504. NaNo - Iori/Kyo - Resistance is Flammable Part 11
Title: Resistance is Flammable.
Fandom: King of Fighters.
Characters: Iori/Kyo, primarily; various characters throughout.
Rating: R.
Summary: November Novel.
Short filler chapter. But I've reached fifty pages!
Chapter Ten.
Word count for this part: 1,202.
Total word count:
get inside kyo's head in part one
witness the fateful meeting in part two
iori holds all the cards in part three
the clue bat makes an appearance in part four
that's not his destiny kyo is grasping in part five
iori encourages the bad boy in part six
kyo makes an important decision in part seven
iori tells a bedtime story in part eight
there's a lover's spat in part nine
kyo grows a backbone in part ten
Chapter Eleven
Now that he was outside, Kyo had no idea where to go. It was dark enough that he didn't really feel comfortable trying to find anybody else's house. He didn't even know where any of his friends lived, thanks to his own aloof personality these past few weeks. He could go to Iori's, but wasn't there some rule about seeing someone too much? He couldn't whine to Iori, not right now. Not this early in whatever relationship they'd managed to cultivate between them.
So he just started walking. He shoved his hands in his pockets, having thrown his father's entire trash can into the outside dumpsters. If he had to buy a new one to placate his father, then he'd do it. At least it wouldn't smell like alcohol.
“Heading somewhere in particular?”
Kyo turned his head sideways, catching sight of Terry's distinctive red ballcap from the corner of his eye. His friend was sitting on a low wall, watching Kyo but evidently not stalking. “Not really,” Kyo replied. He veered off of the sidewalk, heading over to perch on the wall beside Terry. “What're you doing out so late?”
“Had to take Rock home, and then I took Mary home, too. She wasn't really in a good state to drive.”
“Is she okay?”
Terry shrugged. “It's her boyfriend. He's a football player for the team we played tonight, and sometimes he gets a little... jealous. They fight a lot, and it does upset her, but she'll be okay. She's a strong girl.”
Kyo frowned. “I kind of thought you guys were together. Sorry.”
“Don't be. We're just really close friends, that's all. She needed a friend after her dad was killed, and I was there for her when she needed it. She's with Butch because her dad loved him. Breaking up with him now would mean that she's letting go of the last thing she has that ties her to her father.”
They were quiet for a few minutes. Then Terry added, “I hope you don't think this is something you're supposed to tell people.”
“No,” Kyo replied softly. “I wouldn't tell anybody.” He laughed a little, an ironic and jaded sound that he didn't like hearing from himself. “It seems like everybody has some tragic backstory around here. Are you sure it's not Stepford for fuckup kids?” he asked, repeating his words to Terry on his first day.
“No, but that doesn't mean our lives aren't all connected. You're learning that, aren't you? Maybe it was our fates to be here all at the same time.”
“I don't believe in destiny,” Kyo fired back, though he didn't say it maliciously. “And I don't think you do either.”
Terry smiled. “How about you? What're you doing out so late, Kyo? Sneaking out to see Iori?”
“No. I'm just walking.” He waited a few seconds, then sighed. “My clinically insane mother forgot to take her meds today and tried to slit her wrists with a pocket knife I left in my room. I knocked my drunk father on the head with a whiskey bottle to stop him from yelling at her. I just want to be out of my house for a while.”
Kyo hadn't meant to tell the truth, but he was too late to take the words back. Terry didn't judge him, though, and in hindsight Kyo decided he wasn't surprised about that at all. “You feel okay leaving them alone after that?”
“They're both asleep. They won't be waking up again tonight.” He kicked the wall, absently. “I don't know. I didn't mean to tell anybody, but it's not the kind of problem I should be bringing to Iori when we barely know each other.”
“Iori cares for you. We can all see it. He wouldn't mind.”
“I might,” Kyo argued softly. “It's not the best way to start a new relationship.”
“Trust is never a bad way to start a relationship,” Terry reminded him. “You're telling me, and you don't know me all that well, either.”
“I didn't spend the better part of the afternoon underneath you on a couch,” Kyo said, before he really thought about what was coming out of his mouth. He bit his lip, blushing slightly. “Sorry.”
Terry shrugged. “I live with Andy, remember? Undisputed master of denial when it comes to relationships. It's not the worst I've ever heard.”
Kyo laughed. “That kid you were with tonight can even see that Andy wants her. That's pretty bad.”
“You mean Rock? He's a pretty smart kid. Not a lot gets past him, even though he's still too little to understand a lot of it.”
“What got you into hanging out with him, anyway?” Kyo asked curiously. “Just decided one day that you wanted to mentor a little kid?”
Terry hesitated, and for a couple of seconds, Kyo thought that he wasn't going to answer. “He's my brother. Half-brother, anyway.”
Kyo scowled, trying to remember everything that Terry had told him about himself.
“Andy and I are adopted. Don't think so hard, Kyo, you'll get frown lines.”
Kyo glanced up at him, and Terry laughed a little, ruefully. “Rock's real father-the one that I said was kind of a bad guy-he's our father, too. We were adopted when I was nine and Andy was almost eight. Rock lives with his mother, but she's sick. Cancer. I'm not sure what's going to happen when she dies. He doesn't realize how sick she is, and he definitely doesn't know we're related.”
“Does Andy know?”
Terry nodded. “Nobody else, though. We were sworn to secrecy.”
Kyo glanced at him, confused. “If you were sworn to secrecy, then why did you tell me?”
Terry shrugged, hopping off of the wall and dusting off his pants. “I learned a lot of your secrets tonight. Figured I'd return the favor. See you at school tomorrow, Kyo.”
“Yeah,” Kyo murmured. “See ya.”
Kyo sat for a long time after Terry left, his mind wandering from subject to subject absently. He'd learned a lot about his friends tonight-and about himself. He'd been wavering a little, privately terrified of this relationship and what he was getting into, but after watching all of his friends go for what they wanted and not caring about the consequences... it was inspiring, a little.
He'd have to tell Benimaru off, of course, if they ever even spoke again. He wasn't sure how the blond would take to his sudden relationship, but if they were really friends, he'd support Kyo anyway. Everyone here certainly seemed to.
As far as his father was concerned-well, he'd promised his mom that he'd try, at least. And he hadn't killed him tonight. That had been something. He'd certainly felt like it, and more than once. And somehow, he had to get his father to agree to train him.
Feeling better than he had when he left his house, Kyo jumped off of the low stone wall and headed home.
Fandom: King of Fighters.
Characters: Iori/Kyo, primarily; various characters throughout.
Rating: R.
Summary: November Novel.
Short filler chapter. But I've reached fifty pages!
Chapter Ten.
Word count for this part: 1,202.
Total word count:
get inside kyo's head in part one
witness the fateful meeting in part two
iori holds all the cards in part three
the clue bat makes an appearance in part four
that's not his destiny kyo is grasping in part five
iori encourages the bad boy in part six
kyo makes an important decision in part seven
iori tells a bedtime story in part eight
there's a lover's spat in part nine
kyo grows a backbone in part ten
Chapter Eleven
Now that he was outside, Kyo had no idea where to go. It was dark enough that he didn't really feel comfortable trying to find anybody else's house. He didn't even know where any of his friends lived, thanks to his own aloof personality these past few weeks. He could go to Iori's, but wasn't there some rule about seeing someone too much? He couldn't whine to Iori, not right now. Not this early in whatever relationship they'd managed to cultivate between them.
So he just started walking. He shoved his hands in his pockets, having thrown his father's entire trash can into the outside dumpsters. If he had to buy a new one to placate his father, then he'd do it. At least it wouldn't smell like alcohol.
“Heading somewhere in particular?”
Kyo turned his head sideways, catching sight of Terry's distinctive red ballcap from the corner of his eye. His friend was sitting on a low wall, watching Kyo but evidently not stalking. “Not really,” Kyo replied. He veered off of the sidewalk, heading over to perch on the wall beside Terry. “What're you doing out so late?”
“Had to take Rock home, and then I took Mary home, too. She wasn't really in a good state to drive.”
“Is she okay?”
Terry shrugged. “It's her boyfriend. He's a football player for the team we played tonight, and sometimes he gets a little... jealous. They fight a lot, and it does upset her, but she'll be okay. She's a strong girl.”
Kyo frowned. “I kind of thought you guys were together. Sorry.”
“Don't be. We're just really close friends, that's all. She needed a friend after her dad was killed, and I was there for her when she needed it. She's with Butch because her dad loved him. Breaking up with him now would mean that she's letting go of the last thing she has that ties her to her father.”
They were quiet for a few minutes. Then Terry added, “I hope you don't think this is something you're supposed to tell people.”
“No,” Kyo replied softly. “I wouldn't tell anybody.” He laughed a little, an ironic and jaded sound that he didn't like hearing from himself. “It seems like everybody has some tragic backstory around here. Are you sure it's not Stepford for fuckup kids?” he asked, repeating his words to Terry on his first day.
“No, but that doesn't mean our lives aren't all connected. You're learning that, aren't you? Maybe it was our fates to be here all at the same time.”
“I don't believe in destiny,” Kyo fired back, though he didn't say it maliciously. “And I don't think you do either.”
Terry smiled. “How about you? What're you doing out so late, Kyo? Sneaking out to see Iori?”
“No. I'm just walking.” He waited a few seconds, then sighed. “My clinically insane mother forgot to take her meds today and tried to slit her wrists with a pocket knife I left in my room. I knocked my drunk father on the head with a whiskey bottle to stop him from yelling at her. I just want to be out of my house for a while.”
Kyo hadn't meant to tell the truth, but he was too late to take the words back. Terry didn't judge him, though, and in hindsight Kyo decided he wasn't surprised about that at all. “You feel okay leaving them alone after that?”
“They're both asleep. They won't be waking up again tonight.” He kicked the wall, absently. “I don't know. I didn't mean to tell anybody, but it's not the kind of problem I should be bringing to Iori when we barely know each other.”
“Iori cares for you. We can all see it. He wouldn't mind.”
“I might,” Kyo argued softly. “It's not the best way to start a new relationship.”
“Trust is never a bad way to start a relationship,” Terry reminded him. “You're telling me, and you don't know me all that well, either.”
“I didn't spend the better part of the afternoon underneath you on a couch,” Kyo said, before he really thought about what was coming out of his mouth. He bit his lip, blushing slightly. “Sorry.”
Terry shrugged. “I live with Andy, remember? Undisputed master of denial when it comes to relationships. It's not the worst I've ever heard.”
Kyo laughed. “That kid you were with tonight can even see that Andy wants her. That's pretty bad.”
“You mean Rock? He's a pretty smart kid. Not a lot gets past him, even though he's still too little to understand a lot of it.”
“What got you into hanging out with him, anyway?” Kyo asked curiously. “Just decided one day that you wanted to mentor a little kid?”
Terry hesitated, and for a couple of seconds, Kyo thought that he wasn't going to answer. “He's my brother. Half-brother, anyway.”
Kyo scowled, trying to remember everything that Terry had told him about himself.
“Andy and I are adopted. Don't think so hard, Kyo, you'll get frown lines.”
Kyo glanced up at him, and Terry laughed a little, ruefully. “Rock's real father-the one that I said was kind of a bad guy-he's our father, too. We were adopted when I was nine and Andy was almost eight. Rock lives with his mother, but she's sick. Cancer. I'm not sure what's going to happen when she dies. He doesn't realize how sick she is, and he definitely doesn't know we're related.”
“Does Andy know?”
Terry nodded. “Nobody else, though. We were sworn to secrecy.”
Kyo glanced at him, confused. “If you were sworn to secrecy, then why did you tell me?”
Terry shrugged, hopping off of the wall and dusting off his pants. “I learned a lot of your secrets tonight. Figured I'd return the favor. See you at school tomorrow, Kyo.”
“Yeah,” Kyo murmured. “See ya.”
Kyo sat for a long time after Terry left, his mind wandering from subject to subject absently. He'd learned a lot about his friends tonight-and about himself. He'd been wavering a little, privately terrified of this relationship and what he was getting into, but after watching all of his friends go for what they wanted and not caring about the consequences... it was inspiring, a little.
He'd have to tell Benimaru off, of course, if they ever even spoke again. He wasn't sure how the blond would take to his sudden relationship, but if they were really friends, he'd support Kyo anyway. Everyone here certainly seemed to.
As far as his father was concerned-well, he'd promised his mom that he'd try, at least. And he hadn't killed him tonight. That had been something. He'd certainly felt like it, and more than once. And somehow, he had to get his father to agree to train him.
Feeling better than he had when he left his house, Kyo jumped off of the low stone wall and headed home.