.
"Jun, what're you doin'?" he mumbled, only semi-coherent as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and gazed around their living room blearily. He froze when he saw Ken Ichijouji sitting on his couch, watching them silently. Daisuke looked away, scratched the back of his head and then his bared belly, thankful that he had warn pajama pants to bed last night. Normally, he wore just underwear because Jun kept the thermostat on high, but the night before had been chilly enough to warrant actual pajamas.
Ken stood up. "I didn't mean to wake you up, but we never discussed on Friday what time I should arrive."
"Yeah," Daisuke nodded. "It's cool." he looked away from Ken in the hopes that his brain would come up with something intelligent to say. Instead, his stomach growled. "Have you eaten?" he asked Ken.
"Yes. I ate before I came this morning," answered Ken emotionlessly.
"I don't have to worry about feeding you this week, do I?" Daisuke asked, wishing he'd thought of such a thing before. In truth, he'd been trying since Friday not to think about it at all.
The other boy shook his head. "I'm quite capable of caring for myself."
"Oh," Daisuke said intelligently. "But I -can- feed you, right?"
"If you wish." Ken's gaze was steady on Daisuke's face, making the brown-haired boy uncomfortable.
Daisuke shifted uneasily and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm going to go have breakfast," he announced, feeling stupid and inadequate.
"Of course," Ken agreed as he sat back down on the couch. Daisuke looked at him a moment longer, and then turned and fled the room. He found Jun sitting in the kitchen.
"So, what's up with your friend?" she asked, not looking up from the newspaper she was holding.
"I bought him at the auction the other day. He's going to be hanging around until Saturday night." Seven days of stress was not something Daisuke wanted for his Spring Break. II can't believe I'm such an idiot. I should have kept my mouth shut and given the money to the club afterwards.I/
"So you left him alone in the living room?" his sister asked, finally glancing at him over her paper. "I did not drag you out of bed so that you could be an idiot, Daisuke. He's our guest. Go give him a tour of the house and then bring him back in here to meet me."
Daisuke sighed as Jun returned to her paper. He knew better than to argue with her, however. If he didn't do as she said, she'd buy all the foods he didn't like, and he'd be hungry for a week afterwards. Such was life when you lived with a control freak who was in charge of buying your food.
He returned to the living room to find Ken sitting on the same spot on the couch. "I'll show you around," Daisuke said softly, trying not to sound as put-out as he felt. It wasn't fair. He hadn't asked Ken to come by before breakfast, and now he had to wait until the tour was over and he had Jun's approval before he could get himself something to eat.
IBut if he waited until the time I normally had breakfast, he wouldn't have gotten here before noon, and then he wouldn't be going home until after midnight and Jun wouldn't have let him walk home, so he would have had to stay the night, and then he might as well stay for the few hours in the morning, and I'd be stuck with him for twenty-four hours, instead of twelve. All day, every day.I/
The house Daisuke shared with his sister was small and it only took a minute to point out all the rooms to Ken. Two bedrooms, one bath, one kitchen, the living room, the door to the basement and the one to the attic. "The attic is pretty cool. You can climb through the window and sit on the roof."
Ken made a considering sound, but didn't look impressed. His face was as impassive as ever. Daisuke decided to talk around his feelings, knowing that if he just talked long enough, he'd eventually forget how stupid he felt talking like an idiot.
"My room is where we'll probably hang out at most. My video games are in there, and so are my movies, and the computer. Jun won't be around much the rest of the week, but she's here today, and she'll be here in the evenings."
Blue eyes scanned Daisuke's room quickly, and then came back to rest on him. "What do you want me to do?" Ken asked.
Daisuke blinked at him. "What do you mean?"
"Do you want me to clean? Do your chores? Do your homework?" Ken listed a few things he could do, and then paused to wait for Daisuke to understand.
"Oh." Daisuke scratched the back of his head, the action an outwards sign of his inward uncertainty. "I don't know?" he answered questioningly. He tilted his head and shrugged. "I didn't think that far ahead," he admitted, smiling self-conciously.
"Why did you spend that much money if you didn't know what you were going to have me do?" Ken asked, for the first time showing some emotion, even if it seemed to be anger. His eyes were hard and his lips were compressed in a thin line.
"I wasn't going to buy anyone, and I certainly wasn't going to spend that much money, but Principal Gennai said I should, or something like that, and you're nice, so I didn't think you'd be too mad that you're stuck with me." Daisuke heaved a disgusted sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "You want your orders for the week, or whatever? Pretend I'm your friend and that you'd rather be nowhere else. Or, if that's too hard, at least pretend that being stuck with me is something a little better than hell or death."
IStupid, Daisuke. Stupid, stupid stupid!I/ Chased by his own internal monologue, Daisuke strode forward and flung open the doors of his closet. He drew out an outfit, and then turned on his heel and stalked to the bathroom, shutting the door forcefully and turning the lock. IOh, yeah, that's good. You can't lock yourself out, dummy. Now you're stuck in a quiet room with yourself, and Ken thinks you're an even bigger idiot than he probably did before.I/
*****
Once he was dressed, Daisuke left the bathroom to find Ken. To his surprise, and eventual chagrin, he found the other boy trapped in the kitchen with a glaring Jun between him and the door.
"Jun, what are you doing, you psycho?" he asked his sister as he leaned against the doorframe casually. The time in the bathroom had done him some good in allowing him to talk himself out of his earlier bad mood. He felt a little more alive, and a more ready to take on the world, even a world that included his crazy sister and the guy he was stuck with for a week.
His sister spared him a glance over her shoulder and then turned back to her appointed task, which seemed to be cutting Ken's hair, if the scissors in her hands was any indication. "His hair's too long," his sister informed him, holding the sharp implement up high. "He says he doesn't like it when his mother tells him to cut it, so I figured I'd help him out a bit."
"Jun, he's going to be here every day for the next week. If you cut his hair, he's likely going to take revenge, and since he's a genius, he'll probably end up making you suffer ten kinds of torture. If I were you, I'd put the scissors down and step back slowly."
"A genius, huh?" Jun asked, looking at Ken speculatively.
Ken's expression changed from one of shocked horror to contemplation. "Yes," he answered in Daisuke's stead, voice calm. The sudden change caused Jun to step back and Daisuke to straighten.
"Are you telling me that I should be afraid of a fifteen year old kid with hair like a girl?" Jun asked, trying in vain to make up for the momentary loss in control.
"Only if you're smart enough to realize that age is relative," was Ken's cool response. Daisuke grinned as he watched his sister falter. He'd never seen anyone manage to throw her, least of all any of the people his age.
"Good answer," Jun said, placing the scissors deliberately on the table. "I'm off for the afternoon, Dai. Don't wreck the house, don't answer the phone if Mom and Dad call, and don't incite your little friend here to kill you."
"I promise not to try to cut his hair," Daisuke said seriously, moving out of the doorway so his sister could get past. His gaze returned to rest on Ken as his sister left, but neither spoke until after the front door had shut. "Sorry about her. She's insane, but likeable. Sometimes. I mean, she's always insane, but sometimes she's likeable."
Ken smiled. "I understand." He leaned back against the counter Jun had had him pressed against and crossed his arms. "What's on the agenda today?"
"I, um." Daisuke was at a loss for words. Something he had said to Ken earlier had obviously made an impact, but he hadn't expected this sudden change from little-more-than-strangers to friends, and he was disconcerted by the rapid alteration in their relationship.
"Why don't we go play soccer?" Ken suggested helpfully. He waved a hand at Daisuke's outfit. "You're dressed for a day outdoors, and I saw the soccer ball in your room. We can head down to the field and play one-on-one."
Daisuke stared at him for a moment and then grinned. "You're on! I'm going to wipe the field with you, Rocket!"
"I'd like to see you try," Ken murmured in response. Daisuke had already disappeared, presumably in order to get his soccer ball. Ken frowned and glanced down at the scissors on the table.
The brunet returned in moments and held up the soccer ball. "First one there gets to pick his net!" Without waiting for Ken to respond, Daisuke ran for the door. Ken caught up with him in seconds, and then Daisuke lost time while he locked the front door. "Cheater! You have to wait while I lock the door!"
"That wasn't in the rules!" Ken called back, even though he paushed. He'd made it partway down the sidewalk and almost to the curb. He did wait, though, just long enough for Daisuke to catch up and the race to begin in earnest.
Out of lazyiness, I'm not going to change the form of italics I was using. I upload this to a journal first, and italics are marked like this /I. I'm leaving those in in stead of trying to find them all to change them to // like last chapter. Sorry if this confuses people.
*grumbles* Damn html coding, anyway.
*****
The rules of the auction stated that the person 'bought' and the buyer had to spend twelve hours of seven days with each other. Because of school and classes, and such, the auction was held the Friday before Spring Break and each participant, those being the ones auctioned off, had to clear their schedule to allow for the guidelines.
The actual time started on Sunday, the first 'official' day of Spring Break. After placing the winning bid on Ken and hiding in the corner of the gym by his coach, Daisuke hadn't actually seen his 'prize'. While that saved him some embarrassment at the time, it also meant that they never worked out a plan that would allow them to know when to meet up, where to hang out, and other details like that.
That was the reason why Daisuke was pulled from his bed at nine o'clock Sunday morning by his older sister and shoved into the living room.
"Jun, what're you doin'?" he mumbled, only semi-coherent as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and gazed around their living room blearily. He froze when he saw Ken Ichijouji sitting on his couch, watching them silently. Daisuke looked away, scratched the back of his head and then his bared belly, thankful that he had warn pajama pants to bed last night. Normally, he wore just underwear because Jun kept the thermostat on high, but the night before had been chilly enough to warrant actual pajamas.
Ken stood up. "I didn't mean to wake you up, but we never discussed on Friday what time I should arrive."
"Yeah," Daisuke nodded. "It's cool." he looked away from Ken in the hopes that his brain would come up with something intelligent to say. Instead, his stomach growled. "Have you eaten?" he asked Ken.
"Yes. I ate before I came this morning," answered Ken emotionlessly.
"I don't have to worry about feeding you this week, do I?" Daisuke asked, wishing he'd thought of such a thing before. In truth, he'd been trying since Friday not to think about it at all.
The other boy shook his head. "I'm quite capable of caring for myself."
"Oh," Daisuke said intelligently. "But I -can- feed you, right?"
"If you wish." Ken's gaze was steady on Daisuke's face, making the brown-haired boy uncomfortable.
Daisuke shifted uneasily and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm going to go have breakfast," he announced, feeling stupid and inadequate.
"Of course," Ken agreed as he sat back down on the couch. Daisuke looked at him a moment longer, and then turned and fled the room. He found Jun sitting in the kitchen.
"So, what's up with your friend?" she asked, not looking up from the newspaper she was holding.
"I bought him at the auction the other day. He's going to be hanging around until Saturday night." Seven days of stress was not something Daisuke wanted for his Spring Break. II can't believe I'm such an idiot. I should have kept my mouth shut and given the money to the club afterwards.I/
"So you left him alone in the living room?" his sister asked, finally glancing at him over her paper. "I did not drag you out of bed so that you could be an idiot, Daisuke. He's our guest. Go give him a tour of the house and then bring him back in here to meet me."
Daisuke sighed as Jun returned to her paper. He knew better than to argue with her, however. If he didn't do as she said, she'd buy all the foods he didn't like, and he'd be hungry for a week afterwards. Such was life when you lived with a control freak who was in charge of buying your food.
He returned to the living room to find Ken sitting on the same spot on the couch. "I'll show you around," Daisuke said softly, trying not to sound as put-out as he felt. It wasn't fair. He hadn't asked Ken to come by before breakfast, and now he had to wait until the tour was over and he had Jun's approval before he could get himself something to eat.
IBut if he waited until the time I normally had breakfast, he wouldn't have gotten here before noon, and then he wouldn't be going home until after midnight and Jun wouldn't have let him walk home, so he would have had to stay the night, and then he might as well stay for the few hours in the morning, and I'd be stuck with him for twenty-four hours, instead of twelve. All day, every day.I/
The house Daisuke shared with his sister was small and it only took a minute to point out all the rooms to Ken. Two bedrooms, one bath, one kitchen, the living room, the door to the basement and the one to the attic. "The attic is pretty cool. You can climb through the window and sit on the roof."
Ken made a considering sound, but didn't look impressed. His face was as impassive as ever. Daisuke decided to talk around his feelings, knowing that if he just talked long enough, he'd eventually forget how stupid he felt talking like an idiot.
"My room is where we'll probably hang out at most. My video games are in there, and so are my movies, and the computer. Jun won't be around much the rest of the week, but she's here today, and she'll be here in the evenings."
Blue eyes scanned Daisuke's room quickly, and then came back to rest on him. "What do you want me to do?" Ken asked.
Daisuke blinked at him. "What do you mean?"
"Do you want me to clean? Do your chores? Do your homework?" Ken listed a few things he could do, and then paused to wait for Daisuke to understand.
"Oh." Daisuke scratched the back of his head, the action an outwards sign of his inward uncertainty. "I don't know?" he answered questioningly. He tilted his head and shrugged. "I didn't think that far ahead," he admitted, smiling self-conciously.
"Why did you spend that much money if you didn't know what you were going to have me do?" Ken asked, for the first time showing some emotion, even if it seemed to be anger. His eyes were hard and his lips were compressed in a thin line.
"I wasn't going to buy anyone, and I certainly wasn't going to spend that much money, but Principal Gennai said I should, or something like that, and you're nice, so I didn't think you'd be too mad that you're stuck with me." Daisuke heaved a disgusted sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "You want your orders for the week, or whatever? Pretend I'm your friend and that you'd rather be nowhere else. Or, if that's too hard, at least pretend that being stuck with me is something a little better than hell or death."
IStupid, Daisuke. Stupid, stupid stupid!I/ Chased by his own internal monologue, Daisuke strode forward and flung open the doors of his closet. He drew out an outfit, and then turned on his heel and stalked to the bathroom, shutting the door forcefully and turning the lock. IOh, yeah, that's good. You can't lock yourself out, dummy. Now you're stuck in a quiet room with yourself, and Ken thinks you're an even bigger idiot than he probably did before.I/
*****
Once he was dressed, Daisuke left the bathroom to find Ken. To his surprise, and eventual chagrin, he found the other boy trapped in the kitchen with a glaring Jun between him and the door.
"Jun, what are you doing, you psycho?" he asked his sister as he leaned against the doorframe casually. The time in the bathroom had done him some good in allowing him to talk himself out of his earlier bad mood. He felt a little more alive, and a more ready to take on the world, even a world that included his crazy sister and the guy he was stuck with for a week.
His sister spared him a glance over her shoulder and then turned back to her appointed task, which seemed to be cutting Ken's hair, if the scissors in her hands was any indication. "His hair's too long," his sister informed him, holding the sharp implement up high. "He says he doesn't like it when his mother tells him to cut it, so I figured I'd help him out a bit."
"Jun, he's going to be here every day for the next week. If you cut his hair, he's likely going to take revenge, and since he's a genius, he'll probably end up making you suffer ten kinds of torture. If I were you, I'd put the scissors down and step back slowly."
"A genius, huh?" Jun asked, looking at Ken speculatively.
Ken's expression changed from one of shocked horror to contemplation. "Yes," he answered in Daisuke's stead, voice calm. The sudden change caused Jun to step back and Daisuke to straighten.
"Are you telling me that I should be afraid of a fifteen year old kid with hair like a girl?" Jun asked, trying in vain to make up for the momentary loss in control.
"Only if you're smart enough to realize that age is relative," was Ken's cool response. Daisuke grinned as he watched his sister falter. He'd never seen anyone manage to throw her, least of all any of the people his age.
"Good answer," Jun said, placing the scissors deliberately on the table. "I'm off for the afternoon, Dai. Don't wreck the house, don't answer the phone if Mom and Dad call, and don't incite your little friend here to kill you."
"I promise not to try to cut his hair," Daisuke said seriously, moving out of the doorway so his sister could get past. His gaze returned to rest on Ken as his sister left, but neither spoke until after the front door had shut. "Sorry about her. She's insane, but likeable. Sometimes. I mean, she's always insane, but sometimes she's likeable."
Ken smiled. "I understand." He leaned back against the counter Jun had had him pressed against and crossed his arms. "What's on the agenda today?"
"I, um." Daisuke was at a loss for words. Something he had said to Ken earlier had obviously made an impact, but he hadn't expected this sudden change from little-more-than-strangers to friends, and he was disconcerted by the rapid alteration in their relationship.
"Why don't we go play soccer?" Ken suggested helpfully. He waved a hand at Daisuke's outfit. "You're dressed for a day outdoors, and I saw the soccer ball in your room. We can head down to the field and play one-on-one."
Daisuke stared at him for a moment and then grinned. "You're on! I'm going to wipe the field with you, Rocket!"
"I'd like to see you try," Ken murmured in response. Daisuke had already disappeared, presumably in order to get his soccer ball. Ken frowned and glanced down at the scissors on the table.
The brunet returned in moments and held up the soccer ball. "First one there gets to pick his net!" Without waiting for Ken to respond, Daisuke ran for the door. Ken caught up with him in seconds, and then Daisuke lost time while he locked the front door. "Cheater! You have to wait while I lock the door!"
"That wasn't in the rules!" Ken called back, even though he paushed. He'd made it partway down the sidewalk and almost to the curb. He did wait, though, just long enough for Daisuke to catch up and the race to begin in earnest.