iridescent | bxb

four

To put it simply, Tetsuya felt like crap. To say he didn't sleep well was an understatement. He didn't sleep at all. Every time he closed his eyes, images of his sinful indulgences flashed before his eyes. He could hear the disapproving voices of his parents ringing in his ears, he'd disappointed them too many times already, this was just another one to add to the pile. It's not like he hadn't felt sexual urges before, it's just that the last time he did...things didn't go too well.

He'd learned to control them. Conceal, don't feel. He was a perfect doll, a pretty porcelain display piece. The perfect son, the most talented psychologist, someone who'd reformed the worst criminals into productive members of society.

But yet, he was here. Thinking about a man he didn't even know the last name of. Did he even have a last name? Tetsuya didn't know. In fact, Tetsuya didn't know anything about him. Not his likes, not his hobbies, not his dreams. All he knew was the curves of his naked body. It was crazy, he was crazy. Koi was driving him crazy.

He called in sick to work for the first time ever that day. What sickness lengthened his hours, but the perilous wiles of lovesickness. He supposed he was long overdue for a break, anyways.

A walk would help clear his mind, he decided, donning a trenchcoat and sleek black turtleneck. The air was crisp and the sky was clear, the breeze gently playing with his hair. He sighed. The grass had never seemed greener, and the air seemed fresh. As he sat down at a bench with a book, hoping that it'd distract him from his racing mind, a pair of hands covered his eyes. Tetsuya couldn't breathe, was he being kidnapped right now?

"Guess who!" A familiar voice whispered, and Tetsuya felt a chill run down his spine. It was his older brother, Cameron.

"...brother, hello-" Tetsuya mumbles, trying to remove the other's hands from his eyes.

"Oh, dear, you know you shouldn't mumble," Cameron jeers, dropping his hands.

Tetsuya looks Cameron in the eyes, standing straighter. He clears his throat and presses his hair back in shape. Cameron watches him silently, a look of mocking displeasure on his face as he shakes his head, clicking his tongue in disapproval. Tetsuya feels smaller than ever. Cameron is tall, a whole head taller than him, and dressed in a suit and tie -- as any Kurumada should be, a voice in his head reminds him. One indulgence and he'd already forgotten basic etiquette, what was he becoming?

"I apologize, brother," Tetsuya says, looking down in shame.

Cameron smirks, patting his head, messing up his hair. Tetsuya hurriedly fixes it. Cameron only laughs. They stand in silence for a minute or two, and Tetsuya finds it hard to speak. After all, what do you say to your sibling that has done nothing for you your whole life? Their relationship was built on lies and forged in treachery. They only joined forces once in their lives, and even then, they were self-motivated in their own ways. That perhaps, said the most about their relationship. Cameron was a lawyer, just like their parents, and he looked down on Tetsuya's choice to study psychology, just like their parents. Maybe that was why Tetsuya resented him so much.

"It's your 23rd birthday soon," Cameron says, looking him dead in the eyes. "I hope you're prepared."

Without another word, he walked away, leaving Tetsuya stewing with anxiety. He'd always struggled with anxiety that gripped at his throat, leaving him no room to breathe -- but it always got worse around this time, around his birthday. He supposed he never should've tried in the first place. He never should've strayed out of line. This was all his doing, he'd brought this upon himself. He'd undone himself.

He sat down on the bench once more, heaving a heavy sigh. He'd initially assumed he'd spend the day resting, but perhaps that was not meant to be. Things were getting worse by the second, and he realized he had no power over his own life anymore.

"Why're you so sad, couldn't get anyone else to fuck your sorry ass?"

Tetsuya looks up with a jolt to see familiar sky-blue eyes and a lopsided smile. It was Koi, and Tetsuya had no idea what to say. His mouth ran dry. He'd seen the pink-haired boy naked, but that paled in comparison to how dolled-up he was now. Dressed in a floral-patterned sundress and minimal brown eyeliner, Koi was a delicate beauty.

"Wow..." Tetsuya said, the words tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop himself.

"I know, it's my job," Koi says with a giggle. "What're you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work, Mr. Kurumada? I thought you were fully booked with clients."

"How do you-" Tetsuya begins, but is cut off by Koi's gentle laughter and a dismissive wave.

"I know a lot of things," Koi says with a soft sigh. "A lot more than anyone should know, in fact."

"Hey, I work with criminals," Tetsuya says with a shrug. "You can't surprise me."

"Oh? But I can," Koi says with a dark chuckle, his eyes clouding over. "You're just lucky that I don't want to."

Koi laughs, smiling angelically as if he hadn't said something that made Tetsuya question his entire life. With a gentle kiss to his cheek and a cheery wave, Koi left, leaving Tetsuya alone once more.

He had much to ponder, indeed.