12:
Gwendal was having a chaotic morning. So far, nothing seemed to be going right
and it had all started with the Royals loss in the game last night. Not only
were they beaten by a score of 6-0 – something that was unheard of, especially
with such a successful team – none of the celebrated players had been able to
get a hit off the pitcher from the opposing team. To add insult to injury, the
pitcher in question was a young man (barely out of his teens) who had been
scouted from China. China of all places! Who would have thought the
other teams would go to other countries to seek out new players? And to make
matters worse, the Press was already having a field day with this wonder kid.
He was going to be the future of baseball in Japan and no one could stop talking
about him. All the major newspapers had photos of Lin Ken splashed across their
pages and Gwendal was becoming more and more irritated with it. The first thing
he had done this morning was call a meeting of all scouting staff and
personnel. They were to either woo Lin to the Royals by any means necessary or
travel on the next plane to China, Korea, Hong Kong and even the United States
to find the next Lin Ken.
Arriving at the main office earlier this morning, the parking lot had been
swarmed with curious reporters and TV crews, all eager to know what Sir von
Walde planned to do next after such a dismal loss. In response, Gwendal had
given them a quick and non-committal comment to the effect of the Royals
Organization being committed to seeking out the best players all over the
world. And that was that. But as expected, this only fueled more curiosity and
questions from the hungry media. It took several bodyguards to help clear the
way for Gwendal and before long, he was striding down the halls of the cool and
mercifully quiet building, eager to sink into his chair and do nothing but…
“What the hell is going on here?!” he roared in part disbelief and part
annoyance. His daydreams of a quiet morning were now shot to hell as he stared
at the cameras and lights which had been set up in the main lobby. The crew of
the photo shoot (for that was what it was) all stopped what they were doing.
Some looked terrified at the sight of the angry-looking man, while others
turned towards a portly figure draped in the most hideous silver lame robe
Gwendal had ever seen. The man sashayed towards Gwendal with a wide grin
on his face, his plump features flushed and lightly bathed in sweat and heavy
makeup. A matching velvet hat sat upon greasy black locks which looked just as
false as its owner.
“Darhling!” the man crooned, clapping his hands as if Gwendal had said the most
fantastic thing in the world. “We didn’t expect you here so early! My name is
Fazio.”
He waited; holding out a hand filled with enough platinum rings to blind a
person, and raised a brow as if expecting Gwendal to recognize his name. When
the taller man gave no indication or sign of acknowledgement, his cheeks grew
dark with color and he coughed.
“Fazio? The fashion photographer to the stars and fahbulous models all over the
world?”
Gwendal’s jaw worked for a moment and finally, he managed to ask as politely as
he could. “I’ll ask you again, Fabio…”
“Fazio, darhling…”
“…what are you doing in my building?”
“Why, it is the photo shoot for the summer spread! The Boys of Summer!
Celebrating all that is gorgeous about sports!” Fazio said, throwing his arms
open wide. He waved his hands towards the set-up, which now had a background of
a baseball field. “Didn’t you get the letter saying that we were shooting
today?”
“No…”
“Well, we are!” Fazio interrupted. He seemed to like hearing his voice, which
was quite loud and boisterous. “We wanted to take the shots outside but the men
said they were watering the grass or something to that effect. I would have taken
a wet shot, but I cannot afford to get my model all dripping now. We’ll do a
wet shot later…yes, I can see it now…water…sprinkling around him….the god of
baseball…”
“Listen, Fazio…” Gwendal tried to cut in again, but the photographer was
already clapping his hands and making his way back to his crew.
“Places everyone! Where is my fahbulous darhling, Gunter?! Hurry, hurry, love!
We must get the shots now!”
Gunter! Gwendal’s eyes widened and he took a step backwards, twin spots
of color on his cheeks as his gaze drifted towards the commotion at the
entrance to the lobby. Trying to make his way to the set, Gunter could be seen
in the familiar blue and white pin-striped Royals baseball outfit, even though
make-up artists were still putting the finishing touches to his visage.
Like he needs it, came the stray thought which had Gwendal kicking
himself inwardly. This was no time to think of how beautiful Gunter was. He was
supposed to be furious with the world for messing up his day and staring into
those breathtaking light violet eyes was not an option. Yet, and much to his
dismay, he couldn’t turn away. Gunter looked sinfully good in those tight pants
which seemed to mold to his hips and buttocks like a second skin. The model’s
trademark long hair was in a ponytail and as the last makeup artist was finally
sent away, Gunter took a deep breath and listened attentively to whatever Fazio
was telling him.
Gwendal watched on in silence, hands sunk into the pockets of expensive
tailored pants, aware that this was the first time he had actually seen Gunter
at work. There was no doubt that the older man was in his element. He always
seemed to make things look so easy and yet seeing the concentration on that
face was enough to tell Gwendal that this was a job Gunter loved and enjoyed
with a passion. He would have continued staring if his cell phone hadn’t
decided to ring. He had the grace to flush as everyone seemed to turn in his
direction and raising a hand to wave in dismissal, noticing that Gunter had
finally noticed him, Gwendal turned away to all but bark into the small device.
“Gwendal here.”
“And good morning to you too,” came the slightly amused voice on the other end.
“Hello, Conrad. Has your crazy friend finally left?”
“He’s not crazy and yes, he actually left yesterday. I have something I wanted
to talk to you about though…”
“Not about the game last night, please.” Gwendal groaned, rubbing a hand across
his forehead.
“No, not about the game. It’s about Wolfram…”
Gwendal became more alert. “What about him?! Did he call you?! Did that boy do
anything…?!”
“No, not from the camp,” Conrad interrupted quickly. “Will you be available
tonight? If so, I’ll meet you at your place…”
“I might be working late. Meet me here.”
“Right.”
“And this had better be good, Conrad.”
“It will. I promise. How’s Gunter?”
Gwendal flushed and answered sharply. “How should I know? Why are you asking
me?”
Conrad laughed. “Because he’s supposed to be there today. He told me this
morning. Have fun, you two.”
“Wha…what do you mean by….?” He cursed softly as the dial tone filled his ear.
He could already hear the whirring camera in the background and turning around
slowly, he watched as Gunter struck poses for the frenzied photographer.
“Make love to the camera, baby! Yes! Perfect! Perfect! Hold it like that…you’re
about to swing that bat…yes…beautiful…caro mio! Fahbulous darhling!
Fahbulous! You are a sexy beast! Rwwr!!”
Gwendal tried to hold back his laughter. He had never seen or heard anyone so
ridiculous in his life and he knew that if he stayed here a minute longer, he
was going to give in to the mirth that filled him. And with a light shake of
his head, he spun on his heels and made his way to his office, completely
unaware of the slightly concerned look the model threw in his direction.
Wolfram was to sit on the bench today, not that he minded much. It gave him
more time to think of just what had happened or was happening to him and Yuuri.
He flexed his bandaged hands, wincing a little at the pain that raced up his
arm. He had tried holding onto a bat this morning and took a few practice
swings, but he only managed to open up his cuts again and it had stained the
bandages. A quick trip to the clinic and a stern but kind warning from Dr.
Gisela had made everything better again.
Today was cool and crisp thanks to the rain from the night before. There was
also a sweet smell in the air which was rather pleasing to the senses. It
reminded Wolfram of home and how much he loved to wake up in the mornings at
the countryside estate. He realized, and not for the first time either, that he
was incredibly homesick. Although he had spoken to his mother the other day, it
still wasn’t enough for him. He longed for that special spot beneath his
favorite tree - where he could read or sleep in solace – and evening rides on
his horse, a white Thoroughbred named Velvet. Ah, how he wished he had never
moved to the city.
With a soft sigh, he listened to the cries and commands from the coaches and
players as they worked out their routines. Wolfram could see Yuuri in his
familiar position behind the plate, catching balls thrown at him from the
pitchers sent to the mound while trying to throw out base stealers at the same
time. The blond was somewhat glad to see that Yuuri’s throws were more accurate
now and so far, he had managed to catch all the stealers much to Coach Chronos
delight and Adelbert’s reluctant praise. The blond man had noticed the bandages
on Wolfram’s hands and said nothing about it, simply nodding as if
understanding what the boy must have gone through. It still didn’t stop Wolfram
from cursing him out inside his mind. Like Yuuri had so eloquently said last
night, Adelbert was indeed a first class prick.
But then again, things wouldn’t have gone that way with Yuuri, if
Adelbert’s words hadn’t forced him to go out to practice on his own.
He lowered his baseball cap to cover his eyes, cheeks flushing with heat at the
memory of Yuuri’s lips, hot and incessant, against his and those hands…touching
places he had never thought he would let another boy have access to. Under
normal circumstances, he would have broken Yuuri’s arms or his jaw at least for
daring to touch him like that. But there was nothing normal about this…their
relationship…for neither knew when the other beings within them would take
control of any given situation.
It had been awkward to look at each other when they woke up this morning, both
boys mumbling and turning away as if still ashamed. Last night, Wolfram had not
dared touch himself to relieve the pressure that steadily built up in his
pants. It had taken a lot of self-control as he waited patiently for Yuuri to
fall asleep before tiptoeing to the restroom to complete his fantasies. His
flush darkened as he wondered if Yuuri ever did such things to himself. Of
course he had to! Normal boys always touched themselves. It was a natural thing
to do…
“Whoa, permission to have a piece of your daydream,” came the amused voice as
Keiichi made himself comfortable on the bench beside him. “Something good
happen last night?”
Wolfram, who had stiffened at the presence of the other boy, shook his head
quickly. “No. Nothing.”
“It’s okay,” Keiichi cajoled as he began to polish his bat, while trying hard
to hide a smirk. “You can tell me.”
“Nothing happened, okay?” Wolfram retorted, wondering why his cheeks refused to
quit feeling so hot. He had a feeling that Keiichi knew anyway. What was that
thing about being able to read auras…?
“So I guess this means that it’s okay for me to take Yuuri as my date for the
day trip on Saturday, hmm?”
Wolfram lifted his hat to stare at the blond in mild confusion. “Wha…what?”
Keiichi grinned. “This Saturday we get to go to the village or town or whatever
the hell they have out there and have fun. Weren’t you paying attention in the
meeting this morning?”
No, he hadn’t been paying attention because he had been too busy staring at
Yuuri and doodling the most ridiculous things in this notebook. Once the
‘class’ was over, Wolfram had looked at the page in horror, wondering when he had
drawn all the hearts with arrows pointing through them and his name and Yuuri’s
interlocked. Good grief! It was as if he had regressed to being in grade school
again. How embarrassing was that?!
“I guess you weren’t,” Keiichi said with a laugh. “So you don’t mind Yuuri
being my date?”
Yes, he did mind but Wolfram wasn’t going to give Keiichi the satisfaction of
knowing that his insides were churning with a low heat of jealousy.
“That’s…that’s fine.” He shrugged and covered his eyes again, pretending to
doze off. “Do whatever you want with that wimp.”
“Excellent! We’re definitely going to have fun. We can make it a double date.
You pair up with Yoichiro. I think he likes you better anyway.”
Wolfram flushed and sat up again. “What…?!”
But he was alone again, for Keiichi had already left the bench and was now
running towards the baseball field without a second look back.
Gwendal shuffled the papers on the table before him, brows furrowed in thought
as he tried to read through the list of players on the Disabled List. He sighed
at the key names and wondered if the Royals would make it to the Playoffs at
this rate. There were just too many injuries on a team that was supposed to be
in contention for the World Series. He had long disposed of his black suit
jacket. The sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up to his forearms and his
tie lay askew, revealing a strong neck and a tantalizing tease of his broad
chest. He was just about to cross off another name on the list when his
intercom buzzed.
“What is it?” he replied absently.
“Mr. von Kleist is here to see you, sir,” came the sing-song voice of his
secretary.
“Let him in,” Gwendal replied in that same absent tone….that was until she
signed off and the name finally sunk into his head. Oh fuck!
He scrambled to his feet and then sat down again, running fingers through his
hair restlessly as he wondered what and why Gunter would want to see him now.
He had carefully avoided being in the presence of the older man since the night
at the bar and so far things had worked out well. That is until now.
A light knock on the door had Gwendal coughing lightly. Compose yourself.
Compose yourself!
“Come in.” He was unaware of the tight grip he had on the pen in his hand as
Gunter stuck his head in first and waved a white handkerchief before him.
“Promise you won’t bite my head off,” the model said with a sheepish grin and
for a moment, Gwendal felt his lips tugging with a helpless smile. Damn Gunter
and his charms!
“If you keep standing there, I just might,” Gwendal replied, surprised to find
that he didn’t sound as nervous as he felt inside.
“Whew, thank you.” Gunter made his way into the room, closing the door behind
him. He was still dressed in the baseball outfit and now being in close
proximity, Gwendal could appreciate just how much better the older man looked.
He watched as Gunter settled into a chair with that familiar graceful motion
that never ceased to amaze him.
“Fazio’s a pain in the ass,” Gunter confided with a light laugh. “But he has a
good heart.”
“I’m sure he does,” Gwendal replied, trying to force himself to stare at the
papers before him. But it didn’t help that Gunter was now leaning over the
table to look at them as well.
“Looks like a lot of work,” he observed.
“Yes…” And good grief! That scent! It was so intoxicating, Gwendal was sure he
would swoon before this man and not feel a tad bit embarrassed about it.
“I can’t believe you ended up buying a baseball team though,” Gunter said
quietly as he picked up a crystal paperweight in the shape of a baseball, to
play with it absently. “I thought you had plans to take over your mother’s
business…”
“Conrad’s taking care of that now,” Gwendal replied a bit tightly.
“So why baseball?”
“I’ve always loved baseball. You know that.” He winced inwardly, wishing he
hadn’t brought that up but it was inevitable. They would have to talk about the
past eventually whether he wanted to or not.
“Ah yes, you and baseball,” Gunter said, a small smile touching his lips. He
finally lifted his gaze to meet the cool blue one before him. “That was how we
met, right?”
“Yes…” He was a first year student. Gunter had been in his second year then.
The baseball field was close to the swimming pools. A ball had sailed over the
high fence and Gwendal was sent to retrieve it. That was when he had seen the
most beautiful creature on earth - the tall upperclassman, who was rumored to
be the fastest swimmer in the school. As humiliating as it was now to admit,
Gwendal could not deny that it had really been love at first sight.
“You chased me,” Gunter said with a small smirk as he placed his arms on the
table, enjoying the flush of color on the younger man’s visage. “You were quite
insistent on me noticing you.”
“Don’t flatter yourself,” Gwendal replied gruffly, trying hard to tear his gaze
from the mesmerizing one before him. “You wanted me too.”
“Yes, I did. There’s no need denying it.”
“Then why the fuck did you leave, Gunter?!” There. He had finally asked the
question that’d been eating his insides from the day the older man had walked
away. “Why did you say those words to me? I wanted to…”
“What difference would it have made, Gwendal?” Gunter asked quietly. “We were
so different and I didn’t want you chasing my shadow for the rest of your life.
You had to grow up on your own and look at how you turned out. Not bad, eh?”
“You cheated on me,” Gwendal replied coolly. The grip on his pen was much
tighter now. He was sure it would break in a second. “You and that…”
“I lied to make you hate me.”
“Wha…?”
Gunter sighed and rose to his feet. He released his hair from the constricting
headband and shook it gently. He walked towards the large windows and looked
out to the baseball field with a wistful expression on his visage.
“You were becoming too attached to me, Gwendal. I was flattered, don’t get me
wrong and so happy that someone was finally loving me for who I was. But…I
could also see that my being with you was causing so many problems. Your grades
were slipping. I kept you out all night when I shouldn’t have and I was so
selfish in wanting you that I was keeping you away from your dreams. You quit
the baseball team because of me…”
“I wanted to quit…!”
“…because I asked you to choose between that or me.” Gunter turned around with
a small but sad smile on his features. “I was destroying you from the inside
out, Gwendal and even you knew that. I was…” He covered his face with a hand,
his voice now low and muffled. “I used you to amuse myself for a while and that
in itself is unforgivable. When I saw how ‘addicted’ you had become and the
pain I was causing your mother with your behavior…I did the only thing I could.
I didn’t care if you hated me for the rest of your life but at least you would
be free from my dark influence.”
He removed his hand, still unable to look at Gwendal as he continued softly. “I
know that asking for forgiveness is going to be…next to impossible for you to
grant but I really…really would like us to be…”
“You never…loved me?” came the quiet question. “Not once? In all that time, you
never really loved me?”
“Gwendal…”
“Answer me!”
Gunter finally forced himself to meet those blue eyes and what he saw made his
heart break. He had never seen so much hurt in them and he wished he could turn
back the clock to take back his words.
“I never stopped loving you, Gwendal von Walde,” he replied thickly, closing
the distance between them as he leaned down to caress Gwendal’s cheeks gently.
His long hair fell forward, like a silky curtain which cocooned them within
their own little world. “Not once did I ever stop loving you, which was why I
had to run away. I didn’t want to hurt you anymore and I felt I had no choice
but to do what I did.”
“You…” The words seemed to be stuck in his throat as he lifted his hands to
grasp Gunter’s wrists tightly. “You fool,” he rasped, staring into the
light-colored eyes that he had fallen in love with so many years ago. “You
never once asked me what I wanted. You thought you were doing the right thing
but you put me through years of hell, Gunter. Do you know that?”
In a swift and decisive motion, Gwendal swept off all the items on his desk,
rising to his feet and all but forcing Gunter to lie upon it. The model gasped
in surprise at the sudden turn of events, eyes widening in confusion before his
lashes fluttered closed as his lips were seized in a torrid kiss that took his
breath away. Memories of passionate encounters from the past, came rushing back
in a flood causing both men to moan in helpless desire as their bodies screamed
for completion. When they finally broke apart for air, Gunter – still in a
state of mild shock – could only lick his lips slowly, still savoring Gwendal’s
taste.
“You barbarian,” he finally managed to gasp helplessly, a small smile of
pleasure coming to his lips. “You think you went through hell? I’ve been living
in one without you all these years. So…does this mean I’m forgiven?” He tried
to look coy even though his eyes were now dark with unbridled lust.
Gwendal smirked and tugged off his tie, sending it sailing across the room.
“Maybe,” he replied enigmatically. “But first, I have to make you scream my
name until I’m satisfied. I think you owe me that much, Gunter von Kleist.”
And with a wicked grin, the model wrapped his arms around Gwendal’s neck and
gave up himself to the man he loved. For he knew that he was definitely up for
the challenge.
By the time Yuuri and Wolfram made it to the cafeteria, many of the players
were already talking amongst themselves in excited tones. The two boys picked
up their trays and joined the line, wondering what all the commotion was about.
“…she’s huge!”
“…did you see her tits? They’re like massive, man!”
“…keeps calling everyone honey…”
“…I think she’s a tranny….”
“…a dyke, maybe?”
“What’s going on?” Wolfram asked in bemusement as he gingerly balanced the tray
in his hands. He tried to reach for a bottle of water, but was sure he was
going to send it toppling to the floor at the rate things were going. Yuuri,
who was behind him, reached out for it and placed it on the tray, smiling
sheepishly at the cold look he received for his efforts.
“It’s the new lunch lady,” Yoichiro replied. He was standing before Wolfram and
the blond was painfully reminded of Keiichi’s statement regarding Yoichiro’s
interest in him. Wolfram could feel his cheeks darkening at the idea that
someone else could even entertain such thoughts. He guessed he ought to be
flattered that he was that attractive to others for he had never really paid
much attention to such things in the past.
Suddenly, he shivered and turned again to stare at Yuuri, certain that he would
see a frown of disapproval on the dark-haired boy’s face. But to his chagrin,
Yuuri was too busy looking for a good apple out of the pile and gave off no
vibes of having heard Wolfram’s thoughts about Yoichiro.
Or maybe he’s just hiding it. I think he’s getting good at masking his
thoughts from me now. Besides, it’s none of his business if I choose to go out
with Yoichiro since he’ll be with Keiichi.
“The new lunch lady?” he asked out loud. They were approaching the section
where the women standing behind the counters would dish out whatever concoction
had been prepared for them.
Yoichiro nodded and helped himself to a rice ball wrapped in cellophane. “Yeah,
I saw her passing by this morning. She’s definitely…eh…different.”
He laughed as Yuuri and Wolfram exchanged another puzzled look. They craned
their necks to see the woman in question, but they needn’t have bothered. There
was simply no way to miss the tallest woman in the group.
“Holy…”
“…crap!” Yuuri finished in slight awe as they finally came face-to-face with…
‘YOLANDA’ – was the name written on the gold badge attached to the heaving
bosom. And what a bosom it was! The boys couldn’t stop staring at it. They
looked…enormous!
“Oooh, if it isn’t my pretty darlings!”
Wolfram shuddered while Yuuri let out a breathless squeak as Yolanda leaned
forward to inspect them carefully. Her blue eyes were filled with amusement and
something else the boys couldn’t quite place and despite the makeup and
shocking orange hair, Yolanda could pass for a beautiful woman…if you liked the
big kind. She was dressed in the customary white smock and a hairnet, but her
exposed arms were quite…muscular.
“She must work out a lot,” Yuuri whispered into Wolfram’s ear, unaware of the
light shiver of delight it elicited from the blond. Wolfram wished Yuuri would
whisper in his ear again and again and again…
“And what can I get for you two?” Yolanda crooned in her too high-pitched
voice, batting her lashes and smiling ever so sweetly at both Wolfram and
Yuuri.
“Just the steak and rice,” Wolfram said briskly. He was getting a bit
uncomfortable under the intense scrutiny and there was something else about
this woman he couldn’t quite place a finger on. It felt as if he had met
Yolanda somewhere before. But that was impossible. He was sure he would have
been able to recognize a woman this…huge…at first sight.
“Steak and rice coming up!” Yolanda squealed and all but slapped the food onto
Wolfram’s plate with much gusto. “Enjoy! And what about you, handsome?”
Yuuri’s cheeks darkened and it took him almost a full minute to figure out what
he wanted. He just couldn’t tear his gaze from that chest. “Eh…eh…”
“He’ll have the same thing,” Wolfram demanded, nudging Yuuri gently. Geez,
get a grip!
Sorry, I can’t help it! Anyone that has the misfortune of getting hugged with
those things would die of suffocation!
Wolfram tried not to snicker as Yolanda’s eyes seemed to sparkle with
amusement. She served Yuuri with the same enthusiasm, almost spraying rice in
the boy’s face in the process.
“Enjoy your meal, my honeys!”
They both flushed at the endearment and were just about to head to their tables
when some older players behind them began to titter like teenagers. “Oooh,
lookit the queer honeys go! Oooh, Yolanda-chan, aren’t they so adooooorable!”
Wolfram fought back a growl and would have flipped them the finger if he wasn’t
already laden with a tray. However, what happened next had he and Yuuri gaping
in disbelief, for Yolanda had taken a ladleful of creamy chicken soup and
poured it all over the players’ heads and uniforms.
“Ooopsies!” she cried out in ‘horror’, her hand going to her mouth as everyone
else burst out laughing at the ridiculous sight the players made since they
were all covered with the thick liquid. “Clumsy me! I really should watch what
I’m doing next time!”
Both Wolfram and Yuuri looked at the woman in silent gratitude and were
rewarded with a wink which showed that Yolanda was definitely on their side.
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