VI. Dotting all i's – Crossing all t's
A sudden lightning struck and divided the world into two – there was he, the unmoving ballast sitting like a manikin in the car, and the other person above, doing various things to him. That body felt heavy, pressing against the lap and groin, causing pain, and all he wanted was take whoever it was off; the second bent forward to get even closer, but the victim failed to figure out what exactly the other was doing, for he must have been unconscious for a while, senses not hurrying to work correctly. What was this person doing to him, why was he seated in such a weird position, who was he, after all? It was dim and stuffy, and the other one seemed to have gone beyond the bounds of decency. For god's sake, what was going on? It took Ryousuke as much as an instant to process all the things.
"D- doushita?" a stifled question so hushed among the constantly-enounced 'aniki'.
Uncomfortable. More so when a dull pain in his neck let itself known, and then he caught a peculiar taste with a salty metal tinge in his mouth, which followed by the realization of stinging or pinching in his chest. What was it? Wandering probing fingers, sighs and warmth and moist against his parted lips, before and after that something still hotter found its bold way in-between, the other face tilted to the side as he moaned into a passionate kiss, and, upon inhaling the scent of the man, he thought it familiar too. The receptors hastily carried information to the brain, but unlike always it was somewhat slower at handling it. He attempted to define the touch and the exploring mouth, the taste of cigarettes it had - again, the delicious odor he was acquainted with, what could it be?.. What could it-
Masaka!
Ryousuke's eyes shot open, in awe, body convulsing, unexpectedly he broke off the act performed over him, hence freeing his mouth,
"Keisuke! Wake up!" he cried in an unnaturally-frightened tone, hardly trusting his eyes, certain that his brother must be possessed.
"Aniki, I want you… want you so damn much…" the younger would not awaken as he continued the love-ritual, daring skilled fingers massaging Ryousuke's skin underneath his shirt, lips placing soft pecks all over the bruised chest as though healing random wounds left on it moments earlier, an unusual tenderness arising in the before-tameless body, a strange change so unbelievable, should anyone witness their immodest session.
"I love you, I need you, aniki," the utterance filled with the same pacifying tenderness as his movements, Keisuke's words matching his actions' rhythm.
Ryousuke was still unable to pull himself together but already knowing the younger had run riot, and he felt uneasy with the brother that close to him, very much indeed, and he feared lest Keisuke should commit an act of rape (which, apparently, he was about to set in motion), the perspective of which seemed far from appeasing. So extraordinary it felt, finding himself under the otouto's leadership, the situation not credible.
"Sore sukijanai, Keisuke," a faltering voice growing surer at last.
Although displaying strictness, Ryousuke said it without rude words, not wishing to hurt his dear one even in this critical scenario. This said, he caught Keisuke's wrists by gripping them, movement not predicted by the aggressor above. He gasped at the sarp pain, willing to avoid the clasp, however, brother's hand strong enough to hold him in place and make him wince. The mist of lust dispersed, and fortunately for the elder, it didn't take Keisuke ages to recover.
"Aniki," without thinking twice or considering the consequences, he leaned forward to present his brother with another light kiss, while Ryousuke's seizure got tighter.
By that time, he had fully come to his senses, Keisuke being the only one who kept soaring in the clouds. Ryousuke turned away, hands not letting the blond touch his lips, before he glared back at him with gaze intense, implying something unattainable for the younger. In it, besides determination, was… not hatred nor evil. Was it- Was it sorrow?
'Shinjirarenai…' he got up and shifted his weight off the man, hands freed once he was in the driver's seat.
How did it happen? How did he manage to sit on Ryousuke and in such a low-roofed car? Truly, desire worked outrageous things on him! The guy was in a stupor unable to reason out his sudden ardor, fervor subsiding together with his arousal, labored breathing calming down, and he hung head, feeling quite himself, the usual Keisuke back there again.
What was he thinking? That late night incident must have made him look no better than a slut in his brother's eyes. Still, he did not want to feel remorse. What's done is done, the FD was no time machine to transport Keisuke into the past to alter things, the FD in fact has seen a good many incidents of sexual character, but it was the first time the event involved his sibling.
Ryousuke was sorting things out when his brother finally got off him, different rational-irrational ideas mixing in his head as he sat silently, staring into emptiness, nothing other than a clear windshield in front of him. He was in no search for reasons for Keisuke's sudden harassment, he was brooding upon his own future actions, there was no way he would fight back or shout, he would never raise his hand against the otouto, his excellent upbringing excluding such vile deeds. He loved the younger, even though in his own way, a bit weird maybe, not what brotherly love is meant to be, yet not boundary-breaking. Sometimes he blamed himself for being weak when it came to displaying true emotions preferring to keep them shut in a dark closet of his heart. While others found his traits of character exceptional in their flawlessness, he despised his inborn ability to stay cool-blooded and dodge issues like he dodged obstacles on the road. Why wasn't there anything close to, say, feint drift when it came to expressing emotions? Why couldn't he roar it out for once? Likewise, he despised the logical mindset of his: making up itineraries, plans, lists - he barely imagined his everyday life without precise schedules and timetables. Even now, at such a crucial moment, his brain was busy anatomizing, and would probably carry on with this but for an odd itch in this chest, which had him distracted. After taking a look down, close to disgust came over him. All the way down his naked torso was covered with what looked like minor injuries, small scratches, bruises and bites, some of which were bleeding, some causing a nasty tickling and desire to rub them. Even though solely in narrow circles, Takahashi Ryousuke was famous for his obsession with cleanliness, but this time he ignored insignificant scars instead of panicking - just hastily wiped his chest with a tissue, taken out of the pocket. Red surfaces not so serious, and he buttoned up his shirt, hoping that crimson marks would not soak the fabric. Ryousuke didn't know his brother had such sharp teeth and nails.
Keisuke's mind contained that queer vacuum when one is unable to focus on anything. Not a single smart idea. First, he needed to open his mouth, then, he guessed, words would be there, yet he didn't want to tell a nonsense, for things like this have already happened to him in most inopportune minutes.
"Eeto…"
"Leave it to yourself. We're not a couple to have an affair. And you know it," the answer sounded very clear as if rehearsed for a million times.
Fair enough. There was nothing else to ask or argue about, so Keisuke thought aniki would get out of the wicked vehicle and say goodbye both to Mt. Akina and to him. Surprisingly enough, he was not in a hurry to escape, sitting still, arms resting on the slender thighs. The blond admired the view with his side sight: Ryousuke's face had a bluish tinge, illuminated by the pale moonlight, looking mystic, enigmatic, as memories about old legends with beautiful vampires captured him, these stories, fascinating as they were, giving him a chill. What was so special about aniki? His eyes, always beckoning, Keisuke would never reveal their mystery, their sadness… there it was again, the suddenly-popped up word,
"Are you sad, aniki?" whisper ever-so soft for fear of breaking the sereneness reigning between them.
A slow turn of Ryousuke's head, yet no verbal response followed - a simple movement meaning so much, like all simple things it could imply anything and everything at the same time. The dark-haired man regarded it needless to reply, one short action telling more than lengthy explanations. Unblinkingly, he stared at the one in the driver's seat, seeming relaxed and almost becalmed, pulse back to normal, five senses fixed. Ryousuke didn't mark the time to count the number of minutes passed before, little by little, one of them began to approach the other, whether it was him or his brother he couldn't tell, but it went on until the familiar bodily scent filled his nostrils again, the younger's mouth dangerously close to his moistened lips; warm, slightly uneven breathing caught against his skin, distance so small he felt Keisuke's eyelashes flutter, until suddenly,
"You're losing credibility in my eyes. We are not in a sexual relationship, are we?" thus another Keisuke's attempt to get the so-longed-for intimacy was cut off again, so he had to quit further efforts and retreat, before flashing a glance at the clock,
"Kusou," he said in a terrified whisper upon seeing how late (or early) it was. "'rents gonna kill us!"
"Ochitsuite, Keisuke, we're adults, after all," Ryousuke's deep smooth voice entranced with its peaceful intonation, hypnotizing, trustful. "Better tell me why you lost the battle."
"Not until you tell me how you found me here," the blond insisted, creating a rather tough atmosphere, getting on Ryousuke's nerves, especially here, in the FD's restricted confines. "It was Kenta's call, wasn't it?"
Keisuke patiently waited for a conformation whereas his brother was deciding upon whether he should go into details and relate the succession of events. He kept silent for a while, adjusting to the pinching under the shirt, struggling not to yield to fatigue, eyelids about to close any second,
"Sou da, Nakamura said after the race you were going somewhere to cool it."
"Uh-huh, the only place to cool it is morgue," Keisuke sniffed.
"We were struck by the call. We worry about you, you know? So I hurried out to search for you, and, suspecting you were in a kind of mental mess, I bet you'd seek oblivion, and was considering possible places where you could find it. But you quite surprised me when I found you here, and not in a bar," Ryousuke heard a small smirk from the right. "Or maybe it's not that surprising, knowing how you suffered the last morning. You didn't want another one started with a hangover, so I took it that you were in no mood for partying all night, I figured out why you've chosen some time to rethink matters. That's how a bit of deduction led me to Akina passes directly. I can even dare a guess you've been outrun not far from this spot, am I wrong?"
"Your logic, aniki- " Ryousuke didn't let him finish
"It's just in your nature. Highly unlikely you'd drive more than a hundred meters when in stress; you need peace and another two-three hours for plain doing nothing. Keisuke?" he waited for any reaction, while the blond digested it; nervousness still lingered on as they were still locked in the sin-car, while the thought of what had just happened kept bugging Keisuke's restless mind.
"Need some fresh air," the younger said, venturing to change the subject, before his brother changed it again
"You need a ride home," saying this, he opened the door and left the FD for his own vehicle.
On the one hand, Keisuke was happy that aniki spared him a never-ceasing moral admonition was over, on the other, he felt as downcast as never before, cursing himself for tons of errors committed by him within the past one-hundred-and-eighty-gone-to-hell minutes. He saw him off with his eyes, his stride bearing no trace of exhaustion. The guy admired his brother's confident actions - aniki always looked confident. And he, Keisuke, thought he looked no better than a fool, so awfully pathetic. He's gotten into trouble. 'Baka, baka. Baka Kenta!'
Nevertheless, the hot-tempered driver hoped he would avenge his defeat on the hachi-roku (which was obviously a harder nut to crack than he had previously assumed) after planning the strategy with Ryousuke, all how's taken into account.
Unlike the otouto's yellow monster, Ryousuke's white Mazda now felt a lot more comfortable and far less perverted car to be in, not so subject to promiscuity, so to say. Somehow the elder found himself imagining how famous the FD was beyond the racers' circles, how often it may have become a shelter for two men, Keisuke included. What a gorgeous place for making-out, with the only exception that it was a bit too tight. All the way home he was musing on dirty things, those he's always thought should be stuffed deeper. He flicked a glance in the rearview and side mirrors every once in a while, as if checking if the younger was following or stopped all of a sudden. In a condition like this anything could happen, both of the Takahashis still not completely themselves. Their big name, however, might lead to a good deal of negative effects as that night's incident was a risky one, and yet, Ryousuke hoped in Akina's darkened corners there had been no spies with binoculars. Other than that, they might get into a scrape.
Their absence would undoubtedly cause parents' suspicion, and the elder set to inventing reasonable answers for possible questions, which tou-san is sure to ask, at the same time wondering what Keisuke was brooding about. All the while the unpleasant feeling over his front would barely subside, having him puzzled - he had underestimated his brother's bites. He would have to apply some medicine once home, otherwise, neglect may result in infection. Two bright lights reflecting in the rearview reminded him about the immoral night, three hours of staying awake instead of regular sleep would noticeably influence his state tomorrow. He cared for his health, tried to keep on a diet to be fit; smoking undermining the regime, though. He had tried to give it up, which only led to resuming the addiction; but he will have to work on it, none the less. Oh, one more plus, he wasn't that attracted by the idea of living fast in clubs and bars, and did not drink so hard as a certain somebody - and he glanced in the mirror. Here another minus popped up, which Ryousuke, just like Keisuke, hated to think of, but which never stopped nagging him. This very minus, he regarded it serious, so serious that one day he might become dependent on it. Occasionally, the elder preferred following his nose, not wishing to analyze things which got contrary to reason, yet how confusing were the issues that came to the surface, they triggered further difficulties, so that his relatively-smooth life with minimum worries turned real bad, as day after day nasty surprises darted out on his way. But he will not let personal problems affect his social status, and there will be no such thing as defeat, no such humiliation like his otouto's loss, neither mental nor physical.
Takahashi Ryousuke was unsurpassable, with this conclusion his grip on the steering wheel tightened, and he sped up, determined and unbreakable as ever.