rabenhorst (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rabenhorst) wrote2007-05-31 11:27 pm
rabenhorst) wrote2007-05-31 11:27 pm
(no subject)
Title: Against All Odds
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
seinen_no and fonulyn
Rating: PG
Pairing: Die and Kaoru
Disclaimer: We own no one, only our dirty imaginations.
Comments:
seinen_no: What should I say? Maybe that fonulyn is lying and in reality, we do own Kaoru and Die 'cause at least that damn sexy lead-guitarist is tied to my bed while his match is far away in Finland?
No, I wanna say that I really enjoyed writing this story. It has such a nice pace (watch out for self-praise here) and came so easy to us. Although we were suffering in between too (like always). I hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it^^ Have fun!
fonulyn: Well, we had troubles with the AU-fic, or more precisely we had troubles in coming up with a decent setting we could still handle. I was already willing to leave it be and just try to do the other weeks for the festival, and skip the whole AU. But then luckily seinen_no saved us by coming up with this idea :D I at least enjoyed writing it, and I hope you enjoy reading it!
This is written for the wonderful![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
dxk_festival, for the AU-week^^ And many many thanks for ceirosken for betaing this and being so extremely helpful ♥
Against All Odds
Chapter 1
"Daisuke, they'll be here soon. Are you ready?" Daisuke, Die for short, was sitting in his room when his mother opened the door to peek inside. He had been moving all his belongings to one side to make room for his new 'brother,' as his mother called him. Since his mother had met this man, now his stepfather, everything had changed quickly. Now she stood in the doorframe, beaming at him and trying to sound cheery, to make him as excited about the new family members as she was herself.
"If you mean, have I moved all my stuff so that the other can fit in, then yes, I am ready." Die frowned, and didn't bother to cover how much he didn't like this situation. After his father died more than eight years ago, he had been living together with his mother only, and now they were supposed to take two other people in too. He had met the new husband twice or so, but didn't really know him at all. The man's son he had seen once, in the wedding ceremony. And if one asked him, he had been an ordinary looking boy, with a bad attitude and not so friendly manners. So Die wasn't exactly enthusiastic about this.
"C'mon Die." His mother sat down at the bed's edge and patted his leg. "I know it's not a perfect solution, but if you try, it can be fun too. Just imagine, you'll have somebody to chat with and to study together." She had her hopes high that the two teenagers would get along eventually. "It's just until we find a bigger house."
"But mom," Die tilted his head, but then bit his lip and didn't say anything further, and only looked at his mother. They had always been somewhat close, and so he managed to force out a small smile for her. "Okay. I'll try. But I won't promise anything further."
"Thanks dear." She stretched up and pecked his cheek, then ruffled his hair. "You're my good boy. And I promise that it's going to be fine." She stood up and went to the door, turning around once again. "Now come down. They should be here any minute."
"Okay," The redheaded boy got up from the bed, casting one last glance around in the room while it was still his. They would have to fit in another bed to the room too, and it wasn't a really big room to begin with. With a last silent sigh, he turned and followed his mother to the living room.
Kaoru was staring out of the car's window. He couldn't help but think that this beautiful, sunny, early autumn day didn't fit his mood. He missed his old home, missed Tokyo and the sounds and smell of the city already. Bored, he stuffed the earplugs of his mp3-player deeper into his ears and turned up the volume.
How could his father force him to move into this godforsaken small town? When he had told him that he was dating again, Kaoru hadn't cared that much. After his mother had left them suddenly, he had been living with his father. He had mostly been alone though, because his father was in the office and relied on him to survive on his own. It had been good for Kaoru, who had learned to make his own decisions without his father interfering. As long as he got good grades, everything had been fine. But things started changing when his father had announced that he would marry that woman.
He had introduced her to Kaoru, and although she seemed to be nice, he hadn't liked her. It was more because his father had told him they would be moving away from home to live life in her city. 'City,' Kaoru snorted inwardly as they were passing by a row of small, neat suburban houses. 'More like backwater.’ Before he had the chance to dwell on his dark thoughts, his father drove the small truck onto the driveway of one of the said houses, and stopped the engine. "This is it?" Kaoru asked, taking out his earplugs, the wires getting stuck in some of his long, pink strands.
"Yes, this is our home from now on," his father nodded, taking a look at the house before turning to his son and checking that he looked presentable. "Now let's take some of the luggage and go inside to meet them." Kaoru’s father had been concentrating on his career through all the time his son had been growing, and so he didn't have much of an idea how to handle a teenaged boy, but he just took him as a small adult and talked to him in the same businesslike tone he usually used.
Kaoru was used to this, as much as he was used to the fact that it didn't make much sense to contradict his father. So he simply nodded, and taking one of his bags, exited the car, following the older man to the door. When he had met his stepbrother at the wedding, he had thought that he was one of those typical, always merry and wanna-be-cool guys. Flaming red hair, a genuine smile that he knew when to use, and always a joke on his lips. Kaoru hadn't liked him. And he was pretty sure that it wouldn't change now that they had to live together in one house.
Die's mother, now Mrs Niikura, opened the door and pushed her son forward. "Good to have you here. Come on in. Everything's prepared. Die, say hello to your brother." The pink-haired boy flinched a bit at the word and didn't even bother to smile. Die rolled his eyes and sighed, clearly frustrated. But he had promised that he'd try his best to get along, so now he tried to force a small smile on his lips. "Hi."
Kaoru's father greeted his new wife with a kiss on the cheek shortly before shaking hands with his new stepson. "We don't have any furniture with us, so I guess we need to go and buy a bed for Kaoru," he commented, turning to look at his wife. Before they had left their previous home, he had sold it along with all their furniture included, not bothering to take anything with them.
His son snorted again, audibly this time. He wanted to show his father how much he hated him for leaving everything behind and moving headlong into his wife's home. Stiffly, Kaoru shook his stepmother's hand. But the woman was ignoring his open unfriendliness and seemed determined to make a real family out of them. "Hello, Kaoru." She smiled and patted his shoulder. "We will buy you a nice new bed. Don't worry. And Daisuke will now show you your room. Die?" She turned to face her son. "Go and help Kaoru with his bags and show him the room, will you?"
"Okay." Die nodded reluctantly. He turned to Kaoru, arching an eyebrow and looking at the bags he was holding. "Is that all or do you have more stuff?"
"I have two more” was the short answer, but Kaoru hurried to add, "I can carry them. Just show me my room."
"Our room." The redhead corrected, his voice showing that he wasn't happy about it either. He turned on his heels, heading to the room they were supposed to share from now on.
For a few seconds, Kaoru only stood there, staring at the other's back disbelievingly. "Dad," he addressed his father, "You didn't say anything about me sharing my room with him."
"Hm, what?" His father had been talking with his wife, but now turned to look at his son. "Oh, I might've forgotten it."
"Yeah, thank you." Kaoru said sarcastically, and without giving the man the chance to say anything further, he followed the redhead upstairs. Inwardly he was praying that their room wouldn't be a small hole; maybe it would even be big enough to build a wall in between. How else would he keep his privacy? And what if he wanted to take somebody home? Well, not that he had done that before, but in Tokyo, there had been enough possibilities to share some togetherness.
Die stopped at the door, holding it open for the other to get into the room. He had been so happy about his own room, some of his own space to have no matter what. But now he had to share it, since they didn't have enough rooms in their home. "Your part is there." He pointed at the other end of the room he had emptied. He had pushed his own bed near the window since he liked the small recess there that one could sit on. As for the only table in the room, he had pushed it against the middle of the adjacent wall, so that it divided the room into two parts.
Kaoru frowned. Since Die was now sleeping close to the window, his own part of the room would be, more or less, a dark hole. Well, he didn't care that much, since this whole idea was ridiculous in his eyes. Determinedly, he marched over to the spot where his bed would be soon and dropped his bags there. "What about the closet? Will we share that too or will I have my own?" He didn't like the way his new brother had just decided how the room should look like.
Die, for his part, thought that he had every right to decide how the room would be, since it was still his room in his eyes, and he just needed to it share now. "Well, I guess we need to share the closet since, another won't fit in here." He shrugged. "You just get half of the shelves and I get the other half."
The pink-haired boy arched an eyebrow. Did that guy have the slightest idea how many clothes he owned? But again, he didn't answer, and opened the door of the closet instead. Like he had thought, there were mostly just jeans and casual street wear; nothing fancy, just this typical, small-town-boy stuff. Since he wasn't eager to go downstairs and meet his father and his soon-to-be 'mother' again, he fished for one of his bags and began to unpack his stuff.
The redhead was a bit nervous, since he didn't know what he was expected to do. He didn't really want to go and talk to his mother and her new husband now, so he plopped down onto the bed and eyed his new brother. For a long moment, they were silent, the first unpacking and the other doing nothing. Finally, Die broke the silence, thinking he might as well try to get along as he'd promised. "So, how old are you?" He knew the other was around his age, but he wasn't sure of the exact difference.
"Seventeen ." Kaoru turned around and looked at the redhead. "I think I'm one grade over yours in school." He knew he was supposed to be nice to the other boy and that he should get along with him, but he was used to being alone and it already freaked him out that he would have to have somebody around him almost all the time.
"Yeah, right." The younger boy nodded. "I'm sixteen, so it I guess you're right." He didn't know what else to say. Never had talking to anyone been so weird for him. It was like the other wasn't interested at all in anything he might say or ask.
After he was done with his clothes, Kaoru leaned his back against the closet and slid down to the floor. For a moment, he eyed the other boy intensely, then rested his chin on top of his knees, sighing deeply. "What do you do in this town to have some fun?" The silence just felt too uncomfortable to keep it up, and he had no idea what else to do, so he thought that he might as well try to find out a few things.
"Well," Die shrugged, trying to decide what to say. "We usually just hang out in the town after lessons. It's a small place; you can’t really expect anything like what Tokyo has to offer." Die felt a bit embarrassed, since he knew that the town was small and somewhat boring. Still, he considered himself popular at school and amongst the other teenagers, and liked it here.
"I thought so." For the first time, there was a smile on Kaoru's lips. It was an arrogant smile though, one that showed that he felt superior for having grown up in a true metropolis. "Well, I better get the rest of my stuff and then ask dad where we're going to buy that bed." Slowly, he stood up. In reality, he had no idea what to talk to the redhead about since it seemed they had nothing in common.
"There's only one place in town that is worth going to buy a bed. The others are either too crappy or terribly expensive." The redhead didn't move from his place, hoping he'd be left alone for some time and that he wouldn't have to go buy the bed with the others.
Just when Kaoru was about to leave the room, he bumped into Die's mother. "Dear," she smiled widely, her husband following right after, "we just thought that it would be nice if you went to buy the bed together with Daisuke while your father and I unpack the rest of the stuff. What do you say? Then they will deliver it today. I just asked."
Stunned, the pink-haired didn't know what to say. 'No, it would be less than nice.' would be a good start, but he bit his tongue and simply nodded. "Okay." The woman was delighted. "Perfect. Die, you know which bus to take. Buy something to eat on the way. I’ll give you the money."
"Something to eat?" Die arched an eyebrow. "Like from the shop or what?" He stood up though, surrendering to his fate and got ready to go. Kaoru's father was smiling as well, most likely thinking that if the boys could get along, then they wouldn't be bothering him at least.
"No, you can get some burgers, if you want." His mother caressed his cheek and then kissed it. "I know how much you like them, and today's a special day. Your father and I will go out for dinner later." Kaoru rolled his eyes when she spoke as if his father was also Die's. As if they were real brothers...
"Okay," Die smiled then, since his mother knew exactly what he thought during kinds of situations. "We'll be back soon." Mr Niikura cleared his throat to get the other boy’s attention. "You can show the town a bit to Kaoru too on the way."
"Dad, it's not like I'm stupid," Kaoru growled. He wasn't willing to play along just so that the grownups could think everything was perfect. "It's not that big here, I can find out everything soon." But he decided that going with Die was better than staying in this small house where the atmosphere threatened to suffocate him, so turning to his step-brother, he asked as trivial as he could possibly manage, "Shall we?"
Die only nodded, giving his mother another quick smile as she handed him some money before pushing past the grown ups. He didn't look back, only assuming that the other boy was following him as he made his way out.
Kaoru did follow, but when Die practically ran down the street, using his long legs to bring some distance between them, he reached out his hand to stop him. "There's no need to hurry, you know. You can also go and meet your friends or whatever you do. I can buy the bed alone."
"No, I don't need to." The redhead sighed a bit; he hadn't even noticed that he'd tried to make distance. "I'm sorry." He only meant it half-heartedly though; it was more like he felt he was letting his mother down if he didn’t at least trying to be nice. "Wanna take the bus or walk?"
Pondering for a moment, Kaoru chewed on his bottom lip. He would've really preferred it if Die had let him be. But as it seemed, he would have to put up with him all day now. "Depends on how far it is," he finally answered with a shrug. "I'm not training for a marathon."
"Let's take a bus then. So that you won't drop behind." The last comment had escaped Die unintentionally, but it was too late to take it back. He headed to a nearby bus stop, checking the time and noticing that the next bus would be there in a few minutes.
Showing that he was overly-bored, Kaoru leaned against the bus stop sign and dug out a package of cigarettes, and lit one. He knew it was forbidden for minors to smoke, but he wanted to show that he didn't give a damn. This Daisuke, his 'brother', seemed to be a spoiled brat, a real mama's boy who had always been sheltered and taken care of.
Die tried not to look at the other boy, hoping the time would pass quickly. He was lucky, and the right bus came soon. "Come,” he got in quickly, assuming the other would follow.
Kaoru took a last, long drag from his cig and then followed the redhead, exhaling when he stepped into the bus. "So how does it take to go to school each day?" Nonchalantly, he flopped down next to Die, instantly turning his head to look out of the window with a disinterested expression.
"Only something like twenty minutes," Die answered honestly. "It's not that far." He looked out of the window too, and for a moment they sat in silence, before he spoke up again. "There's the marketplace. There’s usually a lot of people anyways, but on Saturdays it's really crowded."
"Hmm." Absent-mindedly, Kaoru nodded and then turned to the other. "What do you do on Saturdays? Do you have some clubs or bars or so?" Although he had never been the type to go for wild parties, he had still liked the variety of clubs that Tokyo had to offer; it gave him more options. Besides, he was determined to hate everything in this town, practically seeking a spoken confirmation that this was a godforsaken place.
"We have quite a few,” the redhead smiled. He had always liked to spend time with his friends, or his ‘clan’ as some people called it, just hanging out, and they had managed to find a few places where people didn't mind that they were underage. "Clubs, I mean. So you can still find some of those here."
"I see." The answer didn't satisfy the older boy, and Kaoru leaned back into his seat, sighing a little. It all was forced and he still felt like being trapped in a nightmare, only waiting for the alarm to save him at any moment. But when they got off the bus and went into the furniture store, it struck him that this place was where he'd spend his last year in school, maybe even his time at university. Needless to say, that he didn't like the thought at all.
”It’s your bed, so you lead the way," Die shrugged. They could basically pick whatever they wanted, so long as they stayed in the price limits their parents had given them.
Since Kaoru didn't bother really about the bed's looks, he went to the first one he saw, a bed with a metal frame, and pointed at it. "I think this will do."
"But it's metal," the redhead frowned. Almost everything else was wooden in the house, and he disliked the bed immediately.
"Yeah, I like it." Actually, the pink-haired really did like the bed to some extent, but Die's reaction only fixed his decision on taking this one. "Good for some bondage games." Kaoru looked as innocent as possible and grabbed the sign to go to the checkout and organize the delivery.
Die couldn't help but to blush a tiny bit, and rolled his eyes, annoyed. "And of course, it doesn't matter to you that it'll look weird with all the wooden furniture."
"Why should it matter? Does it bother you that much?" Kaoru grinned at his brother. Even if Die would say that it disturbed him, he wouldn't change his decision, but it would definitely satisfy something inside him.
"No." Die denied, although it indeed did bother him a hell lot. "Just take the damn bed if you love it so much."
"I will." Without paying any further attention to him, Kaoru went to the information booth to order the bed to their new home. Only then, he realized that he didn't even know the address. But when he mentioned the original name of Die's mother, Andou, the seller instantly knew where it should be sent. 'At least there’s something good that comes with living in a small town,' he thought, and paid it.
After they'd got the bed ordered, they headed to get something to eat. Die took his new brother to a small hamburger place that served the best hamburgers, in his opinion. He even tried to show the other boy some places as they passed by them, such as the city hall and the library. But the other wasn't interested at all, it seemed. Die was also getting more and more tired, since everything Kaoru ended up saying was just another comparison of how this town compared to Tokyo, in which everything was, of course, better in the bigger city.
For his part, Kaoru actually felt bad for being such a pain in the ass, but annoying Die somehow lifted the tension off him and made it clear that it hadn't been his idea to move here. He thought the burgers were good though, and he told him honestly. But it was obvious to him that, though they had only spent a short amount of time together, they differed to much in their opinions and style to get along very well.
When they came back home, they discovered that their parents had gone to dinner, and for the first time, Kaoru smiled. He flopped down on the couch in the small living room and switched on the TV while Die went into their room. It felt good to be alone for once, to have some time to think about things and to try to calm down a bit.
Normally Die would’ve stayed and watched TV himself, but he thought he should spend a few moments alone since the opportunity had presented itself. He went into his room, or their room, as he corrected in his mind, and settled near the window to read some comics.
Finally alone, Kaoru left the TV running and searched the house. There weren't that many rooms to explore though; it didn't even have a cellar. Inwardly, he had been hoping for a basement. He would've asked if he could move there, for the sake of his privacy. Being seventeen years old was hard enough already, when you feel like a grown-up and yet you’re still dependant on your parents. But being forced to share a room with someone of your age was unfair. Besides, Kaoru was sure that his new brother wouldn't be delighted if he found out that he had a thing for his own sex and didn't fancy girls that much.
Die tried not to think about his new family members at all, and concentrated on reading. It didn't work that well though, and soon he put the comic books down and let his mind wander around. He had no idea how it'd be now that he had to share the room with the other boy. He didn't bring girls home that often, preferring to just hang out with them somewhere else, but now he didn't even have the possibility. And he still didn't know what to think about his new brother.
It didn't take too long before the bed was delivered. Somehow, it was relieving for Kaoru, since now he would at least have a little something of his own, his own small island in a sea of things that belonged to others. Once it was set in the place, he sprawled out in the middle of it, folding his arms behind his head and smiling. "It’s comfortable."
"And ugly," Die mumbled under his breath, still sitting beside the window and trying to read.
The comment didn't manage to spoil Kaoru's sudden good mood, only eliciting a few cheerless chuckles. "You don't have to sleep on it."
"Thank god for that," the younger one commented, not even looking up.
To annoy the redhead even further, Kaoru made a few relishing sounds, showing how much he liked his new bed. From the corner of his eye, he cast a quick glance at the other boy, and had to admit to himself that he looked quite good, or at least, acceptable.
Die tried his best to ignore the other boy, succeeding to some extent. He didn't know why the other made him so nervous like this, but he blamed the odd situation. After all, this was the first time when someone just moved in to share a room with him like that.
Even after the sun had gone down, their parents still hadn't returned home. Finally, Kaoru grew tired, the emotional uproar and the stress of the move having been a bit too much for him. Yawning, he stood up. "I'm going to the bathroom." Without sparing his brother a glance, he left the room, his washbag in his hand.
As soon as the other boy was gone, Die used the moment to quickly get ready for bed himself, since he wanted to sleep too. He still needed to brush his teeth, but he decided he would take a shower in the morning and therefore save time now.
It didn't take long before the pink-haired boy returned with a towel around his head, wearing boxers and a t-shirt. He quickly slipped into his bed and pulled the blanket over him. Somehow it was odd to know there was somebody else in the room with him. Even if Die was silent, he could still hear his breathing, as well as the rustling of his sheets when he shifted and the slight creaking of the bed. It was kind of disturbing and annoying, but Kaoru tried to ignore it. "Good night." That was the best he had to offer before he instantly turned around, his back facing his roommate.
"Good night,” Die returned the sentiment. He decided to brush his teeth in the morning as well, and tried to sleep instead. But was harder than he'd thought, since he hadn't shared a room with someone since he was ten. It was all simply too much for a teenager who had got used to having his own space. Finally he managed to fall asleep, only to be haunted by restless dreams and to wake up every time the other boy turned in his bed. Not a perfect beginning.
Author:
seinen_no and fonulynRating: PG
Pairing: Die and Kaoru
Disclaimer: We own no one, only our dirty imaginations.
Comments:
seinen_no: What should I say? Maybe that fonulyn is lying and in reality, we do own Kaoru and Die 'cause at least that damn sexy lead-guitarist is tied to my bed while his match is far away in Finland? No, I wanna say that I really enjoyed writing this story. It has such a nice pace (watch out for self-praise here) and came so easy to us. Although we were suffering in between too (like always). I hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it^^ Have fun!
fonulyn: Well, we had troubles with the AU-fic, or more precisely we had troubles in coming up with a decent setting we could still handle. I was already willing to leave it be and just try to do the other weeks for the festival, and skip the whole AU. But then luckily seinen_no saved us by coming up with this idea :D I at least enjoyed writing it, and I hope you enjoy reading it!This is written for the wonderful
dxk_festival, for the AU-week^^ And many many thanks for ceirosken for betaing this and being so extremely helpful ♥Chapter 1
"Daisuke, they'll be here soon. Are you ready?" Daisuke, Die for short, was sitting in his room when his mother opened the door to peek inside. He had been moving all his belongings to one side to make room for his new 'brother,' as his mother called him. Since his mother had met this man, now his stepfather, everything had changed quickly. Now she stood in the doorframe, beaming at him and trying to sound cheery, to make him as excited about the new family members as she was herself.
"If you mean, have I moved all my stuff so that the other can fit in, then yes, I am ready." Die frowned, and didn't bother to cover how much he didn't like this situation. After his father died more than eight years ago, he had been living together with his mother only, and now they were supposed to take two other people in too. He had met the new husband twice or so, but didn't really know him at all. The man's son he had seen once, in the wedding ceremony. And if one asked him, he had been an ordinary looking boy, with a bad attitude and not so friendly manners. So Die wasn't exactly enthusiastic about this.
"C'mon Die." His mother sat down at the bed's edge and patted his leg. "I know it's not a perfect solution, but if you try, it can be fun too. Just imagine, you'll have somebody to chat with and to study together." She had her hopes high that the two teenagers would get along eventually. "It's just until we find a bigger house."
"But mom," Die tilted his head, but then bit his lip and didn't say anything further, and only looked at his mother. They had always been somewhat close, and so he managed to force out a small smile for her. "Okay. I'll try. But I won't promise anything further."
"Thanks dear." She stretched up and pecked his cheek, then ruffled his hair. "You're my good boy. And I promise that it's going to be fine." She stood up and went to the door, turning around once again. "Now come down. They should be here any minute."
"Okay," The redheaded boy got up from the bed, casting one last glance around in the room while it was still his. They would have to fit in another bed to the room too, and it wasn't a really big room to begin with. With a last silent sigh, he turned and followed his mother to the living room.
Kaoru was staring out of the car's window. He couldn't help but think that this beautiful, sunny, early autumn day didn't fit his mood. He missed his old home, missed Tokyo and the sounds and smell of the city already. Bored, he stuffed the earplugs of his mp3-player deeper into his ears and turned up the volume.
How could his father force him to move into this godforsaken small town? When he had told him that he was dating again, Kaoru hadn't cared that much. After his mother had left them suddenly, he had been living with his father. He had mostly been alone though, because his father was in the office and relied on him to survive on his own. It had been good for Kaoru, who had learned to make his own decisions without his father interfering. As long as he got good grades, everything had been fine. But things started changing when his father had announced that he would marry that woman.
He had introduced her to Kaoru, and although she seemed to be nice, he hadn't liked her. It was more because his father had told him they would be moving away from home to live life in her city. 'City,' Kaoru snorted inwardly as they were passing by a row of small, neat suburban houses. 'More like backwater.’ Before he had the chance to dwell on his dark thoughts, his father drove the small truck onto the driveway of one of the said houses, and stopped the engine. "This is it?" Kaoru asked, taking out his earplugs, the wires getting stuck in some of his long, pink strands.
"Yes, this is our home from now on," his father nodded, taking a look at the house before turning to his son and checking that he looked presentable. "Now let's take some of the luggage and go inside to meet them." Kaoru’s father had been concentrating on his career through all the time his son had been growing, and so he didn't have much of an idea how to handle a teenaged boy, but he just took him as a small adult and talked to him in the same businesslike tone he usually used.
Kaoru was used to this, as much as he was used to the fact that it didn't make much sense to contradict his father. So he simply nodded, and taking one of his bags, exited the car, following the older man to the door. When he had met his stepbrother at the wedding, he had thought that he was one of those typical, always merry and wanna-be-cool guys. Flaming red hair, a genuine smile that he knew when to use, and always a joke on his lips. Kaoru hadn't liked him. And he was pretty sure that it wouldn't change now that they had to live together in one house.
Die's mother, now Mrs Niikura, opened the door and pushed her son forward. "Good to have you here. Come on in. Everything's prepared. Die, say hello to your brother." The pink-haired boy flinched a bit at the word and didn't even bother to smile. Die rolled his eyes and sighed, clearly frustrated. But he had promised that he'd try his best to get along, so now he tried to force a small smile on his lips. "Hi."
Kaoru's father greeted his new wife with a kiss on the cheek shortly before shaking hands with his new stepson. "We don't have any furniture with us, so I guess we need to go and buy a bed for Kaoru," he commented, turning to look at his wife. Before they had left their previous home, he had sold it along with all their furniture included, not bothering to take anything with them.
His son snorted again, audibly this time. He wanted to show his father how much he hated him for leaving everything behind and moving headlong into his wife's home. Stiffly, Kaoru shook his stepmother's hand. But the woman was ignoring his open unfriendliness and seemed determined to make a real family out of them. "Hello, Kaoru." She smiled and patted his shoulder. "We will buy you a nice new bed. Don't worry. And Daisuke will now show you your room. Die?" She turned to face her son. "Go and help Kaoru with his bags and show him the room, will you?"
"Okay." Die nodded reluctantly. He turned to Kaoru, arching an eyebrow and looking at the bags he was holding. "Is that all or do you have more stuff?"
"I have two more” was the short answer, but Kaoru hurried to add, "I can carry them. Just show me my room."
"Our room." The redhead corrected, his voice showing that he wasn't happy about it either. He turned on his heels, heading to the room they were supposed to share from now on.
For a few seconds, Kaoru only stood there, staring at the other's back disbelievingly. "Dad," he addressed his father, "You didn't say anything about me sharing my room with him."
"Hm, what?" His father had been talking with his wife, but now turned to look at his son. "Oh, I might've forgotten it."
"Yeah, thank you." Kaoru said sarcastically, and without giving the man the chance to say anything further, he followed the redhead upstairs. Inwardly he was praying that their room wouldn't be a small hole; maybe it would even be big enough to build a wall in between. How else would he keep his privacy? And what if he wanted to take somebody home? Well, not that he had done that before, but in Tokyo, there had been enough possibilities to share some togetherness.
Die stopped at the door, holding it open for the other to get into the room. He had been so happy about his own room, some of his own space to have no matter what. But now he had to share it, since they didn't have enough rooms in their home. "Your part is there." He pointed at the other end of the room he had emptied. He had pushed his own bed near the window since he liked the small recess there that one could sit on. As for the only table in the room, he had pushed it against the middle of the adjacent wall, so that it divided the room into two parts.
Kaoru frowned. Since Die was now sleeping close to the window, his own part of the room would be, more or less, a dark hole. Well, he didn't care that much, since this whole idea was ridiculous in his eyes. Determinedly, he marched over to the spot where his bed would be soon and dropped his bags there. "What about the closet? Will we share that too or will I have my own?" He didn't like the way his new brother had just decided how the room should look like.
Die, for his part, thought that he had every right to decide how the room would be, since it was still his room in his eyes, and he just needed to it share now. "Well, I guess we need to share the closet since, another won't fit in here." He shrugged. "You just get half of the shelves and I get the other half."
The pink-haired boy arched an eyebrow. Did that guy have the slightest idea how many clothes he owned? But again, he didn't answer, and opened the door of the closet instead. Like he had thought, there were mostly just jeans and casual street wear; nothing fancy, just this typical, small-town-boy stuff. Since he wasn't eager to go downstairs and meet his father and his soon-to-be 'mother' again, he fished for one of his bags and began to unpack his stuff.
The redhead was a bit nervous, since he didn't know what he was expected to do. He didn't really want to go and talk to his mother and her new husband now, so he plopped down onto the bed and eyed his new brother. For a long moment, they were silent, the first unpacking and the other doing nothing. Finally, Die broke the silence, thinking he might as well try to get along as he'd promised. "So, how old are you?" He knew the other was around his age, but he wasn't sure of the exact difference.
"Seventeen ." Kaoru turned around and looked at the redhead. "I think I'm one grade over yours in school." He knew he was supposed to be nice to the other boy and that he should get along with him, but he was used to being alone and it already freaked him out that he would have to have somebody around him almost all the time.
"Yeah, right." The younger boy nodded. "I'm sixteen, so it I guess you're right." He didn't know what else to say. Never had talking to anyone been so weird for him. It was like the other wasn't interested at all in anything he might say or ask.
After he was done with his clothes, Kaoru leaned his back against the closet and slid down to the floor. For a moment, he eyed the other boy intensely, then rested his chin on top of his knees, sighing deeply. "What do you do in this town to have some fun?" The silence just felt too uncomfortable to keep it up, and he had no idea what else to do, so he thought that he might as well try to find out a few things.
"Well," Die shrugged, trying to decide what to say. "We usually just hang out in the town after lessons. It's a small place; you can’t really expect anything like what Tokyo has to offer." Die felt a bit embarrassed, since he knew that the town was small and somewhat boring. Still, he considered himself popular at school and amongst the other teenagers, and liked it here.
"I thought so." For the first time, there was a smile on Kaoru's lips. It was an arrogant smile though, one that showed that he felt superior for having grown up in a true metropolis. "Well, I better get the rest of my stuff and then ask dad where we're going to buy that bed." Slowly, he stood up. In reality, he had no idea what to talk to the redhead about since it seemed they had nothing in common.
"There's only one place in town that is worth going to buy a bed. The others are either too crappy or terribly expensive." The redhead didn't move from his place, hoping he'd be left alone for some time and that he wouldn't have to go buy the bed with the others.
Just when Kaoru was about to leave the room, he bumped into Die's mother. "Dear," she smiled widely, her husband following right after, "we just thought that it would be nice if you went to buy the bed together with Daisuke while your father and I unpack the rest of the stuff. What do you say? Then they will deliver it today. I just asked."
Stunned, the pink-haired didn't know what to say. 'No, it would be less than nice.' would be a good start, but he bit his tongue and simply nodded. "Okay." The woman was delighted. "Perfect. Die, you know which bus to take. Buy something to eat on the way. I’ll give you the money."
"Something to eat?" Die arched an eyebrow. "Like from the shop or what?" He stood up though, surrendering to his fate and got ready to go. Kaoru's father was smiling as well, most likely thinking that if the boys could get along, then they wouldn't be bothering him at least.
"No, you can get some burgers, if you want." His mother caressed his cheek and then kissed it. "I know how much you like them, and today's a special day. Your father and I will go out for dinner later." Kaoru rolled his eyes when she spoke as if his father was also Die's. As if they were real brothers...
"Okay," Die smiled then, since his mother knew exactly what he thought during kinds of situations. "We'll be back soon." Mr Niikura cleared his throat to get the other boy’s attention. "You can show the town a bit to Kaoru too on the way."
"Dad, it's not like I'm stupid," Kaoru growled. He wasn't willing to play along just so that the grownups could think everything was perfect. "It's not that big here, I can find out everything soon." But he decided that going with Die was better than staying in this small house where the atmosphere threatened to suffocate him, so turning to his step-brother, he asked as trivial as he could possibly manage, "Shall we?"
Die only nodded, giving his mother another quick smile as she handed him some money before pushing past the grown ups. He didn't look back, only assuming that the other boy was following him as he made his way out.
Kaoru did follow, but when Die practically ran down the street, using his long legs to bring some distance between them, he reached out his hand to stop him. "There's no need to hurry, you know. You can also go and meet your friends or whatever you do. I can buy the bed alone."
"No, I don't need to." The redhead sighed a bit; he hadn't even noticed that he'd tried to make distance. "I'm sorry." He only meant it half-heartedly though; it was more like he felt he was letting his mother down if he didn’t at least trying to be nice. "Wanna take the bus or walk?"
Pondering for a moment, Kaoru chewed on his bottom lip. He would've really preferred it if Die had let him be. But as it seemed, he would have to put up with him all day now. "Depends on how far it is," he finally answered with a shrug. "I'm not training for a marathon."
"Let's take a bus then. So that you won't drop behind." The last comment had escaped Die unintentionally, but it was too late to take it back. He headed to a nearby bus stop, checking the time and noticing that the next bus would be there in a few minutes.
Showing that he was overly-bored, Kaoru leaned against the bus stop sign and dug out a package of cigarettes, and lit one. He knew it was forbidden for minors to smoke, but he wanted to show that he didn't give a damn. This Daisuke, his 'brother', seemed to be a spoiled brat, a real mama's boy who had always been sheltered and taken care of.
Die tried not to look at the other boy, hoping the time would pass quickly. He was lucky, and the right bus came soon. "Come,” he got in quickly, assuming the other would follow.
Kaoru took a last, long drag from his cig and then followed the redhead, exhaling when he stepped into the bus. "So how does it take to go to school each day?" Nonchalantly, he flopped down next to Die, instantly turning his head to look out of the window with a disinterested expression.
"Only something like twenty minutes," Die answered honestly. "It's not that far." He looked out of the window too, and for a moment they sat in silence, before he spoke up again. "There's the marketplace. There’s usually a lot of people anyways, but on Saturdays it's really crowded."
"Hmm." Absent-mindedly, Kaoru nodded and then turned to the other. "What do you do on Saturdays? Do you have some clubs or bars or so?" Although he had never been the type to go for wild parties, he had still liked the variety of clubs that Tokyo had to offer; it gave him more options. Besides, he was determined to hate everything in this town, practically seeking a spoken confirmation that this was a godforsaken place.
"We have quite a few,” the redhead smiled. He had always liked to spend time with his friends, or his ‘clan’ as some people called it, just hanging out, and they had managed to find a few places where people didn't mind that they were underage. "Clubs, I mean. So you can still find some of those here."
"I see." The answer didn't satisfy the older boy, and Kaoru leaned back into his seat, sighing a little. It all was forced and he still felt like being trapped in a nightmare, only waiting for the alarm to save him at any moment. But when they got off the bus and went into the furniture store, it struck him that this place was where he'd spend his last year in school, maybe even his time at university. Needless to say, that he didn't like the thought at all.
”It’s your bed, so you lead the way," Die shrugged. They could basically pick whatever they wanted, so long as they stayed in the price limits their parents had given them.
Since Kaoru didn't bother really about the bed's looks, he went to the first one he saw, a bed with a metal frame, and pointed at it. "I think this will do."
"But it's metal," the redhead frowned. Almost everything else was wooden in the house, and he disliked the bed immediately.
"Yeah, I like it." Actually, the pink-haired really did like the bed to some extent, but Die's reaction only fixed his decision on taking this one. "Good for some bondage games." Kaoru looked as innocent as possible and grabbed the sign to go to the checkout and organize the delivery.
Die couldn't help but to blush a tiny bit, and rolled his eyes, annoyed. "And of course, it doesn't matter to you that it'll look weird with all the wooden furniture."
"Why should it matter? Does it bother you that much?" Kaoru grinned at his brother. Even if Die would say that it disturbed him, he wouldn't change his decision, but it would definitely satisfy something inside him.
"No." Die denied, although it indeed did bother him a hell lot. "Just take the damn bed if you love it so much."
"I will." Without paying any further attention to him, Kaoru went to the information booth to order the bed to their new home. Only then, he realized that he didn't even know the address. But when he mentioned the original name of Die's mother, Andou, the seller instantly knew where it should be sent. 'At least there’s something good that comes with living in a small town,' he thought, and paid it.
After they'd got the bed ordered, they headed to get something to eat. Die took his new brother to a small hamburger place that served the best hamburgers, in his opinion. He even tried to show the other boy some places as they passed by them, such as the city hall and the library. But the other wasn't interested at all, it seemed. Die was also getting more and more tired, since everything Kaoru ended up saying was just another comparison of how this town compared to Tokyo, in which everything was, of course, better in the bigger city.
For his part, Kaoru actually felt bad for being such a pain in the ass, but annoying Die somehow lifted the tension off him and made it clear that it hadn't been his idea to move here. He thought the burgers were good though, and he told him honestly. But it was obvious to him that, though they had only spent a short amount of time together, they differed to much in their opinions and style to get along very well.
When they came back home, they discovered that their parents had gone to dinner, and for the first time, Kaoru smiled. He flopped down on the couch in the small living room and switched on the TV while Die went into their room. It felt good to be alone for once, to have some time to think about things and to try to calm down a bit.
Normally Die would’ve stayed and watched TV himself, but he thought he should spend a few moments alone since the opportunity had presented itself. He went into his room, or their room, as he corrected in his mind, and settled near the window to read some comics.
Finally alone, Kaoru left the TV running and searched the house. There weren't that many rooms to explore though; it didn't even have a cellar. Inwardly, he had been hoping for a basement. He would've asked if he could move there, for the sake of his privacy. Being seventeen years old was hard enough already, when you feel like a grown-up and yet you’re still dependant on your parents. But being forced to share a room with someone of your age was unfair. Besides, Kaoru was sure that his new brother wouldn't be delighted if he found out that he had a thing for his own sex and didn't fancy girls that much.
Die tried not to think about his new family members at all, and concentrated on reading. It didn't work that well though, and soon he put the comic books down and let his mind wander around. He had no idea how it'd be now that he had to share the room with the other boy. He didn't bring girls home that often, preferring to just hang out with them somewhere else, but now he didn't even have the possibility. And he still didn't know what to think about his new brother.
It didn't take too long before the bed was delivered. Somehow, it was relieving for Kaoru, since now he would at least have a little something of his own, his own small island in a sea of things that belonged to others. Once it was set in the place, he sprawled out in the middle of it, folding his arms behind his head and smiling. "It’s comfortable."
"And ugly," Die mumbled under his breath, still sitting beside the window and trying to read.
The comment didn't manage to spoil Kaoru's sudden good mood, only eliciting a few cheerless chuckles. "You don't have to sleep on it."
"Thank god for that," the younger one commented, not even looking up.
To annoy the redhead even further, Kaoru made a few relishing sounds, showing how much he liked his new bed. From the corner of his eye, he cast a quick glance at the other boy, and had to admit to himself that he looked quite good, or at least, acceptable.
Die tried his best to ignore the other boy, succeeding to some extent. He didn't know why the other made him so nervous like this, but he blamed the odd situation. After all, this was the first time when someone just moved in to share a room with him like that.
Even after the sun had gone down, their parents still hadn't returned home. Finally, Kaoru grew tired, the emotional uproar and the stress of the move having been a bit too much for him. Yawning, he stood up. "I'm going to the bathroom." Without sparing his brother a glance, he left the room, his washbag in his hand.
As soon as the other boy was gone, Die used the moment to quickly get ready for bed himself, since he wanted to sleep too. He still needed to brush his teeth, but he decided he would take a shower in the morning and therefore save time now.
It didn't take long before the pink-haired boy returned with a towel around his head, wearing boxers and a t-shirt. He quickly slipped into his bed and pulled the blanket over him. Somehow it was odd to know there was somebody else in the room with him. Even if Die was silent, he could still hear his breathing, as well as the rustling of his sheets when he shifted and the slight creaking of the bed. It was kind of disturbing and annoying, but Kaoru tried to ignore it. "Good night." That was the best he had to offer before he instantly turned around, his back facing his roommate.
"Good night,” Die returned the sentiment. He decided to brush his teeth in the morning as well, and tried to sleep instead. But was harder than he'd thought, since he hadn't shared a room with someone since he was ten. It was all simply too much for a teenager who had got used to having his own space. Finally he managed to fall asleep, only to be haunted by restless dreams and to wake up every time the other boy turned in his bed. Not a perfect beginning.