THREE. [LOG]
Characters: Kotetsu and Izumo
Setting: From Izu's house to Koty's house, pizza parlor in between.
Rating: PG-13 for language
Summary: Kotetsu gets pissed off at Izumo for acting so strange and distant.
Kotetsu: Kotetsu stood impatiently outside Izumo's bedroom door. He had knocked on it several moments ago, and there was still no answer, although he could certainly hear movement inside. Meanwhile, Izumo's mother was watching him curiously from her seat on the couch, and constantly making motions with her hands to suggest that he should just barge in. Kotetsu actually thought that was a splendid idea, and knocked once more to give Izumo a chance to answer. He wanted to give his friend the benefit of the doubt, and wanted to believe that Izumo wasn't avoiding him -- but really, he was. And he still couldn't wrap his mind around why exactly Izumo was avoiding him in the first place. Surely it didn't have anything to do with getting drunk a few nights ago, right? Even if a few nights ago was more akin to a little under a week, and it was very alarming to have Izumo ignore him for that amount of time.
Izumo: Izumo sat by his computer desk, staring at the blank screen before him while tapping his pen softly against the blotter. Every few seconds, his eyes turned a bit to the left to face his door. He had heard Kotetsu the first time he knocked, and figured that after a few minutes without getting a response, he'd leave. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. At the last knock, he sighed and heaved himself up. Walking towards the door in his pajamas, he opened the door slightly so that only a crack appeared between him and his friend. "Umm hey. I'm not...feeling well right now. You should go, unless you want to catch whatever it is that I have." He nodded and began to close the door again, making a mental note to yell at his mom for not asking Kotetsu to leave when her own son obviously didn't want any company.
Kotetsu: "Oh please." He replied shortly, eyeing Izumo through the crack between the door and its frame. "If you're sick --- which I doubt by the way, since you'd be nagging me to pick you up soup and god knows what else --- then I probably gave it to you, which means I've already had it. Now open up, I'm sure you know that I'm not leaving until you do." Kotetsu raised an eyebrow defiantly, as if daring Izumo to make more excuses. Resting one hand on the doorknob, he waited for what would hopefully be Izumo opening the door. He didn't really want to yell at his friend from a separate room, but he would if he was going to persist in being a stubborn brat about it. Honestly, ignoring him for a week was intolerable! Wasn't this the Izumo that had been griping that he hadn't seen Kotetsu enough lately, calling him stranger and the like? And now he was purposefully avoiding him? Hah. Not any moreeeee.
Izumo: Izumo frowned from behind the door and cursed softly under his breath. He knew that he would need a lot more to fool Kotetsu than just a simple 'I'm sick' routine, but he was desperate and nothing else came to mind. With a sigh, opened the door at a crack again before walking back to turn off his computer screen and crawling back into bed. "Then maybe you should go and get me some soup," he suggested, eyeing him from under the covers. He wasn't about to let up yet, keeping up with his pathetic lie was better than having to face the truth. "Would this face lie to you?" He said, uncovering his face just a little to show him a little sad expression.
Kotetsu: Kotetsu rolled his eyes at Izumo's pathetic antics (did Izumo really think Kotetsu didn't know him well enough to know when he was lying?), but decided to play along with the charade for the meantime. Pushing the door open wide enough for him to get into the room, he closed it behind him just as quickly, showing his slight irritation with the whole thing. The chair by the computer was comfortable, and it rotated, he knew from past experience, so Kotetsu elected to flop into that, resting his heels on the seat of the chair. Twisting from side to side, never more than a range of 100 degrees though, he watched Izumo's 'sick' face with thinly veiled amusement on his face. "...Uh, yes. That's beside the point though," he began, pausing in his movements and fixing his eyes on Izumo. "Why've you been avoiding me? ---And don't give me that sick excuse. We both know that's bullshit."
Izumo: "Humph," Izumo mumbled and pouted as he shifted in his bed, unwilling to leave the protection from under the covers. "I'm not avoiding you, who said I was avoiding you?" Izumo asked. "Just because we haven't seen each other in the past week," he gave a small shrug. "I have been really busy the beginning of the week and then realized that I've been slacking off for the past few months, so I'm just picking up the slack," he said. "That's all. I wouldn't avoid you, why would I do something like that?" He asked. Pulling the covers away from his face, he sat himself up against the head of the bed. "I guess overall, I haven't been myself and don't ask me why cause I don't know."
Kotetsu: "If you say so..." Kotetsu answered slowly, not wanting to blatantly call his friend a liar, but not quite believing his story. At any rate, he hadn't come here to argue. "So, you too busy to go get that pizza you promised me?" He asked, referring back to the last time they had spoken. It wasn't exactly a promise, but he decided to take it as that, if only for his own purposes. "I have the definite need for a mushroom, pepper, and ham pizza." He added, grinning over at Izumo. "Get off your duff, change into some clothes, and we can go." Pulling on the desk, he spun around twice quickly, pausing to look at Izumo. "Well? Are you going to change?"
Izumo: Izumo grumbled something under his breath and rolled his eyes. "So demanding, I don't know how I put up with you," he whispered as he slowly got up from his bed and walked over to his closet. Picking out a random pair of jeans and shirt, he went over and pushed Kotetsu out of his room. Normally he wouldn't have a problem changing in front of his friend, but ...right now wasn't exactly the best timing; he couldn't risk thinking any wrong thoughts and allowing the other to see just how far down his blushes travel. Sighing, he changed as slow as he could, then walked over to get his wallet and keys as slow as he could. "I'm ready," he said as he came out, sitting on the sofa and wearing his socks as slow as he could.
Kotetsu: Fidgeting at the door was apparently not allowed, and Kotetsu had already been swatted at twice by Izumo's mother and her towel. Finally ending up perching on the arm of the couch, he let out an aggravated sigh as Izumo made his entrance. "Took you long enough!" He bemoaned. "What'd you do, try on every outfit on that you had in there!?" He wasn't upset, but he was hungry --- and you never got between Kotetsu and his stomach. "Hungry! Hungry! Hungry! 'Zumo, am I speaking a foreign language here? Hungryyyyyy! It's Kotetsu for 'hurry the fuck up!'"
Izumo: "Como sta? Es toy non understando," Izumo responded with a small smirk on his face while lacing up his shoes. He saw his mother cringe from behind the kitchen counter and made a face at her, it wasn't like her mother could do any bett- ok she can, but that's not the point. Finally standing up with his shoes ready, he pretended to pause and think. "Oh shit, I forgot my sweater inside my room. Hold on..." He made a move to untie his shoelaces just to piss Kotetsu off. There was really no point in delaying their going out, because as long as Kotetsu was there with him, there were no avoiding odd moments whether it be at his house or the pizza store. "Just kidding. Come on, let's go you frickin' monster," he said, heading towards the door. "You could have just bought some on the way here you know, that way I wouldn't have to move so much."
Kotetsu: "What, and purposefully allow you to think that I'm your little servant? I think not. No, you can eat there just like everyone else." Kotetsu paused. "Actually, want to take the pizza back to my place? I know you were peeved about not being the first person over, but you can be the first person to come over more than once? Plus, I've got a few rented movies that I haven't returned yet... It's just a suggestion." He quickly added, seeing the change of expression on Izumo's face. "I mean, yeah. I just thought it'd be more comfortable in my room with the TV instead of those plastic booth seats." He wasn't sure what Izumo was doing. He knew he was upset over something, but what was it? 'Cause it was really starting to piss him off.
Izumo: "Oh I'm sorry..." Izumo started to say, placing his head down as if he was really ashamed. "What I meant to say was...duck ass!" He laughed, pushing Kotetsu away from him by his shoulder. Taking a familiar turn down towards the street of the pizza store, he shoved his hands in his pockets and fell silent. Things were more or less the way they used to be, or at least the most normal he could get it to be without completely erasing his thoughts on that night away. "Hey, if you don't want me to go over...it's ok. We can just chill at the pizza store," he suddenly decided to add quietly. Just in case Kotetsu was really having second thoughts about the invitation with the odd way he has been conducting himself. Which wouldn't be too bad anyway, since the probability of something going wrong in public would be less likely.
Kotetsu: "Would I have invited you over if I didn't want you to come?" Kotetsu pouted, rubbing his shoulder as if Izumo's weak push had injured him. "I don't have a duck ass either... You're so mean to me. Aren't you supposed to be my sugar-daddy? Always looking out for me and taking care of me?" The pizza shop was a few buildings down, but they reached it soon enough, Kotetsu reaching out to push the door open for Izumo to step through. Following him closely in, he nudged him in the side with his elbow. "So, what're we getting? One large, or two smalls?"
Izumo: Izumo looked through the display glass and pondered. "We can get a large and have different toppings on it, I mean...if that's ok with you," he answered him. He had ignored the sugar daddy comment, since it strangely reminded him of the day/night that they got drunk. "Do you want to get some soda?" He asked, turning to Kotetsu. "And what toppings do you want on your side?" While waiting for an answer, he grabbed a straw and started to habitually twisting it, ignoring the annoyed look of the man from behind the counter.
Kotetsu: Feeling around in his pockets, Kotetsu quickly found his wallet, and pulled out enough money for their pizza and drinks. "I'll get a Pepsi, thanks. And I'll eat whatever you're getting, so long as it doesn't have pepperoni on it." He too was growing annoyed by the squeaking straw Izumo was playing with, and with one quick movement, he snatched it out of the other's hands. "What is with you today? You're being all fidgety now." Handing the money to Izumo so that he could pay for their meal when it was ready -- because really, was Kotetsu going to deal with the cashier? No. -- he looked at him for a moment, studying him. "Something's weird. That's for sure."
Izumo: "Hey! I was playing with that..." Izumo exclaimed, trailing off with a frown on his face. Taking the money in his hand and making a mental note that it'll be his turn to pay next time, he leaned against the display and pretended to be fully captivated by the different choices. "Mmm...I don't know what you're talking about. And we'll have half veggie, half meat, thanks," he said, avoiding looking at Kotetsu the whole time. "I don't know what's weird, perhaps it's the fact that you're accusing me of being weird every three seconds," he muttered before asking the pizza man for a Snapple.
Kotetsu: It was the fact that even while defending himself Izumo was attempting to appear busy, and not to look at Kotetsu, that tipped him off to further proof that Izumo was lying. He'd wear him down eventually, the shaggy haired boy decided. "If you say so." He replied, pushing his hair out of his face with one hand. "But I wasn't aware that you were in the habit of lying." Taking his Pepsi from the counter, he popped it open, the can releasing a slight hiss as the pressure on the can was removed. "Veggie sounds good by the way, thanks."
Izumo: "Yeah, ok Mr. Interrogator, come on let's go," Izumo answered him as he took the box of pizza in one hand while handing Kotetsu his Snapple. "What's with this constant paranoia of me lying to you all of a sudden, hrm?" Izumo asked as he opened the door with one foot and held it for Kotetsu. A part of him inside wondered and worried if Kotetsu had figure out the events of the drunken night somehow. But then realizing sadly that if that indeed was true, his best friend probably wouldn't be standing here right next to him now, wanting to hang out with him. He shrugged as they walked on, towards Kotetsu's apartment. "I'm just not feeling like myself lately, it's me not you, I promise," he turned to Kotetsu for the first time since they entered the pizza store and smiled.
Kotetsu: Taking Izumo's Snapple, Kotetsu followed the other obediently out of the pizza shop, the two of them heading back to his apartment. "You sound like you're breaking up with me or something." Kotetsu snickered, taking a sip of his open drink. "It's not you... It's me... I think we need to end this, but really, don't blame yourself, this is my issue." He rolled his eyes after finishing the over dramatized joke, nudging Izumo again in the side. He figured--he hoped--that Izumo would stop jumping around the issue, but he supposed he couldn't force the other to talk, and wasn't in the mood to do such a thing either. That only make Izumo more mad at him.
Izumo: Caught a bit off guard with Kotetsu's comment, Izumo widened his eyes as he tripped over a branch. Luckily, he managed to steady himself before anything happened to their beloved pizza. "If you cause me to drop the pizza, I will have an issue and break up with you!" He joked, holding the pizza box now with both hands. "Don't just stand there and be pretty, go open the door," he told him once they reached the front of the building. "So...what movies do you have?" He asked, trying to get the topic away from him as much as possible. It would to be too hard trying to keep everything in if Kotetsu kept asking him why he was acting weird.
Kotetsu: "Why can't I just stand here and look pretty? It's what I do best!" Kotetsu pouted, but he complied with Izumo's order, quickly punching in the door code and opening the door for his friend. "Not sure what movies there are... I think there's a few comedies, per usual, but nothing terribly exciting. Was there anything you were hoping to see? I can always run over to the video store and pick it up."
Izumo: "Nah," Izumo answered. "I don't even know what's out on dvd and video right now, haven't been watching much t.v." He walked towards the elevator and punched the button roughly five times before being satisfied and stepped away to wait. "I do want to watch this one movie that's out in the theatres though, I forget the name," he frowned slightly as he tried to remember. "It has something to do with a few kids playing a video game and the game coming to reality," he said at last. "A bit overdone, but whatever. The graphics for the game itself seems awesome," he rambled on a bit and finally stopped when he heard the elevator approaching.
Kotetsu: He had never been a fan of horror movies, but Izumo loved them. It wasn't horrible to watch them, but he tended to jump and overreact at the slightest things, causing him to latch onto the nearest person's arm. Usually, he was watching with Izumo, and he'd usually latch onto Izumo, which always led to Izumo making fun of him for days on end. It was less than enjoyable, and so he hoped, desperately hoped, that the few horror movies in his room had been lost. He blushed slightly as he realized that he, strangely enough, didn't really mind jumping to hide behind Izumo's arm; he only minded the teasing afterwards. The elevator 'ping'ed, disrupting his sudden change of thoughts, which he was certainly thankful for, and opened to the fifth floor hallway. "Home sweet home!" He announced, grabbing one of Izumo's wrists, and heading towards the apartment door.
Izumo: "Watch watch watch!" Izumo reprimanded softly as he felt himself being pulled towards the apartment door. The pizza box was a bit lighter on the left side, which meant that their lunch was probably squished and beat up by now. Oh well, nothing says lunch like some good mooshy thing. Despite that fact though, he couldn't help but chuckle at Kotetsu's enthusiasm and felt a bit flattered since he was the only one who has been here more than once. But as soon as that feeling of pride swelled in his chest, it disappeared when he realized that Hinata would probably be up here more frequently too. Sighing inwardly, he walked in and placed the pizza box down on the kitchen counter. "Are we eating in your room?"
Kotetsu: "Yeah. You can just bring the whole box in, if you'd like, I got the drinks." He turned, heading towards his room. Kotetsu wanted to say that he didn't have any movies that Izumo'd like, but he felt badly enough, and maybe he could even persuade the other to tell him what was wrong if he was involved in a movie. "You know, I think I've got a few horror flicks in my room, if you want to watch those..." And no, he was not looking for a reason to drape himself over Izumo... not exactly. Placing the two drinks on the bedside table, he shrugged his jacket off and tugged off his long sleeve shirt to change into a t-shirt. "Hey, 'Zumo?" He asked, turning towards the other. "Is my purple t-shirt over there...? 'Cause it's not in the bureau..."
Izumo: Izumo tried his best to shift the pizza back into its proper place before following Kotetsu back to his room. Settling the box down on his desk, he tried his best not to look towards that infamous left drawer and found himself blushing slightly in the effort. "If you don't mind watching the horror movies, yeah that'd be great," he answered him, however regretting it the moment the words left his mouth. Kotetsu had a bad habit of getting quite close to him whenever they watched movies like those. Maybe I can ask for a blanket and separate ourselves that way... He was deep in his thoughts when he finally realized that Kotetsu was asking him a question. "Uh purple shirt? This it?" He picked up the nearest shirt he saw, but sadly in his distracted state of mind, it was a white shirt.
Kotetsu: Kotetsu took the shirt, and waved it in front of Izumo's face for a moment. "This is white. Not purple." He didn't really care though, wasn't in the mood to find his other shirt, so he shrugged it on. After changing into the t-shirt, he flopped onto the bed, gesturing for Izumo to grab the pizza and join him. The remote was under his pillow, per usual, and he flipped the TV on before fumbling for the DVD remote. Finding it pushed between the mattress and the wall, he turned that on as well, pressing '3' to turn on the movie that he thought was to Izumo's tastes. "There you go. One horror movie, delivered as promised."
Izumo: "Ok, thanks," Izumo answered him and ignored the comment about the color of shirts. At least Kotetsu was able to make do with it, it wasn't like he handed him a hair brush or something, cause that would have been weird. Grabbing the pizza box and laying it by their feet on the floor, he flipped open the top. "Still smokin' ...well kind of," he reported as he sat on the edge of the bed a bit away from Kotetsu. "Hand me my drink will ya?" He asked him while preparing two slices of pizza on the paper plates that were provided by the store.
Kotetsu: Kotetsu leaned back against the headboard next to Izumo, reaching over to grab the drink. Handing the unopened bottle to Izumo, he waved his paper plate pathetically. "Gimme a slice, would ya?" He asked, leaving the plate between them before crawling to the end of the bed on his hands and knees. Stretching across the small amount of space was difficult, but not impossible, and what with the TV remote up volume button being broken, you had to change it manually. Which is what he was doing. Even if it was a pain. Turning it up quite a bit, Kotetsu looked over his shoulder to Izumo. "That loud enough?" He asked, waiting for an answer.
Izumo: Izumo nodded in agreement and slid a slice of the veggie pizza onto the paper plate that Kotetsu had just waved around. He held onto it and was about to tell the other to hurry back since the oil was seeping through the flimsy plate and he didn't want to stain the bedsheets. However what he saw when he looked up was not what he had expected. "Umm..." He answered him with one eyebrow raised as if he was still contemplating the correct answer. Finally tearing his eyes from Kotetsu's rear and getting over the fact that the boy was almost mooning him in a sense, he locked eyes with Kotetsu for a moment and looked away. "Yeah, that's good enough for me. You might want to turn it down a little though since you know how you get during these kinds of movies," he said rapidly. "Be careful not to shove your ass in my face as you sit back down," he muttered. "Or else your pizza will be ass flavored."
Kotetsu: "Kind of like my apple juice?" He joked, making a big show out of slowly inching away from the TV and back into his previous lounging position next to Izumo. He could turn down the volume later if he got too jumpy. The movie began, and surprisingly it wasn't very bad. He could deal it if this was as worse as it got. "Is it just me, or is this really not that bad?" Kotetsu mused, looking up from where he was eating his pizza to face Izumo. He'd deny it at all costs (because really, it made no sense to be thinking this way), but he felt a vague sense of disappointment. There was no excuse to cling to Izumo if the movie wasn't going to startle him.
Izumo: "Yes, kind of like your apple juice but that one was better since it was flavored after my ass," he said, smirking slightly as his eyes adjusted to the television. The movie began like all movies usually did, and Izumo nodded while taking a bite of his pizza. "Mmm, you just watch," he answered with a small knowing smile. With about two and a half more bites, he finished his first slice of pizza and moved onto his second. "Let me know if you want another one," he told him since the pizza box was by him. The scene from the movie soon faded out from the city to the wilderness and Izumo just grinned, unable to contain his love for gore. However at the same time, he shifted himself ever so little away from Kotetsu, just in case if Kotetsu decided to hug the closest thing like usual.
Kotetsu: "It's going to actually get creepy?" Kotetsu whined, not wanting to sound childish, but failing miserably. "I'll eat something more later... I had a pretty big snack earlier." Inching closer, he was more than slightly hurt when Izumo moved away from him in response. Normally, the other one was tolerant of his clinging, and Kotetsu wasn't sure why that had suddenly changed. Things had gotten confusing around Izumo lately, and he wasn't sure why that had changed either. However, he didn't want to seem pathetic, and forced himself to move back to his side of the bed, if not a bit sullenly. Grinning over at Izumo, his smile not so lopsided (a clear hint that he was forcing it somehow), he complained: "Hey, hey, why is my teddy bear moving away from me!? Not cool, Izumo, not cool."
Izumo: Izumo half nodded as he turned his pizza around and started to eat away at the crust. "Maybe 'ew ken ...." He finished chewing and washed it down with some of his drink. "...just close your eyes, it isn't too bad, but considering that you just ate..." He trailed off and grinned charmingly at Kotetsu. The smile wavered a little bit however, when he saw how Kotetsu moved closer then backed away. A breath of tension filled his lungs as he waited for whatever confrontation that might come next, he even snuck a tiny glance over at his friend to see if any accusational glares resided on his face. When he received the rather false smile though, a silent sigh of relief passed through him, though leaving quite a nasty feeling of guilt behind. "I'm just helping you grow up, Koty-chan," he said with a fond smile. "That's all. Big boys can take scary movies all by themselves, you'll see," he added, forcing himself to keep his smile straight.
Kotetsu: "Thanks for the help." Kotetsu replied, his voice sounding normal, but to a trained ear, one could tell that he was less than pleased with Izumo. It wasn't his fault that he didn't like horror movies; one reason why he often didn't watch them with Izumo. It was solely because Izumo had been acting oddly that he was going out of his way to do things the other would like -- pizza, horror movies -- and now he wasn't even going to be allowed to be frightened? Well, that was just wonderful. He didn't move though, didn't leave the room, and didn't edge closer to his normal-hiding spot. Instead, he contented himself to childishly grabbing a pillow from behind Izumo, rather than get one from the stack at the end of the bed on the floor, and clutching it tightly to his chest, arms wrapped around it.
Izumo: Izumo felt his body jerking oddly when Kotetsu yanked the pillow from his back. A frown appeared on his lips, but he kept those lips closed and complied with grabbing a new pillow at the end of the bed for himself. Sneaking another glance at his friend again, a strange feeling of déjà vu took over him as flashes of a drunken Kotetsu acting in almost the same childish manner entered his mind. But this time, he reminded himself, he's going to put more of a restraint on his own behalf when it came to comforting the other boy. Reaching over, he gave him a rather stiff pat on the shoulder and turned his hands into a thumbs up. "It'll be ok. I promise. We can switch the movie if you don't want to watch it though, I don't mind."
Kotetsu: "It's fine." He chirped, still obviously lying, but if Izumo could get away with it, he should be able to too. "We always watch my movies, I can deal with this." Settling himself against the headboard, tightening his grip around the pillow, he squeaked involuntarily as a sudden appearance startled him. His nerves were more uptight than usual, and with a stolen glance in Izumo's direction, he decided that it was all his fault. If Izumo had just been honest with why he was lying, then he wouldn't be nervous and anxious, and this movie wouldn't be freaking him out more than usual. He had the sudden urge to kick Izumo; a want he wouldn't follow through with though, no matter how much it tempted him.
Izumo: "Here's the really good...." Izumo trailed off as he watched one of the main characters slide into a mud pit filled with what was supposedly human body parts. "...part. Oh look, there's an arm," Izumo grinned, craving for more. Turning to face a rather sickly looking Kotetsu, he took the pillow from behind him and smacked his friend in the stomach. "You sure you're ok with this? Rather brave of you, Koty, I'm proud," he grinned, though feeling like crap inside. A nagging thought inside of him told him that he was taking it too far, that he was acting selfishly just because he couldn't control his feelings. Instead of preserving their friendship, he was just wrecking it...damn. And so making a rather large motion to reach down to place his empty pizza plate on the floor, he returned back to a sitting position that was closer to Kotestu. "Want me to hold a blanket up over your eyes for you?" He grinned teasingly.
Kotetsu: Well, this wasn't right. Kotetsu thought to himself, keeping his eyes averted from the TV, staring fixedly at the closet door. Izumo wasn't supposed to tease him during the movie... only after the movie, when he was less on edge (and less terrified). Feeling nauseous at the sight of the gore, Koty slowly moved to get off the bed, blocking the TV screen with his form for a second before slipping off the bed and onto the floor. He neglected to say anything, only grabbing his jacket off the doorknob of his bedroom door where it had been hung, and putting it on, heading for the fire escape off his father's room. He needed to relax, calm his nerves, and he hoped Izumo knew enough not to follow him out. Probably not. To top off his irritation with the whole thing his hands had been shaky when he lit the cigarette, not unexpected, but certainly annoying. The lighter's flame kept missing the tip, and when it finally lit, he inhaled gratefully, resting the back of his head against the building's outer wall. He had crouched down on the fire escape, legs strewn out before him, back against the wall, and the position was surprisingly comfortable as he continued to calm himself with the nicotine. "Fuckin' Izumo." He muttered under his breath, inhaling again and holding his breath for a moment before exhaling slowly. "Stupid, fuckin' 'Zumo."
Izumo: Izumo felt the tension rise in him and between them when Kotetsu moved away. The way the main character in the movie screamed bloody murder the second he left the bedroom didn't help the tightening feeling in his chest. With a sigh, he moved to turn the t.v. off during mid-scream and sat at the edge of the bed in silence for a few moments before cursing hotly under his breath. Avoiding him didn't work, pretending to act normal again didn't work...what else was left? Taking a deep breath, he struggled up from his seat and decided to go over where Kotetsu was by following the scent of his smoke. Fuck, he's smoking. Leaning against the window frame without looking directly at Kotetsu, he flinched. "Stupid fucking who now?"
Kotetsu: He watched the barely visible gray-white smoke exit his mouth and curl upwards before dissipating in the night air. Izumo's question registered, but he didn't feel the need to answer right away, instead choosing to inhale once more, twice more, three times more. "It's nothing." He offered quietly, looking out over the various buildings and roads. "Just go watch your movie. I'll be in as soon as I finish this." More like this pack, but he didn't need to tell Izumo that. Breathing slowly, he tapped the ash off the end of the cigarette with a practiced ease, taking the opportunity to look up at Izumo's post by the window. "You haven't left. Surprising." He commented aloud, blowing a puff of smoke towards the other. "I would have thought you'd have taken the opportunity before I even finished my sentence."
Izumo: "It isn't my movie," Izumo replied simply, leaning his back against the side of the opened window to face Kotetsu. "And it wasn't all that good anyway," he added, which translated to him being here rather than back in the bedroom watching the movie. The harsh way Kotetsu commented on his surprise of him not having left yet stung him harder than he thought it would. It was everything he had been trying to fight against for the past weeks, the breaking up of their friendship. And yet here they are, drifting apart not unlike the smoke that parted from Kotetsu's lips. "What's wrong...was it something I said?" He asked lamely, scratching his head and staring at the street below. He couldn't look his friend in the eye anymore, fearing for the worst.
Kotetsu: He had told Izumo that he'd be ready to go inside once he was finished with this cigarette. He had lied. Shuffling a new one out of his pack, he lit it with the same ease, dropping the finished cigarette butt onto the cement below them. A distracted 'hn' escaped his mouth as he listened to Izumo prattle on, in his opinion, about the movie not being any good. That sure wasn't what he was saying a few minutes ago, Kotetsu through, eyes narrowing slightly at the memory before flicking up to look at Izumo. Turning his eyes back to the building across the lot from them, Izumo's building to be precise, he sighed quietly. "It's nothing."
Izumo: "If it's nothing then why won't you come back inside and quit the smoking?" Izumo replied promptly, offended now that he was in the receiving end of being left out in the dark. He quirked an eyebrow out of irritation when Kotetsu pulled another one out and continued to puff away. A silent sigh escaped from within him as he realized that he's probably not going to get more than three words out of the boy at a time, and decided that he might as well touch upon the subject that started all this aggravation in the first place. Somewhere in his mind, he rationalized that there wouldn't be a difference between Kotetsu never speaking to him again and Kotetsu being curt to him for the remainder of their lives. "You sure it's nothing? Or is it really 'Izumo's such an asshole to me lately and I don't know what the fuck his problem is?'" He asked.
Kotetsu: "I needed a smoke." Four words, which was an improvement from three, or two, but still nothing that would help Izumo determine what was wrong with his friend. Nor did it answer the other's question of why wouldn't he snuff it out, but Kotetsu wasn't feeling particularly cooperative tonight. Besides, if Izumo could be difficult, why couldn't he? It was hypocritical of him to expect Kotetsu to be roses and sunshine, when he himself was keeping secrets. He wasn't sure if Izumo's keeping secrets bothered him because they had never had real secrets from each other before, or if he simply felt as if there shouldn't be secrets between them. "Are you admitting that you've been an asshole lately?"
Izumo: "Depends if I'm being accused as one," Izumo answered with a light shrug, not thinking much about how self-incriminating he was acting. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he shifted his weight from one foot to another, not knowing what else to say. "Does it bother you that much that I have stuff on my mind that I don't want to share?" He asked, aware of how nasty it might sound if Kotetsu took it the wrong way. "I mean, why drag you down into the mess when it's not necessary?" He added, amending slightly to his previous question. He watched Kotetsu as he took a particular long drag from his smoke, wanting one himself just to test the stress-relieving effect that he has always heard about. "I don't see how it'll make anything better, trust me."
Kotetsu: "I guess it does." Kotetsu mumbled, leaning back to rest his head against the concrete wall with a soft 'thump'. "But I have the worst feeling it's about me. I'm not a mind reader, Izumo. I can't fix things if you don't tell me what's broken." He shrugged, parroting what he had told Hayate the other day at his house. It was almost as if the two of them had switched places. Hayate had actually fessed up to what was bothering him, and now Izumo was the one pretending everything was okay.
Izumo: "Nothing's broken." He turned his back against the window and sat on the ledge. "And even if there was, it wouldn't be yours to fix," he added, since quite obviously there wasn't a way for Kotetsu to 'fix' Izumo's feelings. He fell silent for a few moments, pretending to be fully captivated by the knots in the hardwood floor. "You know I don't like keeping things from you, Kotetsu," he said in a small voice. "But if I don't....if I don't...." He took a deep breath and kept his focus on the floor boards. "If I don't, then you'd probably hate me and not trust me ever again. And I guess I'm to blame now for hating that worse." He gave a sarcastic snort, shrugging his shoulders up and letting them sag back down. "But I guess I failed cause you probably hate me now quite a bit, huh? What can I say, I'm not the best actor out there, failed acting class three times, remember?"
Kotetsu: Hate was a strong word. Right now, Kotetsu was stuck between being hurt that Izumo apparently didn't trust him (whether it was to prevent Kotetsu freaking out or not, he should have trusted him not to have said freak out.) and the fact that he was mad that Izumo didn't trust him at all. Never hate though, he could never hate Izumo. "Just tell me." He said, the casual tone he wanted coming out distorted and hurt. Clearing his throat to try again, he shifted so that he was leaning against the iron railings, facing the window and Izumo. "I mean, how do you know how I'll react until you tell me?" He left out the part about how he could never hate Izumo, not in a million years, because he thought the added threat in Izumo's mind might put pressure on him to tell the truth.
Izumo: "I...do you really think that it'd be better?" Izumo asked, turning to face him now with his one uncovered eye. "Do you think that my judgment is so bad that I've been worrying over something stupid? I mean, you're acting like the thing I'm not telling you is equivalent to 'oh my god my neighbor's cat just died' or something," he said, unable to contain the thumping fear in his chest, since he probably has to confess sooner or later. Sooner if he doesn't want Kotetsu to completely hate him. "Do you think that I would keep something to myself if I didn't truly believe that it would affect us somehow? That it'd be better to..." He swallowed hard, trying to cast away the guilty lump forming at his throat. "...that it'd be better to let you know that I remember everything from the night we got drunk? That we kissed and since I was fully aware of what I was doing, it means that I took advantage of you?" He visibly flinched when he said the last part, it sounded a lot more fucked up out loud.
Kotetsu: "Oh." Kotetsu wasn't sure how to reply to that. He wanted to reassure Izumo that it wasn't as bad as he was making it to be, but the image in his head wasn't helping any. Sure, his friend was infamous for exaggerating small details, but this -- this was a rather fucking large detail. Blinking owlishly up at Izumo, he opened his mouth, closed it again, and then lifted one corner of his mouth to make a very confused expression. "...What?" Still trying to process, Kotetsu inhaled deeply on his cigarette, never more thankful that he had the stress relieving habit to fall back on. Tapping the ash off with one finger, continually watching Izumo, he thought of a question to ask. "So... we kissed." Yeah, that was a tad weird to think about. "...Did you take advantage of me, and force me to participate, or was I actively involved?" He wasn't sure how he was being so calm about the situation, but part of him knew that one of them had to remain collected. Since Izumo was about to break down (or so it appeared to him), he figured he was the newest candidate for the job. Kotetsu... cool-headed... Right.
Izumo: Izumo fought against the miserable expression on his face as hard as he could, but to no avail; it was simply too hard. Everything about Kotetsu's response was burning in his brain for evaluation, the monosyllable reply, the hesitant silences in between, the drag of his cigarette...nothing seemed positive. "I...well..." Izumo started when Kotetsu asked him the question, trying to wrap his mind around how to even answer a question like that. "You were drunk, so I guess you were actively involved?" Images of Kotestu returning kisses with equal fervor while stroking him ever so softly surfaced, and he blinked hard to dash them away. "I mean, I wouldn't do anything like that to you if you were against it, drunk or not!" He felt his cheeks heat up and looked away. "I just...I don't know how it happened or why," he said, trying to lie even to himself.
Kotetsu: He laughed, disguising his nervous laughter as sincere amusement. Grinning hesitantly up at Izumo, he held out his cigarette-laden hand, offering him a drag. Izumo never took it, and Kotetsu never expected him to, but it was more an offer of a treaty, a silent apology and reconciliation. "S'no big. I don't know what you were worried about." Kotetsu stated, taking his cigarette back, taking one last puff before snuffing it out and dropping the butt down the fire escape. "I mean, whatever. We kissed a few years back, and that was no big deal. We always do stupid things when we're drunk." The idea that this wasn't so stupid had arisen, and was starting to make itself noticeable in southern regions, much to Kotetsu's chagrin. Sure, he was attracted to Izumo -- who wouldn't be? -- but he wasn't interested in the older boy. They were friends. Finished, period, end of story: Friends. "I suppose I'm done." He commented, staring at the pack for a moment before tucking it back into his pocket. "If we go watch that movie are you going to keep being an asshole?"
Izumo: Izumo smiled weakly when Kotetsu looked up at him, forcing a chuckle himself. "Yeah, I don't know either, bit silly now that I think of it," he answered. Of course pretending that it was not a big deal was easy, it's the aftermath of it in his head that's hard. He glanced at the butt falling down from the fifth story and sighed with exaggerated grimness. "I'm glad you're done. 'Cause if you seriously kept going, you probably would be able to blame me for giving you cancer," he rolled his eyes and stood up from the ledge, making room for the other boy to come back in. As he stepped back further into the room, he wondered if he really should stay over. The circumstances were already stranger than sin, why should he stay around and aggravate them more with his facade of everything being perfectly fine? "I don't know, maybe I should go. It's getting late and it's been a long day. Besides, it's probably torture for you to watch the movie, which by the way, I'm interested in knowing why you have."
Kotetsu: When they were at that party, Kotetsu had been relatively sober. Izumo, on the other hand, had been completely wasted, and had basically caught Kotetsu off guard. This kiss though... well, it seemed that Kotetsu had been more than happy to participate. In the light of that, recalling why he had rented the horror movies seemed to have more meaning in it than he meant them to have. It seemed to him, that it would be the actions of someone that liked Izumo... and he wasn't that person... right? This was Izumo he was talking about -- his friend, his best friend... A faint blush grew on Kotetsu's cheeks as he followed Izumo back into the apartment, and he turned to close the window, his ulterior motive to hide the light pink from Izumo. "Oh, no reason in particular..." ---I was just planning to lure you and keep you in my room until you told me what was wrong, that's all...
Izumo: "Hmm," Izumo tapped his chin, a faint grin playing at his lips. "I should have known that you wanted to start watching horror movies, you know I could start lending you stuff from my collection," he nodded, as if knowing which ones to start his friend off with first. Moving out of his father's room, he went into the living room and stopped. "It's ok if you don't want to watch it though. Like I said, it's getting late. Maybe we can finish up the pizza and I'll leave you to rest?" He suggested tentatively. He didn't exactly want to leave abruptly, because that might cause unnecessary tension. Eating and talking would be enough to satisfy whatever potential problems they have, without the awkwardness of having to sleep in the same bed as the other boy.
Kotetsu: He didn't want to keep Izumo in a position where he'd feel uncomfortable. At the same time, he didn't want them to be acting weird around each other just because of some stupid incident that had happened when they were both drunk. "Look, you're overthinking things again." Kotetsu pointed out, poking Izumo in the side when he stopped. "Let's just finish the movie, and take it from there. Honestly, you're such a girl." He rolled his eyes, moving past Izumo, and headed into the bedroom, tossing his jacket onto the floor by the bed. Flopping onto the bed, he scooted over to leave space for Izumo. "Grab me another slice of veggie, would ya?"
Izumo: Izumo shoved him on the shoulder and laughed as he sat down next to Kotetsu. "Who you calling a girl?" He said dangerously as he leaned over the edge of the bed to grab a slice of pizza for the boy beside him. Letting out a soft sigh as he passed the pizza over, he stretched his legs comfortably - or as comfortably as he could manage it - out on the bed. Maybe Kotetsu was right, maybe he was just thinking too much. Never-the-less, going back to normal should be more refreshing than not, definitely better than avoiding his best friend for the rest of his life. Even if it was at the cost of his own suppressed feelings... "Just wait a few more minutes and we can declare who the girl is," he grinned playfully and started the movie up again.
Kotetsu: Kotetsu's mouth dropped open in surprise and outrage. "Did- Did you just say I was the girl!? You little brat!" He glared at Izumo for a moment before crossing his arms and looking away pointedly. "I'll have you know that my dislike for horror movies makes me unique, and it is endearing." It had been his excuse since they were little; the fact that he didn't like horror movies was something different, and he could use the clinging to someone to strike up a flirtation. It always worked when they went to the movies... unless he latched onto Izumo. That was to be expected though! He and Izumo were close; it was understandable that he'd use the other as protection, whether against scary movies or rain or anything else. ...Right? He brought a hand to his forehead, sighing quietly. Maybe this was why Izumo had avoided him. After all, he had heard about it a few minutes ago, and it was already messing with his head. Izumo remembered it- he blushed, realizing where his thoughts were heading. That was it, he was never getting drunk again. ...Unless it was absolutely necessary.
Izumo: Izumo seriously, and I mean seriously, choked hard on a mushroom when he heard Kotetsu. Eyes red and streaming with tears, he reached blindly across Kotetsu for the remainder of his Snapple. "Oh...my....ahhhh, you kill me," he said gasping between breaths. "And damn, the look on your face..." He said, slapping himself on the knee and managing a small sip from his glass bottle. Finally cracking an eye open to find a not-so-happy-Kotetsu in front of him, he sobered up from his laughter with a soft 'ahem'. "What I meant to say was..." A snicker involuntarily escaped his lips. "That you are very endearing indeed, I...yeah," he grinned and gave his friend a pat on the head. "Come on, the good part is coming soon. And yes, you can be as endearing as you want," he smiled and sat within their usual, normal, latchable distance.
Kotetsu: At the warning, Kotetsu instinctively inched towards Izumo, not quite attached to the other yet, but only leaving approximately four to five inches between them. "I know I'm endearing, but thanks for the input." He grinned lopsidedly up at Izumo, shifting again until his head was resting on Izumo's shoulder. It was the perfect positioning. He could turn and hide his face, or pull Izumo's shirt up and hide behind what small amount of cloth the elasticity allowed him to grasp hold of. There was nothing more to it than that, he reassured himself, making sure that he wasn't reading into the actions more than he should be. After all, it was perfectly normal to smell your best friend, and occasionally fall asleep on them... right? Right. He squeaked as a particularly gruesome scene occurred, and buried his face in the junction between Izumo's neck and shoulder. Not bothering to look up, he growled a low warning to Izumo. "No making fun of me; this is disgusting, and you know it." Then, quieter, much like a scared child, "Can you tell me when it's over?"
Izumo: "Ssh...I can't hear what they're saying," he murmured, patting Kotetsu absent-mindedly on the head. "I think it's fine now, since - oh. Oh wait no," even he shuddered as he saw the villain of the movie clipped part of a girl's index finger off and shoving it haphazardly into his pocket. "Damn," was all he said in response as he continued to pat Kotetsu on the head. He was trying his hardest to ignore his particular feelings about Kotetsu being so close to him, and with the movie in front of him, he was happily succeeding. "Ok, it's over. The other guy just left," he answered him, raising his shoulder a little so Kotetsu would pick his head up.
Kotetsu: Keeping his head down for another moment after Izumo gave the go ahead, he looked up cautiously. Letting out a sigh of relief, he rested his head back on Izumo's shoulder, this time facing the TV. He told himself it was because by keeping his head on Izumo's shoulder, he'd react quicker to anymore bloody and gory scenes. 'Sure' an annoying voice in his head piped up, but he batted that away easily. "So... do you know this movie, or have you never seen it before?" He asked quietly, hoping it was the latter so that Izumo could warn him before any thing possibly disgusting, horrible, or otherwise yucky popped up.
Izumo: "Mmm, nope," Izumo grinned. "I've heard of it, but haven't seen it yet - which is awesome that you have it," he told him while keeping his eyes on the screen. "But don't worry, I'll tell you if I think any nasty parts are going to come on. Can't help you if it's one of those surprise attacks though," he said apologetically, suppressing a yawn since nothing has frightened him in the past ten minutes. "It's starting to get boring...damn kids don't even know what they're doing," he complained, kicking his legs a little as if it would motivate the characters. "It's stupid if all they are going to do is walk around the town when they know it's abandoned and wh- OH SHIT!" Izumo jumped himself when the black figure in the background appeared from nowhere and sunk its teeth into one of the character's face.
Kotetsu: When the figure jumped out, Kotetsu honestly thought for a moment that he might lose control of his bladder. Luckily, he didn't, and his pants remained comfortably dry. Instead, he poked Izumo in the ribcage -- hard -- and glared accusilatorily at him. "Thought it wasn't that good!" Grumble. Grumble. Turning over, hiding his face in Izumo's neck again, he mumbled something indistinguishable into the skin. He quickly realized that it was muffled however, and propped himself up to look at Izumo. "I'm hiding for the rest of the movie. Have a problem with that? Deal with it."
Izumo: "Oww..." Izumo whined when he felt himself being stabbed in the ribcage by one of Kotetsu's fingers. Watching as Kotetsu hid in his neck, he chuckled and reached over and grabbed the remote. "How about we watch something else then? Cause it isn't that good, the storyline is complete shit," he said, turning the movie off and started to flip through the t.v. channels randomly. "I don't have to finish the movie, and I doubt you would want to either," he said while peering down at the face on his shoulder. He gave another yawn as he switched from a news channel to an infomercial.
Kotetsu: Kotetsu mumbled his agreement, but made no movement as to shift from his hiding position. In fact, he was surprisingly comfortable, and was growing sleepy. Inhaling slowly, he realized how comfortable he was getting, and quickly forced himself to roll over onto his back next to Izumo. Crap. Yawning, he stretched his arms above his head. "Yeah, not loving that movie. You can borrow it though, if you'd like to finish it." He rolled over again to lie on his side, facing Izumo. "I'm sleepy." He mumbled, looking over at Izumo though half-lidded eyes.
Izumo: "Mmm," Izumo answered him, moving so that he would be lying down completely. "Me too," he answered as he felt his own eyelids grow heavy. It wasn't as bad as he thought, spending the night over. Besides, he's going to have to adapt to doing it sooner or later without any awkwardness. "I guess I'm spending the night here afterall," he mumbled sleepily. "Shit, I didn't tell my mom!" He exclaimed softly and jerked up into a sitting position before falling back down. "Nyeh, I guess I can tell her tomorrow when I get home," he spoke to himself. "Night Koty-chaaaan," he reached over and gave his friend a blind pat on...well wherever it was that he patted.
Kotetsu: The pat landed on his stomach, startling him out of his doze. Jerking awake with a muffled gasp, he looked over at Izumo to reprimand him, before realizing that the other had already fallen asleep. Propping himself up on one elbow, looking down on Izumo, he smiled gently at the sleeping boy, reaching out to push a strand of hair out of his face. The one good thing about Izumo was that he was a very heavy sleeper. Being that as it was, it didn't startle Kotetsu when he made a quiet noise. If he had been more awake, he might have realized that that noise was probably indicative of Izumo still being away, but he was half-asleep. So, the idea didn't occur to him. He was struck by an overwhelming curiosity though. Why had he kissed Izumo when drunk? There was a faint niggling at the back of his mind, but he avoided that. Biting the corner of his lip, he figured there was no harm in just seeing if he felt something for Izumo. Really though, they were best friends, so he couldn't like Izumo. That would ruin absolutely everything! Leaning down, he chastely brushed his lips across Izumo's, inhaling shakily as he pressed a brief kiss to the corner of Izumo's mouth. Moving away, he flopped onto his back, staring up wide-eyed at the ceiling. It was barely a kiss, but it told him everything he needed to know.
He was so totally fucked.
Izumo: Izumo was already half-asleep when he felt the weight on the bed shift. Rather than opening his eyes to see what Kotetsu was doing, he allowed his laziness to take over and just laid still. However when he felt a presence over him, he began to wonder if he should just open his eyes to ask what the hell it was that Kotetsu wanted, perhaps he was still scared by the movie. Before he could do anything though, he felt the other boy's body moving closer and decided to not interrupt whatever it was that he wanted to do. When he felt the lips brushing against his momentarily, his body grew stiff. What was that....? Continuing to feign sleep, he rolled to his side to try to cool down his cheeks. Tomorrow, he’ll ask him tomorrow. Right now he was too tired.
Setting: From Izu's house to Koty's house, pizza parlor in between.
Rating: PG-13 for language
Summary: Kotetsu gets pissed off at Izumo for acting so strange and distant.
Kotetsu: Kotetsu stood impatiently outside Izumo's bedroom door. He had knocked on it several moments ago, and there was still no answer, although he could certainly hear movement inside. Meanwhile, Izumo's mother was watching him curiously from her seat on the couch, and constantly making motions with her hands to suggest that he should just barge in. Kotetsu actually thought that was a splendid idea, and knocked once more to give Izumo a chance to answer. He wanted to give his friend the benefit of the doubt, and wanted to believe that Izumo wasn't avoiding him -- but really, he was. And he still couldn't wrap his mind around why exactly Izumo was avoiding him in the first place. Surely it didn't have anything to do with getting drunk a few nights ago, right? Even if a few nights ago was more akin to a little under a week, and it was very alarming to have Izumo ignore him for that amount of time.
Izumo: Izumo sat by his computer desk, staring at the blank screen before him while tapping his pen softly against the blotter. Every few seconds, his eyes turned a bit to the left to face his door. He had heard Kotetsu the first time he knocked, and figured that after a few minutes without getting a response, he'd leave. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. At the last knock, he sighed and heaved himself up. Walking towards the door in his pajamas, he opened the door slightly so that only a crack appeared between him and his friend. "Umm hey. I'm not...feeling well right now. You should go, unless you want to catch whatever it is that I have." He nodded and began to close the door again, making a mental note to yell at his mom for not asking Kotetsu to leave when her own son obviously didn't want any company.
Kotetsu: "Oh please." He replied shortly, eyeing Izumo through the crack between the door and its frame. "If you're sick --- which I doubt by the way, since you'd be nagging me to pick you up soup and god knows what else --- then I probably gave it to you, which means I've already had it. Now open up, I'm sure you know that I'm not leaving until you do." Kotetsu raised an eyebrow defiantly, as if daring Izumo to make more excuses. Resting one hand on the doorknob, he waited for what would hopefully be Izumo opening the door. He didn't really want to yell at his friend from a separate room, but he would if he was going to persist in being a stubborn brat about it. Honestly, ignoring him for a week was intolerable! Wasn't this the Izumo that had been griping that he hadn't seen Kotetsu enough lately, calling him stranger and the like? And now he was purposefully avoiding him? Hah. Not any moreeeee.
Izumo: Izumo frowned from behind the door and cursed softly under his breath. He knew that he would need a lot more to fool Kotetsu than just a simple 'I'm sick' routine, but he was desperate and nothing else came to mind. With a sigh, opened the door at a crack again before walking back to turn off his computer screen and crawling back into bed. "Then maybe you should go and get me some soup," he suggested, eyeing him from under the covers. He wasn't about to let up yet, keeping up with his pathetic lie was better than having to face the truth. "Would this face lie to you?" He said, uncovering his face just a little to show him a little sad expression.
Kotetsu: Kotetsu rolled his eyes at Izumo's pathetic antics (did Izumo really think Kotetsu didn't know him well enough to know when he was lying?), but decided to play along with the charade for the meantime. Pushing the door open wide enough for him to get into the room, he closed it behind him just as quickly, showing his slight irritation with the whole thing. The chair by the computer was comfortable, and it rotated, he knew from past experience, so Kotetsu elected to flop into that, resting his heels on the seat of the chair. Twisting from side to side, never more than a range of 100 degrees though, he watched Izumo's 'sick' face with thinly veiled amusement on his face. "...Uh, yes. That's beside the point though," he began, pausing in his movements and fixing his eyes on Izumo. "Why've you been avoiding me? ---And don't give me that sick excuse. We both know that's bullshit."
Izumo: "Humph," Izumo mumbled and pouted as he shifted in his bed, unwilling to leave the protection from under the covers. "I'm not avoiding you, who said I was avoiding you?" Izumo asked. "Just because we haven't seen each other in the past week," he gave a small shrug. "I have been really busy the beginning of the week and then realized that I've been slacking off for the past few months, so I'm just picking up the slack," he said. "That's all. I wouldn't avoid you, why would I do something like that?" He asked. Pulling the covers away from his face, he sat himself up against the head of the bed. "I guess overall, I haven't been myself and don't ask me why cause I don't know."
Kotetsu: "If you say so..." Kotetsu answered slowly, not wanting to blatantly call his friend a liar, but not quite believing his story. At any rate, he hadn't come here to argue. "So, you too busy to go get that pizza you promised me?" He asked, referring back to the last time they had spoken. It wasn't exactly a promise, but he decided to take it as that, if only for his own purposes. "I have the definite need for a mushroom, pepper, and ham pizza." He added, grinning over at Izumo. "Get off your duff, change into some clothes, and we can go." Pulling on the desk, he spun around twice quickly, pausing to look at Izumo. "Well? Are you going to change?"
Izumo: Izumo grumbled something under his breath and rolled his eyes. "So demanding, I don't know how I put up with you," he whispered as he slowly got up from his bed and walked over to his closet. Picking out a random pair of jeans and shirt, he went over and pushed Kotetsu out of his room. Normally he wouldn't have a problem changing in front of his friend, but ...right now wasn't exactly the best timing; he couldn't risk thinking any wrong thoughts and allowing the other to see just how far down his blushes travel. Sighing, he changed as slow as he could, then walked over to get his wallet and keys as slow as he could. "I'm ready," he said as he came out, sitting on the sofa and wearing his socks as slow as he could.
Kotetsu: Fidgeting at the door was apparently not allowed, and Kotetsu had already been swatted at twice by Izumo's mother and her towel. Finally ending up perching on the arm of the couch, he let out an aggravated sigh as Izumo made his entrance. "Took you long enough!" He bemoaned. "What'd you do, try on every outfit on that you had in there!?" He wasn't upset, but he was hungry --- and you never got between Kotetsu and his stomach. "Hungry! Hungry! Hungry! 'Zumo, am I speaking a foreign language here? Hungryyyyyy! It's Kotetsu for 'hurry the fuck up!'"
Izumo: "Como sta? Es toy non understando," Izumo responded with a small smirk on his face while lacing up his shoes. He saw his mother cringe from behind the kitchen counter and made a face at her, it wasn't like her mother could do any bett- ok she can, but that's not the point. Finally standing up with his shoes ready, he pretended to pause and think. "Oh shit, I forgot my sweater inside my room. Hold on..." He made a move to untie his shoelaces just to piss Kotetsu off. There was really no point in delaying their going out, because as long as Kotetsu was there with him, there were no avoiding odd moments whether it be at his house or the pizza store. "Just kidding. Come on, let's go you frickin' monster," he said, heading towards the door. "You could have just bought some on the way here you know, that way I wouldn't have to move so much."
Kotetsu: "What, and purposefully allow you to think that I'm your little servant? I think not. No, you can eat there just like everyone else." Kotetsu paused. "Actually, want to take the pizza back to my place? I know you were peeved about not being the first person over, but you can be the first person to come over more than once? Plus, I've got a few rented movies that I haven't returned yet... It's just a suggestion." He quickly added, seeing the change of expression on Izumo's face. "I mean, yeah. I just thought it'd be more comfortable in my room with the TV instead of those plastic booth seats." He wasn't sure what Izumo was doing. He knew he was upset over something, but what was it? 'Cause it was really starting to piss him off.
Izumo: "Oh I'm sorry..." Izumo started to say, placing his head down as if he was really ashamed. "What I meant to say was...duck ass!" He laughed, pushing Kotetsu away from him by his shoulder. Taking a familiar turn down towards the street of the pizza store, he shoved his hands in his pockets and fell silent. Things were more or less the way they used to be, or at least the most normal he could get it to be without completely erasing his thoughts on that night away. "Hey, if you don't want me to go over...it's ok. We can just chill at the pizza store," he suddenly decided to add quietly. Just in case Kotetsu was really having second thoughts about the invitation with the odd way he has been conducting himself. Which wouldn't be too bad anyway, since the probability of something going wrong in public would be less likely.
Kotetsu: "Would I have invited you over if I didn't want you to come?" Kotetsu pouted, rubbing his shoulder as if Izumo's weak push had injured him. "I don't have a duck ass either... You're so mean to me. Aren't you supposed to be my sugar-daddy? Always looking out for me and taking care of me?" The pizza shop was a few buildings down, but they reached it soon enough, Kotetsu reaching out to push the door open for Izumo to step through. Following him closely in, he nudged him in the side with his elbow. "So, what're we getting? One large, or two smalls?"
Izumo: Izumo looked through the display glass and pondered. "We can get a large and have different toppings on it, I mean...if that's ok with you," he answered him. He had ignored the sugar daddy comment, since it strangely reminded him of the day/night that they got drunk. "Do you want to get some soda?" He asked, turning to Kotetsu. "And what toppings do you want on your side?" While waiting for an answer, he grabbed a straw and started to habitually twisting it, ignoring the annoyed look of the man from behind the counter.
Kotetsu: Feeling around in his pockets, Kotetsu quickly found his wallet, and pulled out enough money for their pizza and drinks. "I'll get a Pepsi, thanks. And I'll eat whatever you're getting, so long as it doesn't have pepperoni on it." He too was growing annoyed by the squeaking straw Izumo was playing with, and with one quick movement, he snatched it out of the other's hands. "What is with you today? You're being all fidgety now." Handing the money to Izumo so that he could pay for their meal when it was ready -- because really, was Kotetsu going to deal with the cashier? No. -- he looked at him for a moment, studying him. "Something's weird. That's for sure."
Izumo: "Hey! I was playing with that..." Izumo exclaimed, trailing off with a frown on his face. Taking the money in his hand and making a mental note that it'll be his turn to pay next time, he leaned against the display and pretended to be fully captivated by the different choices. "Mmm...I don't know what you're talking about. And we'll have half veggie, half meat, thanks," he said, avoiding looking at Kotetsu the whole time. "I don't know what's weird, perhaps it's the fact that you're accusing me of being weird every three seconds," he muttered before asking the pizza man for a Snapple.
Kotetsu: It was the fact that even while defending himself Izumo was attempting to appear busy, and not to look at Kotetsu, that tipped him off to further proof that Izumo was lying. He'd wear him down eventually, the shaggy haired boy decided. "If you say so." He replied, pushing his hair out of his face with one hand. "But I wasn't aware that you were in the habit of lying." Taking his Pepsi from the counter, he popped it open, the can releasing a slight hiss as the pressure on the can was removed. "Veggie sounds good by the way, thanks."
Izumo: "Yeah, ok Mr. Interrogator, come on let's go," Izumo answered him as he took the box of pizza in one hand while handing Kotetsu his Snapple. "What's with this constant paranoia of me lying to you all of a sudden, hrm?" Izumo asked as he opened the door with one foot and held it for Kotetsu. A part of him inside wondered and worried if Kotetsu had figure out the events of the drunken night somehow. But then realizing sadly that if that indeed was true, his best friend probably wouldn't be standing here right next to him now, wanting to hang out with him. He shrugged as they walked on, towards Kotetsu's apartment. "I'm just not feeling like myself lately, it's me not you, I promise," he turned to Kotetsu for the first time since they entered the pizza store and smiled.
Kotetsu: Taking Izumo's Snapple, Kotetsu followed the other obediently out of the pizza shop, the two of them heading back to his apartment. "You sound like you're breaking up with me or something." Kotetsu snickered, taking a sip of his open drink. "It's not you... It's me... I think we need to end this, but really, don't blame yourself, this is my issue." He rolled his eyes after finishing the over dramatized joke, nudging Izumo again in the side. He figured--he hoped--that Izumo would stop jumping around the issue, but he supposed he couldn't force the other to talk, and wasn't in the mood to do such a thing either. That only make Izumo more mad at him.
Izumo: Caught a bit off guard with Kotetsu's comment, Izumo widened his eyes as he tripped over a branch. Luckily, he managed to steady himself before anything happened to their beloved pizza. "If you cause me to drop the pizza, I will have an issue and break up with you!" He joked, holding the pizza box now with both hands. "Don't just stand there and be pretty, go open the door," he told him once they reached the front of the building. "So...what movies do you have?" He asked, trying to get the topic away from him as much as possible. It would to be too hard trying to keep everything in if Kotetsu kept asking him why he was acting weird.
Kotetsu: "Why can't I just stand here and look pretty? It's what I do best!" Kotetsu pouted, but he complied with Izumo's order, quickly punching in the door code and opening the door for his friend. "Not sure what movies there are... I think there's a few comedies, per usual, but nothing terribly exciting. Was there anything you were hoping to see? I can always run over to the video store and pick it up."
Izumo: "Nah," Izumo answered. "I don't even know what's out on dvd and video right now, haven't been watching much t.v." He walked towards the elevator and punched the button roughly five times before being satisfied and stepped away to wait. "I do want to watch this one movie that's out in the theatres though, I forget the name," he frowned slightly as he tried to remember. "It has something to do with a few kids playing a video game and the game coming to reality," he said at last. "A bit overdone, but whatever. The graphics for the game itself seems awesome," he rambled on a bit and finally stopped when he heard the elevator approaching.
Kotetsu: He had never been a fan of horror movies, but Izumo loved them. It wasn't horrible to watch them, but he tended to jump and overreact at the slightest things, causing him to latch onto the nearest person's arm. Usually, he was watching with Izumo, and he'd usually latch onto Izumo, which always led to Izumo making fun of him for days on end. It was less than enjoyable, and so he hoped, desperately hoped, that the few horror movies in his room had been lost. He blushed slightly as he realized that he, strangely enough, didn't really mind jumping to hide behind Izumo's arm; he only minded the teasing afterwards. The elevator 'ping'ed, disrupting his sudden change of thoughts, which he was certainly thankful for, and opened to the fifth floor hallway. "Home sweet home!" He announced, grabbing one of Izumo's wrists, and heading towards the apartment door.
Izumo: "Watch watch watch!" Izumo reprimanded softly as he felt himself being pulled towards the apartment door. The pizza box was a bit lighter on the left side, which meant that their lunch was probably squished and beat up by now. Oh well, nothing says lunch like some good mooshy thing. Despite that fact though, he couldn't help but chuckle at Kotetsu's enthusiasm and felt a bit flattered since he was the only one who has been here more than once. But as soon as that feeling of pride swelled in his chest, it disappeared when he realized that Hinata would probably be up here more frequently too. Sighing inwardly, he walked in and placed the pizza box down on the kitchen counter. "Are we eating in your room?"
Kotetsu: "Yeah. You can just bring the whole box in, if you'd like, I got the drinks." He turned, heading towards his room. Kotetsu wanted to say that he didn't have any movies that Izumo'd like, but he felt badly enough, and maybe he could even persuade the other to tell him what was wrong if he was involved in a movie. "You know, I think I've got a few horror flicks in my room, if you want to watch those..." And no, he was not looking for a reason to drape himself over Izumo... not exactly. Placing the two drinks on the bedside table, he shrugged his jacket off and tugged off his long sleeve shirt to change into a t-shirt. "Hey, 'Zumo?" He asked, turning towards the other. "Is my purple t-shirt over there...? 'Cause it's not in the bureau..."
Izumo: Izumo tried his best to shift the pizza back into its proper place before following Kotetsu back to his room. Settling the box down on his desk, he tried his best not to look towards that infamous left drawer and found himself blushing slightly in the effort. "If you don't mind watching the horror movies, yeah that'd be great," he answered him, however regretting it the moment the words left his mouth. Kotetsu had a bad habit of getting quite close to him whenever they watched movies like those. Maybe I can ask for a blanket and separate ourselves that way... He was deep in his thoughts when he finally realized that Kotetsu was asking him a question. "Uh purple shirt? This it?" He picked up the nearest shirt he saw, but sadly in his distracted state of mind, it was a white shirt.
Kotetsu: Kotetsu took the shirt, and waved it in front of Izumo's face for a moment. "This is white. Not purple." He didn't really care though, wasn't in the mood to find his other shirt, so he shrugged it on. After changing into the t-shirt, he flopped onto the bed, gesturing for Izumo to grab the pizza and join him. The remote was under his pillow, per usual, and he flipped the TV on before fumbling for the DVD remote. Finding it pushed between the mattress and the wall, he turned that on as well, pressing '3' to turn on the movie that he thought was to Izumo's tastes. "There you go. One horror movie, delivered as promised."
Izumo: "Ok, thanks," Izumo answered him and ignored the comment about the color of shirts. At least Kotetsu was able to make do with it, it wasn't like he handed him a hair brush or something, cause that would have been weird. Grabbing the pizza box and laying it by their feet on the floor, he flipped open the top. "Still smokin' ...well kind of," he reported as he sat on the edge of the bed a bit away from Kotetsu. "Hand me my drink will ya?" He asked him while preparing two slices of pizza on the paper plates that were provided by the store.
Kotetsu: Kotetsu leaned back against the headboard next to Izumo, reaching over to grab the drink. Handing the unopened bottle to Izumo, he waved his paper plate pathetically. "Gimme a slice, would ya?" He asked, leaving the plate between them before crawling to the end of the bed on his hands and knees. Stretching across the small amount of space was difficult, but not impossible, and what with the TV remote up volume button being broken, you had to change it manually. Which is what he was doing. Even if it was a pain. Turning it up quite a bit, Kotetsu looked over his shoulder to Izumo. "That loud enough?" He asked, waiting for an answer.
Izumo: Izumo nodded in agreement and slid a slice of the veggie pizza onto the paper plate that Kotetsu had just waved around. He held onto it and was about to tell the other to hurry back since the oil was seeping through the flimsy plate and he didn't want to stain the bedsheets. However what he saw when he looked up was not what he had expected. "Umm..." He answered him with one eyebrow raised as if he was still contemplating the correct answer. Finally tearing his eyes from Kotetsu's rear and getting over the fact that the boy was almost mooning him in a sense, he locked eyes with Kotetsu for a moment and looked away. "Yeah, that's good enough for me. You might want to turn it down a little though since you know how you get during these kinds of movies," he said rapidly. "Be careful not to shove your ass in my face as you sit back down," he muttered. "Or else your pizza will be ass flavored."
Kotetsu: "Kind of like my apple juice?" He joked, making a big show out of slowly inching away from the TV and back into his previous lounging position next to Izumo. He could turn down the volume later if he got too jumpy. The movie began, and surprisingly it wasn't very bad. He could deal it if this was as worse as it got. "Is it just me, or is this really not that bad?" Kotetsu mused, looking up from where he was eating his pizza to face Izumo. He'd deny it at all costs (because really, it made no sense to be thinking this way), but he felt a vague sense of disappointment. There was no excuse to cling to Izumo if the movie wasn't going to startle him.
Izumo: "Yes, kind of like your apple juice but that one was better since it was flavored after my ass," he said, smirking slightly as his eyes adjusted to the television. The movie began like all movies usually did, and Izumo nodded while taking a bite of his pizza. "Mmm, you just watch," he answered with a small knowing smile. With about two and a half more bites, he finished his first slice of pizza and moved onto his second. "Let me know if you want another one," he told him since the pizza box was by him. The scene from the movie soon faded out from the city to the wilderness and Izumo just grinned, unable to contain his love for gore. However at the same time, he shifted himself ever so little away from Kotetsu, just in case if Kotetsu decided to hug the closest thing like usual.
Kotetsu: "It's going to actually get creepy?" Kotetsu whined, not wanting to sound childish, but failing miserably. "I'll eat something more later... I had a pretty big snack earlier." Inching closer, he was more than slightly hurt when Izumo moved away from him in response. Normally, the other one was tolerant of his clinging, and Kotetsu wasn't sure why that had suddenly changed. Things had gotten confusing around Izumo lately, and he wasn't sure why that had changed either. However, he didn't want to seem pathetic, and forced himself to move back to his side of the bed, if not a bit sullenly. Grinning over at Izumo, his smile not so lopsided (a clear hint that he was forcing it somehow), he complained: "Hey, hey, why is my teddy bear moving away from me!? Not cool, Izumo, not cool."
Izumo: Izumo half nodded as he turned his pizza around and started to eat away at the crust. "Maybe 'ew ken ...." He finished chewing and washed it down with some of his drink. "...just close your eyes, it isn't too bad, but considering that you just ate..." He trailed off and grinned charmingly at Kotetsu. The smile wavered a little bit however, when he saw how Kotetsu moved closer then backed away. A breath of tension filled his lungs as he waited for whatever confrontation that might come next, he even snuck a tiny glance over at his friend to see if any accusational glares resided on his face. When he received the rather false smile though, a silent sigh of relief passed through him, though leaving quite a nasty feeling of guilt behind. "I'm just helping you grow up, Koty-chan," he said with a fond smile. "That's all. Big boys can take scary movies all by themselves, you'll see," he added, forcing himself to keep his smile straight.
Kotetsu: "Thanks for the help." Kotetsu replied, his voice sounding normal, but to a trained ear, one could tell that he was less than pleased with Izumo. It wasn't his fault that he didn't like horror movies; one reason why he often didn't watch them with Izumo. It was solely because Izumo had been acting oddly that he was going out of his way to do things the other would like -- pizza, horror movies -- and now he wasn't even going to be allowed to be frightened? Well, that was just wonderful. He didn't move though, didn't leave the room, and didn't edge closer to his normal-hiding spot. Instead, he contented himself to childishly grabbing a pillow from behind Izumo, rather than get one from the stack at the end of the bed on the floor, and clutching it tightly to his chest, arms wrapped around it.
Izumo: Izumo felt his body jerking oddly when Kotetsu yanked the pillow from his back. A frown appeared on his lips, but he kept those lips closed and complied with grabbing a new pillow at the end of the bed for himself. Sneaking another glance at his friend again, a strange feeling of déjà vu took over him as flashes of a drunken Kotetsu acting in almost the same childish manner entered his mind. But this time, he reminded himself, he's going to put more of a restraint on his own behalf when it came to comforting the other boy. Reaching over, he gave him a rather stiff pat on the shoulder and turned his hands into a thumbs up. "It'll be ok. I promise. We can switch the movie if you don't want to watch it though, I don't mind."
Kotetsu: "It's fine." He chirped, still obviously lying, but if Izumo could get away with it, he should be able to too. "We always watch my movies, I can deal with this." Settling himself against the headboard, tightening his grip around the pillow, he squeaked involuntarily as a sudden appearance startled him. His nerves were more uptight than usual, and with a stolen glance in Izumo's direction, he decided that it was all his fault. If Izumo had just been honest with why he was lying, then he wouldn't be nervous and anxious, and this movie wouldn't be freaking him out more than usual. He had the sudden urge to kick Izumo; a want he wouldn't follow through with though, no matter how much it tempted him.
Izumo: "Here's the really good...." Izumo trailed off as he watched one of the main characters slide into a mud pit filled with what was supposedly human body parts. "...part. Oh look, there's an arm," Izumo grinned, craving for more. Turning to face a rather sickly looking Kotetsu, he took the pillow from behind him and smacked his friend in the stomach. "You sure you're ok with this? Rather brave of you, Koty, I'm proud," he grinned, though feeling like crap inside. A nagging thought inside of him told him that he was taking it too far, that he was acting selfishly just because he couldn't control his feelings. Instead of preserving their friendship, he was just wrecking it...damn. And so making a rather large motion to reach down to place his empty pizza plate on the floor, he returned back to a sitting position that was closer to Kotestu. "Want me to hold a blanket up over your eyes for you?" He grinned teasingly.
Kotetsu: Well, this wasn't right. Kotetsu thought to himself, keeping his eyes averted from the TV, staring fixedly at the closet door. Izumo wasn't supposed to tease him during the movie... only after the movie, when he was less on edge (and less terrified). Feeling nauseous at the sight of the gore, Koty slowly moved to get off the bed, blocking the TV screen with his form for a second before slipping off the bed and onto the floor. He neglected to say anything, only grabbing his jacket off the doorknob of his bedroom door where it had been hung, and putting it on, heading for the fire escape off his father's room. He needed to relax, calm his nerves, and he hoped Izumo knew enough not to follow him out. Probably not. To top off his irritation with the whole thing his hands had been shaky when he lit the cigarette, not unexpected, but certainly annoying. The lighter's flame kept missing the tip, and when it finally lit, he inhaled gratefully, resting the back of his head against the building's outer wall. He had crouched down on the fire escape, legs strewn out before him, back against the wall, and the position was surprisingly comfortable as he continued to calm himself with the nicotine. "Fuckin' Izumo." He muttered under his breath, inhaling again and holding his breath for a moment before exhaling slowly. "Stupid, fuckin' 'Zumo."
Izumo: Izumo felt the tension rise in him and between them when Kotetsu moved away. The way the main character in the movie screamed bloody murder the second he left the bedroom didn't help the tightening feeling in his chest. With a sigh, he moved to turn the t.v. off during mid-scream and sat at the edge of the bed in silence for a few moments before cursing hotly under his breath. Avoiding him didn't work, pretending to act normal again didn't work...what else was left? Taking a deep breath, he struggled up from his seat and decided to go over where Kotetsu was by following the scent of his smoke. Fuck, he's smoking. Leaning against the window frame without looking directly at Kotetsu, he flinched. "Stupid fucking who now?"
Kotetsu: He watched the barely visible gray-white smoke exit his mouth and curl upwards before dissipating in the night air. Izumo's question registered, but he didn't feel the need to answer right away, instead choosing to inhale once more, twice more, three times more. "It's nothing." He offered quietly, looking out over the various buildings and roads. "Just go watch your movie. I'll be in as soon as I finish this." More like this pack, but he didn't need to tell Izumo that. Breathing slowly, he tapped the ash off the end of the cigarette with a practiced ease, taking the opportunity to look up at Izumo's post by the window. "You haven't left. Surprising." He commented aloud, blowing a puff of smoke towards the other. "I would have thought you'd have taken the opportunity before I even finished my sentence."
Izumo: "It isn't my movie," Izumo replied simply, leaning his back against the side of the opened window to face Kotetsu. "And it wasn't all that good anyway," he added, which translated to him being here rather than back in the bedroom watching the movie. The harsh way Kotetsu commented on his surprise of him not having left yet stung him harder than he thought it would. It was everything he had been trying to fight against for the past weeks, the breaking up of their friendship. And yet here they are, drifting apart not unlike the smoke that parted from Kotetsu's lips. "What's wrong...was it something I said?" He asked lamely, scratching his head and staring at the street below. He couldn't look his friend in the eye anymore, fearing for the worst.
Kotetsu: He had told Izumo that he'd be ready to go inside once he was finished with this cigarette. He had lied. Shuffling a new one out of his pack, he lit it with the same ease, dropping the finished cigarette butt onto the cement below them. A distracted 'hn' escaped his mouth as he listened to Izumo prattle on, in his opinion, about the movie not being any good. That sure wasn't what he was saying a few minutes ago, Kotetsu through, eyes narrowing slightly at the memory before flicking up to look at Izumo. Turning his eyes back to the building across the lot from them, Izumo's building to be precise, he sighed quietly. "It's nothing."
Izumo: "If it's nothing then why won't you come back inside and quit the smoking?" Izumo replied promptly, offended now that he was in the receiving end of being left out in the dark. He quirked an eyebrow out of irritation when Kotetsu pulled another one out and continued to puff away. A silent sigh escaped from within him as he realized that he's probably not going to get more than three words out of the boy at a time, and decided that he might as well touch upon the subject that started all this aggravation in the first place. Somewhere in his mind, he rationalized that there wouldn't be a difference between Kotetsu never speaking to him again and Kotetsu being curt to him for the remainder of their lives. "You sure it's nothing? Or is it really 'Izumo's such an asshole to me lately and I don't know what the fuck his problem is?'" He asked.
Kotetsu: "I needed a smoke." Four words, which was an improvement from three, or two, but still nothing that would help Izumo determine what was wrong with his friend. Nor did it answer the other's question of why wouldn't he snuff it out, but Kotetsu wasn't feeling particularly cooperative tonight. Besides, if Izumo could be difficult, why couldn't he? It was hypocritical of him to expect Kotetsu to be roses and sunshine, when he himself was keeping secrets. He wasn't sure if Izumo's keeping secrets bothered him because they had never had real secrets from each other before, or if he simply felt as if there shouldn't be secrets between them. "Are you admitting that you've been an asshole lately?"
Izumo: "Depends if I'm being accused as one," Izumo answered with a light shrug, not thinking much about how self-incriminating he was acting. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he shifted his weight from one foot to another, not knowing what else to say. "Does it bother you that much that I have stuff on my mind that I don't want to share?" He asked, aware of how nasty it might sound if Kotetsu took it the wrong way. "I mean, why drag you down into the mess when it's not necessary?" He added, amending slightly to his previous question. He watched Kotetsu as he took a particular long drag from his smoke, wanting one himself just to test the stress-relieving effect that he has always heard about. "I don't see how it'll make anything better, trust me."
Kotetsu: "I guess it does." Kotetsu mumbled, leaning back to rest his head against the concrete wall with a soft 'thump'. "But I have the worst feeling it's about me. I'm not a mind reader, Izumo. I can't fix things if you don't tell me what's broken." He shrugged, parroting what he had told Hayate the other day at his house. It was almost as if the two of them had switched places. Hayate had actually fessed up to what was bothering him, and now Izumo was the one pretending everything was okay.
Izumo: "Nothing's broken." He turned his back against the window and sat on the ledge. "And even if there was, it wouldn't be yours to fix," he added, since quite obviously there wasn't a way for Kotetsu to 'fix' Izumo's feelings. He fell silent for a few moments, pretending to be fully captivated by the knots in the hardwood floor. "You know I don't like keeping things from you, Kotetsu," he said in a small voice. "But if I don't....if I don't...." He took a deep breath and kept his focus on the floor boards. "If I don't, then you'd probably hate me and not trust me ever again. And I guess I'm to blame now for hating that worse." He gave a sarcastic snort, shrugging his shoulders up and letting them sag back down. "But I guess I failed cause you probably hate me now quite a bit, huh? What can I say, I'm not the best actor out there, failed acting class three times, remember?"
Kotetsu: Hate was a strong word. Right now, Kotetsu was stuck between being hurt that Izumo apparently didn't trust him (whether it was to prevent Kotetsu freaking out or not, he should have trusted him not to have said freak out.) and the fact that he was mad that Izumo didn't trust him at all. Never hate though, he could never hate Izumo. "Just tell me." He said, the casual tone he wanted coming out distorted and hurt. Clearing his throat to try again, he shifted so that he was leaning against the iron railings, facing the window and Izumo. "I mean, how do you know how I'll react until you tell me?" He left out the part about how he could never hate Izumo, not in a million years, because he thought the added threat in Izumo's mind might put pressure on him to tell the truth.
Izumo: "I...do you really think that it'd be better?" Izumo asked, turning to face him now with his one uncovered eye. "Do you think that my judgment is so bad that I've been worrying over something stupid? I mean, you're acting like the thing I'm not telling you is equivalent to 'oh my god my neighbor's cat just died' or something," he said, unable to contain the thumping fear in his chest, since he probably has to confess sooner or later. Sooner if he doesn't want Kotetsu to completely hate him. "Do you think that I would keep something to myself if I didn't truly believe that it would affect us somehow? That it'd be better to..." He swallowed hard, trying to cast away the guilty lump forming at his throat. "...that it'd be better to let you know that I remember everything from the night we got drunk? That we kissed and since I was fully aware of what I was doing, it means that I took advantage of you?" He visibly flinched when he said the last part, it sounded a lot more fucked up out loud.
Kotetsu: "Oh." Kotetsu wasn't sure how to reply to that. He wanted to reassure Izumo that it wasn't as bad as he was making it to be, but the image in his head wasn't helping any. Sure, his friend was infamous for exaggerating small details, but this -- this was a rather fucking large detail. Blinking owlishly up at Izumo, he opened his mouth, closed it again, and then lifted one corner of his mouth to make a very confused expression. "...What?" Still trying to process, Kotetsu inhaled deeply on his cigarette, never more thankful that he had the stress relieving habit to fall back on. Tapping the ash off with one finger, continually watching Izumo, he thought of a question to ask. "So... we kissed." Yeah, that was a tad weird to think about. "...Did you take advantage of me, and force me to participate, or was I actively involved?" He wasn't sure how he was being so calm about the situation, but part of him knew that one of them had to remain collected. Since Izumo was about to break down (or so it appeared to him), he figured he was the newest candidate for the job. Kotetsu... cool-headed... Right.
Izumo: Izumo fought against the miserable expression on his face as hard as he could, but to no avail; it was simply too hard. Everything about Kotetsu's response was burning in his brain for evaluation, the monosyllable reply, the hesitant silences in between, the drag of his cigarette...nothing seemed positive. "I...well..." Izumo started when Kotetsu asked him the question, trying to wrap his mind around how to even answer a question like that. "You were drunk, so I guess you were actively involved?" Images of Kotestu returning kisses with equal fervor while stroking him ever so softly surfaced, and he blinked hard to dash them away. "I mean, I wouldn't do anything like that to you if you were against it, drunk or not!" He felt his cheeks heat up and looked away. "I just...I don't know how it happened or why," he said, trying to lie even to himself.
Kotetsu: He laughed, disguising his nervous laughter as sincere amusement. Grinning hesitantly up at Izumo, he held out his cigarette-laden hand, offering him a drag. Izumo never took it, and Kotetsu never expected him to, but it was more an offer of a treaty, a silent apology and reconciliation. "S'no big. I don't know what you were worried about." Kotetsu stated, taking his cigarette back, taking one last puff before snuffing it out and dropping the butt down the fire escape. "I mean, whatever. We kissed a few years back, and that was no big deal. We always do stupid things when we're drunk." The idea that this wasn't so stupid had arisen, and was starting to make itself noticeable in southern regions, much to Kotetsu's chagrin. Sure, he was attracted to Izumo -- who wouldn't be? -- but he wasn't interested in the older boy. They were friends. Finished, period, end of story: Friends. "I suppose I'm done." He commented, staring at the pack for a moment before tucking it back into his pocket. "If we go watch that movie are you going to keep being an asshole?"
Izumo: Izumo smiled weakly when Kotetsu looked up at him, forcing a chuckle himself. "Yeah, I don't know either, bit silly now that I think of it," he answered. Of course pretending that it was not a big deal was easy, it's the aftermath of it in his head that's hard. He glanced at the butt falling down from the fifth story and sighed with exaggerated grimness. "I'm glad you're done. 'Cause if you seriously kept going, you probably would be able to blame me for giving you cancer," he rolled his eyes and stood up from the ledge, making room for the other boy to come back in. As he stepped back further into the room, he wondered if he really should stay over. The circumstances were already stranger than sin, why should he stay around and aggravate them more with his facade of everything being perfectly fine? "I don't know, maybe I should go. It's getting late and it's been a long day. Besides, it's probably torture for you to watch the movie, which by the way, I'm interested in knowing why you have."
Kotetsu: When they were at that party, Kotetsu had been relatively sober. Izumo, on the other hand, had been completely wasted, and had basically caught Kotetsu off guard. This kiss though... well, it seemed that Kotetsu had been more than happy to participate. In the light of that, recalling why he had rented the horror movies seemed to have more meaning in it than he meant them to have. It seemed to him, that it would be the actions of someone that liked Izumo... and he wasn't that person... right? This was Izumo he was talking about -- his friend, his best friend... A faint blush grew on Kotetsu's cheeks as he followed Izumo back into the apartment, and he turned to close the window, his ulterior motive to hide the light pink from Izumo. "Oh, no reason in particular..." ---I was just planning to lure you and keep you in my room until you told me what was wrong, that's all...
Izumo: "Hmm," Izumo tapped his chin, a faint grin playing at his lips. "I should have known that you wanted to start watching horror movies, you know I could start lending you stuff from my collection," he nodded, as if knowing which ones to start his friend off with first. Moving out of his father's room, he went into the living room and stopped. "It's ok if you don't want to watch it though. Like I said, it's getting late. Maybe we can finish up the pizza and I'll leave you to rest?" He suggested tentatively. He didn't exactly want to leave abruptly, because that might cause unnecessary tension. Eating and talking would be enough to satisfy whatever potential problems they have, without the awkwardness of having to sleep in the same bed as the other boy.
Kotetsu: He didn't want to keep Izumo in a position where he'd feel uncomfortable. At the same time, he didn't want them to be acting weird around each other just because of some stupid incident that had happened when they were both drunk. "Look, you're overthinking things again." Kotetsu pointed out, poking Izumo in the side when he stopped. "Let's just finish the movie, and take it from there. Honestly, you're such a girl." He rolled his eyes, moving past Izumo, and headed into the bedroom, tossing his jacket onto the floor by the bed. Flopping onto the bed, he scooted over to leave space for Izumo. "Grab me another slice of veggie, would ya?"
Izumo: Izumo shoved him on the shoulder and laughed as he sat down next to Kotetsu. "Who you calling a girl?" He said dangerously as he leaned over the edge of the bed to grab a slice of pizza for the boy beside him. Letting out a soft sigh as he passed the pizza over, he stretched his legs comfortably - or as comfortably as he could manage it - out on the bed. Maybe Kotetsu was right, maybe he was just thinking too much. Never-the-less, going back to normal should be more refreshing than not, definitely better than avoiding his best friend for the rest of his life. Even if it was at the cost of his own suppressed feelings... "Just wait a few more minutes and we can declare who the girl is," he grinned playfully and started the movie up again.
Kotetsu: Kotetsu's mouth dropped open in surprise and outrage. "Did- Did you just say I was the girl!? You little brat!" He glared at Izumo for a moment before crossing his arms and looking away pointedly. "I'll have you know that my dislike for horror movies makes me unique, and it is endearing." It had been his excuse since they were little; the fact that he didn't like horror movies was something different, and he could use the clinging to someone to strike up a flirtation. It always worked when they went to the movies... unless he latched onto Izumo. That was to be expected though! He and Izumo were close; it was understandable that he'd use the other as protection, whether against scary movies or rain or anything else. ...Right? He brought a hand to his forehead, sighing quietly. Maybe this was why Izumo had avoided him. After all, he had heard about it a few minutes ago, and it was already messing with his head. Izumo remembered it- he blushed, realizing where his thoughts were heading. That was it, he was never getting drunk again. ...Unless it was absolutely necessary.
Izumo: Izumo seriously, and I mean seriously, choked hard on a mushroom when he heard Kotetsu. Eyes red and streaming with tears, he reached blindly across Kotetsu for the remainder of his Snapple. "Oh...my....ahhhh, you kill me," he said gasping between breaths. "And damn, the look on your face..." He said, slapping himself on the knee and managing a small sip from his glass bottle. Finally cracking an eye open to find a not-so-happy-Kotetsu in front of him, he sobered up from his laughter with a soft 'ahem'. "What I meant to say was..." A snicker involuntarily escaped his lips. "That you are very endearing indeed, I...yeah," he grinned and gave his friend a pat on the head. "Come on, the good part is coming soon. And yes, you can be as endearing as you want," he smiled and sat within their usual, normal, latchable distance.
Kotetsu: At the warning, Kotetsu instinctively inched towards Izumo, not quite attached to the other yet, but only leaving approximately four to five inches between them. "I know I'm endearing, but thanks for the input." He grinned lopsidedly up at Izumo, shifting again until his head was resting on Izumo's shoulder. It was the perfect positioning. He could turn and hide his face, or pull Izumo's shirt up and hide behind what small amount of cloth the elasticity allowed him to grasp hold of. There was nothing more to it than that, he reassured himself, making sure that he wasn't reading into the actions more than he should be. After all, it was perfectly normal to smell your best friend, and occasionally fall asleep on them... right? Right. He squeaked as a particularly gruesome scene occurred, and buried his face in the junction between Izumo's neck and shoulder. Not bothering to look up, he growled a low warning to Izumo. "No making fun of me; this is disgusting, and you know it." Then, quieter, much like a scared child, "Can you tell me when it's over?"
Izumo: "Ssh...I can't hear what they're saying," he murmured, patting Kotetsu absent-mindedly on the head. "I think it's fine now, since - oh. Oh wait no," even he shuddered as he saw the villain of the movie clipped part of a girl's index finger off and shoving it haphazardly into his pocket. "Damn," was all he said in response as he continued to pat Kotetsu on the head. He was trying his hardest to ignore his particular feelings about Kotetsu being so close to him, and with the movie in front of him, he was happily succeeding. "Ok, it's over. The other guy just left," he answered him, raising his shoulder a little so Kotetsu would pick his head up.
Kotetsu: Keeping his head down for another moment after Izumo gave the go ahead, he looked up cautiously. Letting out a sigh of relief, he rested his head back on Izumo's shoulder, this time facing the TV. He told himself it was because by keeping his head on Izumo's shoulder, he'd react quicker to anymore bloody and gory scenes. 'Sure' an annoying voice in his head piped up, but he batted that away easily. "So... do you know this movie, or have you never seen it before?" He asked quietly, hoping it was the latter so that Izumo could warn him before any thing possibly disgusting, horrible, or otherwise yucky popped up.
Izumo: "Mmm, nope," Izumo grinned. "I've heard of it, but haven't seen it yet - which is awesome that you have it," he told him while keeping his eyes on the screen. "But don't worry, I'll tell you if I think any nasty parts are going to come on. Can't help you if it's one of those surprise attacks though," he said apologetically, suppressing a yawn since nothing has frightened him in the past ten minutes. "It's starting to get boring...damn kids don't even know what they're doing," he complained, kicking his legs a little as if it would motivate the characters. "It's stupid if all they are going to do is walk around the town when they know it's abandoned and wh- OH SHIT!" Izumo jumped himself when the black figure in the background appeared from nowhere and sunk its teeth into one of the character's face.
Kotetsu: When the figure jumped out, Kotetsu honestly thought for a moment that he might lose control of his bladder. Luckily, he didn't, and his pants remained comfortably dry. Instead, he poked Izumo in the ribcage -- hard -- and glared accusilatorily at him. "Thought it wasn't that good!" Grumble. Grumble. Turning over, hiding his face in Izumo's neck again, he mumbled something indistinguishable into the skin. He quickly realized that it was muffled however, and propped himself up to look at Izumo. "I'm hiding for the rest of the movie. Have a problem with that? Deal with it."
Izumo: "Oww..." Izumo whined when he felt himself being stabbed in the ribcage by one of Kotetsu's fingers. Watching as Kotetsu hid in his neck, he chuckled and reached over and grabbed the remote. "How about we watch something else then? Cause it isn't that good, the storyline is complete shit," he said, turning the movie off and started to flip through the t.v. channels randomly. "I don't have to finish the movie, and I doubt you would want to either," he said while peering down at the face on his shoulder. He gave another yawn as he switched from a news channel to an infomercial.
Kotetsu: Kotetsu mumbled his agreement, but made no movement as to shift from his hiding position. In fact, he was surprisingly comfortable, and was growing sleepy. Inhaling slowly, he realized how comfortable he was getting, and quickly forced himself to roll over onto his back next to Izumo. Crap. Yawning, he stretched his arms above his head. "Yeah, not loving that movie. You can borrow it though, if you'd like to finish it." He rolled over again to lie on his side, facing Izumo. "I'm sleepy." He mumbled, looking over at Izumo though half-lidded eyes.
Izumo: "Mmm," Izumo answered him, moving so that he would be lying down completely. "Me too," he answered as he felt his own eyelids grow heavy. It wasn't as bad as he thought, spending the night over. Besides, he's going to have to adapt to doing it sooner or later without any awkwardness. "I guess I'm spending the night here afterall," he mumbled sleepily. "Shit, I didn't tell my mom!" He exclaimed softly and jerked up into a sitting position before falling back down. "Nyeh, I guess I can tell her tomorrow when I get home," he spoke to himself. "Night Koty-chaaaan," he reached over and gave his friend a blind pat on...well wherever it was that he patted.
Kotetsu: The pat landed on his stomach, startling him out of his doze. Jerking awake with a muffled gasp, he looked over at Izumo to reprimand him, before realizing that the other had already fallen asleep. Propping himself up on one elbow, looking down on Izumo, he smiled gently at the sleeping boy, reaching out to push a strand of hair out of his face. The one good thing about Izumo was that he was a very heavy sleeper. Being that as it was, it didn't startle Kotetsu when he made a quiet noise. If he had been more awake, he might have realized that that noise was probably indicative of Izumo still being away, but he was half-asleep. So, the idea didn't occur to him. He was struck by an overwhelming curiosity though. Why had he kissed Izumo when drunk? There was a faint niggling at the back of his mind, but he avoided that. Biting the corner of his lip, he figured there was no harm in just seeing if he felt something for Izumo. Really though, they were best friends, so he couldn't like Izumo. That would ruin absolutely everything! Leaning down, he chastely brushed his lips across Izumo's, inhaling shakily as he pressed a brief kiss to the corner of Izumo's mouth. Moving away, he flopped onto his back, staring up wide-eyed at the ceiling. It was barely a kiss, but it told him everything he needed to know.
He was so totally fucked.
Izumo: Izumo was already half-asleep when he felt the weight on the bed shift. Rather than opening his eyes to see what Kotetsu was doing, he allowed his laziness to take over and just laid still. However when he felt a presence over him, he began to wonder if he should just open his eyes to ask what the hell it was that Kotetsu wanted, perhaps he was still scared by the movie. Before he could do anything though, he felt the other boy's body moving closer and decided to not interrupt whatever it was that he wanted to do. When he felt the lips brushing against his momentarily, his body grew stiff. What was that....? Continuing to feign sleep, he rolled to his side to try to cool down his cheeks. Tomorrow, he’ll ask him tomorrow. Right now he was too tired.