IX. Human Nature

When the Blue King opens the door, his hair looks like a mess. For a second, Saru can't help but staring, jaw dropped, at what resembles to a plucked raven taped on Munakatas head.

"Stop that! After all, I'm only human."

"Holy crap, do you have to deal with this every morning?"

" you ever mention it to anyone, I'll chase you to death. Come in."

Fushimi steps in and takes off his jacket, still distracted by his Kings hairstyle.

"Drinks?"

"Silly question."

Munkata smiles and Saruhiko follows him to the bar counter in the kitchen. The King serves two glasses of transparent liquor and sits down next to the boy.

"So, how can I help you at three in the night?"

Saruhiko presses his lips together and his index finger follows the border of his glass.

"Just listen."

Munaka looks at him for a moment and nods then, takes a zip of his drink and falls silent, waiting.

{ #°§+µ }

"It was two years ago. Misaki and I had just attended our last year of middle school. We were just normal teenagers - we hated school, we hated our parents, we tought no one but us could know anything.

About three months after school started, we got a new art teacher. His name was Tamae Katase. He was different than the other teachers, he was .. kind. I had my first crush and it felt like the love of my life."

Fushimi pauses for a moment and takes a sip of his drink, making a face when he feels the alcohol burning his throat. Munakata looks at him, silent and attentive, eyes unreadable.

"He was a sweet guy. In his mid-thirties I think, very quiet, very elegant. I loved all that.

Tamae was my first: my first kiss, my first time, my first love. God, I was such a fool back then. Every loving boy is."

Fushimi finds a bottle opener and starts to play with it. His long fingers swirl around the metal like pale spider, spinning its webs.

"Of course it was very romantic because it was forbidden. Looking back, I wonder why we actually took the effort. It was so .. intricate. We had to hide from everyone in school, everyone outside the school, my family, his ... family."

The boy rubs roughly across the metall surface and dashes the opener away. It slides above the table before it reaches the edge and falls. The sound is suprisingly gentle.

"He was married, had two children. Two and five years old. I begged him to leave them for me, but he always sidetracked. He said his wife was fragile. When I saw her for the first time, I finally realised he was a liar. She came to pick him up after chool and I saw them walking to the car. He carried his son on his back and laughed and I she kissed him on the cheek and I felt so broken. I felt like a child, a betrayed, omitted child who gives his heart to a man and he takes it and smiles and doesn't give a fuck."

Munakatas lips part, as if he wants to say something, but Saruhiko doesn't stop talking. He's alomst there, there's no point in stopping now.

"I went to the secretariat and told the principal Mr. Katase molested me."

Saruhikos voice sounds lighter now, as if the hard part was over.

"To say something like that about a teacher, even if it's not even true, is like signing his sentence of death. He lost his job, he lost his life, his sweet family, his pride - and his freedom. Three years in prison: harassement of minors, disrespect of his occupation conditions, violation of youth-protection - they find a lot if they want to. During the process, I didn't talk to him or his wife. It felt kind of .. exciting to have the power to ruin someones entire exitence.

That was the moment when I stopped to take people seriously.

My sister and the judge decided I had to been send to psychologist - for mental recovery. The first thing I recovered from was my dignity, the second my savings.

If you don't need a therapy but get one anyway, you can be sure to definitely need two afterwards.

That was the moment when I stopped to take myself seriously."

Fushimi drinks up his glass and stares at its bottom, expecting to see his own face but finding it beamless. What a nice detail.

"Yeah, you can clap your hands now. End of story."

Munakata takes the empty glas from his hands and fills it again. He then smiles and hands it back: "Drink up, starry boy. I didn't expect you to have such a heavy story."

Saruhikos lips curl to a small smile and he clinks their glasses.

"To the suprises."

"To you."

They drink and fall silent for a moment. Finally, Munaka bumps his shoulder against Fushimis.

"You told me all that to make me fall in love with you, didn't you?"

Saru looks up and shrugs: "I don't think I need a story for that."

"You know, you're kind of charming when you're flirting."

"Sorry."

"I'll let you get away with it for now."

Their smiles are so warm. Saruhiko can't remember when he felt so warm for the last time. Not hot, not excited, just .. comfortable.

Let me kiss you, starry boy.

When they part, the kiss still vibrates between them, making their lips prickle.

They smile, smile, smile like fools. Munakata watches the shadow pasted by Saruhikos eyelashes, like traces of tears on his cheeks.

"Hey, Snow White, why don't you taste like apple?", Saru teases and Munakata grins.

"Don't provoke me, kid. You don't want to know what happens tif I loose temper."

"I actually think I do."

They lean in at once and this time they don't part.

Note: Oh my, I'm so EXCITED! :D Please please tell me what you think, like, EVERYTHING. Oh and: Do you find the way they talk to each other out of character? I was very hesitant.