Pick Up The Pieces

Angst

Hey Readers!

Quick author's note, but you'll probably want to jump right in.

This story will become more explicit as it progresses, and while it may not seem like it at first, can become very dark and uncomfortable for some readers, as it contains coarse language and adult/sexual themes. Please, if you are confronted by any of the themes presented within this text, you do not have to continue. I do apologise for any grammatical and spelling errors in this too. It's a long work in process.

I do not own the rights to the characters, and this is a not for profit story.

Enjoy.

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Attraction can often be confused with what humans deem as lust. Albeit there's a considerable amount of differences if you were to break it down and closely inspect it, but the symptoms are more often than not the same: increased heart rate, continuously thinking about them and butterflies. This is indeed what Kotetsu Hagane was having to cope with internally on a daily basis. It's not something that he controlled his life over however, but it irked him since it happened every day.

The same recurring dream had infiltrated Kotetsu's subconscious night after night for the past three weeks, and he was over it. It was always the same: he would be attending to his usual gate keeping duties with Izumo, playing yet another round of Rickety Kate with a worn and fraying set of playing cards when, for some reason, he would find himself pressed tightly down on the floor after Izumo pounced on him spontaneously before murmuring a string of breathy words in his ear. It would set Kotetsu's heart racing and his palms begin to sweat, afraid of touching him to push him off lest it trigger some other effect on his partner. Izumo would then proceed to nip at his collar bone and whisper:

'I need you Tets... Right now...I can't fight it anymore...'

The split second before the phantom's lips would clamp down on his own, he would awake; shaking, covered in cold sweats, blood pounding in his arms and an ache in his abdomen where he knew that only a moment before he had been erect through his boxers and sweatpants. It left him in a foul mood, mainly consisting of tiredness, frustration and confusion. This morning, however, he had finally reached breaking point. With a sigh he slid out of bed and traipsed rather precariously to his alcohol cabinet, pulling a bottle of sake out and downing a mouthful without hesitation. It was a crisp night, the burning liquid sliding down the back of his throat which made his breath mist up in front of him as he sighed again. Before long he had downed another bottle and then a third. It was only through the fourth bottle in his hands that he fell into a clouded haze and passed out in a crumpled mess against the wall; for once dreaming of nothing but the black behind his eyelids.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-x

'Tets...Tets wake up!'

A sharp prod in the ribs and Kotetsu sat bolt upright, hastily wiping a small glistening trail of drool from the corner of his mouth before holding his head, his black spikes of hair limp with exhaustion.

Izumo's mouth twisted into a concerned line as his wide eyes studied his friend closely.

'Tets, what's going on? You look a right state and that's the second time I've had to wake you up before you got caught.'

His eyes sharpened and clicked onto Kotetsu's heavily lidded pair.

'You've had a bender, haven't you?'

With a groan and rubbing his temples, he nods simply, feeling Izumo's scowl in his direction.

'Don't start...don't start with me, Iz...'

'I'm not starting on you Tets, I'm just worried about you.'

Izumo shifts his position, looking at him like a psychiatrist would observe a patient.

'You knew we had gate duty today so why? Why did you get plastered?'

'Because I've got...never mind.'

'I do mind.'

'Well you shouldn't.'

'Kotetsu, what's wrong? I just want to help.'

Kotetsu bit back a cruel retort and simply sighed.

'...just haven't been sleeping well, buddy...that's all.'

Izumo let out the slightest sigh of relief, and patted his back which sent shivers into Kotetsu at his touch.

'Why don't you go see Sakura? She's developed a pretty heavy sleeping drug. Works well.'

He pondered for a moment whether it was worth getting up to see her for help. He also considered leaping out of the booth and begging for a dose but his headache banned him to his seat, crippling him with a splitting pain that refused to settle.

'Nah, it'll pass...oh my head feels like it's been cleaved in two...'

'I have little sympathy for you, but I'd like to help.' Izumo replied, leaning back in his own chair and staring at the sky.

'Why not crash at my place tonight Tets. Might stop you from-'

'No!' Kotetsu interjected, much too quickly to cover up successfully and a look of hurt crossed Izumo's features.

'...okay then...door's open though...'

With a sad look, Izumo glanced at his friend and a heavy pang of sadness filled his heart. They had never acted this way before, but something was definitely wrong with Kotetsu and it was cause for alarm. Sure, they had been hung-over before but it was rare for them to drink alone.

Kotetsu sagged onto the bench, his face buried in his arms as remorse flooded through him. He had never snapped at Izumo before and it just made him feel worse. Raising his head doggedly, he leaned into Izumo's shoulder, lightly nuzzling into it.

'I'm sorry man...I've got something on my mind is all.'

'You know you can talk to me, dumbass. It's why I'm here, as well as getting plastered together next time, okay?'

'...maybe another time, okay?'

Izumo lightly shoved the other body off of him and noogied him roughly.

'You're such a fucking drongo Kotetsu.' Izumo smirked, pulling out a deck of cards from a pocket of his pants and shuffling them expertly. 'It's no wonder I save your sorry ass almost every shift.'

'I'm the drongo?! Who was it that had to pull you away from Genma last week when you so cleverly managed to attach the two you of you in, what was it? 'A clever and manly way to seduce a woman with your sticky trap syrup?''

'Whatever man. You're just jealous of it.'

'Bullshit.'

'Just play your hand, dummy.'

Kotetsu lazily flicked down a card to the pile, a small unusual bubble developing in his stomach. This all seems too familiar to him, and the bubble turned into a feeling of anticipation. A few more hands are played and the feeling grew. Something was going to happen and it was imminent, small beads of sweat forming on the back of Kotetsu's neck.

'Tets, you look worried. Afraid you'll lose?' Izumo smirked as he lay down the Queen of Hearts to the pile

Queen of Hearts...

Queen of Hearts...

Rickety Kate!

The cards fell from fumbling fingers before they flew up to cover his mouth; wide eyed with fear as the blood drained from his face. Before he realised, Kotetsu had vomited spectacularly into the nearby bin and fell onto the floor before blacking out.