Fall of the Dice

Chapter Nine: Across the checkerboard - or - Honda’s first night.

By nine the next day, Jou was surly, Kaiba was snippy and Honda was confused. Ryuuji was acting oblivious.
He had been up early, dressed in a flouncy sundress of bright pinks and yellows, and wearing petticoats. Who wears petticoats anyway?
The cross-dressing teen had made a fabulous breakfast of scrambled eggs, waffles, flap jacks and fresh squeezed orange juice. Enough, in fact, to feed the incoming fleet.
“Are we having company, Ryu?” Jou asked. Kaiba elbowed him and Honda just stared, confused, like I said.
“Yes, as a matter of fact. I invited Hidachi-san and his son, Iraku over this morning. They should be here any minute.” And as if on cue there was a knocking on the door. Ryuuji bounced out of the room to answer it.
“Well, Shit!” Honda said, finally figuring out what he was missing.
“No shit, Hiroto-kun. They are invading on your day, too.” Kaiba added.
“Don’t call me that, Snow Queen!” Honda retaliated.
“Hey, he’s coming back. Chill out you two. That should be easy for you, Seto-chan.” Jou snickered.
Ryuuji returned with the old man from the store and a tall younger man. Jou’s eyes went wide as he took in the raw mountain man look of the stranger and turned to Honda. If it was brute strength and earthy charisma that Ryuuji wanted in a lover, this man had that in spades.
Honda looked pale and the blond took pity on him. He leaned closer and whispered. “But does he know that the girl of his dreams, sports wood?” he asked, and Honda smiled.
Introductions were made before they all sat down to eat.
Honda rushed over to hold out the chair for the only ‘lady’ in the room and just barely beat Iraku to it. He smirked at the man and gently eased it in, moving to the place opposite Seto at the other end of the table. Ryuuji had already given the seats near him to his guests and there was no way to get closer without looking rude, but he wasn’t sitting next to the lumberjack, so he sat next to the father instead.
After breakfast, the group sat around the living room talking. Honda decided that there was no way he wanted to ever enter this room again, after enduring hours of the mountain man talking about his memories of past visits to the cabin.
Finally, at around three o’clock, they left. Honda hoped his evening was saved as he rushed out the back door and disappeared for the next few hours.
When Ryuuji called them all to dinner, Honda was cleaned up and dressed in a warm looking flannel shirt of deep green plaid over some thick denim pants. He wasn’t trying to ‘out-lumberjack’ the guy, but he did look pretty hot.
Ryuuji noted an odd look on his face as they sat down and ate.
Seto and Jou rushed through their meals and scurried away. The dice man watched them go, before turning to Honda.
“Am I being set up?” he asked.
“Probably.” Honda answered. “We just thought we would take turns spending time with you, so you could get to know us better. I, um, I get tonight.” He admitted.
“So, you have mapped out my dates. Nice of you all to keep my schedule straight for me.” Ryuuji said, but he didn’t sound angry so Honda sighed in relief. “Okay, Honda. What are our plans, then?” he was asked.
“You might want to get into something more outdoorsy.” Honda said, and Ryuuji looked down at his blouse and skirt before looking back up. “I don’t mean manly, just less frilly. Oh, and warmer.” Honda amended.
“Okay. I’ll be down in a minute.” And the dark haired teen scampered up the stairs.
Soon, they were settled on a log near a blazing fire in the woods behind the house. Ryuuji was snuggled under Honda’s arm and resting against his shoulder.
“So, I wanted to thank you.” He said.
“For what?” Honda asked.
“Being honest. The others could have told me. I don’t mind, you know.” Ryuuji said, snuggling closer. “Now, tell me. Since it is your turn. Tell me something incredibly personal.”
Honda looked around and watched the sun dip low on the horizon, behind the tall trees.
“There’s nothing deep about me, Ryuuji. I am just what you see. I like to feel the rush of the wind, and the sun on my face. I just exist. I have no future plans, so I won’t be a disappointment at least. I can’t do much better than the job I have of cleaning pools for rich guys like Kaiba and, eh you, I guess.”
“Do you like cleaning pools, Hiroto-kun?” Ryuuji asked.
“Huh? Sure, I guess. I mean, most of the families I clean for pay good, and they let me use the pool for my workout when I finish. I have a steady clientele. The Hanosaki’s even let me bring my nephew over to play with their youngest while I clean. It helps my sister out, you know.”
“You like kids, don’t you Hiroto-kun?” Ryuuji asked lifting his head and looking at Honda better.
“Yeah, sure. I ain’t gonna have any, but I like them fine. Kids are innocent, until they get the shit kicked out of them a couple of times. They make me remember when I hadn’t been around yet.”
“And you say there’s nothing deep about you. Hiroto-kun, that is just sweet.”
“Um, yeah. Well hey, I had this idea, just sit there, okay.” And Honda rose to pull a backpack from behind a tree. Inside he took out two long poles and a bag of marshmallows and some chocolate bars. He handed Ryuuji a pole with a soft fluffy confection speared on it and brought the chocolate and a box of crackers back to the fire.
“I thought we could make s’mores. My sister learned how to make them, and we used to love them on campouts.”
“I haven’t ever heard of them. What do I do?” the black haired teen said, staring at the pole.
“Just put it over the fire until it starts to burn. Then I’ll squish it between the chocolate and graham crackers. You’ll love it.”
Once the desert was finished, and Ryuuji had two, Honda leaned over and gently licked at a smear of chocolate on the other’s cheek. Ryuuji froze mid laugh as the brunet stared into his eyes.
“Tell me, Honda. Why me? You may as well explain, cause I just don’t understand it.”
“You treat me like I’m someone. I can handle Jou treating me like I’m just as good as him, and Kaiba treating me like I’m dirt under his heal, but when I’m with you, I feel like someone’s hero. Something real important. It is just the way you look at me, and say the perfect thing. How do you do it, Ryuuji? Cause if it’s one of those magic spells, I don’t want to find out that you have the antidote, and plan to set me free soon.”
“It might be magic, but it isn’t mine. Hiroto, I don’t do anything. You are special, just look at you.”
“I’d rather look at you. God, you are so sexy.”
“Well, out here in the woods is hardly the place to say that, now is it?” Honda smiled and rose from the log.
“Oh, I don’t know about that. A good woodsman is always prepared. My sister and I went camping a lot. I have just what we need.” and he returned with a large down sleeping bag, which he unrolled in the cleared area near the log. “Here, have a seat.” And Ryuuji slowly descended onto the soft pad of the bedding. Honda pulled out a large soft wool blanket and draped it around the other’s shoulders. “I don’t want you to get cold.” And he dropped next to the black haired exec.
“Honda, were you a scout or something?” Ryuuji asked.
“Me? No, I just like camping. Do you want to go back in?” he asked, looking around at the trees.
“No. I just wondered about you. Now, about how sexy I look?” Ryuuji said, leaning in to the arms of the brunet. “And about how prepared you really are.”
Honda wrapped an arm around Ryuuji’s shoulders and caressed his cheek with his free hand. The black haired teen closed his eyes at the feeling and Honda was drawn closer by the invitation he took from the act.
Lips came in contact and Ryuuji let his open to allow the other to deepen the kiss and take advantage of his submission.
“Gods, I hope this is not going to go wrong,” Honda thought to himself as he pressed closer and sent his hands to explore while his lips kept the other occupied.



Okay, there was another update. I am going to have to stop for a few days, as I made myself a promise to update all my current works in progress and finish the first sequel to my book by Monday and then take Tuesday off. It's my birthday, and I am exhausted. So don't expect to get anything more until November 7th and then nothing until the 9th. This Scorpio needs a full day of no typing, writing or drawing to give my brain the time to adjust to the new age level.
And no, I'm not saying what level it is.