Staked

Staked


By SailorLight22


Chapter 2 - Persona Choice

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Well, here's the next part of this, please disregard the FAIL, should it be present :)

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K passed the rest of the afternoon in a daze, alternating between helpless laughter and puzzled curiosity. 'I can't believe that all this has happened in one day,' He thought, shaking his head. 'First, I get dressed down like a plebe, then I think I'm going to have to strangle a hysterical teenager who's decided that he's mad as hell and he's not gonna take it anymore, and then we end up in the city's least-known date spot. And that's besides the fact that this same kid calls me both a psychopath and hot twice before lunch!'

He pressed his hands to his eyes, sighing. 'Just what the hell is happening here? Why can't I get him out of my head?!' He leaned back, laughing again. "What have you done to me, Hiro?" He muttered, "I can't believe that I'm seriously having these thoughts. And talking to myself, again." He moved his hands, leaning back up, chin in hand as he wondered at himself. His wife had left him, taken his child to God-knows-where, and he couldn't stop having perverted ideas about a client half his age!

He sighed, standing abruptly. Crossing the room, he left his office, striding towards the recording room. Hearing the band's two present members, he opened the door, clearing his throat. "Shuichi, is your little party still on? Or has the plan gone out the window like you?" He cackled at the indignant look on the boy's face. "I'm serious though, is it still on?"

Shuichi frowned at him, nodding. "Yuki says that if anything gets broken, touched, molested or stolen, he's going to put me out on the balcony for a month." He muttered, slumping. "And I'm sleeping on the couch until further notice." He straightened, grinning. "Buuut, I still get to use the bed for...!" He trailed off, drooling down one side of his chin as Suguru covered his ears, humming loudly to drown out the horror of the pink haired boy's erotic rant.

K shuddered, resisting the urge to cover his own ears as the singer began to wax poetic about the exact shape of the tiny freckle on his lover's upper thigh. "All right!" He exclaimed, backing towards the door quickly. "Well, good for you, eh, I'll be sure to pick up a costume later, and pick up a little something for the freck.. I mean, the host!" He bolted, slamming the door on Suguru's anguished sigh as Shuichi squealed loudly.

Cursing, he remembered that he really should tell the boy that his friend wasn't really angry with him, hopefully it would also keep him from doing as Hiro had said. A howling Shuichi Shindou was almost impossible to ignore when he's at your door, he thought. Cracking the door open again, he stuck his head in quickly. "And Shuichi, Hiro isn't feeling very well today, so give him some space, okay? He isn't really mad at you, he said he'll explain more tomorrow. Just hold off on the waterworks 'til then, if you don't mind!" He retreated again, closing the door before the hyper teen could attach himself to his leg in a plea for details.

Hearing the bone-jarring thuds and pained shouts from the obviously-glomped keyboardist, he sighed. 'Well, better Fujisaki than me, I don't heal as quick anymore..' He snickered, imagining the repressed youth's reaction to the other boy's ecstatic joy. 'Thank God the day's finished up here, at least there's a chance for the kid to run before Shuichi kills him with lovelife consultations..'

He returned to his office, gathering his things and heading out. Giving a smile to the guard as usual, he got in his car and headed home. Spotting the same costume shop ad on the way, he grinned, pulling over. He climbed out of the car, locking the doors before he entered the store. Glancing around, he saw what seemed like hundreds of costumes, everything from the regulars like ghosts and witches to the more exotic types. Looking for the section that held his sizes, he riffled through the selection, pausing at some while shaking his head at others.

Pulling out an oversized maid's uniform, he snickered. "God, wouldn't they just die?" He murmured to himself, picturing the reactions to him showing up like that, complete with feather duster and hair ribbons. He shook his head. Like hell he'd actually shave his legs, think again clowns!

Pausing again, he studied an elaborate concoction of what appeared to be strips of fake leather and string, suddenly realizing that it was a male dominitrix costume. He choked, wondering what the hell someone would have to smoke before attempting to get into that thing in public.

He moved further down, a flash of black catching his eye. He pulled aside several more strange and mundane outfits, stopping as he took in the one that had been revealed. 'Well, I did say I should be a vampire,' He mused, removing the costume from the rack for a better look. The cape was obviously floor length, made of silky black fabric trimmed with silver thread. There was an old English style shirt with complicated string lacings at the throat, which was made to sit low on the neck, a tight-fitting vest and a pair of none-too-loose trousers. Surreptuously looking over his shoulder, he wondered if he could really wear something that tight in the seat. Snorting, he decided that if Shuichi could manage those leather shorts, he could manage this.

Sorting through the accessories section, he found a set of realistic fangs that adhered to the wearer's teeth temporarily. Smiling, he went to the register, paying for the clothing and making his way back to his car. 'Might as well have a little fun with it,' He thought, continuing on his way home. 'At least I don't have to worry about being too old, vampires are ancient!'

Glancing at his costume in the seat beside him, he couldn't help but wonder what Hiro would decide to be. "Ugh, still stuck on him.. I've got to find a hobby!" He exclaimed, annoyed with himself. Shaking his head, he parked and entered the house, setting his bag beside his shoes as he kicked them off. Sighing, he wiggled his toes in pleasure. "Stupid shoes," he muttered. "I should just call it a draw and wear my boots, they aren't as annoying as new loafers.." He chuckled. "Who would believe that I actually like combat boots more than shoes?" He said, sarcastically.

Thinking about his boots, he decided that he would most certainly be wearing those with his costume. The black leather and silver fastenings would modernize the look a bit, he mused. He'd splurged a little on those boots, having them custom made with buckles to adjust for more comfort, making them almost like the boots he'd seen motorcycle enthusiasts sporting in the States.

Unerringly, the thought led him to wonder if a certain redhead owned boots himself. Giving over to frustration, he allowed his thoughts to linger on their determined target. 'I'll bet he does have some,' He mused, 'And I'll bet they look damn good, too..' Shaking his head, he sat on the couch.

"Is there anything more hilarious than this?" He wondered aloud, "If I didn't know better, I'd think I had a crush..." He stopped, his eyes widening at the notion. True, he was older, and married - well, not that it mattered now, but when he concentrated on his young clients, the first one he thought of was the quiet guitarist. From that first day, he'd noticed that the redhead was much more than just some punk living the dream.

He was surprisingly intelligent, for one. Always well spoken and astute, when he did contribute to a conversation, you could be sure that whatever he said was worth listening to.

And there was the way he always seemed to know what to say when someone was having problems, usually his eccentric bandmate would turn to him even before pestering his lover for advice. Until today, K had never seen Hiro show more than the shallowest temper, he was unfailingly patient at all times.

Closing his eyes, the blonde recalled the information he had on the three youngsters. He knew their ages and birthdates, most of their personal history from childhood on, their bloodtypes and more. Narrowing his thoughts, he realized with some shock that he knew even unimportant details about the guitarist.

His height and weight, certainly. There was a whole list of preferences and dislikes, mannerisms, even the trivial knowledge of things like a favorite color or shoe size. He clearly recalled the time he'd overheard Shuichi mention that Hiro preferred books over movies, and he knew that there were several authors that he followed when time allowed. Though he was polite and good looking, he very rarely indulged in relationships with either sex, seeming to ignore even the most obvious of come-on's from his fans.

But more than that, K could summon up images, pictures innumerable of the teen in various moods and places. The way he tucked his hair behind one ear as he read, or the exact height of his eyebrow when he was skeptical of something he heard. He smiled often, the righthand side of his mouth twitching beforehand.. There was almost nothing that he feared, but he strongly disliked both snakes and lizards.

The man was amazed at the amount of attention it must have taken to know these things, things that he didn't even know about the other two bandmembers. Obviously, he was focussed on the guitarist in a far different manner than Shuichi or Fujisaki, he could never recall thinking of either one of them as anything but cute kids.

Hiro was definitely not cute. K knew that his attitude and maturity made him seem older, but there was no denying that the guy was probably the best looking person at NG. He laughed, imagining the redhead's outrage if he ever heard someone say that about him, true or not. Hiro wasn't the vain type, he never bothered with clothes or anything else that most boys his age used to feel attractive. He truly was a unique mix of adult and child, fitting the image of neither one while remaining a wonderful puzzle to the people around him.

K sighed in resignation. "I'm infatuated," He mumbled, chuckling at himself. "Hell, probably more than that. What the hell do I do now?" He frowned suddenly, leaping to his feet. "I'll just stop letting it bother me!" He declared, becoming irritated with himself. "So what if he's young? At least he acts like someone older, someone with enough brains to keep his head on straight. The fact that he's a guy isn't even worth considering, it doesn't really make a difference to me anyway!" Aware that his voice was steadily rising in volume, he snorted to himself, imagining the horrified expressions on his neighbor's faces.

He shook his head, his resolve strengthening. 'Starting tomorrow, I'm going to take the bull by the horns,' He decided, plans forming as he thought. 'If I just stand around waiting, who knows how long it could be before he gets the hint?'

The notion of being rejected gave him a moment's panic, but he shrugged it aside in favor of optimism. "He did say I was hot, that has to count for something." He smiled at the memory, picturing the guitarist's hasty retreat again. 'I still wonder about his sleeping problem, though..'

Pushing down the curiosity, he sat on the couch to plot. There were only two days until Shuichi's little get together, could he get his point across by then? He'd always worked best under pressure.. Nodding to himself, he settled on the day of the party as his goal. 'Now, I wonder what he'll be going as..' He smirked, thinking of his own costume of choice. 'Suddenly, this whole vampire idea just got a lot more amusing.'

He spent the next several hours thinking of ways to attract the boy's eye, feeling more anticipation build with each passing moment. 'I can do this,' He thought finally, glancing at the clock. Seeing that it was almost evening, he laughed at his forgetfulness. 'I'd better eat something, I'm going to need all the strength I can get!'

Climbing into bed that night, he slept well for the first time in months, his dreams of a crying child replaced by images of a smiling older boy, grey eyes laughing as he lay in light-spotted shade..

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Hiro sighed into his pillow, his dreams of the previous night bringing him awake as abruptly as ever. "God, this has to stop.." He muttered tiredly, then smiled at his speaking out loud. "Oh well, at least I'm not the only fruitcake in the band!" Stretching, he walked to the closet, dressing in his customary casual jeans and shirt. Looking himself over quickly, he brushed his teeth and hair, skipping breakfast to save time. 'If I don't catch Shu early, he'll blow a gasket waiting for me to explain.' He thought, grabbing his keys and opening the door.

Stepping out, he stumbled over something, narrowly avoiding a hasty introduction to the ground. He looked down, surprised. 'What the hell..?'

It was a.. Florist's box? He knelt, thinking that there must have been a wrong delivery. "Maybe the girl upstairs.." He muttered, checking the delivery slip tucked into the ribbon for an address. Shockingly, it was addresses to him, the handwriting unfamiliar and neat. The redhead laughed, sliding the thin ribbon off and opening the box. Inside lay a single Tiger Lily, it's bright color standing out against the fragile white tissue beneath it.

He gasped, looking around though the person who'd left it was surely long gone. He shook his head in confusion. 'How did anyone know that these are my favorite?' He wondered, 'I doubt even Shuichi knows that!' Feeling oddly unafraid of the sender's intent, he carried the open box back into the house, digging a long-necked vase out of a cabinet and filling it half full. Gently, he removed the flower from the box, placing it in the lukewarm water. Taking a deep breath, he smiled at the slight fragrance, noticing a card in the corner of the box.

He lifted it, seeing the same neat script as the address label. Curious, he opened the small envelope, pulling out the pale orange card inside.

'To the future, and the hope that I may share mine with you.'

He blinked, re-reading the simple statement. He couldn't understand how the sender had known about his preference, but it seemed that they at least knew the significance of the flower. 'Well, at least whoever sent it wants me to be prosperous..' He mused, laying the card on the counter beside the vase. Taking a last breath of the heady scent, he left, locking the door behind him.

Unlocking his motorcycle, he backed away from the parking spot, setting out for the studio building. He wondered about his mysterious gift almost the entire way, calculating the odds that the person had chosen a particular flower at random. He snorted, dismissing the notion as he pulled into the NG parking lot. It was simply too random to be coincidence, he decided. Shrugging, he removed his helmet and locked his bikechain, walking toward the entry doors. Warily, he listened for any sign of danger before taking the handle.

Crossing the lobby, he smiled at the receptionist as he made his way to the elevator. He pressed the call button, nodding a farewell at the woman as the chime sounded to announce the elevator's arrival. Turning to face the doors, he jumped at finding someone already inside.

Fidgeting, he walked in, standing beside the grinning form of his 'tormentor'. "Morning," He mumbled, avoiding the man's laughing eyes. K snorted quietly, leaning forward with a teasing smile.

"Morning! You look better today, sleep well?" The guitarist frowned, pushing the man away with a huff.

"Please, no amount of sleep is enough for you first thing in the morning!" He snorted, rolling his eyes at the man's attempt at a pitiful face. "You do know that there's something on your face, right?" He said, pointing to an odd blackish smear on the blonde's cheek. "Looks like you've been huffing coal dust.." He laughed as the man tried to see himself, his eyes crossing foolishly.

K brushed at his face in embarrassment, hoping that Hiro wouldn't recognize the pollen for what it was. "Damn," He said, "My secret's out. And here I thought I could get an easy early retirement due to Black Lung." The youth snickered at him, grabbing his arm.

"Wait, you aren't even rubbing the right side." He said, pulling an old napkin from one pocket. Leaning up, he wiped the offending mark, frowning as it smudged. "Ugh, it won't come off.." Absently, he licked his thumb, trying again. K stared at him, and he froze in mid-stroke. "Ah, I'm sorry! I didn't even think.." He stammered, noting that the mark was gone despite his awkwardness.

The older man shook his head, breaking into laughter. "Don't worry about it. Can I call you 'Mommy'?" He snickered, ducking an irritated swipe from the redhead. "All right! I couldn't help it.. Seriously, it's nothing." Hiro scowled, wiping his thumb with the napkin as he tried to regain his composure.

"Whatever. At least it's gone." He muttered, seeing that the elevator was almost on his floor. A moment later, he snuck a glance at his companion, flushing guiltily when he saw that the man was watching him. "What?" He said, willing away his humiliation at being caught. The blonde coughed, looking away with an amused expression.

"Nothing, just admiring the roses." He snickered, facing the doors as they slid open. "See you around, I've got some stuff to do." He walked away, whistling to himself as the stunned boy stared after him. He cursed as the doors began to close, darting through and sending a glare at the man's retreating back.

"Roses, my ass!" He growled, heading for the studio room. Mentally preparing himself for the day, he missed the quiet sounds from behind the door until he opened it. As a result, he was caught full-force by an exuberant tackle from his best friend, toppling to the floor in an excruciating tangle of legs, elbows and pink hair. Grunting with pain, he levered the singer up and to the side, gasping for breath as the boy bounced off the far wall. "Oops," He croaked, "Sorry about that, I didn't mean to kick you that hard."

The shorter boy landed on his face, but seemed unbothered by his flattened profile as he immediately began a tirade of apologies and tearful pleas. "Hiroooo... Please don't be mad, I'm really sorry about what happened, and Yuki.. Well, I'm sure that Yuki's sorry too!" He wailed, ignoring the trickle of blood running over his right eye. "K said to wait to talk to you, so I did, but now Yuki's mad that I didn't sleep at all, and he said that he's going to cancel the party if I don't 'Shut the fuck up and apologize'!" He stopped for breath, and the redhead took his chance to interrupt before he could begin again.

"It's fine, forget about it. I'm sorry that I went off like that, it wasn't just the two of you.. I had a couple of bad nights, they kinda piled up on me yesterday. I'm all right now, so you can tell Yuki that there's no problem." The boy shrieked, clutching Hiro in a hug.

"Thank you thank you! I will!" He cried, leaving the room like a shot. Hiro stared after him in exasperation.

"Well, I guess that's the rest of the workday," He said, finally. "Knowing him, he'll forget to come back at all." Hiro shook his head, following his friend out the door. "Maybe K can get him to come back before.." He stopped, remembering the scene in the elevator. "Jesus, I guess I'm just going to be in his face all day, at this rate." He grumbled, resuming his trek. Reaching the man's office, he sighed, knocking gently.

Hearing the answering yell, he opened the door. "Uh, Sorry to bother you, but I just talked to Shu.. And he said he was going to tell Yuki that everything's ok.. Figured I should tell you he left, in case you want to shoot him or something." The blonde leaped to his feet, swearing.

"Dammit, he's going to die! What the hell is he thinking?" He muttered, grabbing his signature Magnum, and heading for the door. Hiro backed out quickly, shaking his head.

"I think that's the problem.. He isn't thinking." The man snorted in reply, waving a hand as he left.

"Well, I'm going to go give him something to think about. If you see Fujisaki, tell him we're going to have a late start, but stick around." Hiro nodded, smiling.

"Sure thing, but if I'd known he was gonna pull that, I would have stayed in bed.." The blonde hummed, picturing the boy's sleeping figure before forcing down his less than professional thoughts in favor of the hunt to come.

"Be back in a while!" He called, leaving before he could give himself away. 'Now I'll have the image stuck in my head all day,' He thought, ruefully. 'But at least it makes for good scenery!' He chuckled at his own joke, waiting for the elevator once again. "So much for the subtle approach." He mumbled, entering the doors when it arrived. Vowing to catch the unruly singer in short order, he thought of his early-morning 'surprise attack'. "I wonder if he kept the flower," He said, grinning. "I'll bet he went crazy trying to think of who knew that he liked them." The elevator opened into the lobby, and he rushed out in hot pursuit of his wayward client.

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The rest of the day passed uneventfully, save the dramatic re-entry of a much beaten and yowling Shuichi. At closing time, Hiro waved a goodbye to his bandmates, assuring Shuichi that everything was still fine. He gathered up his jacket, helmet and guitarcase, making for the door. Just as he reached it, a slight prickle of apprehension warned him seconds before it opened, and he jumped in alarm. Expecting it to fly open as it usually did, he stumbled awkwardly back, visions of his previous mishap running through his mind as he prepared himself for a replay.

His descent was halted by a familiar grip on his wrist, and he found himself staring up into bright blue as the taller man's other hand encircled his waist to catch him. Several seconds passed as he gasped wordlessly, his thoughts following a long-rehearsed litany of appreciation for the blonde's clean-cut features. Finally, he blinked, regaining his balance and jerking away. "Dammit, the one time you don't crash in like a buffoon, I almost kill myself!"

The American chuckled, releasing his grip. "Well, at least it's not a total loss," He joked. "You didn't bust your skinny ass this time." The boy glared at him in annoyance.

"Yes, that's the highlight of the day. And what do you mean, skinny? My ass is most definitely not skinny!" He growled, daring the man to repeat himself.

K smiled down at him, his eyes narrowed appraisingly. "No," He said, leaning to the side for a better look, "It's not. Maybe 'little' would have been a better word?" He straightened, ignoring the teen's indignant gasp. "Or I could go out on a limb and say 'cute', but that's beside the point." He looked at the other two boys, containing a smirk at the wide-eyed stares that greeted his blatant comment. "I see that you're ready to leave, Shuichi, Fujisaki.. Try to be a little early tomorrow, there's a lot that needs to get done before the weekend." He stared meaningfully at the lead singer, continuing. "And Shuichi.. Don't forget that I'll be at your party, so if you mess up again, you'll never see me coming." He grinned at the boy's horrified look, turning to leave. "See you later then, kiddies. You too, Hiro." He added, almost as an afterthought.

The three stared after him, Fujisaki shaking his head and leaving with a quiet "Later." after a few moments.

Shuichi whirled to face his friend, his eyes wide. "What was that about?!" He demanded, clutching the taller boy's arm. "What's going on, Hiro? Why is K acting like..Like.." He paused, frowning. "Holy shit, Hiro! I think K was flirting with you!" He squealed, bouncing on his toes. "Are you two..!?"

Hiro closed his hand, thumping the enthusiastic singer on the head. "There's nothing going on! And there isn't any 'you two'!" He stalked quickly out the door, ignoring the pink-haired boy's cries as he decided to take the stairs. He left the building through a side door, walking to his bike. Nearing the space, he stopped. On the seat was a familiar box, with a note included. He whirled around, but the lot was empty save for the usual cars.

He sighed, picking the box up and taking the card gingerly from it's envelope. It was a pale yellow this time, and he wondered at the choice of colors. The note was as simple as the first.

'For many days and nights'

He raised an eyebrow, confused. Pulling the white ribbon off the box, he opened it, staring down in wonder as the familiar scent enveloped him. Nestled against deep red paper was a single blooming Magnolia flower, it's petals the color of fresh cream. He shook his head, bringing the fragrant blossom closer as he inhaled. 'Whoever it is, they know a lot about me,' He thought, carefully reclosing the box and tucking it awkwardly under one arm.

Taking extra care, he made the trip home, parking his bike and locking it up quickly. He rushed to his apartment, freezing at the sight of a third box. He laughed helplessly, picking it up as he unlocked the door. He carried the two boxes into the kitchen, opening the first and placing the magnolia inside the vase with the lily. Sighing quietly, he picked up the newest one, opening the light red card.

'I can't ignore it anymore'

He smiled, opening the box to reveal a single deep scarlet rose. His fingers shook slightly as he removed it from it's tissue, smelling it's heady scent as he added it to the vase. Taking a step back, he looked at the strangely attractive mix of flowers. Shaking his head, he sat wearily in a chair at the table, wondering who could possibly be doing this. Certainly, the rose could have been a lucky guess, but the other two?

Hiro decided that maybe it wasn't a bad thing. 'The handwriting looks familiar, somehow,' He thought, 'But I just can't place it..' He sat for a moment longer, staring at the vase intently as if it could answer his questions. Then, he sighed. "I still haven't thought about Shu's party.. Maybe a trip to that costume place I saw before will help me decide what to be."

He grabbed his helmet and keys, leaving the kitchen light on as he left the apartment. A quick ride later, Hiro found himself staring at what was surely the oddest collection of costumes that Japan had to offer. As he browsed through the racks, he wondered if K had a costume yet. Spotting an adult-sized Maid's costume, he snickered at the thought of the tall American wearing it, with heels and pigtails to complete the image.

Shaking his head, he paused in his search as a flash of white caught his eyes. He pulled aside several more costumes, and raised an eyebrow at the one he'd found. The first thing that registered was leather, ivory white and smooth. The pants were obviously made to fit as closely to the wearer's skin as possible, leaving almost nothing to the imagination. A shirt of silky cream colored satin accompanied them, with a pair of small feathered wings to complete the ensemble. He paused for only a moment before laughing quietly.

'Well, it's not like I haven't worn things just as.. different onstage,' He thought, taking the outfit from its hanger and carrying it to the sales counter. Paying for the costume took almost no time, and before he knew it, he was once again standing in his living room. "That's one less thing to do." He muttered, putting the bagged costume on the counter. "Now all that's left is to wait for Saturday night.. I wonder what Shu's going to be this year.."

He laughed, remembering some of the boy's previous costumes. He had to admit, Shuichi was the reigning king of foolishness, though some of the things he came up with were both amusing and horrifying. Hiro took his costume from the bag, carrying it with him as he entered the bedroom. He shed his clothes, grabbing a pair of pajama pants and heading to the bathroom for a quick shower.

He emerged a half hour later, relaxed from the water's heat. Toweling his hair, he sat on the bed to comb out the snags as he prepared for bed. 'At least I can look forward to a hot date tonight,' He thought, snorting to himself as he turned out the lamp. 'Maybe I should try a little harder with people, find someone to occupy my dreams instead of him..' He sighed, closing his eyes. Sleep took him quickly, his dreams full of blue and gold...

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Hm, I wonder if this will improve in quality as it increases in quantity..