Like Twins

When he had finished with dinner, Blood Talon had gone back to the hotel to check on Hwoarang. However, he wasn't there. That was strange; telling someone they'd see them somewhere, and then not showing up? Perhaps the guy had figured out something he had to do.

Strange guy, though. Such an easy Jin to sway, yet he had to screw it up for himself like that. The Blood Talon couldn't understand what was going on in that mind. Had he learnt nothing about self-control in the Tae Kwon Do training? Then again, he wasn't completely sure the guy actually had any training. There were several other things which training would have brought that the guy lacked.

He had decided to go out for exercising since there were nobody around. The other redheads might not take their martial arts seriously, but he did. From three to six hours every day, more when he had someone to train with. He got in what training he had left to do for the day before returning to the hotel. Half expecting the room to be empty, he found Hwoarang asleep on the bed.

The other Korean had taken off most of the clothes, but was still wearing the harness and the vinyl bondage pants. That looked rather uncomfortable, and clearly wasn't a good idea given the guy's bruises. So he moved over to the bedside, sliding a hand into the red strands and ruffling a bit. "Hwoarang... wake up."

An unintelligible mumble came in response. Hwoarang brushed the hand away and rolled away onto his side. "Ow!" He rolled onto his back again, his face twisted into a sleepy grimace. "Nnh, Fuckin'... Chain digging into my ribs..."

Blood Talon looked at him with concern, sitting down next to him. "Yeah, figured I'd wake you before you'd get extra bruises from the harness..." He paused a bit, then patted the other redhead's thigh. "Wanna talk?"

"Talk about what?" Hwoarang pushed himself up and rubbed his eyes. Once he was reasonably coherent enough, he attempted another response, "Oh, yeah, dinner. Nah, I know I failed tonight, but it's not over... Help me get out of this thing before I cut the fucker off."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." Blood Talon looked the guy over, wondering whether he had to keep his mouth shut. No, he didn't. "Definitely not over. Why did you just walk off, though?"

Hwoarang laughed drowsily and reached behind his head to grab the headboard and stretch. "After I acted so pathetic? There's no way I was going to stick around there when he was looking down on me like that."

"Well, at least you turned him on without any kind of groveling. That's something, isn't it?" The Blood Talon smirked, then picked up one of the gloves Hwoarang had tossed aside. "Want to dress back up and try again tonight?"

That seemed to amuse the man even more. His laughing filled the room for a few seconds only to trail off into a yawn. "Yeah, sure. Maybe if I just walk around modeling the outfit and keep my mouth shut, it might actually work this time. You think I even stand a chance so soon after that shameful attempt at dinner?"

The Blood Talon nodded reassuringly. There was no doubt in his mind either. "Yes. Yes you do. Not as good a chance as when we had prepared that dinner plan, but you had him hooked back then. You can pull it off again even if it's a little harder now." He smirked, then added, "want a strategy talk, or are you all set?"

"Fuck strategy," He mumbled through another yawn and dropped a leg over the side of the bed, making a tired attempt to stand up. "Just tell me what not to do. I'm sure as Hell not going to remember a whole strategy right now, let alone... you know, pull it off right."

It was funny to see the guy that sleepy, but they probably should have a cup of coffee before they started looking for the Japanese. "Well, you obviously know how to do the physical bit of it, so as long as you don't tell him off or try to humiliate him, you should be fine." He paused, smiling encouragingly as he did so. "One tip, though... I'm sure he's going to make some outrageous suggestions or demands. When he does, ignore them and do something else he'll like instead, rather than taking offense. Okay?"

"Yeah, okay, don't take offense. I can do that, or not do it, whatever. I guess I can control myself for one night, but that prick can't expect me to be reasonable all the time." He stumbled a few feet away fast to grab a hold of his pants before they fell. He cursed and grabbed his belt off the floor. "Goddamnit, I forgot I still had the cuffs in my pocket. I don't have to wear shoes, do I?"

Well, he could hardly drag Hwoarang around barefoot. "I'll treat you to a cup of coffee in the café across the street before we start looking. You should probably wear shoes for that... but preferrably boots, of course." He chuckled lightly. "We found a winning formula for your get-up earlier. Let's not change it just yet."

"Alright, alright, If I must, I must. I could really use that coffee; I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm goddamn exhausted, and I hate tying laces." Hwoarang went to where his boots had been messily discarded, and stepped into them, not bothering to do them up. "Okay, I'm ready. Let's go."

Patiently picking up the belt and gloves, Blood Talon headed over to Hwoarang. "Not quite yet," he said mildly, then put the gloves in the other man's hand and started putting the belt into the loops on the vinyl pants.

The tired Korean shifted with slight annoyance, but it didn't seem like he was about to bother arguing. He pulled the gloves on, and then leaned against the nearest wall, closing his eyes. "I don't suppose your willing to wheel me there in a shopping cart, huh?"

"I could slap you in the face to wake you up, and you can lean against me on the way there." The redhead laughed, wondering whether the statement alone could contribute to getting Hwoarang started. Looking over the man's garb, he couldn't notice anything missing except the jacket. Retrieving it from a nearby chair, he held it out to the other man. "Got the gifts?"

"I got the cuffs." He reluctantly took the jacket and got it on with minimal trouble. He moved away from the wall, and headed for the door. "If he left the key, I've got a spare one. I don't know where the riding crop is, but on second thought, maybe I don't want to give him that anyway." His lip curled back in a scowl. "Does it really make a difference whether or not I wear the gloves?"

"Quite possibly." Blood Talon started looking over the floor near where the rest of the stuff were dumped. No luck. "Of course you want to give him that. Maybe that was a big help." He winked, then started moving around a little, finally spotting it in the far corner. Picking it up and sticking it back into Hwoarang's belt, he smiled, patting the guy on the back. "Alright, let's go. I'll buy you a piece of cake too. Something to look forward to before we set out searching."

"Bastard better appreciate the lengths I'm going to." The yawn in the middle of the statement did not help the mild threatening nature. Hwoarang opened the door and looked back at the Blood Talon as he took a couple steps. "Cake too? You're awfully generous, but I hope to god it'll have caffeine in it too."

"Hi guys."

A deep, slightly amused voice came from further down the corridor, and it wasn't hard to figure out who it could belong to. However, given the amount of clones around, it didn't hurt to be sure. Blood Talon stepped out beside Hwoarang, looking straight at the approaching Jin.

With a smirk, the Japanese closed in on them, draping an arm over Blood Talon's shoulder and leaning in to nuzzle his neck. Not good! What to do to avoid upsetting anyone more than necessary, without reducing Hwoarang's chances? Blood Talon pushed Jin gently off him, flashing a friendly smile. "Boy are you in the mood, Jin. Unfortunately, I really have to run." He took a few quick steps away from the others, adding over his shoulder, "you two really should talk a bit anyway. See you!"

In hindsight, maybe he should have borrowed some boring clothes. That could have avoided that scene. But at least getting away quickly would avoid making him competition. He wasn't quite sure where to go, not having any plans whatsoever, but his mind wasn't on that - he was only hoping the two he left behind would get somewhere. Worst case, they were already going in opposite directions, but staying around to watch progress, however tempting, would reduce Hwoarang's chances.

Maybe going for a cup of coffee wasn't so bad after all.

~~~

This is a collab, written together with Chlover. You can find her author profile here:
http://games.adult-fanfiction.org/authors.php?no=26260