Tokyo (Open Thread)

[Deleted]

Things were certainly different now. Nathaniel was used to doing bad things, but this was the first time he had ever gotten scolded for them. It was the same with Haru. As children, they’d been allowed too much freedom and now, they were growing into rather impulsive adults. Even if they knew something was wrong, they did it anyway because there was no fear of being reprimanded. But there was a difference between the two. Nathaniel had more restraint and though he occasionally let himself so spontaneous things, he had taught himself to refrain from doing something too bold and unwelcome. Haru on the other hand tended to be rash and only thought about the consequences after the deed was done. Even though he knew what he did was wrong, he only realized its affect once he had gone through with it. Unless someone kept him in line, he tended to do rather troublesome things. Together, the two were prone to mischief. But even so, Nathaniel sat up slowly and wiped his face with the cloth. He would let Faan punish him this time, but only because he wanted to make it up to the other. After all, the dinner had been interrupted because of him.

“I’ll do it…” he muttered. “Ugh…my stomach hurts from laughing too hard…”

“Don’t wanna…” Haru mumbled from his position. “Can’t make me…”

Nathaniel felt like he was going to throw up, but it was mostly because he’d never laughed so hard before. Not only was his stomach full, it felt like everything inside it had been tossed around a couple of times. The boy made his way to the sink, staring at the odd thing in front of him. After he was sure nothing was coming back up, he moved onto the table and began to pick up dishes. He might as well start there. Yuichi had long since finished his meal and had taken to sitting as Nathaniel worked and Haru slept on the floor. At least, that’s what it looked like Haru was doing. It was when he started mumbling gibberish and giggling a little that Yuichi became certain the other was asleep. Haru wasn’t the easiest person to be around when you were sleeping. In fact, if you weren’t used to him, you’d be rather freaked out. The boy not only talked in his sleep, he also tended to move around a lot and cause discomfort to anyone that slept in the same bed as him, or room for that matter. Haru was already snoozing on the floor without a care in the world and it was making Nathaniel wish he had thrown something much messier at the other. It was certainly mean on him, but he couldn’t help it. The other was being such a lazy boy.

Nathaniel didn’t mind cleaning as much as he thought he would and he was nearly finished anyway. Haru, on the other hand, had accomplished nothing except take a nice long nap on the floor. Nathaniel set down the dishes in the sink before he got an urge to throw something at the other. He looked down into the sink and realized he’d never washed dishes before. It wasn’t that he didn’t know how since he’d seen it done before, but he’d never done it himself. It would be a good experience. But how to start? Did he fill the sink with water? Were gloves needed? Did he just scrub with a sponge and rinse? He knew he was thinking too hard about the matter, but he couldn’t help it. Everything made him think too hard. He put soap on a sponge and stared at it for a moment before starting to scrub the plates. Oh well. If he was doing it wrong, he didn’t care. As long as it got done, it’d be fine. Clean was clean no matter now it go there. Even if his hands wrinkled the way they did after he took a bath, it’d be fine as long as the dishes were clean.

[kiegan]

Faan shook his head when only Nathaniel responded to his threat. Seven meals of washing dishes for Haru it was… Alone. He was not going to let this one slide. Haru needed the discipline. Sick or not, he still needed to be responsible, especially for his own actions.

“Thank you.” Faan thanked Nathaniel as he walked past the boy, smiling at him in encouragement and nodding when he began to wash the dishes. He walked over towards Haru and scooped the boy up into his arms and headed for the bedroom where he put Haru to sleep, covering him and brushing his hair out of his face affectionately.

Kiegan took the opportunity of Faan’s exit to sneak back into the kitchen. He had seen Faan walk past the room he had been in. He picked up a dry cloth and silently began to help Nathaniel by drying dishes and packing them away while the boy washed.

[Deleted]

It was odd doing something like washing dishes. It kind of felt like he was in a cheesy movie or something. People always talked to each other when they were doing chores and “bonded” he supposed, but now that he found himself in such a situation, he found that he had nothing to say. Perhaps he just wasn’t interesting, or maybe his brain had decided to die, but he didn’t know what he was supposed to say. It was really stupid to become nervous so easily, but he couldn’t help it. Perhaps he was a panicked person by nature or he was even more socially inept than he’d first thought. He watched his mate out of the corner of his eye, afraid to turn his head. If he started staring at the other, the guy might get the impression that he wanted to say something, which would only end in an awkward silence since Nathaniel had nothing to say at all. He looked down and blinked. He’d dropped a plate and hadn’t even noticed. He didn’t have a great attention span and had clumsily let the plate slip through his fingers. Nathaniel bent down to pick up the pieces but only ended up cutting his hand. He was kneeling next to the broken plate and continued to look at his hand, not caring at the plate anymore.

It was deep enough that a lot of blood was coming out. This wasn’t the first time he’d watched himself bleed and he had a feeling it wouldn’t be the last just yet. Most of the times, he’d made himself bleed on purpose. It had been something he’d known was wrong, but had done anyway. He’d promised himself he’d stop, though. He was afraid of bleeding because it was a dark addiction. That’s why, he felt himself shaking. It wasn’t like he’d meant to hurt himself, but he didn’t want to see blood anymore. So he stood and wrapped his arms around the other’s waist. He clung so tightly that he was afraid that he’d break Kiegan’s back. His blood stained the man’s shirt as well as his tears. He had his face pressed against the other’s chest and he didn’t care if the other dropped the plate or anything. He just wanted comfort. It wasn’t that he’d suddenly start hurting himself again, but such temptations such as these made things so much harder. He was glad when Yuichi left the room, having gone after his boyfriend. He didn’t want someone to watch him while he cried. He’d been so good about not crying and keeping his emotions locked up, but now, it was hard to keep anything inside.

“I hate this…I hate it a lot…” he muttered. “Don’t…think I’m pathetic, okay?”

He was sure the other’s back was red by now. The guy probably had blood dripping from his shirt. He hadn’t bled as much as he’d thought, but it was enough to stain the clothing fast. His breathing had been hard and he ended up getting the hiccups. So now, he was crying, bleeding, and had the hiccups. It wasn’t turning out to be such a great day after all. It was like he could never catch a break because he always ended up in the other’s arms, crying and upset for the most part. His eyes looked bloodshot and red whenever he cried. He hoped he didn’t have to look into the mirror because seeing the affects of crying on his face only served to make him feel worse. That and it made him self conscious about his appearance. He already looked bad enough without having to add red eyes and tear marks to the list. Even though Kiegan told him there was nothing wrong with the way he looked, Nathaniel couldn’t help but criticize himself for every thing he did wrong or look down on every part of his physical appearance. He knew people never liked the way they looked and always wanted improvement, but in his case, he really hated the way he looked. The boy only cried harder and wished he could stop, just so Kiegan wouldn’t be upset too.

[kiegan]

Kiegan jerked in surprise when Nathaniel dropped the plate and reflexively began to bend down to help the boy pick up the pieces. Only problem with his attempt was that Nathaniel was already on his way back up before Kiegan even managed to bend half way down. A surge of worry coursed through Kiegan at the sight of blood flowing over Nathaniel’s pale flesh, causing Kiegan to instinctively reach out, cloth still in hand, wishing to stem the flow. He attempts at being helpful were once again thwarted by Nathaniel. The next thing Kiegan knew, Nathaniel was in his arms, clutching tightly at his back. The warm blood sticky against Kiegan’s back.

At Nathaniel’s words Kiegan placed the plate he was holding down onto the counter and simply held him for a moment, held him for as long as his concern over Nathaniel’s wound would allow. Finally, unable to ignore the wound any longer Kiegan withdrew from the embrace and grabbed hold of Nathaniel’s wounded hand. He bent down to lick it, knowing that his saliva, just like that of most animals had blood clotting properties. He was busy withdrawing, in order to search for something to bind it with when a loud gasp could be heard.

“Kiegan, what happened?” Faan exclaimed rushing over towards Kiegan’s side and proceeding to pull Kiegan’s shirt out of his pants raising it and looking for a wound. He frowned in confusion when he could not find one, glancing up at Kiegan for an explanation.

“It’s Nathaniel’s.” Kiegan explained, showing Faan Nathaniel’s hand. “He dropped a dish and then accidentally cut himself on it when he tried to pick up the pieces. Faan nodded and rushed out only to be back a moment later with his fist aid kit. He forced Nathaniel to sit down before he began to treat the wound, watching Nathaniel carefully, knowing and understanding the boys fascination with blood. It may have been an accident but Faan knew that there was more to it than that. Kiegan took the time to finish off the dishes, packing the last one as Faan drew away from Nathaniel’s now bandaged hand.

[Deleted]

“I-I’m fine!” He insisted, though he knew he wasn’t convincing anyone. “I’m fine… Just a cut…nothing to worry about…just a cut…”

Yet, if it was nothing, why couldn’t he stop shaking? He had to force himself not to look at the blood, mostly by thinking of something else besides what was coming out of his hand. He could remember what it felt like to have his skin torn open again, but right now, instead of comforting him, it only made him feel sick. He just hoped his stomach was stable enough to keep its contents inside. It was bad enough Kiegan knew he’d freaked out, but soon, everyone in the entire ship was going to find out. Somehow, it reminded him of high school. The rumor would get out of hand and by the time it got to the last person, it had changed into something so outrages that it was totally impossible, yet for some reason, everyone believed it. He hated that about high school, but then again, to Nathaniel, high school had just sucked period. Once his hand was bandaged, he held it against his chest, not wanting anyone to look at it. He was ashamed. Ashamed that he had gotten so panicked because of such a small wound. It could have been worse he supposed. He could have freaked out even more, but he hadn’t. He was glad for that too because if he had broken down, he would have felt even worse.

“I’m sorry I got your shirt dirty…” he muttered.

If he had known anything about removing stains, he would have washed the other’s shirts. Sadly, he wasn’t sure how to wash clothes and he was certain he’d somehow make things worse. The shirt was too damaged to be fixed anyway. He stood up slowly and was glad he didn’t feel dizzy from blood loss. Sometimes he went a little ill after losing a lot of blood, but he supposed he hadn’t lost that much blood. He wondered if this would leave a scar. There were lots of scars on his body already, but he didn’t want another one. It’d be like…another disappointment on his body. He slowly walked over to where his mate was, though the other seemed busy. He reached out with his undamaged hand and grabbed the other’s shirt, clutching it tightly with no intention of letting go. He tugged it slightly, trying to get the other’s attention, though he looked down at the floor and was unable to face Kiegan. Perhaps he was seeking out comfort. Maybe that was it. Somehow, he felt that Kiegan was the only person that could provide him with comfort right now.

The tears that had slightly stopped before started again and though he wasn’t sobbing or anything, tears were falling down his face. He wasn’t crying that much really, but it was something that you could easily notice. He rubbed his eyes and the tears were smeared. His hand hurt and he realized that it hurt to move his wounded hand, though it made sense that it hurt. As he looked at the wound, he wondered how long it’d be before his blood soaked the bandages, then shook his head to try to get rid of such thoughts. He didn’t want to see any more blood and he had to stop himself from clenching his fist and stop himself from hurting his hand even more. So now he had one wounded hand and one that refused to let go of Kiegan’s shirt. And now his eyes were going to turn reddish the same way they always did when he cried and he was sure that he was slightly blushing. Add that to the fact that he was already feeling bad as it was and this was turning into another bad day. He seemed to have a lot of those, but he just had to keep moving ahead, even if he had more bad days like this one.

[kiegan]

Kiegan wrapped his arms around Nathaniel and drew him near in order to embrace him. His lips were tense but he refused to show his distress simply comforting Nathaniel and remaining strong. They both needed for him to remain so for no. Letting his emotions get the best of him at this point in time would only complicate things further. He rubbed Nathaniel’s back until he felt the boy begin to calm somewhat.

Once he was sure Nathaniel was not going to have a nervous breakdown, Kiegan withdrew and ruffled Nathaniel’s hair, his lip quirking in dry humour. “If you didn’t like my shirt, you should have just said so.” He teased lightly. “I will go find a bright red one.” His smile turned into a mischievous grin knowing full well that the colour tended to clash with his own hair.

Kiegan grabbed Nathaniel by the wrist and dragged him back to what he now dubbed, their room. He then began to rummage through his bags knowing that he did in fact possess a bright red shirt. Several piles of messy clothes later, Kiegan’s search was finally successful as he emerged with a bright red shirt and quickly changed into it. He grinned up at Nathaniel, hoping to cheer him up a little. “Better?” He queried.

Faan, meanwhile tracked Kessil down embracing him. “What’s this for?” Kessil enquired wrapping his arms warmly around his mate. “Just because…” Faan mumbled, actually seeking comfort from demons he himself still fought. Kessil simply held him in silence, understanding Faan’s need for comfort, even if he didn’t understand the reason why…

[Deleted]

He found himself in the other’s arms. He rather liked it when Kiegan hugged him. It made him feel safer than when he was alone. Or maybe he was just being a baby and needed a hug. Either way, it made him feel a bit better. In fact, he’d almost pouted when the other pulled away, but he didn’t in the end. He tilted his head at the other’s comment about the shirt. Before he could ask, though, he found himself being dragged into the bedroom. Nathaniel watched the other make a mess in search of something and almost laughed at the red shirt. It was just like Kiegan to be silly and try to cheer him up with such antics. He felt a bit happier than before, though perhaps he’d just forced himself to be happy so that Kiegan wouldn’t have to see a sad face all day long. Of course, his cheeks turned redder than the shirt when he watched the other change shirts, even if it was quickly. At least the other wasn’t covered in blood, though. He didn’t like the thought of Kiegan covered in blood. It was…odd. Yes, odd to think of Kiegan covered in blood. It sent shivers down his spine and not good ones. He didn’t think he’d be able to stand it if he caused Kiegan to bleed.

“It’s…too bright,” Nathaniel finally stated. “You…really do have bad fashion sense. The color…suites your hair more than that shirt.”

He wasn’t used to complementing people and it wasn’t something he did quite often, so he wasn’t sure if his words had come out right. Saying something like, “You have really nice hair,” would have sounded quite stupid at the moment. He tried to think of something else to say, but his mind suddenly went blank. It was quite frustrating when that happened, but it wasn’t like he could do anything about it. Somehow…it reminded him of school. He’d get called on, but never knew the answer to any of the questions he was asked. He felt there was something he should say, but his mind couldn’t come up with the words. He didn’t trust himself to say something on impulse either because that never went over well. It wasn’t like he wanted to start a fight either. That was the last thing they needed at the moment. Fighting only made then angry and caused them to say hurtful things, which is why Nathaniel was devoted to not fighting with Kiegan anymore. That didn’t mean he was going to agree with everything the other said or anything, but he wouldn’t try to turn the conversation into an argument. At least, he was hoping he could accomplish this.

“When…are we going to arrive at our destination? Is it…going to be a long time…?” The boy asked, having finally settled on something appropriate to say after thinking for what seemed like an eternity, though now he felt embarrassed for standing there without saying anything for a long period of time.

He wasn’t sure how long it took to get to another planet, but it felt like they’d been on the ship forever, though maybe it was because the sun wasn’t able to tell them what time it was…. It was weird not knowing the time of day he supposed. This ship was better than something humans could make, he was sure, but it would probably be a while before they actually reached somewhere… It was a good thing he wasn’t actually interested in spaceships or space travel or he’d be torturing his brain and trying to figure out how the ship worked. But he felt he was losing his confidence as time passed. He was worried he wouldn’t be able to face Kiegan’s family without holding the guy’s hand tightly and cowering behind him like a child. He just wanted to meet them sooner than later before he chickened out. He wanted to make a good impression and have them like him. He hoped their meeting went well because he wasn’t good at first impressions at all…

[kiegan]

Kiegan smiled at Nathaniel's awkwardness. He bent down and dropped a kiss on the boys lips. "Thank you." He stated simply, realising that Nathaniel had been trying to compliment him. He stood grinning and kept the shirt on. He really didn't care if he had good fashion sense or not, as long as it got Nathaniel thinking about things other than blood, any insult was more than worth it.

"We will be landing soon." He stated, just as the ship began to lurch and Faan stuck his head in. "You might want to brace yourself." Faan stated softly before leaving to go warn Haru and Yuichi. Kiegan sat down on the bed before dragging Nathaniel into his arms and holding his tightly. "I'm bracing you." He stated with a grin before the boy could even ask what he was doing. He dropped his chin onto Nathaniel's shoulder. "Everything will be fine. My family will love you and you will be absolutely perfect." He whispered in reassurance as the ship began to make a rather obvious decent. "If the twins give you any hassles... " Kiegan handed Nathaniel a bracelet inset with blue gems... "show them this... it should shut them up temporarily. "

Kiegan grinned eyes sparkling and continuing to speak answering a question he knew Nathaniel was going to ask. "When they were small they flirted with a little girl that lived next door. After kissing her she gave them this... its a rather... 'embarrassing' event for them to remember." He chuckled lightly.