The Race (for lack of a better title)
By: Sunshine
As per the request of my doppleganger. ("What, you’re listening to Mushi too? Ahhh!") Yes, this fic is insanely long, I feel. So probably you’d like to go have a bathroom break and grab some popcorn beforehand. Welcome to the world of KyoXMana.
"So you seriously bought this thing?" Kyo asked as Die’s new toy began to play on the DVD player. He propped his head up on his hand and leaned against the sofa’s armrest. "Let me see that case again."
"No," Die scolded. "You said you’d watch whatever it was I’d bought with me since you were so curious and here you have it. Sit back, relax and enjoy the show."
The vocalist appeared mockingly offended and shrugged. "Alright," he agreed in a nonchalant sort of voice. "I’ll give it a go."
"Secretly you’re obsessed with Klaha from Malice Mizer, Kyo-kun. Or maybe it was Gackt that did it for you?" Die teased. "I bet you’ll enjoy this DVD more than I will!"
"Is there anyone that Gackt doesn’t do it for?" Kyo asked casually. Die didn’t respond. "No kidding. So here we are with your Malice Mizer thing, getting our rocks off, yeah?"
"They were a good looking band," Die insisted. "See? Here comes Mana. You can’t tell me that man doesn’t look fantastic in a skirt."
"We all know your particular fetish for men in skirts, ne Die-kun. Oh wait, when I say ‘we’ I must mean everyone except for Shinya, hmm?" Kyo retorted. His eyes followed the screen interestedly, locked on the indescribable attitude the blue-haired man was exhibiting.
"That’s not fair," Die sighed. Kyo leaned over and set his elbows on his knees, watching the beautiful guitarist’s every move in a tiny little skirt.
"Sure it is. Look at our leader-sama. He got his skirt-wearing man. One of these days, you’re going to actually have to go get him instead of saying ‘this person I was talking to today’ all the while assuming that I don’t know it’s Shin-chan." Kyo flicked a piece of rice off of his plate and snickered when it stuck to Die’s arm.
"Thanks a lot guy. Maybe I just won’t come to you anymore about it," Die said teasingly.
"Ah, I’m just joking. You know how I love how twisted your life gets. I feel Mana makes a far more convincing woman than our dear Shin-chan though." He ran his tongue over the inside of his piercings and continued to find himself entranced while watching the DVD.
"So that’s who you keep staring at!" Die exclaimed. "Ano, I never wanted Shinya to be female anyway. It’s just that he has such a pretty body for a skirt."
"I know. I only say it because it’s not like Shinya enjoys wearing them to the extent that this man does. I hear he wears women’s clothing all the time." ‘And how!’ Kyo added mentally. ‘Those legs…’
"You want a piece of him, you sneak! Here you are telling me I need to get out with it and you’re busy drooling over the television like…" Die trailed off, glancing at the screen thoughtfully. "He does have a nice butt though, ne."
"Get your own," Kyo growled lightly.
"No kidding. Kyo-sama has a crush!"
Kyo pushed him off of the couch and kicked him playfully. "Say it one more time and I’ll go tell Shinya you have a crush on Gackt."
"Bastard!"
"I know." Kyo grinned and let him get up, wondering idly where his cigarettes had gotten to. He lit one, stuck it in his mouth suggestively and winked at Die. "So I’ve got a bet in mind." He continued to move the cigarette back and forth over his lips wickedly. "We both want a piece of this, right?"
"It’s probably damp thanks to your tongue now."
"Baka, you know what I mean!" Kyo laughed. "So what about a race or something. Must catch your koi first or else." Kyo proposed.
"Or else what?" Die asked as he pulled himself back onto the couch.
"Or else…you have to walk out in front of said ‘crush’ dead naked. I am talking full frontal here." Kyo hit his thighs meaningfully.
"You do realize I have a head start and a huge advantage. Plus Mana looks like a real handful." Die warned thoughtfully.
"I think you must assume that Shinya isn’t," Kyo replied dismissively. "He’s got a naughty streak a mile wide."
"And how would you know that?" Die frowned jealously.
"Whoa, nothing like the way you’re assuming. I swear. Purely innocent, that’s me." Kyo managed to keep a straight face.
Die laughed. "Nothing you ever do is innocent, Kyo."
"Mou, that hurts Dai-Dai," Kyo teased.
"Ah, damn it! Don’t start calling me pet names now, Kyo-chan." Die poked him with a snicker. The vocalist put out his cigarette.
"Prepare to die!" he said in his deepest, scariest voice. Kyo launched himself at Die and began wrestling with him playfully, distracted every so often by the vision in a dress on the screen. He needed a plan.
~
Thus the race was on. They’d stipulated it as ‘first one to get a kiss from their heart’s desire without having out-and-out asked for it’. In other words, it had to be of either Shinya’s –or Mana’s- own accord. No sabotaging the opponent either. Kyo was back at his place, riding on the adrenaline rush of the pressure to perform. He called Yoshiki-sama in L.A. for advice. "Hi, Dir en Grey no Kyo desu. Can I speak to Hayashi-san?"
Idly wondering why the hell a record company would play elevator music while transferring departments, he went into the fridge and got himself a bottle of water. "Ne, Kyo-sama," the phone greeted tiredly. "What’s up?"
"I’m not even going to ask if you’re busy," Kyo said. "But I need a favour."
There was a pause of consideration. "What kind of favour?"
"You know Malice Mizer no Mana?" the blonde vocalist asked, playing with the label on the bottle.
"Who doesn’t?"
"No, I mean personally." Kyo sighed.
"Oh. Sure, sort of. Why?"
"What do you know about him?"
"Not a lot. He’s a really ambiguous, private sort of man. Nice enough, very polite and classy sort of guy. Powerful. Doesn’t talk a lot. Can’t think of what else to say except probably what you already know." Yoshiki told him.
"I don’t suppose," Kyo began awkwardly, "I don’t suppose that you have his phone number?"
"What?"
"His phone number."
"I guess. Give me a few minutes and I’ll have someone look it up for you." Yoshiki replied suspiciously. "What’s this for?"
"It’s because uh, Dir en Grey wants to do a concert with him?" Kyo tried. Usually he was so good at bullshitting. He frowned.
"Sure it is. Call you in like, ten or something. I hope." Yoshiki said. "Someone will, at any rate."
The little vocalist paced around his kitchen for a while, drawing his name in kanji over and over on the piece of paper he had reserved especially for the coveted phone number of dear Mana-sama. His mind was filled with lusty visions of long curly hair and getting lost in piles and piles of gauzy material. He literally jumped when the phone rang. "Kyo? Yoshiki again." He heard once he actually managed to remember where he’d set the phone. His heart stopped racing slightly.
"And?" he asked tentatively.
"Got a pen?"
Kyo hung the phone up and stared at the number that managed to fit itself in neatly between scribbles of his own name. He penciled in the name ‘Mana’ below it, blinking. What the hell was he going to say?
He pressed the numbers in one by one, double-checking every time. His cell, Yoshiki had said. That meant that Mana should probably answer it. ‘Remember Kyo,’ he told himself as he listened to the ring, ‘if you don’t manage to swing this it will be a cold, cold day for your nether regions some time in the near future.’ That was incentive enough. What kind of crazy bet had he thought up here? Good job Kyo, good job.
"Moshi moshi, Mana desu," a deep voice greeted.
Ack! "H-hello, there, Mana." He said, trying to muster up some confidence. He hoped Mana wasn’t as much of a handful as Die had suspected.
"Who’s this?" Suspicion radiated in the older man’s voice.
Ah, a question he could answer. "Dir en Grey no Kyo desu." He said almost forcefully. Know me, it screamed. Please know me.
"Ah, sweet little scary blonde guy. Right?"
Kyo tried to wrap his head around the string of adjectives. "Yes, I suppose so."
"What’s up?"
Kyo’s breath rushed out of him heavily. (The term ‘what’s up’ is always casual enough to force calmness in the most awkward of moments.) What was up? "So I hear you’re going solo now," he began.
"Sure." Mana said politely. Kyo was impressed with the smoothness of the other man’s voice. He didn’t say ‘so?’ like almost anyone else would have. Mana was definitively elegant and classic. What power, what self-control. Kyo almost drooled on himself.
"I was wondering if you wanted t…" Kyo panicked, tossing aside the Yoshiki scenario. It wasn’t as if he’d actually asked Kaoru if it would be okay to do a gig with Mana at all. He hadn’t asked any one, for that matter. Just sort of made it up to Yoshiki in order to hide his true motives. Crap. "I watched one of your DVDs today," he tried again.
"I see."
"You looked really beautiful," he said earnestly. It wasn’t like him to blatantly compliment other people unless they were deserving of it. Kyo hadn’t been aware of entire how smitten he was with the extremely feminine young man until that moment. Plus he’d heard that Mana wasn’t especially tall. Perfect.
"Thank you," Mana said graciously, somewhat touched. "I’m terribly sorry but I’m a bit busy at the moment. If it would be okay, could I ask what you’re calling about?"
There was nothing for it. Kyo’s heart could have outdone a freight train at that moment. His cheeks went red. "I know you don’t know me but I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner with me sometime."
There was a pause. Then the beginning of a sentence was expelled, then another pause. Kyo’s wide brown eyes grew wider as he waited in silence. "Are you sure?" Mana asked him slowly.
"I’m absolutely sure, Mana-sama." Kyo emphasized. He, ever the relentless rebel, found himself being pushed into a position where he was actually being polite. It was a little scary. His cheeks deepened in colour as he thought of it.
"When?" the voice on the other end asked quietly.
"As soon as you can, please." Kyo said. Argh, he couldn’t believe how gentle his voice sounded. Stupid heart, always causing him to do things he definitely would not do otherwise.
"You aren’t just playing some joke on me?"
"Why, don’t you think I’m your type?" Kyo replied teasingly.
The pause that ensued smacked of indignant consideration. "Pick me up tomorrow night at seven o’clock at my house then." Mana said.
"Where do you live?" Kyo asked. Again his mind was filled with visions of tulle dress material and long silky hair. And the fact that Mana was actually (almost secretly) male, that just made it all the more exciting. However the deep voice brought him back out of his daydream.
"You found my cell number, I’m sure you can discover where I live. Take care of yourself, Kyo-sama. Nice to meet you." Then the phone hung up, leaving Kyo playing with the label on the water bottle and pushing his piercings around with his tongue. It took a moment to register. Once that set in, he opened the bottle and poured it all over his head.
"Shit," Kyo said to himself. "I’m screwed."
~
He couldn’t possibly turn to Yoshiki for Mana’s address. After what he’d already claimed he was up to, there would be no reason why he would need it. He took a shower as he pondered it, since he needed to change out of his now-damp clothes anyway. The blonde sighed as the answer came to him. More phone calls were in order.
"Kaoru, it’s Kyo. I’ve gotten my ass into a sling again." Kyo told the phone exasperatedly.
"Kyo-kun! Nice to hear from you again. Or did you forget you never called me back last time." The leader said sarcastically. "Your ass in a sling again, you say?"
"Uh. Yes." How much was he willing to say? "I need Malice Mizer no Mana (ex at least)…uh… I mean I need his address." His damp blonde hair stuck up at unruly angles, he noticed as he stood in front of the bathroom mirror.
"Whoa. Mana’s address? You seriously have gotten yourself into a mess. I guess you want me to get a hold of it for you then. Why don’t you just call Yoshiki?" Kaoru’s low voice asked interestedly.
"I already got his cell number off of Yoshiki-san," Kyo admitted.
"Why don’t you just ask Mana himself then, crazy?" Kaoru laughed.
"Long story. I’m not going to get into it," Kyo said, trying to catch the towel that insisted on trying to fall from around his waist. "Seriously. Can you help me?"
"Ah, I’ll see what I can do. So I’m not allowed to call Yoshiki-san either?" Kaoru sighed.
"No, don’t call him whatever you do. You’re the man with the connections, dear leader. Plus you owe me for that time you nearly forgot Toshiya’s birthday and I reminded you just in time." Kyo insisted.
"You tell me that every time you need something," Kaoru protested.
"Can you imagine if you’d forgotten?" Kyo’s voice rose to a squeal. "Kao-Kao! You remembered my birthday didn’t you? Didn’t you? You forgot! What do you mean you forgot! But, but… And so on."
"Yeah, yeah. I’ll do it. Keep your pants on."
"I’m not wearing any." Kyo said smugly.
"Way too much information. Call you back in like half an hour."
Kyo went through his closet whilst Kaoru hunted down the elusive Mana’s address. What could he possibly wear tomorrow night? His clothes were all usually suited for…well, not for Mana, at least. He supposed he could wear his glasses and one of his black suits. Except that without his eye contacts in he felt like a huge prude. Did Mana like contacts on other people?
He thought back to Gackt and Klaha. Two insanely pretty men; that was a stark contrast to the man that Kyo aspired to be. Would he have to become pretty in order to attract Mana’s attention? No, he decided. Look where Gackt and Klaha had gotten him. He wasn’t even with them anymore! So it seemed that Kyo’s own darling personality would have to be the staple of the evening. Plus he was going to have to stop telling random crap to Yoshiki if he expected to gank more cell phone numbers off of him, Kyo added to himself. Yoshiki probably even had the Pope’s cell! Kyo snickered to himself, imagining the prank calls that could be negotiated from that.
When he’d stopped snickering, he pictured Mana looking at him like he was an idiot if he’d told him the whole Pope-joke thing. He frowned. Should he seriously be with such a man? Of course he should, he scolded himself. He could be just as elegant as Mana if he wanted to be. It was just that he chose not to.
"Yeah, right," he said aloud. "The most alluring thing about Mana is that he’s so much more elegant than I am." A pile of ties, white shirts and black shirts and black suits grew rapidly on his bedspread. "But I," he pep talked to himself, "Am a rock star too. I can look just as important and powerful as he. I can make him mine." ‘I certainly need to.’ He added thoughtfully. ‘I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t, not with the way my heart races every time I think of him.’
For Kyo, Mana represented a deadly sort of beauty. The sort that hid command so well that it was undetectable until he imagined himself to have completely lost his footing in the relationship. He on the other hand, being so very laid back and carefree, felt he had something to offer to such a relationship as well. Perhaps he could offer Mana balance. Yes, balance. A smile spread over his boy-like features. He could be the other half to a whole where others had often failed. That was a challenge Kyo looked forward to.
Somewhere under the pile of clothes produced a ringing sound. Throwing things helter-skelter he picked the phone up and said "Kao-Kao, have you found it yet?"
"This isn’t Kao-Kao." The deep voice sounded somewhat amused. "What are you looking for?"
"Mana!" Kyo breathed. "How are you doing, ne?"
"I’m doing well since the last time we spoke. I just wanted to know what I should wear tomorrow. Where are you planning on taking me?" he asked in his subtle voice. Kyo’s heart glowed.
"I guess it depends." Kyo knew that he would have to make the decision; Mana would expect it of him. The dainty figure enjoyed his companions strong and noticeable. Kyo could definitely be that. "I guess it’ll have to be somewhere fancy. I can’t imagine you settling for anything less."
"Am I really such a snob?" Mana asked in an ambiguous voice.
"Of course you aren’t. You just have style and grace. But don’t worry, I’ll make things interesting for you." Kyo promised.
"I have no doubt you will." The guitarist replied. "Good afternoon, Kyo."
"You too, Mana."
The day was somehow turning into phone-call city. Twenty minutes after that Kaoru finally called back, claiming that after the argument he’d just had on the phone in order to get the address, he now had the right to blackmail Kyo instead. And why did he need it so badly, the guitarist wondered. At least tell him that.
"Mana just called me," Kyo told him in a faraway sort of voice. Kaoru was shocked.
"And?" the leader asked.
"I think I’m in love."
~
The next morning Kyo actually showed up twenty minutes earlier than his previous record for practice. The look on Kaoru’s face was absolutely priceless. "Wow! I should grant you favours way more often."
"What kind of favours?" Toshiya asked suspiciously.
Die laughed from the spot where he was over talking to Shinya by the drum set. "Yeah, what kind of favours?"
"I’ll have you know, I’ve got a date tonight." Kyo said pointedly. Die’s jaw dropped.
"You don’t mean…" the red-haired guitarist began.
"I absolutely do, Die-kun. I most certainly do." He puffed up proudly, imagining what it would be like to hold the hand of the beautiful and talented Mana. His entire skin was tingling with anticipation. "Let’s get this show on the road, ne," he insisted.
"Is that so," Kaoru began thoughtfully. "Our Kyo is going for a bishounen in a skirt as well, hmm?"
"Huh?" Shinya asked.
"What?" Toshiya said.
"Nothing," chimed Die, Kaoru and Kyo.
"Man I love you guys." The bassist said sarcastically.
"He does?" Kyo asked hopefully.
"Does what? Who?" Toshiya asked in confusion.
"He loves us guys?" Kyo repeated.
"Who?"
"Mana."
"What the hell does Mana have to do with anything?"
"I thought you said ‘Mana loves you guys."" Kyo shrugged.
Kaoru laughed oddly. "Oh man." Kyo glared at him. "Man, not Mana." He cowered under the vocalist’s evil stare. "Damn it, we’re behind schedule." He said hurriedly. "Get your asses in gear people."
Right around lunchtime, Kyo went to search for Kaoru and/or Shinya in order to ask for advice on what the hell he should wear that night. While he usually enjoyed the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants philosophy, his heart was becoming too far gone for him to allow for screw-ups. He was walking past the vending machines when he heard, "And I know you’re probably not going to believe me, but when I saw you this morning I thought you looked very lovely, Shin-Shin."
Shinya’s young voice chirped in a laugh. "So desu ne, Die. You’re right, I don’t believe you."
Kyo snickered as he kept walking. "Ah," Die called after him wickedly. "Kyo-chan."
Grinding his teeth, Kyo stopped just long enough to reply, "Ah, Gakuto-chan."
He finally came across Kaoru, who was sitting outside on the railing smoking across from his koi.
"So you can’t go tonight why," Kaoru was asking Toshiya. Kyo scratched his arm just below his t-shirt sleeve and cleared his throat.
"Kyo, what’s up?" Toshiya asked with a smile.
The short one cleared his throat. "I need your help, Kao-kun."
"Oh, what for this time?" Kaoru smiled.
"Clothes. I need help with clothes. For my date." He said cryptically. He ran his fingers through his blonde hair and thought. "And possibly my hair, too."
Kaoru looked over at Toshiya. "Well," he began considering. "I’d love to help you out Kyo-kun, but I was supposed to go to the movies with Totchi tonight."
Kyo couldn’t help but feel envious as Kaoru gazed lovingly over at the bassist and the look was reciprocated. He wanted that as well, he thought. His hugged himself a little, due to the wind as much as anything else. Perhaps he would have that very soon. Perhaps the secretive man he was taking out later could gaze at him just so.
"Except that I have to go see my parents," Toshiya was saying. "That’s what I was trying to explain before."
"Ano, I thought you needed a drive." Kaoru mused.
"My parents are coming to get me instead." Toshiya said pointedly. Kyo raised an eyebrow, not fully understanding the exchange that was taking place. "So you know the drill."
"Well Kyo, it looks like you’re in luck." Kaoru threw his cigarette over the railing and looked at his watch. "Not only that, but lunch break’s over."
~
Kyo had the utmost trouble focusing that afternoon. He missed cues, sang too softly/loudly at times and forgot lyrics. It was all right though because Die was just as screwy he was. Kaoru nearly had a conniption fit. "What the hell is going on with my band, are we all a bunch of mind-gaps today?"
"You too ne Kao-kun," the vocalist said absently.
"Hmm?"
"What’s your distraction?" he clarified. Kaoru stared at him for a moment. Everyone in the room was silent, apparently having noticed the same thing. Everyone had their own problem to worry about. Kaoru shook his head, set his guitar down and announced that it was time to call it a day.
Kyo waited in the van while Kaoru said good-bye to his lover. It wasn’t late, only about three in the afternoon, when they’d finished practice. He stared up at the miscellaneous cloth ceiling of the van’s interior and sighed anxiously. It was he himself who always made a point of never giving his songs happy endings. He was becoming fearful that the same would apply to his life. He decided that he would use the mental images of Mana in Die’s DVD to propel himself into action. He was Kyo. He was somewhat in his own mind invincible, he told himself. That was the best he could presently muster.
When Kaoru slid back into the seat next to him, the blonde made a face at him. Kaoru raised an eyebrow. "Nice." He looked only sort of amused.
"Damn Kao," Kyo began. "You didn’t even laugh. What’s with you?"
"Toshiya’s parents." Kaoru said. "It’s not like I can actually be with him when they’re around. So every time they ask to see him, he obliges because he loves them. Then I, also someone he loves, have to disappear. It’s stressing him out. I’m stressing about it too. I guess there’s nothing that can be done." He said as he drove towards Kyo’s place as if subconsciously.
"Why don’t you tell them to screw themselves, ne." Kyo said. "It’s not like they’ve never seen fanservice."
"Hai, but they think he does it only on the principle of showmanship, you see. And telling them to screw off wouldn’t help anything. He’d be miserable and then so would I. We’ll be fine as a secret for the moment, I think." The guitarist told him. "Thanks for trying though."
"Ano, if I had Mana I would tell everyone I could possibly think to tell. Especially the press." Kyo said.
"Why? ‘Cause you’d be madly in love?" Kaoru asked, trying to picture that.
"That too. He’s so sexy." Kyo reflected. "But mostly because it would be fun to watch Gackt have an aneurysm."
Kaoru laughed ‘til tears were streaming down his cheeks. Once he caught his breath, he managed "But what about your parents? Would you go right up to them and say ‘This is my boyfriend, don’t be fooled by the makeup’?"
Kyo thought about it seriously for a moment. "Well, aneurysms galore are fun too." He noted. "However…" He looked over at the golden-haired man thoughtfully. "It’s not like I’m sure I couldn’t try to disguise Mana as an unrecognizable sort of woman, do you think? If I put sunglasses on him, lip-gloss instead of lipstick changed his hair…" he imagined it, understanding the ludicrous implications. "And said he was mute or shy."
"I guess. I can’t imagine Mana putting up with that though." Kaoru said uncertainly.
"Neither can I." He stared up at the traffic lights, almost willing them to change. "I wouldn’t want him to."
"So you understand, then."
"Hai."
"It’s going to be a long night."
~
"How did this all come about, Kyo-kun?" Kaoru said as he went through Kyo’s closet and the vocalist liberally applied deodorant.
"Ano, you’d probably flip if I told you." He called from the bathroom. Eventually he returned, wearing the expected towel around his waist, grinning from ear to ear. Leader-sama sat on his bed, a very Ain’t Afraid to Die type of outfit lying next to him. He looked expectant.
"Okay, okay. So Die and I decided to have a race yesterday on who could catch their secret koi first." His nose wrinkled as he choked out the term ‘secret koi’ as if it were a venereal disease.
"Shin-Shin," Kaoru stated knowingly. Kyo nodded. "What’s the loser get?"
"To flash their package to said love." The vocalist said. He went digging around in his underwear drawer and unabashedly let the towel drop from his hips. "Satin boxers, ne Kaoru?"
"Sexy. You seriously get to flash your package? That’s hideous!" Kaoru said, horrified. "That’s almost dangerous!"
Kyo snickered to himself. "That’s Die and I. But actually Kao-Kao, what I named it for was a back up plan for either him or me, depending on who loses."
"How so? It’s not like just dropping your pants in front of a guy will get him to want to sleep with you." Kaoru insisted.
Kyo turned around and looked at him eloquently after sliding the white satin boxers on.
"Okay, you have a point."
"So this is what I should wear?" the short man asked as he stared at the black suit and white shirt with ruffled collar and cuffs. He hoped it would be effective.
"Isn’t it just what Mana would like?" Kaoru shrugged.
"I guess so." He pulled the black pants on and then picked up the white shirt. "Ano, I want to show him that I’m me though. I’m not willing to be something like a Malice Mizer vocalist for him."
"Especially since you’re a Dir en Grey vocalist," Kaoru pointed out. "In fact, you’re The Dir en Grey vocalist. Exciting, ne? You’re one of a kind."
"So desu ka," Kyo agreed. "But that’s why…"
"Worry about it once you get dressed. Kaoru has a plan." The guitarist said firmly.
In Kyo lived a spirit that demanded to be noticed. He sat in front of his bathroom mirror as the comb between Kaoru’s fingers ran deftly through the strands of pale blonde hair. He wondered if he could be noticed next to Mana. He had to be. "So why are you doing my hair again?" he asked.
Kaoru rolled his eyes. "Well, let’s see. One, you asked me to. Two, I’m better at it and three, I have a plan, remember?"
"You’re better at it!" Kyo retorted. "I’m all for hearing the reasoning behind this one."
"All I have to say is the whole purple spike thing." Kaoru held. "That took talent to maintain."
"Screw you, leader-sama." Kyo said sweetly.
"Kyo-chan."
"Rarr!"
"What’s that you said? You suck?" Kaoru teased.
"Hopefully," Kyo replied.
Blink. Cough. "Damn. It is going to be a really, really long night."
~
With his hair gel-free, parted from one side and flattened against his head, Kyo felt a little naked. He wasn’t wearing contacts, wasn’t wearing hair products and didn’t have any fake blood anywhere. "Are you sure I look okay? I feel weird."
His closest friend returned from the other room. "These will be just what you’re looking for then. Close those big brown eyes of yours, Kyo."
He wasn’t entirely sure why he was obeying. A few seconds later, the sensation of cold graced his cheeks in little pricks near his eyes. "Uh, Kaoru? What’re you doing?" he wondered. There was no reply.
"Open." Kaoru said, sticking his hands in his jeans pockets and cracking his back.
Kyo looked over at the mirror and noticed that his eyes had three safety pins below them each, stuck to his cheeks at exciting angles. "Ah! Yes!" he growled happily. "You rock!"
"All in the pursuit of gathering more ammo with which to make you my slave," the older man teased. "It’s 6.20 you know. Get some freakin’ shoes on."
The little man opted for black leather platforms. Classic, hot and a sure thing just in case his date was a little taller than expected. He swallowed a few butterflies, mentally roaring at them scarily in order to keep them back in his tummy. "Anything else?" he asked as he slid his wallet into his back pocket and grabbed his car keys.
"Remember we have the promotional gig over at that music store tomorrow. 10.30 in the morning, okay?" Kaoru said. Kyo opened his front door and nodded.
"Stay here tonight, Kao-kun. I could have sworn I heard that Toshiya was catching a train back early this morning." He said, one foot on his way.
Kaoru threw the piece of paper with Mana’s address on it to him. "I guess I will then. I won’t wait up."
"Thanks Kaoru. Tomorrow you and I will figure out just how to solve your problems with secrecy. After we take the time to laugh at and/or congratulate Die."
"Noted. Knock his socks off."
"Mou, but they’re such sexy socks…" the door closed behind him and he was gone.
The golden haired leader of Dir en Grey shook his head and grinned as he went to go find himself something to eat. ‘Trust that it would take someone as uncanny and commanding as Mana to steal Kyo-san’s heart away,’ he thought with a smile.
~
Kyo smoothed his hair and rang the buzzer calmly. On the way to Mana’s house he had used an old tactic he employed whenever he got nervous on stage. He let himself get paranoid and frustrated enough that he eventually said, ‘Oh my god, I am so fucked.’ And at that point he came to understand that there was nothing for it, if he was indeed so very fucked, but to go with the flow. So far it was working.
A moment later Mana came to the door. "Seven o’clock," the mysterious man said softly. "Right on time."
The vocalist found himself lost in blue eyes that many people had almost gone mad trying to understand the depths of in the past. He took one soft, lace-gloved hand in his and kissed it gently. Mana appeared thoughtful. And radiant.
"You thought I really was joking, didn’t you?" Kyo said. Mana blinked.
"I did not," he said in his low, almost shy sort of voice. "I’m all dressed and ready to go."
"Me too." Kyo said, taking Mana’s hand in order to lead the way. "You’re sure you want to do this?"
Mana nodded and followed him down the steps, a smile playing about his rich red lips every so often. "Are those safety pins I see on your cheeks?"
Kyo was never one to disappoint, even from the earliest age. He had oft been disappointed, but definitely not at that moment. He could detect in Mana the same sort of mind-set and was thrilled by it. The first of many exciting discoveries in the night to follow, he discovered that thanks to his platform shoes, Mana was shorter than he was.
An excellent sign, in his books.
However it wasn’t until they sat down at the most secluded table at the most elegant restaurant in the entire city that he realized part of this was due to the fact that Mana had worn little customized maryjanes on his feet. Kyo was shocked. He had never seen Mana wear flat shoes in absolutely any picture he’d ever seen of the beautiful man. Which, on further reflection, was actually a hell of a lot of pictures. He couldn’t stop smiling.
"You have a nice smile," Mana said almost inaudibly from behind his menu. Kyo looked surprised.
"Is this place okay?" he asked suddenly.
"Of course," Mana said.
"Good, because I’ve got other things planned too." In fact, he had spent the entire previous night rolling around pondering exactly how to make it worthy of the man he had up until now admired from afar. Mana raised a perfectly arched brow. "You’ll find those out later though."
And of course, he simply could not get over how luscious the other man looked in the long black dress. It was far better than his daydreams had provided him with in the past. It was a long, full skirt with a ruffled, low cut top and sweet gathered short sleeves at the sides. Coupled with those black lace numbers on his hands, Kyo fell in love all over again. He continued to smile, wondering what he could possibly say.
"So how did you get my number exactly," Mana asked him abruptly. They sat across from each other in the setting sun, one staring unabashedly and the one facing him looking up only every so often from his wine glass in order to grace him with a queer, pretty little smile. A rarity, to be sure. Maybe a sign that things were going well?
"I probably shouldn’t say," Kyo said as he ran his fingertip over one of the spikes that decorated his lips and chin. "They could get in trouble." He laughed a little and involuntarily gave a naughty grin.
"I see," Mana said as he took a sip of his wine. His face was unreadable.
"Yes well, moving along, I was talking to Yoshiki the other day," he said carefully. Mana caught his meaning and a little light glowed in his eyes from amusement. "I don’t suppose you know him at all."
"Ah, Yoshiki-sama. A man with a lot of connections, or perhaps the power to connect," the other man said, brushing his straight, long black hair back over his shoulders.
"Yeah." Kyo agreed happily. A thought suddenly came to him. "Do you suppose the Pope has a cell phone?" he asked.
~
Dinner had gone well, but it was only nine o’clock. Kyo paid the bill and led his date out to the car, where he gave the valet a pointed look. Mana looked wonderingly at the vocalist until the attendant produced a single blood red rose and handed it to him with a low bow. The effeminate man looked surprised, which made Kyo grin. He imagined that Mana was a hard one to catch off guard.
The dark-haired man sniffed the rose contemplatively as they drove on. He was not particularly bothered by the silence. "I didn’t expect that you had a romantic streak," he said suddenly.
"I suppose that you’ll just have to get to know me then," Kyo said reasonably.
"Please don’t be something you think I want you to be if it isn’t really who you are," Mana reflected almost solely to himself. The blonde man frowned. "I wouldn’t mind at all."
"I’m going out of my way to be myself, actually." He said. "I guess a lot of what we know of each other is stage performance."
"That’s true."
"Yes, like how I’m a sweet little scary blonde guy right?" Kyo grinned. Mana blushed. "It’s true. I like to be scary. I like to keep people out; away from me. You know?"
Mana most definitely did and stated so firmly. It was because he was the same way, he said. But where Kyo tried to offend, Mana tried to defend. He built up a wall of untouchable beauty around him, Kyo suggested. "Wherein you try to pretend you’re dead, hmm?" Mana asked lightly.
"Well, it’s funny too, I guess. I like to laugh because it keeps things real. Plus you kind of have to in a band full of misfits like Dir en Grey. Die and his pranks, for starters." Kyo said as he parked the car by the waterfront.
"Yu~ki was always the same way. And Kozi." Mana reminisced with a smile. The vocalist’s heart lit up.
"Yeah, I remember this time that…oh wait, that was me actually. Anyway, I remember this time that I tied Kaoru’s…" Kyo began. They stepped out of the car and began to walk.
As they talked and progressed along the docks, Kyo slipped his hand into Mana’s. His heart jumped as he felt Mana squeeze slightly and made no attempt to pull away. He almost completely forgot about the race. When Mana began to stroke his palm with a fingertip, he did forget.
It took some convincing for Kyo to get Mana to join him on the edge of the dock so that they could dangle their feet over the edge. He pulled his boots and socks off and set them beside him, relishing the shivers he got when he dipped his toes into the cold water. Mana pulled his shoes off, but kept his stocking-clad feet far from the little waves that lapped against the wood.
"How come you won’t take your stockings off?" Kyo pouted.
"They go up to here." Mana hit his upper thighs demonstratively and then pulled a lock of black hair off of his cheek where it had blown there in the wind. "I don’t intend to show you that much of me yet."
‘Yet,’ the vocalist repeated in his mind. His body was reacting against his will. Going over the motion of Mana touching his thighs in his head, Kyo remembered hitting his own upper thighs the day before and winced. Pressure and anxiety washed over him leaving a bitter aftertaste.
"What’s wrong?" Mana asked, a note of worry in his voice whereas his face remained completely composed.
Kyo looked down at the water, trying to force his face back into at least a state of neutrality. "It’s nothing, I just remembered something." He said. He played with the ruffles on his shirt and looked over at Mana, who was watching him wonderingly.
"Do you like it here?" Kyo asked suddenly. "If not, we can get out of here."
"No, I like it very much," Mana told him. "Thank you for bringing me here."
"Oh." Kyo stared back at the water. Could he tell the other man? The race… "Ano, I think you look absolutely stunning tonight." He said.
Mana blushed and moved into a sitting-down version of a curtsey. Kyo was enchanted. "You look very nice too." Kyo nodded gratefully. "But you know what my favourite part of your outfit is?" he asked.
"No, I have no idea." Kyo gave him a little lopsided grin, feeling a little sick to his stomach. Must be from dinner, he tried to tell himself.
"The safety pins on your cheeks." Mana reached up and stroked Kyo’s cheek just beneath the little silver decorations. "They’re so original." Kyo leaned over and wrapped his hands around the other man’s tiny waist in order to prevent him from falling into the water as he kissed those red lips he’d dreamed of secretly for so long. Mana’s lips were soft and supple and Kyo felt heat rush down his body all the way to his toes.
As he pulled back he thought, ‘I did it! I did it! I kissed Mana! I kissed the most beautiful man in the world!’ But when he looked at the man in question, he saw a strange look of happiness on the other man’s face but nothing more. Mana was not going to kiss him back of his own accord. Stupid race. It was of no consequence however, as Kyo hopped to his feet and grinned, riding on the fact that he had kissed Mana, even if Mana chose not to kiss him again.
"Ne, I kissed the most beautiful man in the world!" he shouted to the water. His wide brown eyes twinkled down at Mana and helped him to his feet. He held the black cloth covering Mana’s torso against him a moment and sighed happily. "You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to do that."
Mana rubbed his cheek against Kyo’s gently. "I bet you’re wondering why I haven’t kissed you back yet," he assumed in his deep, sweet voice.
"I was wondering, yes," Kyo admitted.
"I guess we all need our secrets. But don’t worry, it will come." Mana said.
"Oh." Kyo laughed a little, his heart palpitating irregularly. Mana definitely had tricks of his own up his sleeves. "Would you like to come to a club with me? I can’t get over how beautiful you are. I’m being selfish and trying to show you off."
"Sure," Mana said delicately. "Lead the way."
~
Knowing that Mana had a reputation for being unable to coordinate himself into a dance on ridiculously high platforms, he was proud to find that the other man could hold himself quite well on the dance floor in his dainty maryjanes. Multicoloured lights glimmered around them, smoke filled the otherwise darkly painted club. Nevertheless, Kyo held Mana tightly against him, dancing with him in a shifty manner, back and forth. The point of the exercise was contact, and he was sure Mana knew that. Long black hair draped itself over his dark suit jacket and Kyo ran his fingers through it every so often. So Mana was not the ice queen they always claimed he was. Aloof and mysterious, hell yes, but not icy. Not when he was so warm curved into Kyo’s embrace. Kyo had suspected as much. ‘Handful, ne Die,’ he said to himself as another song ended.
Eventually people began to recognize them. Someone asked for his autograph. "Can we go?" Mana said, a note of discomfort rising in his voice. "It’s getting late."
It was indeed after one o’clock in the morning. "Okay Mana," Kyo agreed, remembering the guitarist’s shyness. "I’ll take you home now I guess."
They sat silently together on the porch of Mana’s home at close to two. "I had an amazing time tonight, Mana. Thank you for letting me take you out."
"I’ll only say you’re welcome if you’ll say we can do it again," Mana told him mysteriously.
"Really?" Kyo’s eyes lit up. "Excellent! And…and you could…and…" he tried to force the word out, hoping to the gods that it was appropriate to ask it. "And you could be my koibito?"
"Ne, Kyo. That’s the idea." Mana told him. "And that would make you mine, wouldn’t it?"
"Hell yes," Kyo agreed enthusiastically. He leaned over and kissed Mana again, this time hard and swift. He didn’t stop until he had run out of air. Mana gave him a wholehearted smile but didn’t pull him into another one, much to his anxiety. While he loved kissing Mana just because, he panicked when Mana didn’t kiss him of his own accord. What if he lost? The implications he faced where astounding. His face fell.
"Kyo, I really am going to kiss you." Mana assured him. "I’m just waiting for my first kiss to you to be at a very specific moment. Please don’t feel so bad."
"Alright," Kyo said, hitting his tongue against the back of his piercings. Mana hugged him tight and he savoured that for a moment before standing. "I’ve got to go," he said. "I’ve got a gig at this music store tomorrow at 10.30." he explained.
"I know you do," Mana said mysteriously.
Kyo’s jaw dropped. Blonde hair shook in disbelief. He leaned down, kissed Mana’s hand and turned to go. "Sweet dreams, Mana. Will I call you or will you call me to decide when we can go out again?"
"I’ll call you I think. But don’t worry, we’ll go out again soon enough. Sweet dreams Kyo."
Kyo slid back into his car, torn between elation and angst. He hoped to hell that Die hadn’t beaten him already. His hands were white-knuckled on the steering wheel through the entire drive home. When he finally arrived, he looked down at the seat next to him and discovered that there was a rose in it. "Oh no, he’s forgotten his rose!" Kyo whimpered in dismay. He looked more closely and noticed that the rose on the seat was actually blue. "What the hell?" he wondered. There was a little note attached to it, saying simply "To Kyo, from Mana"
How in the world had he managed to sneak a rose into the car? Wonders never ceased in that man. Could he have been hiding it up his skirt? His thoughts drifted to images of what exactly was up Mana’s skirt and he had to shake his head free of them while he could still feel his legs. "Mmm.." he murmured to himself as he opened his front door.
Kaoru lay asleep on the couch, mouth hanging open, weirdly angled. "Kao-Kao you big fruit," Kyo scolded in a whisper as he wandered around the back of the couch and pushed Kaoru’s arm off of it so that he would actually be lying on the main part. He went to find a blanket and set his rose in a water glass.
Upon laying the thin blue blanket over his friend, he discovered that Kaoru’s eyes looked a little puffy. "Mou, Kaoru," he said sadly. "Poor you. I’ll make it better, especially after what you’ve done for me tonight."
"Will you really, Kyo," the guitarist asked sleepily. "How did it go?"
"It went so amazing, you don’t even understand." Kyo tried to whisper. "But anyway, go back to sleep."
"Did he kiss you?" Kaoru asked, trying to make his jaws meet as he felt sleep overtaking him once again.
"Not as such, but we’ll talk about that in the morning. It’s nearly three." The vocalist slid his suit jacket off and hung it on the side of a chair.
"S’ok," Kaoru mumbled. "Die hasn’t done it yet either."
Kyo’s eyes widened, wondering exactly how Kaoru knew that. He sighed and walked into his bedroom, calling good night to his band mate before he passed out on his bed.
~
"Fucking…oh ugh," Kyo grumbled as he tried to get dressed the next morning. "I could have done with a few more hours of sleep."
"So how’d your date go last night?" Toshiya asked from the hallway. He was back now and made a beeline to see his koibito. Kyo disappeared into his bathroom.
"Ne, it was incredible. I kissed him a few times, too." Kyo said.
"He?" Toshiya asked in surprise.
"Yes he." He stuffed a toothbrush in his mouth and began to scrub. "And while I’m sure you’re surprised I didn’t just take him home, I want to make this special. Screwing this up would be really, really bad."
"Yeah, he must be unique if you’re taking such time with him," Totchi mused.
"He is."
"So who is it?" The bassist asked, running his hands through his rather auburn hair.
Spit and rinse. Kyo exited the bathroom and went to go look for his bracelets. "Read the rose on the kitchen counter," he called.
There was a pause just long enough for him to snap a few leather bracelets onto his wrists and a massive squeal of shock came from the kitchen. Kyo smiled to himself and went to look for his hairspray.
"MANA?" Toshiya asked as he thundered into the bathroom with his hand on his hip. "Are you serious?"
Kyo calmly continued to spray and comb, spray and comb methodically. Toshiya’s eyes widened. Kaoru appeared over his shoulder. "Ne, Kyo, will you be ready soon?" he asked before he bit Totchi gently on the neck.
"Sure. You two horny monkeys can go off somewhere and do something, I’ll be busy in here." He was only half serious, but the look that Toshiya gave Kaoru then gave him the impression that he had just given an actual stage direction. "Mana," he sighed to himself. "I want to be a horny monkey too!"
Kyo ignored the sound of giggles coming from behind his couch as he opened one of his kitchen drawers and pulled out a chunk of white Bristol board. He collected his marker and wrote something in it, hiding it in his leather jacket. "I’m ready to go, guys." He called. It was already half after nine. They’d better be on their way. Giggling only somewhat subsided. "I’ll be waiting in the van, then."
He smiled to himself, happy for Kao-kun that he had found somebody to be with. "The rest of us need that too though," he thought. He hoped things were going well for Die too, just for the sake of having his own ‘skirt-wearing man’. When Kyo thought of what he could have with Mana, which was what he hadn’t really had from very many people before, if any. He could only wish that Die would find the same in Shinya. It was only fair and besides, Die was one of his best friends. Shinya too. Why shouldn’t their ‘band of misfits’ be happy? He contemplated this as he picked a piece of lint off of his tight red tank top and nearly gouged himself on one of his bracelet’s spikes.
Shinya chose to sit in the back of the van so that he could read some magazine about the current charts. Die slid in next to Kyo and looked at him pointedly. "Morning, Kyo-kun. You look tired."
"Not nearly as tired as I wish I was," Kyo muttered.
"Same here." Die whispered. He looked back at Shinya, who was deeply immersed in his magazine.
"Hey, you’re wearing a black dress," Kyo called to the drummer.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. It’s been done." Shinya sighed, not looking up from his magazine. Kyo smiled at him.
"It looks nice. Really nice." The vocalist said seriously. He was beginning to be a big fan of black dresses. He smiled at the memories he had collected from the previous night.
"Yes, it really does look beautiful on you, Shin-Shin." Die agreed. "I love the way you’ve done your hair, too."
Kyo left Die to his complimenting and played with his leather jacket, wherein laid a very important message. He was antsy all the way until they arrived in behind the building.
"Toshiya," the short blonde man called to the bassist. Toshiya stopped walking alongside their leader and looked back at Kyo. "I have to talk to you."
"Sure," Totchi said. He stuck his hands in his pockets and smiled, ever the good-natured one of the group.
Kyo pulled the Bristol board out of his jacket and showed it to the tall, willowy man. "Toshiya loves Kaoru. Ne, Totchi?" he said tellingly.
"With all my heart," Toshiya said. His voice was a little emotional.
Kyo looked stern. "Well then damn it, stop hurting him." He said. "It kills him to have to be your secret, I know it does." The vocalist said, waggling a finger at the younger man. "I’m going to give this to you now. You’d better know what to do with it, when the time comes. Now, I’m going to say something on my own behalf today…"
~
Toshiya was looking rather more reserved than usual on stage. He kept looking to a poster sitting to one side anxiously.
Kaoru was looking rather more reserved than usual on stage. His lover kept glancing around anxiously and was keeping to himself.
Die was panicking inwardly on stage. He kept glancing back at Shinya, his breath quickening every time Shinya looked back at him.
Kyo was even antsier on stage than usual. He thought he was probably going to be sick.
Shinya kept playing his drums dutifully, wondering what the hell everyone was being so weird for.
It was their last song of the entire gig, just about to start. Shinya looked to Kyo, who shook his head. His eyebrows rose and he dropped a drumstick. "Crap," he heard the delicate drummer mumble in a boyish voice.
"Ne, I’ve got an announcement to make!" Kyo called at the top of his lungs. Everyone went silent, looking surprised. "And that is… Mana, I think I’m in love with you! Koibito!"
Flabbergasted faces in the audience gave way a moment later to cheers. "Kyo loves Mana! Kyo loves Mana!" they chanted. J-rock fans are always good to go with the flow. Kyo could see some of them trying to process the pairing in their hentai little minds. He grinned, gave people the finger for good measure and looked back at Toshiya.
Totchi grabbed the board with one hand and held it out to the audience with one hand. The free hand snaked around Kaoru’s thin waist and pulled him close, kissing him passionately. "I love you, Kao-chan!" He yelled.
"Oh man, this band is going to get such a talking to tomorrow," he heard Kaoru say when he had caught his breath. It didn’t matter though, and they all knew it. Kaoru was grinning from ear to ear and Toshiya winked at Kyo.
To the other side of the vocalist, Die kept looking back longingly at Shinya. Kyo thought he saw the drummer return the look and smiled to himself. If only Mana were around too, it would be perfect. His skirt-wearing man. The best in the world. "Come on you bunch of hentai goofs, lets get this show on the road. One more song, ne?" he called to the drummer. Shinya nodded, trying to smile as he began the song.
Finally it was all over and Kyo’s voice was a little hoarse from yelling. "Hey Kyo, look who’s here," Toshiya called to him as they were about to head down the stairs to the side. It was hard to hear over all the screaming fans. Dir en Grey certainly had a reputation for putting on a shocking show. They were all happy to maintain that.
To the side of the stairs stood a man who could not be discerned as that at first and perhaps second glance. "Mana," Kyo whispered breathlessly. He took the stairs two at a time, pulling the other man into his arms in a tight hug.
"I missed you, you sweet little scary blonde guy." Mana told him in a whisper. He nuzzled Kyo’s cheek, narrowly missing the spikes on his chin.
"I think I’m in love with you," Kyo insisted softly. The other man, today in a thin white dress that still managed to feature several layers of lacy material, pulled him close and kissed him. Kyo ran his tongue across the one that delved into his mouth with a gentle sort of force. They kissed for what seemed like an eternity, until neither of them could breathe. Kyo had blue lipstick all over his mouth. An insistent warmth between his legs told him he should probably not pull away from the other man’s body right at the moment, he thought with a blush. There was a matching sensation of firmness beneath the dress that caused the feminine man to blush right back. Something clicked in the back of his mind. "I win!" he yelled at his band members. "Die! I win! I…kuso."
Die pulled away from where Shinya was hungrily kissing him again and again just long enough to give Kyo the finger. "Wanna come over and watch DVDs with me again this weekend, Kyo?" he called.
"I think we’re both busy," the vocalist told him. "But some time soon, sure."
He smiled and slipped his arm around Mana’s waist as naturally as if he had always done so. "So where do you want to go now?" he asked the mysterious young man in his arms.
"You’ll see."
~
"You have no idea how much I love these gloves," Kyo commented as he stroked the palm of Mana’s white-laced hand. His hair had been pulled up today, into a mass of black curls. "You have no idea how much I love everything you wear."
"I’m getting a little turned on by those leather pants you’re wearing," Mana replied quietly. They traveled through Mana’s house and out the back door, into an extensive garden. Kyo’s eyes widened as he looked around at the mass of flowers and greenery. It was like a miniature paradise.
"You are?" Kyo said as he sniffed at a rose and resisted the naughty urge in the back of his mind to pull the petals off and chew on them. He wasn’t always the gentleman, he knew. He still had maintained his personality, even when placed against one of the strongest, most unique people in his entire industry. He had maintained his own all the while falling deeply in love. He stopped when he noticed a different group of roses. "Blue," he commented. "I see."
"Do you think we make a good couple?" Mana asked as he settled himself down elegantly in the grass.
"I do think so. I think we suit each other because we’re two parts to the same whole, like a yin yang symbol." Kyo said as he pricked his finger. "Can I have this rose?" he asked, inspecting a perfectly bloomed blue one.
"Of course, as long as you come over here when you’re done. The gardening shears are over by the house." He smiled at the little vocalist. Kyo nodded and ignored the gardening shears, grabbing the thorns with both hands and snapping it roughly off. There were a few puncture wounds in his hands, but he just licked the blood off of them casually and went to sit with his new koibito.
Mana’s shoes sat in the grass next to him. His beautiful legs were stretched out in front of him as Kyo set the blue rose next to the shoes. Mana stroked his cheek with one of his lacy fingers and asked, "Want to help me take my stockings off now?"
Kyo grunted a little at the force with which he immediately hardened. "Mana," he whispered as he kicked his shoes and socks off and knelt between the beautiful young man’s legs. He made sure that his palms weren’t very dirty and then slid his hands up the white stocking, almost moaning at the feeling of the cloth, so smooth beneath his fingertips. Past his knee and up his thigh…Once he reached a frilly lace band, he tugged gently and pulled it down, stroking Mana’s bare legs as he tugged it off. He grinned up at the dainty figure and lifted the skirt enough to get his head underneath. "I couldn’t see what I was doing," he explained naughtily. Mana laughed quietly and allowed him to take his time in removing the other stocking.
"You have really smooth legs," Kyo told him from beneath a sheet of white. "And perfect toes. Nice thighs and…oh, what’s this?" He allowed his hot breath to blow against the white matching panties Mana was wearing. He could see the unmistakable outline of something he wanted badly beneath them. "I guess I’ll just have to find out, ne?"
He slid the panties down with his teeth and tossed them aside. "Kyo," Mana moaned softly as the vocalist came out from beneath his skirt. The blonde took off his spiky bracelets in order to avoid injuring his koibito as he slid his hand beneath the white material again and began to massage Mana’s balls gently with his fingertips. Eventually he had to undo the button on his leather pants in order to actually be able to function. He watched unblinkingly until Mana’s pretty blue eyes closed and he grabbed the rose.
It was hot in between the layers of lace and gauze, but it was also exactly how he wanted it. He carefully parted Mana’s legs far enough to allow him better access and began to tickle the other man’s erection with the rose blossom. The legs to either side of him began to kick and the guitarist squirmed, moaning as he stopped propping himself up on his arms and sank trustingly onto his back. Kyo grinned to himself, unzipping his leather pants in order to relieve some of the pressure he was experiencing. Mana was unlike anything he’d ever encountered and he loved that. He ripped the petals off of their stem and carefully set the stem back in the grass before he wrapped his hand around the hard member in front of him, rubbing the fragrant petals up and down the delicate skin.
When they had all been crushed, he set himself up on his palms and deep throated the other man. His vision was blurred by white cloth and he was getting dizzy from the heat. He hoped that he would be able to hold out long enough.
Eventually, after he had put his all into the motion of moving his head up and down beneath the cloth, his throat was coated with a hot, sticky liquid. He could barely move, he was so hard. The sound that Mana had made when he came was almost too much to bear. He was trying to breathe when Mana tossed him on his back on the grass and went down on him expertly. He tore at the grass and yanked it out in handfuls. "Mana, Mana," he cried as he squirmed roughly. He couldn’t bare it. "Please, let me…"
Folds of white cloth brushed over his erection as Mana leaned over him and kissed him. "Take me then," Mana said softly. His voice was so gentle and deep, Kyo felt as if he were in a dream.
He hiked the skirt up to Mana’s hips and slid his hands beneath the dainty man, kissing him deeply as he pushed in. The entrance was tight and unrelenting, a ring of heat. The man below him turned his head away slightly as his eyes began to water. "Keep going Kyo…please." He said. Kyo’s piercings were cold against his chin as the vocalist began to kiss him. Mana pulled off his red shirt and began to claw at his chest, leaving long, perfect red streaks against his muscled chest. Kyo was euphoric.
He was holding himself up on his palms, pushing with his hips as his knees rested in the gauzy white material. Behind him, Mana’s toes stroked the soles of his feet and he leaned down to kiss the lovely man over and over. He just could not get enough of those sweet, blue-painted lips. Mana bit his lip right above his piercings and sucked gently. Kyo could no longer feel his legs. Harder and harder he thrust into the man beneath him. "You…" he tried to force out in between grunts, moans and cries. "Are really the most…" he took a deep breath. It was close. It was going to be very, very close. "Beautiful man in the world." That said, he came hard and long. "Oh my god," he panted. "That was so incredible."
He lay against Mana’s chest for a while, basking in the sunshine. "I could stay here forever." He sighed.
"Well, now you’ve seen my backyard," Mana said thoughtfully. "Eventually I’ll get around to showing you the other rooms."
"I can’t wait," Kyo murmured sleepily.
"Do you suppose you won the race?" Mana asked him in a quiet voice.
Kyo’s eyes widened. He sat up abruptly. "What? You knew about that?"
"Kaoru called me when you were on your way here to tell me." He sounded somewhat amused. And tired, too.
Kyo relaxed and laughed against the white bodice of Mana’s dress. "Oh, fucking Kaoru. He’s so crazy." He began to doze off.
Mana stroked his soft blonde hair. "Ne, Kyo, but I think I need to take a shower." The other man said, looking over at the pile of clothes on the lawn.
Kyo smiled into the soft black curls that had somehow become loose. "Give me a few minutes to figure out which way is up and I’ll race you there."