This Strange World Needs A Kicking! – Ch. 28
By Laura S. Fox
Copyright © 2021 Laura S. Fox
All Rights Reserved
Gay Romance
Intended for Mature Audiences Only
This story will contain graphic depictions of sexual intercourse, strong
language and it is not meant for readers who are less than 18 years of age.
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Chapter Twenty-Eight –
When You Become
"So, you beat up those
jerks to save me and now you don't even want to look at me?" Milo asked as he
turned Sebastian by grabbing him by the shoulder.
"No, I don't want to look
at you," Sebastian replied stubbornly. He truly hoped Tani
would be merciful and wise enough to let Milo go without learning the truth.
Something told him that Milo wouldn't take it lightly to having been fooled
into believing that, all this time, he had been together with his friend, Kai.
And it was enough that the boy was upset with him for other reasons, such as
breaking up with him without too many explanations.
Milo sighed. Even with
his eyes closed, Sebastian could feel the other's presence, his solid heat, the
appealing scent of his skin, and the warmth and kindness of his touch. It was
pure torture if he had ever known one.
"Fine. Then I'll just say
what I came here to say," Milo started.
"Wait," Sebastian
interrupted. "Are you feeling all right? That boy Chet --"
"Why don't you open your
eyes to check for yourself?" Milo challenged him. "You cared enough to put on
that display of a Kung-Fu fighter. Why don't you care just as much now?"
Sebastian closed his
fists. "I cannot."
"Maybe we could just tell
him --" Tani started.
"Tani,
quiet," Sebastian ordered.
Through some miracle, the
girl said nothing more.
"Something is seriously
off about you," Milo said. "And your sister. I can't recall her ever shutting
up because you told her to. Tani, what's going on?"
"Tani,
don't tell him anything," Sebastian insisted.
Closed eyes
notwithstanding, he could tell Kai's sister was dying to let it all out in the
open. But a gut instinct told him that it would be a terrible idea to drag Milo
further into this mess. It was enough that a thirteen-year-old now knew that
traveling between different worlds was possible, an astonishing discovery that
no one else was aware of in this dimension.
"You two are truly acting
like siblings," Milo let out in frustration. "I could always tickle you, you
know?"
"What? Tickle me?"
Sebastian asked, quite baffled by the idea.
He barely had time to
react when Milo quickly attacked his flanks, triggering an unbearable
sensation. The giggle that escaped his mouth was unforgivable. So, guided by
his honed instincts, he grabbed Milo by the wrists and wrestled him down to the
floor.
"Guys, this is getting
really awkward and X-rated," Tani scolded them.
"Don't you care there's a little girl in the room?"
"Little girl my ass,"
Milo snorted as he tried to fight back Sebastian's counterattack. "Just looking
at all those mangas spread on your bed right now is
making me blush," he emphasized the last words. "Hey, when did you get so
strong, Kai? And a Kung-Fu fighter?"
"He is not --"
"Tani,
shut it!" Sebastian yelled.
"Oh, hell, we're going to
get nowhere like this," Tani mumbled.
***
Kai couldn't keep his
eyes open as much as he wanted. The pain in his chest seemed to fade, too, so
that had to be Sebastian's body healing itself. It was so good to be OP.
Sebastian really had everything, a hunk's physique, uber
martial skills, ice magic, and an awesome guy like Pepin to love him. Yeah, he
would miss being an awesome prince from another world.
"Hey, Pepin," he called,
slurring the words, "where are you taking me?"
Pepin held him close.
"We're going to the Shimmering Cavern. I must save you."
"Save me? Ah, don't lie.
You just want to go there really bad," Kai teased and snickered. At least he
attempted to do that because the sound coming from his throat was a wheeze. He
could hear Pepin sniffle. "Hey, don't cry," he said softly. "Sebastian cannot
die. I mean, this body."
"Please, tell me your
name," Pepin said with pained determination. "Your real name. You owe me this
much."
"Yeah, okay," Kai agreed.
It wasn't like Pepin hadn't already guessed that he wasn't Sebastian. "Well, my
name is Kai and I'm from a place called Terra." That aspect seemed essential to
mention, and it sounded fancier than just saying Earth. "I'm actually an
awkward teenager who likes to play video games all night long." Speaking was
difficult, but Pepin deserved the truth. "And I look nothing like Sebastian.
I'm skinny and the only fights I ever get in are when I'm in front of a
computer, and I'm armed with a mouse. Disappointed yet?"
Pepin cradled him in his
arms. Kai would have comforted him, but he felt so weak and sleepy.
"How could I be
disappointed when I love you? And I don't understand half of what you're
saying. Especially about using a mouse as a weapon."
"Well, you don't actually
know the real me," Kai pointed out. A bout of cough shook him. "Did those
assholes give me the flu?"
"You like to joke so
much," Pepin said with tenderness. "Just stay with me a while longer. Kai," he
whispered his name.
Kai smiled, although even
something like that required a great deal of effort on his part. "I like how
you say my name," he confessed.
***
He woke up shivering. For
a few moments, he looked around confused. Was he going to fight the dark magic
assholes again? But no, he wasn't in the same place as before. Around him,
crystal-like formations gave a gentle glow. "The Shimmering Cavern?" he asked
tentatively.
Pepin appeared above him.
"Yes. Please, stay awake this time, Kai."
"All right. For you," he
added with something he wanted to sound as teasing.
Pepin grabbed his arm and
pulled him into a sitting position. "I prepared everything. But you'll have to
walk with me over there," he pointed at an altar, "and say the words I'm going
to tell you."
"Ah, the ritual. It's how
I'll get home, right?"
Pepin helped him by
putting an arm under him. "It will save you," he said with determination.
Kai didn't argue. It was
too tiring to do anything. Pepin had to drag him to the crystal altar. He
didn't protest when Pepin took one of his hands and placed it around a tiny
shard that felt as cold as ice. The shard was placed inside a small fountain
that looked like the prettiest thing he had ever seen in his life. Pepin
wrapped his hand around his, bringing some warmth.
"Kai, listen to me, even
if you don't believe it, please say the words I'm going to tell you, all
right?"
"Anything for you. Have I
told you you're the prettiest guy I've ever seen?"
"Yes," Pepin said
impatiently. "Now, please, Kai, say... say that you love me. Even if you have to
lie."
Kai laughed. "Pepin,
don't be so silly. I don't have to lie. I love you anyway." It had to be the
flu because he didn't feel like lying about that.
Pepin's eyes grew wide
and then filled with fondness. "And I love you," he said gently and pressed
their hands together over the shard.
Kai shivered at first as
the coldness of the shard appeared to intensify, but Pepin held his hand
wrapped around his, and soon the shiver he felt was replaced by something else,
a feeling of intense happiness and gratefulness. "Pepin, you must have the most
amazing magic," he whispered.
He didn't know if he was
falling or not. But his eyes were closing again.
***
"Just for how long are
you two going to love-wrestle each other on the floor in my room?" Tani complained.
"Until Kai admits that it
was a mistake to break up with me. And what were you afraid of, anyway? I saw
how you kicked Chet's ass like he was nothing," Milo said. "Damn, you're really
strong! How come I didn't notice? What kind of workouts you do?"
"Whatever is free on the
Internet," Sebastian replied promptly.
He increased the
pressure, wanting to overpower Milo and finish this foolish fight. The boy was
putting up quite a struggle, though, and his athletic prowess showed.
Tani
groaned. "You know what? I'm just going to tell you even if Seb
doesn't want to."
"Tani!"
Sebastian shouted again.
"Who is Seb? Do you have another boyfriend, Kai?" Milo asked, his
voice wounded.
It was so hard to do all
those things without looking at him once. Sebastian also needed to make Tani shut up, so he pushed Milo back and jumped to his
feet.
"He's Prince Seb--" Tani started when
Sebastian caught her and covered her mouth, making the rest of her words turn
into unintelligible mumbles.
Her eyes grew wide as she
looked at him, and then Sebastian realized that he had opened his in the
meantime. Tani caught his wrist and her muffled
protests intensified.
"He's what? A prince? Did
you rope your sister in your little make-believe, too?" Milo got to his feet by
the sounds he made.
Sebastian shook his head
to make Tani understand that she needed to stay
quiet, but she was nodding just as frantically to convince him otherwise.
"You two are a pair," Milo
said as he got near. "What's this whole story about a prince? Are you guys roleplaying? Like right now? It really shows that
you're brother and sister."
Sebastian closed his eyes
again. He could feel Milo's breath on his face. That was too close for comfort,
and he still needed to hold Tani. He could do many
things now, even in Kai's body, but he only had two hands.
He let out a distressed
sound as Milo shamelessly tried to push one of his eyelids up.
"I'll make you look me in
the eyes and tell me you don't love me--" Milo began. "Damn, what the hell?"
Sebastian opened both his
eyes to look at the other. Milo was a couple of feet away and staring at him in
disbelief. Only briefly because he soon sighed in relief. "Cool contacts. For a
moment, I thought your eyes turned truly blue."
Tani
found that moment to be perfect for releasing her mouth. "He's Prince Sebastian
of Ifigia, and he has badass ice magic!" she shouted
in one go without one break for breathing.
Milo crossed his arms and
began laughing softly. "Cool story, sis. But seriously, where did you get the
money from, Kai? Because I can almost swear your eyes now look completely
different. It's like they're burning blue. I've never seen anything like it.
Those contacts must have cost a fortune. Now, letting aside your crazy ideas
for cosplay, look at me and tell me you don't love me anymore and still want to
break up with me. Because nobody ever did such a crazy and awesome thing for me
as you did earlier today, and I don't buy it that you no longer want to have
anything to do with me."
Sebastian sighed. "Didn't
I tell you, Tani? No one in their right mind would
believe such a thing."
Tani
pursed her lips and frowned. "O.M.G., Milo, do you really have to be the aloof
guy in this story?"
"Story? Do you two have
an opening in your little play? All right, I'll consider it if you want me to
join you."
Tani
groaned and threw her hands down, making fists. "Doesn't he annoy you beyond
belief, Seb? How can you be in love with such a
complete airhead?"
"I don't know how. The
only thing I know is that I am," Sebastian replied.
Milo let his jaw drop but
exaggeratedly enough to convince those around him that he was faking it. Then
he cupped one ear and turned it toward him. "You are what? Let me hear that
again."
"I am," Sebastian said,
putting all his weight behind each word, "in love with you, Milo Bennett."
***
Summer hadn't always been
his favorite, especially during childhood. Camping in the woods and going to
fish with his dad, just the two of them, had felt a little boring, but now he
wished that those times were back.
Kai was pretty sure he
was in a dream. The sun was pleasant on his face. But there was also the
sensation of wet feet, and then he realized that he was up to his knees in
water.
"Just look at this, Kai."
He turned his head to see his dad reeling in a fish that had to have at most
two inches in length. "Isn't he a little beauty? Come on, give him a little
kiss."
Kai made a disgusted
face. "Ew, that's gross. Are we going to eat that?"
His dad laughed and
placed the fish back into the water. "No, we're only fishing for sport."
Kai surreptitiously
looked at his own hands. Definitely, he was no longer a kid, not the same age
he had been when going on these trips with his dad. Only rarely he dreamed of
his late father, and not just once, he had woken up afraid that he was
forgetting his face.
That was a chance to take
a good look at his parent's face once more. "Dad?" he asked tentatively.
He let out a sigh of
relief when he saw the same fine lines around the corners of his eyes, the big
bright smile, and the wiggling eyebrows that told him that his old man, as his
dad liked to call himself, was up to no good.
"Come here," his dad
urged him.
Kai groaned but moved
anyway. He grabbed the handle and listened as his dad explained how to make the
line travel farther. For his sake, he tried a few times, but it looked like he
was just as a complete klutz as ever. At least once, he almost got his dad's
fishing hat when swinging his arm back.
"No, like this," his dad
explained patiently.
"I have no idea how you
don't get bored explaining everything to me like this. I'll never do it right,"
Kai said.
"You will. It will just
take a few more tries," his dad encouraged him. "And that's what dads are for,
to never give up on their kids."
"Then I'm afraid I didn't
get that personality trait from you. Anything I do, I end up giving up," Kai
admitted.
He was in a dream, so it
was all right to say it, especially in front of his dad.
His dad laughed his low
gentle laugh and ruffled his hair. "You're young now. But you'll see how much
the world changes when you, too, become a dad yourself."
Kai tried another time,
and the line stretched in a perfect arc only to land at a good distance. "I did
it!" he shouted victoriously. "Dad, did you see--"
When he turned, his
father was no longer there.
***
How many times was he
going to wake up today without knowing where he was? Kai touched his head and
then rubbed his eyes. Ah, right, they were at the Shimmering Cavern, and
apparently, he liked to fall asleep on hard surfaces. So, still not home, and
his dream was quickly fading. There were noises around him, and then he noticed
Galien and Conrad hurrying toward him. "I know, I
know," he said, putting one hand up, "I shouldn't have gone against the dark
magic assholes by myself, blah-blah-blah. Hey, wait, how come you two are
here?"
Galien
stopped a few feet away from him and crossed his arms. "Pepin sent Adhe to get us."
"Ah, cool. By the way, I
think I killed all those jerks," Kai said. "I mean, I think because the last
one was pretty suspicious when I asked him about whether he was the last one or
not. Yeah, he looked like he was hiding something. Not that he showed much since
he was wrapped up like a mummy."
"You must be feeling
pretty good if you're talking smack, the language of barbarians, so freely."
"I guess." Kai touched
his chest, where that dagger had gone through, and only felt the blood dry on
the fabric.
"Allow me to inspect you
more closely, Your Majesty," Conrad said.
"He's all right for now,"
Pepin intervened.
Kai turned his head to
watch the beautiful servant walking toward them. He was clutching something in
his hand, pressed against his chest, and at a closer look, Kai realized that it
was the shard they had both touched earlier during the ritual. Pepin now wore
it around his neck on a leather piece of string.
"What happened to your
eyes?" Conrad asked as he got closer, ignoring Pepin. "And your hair?"
"What do you mean?" Galien came near, too. Conrad caught Kai's chin despite his
protests and turned his head. Galien suddenly pulled
Conrad back with all his strength, making the other stumble and fall on his
ass, and drew his sword, pointing it directly at Kai's neck. "What are you,
demon?" he shouted.
Kai had no chance to
intervene because Pepin pulled him into his arms and hid him quickly behind his
back. "You cannot touch him," the servant hissed at the two. "You are here to
pledge your loyalty to the new ruler of Ifigia."
"That," Galien hissed back, "is not Sebastian! What are doing,
Pepin, siding with our enemy like this? He must be with the House of Uxilan! His eyes are dark! And his hair! Look at it,
changing its color!"
"He's not with the House
of Uxilan," Pepin said with determination. "You
cannot kill him."
"Just watch me. Out of
the way, Pepin!"
"You cannot kill him, I
said," Pepin's voice grew louder, "because I'm having his child!"
"What?!" Conrad and Kai
both exclaimed at the same time.
Galien
stopped his tirade, remained silent for a few moments, and then let out a long
and weary exhale. At the same time, he lowered his sword. "Ah, well, Pepin, now
that's quite the surprise. And who might your chosen be, then?" It looked like
that simple declaration was enough for him to change his mind.
Kai was too busy to
process the new realization. When? How? Why? "My mom is so going to kill me
when she finds out I got a boy pregnant," he groaned and buried his face into
his palms.
"I'm not pregnant," Pepin
said slowly, like he thought Kai was a bit slow in the head.
Given the situation, he
surely felt like he only had half a brain.
Pepin showed him the
shard. "Here lies the next protector of Ifigia. He is
your son and mine."
Kai scratched his head.
"There's a baby? In there?"
Pepin closed his hand
over the shard. "I must protect him until the ice goddess decides to give him
life."
"Forgive my interruption,
Pepin," Galien said, "but how do you think Reya will react once she learns that you gave yourself to a
stranger instead of Sebastian?"
Conrad jumped into the
conversation. "How can Pepin have a child in this manner?"
Galien
turned toward him. "Well, Conrad, the reason why his mother and I, as well,
have insisted that Sebastian would finally bring Pepin to his bed and by his
side, was this. Pepin is a Lelian, and they're the
only ones capable of such an incredible feat not reserved to us, mere mortals."
Conrad narrowed his eyes.
"So that was why you were so bent on dragging me away from Sebastian? To secure
an heir and a future ruler for Ifigia?"
"At first," Galien said courteously. "But let's not dwell on how much I
want you right now. We have the more pressing matter of finding out who this
barbarian talking smack is. And why Pepin gave up on building a future with
Sebastian for him."
"He's not a barbarian,"
Pepin said impatiently. "He's from a place called Terra where people use mice
as weapons."
Kai put one hand on
Pepin's shoulder. "Let me try to explain before my head explodes. Really,
Pepin, you got us pregnant? Without letting me know first?"
"It was the only way I
could save you. Now you have the protection of the Shimmering Cavern. I fooled
you, yes, but I don't regret it," Pepin admitted. "And I'm not pregnant like
when women are with child," he cared to insist. He was even prettier when he
got all determined like this.
"Okay," Kai said. "Not
like I was expecting you to say sorry or anything. And I don't want you to say
sorry. Ah, what am I saying? Are we really going to be dads, you and I?"
"Hey, Terran,"
Galien called, "are you going to tell us how you got
here and managed to pass as Sebastian?"
"Well, you see," Kai said
and scratched his head, "one day I was minding my own business, and despite not
being hit by a truck or anything, I woke up in Sebastian's body, next to Conrad
who wanted to get freaky with me. And it happened a couple of weeks ago or
something? Could have been longer."
"Was that when you began
to reject my advances?" Conrad questioned. "Where is the real Sebastian?"
"I suppose," Kai continued,
"that he is about to fail the finals in my place. And he's probably having
shock after shock because of all the technology and stuff in my world that is
surely freaking him out."
Galien
exchanged stunned looks with Conrad. Surely, they couldn't understand what he
was trying to tell them.
"Sebastian and I must
have switched bodies," Kai explained. "But I should have said it first. My name
is Kai Martin, I'm eighteen years old, and I'm just a totally normal, average
high school student."
"A high school," Galien said slowly. "Are you a scholar?"
Kai sighed. Well, this
was going to take a while. "Not really. Actually, I won't be too pissed about
Sebastian failing my finals since that might have happened anyway."
"A most powerful curse
must have been cast on the prince," Conrad said. "And this boy appears to be
innocent of any involvement with it."
"Normally, I would
disagree with you, Sir Conrad," Galien replied, "but
this story is so astonishing that I can only imagine that this boy was used
merely as a tool of convenience."
"Hey, don't call me `this
boy' like I'm ten or something," Kai protested. "But it's true that I have no
idea that I would land here, and in my world, such a thing happens only in mangas and anime series."
"What are anime series?" Galien asked, his eyes filled with curiosity.
"Cool stuff that I should
be able to show to you just so that you can understand how cool it is," Kai
said promptly.
Galien
pinched the bridge of his nose. "What a dumbfounding situation," he mumbled
under his breath.
Kai was about to pitch in
with some explanations of his own when he felt his body trembling. Hey, what
were they saying? That his eyes and hair were getting dark?
Could it mean... that he
was turning into himself?
"Kai, what is wrong?" he
heard Pepin calling for him.
***
"This dude is not my
brother," Tani insisted, pointing at Sebastian and
swinging her arm wildly. "I'm telling you, I shit you not, he's this awesome
prince from a fantasy land!"
"Tani,
don't say `shit'," Sebastian chided her. "And it is impossible for Milo to
accept such a thing. You're still a child and that's why you do."
Milo came closer to him
again. "Kai," he began, but then he stopped. "What--"
Tani
squealed in delight. "Your hair is growing, Seb!"
He stared in disbelief as
the hair on his head began to lengthen. He caught a strand between his fingers
and watched it turn into the familiar platinum color he knew so well.
"How is this happening?" Milo
whispered. "Kai!" he shouted in alarm.
Sebastian registered
faintly how both Milo and Tani hurried to him to
catch him as he was falling.
TBC
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