Body Heat

All was completely quiet in Kong. Hallways were empty; which made them even more eerie all the while. The car park was silent, and the acrimonious Winnebago that was regularly blasting music was subdued and adamant. The lounge, which was the customary retreat for the residents living in the building when they were bored stiff, was vacant and hushed. Even the outside of Kong; where the rain constantly poured from the muggy gray skies and thunder cracked and lightening flashed frequently, was mute. Instead, the ragging storms were replaced by gentle white flakes of icy cold snow that fell rhythmically and landed on the landfill and Kong tenderly. It made the structure look rather striking under the blanket of snow.

It was close to midnight; Noodle had already trailed off the her room in a tired heap, and Russel had been asleep in his room since nearly ten o'clock. The remaining bandmembers were still up; roaming about.

A door to a lone balcony suddenly opened, and Murdoc stumbled outside; no coat, no gloves, no shirt for that matter. He staggered out onto the snowy balcony with only his trousers and Cuban boots on his body. To the looks of it, he didn't really seem to mind the burning, bone chilling cold, even as the ice that fell from the heavens kissed his bare chest. He wanted to escape the stifling, warmer-than-usual house for just a few minutes. It was strange; he wasn't at all weary. He took a nice, long drag on the cigarette in his talons and blew out several perfect rings of smoke.

Murdoc was in solitude for many moments, trying to resist his every urge to shiver in the blistering frost. But he didn't really want to go back inside. It rarely ever snowed like it had that night, and he wanted to enjoy every second of it before the rain and storms returned. He was so lost in thought that he hadn't noticed the balcony door open once more.

The tall figure that stood before the bassist sported a blue sweatshirt that matched she shade of his azure hair. He just remained motionless for a while until he called out to the older man.

"M-Muds?"

The Satanist turned slowly to the sound of the singer's voice, and the gave him a deathly glare that chilled his very soul. He snuggled his body tighter in his sweatshirt, mostly due to the uncomfortable stare he was under. He circled his attention from Murdoc to the lands below, entirely covered in white beauty.

"Wot do you wont faceache?

2D looked up at Murdoc with an expression of innocence and confusion on his face. He fiddled with the strings on his sweatshirt and bit his lip.

"I … ehh … didn't know where you were …" his voice was soft and calm as he spoke to the bassist and his deep, baggy eyes (err … eyeholes …) met with Murdoc's mismatched ones. "W-why you out here … in the cold? You don' even 'ave a jacket or nuffin' …" He had a look of sympathy on his face as he watched the body of his friend start to shake.

"I don' n-need a j-j-jacket."

"Wot you talkin' about?" 2D asked, concerned, as he walked closer to the trembling body just a couple feet away from him. "Lookit! You're shiverin'!" He wrapped his arms tighly around the Satanist's quaking corpse in hopes of warming him up, and rested his head in the crook of his neck. Murdoc's eyes began fluttering shut at 2D's gentle touch. He knew that he should have shoved the singer to the ground as soon as he'd got within arm's reach of him, but Murdoc didn't want 2D to let go, no matter how awkward it was; 2D's body heat warmed the bassist up in such a way he had never experienced before. No one ever really dared to get so close with him. And somewhere, far in the back of his mind, Murdoc wanted to just wrap his bare arms around the innocent keyboardist. He just wanted to be able to embrace 2D as he was embracing him. But he knew that if he stood there and let the singer hold him close, he would be sending all the wrong messages that not even he was sure of yet. So with a grimace, he growled and threw 2D to the floor of the terrace.

"Oi! … Wot da 'ell, Murdoc?" 2D asked, now flat on his back and rubbing his aching head in pain. His vision was slightly blurred from his skull's collision with the concrete floor of the veranda, but he could just make out Murdoc's figure slowly creep to him and loom over his quaking, now terrified body. He found himself nose-to-nose with the bassist when his eyesight finally cleared. The singer smiled half-heartedly.

"Look b-boy," Murdoc started, teeth chattering away from the cold, "I d-don't need no friggin' j-j-jacket, and I d-deffinatly don't n-n-need you cuddling up t-to me." His eyes narrowed at the young man. "O-k-k-kay?"

"Ehh … uhh … ok. S-sorry."

2D rose to his feet once Murdoc backed away from him and turned around to lean on the railing. Stuart watched in pain as his friend continued to shiver and shake. It was a mystery to him how the older man could withstand the cold. But knowing that he couldn't convince Murdoc to return inside, he bit his bottom lip, opened the balcony door, and exited the terrace.

---

Only a few moments went by, and by that time, Murdoc was shivering violently and his teeth were clenched tightly to keep them from clattering. But he did not want to go back inside.

This time, when the door to the balcony opened, Murdoc had noticed, and he defensively turned on his heels, only to come face to face with the same dimwitted singer who had confronted him just minutes ago. His gentle hands were hidden behind his arched back, and he had a cigarette tucked between his soft, pale lips. He walked slowly up to Murdoc.

"Damnit, Stu, w-wot d-d-do ya w-wont now?" Murdoc asked, with a sense of slight frustration and bewilderment in his tone.

2D opened his mouth to speak to his friend, but stopped suddenly as he looked somewhat admiringly at Murdoc. He perceived that Murdoc's cheeks were a pretty shade of pink, which was sort of unusual for the Satanist. 2D, with his mouth still hanging open, cocked his head childishly and stared at the older man in wonder. Meanwhile, the bassist smirked indifferently as he shivered and slapped 2D in the skull to wake him up.

"I said, w-wot doya wont?" Murdoc repeated.

"Oh … uhh …" 2D started, rubbing where Murdoc had abruptly struck him, "I ehh, know you didn't wanna come back inside, and … I didn't wont you ta catch cold or somfink … so … ehh … I … uhh … decided to bring you a jacket ta warm you up." He stuttered as he spoke, and he blushed a bit; hoping Murdoc would think it was just the frost. He removed his hands from behind his back and held a tattered gray jacket in his grasp. He looked at Murdoc, somehow pleading with his eyes that he'd just take it.

Murdoc chuckled, and then pushed 2D away from him, sending him stumbling backwards. He didn't want to give in to the singer, and he faced the landfill that was coated in snow; he leaned on the railing as he felt his body sting and blaze with each snowflake that touched his numbed skin, yet not once did he let out a single wince or yell in agony.

2D, with newly regained balance, reached for the fag hanging from his lips, gripped it in his elongated fingers and let it fall to the landfill below, only to burn out as soon as it met with the white sheet of ice that lay on top of it.

Murdoc, still quaking from the scalding ice that came in contact with his body, tried to push 2D out of his mind. With every fiber in his body, he wanted to snatch the damn jacket out of 2D's clutches and wrap it around himself. Even more so, he wanted the young man to hold him close again; his sweet scent of butterscotch enclosing around him. Lost in his thoughts once again, Murdoc jumped in surprise when something warm covered his back and shoulders. He sighed in pleasure as 2D leaned on his shoulders and draped his arms around the crooks of his neck.

Murdoc struggled to keep a straight face as 2D cautiously brought his face down to his ear.

"Yeah, ya need dis jacket. I know ya don't wont it … but you need it. So jus' take it. Mmkay?" He whispered. He heard Murdoc chuckle in response, which made him smile. Then, the singer pecked the Satanist's neck ever so gently, making chills run down Murdoc's spine. He was tempted to hit 2D right then and there, but he overcame the feeling and it slowly melted away as 2D continued to kiss Murdoc. Feeling a usual pleasing sensation fill his lower body, Murdoc let out a small gasp. 2D stopped what his was doing. He smiled yet again and kissed Murdoc on the neck one more time before he let go of him. He circled around and started to make his way toward the balcony door, as Murdoc watched him go with a provoked expression on his face.

2D smiled widely, knowing that both he and the bassist craved more.

"When you're … ehh … actually ready to come back inside, I'll be in my room." 2D said with a giggle, as he opened the door, and entered Kong.

Murdoc stared at the spot where 2D had stood and sneered. Then, he snuggled himself tighter in his jacket, which had the slight, comforting smell of smoke and butterscotch.