Transaction

Disclaimer: WHEEEE!

Author’s Notes: Savannah, Georgia! Has more to do than Tallahassee, Florida. Tomorrow is Virginia. I’m very tired of traveling. My body is tired.

You’ve seen it written a million times by now, but I’m sure you’ve all noticed Kel and I mention we hate a certain part of the story. Really, we do. As Kel said, it’s head banging against a wall worthy. I’m trying to fix it as best I can, but it’s like if the earth split open… you just can’t fix that shit with duct tape and say ‘all better!’. I need to get in touch with Kel on options on what to do.

I apologize if chapters after this are late or slow. I’ll have to painstakingly go over each chapter if we decide to fix it.

If I have time to. Don’t forget, I’m driving across country very soon. On the 30th of this month to be exact, and since I have all the chapters and editing to do, Transaction may take a week long (or a few days more) hiatus while I drive home to Jersey with my mommy. We’re taking turns. Ooo. Fun.

Enjoy!
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Transaction
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Chapter Twenty-Four
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"I'm going to the bathroom. Go warm up," Keiko said, detaching Kenji from her person.

She couldn't keep him from Haido forever.

Without the Keiko tumor at his side, Kenji felt cold and vulnerable. But, he nodded, pressing his arms to his sides as his hands pushed deep into his pockets. It would only be a few minutes alone in the studio. He could do that. He'd just warm up, like Keiko said.

He stepped into the studio first, acutely aware of Haido following him in. It was the first time they'd been alone since they'd been walked in on, and Kenji was nervous, and a little bit paranoid.

Adrenaline was the best feeling in the world, Taki decided. He nodded, giving Tohma a little nudge forward toward the door. He'd lock it if he had to, but he didn't have the keys.

He'd need some, soon. Especially if they ended up staying late for overtime.

Haido was barely aware of Keiko leaving, and more focused on the sudden feeling of an oncoming heart attack. His heart was pounding and he felt like it was going to burst apart. Haido didn't want to be alone with him! Kenji didn't want to be around him, so why bother?

Either way, he entered, door closing behind him.

Tohma walked forward quickly, pausing outside the door, he waited until it was close completely. He peeked into the window, saw them putzing around awkwardly. Quietly he slipped the key in and turned it, locking it tight. There was no inside lock, as that would defeat the purpose of keeping the building safe. No one could get in to begin with.

He smiled, admiring his handiwork before walking back over to Taki.

"Care to watch from my office?" he offered pleasantly.

Taki didn't stop the grin, though he definitely knew it was there. "Of course." Why bother doing it if they couldn't make sure the right results came out of the entire act? They would simply watch to make sure what needed to happen happened.

Kenji looked up, startled as he heard the door lock. At first, he didn't think it was what he thought it was, and, seemingly on autopilot, he crossed the room and tried the handle. His eyes widened in panic.

Locked. They were locked in a room together, and he... he couldn't handle that. He didn't know what to do.

"I..." His voice cracked, and he swallowed, mouth dry. "I think we're locked in..." Glancing over his shoulder at Haido, he bit his lip.

Keiko was walking around the corner, feeling a lot better. She was sighing happily when she caught sight of Tohma at the studio door, messing with the handle. Taki was standing a little ways off watching with...

A grin. Of all things, with a grin.

She watched the blond go back to Taki and the both walked off together looking... happy with themselves.

Weird.

She went over to the door and gave it an experimental turn. Locked.

"Fuck."

Keiko walked away and towards a break room. Hell, if Taki AND Tohma were up to something, she did not want to mess with it.

Haido looked up, finally, and towards the door over his shoulder. He wouldn't doubt it. He would even bet it was all Taki's idea too. He was just vindictive enough to do it. He sighed heavily, taking a seat at the small table.

"I'm... sorry about all of this," he said quietly and then shut his lips tight. Maybe Kenji didn't want to hear it.

Kenji shook his head, looking back at the door, then moving away from it. He fiddled with a knob on the soundboard, not particularly caring that he could be messing something up. It could be fixed.

"It's not your fault..." Kenji sighed, looking over at Haido. His stomach tightened again, but there was no great rush of overwhelming heat, and Kenji was grateful. "You didn't lock us in here, and you didn't tell them where to find us..."

Best not to bring that up again. He hadn't had the courage to ask for Haido's opinions, instead shutting off completely.

"You don't need to apologize." He finished lamely, looking back down at the soundboard again.

"I know," he muttered, putting his arms on the table and laying his head on them. "I just... I don't know. Nevermind."

Haido didn't know what he wanted to say, what could make the weirdness fall away. In the long run, maybe things would work themselves out. Who knew?

"So, when do you think they'll let us out?" he asked flatly. He felt the way he sounded, so he couldn't change it.

Haido sounded so unsure, and Kenji frowned. That uncertainty matched his own, and he moved around the table to sit down in front of Haido's chair. Back facing the other man, he wondered if this was making things better, or worse.

"I don't know." His elbows rested on his knees, and he idly tugged at a bit of his hair. Irrationally, he thought that maybe they'd be trapped in the room forever, and they'd die of starvation, or dehydration, or something worse.

That wouldn't happen, though. There were people all over the place. Eventually they'd be let out.

Haido watched Kenji from the corner of his eye as he kept his head down. The bright red hair looked like it could glow in the dark. He smiled slightly, hidden. From the look of how much dye had to be used though, he'd originally thought Kenji's hair would've been stiff. He remembered how it felt though... it wasn't hard at all.

And he was so close... mixed signals. Haido couldn't figure anything out now. He didn't know what Kenji seemed to want. That wasn't exactly bad, but it was messing with his own thoughts. That's what made it bad.

Cautiously, he nudge Kenji with his foot. A light tap, a little push. Maybe meant as playful, maybe trying to get his attention. Haido wasn't sure himself.

The nudge made him smile, and Kenji leaned back to bump Haido's knee with his shoulder. The smile faded, though, and he scooted back to rest his head against Haido's thigh.

He knew why he couldn't look at him, and it was such a simple reason. Something that should have been easily pushed aside.

He just wanted it to happen again, and it made him nervous. Kenji never felt anything quite like it, and it was almost unsettling.

Turning his head, he looked up at Haido with a torn expression. "They will let us out, right?" Sure, he was coming up on twenty, but he didn't feel any older then fifteen. Kenji simply couldn't help his immaturity.

Haido sat up, leaning over so his hands rested on Kenji's shoulders. He kept up his small smile as he looked down at the singer. How cute. He was so worried. It made him wonder if Kenji really thought they'd leave both of them here. Haido found it endearing. Even the look on his face.

"Yeah, they can't keep up in here forever," he assured Kenji quietly. "If nothing else, we do have cell phones..."

Haido paused. Now that it came to mind, would they leave? He dared to brush away a few startling strand of red hair from Kenji's eyes.

"But... we don't... have to go yet," he murmured, leaning down to press a light, quick kiss to the other man's lips.

Would it be so bad to stay and at least work things out?

There. It was happening again, wasn't it? Kenji blinked slowly, finally letting his eyes shut as one hand came up to the back of Haido's neck to keep him in place. It was happening again, and there was no way for them to be interrupted. Not without a warning first.

So there was no reason to worry. They had their phones, and now, they had time. Kenji wasn't against using what he had.

There was something strangely soft about the kiss. Entrancing, but not overwhelming. It was sweet, subtle but definitely there. Kenji almost felt guilty for parting his lips to invite Haido in, because surely doing that would send away that soft warmth. It couldn't linger when heat was doomed to come.

Haido was surprised when Kenji reached around and held him into the kiss. If nothing else, he figured he would've been rejected and pushed away. For some reason, he had the deep down feeling that Kenji didn't really want him. He shut his own eyes, slipping his tongue passed Kenji's lips slowly.

Yes, the eventual heat would kill the soft moment, but it didn't have to be right away.

It was different, kissing someone while they were 'upside down' like that. It was pretty interesting though. He let his unbandaged hand smooth over one side of the singers face, down his neck. He petted softly down the front of his chest.

A small sound left Kenji's throat, and the hand that wasn't curled around the back of Haido's neck rested just above his knee. Kenji braced himself, turning his body and rising up onto his knees to put less stress on Haido's neck.

This was a slower kiss then their first. More thorough, and Kenji wasn't caught up in a rush too fast to understand as he met Haido's tongue with his own.

As wonderful as the first kiss had been, he liked this one better. This wasn't an impulse kiss, a mistake. This was deliberate, and neither of them had any other want but to be there, doing what they were doing.

Sure, maybe they would have preferred the door being unlocked, or at least locked from the inside, but beggars can't be choosers. Kenji would take what he could get, and he'd enjoy it, too.

As much as Haido didn't want to, being curled over like this wasn't comfortable for even a short period of time. He had to pull back. He smiled at Kenji to show everything was fine, but nudged him to move. Once off his lap, Haido got up from the chair and slipped down to the floor next to Kenji.

"Sorry," he murmured, leaning in to kiss the singer again.

While doing that, he started to push the open button up shirt off Kenji's shoulders, leaving him in the dark tanktop he was wearing underneath it. His hand ran down the full front, then slipped under the bottom of the shirt, fingers just petting there softly.

No need to rush.

The shirt only came off of one shoulder, but Kenji wasn't in any rush to push it off the other. He couldn't help the way he rose into Haido's touch, urging his fingers up higher into the shirt, more contact.

He welcomed the kiss again, lips parting to urge out Haido's tongue. There was no doubt anymore. He wanted this, and even though he had never been entirely sure, he could trust his body if nothing else.

This - Haido - was what he wanted.

Kenji only needed one hand to hold him up, and the shirt had pooled around his wrist as he braced himself. The other hand, the one with the shirt still fully attached, ran down Haido's back, up to his shoulder, then down again, to his hips.

Haido nearly purred at the touch running down his side. It was hot and so was the room. The skin beneath his fingertips was just... alive and enticing. The way Kenji's body moved was fantastic and seemed so complex, though it was exactly how he moved.

He edged his hand continually upwards, shirt pushing it up. Haido broke the kiss again, nudging his head back to kiss at his neck. He licked at the flesh before hesitantly biting. It was gentle and right in the crook of his neck. Haido made sure not to use too much pressure in case it wasn't something Kenji liked.

Years of being beaten on, kicked, hit, scratched... Kenji was used to a little pain. It was hard not to be, when Keiko tromped around in big boots and kicked him when he woke her up. Years of it, but Kenji had never felt anything like what Haido was doing to him now.

He sucked in a shuddering breath, head tilting back to expose more skin. It was a dull ache, just barely enough to hurt, but it left his skin tingling. Kenji wasn't sure how to react.

Maybe it was the hand in his shirt that was making his breathing pick up, Kenji wasn't sure, but his skin burned where Haido touched. His hand fisted in Haido's shirt, and his chest rose and fell with the deep breaths he was taking in an attempt to keep himself calm.

Haido was loving the reaction such small actions received. He pushed the shirt up the rest of the way, sucking lightly on Kenji's neck, trying not to smile at the way the other man was getting worked up. It was cute, but such atempt.

His fingers played over a nipple, pinching it, tugging it gently. He wanted to drag more sounds and reactions from Kenji. He loved how he moved and squirmed and tried to keep control. Haido wanted to make him lose it.

He released the skin between his teeth, smiling against the damp spot of skin. Like the first time, Haido started to ease Kenji onto his back. Once done, he had to use his good hand to hold up his weight, his bandaged one resting lightly on Kenji's hip. He looked down at the singer, smile turning into a small smirk, eyes dancing. He looked so absolutely helpless.

He leaned down to kiss Kenji again, though it didn't last long. Haido continued back down his neck, over the shirt he would remember to remove completely later. He went slow though, placing a small line of alternating kisses and bites.

The pinch to his nipple made him gasp, followed quickly by a groan. Kenji bit his lip as he was lowered down, looking up at Haido's amused expression with wide, heated eyes.

He was doing this on purpose, and that look just sealed it. Haido was going to drive him insane.

The kiss that followed was irritatingly brief, but Kenji couldn't even begin to protest because Haido's mouth was on his neck in an instant. First a kiss, and he shivered. Then a bite, and he moaned. His eyes shut, and he took a careful breath as Haido moved over his shirt.

How much better would this be with the shirt off? How much more contact would they have?

"Haido..." It was low, purposefully pitched to take Haido's attention. Kenji's hands moved to fist in the bottom of the synth players shirt.

Haido paused mid lick across Kenji's chest, eyes flicking up towards the singer's face. Perfect, really. He looked between holding back a moan and... and what? Smiling? Maybe. He really didn't care much, it was the voice that got to him. He couldn't exactly be musically inclined and tone deaf. Haido love sounds, especially that of a lover.

Not quite a fetish, but certainly a weak point.

He felt his shirt bunch up at his sides and his lips quirked. He felt like purring at the sound of Kenji's voice. Haido thought it was perfect, and if he had known it was a slightly planned move, he wouldn't've been able to fight it anymore than now.

"You... want this off, I take it?" he asked, sitting up a bit to let Kenji lift the shirt if he so wanted.

Yes, the shirt had to go. There was no way it could possibly stay on without Kenji's impatience getting in the way. He was glad that Haido wasn't protesting at it's removal.

Kenji didn't know what was going to happen. He had nothing but his own intuitions and instincts to go on, and every cell in his body wanted that shirt off.

It was too loose, anyway. He couldn't get the faintest idea of what Haido looked like without it.

Pushing himself up, he pulled Haido's shirt over his head. He didn't chance a glance until the t-shirt was on the floor, and without realizing it, he took his lower lip between his teeth. Despite all of his efforts, he couldn't get his eyes back up to Haido's face.

It wasn't the most impressive chest he'd ever seen. In fact, Haido was fairly thin, barely more broad in the shoulders then he was. And built? Not particularly, but it was more along the idea that this was really Haido. There were no disguises, nothing to cover.

This was just him. If nothing else, Kenji loved that.

Using the hand that had been holding him up, the shirt that had pooled around his wrist slipped off. Kenji didn't care, fingers brushing lightly over the smooth, warm skin now at his disposal. Almost hesitant, then the touch grew harder, gained confidence as Kenji took it upon himself to explore the new and yet uncharted skin.

It would've been a lie to say that Haido had full confidence in his own self. Though, he let Kenji remove his shirt without argument, he'd held his breath during it. He didn't know what he was expecting. Muffled laughter maybe, awkwardness, but not Kenji's hand moving over him. He was small, tiny even. The clothes he wore didn't help, but certainly made him feel better. He could hide in them.

With them off, where could he hide?

He released his breath in a quiet whoosh of air, stopping all his motions to let Kenji do as he wished. Haido almost looked like he was meditating that way, silent, still, but he was just nervous. When it felt like Kenji was gaining his own confidence, he felt a little better about it. He wasn't turning away. If anything, he may have been afraid that once Kenji saw the removal of clothes, he would've stopped completely and backed off.

Haido sighed quietly, openly enjoying the touch, a little half smile on his lips, eyes half lidded.
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Author’s Notes: Dun dun DUUUUUUN! *dramatic reverb* See what happens next. I have to take the puppy to the vet for some shots. I feels bad for him!

Drop us a line.

~Subby