The night had gone absolutely splendid or at least had gone until Oni literally forced it down to his throat and the following three hours had vanished to thin air. Maybe it was for the better, Rikimaru sighted. He trailed up the stairs after Tatsumaru, a few meters after Tatsumaru to be exact. Oh god damn with you Oni, Rikimaru held his head to prevent it from falling off from the shoulders as he cursed silently inside his brain, the last time he's going to lure me to breathe that garbage.
Tatsumaru waited at his door as Rikimaru took a moment to breathe and stood still only a two or three steps from the platform. Tatsumaru looked familiar, he thought, or rather something on his face, the look maybe? Tatsumaru had been talking all the way from the Oni's apartment to his own and Rikimaru didn't got the faintest idea of what about. And now Tatsumaru was looking at him like he waited for an answer. "…What?"
Tatsumaru leaned on the open door. "…I didn't say anything… Did I?"
He took a step and another thinking that maybe his friend hadn't been talking constantly. So his ears were ringing even though there were hardly any music in the bar. Oh how frigging nice, Rikimaru managed a smile wondering in the same time why didn't he want to empty his stomach contents on the floor. Not that he really missed that part of his hangover, no, not really.
Actually he was feeling quite cheerful when he reached the door and stepped inside to the corridor where Tatsumaru was. Maybe the sledgehammer was still on its way.
Tatsumaru went to put the kettle on while Rikimaru collapsed on the sofa. "You need any help in the kitchen, honey?"
Tatsumaru yelled something negative from where he was and continued to hassle around the kitchen. Even he was over cheerful considering that he barely could stand by himself sometime ago. What a pleasant night, strangely pleasant. True that the beginning was a bit slow but the rest covered it. What had actually happened, he tried to clear the blur. The clock was 8 a.m. which meant that he still got four hours to spend until he could go home. What on earth she needed the apartment to herself for? Hopefully he still had a home to go to and a roommate at noon.
So Oni drugged him, that he could still remember. Too well to his liking. It had provoked his desire to revenge or whatever to Oni and the night… The plank shade of it had changed to a wrong kind of a pressing, hot shade. Hopefully Oni had been a bit more out of things than Rikimaru himself and couldn't remember or comprehend the longing looks he had sent with flashing lights. He didn't mean to, Rikimaru lectured himself; he just couldn't help himself when it came to flirting. Not that he necessarily meant anything by it. It was just a bit of fun. Hopefully Oni understood it too. …Perfectly innocent.
What else, he thought for a moment. They had danced. How strange. He couldn't remember when he had last time seen Oni dance. He didn't appreciate it much to say the least. The guy danced only to mock everyone else about the fact how stupid they were making them self look or if it was a question of artistic performance. Either way his dancing looked pretty much the same in both cases. And how was it by the way that the guy managed to make a fool of himself and still look so good? Maybe there was something wrong in his eyes and for real he wasn't cool at all. Yeah, that's how it had to be. Why else there would be the lines of dancing Oni burned to his pupils. Not cool just hot.
What else, Rikimaru closed his eyes slightly irritated hit himself. His cat got a name from the boys, but they should see if it only answered to name's including the words shit or fuck. Tatsu and Dan seemed to come along well. Jin had pick a quarrel with some girls and lost a nail and a fight. Dan luckily saved him and they made a lucky escape. Wonder if they managed to get all the way home, Rikimaru thought. Talking about his mates, he remembered that someone had invited Oni to the practise, that someone being possibly himself. Me and my big mouth, Rikimaru thought.
Tatsumaru came to the living room with two cups. "Thank god, it's only Saturday… I can sleep rest of the weekend."
"I thought Hitoha is coming over…?"
Tatsumaru winced. "…I had already forgotten…"
"So what's the big deal between you two anyway?"
"What do you mean?" Tatsumaru seemed surprised.
"Really… Tatsumaru…? You're not together, are you?"
"Me and Hito…? No… What make's you think that?" He tried a smile.
"You act like you were…"
"Me…? No… Do I?"
Rikimaru just looked at him saying; do I really have to say it out loud.
"I dunno know why am I like this when it comes to him… He's like this little puppy you want to protect, but... at the end of the day, you can't…"
"Yeah… At the end of the day, you just want to ravish him…!"
Tatsumaru was long silent until. "…Yeah… Why is everything so complicated in my life…?"
Rikimaru rose up from the couch so that he could see Tatsumaru. "…You are taking it way too seriously. It's not you're fault that he's gay now is it?"
Tatsumaru looked up under his eyelashes. "It isn't?" He asked doubtfully.
Sometimes, Rikimaru thought, just sometimes Tatsumaru's life philosophy was plain ridicules. "Well… You are pretty hot for a guy and if it would happen that a young man would find his way to your bed all by himself… he just has to be, straight…" Some people make the living hard for them self's.
"That's not the point…"
"What is not? That you are hot…?" Rikimaru smiled. "Hey, that rhymes…"
"…You're still on the drugs, Rikimaru… aren't you?"
"Why do you ask? Do I act strange?"
"…No… not at all… you're being very like Rikimaru right now…"
Rikimaru leaned into Tatsumaru's personal space and kissed him gently nipping his lower lip. Tatsumaru was uncertain. "I'm not sure… this is a good… idea… right now…?"
"You'll find the words a lot better when your thoughts aren't in his pants…Tatsu?"
Tatsumaru gave in easily, which was a shame as Rikimaru would have been more than happy to tease.
The clock turned eleven a.m. sharp just as Tatsumaru rolled over in his bed. He had been sleeping a while and now he reached for the other body he knew to find leaning against his back. He was stunned to find a loveless pillow warming his back. "Riki…? maru…?" He utterly muttered from between his slight blue sheets.
He put on his pants and went to search. Why would have he left so early, he thought and smelled something burned in the air. He reached the kitchen and found Rikimaru making sandwiches. How could someone burn sandwiches? "What are you doing?"
"Breakfast for you…" Rikimaru looked up from the table, leaving the plate alone and walking up to Tatsumaru.
"Why on earth, Rikimaru, I can feed myself…?" By the time Tatsumaru had finished the sentence Rikimaru had wrapped hands around Tatsumaru and planning for more. "Admit it… Afraid to taste my cooking…"
Tatsumaru didn't saw it necessary to answer.
"I just thought to make something nice for you…"
Tatsumaru smiled. "…I thought you already did…?"
Rikimaru smiled slightly back to him before kissing his cheek, neck and lips to get away with out saying his thoughts out loud. That he was kissing one man and thinking about other.
Rikimaru's attempt to be nice again grew more intense and Tatsumaru ended up sitting on the table while holding on to Rikimaru. Out of the blue Tatsumaru then said something. "…How long have you known him…?"
Rikimaru finally got out. "…Who…?"
"The one you were thinking while kissing me?"
At the moment Tatsumaru seemed to see right trough him and he could only be ashamed and honest, for a change. "How… did you guess…?" Rikimaru held the other tighter asking forgiveness. "Am I that obvious…?"
"…Well not really… You just have never been… Let's say… been that passionate about me…So who is he?"
"…You're not mad?"
"…Why? We're not married or anything… And I can hardly blame you of anything when I've been thinking about Hitoha the whole week… Not exactly when we were… but anyhows… Someone I know?"
"Huh…? No, Tatsu, I'm sorry okay, it's been a weird night, I…" Tatsumaru silenced him continuing of where they had left before.
Hitoha hesitated at the door with his keys, but finally realised he had no other choice but to go in. He came in quiet and heard something from the kitchen and was soon sure he wouldn't have wanted to go past the kitchen sink. His feet failed Hitoha and he nearly trip over on the floor. The noise turned two heads.
"Hi…!" Hitoha said, two heavy luggage's in his hands preventing him from running to his room rather smoothly.
"Hitoha…? Hi…?" Tatsumaru said.
"Hi Hitoha…?" Rikimaru grinned surprised over Tatsumaru's bare chest.
"Um Rikimaru, this is Hitoha, Hitoha Rikimaru…"
"…Good morning, I'll be off now, in my room, or is it… never mind…It was nice to meet you, Rikimaru…"
"Nice to meet you two, Hitoha… We'll be in the kitchen if you need us…"
Tatsumaru pushed Rikimaru off himself and warned him to say more. "What? I was just being polite?" He was whispering now. "My dear paedophile-friend…!?" Rikimaru bite his lip not to laugh. "…Well I think I better go and let you sort things out?"
"What? Oh yes…?" Tatsumaru had transferred his mind to another level of consciousness.
"I just put my clothes on and I'll be out…"
"…What's so funny?" Tatsumaru asked.
"Him and you."
"I don't get you?"
"…Tatsu, why don't you do you both a favour and go do it with him what we were about to do on that table…?"
"…You make it sound so simple…"
Rikimaru shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe because it is… See you later…" He winked.
After Rikimaru had left and Tatsumaru had pulled himself mentally together he went to Hitoha's door.
Hitoha was sitting at the edge of his bed not really sure should he unpack or not.
"…Hi… and sorry about that…I…"
"Your new boyfriend?"
"Um… no, not really… How did your trip go, well?"
"Fine… new tenant?"
"No, I haven't looked for one yet… I was hoping that I wouldn't have to see the trouble…"
"well I got a place."
Tatsumaru's heart well from its place. "…That's… great, congratulations…!"
"…But I'm not going."
"…Oh?"
"So can I keep the room?"
"Yes, of course you can… Can I ask… Why aren't you going?"
"…They don't teach marketing as a main subject… It didn't suit for me…"
"Okay…That's reasonable… You could apply to some of the schools that are here?"
"Yeah, I thought to do that next year… Keep a gap year and figure out some things… I need to figure out…."
"That sounds wise, what's the rush, you are young… But I… let you get settled…" He was about to walk away.
"Tatsu…?"
He turned back to the bed. "…Yeah?"
"…I missed you…"
It was half one when Rikimaru got home. He stepped in quietly and listened carefully. He could hear Ayame's gentle snoring across the apartment. She seemed to be live and well. He put his jacket away and thought to test the theory. He walked to the kitchen, stopped and continued to living room. In no time the cat was following him at his heels. Rikimaru turned around and looked at the early bird burring at his feet. "Well I'll be damned, they were right…" She follows me just like a shadow he thought.
"Hey shit head…?"
The cat looked up at him with curiosity.
"How about if we call you a Shadow for now on?"
The cat didn't seem to protest as it wanted to climb to his lap. Minor bad detail was that the cat rose to stand against his leg and pressed its nails trough the fabric to his skin wanting to go upper.