Set groaned and resisted the urge to bang his forehead on the table, repeatedly. He was going crazy, and the worst kind of crazy: The one when you feel like you have just stepped into the 'Twilight Zone' crazy.
He had just gotten home from the hairdresser with brown hair dye, glasses and other items to disguise himself as Duncan hidden in his rucksack. His head was full of instructions from Duncan on how to behave when Mum and Dad, along with Helen jumped on him.
If Dad and Helen working together wasn't scary enough, then brochures of Japan combined with Helen's words that he was going to Japan for a month at her expense were. Let's face it, when somebody gritted and groaned every time they wrote a check for your scholarship, murmuring that they didn't even know why they were paying your tuition when all you learned was to smear paing ,and then that person decided ot pay for a pleasure trip to broaden your horizons in your profession (anime was his well known passion), which they treated like it was a big load of shit, there had to be a really big reason behind it and Set had an inkling of what that reason could be. "Who do I have to kill?"
"You silly boy! This is a reward for you, a graduation gift," Helen said, her sweet voice giving Set the creeps. Dad and Mum were nodding behind her, big, fake smiles glued on their faces.
On top of the pile of brochures Helen added an airplane ticket. And an envelope.
Set realized, after glancing at the ticket, that the flight was scheduled for tomorrow evening. Then his gaze fell upon the envelope. There was money in it, all in large bills, and God knew that envelope wasn't thin. Shit. He blinked in surprise "What's going on?"
"You're going in Japan, that's what's going on," his mum barged in. "Now go pack, you're leaving tomorrow."
"And before you go, go to the hairdresser so they'll give you a proper cut. What did you do, run out on them?" Helen couldn't help commenting, while Set's dad behind Helen's back grinned at her words and gave Set a thumbs-up.
Set rolled his eyes, grabbed his things and went toward his room. He wasn't stupid and he wished they would tell him the real reason behind the trip. And to get them so worked up-- damn it, it seemed that that blonde's words to Geb hadn't been just empty threats. They should have told him about those, he was twenty-four, he was a man now! A man whom they should trust, but no! Their, 'We are adults and you're still a child' behaviour pissed him off.
He threw his bag, the ticket and the envelope on the bed then went to his closet, dragged out a suitcase and with numb rage, started to throw clothes into it.
"Where are you going?" Aton walked in the room and casually sat down on the bed.
"Japan." Set was now opening drawers and adding some of their contents to the suitcase. "You?"
Aton lay down on the bed. "They're sending me to one of Mum's distant cousins in Slovenia. I don't even know where that country is! I tried to find it on the map; no luck so far. I'm going to some forsaken country and you're going to Japan, the land of anime and manga. I wish I was going with you...
Set glanced at Aton, still packing. "Wipe off that drool, I don't want your spit on my bed and could you please close the door on your way out?" He didn't have the time to chitchat with Aton, there were more pressing things to be dealt with.
"Later then," Aton calmly stood up, used to his brother's rudeness.
"Yeah, later," Set meant it; he would take time for his little brother-- not that Aton could be called little, at his hundred and eighty-five centimetres he was as tall as Set. But now… As soon as the door closed behind Aton, Set took out his phone and dialed Duncan's number. "Duncan. You lucky bastard. Dust off those 'contacts' and pack. You're going to Japan."
#
Oh god, what a day. Set sank down on the soft surface of a brown couch in the middle of the room. He was now in Duncan's two-bedroom flat that was going to be his home for a month or maybe two -- oh hell, might as well say "indefinitely."
He looked around. The room was neat with its glossy new wooden furniture and the lack of mess that usually followed Duncan. It seemed that Duncan's father was very generous. Set wondered what kind of task Duncan had to fulfill. There was always a give-and-take between Duncan and his father.
Set sighed and leaned his head on the back of the couch. He hadn't thought they would pull the switch off, but they had. They had managed somehow, even when Aton, Mum and Dad were with him at the airport. But he had been lucky. The first flight was for Aton, then the flight for Germany which his parents took, and then the one for Japan. That gave him and Duncan plenty of time to switch. He was a little afraid of passport control but everything went smoothly and now Duncan was somewhere over the ocean, sleeping probably.
What a day! He was so drained he could have slept for a week… not that he could, his new job would start the day after tomorrow and he had to unpack, dye his hair, google some information and generally prepare himself to be a spy, a good spy. Something like Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible. 'I know why you hate me, I know why you hate me, cause all…' He could already hear the theme music.
#
"…then you push this button and voila, the coffee's ready." The redhead took the decanter out of the coffee machine and poured it out into three mugs which were placed by the machine on the counter. "Two cubes of sugar and a splash of milk go in the red cup; three cubes and whipped cream with a large amount of milk in the green. That's mine by the way, so be careful, the cream, milk and the coffee are in proportion: One to one to one.
Set snorted. In this place coffee was either really important or Chris, the redhead, thought that he was an idiot with the way he was explaining things. And that 'one to one to one', give him a break!
"And this one," Chris pointed at the blue cup "Just coffee. Black, no sugar."
After all the cups were filled with the ingredients Chris listed, they took them out from the little kitchen into the main room, where Set's new working place was.
To the right of the entrance were two corner-sets of black fake leather couches, one in each corner. Between the couches were two doors, one lead to the toilets and the other to the kitchen. Two coffee tables stood in front of the couches, various magazines piled up on them. Then on the left side there were two doors: one on the left corner, Chris's office, one ;in the right corner, Lucas's office; and there between them was a counter/large desk with computer, telephone and other office appliances. Two doors were also at the opposite side of the entrance.: one leading to the office of Tian, Chris's brother, and one to the conference room.
They put Tian's cups on the desk in his office and then Chris put the remaining cups on the counter in the main room and started to introduce him to the joys of secretary slash receptionist's work.
"Here's the password for the computer and here are instructions on how to use the phone and how to connect calls." The redhead then started to open the drawers and point at their contents: "Paper, files, stationery, forms, files, files, files, … and here…" he pushed a thick publication into Set's hands. "… is a manual of instructions you'll find useful. Courtesy of Lucas. And I think that's everything." The redhead winked at him, grabbed his coffee and… was gone through the door of his office.
Set blinked and sat down in the chair. Okay. That was… quick. It seemed that coffee was really a big deal there and that they mainly needed the coffee boy. He looked at the drawers labeled "files", where here and there the edges of papers were peeping out. And somebody to straighten the mess they called their files. Easy enough. He bent toward the drawers and went to work. First impressions are always important, and he wanted to make a very good impression on one Lucas Cage.
There was a slam of the door and a 'good morning' following it. Set raised his head and saw red, short, tousled hair, an oval face with a narrow chin and dark green eyes. That must be Tian, Chris's brother; they were similar enough for that conclusion. He greeted the redhead "Good morning."
"Coffee?" Tian's hand came to a halt on the doorknob of his office.
"In the office, on the desk." Set only received a nod before the redhead disappeared through the door. He shrugged and sank on the floor. Now it was time to straighten the bottom drawers.
He put the last folder in the drawer. There, all done. He was satisfied with himself. All the papers were now categorized in alphabetical order by the name of the customer; for the small office they had quite a number of them. He glanced over the orders hoping to get some clues, but the orders were only for the installation of surveillance equipment or alarms. Not one case of following somebody's adulterous wife or husband or searching for lost items, not even one fucking lost puppy case. Wasn't this a detective agency? Was the installation of alarms what the name of the agency meant, "Safe and Sound," which was written on the metal board outside and was the way he was supposed to answer phone calls? It looked that way. But in life things were very rarely the way they looked and Set was counting on that.
"Who are you?" a melodic, soft voice interrupted his musing.
Set looked up and saw the blonde Adonis, the reason why he was here, looking down on him over the counter. He shut the drawer and stood up, extending his hand. "Duncan."
"Let me rephrase this, Duncan. What are you doing here?" The bright, aqua green eyes were assessing Set and his outstretched hand was ignored.
"Working here. Duh." Set's hand dropped down and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes. On second thought he added "Chris hired me," then pointed to the blue cup still on his desk "Your coffee, it's cold though. Should I make you another one?"
"No, it's fine," Lucas grabbed the coffee, took a sip and then with his gaze still on Set yelled "Chris! Get your ass out here!"
The door opened and the redhead appeared, annoyed. "What?"
Lucas faced Chris and leaned on the counter with his hip. "We agreed. No more hiring."
Chris crossed his arms over his chest in defiance. "No, you agreed. Tian and I never did. We need somebody to do secretarial work. Since you drove all the other ones crazy -- or they drove you -- I was the one answering the calls and doing all that boring stuff. I won't do that anymore. So I hired somebody. Deal with it. And you better not drive him crazy with your shit."
"His wages aren't coming from my pocket." Lucas’svoice was soft, but he wasn't pleased and he showed it with his cold stare and his lips pressing into a thin line.
"Fine! Tian and I will pay his wages, but you aren't using him, then. And give me that," Chris tore the cup out from Lucas's hand "Make your own damn coffee." He gave the cup to Set and forced a smile onto his face. "Duncan, could you please remove this? And whatever this cheap bastard tells you to do, don't." He cast an ugly look in Lucas’sdirection, then strode toward his office, went in and slammed the door behind him.
Set did what he was told. He went into the kitchen, poured the coffee into the sink and when he got back, Lucas was still leaning on the counter. Set handed him the empty cup, sat down, opened up the manual Chris had given him then raised his head. "Can I help you?"
"I'm sorry about that. It isn't anything personal. It's …" Lucas ran a finger through his blonde hair for a moment, removing a few locks that were falling onto his forehead. "…We had problems with the previous help."
"It's okay." Whatever, Set thought, his fingers readjusted the glasses on his face. He noticed the yellow, intermittent light on the phone, which meant that somebody was calling. He answered the phone, dismissing Lucas. "Safe and Sound. How may I help you?"
#
Set quickly climbed up the stairs. Today was one of Li's sleepovers and Set always looked forward to spending time with Li. With his beautiful, nice, gentle Li.
They were probably in Geb's room, playing video games.
Set opened the door and …stared at the scene before him.
Geb was trying to kiss Li. He had him trapped between himself and the wall. "C'mon Li, how are you supposed to become a good kisser without practice?"
Set got his senses back, barged into the room and kicked Geb in the shin. "Leave him alone, you bastard. Li is mine." Another kick at Geb's shin followed and there would've been more if it hadn't been for…
"Set. Stop it." Li gently put his hand on Set's shoulders and pulled him away from Geb.
"You little shit." Geb fell on his ass and pulled his knee toward his chest, grimacing in pain. "We're only practicing."
"The only one Li's practicing kissing is with me." Set turned under Li's hands and tugged on Li's hair, forcing him to bend forward.
"You? You are eleven years old, what do you know about kissing?" Geb's voice was coming from behind Set's back, but he ignored it, like he ignored Li's mild protest, when he raised himself onto his toes, clasped his arms around Li's neck and pressed his lips against Li's.
Set did it exactly how he had seen it in the movies. He closed his eyes and stroked the other's lips with his own, then gently pushed his tongue into the other's mouth. He didn't expect the jolt of pleasure that raced down his spine and the tension that gathered in the lower region of his belly. That was never mentioned or seen at the movies, nor were the small shivers that sliding his tongue against the wet velvet of Li's mouth produced. He moaned. He felt so good, this felt so good.
"Li!" Set's mind didn't even register Geb's voice, but somebody else did, because the kiss abruptly ended and he was pushed back, away from the warmth of Li's body. A moment later a hand grabbed his collar and dragged him toward the chair, tossing him into it. "Damn it, Set. You don't go around and tongue fifteen-year-old boys!"
"But it's only Li. My Li. And it felt good!" Set protested and tried to twist himself free from Geb's grip.
"Geb is right. You shouldn't have done that." Li's cheeks were flushed and he put his hands out in front of himself, like he was trying to hide something.
"You shut up! I didn't see you fighting him," Geb snarled in Li's direction.
"I didn't think he would use his tongue!" Li protested and came a step closer.
"Neither did I," Geb narrowed his eyes at Set and then looked back to Li. "What are you doing there? Oh, God." He released Set and took a good look at Li. "You got hard! Damn it, Li. He's eleven years old!"
Li frowned. "I know, I know. You don't have to tell me. But I can't help it. I'm a fucking teenager with fucking raging hormones and I….I…I… love him."
"And you always have, I know, that's why you always let him have his way," Geb raked his fingers through his hair "What should we do? I can't trust you Li, not with this. Not when he likes kissing and I know how you get around him, you turn into fucking putty in his hands."
Set leaned on the arm of the chair, to see what was going on. "What's wrong with Li?"
"Nothing, nothing," Li said and Geb took a step to the side so that he was in Set's line of vision.
Set leaned to the other side and narrowed his eyes to see better. "Oh, I've seen how to get rid of that. You put it in your mouth and suck."
"Jesus, Set," Li whimpered. "Shut him up, Geb. Just shut him up."
"But I think your mouth is better to do that, Geb. Your mouth is bigger than mi-" Set was able to say, before a hand covered his mouth.
"You should hide your porn better." Li threw a dirty look at Geb then he came closer and kneeled before Set. "Set. Let's make a deal, you and I. You are eleven and I'm fifteen and kissing between us is wrong… so promise me that you'll never kiss me again. Promise?"
Set wildly shook his head. He wouldn't promise that. That kiss was the best thing he had ever experienced and he couldn't understand what was so bad about it. The hand was removed from his mouth. "It felt good, how can it be wrong?"
Li sighed. "Look, if you promise and if you'll keep your promise, then when you are sixteen you can kiss me as much as you like."
"He'll still be a minor and by that time you'll an adult. Technically that's illegal," Geb barged in.
"At least he would know what he's doing." Li frowned at Geb, before his gaze rested on Set again.
"That's five years away. I want to kiss you now!" Set leaned toward Li but the panic rising in Li's eyes stopped him from going any further. "Is it really so wrong?"
"Yes." Both boys were nodding and Li added, "Set, promise me, for me, please. I'll feel so much better if you promise."
"Because you’re a wuss and Set’s doormat and you have no self control whatsoever." Geb couldn't stay silent, which earned him a punch in his shoulder and a warning that next time it would be his face.
Set's shoulders sagged. "Then I promise." And everybody knew that Set always kept his promises.
That night Li stopped spending his sleepovers in Set's room.