La la la la, I'm not listening! La la la.
'Shampoo and the girl are still staring at that damned T-shirt,' Ukyo thought as she picked up the line.
"Ryoga, stop calling- Very funny, speaking in English like that." Ukyo listened closely, translating the phrases.
"Who is this?" she asked in halting English.
Shampoo and the girl came out of their daze. "Why we at Spatula Girl's?" Shampoo asked Zunni.
"Spatula girl's?" he repeated. "I dunno. Ask her."
Rho laughed. "Dis s so great," he gasped between chuckles. "Dey don' evn know, dey don' evn suspect a ting."
"Suspect what?" the girl asked coolly.
"Want I should tell em wha ya really re?" Rho countered. The girl paled. "Din' tink so."
"Why we here?" Shampoo asked again.
"Because that boy wanted some okonomiyaki. You didn't have to come, though."
"I go where I feel I could go!"
Ukyo stared at the phone some more. "You mean it, don't you?" she whispered as she came back on.
"Who is that?" everyone asked.
"Some American kid who took Ryoga in. Says he's depressed."
"What new about that?"
"Says he's just trying to have something go right."
Shampoo and Zunni both said, "What new about that?"
* * *
Rho was going to stay at the Cat Café, thanks to some quick thinking on both Zunni and Ranma's parts.
"Hello," Kasumi said as she answered the door, smiling. "Why are you out so late?"
"We're in town for a while, and we were wondering if we, that is, my little brother, my two friends here, and myself, could possible stay in a room? We don't need more than one, and I'll be happy to sleep on the roof or patio-"
"We do have the dojo, and we may be able to put one of you in the living room. If you're willing to sleep outside on the porch, I can find you a sleeping bag and a pillow, and everyone-"
"Thank you, but we have all the things we need. Winfield-Kim-â?"
One of the boys thrust his arm out, as if opening a door. He pulled out a box. Out of nothing.
"Here. Tent, futon, blankets, pillow, laptop, a few DVDs and CDs, some comics and a lamp. Just what you packed earlier."
The boy grinned, taking the box and running a little ways down the porch to set up camp.
"So, you get the living room," Nick told Ranma calmly.
"And I suppose you two will split the dojo?" Kasumi asked Toby and Nick.
Nick nodded. "Yes, thank you so very much for letting us use your house," He bowed the Korean way, palms on the inside of thighs. Toby grabbed his arm and hugged. "Let's go, Nick, I'm tired."
"Why?"
"You're really heavy and I had to drag you across the district." Toby yawned, then pressed closer to Nick's arm.
"Sleep time is now," he yawned, snuggling. "Let's go to bed."
Nick sighed, picking him up and carrying him into the dojo. He sat him down, then pulled out a mattress and several blankets, plus a privacy tent and a toothbrush. "You go ahead and get in bed, baby, I'll just be a minute," Nick said as he walked outside holding a bottle of water along with the toothbrush.
Toby stripped, yawned again, and climbed under the blankets. Nick came back in, changed clothes for the night, slid into bed next to Tobias, and snuggled up to him.
"G'night, Mateo," he whispered, kissing him gently on the forehead. Toby mumbled a response.
Zunni turned his laptop on max volume, inserted a demo CD of his own, then tied on his speakers, which also were turned to max.
Nick came out two minutes later and broke them all.
"I thought you two were gonna fuck!" Zuu said, noting Nick's clothes.
"Only in my bed, at my house, in San Diego. Nowhere else. Not even my bed in Steve's room, not my room in our German house or Korean house, my room in San Diego. For privacy reasons."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. So get yer mind out of the gutter!" He threw Zuu's broken speakers at him as an extra emphasis before stomping inside.
Zuu rubbed the spot they'd it.
"Ow?"
* * *
Meanwhile, Rho, on the other side of town, was busy explaining to everyone how he was not trying to steal Shampoo from her fiancé. He ended up sleeping outside in the dumpster.
He smiled as he slept, snapping his fingers. As much as he enjoyed retaliation, he really didn't understand what he was retaliating against.
'Shampoo and the girl are still staring at that damned T-shirt,' Ukyo thought as she picked up the line.
"Ryoga, stop calling- Very funny, speaking in English like that." Ukyo listened closely, translating the phrases.
"Who is this?" she asked in halting English.
Shampoo and the girl came out of their daze. "Why we at Spatula Girl's?" Shampoo asked Zunni.
"Spatula girl's?" he repeated. "I dunno. Ask her."
Rho laughed. "Dis s so great," he gasped between chuckles. "Dey don' evn know, dey don' evn suspect a ting."
"Suspect what?" the girl asked coolly.
"Want I should tell em wha ya really re?" Rho countered. The girl paled. "Din' tink so."
"Why we here?" Shampoo asked again.
"Because that boy wanted some okonomiyaki. You didn't have to come, though."
"I go where I feel I could go!"
Ukyo stared at the phone some more. "You mean it, don't you?" she whispered as she came back on.
"Who is that?" everyone asked.
"Some American kid who took Ryoga in. Says he's depressed."
"What new about that?"
"Says he's just trying to have something go right."
Shampoo and Zunni both said, "What new about that?"
* * *
Rho was going to stay at the Cat Café, thanks to some quick thinking on both Zunni and Ranma's parts.
"Hello," Kasumi said as she answered the door, smiling. "Why are you out so late?"
"We're in town for a while, and we were wondering if we, that is, my little brother, my two friends here, and myself, could possible stay in a room? We don't need more than one, and I'll be happy to sleep on the roof or patio-"
"We do have the dojo, and we may be able to put one of you in the living room. If you're willing to sleep outside on the porch, I can find you a sleeping bag and a pillow, and everyone-"
"Thank you, but we have all the things we need. Winfield-Kim-â?"
One of the boys thrust his arm out, as if opening a door. He pulled out a box. Out of nothing.
"Here. Tent, futon, blankets, pillow, laptop, a few DVDs and CDs, some comics and a lamp. Just what you packed earlier."
The boy grinned, taking the box and running a little ways down the porch to set up camp.
"So, you get the living room," Nick told Ranma calmly.
"And I suppose you two will split the dojo?" Kasumi asked Toby and Nick.
Nick nodded. "Yes, thank you so very much for letting us use your house," He bowed the Korean way, palms on the inside of thighs. Toby grabbed his arm and hugged. "Let's go, Nick, I'm tired."
"Why?"
"You're really heavy and I had to drag you across the district." Toby yawned, then pressed closer to Nick's arm.
"Sleep time is now," he yawned, snuggling. "Let's go to bed."
Nick sighed, picking him up and carrying him into the dojo. He sat him down, then pulled out a mattress and several blankets, plus a privacy tent and a toothbrush. "You go ahead and get in bed, baby, I'll just be a minute," Nick said as he walked outside holding a bottle of water along with the toothbrush.
Toby stripped, yawned again, and climbed under the blankets. Nick came back in, changed clothes for the night, slid into bed next to Tobias, and snuggled up to him.
"G'night, Mateo," he whispered, kissing him gently on the forehead. Toby mumbled a response.
Zunni turned his laptop on max volume, inserted a demo CD of his own, then tied on his speakers, which also were turned to max.
Nick came out two minutes later and broke them all.
"I thought you two were gonna fuck!" Zuu said, noting Nick's clothes.
"Only in my bed, at my house, in San Diego. Nowhere else. Not even my bed in Steve's room, not my room in our German house or Korean house, my room in San Diego. For privacy reasons."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. So get yer mind out of the gutter!" He threw Zuu's broken speakers at him as an extra emphasis before stomping inside.
Zuu rubbed the spot they'd it.
"Ow?"
* * *
Meanwhile, Rho, on the other side of town, was busy explaining to everyone how he was not trying to steal Shampoo from her fiancé. He ended up sleeping outside in the dumpster.
He smiled as he slept, snapping his fingers. As much as he enjoyed retaliation, he really didn't understand what he was retaliating against.