Disclaimer: I do not own Shirokuma Cafe or the characters.
Notes: This is a very different variety of confession fic. I thought how I would do it, and this idea just happened. There is intentional OOC in the first part of the fic, the rest is unintentional, so I apologise for that.
This fic contains shounen-ai between bears, so if you don't like it, turn away now. If you like this pairing, I hope you enjoy this!
"Hey, Shirokuma."
The white bear turned away from the lake and faced the brown bear. "What is it, Grizzly-kun?"
Grizzly continued gazing at the lake. "I'm gonna tell ya something you might find ridiculous. Don't laugh, okay?"
"I won't laugh. Promise."
"Okay then. I'm thinkin' it's about time I left here. You know, leave the nest. I'm gonna go on a trip, and I won't settle until I find the perfect place."
"Perfect place? For what?"
"I'm gonna open my own bar."
Shirokuma pointed to an automobile.
"That's a car."
He then picked up a stick and drew a five-pointed shape in the dirt.
"That's a star."
Finally, he pointed to a mark on Grizzly's arm; it was barely covered by new fur growing in.
"That's a scar. I said bar!"
"What gave you the idea?"
"Well, when you went out of town for those three months - you know, that top-class culinary course - it had me thinking. What would I do with my life? Your goals are set, but what about me? I explored my options and tried a short course in bartending. It seemed right up my alley."
"I see."
"I've completed most courses, I'll do my final one in my new home."
He turned to the lake. "Should I come with you?"
"I'll go alone. We can't always be stuck together. But, once I've found an ideal location to open a bar and a cafe, I'll give ya a holler, then you can come. It'll just be a while apart again, that's all."
"Okay."
"I'm heading off tomorrow. See me off?"
"Of course I will." He smiled. "Grizzly-kun?"
"Yeah?"
"Your idea is far from ridiculous. I think it's actually a rather good one."
"Thanks." He smiled and placed a paw on his friend's shoulder. "I'm gonna miss ya. You know that, right?"
"I'll miss you too."
They continued to quietly gaze over the clear waters in a peaceful silence. It would be a long time before they could do something together, so they wanted to make the most of it.
The next day came much too soon. Shirokuma was helping Grizzly pack up some essential belongings he'd be taking on his trip, as well as boxing up everything else for when he found their new hometown. He found an old photo album, and decided to go through it. He sat on the bed, opened the book, and gazed upon years of fond memories.
"I think that's everything," Grizzly commented as he zipped-up his carry bag. "How's everything over there?" He turned to face the ursine he was addressing and saw him sitting on the bed. "What's that?" He stepped over and sat beside his friend. He blushed when he saw one of the photos. "Who the hell took that one...?" he murmured.
Shirokuma just shifted closer so their bodies were touching and they could both look at the album. The memories and the realisation that it might be a year until he and Grizzly were together again caused emotions to fill him, and he didn't trust his voice at that moment.
"Gotta admit you made a cute bride, though." Grizzly was talking about a photo someone had taken of them in their pre-teen years. In it, Shirokuma was wearing a pale blue dress and veil, while Grizzly was in a black tuxedo. "I bet it was our mothers' friend who took it, right? She was always sneaky when it came to capturing those sorts of moments. So, what else is there?" He reached to turn the page, his paw brushing against Shirokuma's. He jumped slightly. "Uh...sorry about that..."
He shook his head, still gazing at the photo. He tried making a small hum, just to let Grizzly know he didn't mind what happened. But, the sound caught in his throat.
"You're being more quiet than usual. Really, you've only said a few words since you got here. You alright?"
He wanted to nod, deny the pain of the coming parting. But, he couldn't bring himself to do so. Instead, he looked up at Grizzly, his dark eyes becoming moist.
"Hey! Why are you crying?"
He didn't want to say, so he decided to make more puns. He acted as if he was making a purchase.
"You're buying."
He brought out some dye and tipped it into a container. He then dipped a piece of cloth into it.
"You're dying...that cloth."
Finally, he hung said dyed cloth near the window.
"You're drying. But, I asked you why you're crying." He wrapped his large arms around him and held him close. "Come on. Tell me."
"I'm going to miss you..." he whispered quietly. "Who knows how long it will be before we see each other again...?"
"I'm gonna miss you too, but I doubt it'll be too long."
"It might take you up to a year before you find the ideal place. I know you. You can be picky. I don't know if I'll be able to make it through so long without you. Three months was bad enough..."
"Wait. What do you mean?"
"I made myself keep busy when I was away. Everytime it got too quiet, I'd begin to miss you more and more. The worst was at night."
"Shirokuma... Hey, it'll be alright. I can write to you. Ahh...but I'll be moving around so much, you won't be able to respond. The phone is too expensive...I doubt most places I visit would have computers..." He tried thinking of how they could keep in touch, but each option had its flaws. "Huh. Guess we won't be able to correspond..."
"I thought so...though I guess that's a good thing. I would find myself wishing we were together each time I heard from you."
"Yeah. It wouldn't be the same." He tightened his hold and felt Shirokuma return the embrace. He noted, with much relief, that the white ursine had been mindful of his claws. He felt himself being pushed to lie down, and he allowed it.
The bears cuddled each other for a good while. Shirokuma lifted his head and looked at his friend. "Grizzly-kun?"
"Mm?"
"Please don't hate me."
"Hate you? Wha-?" He was cut off by a pair of lips on his own, his nose touching the other's. What...the hell...?
Shirokuma pulled back. "I would've regretted not doing that before you left."
"Why did you do that? I know you're pretty forward, but that was..."
"I love you."
"You...huh?"
"I love you. I do. I have for a couple of years. I mean, I've always loved you, but it was platonic. My feelings now are romantic."
"I...I see." He smiled, the shock wearing off. "I should've known. Like I said, you're pretty forward. It's not the first time you've kissed me, but it is the first time you've kissed me like that." His cheek fur darkened slightly. "I like you too. Love you. Deeply."
"Grizzly-kun..."
"We can leave next week."
"We?"
"Yeah. One reason I was gonna go alone was because I had to sort out my feelings and how to tell ya. But, you've made it easier. So, we'll head off together. No need to miss each other now, right?"
Shirokuma responded with another kiss, this time it was reciprocated.
They knew they had to keep packing up, but it was put on hold for the night. Instead, the two ursines continued to cuddle, sharing tender kisses every now and then. They had more peaceful moments together, they couldn't let them go to waste.
"...and that is how Grizzly-kun and I got together," Shirokuma told his friends.
"Ehh? So, that's how it happened..." Panda commented around a mouthful of bamboo.
"That sounds like what happened on Drifting Lovelast night," Sasako pointed out.
"That's because it is," Grizzly grumbled.
Penguin sweatdropped. "Now he's getting ideas from TV?"
"Ah. Seems I was caught. It was a nice story though, wasn't it?" Shirokuma remarked.
"Anyway, what really happened was I'd had an accident, Shirokuma patched me up, we bumped our noses together unintentionally, then started kissing. We didn't get sappy, just said quick I love yous and then we got together. That's it," Grizzly explained.
"What was the accident?" Panda questioned.
"I was stung by bees because a certain pun-loving bear, who shall remain nameless, disturbed another hive. Honestly, you should know better from our cub days."
"I am sorry. How can I make it up to you?" Shirokuma asked, knowing Grizzly wasn't really upset about it anymore. But, he did have to play along.
"You. Me. Backroom. Now."
Sasako smiled. "I can take care of things out here, Shirokuma-san," she offered.
"I'll leave it to you." He leaned close enough to her, Panda and Penguin so he could tell them, "we won't be long, Grizzly-kun just doesn't feel comfortable with P.D.A. yet." He straightened up and led Grizzly to the backroom.
