Home... // Kota

[Keeley Macpherson]

One bag, a kitten in each of his jacket pockets and a motorcycle helmet. That was all Kee had brought with him to his new school. His parents had packed him off after finding a johnny in his wallet. If they'd found the cigarettes in his pocket he'd probably still be in Glasgow.

He was already annoyed with this country; no one could figure out what he was saying, because of his thick glaswegian accent. A few times, he'd slipped into full on Glascaranto - that strange mix of Scots-English, Lallans, Gaelic and Highland which made the Glaswegian dialect so unique - just for giggles.

He looked at the key in his hand, and up at the number on the door in front of him. This looked like the place. He opened the door and looked around. Well... it'll have to do. he thought, slinging his bag into a corner and slumping down on the sofa. He was careful to avoid squishing either Styx or Solo.

"Honey, I'm ho-ome" he called, not really expecting anyone to be in. Hell, if he knew anyone in this town he'd be out somewhere, doing something - or prefferably someone. He tipped his head back, looking at the room from another angle, as the kittens squirmed by his sides. He wasn't sure whether or not they'd be allowed here, but he'd brought them anyway. They were like a security blanket - if he was looking after them he couldn't miss home too much.

[Dakota Gairden]

Dakota sat on his bed, typing again at his laptop as Vincent laid in his lap, purring. It was a normal day like every other, Dakota had reached his fifth chapter in his book. He was smiling but would frown when he couldn't think of anything. Signing he rubbed his temples. it was hearing another voice in the room that caught him by surprise. He chuckled a little it was rather amusing. He got off his bed, wearing a regular t-shirt and some pajama pants. He wore no socks, or shoes, just his bare feet. He opened his door to see the newcomer and quickly took in what he wore. What caught his attention where the two kittens that seem to pop out of the boy's pockets.

Well well..looks like you have company Vinny.. He said smiling, leaning down and picking up the black kitten with it's collar as it mewed at him. He didn't think the other student he shared the dorm with was here, but in fact only him. He cocked his head. ..You must be the newcomer... I believe you'll be rooming with me. He couldn't believe he said anything really, but after writing, he felt, well a whole lot better. He felt as Vincent made his way out of his masters arms and onto his shoulder, mewing and sniffing the air as he seemed to see the other two kittens.

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[Keeley Macpherson]

Kee was getting ready to take a nap. He'd settled himself in to the sofa, squirming to get comfortable. He'd only ridden a few miles on his Spyder to get here, but it was enough to get him feeling sleepy. Besides, he was still under the assumption that there was no one else in. So when he heard a voice, and an accent to boot, he sat bolt upright, hands on his pockets to keep the cats there still.

Looking around, he spied a young man around Kee's own age. He grinned, watching the cat climb his shoulder. "Newcomer I am, friend." he said, eyes still on the cat. He stood, arms folded, and walked around to the back of the sofa, leaning against it. "Kee Macpherson." he introduced himself, then added "Kee, Big Mac or Mac. P to my friends." he said, his accent rolling off of his tongue easily. "These here" he indicated the kittens in his pockets are Styx and Solo. Hope your wee man likes playmates." he raised an eyebrow. If the black kitten were to take a dislike to either of his girls Kee wouldn't be happy. He wrapped his hand around Styx's small body, picking her up and holding her to his chest, the wilder of the sisters eager to explore her new world.

[Dakota Gairden]

Vincent, a very rambunctious kitten was eager to meet the other kittens. They were younger than him, and Dakota was the one that knew that. He winced when the cat jumped from his shoulder and down to the floor, meowing and rubbing agaisnt Kee, like he was asking to meet the other kittens. ..They'll get along fine. Vincent is used to my dog back at home. He turned his back on Kee and pushed his door open more, revealing the room he had for a long while but now he was going to be sharing it with someone new. He has forgotten really about the shirt he was wearing. His scars from his forearms shown passed his sleeves. He wasn't really thinking about it. Come on in..You can call me Kota..Full name is Dakota. He waved him in. He grabbed his laptop top off his bed and placed it on his desk. The room was pretty much spotless.

Dakota was a very clean person, and the only picture was of him, his guardian and his wolfdog that he had told him about as a puppy. He winced again when Vincent ran and jumped straight on his back when he bent down to pick up his jacket that fell off the chair. He was forced to stay bent over as he turned his head to Vincent. ..Vinny..get the hell off my back..silly cat. He walked to his shoulder as he stood slowly. Vincent jumped from his back to the bed,, another wince from Dakota. Vincent..I am soo capping your damn claws.. He growled, his back hurting from the small scratches now. His accent was thicker now as he talked more and more.

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[Keeley Macpherson]

Kee grabbed his bag from the corner of the room, and followed the other boy through to the room, listening to him talk. "It's good to know you Kota." he told him, honestly. Having another Scot around would probably help him with the homesickness aspect - not that he'd ever show that he missed his family.

The room seemed bare, nearly sterile to Kee, and he raised an eyebrow as Kota wrestled with his cat. He dumped first Styx, then his bag onto the spare bed and opened a pocket on the bag. He drew out a picture of himself with his younger brother in a simple wooden frame, putting it on the nightstand. He took out another picture, this one of his beloved Spyder sitting on his Uncle's drive and let it lie on the nightstand, frameless. He'd find some sticky-tack later to put it on the wall.

"So," he lay back on what was now his bed, arms behind his head. "Where are you from, Highlander?" he asked, vaguely recognising that Kota's accent was more northern than his own, but not able to figure out how far north exactly. "Nowhere near old Glasgae-Toon, eh?" he grinned, laying his accent on thickly for the last three words.

[Dakota Gairden]

Dakota sat on his bed, petting Vincent as he went to meet the other kittens. He was very playful with them, wiggling his rump and tackling them playfully. Dakota smiled and looked to Kee as he asked him. Yes..I'm from Wick. on the northeast part the Highlands...My father owned many houses there....but we weren't big on getting to know people.. He chuckled at Kee's description of Glasgaw. He turned his eyes on the kittens and smiled. See..they get along fine... He laid back on his bed, hitting his mousepad on the laptop as it began to play soft music of Scottish songs from no certain part.

He looked over at him and found himself staring. Kee's eyes were very attractive, well he was attractive period. But Kota didn't blush, or show any interest. He looked at the pictures and then noted the helmet. You drive a bike?...My guardian tried to teach me how to drive...wrecked 5 cars..slammed me and him in the hospital..Never wanted to get behind a wheel again..but I've been looking at doing motorcycles. Their small..and I don't feel like I can kill anyone. Dakota smiled, it felt nice having another Scot, and hoped that Kee felt the same....It's been two years since I've talked this much...I'm glad I have someone else to talk to..and a scot too. He laughed, being completely serious about it too. He seemed to babble to him.

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[Keeley Macpherson]

Kee chuckled softly, his eyes sparkling cheekily as he said "There can be only one, right, Kota?" Hoping that Kota would get the blatant movie reference. He turned his attention to the trio of kittens for a while. Solo was off by herself, as usual. Less adventurous than her sister, Styx had left her to greet Vincent. Kee reached over and picked her up - illiciting a small squeak from the bundle of orange fluff. "Sorry Sweetheart." he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper, placing her on his chest and stroking her head. He smiled at the music Kota put on; it reminded him of Hogmannay.

Hearing Dakota tell him of the five car wrecks, Kee's eyes boggled. "You wrecked five cars?" she asked in disbelief. "You know, motorcycles are more dangerous than cars. You're not as protected, so if you have a passenger and you get into a smash with a car..." he didn't think he needed to finish his sentence. He picked up the picture of his third baby, smiled at it briefly, then held it out for Kota to look at more closely. "She's a Spyder, I call her Cynthia. My uncle's dropping off a spare helmet when it arrives, so I'll take you for a spin if you'd like, Highlander" He'd already settled on Kota's new nickname.

"There's nothing wrong with keeping yersel' tae yersel'" he told the other boy. "Personally, I'm ready to get to know the local female population as soon as possible," he winked accross the room at Kota. "Although, that was what got me exiled out here, so i might hold back for a wee while."

[Dakota Gairden]

Dakota found himself laughing, which made him feel more alive than it had in years. He watched as Kee held the other kitten on his chest. He smiled tenderly, getting mroe and more attractive to the other male just by a sense of trust. He settled down more as he heard his phone vibrating on the desk. He turned and grabbed it, his shirt lifting from behind as he turned, the scars on his back showing. Of course it was only a glimspe, and Dakota hadn't felt the cool breeze touch his skin. He looked again, seeing how it was now his counselor. He groaned, pressing the ignore button and tossing it back on his bag next to his desk.

He laughed again though, after seeing his phone, Kee's reaction to his statement actually sent him to a fit of giggles. He couldn't believe it. He was actually laughing, chuckling, giggling. Kee could do this to him and he was loving it. ..I always panicked.. it was either a pole..wall..never another car. But say what you want for the bikes. I'd rather be in charge of my own death, not the death of others. His tone turned from childish play to a sense of seriousness. He turned away, now finding himself as a blushing idiot from even letting it slightly out that he really didn't care for life or death to him.

He took the photo and almost drooled on it. He could see why he was going to enjoy Kee's company even more. His eyes almost gleamed when Kee said he'd be getting another helmet. He'd actually never been on a motorcycle. I would really like that. I've never been on one. Funny though, the way this boy thought. He wanted to learn how to ride it yet he had never even gotten to ride one. He seemed to just smile at what Kee said but it soon turned into a frown. Don't go out in the alleyways unless you're with a friend....the girls are pretty here..but I'd watch your back Kee..cause it's the guys you have to worry about. It was then he remembered his dark night in the alley way. His arms developed goosbumps on remembering how he was raped. Hi whole body shook as he forced himself to stand and pace a little. He hated remembering that night.

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[Keeley Macpherson]

Kee sat up, laughing at a mental image that had popped into his head of Kota repeatedly wrecking cars. He turned so that his feet touched the floor, and noticed some scarring on Dakota's back as he bent over to get his phone. Jebus he thought, figuring that it had been caused by one of te smash ups. He frowned a little, but then went back to laughing, leaning forwards with his forearms resting on his legs. "Seriously? Highlander, you're a lucky bugger to total that many and come out still breathing."

He nodded, understanding the other boy's reluctance to be in charge of another human being. It was a lot of responsibility, but it was increased if you had a passenger on a bike. I get that," he told him. "You wouldn't want the guilt if something went really wrong, right?" He shrugged. "You should know that it's the same on a bike. You could run into a pedestrian if you panic, and if you've got someone on with you and you go up against a car, then the car driver's not going to be the one going to hospital." He was well aware of the dangers of motorbikes (although because of his hometown he pronounced it "moarrabike") and he was worried that if Kota didn't then he'd be a dangerous rider. "Oh, and one thing for if we go for a ride;" he said, making the one point he always drilled into his passengers. "We go over, you let go of everything. Me, the bike, whatever. She's one beauty I don't want to be pinned by."

When Dakota warned him of the alleyways in town, he looked at him, frowning. He had begun pacing and looked visibly upset. "You alright?" he asked, guessing the answer would be a resounding 'no'.

[Dakota Gairden]

Dakota continued to pace as he found himself snapping. No!..I..I mean...I'm fine.. He rubbed his face and sat down on his bed, back facing him, leaning down a little trying to gather himself. He had heard the comment about the wrecks and he couldn't help himself. He slowly was opening up to him, but was it because he was another Scot? Or maybe he just needed to let it out.. He hadn't even got this far with his own counselor and here he was already talking to someone he barely knew.

...Pain is...it's nothing to me...The wrecks..the really bad one I had a broken leg and a few scraps on my face but the others it was Jared..my guardian, that ended up in the hospital. I understand the bikes more. I'm already too cautious with a car I just....I've never been in charge of my own life. I'm still getting used to what people would call freedom. He didn't know it until he felt the room's breeze hit his bare back that his shirt had crawled up. He sat up quickly and pulled down his shirt. He didn't turn though, there were tears in his eyes. They had leaked out yet but they were rather close. He rubbed his eyes, getting rid of them as Vincent left the other kitten and rubbed against Dakota's leg. He bent over again, another shirt pull up to reveal more of his back. They now looked more like whip marks. He picked up the cat as it seem to let a squeak out. He held Vincent close to him and nuzzled the kitten's nose with his own.

He laid back, Vincent on his chest as he began to purr and need. Dakota rubbed the cat's chin as he let out a sigh. From that angle, the tears could be seen as one escaped the corner of his eye. He didn't move too fast to wipe it. Silent tears, that was mostly what he cried....I'll go ahead and warn you...I am bi-polar..but I don't take my meds. He had a feeling Kee had the right now, just incase anything happened.

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[Keeley Macpherson]

Kee jumped as Kota snapped at him, which in turn made Solo, sitll sitting in his lap, jump. She squeaked a small mew in protest, and Kee went back to scratching the top of her head. He watched his room mate as he sat down and picked up his own kitty. He had a funny feeling that living with Dakota would be interesting, to say the least.

"Freedom? So now you're Braveheart too?" he joked, trying to get in as many movie references as possible. "I get that though. With a bike, it's just you and the road. You can go wherever you want, whenever you want." He smirked a little as Styx wandered over, following her new friend Vincent, and looked up at Dakota with big, round eyes.

He nodded at his room mate's confession. "Thanks for letting me know." he said, then rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, awkwardly.. "And uh, I guess you should know..." he paused, taking a deep breath in. "I'm a Catholic, but I don't go to confession." He grinned. "You see me feeling any shame about my sinning, you get to smack me in the face. Okay?"

[Dakota Gairden]

Dakota didn't laugh but he did see Styx and smile, picking her up too and bringing her on his chest with Vincent. ..You're a man whore Vincent.. He muttered as the cat looked at him with a cocked head. He waved his hand when he thanked him for letting him know. It wasn't a problem. He then noticed how his music changed from scottish to rock. The first song was one of his favorites. It had come out recently and he had just fallen in love wth it. He moved both kittens on his bed as he sat up and turned it up a bit, the song Citzen/Solider playing now through the speakers. He leaned back against his pillows as he watched Vincent start to bathe Styx. He kept his eyes on the cats when he let a small smile creep to his lips.

...Catholic...I never really knew what religion I was..my father was...strange. When I moved here I began to look into different things to see what would actually fit me. Guess you can say I don't really have a relgious preference. Dakota would call himself just human but others would say athesit. He winced when Vincent jumped when Styx began to pat at him, his claw hitting his foot. He didn't pull away though as Vincent clung to his foot, claws digging in. It was true what Dakota said about pain. True he would wince at it, but really, the pain just didn't bother him.

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[Keeley Macpherson]

Kee lay back again, this time diagonally across the bed, chuckling at the little black kitten. He had one foot ont he floor, and the other knee hooked over the edge of the mattress. Fishing in his pockets, he looked around for a window to open. "If you have something against smokers, now would be the time to speak up." he told Dakota, needing a nicotine fix.

He sighed, looking at the ceiling. "For a long time, i went along with the whole 'church' thing, you know? But by the time I was thirteen I was sick of it. Met a guy who showed me a different way to think." He grinned, putting a cigarette between his lips. Even if Dakota objected, he liked the comfort of having it there. "I acted out, skipped church, backtalked teachers. The usual. Then I discovered girls." He turned his head to look across the room. "If Da' hadn't found the johnny in my wallet, I wouldn't be here."

[Dakota Gairden]

Dakota didn't really have a problem as he waved it off when he said something. He didn't like smoking but he didn't stop people from doing it either. He still laid on his bed fully, his hands intertwined and resting on his chest. Vincent had finally left his foot alone and went after Styx. His face was unreadable. He only seemed to listen to what Kee said but was he really listening? Something was stiring in his thoughts, swimming in his sea of thoughts.

It sounded a bit weird, hearing it from Kee as a guy...a guy said he showed him a different way. That's waht made him grow the courage to ask, to dare to ask....Are you bisexual It wasn't really a question, but it wasn't a statement either. He simply asked but in a way demanded. He was bisexual, he had learned that when he was younger, maybe when he was 13. But he had never really done anything, nothing with girls, or guys. Hell his first kiss was forced. His first...everything with a man was forced. His body began to tense, his hands clenching his stomach as they went white on his knuckles.

[Keeley Macpherson]

Kee stood, putting Solo gently on the bed, and cracked a window open. For good measure, he gor an air freshener out of his bag as well. He lay back down on his bed before fishing in his trouser pocket for the zippo he always kept there. He lit the cigarette and drew in a long, deep breath, letting Solo climb back up on to his chest.

He grinned, raising both eyebrows and looking at Kota. He held his cig in his hand so it wouldn't se the bed on fire. "What? No, Highlander. I'm straight as a ruler, me." He drew in another lungfull of chemicals before realising he didn't have an ashtray. He held out his hand, tapping the delicate flakes into his palm. "I mean that he helped me to realise that not every thought about a gir;s tits is a sin, not every lay is going to send me to Hell." It had been liberating for the young Kee to begin thinking for himself, rather than having his thoughts pumped into his head by his parents and teachers.

He scratched Solo's ears and smiled at Kota again. "So," he said, taking another drag. "What's with not taking your meds, if you don't mind me asking?"