Twister (chapter 1)
Fandom: U-KISS
Pairing: Elvin
Genre: Slash, Romance
Rating: Mostly NC-17
Summary: They start a competition in which neither of them is allowed to give up. The goal is simple: one of them must make the other fall in love with him in a limited period of time.
Disclaimer: I am no way, shape or form affiliated with the named group or any of the characters presented. No copyright infringement intended.
November 25th. 4:08 AM.
Kevin was having trouble sleeping. Which was nothing new, since he had been having sleep issues for the past few nights and it was slowly beginning to drive him insane. Alexander had suggested some suspicious tea he used to drink back in Macau, but the taste of it was so repulsive, Kevin had to stop after one sip and politely declined all future advices from the oldest. Dongho brought up warm milk, as it apparently had a calming effect and his mother used to give that to him when he was an infant and couldn’t sleep, but the gooey taste disgusted Kevin to such extent, he almost spit it out halfway down his throat.
His sheets were warming up too fast, despite being past middle-November. Not even the broken heating system could make the room temperature any cooler, so he was twisting restlessly from one side of the mattress to the other, in search of that one cold spot that could host his entire body. The pillow was also unbearably tepid and he made a mental note to change the synthetic pillow case first thing in the morning. He turned it on the other side after a few minutes, but that part was also hot, since he had kept his arms underneath it. He sighed in frustration and eventually threw it in the opposite direction of the bed and placed his feet on it, before changing his mind and kicking it on the floor completely. He let his head rest on the plain surface and found out in loathing that it was still no use, since the material was all wrinkled and felt incommodious on his cheek. He straightened it with his flat palm and went for a second try, but sleep kept being stubborn and refused to visit him.
He got up in the end, punched the bed like it was its fault and opened the window. He then walked out of the room and into the kitchen, hoping the small range would cool down by the time he got back. After letting his eyes adjust to the darkness, he noticed Eli sitting at the table, with a glass of ice-tea. He smiled at him and grabbed the mug from his hands, then began drinking eagerly. The older made a noise of protest.
'Well, crap.' Kevin said after emptying the container. 'How come I haven't thought about this?' He went to refill it.
'Because you're dumb. Get me a can from the fridge.'
'Here you go, your Highness.' He replied on a ridiculously exquisite tone, handing him the cold doze. 'Why are you even sitting in the dark, anyhow?'
'I'm saving up energy to rescue the Earth. I'm going to be a hero one day.'
'Right. With a cape and everything. Superman will be jealous.'
'I know he will.'
Kevin took another sip, enjoying the way the icy liquid filled his entire body.
'Seriously, though.' He said again. 'Why are you sitting in the dark?'
'It's more romantic.' Eli said on a sarcastic voice.
'So that was it.' Kevin exclaimed. 'You want me to leave you and right hand alone? I'll put the tea here, so that you can stare at it while you do your job.'
'No, thanks. But I have to say you kind of ruined the atmosphere. We were having a great time.'
'Well, what can I say. I'm a party ruiner.'
It had been like that ever since they first met. Kevin was never the type to be so open with somebody, especially not about matters like that, nor would he dare to engage in such unrestrained conversations with anybody beside Eli. He had Kibum, who was his best friend and trusted him with his life, knowing that he could confide in him with anything. But Kibum was only good for hanging around with and have small talk while waiting in the practice room. He was good for lightening up the atmosphere and was the perfect movie partner and shopping companion. He relied on him for advice, even though they usually ended up talking about completely different things after a while and liked how he never rejected Kevin's closeness.
Eli, however, had always been kind of irreplaceable. They had a distinct way of viewing things because they were both foreigners and that had been their secret way of bonding. It was awkward for Kevin to flirt, or make skanky sex jokes with his other members, because sometimes they just didn't get him. But it felt perfectly fine with Eli, since he always knew how to keep the dialogue floating and they were both aware it was nothing more than a quirk, without having to certify it out loud.
Problem was, Kevin wasn't sure anymore if their level of fooling around was still that of friendship or not. Their conversations hadn't changed over the years - they were still the same mushy, sometimes perverted jokes that only they could exchange and there was nothing suggestive about it. Eli's way of acting, though, had begun confusing Kevin many, many months before and he wasn't sure if Eli was doing it on purpose. He didn't even dare to think of Eli as something more than a friend, because he sort of had a weak spot for him and knew he'd end up hurt if all of those were nothing but a game for the older.
It wasn't like Kevin was secretly in love with him and didn't have the courage to come out; he wasn't the type to suffer in silence and lack the guts to admit it. He was just undergoing a narrow attraction towards Eli and, although he had tried fighting it many times in the past, he just gave up in the end when he realized that while Eli was around, he wouldn't be able to free himself from that feeling.
That was probably because Eli had a particular way of looking at him - a look that was different when they were alone and when they were with their band mates. It was suggestive, but at the same time not really and sometimes it made Kevin want to jump out the window in confusion. He talked to him on a certain tone when it was just the two of them and a different one when they were surrounded by people. Kevin initially wanted to ask him why, but then mentally slapped himself and realized that if all of that was just inside his head, he'd look like a fool and discharged the idea.
Eli hugged him when he was least expecting it, let him sit on his lap and circled his waist with his arms, made him fall asleep with his head on his shoulder when they were in the car, grabbed his hand and entwined their fingers when others weren't paying attention, embraced him from behind even in public places, messed up his hair affectionately and then laughed at it, bit his nose and kissed it after, let out hot breaths on his neck simply because he knew he'd make him shiver and liked seeing him annoyed, always sat beside him on their living room couch, made him laugh uncontrollably and comforted him when he was feeling down. He was there when he needed him and refused leaving his side when Kevin wanted to be alone. They fought and made up in a matter of minutes and simply relied on each other for everything. Eli knew how to mold himself according to Kevin's frequent mood swings and could easily adapt to all of his emotions without even trying.
Their relationship had long exceeded the status of friendship, it was more like a feeling of necessity than anything else and it was terrifying how struck Kevin knew he'd get if Eli ever left him.
'Come on, TV.' Eli eventually said, grabbing both of their cans of tea. 'Since neither of us can sleep, anyway.'
It was true. They grew so similar that even some habits were mutual.
'There's nothing interesting on at this hour. Only replays.' Kevin responded, following him into the living room lazily.
'Fine, then go to bed. Stare at the ceiling and count sheep. Come on, it's just the two of us. We can watch whatever the hell we like, without the others forcing us to translate for them, or change the channel.'
'Jesus, alright.' Kevin rolled his eyes. 'You're so pushy. Do I obsess you that much?'
'That much and beyond.' Eli smirked, as he made himself comfortable and grabbed the remote.
Apparently Kevin had been right, since all the could come across was the lousiest cooking channel, some concert broadcastings from the '80s of bands they haven't even heard about, the usual late night commercials, engineering tricks narrated by the most boring voice they had ever encountered and soap operas. Lots of soap operas, some of them as old as they were. In the end Eli stopped the shuffling on a reality TV shows channel, where they decided to watch a survival program. The participants had to complete several tasks before proceeding to the next level, until they'd reach the grand prize.
'I want to try this someday.' Kevin said out of the blue.
'You're joking.' Eli looked at him. 'For what?'
'For nothing. Really, I'm not even expecting a reward. But I've been watching shows like that since I was a kid and I've always wanted to give it a go myself. It's looks fun.'
'It's looks like a poor attempt to make more money out of broadcasting. It gives a sense of competition, which has a weird effect on people and makes them want to join in. It's simply a feeling of accomplishment and the thought of being recognized as the best thrills them.'
Kevin watched him for a second, before laughing.
'Since when have you become so philosophical?'
'I'm not philosophical.' Eli mumbled and furrowed his brows. 'But it's true. It's crap.'
'I don't care. I still want to try it.'
'Knock yourself out. I bet all of them regret it the minute they set foot on those studios.'
They continued staring at the screen for the next few minutes in silence, weirdly enthralled by how aggressive the teams could get towards each other and the ongoing struggle for the little yellow flag situated at the peak of a hill. They weren't allowed to use any sort of equipment whatsoever and had to crawl half a mile on their knees and elbows through wind and rain as fast they could, before someone else would catch speed and surpass. It looked worse than military training.
Eli gazed at him and couldn't help but notice how captivated he seemed to be. He wasn't even blinking.
'So.' He cleared his throat. 'You really want to get yourself into that?' he pointed at the TV.
'Yeah, that's right, ask me again.' Kevin turned to leer at him. 'Maybe the fifth time I'll give a different answer.'
'Christ, okay, I was just saying. I just don't see the point of it.'
'It's fun. And challenging.' Kevin stared back at the screen and bent his legs yoga-style.
'If you say so.'
Eli shot a few more glances in Kevin's direction, before speaking again.
'We could both try that someday. You know, for the heck of it.'
The younger examined his face skeptically.
'Well now. What happened to 'crap'?'
'It's still crap. But maybe you're right. It doesn't hurt to try.'
'And what exactly would we participate in?' Kevin grinned. 'Heck, it's not a bad idea. We could suggest it to our manager and do something similar to the cooking program we had, but harder.'
'I meant just the two of us.' Eli said faintly. Kevin looked unsure.
'Meaning?'
'Meaning, we don't have to necessarily implicate anybody else. You know what, forget about it. It was a stupid idea, anyway.'
'No, no, wait.' Kevin turned towards him completely and shifted closer. 'It's not. Expand.'
'Kev, really, it's nothing, just forget about it.'
'Come on, you know I hate it when you start a phrase and then leave me hanging.' he whined. 'At least finish what you were about to say. And if it's not good, I promise I'll drop it.'
'How about you drop it now and pretend this conversation never happened?' Eli huffed through his nose. 'You're such a pain in the ass sometimes.'
'Eli.' Kevin wailed and began shaking him arm. 'Don't be a prick, tell me.'
The older kept contemplating the screen, visibly annoyed. One of the contestants had just reached the flag and was having trouble breathing. The medical crew rushed over to her and immediately passed a bottle of water, while someone else was wiping away the sweat on her forehead. He sighed heavily.
'What I meant was, if you want it so badly, we could have a challenge like this just between the two of us.' He mumbled. 'We'd still have to complete tasks and set down very firm ground rules beforehand, but it'll still be something.'
'What's at stake?' Kevin asked, his face suddenly lit up, like he had been given the most precious information in the existence of mankind. Eli looked away, then back at him. He seemed doubtful.
'Keep in mind this is just an idea. Nothing's set in stone.'
'Yeah, yeah, I get it. What would we have to do?'
The older swallowed hard, but kept a steady voice.
'I thought we could have exactly a month at disposal' -Kevin nodded in approval, visibly excited by the idea- 'during which one of us would have to make the other fall for him.'
Kevin looked at him, Eli looked at the TV. The only sound present for the next few instants was that of the host, who was reading the score of the participants so far.
'I told you it was a stupid idea, I don't even know why-' Eli started, laughing nervously. Kevin placed a finger on his lips and stopped him from continuing.
'It's actually not bad.' He said, staring down into his lap. His heart was beating faster and he thanked God it was dark and the blush on his cheeks couldn't be seen.
'No, it's alright, it's childish. I mean, if you don't want to do it, we don't have to go through all of this.' He repeated.
'Eli.' Kevin whispered.
'Yes?'
'I want to do it.'
Eli kept looking at the screen, then nodded. Kevin scooted even closer.
'You do know where this could lead us to, right?' the older asked, his eyes fixed on the glass.
'Yeah. I don't mind.'
'Mm-hm. Me neither.'
Kevin felt a weird tingling sensation inside him and wanted to do something to shake the nervousness away. To get up and spin until he'd get dizzy, or knock down a vase or scream out the window. But he just smiled, standing there on the sofa as still as possible, biting his nail.
'About those rules.' He spoke silently. 'Let's get things straight from the beginning.'
'Well, we have until exactly thirty days have passed, which is December twenty-fifth. Meaning until Christmas.'
'Good.' Kevin said. 'Next.'
'We'll take turns in establishing the tasks. One day you, the next day me and so on.'
'You'll start first.' Kevin voiced. 'We have to come up with something original each time, meaning no repeats or clichés.'
'Fair enough.' Eli agreed. 'And neither of us can bail midway. Regardless of how insane they might appear, or how hard and embarrassing they could turn out.'
'Absolutely. And if one of us still gives up halfway through, then the loser will have to comply to the other's wish. A very demanding, hard to fulfill wish, without complaints.'
'Speaking of complaints, we're not allowed to make them during the next thirty days, either. No bitching about how hard it is, no trying to change the task or to make it easier, no alterations or objections whatsoever. What we get is final and have to go through with it no matter what.'
'Fine.' Kevin mused. 'But what if we both fail at succeeding after this month?'
Eli's eyes sparkled with insecurity, as he examined his face.
'If we somehow fail, then we'll make sure to never bring it up again and go on with our lives like nothing happened.'
'Alright.' The younger said slowly. 'Then I guess we'd better make sure we don't fail.'
'Yeah, I guess so.' Eli smiled.
'That's all?'
'Yeah, I guess that pretty much covers it.'
Kevin leaned back on the couch and continued watching the TV show without interest, not even caring who was going to win in the end. He faked a yawn after a while and went inside his room, leaving Eli alone. He closed the door behind him and then crushed on the bed. His grin refused to go away.
The room had finally cooled down.
Pairing: Elvin
Genre: Slash, Romance
Rating: Mostly NC-17
Summary: They start a competition in which neither of them is allowed to give up. The goal is simple: one of them must make the other fall in love with him in a limited period of time.
Disclaimer: I am no way, shape or form affiliated with the named group or any of the characters presented. No copyright infringement intended.
November 25th. 4:08 AM.
Kevin was having trouble sleeping. Which was nothing new, since he had been having sleep issues for the past few nights and it was slowly beginning to drive him insane. Alexander had suggested some suspicious tea he used to drink back in Macau, but the taste of it was so repulsive, Kevin had to stop after one sip and politely declined all future advices from the oldest. Dongho brought up warm milk, as it apparently had a calming effect and his mother used to give that to him when he was an infant and couldn’t sleep, but the gooey taste disgusted Kevin to such extent, he almost spit it out halfway down his throat.
His sheets were warming up too fast, despite being past middle-November. Not even the broken heating system could make the room temperature any cooler, so he was twisting restlessly from one side of the mattress to the other, in search of that one cold spot that could host his entire body. The pillow was also unbearably tepid and he made a mental note to change the synthetic pillow case first thing in the morning. He turned it on the other side after a few minutes, but that part was also hot, since he had kept his arms underneath it. He sighed in frustration and eventually threw it in the opposite direction of the bed and placed his feet on it, before changing his mind and kicking it on the floor completely. He let his head rest on the plain surface and found out in loathing that it was still no use, since the material was all wrinkled and felt incommodious on his cheek. He straightened it with his flat palm and went for a second try, but sleep kept being stubborn and refused to visit him.
He got up in the end, punched the bed like it was its fault and opened the window. He then walked out of the room and into the kitchen, hoping the small range would cool down by the time he got back. After letting his eyes adjust to the darkness, he noticed Eli sitting at the table, with a glass of ice-tea. He smiled at him and grabbed the mug from his hands, then began drinking eagerly. The older made a noise of protest.
'Well, crap.' Kevin said after emptying the container. 'How come I haven't thought about this?' He went to refill it.
'Because you're dumb. Get me a can from the fridge.'
'Here you go, your Highness.' He replied on a ridiculously exquisite tone, handing him the cold doze. 'Why are you even sitting in the dark, anyhow?'
'I'm saving up energy to rescue the Earth. I'm going to be a hero one day.'
'Right. With a cape and everything. Superman will be jealous.'
'I know he will.'
Kevin took another sip, enjoying the way the icy liquid filled his entire body.
'Seriously, though.' He said again. 'Why are you sitting in the dark?'
'It's more romantic.' Eli said on a sarcastic voice.
'So that was it.' Kevin exclaimed. 'You want me to leave you and right hand alone? I'll put the tea here, so that you can stare at it while you do your job.'
'No, thanks. But I have to say you kind of ruined the atmosphere. We were having a great time.'
'Well, what can I say. I'm a party ruiner.'
It had been like that ever since they first met. Kevin was never the type to be so open with somebody, especially not about matters like that, nor would he dare to engage in such unrestrained conversations with anybody beside Eli. He had Kibum, who was his best friend and trusted him with his life, knowing that he could confide in him with anything. But Kibum was only good for hanging around with and have small talk while waiting in the practice room. He was good for lightening up the atmosphere and was the perfect movie partner and shopping companion. He relied on him for advice, even though they usually ended up talking about completely different things after a while and liked how he never rejected Kevin's closeness.
Eli, however, had always been kind of irreplaceable. They had a distinct way of viewing things because they were both foreigners and that had been their secret way of bonding. It was awkward for Kevin to flirt, or make skanky sex jokes with his other members, because sometimes they just didn't get him. But it felt perfectly fine with Eli, since he always knew how to keep the dialogue floating and they were both aware it was nothing more than a quirk, without having to certify it out loud.
Problem was, Kevin wasn't sure anymore if their level of fooling around was still that of friendship or not. Their conversations hadn't changed over the years - they were still the same mushy, sometimes perverted jokes that only they could exchange and there was nothing suggestive about it. Eli's way of acting, though, had begun confusing Kevin many, many months before and he wasn't sure if Eli was doing it on purpose. He didn't even dare to think of Eli as something more than a friend, because he sort of had a weak spot for him and knew he'd end up hurt if all of those were nothing but a game for the older.
It wasn't like Kevin was secretly in love with him and didn't have the courage to come out; he wasn't the type to suffer in silence and lack the guts to admit it. He was just undergoing a narrow attraction towards Eli and, although he had tried fighting it many times in the past, he just gave up in the end when he realized that while Eli was around, he wouldn't be able to free himself from that feeling.
That was probably because Eli had a particular way of looking at him - a look that was different when they were alone and when they were with their band mates. It was suggestive, but at the same time not really and sometimes it made Kevin want to jump out the window in confusion. He talked to him on a certain tone when it was just the two of them and a different one when they were surrounded by people. Kevin initially wanted to ask him why, but then mentally slapped himself and realized that if all of that was just inside his head, he'd look like a fool and discharged the idea.
Eli hugged him when he was least expecting it, let him sit on his lap and circled his waist with his arms, made him fall asleep with his head on his shoulder when they were in the car, grabbed his hand and entwined their fingers when others weren't paying attention, embraced him from behind even in public places, messed up his hair affectionately and then laughed at it, bit his nose and kissed it after, let out hot breaths on his neck simply because he knew he'd make him shiver and liked seeing him annoyed, always sat beside him on their living room couch, made him laugh uncontrollably and comforted him when he was feeling down. He was there when he needed him and refused leaving his side when Kevin wanted to be alone. They fought and made up in a matter of minutes and simply relied on each other for everything. Eli knew how to mold himself according to Kevin's frequent mood swings and could easily adapt to all of his emotions without even trying.
Their relationship had long exceeded the status of friendship, it was more like a feeling of necessity than anything else and it was terrifying how struck Kevin knew he'd get if Eli ever left him.
'Come on, TV.' Eli eventually said, grabbing both of their cans of tea. 'Since neither of us can sleep, anyway.'
It was true. They grew so similar that even some habits were mutual.
'There's nothing interesting on at this hour. Only replays.' Kevin responded, following him into the living room lazily.
'Fine, then go to bed. Stare at the ceiling and count sheep. Come on, it's just the two of us. We can watch whatever the hell we like, without the others forcing us to translate for them, or change the channel.'
'Jesus, alright.' Kevin rolled his eyes. 'You're so pushy. Do I obsess you that much?'
'That much and beyond.' Eli smirked, as he made himself comfortable and grabbed the remote.
Apparently Kevin had been right, since all the could come across was the lousiest cooking channel, some concert broadcastings from the '80s of bands they haven't even heard about, the usual late night commercials, engineering tricks narrated by the most boring voice they had ever encountered and soap operas. Lots of soap operas, some of them as old as they were. In the end Eli stopped the shuffling on a reality TV shows channel, where they decided to watch a survival program. The participants had to complete several tasks before proceeding to the next level, until they'd reach the grand prize.
'I want to try this someday.' Kevin said out of the blue.
'You're joking.' Eli looked at him. 'For what?'
'For nothing. Really, I'm not even expecting a reward. But I've been watching shows like that since I was a kid and I've always wanted to give it a go myself. It's looks fun.'
'It's looks like a poor attempt to make more money out of broadcasting. It gives a sense of competition, which has a weird effect on people and makes them want to join in. It's simply a feeling of accomplishment and the thought of being recognized as the best thrills them.'
Kevin watched him for a second, before laughing.
'Since when have you become so philosophical?'
'I'm not philosophical.' Eli mumbled and furrowed his brows. 'But it's true. It's crap.'
'I don't care. I still want to try it.'
'Knock yourself out. I bet all of them regret it the minute they set foot on those studios.'
They continued staring at the screen for the next few minutes in silence, weirdly enthralled by how aggressive the teams could get towards each other and the ongoing struggle for the little yellow flag situated at the peak of a hill. They weren't allowed to use any sort of equipment whatsoever and had to crawl half a mile on their knees and elbows through wind and rain as fast they could, before someone else would catch speed and surpass. It looked worse than military training.
Eli gazed at him and couldn't help but notice how captivated he seemed to be. He wasn't even blinking.
'So.' He cleared his throat. 'You really want to get yourself into that?' he pointed at the TV.
'Yeah, that's right, ask me again.' Kevin turned to leer at him. 'Maybe the fifth time I'll give a different answer.'
'Christ, okay, I was just saying. I just don't see the point of it.'
'It's fun. And challenging.' Kevin stared back at the screen and bent his legs yoga-style.
'If you say so.'
Eli shot a few more glances in Kevin's direction, before speaking again.
'We could both try that someday. You know, for the heck of it.'
The younger examined his face skeptically.
'Well now. What happened to 'crap'?'
'It's still crap. But maybe you're right. It doesn't hurt to try.'
'And what exactly would we participate in?' Kevin grinned. 'Heck, it's not a bad idea. We could suggest it to our manager and do something similar to the cooking program we had, but harder.'
'I meant just the two of us.' Eli said faintly. Kevin looked unsure.
'Meaning?'
'Meaning, we don't have to necessarily implicate anybody else. You know what, forget about it. It was a stupid idea, anyway.'
'No, no, wait.' Kevin turned towards him completely and shifted closer. 'It's not. Expand.'
'Kev, really, it's nothing, just forget about it.'
'Come on, you know I hate it when you start a phrase and then leave me hanging.' he whined. 'At least finish what you were about to say. And if it's not good, I promise I'll drop it.'
'How about you drop it now and pretend this conversation never happened?' Eli huffed through his nose. 'You're such a pain in the ass sometimes.'
'Eli.' Kevin wailed and began shaking him arm. 'Don't be a prick, tell me.'
The older kept contemplating the screen, visibly annoyed. One of the contestants had just reached the flag and was having trouble breathing. The medical crew rushed over to her and immediately passed a bottle of water, while someone else was wiping away the sweat on her forehead. He sighed heavily.
'What I meant was, if you want it so badly, we could have a challenge like this just between the two of us.' He mumbled. 'We'd still have to complete tasks and set down very firm ground rules beforehand, but it'll still be something.'
'What's at stake?' Kevin asked, his face suddenly lit up, like he had been given the most precious information in the existence of mankind. Eli looked away, then back at him. He seemed doubtful.
'Keep in mind this is just an idea. Nothing's set in stone.'
'Yeah, yeah, I get it. What would we have to do?'
The older swallowed hard, but kept a steady voice.
'I thought we could have exactly a month at disposal' -Kevin nodded in approval, visibly excited by the idea- 'during which one of us would have to make the other fall for him.'
Kevin looked at him, Eli looked at the TV. The only sound present for the next few instants was that of the host, who was reading the score of the participants so far.
'I told you it was a stupid idea, I don't even know why-' Eli started, laughing nervously. Kevin placed a finger on his lips and stopped him from continuing.
'It's actually not bad.' He said, staring down into his lap. His heart was beating faster and he thanked God it was dark and the blush on his cheeks couldn't be seen.
'No, it's alright, it's childish. I mean, if you don't want to do it, we don't have to go through all of this.' He repeated.
'Eli.' Kevin whispered.
'Yes?'
'I want to do it.'
Eli kept looking at the screen, then nodded. Kevin scooted even closer.
'You do know where this could lead us to, right?' the older asked, his eyes fixed on the glass.
'Yeah. I don't mind.'
'Mm-hm. Me neither.'
Kevin felt a weird tingling sensation inside him and wanted to do something to shake the nervousness away. To get up and spin until he'd get dizzy, or knock down a vase or scream out the window. But he just smiled, standing there on the sofa as still as possible, biting his nail.
'About those rules.' He spoke silently. 'Let's get things straight from the beginning.'
'Well, we have until exactly thirty days have passed, which is December twenty-fifth. Meaning until Christmas.'
'Good.' Kevin said. 'Next.'
'We'll take turns in establishing the tasks. One day you, the next day me and so on.'
'You'll start first.' Kevin voiced. 'We have to come up with something original each time, meaning no repeats or clichés.'
'Fair enough.' Eli agreed. 'And neither of us can bail midway. Regardless of how insane they might appear, or how hard and embarrassing they could turn out.'
'Absolutely. And if one of us still gives up halfway through, then the loser will have to comply to the other's wish. A very demanding, hard to fulfill wish, without complaints.'
'Speaking of complaints, we're not allowed to make them during the next thirty days, either. No bitching about how hard it is, no trying to change the task or to make it easier, no alterations or objections whatsoever. What we get is final and have to go through with it no matter what.'
'Fine.' Kevin mused. 'But what if we both fail at succeeding after this month?'
Eli's eyes sparkled with insecurity, as he examined his face.
'If we somehow fail, then we'll make sure to never bring it up again and go on with our lives like nothing happened.'
'Alright.' The younger said slowly. 'Then I guess we'd better make sure we don't fail.'
'Yeah, I guess so.' Eli smiled.
'That's all?'
'Yeah, I guess that pretty much covers it.'
Kevin leaned back on the couch and continued watching the TV show without interest, not even caring who was going to win in the end. He faked a yawn after a while and went inside his room, leaving Eli alone. He closed the door behind him and then crushed on the bed. His grin refused to go away.
The room had finally cooled down.