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 Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2010 2:53 pm
xxxxxxxxxxʃ ɑ с ҡ . || CITY BOY - SURFER BOY ||
“Perfect is more your thing than mine,” Jack countered, shifting in his seat. They weren’t even there yet and he felt impatient for the entire thing to be over with. He didn’t want to play this and…
Wait. Why not? Kaito had said that special word. Game. Was he really so far gone as to lose sight of his love for a good game? Jack brushed a thumb over his lips thoughtfully, trying to pinpoint what his mind was objecting to. It was because he felt out of his depth, wasn’t it? Jack slowly focused on the little seed of insecurity that had been planted when he’d screwed up so badly with Kaito. Ah. There it was. He’d made a mistake in dealing with the blue haired boy next to him and was now about to deal with the same types of people and circumstances that had produced the same person who’d beaten him. That was why he was so uncomfortable. Jack tilted his head and rolled his shoulder in that familiar ‘adjustment’ motion, gears in his head sliding back into their proper place.
He nodded as he heard what he needed each person in the game to think, bringing a heal down to crush that pitiful little seedling of doubt. He could imagine it flat and dead from the crack in the sidewalk it had tried to sprout from. He wasn’t sophisticated, but he wasn’t supposed to be, was he? He was supposed to be disarming and quaint and oh my, the poor boy definitely needs to be looked out for. He’s not experienced enough to understand the motives of people in stations above him. He was supposed to be exactly what the senator had thought he was getting when he’d chosen Jack for the part. He could do that.
He realized he might have looked frozen more than contemplative given how active he normally was, but he didn’t regret it for an instant when he felt the faint press of lips against his. He wrapped his arms around Kaito before the other male could pull back, returning the kiss appreciatively, eyes sliding shut. He pulled Kaito nearer to him, practically bringing the blue haired boy onto his lap, just wanting to feel him a moment longer before they had to pretend they weren’t anything but new roommates that generally got along alright.
Jack bit back a curse when he heard someone coming, letting his arms fall and sliding out to stand up.
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" S t a n d i n g . o n . t h e . e d g e . . . "
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Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2010 4:57 pm
An artist is a dreamer consenting to dream of the actual world  Kaito let himself relax into the kiss, because he knew there was going to be a few problems coming their direction and this would really be one of the few times he would be able to be with Jack like this. The arms holding him pulled him almost into the red-head's lap. One of his own hands catching the back of the couch as he hesitated. He wasn't sure what he was doing really, letting his roommate lead it because he only had TV to go off of.
A sound broke the contact as Jack bit back a curse and dropped his arms. Kaito lifted his head, eyes momentarily showing a faint emotion of a sort of hazy enjoyment before the shutters closed and his face followed into the cool detached lines he was more familiar with. Straightening quickly he ran a hand down his jacket to pull it back into the more casual lines and lifted his head to see the attendant from earlier with a bag. He'd clearly had to leave the airport to get it, but Kaito only inclined his head slightly and accepted the package.
"Your plan is ready sir's if you would like to go to your gate now. It's gate C on the right down this hall."The man told them politely, dipping a respectful bow. Kaito tipped his head lightly and passed the male a tip, ignoring the slight surprise. He usually tipped, because servants were hard to come by and he wasn't quite as cold to those who were competent.
"Coming?"Kaito drawled calmly to the red-head behind him. Managing to keep anything from showing in his face that he was having a hard time looking at him and not wondering at certain things best left alone for the time being. The attendant bowed to them both once more as Kaito swept from the room with his bag dangling casual from his fingers.
Once more the blue haired male moved through the building like an arctic front. His cold, flat stare serving to keep most people away from him and his red-headed companion, then again it could have been Jack given he had a rather offensive aura of his own when he wanted. Truthfully it was more than a little attracted, but given Kaito had been pulling his own attitude through them it would have been impossible to tell he had a fair amount of attraction to the red-head when he was pulling his '******** off' routine. He really was getting more brain-dead.
The attendants were incredibly courteous to them, getting them on first and showing them the seats in first class they'd been assigned. He'd been promised his meal as soon as he'd like it and given his water immediately. The large seats all but dwarfing his smaller frame a he graciously accepted the pampering and closed his eyes in a clear dismissal that had the attendant turning to Jack. The faintest hint of a sardonic smile might have touched his lips at the thought of how Jack was going to respond to the mothering.
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Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2010 5:45 pm
xxxxxxxxxxʃ ɑ с ҡ . || CITY BOY - SURFER BOY ||
Jack couldn’t keep back the faint smile when he saw the look on Kaito’s face as they parted, that dreamy look that represented a thaw before it was carefully frozen over again. He knew his expression was probably a bit too soft and intense to be aimed at a casual acquaintance so he made it a point to look down and straighten his tie, banging shading his eyes from the unfortunate worker sent to retrieve them. To his credit, the man did a good job. He wasn’t simpering or shaking and if he was annoyed with the errand he’d been sent to run, he hid it well. Jack mentally congratulated him.
His eyes were drawn back to Kaito and he gave a half shrug, following along behind. He moved casually, radiating confidence now that he’d decided he was capable of handling whatever they threw at him. It didn’t have as much of a Bear Trap vibe anymore as much as a faint smile and a There’s No Way You’re Going To Stop Me Because You Aren’t That Stupid attitude. Much more friendly with the added bonus of condescension. It helped that he was riding the wave created by Kaito’s unstoppable glacier. Jack was half convinced the two of them could have made it into Fort Knox before someone realized they didn’t actually have the right to be wherever the hell they wanted. There was something immensely satisfying about it.
When they boarded the plane, Jack watched Kaito, noting how he dealt with the people around them. Jack wanted to play a little bit, not completely comfortable with the plane yet. Not that he was about to admit such a thing to Kaito. But seriously, they were in a metal box propelled through the air with no actual exit. That wasn’t comforting. He needed a distraction.
It was as clear then as it had ever been that Jack could not compete with Kaito in terms of aloof authority. If he tried, he’d not only look like an amateur, he’d look like a pompous idiot, which was not what he wanted to go for. But if he was just a little bit nicer, he’d look downright adorable next to the blue haired male beside him. It was about all he could do to keep from laughing.
So instead of follow his first instinct, Jack decided to see how far he could push this. He wouldn’t see the attendants again in all likely hood, and if the senator did decide to ask about his trip with some of the staff, he’d get exactly what he wanted. And that was the goal, wasn’t it? To get the man nice and off guard. So he actually thanked the woman when she gave him the drink. With a smile. A smile he hoped would pass for shy instead of surprised as he tried not to grin outright. He sat back comfortably and moved aside when she needed to reach Kaito.
“Um, would you have a pack of cards?” the redhead asked pleasantly. The tone would have given his mother a heart attack. Actually, she was smarter than that. She would have decided he was up to something and thrown him in the pantry until he admitted what he was planning. Mrs. Vari was a hell of a good mother. “I’m not really used to planes,” he said, lowering his voice as though he were confiding something personal with her. Which he was, but if he was only using the confession for another end, it didn’t count.
Jack was rewarded for the effort as the woman beamed at him, almost prancing as she went off to find a new deck of cards. Jack hummed under his breath as he lowered the tray and began a game of solitare. This had a couple of uses. In the first place, a quiet, simple game would make him look like a ‘good boy’. In the second place, it would give him something to do with his hands so he didn’t start trying to squirm out of that damned suit again. But his favorite reason was because he knew Kaito wouldn’t able to resist looking. And would probably spot solutions in the game before Jack did but would be unable to actually participate without ruining his Ice Stance. Which would, inevitably, drive the blue haired boy crazy.
Jack’s humming got a little louder.
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" S t a n d i n g . o n . t h e . e d g e . . . "
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Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2010 6:01 pm
An artist is a dreamer consenting to dream of the actual world The blue haired artist was actually surprised enough that he opened his eyes and arched an eyebrow, unable to see Jack through the woman who was speaking to him, but he had clearly heard the thanks and the pleasant question for a pack of cards. Had he been anyone else Kaito might have been picking his jaw up off the floor at the sweet and almost innocent sounding statements coming from the red-head. The attendant was obviously soaking it up as she almost skipped to get him what he wanted.
"You'll do just fine."Kaito drawled while the woman ran to get the pack of cards. Used to long flights Kaito let his head shift back to facing forward and closed his eyes again as he listened with half an ear to the arrival of the other passengers. A few people moved forward to join them in first class but with the spacing between seats they weren't in danger of getting frostbite from the young heir.
No, what was driving him insane was that Jack was sitting there calmly playing his card game. It had to be the difference in the way they thought that had the red-head using combo's that Kaito wouldn't have. His fingers twitched slightly as he found himself once more watching the card game against his will. He forced his attention straight once more and resisted the urge to twitch at the humming coming from the other male which made him suspicious about the card game. Still there was no way to prove anything so he refrained from reaching across the way and physically moving the cards. Usually it wouldn't have bothered him, but Jack was able to draw his attention enough that he partially paid attention to the game. Oh how the mighty have fallen.
The bag rustled as Kaito quickly drew out his new notebook and one of the pencil's he'd brought with him from earlier. Determined not to pay any more attention, which lasted only a couple minutes until he realized what was going on and returned to drawing, the blue haired male began to sketch out the face cards done just slightly different. Based off a more nature/fantasy style than the traditional royalty.
The plan began humming to life beneath them as the announcer blared over the intercom and started going through opening procedures. Telling them where they were going, asking them to identify exits and be willing to watch as the attendants walked them though emergency procedures. Kaito ignored them as his arm shot out and moved a ten into position over the red jack with no change of his expression before he went back to drawing. Only an hour...how many games of solitaire could Jack play before he got bored?
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Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2010 6:29 pm
xxxxxxxxxxʃ ɑ с ҡ . || CITY BOY - SURFER BOY ||
Jack did his best not to look affected by the rare words of praise except to let Kaito see the smile curve into a smirk for just a moment before the stewardess returned. Could he continue with this for a couple of days? Normally he would have said no. His attention span just didn’t reach that far. It would have taken hardly any time at all for it to become boring and annoying and a general waste of time. There wasn’t usually anything to gain from being well mannered except to give fleeting comfort to people he really didn’t have a rat’s a** about. It couldn’t be done. But add in Kaito and Jack thought he could do it.
Especially if he kept finding ways to tease Kaito where Kaito couldn’t retaliate. After all, the heir to the empire of whatever the hell that family did for a living would never bother with a neighbor’s game of solitaire, right? They were far too important to get a bit riled up if someone, say, purposely left a card untouched that could obviously be moved to a better spot in plain view of said Heir. No no, silly games with no stakes involved held no interest for them at all. Unless you were infatuated enough with the male that you noticed the little hand twitches and shifts of attention of course. And Jack definitely fit that category.
Some of Jack’s mistakes or oversights were genuine. He was paying much more attention to Kaito than he was to the game at hand. He didn’t mind though, since in this case losing th card game meant scoring points in the much better game of Screwing with Pretty Rich Boys. It was going to end up his favorite game if Kaito wasn’t careful. Unfortunately it was almost as tricky for Jack not to peek over at the sketch as it had been for Kaito to ignore the game. Purple eyes flickered towards the book a couple of times, hoping for a glimpse. He couldn’t tell if he’d actually seen the shape of cards or if he just had that subject on the brain now.
His eyes drifted upwards briefly to watch as much of the safety instructional demonstration as he could stand. He’d meant to force himself to actually pay attention but quickly decided he was playing a decent kid, not a saint, and let himself tune them out again. He looked down in time to see a smooth hand fix a couple of his cards and had to bite his lip to keep from chuckling. One finger tapped the partially covered Jack as though he were thinking, drawing attention to it.
His focus on the game narrowed slightly as the plane rumbled down the runway and slid smoothly into the air. One hand tightened on the deck of cards even if his face remained pleasantly impassive, careful to keep the cards from sliding off the tray as the nose of the plane angled upwards. He could hear his heart in his chest and reminded himself that people rode these things every day and most of it was automatically done by computers, wasn’t it? So really, there was nothing to worry about. He should not imagine what would happen if something small went wrong and the place crumple, smashing her passengers into charred smears of red and flesh. That would be the perfect thing not to think of.
He settled once the plane evened out, flagging the stewardess down and smiling as he asked her for some gum to pop his ears with. He offered a piece to Kaito with that same distinctly un-Jack smile.
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" S t a n d i n g . o n . t h e . e d g e . . . "
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Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2010 7:16 pm
An artist is a dreamer consenting to dream of the actual world Kaito felt slightly better once he'd moved the card over, returning to his drawing with less twitching than he'd shown a moment before. Out of the corner of his eye he could just see Jack tapping the card he'd moved before teh plan started moving. Because he was watching he could see the sudden tightening on the pack of cards, figuring Jack didn't want anyone to know about his reaction he continued sketching casually.
Kaito had been in planes of various sizes since the day he was born. He had even taken a few classes to be able to fly them and could handle the smaller two prop jobs. He still preferred the larger planes, however, because they were far more comfortable and didn't rattle as much as the smaller ones. Although he doubted Jack cared as he seemed rather tense even in this smooth of a take of. The artist briefly hoped for calm weather and no pockets of turbulence.
The stewardess came past and Jack managed to talk her into some gum for his ears. When the piece was offered to him he arched an eyebrow that clearly said 'you must be kidding' he didn't chew gum. Period. Instead he shifted his jaw slightly with a practiced move that popped his ears. There were benefits to flying as much as he did. He couldn't quite resist the urge to let a touch of self-satisfaction touch his slate orbs. The pair had been in one form of competition or another since the minute they came into contact.
The announcement told them that the inflict movie would be Live Free or Die Trying and what number the station was on for the headphones. As he disliked having that level of distraction he refrained from picking up the set to listen to the movie or the various music stations offered, letting his mind wander as his hand continued to carefully draw the images. He was also carefully constructing his walls because he would have to close himself off completely from reacting to Jack unless he was sure they were alone. He couldn't allow anything to slip past and hurt the red-head or his family.
With those thoughts occupying him he seemed to be in an almost half doze as only his hand was moving while the hour of their flight passed and the movie kept several people occupied while the rest worked on computers for buisness.
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Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2010 8:16 pm
xxxxxxxxxxʃ ɑ с ҡ . || CITY BOY - SURFER BOY ||
Jack couldn’t help the slight grin on his face at Kaito’s reaction the offered piece of gum. You would have thought someone had tried to hand him a dead mouse by the look on his face. He wondered if there were sweets Kaito did like. He couldn’t remember having seen him pick up any in the cafeteria, but then Jack had been a lot more focused on the boy and not so much on the tray. He only remembered stealing a couple of green beans from his plate and having a bit of his muffin stolen in retaliation. Suddenly he wished he’d picked a persona that would have thought to demand a muffin for his in flight meal. That would look interesting on the tray. Rare steak, medium steak, medium steak, muffin.
Jack shrugged and withdrew the gum, trying as hard as he could not to show the smirk that was threatening his friendly expression. Instead he unwrapped a piece, slipped the wrapper into his pocket, and used it to pop his own ears. Then just for good measure he blew a bubble. The chewing gum given to him wasn’t actually designated bubble gum and so didn’t create a large expanded bubble, but it did make a quick sharp popping noise. He didn’t look at Kaito as he did. He wouldn’t have been able to keep a straight face.
The gum had the added benefit of distracting him from a new tobacco craving that had been attempting to itch its way up through the base of the skull. He really ought to just quit. He would have growled at anyone else who suggested such a thing, but sometimes the idea played at the back of his mind. But then he remembered he didn’t want to do jail time for the murders he would commit while going through withdraw and kept putting the attempt off.
When the movie was announced, Jack slipped the headphones on and settled back to watch. Anything that could suck up time was good by him. He would have watched pretty much anything short of a documentary on silicon valley. TV and movies helped pass the time, it was what they were designed for. He let his brain glaze over and take a break as he stared at the flickering screen.
Sometime after that their in-flight meal was offered and Jack accepted it along with a can of sprite and those strange little circular ice cubes he’d seen on his flight out. His meal was identical to Kaito’s, sans drink. They’d probably given up trying to guess what he’d wanted and decided to just copy and paste the order from one boy to the next. It worked for the redhead, though frankly a burger would have put him in a better mood.
In the end Jack found something loud and fast on the provided stations and slipped the headphones back on, closing his eyes and letting his head nod gently in time to the music. His fingers tapped on the tray at a light quick pace, not quite loud enough for most ears to catch. The cards were gathered back up, game discarded after a couple of wins and losses. He oriented himself so he was leaning against the side of the seat as though getting ready to nap the rest of the flight. This rather conveniently put him at an angle to watch Kaito’s hands and try for a few more glimpses of the sketch through mostly closed eyes.
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" S t a n d i n g . o n . t h e . e d g e . . . "
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Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2010 11:03 pm
An artist is a dreamer consenting to dream of the actual world Kaito only set aside his notebook and the sketch coming to life in it when the food was delivered. He spared a short nod of acceptance to the attendant delivering it and then casually consumed the mass. It was almost as edible as the school food. He had the feeling he was going to have to find a restaurant nearby the school at some point so he didn't forget what real food tasted like. He wasn't exactly picky but he much preferred having some flavour to his meals than simply swallowing because it was what was done.
Once his tray was taken away he resumed the drawing of the cards. Occasionally watching Jack out of the corner of his eye as he listened to the music and messed with the cards in various games. This seemed to keep him busy for only so long before they were put away and he leaned against the side of the chair at an angle and seemed to fall asleep. Tilting his head slightly the slate blue eyed teenager let his gaze slide over his roommate. It was almost strange to remember how good he actually looked. It wasn't because he wasn't stunning, but because somehow his sense of personality was so strong it drew the eye almost more than his looks did.
The pencil paused briefly as the faintest touch of a smile pulled at his lips as he stared at the red-head. He loved his coloring, it was unlike anything he'd seen before and unique and bright enough to perfectly match the individual wearing it. The pencil settled onto the paper docile for a moment as he watched the other male apparently take a nap. At least he was until a voice went over the system that they would be landing soon. Instantly the pencil came back up and his gaze returned to it while the emotionless shell dropped into place and he began sketching once more.
Instructions were announced over the speaker, their landing destination, information for those catching another flight, the weather, and the other rather pointless things that were seemingly required on every flight. With no real baggage to worry about Kaito didn't bother standing up like some of the passengers as they began to prepare for the decent. His only reaction was to quickly check that Jack was in position, asleep or not, and his tray was up. Other than that he continued to sketch as the plan gave the sensation of descending.
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Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2010 12:40 am
xxxxxxxxxxʃ ɑ с ҡ . || CITY BOY - SURFER BOY ||
Really the rich were way too spoiled. Jack had meant to position himself in the seat so he could look more or less asleep and wait Kaito draw, but the moment he’d settled his body into the seat, the cushions had seemed to conform around him, drawing him towards what he’d only meant to pretend. If he hadn’t had a full night of sleep, he would have really drifted off right there. As it was he became stuck in a place somewhere between awake and asleep where the world was made of faint incoherent sounds and everything was cast into shadow through his own eyelashes.
So it could have been a dream when Jack thought he saw a smile touch lips he would have preferred to be kissing. He could have only imagined the boy next to him was watching him as though he were as interested in and confused by the person sitting next to them as Jack was. Maybe he only saw in his mind the hand that created a picture out of nothing but the scratch of led across a blank surface, sculpting playing cards that held his namesake among their ranks. It could have been, but he didn’t think so.
Jack was very reluctant to be pulled from his half nap and it was lucky no flight attendant came by to try and rouse him or the entire Sweet Kid façade would have fallen apart right there. He wouldn’t have been able to resist growling at her and sending her away with a couple of rude words and a well placed curse. He half listened to the overhead voice, willing it to shut up as it droned on and on about things he didn’t give even half a damn about.
But he blinked when he realized something important. He was back home. His mind suddenly connected the thoughts of Kaito being with him in California and he actually managed a smile as he pulled himself into a full sitting position, rubbing his left eye with the heel of one hand and brushing a few stray red hairs from his face with the other. “Ah, we’re home,” he murmured, more to himself than anyone else. God knew it wasn’t the best place on earth, but it was his.
He was pleased enough that he didn’t even mind the small roll of his stomach as the plane tilted down. Alright, his hand tightened on the armrest, but that was all and he didn’t even have to work hard at it to keep the uneasiness off his face this time. The plane bounced once or twice and taxied in with relative smoothness. The moment seatbelt light came off, Jack was standing up, stretching with a wince as long legs regained their full use. The flight attendants stood to the sides like some kind of honor guard, just in case they were too stupid to find the door apparently. Jack holstered his natural reaction and gave them each a friendly smile as he passed them. He couldn’t see his own expression, but he hoped it was natural enough looking to pass. If the smiles he received in return were anything to go by, he didn’t do too badly.
He shoved his hands in his pockets, strolling along just behind Kaito as usual. It was convenient as Kaito knew where the hell they were going most of the time and Jack was just tall enough that his vision wasn’t all that obstructed. Not enough to really matter anyway. He hadn’t considered how he was getting to the studio from the airport until that moment. A bus or a taxi maybe. Instead he found someone holding a sign with his name on it. The smile slipped back onto his face and he raised a hand. Within seconds he was surrounded by two overly enthusiastic women and a man with a camera. One of the women chattered at about a million miles an hour about being from the studio and how was his flight and oh they really needed to get going, there was such a full schedule planned for the evening, teehee. The second woman was straightening his jacket and trying to do something with his hair as she herded him along. Meanwhile the man lugged that camera around. Jack couldn’t tell if it was actually on or not.
“Um, my roommate…” Jack tried to point backwards over his shoulder at the blue haired boy. The chatterbox assured him that his friend would be taken directly to the hotel, they just needed to get Jack off to a nearby restaurant where he would get a few moments with his family to catch up and assure them that he liked his new school. All on camera of course. The Senator would be waiting at the hotel for them as soon as that was over. From what Jack could gather a small conference room had been reserved within the hotel and the main interview would be held there.
Jack glanced back at Kaito, trusting that he knew what the hell he was doing because Jack was starting to feel a bit out of place again. Then he turned back to the woman who wasn’t trying to put (…was that makeup?) something on his cheeks and smiled his best meeting-your-girlfriend’s-parents-for-the-first-time smile, allowing himself a small bewildered laugh. He started chatting with her, noting from her expressions what kinds of answers she liked and which she didn’t, teaching himself how to play to the camera. Short and sweet answers that would work well in sound bite form seemed to be the most popular. Not too showy, had to keep it down to earth and simple. Maybe a touch of what probably wasn’t flirtation but could have been if you tilted your head and squinted. Alright, he could do this. <********. He already missed Kaito.
________________________________
" S t a n d i n g . o n . t h e . e d g e . . . "
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Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2010 12:47 pm
An artist is a dreamer consenting to dream of the actual world Jack actually managed to wake up as the plan began its decent, rubbing at his eyes and brushing his hair away from his face in a move that had the artists undivided attention until he realized it and dropped his slate blue orbs to the image coming into shape on his notepad. His head tipped slightly wondering at the almost relieved note in the other boy's voice when he murmured he was home. The artist had never felt particularly connected to any one place so the idea of actually enjoying returning to a place seemed very strange to him.
Because first class always exited the plane first, Kaito rose when Jack did as the plane finally came to a complete stop. His notepad being closed and tucked under his arm in a casual manner that spoke of years of practice and association to something similar. He hardly had to think to tuck away the small notepad. The attendants move to the side to allow the few men and women that had occupied this section of the plane, most of them gathering bags of some sort together. While Jack was giving them all smiles that were equally returned, Kaito ignored their very existence, face stony and flat as always.
As soon as they slipped free of the unloading crush, Kaito took point. Leading the red-head around the airport easily not so much because he'd been here, which he hadn't, but because all airports were really the same at the basic level. He lead them easily to the section where various individuals held up signs with names plastered across them. Jack's was easily recognizable.
With ease, the blue haired artist stepped back out of the sudden crush. Perfectly maintaining his personal boundary without appearing to put any effort into it. The crowd surged around Jack, camera out and already rolling. The woman rambling in a manner that identified her as being a reporter, or at least having worked as one briefly. It was a familiar rhythm for Kaito who watched it all with empty dispassionate eyes.
Jack pointed over his shoulder at him, trying to draw the attention of the group to his presence likely as they were dragging the red-head off away from him. Kaito knew they had no interest in him, because they didn't know who he was, so he was easily left behind. This didn't bother him as he tipped his head slightly, the barest lifting of the edges of his lips in what passed for reassurance when the amethyst eyes locked on his own.
He felt a warm glow flow through his chest and tilted his head, face blank, before he realized that it was pride. Jack, after that one brief look, slid easily into the role Kaito had planned for him. Talking casually with the young woman and directing her easily. He watched him for a moment, making sure nothing touched his expression, before he turned and walked towards the front of the airport. Jack would be well handled at this point. It was time he started with his own part of the plan.
The young heir stopped at the curb, his expression never changing, and yet he almost instantly had a cab despite the number of people flagging them down. Sometimes, it was easier to expect things to happen because then they did. Kaito was basically radiating a quiet menace and a demand for instant obedience and people were responding to it.
"The Hilton."Kaito drawled to the cab driver as he closed the door behind him, back erect. The guy briefly meet his gaze in the rear view mirror before jerking his attention to the road and deciding to get his new fare to the hotel as quickly as possible. Kaito wasn't aware that his ice aura had kicked it up a notch to almost lethal as soon as he'd been forced to walk away from Jack, his emotions locking down behind a glacial freeze. The phone seemed to appear from nowhere and was flipped open, a number dialed easily on its pad before being brought to the young male's ear.
"The Hilton tonight, dinner. Father wants an explanation."That was all he said before closing it. But then, his number was listed with his name, his tone was well known in their circle, and he didn't need to say much more than that. The good senator, whose cell phone had just received the message, would understand and sweat bullets through the whole interview. Throwing him off guard. Why would Kaito be calling him or directing him, it wasn't the first time his father had worked through him. A million questions that would be sure to keep the Senator from noticing anything about Jack's performance as well as insuring that he'd be a nervous wreck and appear guilty to those who saw him. Perfect setup.
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Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2010 7:06 pm
xxxxxxxxxxʃ ɑ с ҡ . || CITY BOY - SURFER BOY ||
Jack was tired of the new game after an hour.
Once again he was facing people with blank eyes and meaningless expressions, but unlike with Kaito, Jack could completely buy the idea that the women in front of him were an empty and bland as they looked. Their smiles were made for television, just a little too wide and showing just a little too much teeth. He wasn’t even sure how they managed to talk to fast and show so much teeth at the same time. He was half convinced if they hit the light just right a couple of her pearly white molars were going to blind him.
Jack loved to play with people, but there was nothing here to play with. He didn’t know if these people had been born with no personality or if their contracts had included something about having them removed, but a sheet of paper with a giant yellow happy face scrawled over it would have been harder to manipulate. Learning how to twist a certain phrase or provide a certain expression to make them titter or coo or laugh was as simple as playing with an old walkman. For a little while he debated getting the two of them to fight so he would at least have something interesting to watch, but quelled the desire. He reminded himself that he’d promised not to screw things up for Kaito, that blue haired boy he’d last seen at the airport almost hinting at a smile before fading back into the cold mask… well, Jack could do this for him. But he was damned if he knew anyone else outside his immediate family he would have put up with this for.
And to be honest, there weren’t all that many of his brothers he would have done it for either. It wasn’t uncommon in his family to tell someone to go screw themselves if they pushed family ties too far. Hell, it was expected. If you couldn’t be honest with family, you were in serious trouble.
It was kind of fun to see his family, mostly because they’d know Jack long enough to see right through his game. And while his mother fussed over him and scolded him in turn (the scolding took place away from the camera and involved the shape of the cigarette back she’d caught pressed against his pocket when he stepped out of the car), the woman’s other sons took the opportunity to tell the reporter embarrassing stories about Jack in increasingly exaggerated style until he ‘accidentally’ dumped a bucket of ice on one and threatened to castrate the another.
And so it went. The camera man, who hadn’t said more than a few words that weren’t about lighting or spacing since Jack had met him, getting his shots in. The interviewer asking clichéd questions about his old life and his new life and how grateful Jack must be. Soulless Female Drone #2 seemed obsessed with making sure everyone’s hair was combed and wielded her comb like some kind of medieval sword, brandishing it the moment someone so much as turned their head. Jack concentrated on not visibly twitching.
They said their goodbyes (more filming) and got back in a large van to head off to the hotel. By the time he stepped into the lobby, Jack was doing his level best not to radiate his urge to kill something. He’d finally given up and used a few tricks to set the two women fighting with one another, hoping for a good show, but if anything it was worse. Now that they weren’t speaking to each other, they seemed to be fighting for control of him as though he were some kind of status symbol. He’d been craving a cigarette for over an hour now and was about three minutes away from grabbing the camera and throwing it out into the street.
All in all, it was a dangerous combination. When asked if he was alright (having lost most of the socially friendly smile) Jack pleaded jetlag and asked that he be excused for a little while before the main interview. Still competing with each other, the women were of course sympathetic and got him the key to his room. Jack was concentrating too hard not to completely ruin everything by growling at one of them to even notice how many floors up the room was until he was alone in the blessedly silent elevator.
He still had no idea where Kaito was. Presumably somewhere in the building. He had a suspicion that the moment the hotel manager caught sight of Kaito’s name or ID he’d find Kaito in whichever room the dark eyed boy damn well wanted or whatever passed for a penthouse.
Purple eyes scanned the hotel room with a vague air of suspicion. Scowling at the smoke alarm installed discretely in a corner, he ran one hand over the back of a small loveseat, wandering the room and letting his frayed nerves slowly unwind. If anyone came by, he already planned on pretending to be asleep until they went the hell away. They could give him an hour at least. Or rather, they would give him an hour or Jack would be forced to start throwing people out the window until someone got the message.
He hauled the window open when he reached it, letting the faints sounds of honking horns and rushing cars become the room’s natural backdrop. There was a door connecting his room to another, but it was locked and he couldn’t find a key. Damn. The might have provided a way out of the room without anyone seeing. He was pretty sure he could jimmy the lock if he got desperate, but decided to save that for a last resort.
The redhead flopped face down on the bed, the lower half of his legs still sticking off the end. “Ducktape,” he muttered under his breath. “Gotta find some ducktape.”
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" S t a n d i n g . o n . t h e . e d g e . . . "
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Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2010 9:59 pm
An artist is a dreamer consenting to dream of the actual world Kaito had arrived at the hotel in record time. The cab driver actually came around and opened the door when they arrived and received a tip for his actions. The receptionist at the front hotel hadn't been quite as bright and had responded to the cold front coming from the artist by asking for his parents and telling him children couldn't check themselves in.
The poor woman had ended up having to be taken back to a side room with a warm tea while she cried. The manager had taken her place only to confront a teenager who was bitingly cold, had a tongue that could flay you alive, and was currently sharpening it on anyone in his vicinity. His ID lent weight to his threats against the employee's, the hotel itself, and probably all of their children. He'd ended up walking through the now clear lobby to the elevators with a key to the room he'd requested, room service ordered, a computer ordered, and a promise that anything he needed would be fully comped on behalf of the hotel.
Kaito had then gotten to his room and set up the computer which he used to gather the last of the information he needed before making several calls. By the time evening started rolling around he had the ball rolling in several directions to completely destroy Senator Hormel who was already advices of the dinner that they would be attending tonight. That done he'd opened the balcony and sat in the warm breeze with just a hint of salt on the air and finished drawing the deck of cards he'd started in the plane.
Suddenly the pencil paused, the artists head tipping slightly as the sound of a door closing reached his ears faintly. Kaito rose gracefully from the chair and set his notepad down on the bed in passing, needing-more than he wanted to admit-to see that the red-head had indeed returned safely.
The lock of the door clicked over near silently and allowed the young heir acess to the second room. It had been for that reason he'd fought so hard to get this particular suit. He even gave up the nicer rooms a few floors up for it. Jack was spread out, face down, on the bed with his feet hanging off into space muttering. The blue haired male leaned back against the doorjamb with his weight shifted so he could cross one ankle over the other and cross his arms.
"Kinky."Kaito drawled, not aware that the glacial ice that had been scaring the staff half to death since he'd left the airport had thawed to a more tolerable level.
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Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2010 10:37 pm
xxxxxxxxxxʃ ɑ с ҡ . || CITY BOY - SURFER BOY ||
The bed smelled like too much fabric softener. Jack only knew this because he had his nose jammed against the comforter, his words muffled as he tried to work out how he was going to get what he wanted. Namely tape and a stool. And while those might sound like prime interrogation tools, his real goal lay in the realm of covering up the sensor on that smoke detector so he could stand by the window and have a damn cigarette before he completely lost his mind. It had been somehow easier to ignore the little cravings or put them off when Kaito was there, his mind too busy with thoughts of storm colored eyes and almost expressions how much he loved making sure those eyes were on him.
And speak of the devil, he heard a drawled word behind him. No more, no questions about how things had gone or how he’d been doing, but Jack wasn’t an idiot. He had a talent when it came to figuring out how people operated. And even if Kaito was the damned hardest nut he’d ever tried to crack, the redhead was learning. Kaito had answered him, which meant Kaito had heard what he’d said, even from across the room with his face pressed against a blanket and probably indistinct. Which meant he’d paused for at least a second or two to watch Jack and observe him. Only a fool would think Kaito wasn’t bright enough to get a whole hell of a lot of information from a few seconds of looking. And Kaito wasn’t really the kind of person to waste a few idle seconds on something he didn’t give a damn about.
And maybe he was reading into it. Who cared? It was a free country and Jack was damn well going to read into anything that made him happy. Let the self indulgence reign.
Jack rolled onto his back and raised an eyebrow at the doorway. “You know you’ll get a bad reputation if you make a habit of sneaking into hotel rooms occupied by hot single guys,” he said, unable to keep a straight face through the last few words as a smirk edged its way in. The ready-to-start-stabbin’ tension leaked out of his shoulders and he pushed thoughts of a smoke out of his mind. Well, almost out of his mind. The things were damn stubborn and proceeded to itch persistently at the back of his skull.
He realized then that the door he’d tried earlier was open. So… Kaito’s room then? That had definite potential. Two connected rooms was like one giant room. Now if he could convince the other boy that sharing a bed was the kindest thing to do for the cleaning staff he’d be set. Or hell, they could sneak out Kaito’s door for a while. They could think up excuses later. Jack wanted to show his roommate some local landmark, got turned around, so sorry… it would be far too easy.
He pulled himself up with deliberate slowness, moving until he was in front of Kaito, arms crossed over his chest. A faint smirk that had an unusual tinge of weariness to it played on his lips. “You have no idea how big you owe me for not being myself today.” It probably would have been a purr if he hadn’t been quite so worn out, but the intent was there.
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" S t a n d i n g . o n . t h e . e d g e . . . "
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Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2010 11:10 pm
An artist is a dreamer consenting to dream of the actual world No expression touched the watching male, his slate blue orbs watching calmly as the red-head rolled over. Yet the fact he WAS watching was testament of a sorts. It matched the fact he was once more without his notepad as he tipped his head slightly so a slide of blue bangs crossed over the expressionless orbs as Jack smirked after a comment he should have been expecting. An edge of something lightened the emptiness in his eyes.
"I'll have to remember that, for when I learn to care. After all, I'm one of THOSE types."Kaito drawled back recalling a conversation from the other day in the cafeteria. The ice thawing the rest of the way to leave a relaxed emptiness where there had only been frost. His version of having relaxed at the other boys presence, not that it seemed to be done at a conscious level. He didn't quite realize yet how soothing he found the outgoing red-head's presence.
His attention riveted to the other male for a moment when he rose from the bed in a movement that managed to be provocative despite the innocence of its nature and he skipped his slate orbs towards the open window rather than stare. He was still acutely aware of the sudden presence of the taller male in front of him and as soon as he was sure he was in control of himself he let his gaze drift back to him with an arched eyebrow of challenge for his comment.
"And to think you could have been in prison for assault instead, I just ruin all your fun."He responded in a tone that lacked the slight flare of something that might have touched the back of his slate orbs, his stomach having done a slow flip at the innuendo in the words that he was choosing to ignore.
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Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2010 11:45 pm
xxxxxxxxxxʃ ɑ с ҡ . || CITY BOY - SURFER BOY ||
Jack’s smirk flirted with becoming an all out grin as it widened, a touch of teeth making it feral. “Those aren’t usually my type,” he shrugged, a lazy movement of muscle and lightly tanned skin under the miraculously mostly unwrinkled clothes. The tie was of course hopelessly askew and had been tugged down sometime between his entrance into the room and when he’d fallen down onto the bed. His fingers had done it without even realizing it, an automatic gesture of protest against the confines of the clothes and the people and the expectations around him. There was probably something symbolic in all of it, but he really didn’t give a s**t. He simply felt anything that required a tie was no good.
“But I guess there’s an exception to everything,” he added with faux thoughtfulness, unfolding his arms to rub one hand along his chin as though this were some profound thought. It wasn’t, but he was enjoying being able to talk to someone with a brain. Kaito might have had an agenda, but it was Kaito’s damn agenda. Blank eyes didn’t mean an empty head.
And now that they were alone again, the eyes weren’t so empty anymore were they? There was life back in them, even if it might have been a bit too subtle for a stranger to spot. Like a moth to the flame Jack was drawn straight towards that sliver of light. You really couldn’t help it once you saw it. And Jack didn’t feel like sharing that secret with anyone. Possessive, selfish b*****d? You bet. And he’d gladly continue to be that way when it meant Kaito was in his room, trading verbal stabs with him.
He half followed Kaito’s gaze to the window, wondering what had distracted him, but decided he didn’t care. What was important was Kaito clearly found the window more interesting than Jack. And no way Jack was losing to a half sheet of glass and some screen. “I suppose I can forgive you as long as the guy looks like me,” he said finally. “Exactly like me. Every detail. Which means you’d better be sure you know every detail.” Because they finally had a moment without cameras or an audience or a script and Jack had closed the distance between them again, finding Kaito’s lips easily since the boy was so conveniently angled slightly to the side anyway.
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" S t a n d i n g . o n . t h e . e d g e . . . "
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