Author's Note: Here we are at Chapter Two already! I'm trying to keep to a schedule when it comes to posting stuff, save for weeks when I have conflicts like finals or concerts, so hopefully we should have a new chapter of this every month or so, maybe even two a month. I'm not entirely sure what the plot is yet, other than exploring the Golden Pair in the adult world (insofar as college constitutes the adult world, which I'm still not sure it does…I'm pretty sure it's more like a bubble from another dimension or something), but I'm having fun tackling some of the themes that come up in the new setting, especially the ones this chapter! Oh, and just wait till next update…now that is going to be fuuuun
Um. This time it's Eiji's turn. Happy reading!
Chapter Two: All That's Known
I lie back just drifting and play out these scenes
I ride all the rush of all the hopes and the dreams
I may be neglecting the things I should do
But we've all got out junk, and my junk is you
-"My Junk," Spring Awakening
The first thought I had upon entering Oishi's dorm room was that it was exactly like him. One desk had a messy stack of books on top of it next to the computer and one of the closet doors was partially open, but other than that, everything was organized, put in its place, tidy, and exactly how I had pictures Oishi living even after he moved out of his parents' house. There was even a book bag and windbreaker hanging on the hooks on the back of the door, exactly where they were supposed to be. Not that I knew anyone else who ever actually used those hooks at all, much less for what they were intended for. Yes, this was definitely Oishi's room.
The second thought was that I was in Oishi's room again, with him actually, physically there, and his roommate was gone for the week.
Oishi set my bag down beside the cleaner of the two desks (which was probably his, I figured) and before he could turn back to me I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and pressed my cheek against his from behind. I was a bit worried that he would have forgotten, that he'd flinch or tense up for a second or two, but he just turned his head to make it more comfortable for me and I could feel him smile in amusement. "Oh, hello there. It's you."
"It's me," I replied and pressed my lips against his jaw line briefly before grinning back at him. "I know how you forget these things."
Oishi let out a short laugh and started to turn around to face me again. I let go of him reluctantly and the minute we were face to face I leaned up against him again and slipped my fingers through his. "This is nice," I told him, gesturing with my head to take in the entire room. "Mine is an absolute pit."
"And Kawamura puts up with it?" Oishi asked in mock disbelief.
"Not really, but it's easier for him to just keep his own half of the room clean than argue with me." I sighed tragically and fluttered my eyelashes helplessly. "I just need someone to take care of me, nya…"
"Have you thought about hiring a nanny?" he asked wryly.
"Well, you can just go on ahead and die, then," I pouted, lifting my nose high and looking pointedly away from him. I didn't let go of his hands, though. That would have just been crazy. "Some hospitality you're showing, you jerk."
"It's hard to be hospitable with a room the size of a utility closet."
"But it's so cozy!" I pulled back and clasped my hands in front of me dramatically, staring at Oishi with big, pleading eyes. "Can't we buy it, honey? It'll be so romantic and all ours!"
He stared at me silently for a moment, and then leaned back against the wall, laughing. I grinned and bowed. "Do I win, then?"
"You win," Oishi agreed as he caught his breath again. "I'm out of practice. Most of my classmates aren't much for joking unless it involves laughing at the professors."
"And here I thought doctors believed in the healing power of laughter."
With a sigh, my old partner shook his head and pulled out the desk chair for me before making his way to the couch. "Maybe you can explain to me why everyone thinks that a kinesiology major automatically means I must want to be a doctor?"
"Because you always took such good care of everyone, nya," I reminded him. "Besides, what else would kinesiology be good for?"
"Publishing health books, assisting with athletic programs…" Oishi paused, frowned, and sighed. "All right, fine. You win this one, as well."
Well, at least he knew who he was up against. Still… "Do I get to choose what I win?"
"I-" Oishi stopped abruptly and shut his mouth as I hopped back up from my chair and curled up on the floor at his feet, resting my head on his knees. Without waiting to see what he would do or say, I closed my eyes and let myself drift, just enjoying his company.
I could hear Oishi breathing behind me, but he didn't move away or stiffen or give any sign that he wanted me to leave, so I just listened to the sound and tried to match my breathing with his. Just as I fell back into synchronicity with him, with a physical click that vibrated through my entire body and made me wish it were possible to smile as wide as I wanted to at that familiar feeling of oneness with him, I felt a light touch on my head that became Oishi gently stroking my hair.
I let out a little hum of contentment. "You have a thousand years to stop doing that."
Oishi just let out a low chuckle above me and continued to run his fingers through my hair. "Did you know you purr when I do this?"
"No I don't. You're making that up."
"I am definitely not making it up."
I sat up abruptly and turned to look at him in shock. "No way!"
Oishi looked surprised, but there was also a glint of humor in his eyes, so I knew he couldn't be serious. I hope, anyway. "You didn't know?" he asked curiously.
I could feel my lips pursing halfway between thought and a pout. "You're kidding, right?"
Oishi smiled but didn't answer, and that was frustrating to the extreme. I pounded my fists on his thighs insistently. "Nyaaaa, quit it! I'm your guest, you're supposed to be nice to me!"
"Right, right." Oishi reached out, pressed his palm against my forehead, and gently pushed me away so he could stand. "Let's get you unpacked, all right? I thought we could go get something to drink while I show you around Kyoto, and then we need to meet up with some of my friends here for dinner. It's a Friday tradition." He hesitated, and suddenly he looked worried. "Unless that isn't okay with you?"
Something about his words sent an uneasy twinge through me, but I couldn't say why. I brushed it off and sprang back to my feet. "Sounds good to me! Where do I put my toothbrush?"
"It's good to know that you still have your priorities straight," Oishi teased as he stood to help me. I grinned back and hefted my luggage up onto the worn dorm couch. He had no idea how right he was. Being around him was always my top priority.
It had been years since I had last been to Kyoto…we had a class trip there my first year of high school, but that was three years earlier, and even then I hadn't been there during any holidays. Even in the damp, unpleasant drizzle that began as we made our way around the city, everything was brightly decorated and lit up, illuminating the myriad of umbrellas carried by the inhabitants of the old world. Everything seemed like a living, breathing part of history for some reason. Maybe it was because so many people were wearing full yukata whenever we walked near one of the major celebration spots and the temples that were scattered all over the city, or maybe it was the traditional music that echoes around downtown and the scent of traditional food wafting through the rain. I had to hold on to Oishi's arm the whole time or risk losing him and the safety of the umbrella we shared every time I stopped to get a closer look at something. And every time, my boyfriend simply smiled, joined me, and told me everything I could ever need to know about anything in Kyoto.
As mystical as everything was, though, I still felt uneasy and a little bit worried. It seemed like nothing had changed between us, but every moment I spent around him in his new home was a painful reminder that things had changed, for both of us. Just last year we had both known everything about each other's lives: every person the other knew, every single place we went to do anything, the smallest details of our schedules, everything there was to know. Now, I didn't know where Oishi went to get dinner or coffee, or who his friends were here in Kyoto, or even when he had gotten the shirt he was wearing. I found myself feeling more and more nervous about meeting up with his friends. What if I truly felt like an outsider then?
I didn't want to be on the outskirts of Oishi's life. It was selfish, but it was still true. If I could be an outsider in this major part of his life, how easy would it be for me to fall out of it entirely?
As I stared at a group of junior high girls in pastel kimonos giggling together over their fortunes at the corner temple, Oishi's voice startled me out of my thoughts. "How is your family doing?"
He didn't used to have to ask that, a nasty voice in my head whined, and I did my best to ignore it. "They're good. Kazuki changed his postgraduate course to theoretical mathematics, and Aoi finally moved in with her fiancé last month."
"Really?" Oishi sounded concerned. "Isn't that awfully early?"
"Not really. They've been dating for three years, remember?"
"I know," he explained with a worried frown, "but that's so short…"
He pursed his lips in thought and I suddenly had to laugh. It was just so him to be worried that someone who wasn't even in his family was rushing into marriage after such a long time. "It's fine, really. The apartment is pretty close to Mom and Dad's, so if anything goes wrong she'll have some support. Don't worry so much about it!"
With a loud sigh, Oishi nodded, but he still looked a bit uncomfortable. When he spoke again, I immediately understood. "And what about your other brother?"
My hands tingled with adrenaline at the mention of him, but unfortunately I was used to the pain by now. "Tetsu's fine. He visits plenty."
Oishi turned to me with a raised eyebrow and it was my turn to sigh. "Well, he visits everyone else. He still avoids me if he can. And when he can't, he just makes it very obvious that if anyone mentions me being gay in any way, he'll leave." I shrugged, not even bothering to hide my annoyance. "Mom says he'll get over it, and things are better I guess, but he still ignores that you exist."
"I thought you father might have stopped that by now," Oishi mused.
"He tries, but it makes him uncomfortable, too," I reminded him. "But at least he admits that you exist and that I love you."
Green eyes locked with mine and I completely forgot what we were talking about as I lost myself in them. God, you make me fall in love with you just by existing. "I'm sorry," Oishi murmured carefully. "I didn't mean to make you upset."
"Huh?" Smooth, Kikumaru. I yanked myself back to the present. "Don't worry about it. You still have to take care of everyone, Syuichirou."
"Not really," he protested with a smile. "Just you."
"Well, good. I'm no good at being jealous. Thanks for saving me the trouble."
Oishi put a hand on my shoulder, sending a familiar shiver through me, and gave me an affectionate squeeze before letting his hand fall again. "Lucky me, then. Come on, quit staring at all these pretty girls before I get jealous instead. The restaurant is over there and we're running late."
The reminder brought back all of my nerves full-force, but I pushed them aside. Nervous or not, I was too happy to be near him again to want to spoil anything. I rolled my eyes in mock sorrow and defeat. "Hoi, hoooi…"
Oishi didn't say anything, but when he glanced back at me with a smile, there was something in his eyes that suddenly made all of my worries seem completely ridiculous. It was something like what I felt when he had put his hand on my shoulder…a sense of much missed familiarity that never really went away.
Even if his friends didn't like me, he would still love me. That was what was important, not us having identical lives. I sped up to walk beside him as we crossed the street and decided that this was the most beautiful rainy day I had ever seen.
"It was not a fetus, Itou, for crying out loud!"
"Can we not discuss embryos in the restaurant, please?" Oishi asked lightly as he set down his chopsticks. "That is a mental image none of us need right now."
His friend Itou grinned and winked at me conspiratorially. Apparently he and Oishi had almost all of their classes together, and he had a black sense of humor to match Fuji's from what I'd seen during dinner. I definitely liked him plenty. "What about growing organs in jars? May we discuss that instead?"
A pretty girl in a simple blue dress whose name I couldn't quite remember still let out a cry of disgust. "No!"
"Ignore him, Uchida," gruff, stocky Kakashi scoffed as he dug back into his meal. "Itou has to make anything as disgusting as possible."
The girl who had been telling the fetus-that-was-not-a-fetus story, a blonde named Nishida, spoke up again with a glare. "Obviously. Who else could turn a harmless date story into something that gruesome?"
"Fetuses aren't gruesome," I chimed in, taking Itou's side for the fun of it. "They're cute and squishy!"
Nishida shot me a glare and Oishi rubbed at his temples, his expression a bit queasy. "Eiji, you aren't helping."
Well, obviously. Where would the fun have been in that? I flashed him an innocent smile and made my eyes go as wide and guiless as possible. "But Oishi, I thought you had to get used to these sorts of things for science class! I thought I was helping!"
The others all laughed except for Nishida who still seemed annoyed at me trying to further Itou's joke, and Oishi made a face at me while Itou slung an arm over my shoulder. "I like this guy, Oishi. If all your friends from Tokyo are like this, we need to kidnap them every time we go out drinking!"
"Especially if they're this cute," Uchida added with a flirtatious grin as her cheeks flushed prettily.
I stood up to bow like I'd seen in those old European movies, trying to hide my grin a little bit longer. "You flatter me, Uchida-dono."
Akizuki, Oishi's lab partner, cracked up. "Dono, at that! You're going to give Uchida an embolism if she blushes any harder!"
"Aneurism," Kakashi corrected as he downed the rest of the sake pitcher.
As I sat back down and grinned at Uchida to put her at ease again (she smiled back at me but this time without the rush of color this time), I went back to my meal so that I could go back to observing everyone else, and especially Oishi. I was having a lot more fun than I had expected I would at the dinner…I'd expected most of Oishi's friends to be kind of brainy, the sort that talked about the news and science stuff over dinner and nothing very interesting at all, but while they had to smart to have gotten accepted into the various science programs at Kyoudai, their Friday dinners seemed to be more of an excuse to relax and let go than talk about classes and serious matters. I mean, there were science jokes aplenty and a lot of inside jokes about their professors and fellow students, but everyone was friendly and down to earth. When Oishi introduced, "my best friend from home, Kikumaru Eiji," everyone had immediately started chattering away and asking me questions about Oishi when he was younger.
It was really, really hard to resist the urge to tell them all of the most embarrassing things I could remember. So I decided to not even bother resisting. Oishi blushing was just too cute, anyway, so that was just an extra added bonus.
I still wasn't sure about Nishida, but the rest of Oishi's friends I had decided I liked quite a bit, and they all seemed to like me back. It was a massive weight off of my mind, knowing that his new life would not exclude me from his in the least.
As I reached for the water pitcher to refill my glass, Akizuki held up a hand for silence. "So, Kikumaru. You've known Oishi how long again?"
"Seven years," I answered automatically. "Seven? Yeah, seven years. Since junior high."
"You guys went to the same school, yeah?" When I nodded and shot Oishi an amused glance at the fact that his friends were so drunk they didn't remember all of the questions they had already asked, Akizuki didn't seem to notice. "So you must know about his mysterious girlfriend, then!"
Oishi choked on a mouthful of rice and my head snapped back around so quickly that I wrenched my neck. "Ack! Ow…"
Once the pain in my neck had faded enough for me to stop hissing in pain, I raised an eyebrow at Oishi. "Girlfriend?"
"You don't know either?" Itou cried incredulously. "No way! We thought you'd have to know!"
"Oishi never tells us anything about her," Kakashi explained, frowning into his empty sake cup. "Omori from O-Chem tried asking him out right at the beginning of the school and he told her he already had somebody back home in Tokyo. All he'll tell us beyond that is that they met in junior high."
One look at Oishi's horrified expression was all it took to make up my mind. "Really?" I asked with an evil grin. "You have a girlfriend, Oishi?"
"He told me she was in the tennis club," Uchida added suddenly.
"When?"
"You were there, too, Nishida, remember? I asked how they met and he said, 'We both played doubles at school….'"
"Oh, that's right!" Nishida cried. "I'd forgotten that! Kikumaru, you must know her, then, you said you were Oishi's doubles partner."
I pretend to think for a moment. This was way too much fun. I was never letting Oishi live this down. "I actually didn't pay much attention to the girls on the team. Our captain gave me laps if he caught me not paying attention. Oishi must've gotten away with it because he was vice-captain," I added slyly.
"You checked her out during tennis practice?" Itou crowed. "All right Oishi!"
"I…no, it…there was…" Oishi sputtered incoherently, his face the reddest I have ever seen it, and fell silent, shooting me a look of entreaty. I smiled back sweetly. Not a chance, buddy.
"The girls on the team were cute, though," I continued happily. "Remember Ryuuzaki-sensei's little niece, Oishi? She was adorable, wasn't she?"
Kakashi choked on the water he had downed in place of sake. "The coach's niece?"
"Is that who she is?" Uchida asked excitedly. "Really, Oishi?"
"No!" he yelped desperately. "Echizen liked Sakuno, not me! She was two years younger than us!"
"You don't like younger girls?" I asked innocently. "I never saw you date any girls at all. I don't know what your type is. Some best friend you are, Oishi!"
"Oh, knock it off already!"
The rest of the guys and I burst out laughing at the expression on Oishi's face, but Uchida stepped in quietly. "All right, that's enough. If he doesn't want to tell us, he doesn't have to. We're just curious, Oishi, really. We didn't mean to embarrass you."
I had, but there was no way I was admitting it. Instead I sighed as Nishida chided, "Nami's right, everyone. You should be ashamed."
"Oh, yes, because all I ever wanted was your approval, Nishida," Itou groaned as he rolled his eyes.
I tuned out again as the conversation turned to teasing the rather stiff-necked girl and instead reached under the table to carefully take Oishi's hand. He looked up from his lap at me, his eyes nervous and uncertain. I gave his fingers a light squeeze and sent him a small, quick smile before looking back at the others. But I didn't release the light grip I had on his hand.
After a moment, Oishi let out a faint sigh, so quiet that I could barely hear it, and I felt him relax beside me again. He held my grasp a moment longer and then gently withdrew his fingers from mine. I let him, and folded my hands in my lap with a warm feeling of satisfaction.
The feeling lasted through all of the rest of dinner, and I could tell that he felt it, too.
