Dis Aliter Visum - Chapter 73 - 2,451 words
Note: Blablabla... Took me weeks to write this because of things.
Beta-reader: None.
Chapter summary: Diamond in the rough.
Chapter 73
When he awoke the next morning, Kuroro opened his eyes to find the sun shining on golden hair. It was strange, this; waking up with someone in bed with him, that he'd fall asleep next to someone, that he didn't mind sharing his bed for an entire night. It was downright unheard of. Then again, Kurapica as no ordinary person, not by any stretch of the imagination.
He couldn't quite help raising his hand to touch that golden hair; he could never deny himself the touch of something he desired. A sharp intake of air, and Kurapica pulled away, eyes already wide, glancing briefly at Kuroro's raised hand before going back to his face. The blue eyes narrowed and Kurapica sat up on the edge of the bed, turning his back to the older man. The sun was still shining onto the boy's hair and pale skin. Kuroro wanted to touch that skin, to splay his fingers under however many layers of sleeveless tops that the blond had pulled on after his shower; he itched to slide his hand up that tense back, all the way to the base of his neck, to caress the pale skin, to lean against Kurapica's back, to whisper softly in his ear until the Kuruta sank back against him, until he drew a ragged breath, until his eyes turned red and his voice called Kuroro's name.
Ah, he was addicted to this boy, and it was probably an unhealthy habit to pursue.
Well, he sort of liked this courtship with death. He was pretty certain that he would be able to dance just out of harm's way, were this beautiful and very dangerous boy to turn on him. He was particularly good at avoiding death, after all.
He sat up as well, and saw Kurapica''s back tense up even more, if it were at all possible. The blond didn't get up or turn away so Kuroro finally gave into the urge to run the flat of his hand up the blond's back, although he did so over the fabric of his shirt, not under. Small concession, that he felt necessary under the circumstances.
Before he ended up changing his mind on what he needed to do, he pulled away and sat on his own side of the bed. A light stretch and got up to his feet. He moved to his bags to find clothes to change into.
“We're going to be leaving as soon as we're dressed and packed,” he told the blond. “I wouldn't check out before morning, or I would risk someone taking undue notice of us and it could reach Forkey's ears, but since we had reserved the room until today, well I don't intend to stick around. The air in this town is going to start getting pretty bad for us.”
Kurapica yawned and got to his feet. “Do I have time for some coffee?” he wanted to know.
Kuroro turned a playfully horrified look on him. “You can't tell me you actually like the coffee here.”
“Hate it,” the blond confirmed. “I just need the caffeine.”
“It can wait ten minutes until we've made it out of town,” Kuroro told him, knowing that they wouldn't be far enough to stop for coffee in hours. “You don't even drive,” he continued. “It's not like you need to be awake. Go get dressed.”
Kurapica made a face that was suspiciously close to looking like a pout. He imagined the expression would much better suit someone like Neon Nostrade than the young Kuruta. Kurapica made his way to his bag and the older man turned away from him and got himself dressed. He heard the bathroom door open and close. A glance back confirmed that the younger man had gone in to change. Kuroro finished getting ready and went to the sort of living room that was attached to their bedroom, so that he could start a cup of coffee for the blond. He then began looking around to make sure that they wouldn't be leaving anything behind. Aside from a pair of Kurapica's underwear, that he found under the bed, the bedroom seemed to be free of personal items, outside of their bags.
Of course, Kurapica had to walk out of the bathroom just as he stood, underwear in hand. “Found something of yours,” Kuroro told the blond, holding it aloft.
Kurapica marked a pause where his eyes slid to Kuroro's hand and his eyebrows lowered in a look of curious confusion that had no business coming out as adorable as it did. “What is..?” he began saying, when realization suddenly hit him. His eyes went wide and a dark blush rose to his fair cheeks.
“It was under the bed,” Kuroro cheerfully explained. He tossed it next to the blond's bags. “Finish packing your things; I'm going to check the other room.”
He didn't wait for an answer, but went to make sure they had left nothing in the living room. A moment later, he returned to Kurapica. The blond was nearly done packing his bags, his head lowered over a backpack, and all Kuroro could see of his skin was the tip of one ear. It was still very, very red.
He couldn't help the amused smile that curled his lips upwards. He walked over to his own luggage and made sure that all of the different bags and pockets were zipped up, buttons snapped, everything secure. He heard Kurapica come towards him and he stood. The blond dropped his things next to Kuroro's and watched as the older man summoned the Skill Hunter, and from there the Fun Fun Cloth. Everything was put away except a couple of books for the road, that the boy kept in his arms. Kuroro gestured gallantly and Kurapica inclined his head and preceded him out of the room. As they passed by the counter, the smell of coffee got his attention and he found the mug (with cream) that Kuroro had prepared for him. He took it, threw Kuroro an uncertain look that the older man couldn't read, and brought the cup to his mouth as he exited the suite. The elevator ride down was quiet. Kuroro kept glancing at the boy, secretly glad to see him in masculine clothes again. Kurapica was facing the doors, a thoughtful frown drawing his eyebrows lower over the bridge of his nose. It was a look that suited him, Kuroro decided.
The elevator dinged and they made their way to the front desk, where Kuroro deposited their key-cards. “Room 381,” he told the clerk, who nodded.
Just as he turned, he spied a couple of rather large men and one woman conspicuously dressed in black suits, sporting large sunglasses and grim expressions on their hard features. They screamed mafia for all to see.
Kuroro quickly turned away, slipping an arm around the back of the younger man's waist. He started leading him away, towards a side door, when the woman in black stopped them. “Hey,” she called out, “you two, over there. Come here for a minute.”
They glanced at each other, Kuroro wishing he hadn't played into Kurapica's ridiculous pleas to see that even unlawful brutes like there were not harmed. On the one hand, this fact had saved Kuroro's life back in York Shin - it wasn't as if he was afraid to die, but he didn't necessarily resent being alive, either - yet, on the other hand, now they were starting to get trouble from some unsavoury sort.
“Look at 'em,” one of the men said. “They're two guys. You blind? It's supposed to be a creepy guy with a delicate, demure female with long hair and shapely, long legs.”
“But,” the woman started protesting, just as Kuroro and Kurapica reached the door. They slipped out, as if they had never felt concerned or, really, that the call from the mafia grunts had been meant for them at all.
As the door closed behind them, Kurapica sighed in relief. Kuroro glanced at him.
“See what you get from insisting on leaving lowlives unharmed?” he asked the blond.
“Yes, and I still deem it necessary,” Kurapica sent back. He walked towards the blue car that they had driven into town.
“Not that one,” Kuroro told him. “We might have been seen driving it. Follow me.”
He led the younger man through the parking lot, glancing this way and that.Whenever he caught sight of the younger man, of his fair features, they looked darker and darker. It was clear that Kurapica was upset about something, and Kuroro would have felt confident placing his bet on the fact that it became clear to the younger man that they were going to steal a car. Well, it was nothing that they hadn't done before and besides, Kurapica would have to get used to it. They were Spiders, after all. And Kurapica would be one, too. Kuroro would see to it.
Finally, he set his sight on a dark green SUV. It was just at an angle from the security cameras, meaning it would not be visible. He quickly got the doors open and he slid behind the wheel. Kurapica sat on the passenger seat, closed his door and put their books in the back. Kuroro waited. Long minutes passed in silence. The blond looked straight ahead at first, but as time stretched slowly, he started fidgeting and finally turned towards the older man.
“What are you doing?” he hissed in a hushed sort of whisper, as if he were afraid of being overheard. “We should go quickly, before we're discovered.”
Kuroro sent him and amused sort of look. “No one's going to come to this specific car,” he told the nervous blond. “And if they do? Then they're my problem, not yours.” He paused, studying the younger man quietly. Time to start teaching the ropes, proper. “Not all burglary and theft depends on speed,” he informed him. “Sometimes, going slow can be to your advantage.”
This was a very sensitive topic, and it could either devolve into yet another argument, or this could be a step forward for them. He nearly held his breath, watching the younger man's face carefully.
Kurapica had a soft, thoughtful frown on his face again. “I see,” he began slowly. “You're waiting for more people to come and go so that the theft will not be immediately liked to us. You specifically chose a car that was hidden from the cameras and now you're waiting until a few more people go past us so as to confuse people. You want our pursuers and policemen who might come after us to get so bogged down by verifying, one by one, the whereabouts of every single person who went by these cameras.”
Ah, choosing Kurapica to be one of the replacements for the two felled Spiders had been an excellent decision. His agility and strength in battle, even without nen, were already quite amazing on their own but his incredible acumen and sharp mind made him a true diamond in the rough. And now, it fell to Kuroro to polish him. He'd already chipped at the hard rock exterior in the few months since he'd captured the young Kuruta. Soon, Kurapica would become the best Spider there ever was, and Kuroro couldn't wait to see it happen.
A few people walked by the car, and the Spider Head used the excuse of hiding their faces (in case someone peered in and caught sight of them through the dark, tinted windows) to give in to the urge to lean over the divide between their seats and press his lips over the younger man's. Kurapica tensed at first - surprised, no doubt - but he soon relaxed and angled his head to make it easier. Kuroro nibbled at his lips. The kiss was surprisingly heady. The people outside were long gone by the time he pulled away.
Kuroro sat back in his seat and cleared his throat. “Get our books from the back?” he asked the blond, who quickly obtemperated.
Time moved at a snail's pace after this. Both young men were pretending to read, but it was clear that neither of them were focused on their respective book. Pages turned sporadically, whenever one of them remembered to keep the farce up. Finally, Kurapica gave up on it and twisted around in his seat to place the book that he wasn't actually reading back where he'd gotten it from. When Kuroro handed him his, the blond took it and placed it on top of his own without comment.
“So,” he began, turning to face the front once more, “where are we headed now?”
“Merro,” Kuroro answered him. “There are rumours about this rich socialite there. She seems to own - quote - a wondrous and gruesome treasure - end quote.”
“That does seem like something we should check out,” the blond remarked. “Am I still going there dressed as a woman?”
“Not for the next couple of days,” Kuroro assured him. “On the contrary, I want to put as much distance between this town and ourselves as we can, and the further we go as two males, the better for us.” He couldn't help a smile at Kurapica's obvious relief. “In Merro, we'll go as brother and sister again. Until we reach the prefecture however, it's jeans, t-shirts and those gigantic hooded sweatshirts that you seem to like so much.”
“They're comfortable,” Kurapica defended.
“Perhaps,” Kuroro replied, a teasing smile pulling at his lips, “but they hide your beautiful, lithe physique from my eyes.”
Kurapica's face showed confusion, then shock, then finally settled on absolute embarrassment. “I'm not here to decorate your environment,” he informed the older man.
“That may be,” Kuroro answered without missing a beat, “but you still do so wonderfully well.”
Kurapica's cheeks coloured - oh how Kuroro loved being the cause for the blond to blush - and he turned away. “Self-centred bastard,” he muttered under his breath, just as the Spider Head connected the two wires under the dashboard, starting up the car.
They wouldn't go far with the stolen vehicle, but he was hoping to get as far as he could with this one. Things were steadily becoming more dangerous, and he wanted to further confuse the trails they left behind.
“Tell me,” he said, just as they got on the four-lane road that led to the highway, “how well do you know Victorian etiquette?”
“Well enough,” the blond answered, throwing a glance in his direction. “Why?”
“You might want to brush up on it,” Kuroro answered cryptically. “I'll loan you a book, the next time we stop somewhere.”
Beta-reader: None.
Chapter summary: Diamond in the rough.
Chapter 73
When he awoke the next morning, Kuroro opened his eyes to find the sun shining on golden hair. It was strange, this; waking up with someone in bed with him, that he'd fall asleep next to someone, that he didn't mind sharing his bed for an entire night. It was downright unheard of. Then again, Kurapica as no ordinary person, not by any stretch of the imagination.
He couldn't quite help raising his hand to touch that golden hair; he could never deny himself the touch of something he desired. A sharp intake of air, and Kurapica pulled away, eyes already wide, glancing briefly at Kuroro's raised hand before going back to his face. The blue eyes narrowed and Kurapica sat up on the edge of the bed, turning his back to the older man. The sun was still shining onto the boy's hair and pale skin. Kuroro wanted to touch that skin, to splay his fingers under however many layers of sleeveless tops that the blond had pulled on after his shower; he itched to slide his hand up that tense back, all the way to the base of his neck, to caress the pale skin, to lean against Kurapica's back, to whisper softly in his ear until the Kuruta sank back against him, until he drew a ragged breath, until his eyes turned red and his voice called Kuroro's name.
Ah, he was addicted to this boy, and it was probably an unhealthy habit to pursue.
Well, he sort of liked this courtship with death. He was pretty certain that he would be able to dance just out of harm's way, were this beautiful and very dangerous boy to turn on him. He was particularly good at avoiding death, after all.
He sat up as well, and saw Kurapica''s back tense up even more, if it were at all possible. The blond didn't get up or turn away so Kuroro finally gave into the urge to run the flat of his hand up the blond's back, although he did so over the fabric of his shirt, not under. Small concession, that he felt necessary under the circumstances.
Before he ended up changing his mind on what he needed to do, he pulled away and sat on his own side of the bed. A light stretch and got up to his feet. He moved to his bags to find clothes to change into.
“We're going to be leaving as soon as we're dressed and packed,” he told the blond. “I wouldn't check out before morning, or I would risk someone taking undue notice of us and it could reach Forkey's ears, but since we had reserved the room until today, well I don't intend to stick around. The air in this town is going to start getting pretty bad for us.”
Kurapica yawned and got to his feet. “Do I have time for some coffee?” he wanted to know.
Kuroro turned a playfully horrified look on him. “You can't tell me you actually like the coffee here.”
“Hate it,” the blond confirmed. “I just need the caffeine.”
“It can wait ten minutes until we've made it out of town,” Kuroro told him, knowing that they wouldn't be far enough to stop for coffee in hours. “You don't even drive,” he continued. “It's not like you need to be awake. Go get dressed.”
Kurapica made a face that was suspiciously close to looking like a pout. He imagined the expression would much better suit someone like Neon Nostrade than the young Kuruta. Kurapica made his way to his bag and the older man turned away from him and got himself dressed. He heard the bathroom door open and close. A glance back confirmed that the younger man had gone in to change. Kuroro finished getting ready and went to the sort of living room that was attached to their bedroom, so that he could start a cup of coffee for the blond. He then began looking around to make sure that they wouldn't be leaving anything behind. Aside from a pair of Kurapica's underwear, that he found under the bed, the bedroom seemed to be free of personal items, outside of their bags.
Of course, Kurapica had to walk out of the bathroom just as he stood, underwear in hand. “Found something of yours,” Kuroro told the blond, holding it aloft.
Kurapica marked a pause where his eyes slid to Kuroro's hand and his eyebrows lowered in a look of curious confusion that had no business coming out as adorable as it did. “What is..?” he began saying, when realization suddenly hit him. His eyes went wide and a dark blush rose to his fair cheeks.
“It was under the bed,” Kuroro cheerfully explained. He tossed it next to the blond's bags. “Finish packing your things; I'm going to check the other room.”
He didn't wait for an answer, but went to make sure they had left nothing in the living room. A moment later, he returned to Kurapica. The blond was nearly done packing his bags, his head lowered over a backpack, and all Kuroro could see of his skin was the tip of one ear. It was still very, very red.
He couldn't help the amused smile that curled his lips upwards. He walked over to his own luggage and made sure that all of the different bags and pockets were zipped up, buttons snapped, everything secure. He heard Kurapica come towards him and he stood. The blond dropped his things next to Kuroro's and watched as the older man summoned the Skill Hunter, and from there the Fun Fun Cloth. Everything was put away except a couple of books for the road, that the boy kept in his arms. Kuroro gestured gallantly and Kurapica inclined his head and preceded him out of the room. As they passed by the counter, the smell of coffee got his attention and he found the mug (with cream) that Kuroro had prepared for him. He took it, threw Kuroro an uncertain look that the older man couldn't read, and brought the cup to his mouth as he exited the suite. The elevator ride down was quiet. Kuroro kept glancing at the boy, secretly glad to see him in masculine clothes again. Kurapica was facing the doors, a thoughtful frown drawing his eyebrows lower over the bridge of his nose. It was a look that suited him, Kuroro decided.
The elevator dinged and they made their way to the front desk, where Kuroro deposited their key-cards. “Room 381,” he told the clerk, who nodded.
Just as he turned, he spied a couple of rather large men and one woman conspicuously dressed in black suits, sporting large sunglasses and grim expressions on their hard features. They screamed mafia for all to see.
Kuroro quickly turned away, slipping an arm around the back of the younger man's waist. He started leading him away, towards a side door, when the woman in black stopped them. “Hey,” she called out, “you two, over there. Come here for a minute.”
They glanced at each other, Kuroro wishing he hadn't played into Kurapica's ridiculous pleas to see that even unlawful brutes like there were not harmed. On the one hand, this fact had saved Kuroro's life back in York Shin - it wasn't as if he was afraid to die, but he didn't necessarily resent being alive, either - yet, on the other hand, now they were starting to get trouble from some unsavoury sort.
“Look at 'em,” one of the men said. “They're two guys. You blind? It's supposed to be a creepy guy with a delicate, demure female with long hair and shapely, long legs.”
“But,” the woman started protesting, just as Kuroro and Kurapica reached the door. They slipped out, as if they had never felt concerned or, really, that the call from the mafia grunts had been meant for them at all.
As the door closed behind them, Kurapica sighed in relief. Kuroro glanced at him.
“See what you get from insisting on leaving lowlives unharmed?” he asked the blond.
“Yes, and I still deem it necessary,” Kurapica sent back. He walked towards the blue car that they had driven into town.
“Not that one,” Kuroro told him. “We might have been seen driving it. Follow me.”
He led the younger man through the parking lot, glancing this way and that.Whenever he caught sight of the younger man, of his fair features, they looked darker and darker. It was clear that Kurapica was upset about something, and Kuroro would have felt confident placing his bet on the fact that it became clear to the younger man that they were going to steal a car. Well, it was nothing that they hadn't done before and besides, Kurapica would have to get used to it. They were Spiders, after all. And Kurapica would be one, too. Kuroro would see to it.
Finally, he set his sight on a dark green SUV. It was just at an angle from the security cameras, meaning it would not be visible. He quickly got the doors open and he slid behind the wheel. Kurapica sat on the passenger seat, closed his door and put their books in the back. Kuroro waited. Long minutes passed in silence. The blond looked straight ahead at first, but as time stretched slowly, he started fidgeting and finally turned towards the older man.
“What are you doing?” he hissed in a hushed sort of whisper, as if he were afraid of being overheard. “We should go quickly, before we're discovered.”
Kuroro sent him and amused sort of look. “No one's going to come to this specific car,” he told the nervous blond. “And if they do? Then they're my problem, not yours.” He paused, studying the younger man quietly. Time to start teaching the ropes, proper. “Not all burglary and theft depends on speed,” he informed him. “Sometimes, going slow can be to your advantage.”
This was a very sensitive topic, and it could either devolve into yet another argument, or this could be a step forward for them. He nearly held his breath, watching the younger man's face carefully.
Kurapica had a soft, thoughtful frown on his face again. “I see,” he began slowly. “You're waiting for more people to come and go so that the theft will not be immediately liked to us. You specifically chose a car that was hidden from the cameras and now you're waiting until a few more people go past us so as to confuse people. You want our pursuers and policemen who might come after us to get so bogged down by verifying, one by one, the whereabouts of every single person who went by these cameras.”
Ah, choosing Kurapica to be one of the replacements for the two felled Spiders had been an excellent decision. His agility and strength in battle, even without nen, were already quite amazing on their own but his incredible acumen and sharp mind made him a true diamond in the rough. And now, it fell to Kuroro to polish him. He'd already chipped at the hard rock exterior in the few months since he'd captured the young Kuruta. Soon, Kurapica would become the best Spider there ever was, and Kuroro couldn't wait to see it happen.
A few people walked by the car, and the Spider Head used the excuse of hiding their faces (in case someone peered in and caught sight of them through the dark, tinted windows) to give in to the urge to lean over the divide between their seats and press his lips over the younger man's. Kurapica tensed at first - surprised, no doubt - but he soon relaxed and angled his head to make it easier. Kuroro nibbled at his lips. The kiss was surprisingly heady. The people outside were long gone by the time he pulled away.
Kuroro sat back in his seat and cleared his throat. “Get our books from the back?” he asked the blond, who quickly obtemperated.
Time moved at a snail's pace after this. Both young men were pretending to read, but it was clear that neither of them were focused on their respective book. Pages turned sporadically, whenever one of them remembered to keep the farce up. Finally, Kurapica gave up on it and twisted around in his seat to place the book that he wasn't actually reading back where he'd gotten it from. When Kuroro handed him his, the blond took it and placed it on top of his own without comment.
“So,” he began, turning to face the front once more, “where are we headed now?”
“Merro,” Kuroro answered him. “There are rumours about this rich socialite there. She seems to own - quote - a wondrous and gruesome treasure - end quote.”
“That does seem like something we should check out,” the blond remarked. “Am I still going there dressed as a woman?”
“Not for the next couple of days,” Kuroro assured him. “On the contrary, I want to put as much distance between this town and ourselves as we can, and the further we go as two males, the better for us.” He couldn't help a smile at Kurapica's obvious relief. “In Merro, we'll go as brother and sister again. Until we reach the prefecture however, it's jeans, t-shirts and those gigantic hooded sweatshirts that you seem to like so much.”
“They're comfortable,” Kurapica defended.
“Perhaps,” Kuroro replied, a teasing smile pulling at his lips, “but they hide your beautiful, lithe physique from my eyes.”
Kurapica's face showed confusion, then shock, then finally settled on absolute embarrassment. “I'm not here to decorate your environment,” he informed the older man.
“That may be,” Kuroro answered without missing a beat, “but you still do so wonderfully well.”
Kurapica's cheeks coloured - oh how Kuroro loved being the cause for the blond to blush - and he turned away. “Self-centred bastard,” he muttered under his breath, just as the Spider Head connected the two wires under the dashboard, starting up the car.
They wouldn't go far with the stolen vehicle, but he was hoping to get as far as he could with this one. Things were steadily becoming more dangerous, and he wanted to further confuse the trails they left behind.
“Tell me,” he said, just as they got on the four-lane road that led to the highway, “how well do you know Victorian etiquette?”
“Well enough,” the blond answered, throwing a glance in his direction. “Why?”
“You might want to brush up on it,” Kuroro answered cryptically. “I'll loan you a book, the next time we stop somewhere.”