Log: Kisarazu Ryou, Hirakoba Rin
Who: Kisarazu Ryou, Hirakoba Rin
Where: By a pond on campus grounds
When: Night of May 23rd
What: Some rather serious talking, actually
Warnings: Ryou being Ryou, and Rin being Rin
Rating: PG
Comments:
Rin was uncharacteristically silent and still as he sat by the pond that Ryou had shown him. In as much turmoil as he was at that moment, he had instinctively sought out a body of water, any body of water. True, it wasn’t the crashing ocean waves or salt spray that he was so accustomed to, but there was a certain smell in the air reminiscent of the tidal pools, enough that Rin could close his eyes and almost pretend.
Kai’s coming had sent Rin into a deep shock, one that he wasn’t sure he could get through on his own. Hence his reaching out to the one person that, no matter how mysterious he was, had managed to get past any of Rin’s walls to see the person he was underneath.
Kisarazu Ryou knew something his brooding friend did not-there was a cure for everything and it came in a cup of all things. Between pale hands rested a Styrofoam cup from the top of which a billowing puff of steam would rise every so often. He stood yards away from the lake, hidden amongst the trees and foliage while he watched the blonde sitting by the water shimmering beneath the moonlight.
He did not know what was wrong or why Rin was so off kilter, but he did know that there wasn't anything his miracle cure could not ease for a span of time. Moving in silence, his steps casual and precise, he made his way to the other vampire's side.
"Here," he murmured softly, crouching down to take up a position beside the blonde. "You look like you could use this." He held the cup of cocoa out to Rin much like an offered sacrifice. Piping hot and filled with fluffy white marshmallows that would not continue to be so fluffy for long with how they were melting, the cure all had been stealthily procured with a charming smile to an elderly custodian whose day had been made that much brighter from having the attention of a seemingly caring and concerned young man. He had inquired about her health, fussed over her having to stay so late to clean up the lunchroom and kitchen as her coworker had rushed home to deal with a family emergency, offered to help, and in doing so charmed his way right into one of the largest, best smelling cup of hot cocoa he'd ever run across.
“I’m sure I can” Rin’s fingers wrapped around the cup, casting a grateful smile at the ebony-haired vampire crouching next to him. He inhaled the aroma of chocolate appreciatively, his fingers wrapping around the cup and absorbing the warmth, warmth that he was currently lacking. “It feels like home,” he murmured softly, taking a sip. It did, the liquid warmth sliding down his throat almost feeling like the air of a summer night wrapping around his body. Imagery that was bringing back images Rin did not want to deal with, so he put them aside and simply focused on the chocolate and the moonlight on the water.
“Ryou.” Rin’s voice was soft, lacking the laughter and casualness that it usually held. “What do you do when the past comes back to haunt you? No.” He shook his head. “That’s not quite right. What do you do when you know you can’t be anyone other than who you are, no matter what?”
He stared down at the cup, studying the melting marshmallows. “What do you do when the game plays you, rather than the other way around?”
"Embrace who you are and teach others to do the same, as for the game…" he slid a glance toward the blonde from the corner of his eye, taking a moment to note the changes Rin's still unknown as of yet problem had wrought.
"Make it yours again." He heaved a sigh, dropping backwards to fall to the grass covered ground, relishing the tumble as the sky swayed above him. "The problem with games is that sometimes we over analyze and pay too much attention to the rules, instead of simply enjoying the play itself."
Rin was quiet for a minute, taking that in. “I didn’t always use to be this way,” he said finally. “I learned to become this…this mask, shell, whatever you want to call it. It’s far too easy to play the fool when it’s what everyone expects.” He expression darkened a little. “I stopped caring about the rules that divide the classes when it became clear that, no matter what, I could never be good enough. I made it my own game, to treat as I was treated.”
“And now it’s coming back to haunt me.” Rin kicked off his shoes so he could dip his feet into the cool water. “My new roommate…he was a friend once. Now he’s my keeper, sent to make sure I’m not a bad little vampire here, too.” He smirked a bit at that. “I don’t think Kai can understand…I can’t be the old me he wants.”
"Rin," Ryou rolled his eyes mentally at the vampire by his side. It wasn't that he was taking his problems lightly, but that he did not know it was possible for a creature to live to be his age without realizing one very fundamental truth.
"We are never who we were yesterday and we won't be who we will be tomorrow the day after it. We're always changing and growing, and perhaps this old friend just needs to be shown the good in you now." Pushing himself up off the ground, he reached for a lock of silky blonde giving a soft tug. "Besides, I think you are more of your old self beneath this persona you don than you are willing to admit, and maybe he'll see it soon enough too, and accept that it is there without trying to force it out."
“So we’re always changing.” Rin was wise enough to see the truth in that. “Be that as it may…I wonder sometimes if I’m just too different, now. I’m not the kid who ran by Kaikins’ side and didn’t have a care in the world.”
He laughed, tossing his hair. “Kikins and RinRin. We were a pair…and then things changed.” Rin looked at Ryou. You’re the same rank as him…you probably know what his life started becoming. I couldn’t follow him there, and I was knocked down for trying. I don’t think he even knows. All he knows is that one day I was his friend, the next I was telling him to get the hell away from me.”
Rin sighed, then sat up straighter, trying to wrap his usual airs around him, like a cloak. “And now he is my keeper. I keep waiting for him to break out a pretty little collar and leash when he’s picking out my clothes and checking my homework, the silly boy.”
"There's nothing wrong with a collar and lead," Ryou answered with a mischievous grin. "They have a time and place, too."
His playfulness did not last for long, before he grew serious again. "Did you need to follow him so much as wait for him to return, or was he not worth that, Rin?"
“He was worth so much more. I was the one not worth that.” Rin closed his eyes, trying to think of a way to put years of justification into words. “I just have no idea what to do now. He’s pushing all of my buttons, and they’re the wrong ones. He expects me to be who I was one moment, then turns around and treats me like the fuck up I am the next!”
Rin stood abruptly, pacing for a moment, before coming back to his starting point. “I’m confused,” he admitted finally.
"You're an idiot, Hirakoba," Ryou suddenly announced with all seriousness, pushing himself up to reach for an unfettered wrist when his friend paced the length of the ground in front of him. He gave that wrist a tug in the hopes of pulling Rin down to him, his gaze narrowing on the blonde. "What right do you have to decide whether or not you're worth it to him?"
He took a breath and counted to ten, allowing an image of his brother to dance through his mind to calm him. "That should be his choice; not yours, and if he's displaying tendencies of approaching both who you were and who you are then have you stopped to think that perhaps he's already accepted both on some levels?"
Well, Rin, admitted to himself, he had wanted honesty, and Ryou was giving that to him in spades. He let Ryou tug him back to the ground again. “At the time, I thought I had every right,” he said slowly. “I was getting beatings for trying to follow him, and so I made the decision that I wasn’t worth his time, and I should stop before we could both get hurt, not just me.” Rin chewed on his lower lip, careful to not let a fang pierce the flesh. “It appears that plan failed utterly.”
He flopped onto his back with none of his usual grace, staring at the sky. “I’m not sure he has,” Rin said slowly. He’s seen me at worst, seen me here…and he wants his old RinRin back. If that’s the case, Kai’s living in the past because I just can’t be him.” A soft groan left parted lips. “I’m not sure if he sees who I am now, besides someone who’s inadvertently uprooted his life. He didn’t want to come here; he was made to.”
"Your problem is you tried to follow him in a manner that drew attention to you," Ryou muttered, nose wrinkling over the idea that Rin was dense. "You know, you get deeper into enemy territory not by bombarding the front gate but by sneaking through their reinforcements."
"And if he doesn't want to be here with you then tell him to go the fuck home, that you don't need him hanging around. And if he says they won't allow him to retreat with his tail between his legs then tell him to stay the fuck away from you period that you do not need him as a babysitter. You're big boy; you can take care of yourself."
"Either way, he'll have to face reality sooner or later and so will you… if you can't go back then you can only go forward, and you need stop beating yourself to death over his inability to accept the way your lives panned out."
Boy, he really had little sympathy for anyone that clung to the old when the new was right there within reach and yours to own, if you were brave enough to reach for it.
“I was eight years old.” Rin rolled his eyes. “You can’t tell an eight year old to be subtle.” He chuckled. “Not like you could call me subtle now, anyway,” he added with a wink, a bit of his teasing coming back to him. Somehow, Ryou’s verbal two by four upside the head was helping Rin more than he could say.
“You’re right, though,” he murmured, laying back on the grass. “And truly, I have no desire to go backwards. I want to keep looking ahead. Kai always did have the talent of throwing me for a loop.” Rin closed his eyes. “I’m not going to change myself for him, or for anyone. If he can’t accept who I’ve become…than I have to move on, right?”
"Precisely, and if you aren't ready to let him go and move on then you're back to what I said before… make the game yours again." Ryou joined Rin in his laziness, flopping back to rest on the grass with arms crossing beneath his head as his chosen pillow.
"If he knocked you for a loop then don't you think it's high time you returned the favor? You should know him better than most others and know which methods would be best to send him reeling."
Rin smirked, thinking of several things he had done to get under Kai’s skin in the past. “I’ve been looking at this the wrong way,” he said slowly. “I’ve been seeing this as a punishment, or torture. Really, it’s just another game, only for much different stakes this time~!” He pondered briefly just how batty he could drive Kai if he put all of his talents to it. “And if he can handle me…all of me….”
Ryou laughed, closing his eyes against the beauty of the nighttime sky. "Now you're getting there." He told his friend. "And I think my work here is done."
“A true miracle worker you are, my dear merman~! I shall fall at your feet and worship you, I shall precede you through the streets, singing your praises for all to hear!” Rin’s good humor was rapidly returning with that weight off his mind and heart. “Or, I’ll even let you go back to your previously scheduled mayhem,” he added with a wink.
Ryou laughed. The merry sound rang out in the darkness without restraint. "Thank you kind sir, but I think I'll stay right here and have myself a little nap." Twisting onto his side with one hand falling flat against the ground to steady him while his other arm snaked beneath his head to cradle it, he cast Rin a glance to take in the sight of the newly relieved vampire.
"Though, if you have plans forming on how to cause your own brand of chaos, don't let me stop you."
“Oh, I should take a night off to plot, don’t you think?” Rin waved a had dismissively. “One cannot cause superior chaos just on a whim, you know. For the best effect, one has to take the proper steps carefully.” He smirked. “Plus, I think I can do with watching him for a couple more days. It’s possible he may have changed, too, and if he has new buttons to push…so much the better for me~!”
Rin reached over and began winding a lock of Ryou’s hair around his finger. “You just take a little nap. I even promise that you will not wake up to find your hair full of sparkly purple bows.” Mainly because Rin hadn’t brought any ribbon down with him, but Ryou didn’t need to know that.
"Start putting sparkly purple bows into my hair and you'll rue your audacity, Hirakoba." Ryou promised direly, though it was, indeed, a struggle to keep his laughter silent.
“Mmmm…you may have a point.” With an innocent grin, Rin tugged on the lock of hair he was playing with. “You are more the big bouncy curls type. With pink barrettes, I think….” He tilted his head to the side. “Perhaps some lip stain, some mascara, eye shadow….”
Ryou snorted softly. "As much as you may enjoy the idea of dressing me like a girl, you may forget it." No way in hell was anyone getting him dressed like a female without a fight.
Rin chuckled. “I enjoy the idea of anyone dressed as a girl, especially the ones who can carry the look.” He fluffed up his hair. “You have no idea how many men I made absolute fools of with the right pair of heels.” He wasn’t particularly embarrassed by admitting that; after all, Rin was more than willing to use any tool at his disposal in order to make people squirm.
"I won't be one of them unless you're offering one hell of a reward or reason for it." Ryou answered, sticking his tongue out and giving it a playful wriggle.
Rin reached over and poked Ryou’s tongue. “You mean, like for a school play so you can swoon over big, dumb, and handsome?” he asked with a wink.
Ryou grinned around the finger that suddenly found itself trapped in his mouth, head moving swiftly when it poked at his tongue and mouth snapping closed over the slender digit.
Purse his lips, he swirled his tongue over that finger, his eyes alive with laughter as he hummed out a "Uh-huh."
Rin’s eyes widened a little, but he went with the new position he found himself in, wriggling his finger inside Ryou’s mouth. “Why you naughty boy!” he exclaimed, a light in his eyes. “Someone might think that were…trying to start something~!”
He was enjoying this teasing with someone who could not only take it, but give it back with the best of them. It was a refreshing change of pace from being surrounded by seriousness.
Ryou pulled away, tongue dragging teasingly along Rin's finger as he did to prolong the sensation as long as he could, until his lips slipped free of the digit. "And who said they'd be wrong?" he asked with a grin and a sassy wink for the vampire he teased.
“Well, first I’d want to know just why we have an audience judging such things,” Rin responded with a grin, tapping Ryou’s nose playfully. “I mean, I am up for many things, though I would like to know if I have to bring on my top game for the scorecards.”
"Not into being the subject matter for voyeurs to get off over, I take it?" he sassily asked with an amused grin, head tilting back and teeth nipping at the tip of Rin's finger playfully.
“It really depends on the voyeur, you know.” Rin winked playfully at Ryou. “A carefully selected audience can be a very amusing thing, actually. Just anyone watching….” He shuddered. “No quality control at all there~!”
"I don't know. There's something to be said for shocking an unsuspecting witness into being frozen in place out of morbid fascination." Ryou countered with a wicked curl of his lips.
Rin laughed. “Something tells me you are speaking from pure experience there.” He arched backwards, stretching a kink out of his back. “Not that I’ve tried one way or another…no, wait.” He bit his lip. “That was rather public, wasn’t it?” he mused, clearly thinking back on something. “Though there wasn’t anyone shocked, so I guess it doesn’t count.”
"I'm always speaking from experience and you shouldn't do that in front of me… it only encourages me to think thoughts of turning you into my pillow." Ryou answered as he watched the leisurely stretch taking place.
Shrugging, Rin said, “It wouldn’t bother me much if you did use me a pillow, merman dear.” He winked. Especially since I plan on catching a nap, anyway, and if you desire to do the same, well, anything to keep the grass out of your crowning glory~!”
"Naps might possibly be the greatest things in the world after Atsushi, sex, and chocolate." Ryou countered with a grin, shifting until he was on his hands and knees crawling his way toward Rin. His hand rose as he drew near the other vampire to press lightly against the chest that would soon become a place to lay his head.
“Mmmm?” Rin followed the urging of that hand, laying back and crossing his arms under his head to form his own pillow. “I just may have to disagree the slightest bit on your list, there,” he commented with a grin. “I would say, the ocean, chocolate, and…oh, fugu, for my greatest things in the world.” Rin winked playfully. “Since I haven’t had your darling Atsushi for comparison.”
"To each his own, Hirakoba." He laughingly said, wriggling his way down by Rin's side, head crowned in raven nestling atop the chest he claimed as his pillow right then. Nestling his ear above the other vampire's heart, Ryou tucked an arm around the slender waist he used to shackle Rin with and closed his eyes.
Rin shifted so he could run a hand through Ryou’s silky hair, petting the dark strands. “We all have our little quirks,” he murmured, his eyes closing. Fretting just took so much out of person, after all~!
"Some of us more than others," he answered, head shifting toward the hand stroking his hair. Sometimes, he could be so easy especially when his hair was being tended to in any manner, Ryou thought with a great deal of amusement at himself, especially when a soft sound escaped his lips giving voice to the enjoyment he derived from the simple petting.
“I am one big quirk…or was that jerk? I mix the two up….” Rin pretended to think about it, then laughed. “Not that it matters either way.” He was quiet for a minute, thinking, then looked down at the dark head he was still petting. “Ryou? Is there anyone you would rather I not try and torture?” His lips quirked up in a half-smile. “Mutual respect and all.”
"Mhm, my brother, Shinji, and possibly Saeki" Ryou sleepily answered, eyelids feeling heavier and heavier with each stroke of that hand over his hair. "They're mine," he explained with a yawn and a shift of his body to snuggle even closer to the one by his side.
"Though, I'm sure the latter can handle his own affairs without my assistance."
Rin thought about that. “I understand why your brother is yours, but why the other two?” He considered. “I’ve heard from my Kitten that Saeki messes with anyone, and…oh.” He smiled. “The other’s your meal ticket, isn’t he?”
"Which is exactly why he's the perfect toy for Atsushi and I, and, no, he's more than just a meal ticket." Ryou wasn't going to explain that with Saeki he had nothing to worry about when it came to the possibility of a theft occurring in which his twin could be stolen from him, nor was he going to point out that with choosing a feeder also came the forming of some sort of bond. Maybe he wasn't to the point of out right calling Shinji his friend or his dedicated feeder, but he would protect the human as much as he could.
“Toys are very fun to have,” Rin said, looking at Ryou curiously, then shrugging and laying back again. He decided he’d have to look into who these other two were, exactly, if they managed to have the other vampire speaking out for them. And if he tested his knowledge by testing them a little, too…well, there was a lot he could do without actually driving them insane.
“I think I may like my new toy.”
"Mhmm, they are." Ryou agreed, voice lowering even more than before. The fact that he trusted Rin enough to curl up beside him and fall into a light slumber of any sort of slumber at all spoke volumes about his faith in the creature he was slowly falling asleep on. Not that he expected Rin to know this, but still the truth was the truth.
"Your watch dog? Or have you found another toy to play with as well?"
“My watch dog of course.” Rin wound a strand of Ryou’s hair around his finger. “Who better to play with than someone who has no choice to be my captive audience?” He wondered if Kai would beg to be sent back home, then dismissed the thought. Kai never begged. “Though, I do have a kitten to play with if the mood strikes…and there is you, too.” Not that Rin planned on playing with Ryou, not to that degree, anyway. He actually respected the vampire currently using him as a pillow, and for Rin, that was a rare and precious thing.
Ryou laughed softly, the sleepy sound barely audible. "Aa, well I'm not sure I'd object to being played with." He said with a nuzzle of cheek over warm chest. He was far too comfortable in his spot and even contemplating the snaking of a leg over Rin's. Atsushi did often liken him to a clinging vine just because he had a habit of using arms and legs to latch onto his napping partners.
“Depends on the type of playing. Certain playing I reserve for certain people.” For instance Rin was certainly not going to try to annoy Ryou into an early grave anytime soon. “And I think of you more as a playmate, than a plaything. It’s a very important distinction, you know.”
"I know," Ryou answered, shifting his head and pushing up just far enough that he could look into eyes that could be so deceptive with the masks that Rin chose to wear to hide himself from others. "And I'm happy that you've chosen to see me as a playmate." He said with a small sleepy smile, brushing a quick and fleeting kiss over the lips he sought with the dipping of his head.
"Equally happy that you agreed to be my pillow right now." He said as he pulled away and snuggled back down into the most comfortable position he could find. "Speaking of which, I hope you'll forgive me, if I doze off while we talk."
Rin chuckled at the light kiss, letting his fingers drift over Ryou’s lips before tangling back in the mass of ebony hair that crowned his friend’s head. He was never one to turn down casual affection; in fact, he embraced it. “I wouldn’t want to be a pillow for anyone else right now,” he said truthfully, for as of that moment, there was no one else Rin could say he trusted enough to let that close.
“Only if you’ll forgive me for doing the same,” Rin murmured softly. “Petting you is as relaxing as petting a cat~” Only more so, since no cat’s fur had ever felt as nice under his fingers as Ryou’s silky locks did.
"Good, because I don't think I can stay awake much longer." He said with a light laugh, nuzzling a cheek over a toned chest. His amusement did not die as Rin likened him to a cat, choosing to give voice to it with a small "Meow." With the next passing of hand over his hair.
He wasn't averse to the likening to a cat and found it rather amusing. Nearly as much so as the one that linked him to mermen.
“You are an amazing one, Kisarazu Ryou.” Rin smiled at the meow, massaging Ryou’s scalp gently, alternating that touch with the soft petting. “And I am sure your worshippers tell you that daily, but now you can hear it from someone who doesn’t worship you, but likes you.”
Rin’s eyes were closing as he spoke, his entire body relaxing and his mind finally, finally quieting.
Ryou wanted to tell Rin that of course he was amazing but right then it felt like talking took too much effort, so instead he settled on retorting with a soft hum of sound closely resembling a purr just seconds before giving up his hold on reality and letting the need to close his eyes to sleep finally pull him under.
Where: By a pond on campus grounds
When: Night of May 23rd
What: Some rather serious talking, actually
Warnings: Ryou being Ryou, and Rin being Rin
Rating: PG
Comments:
Rin was uncharacteristically silent and still as he sat by the pond that Ryou had shown him. In as much turmoil as he was at that moment, he had instinctively sought out a body of water, any body of water. True, it wasn’t the crashing ocean waves or salt spray that he was so accustomed to, but there was a certain smell in the air reminiscent of the tidal pools, enough that Rin could close his eyes and almost pretend.
Kai’s coming had sent Rin into a deep shock, one that he wasn’t sure he could get through on his own. Hence his reaching out to the one person that, no matter how mysterious he was, had managed to get past any of Rin’s walls to see the person he was underneath.
Kisarazu Ryou knew something his brooding friend did not-there was a cure for everything and it came in a cup of all things. Between pale hands rested a Styrofoam cup from the top of which a billowing puff of steam would rise every so often. He stood yards away from the lake, hidden amongst the trees and foliage while he watched the blonde sitting by the water shimmering beneath the moonlight.
He did not know what was wrong or why Rin was so off kilter, but he did know that there wasn't anything his miracle cure could not ease for a span of time. Moving in silence, his steps casual and precise, he made his way to the other vampire's side.
"Here," he murmured softly, crouching down to take up a position beside the blonde. "You look like you could use this." He held the cup of cocoa out to Rin much like an offered sacrifice. Piping hot and filled with fluffy white marshmallows that would not continue to be so fluffy for long with how they were melting, the cure all had been stealthily procured with a charming smile to an elderly custodian whose day had been made that much brighter from having the attention of a seemingly caring and concerned young man. He had inquired about her health, fussed over her having to stay so late to clean up the lunchroom and kitchen as her coworker had rushed home to deal with a family emergency, offered to help, and in doing so charmed his way right into one of the largest, best smelling cup of hot cocoa he'd ever run across.
“I’m sure I can” Rin’s fingers wrapped around the cup, casting a grateful smile at the ebony-haired vampire crouching next to him. He inhaled the aroma of chocolate appreciatively, his fingers wrapping around the cup and absorbing the warmth, warmth that he was currently lacking. “It feels like home,” he murmured softly, taking a sip. It did, the liquid warmth sliding down his throat almost feeling like the air of a summer night wrapping around his body. Imagery that was bringing back images Rin did not want to deal with, so he put them aside and simply focused on the chocolate and the moonlight on the water.
“Ryou.” Rin’s voice was soft, lacking the laughter and casualness that it usually held. “What do you do when the past comes back to haunt you? No.” He shook his head. “That’s not quite right. What do you do when you know you can’t be anyone other than who you are, no matter what?”
He stared down at the cup, studying the melting marshmallows. “What do you do when the game plays you, rather than the other way around?”
"Embrace who you are and teach others to do the same, as for the game…" he slid a glance toward the blonde from the corner of his eye, taking a moment to note the changes Rin's still unknown as of yet problem had wrought.
"Make it yours again." He heaved a sigh, dropping backwards to fall to the grass covered ground, relishing the tumble as the sky swayed above him. "The problem with games is that sometimes we over analyze and pay too much attention to the rules, instead of simply enjoying the play itself."
Rin was quiet for a minute, taking that in. “I didn’t always use to be this way,” he said finally. “I learned to become this…this mask, shell, whatever you want to call it. It’s far too easy to play the fool when it’s what everyone expects.” He expression darkened a little. “I stopped caring about the rules that divide the classes when it became clear that, no matter what, I could never be good enough. I made it my own game, to treat as I was treated.”
“And now it’s coming back to haunt me.” Rin kicked off his shoes so he could dip his feet into the cool water. “My new roommate…he was a friend once. Now he’s my keeper, sent to make sure I’m not a bad little vampire here, too.” He smirked a bit at that. “I don’t think Kai can understand…I can’t be the old me he wants.”
"Rin," Ryou rolled his eyes mentally at the vampire by his side. It wasn't that he was taking his problems lightly, but that he did not know it was possible for a creature to live to be his age without realizing one very fundamental truth.
"We are never who we were yesterday and we won't be who we will be tomorrow the day after it. We're always changing and growing, and perhaps this old friend just needs to be shown the good in you now." Pushing himself up off the ground, he reached for a lock of silky blonde giving a soft tug. "Besides, I think you are more of your old self beneath this persona you don than you are willing to admit, and maybe he'll see it soon enough too, and accept that it is there without trying to force it out."
“So we’re always changing.” Rin was wise enough to see the truth in that. “Be that as it may…I wonder sometimes if I’m just too different, now. I’m not the kid who ran by Kaikins’ side and didn’t have a care in the world.”
He laughed, tossing his hair. “Kikins and RinRin. We were a pair…and then things changed.” Rin looked at Ryou. You’re the same rank as him…you probably know what his life started becoming. I couldn’t follow him there, and I was knocked down for trying. I don’t think he even knows. All he knows is that one day I was his friend, the next I was telling him to get the hell away from me.”
Rin sighed, then sat up straighter, trying to wrap his usual airs around him, like a cloak. “And now he is my keeper. I keep waiting for him to break out a pretty little collar and leash when he’s picking out my clothes and checking my homework, the silly boy.”
"There's nothing wrong with a collar and lead," Ryou answered with a mischievous grin. "They have a time and place, too."
His playfulness did not last for long, before he grew serious again. "Did you need to follow him so much as wait for him to return, or was he not worth that, Rin?"
“He was worth so much more. I was the one not worth that.” Rin closed his eyes, trying to think of a way to put years of justification into words. “I just have no idea what to do now. He’s pushing all of my buttons, and they’re the wrong ones. He expects me to be who I was one moment, then turns around and treats me like the fuck up I am the next!”
Rin stood abruptly, pacing for a moment, before coming back to his starting point. “I’m confused,” he admitted finally.
"You're an idiot, Hirakoba," Ryou suddenly announced with all seriousness, pushing himself up to reach for an unfettered wrist when his friend paced the length of the ground in front of him. He gave that wrist a tug in the hopes of pulling Rin down to him, his gaze narrowing on the blonde. "What right do you have to decide whether or not you're worth it to him?"
He took a breath and counted to ten, allowing an image of his brother to dance through his mind to calm him. "That should be his choice; not yours, and if he's displaying tendencies of approaching both who you were and who you are then have you stopped to think that perhaps he's already accepted both on some levels?"
Well, Rin, admitted to himself, he had wanted honesty, and Ryou was giving that to him in spades. He let Ryou tug him back to the ground again. “At the time, I thought I had every right,” he said slowly. “I was getting beatings for trying to follow him, and so I made the decision that I wasn’t worth his time, and I should stop before we could both get hurt, not just me.” Rin chewed on his lower lip, careful to not let a fang pierce the flesh. “It appears that plan failed utterly.”
He flopped onto his back with none of his usual grace, staring at the sky. “I’m not sure he has,” Rin said slowly. He’s seen me at worst, seen me here…and he wants his old RinRin back. If that’s the case, Kai’s living in the past because I just can’t be him.” A soft groan left parted lips. “I’m not sure if he sees who I am now, besides someone who’s inadvertently uprooted his life. He didn’t want to come here; he was made to.”
"Your problem is you tried to follow him in a manner that drew attention to you," Ryou muttered, nose wrinkling over the idea that Rin was dense. "You know, you get deeper into enemy territory not by bombarding the front gate but by sneaking through their reinforcements."
"And if he doesn't want to be here with you then tell him to go the fuck home, that you don't need him hanging around. And if he says they won't allow him to retreat with his tail between his legs then tell him to stay the fuck away from you period that you do not need him as a babysitter. You're big boy; you can take care of yourself."
"Either way, he'll have to face reality sooner or later and so will you… if you can't go back then you can only go forward, and you need stop beating yourself to death over his inability to accept the way your lives panned out."
Boy, he really had little sympathy for anyone that clung to the old when the new was right there within reach and yours to own, if you were brave enough to reach for it.
“I was eight years old.” Rin rolled his eyes. “You can’t tell an eight year old to be subtle.” He chuckled. “Not like you could call me subtle now, anyway,” he added with a wink, a bit of his teasing coming back to him. Somehow, Ryou’s verbal two by four upside the head was helping Rin more than he could say.
“You’re right, though,” he murmured, laying back on the grass. “And truly, I have no desire to go backwards. I want to keep looking ahead. Kai always did have the talent of throwing me for a loop.” Rin closed his eyes. “I’m not going to change myself for him, or for anyone. If he can’t accept who I’ve become…than I have to move on, right?”
"Precisely, and if you aren't ready to let him go and move on then you're back to what I said before… make the game yours again." Ryou joined Rin in his laziness, flopping back to rest on the grass with arms crossing beneath his head as his chosen pillow.
"If he knocked you for a loop then don't you think it's high time you returned the favor? You should know him better than most others and know which methods would be best to send him reeling."
Rin smirked, thinking of several things he had done to get under Kai’s skin in the past. “I’ve been looking at this the wrong way,” he said slowly. “I’ve been seeing this as a punishment, or torture. Really, it’s just another game, only for much different stakes this time~!” He pondered briefly just how batty he could drive Kai if he put all of his talents to it. “And if he can handle me…all of me….”
Ryou laughed, closing his eyes against the beauty of the nighttime sky. "Now you're getting there." He told his friend. "And I think my work here is done."
“A true miracle worker you are, my dear merman~! I shall fall at your feet and worship you, I shall precede you through the streets, singing your praises for all to hear!” Rin’s good humor was rapidly returning with that weight off his mind and heart. “Or, I’ll even let you go back to your previously scheduled mayhem,” he added with a wink.
Ryou laughed. The merry sound rang out in the darkness without restraint. "Thank you kind sir, but I think I'll stay right here and have myself a little nap." Twisting onto his side with one hand falling flat against the ground to steady him while his other arm snaked beneath his head to cradle it, he cast Rin a glance to take in the sight of the newly relieved vampire.
"Though, if you have plans forming on how to cause your own brand of chaos, don't let me stop you."
“Oh, I should take a night off to plot, don’t you think?” Rin waved a had dismissively. “One cannot cause superior chaos just on a whim, you know. For the best effect, one has to take the proper steps carefully.” He smirked. “Plus, I think I can do with watching him for a couple more days. It’s possible he may have changed, too, and if he has new buttons to push…so much the better for me~!”
Rin reached over and began winding a lock of Ryou’s hair around his finger. “You just take a little nap. I even promise that you will not wake up to find your hair full of sparkly purple bows.” Mainly because Rin hadn’t brought any ribbon down with him, but Ryou didn’t need to know that.
"Start putting sparkly purple bows into my hair and you'll rue your audacity, Hirakoba." Ryou promised direly, though it was, indeed, a struggle to keep his laughter silent.
“Mmmm…you may have a point.” With an innocent grin, Rin tugged on the lock of hair he was playing with. “You are more the big bouncy curls type. With pink barrettes, I think….” He tilted his head to the side. “Perhaps some lip stain, some mascara, eye shadow….”
Ryou snorted softly. "As much as you may enjoy the idea of dressing me like a girl, you may forget it." No way in hell was anyone getting him dressed like a female without a fight.
Rin chuckled. “I enjoy the idea of anyone dressed as a girl, especially the ones who can carry the look.” He fluffed up his hair. “You have no idea how many men I made absolute fools of with the right pair of heels.” He wasn’t particularly embarrassed by admitting that; after all, Rin was more than willing to use any tool at his disposal in order to make people squirm.
"I won't be one of them unless you're offering one hell of a reward or reason for it." Ryou answered, sticking his tongue out and giving it a playful wriggle.
Rin reached over and poked Ryou’s tongue. “You mean, like for a school play so you can swoon over big, dumb, and handsome?” he asked with a wink.
Ryou grinned around the finger that suddenly found itself trapped in his mouth, head moving swiftly when it poked at his tongue and mouth snapping closed over the slender digit.
Purse his lips, he swirled his tongue over that finger, his eyes alive with laughter as he hummed out a "Uh-huh."
Rin’s eyes widened a little, but he went with the new position he found himself in, wriggling his finger inside Ryou’s mouth. “Why you naughty boy!” he exclaimed, a light in his eyes. “Someone might think that were…trying to start something~!”
He was enjoying this teasing with someone who could not only take it, but give it back with the best of them. It was a refreshing change of pace from being surrounded by seriousness.
Ryou pulled away, tongue dragging teasingly along Rin's finger as he did to prolong the sensation as long as he could, until his lips slipped free of the digit. "And who said they'd be wrong?" he asked with a grin and a sassy wink for the vampire he teased.
“Well, first I’d want to know just why we have an audience judging such things,” Rin responded with a grin, tapping Ryou’s nose playfully. “I mean, I am up for many things, though I would like to know if I have to bring on my top game for the scorecards.”
"Not into being the subject matter for voyeurs to get off over, I take it?" he sassily asked with an amused grin, head tilting back and teeth nipping at the tip of Rin's finger playfully.
“It really depends on the voyeur, you know.” Rin winked playfully at Ryou. “A carefully selected audience can be a very amusing thing, actually. Just anyone watching….” He shuddered. “No quality control at all there~!”
"I don't know. There's something to be said for shocking an unsuspecting witness into being frozen in place out of morbid fascination." Ryou countered with a wicked curl of his lips.
Rin laughed. “Something tells me you are speaking from pure experience there.” He arched backwards, stretching a kink out of his back. “Not that I’ve tried one way or another…no, wait.” He bit his lip. “That was rather public, wasn’t it?” he mused, clearly thinking back on something. “Though there wasn’t anyone shocked, so I guess it doesn’t count.”
"I'm always speaking from experience and you shouldn't do that in front of me… it only encourages me to think thoughts of turning you into my pillow." Ryou answered as he watched the leisurely stretch taking place.
Shrugging, Rin said, “It wouldn’t bother me much if you did use me a pillow, merman dear.” He winked. Especially since I plan on catching a nap, anyway, and if you desire to do the same, well, anything to keep the grass out of your crowning glory~!”
"Naps might possibly be the greatest things in the world after Atsushi, sex, and chocolate." Ryou countered with a grin, shifting until he was on his hands and knees crawling his way toward Rin. His hand rose as he drew near the other vampire to press lightly against the chest that would soon become a place to lay his head.
“Mmmm?” Rin followed the urging of that hand, laying back and crossing his arms under his head to form his own pillow. “I just may have to disagree the slightest bit on your list, there,” he commented with a grin. “I would say, the ocean, chocolate, and…oh, fugu, for my greatest things in the world.” Rin winked playfully. “Since I haven’t had your darling Atsushi for comparison.”
"To each his own, Hirakoba." He laughingly said, wriggling his way down by Rin's side, head crowned in raven nestling atop the chest he claimed as his pillow right then. Nestling his ear above the other vampire's heart, Ryou tucked an arm around the slender waist he used to shackle Rin with and closed his eyes.
Rin shifted so he could run a hand through Ryou’s silky hair, petting the dark strands. “We all have our little quirks,” he murmured, his eyes closing. Fretting just took so much out of person, after all~!
"Some of us more than others," he answered, head shifting toward the hand stroking his hair. Sometimes, he could be so easy especially when his hair was being tended to in any manner, Ryou thought with a great deal of amusement at himself, especially when a soft sound escaped his lips giving voice to the enjoyment he derived from the simple petting.
“I am one big quirk…or was that jerk? I mix the two up….” Rin pretended to think about it, then laughed. “Not that it matters either way.” He was quiet for a minute, thinking, then looked down at the dark head he was still petting. “Ryou? Is there anyone you would rather I not try and torture?” His lips quirked up in a half-smile. “Mutual respect and all.”
"Mhm, my brother, Shinji, and possibly Saeki" Ryou sleepily answered, eyelids feeling heavier and heavier with each stroke of that hand over his hair. "They're mine," he explained with a yawn and a shift of his body to snuggle even closer to the one by his side.
"Though, I'm sure the latter can handle his own affairs without my assistance."
Rin thought about that. “I understand why your brother is yours, but why the other two?” He considered. “I’ve heard from my Kitten that Saeki messes with anyone, and…oh.” He smiled. “The other’s your meal ticket, isn’t he?”
"Which is exactly why he's the perfect toy for Atsushi and I, and, no, he's more than just a meal ticket." Ryou wasn't going to explain that with Saeki he had nothing to worry about when it came to the possibility of a theft occurring in which his twin could be stolen from him, nor was he going to point out that with choosing a feeder also came the forming of some sort of bond. Maybe he wasn't to the point of out right calling Shinji his friend or his dedicated feeder, but he would protect the human as much as he could.
“Toys are very fun to have,” Rin said, looking at Ryou curiously, then shrugging and laying back again. He decided he’d have to look into who these other two were, exactly, if they managed to have the other vampire speaking out for them. And if he tested his knowledge by testing them a little, too…well, there was a lot he could do without actually driving them insane.
“I think I may like my new toy.”
"Mhmm, they are." Ryou agreed, voice lowering even more than before. The fact that he trusted Rin enough to curl up beside him and fall into a light slumber of any sort of slumber at all spoke volumes about his faith in the creature he was slowly falling asleep on. Not that he expected Rin to know this, but still the truth was the truth.
"Your watch dog? Or have you found another toy to play with as well?"
“My watch dog of course.” Rin wound a strand of Ryou’s hair around his finger. “Who better to play with than someone who has no choice to be my captive audience?” He wondered if Kai would beg to be sent back home, then dismissed the thought. Kai never begged. “Though, I do have a kitten to play with if the mood strikes…and there is you, too.” Not that Rin planned on playing with Ryou, not to that degree, anyway. He actually respected the vampire currently using him as a pillow, and for Rin, that was a rare and precious thing.
Ryou laughed softly, the sleepy sound barely audible. "Aa, well I'm not sure I'd object to being played with." He said with a nuzzle of cheek over warm chest. He was far too comfortable in his spot and even contemplating the snaking of a leg over Rin's. Atsushi did often liken him to a clinging vine just because he had a habit of using arms and legs to latch onto his napping partners.
“Depends on the type of playing. Certain playing I reserve for certain people.” For instance Rin was certainly not going to try to annoy Ryou into an early grave anytime soon. “And I think of you more as a playmate, than a plaything. It’s a very important distinction, you know.”
"I know," Ryou answered, shifting his head and pushing up just far enough that he could look into eyes that could be so deceptive with the masks that Rin chose to wear to hide himself from others. "And I'm happy that you've chosen to see me as a playmate." He said with a small sleepy smile, brushing a quick and fleeting kiss over the lips he sought with the dipping of his head.
"Equally happy that you agreed to be my pillow right now." He said as he pulled away and snuggled back down into the most comfortable position he could find. "Speaking of which, I hope you'll forgive me, if I doze off while we talk."
Rin chuckled at the light kiss, letting his fingers drift over Ryou’s lips before tangling back in the mass of ebony hair that crowned his friend’s head. He was never one to turn down casual affection; in fact, he embraced it. “I wouldn’t want to be a pillow for anyone else right now,” he said truthfully, for as of that moment, there was no one else Rin could say he trusted enough to let that close.
“Only if you’ll forgive me for doing the same,” Rin murmured softly. “Petting you is as relaxing as petting a cat~” Only more so, since no cat’s fur had ever felt as nice under his fingers as Ryou’s silky locks did.
"Good, because I don't think I can stay awake much longer." He said with a light laugh, nuzzling a cheek over a toned chest. His amusement did not die as Rin likened him to a cat, choosing to give voice to it with a small "Meow." With the next passing of hand over his hair.
He wasn't averse to the likening to a cat and found it rather amusing. Nearly as much so as the one that linked him to mermen.
“You are an amazing one, Kisarazu Ryou.” Rin smiled at the meow, massaging Ryou’s scalp gently, alternating that touch with the soft petting. “And I am sure your worshippers tell you that daily, but now you can hear it from someone who doesn’t worship you, but likes you.”
Rin’s eyes were closing as he spoke, his entire body relaxing and his mind finally, finally quieting.
Ryou wanted to tell Rin that of course he was amazing but right then it felt like talking took too much effort, so instead he settled on retorting with a soft hum of sound closely resembling a purr just seconds before giving up his hold on reality and letting the need to close his eyes to sleep finally pull him under.