"Tsume, I think we're lost…" a short red headed boy stated to his leather clad companion. Tsume said nothing, and continued walking in the same direction they had been walking.
"Maybe we should ask for some directions. We promised we'd meet everyone tonight at the Paradise Hotel. The wedding is in two days, and if we don't find everyone, Blue will- mmfmph!"
"Quiet runt, I'm trying to think." Tsume said, covering Toboe's mouth with his hand. His eyes surveyed the area, finally settling on a bus stop. "There." he said.
Toboe turned his golden brown eyes in the same direction. "A bus stop? How will a bus stop get us to the Paradise Hotel?"
Tsume rolled his honey eyes at the younger boy. "We ride the bus to the hotel, smart one." he walked over and sat on the bus bench, leaving a little room for Toboe to sit.
"Do you know how to get to the hotel from here, Tsume? What if we get even more lost?" he asked in a worried voice. "I'm scared to see Blue's reaction…"
Tsume ruffled Toboe's hair. "Why are you so scared of her anyways?"
Toboe looked at him like he was mental. "Reason one: It's her wedding to Hige, the man of her dreams. Reason two: She's been planning this wedding for two years and she wants it to be perfect. Reason three: She's four months pregnant and very hormonal. I've seen her cry because Hige forgot to put the cap on the toothpaste." He shuddered at the memory. "How can you NOT be afraid of her?"
Tsume smirked. "Because I had Cheza as my little sister. I was there when she became a 'woman', when they put her cat to sleep, and when she started her weird relationship with Kiba."
"Oh yeah…"
Suddenly a bright orange bus pulled up in front of them, its doors slowly creaking open, blowing a hot gust of wind straight at Toboe.
"Line 234, Mission Road to Second Steet" a robotic voice sounded. The two males climbed on and paid the fee.
"This is the first time I've ridden a bus, Tsume." Toboe said, bouncing up and down on his seat.
Tsume smiked, at the runt's enthusiasm. The bus started up, and took off.
"Hey, Tsume, where do we have to get off? Should I get a schedule?" Toboe asked, tugging on the older man's sleeve.
"If you think that will help kid." Tsume said. "So long as we get there."
Toboe smiled and went to the front of the bus, picking out a schedule at random. It was for the 234 and 166 buses.
'Okay, now I just have to find the way to the Paradise Hotel.' he thought. Too bad he was horrible with maps.
/
"Where are they?" Blue screamed, causing many hotel workers and guests to look at her funny.
"Calm down Blue, Stress isn't good for the baby." Hige said, attempting to put his arm around his bride-to-be. Attempted being the key word, as Blue punched him in the neck.
"How can I calm down when Toboe and Tsume are late? They don't care that the wedding is in two days! It's a sign that we should cancel the wedding!" Blue cried, suddenly dissolving into tears.
Hige sweatdropped while rubbing his neck where she hit him. He turned to Cheza for help, seeing as she was the Maid-of-Honor and her best friend.
Cheza nodded and went to Blue and put her arms around her. "Don't be sad Blue. This one knows they will be here. They probably got lost, since they've never been there before."
Blue's tears disappeared almost immediately. "You're right Cheza. They'll be here, I know it."
Kiba looked at the scene in disbelief. A few simple words and everything was suddenly fine?
Hige noticed his friend's look, and decided to share some wisdom with him. "Women are complicated, especially when they're pregnant. Expect this when you knock Cheza up."
Kiba's eyes widened at the thought and he made a silent vow to himself: Never forget to use protection.
/
"Tsume, we had to get off two stops ago!" Toboe said as he reached for the pull cord. Sadly, he was too short, and couldn't reach it.
After a few seconds of watching the boy reach for the cord (revealing several inches of belly when he did so, to Tsume's pleasure), Tsume decided to pull it for him.
Ding. Stop requested. Please use rear exits. The robotic voice sounded alerting the bus driver to stop at the next designated area. The two got up from their seats and waited until the bus stopped rolling forward. Toboe almost lost his footing and would have fallen on his face if not for Tsume putting an arm around his waist and preventing him from falling. Blushing, the younger boy thanked him, and the bus doors opened.
Toboe went back to figuring out the bus schedule as they got off the bus and made a disappointing discovery.
"Um, Tsume… promise you won't get angry?" Toboe asked in a small voice, hiding behind the map.
"What did you do runt?" Tsume asked, a hint of annoyance lacing his voice.
"We actually had two more stops to go… I was holding the map wrong." he said, a weak smile on his face.
Tsume's eyebrow twitched and he was about to yell at the red head, when another bus pulled up and opened its doors, a similar robotic voice stating: Line 167, Chanceville to North Town.
"Hey, the Paradise Hotel is in NorthTown!" Toboe said quickly, climbing on board. "Come on Tsume, this'll take us there, I know it!"
Tsume let out an exasperated sigh before getting on the bus with him and paying the fee for both of them (as Toboe spent the last of his money on the first bus.)
"I swear if this bus isn't the right one, I'm going to eat you runt." he said, leaning back into the seat.
"It will be, I promise!" Toboe said, leaning back into his seat too.
The bus started up and Toboe decided to people watch. There was an old man and an old lady sitting next to each other, the old man letting the old woman rest on his shoulder, and a youngish looking woman with a toddler in the back, but other than that, the bus was empty. He then turned to look out the window and saw that a stop was coming up, with a Mexican looking girl waiting.
The bus came to an abrupt halt, causing the old lady to jerk up before settling back, the toddler to laugh at the movement, and Toboe to wrap his arms around Tsume's waist to stop from bonking his head on the metal pole in front of him.
"S-sorry." he stuttered, sitting back up. Though, truth be told, he enjoyed the feel of Tsume's body under his hands.
"S'okay." Tsume said nonchalantly. The young girl Toboe saw earlier got on the bus and sat right across from them. She looked them up and down, her dark brown eyes taking in every detail behind her glasses. Toboe squirmed under her glare and clutched Tsume's arm, hiding his face in his chest.
Those two…the girl thought. They couldn't be, could they? Nah, stop it; you've been staying up too late watching anime.
"Tsume, can we get off on the next stop?" Toboe whispered in Tsume's ear. "That girl is looking at me…"
"How much more until we get to the Paradise Hotel?" Tsume asked, not letting the weird girl get to him.
"Only two blocks." Toboe said, reaching up for the cord again. Tsume pushed his hand down and pulled it for him.
"Okay runt, but this better be the last time." he said, ruffling his hair. There was a flash of a camera two seconds after Tsume said 'runt' and they looked to see the weird girl putting a disposable camera away, muttering about how lucky she was that her Halloween camera still had one frame left.
The bus came to a stop and the two got off as fast as they could. They felt that girl wasn't all there in the sanity department.
"Which way now?" Tsume asked, looking at the street they were at. It was getting dark, the sky a rusty red and majestic purple.
"I think its one street over." Toboe said, looking around him. A big building was to the right of then, casting scary looking shadows. It was bigger that all the others and the Paradise Hotel was supposed to be the biggest in the town. "Let's go this way Tsume." he said, grabbing his arm and pulling him in the direction of the building.
The crossed the street and walked the half block it took to get to the building and saw a sign that said 'Paradise hotel, It's Heaven on Earth!'
"Yay, we found it!" Toboe exclaimed, hugging Tsume by the waist. Neither had time to celebrate though, because at that moment they heard a female voice in front of them, and by the volume of her scream, she was pissed off.
"JUST WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU TWO BEEN?" Blue screamed at them, tears forming in her eyes.
"W-we just g-got l-lost Blue." Toboe whispered behind Tsume, peeking over his shoulder at the angry pregnant woman.
"THAT'S BLUE-SAMA TO YOU! HOW COULD YOU BE SO INSENSITIVE? DO YOU KNOW THAT STRESS KILLS THE BABY? YOU ARE KILLING MY BABY!" she cried, breaking down on the sidewalk just outside of the hotel.
"I'm sorry Blue-sama!" Toboe cried, falling to his knees and bowing down to her. "It… it was all Tsume's fault!"
Blue instantly got up and slapped Tsume, just as Hige, Cheza and Kiba got out of the hotel to restrain the hysterical woman.
"HIGE!" Blue cried when she saw him, running into his arms and crying into his jacket. Hige patted her back reassuringly, not even surprised.
"What happened?" Kiba asked, looking at Toboe still bowing down on the floor and the red mark on Tsume's cheek.
Tsume looked at Kiba and simply said, "I'm never riding the bus again."
He got Toboe back on his feet and whispered to him as they all walked into the hotel, "You're right, she is scary."
/
"Wow…" was all Toboe could manage to say when the door to the suite was opened. It was huge, complete with a living room and six doors leading… somewhere.
"The first door is for Blue and Hige, and the second one is for this one and Kiba." Cheza said, pointing to each room. "The one all the way at the end is yours, Tsume-nii. This one hopes Tsume-nii doesn't mind sharing a room with Toboe."
Toboe blushed, but Tsume merely shrugged.
"Doesn't bother me. Does it bother you, runt?" he asked, glancing at said runt.
"N-no! It's fine!" Toboe said, his blush increasing slightly. "I don't mind, not one bit."
"Even if you did, we won't change the sleeping arrangements." Hige said, his arm around Blue's shoulders.
"Now everyone get to bed." Blue said in a motherly tone, "We don't want anybody falling asleep at the rehearsal dinner, do we?"
Most wouldn't hear the dangerous undertone Blue used at the end, but the group assembled in front of her knew she would kill any and all who disobeyed her.
"No, Blue-sama, we'll go right to sleep!" Toboe said, giving her the soldier salute.
"Alright then." She said. She walked to the first door and snapped her fingers. "Hige, come."
Hige followed, a smile on his face. "Ooh, she's in her 'master' mode. The lovin's going to be good tonight. See you in the morning guys!" he called over his shoulder.
Cheza turned to Tsume. "Tsume-nii? Are they going to…" she trailed off, letting her elder brother catch on to the rest.
"I'm guessing so." he said, a disgusted look on his face.
Cheza's eyes widened in horror. "But… won't that… poke the baby?"
Kiba fainted anime style and Toboe's eyes widened at this piece of information.
"Would it Tsume?" he asked the older man.
Tsume looked at the two young people looking at him with big eyes. He didn't know where to begin to explain.
"Ask Kiba, I'm going to sleep." He said, making his escape to the room at the end.
He could hear the two asking their question and Kiba's stuttering and figured that the poor guy was blushing his head off.
"Kiba, can having sex while being pregnant poke the baby?" Toboe asked, Cheza nodding her head and waiting for the answer.
"I-I... have you… you don't… DIDN'T YOU TWO PAY ATTENTION IN HEALTH CLASS?" Both shook their heads and waited once more for their answers.
"Look, I don't want to get into it," Kiba said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "So I'll just say that no, you can't poke the baby when you have s-se… se… se…"
"Sex?" Cheza asked, finishing his sentence.
Kiba blushed deeper and nodded. "Please don't say that word."
"What word Kiba?" Cheza asked. "Sex? Why can't this one say sex, Kiba? Doesn't Kiba know that everyone has sex? Sex is a natural word, so why can't this one say sex?"
Kiba looked ready to explode of embarrassment, so Toboe took this as a sign that question time was over. Cheza wasn't getting the picture and continued to say 'sex' over and over again while they walked to their room.
Toboe walked to the last room and knocked softly on the door. He bit his lip and waited, but there was no answer. He pressed his ear to the door and heard soft snoring. He opened the door as quietly as he could and peeked inside.
The room was big, with a nightstand and two beds, and a flat screen TV in the corner. Tsume was on the bigger of the two beds, already asleep. Toboe blushed when he realized that Tsume had fallen asleep midway through undressing, seeing as he only had his pants on. His chest was bare, revealing his 'X' shaped scar that only himself and Cheza knew how he got it.
Toboe looked at the smaller bed, and saw how empty it looked. He sat on the corner of the bed and looked at Tsume again. He saw the way Tsume's chest rose and fell in a rhythmic pattern and how his face looked so much more content than when he was awake. Toboe wondered if he was dreaming sweet dreams.
Toboe was about to lay back in his bed when he heard Tsume mumble in his sleep. Curious, he climbed out of bed and leaned over him to hear him better. What he wasn't expecting was that Tsume would reach out in his sleep and accidentally pull him into the bed.
Toboe squeaked and tried to pull away, but Tsume's grip was like iron chains. It wasn't as if he WANTED to get out of the bed, he just didn't want Tsume to wake up and have to explain their awkward position. Toboe sighed, wondering how he was going to get out of this predicament.
Tsume sighed in his sleep and Toboe smiled, enjoying the way his breath mingled with his own. He traced a single finger across the 'X' shaped scar on his chest, taking pleasure in the smooth texture. He could feel Tsume's arms tighten around his waist and he thought he heard him whisper "Toboe" in his sleep. He blushed and bit his lip. How the hell was he supposed to get to sleep now?
/
Cheza had woken up bright and early, due to the light streaming in from the giant windows. Kiba was still asleep on his side of the bed, his face buried underneath the plush one thousand thread count blanket. It was just past six thirty am, but she didn't really want to go back to sleep. So she did what any girl would do in the situation: she decided to wake up her elder brother and annoy him to entertain herself.
She skipped over to his and Toboe's room, humming a tune under her breath. She got to the door and slowly opened it, hoping to catch him by surprise…
And nearly screamed.
There was her big 'scary' brother Tsume, and her shy friend Toboe hugging on the bed! Not only that, but Tsume was not wearing a shirt! She couldn't believe her eyes. She closed the door and ran back to her room.
"Kiba!" she whispered, shaking his shoulder. "Kiba wake up! You'll never believe what this one saw!"
"Mmm? Cheza?" Kiba muttered, still half asleep. "What are you doing up so early?"
"Kiba, this one just saw Tsume-nii and Toboe in the same bed!" Cheza whispered frantically, hopping up and down.
"Oh, that's nice… Wait, what?" Kiba shouted, sitting straight up in bed. He wasn't sure he heard her right.
"This one saw Tsume-nii and Toboe in the same bed! And they were hugging!" She exclaimed, her red eyes wide. "What should this one do, Kiba?"
Kiba was stumped. He had no idea how to answer her.
Cheza's eyes landed on a disposable camera on the nightstand, complimentary to all guests and got an idea.
"This one will take a picture of them to use as blackmail!" she said smiling, grabbing the camera and dashing off to the room again, leaving Kiba by himself to ponder.
Cheza quietly made her way over to the room again, camera ready to capture the scene on film. She opened the door again and peeked inside. They hadn't moved an inch.
This one can't believe it! Tsume-nii and Toboe! This one thinks they'd make a cute couple… Cheza thought, raising the camera to her face and snapping a shot. The flash went off and Toboe squirmed. Cheza held her breath, and his eyes opened, blinking twice before he took in his surroundings. He blushed a slight pink when he saw his position with Tsume and tried to untangle himself. In the night, he had wrapped his leg around Tsume's hip, leaving them in a very… awkward position. His blush turned scarlet when he saw Cheza at the door, the camera to her face and her finger pressing the button again.
Flash! There was more evidence to use against them.
"Cheza… it's not what it looks like!" Toboe exclaimed, feeling his cheeks burn with embarrassment. "It can be explained!"
Cheza giggled. "This one understands Toboe. And this one thinks you two make a great couple. Tsume-nii is very lucky!" she said before clicking another picture and then skipping away.
Toboe felt as though his face would turn permanently red. Why did it have to be Tsume's little sister? She was going to tease him about it for sure! He didn't think things could get any more embarrassing.
Oh how wrong he was.
At that moment Tsume's eyes fluttered open. At first, he was disoriented and hugged Toboe closer, causing more blood to rush to the red head's face. Then when he realized who it was he was holding, he quickly pulled away.
"What are you doing in my bed runt?" he asked, reaching for his shirt on the corner.
"I-I… y-you pinned me in y-your sleep last night." Toboe stuttered, looking away from him as he pulled the shirt over his head. "I c-couldn't escape…"
Tsume rolled his eyes. "Why didn't you wake me up?"
Toboe blushed deeper. "You looked too peaceful. And you were muttering in your sleep."
Now Tsume's eyes widened. "What exactly did I say?" he asked, worried about how much of his dreams he spoke.
Toboe refused to look into his eyes, so Tsume pulled his chin up to make him look. "Y-you said my name. D-do you dream about me, Tsume?" he asked in a softer voice.
It was now Tsume who couldn't look at him now. He didn't let go of his chin when he answered.
"I'd say no, but you would know I was lying." he said simply.
Toboe felt his heart speed up. Those simple words meant more than Tsume would ever know.
"Do… do those dreams make you happy?" he asked, hope tainting his tone.
Tsume smiled a genuine smile and said "Very."
"Do I make you happy?" Toboe asked, leaning towards him.
"Yes." Tsume whispered, closing the distance between them.
Flash!
The kiss was captured by one annoying little sister. They sprang apart and saw both Cheza and Blue at the door, Cheza with the camera and Blue with a camcorder.
"Yes, I got the whole thing on tape!" Blue cried, running back to her room. "Hige, look at Tsume and Toboe's cute confession!"
Cheza giggled and turned the dial on the camera. "This one couldn't resist telling Blue about it, and we couldn't help getting your confession on tape. Sorry Tsume-nii!" And with that, she dashed off. Tsume's eye twitched and Toboe had his face buried in Tsume's chest.
"Toboe?" Tsume asked, an evil smile on his face.
"Y-yes Tsume?" he asked meekly.
"You'll help me get revenge on her right?" he asked, putting an arm around his waist.
Toboe's eyes flashed with fire. "You bet!"