This, Zoisite decided, was not an objectionable way to spend an evening.
Kunzite had come into his room some time earlier, though Zoisite could not be sure of just how much time had passed since then. The other man had been silent and stony as ever as Zoisite had looked up from his fantasies about killing a certain obnoxious auburn-haired Dark King he had the misfortune of knowing. Zoisite had been a bit surprised to see him, standing up from his vanity, and beginning to ask what he was there about. Zoisite never did manage to finish getting that sentence out as Kunzite wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him forward, making sure that Zoisite was well aware of what he was there about.
The pair had stumbled their way back to his bed soon after, divesting each other of their clothes as quickly as coordination could allow them. Even his hair came undone in the process, a fact that Zoisite couldn't help but be mildly irritated by. But he quickly forgot about it as Kunzite was on top of Zoisite, his weight only slightly unpleasant as he crushed his lips to Zoisite's, perhaps trying to wipe them off his face entirely. Zoisite didn't much care, sighing into his mouth and running his hands over Kunzite's back, studying its bones, its muscles, and its scars.
Kunzite's hands were much busier. They were on his neck, on his chest, on his hips, and just about anywhere else he could get too. Kunzite was not what Zoisite would often call a gentle lover, and he was reminded of this when Kunzite bit into his neck a bit harder than usual. Zoisite winced and gasped, unsure of whether or not he should register pain or pleasure. With Kunzite, the two often went hand and hand.
But again, Zoisite couldn't say he minded. He knew that he and the man moving above him both had their own motives for entering into this relationship and neither of them were entirely pure. Nevertheless, he could not deny the gratification he received from it, both instant and otherwise.
Zoisite pulled Kunzite's head away from his neck, pulling it down for another kiss. Kunzite's hands wound around the small of his back, and Zoisite arched upwards as if he were trying to physically mesh the two of them together. He wasn't, of course, but Zoisite didn't think he would mind the company. At least not Kunzite's company. Zoisite's brain started to run away with words like 'forever' and 'commitment' and other such things that would have frightened him into pulling away if it wasn't laughable. That wasn't what any of this was about.
Suddenly, Kunzite stilled, straightening a bit and looking off to the side. He grew pensive, his jaw-line becoming more defined as he clenched his teeth together.
Zoisite lay beneath him, his blood pumping and running an all manner of places other than his brain, and he did not immediately pick up on what Kunzite had realized immediately. Zoisite began to pout and said, "And just what is so interesting that--"
And then he realized what it was. He felt it just as clearly as he had felt Kunzite's weight atop him just a moment ago. It was like a light had gone off some hundreds of miles away, and someone had called to inform him about it.
Jadeite was dead.
It was a lot less anti-climactic than Zoisite had expected, but it didn't lessen the glee that he felt with the realization. Finally, that tow-headed bastard who had probably only gotten by on his looks up to that point was dead. Granted, it wasn't nearly as it would be to have Nephrite out of the way. That man had always had it out for him, whereas Jadeite had at least had the decency to wait before deciding that Zoisite was someone who could not be trusted. Nephrite's intuition was a problem, and his smugness was just so damn annoying that it made Zoisite want to spit poisonous nails into the other man's eyes while he sipped that expensive brandy.
But Zoisite was clever and hid his excitement from Kunzite. The smaller man was observant enough to know that even though Kunzite had been growing increasingly impatient with and even disappointed in Jadeite, there would still be some sense of loss. Jadeite had been his second-in-command, insufferable though he may have been. Showing glee over his death, even though he was disgraced, would bring Kunzite no pleasure.
Zoisite had always been able to pick up on subtle nuances in the behavior of others. He had to with his capacity for cruelty.
"We'd better get dressed," Kunzite rumbled, climbing off the bed and reaching for his pants, pulling them on one leg at a time. "Beryl will waste little time in calling you once she knows."
Zoisite straightened, running his hands through his hair in an attempt to force his hair back into its customary pony tail. "Are you going to tell her?"
Kunzite nodded silently, his eyes dark.
Zoisite slid off the bed, walking over to Kunzite from behind. He wrapped his arms around his bare waist, pulling the larger man towards him. Zoisite rested his cheek on his broad back, breathing in the scent of sweat and shadow. "It's going to be all right you know."
His partner didn't respond, momentarily frozen in the embrace. Seconds later, he exhaled, gently removing himself from Zoisite's arms. He finished dressing, and for the moment, Zoisite was content with watching his movements, quiet and deliberate, speedy without being rushed. It was a natural grace that Zoisite, a man who was naturally awkward who had practiced being otherwise, both envied and admired intensely. Then again, there was a lot about Kunzite that Zoisite envied and admired.
When Kunzite had finished fastening his cape, he turned back to Zoisite. He didn't quite smile, but Zoisite could tell that he was slowly on his way toward contentment again, a fact that Zoisite could pat himself on the back for. Kunzite reached out and stroked Zoisite's face, brushing the rough skin of his thumb over his partner's lips. Zoisite let his eyes flutter closed, his stomach flipping in a pleasant way. It was moments like these that Zoisite enjoyed the most. Kunzite seemed to care about him for awhile, and Zoisite could almost believe that this wasn't a ploy for power on his part and a necessary distraction for his leader and lover. It was almost, as he had told Nephrite and Jadeite some days before, beautiful.
But it was always only for a moment, and it was over all too soon.
Kunzite stepped away, perhaps surprised at his actions and perhaps simply remembering that he had other things to attend to. Either way, the suddenness of his movements was enough to make Zoisite feel a little embarrassed, and he immediately set to pulling his clothes on, far more frenzied than Kunzite ever would. He felt the other man watching him for a minute, and then a quick breeze as Kunzite turned to go.
"I'll see to Beryl," Kunzite said in his normal tone, a sound that filled Zoisite without unresolved vexation.
Zoisite did not even grunt, though he was not a man who grunted, as Kunzite walked forward and then teleported from the room. Zoisite's hands were shaking after he left, and he found it was difficult to fasten the buttons on his jacket. He had to stop and massage his fingers, sighing and muttering things to himself about being a stupid child and how he shouldn't get distracted. He could barely understand himself because he was just saying things, just letting his mouth do whatever it wanted to in order to fill the silence in the room
Because even though the exit had been a kind one, it didn't change the fact that Zoisite was alone again.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
This had to be cut because as much as I love gratuitous man sex, it really had no place in the chapter. Also, the two reaction scenes one right after the other was redundant and boring. Given that Nephrite's reaction to Jadeite's death is vitally important to the plot, it had to be kept in. So sadly, this had to be removed from the chapter. You have no idea how much it pained me to put it here.
