Contest #9--"The Hopping Terror"
==OK, deadline extension at the last minute, but it's already done, so why wait? =) I am shamelessly proud of this: two days ago it was 1500 words and looked as though it would never, ever be prunable. I'm in even greater awe of people like thenakedcat [and arielthetempest ;)] who excel so consistently at the supershort form.
Title: "The Hopping Terror"
Contest #9, "Bump in the Night"
Rating: T for discreet yaoi
Pairing: Tamaki/Kyouya
Summary: The twins resolve to spy on the Host Club Kings at their rendezvous after the Hallowe'en party.(===Only 898 words! I did it! =)
Two vampires in gorgeous French brocade and lace slipped out of the third music room, silently closing the door. (The fabrics were real, and their boots alone had cost more than Spider-Man masks for the whole state of Kansas. When the Host Club did Halloween, they did it right.)
"You do know they'll probably follow us?"
"Spying on their lord?!" --sky-blue eyes wide with dismay.
"They've always wanted to catch us together. And you did personally wake them for their costume fittings this morning."
"I don’t know why they’re so upset about that," sighed 'Lestat'. "They were late. And it's not as if we didn’t know they still sleep in the same bed."
'Louis' adjusted his glasses. "I gather that when you walked in, they weren't exactly...sleeping."
"Ah--well, there is that..."
"At any rate--" Kyouya/Louis glanced back--"they don't know where the forgotten room is. So we have time."
Tamaki/Lestat smiled at him, quite outglowing the candles. "Then we shouldn't waste it."
They vanished down the hall toward the first music room.
==================
The sound of their footsteps was gone before two shadows in red cloaks peered around the far corner.
"They don't know we're here."
"We'll get them this time…"
Matched set of fanged, evil grins. Everyone suspected that the King and Shadow King had a secret rendezvous somewhere, but even the twins' best surveillance had turned up no clue to its locale. (To be expected, when one of the people surveilled was Ootori Kyouya.) But this time, they'd been unwise enough to leave together…
"Don't get too far behind or we'll lose --what was that?!"
A thump. One soft, heavy thump.
They froze against the wall.
"--is that Mori?" The tallest Host had chosen Count Orlok of "Nosferatu"--all vampires, this year--and his medieval costume did have big, heavy boots--
Another thump, closer. Much too slow for footsteps.
The twins ran.
===============
The forgotten costume room had been discovered last spring. It ran along the back wall of the first and second music rooms, and shared a wall but no door with the third. The quickest way in was the hardest to find: the door from the first music room into the second was cat-cornered to the door into the forgotten room, half-hidden behind a grand piano. It was a long, dim, dusty paradise of old fabric, stage props, mirrors, curtains, and--for what reason no one could guess--wonderful, deep, velvet sofas.
As they sank into the nearest one, from somewhere inside the wall, a sibilant voice…
"Shadow king...one night you will come to me..."
"--Tamaki? Do you hear that?"
Glanced up from lighting a candle. "Hear what?"
"Don't deny it. There's darkness and rage in your heart. The hour will come when that sunlight boy can't give what you need, and I will be here, waiting."
Slight, quiet smile. Go back to your spells, Nekozawa. You don't know me at all.
Kyouya laid his head against the sunlight boy's shoulder; sun-warm fingers turned him close for a kiss, stroked down his chest.
"…just the wind," he murmured.
======================
The twins ducked into the second music room, panting. The hall candles were burning low and the room was deep in dusk.
Kaoru shot a fast glance around, straining to see. "They aren't in here."
Thump. Thump. It was coming down the corridor, faster. Hikaru shuddered.
"Is there a way to the next room without going back--out there?"
"I've never even been in here--let's see--"
From under his deep-scarlet cloak (they were cosplaying Children of Judas, a Balkan vampire clan, and had even henna'ed their hair for the proper effect) Kaoru produced a flashlight.
"There's a door--"
Hikaru peered around as they passed into the first music room. "There're a lot of doors."
"Where should we--"
THUMP. Simultaneously, with a swish through the air, the first horror landed in the room behind them--
--and something huge, a towering shadow, bore down on them from the left. A candle-beam from the hall caught a gaunt, skull-like face, sunken eyes--
The twins squalled in terror and dove past the piano through the door straight ahead.
And stood transfixed by the unforgettable sight of the Shadow King in ecstasy, head back, spine arched, fingers pushing back the luxuriant wig to clench in Tamaki's own golden hair, as the Sun King knelt at his feet.
They were so dazzled they quite forgot two unspeakable monsters were closing in on them--
--until a long, black arm collared them and dragged them back out of the room--
--leaving a small Chinese Hopping Vampire, in mandarin robes and satin slippers, staring wide-eyed at the sight on the sofa.
"ahh, Tama-chan--Kyou-chan--" *gulp* --"gomen nasai!"
--and gone, with one extra-long hop. Thump.
=========================
"I thought you might do this." 'Count Orlok' glowered down on them, stern grey eyes familiar through the cadaverous, rat-fanged makeup.
"You look really scary," admitted Hikaru grudgingly. "You had us fooled."
"I guess that's what we get for showing up late to the costume fitting."
Hikaru's satisfied grin was positively catlike. "That's not all we got."
============
"We’ll have to find a new rendezvous spot. Such a pity." He stroked the sleek, dark hair.
"There are more hidden rooms." Eyes closed against Tamaki's black-velvet shoulder.
...can't give me what I need? You have no idea.
Title: "The Hopping Terror"
Contest #9, "Bump in the Night"
Rating: T for discreet yaoi
Pairing: Tamaki/Kyouya
Summary: The twins resolve to spy on the Host Club Kings at their rendezvous after the Hallowe'en party.(===Only 898 words! I did it! =)
Two vampires in gorgeous French brocade and lace slipped out of the third music room, silently closing the door. (The fabrics were real, and their boots alone had cost more than Spider-Man masks for the whole state of Kansas. When the Host Club did Halloween, they did it right.)
"You do know they'll probably follow us?"
"Spying on their lord?!" --sky-blue eyes wide with dismay.
"They've always wanted to catch us together. And you did personally wake them for their costume fittings this morning."
"I don’t know why they’re so upset about that," sighed 'Lestat'. "They were late. And it's not as if we didn’t know they still sleep in the same bed."
'Louis' adjusted his glasses. "I gather that when you walked in, they weren't exactly...sleeping."
"Ah--well, there is that..."
"At any rate--" Kyouya/Louis glanced back--"they don't know where the forgotten room is. So we have time."
Tamaki/Lestat smiled at him, quite outglowing the candles. "Then we shouldn't waste it."
They vanished down the hall toward the first music room.
==================
The sound of their footsteps was gone before two shadows in red cloaks peered around the far corner.
"They don't know we're here."
"We'll get them this time…"
Matched set of fanged, evil grins. Everyone suspected that the King and Shadow King had a secret rendezvous somewhere, but even the twins' best surveillance had turned up no clue to its locale. (To be expected, when one of the people surveilled was Ootori Kyouya.) But this time, they'd been unwise enough to leave together…
"Don't get too far behind or we'll lose --what was that?!"
A thump. One soft, heavy thump.
They froze against the wall.
"--is that Mori?" The tallest Host had chosen Count Orlok of "Nosferatu"--all vampires, this year--and his medieval costume did have big, heavy boots--
Another thump, closer. Much too slow for footsteps.
The twins ran.
===============
The forgotten costume room had been discovered last spring. It ran along the back wall of the first and second music rooms, and shared a wall but no door with the third. The quickest way in was the hardest to find: the door from the first music room into the second was cat-cornered to the door into the forgotten room, half-hidden behind a grand piano. It was a long, dim, dusty paradise of old fabric, stage props, mirrors, curtains, and--for what reason no one could guess--wonderful, deep, velvet sofas.
As they sank into the nearest one, from somewhere inside the wall, a sibilant voice…
"Shadow king...one night you will come to me..."
"--Tamaki? Do you hear that?"
Glanced up from lighting a candle. "Hear what?"
"Don't deny it. There's darkness and rage in your heart. The hour will come when that sunlight boy can't give what you need, and I will be here, waiting."
Slight, quiet smile. Go back to your spells, Nekozawa. You don't know me at all.
Kyouya laid his head against the sunlight boy's shoulder; sun-warm fingers turned him close for a kiss, stroked down his chest.
"…just the wind," he murmured.
======================
The twins ducked into the second music room, panting. The hall candles were burning low and the room was deep in dusk.
Kaoru shot a fast glance around, straining to see. "They aren't in here."
Thump. Thump. It was coming down the corridor, faster. Hikaru shuddered.
"Is there a way to the next room without going back--out there?"
"I've never even been in here--let's see--"
From under his deep-scarlet cloak (they were cosplaying Children of Judas, a Balkan vampire clan, and had even henna'ed their hair for the proper effect) Kaoru produced a flashlight.
"There's a door--"
Hikaru peered around as they passed into the first music room. "There're a lot of doors."
"Where should we--"
THUMP. Simultaneously, with a swish through the air, the first horror landed in the room behind them--
--and something huge, a towering shadow, bore down on them from the left. A candle-beam from the hall caught a gaunt, skull-like face, sunken eyes--
The twins squalled in terror and dove past the piano through the door straight ahead.
And stood transfixed by the unforgettable sight of the Shadow King in ecstasy, head back, spine arched, fingers pushing back the luxuriant wig to clench in Tamaki's own golden hair, as the Sun King knelt at his feet.
They were so dazzled they quite forgot two unspeakable monsters were closing in on them--
--until a long, black arm collared them and dragged them back out of the room--
--leaving a small Chinese Hopping Vampire, in mandarin robes and satin slippers, staring wide-eyed at the sight on the sofa.
"ahh, Tama-chan--Kyou-chan--" *gulp* --"gomen nasai!"
--and gone, with one extra-long hop. Thump.
=========================
"I thought you might do this." 'Count Orlok' glowered down on them, stern grey eyes familiar through the cadaverous, rat-fanged makeup.
"You look really scary," admitted Hikaru grudgingly. "You had us fooled."
"I guess that's what we get for showing up late to the costume fitting."
Hikaru's satisfied grin was positively catlike. "That's not all we got."
============
"We’ll have to find a new rendezvous spot. Such a pity." He stroked the sleek, dark hair.
"There are more hidden rooms." Eyes closed against Tamaki's black-velvet shoulder.
...can't give me what I need? You have no idea.