Touya woke up. He blinked up at the ceiling, waiting a moment to
see if any wandering spirits or stray ghosts should want to show up and
complain about the afterlife.
Nothing. Good.
He sat up and stretched, using his normal ears to listen. Quiet.
Father was probably in the basement working on something, and the Monster
was still sleeping. So he grabbed his robe and ran for the bath.
Back from the bath he heard Sakura's alarm go off, and immediately
shut off as he quickly got dressed. His usual school uniform, plus the
little pin that Yuki had gotten him at the fair last year. He grinned as
Sakura's alarm again tried to wake her, and was immediately silenced.
Downstairs. Today was his turn for breakfast, so he started the
rice and then got going with the other ingredients. Nothing too fancy, as
Father never ate much in the morning and the Monster always bolted her food
without tasting it anyway.
Speaking of which, the explosion of thumping and shouting noises up
above drew his attention. The Monster had awakened, late as usual, and was
once again complaining to her 'Kero-chan' that it should have woken her.
Someday, she would have to learn that walls didn't make a room soundproof.
He *would* tease her about talking to her stuffed animal, only he rather
thought there was something... special about it. And if she thought he was
paying too much attention to it, she'd clam up, and he wouldn't learn a
thing.
The 7:50 Monster Express left the upstairs station and rumbled into
the kitchen, stopping off at the table. "Good morning!"
Touya grinned. "A Monster hairdo for a Monster?"
Sakura glared, and then felt her head, eyes going wide as she
obviously realized that she had forgotten to comb it. Chopsticks in mouth
she zipped for the bathroom and back, hair neat. "I am *not* a Monster,"
she growled in a menacing voice.
Touya grinned, and let her finish eating.
As he unlocked his bike, he heard Sakura snapping on leg-guards.
She hadn't originally wanted to use them, but he had insisted. If she
wanted to follow him around on skates at his speeds, then she'd better be
prepared in case of an accident.
Sakura came out of the house like a cannonball, and so he started on
his way to Yuki's house. Down the street, around the corner, and....
"To-Ya!"
Yuki, unlike some species of Monster, was always on time. Touya
stopped, putting one foot down to stay balanced as his friend jumped on the
bike and put an arm around him for stability. A faint thrill went through
him at the touch, but he'd put in several hours in front of a mirror to
learn how *not* to blush. Good, upstanding young men do not blush when
their overly affectionate friends give them a squeeze. Not not not.
At that point he realized that they were already on their way, and
that Yuki had asked him a question. He ran his memory backwards like an
audio tape, and remembered Yuki asking him if he could go for a walk after
school. "Sure. No problem." No clubs today, and he suspected the Monster
wanted to pig out on pancakes after school.
With that, they reached school. Sakura waved and turned into the
gate for her school, spinning about to expertly catch the candy that Yuki
had tossed her with a smile. And then they wizzed through the gates to
their own school, just in time.
Classes went well. He saw Sakura during lunch, and gave a scary
look to that Sayorlan brat who keeps following her around. Sakura may think
that he was a creep now, but he could see... a potential. It hung around
them in a way that suggested it might take Sakura away, and he thought it
best if he made sure it didn't happen too quickly.
Lunch with Yuki is always a wonder. As Touya munched on his
sandwich, he watched Yuki finish his third. How someone so feminine and
graceful could possibly eat like a pig was one of the mysteries that so
intregued him.
More classes, and then he rode with Yuki to the park. After
chaining the bike to a rack, they wandered into the undergrowth.
"So, what's up, Yukito?"
Yuki bit his lip, giving Touya a look, and then looking off to the
side.
Touya waited patiently.
Yuki sighed. "I guess it won't say itself, will it? You've known
me a while, right?"
Touya nodded, and shrugged. "Yeah. A few years."
"A few years. You're a good friend, To-ya. A good friend. But I'd
like something... more."
"More?" Touya felt himself growing tense, and remembered the thrill
of Yuki's arm that morning.
Yuki stepped closer to him, glancing around to see that they were
alone. "Yes." And then he kissed him. On the mouth.
Touya stood shock still. Yuki? Like this?
It is one thing to have a little crush on your friend, and to
indulge it from time to time. It is quite another thing to realize that the
crush could grow into something more, something that could lead to
condemnation and fear. Touya stepped back from his friend, his face frozen.
Yuki sighed, his face falling as his friend stepped away. He had
been wrong.
"I- I- I can't." Touya couldn't say any more. What few words he'd
gotten out had taken more work then he thought he could do. So he did the
easy thing: turning on his heel and fleeing.
see if any wandering spirits or stray ghosts should want to show up and
complain about the afterlife.
Nothing. Good.
He sat up and stretched, using his normal ears to listen. Quiet.
Father was probably in the basement working on something, and the Monster
was still sleeping. So he grabbed his robe and ran for the bath.
Back from the bath he heard Sakura's alarm go off, and immediately
shut off as he quickly got dressed. His usual school uniform, plus the
little pin that Yuki had gotten him at the fair last year. He grinned as
Sakura's alarm again tried to wake her, and was immediately silenced.
Downstairs. Today was his turn for breakfast, so he started the
rice and then got going with the other ingredients. Nothing too fancy, as
Father never ate much in the morning and the Monster always bolted her food
without tasting it anyway.
Speaking of which, the explosion of thumping and shouting noises up
above drew his attention. The Monster had awakened, late as usual, and was
once again complaining to her 'Kero-chan' that it should have woken her.
Someday, she would have to learn that walls didn't make a room soundproof.
He *would* tease her about talking to her stuffed animal, only he rather
thought there was something... special about it. And if she thought he was
paying too much attention to it, she'd clam up, and he wouldn't learn a
thing.
The 7:50 Monster Express left the upstairs station and rumbled into
the kitchen, stopping off at the table. "Good morning!"
Touya grinned. "A Monster hairdo for a Monster?"
Sakura glared, and then felt her head, eyes going wide as she
obviously realized that she had forgotten to comb it. Chopsticks in mouth
she zipped for the bathroom and back, hair neat. "I am *not* a Monster,"
she growled in a menacing voice.
Touya grinned, and let her finish eating.
As he unlocked his bike, he heard Sakura snapping on leg-guards.
She hadn't originally wanted to use them, but he had insisted. If she
wanted to follow him around on skates at his speeds, then she'd better be
prepared in case of an accident.
Sakura came out of the house like a cannonball, and so he started on
his way to Yuki's house. Down the street, around the corner, and....
"To-Ya!"
Yuki, unlike some species of Monster, was always on time. Touya
stopped, putting one foot down to stay balanced as his friend jumped on the
bike and put an arm around him for stability. A faint thrill went through
him at the touch, but he'd put in several hours in front of a mirror to
learn how *not* to blush. Good, upstanding young men do not blush when
their overly affectionate friends give them a squeeze. Not not not.
At that point he realized that they were already on their way, and
that Yuki had asked him a question. He ran his memory backwards like an
audio tape, and remembered Yuki asking him if he could go for a walk after
school. "Sure. No problem." No clubs today, and he suspected the Monster
wanted to pig out on pancakes after school.
With that, they reached school. Sakura waved and turned into the
gate for her school, spinning about to expertly catch the candy that Yuki
had tossed her with a smile. And then they wizzed through the gates to
their own school, just in time.
Classes went well. He saw Sakura during lunch, and gave a scary
look to that Sayorlan brat who keeps following her around. Sakura may think
that he was a creep now, but he could see... a potential. It hung around
them in a way that suggested it might take Sakura away, and he thought it
best if he made sure it didn't happen too quickly.
Lunch with Yuki is always a wonder. As Touya munched on his
sandwich, he watched Yuki finish his third. How someone so feminine and
graceful could possibly eat like a pig was one of the mysteries that so
intregued him.
More classes, and then he rode with Yuki to the park. After
chaining the bike to a rack, they wandered into the undergrowth.
"So, what's up, Yukito?"
Yuki bit his lip, giving Touya a look, and then looking off to the
side.
Touya waited patiently.
Yuki sighed. "I guess it won't say itself, will it? You've known
me a while, right?"
Touya nodded, and shrugged. "Yeah. A few years."
"A few years. You're a good friend, To-ya. A good friend. But I'd
like something... more."
"More?" Touya felt himself growing tense, and remembered the thrill
of Yuki's arm that morning.
Yuki stepped closer to him, glancing around to see that they were
alone. "Yes." And then he kissed him. On the mouth.
Touya stood shock still. Yuki? Like this?
It is one thing to have a little crush on your friend, and to
indulge it from time to time. It is quite another thing to realize that the
crush could grow into something more, something that could lead to
condemnation and fear. Touya stepped back from his friend, his face frozen.
Yuki sighed, his face falling as his friend stepped away. He had
been wrong.
"I- I- I can't." Touya couldn't say any more. What few words he'd
gotten out had taken more work then he thought he could do. So he did the
easy thing: turning on his heel and fleeing.