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Round 5 - Kyoji Kagami, "Everybody Talks (Or, That Incident With The Shirt)" Part 4/4, Fic (○)
Pseudonym: Kyoji Kagami
Title: Everybody Talks (Or, That Incident With The Shirt) Part 4/4
Characters/Pairings: Shindou Hikaru/Touya Akira, Yashiro
Rating: Teen
Warnings/Contains: Boy!kissing.
Summary/Notes: Shindou and Touya start to figure it all out.
He ends up at Yashiro's, because he figures if he goes home, Touya will find him. Not that it's all that long of a shot that Touya won't find him here, because, really, where else would he go? He ignores the thought and starts pounding on the door and then patiently waits. A shadow crosses the peephole, which Hikaru assumes is Yashiro's eye, so when the door doesn't immediately open, he calls out, loudly, "I saw your eye, Yashiro, now open up!"
Yashiro looks tired, and his hair is flat against his head. His laptop is open on what passes for his kitchen table – it's currently littered with scraps of paper and open books, although there seems to be a clean corner with a cup and an empty plate. "What do you want, Shindou?"
There is the tiniest feeling of guilt pricking at the back of his head because Yashiro is clearly busy, and Hikaru knows that something is going on with Yashiro that has to do with something not-school-related, and yet here he is, ready to spill his guts and have Yashiro give him advice – which he really needs. Yashiro is eyeing him curiously and Hikaru shoves his way into the apartment and waits until Yashiro has the door closed. "What do you think of Touya?"
Yashiro blinks and then turns around. He disappears into the kitchen and returns with two beers. "What do you mean, what do I think of him?" Yashiro asks carefully, popping the cap on his Asahi . "He's a great player."
Hikaru takes a swig of his beer and blinks. It's cold and a bit bitter. He prefers Kirin, but this will do. "I mean, do you think he's good looking?"
"What the hell are you talking about Shindou?"
"I kissed him," Hikaru blurts out, and Yashiro simply stares at him. "Tonight. We had ramen, and then went to the park, and then I kissed him." Suddenly, the realization of what he's done – oh god, I kissed Touya Akira – and he groans. "I'm surprised he didn't punch me right in the face."
"He didn't punch you, right?" Yashiro asks. He looks bored. Hikaru nods. "So, what? You like him, he likes you. What's the big problem?"
"I don't know if he likes me! I mean, maybe he was just surprised; I mean, who the hell expects their eternal rival to kiss them?" Hikaru is still pacing, mind racing through as many scenarios as he can think of. "Oh god. What if he does like me? How the hell am I supposed to deal with that? I mean." He stops and stares at Yashiro, who is shaking his head. "Help."
Yashiro sighs and goes back to the kitchen. When he returns, he has beer, edamame, and Pocky.
•○•○•
Akira's not terribly surprised when Shindou doesn't return his phone calls. Rather than slowly going insane, Akira takes the time to think.
Shindou kissed him, which probably means that he has some sort of romantic feelings for Akira. Feelings that Akira isn't entirely sure he returns. So he mulls it over in his head: dates with Shindou, holding Shindou's hand. None of the images are repulsive; in fact, the thought of holding Shindou's hand makes his stomach feel fluttery and warm. "But," he says to the empty room, "does that mean I like Shindou?"
The room stays silent.
"Well," Ashiwara-san says the next day, "what do you think of Shindou-kun?" Akira is sitting in Ashiwara-san's kitchen, watching as he prepares dinner. "Did you not like it when he kissed you?"
Akira's cheeks heat up. "That's… Well," he stops and looks into his cup of tea. It's probably cold now; Ashiwara-san had made it an hour ago, when Akira had randomly appeared on his doorstep and started telling him everything that had ever happened with Shindou, ever, culminating with the kiss in the park. "I didn't dislike it."
Ashiwara-san smiles reassuringly at him and hands him a cookie – freshly out of the oven five minutes ago – and says, "Have you talked to Shindou-kun?"
He takes a bite of the cookie and shakes his head. "Maybe it's better that way," he says after a moment. "If he does… like me, I'm not sure I can answer his feelings."
Ashiwara-san sits down next to him. "Do you want to answer them?"
"Yes," Akira replies, definitively. "I just want to be able to sort my own feelings out first."
"Then tell him that. You're not rejecting him, and you're taking his feelings seriously. He'll be happy."
Akira isn't so sure.
○•○•○
The next time he sees Touya, it's in the bathroom of the Ki'in. They are on their lunch hour, and Hikaru has been feeling queasy since he sat down to play against Sakurano-san. And now Touya is in front of the sink, washing his hands, and Hikaru just wants to go back into the stall and hide until forever comes, and then maybe wait a few more years past that, just to be sure.
"I can see you, Shindou," Touya says, and he sounds amused, so Hikaru takes a tentative step toward the sink. Touya politely waits until Hikaru finishes washing up before saying the sentence he has been dreading: "We need to talk."
"Can it wait?" Hikaru asks, and he's annoyed with the note of desperation in his voice.
"It won't take long," Touya says, and Hikaru's stomach sinks. He nods, and Touya leads him out of the restroom and out of the building. "There is a park down the street where we can talk," Touya says, and starts walking down the street.
"So," Hikaru says as they meander down the street, "what's up?"
"About last week," Touya starts, but Hikaru cuts him off.
"Yeah, sorry about that." He tries to sound dismissive, but he sounds more desperate. "I don't know what I was thinking."
Touya stops and turns to look at him. "Do you like me, Shindou?"
The question makes him blink, because it's blunt and to the point, and he's not sure why it surprises him. Touya is anything but passive, and it's not like Hikaru thought he was dumb. Maybe dense, but not dumb.
And it's not like he never thought he'd have this conversation with Touya, except that he sort of thought he'd be the one in Touya's shoes – asking the questions and standing there, sure of himself. After all, that was the plan, wasn’t it? Get Touya comfortable with the idea by casually touching. But then that damned rumor started and now he's standing in the middle of the street, fighting the urge to turn and run as far away as he can. "I…"
Touya waits patiently as Hikaru gathers his thoughts.
"Yes," he says finally. Touya nods, as if he's figured this much out already. "What about you?"
"I don't know," he says slowly. "I didn't dislike it when you kissed me."
That's a good sign, right? Hikaru thinks. "You don't have to give me an answer right now, you know."
"Go on a date with me," Touya blurts out.
•○•○•
Oh god, Akira thinks. That did not come out the way I wanted it to.
"Seriously?" Shindou is looking at him with a comically hopeful expression.
It occurs to Akira that Shindou probably thought he was going to be rejected. "Yes," he says. "I want to go out with you. On a date."
"I want to go on a date with you, too," Shindou says with a grin. "I mean, obviously."
Akira smiles. "Shall we go to a movie on Sunday?"
"How about we go to Odaiba?" Shindou suggests. Akira's not sure what there is to do in Odaiba, but he agrees, anyway.
○•○•○
Odaiba is crawling with couples and tourists. Hikaru is leaning against a pole, waiting for Touya, because Touya insisted on meeting at Daiba Station rather than just taking the train together, which is what Hikaru had suggested. So now he's leaning against a pole, watching people pair off and children pulling at their parents' shirts.
He looks at his watch and wonders if Touya is going to be late, because, if he is, Hikaru is never going to let him live it down. Right after he stops thinking that maybe Touya doesn't really want to go on a date, because, damn it, this was Touya's idea. Granted, Touya still has five minutes before he's officially late, so Hikaru just needs to relax.
Touya shows up at four o'clock on the dot. Hikaru has his phone in his hand, ready to call when Touya taps him on the shoulder and says, "Am I late?" Hikaru shakes his head and grins; Touya is wearing a short sleeve blue t-shirt – something that Hikaru wasn't even aware Touya owned. Touya notices the staring and shrugs. "Ashiwara-san asked me to go shopping with him. He bought it for me as thanks."
What Touya really means is that Ashiwara-san took pity on him and bought him something that looked like it belonged in this decade. He makes a mental note to thank Ashiwara-san – maybe bring him candy or something; Saeki-san always seems to give Ashiwara-san candy of some kind, so Hikaru knows Ashiwara-san has a sweet tooth. "Are you hungry? I hear there's this great ramen place at Aqua City."
"The ramen park?" Touya asks, and Hikaru nods. Touya looks amused. "You dragged me nearly an hour from home to have ramen?"
Hikaru rolls his eyes. "We can go somewhere else, sheesh. It's just… all the ramen, Touya."
Touya places a hand on Hikaru's shoulder. "It's fine, Shindou. Let's get ramen."
•○•○•
Akira has to consider the fact that he must be head over heels in love with Shindou if he finds the idea of going on a date to a ramen theme park in Odaiba charming. He watches as Shindou wolfs down his first bowl of ramen and gets up for a second – just how many different types of ramen in Japan are there? – and casually picks at his bowl of Hakata ramen.
Shindou smiles at him sheepishly halfway through his second bowl – which he doesn't finish, not that Akira can blame him; the bowls are huge – and apologizes, which Akira waves off. He doesn't say that he enjoyed seeing Shindou enthusiastic about eating – apparently, being on a date makes Shindou's usually… poor eating habits endearing, which is mortifying.
They spend some time wandering through shops. They are walking past one of the shops in Aqua City when Akira spots two round pillows: one black and one white. Shindou sees them at the same time and leads Akira toward the store. He picks up the black one and announces, "We should totally buy these, Touya."
Akira buys the white one and Shindou buys the black. It's silly and a bit geeky, which suits him fine. He's busy trying to figure out where he can put the pillow when Shindou's hand brushes against his. Shindou is looking straight ahead, saying something about being thirsty, but his cheeks are a little red. Akira smiles and bumps his hand against Shindou's.
"Let's go to Tokyo Teleport next," Shindou suggests, and Akira agrees.
Shindou is predictably good at the majority of the arcade games, which Akira struggles not to lose five seconds in. It doesn't help that Shindou stands next to him and tries to help. When Akira loses for the third time in Pop'n'Music – a game that Shindou assures him is so easy, his grandpa could do it – Shindou starts laughing.
"Oh, god," Shindou says between cackles. "How can anyone be that bad?"
Akira picks up his pillow and throws it – bag and all – at Shindou's head.
○•○•○
Touya suggests the Ferris wheel next. "Apparently," he says, "you can see all of the lights in Tokyo from the top."
The wait is half an hour, give or take, but they finally make it to the gate. The worker looks bored and too warm in his uniform. There is sweat beading at his temples, and Hikaru wonders if he looks nearly as faded. Of course, he hasn't been standing out in the sun for who knows how long, but if thirty minutes felt like forever, he couldn't imagine what a whole shift would feel like. The guy leads them to a cabin, makes sure they're settled, and then locks the door.
Touya is looking out the window across from the door and Hikaru puts his bag on the seat next to him. The sun is setting, and Hikaru thinks it's probably picturesque, except he's never really paid attention to sunsets before now. He's sure that he's seen them before – after all, Akari used to drag him to the park all the time when they were younger to push her on the swing just as the sun was setting – but he doesn't think he's ever really watched one. With each jerky move of the cabin, the sun is dips a little lower below the horizon, leaving pink and blue clouds in the sky.
He doesn't say anything, and neither does Touya, so he looks out the window closest to him and watches the lights. He can see the colors on Rainbow Bridge, which he has to admit looks pretty nice. He's counting the water taxis when he hears Touya move, and suddenly Touya is sitting next to him, staring at him. Hikaru shifts a little, putting his back against the wall. "What's up?"
Touya doesn't say anything; instead, he sits down next to Hikaru and closes his eyes. Touya's left hand is lying in the space between them, and Hikaru casually sets his right hand down next to Touya's. There is a small smile on Touya's face now, and Hikaru has to force his attention back out the window, but then Touya's hand bumps his, and Hikaru is smiling, too.
By the time they reach the top of the Ferris wheel, Hikaru has his left elbow against the glass window and is resting his chin in his palm, looking at the lights and the way they reflect over the water. Touya mirrors him on the other side of the cabin. Between them, their hands are clasped together.
They spend the rest of the ride like this, nonchalantly looking at the scenery. Hikaru babbles about the couple in front of them and how the girl really needs to get a new stylist and runs his thumb up and down against the skin of Touya's hand.
•○•○•
Shindou insists on taking him home, which Akira thinks is a little silly, considering Shindou will only have to walk back to the station and go two more stops before reaching his apartment. But Shindou looks determined, and Akira is still feeling slightly high from the Ferris wheel ride, so he only puts up a token protest which Shindou happily bulldozes over. "It's not like it's late," Shindou explains as they get on the train, "I'll still get home before ten, so let me walk you home." Akira can't argue with that, and, more importantly, he doesn't want to. So he smiles and nods and lets Shindou think he's won this round.
The train isn't too crowded, and there are a few seats open, but they opt to stand instead. Shindou is grinning and going on and on about various inane things before shifting the conversation to people they know. "I mean," he's saying, "everyone knows that they're together, right? So why not just admit it? It's not like anyone cares." Akira shrugs, content to let Shindou rant about Ashiwara-san and Saeki-san until they get off at Akira's stop.
The walk from the station to Akira's house is quiet. The air is warm and the sky is clear, and they pass very few people as they head down the street. Akira's stomach is beginning feel a little fluttery, and he's thinking that maybe, just maybe, Shindou is going to kiss him again. He sneaks a glance at Shindou, only to find Shindou looking at him. Shindou jerks his head forward, and when they pass under a street light, Akira can see a little bit of pink on Shindou's cheeks.
It isn't until they reach the door and Shindou is turning around that Akira realizes that Shindou is just going to leave. Somehow, the thought is unacceptable. "Aren't you going to kiss me?" Akira's voice is soft, but he can tell by Shindou's expression that he heard every word clearly.
Shindou stops and turns to look at him. Akira looks him straight in the eyes, and Shindou laughs nervously. "What? You mean, here?" The look he sends Shindou's way has Shindou bouncing on the balls of his feet with a sheepish smile because, of course, where else? It's just him and Shindou, and no one else is around. It's quiet and dark, except for the porch light; he can't think of a more perfect time for Shindou to kiss him. Shindou is staring at him and there's something in his expression that makes Akira's mouth go dry. "I mean, do you want me to?"
Akira nods.
Shindou licks his lips and steps a little closer. Akira is leaning forward slightly, waiting, and all Shindou has to do is take one more step. Akira closes his eyes and waits.
Shindou's lips are cool and a little dry, and they press very softly against Akira's mouth. He leans forward just as Shindou slowly pulls away. Their faces are a breath apart, and Akira closes the difference. He places his right hand on Shindou's hip and he can feel one of Shindou's hands on his shoulder.
Akira can taste the waxy remnants of Shindou's lip balm as he tentatively traces Shindou's lips with his tongue. Shindou makes some sort of noise and suddenly opens his mouth. Shindou tastes like caramel milk, and Akira presses closer.
Their chests are pressed together, and Akira can feel his heartbeat speed up. He's feeling a bit light-headed and disconnected from his body; if it was possible, he thinks he could float away, but Shindou is warm and solid in front of him, anchoring him. Shindou's hand has moved from Akira's shoulder to his hair, and he leans into the touch.
The kiss is soft and slow, and when they finally break apart, there is a smile on Akira's face. He feels a little shy, and there is something close to wonder on Shindou's face. Akira presses a quick kiss on the corner of Shindou's mouth, and Shindou's fingers card briefly through Akira's hair. For a moment, the world is just them and the porch light and the stars, then Shindou slowly lets his hand fall to his side, and Akira unhooks his thumb from Shindou's belt loop.
They say good night, and Akira leans against the door as he watches Shindou disappear.
○•○•○
Dating Touya isn't that different from not dating Touya. They still meet at the salon for games and fight over ridiculous moves (Hikaru still thinks that Touya wouldn't know a brilliant move if it bit him). They go to movies with Yashiro, who still seems troubled. Touya still comes over to Hikaru's apartment for dinner, and they both let Ashiwara-san cook for them at Touya's house.
Hikaru thinks that Yashiro knows what's going on, but Yashiro doesn't say anything. Whether this is because he's waiting for Hikaru to tell him, or because he figures it's not his place to say anything, Hikaru doesn't know. Yashiro seems more and more wrapped up in school and tournaments, which is actually a lot like Hikaru's life, except for school.
When Yashiro loses to Ochi – which, really, Hikaru thinks, is just insulting given how much he and Touya play Yashiro – Touya starts shooting him worried looks.
"Has Yashiro said anything to you?" Touya asks. They are at Touya's house, going over Touya's win against Morishita-sensei. Hikaru knows that Morishita-sensei is going to want to go over this exact same game tomorrow, and he already knows it's going to be one of those study sessions where Morishita-sensei is going to yell. A lot.
"No," Hikaru replies. "What if he went here?" He places a stone at 17-5 and looks at the formation critically. If Morishita-sensei could have taken the upper right, Hikaru thinks he could have won.
Touya shakes his head. "I would have just gone here," he places a stone at 15-7, "and he would have lost the corner much sooner." He removes the two stones and continues recreating the game. "Perhaps we should talk to him?"
"We're supposed to go to the arcade tomorrow morning," Hikaru informs him. "I'll try talking to him."
"All right," Touya says, staring at the goban. "What do you think about going here?"
"Stupid," Hikaru replies dismissively. "Morishita-sensei would never go there. Plus, it's a dumb move."
Touya is staring at him, eyes narrowed. "It is not a stupid move, Shindou." Touya looks like he's going to say something else, but Hikaru leans over the goban and kisses him.
•○•○•
They have been dating for seven months, and Shindou hasn't tried anything except for the occasional grope. This isn't to say that Akira hasn't tried anything, but every time he has, he's inadvertently injured Shindou. He winces, remembering the unintentional bruise on Shindou's ear – Ashiwara-san has been really helpful in providing him with ideas, but Akira just doesn't think he has the skill to pull them off without inflicting bodily harm.
Which is why he is sitting in Ashiwara-san's living room, nursing a cup of tea, and feeling extremely uncomfortable as Ashiwara-san patiently describes how two men have sex. It's not like Akira hasn't thought about – in fact, he's wondering how he's even managed to maintain his winning streak the past month with as much time as he spends imagining Shindou naked – but he's completely clueless. And he doesn't have many people he can ask about it.
He briefly – briefly – considered asking Ogata-san, but quickly dismissed the idea for several reasons, chief among them being the overwhelming mortification he would suffer simply uttering the word sex in Ogata-san's presence. Ashiwara-san already thought he and Shindou were doing it, so it is only marginally less embarrassing asking him.
Saeki-san is sitting on the armchair, looking as uncomfortable as Akira feels. The tips of his ears are red and he keeps looking between them, panic mounting on his face. Ashiwara-san starts talking about the importance of lubricant, and suddenly, Saeki-san is standing up. "I'm going to go start dinner," he announces, and Ashiwara-san shoots him an amused look. "Will you be staying, Touya-kun?"
"No," Akira says, grateful for the momentary respite. He's grateful to Ashiwara-san, but he didn't expect him to be… this detailed. He looks at the wall clock and puts his tea on the coaster. "Actually, I should be leaving if I don't want to be late."
Ashiwara-san nods and stands. "Let me give you something," he says and motions for Akira to wait. He returns a moment later with a little box and a small white tube. Ashiwara-san smiles and hands them to Akira, who stares at them in confusion. "Condoms and lubricant," Ashiwara-san says, and Akira is sure that his face is bright red. "Just in case."
Akira thanks him awkwardly.
○•○•○
Hikaru blames Waya and Yashiro, because those assholes knew he was meeting Touya for dinner, and they still insisted on one more game, and now he's going to be late. Of course, he could have said no, but there was ramen on the line, so maybe it's not entirely their faults – and, of course, if he tells Touya about this, somehow it will all be Hikaru's fault.
So, when he gets to the Touya residence, he simply offers up a prayer to whatever god will listen to not have Touya ask questions. It's not like Hikaru being late is new anyway. He rings the doorbell and stands there, fidgeting, while he waits for Touya to answer the door. He's about to ring it again when the door opens, and Touya smiles shyly at him.
Hikaru smiles back stupidly and waits to Touya to invite him in. Touya moves aside, and Hikaru steps inside, kicking off his shoes and lining them up neatly next to Touya's. Once they're nice and straight, he moves over to Touya and kisses him.
He means for it to be a quick hello, but then somehow he's got Touya up against the wall, leg between Touya's thighs, and Touya smells like fall – cool and fresh. He has to remind himself not to push, and starts to pull away, but Touya has somehow found his way into Hikaru's shirt, and his hand is resting on the skin of Hikaru's stomach.
A knock on the door sends them flying apart. Touya is hidden behind the door, meaning the only one that the other person can see is Hikaru, so he turns and smiles. The delivery boy holds up a bag, and Hikaru shoots a glance at Touya, who is still out of sight, and tells the delivery boy, "Hold on."
Touya disappears around the corner and returns a moment later with his wallet. Hikaru heads further into the house and tries to sort out his thoughts. If the delivery boy hadn't shown up, he doesn't know if he'd have been able to pull away. The image of Touya licking his lips after Hikaru had jumped back is seared into the front of his brain, and he knows he has to be more careful. This is his first relationship – Touya's, too – and he doesn't want to make Touya feel like he's being forced into anything he doesn't want, but damn if his patience isn't nearing its limit.
He's taking deep breaths and forcing himself to think of Kuwabara-sensei in a tutu when Touya comes in holding sushi. Hikaru gets up from his seat and heads to the kitchen to grab plates and chopsticks. He grabs a nice bamboo pair for Touya and rummages through the drawer until he finds the bright orange plastic chopsticks he left a few weeks ago. By the time he gets back to the dining room, the large platter of sushi is sitting in the middle of the table.
They eat and talk about random things; Touya comments on different title qualifiers and Hikaru talks about his suspicions about Su-yeong and Yashiro. "I think that's why Yashiro is in a funk," Hikaru announces. "I mean," he continues, ticking things off on his fingers, "he's constantly in Korea, and he sees Su-yeong at international tournaments. They spent a lot of time together at the Nongshim Cup, and there was that fight during their exhibition game last week. Plus, they disappeared around the same time, and Yashiro totally had marks on his neck the next morning."
Touya looks at him and shakes his head. "Not this again. Shindou, I've told you before, there is nothing going on with Yashiro and Hong."
Hikaru gives him a skeptical look. "Do you know something I don't know?"
"If you're asking if Yashiro has told me anything, no. I just happen to pay attention."
"I pay attention, too," Hikaru grouses. "And it totally looks like they're dating."
Touya takes Hikaru's hand and gives it a small squeeze. "Yashiro will talk to us when he's ready to talk," Touya says. "Shall we play a game?"
Hikaru looks at his watch and decides he has time to play a game or two before the trains stop running. "Sure."
•○•○•
Akira is pretty sure he wants to ask Shindou to stay the night. He keeps thinking about the feel of Shindou's skin and Shindou pressing into him, and wonders what it would be like to have Shindou next to him. He's just not sure how to ask, or if he's even supposed to ask. What if I'm just supposed to seduce him? he thinks, and the thought fills him with a little bit a fear and a whole lot of confusion, because, while he doesn't have a problem with Ashiwara-san giving him tips and educating him on the mechanics of safe sex, there is no way he's going to ask him how to seduce someone.
They are just about to reach his father's study room when Akira has a brilliant idea. "Why don't we use the goban in my room?" he suggests.
"Your room?" Shindou's voice sounds a little strangled and his cheeks are suspiciously red. Whenever Shindou is over, they play in the study room; there is plenty of room in there, and his father stores the tsumego books and the kifu. Akira hardly ever uses the goban in his room when his parents are away, and he knows that Shindou knows this, too. Akira feels his own cheeks heat up in response, but nods. "If you're sure…"
Akira meets his eyes. "I'm sure." He takes Shindou's hand and leads him down the hall.
○•○•○
The alarm clock is making an atrociously annoying beeping noise, which is what wakes Hikaru up. He tries to roll over to whack the annoying thing – which, his sleep-addled mind points out, he doesn't remember setting the night before – and instead rolls onto something warm.
"Ow," says the warm thing, and suddenly, Hikaru is sitting up, trying to pull as much of the sheets around him as possible, because he knows exactly what the warm thing is, and oh god, he thinks in distress, why didn't I at least put on my boxers?
Touya Akira is blinking up at him, the perfect picture of debauchery complete with tousled hair and sleepy smile. Which is just unfair, because clearly Touya remembers everything upon waking up, while a stupid alarm clock threw Hikaru for a loop. "I hate your alarm clock," Hikaru informs Touya, who reaches out a hand and stops the blaring.
"We have games this morning," Touya says with a yawn. "We need to get ready. You can take your shower first."
Hikaru leaves Touya, who is picking up clothes and shaking his head, and heads to the bathroom. He takes a quick shower and finds a spare toothbrush under the sink. Touya once said that his mom keeps a stash of spare toiletries in one of the linen closets after a few of Touya-sensei's study groups ran late. Hikaru assumes she restocks every time they're in the country, and he's glad she does. He brushes his teeth and heads back to Touya's room.
Touya is wearing a yukata and holding Hikaru's shirt between two fingers. There is a grimace on his face. "What's wrong with my shirt?" Hikaru asks.
"You can't wear this today, Shindou," Touya says, and Hikaru can tell by his voice that he's serious.
"Why not?"
Without a word, Touya turns the shirt around so Hikaru can see the front. He doesn't notice the stain at first, but when he sees it, he understands. "Oh god," he says. "That's what I used to… Last night, when we…" Touya just nods. "Oh god."
"You can wear something of mine," Touya says, and Hikaru is sure it's meant to be comforting, but all Hikaru can think of are the dozens of ugly sweaters and vests which are probably arranged by color in Touya's closet. "And before you argue, you can't go to a title qualifier half naked."
"I think I'd rather go half naked," he mutters as Touya heads to the bathroom.
•○•○•
Akira spends a good five minutes arguing with Shindou about shirts. Every sweater he pulls out of his closet is immediately vetoed, and time is slowly ticking down. "Shindou," Akira says, holding up a perfectly acceptable cardigan, "we need to leave in five minutes or we will be late."
"Don't you have anything, you know, normal?" Shindou is frowning at the sweater in Akira's hand. "What about that shirt you bought the first time we went to the movies?"
"It's dirty," Akira replies flatly, shoving the sweater into Shindou's hands. "We need to leave, Shindou. Put on the shirt."
○•○•○
He does his best to ignore the stares. And the smirks. And the loud whispers, because some assholes don't know how to keep their voices below a shout. He glares at Waya, who shakes his head and continues his whisper-shout to Isumi-san. Yashiro is already in the game room and in front of his goban when Hikaru comes in.
"So," Yashiro says, and Hikaru has to give him points for at least containing his laughter. "Stay over at Touya's last night?"
"Shut up," Hikaru growls. Touya is standing next to him now, smiling, and Hikaru feels like this is probably some sort of revenge for a year ago, except now when the rumors start up again – and he knows they will, damn Waya to hell – they'll be mostly true.
"Ignore it," Touya suggests quietly, and there's a smirk on his face. If Hikaru didn't know any better, he would say that Touya planned this. "Besides, the shirt you're wearing is much nicer than the one you lent to me."
Hikaru looks down at the lavender, green, and yellow monstrosity that Touya had handed him this morning. Somehow, he swears the argyle looks demented and possessed, and Hikaru's sure the lavender makes him look paler than a ghost.
"It looks good on you, Shindou," Yashiro says, although there is a suspicious snort at the end of the sentence. "Lavender is your color."
"I am going to rip you apart, just watch," Hikaru threatens, but the look Yashiro gives him makes him think it's not very effective.
"You'd think after getting laid you'd be more easy-going," Yashiro sighs, throwing his hands up in a what can you do? fashion. "Oh well."
Hikaru is about to say something when the proctor comes into the room and announces that matches are going to begin. Yashiro smirks as Hikaru heads towards his goban.
Let them talk, he decides. He's got a game to win.
Go to opponent's entry: Round 5 - Miai, "Slow Burn", Fic (●)
Go to vote: Fandom Triforce vs. The White Suit Society - Third Board Match
Title: Everybody Talks (Or, That Incident With The Shirt) Part 4/4
Characters/Pairings: Shindou Hikaru/Touya Akira, Yashiro
Rating: Teen
Warnings/Contains: Boy!kissing.
Summary/Notes: Shindou and Touya start to figure it all out.
He ends up at Yashiro's, because he figures if he goes home, Touya will find him. Not that it's all that long of a shot that Touya won't find him here, because, really, where else would he go? He ignores the thought and starts pounding on the door and then patiently waits. A shadow crosses the peephole, which Hikaru assumes is Yashiro's eye, so when the door doesn't immediately open, he calls out, loudly, "I saw your eye, Yashiro, now open up!"
Yashiro looks tired, and his hair is flat against his head. His laptop is open on what passes for his kitchen table – it's currently littered with scraps of paper and open books, although there seems to be a clean corner with a cup and an empty plate. "What do you want, Shindou?"
There is the tiniest feeling of guilt pricking at the back of his head because Yashiro is clearly busy, and Hikaru knows that something is going on with Yashiro that has to do with something not-school-related, and yet here he is, ready to spill his guts and have Yashiro give him advice – which he really needs. Yashiro is eyeing him curiously and Hikaru shoves his way into the apartment and waits until Yashiro has the door closed. "What do you think of Touya?"
Yashiro blinks and then turns around. He disappears into the kitchen and returns with two beers. "What do you mean, what do I think of him?" Yashiro asks carefully, popping the cap on his Asahi . "He's a great player."
Hikaru takes a swig of his beer and blinks. It's cold and a bit bitter. He prefers Kirin, but this will do. "I mean, do you think he's good looking?"
"What the hell are you talking about Shindou?"
"I kissed him," Hikaru blurts out, and Yashiro simply stares at him. "Tonight. We had ramen, and then went to the park, and then I kissed him." Suddenly, the realization of what he's done – oh god, I kissed Touya Akira – and he groans. "I'm surprised he didn't punch me right in the face."
"He didn't punch you, right?" Yashiro asks. He looks bored. Hikaru nods. "So, what? You like him, he likes you. What's the big problem?"
"I don't know if he likes me! I mean, maybe he was just surprised; I mean, who the hell expects their eternal rival to kiss them?" Hikaru is still pacing, mind racing through as many scenarios as he can think of. "Oh god. What if he does like me? How the hell am I supposed to deal with that? I mean." He stops and stares at Yashiro, who is shaking his head. "Help."
Yashiro sighs and goes back to the kitchen. When he returns, he has beer, edamame, and Pocky.
Akira's not terribly surprised when Shindou doesn't return his phone calls. Rather than slowly going insane, Akira takes the time to think.
Shindou kissed him, which probably means that he has some sort of romantic feelings for Akira. Feelings that Akira isn't entirely sure he returns. So he mulls it over in his head: dates with Shindou, holding Shindou's hand. None of the images are repulsive; in fact, the thought of holding Shindou's hand makes his stomach feel fluttery and warm. "But," he says to the empty room, "does that mean I like Shindou?"
The room stays silent.
"Well," Ashiwara-san says the next day, "what do you think of Shindou-kun?" Akira is sitting in Ashiwara-san's kitchen, watching as he prepares dinner. "Did you not like it when he kissed you?"
Akira's cheeks heat up. "That's… Well," he stops and looks into his cup of tea. It's probably cold now; Ashiwara-san had made it an hour ago, when Akira had randomly appeared on his doorstep and started telling him everything that had ever happened with Shindou, ever, culminating with the kiss in the park. "I didn't dislike it."
Ashiwara-san smiles reassuringly at him and hands him a cookie – freshly out of the oven five minutes ago – and says, "Have you talked to Shindou-kun?"
He takes a bite of the cookie and shakes his head. "Maybe it's better that way," he says after a moment. "If he does… like me, I'm not sure I can answer his feelings."
Ashiwara-san sits down next to him. "Do you want to answer them?"
"Yes," Akira replies, definitively. "I just want to be able to sort my own feelings out first."
"Then tell him that. You're not rejecting him, and you're taking his feelings seriously. He'll be happy."
Akira isn't so sure.
The next time he sees Touya, it's in the bathroom of the Ki'in. They are on their lunch hour, and Hikaru has been feeling queasy since he sat down to play against Sakurano-san. And now Touya is in front of the sink, washing his hands, and Hikaru just wants to go back into the stall and hide until forever comes, and then maybe wait a few more years past that, just to be sure.
"I can see you, Shindou," Touya says, and he sounds amused, so Hikaru takes a tentative step toward the sink. Touya politely waits until Hikaru finishes washing up before saying the sentence he has been dreading: "We need to talk."
"Can it wait?" Hikaru asks, and he's annoyed with the note of desperation in his voice.
"It won't take long," Touya says, and Hikaru's stomach sinks. He nods, and Touya leads him out of the restroom and out of the building. "There is a park down the street where we can talk," Touya says, and starts walking down the street.
"So," Hikaru says as they meander down the street, "what's up?"
"About last week," Touya starts, but Hikaru cuts him off.
"Yeah, sorry about that." He tries to sound dismissive, but he sounds more desperate. "I don't know what I was thinking."
Touya stops and turns to look at him. "Do you like me, Shindou?"
The question makes him blink, because it's blunt and to the point, and he's not sure why it surprises him. Touya is anything but passive, and it's not like Hikaru thought he was dumb. Maybe dense, but not dumb.
And it's not like he never thought he'd have this conversation with Touya, except that he sort of thought he'd be the one in Touya's shoes – asking the questions and standing there, sure of himself. After all, that was the plan, wasn’t it? Get Touya comfortable with the idea by casually touching. But then that damned rumor started and now he's standing in the middle of the street, fighting the urge to turn and run as far away as he can. "I…"
Touya waits patiently as Hikaru gathers his thoughts.
"Yes," he says finally. Touya nods, as if he's figured this much out already. "What about you?"
"I don't know," he says slowly. "I didn't dislike it when you kissed me."
That's a good sign, right? Hikaru thinks. "You don't have to give me an answer right now, you know."
"Go on a date with me," Touya blurts out.
Oh god, Akira thinks. That did not come out the way I wanted it to.
"Seriously?" Shindou is looking at him with a comically hopeful expression.
It occurs to Akira that Shindou probably thought he was going to be rejected. "Yes," he says. "I want to go out with you. On a date."
"I want to go on a date with you, too," Shindou says with a grin. "I mean, obviously."
Akira smiles. "Shall we go to a movie on Sunday?"
"How about we go to Odaiba?" Shindou suggests. Akira's not sure what there is to do in Odaiba, but he agrees, anyway.
Odaiba is crawling with couples and tourists. Hikaru is leaning against a pole, waiting for Touya, because Touya insisted on meeting at Daiba Station rather than just taking the train together, which is what Hikaru had suggested. So now he's leaning against a pole, watching people pair off and children pulling at their parents' shirts.
He looks at his watch and wonders if Touya is going to be late, because, if he is, Hikaru is never going to let him live it down. Right after he stops thinking that maybe Touya doesn't really want to go on a date, because, damn it, this was Touya's idea. Granted, Touya still has five minutes before he's officially late, so Hikaru just needs to relax.
Touya shows up at four o'clock on the dot. Hikaru has his phone in his hand, ready to call when Touya taps him on the shoulder and says, "Am I late?" Hikaru shakes his head and grins; Touya is wearing a short sleeve blue t-shirt – something that Hikaru wasn't even aware Touya owned. Touya notices the staring and shrugs. "Ashiwara-san asked me to go shopping with him. He bought it for me as thanks."
What Touya really means is that Ashiwara-san took pity on him and bought him something that looked like it belonged in this decade. He makes a mental note to thank Ashiwara-san – maybe bring him candy or something; Saeki-san always seems to give Ashiwara-san candy of some kind, so Hikaru knows Ashiwara-san has a sweet tooth. "Are you hungry? I hear there's this great ramen place at Aqua City."
"The ramen park?" Touya asks, and Hikaru nods. Touya looks amused. "You dragged me nearly an hour from home to have ramen?"
Hikaru rolls his eyes. "We can go somewhere else, sheesh. It's just… all the ramen, Touya."
Touya places a hand on Hikaru's shoulder. "It's fine, Shindou. Let's get ramen."
Akira has to consider the fact that he must be head over heels in love with Shindou if he finds the idea of going on a date to a ramen theme park in Odaiba charming. He watches as Shindou wolfs down his first bowl of ramen and gets up for a second – just how many different types of ramen in Japan are there? – and casually picks at his bowl of Hakata ramen.
Shindou smiles at him sheepishly halfway through his second bowl – which he doesn't finish, not that Akira can blame him; the bowls are huge – and apologizes, which Akira waves off. He doesn't say that he enjoyed seeing Shindou enthusiastic about eating – apparently, being on a date makes Shindou's usually… poor eating habits endearing, which is mortifying.
They spend some time wandering through shops. They are walking past one of the shops in Aqua City when Akira spots two round pillows: one black and one white. Shindou sees them at the same time and leads Akira toward the store. He picks up the black one and announces, "We should totally buy these, Touya."
Akira buys the white one and Shindou buys the black. It's silly and a bit geeky, which suits him fine. He's busy trying to figure out where he can put the pillow when Shindou's hand brushes against his. Shindou is looking straight ahead, saying something about being thirsty, but his cheeks are a little red. Akira smiles and bumps his hand against Shindou's.
"Let's go to Tokyo Teleport next," Shindou suggests, and Akira agrees.
Shindou is predictably good at the majority of the arcade games, which Akira struggles not to lose five seconds in. It doesn't help that Shindou stands next to him and tries to help. When Akira loses for the third time in Pop'n'Music – a game that Shindou assures him is so easy, his grandpa could do it – Shindou starts laughing.
"Oh, god," Shindou says between cackles. "How can anyone be that bad?"
Akira picks up his pillow and throws it – bag and all – at Shindou's head.
Touya suggests the Ferris wheel next. "Apparently," he says, "you can see all of the lights in Tokyo from the top."
The wait is half an hour, give or take, but they finally make it to the gate. The worker looks bored and too warm in his uniform. There is sweat beading at his temples, and Hikaru wonders if he looks nearly as faded. Of course, he hasn't been standing out in the sun for who knows how long, but if thirty minutes felt like forever, he couldn't imagine what a whole shift would feel like. The guy leads them to a cabin, makes sure they're settled, and then locks the door.
Touya is looking out the window across from the door and Hikaru puts his bag on the seat next to him. The sun is setting, and Hikaru thinks it's probably picturesque, except he's never really paid attention to sunsets before now. He's sure that he's seen them before – after all, Akari used to drag him to the park all the time when they were younger to push her on the swing just as the sun was setting – but he doesn't think he's ever really watched one. With each jerky move of the cabin, the sun is dips a little lower below the horizon, leaving pink and blue clouds in the sky.
He doesn't say anything, and neither does Touya, so he looks out the window closest to him and watches the lights. He can see the colors on Rainbow Bridge, which he has to admit looks pretty nice. He's counting the water taxis when he hears Touya move, and suddenly Touya is sitting next to him, staring at him. Hikaru shifts a little, putting his back against the wall. "What's up?"
Touya doesn't say anything; instead, he sits down next to Hikaru and closes his eyes. Touya's left hand is lying in the space between them, and Hikaru casually sets his right hand down next to Touya's. There is a small smile on Touya's face now, and Hikaru has to force his attention back out the window, but then Touya's hand bumps his, and Hikaru is smiling, too.
By the time they reach the top of the Ferris wheel, Hikaru has his left elbow against the glass window and is resting his chin in his palm, looking at the lights and the way they reflect over the water. Touya mirrors him on the other side of the cabin. Between them, their hands are clasped together.
They spend the rest of the ride like this, nonchalantly looking at the scenery. Hikaru babbles about the couple in front of them and how the girl really needs to get a new stylist and runs his thumb up and down against the skin of Touya's hand.
Shindou insists on taking him home, which Akira thinks is a little silly, considering Shindou will only have to walk back to the station and go two more stops before reaching his apartment. But Shindou looks determined, and Akira is still feeling slightly high from the Ferris wheel ride, so he only puts up a token protest which Shindou happily bulldozes over. "It's not like it's late," Shindou explains as they get on the train, "I'll still get home before ten, so let me walk you home." Akira can't argue with that, and, more importantly, he doesn't want to. So he smiles and nods and lets Shindou think he's won this round.
The train isn't too crowded, and there are a few seats open, but they opt to stand instead. Shindou is grinning and going on and on about various inane things before shifting the conversation to people they know. "I mean," he's saying, "everyone knows that they're together, right? So why not just admit it? It's not like anyone cares." Akira shrugs, content to let Shindou rant about Ashiwara-san and Saeki-san until they get off at Akira's stop.
The walk from the station to Akira's house is quiet. The air is warm and the sky is clear, and they pass very few people as they head down the street. Akira's stomach is beginning feel a little fluttery, and he's thinking that maybe, just maybe, Shindou is going to kiss him again. He sneaks a glance at Shindou, only to find Shindou looking at him. Shindou jerks his head forward, and when they pass under a street light, Akira can see a little bit of pink on Shindou's cheeks.
It isn't until they reach the door and Shindou is turning around that Akira realizes that Shindou is just going to leave. Somehow, the thought is unacceptable. "Aren't you going to kiss me?" Akira's voice is soft, but he can tell by Shindou's expression that he heard every word clearly.
Shindou stops and turns to look at him. Akira looks him straight in the eyes, and Shindou laughs nervously. "What? You mean, here?" The look he sends Shindou's way has Shindou bouncing on the balls of his feet with a sheepish smile because, of course, where else? It's just him and Shindou, and no one else is around. It's quiet and dark, except for the porch light; he can't think of a more perfect time for Shindou to kiss him. Shindou is staring at him and there's something in his expression that makes Akira's mouth go dry. "I mean, do you want me to?"
Akira nods.
Shindou licks his lips and steps a little closer. Akira is leaning forward slightly, waiting, and all Shindou has to do is take one more step. Akira closes his eyes and waits.
Shindou's lips are cool and a little dry, and they press very softly against Akira's mouth. He leans forward just as Shindou slowly pulls away. Their faces are a breath apart, and Akira closes the difference. He places his right hand on Shindou's hip and he can feel one of Shindou's hands on his shoulder.
Akira can taste the waxy remnants of Shindou's lip balm as he tentatively traces Shindou's lips with his tongue. Shindou makes some sort of noise and suddenly opens his mouth. Shindou tastes like caramel milk, and Akira presses closer.
Their chests are pressed together, and Akira can feel his heartbeat speed up. He's feeling a bit light-headed and disconnected from his body; if it was possible, he thinks he could float away, but Shindou is warm and solid in front of him, anchoring him. Shindou's hand has moved from Akira's shoulder to his hair, and he leans into the touch.
The kiss is soft and slow, and when they finally break apart, there is a smile on Akira's face. He feels a little shy, and there is something close to wonder on Shindou's face. Akira presses a quick kiss on the corner of Shindou's mouth, and Shindou's fingers card briefly through Akira's hair. For a moment, the world is just them and the porch light and the stars, then Shindou slowly lets his hand fall to his side, and Akira unhooks his thumb from Shindou's belt loop.
They say good night, and Akira leans against the door as he watches Shindou disappear.
Dating Touya isn't that different from not dating Touya. They still meet at the salon for games and fight over ridiculous moves (Hikaru still thinks that Touya wouldn't know a brilliant move if it bit him). They go to movies with Yashiro, who still seems troubled. Touya still comes over to Hikaru's apartment for dinner, and they both let Ashiwara-san cook for them at Touya's house.
Hikaru thinks that Yashiro knows what's going on, but Yashiro doesn't say anything. Whether this is because he's waiting for Hikaru to tell him, or because he figures it's not his place to say anything, Hikaru doesn't know. Yashiro seems more and more wrapped up in school and tournaments, which is actually a lot like Hikaru's life, except for school.
When Yashiro loses to Ochi – which, really, Hikaru thinks, is just insulting given how much he and Touya play Yashiro – Touya starts shooting him worried looks.
"Has Yashiro said anything to you?" Touya asks. They are at Touya's house, going over Touya's win against Morishita-sensei. Hikaru knows that Morishita-sensei is going to want to go over this exact same game tomorrow, and he already knows it's going to be one of those study sessions where Morishita-sensei is going to yell. A lot.
"No," Hikaru replies. "What if he went here?" He places a stone at 17-5 and looks at the formation critically. If Morishita-sensei could have taken the upper right, Hikaru thinks he could have won.
Touya shakes his head. "I would have just gone here," he places a stone at 15-7, "and he would have lost the corner much sooner." He removes the two stones and continues recreating the game. "Perhaps we should talk to him?"
"We're supposed to go to the arcade tomorrow morning," Hikaru informs him. "I'll try talking to him."
"All right," Touya says, staring at the goban. "What do you think about going here?"
"Stupid," Hikaru replies dismissively. "Morishita-sensei would never go there. Plus, it's a dumb move."
Touya is staring at him, eyes narrowed. "It is not a stupid move, Shindou." Touya looks like he's going to say something else, but Hikaru leans over the goban and kisses him.
They have been dating for seven months, and Shindou hasn't tried anything except for the occasional grope. This isn't to say that Akira hasn't tried anything, but every time he has, he's inadvertently injured Shindou. He winces, remembering the unintentional bruise on Shindou's ear – Ashiwara-san has been really helpful in providing him with ideas, but Akira just doesn't think he has the skill to pull them off without inflicting bodily harm.
Which is why he is sitting in Ashiwara-san's living room, nursing a cup of tea, and feeling extremely uncomfortable as Ashiwara-san patiently describes how two men have sex. It's not like Akira hasn't thought about – in fact, he's wondering how he's even managed to maintain his winning streak the past month with as much time as he spends imagining Shindou naked – but he's completely clueless. And he doesn't have many people he can ask about it.
He briefly – briefly – considered asking Ogata-san, but quickly dismissed the idea for several reasons, chief among them being the overwhelming mortification he would suffer simply uttering the word sex in Ogata-san's presence. Ashiwara-san already thought he and Shindou were doing it, so it is only marginally less embarrassing asking him.
Saeki-san is sitting on the armchair, looking as uncomfortable as Akira feels. The tips of his ears are red and he keeps looking between them, panic mounting on his face. Ashiwara-san starts talking about the importance of lubricant, and suddenly, Saeki-san is standing up. "I'm going to go start dinner," he announces, and Ashiwara-san shoots him an amused look. "Will you be staying, Touya-kun?"
"No," Akira says, grateful for the momentary respite. He's grateful to Ashiwara-san, but he didn't expect him to be… this detailed. He looks at the wall clock and puts his tea on the coaster. "Actually, I should be leaving if I don't want to be late."
Ashiwara-san nods and stands. "Let me give you something," he says and motions for Akira to wait. He returns a moment later with a little box and a small white tube. Ashiwara-san smiles and hands them to Akira, who stares at them in confusion. "Condoms and lubricant," Ashiwara-san says, and Akira is sure that his face is bright red. "Just in case."
Akira thanks him awkwardly.
Hikaru blames Waya and Yashiro, because those assholes knew he was meeting Touya for dinner, and they still insisted on one more game, and now he's going to be late. Of course, he could have said no, but there was ramen on the line, so maybe it's not entirely their faults – and, of course, if he tells Touya about this, somehow it will all be Hikaru's fault.
So, when he gets to the Touya residence, he simply offers up a prayer to whatever god will listen to not have Touya ask questions. It's not like Hikaru being late is new anyway. He rings the doorbell and stands there, fidgeting, while he waits for Touya to answer the door. He's about to ring it again when the door opens, and Touya smiles shyly at him.
Hikaru smiles back stupidly and waits to Touya to invite him in. Touya moves aside, and Hikaru steps inside, kicking off his shoes and lining them up neatly next to Touya's. Once they're nice and straight, he moves over to Touya and kisses him.
He means for it to be a quick hello, but then somehow he's got Touya up against the wall, leg between Touya's thighs, and Touya smells like fall – cool and fresh. He has to remind himself not to push, and starts to pull away, but Touya has somehow found his way into Hikaru's shirt, and his hand is resting on the skin of Hikaru's stomach.
A knock on the door sends them flying apart. Touya is hidden behind the door, meaning the only one that the other person can see is Hikaru, so he turns and smiles. The delivery boy holds up a bag, and Hikaru shoots a glance at Touya, who is still out of sight, and tells the delivery boy, "Hold on."
Touya disappears around the corner and returns a moment later with his wallet. Hikaru heads further into the house and tries to sort out his thoughts. If the delivery boy hadn't shown up, he doesn't know if he'd have been able to pull away. The image of Touya licking his lips after Hikaru had jumped back is seared into the front of his brain, and he knows he has to be more careful. This is his first relationship – Touya's, too – and he doesn't want to make Touya feel like he's being forced into anything he doesn't want, but damn if his patience isn't nearing its limit.
He's taking deep breaths and forcing himself to think of Kuwabara-sensei in a tutu when Touya comes in holding sushi. Hikaru gets up from his seat and heads to the kitchen to grab plates and chopsticks. He grabs a nice bamboo pair for Touya and rummages through the drawer until he finds the bright orange plastic chopsticks he left a few weeks ago. By the time he gets back to the dining room, the large platter of sushi is sitting in the middle of the table.
They eat and talk about random things; Touya comments on different title qualifiers and Hikaru talks about his suspicions about Su-yeong and Yashiro. "I think that's why Yashiro is in a funk," Hikaru announces. "I mean," he continues, ticking things off on his fingers, "he's constantly in Korea, and he sees Su-yeong at international tournaments. They spent a lot of time together at the Nongshim Cup, and there was that fight during their exhibition game last week. Plus, they disappeared around the same time, and Yashiro totally had marks on his neck the next morning."
Touya looks at him and shakes his head. "Not this again. Shindou, I've told you before, there is nothing going on with Yashiro and Hong."
Hikaru gives him a skeptical look. "Do you know something I don't know?"
"If you're asking if Yashiro has told me anything, no. I just happen to pay attention."
"I pay attention, too," Hikaru grouses. "And it totally looks like they're dating."
Touya takes Hikaru's hand and gives it a small squeeze. "Yashiro will talk to us when he's ready to talk," Touya says. "Shall we play a game?"
Hikaru looks at his watch and decides he has time to play a game or two before the trains stop running. "Sure."
Akira is pretty sure he wants to ask Shindou to stay the night. He keeps thinking about the feel of Shindou's skin and Shindou pressing into him, and wonders what it would be like to have Shindou next to him. He's just not sure how to ask, or if he's even supposed to ask. What if I'm just supposed to seduce him? he thinks, and the thought fills him with a little bit a fear and a whole lot of confusion, because, while he doesn't have a problem with Ashiwara-san giving him tips and educating him on the mechanics of safe sex, there is no way he's going to ask him how to seduce someone.
They are just about to reach his father's study room when Akira has a brilliant idea. "Why don't we use the goban in my room?" he suggests.
"Your room?" Shindou's voice sounds a little strangled and his cheeks are suspiciously red. Whenever Shindou is over, they play in the study room; there is plenty of room in there, and his father stores the tsumego books and the kifu. Akira hardly ever uses the goban in his room when his parents are away, and he knows that Shindou knows this, too. Akira feels his own cheeks heat up in response, but nods. "If you're sure…"
Akira meets his eyes. "I'm sure." He takes Shindou's hand and leads him down the hall.
The alarm clock is making an atrociously annoying beeping noise, which is what wakes Hikaru up. He tries to roll over to whack the annoying thing – which, his sleep-addled mind points out, he doesn't remember setting the night before – and instead rolls onto something warm.
"Ow," says the warm thing, and suddenly, Hikaru is sitting up, trying to pull as much of the sheets around him as possible, because he knows exactly what the warm thing is, and oh god, he thinks in distress, why didn't I at least put on my boxers?
Touya Akira is blinking up at him, the perfect picture of debauchery complete with tousled hair and sleepy smile. Which is just unfair, because clearly Touya remembers everything upon waking up, while a stupid alarm clock threw Hikaru for a loop. "I hate your alarm clock," Hikaru informs Touya, who reaches out a hand and stops the blaring.
"We have games this morning," Touya says with a yawn. "We need to get ready. You can take your shower first."
Hikaru leaves Touya, who is picking up clothes and shaking his head, and heads to the bathroom. He takes a quick shower and finds a spare toothbrush under the sink. Touya once said that his mom keeps a stash of spare toiletries in one of the linen closets after a few of Touya-sensei's study groups ran late. Hikaru assumes she restocks every time they're in the country, and he's glad she does. He brushes his teeth and heads back to Touya's room.
Touya is wearing a yukata and holding Hikaru's shirt between two fingers. There is a grimace on his face. "What's wrong with my shirt?" Hikaru asks.
"You can't wear this today, Shindou," Touya says, and Hikaru can tell by his voice that he's serious.
"Why not?"
Without a word, Touya turns the shirt around so Hikaru can see the front. He doesn't notice the stain at first, but when he sees it, he understands. "Oh god," he says. "That's what I used to… Last night, when we…" Touya just nods. "Oh god."
"You can wear something of mine," Touya says, and Hikaru is sure it's meant to be comforting, but all Hikaru can think of are the dozens of ugly sweaters and vests which are probably arranged by color in Touya's closet. "And before you argue, you can't go to a title qualifier half naked."
"I think I'd rather go half naked," he mutters as Touya heads to the bathroom.
Akira spends a good five minutes arguing with Shindou about shirts. Every sweater he pulls out of his closet is immediately vetoed, and time is slowly ticking down. "Shindou," Akira says, holding up a perfectly acceptable cardigan, "we need to leave in five minutes or we will be late."
"Don't you have anything, you know, normal?" Shindou is frowning at the sweater in Akira's hand. "What about that shirt you bought the first time we went to the movies?"
"It's dirty," Akira replies flatly, shoving the sweater into Shindou's hands. "We need to leave, Shindou. Put on the shirt."
He does his best to ignore the stares. And the smirks. And the loud whispers, because some assholes don't know how to keep their voices below a shout. He glares at Waya, who shakes his head and continues his whisper-shout to Isumi-san. Yashiro is already in the game room and in front of his goban when Hikaru comes in.
"So," Yashiro says, and Hikaru has to give him points for at least containing his laughter. "Stay over at Touya's last night?"
"Shut up," Hikaru growls. Touya is standing next to him now, smiling, and Hikaru feels like this is probably some sort of revenge for a year ago, except now when the rumors start up again – and he knows they will, damn Waya to hell – they'll be mostly true.
"Ignore it," Touya suggests quietly, and there's a smirk on his face. If Hikaru didn't know any better, he would say that Touya planned this. "Besides, the shirt you're wearing is much nicer than the one you lent to me."
Hikaru looks down at the lavender, green, and yellow monstrosity that Touya had handed him this morning. Somehow, he swears the argyle looks demented and possessed, and Hikaru's sure the lavender makes him look paler than a ghost.
"It looks good on you, Shindou," Yashiro says, although there is a suspicious snort at the end of the sentence. "Lavender is your color."
"I am going to rip you apart, just watch," Hikaru threatens, but the look Yashiro gives him makes him think it's not very effective.
"You'd think after getting laid you'd be more easy-going," Yashiro sighs, throwing his hands up in a what can you do? fashion. "Oh well."
Hikaru is about to say something when the proctor comes into the room and announces that matches are going to begin. Yashiro smirks as Hikaru heads towards his goban.
Let them talk, he decides. He's got a game to win.
Go to opponent's entry: Round 5 - Miai, "Slow Burn", Fic (●)
Go to vote: Fandom Triforce vs. The White Suit Society - Third Board Match
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(Anonymous) 2012-08-17 05:12 pm (UTC)(link)Great job on finishing this multiparter! You had us in suspense, week after week!
- kakari
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(Anonymous) 2012-08-17 06:20 pm (UTC)(link)Of course it would be Ashiwara-san. ♥ He's like a big brother, after all. Plus, Akiko is off wandering the world with Kouyo, so she clearly can't give her son any advice. ^____^
♥kagami
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(Anonymous) 2012-08-17 09:50 pm (UTC)(link)no subject
(Anonymous) 2012-08-17 09:51 pm (UTC)(link)no subject
(Anonymous) 2012-08-17 10:36 pm (UTC)(link)Our entire team has made an excellent showing this round! So yay you and Ash!
♥kagami