kinkfest | Unmissed (Duklyon: Takeshi/Kentaro, PG-13) (Reply)

Title: Unmissed
Author/Artist: Thia
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Er. Crack? Then again, this is Duklyon.
Prompt: Duklyon, Takeshi/Kentarou, role-reversal - you never know what you've got until it's gone
Summary: In retrospect, he should have taken it as a warning. At the time, he thought that perhaps Kentaro was finally taking him seriously.

UNMISSED
*
It started as a perfectly ordinary day. Kentaro scolded Takeshi for not eating what he called a proper breakfast. Takeshi reviewed Kentaro's appointments for him and prayed he wouldn't get distracted in the next ten minutes. Really, the only difference was an oddly thoughtful look on Kentaro's face.

In retrospect, he should have taken it as a warning. At the time, he thought that perhaps Kentaro was finally taking him seriously.

Then, right in the middle of Takeshi listing what Kentaro would need for his 10 o'clock meeting, Kentaro said, "I was talking with those nice mothers of Twenty Faces the other day --"

"What?" Takeshi set down the appointment book for a moment to stare at his boss/friend/eternal annoyance. "We're supposed to arrest Twenty Faces on sight!" Theoretically. Perhaps. Not that the Director General ever said so, but weren't police always supposed to arrest thieves?

"Oh, he wasn't there," Kentaro said reasonably, shifting forward so the front feet of his chair sat back on the floor with a quiet thump. "Just his mothers. We had a very nice talk, and they suggested that perhaps we should change things around in our relationship."

"We don't have a relationship! We only--" work together as Duklyon, he nearly said, but Takeshi caught himself in time. Even here, there were people outside the office door. Clearly he was picking up bad habits from Kentaro. "You're my employer! That's all!"

"I know," Kentaro said, with a wistful sigh and a flutter of eyelashes that Takeshi ignored from long practice. "I've made it all too easy for you." He straightened up. "So from now on, I'm going to play hard to get! No more bentos!"

"Good," Takeshi muttered, picking up the appointment book again. Perhaps now they could get some work done.

"No greeting you in the entry!"

"Thank you."

"And most of all, no sex!"

Takeshi had his mouth open to say something like 'good' or 'thank you' again. It stayed open for a long moment, long enough for Kentaro to make a majestic exit, before Takeshi gathered himself enough to yell, "KENTARO, WE'RE NOT --" He caught himself again, glared at the closed door, and stalked after Kentaro, muttering, "We're not having sex now!"

*

"Three minutes," Eri said, the instant they fell into HQ.

"We're not even on campus any more!" Takeshi protested. It came out somewhat muffled, as he'd landed on top of Kentaro this time, and hadn't yet disentangled himself. Apparently, 'playing hard to get' didn't mean 'stop grabbing onto Takeshi while sliding down to HQ', at least not yet. It was almost reassuring. Not that he enjoyed it or anything.

Eri sniffed. "You should still be able to do better."

"We're already coming as quickly as we can," Kentaro said cheerfully, sitting up and brushing off Takeshi's jacket. "Unless they install rocket packs on our suits, I suppose."

Takeshi blinked at him. "You're backing me up? Now?" What happened to 'playing hard to get' and stopping everything?

"Of course I am," Kentaro said with a dazzling smile and a pat on Takeshi's arm. "Duklyon is completely separate from the other matter."

"What other matter?" asked a not-entirely-welcome voice. Takeshi groaned. Years of marriage to Eri hadn't blunted Sukiyabashi's instinct for how to poke exactly at the things Takeshi didn't want to think about.

Unfortunately, the years also hadn't taught Kentaro when to keep his mouth shut. "I've cut him off until he gives in and confesses."

Eri rolled her eyes, but Sukiyabashi actually shook his head sympathetically. "That's harsh."

"There's nothing to cut off," Takeshi grumbled under his breath as he rose to his feet.

Apparently, it wasn't quite far enough under his breath. "Show a little romantic respect," Eri said firmly, hefting her mallet.

"His bento are very good," Sukiyabashi pointed out.

"Yes, but --" Takeshi cut himself off barely in time, staring at the two of them in wide-eyed horror. Even if they were only talking about the bento (and only the bento, not anything else), why were they encouraging Kentaro's nonsense? Sukiyabashi he almost expected it from, but Eri? "Oh, no. Don't you start!"

"Fascinating though this is," the Director General said from the screen, "this isn't a BL manga. Yet." The women in the background were holding up a sign saying GO GO KENTARO.

Everyone straightened right up to attention except Takeshi, who gave up, covered his face in his hands, and groaned, "Not you too..."

The Director General only chuckled, and continued with the details of their assignment.

*

"Just think of what you're missing."

Takeshi's sword missed the evil creature of the week. Again. "We are not having this discussion."

"You're already weakening. I've seen the way your eyes follow me."

Not with the helmets on, he couldn't. And anything else -- "That's because you keep popping up out of nowhere!"

Kentaro stopped aiming at the evil creature of the week, and posed, gun up like he was on a movie poster (which was something Takeshi definitely wasn't thinking about). "But your eyes don't say 'stop that,' they say 'come closer'!"

"Excuse me," said the evil creature of the week (which happened to be a parrot), "But would you two lovebirds please stop bickering? It's not very flattering."

"Good point," Takeshi said through his teeth, and hit the parrot with a one-man DUKLYON FINAL CRUSH so hard that it achieved low earth orbit.

Kentaro watched it go, hand over his eyes, then looked back at Takeshi. "You're so cute when you're forceful."

"And you have no sense of timing," Takeshi growled. If he sounds more tired than angry, it wasn't his fault. He hadn't been eating properly, that was all. Stupid Kentaro and his stupid 'playing hard to get' ideas.

*

They'd gotten back to the office just in time for Kentaro's meeting, then retreated to Kentaro's office for lunch. Kentaro was devouring one of his big elaborate lunches, while Takeshi poked at a convenience-store bento.

"Would you like a meatball?"

Takeshi looked at the meatball, then up at Kentaro, who blinked at him innocently. "I thought you were playing hard to get."

"So you don't want the meatball?" Kentaro regarded it mournfully, then shrugged and popped it in his mouth. His small, sweet mouth, that never shut up when it should.

...why was Takeshi thinking like this?

Screw it. Enough was enough. "Why do you do this?" he asked abruptly.

"Hmm?"

"This." Takeshi gestured vaguely at the bento, at Kentaro, at the window. "There's no sense to even trying. Don't you realize what universe we're in? This is the X-1999 universe! There's no such thing as a happy ending here!"

Kentaro chewed another meatball, then said, "Eri and Sukiyabashi are doing all right."

"Temporarily!"

Kentaro sighed, and put down his fork. "All right, then, Sukaido Takeshi." He leaned over the desk. "Answer me this: are you secretly the Sakurazukamori?"

"No." He wasn't even sure what that was.

"Are you a Dragon of Earth?"

"No." They'd have told him, wouldn't they? Then again, this was CLAMP.

"Are you a Dragon of Heaven?"

"NO. Kentaro --" Had CLAMP told him something they hadn't told Takeshi?

Kentaro continued as if he hadn't heard. "Are you the heir to a clan?"

"What sort of question is that? You know what my family is!"

Kentaro nodded once. "You don't have secret magical powers?" For the first time, he hesitated, and tilted his head thoughtfully. "Actually, have you been keeping any secrets from me?"

"Um." Takeshi stopped and thought about it for a minute. "Well, I don't like octopus-shaped cocktail weiners as much as you think I do."

Kentaro pouted at him. "You could have said something before!"

"Yes, but --" That pout was a lot more distracting than he'd let himself notice before. Time to change the subject. "Is that all?"

"Almost. Are you in love with my sister?"

Takeshi stared at him in confusion. "Do you even have a sister?"

"No, but that's not my point," Kentaro said serenely. "My point is that we aren't main characters in that plot arc, and it's a good thing. Only the main characters are cursed with nasty horrible lives. We're distant side characters, so we can have a happy ending with no betrayal or murder." He leaned even closer to Takeshi. "But with kissing. If you want it."

"I...hadn't thought of it like that." He should lean away. Shouldn't he?

"Try," Kentaro suggested.

So Takeshi kissed him.

(Two weeks later, the mothers of the Man With Twenty Faces recieved a very nice thank-you note from Higashikunimaru Kentaro. In return, Kentaro woke up one morning to a note on his bedside table that said Our pleasure at the top, and scribbled at the bottom in a different handwriting, And my apologies for intruding.

Kentaro smiled over at his Takepon, still buried under the blankets, and tucked the note away in his bedside table, and never told.)

-end-