Okay people, last chapter, set a few months after the whole Boris thing. I couldn't leave poor Bryan scarred forever, now could I? Well, I could, and I was going to at one point, and then I decided I'd been mean enough to him already. I was going to post this this morning before my Spanish Listening exam, but when I woke up I could barely hear so I had to make an emergency doctors appointment and get my ears syringed- truly, I'm not joking. I had a sore throat for my speaking exam, bad ears for my listening exam, and the reading? I'll probably go blind or something... Anyway, as always, thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, it really means a lot to me.
Endoh Chiaki: I'm glad you thought it was cute too!
Darkangelintheshadows: Heh, glad you liked it.
Theatreofwar: Well I am too right now...we ran out of apple juice...
Ellen: Aww, Bryan only pushed him away 'cause he was still freaking over HorriBoris (as I have now dubbed him- cross between horrible and Boris (don't they mean the same thing?)). Voltaire's only being nice because he's being investigated- doesn't actually say that in the story, but that's why.
Mistress-of-eternal-Darkness: Tala the crab...AWW! The picture didn't really look like a crab, it was just Peachmelba being self-critical. He had a little harp and everything...aww...little angel Tala...
Lullaby Lily: Well, the ghost thing happened because I was sitting in English, bored out of my mind, so I started to write the beginning of the fic. My bored imagination decided to run away with me, and lo, Tala was a ghost. One of my teachers read the first page on paper and said it was a good beginning. I didn't have the heart to tell him the rest would be about rape, murder and sexual harrassment...
BloodyShadows: Like I said above, it's superficial generosity. Voltaire isn't really nice, he just doesn't want to look bad to all the people inspecting him. It's not in the fic, but come on, someone who's running a training centre where people get raped and murdered is going to be subject to some kind of enquiry!
Just that good: Yup, Voltaire is scary. Which is why it's a good thing that he isn't generous in person!
And now, the final countdown na-na-na-na...um...chapter!
"Bryan?" Bryan looked up from his book as Kai walked into his room.
"Hm?" Kai blushed slightly and walked over. "What?"
"Happy Birthday..." Kai whispered, leaning over and kissing Bryan gently on the cheek. Bryan froze, looking up at Kai as if he was mad.
"How did you know?"
"Grandfather asked me if I wanted to take you anywhere for your birthday. I didn't know before and he wanted me to decide on the spot so...um...would you like to come to the theatre with me? I didn't think the ballet would be your kind of thing and-" Kai stopped short. Bryan was looking at him with a strange expression on his face and it was making him distinctly uncomfortable. "If...if you don't want to come I understand, I mean it's only been a couple of months since...um...and...and the funeral..." Kai's blush deepened and he fiddled nervously with one of the buttons on his shirt. "Sorry to bother you..."
"No...wait." Bryan said quietly as Kai started to walk away. Kai paused and turned, heart hammering. Bryan stood up, squirming his way out of his blankets, and walked over, hesitating for a second and then reaching out and taking hold of Kai's hand. Kai blinked and looked down at it, then up at Bryan. "I'd...like to come with you. What are we going to see?"
"Um...they're open tickets...we can see whatever we like so long as we're there on time for the performance..." Bryan smiled a little and started walking, tugging Kai's hand to prompt him to walk as well.
"I'll get some breakfast, and then...I suppose if we miss a performance we could always go for a walk or something..." Kai gaped. Bryan had barely left his room since he'd come to Kai's house, and now he was suggesting a walk in Moscow? "Kai?"
"Uh...yeah?" As Kai turned to face Bryan, the older Russian kissed him softly on the lips.
"Thank you for understanding. But I think..." Bryan smiled softly, remembering what Kai had asked him all those months ago. "I'm better now."
"R-Really?" Bryan nodded, and Kai laughed with delight.
"Bryan..." Kai looked over at Bryan and saw that he was watching the stage with rapt attention. It took Kai a while to realise that Bryan had probably never been to the theatre before... When he thought about it, he really knew precious little about Bryan's life. Bryan never seemed to talk about himself, if he ever did talk at all. Kai made a mental note to find out more as the curtain lowered, signifying the interval.
They were sitting in one of the boxes, surrounded by extravagant wallpaper and plush carpeting. The chairs were massive and edged with gold, but Kai hadn't really been noticing them. He'd been noticing Bryan. He'd never really looked before, but Bryan was really quite beautiful- wide eyes, not to close together, full lips, a small if slightly pointed nose, well built and toned, tall-
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Kai blushed.
"Like what?"
"...You're looking at me funny." Kai's blush deepened.
"I was just..." He tried to think of an excuse, but none were forthcoming. "I think you're beautiful!" He blurted out. Bryan frowned.
"Are you making fun of me, Kai?" Kai wished desperately that he could laugh it all off and say that he was only teasing, but his mouth and tongue seemed determined to defy him. "I was just thinking about how little I know about you and then I started looking at you properly and I...I..." Bryan looked at him quizzically.
"I don't believe you. You -are- making fun of me."
"Wh-why do you think that?" Bryan gave him that look again, that look that clearly proclaimed 'You're a lunatic'.
"Now I know you're taking the piss. I'm not beautiful, not even my mother thought that or she wouldn't have abandoned me." Kai bowed his head.
"She would have to have been deranged to abandon you..."
"Are you calling my mother deranged?" Bryan hissed, standing up. Kai stood as well, throwing his arms around Bryan's waist and pressing his face to the older boy's chest.
"If she abandoned you she was...-I- think you're beautiful."
"What makes you think I'm gay anyway?" Bryan's half-hearted attempt at a rejection failed.
"If you didn't want this you would have pushed me away. You know you could. I'm smaller than you, you're stronger than me... But I don't want you to push me away... Even if you don't like me and you think I'm just a spoiled brat we're connected because of what happened. I killed a man for you Bryan and that means something to me..." Kai drew in his breath shakily as one of Bryan's arms snaked around his shoulders, holding him closer.
"You kissed me before..." Kai clung to any reference to feelings he could possibly derive from Bryan's behaviour.
"...I could kiss you again, if that's what you really want..." Kai looked up, not daring to believe that he'd heard right. He gasped as Bryan's lips descended on his own again, opening his mouth slightly, silently asking for Bryan to kiss him fully.
Bryan's wound his other arm around Kai's waist before his tongue ventured inside the slate-haired boy's mouth, drawing a moan from both of them. Still pressed up against Bryan's chest, Kai could feel the wild skittering beat of the older boy's heart. After all...after what Boris had done... "Bryan...I think I love you..." He whispered as they broke apart. Bryan shivered suddenly.
"He made me say that...he made me tell him I loved him...I don't even know what love is...I don't know...if love is really all that people say it is. But...I like you, Kai...and I trust you. Will that do, for now?" Kai nodded, reaching up and stroking Bryan's cheek. An announcer started speaking over the PA system, telling them that the performance was about to start again, and Bryan let go slowly. "I'd never seen a play before today..." Kai nodded slightly, at a loss for what to do next.
Bryan sat down in his chair again and pulled Kai down as well. The single seat, being large enough to accommodate fat, rich people, was big enough for them to sit on together. As the curtain lifted again, Bryan twined his fingers with Kai's, squeezing gently, leaning closer to whisper in his ear. "It's a wonderful birthday present. Thank you." Kai nuzzled into Bryan's neck, and Bryan jerked away suddenly. "Not there! I don't...just...not there."
Kai nodded and settled for Bryan's shoulder instead. No matter what he said, Bryan wasn't completely over what Boris had done to him, but he was coming to terms with it, slowly. Kai smiled as the actors started rushing around the stage. Slow was okay. He could do slow. He squeezed Bryan's hand and the older Russian looked down for a second, smiling. Bryan's words echoed in Kai's mind for a minute: "Will that do, for now?" For now...did that mean that it could be more in the future?
"Bryan...could you ever...trust me enough and like me enough...to love me?"
"That depends."
"On what?" Bryan looked at the stage for a few seconds more before looking down again.
"That depends...on whether or not you can show me what love is."
"And...if I could?" Kai whispered, looking up at Bryan hopefully. Bryan shrugged, and Kai felt his heart sink. He'd been too forward, asking Bryan straight out like that... "I'm sorry..."
"Hm? Why?"
"I-I shouldn't have asked..."
Bryan leaned his head against Kai's, eyes still on the stage. "It was a valid question. I just don't know what my answer to it is right now."
"Will you know?"
"Sooner or later." Kai went to open his mouth to ask another question but Bryan placed a finger over his lips, stopping him. "Sooner or later, probably later. Give me time to get over it, Kai. I want to do this...slowly." Kai nodded silently, snuggling back up next to Bryan. Slow was good. Yeah, slow was good...
A few months later, two people were sitting in a coffee shop in central Moscow, one with a hot chocolate, one with a triple strength coffee. The young man with the coffee raised it to his lips and took a sip before putting the cup down with a slight chink. They'd been sitting in silence for a while, now, and the owner of the coffee decided that it was finally time to talk, and explain why he'd asked that they come here.
"I've been thinking..."
"What about?" The coffee mug rose again, then stayed suspended in the air by pale hands.
"I've been thinking...about what you said to me when we went to the theatre. And what I said back."
"And?"
"Well...my answer is yes."
"W-What?"
"You asked me if I could learn to love you if you could show me what love is...and I said I didn't have an answer. Well now I do. And...it's yes, Kai."
Kai looked down into his hot chocolate and smiled. "Really?" Bryan nodded. Kai looked at him for a second then stood up, leaning over the table and kissing Bryan quickly. He stood back, licking his lips. "Coffee flavoured chocolate."
"I like it." Bryan stood as well, offering his hand to Kai. Kai grabbed it and squeezed it tightly, happy beyond belief. "Thank you...for being willing to wait for me."
"I didn't mind."
"Yes you did."
"Okay, well I did, but I don't have to any more so it doesn't matter!" Bryan pulled Kai with him, leading the younger teen out onto the snow-clad pavement. Kai went to get out his mobile to call his chauffeur, but Bryan stopped him. "We never did go for that walk on my Birthday...I haven't been out in a while. I daresay I'll get tired after a bit, you can call Fedya then."
Kai nodded eagerly. "Anything!"
"Anything? Can I hold you to that?"
"...Yes?"
"Good. Then you have to watch Stalker with me. I found it in your DVD collection last night, and I've always wanted to see it."
They started walking, hand in hand. A couple of metres later, Kai turned to look at Bryan suspiciously. "Is it a horror film?"
"Only you could own a DVD and not know what it's about. And whether or not it's a horror film depends on how you look at it. But if you find it scary, I suppose I could always hold your hand." A gleam of amusement glittered in Bryan's eyes for a second and then was gone. Kai moved a bit closer to him as they turned a corner.
"Are you sure it isn't an excuse for you to scare me into throwing my arms around you and screaming?"
"Quite sure. Although..." Bryan stopped suddenly and pulled Kai into a tight embrace. "Having you in my arms would be an appreciated bonus."
"Shall I call Fedya now, then?" Bryan considered it for a second, then nodded.
"Fine. I get to spend the afternoon with you either way."
Kai hesitated for a second, then stretched up and kissed Bryan's cheek. "You can spend your life with me, if that's what you want...?" It was a tailed off, half-hearted question, but it made Bryan smile.
"That depends." He answered. Kai blinked, hit with a strong sense of deja-vu.
"On what?"
"That depends on whether or not you would want to spend your life with me."
"Of course I would..." Kai said quietly, hurt that Bryan could think otherwise. Bryan shook his head, frowning.
"I was joking, idiot. Of course I want to spend my life with you. I guess you'll have to be the one cracking the jokes, though..." Kai breathed a sigh of relief and threw his arms around Bryan's neck, nuzzling into it before pulling back sharply. Bryan didn't like to be touched there... "It's okay. I don't mind you being there any more." Bryan kissed Kai passionately, folding his arms further around the younger teen. "Are you going to call Fedya now?"
Kai called for his chauffeur to come, and within a couple of minutes the sleek black limo that ferried Kai about appeared, gliding up beside them smoothly. They got in, ready to spend the afternoon, and indeed, the rest of their lives, together.
Fin
Well, it's over. About the second 'it depends' thing...that was Bryan trying (and failing) to be funny. R&R please, I'd really like your opinions, and for anyone who's interested, I'm going to start posting the KaiRei healthspa fic in a couple of days time (after my German listening and English literature exams...if I survive them...).