Shounen Ai: Chapter 5
Lover's Quarrel
Standard disclaimers and warnings apply. This is a rather awkward chapter.
"If you want to keep this a secret, you should learn to be more discrete." Dan commented. Ryu and Ken immediately broke away from each other. Ryu glared at the younger boy.
"Go away" Ken said.
"Fine." Dan responded. He went elsewhere.
"Why do you hang out with that brat?" Ryu asked.
"He's my friend." Ken said.
"I thought I was your friend."
"You're my boyfriend."
"Still..."
"I'm allowed to have other friends. You should have more friends too."
"You wouldn't mind?"
"Of course not! You mind that I have other friends?"
"Yes."
"Why? It's not like I'm making out with anyone else."
"I just can't think of you around other people." Ryu stammered.
"Sorry I can't be as unsociable as you." Ken responded with a slight edge to his voice.
"I'm not unsociable. I just don't like being around most people."
"Uh huh" Ken crossed his arms, "this argument is going nowhere."
"So, let's just stop arguing and get back to kissing" Ryu said hopefully.
"I'm not accepting that!"
"Why?"
"I don't like the fact that you can't stand the thought of me having friends. You don't trust me?"
"I trust you."
"The what's the problem?"
"I don't trust your friends."
"Then you don't trust my judgment."
Ken was right, in a sense. Ryu didn't always agree with him on certain issues. This thought frightened him. It added to his fear of losing his love. He had the horrible feeling that they would eventually grow apart. He realized this more whenever his boyfriend was around someone else. His anxiety overshadowed rational thought, causing him to become jealous.
Ken didn't understand why Ryu was slow to trust anyone; then again Dan was the only person not involved who knew about their relationship. The other students (who came from a nearby village might not have been as understanding. He considered them to be friends but he wasn't entirely sure.
"We would be found out" Ryu said, "Others will not accept us." This actually was a possibility.
"No one would find out." Ken said.
"You can't be sure."
"Sure, I can. Besides, we're better fighters than the other kids."
"What about Sensei? He could kick us out." This thought truly upset Ryu. Gouken was like a father to him. Training with the Master was the main part of his life. He didn't want to risk losing that. He couldn't imagine life without Gouken.
"If that happens then you could come to America and stay with me." Ken said.
"Won't your parents object?" Ryu asked.
"Nah, they'll accept you."
"You can't be sure."
"Yes I can, and didn't we say that already?"
Ryu suddenly turned away and lowered his head. He realized that he was losing their argument. There was still something bothering him. It has been nagging him ever since they decided to become a couple a few months before. He still had this feeling that what was happening with Ken was wrong. He was ashamed of letting Ken kiss him and enjoying it. There was a twinge of guilt, even when he was merely holding hands with his boyfriend.
"Ryu, what's wrong?" Ken asked.
"Us" Ryu said without thinking. The blonde boy's eyes widened. He was suddenly furious.
"What do you mean by that?" Ken asked, even though he didn't want to know the answer. Ryu had no concept of tact. He told Ken exactly what he meant. The American calmly walked away. It was still obvious that he was fuming.
.......
Ken clenched his fists and attacked. Dan blocked frantically.
"Did you just have a fight with your boyfriend?" he asked. The response was more punching and a string of curses.
"Hey, I know that word!" Dan said when he heard an English word that Ken had taught him. The younger boy continued to talk.
"Were you arguing about who gets to be seme?" he asked. The term referred to the dominant person in the relationship.
"Dan, I'm shocked. You're too young to know such a term." Ken responded, "Anyway, I'm seme because I said so." The intentionally idiotic question got Ken to calm down a bit.
"You're the one who taught me the word." Dan said. He still hadn't figured out the Cantonese equivalent.
"Oh yeah" Ken responded sheepishly.
"What happened?"
"Ryu said that it's wrong for me to be his boyfriend."
"That's stupid. No wonder you're so pissed. Did you guys break up?"
"I'm not sure!"
"How can you not be sure?" Ken was silent for a while. He was angry with Ryu but still loved him. It hurt him to think of Ryu's words. He didn't answer Dan's question.
"Do you think it's wrong for me to love Ryu?" he suddenly asked.
"He's a moron." Dan responded.
"I know but."
"Just go finish your idiotic lover's quarrel and make up with him." Dan practically pushed Ken towards Ryu, who noticed this.
"Ken." he started to say. Ken didn't acknowledge him. Ryu continued to talk. Dan rolled his eyes and went out of earshot. Ryu tried to apologize to ken and explain how he felt. This took a while since; he wasn't very good with words. He loved Ken but their relationship had moral conflicts. His main problem was that he didn't want to deceive Gouken by keeping secrets from him. Gouken heard some of this.
"What is going on here?" Gouken asked.
"Nothing." Ken said with narrowed eyes. Gouken went closer to Ryu. He asked again, even though it seemed that he knew about Ken and Ryu all along. He convinced the boy to confess everything. Both boys expected Gouken to become enraged. Instead, he calmly said "There is no dishonor in love."
Standard disclaimers and warnings apply. This is a rather awkward chapter.
"If you want to keep this a secret, you should learn to be more discrete." Dan commented. Ryu and Ken immediately broke away from each other. Ryu glared at the younger boy.
"Go away" Ken said.
"Fine." Dan responded. He went elsewhere.
"Why do you hang out with that brat?" Ryu asked.
"He's my friend." Ken said.
"I thought I was your friend."
"You're my boyfriend."
"Still..."
"I'm allowed to have other friends. You should have more friends too."
"You wouldn't mind?"
"Of course not! You mind that I have other friends?"
"Yes."
"Why? It's not like I'm making out with anyone else."
"I just can't think of you around other people." Ryu stammered.
"Sorry I can't be as unsociable as you." Ken responded with a slight edge to his voice.
"I'm not unsociable. I just don't like being around most people."
"Uh huh" Ken crossed his arms, "this argument is going nowhere."
"So, let's just stop arguing and get back to kissing" Ryu said hopefully.
"I'm not accepting that!"
"Why?"
"I don't like the fact that you can't stand the thought of me having friends. You don't trust me?"
"I trust you."
"The what's the problem?"
"I don't trust your friends."
"Then you don't trust my judgment."
Ken was right, in a sense. Ryu didn't always agree with him on certain issues. This thought frightened him. It added to his fear of losing his love. He had the horrible feeling that they would eventually grow apart. He realized this more whenever his boyfriend was around someone else. His anxiety overshadowed rational thought, causing him to become jealous.
Ken didn't understand why Ryu was slow to trust anyone; then again Dan was the only person not involved who knew about their relationship. The other students (who came from a nearby village might not have been as understanding. He considered them to be friends but he wasn't entirely sure.
"We would be found out" Ryu said, "Others will not accept us." This actually was a possibility.
"No one would find out." Ken said.
"You can't be sure."
"Sure, I can. Besides, we're better fighters than the other kids."
"What about Sensei? He could kick us out." This thought truly upset Ryu. Gouken was like a father to him. Training with the Master was the main part of his life. He didn't want to risk losing that. He couldn't imagine life without Gouken.
"If that happens then you could come to America and stay with me." Ken said.
"Won't your parents object?" Ryu asked.
"Nah, they'll accept you."
"You can't be sure."
"Yes I can, and didn't we say that already?"
Ryu suddenly turned away and lowered his head. He realized that he was losing their argument. There was still something bothering him. It has been nagging him ever since they decided to become a couple a few months before. He still had this feeling that what was happening with Ken was wrong. He was ashamed of letting Ken kiss him and enjoying it. There was a twinge of guilt, even when he was merely holding hands with his boyfriend.
"Ryu, what's wrong?" Ken asked.
"Us" Ryu said without thinking. The blonde boy's eyes widened. He was suddenly furious.
"What do you mean by that?" Ken asked, even though he didn't want to know the answer. Ryu had no concept of tact. He told Ken exactly what he meant. The American calmly walked away. It was still obvious that he was fuming.
.......
Ken clenched his fists and attacked. Dan blocked frantically.
"Did you just have a fight with your boyfriend?" he asked. The response was more punching and a string of curses.
"Hey, I know that word!" Dan said when he heard an English word that Ken had taught him. The younger boy continued to talk.
"Were you arguing about who gets to be seme?" he asked. The term referred to the dominant person in the relationship.
"Dan, I'm shocked. You're too young to know such a term." Ken responded, "Anyway, I'm seme because I said so." The intentionally idiotic question got Ken to calm down a bit.
"You're the one who taught me the word." Dan said. He still hadn't figured out the Cantonese equivalent.
"Oh yeah" Ken responded sheepishly.
"What happened?"
"Ryu said that it's wrong for me to be his boyfriend."
"That's stupid. No wonder you're so pissed. Did you guys break up?"
"I'm not sure!"
"How can you not be sure?" Ken was silent for a while. He was angry with Ryu but still loved him. It hurt him to think of Ryu's words. He didn't answer Dan's question.
"Do you think it's wrong for me to love Ryu?" he suddenly asked.
"He's a moron." Dan responded.
"I know but."
"Just go finish your idiotic lover's quarrel and make up with him." Dan practically pushed Ken towards Ryu, who noticed this.
"Ken." he started to say. Ken didn't acknowledge him. Ryu continued to talk. Dan rolled his eyes and went out of earshot. Ryu tried to apologize to ken and explain how he felt. This took a while since; he wasn't very good with words. He loved Ken but their relationship had moral conflicts. His main problem was that he didn't want to deceive Gouken by keeping secrets from him. Gouken heard some of this.
"What is going on here?" Gouken asked.
"Nothing." Ken said with narrowed eyes. Gouken went closer to Ryu. He asked again, even though it seemed that he knew about Ken and Ryu all along. He convinced the boy to confess everything. Both boys expected Gouken to become enraged. Instead, he calmly said "There is no dishonor in love."