When The Truth Collides
The Case of Zero Kiryuu #3
The early morning sunrays spilled over Zero's unconscious self, teasing the insides of his eyes. "Ma…five more minutes…" he muttered in his sleep-induced haze, throwing his arm over his irritated eyes. "Turn off…the friggin' lights…Ichiru…"
His alarm resounded shrilly throughout the apartment, straining and unpleasant to the ears. Zero's eyes blinked open wearily and he let out an annoyed groan, palms feeling around for the alarm before realizing that he wasn't in his sad excuse of a bed.
His body ached all over from spending the whole night on the hard, wood-tiled floor, and judging by the way he woke up easily to the alarm, he had a pretty bad night.
"Ugh…" Zero groaned, and proceeded to support himself up with an arm which still retained its muscles from all the pistol-shooting activities he had back in high school.
Still drowsy with sleep, he noticed the carnage he had created last night. Empty tubs of ice cream were littered on the floor, and his cell phone was left open and lying idly. At least the ant army hasn't invaded his home, Zero thought in relief. His neighbours had probably feedbacked to his landlord that his television was left on the whole night (Jersey Shore can be really loud and obnoxious), thus explaining the blank television screen. The electricity had probably been cut off by his landlord. That's a good thing. Save the Earth.
It was only 7AM, as Zero sets the alarm an hour early to get ready since he usually takes such a long time to wake up. He didn't really feel like going back to sleep, thus he got up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, shuffling towards the bathroom to clean himself up.
…Do I still have a job? Zero thought idly as he brushed his teeth in a daze. Kuran's probably really pissed…what do I do now?
Sighing, he stepped out of the washroom, wiping his face clear of the cold tap water. He didn't know what to do; stay at home and skip work (considering he still has a job), or risk going back to the office to my humiliated by the fact that he was (probably. Maybe. Don't know.) fired?
This is probably what purgatory feels like.
Zero groaned, before remembering that it was a Saturday. He'll just leave the troublesome decisions for Monday then.
Shuffling groggily into the kitchen, he poured himself a hot cup of coffee, adding spoonfuls of sugar and milk, and took a sip to clear his foggy, regretful mind. The coffee tasted too sweet, it wasn't to Zero's tastes, but he doesn't care anyway. He had never tried black, and he doesn't bother to. One had better things to do in life.
Dragging his feet back into the living room, he started cleaning up the mess he made last night, cursing his depressed and menstrual self, deciding that a trip to the mall was in check. He needed to restock some of those Ben & Jerry's (everyone needs those for a rainy day), and probably a new pair of jeans. His old ones were washed to the point whereby it turned practically white.
Though, maybe after another hour of sleep…he honestly felt like shit.
It was the peak weekend mall crowd and Zero felt like a squished sardine. God damn it! Get him out of here! He growled at a fat lady who pushed past him to get to a particular sales section, joining in the catfight for the murderously discounted handbags. Those long, manicured fingers mangling each other made Zero cringe a little.
Escaping into the high-end area of the mall, Zero heaved a sigh of relief and took in a fresh breath of oxygen. It was less crowded, considering the boutiques it caters in the area.
I'll just loiter here for awhile, Zero thought. Until that scary crowd finally disperses – WHAT THE FUCK!
Right smack there in the middle of nowhere, coming out from a Chanel boutique, was none other than the great Kaname Kuran himself, with a chirpy Yuuki Cross and two other insignificant people in suits trailing behind them.
Zero switched into ninja-mode and jumped into the closest boutique next to him, praying to whichever God was in favour of him right now, that the dear leader would never, ever notice him.
He eyed the group of annoyingly wealthy people from a rack of trench coats wearily, ignoring the weird looks the salesperson was shooting him with. Don't come in…don't come in…don't come in…Zero repeated the mantra over his head.
They were reaching the store now. A few more steps…it'll be over soon…
"Kaname-san! I'd like to check this shop out!" Yuuki chirped happily.
Nooo!
Zero looked on in horror as Kaname sighed a little and nodded his head in approval, while Yuuki skipped happily into the store. Damn his luck!
Scooting over behind a large rack of shoes, he started praying hard that neither Yuuki soon-to-be Kuran nor the Kuran devil himself would notice him.
"Erm, excuse me sir," a hesitant voice reached Zero's ears, and he looked up. The nerdy-looking salesboy was hugging a shoe box close to his chest, and was giving him a nervous look. "Would you mind getting away from here? It's quite a public disturbance…" He ended off with a mutter.
Embarrassed, Zero stood up quickly and cast an apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry, I was just pretty caught up by some disturbances myself –"
"Zero-kun!" Yuuki shrieked and skipped towards him like a puppy on high. Zero facepalmed, but quickly recovered and pulled up a huge (fake) grin.
"Yuuki! What a coincidence! Hahahahahahahaha…" Zero laughed awkwardly. It sounded like someone was performing the Heimlich Maneuver on a cow.
"I know, right!" Yuuki grinned madly. "I heard that you've been a great help to the company! Thanks a lot!"
Fake grin still in place, Zero choked out the words, "Oh, no, I should be thanking you instead, Yuuki! For finding me this amazing job…"
Amazing, my sweet arse, Zero thought in annoyance.
The day just got even better when the Kuran devil himself showed up right from a corner and next to Yuuki, a surprised look on his delicately-carved face.
"Oh, it's you." Kaname murmured.
"Ah, yes…good day," Zero smiled. His face was going numb from all the forced smiles and laughter, and it's starting to look a little crooked. Zero looked like he had something in his eye instead. Very attractive. "It's been a pleasure meeting you, but I've got to run for now…see ya!"
Plan A: Escape with no obstacles.
"Halt," Kaname's baritone voice sounded out. Zero froze mid-run. "I've got some business errands to do, and I need my secretary to come with me. Yuuki," He turned to the petite brunette, "I'm sorry, but I can't accompany you for the rest of your shopping trip. I'll get Seiren and Akatsuki to accompany you instead."
Yuuki smiled sweetly. "No problem! I wouldn't want to get into your working schedule. Good luck!"
Yuuki fluttered off like fairy, the two other bodyguards (?) trailing behind her. It was a weird vision to behold. Zero stared up at Kaname, flummoxed. Why the hell would he want him to stay with him? Wasn't he fired already? Maybe he was going to torture him for the rest of the day instead…oh no!
Plan A: Fail.
"Um, Kuran-sama…" Zero inquired in a small voice. "Today is my day off…"
"This building is owned by our company, so technically, you're still at work," Kaname replied nonchantly. Zero groaned. But of course; rhetorically speaking, what doesn't Kuran Corporations not own anyway?
Plan B: Take a detour.
"Kuran-sama, if you don't mind, I might need to use the gents' for a bit," Zero lied sheepishly.
Kaname glanced at him for a moment, before nodding his head. "Okay. I'll wait here."
Great! Plan B's going just fine. Zero could do a little happy dance right there and then, but that's embarrassing. Zero Kiryuu is one cool cat, yup.
Brisk walking towards the direction of the men's restroom, Zero couldn't help but feel a little unsettled. What if Kuran finds out something…won't I get into bigger trouble? Zero shook his head. Damn, I'm getting over-paranoid being around this guy!
The entrance of the men's bathroom is getting closer to Zero's vision. Now I'll just go to the left and towards the exit…Zero thought, test-running through his SUPERSPECIALAWESOMEBRILLIANT! plan in his head.
"Oh, It's you!" A startled voice called out from the entrance of the bathroom.
A lean young man with emerald eyes was gazing straight at him. He had a pretty friendly aura, and those brilliant green eyes were currently wide open in surprise.
Zero recognized him immediately. How could he not? It was all part of the horrific events of yesterday! The look on the man's face was absolute déjà vu, and Zero felt bile rising up to his throat from embarrassment.
"Y-Yeah. Hi," Zero smiled awkwardly. Today was turning into a helluva unlucky day; maybe he wore an unlucky colour for his boxers.
The lean man smiled back at him (what a friendly chap), before another startled look crossed his features.
"Oh, hey, I just remembered that I totally forgot to introduce myself," Green-eyes said amicably. "I'm Takuma Ichijou, vice-chairperson of Kuran Corporations."
…Another troublesome character, Zero thought flatly.
"Nice to meet you, Ichijou…-sama," Zero put on a huge employee smile, reaching his hand out. Might as well play it out all the way. "I'm Zero Kiryuu."
Ichijou seemed a little flustered.
"You don't have to address me as '-sama', Kiryuu-san," Ichijou laughed embarrassingly. "Ichijou-san's fine. Gee, it's so weird to hear someone besides the servants address me as '-sama'…"
"Ah, alright, Ichijou-san," Zero smiled. He seemed less mean and evil and snarky and heinous as compared to that Kuran devil.
"So, Kiryuu-san, it's your day off, isn't it?" Ichijou started up some idle chat (read: ramble). "Saturdays are my favourite! It's still my work day, but the security's a lax, I get to skive off easily! There's this really good manga that I like that just got released today! Oh, and I just got off the phone with Kaname – you know, your boss? He's coming over to meet me right now!"
Zero had been ignoring the whole rambling session Ichijou had at the moment, until the words 'boss' and 'coming over' registered in his head.
"What?" Zero paled instantly, directing his lavender orbs at the dirty-blonde man.
"Um…Kaname? As in Kaname Kuran?" Ichijou frowned.
"No, not that, he's…coming over?" Zero choked out the last two dreaded words in horror.
"Yeah, he is," Ichijou smiled innocently, before looking up from Zero's constipated face and exclaimed, waving enthusiastically. "There he is! Hey, Kaname!"
To be honest, Zero killed quite a lot of bugs with Shiki during a class chalet in high school. Karma's a bitch. He should start going to church every Sunday.
"Hey, hey, look who I met!" Ichijou continued on with his happy monologue.
"Ah, yes, what a pleasant coincidence," Kaname said calmly. "Kiryuu, are you done?"
"…No. I'll be right back. (You don't have to wait for me please have a pleasant conversation with Ichijou-san in Egypt thanks)" Zero muttered.
"Okay. I'll wait for you here," Kaname leaned casually against the cold marble wall, and started engaging in a pleasant conversation with Ichijou in an area that was un-Egypt.
Gosh darn it! Zero stomped into the restroom like a kid on a tantrum. He glared at the tiny window the restroom offered and sighed, giving up all hope on escaping from the clutches of evil bosses.
Plan B: Fail.
Making a good show of flushing an empty tank (ooh safe the Earth), washing his hands and wiping them, Zero walked out of the restroom, still in a glum mood.
"Done?" Kaname glanced at him.
"Yeah," Zero replied sullenly.
"I guess I'll take my leave now," Ichijou said, glancing at his watch. "I've still got to get the latest issue of Jump before it sells out!"
"Yeah, you do just that," Kaname replied in a bored tone.
"Alright, bye! I'll lend it to you when I've finished reading it!" Ichijou called out.
Zero caught Kaname rolling his eyes, before looking away. Ah, the lovely ambience of bromance.
"Let's go," Kaname walked off in long strides, leaving Zero a few paces behind. He hurriedly caught up with the brunette.
They were turning into the higher-end part of the mall.
"Um, Kuran-sama," Zero asked nervously. "Mind if I ask; where are we going?"
"Shopping," Kaname replied, looking straight ahead.
What a brilliant response! You might as well have told me that you have a goldfish at home, Zero fumed.
Kaname entered the Armani shop, Zero right behind him. He felt a chill run down his spine; why does he have such a bad feeling about this?
"Bring me all the best suits you have," Kaname ordered the salesperson in his deep baritone, while Zero stared at him, wide-eyed. Are you kidding me? Armani suits cost a bomb! Wait, why was he on a shopping spree with Kuran anyway? He wondered disbelievingly.
Bowing at a 90 degree angle, the salesperson rushed around the store, collecting the suits as demanded by Kaname.
"Here you go, sir. These are our best selection of suits, tailor-made, of the finest silk materials…" The salesperson rambled on and on about how great and amazing and splendid their suits are, and Zero was lost in the web of praise for…a freaking suit.
"All right. Get every one of these of his size and ring them up." Kaname said, nodding his chin towards a frozen Zero.
"Understood, sir." The saleperson bowed quickly and pulled out a measuring tape, measuring Zero at every crook and cranny. Zero felt like a body anatomy model.
"K-Kuran-sama," Zero stammered, standing stiffly while the salesperson fussed around him. "I-Is this some sort of a sick joke…?"
Kaname raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. "Joke? No…I don't believe so. What an accusation."
"B-But…" Zero felt a little light-headed. "These suits…"
"The bill will go towards the company's fund," Kaname waved it off. "I would expect my secretary to wear a decent suit on work days, especially during meetings with other companies."
Zero sighed in relief. At least he wouldn't have to pay such an exuberant fee.
"We're done, sir. Thank you for waiting." The salesperson rolled up his measuring tape, and directed the men to the cashier.
The lady behind the counter rang up the total bill. "That would be ¥2,000,000 in total for fourteen suits, sir. The suits will be delivered within two working days at the address provide. Thank you for your kind patronage!"
¥2,000,000 could feed a thousand kids dying of starvation, Zero thought bluntly.
After Kaname had completed the necessary payment procedures, they exited the store in awkward silence.
Am I supposed to thank him? Zero felt really confused.
"Um, thank you for today, Kuran-sama," Zero said in a small voice. "If there isn't anything else, I shall make my way home…"
"Oh? Then let me call the chauffeur." Kaname responded, taking out an iPhone.
"Ah, that won't be necessary," Zero smiled, rejecting the offer. "I'll be fine taking the metro. Have a nice day!"
"Next stop, Shinjuku station. Shinjuku station."
"Say," Zero remarked dryly. "I never thought you would be a person who takes the metro, Kuran-sama."
"…" Kaname stared down at him with an unreadable expression. "Every person should try a new experience, no?"
Zero sighed deeply. He will never fathom what is going through a rich man's mind.
It was the terrible peak hour, and the train is awfully squashed. As a result, Zero had little to no choice but to lean onto his boss, and this is absolutely horrific. He could even sense the man's expensive cologne, given his current position.
"I have never imagined that Japan's public transport would be so bad," Kaname muttered distastefully.
"Welcome to a peasant's life," Zero offered his humble opinion bluntly.
Kaname frowned. He looked really uncomfortable, and Zero really wanted to laugh, but no. That would be a reaaaally bad idea.
"I'll be getting off at this station, Kuran-sama. Which station are you getting off at?" Zero asked.
"…I'm not sure."
Zero gaped at him.
"What the –? What're doing on this train anyway!"
"Just wanted to try it out," Kaname shrugged. Zero facepalmed.
"Alright, tell you what. It's really late now, how would you like some coffee while you wait for your chauffeur to pick you up at my place?" Zero sighed. "I wouldn't want the headlines to scream 'Rich Young Bachelor Kidnapped and Demanded for Ransom!' That'll be very troublesome."
"I guess…that arrangement's fine with me," Kaname replied, with a rather surprised look on his face.
"I only have instant coffee though! Don't expect too much," Zero warned wearily.
Kaname shrugged, and they left the conversation as that.
"Sorry about the mess…" Zero welcomed the tall brunette in sheepishly.
"It's okay," Kaname murmured in his deep baritone voice. He was having a rather tough time not scraping his head on the ceiling of Zero's apartment, and has resorted to placing his palm atop his head. Seeing the concentrated (and pained) look on his boss's face made Zero snigger quietly.
Kaname observed the smaller-built man push away a stack of books on the cushion, making space for two persons at the coffee table. Peasant life is…hard. Is going around and living in cramped spaces a common culture for them or?
"I'll go boil some water now, it won't take long." The silverette said before disappearing into the kitchenette.
Kaname kneeled in a traditional Japanese-style way (years of tutorship from his grandfather), and observed this very odd surrounding. There was a fairly small coffee table meant for four, naturally, and a simple television set sitting atop a black television stand with a DVD player filling the empty space in-between. Several DVDs were scattered around, and one read 'How I Met Your Mother'. Kaname frowned. What an odd…title.
He switched his focus onto the stack of books Zero had pushed away earlier. There seem to be a mixture of university theory books and novels. Kaname noticed the book spine of '1Q84', and his eyes widened a little, before scanning the stack and finding several other works by the same author. As much as he wanted to reach out to those wonderful novels, he refrained from doing so. A well-bred man would never touch what is not his, as famously taught by his grandfather.
"Hey, I'm back. The water's going to take some time to boil, so let's have fun waiting," Zero reappeared.
"Alright," Kaname replied, his eyes never leaving the novels.
Noticing Kaname's weird behavior, Zero's eyes trailed their way to where Kaname's eyes were focusing at, before glancing back at the handsome brunette.
"You're a fan of Haruki Murakami too?" Zero inquired.
There was an instant glint in Kaname's eyes as he turned back to Zero, and Zero jumped a little. That was hella scary.
"Yes, I am. His literary works never fails to amaze me," Kaname replied calmly, though Zero could see the little excited kid in him slowly resurface. That's kinda cute, Zero grinned.
"Oh, yeah? Then I guess we could be friends! My friend introduced one of his works to me while we were in high school, and I was really impressed! The way he describes everything, it's like a work of art…"
Kaname listened on to Zero's equally excited ramble, a small smile forming at his lips. That's rather adorable, he thought idly.
"That's interesting, I was introduced to Murakami by a friend too – Ichijou, actually. Back in high school as well," Kaname smiled. This is turning into a really fun conversation, and oddly enough, Kaname enjoyed it. It was definitely a break from those terribly boring business discussions and meetings.
"High school?" Zero asked inquisitively. "That must have been sometime back…"
"Around six years, yes. It's been quite long."
Zero frowned and did the mental calculations in his head, before gasping.
"Wait – what – six years?" Zero exclaimed, with a shocked expression spread across his features. "Doesn't that make you around… 25 this year?"
"23, to be exact," Kaname replied.
"Wow, my boss's only two years older than me…that's kind of scary," Zero mumbled the last part to himself sheepishly. Kaname chuckled.
"It isn't much. I've been trained to take over my father's business ever since I was a kid," he confessed.
"That's actually kind of sad..."
"…I guess you're right. The only true friend I had back then was Takuma, and I hardly ever interacted with my parents," Kaname leaned his head against the white-washed wall behind him.
"…" Zero frowned and looked down. He's been judging Kaname in such a prejudiced way up till now, and he felt really bad after hearing his childhood confessions. This man had never really experienced life before; of course he would have such a personality! Zero felt like a truly terrible person.
"Hey, don't you have to check on the water?" Kaname asked.
"Oh, yeah," Zero replied, getting up from his seating cushion. "Please wait for a moment, I'll be right ba –"
The cushion slid underneath Zero's feet, cutting his sentence midway. Aw, shit! Damned marble flooring, damned cushion! Zero shut his eyes and prepared for the impact of the hard marble floor (and also, the upcoming embarrassment), but was greeted by a soft, yet masculine surface instead. Zero dared himself to open his eyes, and he was greeted by the sight of Kaname's equally surprised mahogany eyes.
Well, shit.
And Zero thought these things only occur in the shoujo mangas Yuuki was so found of back in university.
"Oh, shiiiiiiiiit, I'm so sorry, Kuran-sa –!"
Before he knew it, Kaname had his lips on Zero's. Zero was too shocked to speak. What in the blazes had just happened, in the span of three mere seconds?
Taking advantage of Zero's shocked state, Kaname pushed him down against the floor, restraining his wrists above Zero's head. Zero felt Kaname's tongue pry his lips apart, deepening the kiss. He felt that unfamiliar object explore every single nook and cranny of his mouth, and it sent delicious chills down his spine.
This isn't right. This couldn't be right. Yuuki –
He's Yuuki's fiancé, for heaven's sake!
Zero struggled fruitlessly against Kaname's iron-grip, and finally broke apart the rough kiss after many attempts, gasping desperately for air, like a fish out of water.
"K-Kuran-sama! What is the meaning of – mmphmm!"
Kaname ravaged his mouth yet again, and Zero squeezed his eyes shut. He knew he shouldn't be doing this, Yuuki is his friend! Why is he betraying a friend's trust, kissing her fiancé?
This kiss. Such a sinful kiss. Sweet, delicious, sinful.
He's so beautiful, Zero thought subconsciously, and he responded to the kiss unknowingly. His mind is in a haze, his vision and thoughts clouded by lust. He had totally forgotten about Yuuki; right now he was just making out with a man he was so very attracted to.
Pleased with the response he had gotten, Kaname smirked, and slanted his mouth against Zero's, releasing his wrists. They immediately clutched onto his expensive dress shirt, pulling him closer, wanting more of him. Kaname was starting to enjoy this, his grin widening.
Zero felt those full, sinful lips move down towards his neck area, and Kaname started sucking on his sensitive skin. Zero moaned sweetly, his hands moving up to Kaname's mass of brown hair, entangling his fingers in-between them; since when had sex ever been this good?
Large, cold hands unbuttoned Zero's shirt impatiently, and they started roaming his lean body, leaving ticklish, lingering trails behind them. They slowly inched their way down towards Zero's manhood, and he felt that cold, strong hand grab onto it, stroking it in slow, torturous movements.
"Ah, no, K-Kuran-sama…" Zero gasped, his hands releasing those wavy locks and attempted to push away the stronger man instead, failing miserably.
Kaname captured the bruised lips instead, silencing the younger man. Their tongues battled wildly, Zero gasping every now and then as Kaname continued pleasuring the owner of those half lidded, lust-filled lavender orbs.
He finally released Zero, and the younger man whined a little, before positioning himself at the silverette's entrance.
"This'll hurt," was all he said, before he thrust himself in fully. It was better to get over with the painful part as quick as possible.
Zero's eyes widened, and when his brain had finally registered what Kaname had just said, he was greeted by a mind-blowing pain at his prostate.
"O-Ow, it h-hurts," he cried out, shaking his head frantically, his vice-grip on Kaname's muscular arms tightening. "S-Stop…make it stop…p-please…"
Kaname allowed Zero to adjust to the new intrusion, kissing his tear-stained cheeks gently.
"Don't worry, it'll get better; I promise." He assured huskily, his lips painfully close to Zero's ear.
After Zero's breath finally evened out, Kaname started moving in slow thrusts, building up the pleasure, removing all the pain in Zero. He felt Zero's heavy pants on his neck, his moans of pleasure and pain, the way he covers his tear-filled eyes with his arms, as though shielding him from reality. He felt his own pleasure rising, the way Zero's prostate tightened around his manhood. The whole experience was pleasurable. Just pleasurable; no feelings attached.
Kaname was not a man of feelings.
(…)
Undeniably, it felt good.
The pain was unbearable at first, like something was ripping him up into two; but it naturally ebbed away, and now the pleasure was consuming him, eating him whole.
He liked it. He really shouldn't, but his body responded naturally to Kaname's. It was weird, really; as though they were made for each other.
The pleasure was slowly piling up in knots, and the thrusts were getting harder, faster. He had hit a particularly sensitive spot, and it sent Zero in a crumpled mess, moaning, shivering in pleasure.
It was unbearable.
Kaname slowly drove him to the peak, and he opened his eyes, locking them with Kaname's mahogany ones.
He wondered how such a warm eye colour managed to hold such coldness in them, before he finally reaches his climax, and passes out due to the sheer exhaustion from the whole ordeal.
A/N: Wow, I'm…finally done! *wipes perspiration* Anyway, it's Christmas here! Merry Christmas, my lovely readers! ^_^
Also, I'm soooo sorry this chapter took so long! It had been a really busy month, I had so many overseas trips to go, and I didn't have time to complete this chapter ;( I apologize! *bows deeply*
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It was a pain in the ass to write, really! &, it's also the first time I'm writing a smut scene, so it's bound to be crappy. I deeply apologize
Thank you, reviewers! You made my days so pleasant, just by reading all your lovely feedback. I'm so sorry I didn't reply them sooner, I was just so busy! Life sucks, dayum.
And as a Christmas gift to you all, I've written another Kaname/Zero oneshot! I had wanted to fit a Christmas theme into WTTC, but I guess this fic's just too young ;( btw, as a reminder, the next chapter's going to be based on Shiki/Ichijou ;) They need some love too! Ehehe~
Anonymous review replies:
Kanamexzero fan; hehe, I hope you enjoyed this one as well n_n
Cookiedough; I'm sorry that this isn't soon! I'm glad you liked this fic though! :)
Jjaelove; thank you! Honestly speaking, I'm not great at keeping their characters in check (look at how they turned out! *facepalms*), but I'm glad you liked it!
Ohbaby; hey, thanks! I'm so sorry this isn't soon, but I'm glad you enjoyed this fic! n_n
.Love; thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed it n_n
Alright, I truly hope this chapter kept you interested, and have a happy holiday! ^_^
xx, Rusty