Zoo Trip
The next morning, although it was a Saturday, Shinobu and Misaki each had exams that morning at their respective universities. The two had been able to schedule them for that specific time as there would be less people as most individuals preferred to have their entire weekend free.
Once Shinobu was finished with his exam, he sent a text to Misaki telling him to meet in front of Marimo Books.
As he started to walk toward the exit gate of his universities campus he overheard someone talking.
"Hey Yukina, why don't you come with us to the strip club?"
"No, thank you. I've got to get home to finish a painting I'm working on."
"That can wait! Come on. It's been forever since you had free time to go with us."
"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to decline your invitation."
"Are you worried about what your girlfriend would think?"
Shinobu blinked as he looked in their direction. The man who was evidently Yukina was a giant in comparison to those surrounding him. It seemed that when the annoying youth tried to get him to join them and then remarked about hi girlfriend, the tall Teito Art student grew quiet.
Then he heard the man he supposed again was Yukina respond.
"Even though that's part of it, I still don't want to go. I also have a part time job and when I have free time, I like spending it with the person I love most in the world. So now, please excuse me."
Shinobu watched him turn on his feet and pass by him. He himself knew how it felt to want to be with the one he loved the most in the whole world just like the other had told those other punks.
He glanced back down at his cell. There was still no reply from Misaki, which he thought probably meant he wasn't yet finished with his exam.
'Strip club hmmn. Maybe Mi-chan and I should check it out. Maybe we might learn something there that we can use on our lovers.'
Standing by the exit, he stopped so that he could text. He wasn't idiotic enough to walk across the street texting, he didn't want to get hit by some a car. What if the person wasn't themselves paying attention to traffic and instead were texting themselves?
He texted to Misaki, 'When you're done with your exam, I want to go to a strip club.'
Closing his cell, he clipped it to his school bag with the bearded panda cellphone charm.
Once he'd walked to the station that would take him where he wanted to be, near the Marimo Bookstore, his cell finally went off. It was telling him he had an incoming text.
After he was seated on the train, he looked at his messages.
'Shino-chan! Are you nuts? One I don't want to go to a strip club. Two, if Usagi-san found out he'd do something weird! Three, why would you even want to go? You have Miyagi don't you? You want to see other people naked?'
He felt like laughing at Misaki's reaction.
'I want to go and see what they do Mi-chan. Then I can maybe do something like it for Miyagi. You could do the same for Usami-sensei.' He sent that to Misaki via text.
It wasn't until he was off the train and walking the last couple of blocks toward Marimo Bookstore that he got a reply.
'Wh-wh-what? There's no way I could do that!'
He looked up as he was about to stop somewhere to reply, but saw Misaki waiting for him in front of the book shop.
"Mi-chan, couldn't you go with me? I don't want to go to that place by myself. One never knows what kind of creeps might be lurking about." He'd go by himself if he really had to, maybe not that day since they'd promised to have an outing together without their 'seme's' according to the Uke's Anonymous podcast website started by Alexia Featherchild and run with the help of Austen_Kiss, Cerebus Revised and xMoyMoy. No one knew who the heck they were, apparently they were web aliases.
He watched as the emerald eyed wonder was beginning to waver, his face a dull red. Most likely from blushing a darker color before he'd met him at their rendezvous point.
"I'll go with you Shino-chan, but we better not stay long."
At least he'd gotten him to agree to go. He wasn't sure how long they'd stay, but with exams over he really wanted to go see while Miyagi was at some sort of conference or whatever it was that morning. Perhaps Miaygi also had to grade papers with the few classes and students who had chosen to take the exam that Saturday morning.
He took Misaki's hand and rushed down the side walk. He didn't care if people were looking. Really, he didn't know why two guys couldn't hold hands, even if they were friends. It was just holding hands. It wasn't like they were kissing in public. Besides, Misaki wasn't Miyagi.
He just figured Misaki would be slower than him and with the crowds they could easily get separated.
Misaki, "Shino-chan! Let go of my hand, I can walk by myself."
"Where we're going, its probably a good thing I have your hand Mi-chan. Remember, its in a shady area, because most, if not all strip clubs can be or are shady places."
He didn't hear a peep from Misaki after that.
Turning down the street that was full of love hotels and a movie theater, at the end of it they came to a halt.
The two stared up at the blinking neon lights.
'Pandaroo'
Their corner of their mouths twitched at the name.
"That's a disgrace to my Panda's," the sandy haired young man grumbled.
Misaki nodded in agreement.
Their heads turned so that they gazed into each others eyes. Misaki with trepidation, Shinobu with determination.
"Let's go in Mi-chan!"
Neither noticed the man that was following them. They hadn't noticed they'd been being trailed for the last block and a half. Either they were ignorant or had simply assumed the man to be going in the same direction as they were, to enjoy the entertainment that the strip-club, Pandaroo could provide.
Misaki and Shinobu flashed their ID's to the ID checker. At age twenty-one and twenty respectively, they were old enough by the standards of Japan to enter an establishment like Pandaroo.
They found a seat in the back, in a dark corner to watch. Across from them, sat the stranger who'd been following them.
The two watched as the next act came on. Two men with well chiseled jawlines, tight six pack abs and dark hair that ran from their naval down over their abdomen. Were they not wearing shorts which showed their packages which were straining against the material, the trail would probably have continued.
As the two men were taking hold of a pole each, Shinobu and Misaki didn't notice the approach of the man from across the isle. Shinobu was too engrossed by the display of the strippers, mentally taking notes for what he could do to entice Miyagi. Misaki on the other hand was hiding his burning face behind his hands and peaking through his fingers.
Shinobu turned his head just as a hand was clamped over Misaki's mouth and the man tried picking up his new friend he'd met through Uke's Anonymous.
Shinobu yelled, "Help! Someone's trying to abduct Misaki!"
He stood up and went to swing his fist at the man who was trying to drag Misaki out the exit. Unfortunately, the man was too quick and his fist missed connecting.
Sprinting after him, he flipped his cellphone open and clicked the number 9 which dialed Usami Akihiko's cell. "You need to get here, quick. Someone's trying to kidnap Misaki."
He winced as he heard a roar on the other end. "I'm chasing after them."
Quickly he told him the address and which direction they were going.
Someone at the club had already informed the police and he could hear siren's. He just hoped the monster who had a hold of Misaki didn't have any weapons on him. He wouldn't think so, since the door had a metal detector for the safety of Pandaroo's patrons just as much for the safety of their workers.
He could hear a car come screeching to a halt by the car that the abductor was dragging a reluctant Misaki toward.
It was a red, flash sports car that had gotten there moments before a number of police cars showed up to surround the area and block off the exits a car could get through.
The silver haired man got out of his car and growled, "You better put him down."
Both Shinobu's silver eyes and Misaki's green eyes widened when they saw Akihiko was holding a gun pointed at the mans head.
Police officers came up to Akihiko as well as the abductor.
Misaki, Shinobu noticed managed to get his mouth free of the hand that was held over it and bit into the mans hand.
Which gave the cops opportunity to swoop in and bring the culprit down.
Another police officer had relieved Akihiko of his weapon, which turned out to be nothing more than a water pistol.
Once Misaki was beside Akihiko, the silver haired author lifted him up, bridal style and deposited him into the passenger side door of his car.
One officer asked Misaki, "Do you know that man?"
"Yes, he's Usami Akihiko."
"He's not trying to abduct you?"
"...No."
Akihiko glanced at the officer, "I'm just taking Misaki home. Then we're going to have to call his brother. If you need him for questioning, please do it at my place." He handed the officer a card with his contact information on it, before leaving.
Shinobu blinked, shaking his head. "And I get left behind." He sighed. 'At least Mi-chan is alright and is where he's supposed to be. Guess I'll go over to Mitsuhashi to see what my dad's up to.'
As he was headed that way however, he ran into a few of his senpai's from Teito along the way.
"Hey Takatsuki-kun! Did you hear about the play?"
His brows furrowed for being interrupted in his plans to make his way toward Mitsuhashi to be with Miyagi, or at least wait for him in his office. How was he supposed to entice Miyagi into fucking him on his desk if he was being held up by his senpai's?
"I did, and?" He crossed his arms over his chest, wondering what the big deal was about the play Romeo and Juliet. It had been done over a thousand times or more and he'd seen it and read it often enough that he wasn't at all excited about it. Yet for some reason, they were.
"They need a Juliet."
Blinking he asked, "So? I'm sure they can find someone."
"Well, Itsuki and Inari thought you'd be perfect for the role of Juliet."
He stared at them, bewildered, "What? I'm a guy."
"Traditionally, Juliet was played by a man, all of the characters were in Shakespeare's time."
"No way am I going to be Juliet. Besides, I'm not an actor." He was sure that he'd be absolutely horrific as an actor. Singing might be okay if he were at all interested in it, but an actor? No way, not even for a little school play.
"What if we dare you to do it?"
"Not going to work." Sometimes, he thought these Senpai of his were positively idiotic. Especially in moments like he found himself in right then and there.
"What about a bet? If you win we'll buy you that huge stuffed animal you wanted. The panda."
Gray eyes lit up, though he asked cautiously, "And if I lose?" He was pretty sure he knew where this was going.
"You'll take the part of Juliet. We even have the dress with us so you can try it on."
"No way am I going to lose." Not to these bunch of idiots anyway. "What are we going to do anyway?"
"Go on the new roller coaster. Whoever hurls first loses."
At the mention of a roller coaster, his stomach grew queasy. Already he said he'd take them up on the bet.
"And who will I be competing against? I'm not going to go up against steel stomach here."
He pointed at the pasta loving man whom had decided recently to return to school for a college degree. No one was sure how old he was, he didn't look that old, but some had heard rumors he was way older than he looked.
"You'll be going up against me."
He'd never known Risa to get on any of the rides before.
"Why don't you be Juliet, you're a girl."
"I wont have time. I have five younger siblings and my dad is across country and our mother, last year..." she trailed off and he felt horrible for bringing her to the point of saying it.
With a sigh, he nodded, "Very well."
Several minutes later, after they'd gotten off the roller coaster, Risa was slightly green. He however was greener and had to rush to a nearby trash can, loosing that mornings meal.
Risa took out a brand new unopened toothbrush and small tube of toothpaste. "Here Takatsuki-kun. Sorry about all this."
He took the offered items and went into the bathroom. It looked as though the cleaner had just been and he was glad of that as he rinsed out his mouth with a small Dixie cup and then brushed his teeth.
He shuddered, that had been horrifying, but now he had to wear some stupid dress. Not that he cared that he'd have to wear a dress, but the fact he had lost the bet meant he had to participate in the stupid play. As a freakin' woman and not just any woman, one of the damn titular characters.
He growled when he saw in the mirror that two of the guys had brought in the dress.
"Try it on Takatsuki!"
"Fine! Get out!" He grabbed the dress and only when they'd left did he remove his shirt and put the dress on. He had to remove his pants as well for the skirts of the dress to fit right.
Glancing in the mirror, he thought if he'd been a girl and had allowed his hair to grow a bit he'd make a lovely deliciously flat chested girl. Something someone had said to him before.
He turned around when someone else came in and heard him chuckle.
"You look great in that Takatsuki-kun."
Before he knew what his Senpai was about, his shirt and pants he'd taken off were picked up and the other guy had the gall to run out.
"What the fuck?" He growled beneath his breath and picked up his bag before chasing after the asshole.
The place was too crowded and then there were a bunch of people who kept getting in his way. Some guys trying to talk to him and then there were the fair's games people trying to get his attention so he'd waste money on their rigged games.
He wasn't buying into it.
Frustrated, he stopped to glance around and was unable to spot a single one of his Senpai.
Irritated beyond belief, he left.
It didn't take that long before he was in the halls of Mitsuhashi University.
He really wanted to see Miyagi, for his lover to wrap his arms around him and hold him close. It had been an extremely trying day. First, his friend Misaki almost got abducted and then his stupid Senpai made a bet with him. He had to ride a gut wrenching roller coaster and then they'd taken his clothes and left him in the plays Juliet costume dress.
The next time he saw them, he'd get them back, somehow.
As he walked down the hall, he noticed his mother walking in his direction, coming from his fathers office.
"Mother?"
"Shinobu?" She blinked. "What in the world are you wearing?"
"A dress?"
"Why?"
He explained what had happened and once he'd finished she reached out and pulled him into a hug.
She was shorter than him, maybe even a little shorter than his sister.
"My poor Shinobu."
"It's no big deal. If it had just been the dress, I wouldn't care that much. I just don't want to have to play Juliet."
"Then don't."
"I already lost the bet."
"You'll have to kiss another man, you know?"
"So?"
She stepped back and blinked up at him. "You're okay with kissing a man?"
He knew that he and Miyagi were going to tell her on Monday about them, but he couldn't hold back.
"Mom, I'm gay."
She stared in wide eyed shock. "W-what? M-my little Shinobu..." She shook her head as though unable to bring herself to terms with what he'd just said.
"I'm in love with a man mom, only one. I'd rather only ever kiss him and not someone else, even if its just for a stupid play."
He heard her slowly release a sigh and stare down at the ground. Inwardly he worried that she'd hate him for loving another man, for being gay. What if she was upset about the possibility that he'd be a disgrace, because of how society as it stood currently scorned homosexuality.
"You know Shinobu. I think I always suspected you were different. You're highly intelligent."
Gray eyes watched as the woman's head tilted back up and he could see a small smile.
"You're going to have a long hard road ahead of you, but I'm your mother and no matter what, I'll always love you. It's... weird, not that how you feel is weird. It's just weird to me that I never really thought about it. I have a friend who have a lesbian daughter and well your father is bisexual."
He blinked, "You knew... about dad?"
She smiled, "I always knew. I'm still waiting for the day he tells me. Now don't get me wrong, had he loved the man he'd been with before me I would never have agreed to marry him. Ours was a love match when everyone else was going by status and wealth. Not that we didn't each benefit with our families combined wealth, but..."
Shinobu sighed, he guessed he understood. Still, he was twenty now and feared they might have felt differently had he come out to them beforehand.
"Shinobu?"
"Yes mom?"
"Who is the man you love? I've never heard about one."
Shinobu gulped, he wasn't sure he should say. Miyagi was after seventeen years his senior and a lot of people would think the older man had chased him when it was the exact opposite. His beloved hadn't corrupted him, if anything it was the other way around.
It wasn't corruption though, it was love, faith, destiny.
He murmured, "I... I don't know if I should tell you. I don't want you to get upset."
Neither noticed that Miyagi and the Dean were walking down the hall toward them, discussing something.
Not until the Dean called out.
"Shinobu? Hun?"
Shinobu's mother turned around as the sandy haired young man looked up.
His mother smiled at his father, "I was just trying to find out who Shinobu loves since he just..." she gazed toward Miyagi as if she didn't want to say.
The young man wondered if she feared how they'd look or if it was to keep his secret unless he wished to tell it.
"Miyagi already knows Mom."
"He does? Well... you don't have a problem with my son being gay Miyagi-kun?"
Miyagi's face paled as he slowly shook his head. "Not one problem."
"Do you know who he's in love with? I'd like to meet him, make sure he's acceptable. I hear too many horror stories about young people doing drugs and other nonsense, or being violent."
"I...know," Miyagi murmured.
Gray eyes met midnight blue.
Shinobu's father was the one to speak up, "I know who Shinobu loves and I think he's a fine and worthy man Hun."
"You do dear?"
"He is however seventeen years older than our son."
She blinked, gasping horrified, "What!?"
She whirled around to stare at him, "Shinobu. What did he do to you? Were you gay before..."
"Mother! Calm down. He didn't do anything to me that I didn't want him to. He didn't chase me, I chased him. It took awhile to even get him to accept my feelings and finally he returned them. If you can't respect our mutual love for one another, I don't know that I want to speak with you anymore. What does age have to do with it?"
"I just worry about you, because you're my son. Who is he?"
Miyagi and Shinobu's eyes met once again before Miyagi walked over to him and wrapped his hand around Shinobu's waist.
"It's Miyagi, Mother."
Miyagi slowly nodded.
"Miyagi? I do like him, but... what will Risako think, I wonder."
This was something they both had wondered.
"You're not going to let that stand in the way, are you Mom?"
"No, Shinobu. She is my daughter though, so I worry about her as well. I'm going to have to get use to all of this, but Miyagi-kun is a fine upstanding citizen. I have nothing against him as long as you two love each other."
She however glared at Miyagi, "But should you ever do anything to hurt him, I will castrate you."
Miyagi's eyes widened, "Y-yes ma'am."
The gray eyed youth smiled and snuggled into Miyagi's side, Miyagi holding him just a bit tighter.
The Dean asked, "Why don't we all go to the Zoo and relieve some stress?"
Miyagi nodded and then gazed down at Shinobu, "I do want to know, what's with the dress?"
Shinobu grumbled, "I'll explain on the way to the Zoo."
/\/\/\/\
As they arrived at the Zoo and got out of their cars, Miyagi was laughing.
"Miyagi! It's not funny."
Shinobu's attention however was soon turned in another direction when he spotted the Panda exhibit. His gray eyes rounded, noticing that the Giant Panda had a baby Panda with her.
He didn't even register that Kamijou-san was there taking pictures of them. Shinobu's first great love? Miyagi You. His second great, but platonic love? Panda's.
Without warning he made his way toward the exhibit with his parents and his lover following behind.
Once he was at the gate around the Panda's and their small habitat at the zoo, he frowned. He wanted to get even closer. With that in mind, he placed his hands on the top of the gate and his feet on the bottom rung and climbed. He grumbled at the difficulty that the stupid dress presented in his goal. Had he been wearing his pants from earlier, he was sure he'd already be over and in the Panda's habitat.
Seeing what he was doing, Miyagi's eyes widened, "Shinobu-chin! Don't get near the Panda's!"
Miyagi's heart raced, fearing that Shinobu could be mauled, especially when the Giant Panda had her baby to protect.
"Don't jump over the gate!" He ran up behind Shinobu, his hands going to hold him at the sides over his hipbones.
At first Shinobu appeared to resist, but was soon pulled down into Miyagi's arms.
"What the hell do you think you were doing?" The older man demanded of his younger lover.
"I wanted to get closer," the gray eyed youth mumbled.
Shinobu's father frowned, "That would have been dangerous Shinobu."
Shinobu's mother agreed with her husband on that matter, as had Miyagi by his obvious panic from moments ago.
Before anything else was said however, they turned their heads in the direction of a familiar voice. They saw the light brown haired assistant professor, Kamijou Hiroki with the tall dark haired Kusama Nowaki. Shinobu's parents didn't know who Nowaki was however.
"Professor! Why is Takatsuki-kun," Kamijou began and Miyagi was surprised he hadn't called Shinobu-chin a brat, "dressed up like that?"
Shinobu was the one to respond, his gray eyes narrowed and glittering. "Because I lost a bet with me Senpai's at Teito! I got the part of Juliet in a stupid play. I'm not even in the drama club!"
They noticed Kamijou blink at Kusama.
"What are you doing here?" Shinobu asked of Kamijou.
"Taking pictures of animals."
"Why?"
Kamijou was quiet as though lost in thought. It was his partner whom explained.
"For a little boy in need of a bone marrow transplant. I'm the donor, but Hiro-san and I have decided to adopt him."
The Dean and his wife glanced at each other behind their son and Miyagi.
The Dean murmured, "I didn't know that Kamijou-kun also..."
The Dean's wife lightly pat his arm, "I suppose in these times, its still better to hide it. This wont affect him though, right? It would be rather hypocritical to be fine with Miyagi and our son being that way."
"It isn't going to affect his standing, I'm just surprised that I never notice these things."
Shinobu while his parents spoke behind him, blinked at Kusama and Kamijou, "You're going to adopt him?" At this thought, he glanced toward Miyagi, "Why don't we adopt a child Miyagi?"
Miyagi scratched the back of his neck, a nervous laugh escaping him as his eyes looked upward out of one of the corners. "We'll talk about it later Shinobu-chin, but I think your parents want to talk to us."
Turning toward his parents, Shinobu quirked a brow, Kamijou and Kusama talking to one another behind them about the pictures and the boy they wanted to adopt.
The Dean and his wife glanced between their son and Miyagi.
Shinobu didn't think Miyagi had told the truth, "Mom, Dad, do you think Miyagi and I would be able to adopt?"
"We don't see why not. It depends on the place and their regulations. Not too many places, particularly in our area would allow a homosexual couple to adopt. There are those that are the exception though. Probably easier if its a private adoption between yourself and the birth parents."
Shinobu hummed softly, "I think nine upon graduation would be nice."
Miyagi blinked, not noticing Kamijou and Kusama had already left, "What? Nine?"
Shinobu's parents just chuckled, "We'll leave all the decisions regarding that to the two of you. We're going to go home together now."
The Dean took his wife's hand and made way for their car.
Miyagi continued to stare down at Shinobu, "Are you crazy Shinobu-chin? Where did this nine come from?" He wasn't even sure about one, let alone nine.
Shinobu had crossed his arms over his chest, staring intently at Miyagi, "Nine is a lucky number. Although at least having one related child would be nice if I can find a female relative willing to help. Then you only need to provide a cup full until one of your swimmers reaches the goal."
Miyagi just stared at him, dumbstruck. He lifted one hand to his forehead and began to rub at his temples. "Shinobu-chin, lets not talk about this right this minute."
"Then when we get home. We should go now."
Miyagi wondered why they'd had to run into Kamijou and his giant. Their talk about adoption had created a monster. Nine! Shinobu wanted nine! He could see maybe giving into the idea of one, but freaking nine?
As they pulled out of the zoo's parking lot, he wondered what he was in for if his beloved Shinobu-chin continued to insist on adopting nine kids. Well eight, with one being from a surrogate mother.
'Maybe its just a phase,' he could hope, but knowing Shinobu, if he wanted something, he rarely, if ever, gave up.
