"Confessional Booth--snippet to the fic 'A Most Dangerous Game'"

By: Miracle Shining

WARNINGS: AU AND ANGST!!!! UNBELIEVABLE ANGST...maybe a little LIME, but just a tiny bit...

AUTHOR'S NOTES: No Slayers peeps belong to me, but this piece of fiction does! The direct quote from the song in this piece belongs to the writer and respective companies, 'cuz I'm not supposed to say what the song is just yet! =^.^=

*****

Zelgadiss was getting impatient. It was now three a.m. and there was no sign of Gourry. It had become a nightly ritual for them, just around 2:30 a.m. for Gourry to stop the elevator and they would talk.

"More like self pleasure with words as a bonus," Zelgadiss mused.

Zel's fiancee, Lina, still did not know about his nightly rendevous with the mysterious blonde haired young man. Besides, they weren't actually doing anything, and it was not like Zel made any real point to go and find Gourry after he left the elevator.

Zelgadiss felt a frown crease his face suddenly. That last thought wasn't exactly true. Zel had went to find Gourry's apartment one night and had heard a terrible arguement occuring inside. He had then heard something being broken and almost kicked the door in to see what was wrong. But, he couldn't. After all, what Gourry chose to do and with you was none of his business. In least, it shouldn't have been, but it was becoming his business.

"He's half an hour late. Where is he?" Zel began to fidget more.

It wasn't that he was just interested in the self pleasure sessions that they shared via the intercom and video camera any more. He actually found himself missing Gourry, especially as of recently when Gourry would just talk to Zel, not even always sexual, but just talk to him. That was something that Lina never did, even after sex with Zel, she just went right to sleep.

Zelgadiss's quick blue eyes immediately caught the flash of gold as it literally flurried by the camera in the main lobby. He felt his heart jump into his chest and quickly pushed his chair over to screen number five, staring into it intently. The door to the elevator flew open and the golden haired man stepped inside, hitting the button quickly, shadowing his face from the camera. Zel suddenly felt a lump form in his throat. Something wasn't right.

The chimera said nothing, keeping his hands still as he saw that the man in the elevator made no move toward the elevator buttons, no motion that he was going to stop the elevator. Zelgadiss grew anxious as the numbers continued to ascend on the door, and still he was not moving. Zel's fingers twitched suddenly and he found his hand reaching over to strike the emergency stop system himself when the the young man suddenly shot out his hand and struck the button, bringing the elevator to an ear splitting, screeching hault.

Zel shook his head, his ears ringing from the noise of the stop. The elevator was a mere foot from reaching the young man's floor. The chimera swallowed, his finger now resting on the intercom. He found himself more hesitant by the minute, as the gold haired man was not moving again, his hand still covering part of his face. Slowly, Zel struck the button.

"Gourry?" he barely whispered.

"I don't want to talk to you now." came the flat answer.

Zelgadiss blinked, unsure if he had heard the blond correctly, but Gourry was still standing in the middle of the elevator, hand over his face.

"Why did you stop the elevator then?" Zel responded quietly.

"Isn't that what I'm supposed to do? Isn't that what you wait for? Isn't it so you can get off in that little room of yours?" Gourry hissed.

Zelgadiss sat back, stunned. Gourry had never spoken to Zel ever in that manner, let alone meant every word of it. He felt himself shaking in his chair, but pressed the button again.

"I'm going to start the elevator again, then." Zel's voice cracked, despite his best intentions.

"You do that..." came the almost dead response.

Zelgadiss barely felt himself move to touch the button to restart the elevator when he saw Gourry's hand come down from the side of his face. Zel felt his stomach twist immediately, and his heart seem to dissolve into his feet.

The blonde had a huge black and blue bruise that encircled his uncovered left eye. Below the huge bruise was a large cut that was still dripping blood from it, and below that was another equally as awful bruise gracing Gourry's lower cheek and chin. Zel froze in his seat, unable to move to strike the button, and right then unable to breathe.

Almost as if aware that Zel was staring at him, Gourry immediately covered up his face again and turned to the camera.

"Stop looking at me..." he hissed.

"Gourry...your cheek..." Zel whispered over the intercom, not meaning for Gourry to hear it.

The blonde's eyes grew wide and he suddenly stared directly into the camera.

"I SAID STOP LOOKING AT ME!!"

In a sudden burst of energy, Gourry struck at the camera, tossing the machine to the side, making it face the wall of the elevator, cracking the lense. The result was a sudden burst of blaring static in Zel's ears and a small window of white noise before the camera came into focus again. Zel sat silently, trying to calm his pulse in his veins. He didn't know what to do then, but he knew Gourry would do something bad if he let him go.

Gourry sunk down the side of the elevator, clutching his now bruised hand and wrist against his wounded cheek. Zel could hear him softly sobbing, and came to the conclusion that Gourry was near the speaker. Taking a slow, deep breath, Zelgadiss pushed the intercom button again.

"Gourry?..."

"Go away, Zel...please, go away..."

"You stopped the elevator, Gourry. I don't think you want me to go away."

"Yes...y-yes I do...I...I..." Gourry's words trailed off as they morphed into sobs that wrenched Zel's insides apart.

The chimera tried to bat back the tears that were forming in his eyes. Slowly, carefully choosing his words, Zel spoke again.

"Who, Gourry?"

The blonde was silent against the intercom wall. Zel waited, trying to be patient with himself and with Gourry.

"...who what?..." he finally whispered back.

"You know who...Your lover did that to you, didn't he?..."

There was a long space of silence then and Zelgadiss was sure that this would be the end of their bizarre relationship. After a few more moments, the chimera readied himself to push the elevator button to start it again.

"...yes..."

Zel froze, his body seeming to turn into stone. He glanced back at the screen, but since Gourry had hit it, he could only see wall. He didn't know the expression of the other man's face, didn't know his reaction to all of Zel's words. All Zelgadiss could do was hope that what he did now could save Gourry from himself.

"How long has he been hurting you, Gourry?"

"I...I don't want to talk about it..."

"Gourry...please..." Zel softly asked, trying to be as gentle as possible.

"No...I..." Zelgadiss heard Gourry sigh softly, a hiccup from the crying mixed in with it. "Two months..."

"He's been hurting you for two months now?" Zel whispered back, trying to push down the fury inside of his blood.

"It...It wasn't so bad at first...Just a little rough grabbing and stuff...I mean...I mean I'm pretty kinky...I don't...I don't think I really knew if it was abuse...Then he started to bruise me...and then he sprained my wrist one night...and tonight...tonight he cut my face...he...he said if anyone was to have my beauty it was him...and he wanted to mark me...so...so I'd always be h-his..."

"He cut you so you'd scar..." Zel choked on those words alone.

"He...he wanted to make sure I'd forever be his...but I ran away...I ran back here...and he'll find me soon...oh gods, he'll find me and he'll kill me..."

Zelgadiss heard the sobs begin to crack through Gourry's voice. He didn't need the camera to already know the state that Gourry was in.

"Gourry? Please, let me help you..."

"What can you do, Zel? I mean, what the hell can you do? You've got your fiancee, you've got your life, I'm just a little extra wet dream for you free of charge!..."

Zel flinched at that comment, but kept himself steady. If Gourry was in danger, he was going to make sure he was getting out alive.

"Let me walk you to your room tonight..."

There was another long pause and he could swear that Gourry had stop breathing.

"The space between us, the wicked lies we tell, and hope to keep us safe from the pain..." Gourry suddenly said very quietly into the intercom.

"This is no lie, Gourry, we're strange allies, you and I...Please, let me help you...Let me take you to your room."

Zelgadiss waited as he heard slow soft movement and then glanced down at his screen as he saw a hand move up and move the camera back to it's original position. Gourry stared up at it, his eyes red from tears, his cheek torn and bruised, his clothing ripped and his hair matted in small strands, some coated with the blood of his wound.

"You want to walk this to it's room?" he bitterly said.

"No, I don't want to walk 'it' to 'it's' room...I want to walk the beautiful young man I see to his room..."

Zel couldn't believe those words fell from his lips. He felt an indistinct shiver of pleasure shoot up his back as Gourry stared wide eyed at the camera and slowly touched his cheek again, and then nodded.

"All right...Start the elevator and take me to my room..."

Zel nodded, even though he knew Gourry couldn't see. He started the elevator and looked back at the screen, seeing that Gourry was watching him as the elevator made it's last foot crawl to the top. The doors opened slowly.

"Just stay there, Gourry, I only have to come down from up here about two flights."

Gourry nodded and Zelgadiss quickly moved from the screen. Pulling open the door, the chimera made his way down the two flights of dark stairs and opened the door to Gourry's floor. Peering down the hall, he made out Gourry's foot sticking slightly out of the elevator. Quietly, he walked part way down the hall, and then softly spoke.

"You can come out of there, Gourry. I'll walk you to your room."

The blonde slowly peered his head out and blinked, staring at Zelgadiss. Slowly, he stepped out of the elevator, and very cautiously walked toward the chimera.

"You...you're Zelgadiss Greywars?..."

Zel pushed his security shirt down a little bit and nodded, coughing a bit.

"Yah, I'm not the best thing in the world, but I'm the one you've been talking too all this time."

Gourry finally stopped in front of Zel, about a foot seperating them and just looked at the chimera, his gaze unreadable.

"Gourry, we need to get you to your room so you can wash off your cheek and get it bandaged..."

Zelgadiss didn't have a chance to say anything else as the tall, lanky blonde wrapped his arms around Zel's neck and leaned down, catching the chimera in a deep, demanding kiss. Zel stumbled backwards and to the side, his back being pinned against the wall as the kiss continued, seeming to drown out all of the chimera's rational thought.

Gourry's body ground against Zel's almost desperately, the golden haired young man's lips not letting go of Zel's for even a moment, inhaling the musky scent of Zel's neck and the citrus touched smell of Zel's hair brushing his forehead.

Zel finally managed to break the kiss, Gourry whimpering.

"...no..." Gourry whispered, trying to kiss Zel's lips again.

The chimera swallowed, gently stopping Gourry by resting his hands on Gourry's shoulders and applying light pressure. The tall blonde looked as though he was going to start crying and Zel could see that Gourry's legs were shaking.

"G-gourry...Please, I'm engaged...I just came down to walk you to your room..." Zel said softly, but he found himself longing to kiss those lips again.

Gourry pulled back some, the tears in his eyes as he reached up to cover his cheek again, his long blonde bangs covering his right eye, matted with some blood from his cheek.

"Y-yah...of course..." Gourry responded barely and turned from Zel, quickly walking to his door. Zelgadiss barely caught up with him as Gourry fumbled with the pass key until it went inside. He quickly went in through the door and was ready to close the door behind him when Zel stuck his foot in.

"Gourry...don't do this..."

"You walked me to my room, Zel...and we've only known each other through words and fantasies...that's all you wanted any ways..." Gourry replied and tried to shut the door again.

"You know that isn't true..."

"If it isn't, then you wouldn't still be engaged...thank you for walking me to my room, good night Zelgadiss..."

Gourry went to push Zel's foot out for a third time when the chimera caught him by the wrist. Gourry flinched instinctively and Zel loosened his grip, seeing the bruises that were already there. Feeling his guts suddenly flip over inside of him, Zel began to back away from the door, leaving Gourry to stand there staring at him.

"Gourry, I didn't mean to grab you..."

The tall blonde stared at Zel, his sapphires as blue and as hard as Arctic ice.

"Of course you didn't, Zel...No one ever 'means' to do anything to anyone..." he responded coldly.

Zel felt himself shatter as he watched Gourry closing the door. Unable to take it, he suddenly stepped forward, slamming his foot in between the door again and pushing the door open. Gourry squeaked in shock as Zel's arms came around Gourry's waist tightly, moving up enough to capture Gourry's mouth with his.

Gourry almost stopped breathing this time and felt his hands shaking as his unsuredly rested them on Zel's shoulders. He felt a hot tongue suddenly pressing into his mouth and Gourry gladly parted his lips, moaning as Zel's tongue played slowly over his. Neither had heard the elevator make the descent back down to the bottom floor, nor did they hear the elevator begin it's ascent upwards again. They only felt each other, the careful roaming of hands and now of lips.

Zel began to suck on Gourry's throat as Gourry leaned forward enough to do the same to Zel. The chimera trembled, all the secret fantasies he and Gourry had talked about when they were pleasuring themselves in the elevator and the security room coming to light. He gasped as Gourry bit down lightly and Zelgadiss did the same. He slowly opened his blue eyes and immediately stopped, pulling back suddenly as the elevator stopped, the doors opened, and a small red head stepped out of the elevator with a purple haired, purple eyed man following closely behind her.

"ZEL!!" Lina suddenly burst out, the other man's grip on Lina's back pocket loosened.

Gourry turned around and his eyes went wide with fear as he stared at the red head. Lina's eyes grew wide, a fire suddenly flaring in them.

"...you..." she hissed.

Gourry stared at the small woman, his legs trembling.

"...hello, lina...hello, xellos..." he softly said.

Zelgadiss stared as Lina stood, shaking in anger and Xellos looked at Zel, a secret smile on his face.

THE END OF THIS SNIPPET!

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