Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ BodyHeat ❯ Shock-Burns ( Chapter 9 )

**Previous warnings/disclaimers apply**

~Bodyheat~

~Shock-Burns~

The pounding woke him at a quarter to one out of a short and less-than-satisfying sleep. Jolted upwards, he stared around him in the nearly complete dark, confused and tensed. Sheets bunched around his waist, and as the cooler air struck his warmed skin he realized he wasn't in his room.

Daisuke cursed under his breath, disorientated and half-asleep, and heard someone pounding on the door again. The lock jiggled, rattled faintly, and Daisuke groaned. ~…what the hell…?~ He felt rather than saw Ken's sleepy movements, knew the boy was still out cold and curled up against his side with everything but his face covered. Affection, deep and tinged with a sense of disbelief, Daisuke ran the backs of his fingers against the soft cheek.

~…it really happened…~

Then he shook his head ruefully, the movement pulling at the minor wound in his neck, and nearly laughed. ~Brat,~ he thought, and slid himself out of the futon, grabbing up a pair of underwear-he didn't care if they were his or not-and went to answer the door.

He unlocked the deadbolt, but left the chain incase it was someone…unsavory. He peeked around the edge, seeing, to his surprise, an irate Akira with a fist raised. "Um…yeah?" Daisuke mumbled, as the shallow light stung his eyes.

Akira stared at him as if he had expected someone else. "Uh…Daisuke? What are you doing there?"

"Keeping those bastards away-you got them, right?-well, I'm keeping Ken in here because they shot him up full of some shit-" Daisuke shrugged, uneasy with the fact that Akira was watching him shrewdly. ~He looks a bit pissed-~"Uh…I haven't hurt him, or anything," he finished lamely. "He's sleeping…"

~Yeah, now he's sleeping,~ his mind muttered sourly.

"That's what I came to ask you-someone reported that you both had entered this room," Akira paused, apparently re-thinking his lines. "Daisuke, what exactly can you tell me about this situation?"

"Like…what?" ~About Ken's current sex life or the drugs? Both?~

"Like those people that tried to rape you and Ken, for instance. Have you seen them before? Like last night. Suspicious behavior-you seem to know," the large balding guard replied, something that Daisuke couldn't identify making his words a bit hard and unfeeling. "So I assumed that you would be of some help. How long have you been clean?"

Daisuke slipped the door shut a bit, and unlocked the chain. He opened the door fully and slipped outside of it, latching it firmly and leaning against the wood, but not before Akira caught a glimpse of a pale face turned away and a slim arm hung low from beneath the blanket. Then the door was closed, gently but firmly, and Daisuke was speaking.

"A year or so," Daisuke said softly, and raised his eyes to meet the cool ebon eyes. "And yeah, I've seen them before. I also saw the network, the droppers, and some spotters at the tables. I can identify them all for you, if you want."

Akira nodded. "I'll probably have you come by and look at the videos. And…Ken?"

Daisuke smiled bitterly. "We were…teaming up on this. I dragged him into this, okay? It's not his fault. But…that fucking green-haired bastard…he went off with him and I followed and…they had weapons. A knife to his throat, so I pretended to be stoned and followed them in." Daisuke shook his head, wincing slightly pausing. "He was pissed when they injected whatever shit they were using, and…" Daisuke raised a disbelieving look to the man. "Trust me, you don't wanna piss him off."

Akira smiled faintly. "I noticed." And he was proud, as he had surveyed the damage; broken noses, bleeding and fractures. Teeth were missing; half of them were unconscious…

"Well, after that he said 'blue door' so we went to the blue door, and got inside. Then we went here. It's some sort of office, but we didn't have the lights on very long-they hurt his eyes-god…I'm so stupid…This shouldn't have happened…not to him." Daisuke passed a weary hand over his face, shoulders slumped.

Akira raised a brow and wisely decided to keep the fact that the actual 'office' was the personal room of the Kaizer himself-knowing that hinting towards such a thing would leave too many clues. "What happened?"

A flush spread on those tanned cheeks and Daisuke looked away, ashamed. "I think that drug was meant to, uh, stimulate a certain side…"

"Sex drugs?"

"…yeah…"

Akira was silent for a long time. "You didn't hurt him, did you?"

Daisuke laughed outright, a pure burst of amused sound. "I'd say it's more like if he hurt me," and tilted his head to show the raw bite-mark on his skin. "The brat bites…"

Akira shook his head, trying to be serious and fighting the bitter laughter himself. "I also came to tell you that your friends are worried. Any messages?"

"Tell Takeru to watch it with the drinks. Even a few swallows…I nabbed someone's drink you know, and had to drink it down while I was in the room…it kicked in really strong in the, um…other way. I felt stoned, but…I felt really really hard-up, too." ~It fucks with your mind,~ he thought. ~Screws your heart…~ But he couldn't tell Akira that.

"I'll remember that," Akira said, somewhat at a loss. For a moment he stood there, just watching the slim redhead still bruised and looking faintly glazed. His mind reeled-protective and anger mixed, and he had to force himself from bursting into the room to make sure Ken was all right.

"And…hold on-" Daisuke disappeared from view for a split second; sounds of rustling and a muttered curse reached Akira. He had to stop himself from pushing the door wider when Daisuke reappeared.

"What's this?" he asked, as something small was pushed into his hand.

"The key to the locker we stashed our clothes in. The ones in the subway station across the street-we didn't want to bring them here. Could you…could you get them for us?"

But Ken knew what he was doing; he was nearly an adult. Time to let him make his own decisions about the world. Akira nodded slowly. "I will. Daisuke-I'll make sure no one bothers you for however long you need," he said, before he turned to leave, pocketing the key. "I trust that this isn't just a physical thing?"

Eyes as warm as melted chocolate, sparking golden in the subdued light, fixed firmly onto his with a calm sort of knowing that Akira rarely saw in the youths. "No," Daisuke said. "I hope not…but it all depends on him, you know. He's really…he's walled himself up…"

Akira nodded curtly, then, and walked away.

Daisuke sighed under his breath, feeling aches and bruises in his body that he hadn't felt before, feeling way too tired with everything, and twisted the knob behind his back. He stepped back into that darkness, shutting the door and making sure that the locks and chain were secured before he approached the futon.

He stood by the side of it, drew the blanket back, and slipped back into the pocket of warmth. He felt smooth skin, and had to move Ken's out-flung arm before he could lie down completely, but as he settled into the bed, legs stretching out and arms hesitantly reaching for Ken-he paused. ~What if he doesn't want me to do this? What if he would rather wake up alone?~

Daisuke froze with anxious hesitance, gnawing at his lip as his hands just barely brushed over the warmth of the skin, the nearness of the other boy like a drug upon him, pulling him further and falling faster than he could comprehend.

~I don't know what I'm doing,~ he admitted to himself. ~I'm scared he'll push me away again…~ Of their own accord, the fingers of his right hand brushed against the pale shadow of a face, feeling his insides jump as Ken turned on his side, sleepily mumbling something, and snuggled into his embrace. Daisuke sighed, closing his eyes and told himself to enjoy every minute that he could…

~Might be the last time I get to hold him,~ he thought practically, shivering, and pulled the blanket up. He ran his hands back around Ken, pulling the boy even closer and resting his chin gently on the crown of the head.

~Oiy…I don't know if you know…but I don't want this to just be a painful memory between us…I want to be able to smile at you and hold you like this… I want-I want so many things...~

And Daisuke sighed deeply, once again, and vowed that he was going to tell Ken exactly that when they both woke again.

Sleep, despite the thought it was going to be a long night, came nearly instantly.

~~~

"Look-I'm telling you, it's not my fault!"

Cold impassive eyes raised from the steaming cup of coffee held loosely in slim well-manicured fingers. "How is it not your fault? We gave you all the opportunity you needed, Azumi. Instead I find that six of your men have been incapacitated, held and arrested. The targets for that night have been…protected."

"I know, but-"

"You made a mistake, I see."

"Yeah," Azumi latched onto the phrase and nodded quickly. "I made a mistake-that Kaizer's bitch is in on the deal-I saw him going to the back rooms with someone. He's been helping them!"

"So…the Kaizer has a little lapdog to do his bidding. Interesting. Was there anything else, Azumi?"

"Um…no…"

"Good."

A hand was raised behind Azumi's line of sight, and fired a silenced revolver.

Azumi stiffened, jerked as his back imploded, and fell to the floor in an ungainly death-sprawl, blood leaking from his nose and mouth. Kyuske drew his imported shoes away from the spreading edge of blood, his face cool and expressionless.

"We will prepare for this weekend. The Kaizer will be there for sure, this Friday-I'd like to make a personal call on this whelp."

The room emptied in a matter of seconds, with only the cooling body left behind for the rats.

~~~

When the dawn came, it was unable to penetrate completely into the room, leaving it in the sort of gray half-light that left you thinking it was earlier than what it really was. Ken was not so surprised to see the darkened room and familiar walls as he opened his aching eyes; instead he was more confused at the though of how exactly he had gotten there. He had to admit that he was mildly comforted by the familiar sights and scents of his other bed.

Then he frowned. Something felt slightly off. Confusion rose in thready pulses. A strange different smell lingered around him. He felt little more than aware of his surroundings, numb along the edges of his brain that left him floating in a world of sleepy carefree disregard. He stretched languorously against the simple white sheets, sprawled on his stomach and mildly aroused by the feel of the loose sheet draped along his bare back and thighs. Waking up naked wasn't a problem-he had done that so often before in this place, and usually alone.

But the sense of off-kilter still niggled at his mind, forcing him to yawn and gaze around the room.

Hadn't he come to the club with Daisuke last night? Ken rolled onto his back, making a small sound as he stretched again--~ugh…what did I do?~ he thought as muscles protested. Yes, he had-

So what was he doing up in his office, naked and-

The niggling sound that had been playing around his subconscious dawned on him as he lay there. His eyes widened in the dimness.

The shower was running.

That meant…

He didn't know how long he lay in that narrow futon, staring up at the ceiling while shock and incredulity skipped through his system. He didn't know how long he was listening to the sound of the shower, how long he remained still and quiet as bits and pieces of the night floated through his head. His face flushed without his awareness of doing so, his heart hammered painfully. His insides tightened in desperation, or something else.

He remembered how he had been injected with that terrible stabbing needle and going through doors. The bright lights that had let him see how Daisuke watched hungrily, a strange painful and fierce expression that mirrored how he was feeling. Lust and desire amplified by that damn drug-

He remembered the taste and feel of Daisuke, the sense of skin against his, hands and tongues and Daisuke inside him-

At last Ken moved, squeezing his eyes shut and bringing his hands up to cover them. His cheeks burned under his fingers, even as his body trembled. Shame and a guilty sinful sense of satisfaction tugged through him, pulling at the growing arousal only aggravated by the thoughts he couldn't seem to stop thinking.

Daisuke had-

~What have I done?~

He had-

~What have I done?~

No, they had-had-

~I didn't!~ he thought, shocked and horrified, and shifted his legs reflexively-

~Oh--~ his thoughts froze at a pinching pain in a distinctly personal spot. ~…I did…I…~

His mind wouldn't complete the picture, even as a familiar subdued voice murmured, ~You did what you wanted to do.~ Strange aches and soreness in places he didn't expect, aches he was becoming more aware of as he moved.

"No," Ken moaned under his breath, and curled up on his side.

~Yes.~

"But…"

~You got what you wanted.~

~~~

Hair was dripping into his eyes as he stepped out of the brightly lit bathroom and into the partial dimness of the main office. His shoulder throbbed, his back throbbed in stinging lines, and it was all he could do from wincing as he walked-his legs were really stiff. Every movement was a reminder.

Daisuke scrubbed the towel against his hair again, removing the last of the gel and glitter and glanced towards the bed. Ken seemed to be sleeping, curled upon his side and buried within the sheets. It was hard to tell-the room barely let any light in. He smiled, felt a stab of sweet affection and amusement, and padded in his bare feet over to the bed.

"Ken," he whispered. "Wake up-you should shower."

No answer. Daisuke shook his head, a wry smile twisting his lips, and reached out with damp hands to brush at the exposed shoulder. "Hey, come on-it's almost noon."

A shuddery sigh whispered from the room. "I'm sorry," Ken whispered. "You don't have to be nice to me, you know-I know it was just the drugs-"

Eyes wide, Daisuke was carefully silent, surprise and apprehension twisting through him. His initial reaction was to get angry at the assumptions, but something…a strange twist of the sounds gave him the feeling that Ken was trying to convince himself. Hurt flickered through him replaced by annoyance. He tilted his head, and tugged at the shoulder. "Look at me, Ken."

Stubbornly, Ken refused to move.

~Oh, what the hell,~ Daisuke thought, and threw caution to the winds. He dropped the towel beside the bed and clambered into the futon when Ken wouldn't turn over. He settled in with his legs crossed, ignoring the stiff set of the shoulders and the faint shudder. "Oiy," he muttered. "What the hell gave you the idea that I was just being nice to you?!"

"But-"

"Listen-well, this might sound bad either way but-" Daisuke took a careful breath, and said slowly, "I like you…I kinda hoped that I'd get this chance, you know…"

Ken didn't move.

"And anyways, you had a bigger hit of that crap than I did…and you've never done drugs, I guess-Don't blame yourself, okay? Maybe I shouldn't have kissed you in the bathroom, or kissed you back last night, but…" something made his voice soft. "I don't regret this, okay?"

He waited, but Ken still didn't seem to respond. He sighed, and dropped his gaze. "I can keep secrets, you know. I won't tell…if that's what you want."

"It wasn't just the drugs," Ken replied in the softest whisper, frustrated. Daisuke had to strain to hear him. "I lied-I…I've never let anyone touch me like that…it wasn't just the drugs-I was scared…"

"I hurt you, though. I know I wasn't exactly the best…"

"no…" a brittle laugh. "I enjoyed it…But…I'm not supposed to. There's too much riding on me, my appearance…" Ken twitched his shoulders in a shrug. "I'm tied down, so to speak."

"So-" Daisuke drawled out, fingers tracing minute patterns on the shoulder before him. "You're saying that Ken Ichijouji can't have a lover?"

Again, silence.

"Like I said," Daisuke continued. "I can keep a secret…if you want to see where this goes…"

Ken took a long time in replying. "I need to consider that, Daisuke…" ~Consider everything…all the risks, all of it…~

"All right then…you feeling up to a shower?"

Ken allowed himself to be pulled onto his other side, facing Daisuke, allowed the redhead to see his face and the tentative anxiety that colored his face pink. His legs tangled in the sheets as Daisuke smiled shyly, reached out with warm fingers and smoothed his cheek.

"Dai-"

"Shower first, then we'll talk more-you're all rumpled," he teased.

Ken colored a brighter red. "Baka," he muttered, but he smiled faintly. It took him a long moment as he gathered his legs, wincing at the pain that sent him cringing from straightening his spine. "Ungh," he grimaced, as he felt the sheets aggravate formerly peaceful fabric-burns, and pushed himself into a seated position. Head swimming, Ken pushed his legs to the side and scooted forward. Reaching out, focused on the odd dizzy feeling assaulting his sense of balance, he barely noticed as Daisuke clasped the hand in his own.

"Ready?" he heard.

"…wait-" Ken said a bit breathlessly. The vertigo seemed to worsen as he looked up. "I feel…odd…"

"Odd?" Daisuke sounded concerned. "How odd?"

Ken looked up at Daisuke, really looked, and saw the worry. "I'm fine," he restated firmly. "I'm just sore and my legs are cramped-" he pushed himself forward, intending to stand and opened his mouth to add to the reassurance when the dizziness smashed into him. He swayed forward, exhaling sharply, and squeezed his eyes shut.

"…Ken?"

Ken made a face, wincing and trying to sit lightly on his legs. He opened his eyes and realized that he was braced against a warm and shower-clean chest, smelling the faint tinge of soap and Daisuke as his head spun. In truth, he wasn't sure at all that how he felt wasn't normal. "I'm just sort of dizzy," he said carefully. "Lightheaded…my stomach feels heavy, hands are tingling…" He lifted his head faintly and smirked. "Soreness not surprising, but I also feel really…Well, like I've been up for three days straight and living on caffeine alone."

Daisuke made a frowning 'hmm' and dropped Ken's hand to cradle his face and bring it into full view. "Aftereffects, probably." Daisuke said, peering into the blinking indigo eyes, clicking his tongue. "Is that all you feel? You don't seem like you're high…"

Ken nodded slowly. "I'm able to function quite normally, if that's what you mean." Against his better wishes a blush traveled up his cheeks. " I feel like an idiot," he muttered as Daisuke worked his way backwards and off the narrow futon.

"Maybe…You had enough to drop a horse, Ken. What if it hasn't worn off yet?"

"Then you'll have to help me until it does," Ken remarked dryly. "So help me up."

Daisuke complied with nothing more than a dark worried look, and hands worked their way around his shoulders. He managed to swing his legs over the edge of the narrow bed, blindly groped forward with his own, trying not to lean his entire weight on his bottom, and found the warm shoulders of Daisuke under his palms.

"Here, hold on," Daisuke's voice floated in, as Ken stubbornly kept his eyes shut. Eyes shut meant less dizziness assaulting him. Obediently, he held tight to Daisuke as the hands slipped under his arms, then pulled him up and away from the bed-

-and invariably flush against Daisuke's compact build. Almost right away Ken realized his mistake, clutching the sheets to him and swaying, one hand still braced upon Daisuke's shoulder. The room seemed to tilt, and Ken made a sound of protest as his head swam; he got a glimpse of gold-brown eyes, a noseful of the particular scent and resolutely slipped his arms around the neck of his once-lover.

Lover. He blushed further at the thought, as Daisuke's hands slipped to his waist.

"Are you okay?" came the whisper.

"I don't know," Ken replied, burying his head into the junction of head and shoulders. He shuddered, inhaling sending a warm frission of delicious tremors down his spine, Daisuke's skin warm under his arms and cheek. Ken took a moment to enjoy the heady scent and vaguely disturbing urge to laugh.

"Ken?"

"M'okay…" he said slowly, and realized his eyes were shut again. He pried them open, found he was draped over Daisuke without realized he had begun to slump.

"You can barely stand, Ken-"

"I noticed-shit, Daisuke, what kind of drug is this?" Ken hissed, struggling for balance and fought to keep his hold on the sheets that were his only protection.

"I don't know for sure," Daisuke replied as he half-dragged, half carried Ken towards the illuminated door. At the last moment, just as they were passing onto the tiled floor, Ken slipped, gasping and clutching at Daisuke as they both stumbled. Daisuke hit the edge of the sink with a painful jarring thud on his lower back, arms wrapped around Ken to keep them both upright.

The sheet drooped, exposing belly and hips as Ken gripped the redhead's shoulders face bent and hidden against the chest. The portion of the curved cheek that Daisuke could see colored a dramatic red, and Ken stiffened, pushing-

And Daisuke shifted enough to feel an unmistakable arousal pressing into him.

Both of them stilled, Daisuke supporting with his hands and breathing quickly, and Ken shivering from more than the cooler air. Then slowly, maddeningly slowly, Daisuke flexed his hands and pulled Ken tighter.

"…You," he rasped, then cleared his throat. "You feeling better? Not dizzy?"

"Mmm," Ken replied noncommittally, not trusting his voice. Carefully, he loosened his arms and ducked his head further. Embarrassment swept through him, as uncontrollable as the sudden ache of desire that had him braced against that body, instead of pushing away as intended.

The hands switched from holding him tightly to slowly and softly tracing his back, careful of the raw and scraped places and Ken felt his breath hitch. "I…" Even though he was more slumped than standing, Ken felt the strange sensation of the warm skin against his, the twitching stomach as Daisuke breathed, felt the strong and warming pull of desire strengthen.

Ken swallowed, felt the insistence of his half-turgid erection and shifted his hips a tiny bit. He was sure that Daisuke could feel it against him-a part of him smiled deviously in the thought that it was, and Ken licked his lips, swallowed again.

~I can't believe I'm doing this…~

~I can't believe this is actually happening…~

"Daisuke," he began in that breathless voice-

Hands pulled him tight against that athletic tanned body, pressed with warm fingers against his hips as Daisuke shifted his stance. Ken felt his heart skip a beat, and suddenly start pounding, felt his breath vacate his lungs with a slow exhaling catch.

"We're almost there," Daisuke said, his voice guarded, and just as pointedly ignoring the prominent hardness that pressed temptingly into his hips. "Let's get you clean, okay?" And to the strange flicker of disappointment, he pushed himself upright, taking Ken with him as he straightened and looked calmly into that flushed face.

Despite himself, despite the poignant strangeness of the situation-for here he was, standing almost nude in the arms of a boy, liking it and wanting more-Ken felt a small shaky smile pull his mouth, even as he dropped his eyes and tightened his fingers around the loose cloth. Daisuke was…he wasn't about to… He spoke a soft "Thank you," as Daisuke steadied him, his voice catching on some unknown element, unable to determine if he should feel relieved or upset.

"Don't worry about it," Daisuke said. "Here, hold on to the sink, okay?" He slipped out from the side as Ken complied, leaning heavily, and turned his back with a sudden swallow.

Daisuke stepped away, and slipped the shower stall open, reaching inside to grasp and turn the knob. Without looking, he sensed that Ken was watching him from the corner of his eyes, and frowned a bit, swallowed again with a bit more force. A voice spoke up with a sudden fury. ~He's right there and he wants you-judging by the looks and the cock, he wants you really bad-and what are you doing? You're turning on the shower!~

~He's still…~

~So what?! Like he said, he can think just fine-so why are you all the way over here when he's just standing there!? He's waiting!~

~Because he's scared to get close…I don't want to scare him…~

The voice was silent, and Daisuke wondered how in the hell he had acquired such a twisted conscience as the water sprayed in steaming arcs. Dammit.

Life was never easy.