Hunted

Something about that guy. Nele couldn't put his finger on it, but he couldn't get that guy out of his head for some reason. Was it how nice he was, or how attractive, or maybe just the sound of his voice. No, it was a combination. Why was it so hard to stop thinking about Kiyoshi? After sitting for drinks and talking about games, their goodbye had been disappointing, not that he had any expectations in the first place. Didn't even know why he was disappointed to leave it like that.

Now he sat at home in their spacey apartment. In the nook between his arm and his stomach was one of the orphaned kittens from the shelter he worked at. He had taken a batch of 4-week-olds home because they needed constant attention at that point. It was fast asleep, having just been fed and cleaned. Leandor, his roommate, wasn't exactly an animal lover, but even he didn't ever refuse to lend a hand now and then when it came to the kittens. At the moment, the flashy blond was emerging from the bathroom, freshly showered and dressed in form-fitting satins. Looked like he was getting ready to go to a party.

"How was your date with the cute Japanese boy?" Leandor pulled a comb through his hair as he gazed critically into the mirror. "Shall I be expecting wedding bells in the near future?"

Nele opened his mouth, ready to give his friend an earful, but quickly remembered the kitten. In an aggravated whisper, he responded, "It wasn't a date. Shut up, you she-devil."

"Oh? Looked to me like it was." Finally satisfied with the direction of his hair, the taller man took a classic black belt out of the closet and slipped it into place. In a sing-song voice, he continued. "My little Nele is growing up so fast! Did he kiss you yet, or is that going to be the theme of date number two?"

"Quiet down, you obnoxious cow. Where are you going in that flamer getup?" Nele fought back a smile. Sure, his friend was just teasing, but the idea of having an actual date with Kiyoshi didn't fail to excite him. No fair to fix him with more delusions. "Don't tell me you've located another peewee baseball team to defile?"

Leandor chuckled lightly and shook his head. "It's much too late in the night for baseball. No, I'm going to church, can't you tell by my conservative outfit?" The satin in question was anything but conservative. "I have all sorts of fun things to confess. The priest will never guess I'm an atheist, and lord knows I will really enjoy those altar boys."

"... For fuck's sake!" Nele groaned in disgust, only to stop when he noticed the tiny yellow eyes looking up at him in fear. He muttered an apology to the kitten and stroked its side as he glared at his roommate. Voice back in the whisper, he demanded, "Go get hit by a truck, you fucking pervert."

"Love you too, Smurf."

~~~~~

Church. What a wonderful institution it was. Of course, all those old men were a bit annoying, but with all those ripe youthful boys, the pickings were so very fruitful. Even in the evening there were plenty of young teens. As sad as it was, Leandor tried his best not to venture younger than fourteen. He knew it was against the law, and by many opinions, offensive to society as a whole, but that had never bothered him. Made it more of an adventure.

He walked through the large doors and listened to his own patent leather boots hitting the perfectly polished floors. It was his favourite church in the city, not just because of the gorgeous high ceilings, but because everything was always so clean. Wasn't a speck of dust to be found, even at the end of the day. With a satisfied smile, he found a seat at the front next to another man. A rather good-looking man, to say the least, but a little older than his typical tastes.

Flashing a smile, he looked the stranger over. Priest wasn't even talking yet, but some people were coming in. "Oh I'm sorry. This seat isn't taken, is it?"

As the red-haired man turned to face him, Leandor noticed the large crucifix around his neck. "No." He said simply, giving the blond a long look before turning his attention back to the preparations at the front.

Friendly guy. Leandor raised his brow in an unimpressed gesture before looking away. Oh well, if the guy didn't want to make nice, that was his own problem. There was much more interesting people in the room, like a group of highschoolers walking in. "Well, well, well. Would ya look at that." He smiled playfully as he watched the young people find seats a few pews away. "I could have sworn I've seen one of them bent over for the baker last week, and now he's with a girl? Youth these days are really lacking in judgement, aren't they?"

At first, the guy next to him seemed to ignore him, but then decidedly turned and spoke none too quietly. "The society is in a sad state. So much sin, and people don't even flinch. Homosexuality is wrong."

Maybe he was interesting after all. That successfully gained all of Leandor's undivided attention, and a curious grin. "I agree with you whole-heartedly. Society is in shambles." His voice lowered deviously as he added, "and Homosexuality is so very impure. Deliciously so."

With a grimace radiating distaste, the redhead turned away again. It was an easy guess to make that he wasn't all too happy about that comment. As the priest got ready to start, the guy lifted his head, seemingly with more attention than could be healthy.

So devoted. It was almost admirable. If only that devotion could be pointed in a more worthwhile direction. Leandor gazed at the man a bit longer before turning his gaze over to the attractive teens, but they failed to pique his interest currently, as strange as that was. He spoke again, only this time in a hushed whisper, "I apologise. That was very rude of me. I'm simply new to this whole religion thing and when one cleans their act up... Well, you know the saying. 'Old habits die hard'? I didn't mean to offend you."

Apparently, apologizing was well received. The response came in a low voice, head turned just barely enough to direct the air stream in the right direction. "The path to the salvation is long and hard, but you'll be rewarded in heaven."

He was tempted to mention he preferred his 'paths' short and easy, but managed to keep it to himself. Forcing a smile, he nodded in acknowledgment to what the man said, and then let his gaze wander to some altar boys that finally showed up in his line of vision. Looked far too young. Shoot. A wasted trip then? No, at least he had some entertainment from the fool beside him. "Hard is an understatement. My sins are not easy to wash away... You look familiar. Have we met before?"

The man next to him shrugged. "If you've been around here much, that doesn't sound too unlikely." A cough was heard, and the Priest soon started talking. An almost creepy calm settled in the redhead's expression, clearly absorbing the message with great appetite.

Leandor got the feeling if he tried to keep the bullshit conversation going, it would be pointless and ignored. He leaned slightly over to whisper into the amusing stranger's ear. "You see, my sin is an insatiable fetish for deeply religious redheads. Just seeing the way you listen to the priest is making me unbearably hard." He flashed a sweet smile and then got to his feet. He had been there long enough and didn't want to bother sitting through the whole snorefest.

~~~~~

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

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Passing_Breeze: Oh, Nele - the redhead - you'd better get used to him. You'll see a lot of him in the future :) For example, in this and the next chapter!