My entry for the Glay “Mini Skirt” challenge at KaiTaka club on DA. I'll post some fan-art if I can access a scanner.
Pear Drops
'twas the eve of Halloween at the Kinomiya dojo, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring....
“WHAAAAAAAAT?!?!?!”
The Bladebreakers don't count.
Tyson stared incredulously at Max as if he'd just sprouted a second head and spoken fluent Latin.
“Come on Maxie, gimme a break here.”
“You lost the bet fair and square Tyson.” Max countered with a smug grin. “And yes, I brought my digi-cam.”
“Oh that's just a low blow.”
Max laughed and held out the black plastic bag he'd had behind him. “Off you go now, we don't wanna be late.
Tyson snatched the bag and stomped into the bathroom with a huff.
Satisfied he'd won round one, Max turned to the others. “So are we good to go?”
“This is the last time I let you shop for Halloween costumes, Max.” Rei grumbled, pulling uncomfortably at the faux fur neckline of his outfit. “I think you did this on purpose; you know this stuff makes me itch.”
“You could always swap with Tyson.” Max smirked evilly.
Rei scowled and promptly zipped it.
“At least you're decently covered, Rei.” Kenny pointed out amiably. Compared to his team-mates, he'd gotten off lightly from Max's shopping efforts.
Over by the window, Kai stared out at the darkening sky, doing his damnedest to ignore his subordinates antics – and failing miserably. He had a vague idea of what Tyson's forfeit entailed, and he really didn't like it. If anyone so much as looked in a way Kai didn't like, never mind touched..... Kai gritted his teeth and attempted to mentally change the subject, but his minds eye kept coming back to the same taunting image-
Tyson stomped back into the room, covered from neck to feet in a fleece snuggy blanket. He resumed his place in the loose semi-circle on his bedroom floor and turned to Max expectantly.
“I didn't say you could cover up!” Max spluttered in dismay; this was so not how he'd planned Tyson's forfeit.
Tyson shrugged with a nonchalant expression plastered on the bottom half of his face, while his eyes twinkled in challenge. “You didn't say I couldn't either.”
“But-”
“Just go get changed, Squirtle.” Rei sniggered, enjoying Max's obvious discomfort.
Max huffed in defeat. “Fine, but you have to remove that blanket before we leave.” Was his parting shot before he sauntered down the hall to the bathroom.
Tyson laughed. “Deal buddy.”
Kenny – in one of his rare moments of spontaneous perception – noticed Kai staring out the window, still wearing his normal clothes. “Aren't you getting changed too, Kai?”
Kai deliberately turned to face his team slowly, so they could be in no doubt that he was furious, despite not knowing why. The room temp promptly dropped several degrees. “I think being seen in public with you guys dressed like that is humiliation enough.” He declared icily.
Tyson snorted, unimpressed. “When you've tried walking in four-inch stilettos, you'll have room to bitch, Frosty.” With a haughty fluff of his feather duster accessory in Kai's general direction, he whipped the blanket off with a dramatic flourish and wobbled his way out of his room to head downstairs.
Rei and Kenny quickly followed suit, presuming they were pre-empting an evacuation from the vicinity of Volcano Kai about to explode.
Kai remained where he was for a few seconds, more out of shock than his usual desire to maintain his lone wolf persona. Sure, he and Tyson clashed plenty, but was rare for Tyson to be so – he paused mentally, searching for the right word. Ah forget it, he'd just have to suck it up and hope he could hold his temper for the next two hours. He pushed away from the wall and followed the others downstairs.
Max and Rei were blocking most of the hallway, Rei still whining about Max's choice of a costume.
“I think it's perfect.” Max insisted. “White Tiger, geddit?”.
Rei looked like a thunderstorm might erupt over his head at any minute. “Maxie, you'd better sleep with one eye open for a loooong time.”
Max ruffled the back of his head nervously and looked to Tyson for support. “It could be worse right, Ty?”
“I'm with Rei on this one, Buddy.” Tyson grinned menacingly. “You got us good, but revenge is all the sweeter when you don't see it coming.” Gingerly, he slid down from his perch on a barstool at the island in the middle of his kitchen. As he'd expected he was still a bit wobbly, but at least they were calf boots rather than slip-ons. Bad enough he was waddling around like a penguin desperate for a pee, but tripping over his feet every time a shoe fell off would be too much.
“Ready to go, Chief?” He clicked his fingers in front of Kenny's face, startling him, and making his costume glasses fall off the top of his head to land over his own prescription lenses.
“Gyaah! I'm blind!!” He scrabbled frantically at his face, launching Tyson, Rei, and Max into gales of laughter.
It was to this scene of pre-trick or treat chaos that Kai made his respectably late appearance. Even as used to his team's childish impulses as he was, he hesitated mid-step into the kitchen.
“Alright, break it up!” He yelled over the rising din. “You.” He aimed a finger at Kenny. “Put those jam-jar things back on your head where they belong and you be seeing just fine.”
He turned a glare on the other three, who were struggling to reign in their amusement. “You three just get your butts in gear before I put my foot up them one by one.” He flung the pointing digit in the direction of the door. “MOVE!!”
Rei and Max legged it, treat bags in hand. Kenny shuffled close behind blushing madly as he adjusted his glasses.
Kai raised an eyebrow at Tyson, who was edging baby-steps down the hallway with both hands braced along the wall. “We'll be here 'til Christmas at this rate Kinomiya.”
Tyson chose that moment to awkwardly attempt to spin to face him, resulting in a rather provocative pose leaning bodily towards the wall with his hips at a jaunty angle. Of course, Tyson wouldn't know provocative if it slapped him; he just didn't want to fall on his ass. “You offering to carry me, Tough Guy?”
Kai flushed before he could stop himself. Now that image....
“Get going!” He barked, to cover up his momentary lapse.
Tyson rolled his eyes and resumed his wall-shuffle.
By the time Kai and Tyson emerged from the dojo, Rei, Max, and Kenny were huddled on the path looking very put-out.
“What took you so long?” Max looked from one to the other suspiciously.
“I can't help it Max.” Tyson groused. “These things are a nightmare to walk in.”
“It's not that hard, Tyson.” Rei chimed in. “It all in the hip swing.”
Everyone turned to stare at him then and he turned beet red.
“How would you know that?” Max gaped.
“Uh, hello? Pink haired girlfriend with a shoe obsession sound familiar?”
“Aaah.” Was the collective response as they all recalled Mariah, who since realizing her feelings toward Rei weren't quite so platonic, suddenly transformed herself into an ultra groomed, stiletto heeled vixen. Sad to say, Rei hadn't stood a chance and had been panting after her like a dog in heat ever since.
Tyson drew himself up to his full height (plus four inches) in sudden determination. “Well since my rep is going to be shot to hell after tonight, I might as well go out with a bang.” With that he swung into the slinkiest strut his team-mates had ever seen, striding ahead towards the first house.
Max and Rei shared and amused glance before they followed quickly, dragging Kenny along by an arm each as he'd gotten distracted by his laptop again.
Kai stood frozen in place as if he'd been struck by lightening. He couldn't tear his eyes away from Tyson's hips swaying from side to side, the white lace of his dress underskirt flashing cheekily with each swing.
“Swit-swoo!”
“Shake it baby!”
Kai snapped out it instantly. And strode over to a gang of boys across the road who were absorbed in catcalling Tyson. They didn't even notice their imminent doom until Kai was towering over them with a glare that could kill armies.
“If you want your eyes left intact, shut your traps and get lost!” He snarled, looming over leader deliberately.
At first it seemed the youth might opt for standing up to Kai, if only for the sake of preserving his machismo with his boys. Luckily for him common sense won out, and he declared loudly that they'd find more fun at the arcade.
Kai glared at their retreating backs until they were long gone in the distance.
Max and Rei pinned twin knowing looks on Kai he he rejoined them, but wisely said nothing.
Tyson meanwhile, had reached the first house on their route and pressed the doorbell, thinking his team-mates were right behind him. When he realized they'd fallen behind he promptly forgot about the door and spun on the porch, bent forwards at the waist with his hands on his hips and called them loudly. “Are you guys gonna shake a leg, or what?”
Kai had to jog to catch up with the others burst of speed, and reached the house's driveway just in time to see the door open, and the middle-aged man who answered it, stop dead in his tracks and flush almost purple. “Tyson straighten up before you give this guy a heart attack!”
Tyson blinked, as if suddenly realizing the position he was in. “He-he, sorry Sir, I lost a bet.”
“Er, it's fine. No harm done.” The man stammered, completely non-nonplussed.
Kai grabbed Tyson by the upper arm and propelled him away while Max and Rei retrieved the treats. “Christ Kinomiya, you're a walking hazard!” He hissed.
“I didn't do it on purpose.” Tyson hissed back, trying to disengage his arm. “I'm not used to wearing girl stuff.”
Behind them, Rei and Max were discussing how cute they looked together, and how they were typically oblivious.
“Tyson we can excuse, but Kai is usually more perceptive than this.” Rei whispered.
“Oh I think Kai knows.” Max replied sagely. “He just doesn't like having feelings so he's throwing a hissy fit 'til he gets used to it.”
“You think so?” Rei glanced dubiously at their leader's back.
“Why do you think I made Tyson wear a French Maid's outfit?” Max giggled back. “Once Kai gets his head in the game, Tyson won't know what hit him.”
“Thank God I'm taken then, you're the match-maker from Hell.”
Tyson chose that moment to turn back to them. “You're a walking dead man, Max Tate! My feet are killing me already.”
Max laughed amiably. “Suck it up Tyson.”
Kai scowled. He wanted to offer to help Tyson, but couldn't figure out how without earning himself some very odd looks. Finally he brain clicked on a reasonable compromise.
“If it gets too painful, I'll piggy-back you. Just this once.” He added quickly, throwing in a stern look for good measure.
Tyson paused, a quick retort begging to be let loose but he held it back. “Ok, but no funny remarks about my weight.”
Kai looked taken aback. “What does that have to do with anything?”
Tyson abruptly spun on his heel and waltzed off again, Kai staring after him wondering where in the last five minutes he'd managed to somehow put his foot in it.
Max patted his shoulder reassuringly. “I don't think it's you he's mad at, Kai. I put matching underwear in the bag.” He winked at Rei as he headed after Tyson, knowing he was leaving Kai looking completely stunned behind him.
As his team drifted ahead, Kai slowly processed the information spinning around in his brain. Tonight was too strange for words, that much he knew. What disturbed him the most was his reaction to Tyson this evening. They'd always known how to push each other's buttons, but today Tyson seemed hell-bent on provoking him. Then there was his reaction to Tyson's costume. He had enough experience with denial to know he was fooling himself if he thought it was just purely coincidental that he happened to like the view. So what to do about it? He wasn't a coward, so doing nothing and waiting for Tyson to make a move was out of the question. That left....
As the night wore on, the Bladebreakers meandered from house to house, with Tyson's behaviour getting more outrageous and Kai's patience fraying at matching rates. When they finally left the last house, Max looked at his watch and decided to take pity on Kai, who looked ready to pounce on Tyson any second. He declared that now was as good a time as any to split the loot and head home. Rei gave up his, declaring that Mariah would have a fit if she so much a smelled chocolate since she was somehow convinced she'd gain weight just looking at it. Kenny heaved his now much heavier bag under one arm, pleased that his stash would give him many weeks of late night snacks.
With the others gone, Kai and Tyson were left with a bag between them, which Tyson reached for to check for pear drops.
“Yesss, my favourite!” He declared popping the strawberry flavoured sweet in his mouth, then setting off for home. Kai silently followed; they'd already arranged for him to stay over.
They'd barely gotten through the door before Tyson found himself pressed up against a wall, pinned almost as surely by fiery crimson eyes as he was by pale toned arms. Before he could form a coherent protest, Kai suddenly closed what little inches remained between them. He tilted the younger teen's head back with a forceful yank on a handful of Tyson's ponytail, and nibbled tauntingly on his lower lip. Tyson decided there and then, if Kai thought he'd go down without a fight, he had another think coming. Catching the older blader by surprise he pushed right back, snaking his tongue into the other's mouth, flicking it against his teeth teasingly.
Kai pulled back in amazement; that Tyson had allowed Kai to kiss him was surprising enough, but he seriously thought he was going to be the dominant.
“Nuh-uh, Kinomiya. I don't do uke.” He popped Tyson on the nose playfully with the tip of one finger, still keeping him pinned to the wall.
“Fight you for it.” Tyson shot back, pulling Kai back down into another kiss that was almost enough to make Kai's head spin. The taste of strawberry pear drops was seriously addictive. That thought gave him instant inspiration. If Tyson wanted a fight, he'd get one.
Tyson yelped instinctively as Kai bit down harder on his bottom lip, and before the stunned Champ realized what Kai intended, he swiftly wound his tongue around its counterpart, at the same time pushing his whole body flush against Tyson's so that they stood with not a millimetre between them.
By this point, Tyson's head was swimming so much he could have been forgiven for swooning, so he wasn't all that surprised when he noticed somewhere along the line, Kai and let him ago and he'd slumped to the floor. His lips tingled like crazy and his tongue felt somewhere between sore and numb. Then he noticed something else-
Kai had one foot on the stairs, and a smug grin on his face when Tyson's voice rang through the house clear as a bell: “KAAAAAIIIII! Gimme my pear drop back!!”