The costume shop was in a shopping center down Michigan Avenue on the other side of the Henry Ford Museum. The east had the Arab businesses with their unique character but western Dearborn was white bread suburbia, and the shopping center was nothing home to write about.

Once inside, however, Shun Kodori gasped in amazement upon seeing the varieties of costumes in many shapes and sizes. There were The Simpsons, Angry Birds, Pokemon… every franchise around. Plus there were the usual firefighter, witch, doctor, ghost, and police officer costumes. Some of them were on the kinky side. Even the employees were in costume, and some of the customers already had theirs on.

"What heroes will you be?" Rob asked with the excitedness of a newborn puppy. "I'm going to be Superman!"

"Of course," J sighed, a bit turned off by Rob's gloating.

"I liked Wonder Woman as a little girl, so I think I'll be her," June answered.

"Maybe I'll be Aquaman!" J said.

"What about you, Kouya?" Rob asked. "Shun?"

"We'll think about it," Kouya said with a smile as his hands were on his hips. The others scattered, looking for the costumes they desired.

"What are you thinking?" Shun asked his boyfriend in Japanese.

Now speaking Japanese, Kouya said, "Well, why don't we be… Batman and Robin?" as he held his index finger in the air.

"That sounds cool!" Shun cried. "They're best friends, aren't they?"

"Yep. And there are rumors of them being gay…" he said with a telling grin.

"Really?" Shun said, purring at Kouya's revelation. The dog-man nodded his head, still grinning. "I like the idea even more. Let's look at the costumes!" As he let the wolf-boy take the lead, Kouya remarked that Shun was seeming more and more like his old self. He wasn't blowing up in anger anymore. He was smiling most of the time. But he wasn't hop-skipping-jumping and he didn't yet say a "funyuu".

And on one rack was a pair… a Batman costume that was Kouya's size and a Robin costume that would… fit Shun! The one thing about it…

"It doesn't have legs," Shun said.

"There are some Robin costumes that have the legs. Are you okay with that costume or do you want to try the other one?" Kouya asked with some concern in his voice.

"You know…" Shun said, "I'm okay with wearing that one."

"You know something…" Kouya said as he lowered his head to Shun's ears. In a soft, but excited whisper, Kouya said: "I like bare legs." Shun made an embarrassed smirk. "Why don't we try 'em on?" Kouya suggested.

"Can we sh-share a dressing room, K-Kouya-san?" Shun nervously asked, trying but failing to hide his naughty smile.

"You're eager to see me undressed, aren't you?" Kouya said, laughing as he slammed his hand onto Shun's hair and gave him a noogie.

"K-Kouya-saaan!" Shun cried, oblivious to the strange looks coming from some of the shoppers, who did not understand a word of the Japanese that the pair had been saying.

An attendant lead the two into a single dressing room, and Kouya slid the curtain shut. Both of the costumes were up on the racks. It was just the two of them sharing a small, confined space, and soon after removing his tennis shoes, he was unbuckling his jeans. The motorcycle jacket came off too. His torso was only clad in black bikini briefs. His muscular legs were in plain view, and the black tank top shirt exhibited Kouya's well-toned upper body.

"You wanna get dressed, Shun-kun?" Kouya asked as he looked towards the wall with the costumes hanging on them. The husky dog-man's large size and muscular body was in Shun's vision, a sight to behold.

"That's… sexy…" Shun moaned as he stared at his boyfriend's bottom. A bit of drool trickled down his lip. It reminded him of Kouya's speedo swimsuit, that skimpy one the dog-man wore to the lake.

Kouya chuckled and cocked his head as he said, "Well, yes, that's what I wear." Shun panicked and wiped away the drool with his hand. The wolf-boy then looked away in guilt, with his eyebrows drooping and his head down. "Don't worry about it, dude," Kouya laughed. "I don't mind if you stare at me!" Shun nervously returned his attention to the husky dog-man's rump as Kouya unzipped the Batman costume. Then Kouya asked, "Aren't you going to get dressed?" With some nervousness, Shun pulled off his hoodie and then lifted up his white undershirt as Kouya watched. With his slender upper body exposed, the teenaged wolf-boy froze momentarily. "If you want, you can get a different room or I can stare at the wall," Kouya offered.

"We're boyfriends, aren't we?" Shun rhetorically asked as he undid his belt. "You can look at me too," he said as he pulled down his khaki shorts and stepped out of his sandals and shorts. As usual he was wearing plain white briefs, the kind someone could buy at a dollar store. His bare legs were now visible too. The dog-man turned around to face his lover. The college student's senses were roused and now he was blushing. "That's my underwear, Kouya-san," Shun said. "It's not cool like yours, but I like the color, and…"

"You look cute in those," Kouya said with a grin. Those words made a bell go off in the teenage wolf-boy's head and a wide smile went across his cheeks. Steam was blowing out of his ears. The husky dog-man leaned in and gave a quick peck on Shun's cheek, and the wolf-boy giggled in a blushing stupor. Now free of the stresses from his family and from the incident, Shun Kodori was happy.

"Shun-kun, we can't do anything else, though. They have cameras," Kouya said as he pointed to the ceiling. Shun look upwards and panicked momentarily. He hurried up, slipping his legs through the costume.

"You know, we needed a Batman!" cried Rob, now dressed in his Superman costume. Everyone was just outside of the dressing rooms, in plain view of the customers. Kouya had his arms wrapped around his little buddy, who indeed was dressed like Robin. The wolf-boy's eyes were hidden behind the trademark domino mask. Kouya, meanwhile, was dressed as the Caped Crusader. He looked more like the Adam West Batman instead of the Batman in the current movies. Shun too was Adam West-ish, with the bare legs prominent.

"They fit well, don't they?" J asked as he was in his Aquaman costume.

"Yeah," June, now dressed as Wonder Woman, said. "These are kick ass." Her legs were also bare.

"You look very cute together!" Farah, dressed as Lois Lane, said to Shun and Kouya. The wolf-boy nudged his face against Kouya's chest.

"Well, you are a good Lois Lane, Farah," Kouya said. Rob swooped behind her and picked her up off her legs, and the Lebanese woman giggled as her husband held her close.

"We're going to have a nice concert tomorrow," Rob said. "A concert for love!"

On Saturday Shun knew that Kouya was working on an important presentation, so he was unavailable. In the meantime, there was something important coming up. Yukie, Ten, and Shun had been tasked with making the house super squeaky clean, for some special people were showing up. It was Ryo's idea, maybe to make it up to Shun's friends for him being shut off, and to show Iwao a side of America he hadn't seen. As soon as the doorbell rang at 6:30 PM, Shun happily filed down the stairs and opened the door.

"What's up, dawg?" It was his first American friend, the fox-girl.

"Melinda!" Shun cried. Since things were getting colder he was now wearing khaki trousers instead of his previous shorts.

"Thank you for inviting me, Shun. It's been a long time," Melinda said.

"What's up?" Tim, the deer-boy behind her, asked.

"Shun-kun, are you feeling well?" the human girl who was Tim's girlfriend asked. Natsuko's ponytail swayed like the tail of an animal when she walked. She had a gray denim jacket over her white turtleneck, and now she was wearing a longer skirt down to her ankles.

"I'm doing okay," Shun said, using English.

"I heard you have some happy news," Melinda said with a grin. "But you said it's a secret. Are you going to tell us?"

"Y-yes, but please come in!" Shun cried. The fox-girl filed through first.

"This place doesn't look too bad!" Tim cried as he walked in. But…

"Tim," Natsuko whispered, "your shoes." The deer-boy looked down and saw that this Chuck Converses were drenched in mud, and the white carpet in the Kodori house was suffocating in it.

Shun panicked and cried, "Be careful! It's my house!" Tim's girlfriend Natsuko was quietly but sternly chastising him as he was taking off his own shoes, and as a frantic Yukie, just as panicked as Shun, grabbed some spray cleaner in an instant and scrambled to spray the heck out of the stain so it could be wiped away. And there was Iwao in his white yukata, sitting on the couch, mumbling about that stupid, loud-mouthed American messing up his carpet floor. Tim's girlfriend heard every word and her scowl got even fiercer. After Natsuko explained the faux pas, Tim left his shoes with those of the others—outside.

Shun's father said hi, and he seemed like the normal Japanese businessman. Iwao blended in the background as he on the couch, staring into space. But he looked curiously Japanese and old-fashioned. Tim was about to stare at him but Natsuko whispered something, and he turned around to face a huge wolf-man, scar on his eyes, permanent scowl, white polo and khakis.
Tim gasped and froze.
"Don't be scared! It's my cousin Ten," Shun said. Melinda murmured to Natsuko that the guy seemed scary. "He's just visiting."

"Shun-sama, can I say hello?" Ten asked. Natsuko blinked and pursed her lips, for nobody ever used it in that way with family.

After taking a look at his friend's puzzled face, Shun pleaded in Japanese, "Ten-san, please don't call me Shun-sama!" With a longing in his eyes, Shun cried, "It's embarrassing."

"Can I call you Shun-san... Shun-sama?" Ten offered. Shun pouted upon hearing Ten's slip-up. "What's going on?" Tim asked.

"He just used weird Japanese, that's all," Natsuko said, before sighed.

"Friends I am- happy meet you all," Ten said in English with his stiff voice.

"Same with you!" Melinda cried.

Tim whispered to Melinda, "His English is terrible."

"Dude, be happy he's trying!" Melinda cried. Shun put two and two together and pouted towards Tim.

Natsuko said, "Many Japanese are embarrassed to speak English. You should praise him!" Ten's face didn't change, but his tail swished. He somehow just knew what was happening. A red-faced Tim apologized, and Natsuko translated his apology to Ten. The friends changed the subject. Ten's tail stopped swishing and he left the room.

The Nintendo 64 in the living room was perfect for the four friends. Each of them sat on the couch and tore up their controllers as they tried game after game… Goldeneye 007, Pilotwings, Star Fox, Super Smash Brothers, you name it. Shun made sure that the difficulty handicaps were set relatively high for himself, as after all he wanted his friends to have a chance. In between games, Melinda said what she was up to while she was suspended…
"Cranbrook?" Tim asked. "That art college?"
"Yeah, Dad and I visited. It's where Carlos wants to go," she said. "I spent time with him at the mall watching movies."
"And are they going to admit you after what you did?" Tim asked.
"Pfft. They'll understand," Melinda said. "There's people with worse records and they get in."
"I wouldn't be cocky," Natsuko said. "They could use anything to separate you from the other guy. School admissions are worse where I'm from. I've had cousins not get into a university, so they take a year off and try again."
"Ouch!" Tim cried. "Here you would just say fuck off to whoever rej-" Shun froze in anguish.
"Tim! Language!" Natsuko said.
"What? They wouldn't understand," Tim said.
"The father speaks fluent English! And it's rude!" Natsuko softly cried.
Changing the subject, "So Shun, are you telling us your secret?" Melinda asked, with a wink.
With a wry smile, Shun said, "I want to say it at dinner."

The dining room was large American suburban-style, perfect for large family gatherings. The table held the six Kodoris plus three guests, and there were still three spaces left over.

"Hold your chopsticks right!" Natsuko said. "I'll show you… here!" she instructed as she clasped his hands and maneuvered the chopsticks into the correct position. "See?"
"Melinda, here, I'll show you how," Shun instructed his friend as he used his hands as a model. The pieces of the dinner for each person included miso soup, some grilled fish in a miso glaze, some pickles vegetables, and pork katsudon. Tim nodded and began eating the katsudon.

"Huh, this is good!" he cried. Melinda nodded in agreement. Yukie had chosen dishes that Westerners would like. But before sitting down, she tiptoed behind the American guests and served them each…

"What's that?" Tim cried. Yukie, now at the table, had the sly look of a prankster.

"Tim, it's nattō," Natsuko said. Tim took a big whiff.

"I'm… I can't…"

"That's not bad," Melinda cried. She had just taken a first bite. "It tastes a bit strange, but it's interesting." Turning to Tim, she cried, "Why don't you do it?" Tim gulped and had the look of a deer in the headlights. "Are you chicken?" Melinda murmured.

"Me! No! I'm going to do it!" he cried. He then took a spoon and forced down the bit of the strange-smelling nattō down his throat. It made him shake and his eyes seemed to pop out. His freckled cheeks were contorted. He uneasily swallowed the spoonful. "It's weeeeird," he cried before hurriedly drinking his water to drown out the taste. Natsuko and Melinda laughed, and Yukie let out a giggle. The father, Ryo, let out a smirk. Shun had a smile, and…

Even Iwao turned up his frown. He finally understood something his son knew for several months.

At the end of dinner…

"I have a boyfriend," Shun said in English. "It's Kouya."

"So that's what he did at your house," Melinda said. "I'm surprised but I'm happy for you." She made a wink, knowing that things are finally on the upturn for Shun.

"But can you do me a favor?" Shun asked. He had everyone's attention. "Don't tell everyone yet. I want to wait till the right time."

"Okay," Melinda cried.

"We'll keep a secret," Natsuko promised, speaking English.

Also, "I'm going to be doing a performance next Saturday," Shun explained.

"Can I go?" Melinda asked.

"What about me?" Tim asked.

"Me three," Natsuko asked, using English.

"Kouya says the place is eighteen and older," Shun said.

"There'll be a video, right?" Melinda asked.

"Yes, there will be one," Shun said with a smile.