Fic - I Thought I Knew It All Part Six
Title: I Thought I Knew It All Part Six
Characters: Donovan, Leo and Key
Rating: PG-13
Wordcount: 3,431
Summary: Key really has no tolerance for alcohol. But that's okay, Donovan will take care of him.
Credits: Beta'd by angiechan070707. Banner art by nether-embrace.
Donovan really hadn't intended on getting Key drunk, it had just sort of happened. After their second beers were finished, Key stopped protesting when Donovan asked for another, and then another after that. As it turned out four beers ended up being Key's max, but of course Donovan didn't realize this until Key passed out partially through his fifth beer. A few awkward moments later and he had carried his friend out to the car, ignoring the many looks of confusion, amusement and disapproval he received along the way.
"You really are a lightweight," Donovan said to Key's deceptively serene face once they were both securely fastened into their seats. "I feel fine. Granted, I have extenuating circumstances that make me a far better drinker but that isn't the point."
After another minute or two of mild ranting Donovan found himself facing a very serious problem. What was he going to do with Key now? He could take him home and deposit him into his own bed, Key must have his apartment key in his pocket somewhere so it wouldn't be hard to get in. But should he be left alone? And would he be upset to wake up and find Donovan in his apartment?
There was also the option of taking Key back to his house, which seemed like the best idea for reasons that Donovan really wanted to believe weren't connected to his groin. He could always take Key home when he woke up, plus he could make sure he wasn't alone in case waking up involved a severe hangover. Judging by the fact that Key was dead to the world, Donovan was pretty sure a severe hangover was a given. Yes, this idea was most definitely the best.
During the drive to his house Donovan frequently found himself looking over at his passenger, making sure he was okay and that he was as comfortable as possible. When Key looked for a moment as if he was going to wake up Donovan prepared himself for a long explanation, but as it turned out it was just a false alarm. It seemed that Key had seamlessly gone from passed out to a deep sleep.
"I had so hoped to be showing you my home under vastly different circumstances," Donovan said after parking the car. Key gave no sign of recognition, though Donovan wasn't exactly expecting one.
As gently as possible he pulled Key out of the car and carried him inside, past his brother who did little more than raise an eyebrow at the sight. It wasn't the first time Donovan had carried someone upstairs after all. The unusual part came after Donovan had pulled off Key's shoes, tucked him into bed and returned downstairs. That was a first.
"Do I even want to know?" Leo asked from his normal spot next to the fireplace.
"Well that's Key. I'd introduce you but he's a little... passed out at the moment. I figure he'll wake up in a couple of hours."
"Right. And why is there an unconscious blond in what I assume is your bed? Generally speaking when you carry someone into the house I don't see you for quite a while afterwards. Hear you yes, but I don't see you."
Donovan chuckled and slid onto the arm of Leo's chair. "Okay, I guess that's a little weird. But it's completely innocent I swear."
"Why don't I believe you?" Leo shifted his weight towards the side of the chair opposite from his brother, who clearly had no concept of personal space. "I don't think I've seen you do something completely innocent since we were children."
"That's not true, I do plenty of things with no ulterior motive."
"Like getting teenage boys drunk? I could smell the alcohol on both of you as soon as you walked in the house."
"I wasn't trying to get into his pants if that's what you're implying. Believe it or not, I do have morals you know. All I did was buy him a few beers over dinner, more to try and get him to loosen up than anything else. It's really not my fault that the kid has no tolerance for alcohol."
"And you brought him here why?"
"Because I didn't think he'd be too pleased with me sitting around his apartment while he was passed out in bed. I'm not leaving him alone Leo, when he wakes up he's probably going to feel like ass on toast. Do you remember dealing with me the first time I got drunk?"
"How could I forget? I was the frail one and yet I still managed to be in charge of the bucket brigade, lest you throw up all over our parents' expensive carpet. Honestly I should have just let one of the maids take care of you." Despite the disgust in his tone Leo smiled faintly at the memory. He of course had been the one to take care of his brother because the maids would most likely mention Donovan's state to their parents, which wouldn't have ended well. "I believe the gardener has some buckets out in the shed by the way."
"I'll just grab a trash can, thanks. But that's exactly why I couldn't leave him alone. Besides, the act of me nursing him back to health-"
"He's drunk, not sick with the flu."
"Shush. The act of me nursing him back to health should override any aggravation he might have with the fact that I got him drunk in the first place. Though in my defense, he did stop saying no after a while."
Leo shook his head and sighed. "Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the Future Rapists of America, Donovan Niccals."
Donovan reacted by snatching the book out of his brothers hands and swatting him in the head with it.
"Excuse me! Violence is never the answer!"
"Sure it is!" He deftly avoided Leo's attempt to grab the book and managed to hit him again. "You just aren't asking the right question."
After a few more attempts Leo finally reclaimed his book and managed to push Donovan off the arm of the chair. "Go upstairs and tend to your patient. I'll be down here trying to avoid any unpleasant sounds that may reach my delicate virgin ears."
"Right, whatever you say."
Leo rolled his eyes, which earned a chuckle from Donovan as he jogged back up the stairs. As much fun as he was having taunting his twin, it was a little more important to be upstairs in case Key woke up. He really did hope Key wasn't too angry.
Five incredibly boring hours passed, during which Donovan sat across the room in a plush armchair waiting for his guest to wake up. He didn't dare turn the television on for fear of waking Key prematurely, so he was resigned to flipping through magazines, reading snippets of books, and just watching the blond sleep. He considered himself lucky that Leo wasn't aware of the action that took up the majority of his time, as Donovan was certain he would have a few words to say about the creep factor. Donovan didn't feel that watching Key sleep was being creepy, he was just... being diligent.
A soft groan made Donovan aware that Key was no longer asleep, and in seconds he had left his chair and was kneeling beside the bed.
"I was wondering when you were going to wake up," he said in a voice that was just above a whisper.
Key opened his eyes and pushed himself up, quickly putting a hand to his forehead in an attempt to holding his throbbing brain in his skull. Once the bed felt like it was no longer spinning he looked at Donovan. "How long was I out?"
"A few hours. As it turns out, you really don't have much of a tolerance for alcohol."
"And here I thought that was apparent by the fact that I told you I didn't drink." The tone in Key's voice was annoyed enough that Donovan felt it unnecessary and just plain safer not to reply. "Where am I?"
"In my room. I thought about bringing you back to your apartment but I didn't know how you were going to feel waking up and I didn't want to leave you alone in case you were going to puke your guts out or something."
Key nodded and lay back down, thankful for the fact that Donovan's room was very dark. He didn't imagine he'd be in the mood for sunshine at the moment. "My stomach feels okay, but my head is killing me. I'm never drinking again by the way."
"Oh people always say that." Donovan chuckled and stood up. "I'll get you some water and something for your headache. Wait here."
"Because there's such a high probability of me wandering off." Key closed his eyes as the words left his lips. He could hear Donovan leaving the room and then entering what he was assuming was the bathroom down the hall. When he felt a pair of eyes watching him a couple of moments later he begrudgingly opened his own, expecting to see Donovan standing over him.
"So you must be my brother's blond."
That wasn't Donovan. That was a very strange looking man that if he squinted and tilted his head just right... sort of looked like he might be related to Donovan. "You're his brother."
"An astute observation, considering I just referred to him as such. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that's the hangover talking."
So far Key was less than impressed with Donovan's brother. "You could say that. I'm not his blond though, we’re just friends. My name is Key."
Leo smirked but chose not to argue the fact of ownership. Key would find out all about that in time, he was sure. "And I'm Leo. I thought I would introduce myself while- Oh look, your gracious host has returned."
Donovan shot Leo a lethal glare. "Out."
"I was just being hospitable."
"Bullshit. You were proving why it might actually be best if you don't leave the house. Out."
Leo crossed his arms and leaned against the bed. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means," Donovan said, his voice kept low despite his aggravation. "That you have no social skills. Normally I would offer to help you out in this department because you know I love the idea of you actually getting out and enjoying your life, but right now I'm a little preoccupied."
Leo opened his mouth to speak but didn't have the chance.
"Out."
"Oh fine." Leo pushed away from the bed and looked down at Key. "This is what you're going to have to deal with you know. He's not all sweetness and seduction, he's actually rather bossy."
"Leo..."
"And a bit of a brat."
"I'm going to count to three."
"But he can count, that's something working in his-"
Leo's sentence was cut short by Donovan grabbing hold of his arm and all but throwing him out of the room. It was a little strange to see given the fact that while Donovan seemed to be in good shape, he didn't look to be any more physically fit than Key did. It also didn't exactly prove what Leo had been saying to be wrong.
Once Donovan had banished his brother from the room he closed the door and returned to Key's bedside. With the door closed the room grew even darker, enough so that Key wasn't entirely sure he would be able to take the painkiller Donovan had promised.
"Sorry about that. My brother is... an interesting person who as I've mentioned doesn't get out nearly as often as he should. I'm fairly sure there are priests who wouldn't have the patience to deal with him when he's in one of his moods, so forgive me if I seem to have lost my temper. I learned years ago when it's time to simply get rid of him rather than battle it out on his terms."
"He's interesting alright. Not to be rude, but he seems like kind of a jerk."
Donovan chuckled. "Oh he is, I assure you. But he can be a lovable jerk when he wants to. Now I'm going to have to ask you to sit up to take this, I don't want you choking on aspirin. That wouldn't make your situation any better I'm afraid."
Though it took him longer than normal, Key obliged and pushed himself up to a sitting position again. Thankfully taking the aspirin in the dark wasn't nearly as difficult as he thought, and when he was done he gulped down the rest of the water loudly.
"Thanks, I guess I was thirsty."
"Well hangovers tend to do that. If you want I can get you another glass. I'll even tie Leo to a chair beforehand so he can't harass you while I'm gone."
This time it was Key who laughed, quietly of course. "No, I'm alright. I think I've already been too much trouble as it is."
"Trouble? Wait, you're talking about being trouble for me?" Donovan blinked, staring at Key through the darkness as if he'd grown a second head.
"Well yeah. I mean, you didn't have to take me here and take care of me after all."
"True, but I'm the reason you got drunk in the first place. I figured you were going to be angry with me and was all ready to beg for forgiveness. This has thrown me off a little bit, I may need a few minutes to regroup."
"I'm not exactly the type to get overly angry, I thought you'd have realized that by now. Besides, it was a... life experience I guess."
"I like your attitude, particularly when it results in me not being in nearly as much trouble as I thought I was going to."
Key laughed once again and attempted to turn his attention from Donovan to the rest of the room. The problem of course, was that the room was so dark he couldn't actually see anything. For all he knew he was in a medieval torture chamber with a very comfortable bed. Despite the fact that he trusted Donovan at least a little, the thought was unsettling.
"It's um... it's very dark in here."
"Yes, I thought it might help your headache."
"Which don't get me wrong, is very appreciated but it's a little strange to be in a room you've never been in before and not be able to see what's around you. I don't mean to sound ungrateful or anything."
"No Key, you don't sound ungrateful. You do worry too much though."
Key could hear Donovan standing up and through the darkness he could just barely see the outline of his body as he moved across the room. As where Key would fumble through the dark even in the most familiar of places, Donovan didn't seem to have that issue, making it nearly impossible to try and figure out where he was or what he was doing. Again, it was unsettling. Key was trying to think of a subtle way of asking his host where he'd disappeared to in the past ten seconds when a dim light clicked on a few feet away.
"Here you go," Donovan said as he returned to his seat, which Key could now tell was a deep red and very plush looking armchair. "I'm not a big fan of bright lights so you don't have to worry about that."
"Oh, thank you. I wasn't worried though." Not about the quality of light anyway.
Donovan smiled and shifted in his chair, tucking his legs underneath him in a way that would have Leo throwing fits if they had been downstairs. "Really? You seemed concerned, though you are in completely unfamiliar surroundings so I can't say I blame you. You were able to give me the grand tour of your home, it's hardly fair that you be expected to literally remain in the dark about mine."
Key looked around the room, taking in his surroundings. He wasn't sure what he thought Donovan's room would look like, but he didn't expect it to be quite so big with quite so many bookshelves and paintings. There were also more candles than he had ever seen in one place before, and Key thought they had to look amazing when lit. Besides the chair and the bed, which was very large and elaborate with bedding the same deep red color as the chair, there was a dark wood armoire and an entertainment center that he assumed held a television behind closed wooden doors. No matter how nice Donovan’s room was he couldn’t imagine that there wasn’t a television or stereo or some sort of electronics hidden behind the artistic exterior.
"Does it live up to your standards?" Donovan asked, a teasing tone at the edge of his voice.
"It's gorgeous. I guess I thought you'd have a room that was a little more... I don't know..."
"Adolescent? Covered in posters of half naked women?"
"I didn't say that. But maybe something along those lines." Key's cheeks flushed pink and he turned his eyes down towards his lap. As it turned out, the pattern of the bedding was really nice. "I don't think you're a kid or anything, this just looks so... fancy."
"Wait till you see the rest of the house. For what Leo lacks in social skills he makes up for in good taste. He decorated the house himself, my room included. I've added my own touches of course, but the majority of it is his doing."
Key wanted to ask how on earth the brothers afforded it, but he bit his tongue. "How long have you two been living here?"
"A few years." Donovan watched Key fidget, making a mental note of the little things he did whenever he was nervous. No matter how adorable he found it, the fact that Key was obviously nervous was something that needed to be remedied. "What's on your mind?"
"Hmm?" Key looked up at his host. "What do you mean?"
"Come on, I'd like to think you've realized I'm not completely blind. Whatever's making you nervous, you don't have to be afraid to tell me. I'm not creeping you out or anything am I?"
Key blinked before he began to laugh. "No, no it's nothing like that. I guess I just... I find it a little weird that you two live alone in this house with what I assume is really nice stuff when you're both my age."
"Ah yes, that. Well that's simple really. We've always had a fairly well off family, and we were our parents' only children."
"So your parents are..."
"Yeah, they died a while ago. It's alright, we've had plenty of time to adjust. You're not dredging up any horrible memories or anything, if that's what you're concerned about."
The corner of Key's mouth tugged upward slightly. "How do you keep doing that? You seem to know every time I worry about anything."
"I'm just that good... or you're just that easy. Either way, you don't need to worry. I'm a difficult guy to upset Key, you don't have to walk on eggshells around me." Donovan leaned forward in his seat. "Go ahead, ask me anything you want."
"Uh... that's okay... I really don't have anything," Key said, alternating between looking at his hands and looking at his host. "You answered everything I wanted to know already."
"Well then I'll have to be more interesting so you'll want to know more."
"Oh, I don't think you have to worry about that. You're plenty interesting enough already."
Donovan grinned broadly. "Flattery will get you absolutely everywhere, don't you know that?" While Key was trying to think of a response Donovan hopped up out of his chair. "Feeling well enough to take a tour of the house? You might as well get to see where you're staying tonight."
"What? I should be getting-"
"Home? Nope, you're far too hung over, you're staying here tonight. I've even got a guest room. I suppose I could have put you in there to begin with, but that wouldn't have been nearly as dramatic now would it?"
Suddenly the calm, quiet and almost soothing Donovan was gone, and he was back to the charming narcissist with an endless supply of energy. At least Key's headache had ebbed a little. He sighed softly, and looked at Donovan's smiling face.
"No, I guess it wouldn't have."