In a Different Light 2
Tal and Thorn
Instant Infamy
�If you think I�m hauling you up the 20 or so flights of stairs to my apartment you�re nuts.� Dice tried unsuccessfully to get Claire�s attention from the inside of his eyelids. He was out of it or faking. It was hard to say. Dice reached a hand across Claire�s face and tugged on an out of place strand of blue hair. �Claire! Wake up!�
His uninjured arm swung up and weakly batted Daisuke�s hand away. �I can do it myself,� he muttered, blurry eyes trying to focus on Daisuke. �You don�t have to yell, Papa.� He pulled himself up and swung his legs over the edge of the sidecar. �It�s not that far.� Claire started towards the front door of the building, hands in his pockets, steps slow and careful.
Dice grabbed Claire�s arm without moving from where he stood. �Hold on there, Mr. Leonelli.� Still holding on, Dice bent down and swooped up the medicine bottle. �Don�t want to leave these out here. I hesitate to trust your answer on this but have you taken any?� He moved over to put the good arm around his shoulder. �We�re going the back way. I�ll help as best I can. The fire escape has no real observation point so none of the neighbors will see you come in. Added precaution.�
Claire pushed him away. �I said I can do it myself.� He glared coldly at Daisuke as he replaced his hands in his pockets. �Just lead me there.�
�Suit yourself,� Dice threw the pill bottle casually in the air, caught it, and pocketed it as he walked around the corner of the building at a slow pace so Claire wouldn�t fall behind. Putting his hands on his hips he stood at base of the fire escape. �You really think you can make that climb with out my help?�
Claire reached up and pulled himself up onto the first rungs of the ladder. �If I can�t, I deserve to fall to my death. All the way up, then?�
�Yeah you see that ledge way up there. Just go right in the window. Simple enough.� Dice in a serious display of flexibility grabbed onto the railing put one foot on the ladder and used the grating to leap to the second level. �But if you get tired�� He looked down from where he stood and reached out a hand. �I can help pull you up.� Then he withdrew the hand and leaned against the bricks so Claire could pass him and take the next level.
Claire paused to catch his breath halfway up to the next landing, looking down at Daisuke to try to cover his need to stop this soon. �Or you could just follow me up and stare at my ass.� He smirked and finished climbing up. He crouched on all fours, looking down through the grating at Daisuke. �But I�m sure you just intend to nobly push me up using my butt as leverage.�
�Don�t start that�� Dice skipped the grating Claire was waiting on and took two more levels, yelling down he continued, �Besides if I did pause to watch your ass, it would likely fall when you passed out from the strain of climbing. You�re not fooling me. You�ll get maybe four more flights before you quit and I have to carry you, ass and all.�
Claire narrowed his eyes and started climbing. He was moving slow, but he was moving. The pain in his shoulder was throbbing sporadically, forcing him to pause, but he wasn�t going to let it stop him. He was Claire Leonelli, the Vampire. He was not about to be carried up a fire escape to some shabby apartment by Daisuke Aurora.
But then again, Claire thought as he topped the sixth floor and in pausing to catch his breath watched Daisuke scramble up a couple more landing, always just a few ahead of him. He pulled himself up one more landing then let himself sprawl out over the metal grating. No point in exhausting himself when he could be carried.
�I was kinda hoping you�d get a little farther. And you do realize if you�d accepted my help in the beginning...� Dice leaped down to Claire�s level, �This would have been easier for both of us. Glad I do those 100 pull-ups every morning.� He sighed and picked up Claire so he was over his shoulder. �And I don�t want to hear it. You don�t want me to lose my grip.� Which was firm around Claire�s legs leaving his arms to hang and not get banged around as they climbed. �Here we go, then.�
There has to be a more dignified way to do this, Claire thought as he dangled over Dice�s shoulder. �Nice ass, though.� Shit, did I say that out loud?
�Didn�t I tell you not to say anything?� Dice grunted as he pulled them both to the sixteenth level. �I don�t need your sarcasm. And don�t complain I�m pretty up close and personal with your ass, right now, as well.�
Claire, as much as he wanted to stay silent, couldn�t help himself. �There are lots of people who�d love to be in that position. You should be happy, not bitchy.�
Dice muttered something that clearly ended in the words �Drop you on purpose.� This was going to be a very unpleasant couple of days. Maybe he could drug Claire to sleep most of them, for his own good, of course, the young man was obviously in pain. If it kept Daisuke from killing him himself in the process even better.
�Are we there yet?� Claire half-mumbled, just trying to stay focused on something other than pain. He would never have thought being shot could hurt so much. �What a rotten idea.�
�Would you prefer I put you back on the ground and you can climb�� Dice drew in a heavy breath. Ok this is a bit much of a physical test even for me. �When you�re damn good and ready!� He stopped to catch his breath before taking the final ladder to the level where his window awaited.
�I just want to be put down and left alone until my head stops spinning, if that�s okay,� Claire replied, not really caring just now who heard him. He had too much going on in his body at the moment to let his pride check his words. �God, I can be so stupid sometimes.�
�You�ll get no arguments from me. And here,� Daisuke finally eased through the window and after a moment�s hesitation deposited Claire on his bed. �Your wish is my command. Now why don�t YOU stop bitching.� He walked over to his mini-fridge and leaning on the wall drank what was left of a glass of cold lemonade.
�Ok,� Claire readily agreed, burying his face in the messed up blankets. �These smell like you.� He announced after a long minute of trying to settle his aching body on the bed and ending up tangled in the blankets.
�I wasn�t expecting guests,� Dice blushed as he poured more lemonade and set it by Claire�s head. He took out the pill bottle and read the label. �Looks like you can take one now. � He went to open the stubborn bottle. �Who designs these things? � After a moment�s struggle he got it open and offered Claire a pill. �Here.�
Claire struggled to sit up, and once he managed it, he opened his mouth looking expectantly at Dice.
Dice hand holding the pill clenched into a fist. �I�� He sighed and dropped the pill in the lemonade and forcefully put the glass in Claire�s hand.
Claire gave him a sour look, and downed the lemonade and pill in a couple quick gulps. �I�m going to take a little nap, Dice. You can give me the tour later,� Claire mumbled, laying back down and turning his back on Dice.
�Just go to sleep.� Dice agreed wholeheartedly and went to go stand on the balcony. Pulling out his cell-phone he dialed his brother�s private line.
�Hello?� Shun answered on the second ring sounding a little surprised.
�I�ve got him back here and safe, no one saw. Mind telling me what happened to my partner? I called for him earlier and he didn�t show which for J is more than a little odd.�
�It was decided that J would take this opportunity to get a tune-up. You�ll��
�I could have crazy mob boss killers beating down my door... I�m supposed to protect the poster child for assassination attempts and you DECIDE J needs a tune-up? Are you trying to get me killed? Claire? Both of us?!� Dice�s angry and truly shocked reply interrupted the Chief�s explanation without apology and with expected results.
�Daisuke,� Shun sighed in his best parental tone. �If you�d read the file I gave you, you�d know the killer is nocturnal. And when one is trying to transport a mob boss in secrecy, one does not take an eight foot tall android along for the ride. J will be fully operational long before nightfall, and you will be able to sleep easy, with Claire tucked in right besi-�
Dice hung up. �Not you too.�
Claire began to sleepily mutter to himself, struggling in his tangle of blankets to take off his too uncomfortable for sleeping clothes. He kicked one leg out of his pants, and had his shirt half-buttoned when he rolled and got his arms stuck in a knot of sheets. �Fuck,� he said quite clearly.
�This is not happening.� Dice whispered to himself as he crossed the floor and stood over Claire trying to decide if he should just leave him in the uncomfortable tangle or�yeah right�help him out of his clothes.
Claire tried to wretch his arms free, and cried out in pain as he shoulder protested. �Can�t you count you stupid fucker?� he hissed to someone who wasn�t there. �I said two. Just two.�
Well he�s delirious so if I do it, he won�t remember it and I won�t remind him. With this reasoning Dice tried to unknot Claire�s arms with as little actual contact as possible. Successful at that, he finished unbuttoning the thick purple shirt and tried not to look at what it revealed. Dice was completely comfortable with his lack of interest in girls but was not about to explore what that meant by ogling over Claire Leonelli of all people. Not that he wasn�t nice to look at.
�That�s so coming out of your paycheck,� Claire threatened through a yawn.
�You�re not paying me to undress you.� Dice said before he could bite back the words. �What, am I taking too long?� He lifted Claire up and again trying for as little actual contact as possible slid him out of his shirt and set him back down. �Wow.� Dice almost bit off his tongue to stop his appraisal of Claire. His hand rested and slightly curiously touched the strong sinewy chest, then aware of what he was doing pulled his hand back accidentally brushing over Claire�s nipple.
Claire moaned, body arching ever so slightly towards Dice�s touch. Then he winced, and his good arm moved to clutch his heavily bandaged shoulder. After a moment, the pain subsided, and his features relaxed. The painkillers were starting to do their job. �Better be worth it,� He said softly, half rolling onto his side, one hand curling near his face.
Deciding he�d gone way beyond the call of duty already, Dice removed himself from the bed. Claire looked more at peace now the painkillers must be doing their job so now� find a distraction. Dice grabbed his portable TV and set it over by his beanbag chair. There had to be something on. Something to stop the sudden faster beating of his heart. Barely watching the local stock reports he started making a mental list.
One, he�s injured. Two, he�s Vampire. Three, I�m looking at Claire. Four, it�s Claire.
Finally managing to kick his pants off, Claire curled under the blankets. He breathed deeply, inhaling the unfamiliar yet comforting scent. �Daisuke,� he said into the pillow. He was having more trouble thinking than he thought he would. Painkillers really can blur your thoughts. So can pain, seemingly. Who would have known being shot would suck so much? I am personally going to shoot that stupid bastard. Right between the eyes, after of course I blast a couple rounds in each shoulder.
I�d never forgive myself if I let him know what I�m thinking... wait that means I�m thinking it� but no I can not even think it� remember it�s Claire. Dice switched the TV off and decided he would try to sleep. It took two minutes to realize how bad an idea that was. He�d turned on his side so he could look at Claire and every time he started to drift to sleep his own thoughts would wake him back up. Clearly this job needs to be over fast, or well�it just needs to be over fast.
Claire rolled over again, and having decided somewhere in his sleepy mind that it was too hot, was kicking off the blankets all together. The sheets and blankets twisted away from his body, revealing odd pieces when it became too much work and he stopped. One long leg was completely bare, the curve of his back up to his shoulder blades and just above that, a fluff of dark hair was visible over the blanket that was twined about his shoulders. He muttered something that had Dice�s name in the middle.
Dice rolled over the other way after a long look at Claire. �What�s the big deal anyway?� he asked the beanbag. Not like it�s the first time I�ve seen a naked man, even a good looking one... After all it was only eight years ago...
Dice waited for his first client. A day of skipping school had introduced him to the fine taste of Black Tab. A narcotic, highly illegal and even more highly addictive. One of the most expensive designer drugs. Now, he needed a way to pay for his habit. The dealer, his friend�s brother said he could get him good steady work. In Judoh, even at thirteen, you aren�t na�ve enough not to know what kind of work is to be found in the back of a restaurant that has a men�s lounge. He�d refused at first, proudly. But after two days without a hit of Black Tab� he�d do about anything. Including this.
�You sure are pretty, Goldie.�
No where to run this time. Dice approached the man. �50 dollars for a hand job. 100 and I�ll suck your cock. Another 50 and you can take off my clothes��
He was cut off by the much older and not very attractive man, �How much to pound into that hungry little ass.�
Dice shuddered. �I�m an untouched. My pimp will inspect me and kill every one of you that had me tonight if he finds me damaged.�
�Shit, really. If you were one of my whores I�d sell raffle tickets for the opportunity to fuck what you�ve got.�
�Flattering as that is�� Dice started but was struck across the face. He looked up at the man tears in his eyes. Already certain he wasn�t cut out for this line of work.
The man threw a twenty on the floor and grabbed Dice by the hair. �Lucky for you I know just how far I can go with an untouchable. Now let�s see if you can earn the other eighty dollars you need to get a taste of this. He held out a very small bag of black tab powder.
Dice could not hide how much he wanted it and let the man lead his mouth to his cock.
That he�d developed a taste for cock along the way was surprising consider how many undesirable clients he�d had, but some where along the way he�d figured out he liked boys and could enjoy a good cock. But, he�d quit that and Black Tab the same day and didn�t think Claire was a good enough reason to restart an addiction. If he was honest with himself, Claire could become a new addiction.
Rubbing his forehead, Claire propped himself up on one elbow. �Fuck me, that was a really bad trip.� The pain had been deadened to the point of being just a dull, ignorable ache. He shivered and pulled the blankets up around his shoulders. It was weird on the heels of being way too hot. He briefly wondered if he was getting a fever. Claire looked around. He saw Dice laying on a beanbag, looking like he was sleeping. Clutching the blanket tightly about his mostly naked body, Claire softly called out Daisuke�s name. Getting no response, he slipped out of the bed; blanket still wrapped around his body and made his way to Daisuke.
�Hey, are you awake?� He nudged Dice with his toe.
Lost in a dream of the past, Dice clutched the beanbag angrily. �I did what you said. I earned it. Now give it to me!�
�Well, that was easier than I thought,� Claire put a hand on his hip and looked down at Dice, amused. He shrugged and knelt down next to Dice. �Are you sure you earned it?� he whispered in Dice�s ear.
�Please, it�s been three days without it.� Dice rolled all the way over and almost off the beanbag.
Claire now had Dice practically in his lap. He pushed soft blonde hair away from his ear. Leaning close, he whispered. �Okay, since you asked so nicely.� It was probably too far, but Claire wasn�t entirely familiar with that particular concept. A hot tongue traced the outer rim of Daisuke�s ear, just barely touching the skin.
�Uh-uh! None of that till I get a hit then I�ll give you a free one.�
�Daisuke, wake up,� Claire whispered in his ear. �Before you say something you�ll regret.� He wasn�t stupid. He had spent enough time in places he shouldn�t be to know the things that were said in the darkness of Judoh�s underbelly. The last thing he wanted to deal with right now was Aurora�s dirty secrets. He had enough of his own to keep himself busy for lifetimes. �Daisuke,� Claire shook him, trying not to shake him off the beanbag into his lap.
Waking, one eye opening then the other, Dice seeing Claire so close and so barely dressed, did two things his skin flushed pink and to cover that he said loudly, �Do you want something, Vampire?�
The sudden smirk said, YES, but Claire just shrugged, and stood back up. �You were talking in your sleep. I was listening for blackmail material.� He walked towards the balcony, blanket slipping from his shoulders and trailing after him. Leaning against the door frame, Claire sighed. �I�m� bored.�
Dice stood and scratched his head. �What do you want me to do about it? I don�t have much in the way of entertainment. Got a hand-held toy here somewhere and couple of games.�
Claire turned, barely holding the blanket on his hip. �I have a few hand-held toys too, but I don�t usually offer to share them with total strangers.�
Dice looked away knowing he was blushing madly. �Could you try to keep that blanket on?� Not adding that if it fell all the way he would likely crawl across the floor and start worshipping Claire�s cock before the Vampire could even think it was his idea.
�Speaking of, where are my clothes?� Claire took a couple steps back into the room. �I think we�re going out. I know a few places no one would look for me.� He smiled at Dice as he retrieved his pants from the foot of the bed. �You can be my date,� he offered.
�Go out? But aren�t you supposed to be in hiding. And I didn�t realize you dated... well anyone. You�ve never been seen with a trophy woman or a cute little boy� well, aside from your three shadows.�
Claire dropped the blanket and sat on the bed to pull his pants on. �I just don�t have time. And�� He stood and adjusted the tight pants, smoothing out the wrinkles in the fabric. �And, I guess I just haven�t found anyone I really gave a damn about.�
�Are you serious or making fun of me again?� Dice couldn�t stop himself from asking, the idea of seeing that beautiful man standing in the light of his balcony half-dressed and waiting to... Dice shivered. �What the hell am I saying, I almost killed us both to get you up here. We�re staying put.�
Claire looked at Dice, his shirt halfway up his arms. �You can stay here if you want. I�m going out.� He shrugged the rest of the way into his shirt, wincing a little from the pain in his shoulder. Fuck, it�s going to be hard to enjoy myself with that. Oh well, I�ll just have to opt out of some of my more strenuous activities tonight. Claire ran his hands through his hair and decided that it felt like it was in place. He snatched up his pills from the countertop and stuffed them in his pocket. �Dice�� He paused, and then continued. �I�m as serious as you want me to be.� He headed for the door, adjusting his hair and clothes along the way.
�Forgive me for questioning someone who blows things up for fun.� Dice said under his breath. �Look do you want a matching set of bullet wounds in your leg or heart this time?� he asked realizing as the words come out, it was out of genuine concern.
�I�m the Vampire. Somebody�s going to shoot me someday. God help me, at least I can make sure it�s while I�m enjoying myself.� Claire replied, turning to face Dice. �Now, are you going to��
Claire was cut off by two rapid gunshots that just missed the side of his face, embedding themselves in the doorframe.
�Get down!� Dice said thinking instinctively first. He pulled the bed away from the wall to reveal a trap door. �I�ll cover you. You�ll enter a apartment with an old lady and some cats. She�ll probably offer you tea.� As he said this he somersaulted and took cover on the side of the bed. �And you wanted to go out.�
�YOU said we should stay in,� Claire reminded him. �Next time, we go with my idea.� He slid up next to Daisuke. �And once I�ve had tea with the old bat, then what? I nibble on some scones until you decide to show up?� Two more shots interrupted Claire, who looked like he was ready to go on and on.
�I�ll be right behind you and you and I will grab the keys to the old lady�s olds and get out of here!� Dice said positioning his gun in case he could get a good shot, he thought he�d seen a gleam of metal the next building over.
�Great plan.� Claire headed for the trap door. �Guess that�s a rain check on our date, then?� He asked just before disappearing through the opening.
�We�ll discuss that later.� Dice yelled down as he slid under the bed to avoid a few more bullets and jumped down the open trap door.
Part Three |
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