Hey guys, it's been a while. Is there anyone left out there?
This took an awful lot of time. I feel a bit guilty that I haven't updated any other stories either. Uh. Well, this is short and not really very fruitful or eventful and honestly, it's pretty meager for taking me such a long time to cough up. Anyway, here it is. The new chapter.
Enjoy!
Oh, and FF seems to hate me so if the text looks weird, I blame them.
Chapter Twelve
Hidden Passages
X
Yuriy liked being in this part of town. He wasn't a very sentimental person and it wouldn't be the first thing that came to mind when thinking about him, but every now and then the redhead would get a little homesick. He never really liked strangers and being in London was tough on even his nerves. It took all his finely perfected self-control not to jump someone at the closest corner and commit some sort of heinous crime.
But there was one street he enjoyed. As many others it was infected with tourists and people from all over the world seemed to crowd around this side of town. There were the Irish and the French, the Scandinavian, Scottish, American and certainly the Japanese. But this street, this was his favourite. It was long and narrow, filled with stores and restaurants and bars, colors of bright and prizes that all promised to be unbeatable. There was the smell of food and the warmth of people, the sound of glasses clattering and thin clouds of cigarette smoke swirling through the air.
This was where the Russians played.
He had been strolling around all morning just listening. People were conversing easily in their native tongue, and Yuriy felt really good hearing it again. Sure, it was really nice to be able to speak to Kai or Boris without worrying about any eaves-droppers. But that could get a bit isolated, never hearing anyone else but yourself speak. It was... well, boring.
People paid little to no attention to him. Mostly they were busy discussing normal things. Like food and money and sex. Some were talking about their sightseeing plans, others their shopping plans and he overheard one girl talking about her period. When he sat down at an outside table in front of a bar, even the waitress spoke Russian.
So he ordered a beer, flashed her a charming grin and checked out her legs as she walked back inside. It was a nice day and for once, Yuriy felt like he didn't have a care in the world. Rei was still trying to calm down his boss when he left the apartment, while Boris hadn't woken up yet and Kai had disappeared off somewhere to buy coffee. That was around two hours ago, and it felt nice to finally sit down.
Quiet as a mouse, the waitress returned placing the beer in front of him
''Спасибо'' Yuriy smiled again, a glint in his eye making her blush.
''Пожaлуйста!''
As she disappeared again, he thought he could hear her giggle. Shaking his head he took a sip of the beer, an instant feeling of contentment spreading through him as the liquid ran down his throat. He took another large gulp before leaning back in the chair. And there he sat. Saying nothing, doing nothing, thinking nothing. For a small moment, he just were.
Of course, as always the Universe found all of that very boring. For some unexplainable reason, it demanded every moment to be filled with excitement. And what excited the Universe the most, it seemed, was the eternal torment of Yuriy Ivanov. Either that or a strange choking fetish, as Yuriy choked on his next gulp.
People turned to glance weirdly at him as his rumbling cough surged forth, all while the redhead punched himself violently in the chest. His eyes were watering as the cold beer flew out of his lungs with every cough, spraying all over the table. For someone who was passing by it was easy to deduce that this was not, in fact, one of Yuriy's most gracious moments.
When he finally got the air back into his lungs, he used it all up to utter a startling roar.
''пизда!''
The people who hadn't thought he had some sort of mental issue prior to that, were now staring at him as if the insult had been directed at them personally. But it had not, instead the person Yuriy really wanted to offend half-glared, half-stared at him in what looked a little bit like surprise.
The man who Boris was with looked utterly perplexed when the two ex-Bladers began throwing Russian words at each other very loudly. He didn't appear to understand just what they were saying, but he seemed to suspect they were both awfully angry. Leaving his beer, Yuriy stormed off to their table in three irate steps. Standing by their table he crossed his arms and garnered all the malice he could into his eyes.
''You son of a bitch'' the Wolf growled, then turned to glare at the strange man. ''Who the fuck are you?''
The Brit looked terribly concerned for his life by now and was starting to look around nervously.
''Uhm... I... Err...''
''Yuriy'' Boris spoke through tightly clenched teeth. ''This is Claude''
Yuriy met his eyes again, his self-restraint growing weaker by the second. At the same time, the headache Boris had been fighting all day finally got the upper hand
''Oh, hello Claude'' Yuriy hissed before turning back to Boris again. ''Who the hell is Claude?''
''I – ''
''Does Rei know this?''
Boris frowned.
''Why should he?''
The Wolf spluttered. All words abandoned him as he could not possibly fathom the nerve, the absolute idiocy of his friend and still retain his sanity somewhat intact. He wanted to break something, he really wanted to lose it completely and just attack someone. But he couldn't, he wouldn't and he didn't. Instead Yuriy took a deep, calming breath and shot Boris a new, darker glare.
''So do you have secret lunch dates with men everyday or just the ones when your boyfriend's caught up with his job?''
''He's not my boyfriend anymo – ''
''I can't fucking believe you!''
Boris drew a hand through his hair, looking as tired as he felt.
''What the hell are you doing here anyway?'' he snarled. ''Are you following me?''
''No! I've got better things to kill my time with. Like staring at a wall.''
''Yeah, well go do that then. I don't have time with you.''
Aqua eyes grew painfully wide. The Brit didn't know him, but even he could figure out that Yuriy was fighting a murderer inside of him. Fists clenched and body rigid, it took all he had to keep his voice levelled.
''Well, then, Kuznetsov. Let's see how much time Rei will have for you when I tell him you're seeing secret men on the side.''
The look on Boris face made Yuriy flash a smug smile.
X
Rei sank into the couch with a worn sigh. His body instantly gave up and slumped together into one giant puddle of meat, all while the breath left him. Rei was just so, so tired. Not only had it taken a lot to calm his superior down – the man had been livid, to put it lightly – and then he had to make up with the man about when he could come back to work. After that his phone had been bombarded with calls from various strangers and after one long hour of constant ringing, he almost couldn't recognize the silence when they finally gave up.
Grumbling, his stomach tried to tell him to feed it. But his muscles were about as likely to help him as a bag of wet balloons so instead he stayed put. Besides, it was kind of nice to have the place to himself again. Kai hadn't returned from his coffee hunt, Yuriy had wandered off to God knew where hours ago and Boris… well, Rei didn't really want to think about that.
Instead he just lay listening to the silence, reveling in the soft touch of the couch's cushions. No one to bother him about his life and ask him questions, no one to tell him to do one thing or say another. No one to yell and fuss and fight and no one to stare at him weirdly. Nothing in the world to disturb him. Just for this small little moment, Rei was alone and untroubled.
Five seconds later he flew straight up with fright when a tall, towering figure stood dark and brooding before him.
''Kai!'' Rei tried to still his heart before it shattered. ''When… when the hell did you get here? I didn't… I didn't hear you. Shit! What are you, a ninja?''
Kai just held out an envelope, looking at him quietly. Rei regarded the two in confusion.
''What's that?''
''Open it.''
A bit hesitantly he moved his hand, at first wary of the piece of folded paper. Then he told himself that Kai was probably not planning on hiding SARS in there, so there was really nothing to be scared of. Still, at the age Rei had hit, envelopes were never any good.
Opening it up he found two small pieces of paper with a dove blue shade, thin and soft and completely making his jaw drop.
''Is this…? Are those...?''
Without waiting for him to finish his sentence, Kai nodded.
''Tickets to the semifinals in France.''
Rei continued to gawk unintelligently for a moment before he looked up to meet Kai's gaze.
''But… these must have cost a fortune!''
He pulled them out to try to find a prize stamp or something.
''No''
''100 fucking euros?!'' Rei's eyes widened to anatomically frightening size. ''Are you fucking insane?!''
''You're starting to sound like Boris.''
Kai seemed unfazed by such manners. Of course, Rei guessed that 100 euros was probably considered loose change for this man, but still. Rei's own brain which was greatly unaccustomed to numbers of such proportion, had a real hard time dealing with this.
''Kai, I – I – I can't possibly allow you to pay this much!''
''Can you afford a ticket on your own?''
''Well, no! I don't make that much money… I…''
''And do you want to go?''
''Well…'' Rei spluttered on, not really in a thinking condition yet. ''Yes. I do. I really, really do.''
Kai fixed him with a firm stare.
''So what's the problem then, Rei?''
Sounds of mangled words and lost context left the Chinese's mouth, but nothing consequential resulted from his actions. Kai rolled his eyes slightly, then crouched down in front of Rei, placing a heavy hand on his shoulder. A really, really big hand. Huh, Rei had never noticed that before.
''Rei. Calm down. It's just a hundred euros. I make that much before breakfast.''
''Just a hundred euros? What's your profession? Mayor of Brag?''
Rei was sort of expecting a slap or a hurtful remark for that but Kai just smirked at him and stood up.
''Think of it as a gift. A moving-gift.''
''Yeah, well, Kai. I don't know what insanely rich Russians do when someone's moved to a new place, but where I come from they usually just receive some flowers.''
Kai shrugged and moved towards the kitchen.
''Think of them as flowers then.''
''What kind of flowers cost 100 euros?!''
''Really good ones.''
Gaping, Rei begrudgingly admitted temporary defeat.
X
''You do not want to go there, Ivanov.''
Yuriy let out a short yet vastly haughty laugh.
''Why not, Kuznetsov? Because you don't want Rei to know you're a slut? Because you don't want him to lose interest? Or because you are at a place that serves alcohol?''
Boris' blood was boiling, Yuriy could almost see the little bubbles rising underneath his paper skin.
''This is not what it – ''
'' – looks like? I think it is, Boris. I think this is exactly what it looks like'' he slammed his fist down on the table and leaned in just enough so he could hover over Boris like a bad omen. ''I think this is one idiot having a drink with another idiot. One of whom is alcoholic, and one of whom has the audacity to be named Claude.''
Boris bared his teeth and looked like he was just a moment away from using them.
''This is none of your business.''
''Yeah, that one only works if your name is Kai. Which, may I remind you, it is not.''
Boris mirrored his friend's previous action but doubled it, slamming both his fists down on the table, rattling the glasses on top of it.
''God damn it, Yuriy! Why do you have to be such a thickheaded dick?!''
Yuriy had to lean back at this in order to project as much spite as possible, but still remain placid in his posture.
''You're the one breaking your promise and you're calling me a thickheaded dick?''
Claude didn't want to, but he felt like he needed to make an interjection.
''Excuse me, what promise?''
As both Russians snapped their heads in his direction the man instinctively backed in his chair.
''This idiot'' Yuriy nodded in a growling Boris' direction. ''had promised a man whom he owns his entire goddamn life that he will not drink any alcohol lest he be thrown out of their apartment. Shared apartment, I might add.''
The last sentence felt an awful lot like a nasty hint. It made the Brit all the more uncomfortable, but he believed that he had to clear some things up before it all ended in a bloodbath.
''Sir, really, Boris is being honest. This is not what you think it is.''
Yuriy cocked an arrogant eyebrow.
''Oh, isn't it?'' he spat, voice belittling and venomous.
''No'' the Brit shook his head meekly. ''First of all, Boris and I are drinking Coke. And that's not Coke as in cocaine mixed with water. It's Coke as in Coca-Cola.''
The Russian wasn't certain but he suspected there had just been an insult thrown his way. He didn't have time to avenge himself though, because Claude continued his explanation.
''Second of all, I'm not… I don't swing that way, if you know what I mean.''
''Really now?''
Claude nodded.
''Really''
''Then what way do you swing?''
Honest Eye Claude – as Yuriy was going to refer to him in the future – changed colour to a bright, fire-truck red.
''I, uh… I have a fiancée.''
''Well, that's great.''
''Her name is Sharon.''
Yuriy glared. Claude shrank. Boris kept shifting his eyes between them in what looked like an oncoming attack of spontaneous insanity.
''Good for you.''
Yuriy glanced at their drinks, discovering that they looked like normal glasses of soda. On the other hand, he had to sniff them first to be sure. Once he had received one strange look and a furious one, he had concluded that indeed Honest Eye Claude had been truthful. About one thing, at least.
''Then I have one more question. Two, actually.''
''Yes?''
''Why does Boris know you and what the hell are you doing here?''
''Uhm…'' Honest Eye Claude and Boris the Butthead shared a conspicuous glance. ''I'm not sure that's up to me to tell you, I'm afraid.''
''Well, that doesn't sound suspicious at all.''
''I'm sorry'' the Brit blushed apologetically. ''But you'll have to discuss this with Boris, I'm afraid.''
Yuriy muttered, but decided to ignore the man before he had a cranial explosion. Boris didn't look very cooperative, though. But the redhead was not going to give up. After all, it wasn't like he had anything better to do.
''No.'' was all the Falcon said.
''No?''
''No.''
''What do you mean 'no'?''
''I mean no! Нет! I'm not telling you jack shit!''
Yuriy had no other option than to cross his arms now. This seemed like it would turn out to be a long and very bothersome evening, but if he had to rip the truth out of Boris himself, then Yuriy would. Boris also knew this just by looking at his old friend. But that didn't mean he was going to give in without a fight.
X
''Dear diary, today my crazy Russian friend just spent 100 euros on me. Am considering calling the psych ward and ordering them to come get him.''
Kai glanced up from the newspaper to look strangely at him.
''Aren't diaries supposed to be personal? As in; your head?''
''Am also considering moving to Russia and working for friend, as said friend seems to withhold extraterrestrial sums of money.''
Kai arched a dubious eyebrow.
''I can't accept the ticket'' the Chinese said. ''You know that, right?''
''Why not?''
''Under no circumstances would it be alright to accept such an expensive gift! It's against my upbringing, it's against every rational sense and it's definitely against the friend code!''
Kai sighed and put the paper down, guessing he was not going to get to read it anyway.
''Rei, how many times do I have to tell you? It's alright. It's nothing, don't worry about it.''
Rei spent the next three minutes staring at him with wide eyes and an undecipherable expression on his face. There seemed to be a lot of shock and also a hint of disgust in there, though.
''How much money do you make, anyway?''
Kai just shrugged an it's-nothing-sort of shrug and tried to resume his reading. But even if Rei didn't interrupt him, the slamming of the hallway door certainly did.
Boris and Yuriy stood in the doorway, staring in the kind of silence one can see in children who have just been caught doing something really naughty. Rei and Kai stared back like the suspicious parents not really sure just what has occurred in the time they've been apart, but do not feel like they want to ask.
''Hello'' Yuriy broke the silence.
''Hi'' Rei answered hesitantly. ''Had a nice day?''
''Sure.'' Yuriy nodded slowly. ''It was alright.''
''I'm going to bed.'' Boris said, giving Yuriy a heated glare before walking away.
The three watched him leave, more questions rising. They didn't have the time to ask them, though, as Yuriy was quick to speak.
''Well. I guess I should go back to the hotel. Goodnight.''
Kai and Rei nodded, but said nothing as they watched the second Russian make his departure. Once the door had opened and closed and the vicinity was once again redhead-free, Rei looked questioningly at Kai. The Phoenix gave him a don't-ask-don't-bother kind of look back and picked up the paper for a third time, not really expecting any reading to get done this time either but still felt like stupidly clinging to hope.
They sat silent for a while during which Rei was looking immensely confused.
''Dear diary, today my other two Russian friends were involved in shady business. Am considering moving them to the loony bin as well. Is possible they are planning for world domination. May have to find a safety bunker and call the Queen.''
Behind the headlines Kai snorted.