[FIC] Air Gear: "Fire Point" (Sano/Kazu)
Title: Fire Point
Fandom: Air Gear
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Sano/Kazu, hinted Ikki/Akito, mentions of Onigiri and the Noyamanos
Dedication:
peroxidepest17~ Christmas gift fic request! Betcha didn’t expect me to go for this one.
Prompt: Hearts afire
Description: Kazu is playing with fire.
Rating: PG-13 for crude language and light shounen-ai
Word Count: 3,538
Status: Complete, minor edits along the way.
Other Notes: So to explain my madness, I knew right away that this was the request I was going to do, but that still didn’t help me come up with a plot. So, I turned to the two things AG reminds me of: electronica and physics. (The former didn’t wind up helping any.) I actually got the idea for the beginning from a girl’s presentation at a Scotch ‘n Soda meeting. *g* She was supposed to update the Board on the sound crew and just randomly started off with a bunch of physics facts about sound. So I wound up taking this prompt kind of literally. Credit to Googlism, Wikipedia, and the Red Cross site for helping provide the facts about fire. Apologies for OOC (I don’t think I really get these characters? maybe) and the rushed ending. When I started out, I planned on being serious, but wound up wanting to write fluffy holiday-themed fic instead.
Motion is the only constant.
Burning is all about constant motion.
Fire is uncontrolled burning.
All fires start with ignition, which occurs when sufficient levels of fuel, heat, and oxygen exist simultaneously. A chemical reaction takes place when this “fire triangle” is present.
Any combustible/flammable substance is considered to be a fuel. Fuels come in many forms.
The ignition temperature is when a fuel can ignite due to heat. For most solids, the ignition temperature is from five hundred degrees to nine hundred degrees Fahrenheit. The fire point of a fuel is the temperature at which it will continue to burn after ignition for at least 5 seconds.
When all the fuel is used up, a fire will go out.
Oxygen must be present for combustion to occur. Oxygen comprises nearly twenty-one percent of Earth’s atmosphere. The combustion of fuel and oxygen gives off heat. More available oxygen accelerates combustion.
If the oxygen is removed, the fire will go out.
Heat is essential to fire, and it must be high enough to spark ignition. Heat is a form of energy that is created by the motion of atoms or molecules in a substance. During a fire, heat moves away from the flame and into an adjacent area where there is fresh fuel.
Remove the heat and the fire will go out.
Smoldering occurs when burning is slow, without flames. When burning is extremely fast, an explosion can occur. Fire that is burning faster than smoldering, but slower than an explosion, is a flaming fire. A flame is the glowing particles of the substance being burned.
A continuous chemical reaction between particles of fuel and oxygen, fire spreads because of heat transfer. The chemical reaction will cease and the fire will go out if the fuel or heat or oxygen is removed. Fires can sustain themselves by the further release of heat energy in the process of combustion and may propagate, provided there is a continuous supply of oxygen and fuel.
Fires may become uncontrolled and cause great damage to and destruction of human life, animals, plants and property.
Fire is the fifth leading unintentional cause of injury and death.
Heat is more threatening than flames. A fire's heat alone can kill. Room temperatures in a fire can be one hundred degrees at floor level and rise to six hundred degrees at eye level.
Fire is dangerous because it is fast. In less than thirty seconds a small flame can get completely out of control and turn into a major fire. There is only time to escape.
***
Kazu is playing with fire, but he cannot bring himself to escape.
Ikki knows it. They all know it, but Ikki watches him more carefully than anyone else. Certainly, the crow isn't known for being very serious-minded most of the time, but every now and then he gets an especially somber gleam in his eyes, watching with chagrin as Kazu hang around the iron homo-bastard. Kazu at times feels vaguely offended, noting that Ikki is the one who lost his first kiss to a boy, and that Akito is the reason why he finds himself evermore resorting to Sano's company. But Ikki is his family, moreso even than his own blood relations, and so he tolerates it.
Rarely does Ikki ever voice his disapproval aloud, however. Only once, in the very beginning, when the wealthy, arrogant university student had just moved into the Noyamano household, he had come to Shinonome after school and offered Kazu a ride home. When Kazu immediately declined, Sano had parked his car at the school and walked Kazu home himself. Ikki had observed them as he, Onigiri, and Akito followed behind, and got a sick feeling in his stomach when he saw Kazu actually respond to the homo-bastard's inane babble and laugh at some of his jokes.
While walking to school together the next day, Ikki, looking pensive, hands deep in his pockets, had suddenly asked him, “Hey. Are you sure you know what you're doing?”
“I know.” Eyes cast down toward the ground, Kazu's face was unreadable. “I'm playing with fire.”
Ikki eyed his best friend with concern. It was one thing not knowing what you were getting yourself into, but if Kazu knew the dangers and tolerated the homo-bastard's company anyway, that was cause for worry. Then again, he'd known Kazu long enough that he felt that he should be able to trust him to watch out for himself.
And so, his only gruff reply had been, “Just be careful not to get burned.”
Kazu had simply nodded and sauntered on.
Then, watching while Akito ran up from behind yelling 'Wait for me, wait for me!' and latched himself onto Ikki's arm, Kazu had murmured to himself, “At least it warms me.”
***
Probably the most agitating thing about Akito is the fact that he's so difficult to say no to, especially when he pulls those girlish lips into a pout and somehow manages to force actual tears into his eyes.
Akito is pouting right now, and Kazu loathes it.
“Pretty please, Kazu-chan?” the boy pleads, making begging gestures with his hands. “I just want to give Ikki-kun a merry Christmas since Rika-chan, Mikan-chan, Ringo-chan, and Ume-chan are going on a trip over the holidays! Ikki-kun needs to take a break from AT and the team and relax and just enjoy himself!”
Kazu can't argue with that last statement, although he briefly wonders if he should ask what exactly Akito's idea of “giving Ikki a merry Christmas is”. But either way, if Akito is planning to spend all of Christmas being all lovey-dovey, he doesn't want to be around, and Akito's tear-filled eyes are just too damn hard to say no to.
“Fine,” he snarls. “But don't you dare do anything to make me regret agreeing to this.”
***
“What's the matter? You look down.”
Probably the most agitating thing about Sano is the fact that he's so damn good at reading people, and he knows it. Kazu had survived just fine without anyone ever really knowing how he truly felt unless he said it, until he met the homo-bastard and everything changed.
“Just because he's being a little neglectful right now doesn't mean he doesn't care. He just has so many things on his mind right now, and maybe he doesn't have his priorities completely straight,” he had remarked casually, adjusting his glasses with one finger while they walked, and although Kazu would never admit it to anyone, it had been exactly what he'd been needing to hear.
And so he'd begun to tolerate the homo-bastard's company: the AT practices, the walks home, the quiet conversations in the evening, and even the casual flirting and occasional innuendos. Because sometimes, even Kazu wanted to be told things that made him feel like he wasn't entirely unimportant.
“It doesn't matter,” Kazu mumbles, not wanting to seem the histrionic type.
Sano smiles, although there's something irritatingly smug about that grin of his. “It matters to me.”
Kazu shrugs dismissively, but when Sano continues to gaze at him with a questioning glance, he can't resist the temptation to articulate the things that have been bothering him.
“It's Christmas next week,” he finally says, as though that ought to explain everything.
“Ah, indeed it is!” Sano exclaims, and when Kazu doesn't say anything further, he asks, “Why is that a problem?”
“Akito talked me into promising to leave him and Ikki alone that day.” Kazu sighs and makes a couple of abstract gestures with his hands as he searches for the words to voice his distress. “But Ikki... Ikki is my family.”
Sano blinks, but otherwise, his expression remains unchanged. “Parents?”
“Overseas. They won't make it home until New Year's.” Kazu shakes his head.
Sano nods once as he begins to get a clearer picture of the situation. “Siblings?”
“Sister.” Kazu shrugs again. “We're not close.”
“Onigiri?”
“His family's poor. I can't impose on them,” Kazu explains.
“I see.” The university student readjusts his glasses with one hand.
They walk on in silence. Kazu almost gets the sense that Sano is waiting for him to add something himself-the homo-bastard doesn't seem to be thinking very hard at anything, though maybe Kazu should not have expected the other to automatically have a solution for his personal problems, painfully intelligent as he may be.
“You know,” Sano finally remarks, his face devoid of expression, “you don't have to spend Christmas all alone.”
Understanding the implication of Sano's statement, Kazu narrows his eyes and instinctively takes a defensive stance. “...What are you suggesting?”
Sano laughs out loud, his chuckles reverberating down Kazu's spine and tinging the boy's cheeks a faint red. “Relax. I'm not going to force you down on the floor and ravage you as soon as we're alone together. Unless you want me to.”
He glances at the other out of the corner of his eye. Kazu glares back, wishing fervently that he could suppress his blushing.
Letting out a few more chuckles, the college student continues, “I just figured you might like some company. That's all.”
Kazu swallows, once again ruing the fact that the homo-bastard can read him so well. But simple pride aside, the promise of companionship and attention truly is what Kazu has been hungering for, and why should he deny it?
Without looking up, he murmurs, “Company would be nice.”
***
Christmas morning brings freezing temperatures and icy gusts of wind that bring the perceived temperature down several more degrees but no snow. This isn't too surprising in the city, but that doesn't stop it from being a source of dismay, especially among the younger folk. At any rate, as he steps outside early in the morning and into Sano's sickeningly expensive car, Kazu is grateful that he had the foresight to wear gloves and a scarf.
They drive a few miles in silence before Kazu bothers to inquire as to where they're going.
“I thought we'd have breakfast at my place,” the university student answers without taking his eyes off the road.
His place. It occurs to Kazu then that it's true that Sano has only been living at the Noyamano house for a little while, and that it would make sense for him to still have a home somewhere else. Still, it strikes him as strange that he'd never thought about it. Then again, these days, he often finds himself not seeing past people very far outside of their involvement in Air Treck.
Sano's apartment is situated quite a ways away, out of the suburbs and much closer to the inner city. The fancy high-rise is home to even fancier suites. Kazu quickly estimates that Sano has access to nearly twice as much living space as he and his sister do, and Sano has already explained that he lives alone. The furnishings, decorations, and electronics are obviously expensive and well-designed but sparse. Overall, the apartment lacks useless decorative trinkets and other shiny merchandise that serve no function. Kazu finds this vaguely reassuring, almost as though he feared becoming just another object in Sano's collection of “cute” and “pretty” things.
Something about it all bugs Kazu, however.
“I don't get it. If you're a university student, aren't you supposed to be struggling to make ends meet?” he asks rather cheekily as he takes off his shoes and plods into the living room.
Following closely behind, Sano laughs at the boy's forwardness. “Rich parents. I've never really had to worry about anything.”
“Oh,” Kazu says, eyes downcast. “That must be nice.”
“Not always. It's a lot more exciting to have to fight for the things you want.” Sano winks at him before departing for the kitchen.
Kazu can't help blushing a little as he takes a seat on the sofa. His host does not keep him waiting for very long, emerging with a tray of pastries in one hand and a pot of hot tea in the other. It's a far more luxurious breakfast than he's used to, and in the back of his mind he recalls the common childhood warnings about strangers with candy, but Kazu is no longer a little kid, and those pastries look damn good.
Sano smiles smugly while he watches Kazu eat, and the latter decides to indulge him just this once because they're already in Sano's home anyway, and to do anything else would be awkward. Sano himself only eats a few bites. He shrugs it off, saying that his hunger can't possibly compare with an adolescent boy's, and that at any rate, he'd much rather save his appetite for later. Kazu can't help but feel that that was yet another one of the homo-bastard's innuendos, but he chooses not to bother with a response.
Once they're done with breakfast and Sano's cleared away the plates, they sit and stare at each other in awkward silence, the college student smirking while Kazu finds himself growing increasingly more uncomfortable under the other's gaze.
“So,” he states, no longer able to endure the silence. “What now?”
The smile never leaves Sano's face. “I got you something. Check under the tree there.”
Kazu looks in the direction that Sano gestures and notices for the first time the small Christmas tree standing there. He's only seen them in movies and stores, and in comparison, this one is fairly humble in size and decoration, but there's something elegant about its simplicity. Taking a closer look, Kazu finally notices the package wrapped in shiny red paper that's sitting behind the tree. It has his name on it.
He hesitantly picks up the box and returns to the sofa with it, but once there, he's not sure exactly how to proceed. He's not used to receiving gifts, especially from homo-bastards, and he's never really known what the etiquette is. Should he open it now? Should he save it for later? Should he politely decline, saying that he can't possibly accept it?
Sano continues to look at him expectantly, and flinching under his gaze, Kazu finally mutters, “But I didn't get you anything.”
“That's fine,” his host responds, still smirking. “I wasn't expecting you to.”
That remark somehow only contributes to the guilt and discomfort that Kazu feels right now, until he's practically squirming, but Sano's eyes are telling him to open the damn present already, and there's no way you can argue with such a look.
Once the wrapping paper and cardboard box are discarded, Kazu unveils a brand-new pair of ice skates.
It's definitely unexpected. If anything, Kazu would've expected something to do with AT, or else something appropriately dirty to go along with that homo-bastard's mind, like a sex toy or a gay porno mag. But a pair of ice skates...? The middle schooler looks up at his host questioningly.
Sano simply continues to grin. “You asked, 'What now?' Well, how about we go test these out?”
***
The temperature is at least five degrees lower on the ice rink. Even though he has a good enough sense of balance that he hasn’t fallen over, Kazu has trouble gaining the kind of acceleration he’s used to in AT, and the lack of speed makes the cold seem more intense.
Sano skates like a pro, but it’s obvious that he’s practiced. The overall mechanics are very similar to AT, of course, but they differ in a few ways. Ice is a more treacherous surface to move on, and the slightest misstep is more likely to throw you off-balance, unlike AT, where false movements are fairly easy to correct. Kazu finds himself expending quite a bit of energy just to hide his stumbles and wobbles from Sano’s eyes, because he’s not about to let the homo-bastard have the satisfaction.
By the time Kazu is comfortable with skating laps at high speed, weaving in and out of crowds, and doing basic turns, Sano is on fire. He’s doing elaborate spins and leaping around like a fucking ballerina ice princess.
Kazu’s about to yell a taunt when the college student sneaks up on him from behind and takes his hand. Sano pulls them into a quick clockwise spin, and Kazu would’ve been dizzied by the rotations if the sensation of balancing and turning on the tip of one foot didn’t feel so damn amazing. When their momentum gives out, Sano gently lets go of his hand and skates off on his own, leaving Kazu disoriented and breathless.
He only narrowly avoids being knocked over from behind.
He’s midway through his next lap when Sano reappears beside him.
“Your cheeks are flushed with the cold,” he remarks. “How about we stop and take a break? Give you a chance to warm up a little?”
Kazu dislikes being mothered, but it’s true that they have been skating for two hours without stopping. Nodding, he follows closely behind Sano as they skate toward the rink’s exit.
The rink had been erected in the center of a large public park and, as such, the area is not without its share of street vendors selling hot drinks and snacks. After undoing their skates and slinging them over their respective shoulders by the laces, Sano and Kazu check out the little stands until they find one they like. Sano orders them both large mugs of hot chocolate. Kazu offers to pay for his own, but Sano declines, saying it’s his treat.
He smiles down at the younger boy while they sip their cocoa, and though there is nothing particularly threatening about his glance, he feels like a mosquito watching an advancing spider after being caught in his web. The difference is that Kazu finds himself enjoying being caught in Sano’s web, even if he’d never admit it.
Sano catches Kazu staring at him over the rim of his mug. He smirks and, without warning, pulls the boy in for a kiss. The smaller boy is frozen at first, not knowing how to respond when his mind is still trying vainly to process the fact that this is actually happening. But when he concentrates enough, he finds the touch not unlikable, and gently kisses back.
Kazu is just getting into it when Sano suddenly pulls away. However, Kazu, dismayed at the sudden sensation of emptiness, takes the initiative to reunite their lips. The soft touch sends a tingling feeling all the way down to his toes that’s not altogether unpleasant. He and Sano even have the chance to brush tongues once or twice before Sano breaks the kiss a second time.
When Kazu regards him with searching and vaguely disappointed eyes, Sano explains, “Right now, it’s just your body that’s on fire. I don’t want to do this unless your heart’s on fire, too.”
He pats the middle schooler on his beanie and gestures back toward the rink. “Come. Ready to skate some more?”
Too bewildered to argue, Kazu once again finds himself following Sano’s lead without question, but his lips continue to tingle long after he’s put his skates back on.
***
They skate for two more hours before heading back to Sano’s apartment. These days, the sun sets early to give way to the long, dark nights of the winter solstice, and the temperature drops accordingly. Today the sky is overcast, so dusk seems to descend even more swiftly. The two boys bundle up in their overcoats and slip into Sano’s car. They take a shortcut and are home in fifteen minutes.
They’ve barely had time to remove their shoes when the storm hits the city. In seconds, the world outside is covered in a thick blanket of snow, and the electricity is flickering. Sano and Kazu watch from the window, caught in the wonder of the sudden transformation but also glad to be inside, safe and warm.
A half hour later, the light gives out, and Sano disappears into the kitchen to find some candles. He only finds tea-lights, but with the help of a box of matches, he and Kazu manage to have the room all lit up again in no time. The atmosphere in the room changes abruptly with the change in the lighting. All of a sudden, everything seems warmer. Kazu finds himself wondering if Sano didn’t strike a match and light him on fire when he wasn’t looking.
The storm rages on outside, and Sano offers to make an attempt to get Kazu home safely, but the boy declines. It isn’t worth freezing to death outside when there’s no one waiting for him at home, anyway. When Sano asks whether he’d rather stay here, then, Kazu simply nods yes. A few weeks ago, Kazu would never have accepted the invitation to spend the night at the home of a homo-bastard, but now, he finds he no longer minds.
When illumination from the tea-light begins to fade, Kazu finds himself sitting close to Sano on the floor of the living room. Sano’s face is unreadable in the flickering firelight, but he hasn’t taken his eyes off Kazu’s face. Blushing lightly, Kazu can’t resist the urge to kiss the college student lightly on his lips.
“It’s not just my body that’s on fire,” he whispers.
Sano presses their mouths together, and Kazu knows:
Fire is just the beginning.