"So Shin-chan, what are your plans for the future?" I asked, walking down the street on our way home from school. Tomorrow is the day we take our career test and I was curious to know what Shin-chan wanted to be. Definitely a lawyer or doctor, no doubt, but I asked anyway.

"A doctor." he replies, keeping his gaze on the sidewalk.

"Haha, somehow I knew you were going to say that. I'm not really sure what I want to be. For now, I'm just focusing on good grades and basketball. Although, my grades are only average..."

"Then you weren't made for academics."

"Hey!" I pout, "You don't have to insult me."

"I wasn't insulting you, Takao..."

xXx

The sidewalk is damp as I walk across it to the nearby clinic, and the people I pass stare at me briefly when they see the cast on my arm. When I finally reach the front doors, someone from the inside is kind enough to open them for me. I don't know who they are, but I smile back as a thank you for their deed. The receptionist smiles at me when I approach her. "Are you ready to get your cast removed, Takao-kun?" she asks with familiarity.

"Yes, I've been dying to get this thing off for weeks!" I said jovially. She tells me to sit in the waiting room while the doctor finishes up with his current client. I relax as I wait and wave to the staff that greet me.

I frequent this clinic for two reasons. As a detective, there are some situations where I get involved in something dangerous, so my physical health is at risk. Two years ago, I got shot in the arm. Luckily for me, I moved out of the way quick enough so that the bullet missed a major artery. This time, I was roof jumping trying to catch a suspect, and, unfortunately, landed wrong. My partner, Izuki Shun, thankfully caught the guy while I was writhing with pain. The second reason is because my best friend, Midorima Shintarou, owns it. I trust his ability as a doctor not because he is my friend, but because I was with him as he studied in the medical field. Sometimes I was called to help him study on things about the body, or he would practice check-ups on me. I didn't entirely mind; I thought some knowledge about one's health was useful in any case.

The nurse calls my name and I stand up to follow her. We walk through a door and in just a few short steps we already reach our destination. She opens the door for me and motions for me to sit on the examination bed, which is covered with paper, and I sit. The paper crinkles loudly as I adjust my position to be as comfortable as I can. Some of it rips when I settle onto it, but I've learned to not mind that anymore. She tells me to wait for a brief moment and that "the doctor will be with me shortly." I'm sure it will be quicker than that when he is reminded about my appointment today, and I was right. I hear the nurse squeal in surprise when she walks out. The door wasn't even closed yet when Shin-chan comes in. I frown at him. "Shin-chan, don't tell me you rushed the appointment before mine just so you could be here early."

"Of course not."

Shin-chan walks to me and tells me to sit at the chair next to the table with some equipment on it. He instructs me to place my casted arm on the pillow. I do so and he tells me to relax as he picks up the cast cutter and starts to cut the hard, outer layer of my cast. I can feel the vibrations of the cutter as it moves across my cast. I flip my arm over so he can repeat this action. I bring my arm back to it's first position, so my palm is now facing downwards, and he brings the cast spreaders to the split parts of my cast and clenches on them, spreading my cast a bit. He then brings out the scissors and cuts the softer layer that was on my skin. He carefully peels off the cast and tells me to slowly move my arm out. I see some dead skin fall off with the movement and make a face at it. "Shin-chan, I'm a snake, see?" I pick up the patches of dead skin and hold it up to him. "Throw it away, Takao. That's unsightly." he says with an oppressed smirk, then says, "You'll have to wait a few more days until you can go back on the field."

"Yeah yeah, I know. Physical therapy will help me heal faster. Ne, Shin-chan, we should go out some time soon! We haven't hung out in forever, you know?"

"If my schedule is free."

A few days later, Shin-chan and I have dinner together at an area near Nichoume. I didn't realize it when I planned it, but I figured being around Nichoume wouldn't be so bad. I don't really have anything against homosexuals. I'm not sure about Shin-chan though, but he never struck me as the type to be homophobic. I guess as long as they don't meddle with him, he's alright with them.

The restaurant is casual so I arrive in a red T-shirt and black jeans along with a navy green jacket. As always, Shin-chan is early, so I see him sitting at a table for two in a dark blue sweater vest with a white collared long sleeve under it. I can't see his pants, but I suspect they are light blue jeans. I sit in the chair across from him and pick up a menu. "Have you already ordered?" I ask, keeping my eyes on the selections.

"I was waiting for you." he says, fixing the cuff of his right sleeve.

"Do you at least know what you want?"

"I do."

"Okay, okay. I'll hurry then."

We order our food when the waiter comes by and soon enough we are already eating. "Shin-chan, don't you ever get tired of Oshiruko?" I ask him, containing my laugh.

"I don't." he says before taking another scoop of his red bean soup.

"You should at least eat the main course before dessert."

"I ate before I left."

"No you didn't. Here." I take some of my kimchi in my chopsticks and hold it in front of his mouth, my left hand cupping under my food in case it falls. Shin-chan looks at the kimchi for a second before opening his mouth. He doesn't move his head forward to eat it, so I lean in and place it in his mouth. "Geez Shin-chan," I say, "I don't mind spoiling you, but let me know first."

He swallows the kimchi, and I see his adams apple bob up then down as the food enters his esophagus. I'm not sure if my mouth waters at his neck or the food he just swallowed, but it waters nonetheless. "I opened my mouth for my food, not yours." he says, breaking my trance, and I look down to see his spoon-full of oshiruko hovering above his bowl. "Oops..." I think, then bring out my voice, "Then give me some of your oshiruko!"

"Why? It's mine." He takes another scoop and eats it, leaving is bowl half empty.

"Shin-chan, you have to share some since I shared my food!" I exclaim, then pull the spoon from his left hand and scoop some of his red bean soup for myself. I stick my tongue out at him with a scrunched nose before I eat it, and he laughs into his left fist. I can't believe I made Shin-chan laugh. Was stealing his food like a kid really that funny?

"Takao," he says, "Wipe your chin and shirt."

"My chin and..." I look down and see that I spilled some of the soup onto the mentioned places. "Augh!"

"Pfft... Bakao."

"Hey," I say jocundly, "I'm not stupid, just fun."

"You're saying I'm not fun?"

"I'd rather not say..."

"Stop it." He playfully punches my shoulder.

"Alright alright."

As I was cleaning myself up I hear people mutter to themselves or their companions. "I thought we weren't in Nichoume." "I guess they're here too." "Why don't they just go to Nichoume already?" Apparently Shin-chan couldn't hear them—or he was really good at pretending not to—because he went on eating until he finished his oshiruko. I stuffed the rest of my kimchi into my mouth before we payed the bill and left.

Neither of us had work the next day so we agreed to sleep at my house since I was the one who suggested going out to dinner— It's kind of a rule for the two of us. When we were changed and settled in, I asked him, from my couch, "Ne Shin-chan... What do you think about Homos?"

He stopped pouring his glass of water as if the question were more trivial than expected. "I think... it's time to sleep."

For those of you who don't know, Nichoume is also known as the "Gay District" in Tokyo because of the abundance of gay bars in the area; it it also known as the "Red Light District" I believe.

When Midorima calls Takao "Bakao" it is a play on words with the Japanese word for "Idiot/Stupid," which is Baka, and Takao's name.