when i see you sky as a kite as high as i might i can't get that high
the how you move the way you burst the clouds it makes me want to try
"Suka-chan, have you noticed something different between those two?"
"Like what?"
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe the way they can never be apart for more than five seconds, or maybe the way they keep looking all googly-eyed at each other?"
"Shun, do you realize that you've just described two people in love?"
"Suka-chan, you can't possibly be that dense!"
The two boys eyed each other cattily over the remains of a half-eaten breakfast. It was their last day at the inn and they had thought to fill their bellies as full of scrumptious non-dorm food as they could. As usual, their eyes proved bigger than their stomachs.
"I am not dense!"
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
"Are too! Look at them, Suka, and I mean, really look!" Shun, exasperated beyond belief, grabbed his roommate's head and swiveled it around to face the window.
Outside, the sky was icy blue and the ground was a pristine sheet of unsullied white. The storm had spent its last vestiges of fierceness the previous night and the sun had been finally allowed to come out and play. Tall trees bent benevolently under the slight weight of snow and the stray bird or two that boldly dared to leave nests in exchange for freedom and flight.
Romping in the midst of this idyll were Shinobu and Mitsuru. They were heaving fistfuls of snow at each other, laughing and snickering when one or the other fell in over-exuberance. The falling down seemed the best part of the game. For when one boy toppled, the other pounced him with mad glee, and then would ensue a tickling and rolling about and more giggles until both would lay, exhausted, on the ground, arms outstretched as if to embrace the world.
"They're playing, Shun. It's our last day here. Of course they'd play," Hasukawa dismissed the scene and turned his attentions back to his miso soup.
"Since when have you ever seen Shinobu-senpai playing? Or giggling, for that matter?" Shun challenged.
Hmmm, the boy had a point. Hasukawa put his bowl down and looked more carefully at his two friends.
when i see you sticky as lips as licky as trips i can't lick that far
but when you pout the way you shout out loud it makes me want to start
"They're watching us again, aren't they?" Mitsuru closed his eyes to the sun beating down on his face.
"Hmmm." Shinobu murmured beside him, uncaring.
"Let's give them something to see, shall we?" The mischievous, lopsided grin that suddenly skipped onto the blonde's face made Shinobu's loins tighten.
"What were you thinking exactly?"
"Mind if I take off all your clothes and kiss you in that spot that made you scream last time?"
"I do not scream, and yes, I mind."
"Are you ashamed of me?" Mitsuru swiveled his head to face his lover. The question was made half in jest and half in seriousness.
"Never, koi." Shinobu answered without looking at the boy. Rather, to emphasize his point, he reached over and squeezed Mitsuru's hand in his. "I just want to save you from unhappiness."
"How so?"
"Well, if I got naked right now, I run the risk of frostbite to several places on my body which, I'm sure, you'd find more interesting if they were operational."
"Tease!" Mitsuru rolled over and began poking at his lover's kidneys.
"Oi, Mitsu! You know that tickles!" Shinobu was stranded on his back in helpless laughter.
"That's what makes it so fun!" Mitsuru straddled the boy and began the tickling in earnest.
and when i see you happy as a girl that swims in a world of magic show
it makes me bite my fingers through to think i could have let you go
"I told you! Now do you believe me?"
"But that's…they're…Mitsuru-senpai said he wasn't…"Hasukawa was a blathering idiot.
"Suka-chan, think about it! You've known them for two years now. Have they ever been in a serious relationship? And Mitsuru-senpai never cared about those junior high girls who kept waiting for him at the gates. And remember when they hugged when we were filming that movie? They held on for just a teensy bit longer than necessary. And then there was the time…"
"Stop it! Stop it, Shun! I don't want to think about it!" Hasukawa dropped his head in his arms in abject denial.
"How can you be so judgmental, Suka-chan?" Shun was righteous in indignation. "They've been nothing but supportive and kind and generous to you since the day you stepped into Greenwood. They don't deserve your censure, not now when they need us the most."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, if this is your reaction to it, how do you think the others will be when we go home?" Shun thought about this himself and frowned worriedly.
"They could keep it a secret," Hasukawa suggested eagerly.
"And make it seem as if what they're doing is wrong? Absolutely not! They're in love, Suka. That's an important thing." Shun's eyes glazed over as the weight of this knowledge bore down on him. Then he shrugged his shoulders as if he'd made up his mind.
"Hai. Love is an important thing. And we're gonna make sure that nothing and no one ruins it for them!"
"We? Why me?" Hasukawa wailed.
and when i see you take the same sweet steps you used to take
i'll say i'll keep on holding you my arms so tight i'll never let you slip away
"We're going to have problems, aren't we?"
"When we get home?"
"Then. And every day after then."
"Problems between us?" Shinobu was being deliberately dense.
"Of course not! You know what I mean." Mitsuru sat up and brushed the snow from his parka. He watched as Shinobu stood to do the same.
"Do you want us to stop?" The silver-haired boy glanced at his lover then walked off a ways, as if afraid of the answer.
Mitsuru's eyes tracked his progress through the snow. God, but he loved to watch him move! Then the blonde paused his admiration to give Shinobu's question the serious reflection it warranted. He looked at his gloved hands clasped loosely in front of him, then pushed them off his knees to stand. He followed Shinobu quietly, stealthily, and surprised him when he hugged him from behind.
"I never want us to stop. I never want to be without you. I love you." Mitsuru whispered, holding the boy tightly in his arms.
"Mitsu…"
"Hai?"
"I can't breathe."
and when i see you kitten as a cat yeah as smitten as that i can't get that small
the way you fur the how you purr it makes me want to paw you all
"What are you guys talking about?"
"Ohayo, Kenji!" Shun was all smiles and cat-like smugness.
"Ohayo. So what are you talking about?" The orange-haired boy was single-minded as usual.
Hasukawa stood from the table, lips pursed in disapproval. For all he knew, this boy, this little troll, had been the start of it all. Why, if Kenji Takahashi hadn't given Mitsuru-senpai those chocolates and put ideas in his head, none of this would have happened! Hasukawa still swam in denial.
"None of your business!" Hasukawa said brusquely.
"Oh." The little freshman was blindly unconcerned. It sort of reminded Shun of his roommate. And if the hair were a tad bit darker, they would look alike too. Shun snickered.
"Do you know where Mitsuru-senpai's gone off to? I wanted to give him this before you all left!"
Hasukawa growled. In Kenji's hand was another damnable box of chocolates. Hmmm, were they the dark ones with the cherries in liquor? Never mind that! The troll had gifted one too many boxes of evil temptation! He had to be stopped.
Before Hasukawa could vent his ire, Shun defused his roommate by taking matters into his own hands. With a sad compassion, Shun wheeled Kenji around by the shoulders to face the window. The little freshman may have been guileless, but he wasn't stupid. It took him less time than had Hasukawa to realize what he was looking at. The joy and love the couple shared as they frolicked in the snow was palpable even to the watchers inside.
A dawning comprehension mingled with true sorrow etched the boy's face, making him look older. The box slipped from his fingers as Kenji clutched the edge of the table to steady himself. Shun longed to cuddle the boy and tell him that everything would be okay, but he didn't want to take away the freshman's dignity. The orange-haired boy bowed his head in despair.
"Oh. I see." Tears sprang to Kenji's eyes as the other two witnessed his struggle for control. He looked to be succeeding when a sudden shout outside made them all turn to peer out the window once more.
Mitsuru had Shinobu locked in a bear hug and Shinobu was thrashing about in mock anger. Then, giving up, Shinobu opted to free himself by using more persuasive methods. In plain view of the sun, the birds and the three boys at the window, Shinobu craned his neck and planted a firm, undeniable kiss on Mitsuru's mouth.
Kenji let out an inarticulate moan and ran from the room, unable to bear it any longer. Shun's heart went out to the poor boy even as he sighed in relief knowing that this was one less problem his senpais had to deal with.
"Hey!" Hasukawa's voice was indignant.
"What now?" Shun rolled his eyes and asked his roommate wearily.
"He took my spork! That little troll bastard took my spork!"
and when i see you happy as a girl that lives in a world of make-believe
it makes me pull my hair all out to think i could've let you leave
"We've got to go soon, you know. We have to catch the train back home."
"I know. I wish we didn't have to."
"Me too."
"So what are we going to do when we get back?"
"I'm open to suggestions."
"You mean the mighty and all-knowing Shinobu Tezuka has no master plan up his sleeve?"
"My sleeves are plan-less today."
"We should have a big coming-out party. I want the whole world to know how we feel for each other." Mitsuru flung his arms out expansively and breathed deep the mountain air. Then he glanced slyly at his lover. "Plus, I really am curious to see Hasukawa's face when we finally admit to it."
"I think he already knows, Mitsu. We haven't exactly been circumspect today."
"True. I'm gonna squeeze out every delicious detail from Shun later tonight. I wonder how much his nose bled?"
"You are truly a creature of evil, Mitsuru."
"I've learned from the best, Shinobu."
The two boys exchanged rueful grins.
"You're glowing, you know."
"You make me sound like I'm pregnant or something." Shinobu pouted, uncharacteristically petulant.
"You're still glowing," Mitsuru insisted, loving the way the other boy could so easily let his guard down after only such a brief time since their new-found intimacy had begun.
"You think anyone else will notice?"
"Well, if they do, we can tell them it's all because of our secret love affair."
"Then it wouldn't be a secret any longer, would it," Shinobu chided gently.
Mitsuru looked at him with slow-smiling eyes. "You know, I think I like you a lot better when you're sober."
Shinobu glared. "I did say something that night, didn't I?"
"Maybe."
"Tell me!"
"What do I get if I tell?"
"What do you want?"
"You."
"The walls at the dorm are paper thin, you know."
Mitsuru snickered wickedly. "Ah, Hasukawa's virgin ears…I can't wait!"
and when i see you take the same sweet steps you used to take
i know i'll keep on holding you in arms so tight they'll never let you go