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Chapter 2: Green Eyed
Kira Yamato gazed absently into space, his mind miles away, preoccupied as it was with the latest weird dream he had the night before. As usual, the dream starred his best friend in a delightfully sinful and submissive role – dark hair fanned out on the sheepskin rug, naked skin slick and hot under his questing fingers. Kira’s eyes slid out of focus, and he shivered, not noticing that the springrolls he was frying were slowly burning in the frying pan as his traitorous mind replayed the dream sequence frame-by-frame in slow motion.
Skin against skin, his mouth covering every inch of Athrun’s body with hungry kisses … fingers kneading his arms as he tangled his hands in the dark locks of hair … gripping … sliding … panting ... Green eyes wide open, pupils dilated with ecstasy… his tongue swirling on the smooth skin of Athrun’s belly … nails scratching his hips … Athrun gasping … mewling … begging him for more … The friction setting his senses ablaze … desire feeding upon desire, fuelling desire …
The smell of burnt fat alerted him of the imminent disaster their breakfast was turning into. He cursed and shook his head lightly, forcing the fantasy into the darkened recesses of his mind. What the hell was the matter with him? It had been almost a fortnight since he’d kissed Athrun. So much for his idiotic theory … kissing Athrun had not allayed his dilemma one bit; instead it had fuelled some repressed section of his brain to kick into high gear and caused his dreams to become increasingly pornographic.
Kira, you sad bastard, he thought, absently pulling the pan off the stove. He’s your friend, dammit! Friends do not fantasise about mounting each other … that is just not right! You need help, man.
He wondered if he should confide in Lacus (without giving away too much, of course). She seemed open minded and rational enough, unlike his hot tempered twin, Cagalli. The worst thing Lacus would probably do was perhaps use his head as a target practise for her army of irritating Haros. Cagalli on the other hand would probably hit him with a monkey wrench, and then give him a swift one in the nuts while yelling at him to mend his ways.
“Tori!”
Kira turned at the familiar sound as his beloved mechanical bird swooped into the kitchen, its green and yellow skin gleaming brightly as it passed through a shaft of morning sunlight that filtered through the windows. Tori had been his constant companion since he was thirteen. The mechanical bird served as a bond of sorts between Kira and Athrun during the two years of forced separation and the period after that. Tori, in its own magical way had been instrumental in bringing the two of them together.
Suddenly, the mechanical cat dashed into the kitchen, steel claws making a skittering sound on the lino. It gave a tinny mew, its beady eyes fixed on Tori. Tori swooped at the last moment, barely avoiding Kira’s head, causing the cat to swerve and make a flying leap directly onto him. It landed hard on his chest, causing him to stagger backwards. The frying pan, heavy with half-burnt springrolls and hot oil went flying out of his grip.
“Arrrrgh!” Kira screamed as hot oil splashed on his arm.
The pan cluttered noisily to the floor, spilling its contents in all directions. Kira’s eyes widened as the pain from the scald seared his nerves, his skin reddening and blistering. He swore and clutched his arm to his chest. Bloody hell, his day was shot to hell and it wasn’t 8:00 A.M yet.
Hurried footsteps thundered in the hallway. Athrun appeared a moment later, his hair still wet from the shower. Dumbstruck, he stared at the mess – their ruined breakfast from the look of it – and to the brown haired boy grimacing in the middle of the room.
“Kira!” Athrun rushed towards the older boy. “What’s wrong?”
Shaken, and obviously in pain, Kira shook his head numbly. He bit his bottom lip in a vain attempt to push away the pain. He fought back his tears, and cursed himself for his clumsiness. He should have seen it coming, but his reflexes had been slow.
“It’s nothing …” Kira said, words laced with pain.
Athrun hissed as he caught sight of Kira’s right arm. The skin was blistered, the shade of red deepening with each passing minute from where the hot oil had scalded it.
“No, it’s not nothing, you idiot!” He grabbed Kira under the armpits, dragging him to the sink. Turning on the tap full blast, he held Kira’s scalded arm under the running water. “Hold still,” Athrun ordered from behind him. “Keep it under the tap until the pain stops,”
“It’s nothing, Athrun. Really,” he said. He winced slightly as the cool water drenched his skin.
“Keep still, Kira,” the younger boy said dryly as he held fast to Kira’s wrist.
Kira closed his eyes. The cool water eventually dulled the pain and stopped the scald from spreading.
“What happened?” Athrun asked after a lengthy silence.
“My fault,” Kira said dully. It felt silly to blame the cat, when it was his fault to begin with, daydreaming while handling a pan of hot oil. Please, let it go, he thought. The truth was far too embarrassing. How on earth could he admit to Athrun that he was fantasising about him when the accident happened? Athrun would probably tell him that it served him right, and that would hurt even worse.
Athrun looked at him sideways but said nothing. Kira was lying; he could tell by the tension on his face, and the stiffness of his shoulders. He turned the tap off and pulled the older boy back.
“It’s not as bad as I thought,” Athrun looked at the arm closely. “We’ll get it fixed soon, okay?”
Kira nodded and turned towards Athrun. His pain was momentarily forgotten and his eyes widened fractionally at the sight that greeted him. Athrun had rushed into the kitchen clad only in a skimpy towel, which from Kira’s point of view, was in danger of slipping off his slim hips. Kira felt his cheeks reddened. Great, I’m either going to pass out from the pain or the embarrassment, he thought.
Glancing towards Kira, Athrun gave his shoulder a light squeeze.
“Come on,” Athrun kept his arm on Kira’s shoulder as he steered him out of the kitchen. The younger boy seemed unconcerned of his near-nakedness as he led Kira into their bedroom and sat him on the bed. Kira kept his gaze fixed to the floor in front of him as Athrun rummaged in the drawers. He came back a moment later and knelt before Kira.
“Hold out your arm,” Athrun said briskly, as he unwound a length of gauze. When Kira remained still, he reached out and gripped his wrist gently. “We need to cover it until we get you to the clinic, okay?”
Kira nodded, allowing the other boy to wind the gauze over his scalded arm. Athrun worked fast and soon had the arm covered. Holding onto the hand, he turned the palm upwards and ran a finger lightly across the skin. Kira’s fingers twitched in surprise. He wasn’t expecting that. Confused, Kira looked at him mutely. Athrun’s pretty face tipped up to gaze at him, and smiled.
“Good, you can still feel,” Athrun placed the hand gently on his lap. When Kira remained quiet, he put a hand on Kira’s knee and squeezed it lightly. “Your nerves are not too badly damaged,” he reassured, rising to his feet. “I’ll drive you to the clinic as soon as I get dressed,”
That shook Kira out of his daze. Shaking his head, he said, “You don’t have to. I can go by myself,”
Athrun rolled his exotic green eyes. “Don’t argue with me, Kira,” he admonished. He turned his back towards Kira, dropped his towel onto the bed and started to dress.
For several seconds Kira stared at the younger boy. It’s not like he hadn’t seen Athrun naked before … Athrun’s skin was paler than his, and there were several light scars on his arm and sides – a relic from the war. He was fascinated by the sight of the other boy’s back, the muscles moving lightly beneath the pale skin. His eyes roved lower, and a muscle twitched in cheek as his eyes were drawn irresistibly to Athrun’s slender ankles. His heartbeat quickened, his pain momentarily forgotten.
Watching through the wardrobe mirror, Athrun didn’t let Kira’s line of sight faze him. He levelled his gaze at Kira’s reflection, noting the colour that had risen across his cheeks. Kira was looking at him with an odd expression; something between bashfulness and yearning. Was Kira checking him out?
Tilting his head slightly, Athrun feigned innocence and said, “Kira?”
Their eyes met through the reflection in the mirror.
Taken aback, Kira quickly looked away, horrified that Athrun had caught him ogling. He felt the blood drain from his face and lowered his head. Damn, what the hell was the matter with him? He wished the floor would open up and swallow him whole. Or better still, maybe he should just fill the bathtub and drown himself … that should put a permanent stop to his wayward thoughts. He shuddered.
“You okay?” Athrun turned towards his roommate. He leaned against the wardrobe and watched the older boy intently. Nodding, Kira stubbornly kept his head down, his fringe obscuring his eyes. So, he was checking me out, Athrun thought. How interesting …
Pushing away from the wardrobe, Athrun crossed the small space and touched him lightly on the shoulder.
“Shall we go?”
Flustered, Kira stuttered, “You have lab to attend,”
“I’ll skip,” Athrun answered him, watching him closely for any reaction of delayed shock.
“Really, I’ll be fine,” Kira insisted, looking up at the younger boy. A small part of him wished Athrun would let him be, but a bigger part wanted Athrun to stay by his side and comfort him. He didn’t know how to tell Athrun without sounding whiny, or even worse, corny. He wasn’t a child anymore, but just then he really needed Athrun’s company.
The corners of Athrun lips curled up in a gentle smile. “I’ll call Professor Kreig and let her know,” he said. “She’ll understand. She’ll survive without a couple of research assistants for a day or two,”
Without waiting for an answer, he took hold of Kira’s good wrist and led him to the living room. Kira sat quietly on the sofa, watching his friend walk to the vidphone set flush on the wall.
Athrun recited a number, said “Connect,” and a moment later the stern face of Professor Kreig appeared on the vidphone screen. Athrun quickly explained the situation and asked for permission to be excused from lab.
Task done, Athrun deactivated the vidphone and came to his side. He extended a hand towards Kira. Kira looked at the hand for a moment, before reaching out to link their hands together, allowing Athrun to pull him up.
“Ready?” asked Athrun, sweeping Kira’s long brown fringe out of his face and tucking it behind his ear.
The gesture triggered an involuntary shiver down Kira’s spine. He lowered his eyes to avoid Athrun’s piercing gaze.
“Kira?”
Glancing up, he saw Athrun smile, and felt a reassuring squeeze on his hand.
Kira hesitated for a heartbeat, and then he smiled and squeezed Athrun’s fingers in return.
“Did it hurt much?”
“Wow, you really did a number to yourself, eh, Yamato?”
“How long will you be out of action?”
“My brother accidentally set fire to his hair once and boy, I tell you, the smell was terrible …”
“I’m sure Yamato appreciates that piece of news, ha ha …”
Athrun scowled at the small group of curious onlookers. On hindsight, it was a dumb mistake to stop by the research lab after visiting the clinic. But Kira had insisted on picking up the week’s assignment, and Athrun had dutifully driven him there.
“Cut it out, guys,” Athrun said dryly. “Don’t you all have other things to do? Quit bothering Kira,”
“Chill out, Zala,” a lazy voice drawled from his left. “We’re just, ah … concerned … about Yamato,”
Nearby, a pointy faced, multi-pierced bleached blond boy smirked at him. The afternoon sunlight caught the array of silver studs on his ears, making it gleam like the chrome exhaust pipe of the bike he was straddling. His mirrored sunglasses lent him an air of laid-back menace.
Athrun wrinkled his nose in distaste. People like him made Athrun’s fist itch; rumours had it that the boy – their course mate – was part of the local biker gang. They dabbled in shady activities, ranging from drugs to minor crimes. Word had it his father funded private researches at the college and that, plus his twisted intelligence had so far prevented him from being expelled.
Kira noticed Athrun’s look of disgust and groaned inwardly. He turned towards the blond and stepped forwards to partially block him from Athrun’s view.
“Saigo,”
The smirk on Saigo’s face widened, revealing two rows of perfect white teeth. He pushed his sunglasses to rest over the top of his brows.
“Well, Yamato. I guess you heard that Professor Kreig had paired us up for the latest assignment,”
“Hm,” Kira nodded in the positive.
The prospect did not cheer him. Saigo, despite his intelligence was notorious for being lazy and had a reputation for pushing the bulk of the job to his unfortunate assignment partner. Being partnered with Kira was a boon for him, and a bane to the brown haired boy. Kira wondered what had possessed the professor to pair him up with the blond. Perhaps Saigo needed the extra grades to push his overall average up.
Jumping lightly off his bike, Saigo stood, and slinked around Kira like a feline weaving around its master’s feet.
“I’m just concerned about your … ah, injury. You sure it won’t affect your work?” Saigo drawled, tapping a finger against his chin.
Kira noticed that Saigo’s nails were painted white. What a jerk, he thought. “What has that got to do with it?” he asked indignantly, refused to be intimidated by Saigo’s faux macho act.
“Well, if you can’t do your part, we might just screw up this assignment,” Saigo answered, pointing at Kira’s arm. “I can’t afford to lose marks because of you,”
Athrun stepped closer to him, his eyes glinting coldly.
“Shut up, Saigo,” Athrun said icily. “Fuck off and ask Professor Kreig to pair you up with someone else,”
Turning to sneer at Athrun, the blond folded his arms across his broad chest.
“Well, well,” he scoffed. “Satan’s little kitty has spoken. Too bad, Zala. Yamato’s my research partner, so you’d better get used to seeing me around,”
Struggling against the urge to beat the crap out of the blond, Athrun gritted his teeth.
Ignoring Athrun’s murderous stare, Saigo smirked at Kira and brushed his shoulder, lingering a moment longer than necessary. “I’ll call you later, Yamato. To discuss … stuff,”
Saigo’s smirk widened as Kira recoiled at his touch. Athrun instinctively stepped between them and struck Saigo’s hand away, much harder than he intended to.
The small crowd held their collective breath, anticipating a fight.
“Keep. Your. Bloody. Hands. Off,” Athrun warned dangerously. His hands turned to fists and the cords in his neck tautened.
“Athrun …” Kira’s hand shot out, and he gripped Athrun’s arm firmly. Athrun whipped around, annoyed. Kira shook his head imperceptibly. No, he mouthed silently. Not here.
A muscle twitched in Athrun’s cheek. He nodded curtly, acknowledging Kira’s wish.
An ugly scowl distorted Saigo’s pointy face. He glared, first at Kira and then at Athrun for several moments, made a rude sign with his hand and then strutted towards his bike and roared down the street.
Athrun’s blood thundered in his ears and eyes were cold as he stared after the fast disappearing figure.
1] Chapter title “Green Eyed” refers to [1] Athrun’s eye colour, and [2] jealousy.
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