Panda
Miyagi sighed heavily as he shut his apartment door behind him at last. It had been another endlessly long day full of departmental meetings even after lectures had finished. Now it was so late and so dark, it could hardly even be called 'day', really it was practically night.
His eyes were tired, his back stiff from sitting at a desk for so many hours and his brain utterly fried. He had been desperately hoping to come home to a warm, bright flat with his adorable lover curled on the couch waiting to welcome him home, but to his consternation the apartment was as dark, empty and silent as a tomb.
No warm body to hold, no lively banter to lighten his mood. No Shinobu-chin.
Miyagi sighed once more as he kicked off his shoes and lumbered over to the sofa, gratefully sinking into the soft cushions. Rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands, he admitted ruefully to himself that he was a little disappointed to be stuck alone in an empty flat once again. It had been some time since he'd seen Shinobu. The kid was weird; for weeks he'd be constantly hanging around Miyagi, bothering him incessantly, then all of a sudden he'd vanish, hiding in his apartment next door and leaving Miyagi completely out of balance as he attempted to readjust to the sudden loneliness.
Yet he knew why he hadn't seen Shinobu lately. The brat was still sulking that Miyagi had yet to use the spare key he'd given him for his apartment. Well… Miyagi caved. It couldn't hurt to drop by this once, could it? He wouldn't seem desperate or needy or anything, would he?
Though he was, he thought to himself. After his tiresome day and after so long a separation, today Miyagi really was desperate to see his Shinobu-chin.
Giving in, he slowly dragged himself up off the couch with a groan and hoisted himself into the bathroom to get ready. Once he had brushed his teeth, scrubbed his face and shed his clothes in favour of a t-shirt and boxers for bed, he stumbled back through the flat, switching off lights as he went. Fumbling around in a bowl on top of a side table next to the front door for his keys, he switched the main light off and locked the door behind him.
Even though he had yet to use Shinobu's key, it had swung next to his own apartment key on his keychain since the day Shinobu-chin had thrust it into his hand. Sliding the key quietly into Shinobu's front door, he felt it turn smoothly to the right and with a small click, the door swung open.
Shinobu's flat was equally as dark as his own. That meant his cute little lover was probably already in bed and asleep. Well, it was late, so not too great a surprise. The thought of disturbing Shinobu didn't disturb Miyagi or make him turn back. He craved the boy too much to return to his empty flat alone. Just lying beside the boy would help to satisfy his thirst at least to some degree.
His bare feet slapped against the laminate floor of Shinobu's living room as he made his way with ease over to the bedroom. Even though he had never stepped foot in Shinobu's apartment before, he knew instinctively where to go even with the place shrouded in darkness and shadows, as it was an exact mirror image of his own apartment. He was also positive that out of the two bedrooms, Shinobu would have selected the one directly next to his own apartment in his bid to be as close to Miyagi as possible.
Gently pushing open the bedroom door, he could just make out a small, thin form under the blanket on the futon on the floor. Shinobu's chest was rising and falling rhythmically, little snorts and puffs of air wheezing from his lips with each exhale. He was lying on his left side, his legs bent at the knee in a half foetal position.
Just at the sight of the slumbering boy, Miyagi felt warmth fill his chest. Yes, swallowing his pride and venturing into Shinobu's apartment for the first time had been worth it.
Treading softly so as not to wake the boy, Miyagi stepped up to the side of the futon and quietly slipped under the blanket. When he was fully covered, he turned onto his side and spooned up to Shinobu, sliding his arms around the boy and pulling him gently against his chest. As he did so, he was unable to prevent a deep sigh of relief from escaping his lips.
Feeling someone enter the bed behind him and take him in his arms suddenly jolted Shinobu out of his sleep, and confused eyes opened halfway and peered back at Miyagi, alarmed.
"Huh, Miyagi?!" Shinobu half mumbled, half screeched in shock.
"Hey, Shinobu-chin, sorry to wake you…" Miyagi rumbled back in a low, content voice.
Suddenly he blinked in surprise. His hands, which had reached around Shinobu's waist and had been gently caressing the soft skin on his arms, had travelled up to Shinobu's hands with the intention of linking their fingers together tightly. However, Shinobu's hands seemed to be rather… occupied…
"Shu, what's this?" Miyagi asked, confused at the soft, squishy, strange shaped object clutched in his lover's hands and held against his heart.
"Nothing!" Shinobu replied a little too quickly. He tried to move the object out of Miyagi's reach, but the older man was too fast. He grabbed it, pulled it out from under the blanket and held it up in front of his eyes, squinting to see it in the darkness.
It had four legs with soft paws. Its fluffy fur was coloured in black and white patches and there were large dark circles around the eyes. Miyagi grinned.
"Aww, Shinobu-chin, you were cuddling up to a stuffed panda?!"
"No!" Shinobu burst.
"Yes, yes, you were! Oh, you're so cute, ickle Shinobu-chin, with your bed stuffed with fluffy toys to keep you company on this nasty, horrible, cold, lonely night…" Miyagi mocked in a high-pitched baby voice as he waved the panda in Shinobu's face and made kissing sounds as he pressed it against the boy's cheek.
"Miyagi!" Shinobu yelled, trying to push him away. "Shut up! Stop being such an idiot! I'm not a kid, for god's sake!"
"But you sleep with a stuffed panda, Shinobu! I wasn't aware that many adults slept with toy animals in their bed… Hey, tell me, what's his name?"
"It hasn't got one!"
"What? Of course it has, why wouldn't you give it a name?"
"I-I'm not telling you!" Shinobu frowned, suddenly glad the darkness hid the blush that had spread across his face. There was no way he could tell Miyagi the panda's name...
"I'm betting it's a he anyway… You wouldn't sleep with a female, would you, Shinobu? Though, it's not exactly easy to tell if this thing's male or female…" he continued in a contemplative voice, bringing the panda closer to his face to inspect its chest and between its legs.
Shinobu scowled and snatched the poor panda out of Miyagi's groping hands.
"Leave him alone, you perv!" he snapped.
"Aha! So it is male!" Miyagi shouted in triumph. "Oh, go on, Shinobu-chin, why's it such a big deal for you to tell me the name of your toy? It's not like you named him after me or anything, is it?"
Shinobu said nothing, merely squeezing the panda against his chest. Miyagi suddenly cottoned on.
"Eh? Er, Shinobu? Did you…happen…to name it… Miyagi?" he asked in a quiet, curious voice.
"What does it matter what his name is?" Shinobu huffed in reply, turning his back once more to Miyagi and curling up into a ball.
Miyagi smiled, feeling quite touched. "Shu-chin, that's so cute… Though, uh, why?"
"Go away." Shinobu's trembling voice sounded muffled, absorbed by his pillow.
"Nope!" Miyagi grinned. He leaned forward and scooped the boy back into his arms, panda and all. Kissing the back of Shinobu's neck, he then whispered into his ear,
"Its name is Miyagi and you sleep with it in your arms… Maybe I should take it as a compliment, rather than fear a stuffed bear as my rival?"
"Well, I need something as your replacement since I never see you anymore, old man!" Shinobu suddenly shouted, twisting violently in Miyagi's arms to stare angrily up at his older lover. Then, Miyagi watched, amused, as Shinobu's whole countenance changed.
The furious frown lines smoothed out, Shinobu's tired, grey eyes suddenly widened in surprise and his mouth dropped open as he stared up at Miyagi's face.
"You… You're here! This is my place! You're in my apartment!" he exclaimed excitedly.
"Yeah, you only just noticed?" Miyagi asked, grinning.
"Oh, Miyagi! You finally used the key!" Shinobu yelped happily, throwing himself into the older man's embrace and squeezing his arms around Miyagi's neck.
Miyagi eagerly returned the hug, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, enjoying the familiar scent of his young lover. When he opened his eyes again, his gaze immediately fell on the dark outline of the replacement 'Miyagi', the patches of white fur standing out in the darkness, glassy eyes blankly watching the two lovers basking in each other's embrace.
Miyagi narrowed his eyes at his replacement. He reached out, grabbed the panda and tossed it out of the bed.
"Don't need you anymore," he mumbled to the panda. "After all, how can a book-sized fluff-ball of a panda compare to the real Miyagi?"
A.N. Ok, so I broke my word limit already on this chapter, but never mind! Hope you liked :) Please review!