Gensho Korobu

By Wuzi

Chapter 18

Kristin stepped through the front door and let his bag dropped to the floor. Josh would probably go off at him again later for leaving his crap everywhere but he didn’t care in the slightest this time. He wasn’t feeling well, but ignored it for now; he was home and his chest was aching terribly but he didn’t know why. As he walked down the hallway he pulled out his mobile and sent a short message to Orlando and pocketed it.

The dark haired teen was about to open his bedroom door when he heard Josh’s voice and another he didn’t fully recognize, the voice seemed to slice into his memories, it was familiar somehow. Dread filled him that it may be Karla but it wasn’t a female voice. He suddenly wished he had been paying more attention when he walked past instead of being on his phone.

Kristin shook his head; he didn’t feel like socializing anymore today. He’d had enough with everyone treating him the way they did. He walked into his room and closed the door gently behind him and changed the CDs in his stereo, he didn’t feel like listening to Rammstein today and pressed play on the board, stood up and sat on the edge of his bed.

As the remix CD began to play through the speakers, he realized he didn’t even know the woman singing. Kristin tried to ignore it and allowed himself to lie down on his bed and fall asleep to try and get rid of the pain in his chest.

--

Josh felt a little surprised that Kristin hadn’t even come into the kitchen, he hadn’t even taken a side glance and instead seemed to have had just gone to his room and stayed there. He sighed at his cousin’s rudeness and took a sip of his coffee and put it back down on the table.

“So you have no idea how long you’re going to stay this time?” He addressed his friend.

“Not really.” Tatsumi said as he gently took a last bite of cracker with dip. “But it is great to be back.”

The light haired brunette smiled. “I bet.” He said and leaned back in his chair. “You’ve changed a lot since last time I saw you.”

“Have I? Two years isn’t that long.”

“Long enough.”

Tatsumi nodded. “It is.” Slowly his eyes were caught by the photo frame on the kitchen table. He looked thoughtful for a moment. “How is Kristin about this photo?” He asked adruptedly.

“He’s alright with it being out, just as long as he can’t see the photo, so he’s always putting it face down.” Josh leaned his head on his hand as he rested it on the table.

Tatsumi nodded. “They should have spent more time with him.”

“I get the feeling he blames himself.”

The bleach blond thought for a moment, he could speak to Kristin later, now his friend was whom he was worrying about. “How are you with parenting these days?”

Josh rolled his eyes. “Where do I begin?” He muttered. He thought for a moment and began: “He leaves his crap everywhere, he complains about my cooking though he can’t cook himself, he won’t even eat anything with mushrooms in it, I have to tell him to do his chores all the time, he can’t get along with Karla no matter what, he can’t get himself up in the morning without me having to threaten him-” The light haired brunette stopped noticing that a wide smile had crossed Tatsumi’s lips. “What?”

“I meant beside the obvious household problems.”

Josh sat back for a moment. “Oh…” He thought for a while. “Fine.”

--

Kristin groaned as he opened his eyes, his stomach and head were feeling better and now he noticed that the CD had finished in the stereo. He felt too lazy to get up and switch it and instead grabbed his mobile from his bedside table. The dark haired teen felt a tinge of worry escalate throughout him, as he hadn’t gotten any replies.

Slowly he guided himself through his phone’s menu to the contacts and let his thumb sit over the call option. Kristin took a deep breath and pressed it, holding the phone to his ear.

It was a few rings before Orlando picked up.

“Hello?”

The familiar voice sent a wave of relief through the dark haired teen. “Hey Lando, what’s up?”

There was a pause on the other side of the phone before he heard the brunette’s voice again. “Not a lot.”

“Something wrong?”

“No, my dad just left.”

“So your home all alone then?” Kristin’s chest felt like it was burning.

“Um…yeah.”

The dark haired swallowed. “Need some company?”

Kristin waited for a reply but he could hear something in the background that he couldn’t make out properly.

“I don’t know…” Orlando finally said, his voice was shaking.

“Come on. I’ll bring pizza.” Kristin stood up and hoped that he would say yes.

Another pause from the brunette. “Okay.”

“Alright, I see you in about half an hour ‘kay?”

“Okay.”

“Bye.”

“Bye Kristin…”

The dark haired teen pressed the end call selection and grabbed some clean clothes for a shower, as he walked out of his room and into the bathroom, pressing in the local pizza places phone number and made an order.

--

Kristin felt a little strange standing at Orlando’s doorstep, he’d already knocked and there had been no sign of anyone at home. He shifted the two pizza boxes to his left hand and knocked again, hoping that the brunette was okay.

Suddenly the door opened and the familiar brunette was standing in front of him, still wearing his long sleeves and pants.

“Hey Lando.” The dark haired teen smiled.

“Hi.” He murmured and led his friend into the lounge room, shutting the front door behind them.

Kristin put the pizza boxes on the coffee table and took a look around the house. It was older but still cozy in its own way.

“I have vodka mixers if you want something to drink.” Orlando said quietly.

The dark haired nodded. “Sure, alcohol’s always good.”

It was awhile before the brunette returned and somehow Kristin was getting the idea something was bothering Orlando, otherwise he wouldn’t be acting so nervous around him again, kind of like the first time they’d met.

Orlando returned and placed the bottles on the coffee table, raspberry by the look of it, and sat down on the red lounge chair. Kristin sat next to him and opened up one of the pizza boxes and picked up a slice and bit into it. The brunette reached over and did the same but looked over it before he took a bite.

“There’s no pineapple or mushroom on it, can’t stand the stuff.”

“I don’t like them either.” Orlando said quietly and chewed on the pizza.

Kristin smiled to himself; they shared something in common, which seemed finally that he did have a bit of luck left.

“So where were you today?” He asked after he finished his first slice of pizza and went in for his second.

“I had a doctor’s appointment.” Orlando said, his stomach felt terrible as he swallowed the oily pizza but continued to eat because it tasted good and after he’d finally downed one slice he took a long drink of the familiar alcohol and then grabbed another slice himself.

“Everything okay?”

The brunette nodded. He was starting to relax, at first he’d thought that Kristin would hate where he lived. Orlando couldn’t understand why he was so paranoid about the dark haired teen judging him.

“Josh has some friend over, I still don’t know who it is. They went out, so I left a message.” He took another bite and then drank some of the sweet mixer. “So you got a Playstation or anything?”

Orlando shook his head. “I never got into that sort of thing.”

“Remind me next time your over and I’ll give you round at G.T.A.”

--

Josh nodded his head as his conversation with Tatsumi continued; they were walking downtown for tea. He felt a little bad for leaving Kristin at home to cook for himself but his younger cousin would probably just order Take Away.

Suddenly a familiar blond caught his eye walking toward them.

“Hey Wesley.” He said a little surprised.

The blond smiled and pulled back the German Shepard he was walking to heel as they all stopped to greet one another. “Hi Josh.”

“Haven’t seen you around in awhile.”

Wesley nodded trying to think of something to say that wouldn’t seem odd, he locked his eyes to Tatsumi who had bent down and was rubbing Teddy Pom Pom’s ears.

“Yeah…me and Kristin haven’t really spoken in a few days.”

“Why?” Josh asked a little surprised, he knew that Kristin and the blond were best friends and he’d heard nothing about them fighting.

“Just cause of some shit.” He muttered. “Things’ll even out.”

Tatsumi straightened up.

The blond looked at the Japanese man and then at the ground, searching for words. “Hello, Mr. Tojima.” He said politely.

Tatsumi smiled. “There’s no need to be formal. Call me Tatsumi. How is everything?”

“Good.” Wesley nodded; he looked at though he was thinking again. “Are you here to see Kristin?”

The bleach blond shook his head. “Another of my patients.”

Wesley seemed to relax.

--

Orlando couldn’t eat anymore and leaned back in the couch; defeated. He held the mixer bottle in his hand, this must have been his fourth already and he was beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol but he didn’t mind. It was erasing most of the day from his mind. He turned his sapphire blue eyes to Kristin who’d given up on the pizza as well and just finished his bottle and placed it on the table.

“How you feeling?” He asked.

Orlando smiled. “I’m alright.”

Kristin felt happy that the brunette was getting to the stage where he was a lot happier then he usually was.

“I’ll get us some more.”

“Nah-” The dark haired teen grabbed the brunette’s arm, throwing him off balance as he stood up and Orlando toppled into his lap, he winced in pain as his back was forced to hold him.

“Sorry.” Kristin muttered.

The brunette straightened up and sat beside his friend, he closed his eyes and tried to will the pain emanating from his back to go away for now.

“What’s wrong?”

“Just my back.” He answered quietly.

Kristin felt terrible now; he’d hurt the brunette. “Want me to get you some pain killers?”

“No, it’s okay.” Orlando said as the pain began to subside.

The dark haired teen gently placed his arms around the brunette and brought him close. It was all in a spare of the moment action, his head was getting hazy from the alcohol and now he was starting to do what his heart and body wanted at the moment instead of listening to his head.

Orlando didn’t fight back; he rested his head in the nape of Kristin’s neck and closed his eyes. His back was beginning to ache again so he shifted to take away the pain, allowing him to press his chest against his friend. He didn’t mind too much and didn’t move to a different position.

The dark haired teen smiled, wrapping his arms around the brunette; finally something was working for him it seemed.

It was a few minutes before anything was said again.

“Why…?”

Kristin looked down at Orlando. “Huh?”

“Why…” He paused again. “Why me?”

The dark haired teen thought for a moment, but nothing seemed to give him a proper answer. “…I don’t know, but there’s something about you…”

Kristin suddenly felt awkward as Orlando’s blue eyes were locked to his. He now could see the healing the scar on his forehead and the other on his lip. Despite these wounds, there was a certain handsome beauty about him. Gently the dark haired teen leaned in, the soft touch of Orlando’s lips made him crave to taste him. As the tender peck ended, Kristin moved his head and kissed the brunette fully, their tongues dancing between them. Orlando wasn’t holding back as the kiss continued. Slowly Kristin moved his hand onto the brunette’s hip and gradually moved it toward his target.

At that moment Orlando pulled away, their lips parting.

“Sorry.” The dark haired teen said.

The brunette looked very uncomfortable, but he didn’t move away. His head was feeling dizzy.

Kristin leaned back to Orlando. “What’s wrong?”

His friend’s blue eyes were locked onto the vodka mixer bottle on the coffee table. “I don’t want you to…see my body…”

The dark haired suddenly understood, it was like how he acted a school: he always covered his body. Gently he placed his arms around Orlando and brought him close again, he leaned his head against the brunette’s.

“You’re good looking, that’s my opinion.”

As Orlando moved his head, their lips tenderly touched again.

Sorry for the late update. I’m just starting on Chpt 19 now. So it’ll probably be awhile before it’s uploaded too cos I’m currently moving, figuring out what to do with my new bf and fighting with my flatmate. Oh and going to a café will be difficult but I will try!

Please R&R!