Until Tomorrow

Summary: The story of two boys who fall in love…and out…and in again. The journey they take as they grow up and learn how to death with the many things life throws at them…cancer…accidents…half brothers…homophobic fathers…evil stalker girlfriends…and anything else Fate thinks of…SLASH

Warning: First of all, this will contain slash, which is a malexmale or homosexual pairing. There will actually be several of these. If you don’t like the concept of two guys being together, then this is not for you. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. There will be lots of other things, such as violence, language, death, gore, and sex scenes. This is not something to be taken lightly. Mark my words.

Chapter 1

Danya Kushenev stared out the window of his limo in disgust at the small lake house he had come to hate so much. Every year he was forced to live there with his friend Kai, his boyfriend Bryan, and an assortment of Kai’s friends. This year was no different.

“Here we are,” the driver announced in Russian, Danya’s native tongue. The limo stopped on the gravel drive and the passengers got out. Danya exited last, reluctant to walk up the stone walk and enter the relatively small house. Finally, however, he made it to the front door, and had to go in.

It was a small square house built in the early nineteenth century and not very up to date. There was no air conditioning or dishwasher, but they were lucky to have servants to do the dishes; Kai and Danya both came from rich Russian families. The floorboards creaked and the garden was overflowing with weeds. An uneven stone path led down to the water where a rickety old dock sat along with all the “toys” they owned; jet skis, fishing boats, and speed boats. Danya hated the water and the house.

Later in the day he took a walk down to the lake. The others had driven twenty miles to the nearest town for food and other supplies. Danya opted to stay behind. He hated the friends of Kai. They were really annoying. He didn’t even know their names and didn’t really care.

Sighing softly, Danya slowly started to make his way up to the house to see if he could find anything to watch. They had TV, several in fact, but only a handful of channels and never anything on. As he was about to enter the house, he heard a car door slam next door. At first, he thought he was hearing things because the house next door had been vacant for years. The owner had died and no one had bought it. The house had slowly fallen into disrepair and no one thought it would ever be lived in.

Well, they were wrong, thought Danya as he hid behind a large tree, spying on the apparent new occupants of the house.

He stared in shock when several more cars pulled up behind the one already parked in the driveway. There was a variety of cars, some towing watercraft, and some with lumber. The first car was a limo, Danya was surprised to see. A prim chauffeur, the source of the slamming car door Danya had heard opened the door closest to where Danya hid. The first person to exit was an adult. He was tall and thin, but slightly muscular with sandy blonde hair and hazel eyes. He wore loose fitting jeans and a polo shirt. The second person to exit was also an adult. He was taller than the first and definitely more muscular. He had long, cinnamon brown hair that hung into his shining emerald green eyes. He wore a pair of faded jeans and a black T-shirt with the sleeves ripped off so his tanned shoulders were revealed. He also had gold hoop earrings in both earlobes from the bottom of the ear all the way to the top. He was followed by a younger girl, around seven or eight with jet black hair and almond colored eyes. Finally was an extremely young girl no older than three years old. She had auburn hair and hazel eyes. None of the children were his age. Slightly disappointed, he turned away, but stopped when something else caught his eye. He turned around just in time to see another boy climb out of the limo. He was a couple years younger than him, but that didn’t matter. Danya’s mouth hung slightly open as he studied the angel who had just appeared in front of him.

He was tall and skinny, but muscular, like the first man. His face was nearly completely covered by long downy golden curls that were pushed out of the way just enough so that his eyes were visible; hidden beneath long thick eyelashes and were a startling blue color that took Danya’s breath away. The boy straightened up and pushed his curls back so that Danya could fully see his face. He had a heart-shaped face, perfectly rounded cheekbones, and delicate lips that curled up into the most beautiful smile ever. His blue eyes sparkled and gave off a radiance Danya had never seen before in his life. He couldn’t breathe.

Others were climbing out of the other cars, all adults, and all looking distinctly Arabic. They called out to the blonde-haired man in what Danya assumed was Arabic. The man answered and gestured to the cars. They began unloading the other cars. Danya watched the large group with curiosity until they vanished into the house next door. His mind was on the strange blonde-haired boy all afternoon. He hoped that he’d see him again, though he wasn’t sure why. Later, when he went for a walk to the lake, he glanced up at the neighbor’s house. There was a light on in the basement and he could see shadows in the room down there, though he had no idea of what they were doing. He knew that it wasn’t any of his business but for some reason, he was curious. He fell asleep that night thinking about the strange blonde-haired boy, which disturbed him greatly.

He woke up the next morning determined to stop thinking about the boy. However, that proved impossible as he took his morning walk down to the lake because the boy was down there with the littlest child. They were on their dock, looking at the fish. Danya, against his better judgment, hid behind a tree close to their property so that he could eavesdrop on their conversation.

“Do you see the fish?” the boy asked with the slightest trace of an accent that sounded somewhat familiar to Danya for some reason.

“Yeah, I see them! Oh Nick, they’re so pretty!” the little girl answered enthusiastically. The boy laughed softly and for some reason, Danya found himself smiling. They remained on the dock for a long time until one of the men called them back up to the house. Disappointed, Danya went back up to the house for breakfast.

Later, he went back down out of boredom and saw the boy named Nick standing alone on his own dock, watching the boats and jet skis pass by. The old rickety dock rocked back and forth threatening to buckle with each passing wave.

It’s dangerous for him to be out there! Danya thought. That old dock could give at any moment. He blinked, not knowing why he cared so much. Then he gasped aloud; a huge wave swept over the dock and it finally gave, sending Nick plunging into the churning water. His head appeared momentarily and he screamed loudly before he vanished again. Danya realized with a jolt of horror that he couldn’t swim. Hardly knowing what he was doing or why, he sprinted to the edge of his dock, and, knowing that it was deep enough, dove off the end. He was a strong swimmer and quickly made it to the last place he had seen Nick. He sucked in a deep breath and plunged down. It was a strange green color underneath the water. He saw Nick’s limp body slowly sinking down and swam after him. There was a steep drop off and he didn’t want to think about what would happen if he didn’t get to Nick before he slid off the edge. Thankfully, he made it to the blonde-haired boy, grabbed him around the waist, and dragged him to the surface. His lungs were starting to empty and he wasn’t sure he’d make it in time. The surface finally came closer and closer until he raised his head and took in several deep breaths. Then, weighed down with his wet clothes and Nick’s, he slid back under the water. He struggled to find the bottom ledge where he could touch. Finally finding it with his feet, he stood up. Then, he put his arms around Nick, lifting him out of the water up bridal style. Coughing and spitting water out of his mouth, he sloshed to shore, soaked from head to toe and not enjoying a second of it. His red hair stuck to his face, making it nearly impossible to see. He gently laid the unmoving boy on the ground, pushed his soggy bangs out of his green eyes, climbed up on shore, and knelt down by Nick’s side.

“Hey. Wake up,” he murmured, shaking Nick’s shoulder. There was no response. “Come on. Wake up!” Still the boy didn’t move an inch. Danya ripped the boy’s drenched shirt and placed his head on his chest, listening. He didn’t appear to be breathing. Cursing softly, he took place to fingers to Nick’s neck feeling for a pulse. Nothing. “Damn it!” He forced Nick’s lips apart, hesitated slightly, then leaned down and pressed his lips to the other boy’s. He pinched his nose tilting the boy’s head back, and then he took a breath and exhaled into the unresponsive boy’s mouth twice. Nick’s chest rose and fell with each breath, but nothing happened. Danya pulled away and started chest compressions.

“Come on,” he muttered softly. He alternated between breathing and chest compressions. “Come on. Please. Don’t do this.” He pumped harder. He took another breath and exhaled. Nick’s eyes finally flew open and Danya pulled away. Nick coughed loudly, choking and spitting water from his mouth, seeing this Danya quickly turned Nick onto his side. He then heard the pounding of footsteps and Kai and his friends came running. “Danya!” one of the friends, whose name he couldn’t remember at the moment cried

“Are you okay?” another one asked. Danya nodded silently.

“What happened?” Kai asked.

Danya frowned, trying to put together the proper words in English, a language he still didn’t totally understand. “I was…walking down here to the lake and…he was out on his dock. He lives next door now. Huge wave…dock really old…rocking…collapsed…he fell in…came up once then didn’t come up again….knew he couldn’t swim…went in…got up and got him to shore, but he wasn’t breathing…couldn’t find a pulse…did CPR…finally revived him.” Kai nodded and turned to Nick, who was sitting up now.
“Are you okay?” he asked softly. Nick silently nodded, his teeth chattering. Danya, who was used to the hard Russian winters, wasn’t bothered by the cold like he was. Kai removed the light jacket he was wearing and draped it over Nick’s shoulders. “Better?”

“Y…yeah. Th…thanks.”

“Are your parents home?”

Nick shook his head. “Th…they went into town this morning.”
“Well then, we’ll take you inside and get you dried off. And we’ll fix that shirt of yours as well.”
“Oh…n…no thanks. It’s not necessary. I…I’ll be o…okay.”

“I insist.” Kai bent down and swiftly gathered Nick in his arms. Before he could protest, Kai was already swiftly walking towards the house. Danya slowly rose and followed with the others. He immediately went into his room and changed into dry clothes. He pulled his red hair back into a ponytail that hung at the nape of his neck, something he rarely did. When he went back down to the living room, Nick was seated in an armchair in front of the fireplace, which was roaring loudly with a fire that one of the servants had undoubtedly built, wrapped in a thick blanket.

“I appreciate all this even though you didn’t have to go through all this trouble,” he insisted as a servant handed him a cup of tea.

“It is our pleasure,” the servant smiled before he vanished. Kai returned from wherever it was he had vanished off to.

“How are you doing?” he asked Nick.

“I’m just fine, thank you,” Nick answered politely. Kai sat on the couch next to the armchair and motioned for Danya to join him. The Russian boy hesitated before sitting.

“So…we were never properly introduced. My name is Kai Arbatov and this is my good friend Danya.”

“I’m Nick. You both have interesting names,” Nick smiled.

“Thank you.”
“Are you from Russia?”

Kai stared at him. “How did you know that?”
“I could tell by your accent. It’s got a Russian accent to it.”

“Yes, we’re from Russia, though I’ve lived here for about three years. Danya still lives in Russia, though I’m trying to convince him to move here permanently.”
“Do you live here year-round?”

“No. I love down south outside of Ann Arbor.”
“Hey, I live in that same area. Me and my family are just up here for the summer.”

“Oh yeah? What’s your family like?”
“It’s my dad, me and my little sister, Ruth, who’s three. My dad’s friend Jake and his kids live with us too. There’s Amee, who’s thirteen, and Blake, who’s eight.”
“And how old are you?”

“I’m thirteen. I’m starting high school in the fall.”

“I’m going to check to see if your clothes are mended and dried.” Kai suddenly rose and departed from the room. An awkward silence fell on the two boys who were left.

“I never said thank you,” Nick finally said in a soft voice.

“For what?” Danya asked, surprised.

“For saving my life.”
“Oh. It was nothing,” Danya blushed.

“No it wasn’t,” Nick said in a serious tone. “I would have died if you hadn’t pulled me out.” Danya shivered as Nick’s blue eyes locked on his. He didn’t know why, but Nick’s gaze electrified him.

“Your clothes are done!” Kai announced, his arms laden with what appeared to be Nick’s clothes. “Why don’t you go and put them on and I’ll walk you home.” Nick nodded, set the empty teacup on the coffee table in front of him and rose. Danya noticed for the first time as the blanket moved that Nick was not wearing anything underneath and blushingly turned away. He did not dare to look back at him because he would only make himself blush even more. He didn’t like the heat rising in his cheeks. He didn’t like it one bit.

Nick emerged from the bathroom ten minutes later fully dressed. He handed the blanket to one of the servants and followed a second one to where Kai waited in the front hall.

“You don’t need to walk me home,” Nick instantly protested.

“I know, but I want to make sure nothing happens to you.” Kai smiled. They went on the front door and across the lawn to Nick’s house. Kai knocked on the door and waited. A few seconds later, the door opened and a servant appeared.

“How I…help you?” he asked in a very broken English.

“I have brought Nick home,” Kai answered.

“Nick?” the servant asked, confused. Nick stepped forward. “Ah, Master Nikolych. We were just starting to worry about you. Where have you been?” He spoke a language unfamiliar to Kai.

“I’m sorry I didn’t call,” Nick replied in the same language.

“What’s going on?” a male voice suddenly asked. A few moments later, a tall man with long cinnamon brown hair that hung in his eyes and a gold hoop earring in the top of his left earlobe appeared.

“Master Nikolai has finally come home,” the servant answered.

“Where have you been?” the man asked. “We were starting to get worried about you and by ‘we’ I mean Kalil.” Nick smirked. The smirk faded away when he caught the man’s stern glance.

“Sorry,” he muttered. He shuffled into the living room, the servant following him.

The man turned to Kai. “I don’t believe we’ve been introduced. My name is Jake Parker.”

“Kai Arbatov. I live next door.” Kai shook the man’s hand. “Are you Nick’s father?”

Jake coughed nervously. “In a way.” Kai didn’t understand what he meant. “Did Nick behave himself?”

“Oh yes. He was very well-behaved.”

“I’m glad.” There was a brief, awkward pause.

“Did you guys just move here?” Kai finally asked.

“Yes, though we’re only here for the summer.”
“That’s what Nick said.”
“Now, what happened?” Jake asked, lowering his voice.

“Huh?” Kai asked stupidly.

“I am not blind. The repairs done to Nick’s shirt were well done, I admit, but I could still see where it was been ripped and sewn back up.”

Kai felt uncomfortable under Jake’s gaze.

“Uh…well from what I can tell, Nick fell into the lake after the old dock collapsed…”

Jake cursed softly. “I warned that boy to be careful. He shouldn’t have been out there, especially since there was no one around and he doesn’t know how to swim.”

“Yes,” Kai agreed. “It was very luck that my friend Danya happened to be down there when Nick fell and was able to pull him out.”
“Did Danya rip Nick’s shirt?”

“Yes. He sort of had to. Nick wasn’t breathing. He had to do CPR or else…well he wouldn’t be here with you.”

“Yes.” Jake seemed unnaturally calm. “Kalil is going to have a cow. He freaks out when Nick gets a paper cut.” Kai couldn’t help smiling.

“Master Jacob, we need you in the living room,” a burly man said, coming down the stairs. “Master Kalil is freaking out.”

Jake laughed softly. “It seems I am needed in the living room.”

“All right. I won’t keep you.”
“Tell your friend Danya thank you for saving Nick’s life, all right?”
“Sure. Goodnight sir.”

“Goodnight.”
Kai walked home.

To be continued…

A/N: Well, there’s the first revised chapter. There were a lot of changes I made, including adding the scene at the end where Kai meets Nick’s family, in a way. I changed the fact that Bryan, a character who hasn’t been introduced yet, isn’t Danya’s boyfriend, as originally planned. I revised the paragraph where Nick was introduced and his appearance described. I did keep in a lot of the original dialogue and descriptions because it was good stuff. It just needed a wee bit of tweaking. I got rid of the prologue because I felt it was unnecessary. Let me know what you thought! Reviews are always appreciated.