Chapter 11 - The odd couple
Hello again readers
Sorry for the long wait. Being an English major sometimes fries out my writing craze. But anyway enough school talk; I hope everyone enjoys the new chapter!
Special thanks to Nyarghh, Dominique and JasmineNightheart for thier recent reviews!
April 16th 2017 –Shady Oaks apartment complex
Senji's P.O.V.
I was drifting in and out of sleep when I started to have this sneaking suspicion that something wasn't quite right. Grumbling in my sleep, I tried to ignore it and lay in bed for just a little while longer. My alarm clock hadn't beeped yet so I knew I wasn't late for work. I didn't leave the stove on or the water running so that couldn't be it either. I was positive I locked the apartment door before I went to bed so that wasn't the problem. Still I had this aggravating suspicion that something was off. Like something that wasn't normally here was suddenly in my space, uninvited.
What the hell is it?
My suspicions escalated even further when I felt my covers being pulled away from me. My brow scrunched as I roughly pulled them back. Just when my mind started to drift back into sleep, the blankets were snatched away once again. Opening my bleary eyes, I rolled onto my side to beat the shit out of whatever just woke me up. My actions faltered when I felt a weird lump under the covers. The sun hadn't risen yet so the room was still too dark to see anything. With my mind still a haze from being woken up so early, I roughly poked at the odd lump to investigate further. The lump shifted and made an odd grunting noise but remained where it was. With a low growl, I leaned over the lump where the bed light was and turned it on. My eyes had to take a few minutes to adjust to the light before I was able to make out the lump underneath me. With my eyesight finally attuned to the light, I grabbed the blanket to finally reveal the source of my agitation.
What I found was a sprawled out teenager, lying on his back with drool running down the side of his face.
And I'm basically on top of him…
"GAH!" My voice came out a bit higher than I would have liked, as I fell onto my ass and scooted away from the bed. With my heart doing 360's in my chest, I watched as the sleepy teen sat up on the bed and scratched at his unkempt hair. The kid cast his dark eyes toward me as he quirked an eyebrow at my current state. My mind was still hyperventilating as the teen rubbed his bleary eyes and glared down at me accusingly.
With a scowling face, Jason grabbed my digital alarm clock and pointed at the time like a scolding mother.
Jumping onto my feet, I directed all of my anger towards the teen on my bed. "I know what time it is Jason! You're the one that woke me up!" It didn't cross my mind that my neighbors could hear every word I was yelling, but at the moment all I cared about was beating that punk's head in.
Jason tilted his head in confusion while I resisted the urge to draw my scythes. I kept my thumbs rings on at all times so my arms were itching to draw my blades on the arrogant asshole that had cost me some much needed sleep.
"You know damn well what I mean Jason. Why the hell are you in my bed?" My voice was kept to a low growl as I spoke through gritted teeth.
Jason took a moment to give an excruciatingly long yawn before pointing towards the living room and then rubbing his back with a pained face. It took me a second to figure out what the kid was saying. My temper flew over the roof when I realized where the kid's logic had led him.
"I don't care if that bed hurt your back! That doesn't mean you can sleep in here!" I could already feel the heat of my embarrassment creep its way onto my face. I was thankful for the dim lighting of the room so Jason couldn't see my mortified expression.
At hearing my I'm-gonna-rip-your-fucking-head-off-tone; Jason turned his eyebrows up in a pleading expression as his lip formed into a grin. I was very familiar with that charming look on his face. The teen seemed to be going for the 'we're buddies so this should be totally cool' approach. As if his seemingly good looks and charm would sway my insistent anger.
I was not swayed.
"No! No way in hell! Get your scrawny little ass out of that bed now!" I was fuming at this point. The kid was crazier than I thought if he assumed he could just cozy up in my bed and think nothing of it. Can't believe he actually crawled into my bed and fell asleep next to me! How did I not wake up before that!
Jason stared at me with a blank expression before falling back onto the bed and wrapping himself up in my blankets. The kid seemed to think that I would be perfectly fine with him completely ignoring me like this.
My retort to his nonchalance was to kick him directly in the ass and off of my bed.
Jason hit the floor with a loud 'thump' and rolled onto his butt, still tangled in the covers. It took him a second to regain his bearings as he stood up, his eyes blazing fire in my direction. I returned the glare right back as I marched over to snatch my covers off him.
"You are not sleeping here Jason and that's fi-!" My sentence was cut short when I ripped the blanket off of him and got a good look at his near naked form. Jason was standing clad in just his boxers with me staring at him like he'd just grown a second head.
My eyes caught the red twinkling of a tiny skull charm around his neck. I knew the kid always wore a necklace under his shirt but this was my first time actually seeing it. I hated to admit that it did look kind of cool on him. Or that the kid had a pretty decent body. I couldn't stop my eyes from roaming down his taught, lanky frame to the light patch of hair above his package. I wouldn't say he was pale but the teen was definitely white. Thin lines of scars showed themselves blatantly against his skin, a testament to the many fights he had gotten himself into. The kid's body wasn't exactly built but rather he was lean in stature. The muscles looked firm and solid amidst his lanky frame. His body almost reminded me of a young buck; lean but strong.
During my examination of Jason's body, I failed to realize that the teen had been staring back at me the whole time. My voice was suddenly lost on me, as I looked back up at Jason's innocent face. I felt my brow twitch when the kid caught on to what I was previously doing and smirked like he was the devil himself. Much like the cocky bastard that he was, Jason placed one hand on his hip and brought the other behind his head in a model-like pose. A suggestive grin played at the corners of his lips as he sent a painfully mocking wink in my direction. It really felt like a nuclear meltdown was going on in my brain as I seethed at the smug youth before me.
The teen barely had time to duck before one of my scythes slashed across his head.
"GET YOUR ASS OUT OF MY ROOM BEFORE I CUT YOUR NONEXSISTANT NUTS OFF!" Jason fled the bedroom like a bat out of hell as my scythes came close to slicing his limbs off. I marched up to my bedroom door and paused in the doorway before slamming it shut.
I poked my head into the hallway as I yelled loud enough for all of Tokyo to hear.
"AND JUST SO WE'RE CLEAR, I WAS NOT CHECKING YOU OUT!" With that, I slammed the door and breathed heavily against the frame. My scythes morphed back into their liquefied state as I glared at my digital alarm clock. I was already wide awake so there was no point in trying to go back to sleep. Plus I had to get ready for work in an hour anyway.
Starting my morning routine, I made my way to the bathroom.
I pretty much ripped my clothes off as I stumbled into the tub to take a quick shower. Hoping that the warm water would ease my frustrations and keep me from marching into the living room and beating the holy hell out of a certain someone. Cranking up the heat to its maximum capacity, I stepped into the shower and let the hot water run down my muscled torso in steaming rivulets. Already I felt the stress from my unruly wakeup wash down the drain. Concentrating on the hot water, I refused to let my thoughts wander back to Jason's near naked form. My muscles began to re-tense at the thought of Jason trying to show off his seemingly good looks. The kid had nothing to be cocky about when he looked like a gangly teenager that always had some serious bed-head. Or how that idiotic grin of his made him look like a fucking moron that forgot to take his meds that morning. And how he had absolutely no manly features what-so-ever. Right down from his boyish looks to his lithe frame.
There is absolutely nothing attractive about him.
Rubbing some cheap shampoo onto my head, I worked it into my spiked hair as I turned around to let the steaming water pour down my back. Soon the hot water relaxed my muscled back and caused a low moan to form in my throat. I was damn lucky to have gotten an apartment that still had hot water available for showers. Well in actuality, I was lucky enough to have a place that had running water at all. There were still plenty of people that lived in the slums that had to buy their water in bottles to wash with.
The kid should be damn grateful I'm letting him live here instead of those shit shacks down by the river.
I was just beginning to really enjoy my shower when my mind remembered the short allotted time on hot water. I could only be in the shower for so long before the water turned to ice cubes running down my bare skin. With great reluctance, I turned the water off and relished in the steam left by the hot shower. Grabbing a towel off the rack, I rubbed it over my hair as I pulled back the curtain.
Upon doing so, I was greeted with the image of my new roommate casually taking a piss in my toilet.
The teen was pretty much mimicking my own shocked expression as we both stared at each other with gaping faces. Unlike myself, Jason was now fully clothed and in the same dirty outfit from yesterday. Of course at the moment, I could care less about what he was wearing. Right now I was currently giving my new roommate a full frontal view of what my naked body looked like. I think at that moment, the shock over circuited my brain and sent me into a blank stupor. Neither one of us knew what to do or what to say as we kept our eyes locked on each other's. As Jason slowly began tucking himself back into his pants, I noticed that his eyes started to travel a little further south down my body. And that they lingered there a bit longer than I was comfortable with.
Breaking out of my mortified shock, I was sent right back into berserker mode as I pulled the curtain over my privates and gripped the first blunt object I could grab.
With the force of a battering ram, I whipped my block of evergreen soap directly at Jason's head. The soap hit him square in the forehead as the kid stumbled back and clutched at his reddening skin. Jason quickly snapped out of his daze and made a mad dash for the exit.
Gripping the next heavy object to whip at my friend's head, I aimed for another direct hit. "OUT!" Jason quickly scampered out of the bathroom as the bottle missed his head and splattered liquid shampoo all over the tacky wall.
My bathroom time was a little shorter than I had originally intended as I briskly exited the shower and into my bedroom. I dressed into my police uniform all the while mumbling every curse word you could possibly imagine. Jason was facing the kitchen counter when I walked in and was currently fixing himself a pot of coffee. The anger from our little bathroom incident still burned the skin on my face as I glared at the back of Jason's head. Picking up a nearby book from the living room, I chucked the hardcover novel straight at the kid's skull to get his unwelcome attention.
I can't understand how one person can cause so many shenanigans in the time span of 15 minutes!
The book hit him dead-center as the teen recoiled from the blow and looked at me like I had gone crazy. Jason's scowling face quickly shrunk back as I marched up to him with all of the animosity I could muster. The teen quickly held his hands up in mock defense from seeing my fuming face, clearly not wanting to spur me on any further. For once the little bastard knew better than to provoke my temper any more than he already did.
My voice was on the edge of fury. "You are two seconds away from sleeping under a bridge real quick Jason. If you're gonna be staying here, I'm setting some fucking grounds rules." I glowered down at the sheepish teen as he scratched his arm nervously. Jason looked just like a scorned puppy as he glanced up at me with those big, dark eyes of his; pleading for forgiveness. Don't fall for it Senji. You know damn well that the kid is a crafty little fucker.
"That shit might work on Donmon and the gang but it does not work on me. So you better wipe that pitiful little look off your face before I slice it off." I held up one of my scythes, the threat as clear as broad daylight.
The puppy-dog look soon melted away under his usual stubborn scowl. Jason blew out a huff of air, flicking his bangs up as he did. The kid leant back against the counter as he glared at the tiled floor. Clearly the teen was disappointed that his full proof puppy-dog face had failed miserably. Well what the hell did he expect? I take pity on no one and that includes him.
While I knew that Jason hated the thought of a rulebook, at this point I couldn't give two shits what he thought. If he wanted a place to stay he was going to listen and follow my house rules. My scythes molded back into my arms as I met Jason's stubborn gaze with a hard look of my own that told him I meant business. I mentally prepared myself for the soon to be argument when I remembered Jason's lack of a voice. For once I was grateful for the kid's temporary silence.
I held up my index finger to make my first point. "First off, you are not allowed to sleep in my bed. Period." I emphasized that last word with a growl to make sure Jason knew how serious this matter was. There was no way in hell I was going to sleep next to this angst-driven teenager. I had enough trouble sleeping as it was; I didn't Jason's presence adding to that frustration.
Jason merely stared back at me, his annoyed expression slowly turning into one of tired boredom. While I knew he couldn't talk back, I would have appreciated some sort of signal to know that he got what I was saying. A lot of the times I couldn't tell when Jason was paying attention or not. The kid had a knack for selective hearing and ignoring me was one of his favorite pastimes. Growing tired of the everlasting silence between us, Jason nodded his head to confirm that he had heard me.
Finally pleased with a response, I continued with my new set of rules. "Second: if I'm in the bathroom, you are not allowed in there under any circumstances." My face still held a twinge of redness from our earlier encounter.
Jason seemed perplexed by that particular rule, gesturing down to his junk in a pained manner. He brought his knees together and knitted his brows up in an impatient expression. It took me a second to figure out what the action meant, but when I did I was nonetheless pleased.
"I don't care how badly you have to pee, you can hold it!" My hands clenched into tight fists as I got a few steps closer to the unruly teenager. Did he really think that was a valid excuse?
Jason once again held his hands up in a juvenile show of submission as he backed away until his butt hit the kitchen counter. The teen was looking everywhere but my gaze as he scratched at his hair with a shy grin. If I didn't know any better, I'd say the kid looked almost embarrassed. The thought alone was preposterous, Jason never got red over anything. The kid was the crudest and most outspoken person I've ever had the misfortune of meeting. Nothing ever brought a blush of embarrassment to his face. And yet at the moment he looked completely nervous, shifting his weight back and forth and avoiding my heated gaze. Jason even seemed a tad thankful for his lack of speaking capabilities. Is he that embarrassed from seeing me naked?
My thoughts went back to Jason's flabbergasted expression at seeing the lower parts of me. I liked to think that he seemed impressed but that could have just been my pride talking. And not that I was a narcissistic kind of guy or anything, but I was technically above average for the typical Japanese man. A trait I have always taken great pride in. Though, I couldn't help but wonder what Jason thought after seeing me naked. I really wouldn't be surprised if the kid was embarrassed from seeing the larger part of me. To someone so young I'm sure it must have been intimidating…
Aah! What the hell am I thinking? I'm starting to sound like a goddamn pervert!
Quickly pushing the less-than-virtuous thoughts aside, I cleared my throat to get us back on track. "And lastly: while I'm gone I expect you to do the chores around here." Jason snapped out of his nervous stupor as he looked up at me with a frown. The mentioning of chores didn't sit well with him it seemed. The kid cocked his head in question, clearly asking if he had heard me correctly.
"Yes, I want you to do the chores around here. Since you don't have a job and can't help pay rent, you're gonna do the work around here instead. So don't think for one second that this is a free-ride here. You're not gonna sit on your butt all day while I'm busting my ass out in the streets, trying not to get shot." I said with narrowed eyes.
Jason let out a long sigh and nodded his head at my words. I guess the kid figured that doing the chores around here was the least he could do for the time being. Checking the clock, I had to leave pretty soon if I wanted to make it to the station on time. Though I knew I could trust Jason, I still felt uneasy at the prospect of leaving someone alone in my apartment. I chalked it up as still getting used to the whole roommate thing. This was the first time I've even let someone stay the night so this whole ordeal was definitely going to take some getting used to.
Jason turned back towards the counter and gradually poured himself a hot cup of cheap coffee. I already knew the kid's addiction to the stuff and made a mental note to get enough for the two of us. Before Jason could even bring the cup to his lips, I quickly stole it from his grasp and downed the cup in less than two gulps. I had to suppress a smirk at seeing the look on Jason's face as I downed his coffee. I handed him back the cup with a satisfied 'aah' while a playful gaze tinted my eyes. Jason gaped at my teasing face; seeing as it was usually him doing the teasing and not the other way around.
"Thanks for the cup Jay." I said with a mocking smile. That's for waking me up earlier than I had to asshole.
While Jason poured himself another cup, I got out some paper and started a list of chores for him to do while I was gone.
"Here, I want these done by the time I get back from work." I handed him the paper while Jason looked at the list with an exasperated groan. He handed me back the paper, a stern look in his eyes. It was then that I remembered what he was trying to tell me. Jason couldn't read kanji. Just like I couldn't read the English alphabet. This is gonna be a long month.
Jason turned over the paper and took the pencil from my hand. He looked at me and waved his hand for me to tell him the list again. I poured myself another cup of black coffee as I repeated the list.
"Alright I want you to do the dishes and the laundry that's in the hamper, fix the bedding in the bedroom, clean up that mess in the bathroom, take out the garbage and make dinner for tonight." That last chore was meant as a joke, but Jason wrote it down along with the rest of the chores. I took another sip of my coffee as I glanced at him in confusion.
I wasn't being serious when I told Jason to make tonight's dinner, and yet the kid didn't pick up on it. He didn't seem outraged at all as he wrote it down like it was nothing. I didn't know how chores worked back in the U.S. but here in Japan, preparing the meals was a housewife's duty. Telling a guy to do it was widely recognized as a tongue-in-cheek kind of joke. Apparently Jason didn't seem to be aware of this particular stereotype. I decided to push my little luck further and take advantage of his ignorance of Japanese culture.
"And in the future, I want you to prepare all the meals around here. That includes making my bento box too." I said while keeping my eyes on my coffee cup.
Jason quirked an eyebrow, seemingly perplexed but not at all outraged as he wrote that down as well. I had to hold back a laugh as Jason finished up the list. Preparing meals was a total bitch so I was glad to finally have someone else that would do it for me. I still couldn't believe that the kid was actually going to make the meals around here like a damned woman. Maybe I should get him a little apron while I'm at it. Jason looked up at hearing my low chuckle.
I tried to hide the grin on my face. "It's nothing Jay."
Jason turned his attention back to the list and stuck it onto my fridge with a banana magnet. Finishing up my last cup of coffee, I attempted to straighten my work tie in the den mirror. Domon wanted me to meet with the chief today so I figured I should look somewhat presentable. Even though I personally can't stand the prick.
"Remember, I want those chores done by the time I get back Jason." I said sternly while trying to fix my insufferable tie. Finally giving up on the damned thing, I opened the door to leave when I was stopped by a light tug on my shirt.
Turning around I growled in irritation. "What?"
Moving back to face Jason, my scowl instantly dissolved at seeing what he had stopped me for. There in Jason's hands was my blue bento box, the one I made the night before. During my struggles with the damn work tie, I'd almost forgotten to grab it. The kid's smiling face sent a flutter of unknown emotions jittering through my stomach as I took the box from his hand. What staggered me the most about this scene was how cheesily romantic it all was. Jason handing me my forgotten lunch was something a sprightly wife would do in a romantic comedy. It certainly didn't help matters when Jason glanced down at my crooked tie and quickly fixed it with a roll of his eyes. I nearly choked on my own breath as Jason casually adjusted my work tie like a good housewife would. I almost expected a kiss on the cheek with how things were going at the moment. Afterwards I was left in a blank state of shock as Jason grinned at his handiwork of my newly straightened tie.
Quick! Get out the door before you make an ass of yourself! And for God's sake, don't start blushing!
"I-I…u-uh…s-so...thanks see ya!" I nearly yelled as I bolted out of the room and down the apartment hallway.
Goddammit! What the hell has gotten into me today?
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
What was that about? I thought as Senji nearly tripped rushing down the apartment stairs. The man seemed especially eager to get out of here all of a sudden. I figured the man was probably just running late and trying to make it to the station on time for once.
Closing the door I looked around the empty apartment with a sigh. I did not look forward to doing any kind of chores, having had my fill of chores during my stay at the monk's temple. I thought about just taking a quick nap before starting on them. There were only a few things to do on his list so I could perhaps skip some. Senji probably wouldn't be too mad if a few chores didn't get done on time…
"I thought I told you that I wanted all this shit done by the time I got back?" Senji growled as he backed me into the kitchen wall.
I smiled cockily. "Sorry Senji…guess I lost track of time." I said in the most innocent voice, greatly anticipating what was to come. (Literally)
Senji quickly moved forward, slamming his palms against the wall on either side of my head. The man was dripping with animosity as he stared me down, sending enticing shivers down my back. Senji had this uncanny ability to turn me on with just a certain look in his eye. I could already feel my cock stiffen beneath the fabric of my jeans as Senji leant down next to my ear.
"Then I guess I'll have to teach you a lesson." Senji said before biting down on my neck, drawing a thin line of blood as he did so. My jaw clenched as I tried to hold back the whimper that threated to escape my mouth. His teeth digging into my flesh sent euphoric waves of pain and pleasure throughout my body. I relished in the man's action of marking me as his territory, like an animal in heat. It was such a fucking turn on. I briefly thought of asking him if he was gonna piss on me too.
Senji moaned as he released his hold on my neck and greedily licked up the blood, coating his tongue in red. He suddenly grabbed me by the back of the head as he pulled me into a rough kiss, forcing me to taste my own blood. Our tongues swirled in a mess of spit and copper as we both grappled for dominance. I ran my hands down Senji's built chest as my fingers tried to slip under his police shirt and feel the scorching skin beneath.
Senji pulled back with snarl as he grabbed my arms and hoisted me into the air, slamming me face first into the wall. I groaned at the rough treatment, mostly due to having my erection forced up against the wall in a painful manner. My discomfort seemed to spur Senji on even more as he practically purred in approval. I let out a lengthy moan as Senji crudely rubbed his own growing bulge into my ass. My eyes widened suddenly when I felt the cold metal of handcuffs clasped onto my wrists. I nearly came in my pants right then and there when I felt Senji's hot breath in my ear.
"Consider yourself my bitch Jason."
A brisk knock at the door broke me out of my little punishment fantasy. Opening my eyes, I found myself leaning against the door with my hand down my pants and sweat on my brow. Another knock, louder this time, ushered me away from the door as I quickly tried to gather myself together.
"U-uh…who is it?" I asked as I straightened my shirt and wiped the sweat off my temple.
"Kiyomasa's neighbor." An irritable man said from the other side of the door along with the faint sound of a foot tapping repeatedly.
Great, just what I need right now. A pissy neighborhood that was probably woken up by all the commotion this morning. What the hell do I even say to him? It's not like I have an excuse for all the noise that happened just moments ago.
With a regretful sigh, I opened the door and came upon a husky, middle-aged man in a cheap suit. The man was pretty round around the edges and suffered a major case of hair loss. The man looked just plain pissed as he narrowed his eyes.
"Where's Kiyomasa?" He asked, getting straight to the point.
"He left for work just a bit ago. I'm his new roommate." I said, feeling that an introduction was in order.
The fat man eyed me with scrutiny. "Right." He spat out.
The round man grabbed his suitcase as he turned to leave. "When Senji gets back tell him Satou wants to have a word with him." He grumbled in a sour manner before waddling down the hallway.
Yeah I'll be sure to get right on that.
I closed the door with a huff, annoyed that my inner porno had been cut short. With the mood having been killed, I turned my attention to the list on the fridge to get the chores done and over with. Though I would kill for Senji to reprimand me like in my fantasy, I knew that in reality the man would be none too pleased to see his chores uncompleted. And not in the way that I wanted either. Why must the fates be so cruel?
It was plain injustice having to live under the roof of someone who was completely off limits to me. Someone that could send the blood rushing straight to my cock without even trying. A guy that with the right tone of voice turned me into a horny school girl in less than a second. A man that basically defined the word erotic. Senji was the epitome of sexy, from his gruff and stubborn attitude to his impeccably built body. The guy makes me hard just thinking about him…
I groaned into my hands as I ran them over face and into my unkempt hair. Why couldn't I just know if he was gay dammit! I'm seriously going nuts with sexual frustration here! If I have to go through another scenario like the one in his bathroom this morning I might just end up jumping the son of a bitch and tying him to the bed. After all I was a horny teenager with pent up urges and a liking for men in cop uniforms, there was only so much one guy could take!
"Damn you Senji." I said to the empty kitchen as I filled up the sink with hot water and soap.
Letting the dirty dishes soak for a while, I walked back into Senji's room to start on the laundry. Since there wasn't too much in the hamper I took off my own dirty clothes to wash as well. I slipped on a pair of Senji's sweatpants and a dark blue tank top before taking the hamper over to the washer. I was a little puzzled to find that there was no dryer next to the washer. You gotta be kidding me! I have to hang dry all these clothes by hand? I groaned out loud as I threw the clothes in the wash and set the timer. With two chores halfway done, I walked back into Senji's room to straighten out his bedding.
I was just starting to fix the covers when a brilliant thought bubble popped into my head. A thought so brilliant I was surprised I didn't think of it beforehand. Porn! That's it! If I can find Senji's porn stash, I can finally know what that guy is actually in to. It's foolproof! Doing a quick I'm-so-smart dance, I started looking in the one place porn was usually stashed: under the mattress. Grabbing the ends of the bed, I flipped it over and searched for any sign of a booty magazine.
Nothing.
I was confused, but not distraught. My determination to find that man's porn stash was of the highest caliber. I was going to find his smut stash, even if it killed me. Looking around the room, my eyes settled on the closet as I resumed my search there. Nothing but clothes and boxes of police documents could be found as I searched vigorously. There were only so many places you could hide your porn and Senji sure was making it a challenge. He must hide his shit like a pro.
I was starting to lose hope as I checked every crack and crevice and every time I came up empty handed. Sitting on the bed, I leant my chin down on my fist as I tried to think of a spot I might have missed. I already looked under the bed and in the closet. I checked around his nightstand and under the pile of blankets in the corner. Where haven't I looked? There's gotta be one spot I neglected to check.
I glanced over at the nightstand when I realized that I didn't check through any of the drawers. I nearly slapped myself on the forehead as I got up to look. There wasn't much inside the top one or the second drawer, just a few miscellaneous things. Opening the bottom drawer I quickly skimmed through a stack of papers when I came across some pictures. Senji didn't strike me as a guy that kept photos of any kind, so finding these were a bit of a surprise. The first one was a photo of a very large family in front of an old style Japanese home. Pretty much everyone in the photo was smiling like an idiot; an air of excitement seemed to flow around them. I did notice that one person stood out in particular, mainly because he wasn't smiling. The person couldn't have been older than ten as he stood with the rebellious defiance of an unruly teenager. What struck me was how much the kid looked like Senji. The kid looked like he could have been his son or something.
Huh! What if this is Senji's kid? Does he have an illegitimate child somewhere with a woman he may have once loved? Does he still keep in contact with this woman? And what about this kid? When did that happen? Senji never told me about any of this! And that prick says I have trust issues!
With my mind racing with thoughts of this kid and Senji's mystery woman, they were suddenly stopped as I read what was on the back of the photo.
Kiyomasa Family – June 5th 2006
Senji: age 9
The little Senji lookalike was actually him; along with his family. The only thing I knew about Senji's family was that he and them were not on good terms. How and why were a compete puzzle to me. I put the photo back, not wanting to pry about his family any further, as I looked at the next picture. This photo was of an older Senji alongside Domon and the rest of the gang. Senji was actually smiling in this one as he stood beside a grinning Shindo and Momoi. The date on the back told me this was Senji's first day on the police force. The man actually looked happy with himself as he stood tall and proud in his new uniform, basking in the warm glow of the afternoon sun. It was rare to see Senji like that.
The last picture sent a small grin on my face. It was of me and Senji during his 19th birthday party last year. The two of us were each holding a beer can in our hands as Senji wrapped one arm around my neck in a jovial hug. The look on our faces was one of pure laughter, though I couldn't remember what had been so damn funny. We had both gotten pretty drunk at the little shindig that Domon and gang had thrown for him. Though I did recall how much more fun Senji was when he had a few too many. The guy got pretty wild much to my own amusement. With a soft chuckle, I put the photos back exactly where I found them.
Guess Senji doesn't have any smut on him. Not too surprising when you think about it though. The guy's such an enigma.
But I supposed that's one of the things I liked about him.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
Senji's P.O.V.
"Can't wait to get home and pass the fuck out already." I grumbled to myself as I trudged home in the rain. It totally figures. The sky is perfectly clear all day without so much as a cloud in the sky, then as soon as I leave the station to go home its starts raining.
It wasn't pouring out but the long walk back to my apartment meant I was going to be drenched as soon as I got there. My stomach growled for the hundredth time today as I picked up my pace to get back to my dry apartment where my new roommate was waiting. It was kind of nice knowing someone was waiting for me back at the apartment. I'd gotten so used to coming home to an empty house that I was sort of glad to have Jason there. Plus it was a bonus that he'd be taking care of the chores around the house from now on. It almost was like I had my own personal maid…
Opening the door to my apartment, I was greeted with Jason waiting patiently in the room for me. The teen was dressed in a French style maid outfit with thigh high leggings and a crisp white bow tied on his head. The skirt stopped just short of his ass while the sleeves were cut at the shoulder and puffed out slightly. Two long, black gloves went up to his biceps as he held his hands in front of him in standard maid protocol. The dark look in his devilish eyes sent a thrill of goosebumps over my skin as I closed and locked the door behind me.
Jason smirked before bowing slightly. "Welcome home, Master."
"AAHH!" I clutched my head in my hands as my scream scared off a few bystanders that happened to be walking near me. I had no idea how that smut filled thought entered my brain. I wasn't the sort of guy that thought about those kinds of things. Especially towards another guy. While technically I had never been with a woman I already knew that I was attracted to them. Meaning I was straight. So then why the hell did I just imagine my male friend in a frilly maid outfit and calling me Master? That just didn't make any sense!
Just don't think about it Senji. If you don't think about it, it's like it never happened. Just keep walking and don't think about Jason whatsoever.
When I got back to my apartment building, I hesitated before opening the door, half expecting to see the Jason from my brief maid fantasy. Instead I found Jason having a near meltdown in the kitchen. The kid didn't even notice me as I walked inside and shut the door. It seemed that Jason was trying to juggle cooking three things at once. He was currently having a tiff with the rice maker as he turned it this way and that, as if he were looking for the start button. A pot of miso soup started to boil over as Jason quickly tried to attend to that situation while whatever meat cooked on the burner continued to burn. Although Jason was clearly having a disaster in the kitchen, I couldn't help but smile.
The kid was trying so damn hard to prepare dinner that I could tell he had been bustling about all day. It gave me a nice feeling to see how hard he was trying to make the two of us dinner. I had to hold back a laugh to keep my presence from being known. Jason looked like a scatterbrained woman trying desperately to get dinner done before the husband got home. It really was an amusing spectacle to observe. I finally decided to alert Jason of my presence before something caught on fire.
"Hey." I said, scaring Jason nearly half to death.
The teen whipped around with one hand covering his heart in a shaken manner. Shock and mortification was painted clearly on his face as he groaned at seeing me behind him. I guess he wasn't expecting to see me home so soon.
"Need some help?" I asked with grin.
Jason slumped in defeat as he motioned towards the disaster in the kitchen. He moved out of the way as I helped him fix up the dinner he had tried to prepare. Whatever meat he had tried to cook was burnt to a crisp, no use in trying to save it. As it turns out, Jason couldn't figure out how to work the rice maker so the rice hadn't even been started yet. I showed him how to turn it on and how it worked, though I was puzzled as to why I had to. The rice maker wasn't exactly a difficult thing to operate. The only thing I managed to salvage was the miso soup. It was slightly overcooked but looked alright for the most part.
As we took out seats at the table I finally let out the laughter I'd been trying to hold in.
"I never knew you were such dope in the kitchen Jay. You couldn't even get the damn rice maker to work! Have you ever even cooked before?" I said in between fits of laughter.
Jason didn't find my mirth quite as amusing as he glared at me from across the table. The soup actually wasn't all that bad, surprisingly. After a few sips I didn't even notice the burnt flavor. Jason scrunched his face in disgust at taking a sip of his, but the kid had always been picky when it came to soup for some reason. He still looked a bit sheepish as he glanced over at the messy kitchen. I'm guessing he didn't expect dinner to go so bad for him.
"I suppose being in charge of the meals around here will give you plenty times to practice." I said with a slight smirk in my voice. Jason rolled his eyes as he took another sip of his soup and forced it down. Jason looked up and frowned as he shrugged his shoulders in a way of apologizing. I could tell he felt bad for ruining the food. I on the other hand, was just glad that tried. It showed that softer side of Jason you rarely saw.
"Thanks for dinner by the way." I met his sheepish eyes with a smile. That seemed to relax him a bit as he grinned back with his usual confidence.
I looked over at the unknown meat Jason had burned to stove and snorted. "Well…thanks for trying at least."
Jason flicked me off as I began to laugh again.
This was a fun chapter to write. They certainly are the odd couple aren't they? Well I hate to leave again so soon but I'm not sure when I'll be able to update again after this. Thanksgiving is coming up and then I've got finals to worry about so I'll have my plates full. But I've already started on chapter 12 so I'll try and work on it whenever I can.
Well leave a review and let me know what you thought of this chapter. Your reviews feed my writing powers! (Num num num)
Until next time
mcpidy