Set looked at the clock on his computer. Only four more hours to go before he could clock himself out. Just four more hours.
He groaned, put his arms on the desk and lay his cheek on them. Three days had passed since that incident with Lucas. Three days of watchfulness, three days of always being in a state of alert, three days of never being alone in the room with Lucas and three days of catching his fingers touching his lips every time he remembered their kiss. And that was a lot.
He found his fingers on his lips again. Damn.
He was so tired. He knew that he couldn't continue with this anymore, not when right now he and Lucas were the only people in the office. Damn. Why did Tian and Chris have to go and get an alarm installation job in a town a hundred and twenty kilometers away? That meant that they would be absent for two whole days. Two whole days alone with Lucas. How dare they leave him like this? How dare those people call this company and demand a service? Bastards. They were all bastards.
Set checked the clock again. Only three hours and fifty-six minutes to go and the first day of being alone with Lucas would be over. He focused his gaze on the clock. Go faster. Go faster. Please, go faster.
A light knock was heard. The entrance door slowly opened and a black-haired girl of medium height with dark blue eyes on her oval face appeared. She was wearing black baggy pants and an ordinary black and white T-shirt.
Set stared. Elsi! What was his cousin doing here?
A crooked, slightly evil smile flashed on the girl's face when she spotted him and directed her step toward him.
"El?" Set shudered. He loved his cousin very much and she loved him that he knew. They were the best of pals. They had many interests in common and she was the most gentle, funny, caring person he knew, but when you noticed that smile on her face, the best action was to run. Run as fast as you can.
"Set! You idiot!" She hit him on the top of his head, then grabbed him by his ear and pulled him out from the desk.
"Ouch. Ouch. Let go of me." Set seized the hand that was painfully holding the lobe of his ear. He whined: "El, please. What are you doing?"
Elsi narrowed her eyes at him and dragged him behind her in the direction of Lucas's room.
Set staggered behind her. Fuck. What is she doing? He wiggled in her hold. Damn, even though he was holding her by her wrist and even though he was stronger than her, he couldn't do a lot to resist her in his half-bent position. Damned bitch had taken him by surprise. "Stop it! Let me go! El. Let go of me!"
Elsi ignored him. She opened the door of Lucas's office and barged in. "Lucas, we have a problem." She released Set and pointed to him the chair before Lucas's desk. "Sit!"
A small shiver shook Set's body. He didn't understand what was going on but considering Elsi's face and the fact that he was with her in Lucas's office together with Lucas didn't mean anything good. He looked around for a way to get out.
Lucas stood up surprised from behind his desk. "Elsi! I told you not to come here."
"Relax, honey." Elsi closed the distance between her and Lucas, stood on her tiptoes and pressed a quick kiss on Lucas's cheek. "Nobody followed me." Then she took hold of Lucas's hands, spread them wide and cast a good, long, appraising look up and down his body. "Look at you - you look hotter every time I see you. Too bad you're gay. You are breaking my heart."
Set, who was already in the process of turning and with the intention of sneaking out of the room, sat back in the chair and with a confused expression his gaze wavered from Lucas to Elsi and back. What? Those two knew each other? "Does everybody except me know Lucas?"
She cast a surprising look in Set's direction, before she turned back to Lucas. "He doesn't…"
"Why are you here?" Lucas interrupted her and then gently maneuvered her to sit in his chair.
Elsi leaned back in the chair. "Duncan's father is coming at the end of this week. He has some business meeting and he thought that it would be a great idea to visit his son while he's in town. Ann tried to dissuade him from the idea, no luck."
Both Elsi and Lucas narrowed gaze at Set.
Set sagged his shoulders. They knew. It seemed that when he and Duncan were making plans they forgot about one small thing: Elsi. Elsi was the one that had heard about Japanese classes, told him about them and attended them together with him. She was the one that had started the conversation with Duncan and pointed out the similarity of their appearances. She had only attended the classes with them for a half a year, but in that half a year Duncan had introduced her to his sister, Ann, and they had become fast friends. Probably all that Yaoi shit they shared and the drooling over game characters together was responsible for that. So the fact was that Elsi knew both of them and he wouldn't put past her that she knew about his and Duncan's identity switches at University -- but she had never said anything -- How did she know now? She hadn't even been here. "How did you know?"
"You two, my dear Set, are careless idiots. When Ann called Duncan, there was, "The connection is unavailable at the moment," in bloody Japanese and you are supposed to be in Japan. Damn it, Set, how stupid can you two be?" Elsi stood up from the chair and stomped over to Set, towering over him. "Whose idea was that and what the heck were you two trying to accomplish? Don't you know that there are things going on and you are playing games? You could ruin everything."
Lucas stepped out from behind the desk, stopped beside Elsi in front of Set and crossed his arms, looking down seriously at Set.
"Ummm." Set fidgeted under their hard gazes.
Elsi bent down, her long black hair swinging with her movement, her nose almost touching Set's, her eyes two narrowed slits and her mouth a hard line. "Spit it out, Set."
And Set did. He spilled everything. From the time he had first set eyes on Lucas through the door of Geb's hospital room, to the time he had first set foot in "Safe and Sound" as an employee to the time he had eavesdropped on Lucas's conversation with Helen, which had told him that Lucas was on their side. He didn't leave out how annoyed he was when nobody trusted him enough to tell him what was going on and how with Duncan's light persuasion he had decided to find out on his own. The only thing he did leave out was his infatuation with Lucas. His temporary infatuation. That was his little secret and it would stay that way.
As Set ended his story he took a risk and looked at Lucas, who was supposed to be surprised, annoyed, maybe even angry, but no, none of those emotions were visible on his face. Not even the eye twitch he got whenever he was pissed or was in Chris's company for too long. Yeah, Chris was good at making Lucas's eye twitch and he enjoyed every minute of it.
Elsi, who somewhere in between Set's story telling moved back and leaned on the desk, gazed at Lucas. "How much of that did you already know?"
"All of it. Except the reason why."
"Wait? What?" Set blinked at Lucas. "You knew?"
Lucas smirked at him. "I saw you two following me and it only took a few clicks on the computer to have all the information that I needed. And maybe you could've even pulled it off, if not for an amateur mistake. Duncan has brown eyes, not blue. Aside from that, you were pretty good. Not good enough to fool me, but good."
Set jumped out of his chair. He poked Lucas's chest with his finger. "Why didn't you tell me?" Then he wheeled round, pointing a digit at Elis. "How much of that did you know?"
Elsi swatted his hand away. "Not much. Just that Duncan's probably in Japan and that you were nowhere to be found." Her eyes flashed dangerously. "You stupid fool. I was so worried. Then Ann got the name of the firm where Duncan was supposedly working from her dad. And it was Lucas's, thank god, so I called him. He said everything's okay. That you were working for him, pretending to be Duncan."
"And you?" Annoyed, Set settled his focus on Lucas again. The couple of weekshe had worked here up until he had heard Lucas's conversation with Helen, as much as he hated to admit it even to himself, he had been scared of what he might find out or what might have been done to him if they had found out who he really was, even though he had been very careful. Very, very careful. Doing his snooping easy and slow, so slowly in fact, that he had doubted that he would find anything worthwhile before the month ran out.
"Yeah, hon." Lucas flashed an audacious grin at Set. His hands grabbed Set's elbows and pulled him closer in one swift move. Then he wrapped Set's body in a loose hug, making Set's heart flutter. He looked over Set's head at Elsi. "El, isn't he adorable when he gets flustered like this?"
Set fisted his hands tightly in rising anger. "Adorable! Adorable? I'm handsome! Handsome! Not adorable!"
Lucas's fingers found their way into Set's hair, combing through now brown tresses. His green eyes became soft and misty. "So sweet."
"Lucas. Focus. We still have a problem. Duncan, remember?" Elsi intervened.
"Sweet!" Set stomped over the warm feeling that Lucas's attention drew forth and summoned the anger and the annoyance that 'sweet' adornments always caused. He punched his fists against Lucas's chest. "How dare you? You jerk!" He violently swatted Lucas's hands away from his person and stomped on Lucas's foot.
Lucas's face grimaced. "Set, that hurt." His voice was strained.
"Sorry." Set did feel sorry, but just a little. Everybody who called him adorable, cute, sweet or anything else that remotely reminded him of cheek-pinching and fondling and all that sweet-thing calling (the 'sweet/cute as a button' was the worst), which he had gotten from every old woman who crossed his path when he was a child, deserved to have his foot stomped or his shin kicked.
"No, your're not." Lucas turned away from Set, limped toward his chair and sat down. He looked at Elsi. "Duncan. Right. Will get to it right away."
Lucas picked up the receiver and dialed a number on the phone. "I have the number of the hotel, I just hope Duncan's in his room."
Elsi opened her mouth, but Lucas’sfinger raised in the air to stop her.
"Hello. Good morning. Can you connect me to room 315?" Lucas passed the telephone to Elsi. "El, I think it's better if you talk with him. In the meantime I'll look for the first flight he can get on."
Set felt redundant somehow. He decided that making some refreshments for them was a good idea and went to make that idea a reality.
He dillydallied in the kitchen, taking more time than needed to make some tea and coffee, but somehow he just needed time for himself. He leaned his hands on the counter. It seemed that his 'spying' days were over. He still wished he knew everything Lucas knew about 'Geb's situation' and that maybe he could help Lucas with the search. Of course, the wisest thing for him would be to get away from Lucas, but where could he go? He suspected that staying in Duncan's apartment was out of the question, not just because Duncan was coming back, but because he doubted that he would be allowed to be on his own. He sighed. He would think about that later.
When he returned to the room with the refreshments, Elsi and Lucas had already worked the plan out. Elsi had talked to Duncan and he was scheduled to come home the next night. Set suspected that the news of his father coming to see him was the cause of his quick cooperation.
The thing that really bugged Set was that Lucas had decided that Set was moving into his place for the time being without even consulting with him. He was not going. No way in hell. It was hard enough working together with Lucas and being in the same building with him eight hours a day. He was not going to be with him 24/7. No way.
Set was repeating that as his new mantra even five hours later, when he was sitting on the couch in Duncan's living room with his arms crossed over his chest, a big pout on his face and his eyes narrowed in annoyance, stubbornly refusing to budge or lift a finger to help Elsi and Lucas pack his things.
"Set." Elsi came out from the room Set used as a bedroom with the medium-sized black travelling bag in her hand. She raised the hand holding the bag and wiggled it in the air before throwing it at Set's feet. "Is that all?"
Set just frowned at her. He had given the bag containing the majority of his clothes to Duncan when they had switched places. He had kept only a pair of jeans, his favorite black loose cargo pants and a few T-shirts with images from Bleach, Final Fantasy and Trinity Blood printed on them, so he mainly used Duncan's stuff. Right now he was wearing a pair of Duncan's baggy trousers, the dark blue ones, and Duncan's blue and red striped T-shirt with the black skull printed on it inscribed with Number One underneath (which he would definitely keep, because he liked it so much).
"El. Come here," Lucas yelled from the bathroom. "I need your help. I have no idea what belongs to Set."
"Coming," Elsi yelled back, then, contrary to her words, she sat down beside Set, and started to rub Set's shoulders. "C'mon darling. Don't be like this."
"Hmph."
Elsi softly nudged Set under his ribs with her elbow. "Tell Aunty El."
"…."
"Come on. Tell me what's bothering you." Elsi put on her best pleading look.
Set took a deep breath. He might just give in, because knowing Elsi, she would pester him until he told her. She had done that in the past and he doubted that this time would be any different. "I don't want to move in with Lucas, El."
"But you will." Lucas stepped out from the bathroom. He directed his step toward them and stopped before Set, looking down at him. "It's for your safety, Set."
"I could go to El's place. It should be safe as long I'm somewhere else and not home. And why should I be with you?" Set looked up with a stubborn expression on his face. He was daring Lucas.
Lucas crossed his arms. "Did you know that somebody broke into Geb's office and his home? That Jack's study room was also burgled? That 'bugs' were found in your family's house?"
At Set's blank stare Lucas continued. "No. I thought not. I have men watching out for your parents, Helen, Aton and even Duncan, since he is posing as you. I don't have any people free to keep an eye on you and unless you want Helen to find out about your little stunt, I'll have to be the one. You are going to stay with me. And that's final."
"Elsi, beat some sense into him and pack those blasted cosmetics. I'm going to wait for you two in the car." Lucas turned and with quick steps and a loud slam of the door left the two alone.
Set with wide eyes turned toward Elsi. "I didn't know."
"Neither did I. I knew bits and pieces, but I never thought…"
"Still… I can't live with him." Set fidgeted with his fingers. Staying with Lucas meant danger for his peace of mind, because -- he had to face it --, if even one 'half' kiss and all those small touches Lucas was so fond of bestowing on him disturbed him so much, not to mention that disturbing little warm, fuzzy feeling… Lucas would just have to find some place else for him to stay.
"Why?" Elsi wrapped her arms around Set and leaned on him.
Set used her head as a prop for his chin. He could trust her, he had in the past and she always somehow managed to help him, sometimes with advice, sometimes with the right word and sometimes with just a pat on his shoulder. "He's always touching me, El. He even kissed me. And I like it. Really, really like it."
"So? Go for it, honey." Elsi smiled.
Set shook his head. If only things were so easy. "I don't want to… fall in love. Not with a guy. I have only been in love once…"
"…and with a guy," Elsi intervened. "I know. With Li. I remember."
"When he left… I felt so empty and for a long time life just stopped for me. I was so angry and hurt. How could he leave me?" Set's eyes misted and he willed away the tears that were threatening to fall. Damn it. He'd thought he was over that.
He took a big breath and continued: "So I promised myself that I wasn't going to fall in love… never again. But I tried, El. There were a few nice girls that wanted to be with me, that loved me and I wanted to love them too. I liked them, I liked being with them, but love… I couldn't love them."
With a gentle caress on his back Elsi silently encouraged him to continue.
"You know…" Set flashed a small smile. "…for some time I thought that I was gay, that that was the reason I can't fall in love with girls. But how could I be gay if when I check out guys, I never feel any attraction toward any of them?"
"And now I feel this attraction toward Lucas… and it scares me… really scares me, because I think , in the long-term, this might be love."
Elsi sighed and whispered more to herself than to Set: "Oh, honey. You seem to be a one person man." She squeezed her arms around Set for a moment, before she let go of him and leaned back. "I don't know what to say. If Lucas is making advances… He's not a guy who flirts and seduces people. He's serious about you."
Elsi rolled her eyes and murmured something to herself before she continued: "Lucas is a nice, decent guy. He would be perfect for you." She took Set's face between her hands. "But… There's something about Lucas that you don't know…and I could bet that you won't like it."
Set wanted to know what and he felt he was entitled to know, but when she hadn't told him after almost fifteen minutes of pleading and bullyingbecause as she said, it was something he should hear from Lucas, he surrendered. The only thing he managed to get out of her was that it wasn't something that you go to jail for and that it was something very personal.
Set crossed his arms. It wasn't fair. Elsi could always get things out of him but he never could from her, no matter how much he tried. He sulked. He wanted to know… If he was going to be with Lucas, he had a right to know…. Whoa… Rewind that…. If he was going to be with Lucas? Was he going to be with Lucas?
He pondered that even after he was already sitting in the back seat of Lucas's car. His eyes met with an intense green gaze and he decided that thinking about it would only give him a headache. So he turned his head away from those emerald eyes and his thoughts away from the headache.
Lucas started up the car and turned on the radio. The soft, hushed music filled the space, serving as background for Elsi's voice as she talked about how it had been when she and grandpa were living in America for three months in Lucas's father's house, together with Tian, Chris and Lucas.
Set remembered when they went to America, something about some small inheritance that Elsi got after the death of some relative about five years ago. But she had never told him about her stay with them. He looked out through the window at the scenery that was passing by and wondered why that was.