Gomen, minna-san...I made a tiny mistake last part with Eiri's age. I didn't mean to make him the same age as in the cannon, so that's not the problem, but I just noticed that I made a typo: I meant to make Eiri 25, not 27. I've gone back and fixed the mistake in the last part. One more thing: the short quasi-limish scene in this part was my first ever attempt, so please don't laugh too hard ^_^ I apologize if the prose is choppy or purple in parts, and aim to improve at writing "that type" of scene.
Also, just went through and fixed some spelling mistakes…sorry about that!
Chapter Four: Domestic Bliss
Shuichi awoke sometime late in the morning tangled in a warm blanket; the sun in his eyes and the smell of coffee drifting throughout the warm room. Momentarily unaware of where he was, he stretched out wide -- promptly rolling off the narrow couch and landing on the hardwood floor with a loud thud. He yelped, blinked a few times, and opened his eyes, only to be greeted with his second shock of the morning: where in hell was he? And where was his shirt?
Shuichi covered himself with the blanket as his eyes darted around the room frantically, stopping on his white t-shirt lying on top of Eiri's blue one on the floor next to the sofa. As he stared at the small pile of clothes, Shuichi clamped a hand over his mouth, his cheeks blossomed into color fit to match his hair, and he tried to make some sense of the events from the night before.
They had actually passed the night in conversation, for the most part, with the older man opening up to him somewhat…and then,, suddenly, for no apparent reason, Eiri stood behind him and whirled him around, grabbed his face, and started kissing him like he was a woman. "He's a good kisser, too…" Shuichi murmured to himself, hugging the blanket tight to his chest.
Once getting over the shock, Shuichi had settled down into the kiss, fighting against every logical part of him that said that it was so wrong, and listening to instinct that said it felt so right. He pushed his tongue up to meet Eiri's, wound his fingers in the soft golden hair, and pressed his body against the other man's.
After a few moments, Eiri had stopped, pulled away, ordered him out. But no, that's not what was so surprising….rather, afterward, Eiri had looked down at Shuichi and pulled him into his arms again, actually admitting that he wanted him, kissing him for a second time. They ate at each other's mouths for a few more minutes, breaking apart only when Eiri pulled Shuichi's t-shirt up over his head and threw it across the room, and again as the blond quickly made his shirt join it. Bare-chested, they held each other close, Shuichi's hands running over Eiri's smooth hard torso, Eiri's breath hot on Shuichi's neck. The taller man slowly guided them over to the sofa, where he pushed the boy down and lay on top of him, their chests pressing together with a delicious heat, their lower bodies grinding to create a pleasurable friction.
Without warning, Eiri had given a small cry and rolled off Shuichi, cursing. He sat on the floor beside the couch for a moment, breathing hard and running the fingers of one hand through his hair, absentmindedly touching his own lips with the other.
"Uesugi…" Shuichi began, uncertain of what was happening, but knowing he must have done something wrong to make Eiri stop. Shuichi sat up and silently cursed himself and his inexperience – he'd never done anything like this before, so of course he was bound to screw it up. After a long moment, the older man shakily stood, and without looking back at the boy on the sofa, he issued the harsh statement.
"I'm going to be bed. Alone."
Shuichi's voice was very small as he dared, "You're not going to make me go, are you?""You can stay out here if you like, but don't bother me. If I hear so much as a peep, I'm going to take you up on your offer and pitch you out the window."
"Hai, Uesugi...sensei."
Shuichi watched Eiri's back as the man walked down the hall to his bedroom, shutting the door loudly. He sighed and reached down to grab his stray hooded sweater, balled it up in the corner of the couch and, resting his head on his improvised pillow, promptly fell asleep.
"But where did this blanket come from?" Shuichi wondered aloud, as he pulled on his t-shirt and stood up. His gaze strayed to the closed office door. "Uesugi? But why would he..."
Confident, Shuichi placed the blanket back on the black couch and turned, heading toward the kitchen to help himself to the contents of the fridge. Last night may have ended badly, but it seemed obvious from the blanket that the other man had meant for him to be comfortable, so Shuichi decided to take his invitation to the fullest advantage.
***
An hour later, a flour-dusted Shuichi timidly knocked on the door to Eiri's study, meeting with silence. Shrugging, he turned the knob and stuck his head inside. "Ohayou!" He chirped out, not knowing what sort of response to expect from the blond man who was hunched over his desk, typing. Without looking up, Eiri grated out,
"Are you still here?"
Undaunted, Shuichi edged closer to the desk, trying to peep at what it was the older man was typing. "I've made eggs and pancakes, want some?"
"No." Eiri replied, surprised that the boy had found enough food in his apartment to put together a breakfast.
"There's plenty, and I worked hard at it -- you should eat, sensei, you look too skinny."
Eiri snorted, looking up and eyeing the slender youth. "You're one to talk."
Shuichi pulled out his sweetest smile and coupled it with a slight pout. "Please? Besides, it seems like you could use a break, anyway. What are you doing?"
"Nothing." Eiri resumed typing.
"It doesn't look like 'nothing'!" Shuichi insisted, circling the desk to get a better view.
"Work."
"It doesn't look like work, either. It looks like…" Shuichi trailed off, his attention wandering as he spied a familiar well-worm book lying on the edge of the sensei's desk. If he could just get close enough to the table, maybe the older man wouldn't notice…
Irritated, and suddenly self-conscious by the presence of the boy practically gaping over his shoulder, Eiri replied curtly, "I'm writing, if you must know. It's just a hobby."
"Ah." Shuichi murmured, sliding the book into the back of his pants and stepping away. He got the hint. If Uesugi was writing something personal, he probably didn't want someone reading it, not before it was finished, anyway. That's how he knew he always felt about his lyrics. After another short silence he pressed on, pursuing the issue that was most present on his mind. "Sensei, you're not going to make me go home, are you?"
"You can't stay here."
"Please? I...I can't face them yet." Shuichi's voice started to sound small, a desperate note creeping in.
"Running won't do any good." Eiri sensibly replied, a stubborn part of him wanting to say otherwise.
"Let me stay. Please. I need to. And...you don't really want me to go, anyway."
Eiri placed a hand on his forehead and rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. He sighed and looked up at the pink-haired youth and was probably more surprised than Shuichi at the words that come from his mouth next. "Two conditions: one, you call your parents. I don't want to hear about your disappearance on the evening news."
"What should I tell them?"
"That you're anywhere but here. I don't want to come up on molestation charges, either. If people knew you were staying here, their minds would leap right in the gutter."
"Hey, I'm over 18!" Shuichi protested, hands on his hips. "And *you* kissed *me,* remember?"
Eiri glowered, and continued in a level tone. "You're still one of my students, which makes you just as off-limits. Second, you mind your own business. Do homework, sit in a corner, rot, I don't care. Just don't bug me."
"Ano...can I buy some groceries? There's nothing in your cupboards but some petrified ramen noodles and a lump of moldy cheese. There's nothing to drink, either."
"There's plenty of beer." Eiri sighed again and looked back to his computer. "Look, can't you just order food in for yourself? There are some credit cards in my wallet on top of the fridge."
"Sugoi! Can I order pizza?" Shuichi shouted, eyes shining.
"Whatever. Just leave me alone, okay?"
"Hai! Thanks!!" Shuichi scampered off, leaving a trail of flour dust and a somewhat bemused Eiri behind him.
***
Two hours later, the blond was lured out of his office by a putrid smell that was permeating the apartment. He firmly suspected that the source would be wherever Shuichi was, so he set off in the direction of the noisy living room. He found his houseguest seated on the floor in front of the television, a stack of take-out boxes next to him. He pretended not to notice the ratty songbook that lay open in front of the boy, overlooking the fact that Shuichi had somehow snuck it out of his office that morning without his noticing.
"What in hell is that?" he asked, gesturing toward the pile of smelly boxes.
"Pi-zza!" Shuichi replied in a sing-song voice. "This one's cornflakes and tomato sauce, that one's sweet corn, black olives, squid, and mayonnaise, and on the bottom is chicken, bean, and barbeque sauce." **
Eiri paled and shook his head. "I think I'll just have beer."
"NO! You haven't eaten anything today. Get over here and have some! It's good!" Shuichi scrambled to his feet and reached down into the box on the top of the pile, extracting a piece of lukewarm pizza and holding it out to the older man. The stubborn look on his face was enough that Eiri knew resistance would only yield an argument, so he relented and shuddered inwardly as he took a piece of the breakfast-cereal laden pizza.
"I suppose it won't kill me..." he conceded, before hesitantly biting off the corner of the slice.
"Good, ne?" Shuichi asked, happy that he was finally getting the man's company.
"Well, "Eiri considered as he crunched thoughtfully. "it could be worse. Those leftover pancakes you made look toxic…"
"Hidoi na! I worked hard at those!"
***
The day passed in relative isolation for the pair: Eiri, feeling oddly energized by his "meal" with the younger boy stayed shut up in his office pounding away on his keyboard; Shuichi, for his part, hung out in the living room, struggled through a bit of history homework, and wrote two whole new songs. Just being around the older man left him humming, and he knew that this new material had been even better than the song he had written for the festival.
Proud of himself, Shuichi sat on the sofa and hugged the soft blue blanket around himself tightly, inhaling the faint scent of tobacco and cologne that clung to the fabric. Dusk had fallen, and over the balcony he could see the lights of the city shining brightly. Inside, the television provided the sole source of illumination, casting a pale blue glow throughout the room. Yes, he thought to himself, today had been a good day. It was just what he needed, really, a day without distraction to write and think about Sakano-san's offer with NG. His parents had made some good points, yes, but ultimatly, it was still his decision, and one he couldn't make lightly.
Inside his office, Eiri could hear the faint sound of the television coming from the living room, and his mind wandered to the boy who was undoubtedly sitting in front of it. What in hell was that last night, anyway? The man sighed and shook his head a few times, deciding that what he needed now was a cigarette and a cold beer to clear his head. Holding his pack, he cursed. Empty. Figures. As he sat in his chair and re-read the paragraphs he had spent the day creating, he smiled softly, inwardly suspecting that what he needed a fix of wasn't nicotine, anyway. He absentmindedly traced his lips with his fingers, remembering the taste of Shuichi from last night. From the way he looked and acted, Eiri had expected that he would taste sweet, like candy or strawberries. Instead, he was hot, sharp, and tangy; his taste hadn't left Eiri's lips since last night, and he knew that he craved more.
Eiri snapped to attention and pulled his hand away from his mouth, shaking his head. It couldn't happen again. It just couldn't. And the best way to ensure that didn't was to stay the hell away from Shindou Shuichi. But then…well, hiding in his office wasn't exactly the answer, was it? After all, they would have to see each other in school on Monday; contact was unavoidable. Resignedly, Eiri stood up, stretched, and padded down the hall to the living room.
He paused in the hall, hesitating. From where he was standing, he could see that the take-out boxes had been put away, the boy's things neatly lining the coffee table. As for Shuichi himself, he sat on the couch opposite the television as predicted. "Konban wa." Eiri was surprised at his own voice. He hadn't meant to start a conversation. Shuichi quickly snapped his head in the direction of the older man, his eyes lighting up.
"Konban wa, Uesugi-sensei! I thought you were going to wind up typing all night."
"What are you watching?" He asked, for the sake of conversation, not moving from his spot in the doorway.
"Music videos! This one's Glay, but their having a Nittle Grasper festival later tonight!" Shuichi edged over on the couch to make room for the other man.
"Hn. Pop." Eiri watched as the younger boy made room for him on the couch, but waged an internal struggle as to whether or not to walk over. His brain said no, but other areas were itching to get closer to the boy.
"Yeah, pop. What do you like to listen to, sensei?"
"Beethoven. Mozart" Eiri replied flatly.
"What? Those old guys? Why not something more fun? What did you listen to back when you were my age?" Shuichi asked, eager for more information about his teacher.
"Gee, don't make it sound so long ago or anything." Eiri answered, as his body won out and he walked toward the sofa.
"Well?" Shuichi prompted, struggling to hide his delight that the blond was joining him. He clutched the blanket slightly tighter, resisting the urge to reach out and touch the fabric of Eiri's shirt, the older man's smell reaching his nostrils and making him slowly forget what they were walking about.
"I don't know…I guess mostly L'arc-en-ciel and a bit of Nittle Grasper. Happy?"
At Eiri's answer, Shuichi snapped back to attention. "Yes! Uesugi-sensei, you're so cool!" Happily, he turned back to the television as the image of his idol, Sakuma Ryuichi flashed across the screen. "Isn't Sakuma-san awesome? I'm going to be like that, someday."
Eiri was silent for a moment as he looked from the television back to the boy sitting beside him. His impulse was to answer, "baka" and laugh, but the truth was, for a second, looking at that determined look on Shuichi's face, Eiri didn't doubt it. Gods knew he already had the outrageous fashion sense down…The blond's thoughts were derailed, however, by the can sitting on the table.
"Hey. What the heck are you drinking?""Umm…beer?" Shuichi offered, flushing, expecting a lecture.
"Well…It better not have been the last one."
***
Monday morning, Shuichi awoke late to find the apartment empty, the time on the face of the clock stubbornly insisting that it was 8:02.
"Shimatta! I'm late!" Shuichi tore around the apartment, stuffing his possessions into his backpack and calculating how long it would take him to run to school from this part of town. At first he wondered why Uesugi-sensei hadn't driven him to school, until he reasoned that they couldn't very well show up together. Still, though…he could have at least waken him!
After cramming some cold cornflake pizza down his throat and brushing his teeth, Shuichi grabbed his orange hooded sweatshirt and pulled in on over his wrinkly uniform. 8:20. Damn! He pulled on his clunky black sneakers, casting a look around the now-familiar apartment, convinced that it would not be his last. Just in case, however, he'd taken the time to make sure he left a bit of himself here. In the bedroom, Oliver smiled from atop Eiri's pillow, resting beside a note scrawled out in messy kana:
"Keep me! I'm good company. But you've gotta hug me lots!!!"
Underneath was a second note, written less hastily but in the same scrawl:
"Thanks for the couch, the pizza, and the beer. ^_~ I hope that whatever it is you're writing, it turns out well. I'm going to sign with NG. They might even let me record your song. ^_^ Don't worry, I won't tell anyone that you let me stay, or that you're really a big softie inside. You're secret's safe with me." ~ Shuichi
***
At 8:57, a breathless Shuichi burst into the door of class 3-C, sweat trickling down his forehead and hair windblown from the run. He was met with the sight of Eiri sitting on the edge of his desk at the front of the room, reading aloud from a stack of papers in his hand. The class, for a change, actually looked attentive, and Shuichi's curiosity was instantly piqued.
"Shitsureishimasu," he panted, walking past snickers and stares as he made his way to his seat in the back row. Collapsing into the chair, he issued a small moan of pleasure to finally be off his feet. These sneakers may have looked great, but they were far from functional.
"Glad you could join us, Shindou-san," Eiri greeted. "Oversleep?" The edge of sarcasm was plain in his voice, and Shuichi struggled to retain his composure.
"Hai, sensei. I was kept up all night by the most annoying snoring in the next room…" Shuichi trailed off, an obvious mischievous glint in his eyes.
Eiri almost choked. That little…! "Well, now that you've seen fit to show up, and have ceased disrupting the class, perhaps we can continue with our lesson. I was reading aloud a short story for the class to critique. You contributions are also welcomed, although I'm sure they will be sub-standard due to your tardiness." With that, Eiri settled back down on his desk, cleared his throat, and continued.
Listening to the prose, Shuichi was struck dumb. It was…it was good. It was better than good, it was wonderful. Hell, he knew that he knew nothing when it came to literature, but he knew that he loved what he was hearing, and he ached to hear more of the smooth, stylistic words coming out through Eiri's rich voice. Only once did his attention waver to think about what a singer the man would have made with that husky, sensual voice.
"Comments?" Eiri looked to the class. "Yamashita-san?"
"Well, it was good, sensei," the girl offered.
"I know it was good, Yamashita-san. What I want is for you to pick it apart and tell me *why * it was good. Let your brain out to air, once and awhile."
"I…I…" she stammered, reddening.
"Anyone?" Eiri asked, walking around to sit in his desk. This could be a long class.
***
"Thank the gods *that's * over." Yamashita Michiru sighed, exiting the class. "Why does he always have to be such an incurable ass?"
None of the other students seemed to pick up on her complaints today, though. They all had a new target: Shuichi. The concert had been heavily attended, and word about "Bad Luck" had spread fast, suddenly bringing the pink-haired boy and his best friend to the center of attention. As the pair walked down the hall toward the cafeteria, they were stopped many times by curious classmates.
"Ne, Shuichi, who's the lucky girl?" Tareda Ayaka called, teasingly.
"Nani?" Shuichi's head spinned, settling on the brown-haired girl and her group of friends leaning against a line of lockers.
"Your song! Remember? Friday night? She sounds pretty special." Ayaka pressed, eager for gossip.
"Ah..ano..no, nobody special…" Shuichi flustered, his eyes searching for Hiiro, who seemed to have been swallowed by the crowds surging toward the lunch room.
"Maa...I wish I could inspire a songwriter..." another girl said, looking at Shuichi dreamily.
"What's this, Michiru?" Kurozawa Junichiro asked sarcastically, walking up and slinging his arm around the petite girl. "You actually think you've got a chance with that fag? He's been banging Nagano for years, didn't you know!" The jock sneered at Shuichi, running his eyes over the boy's slim form, dyed hair, and dangling silver earring, shaking his head in disgust and laughing as Michiru struggled to get free of his large beefy arm. "What's the matter? You think that type of guy is better than me?"
"Go screw yourself, Kurozawa!" Hiiro appeared behind Shuichi, making a somewhat obscene gesture at the jock. Michiru pulled free and made her way over to stand beside Shuichi and the group of girls which had gathered around the pair.
"Oh, excuse me...didn't mean to pick on your boyfriend!" Kurozawa shot back.
Hiiro casually slung his arm over Shuichi's shoulders and cocked his head at the jock. "Jealous?"
Until that moment, Shuichi hadn't thought it possible for one person to turn so many shades of purple at once. As the larger boy sputtered, Hiiro continued, "Shuichi, if you're finished with this ass, I'd like to get to lunch."
"Sure." Shuichi replied, turning. They pushed their way through the girls and set off down the hall, Hiiro's arm still around Shuichi's shoulder, subtly supporting his friend, who had started shaking.
"Thanks, Hiiro."
Hiiro looked back over his shoulder and blew a kiss at the fuming teen. "Jerk."
***
As soon as they secured a table and opened their bento, Hiiro asked what had been on his mind all weekend. "So, where were you? You said you'd call on Saturday and we'd discuss NG."
"Yeah, I sort of um..." Shuichi trailed off, thinking fast. "I broke the news to my parents on Saturday, and they weren't really sympathetic. They had me under lock and key for the weekend. Parents!" he sighed dramatically, hoping that Hiiro couldn't see through him.
"Does that explain why your backpack is stuffed full of clothes?" Hiiro arched his eyebrows, staring down his friend.
"Well, ano...um..." Shuichi mumbled, suddenly fascinated with his egg nigiri.
"Shu, what's going on? You have been totally out of it since last week, even before the concert...ever since that jerk sensei caught you writing in class...." Hiiro stopped, a dozen little snippets coming together in his head and making the logical conclusion that he couldn't find before. "Shuichi, what happened when you went over to his house Wednesday night?"
Shuichi looked up, a frantic look coming over his face. "Nothing, Hiiro! Honest!"
Hiiro closed his eyes momentarily, placing his chopsticks down. "Those lyrics...how could I have been so stupid? Who the hell else do you know that smokes and has 'golden eyes'?"
"Hiiro..." Shuichi pleaded, hoping his friend wouldn't continue, knowing that he couldn't lie if Hiiro began to question what had happened.
"This weekend, you weren't at home, were you." It wasn't a question.
"I...I..."
"What happened?" Hiiro firmly asked, leaning in closer. He didn't think that whatever Shuichi had to say should be overheard by a table of fangirls or worse, a lunch monitor.
Shuichi sighed, and prepared to level the truth at Hiiro. "My parents. They, um, got a letter from Tanaka-sensei on Friday. I'd already left to meet you, thank goodness, or they wouldn't have let me go to the concert. Um..." he trailed off.
"Spit it out, Shu!"
"It's my stupid grades!" Shuichi moaned. "They've dropped since my last grade report. You know that I was academic probation, that I had a C+ average...well, it's um...now it's a D. Tanaka-sensei told me that I'm going to have to quit after-school band, meaning that we won't have a place to practice anymore, and that he doesn't see how I'll pass the finals...he told my parents that they shouldn't expect I'll be able to get into a university."
"That bastard." Hiiro shook his head. Tanaka-sensei was a bastard, that everyone knew. But this…
"But Hiiro, it's all true! That's not what upsets me, really...I never wanted to go to some stupid college. The bad part is that um...they're not going to let me sign with NG. They want me to try to make it through the exams! 'It's time you got sensible, Shuichi. You're dreaming your life away' – that's what my mom said. My dad said that 'as long as you're under my roof, you'll get into a good school and give up that ridiculous band.'"
"Shu..."
"But I won't, Hiiro! We'll find somewhere else to practice, we'll sign with NG and tell them to get us a place! I won't let this chance go, we've been working forever for it!" Shuichi slammed his chopsticks down on the table.
"So what happened after that? With your parents?"
"Well…I climbed out he window and wound up at Uesugi-san..er..sensei's place. He let me stay. I called my parents yesterday and said I was at your house, and that I'd come home after school today when things had calmed down a bit." Shuichi held his breath, hoping that the conversation wouldn't go much further.
"You were at his place for two nights?" Hiiro arched his eyebrows. "Shuichi, that doesn't look good..."
"No!! It's not like that! " Shuichi protested. "He didn't even want me there, it was my fault, I'm the one who wouldn't leave, I kept buzzing and buzzing and I couldn't go home and he let me come up and I was doing everything...yeah, he was the one who kissed me first, but it was my fault, really..."
"Shu, calm down! You're rambling." A pause. Then, "He kissed you?"
"...."
"He's our teacher! He's old! He's a..."
"man?" Shuichi finished, dismally.
"Well, yes." Hiiro admitted, scratching the back of his head.
"I know! Gods, Hiiro, don't you think I know?! I can't help it. I don't know why, but I need him."
Hiiro let out a short laugh. "I *do* remember your song, you know."
"Yeah, and unfortunately, so does everyone else. I'm such a baka, sometimes." Shuichi gave a short laugh at the thought of his female classmates going all dreamy over his lyrics about their cantankerous Japanese teacher. There had to be an irony in there.
"True."
After a few silent moments of fervent eating, Shuichi decided that there probably wouldn't be a better time to bring up what he'd been mulling over ever since that awful conversation with his parents.
"Ano, Hiiro...are you really going to England to study?"
Hiiro spit out his milk, spraying Shuichi's leftover riceballs. "What?! How did you…"
"Your mom. She was talking with mine, and said that you were going to have to quit the band because you're leaving in a few months to go to university." "Why couldn't you tell me?" Shuichi looked hurt, and didn't try to hide it.
"Because I don't want to go, baka. Do you think I want to do everything that my parents have planned out for me? It's my life, you know. I don't want to go to England any more than you want to be a respectable salaryman."
"But – "
"No 'buts.' Now, are we going to call this Sakano-san or not?"
"You do realize that our parents will kill us." Shuichi put in sensibly.
"Let 'em try." Hiiro replied stubbornly. "I'm 19, I've got a trust fund from my obasan that I have full access to, and my brother knows a guy who wants to get out of his lease. Not to mention the fact that I'm soon going to be a successful musician." Hiiro boasted, proudly. "Graduation is only another two months away, and I'm prepared to juggle school and work until then."
"Hmm..."
"You know, it won't be so bad. I'll help tutor you, and I'm sure you can make it through the next few weeks. If your parents won't let you try, you can always bail and come live with me."
"Hiiro! I couldn't." Shuichi protested, not wanting to live off his friend's charity.
"Well, that, or you could go crash with golden eyes." Hiiro winked. "Maybe he'd give you extra credit."
"Hidoi!" Shuichi laughed, cuffing his friend on the back of the head. "It's not like that."
"Then how is it?"
"Well...I don't know." Shuichi looked back down at his milk-soaked riceballs. Well, he mused, after those pancakes…
"Shu! That's gross!" Hiiro admonished, as Shuichi ceremoniously tipped his head back and popped in a riceball.
***
"Uesugi-san! Uesugi-san!" the secretary panted, out of breath. "I've been looking for you everywhere! Tanaka-sensei would like to see you in his office right away."
Eiri looked up from his newspaper in the teacher's lunch room and eyed the secretary. Young, probably not over 21, with a short skirt and longish hair. Probably what most men considered attractive. Eiri momentarily looked inside himself, and frustratingly enough, felt nothing.
"Hn." He replied, getting to his feel. Dull paper, anyway. Not that he expected that dullard Tanaka-san would have anything interesting to say, anyway.
***
The office was as bland as Eiri had expected, reflecting some key assumptions he had already made regarding the character of his boss. Plain brown paper, a green desk lamp, a few diplomas on the wall, a golf putter in the corner. Nothing which spoke of the long career greatly enjoyed educating children. No pictures of the slightly short and bald man with family, friends. Looking around, Eiri wondered: would his office look like this in thirty years? Cold, barren, plain?
"Ah, Uesugi-san. I trust that your first week has been going well?" Tanaka Hikaru asked politely to the man sitting in the chair across his desk.
*Why, no, actually it hasn't. I've only been looking after these disrespectful little shits for three days and I already feel like ripping my goddamned hair out, meaning that I can look forward to soon sporting a toupee as fake-looking as yours. On the plus side, however, I did have one of the boys in my class stay at my house this weekend. He let me slip him the tongue so I'm thinking of giving him some bonus marks on his term essay.*
"Uesugi-san? You didn't answer me...is everything going well?" the balding man asked again, wondering at the odd look on the blond's face.
"Hn." Eiri replied curtly. "Everything is going well."
"Well…" the assistant principal began somewhat hesitantly, "I'm sorry to do this in light of the fact that you just started and all, but I think you should be made aware of some of the, er...standards we expect our teachers to keep at this school."
"Standards?" Eiri questioned, shifting in his uncomfortable fake-leather chair.
"Yes, we've got multiple complaints from…let's see…" Tanaka flipped through some papers on his desk before settling on a large folder. "Ah, yes, here it is. Kurozawa Junichiro? I believe he's in your homeroom as well and your senior literature class, as well as another member of the soccer team, Yamaguchi Hironobu?" He paused for affect. "Smoking in class, sitting with your feet up on the desk, belittling the students, assigning gross over amounts of homework…need I continue?"
"No." Eiri answered coldly. Those little bastards…
"Do you deny these things?" Tanaka pressed, looking as though he was enjoying raking the other man over the coals. Which, Eiri thought to himself, he probably was.
"No."
"Well, I certainly hope you will take measures to see that you don't repeat these mistakes again. We aim to lead by example at this school, after all."
"I understand."
"Good! I think that 's everything, then." Tanaka looked back down to his desk. "Oh, yes, and just one more thing, Uesugi-san." The man gestured for Eiri to remain in his seat. "Are you a homosexual?"
"What?" Eiri spit out the word, shocked.
"Homosexual, Uesugi-san. Do you have a sexual attraction toward younger boys?" Tanaka actually looked as though he were enjoying this humiliation, thought Eiri. The bald man sat, pen poised, ready to take down whatever Eiri replied.
"This is absurd."
"Please answer me, Uesugi-san. I only ask because I'm concerned about some of the rumors I've been hearing, and well...we have the best interests of our students in mind, after all."
"You don't have the right to ask me such a thing." Eiri replied, icily. Inwardly, he wondered, "rumors? What rumors?"
"I'm sorry, but as the assistant principle of this institution I do have the right to know."
Eiri's patience was wearing thin. "Know what? You want to know if I'm going to seduce one of my students? Or are you wondering if I might be interested in giving you a blow job after lunch?"
The balding man looked momentarily taken aback, but quickly recovered, swallowing hard. "You don't want me for an enemy, Uesugi-san. I can see to it that your teaching career is over before it's even begun."
"Just try." With that, Eiri rose out of the cheap chair and issued a short, sarcastic bow to the shorter man. He turned sharply and stalked out of the man's office, fuming. As he wandered through the halls in a near-rage, he had only one thought on his mind: where in hell was Shindou Shuichi?
TBC ^_^
Thanks for reading!
A/n: I'm not making up the pizza toppings folks ^_^ These are all items from the menus of Japanese pizza shops. Sounds yummy, ne?