OKAY. Im-friggin'-portant information here!
First off, fuck writer's block – I am finishing this story!
Second off, thank you SukiSushi123's guidance and all my other lovely reviewer's pep talks for – in essence – helping me fuck my writer's block.
Man that sounds weird.
Never mind that. Anywho, thanks for helping me a ton with this story and pushing my lazy ass into continuing. I may not have much confidence in my writing, but I could guess that there'd be a good number of people unhappy with me if I let this story go unfinished. Thanks for making sure I knew that. It means a lot~ :P
Third off, and possibly most importantly (don't get my wrong, giving credit's always important and the fucking of writer's block should always be high up on one's to-do list) if you haven't noticed already I took out the smut. It was pretty much my only condition for my finishing this story. I appreciated all the positive feedback I got for adding it, however every time I thought of continuing the story my mind became a jumbled mess of, "HAHAHAHA, NOOOOOO /BLUSHUUU/" I simply couldn't bring myself to complete the story with such an embarrassing attempt within it. I really shouldn't have wrote it without feeling completely comfortable about it. Granted, I thought I was feeling completely comfortable with it, but I guess I really wasn't. So I'm very sorry for it and I really hope ya'll can enjoy the story without it! And if you can't, well then, I'm really really REALLY sorry. unu
TL;DR: As of now this is a T rated story and I'm going to go back to my plan of possibly making Shinobu/Misaki oneshots in the future. And also, fuck writers block!
Anywho on with the story! Sorry for the wait!
Chapter 4: A Stroll
Maybe if I moved...
No that doesn't work.
Perhaps this way...
Ow! OW! My back!
Misaki let out a feeble groan, flipping back onto his back and burying his face in the curve of his elbow.
He couldn't sleep.
Worse than that, he couldn't even find a comfortable position were he could pretend to be asleep.
He woke a few hours ago, grabbing his phone and checking the time to find it to be – woah, one in the morning! He snorted and rolled over, tossing his cell back onto the ground where it had been found. But when he turned he came face-to-face with Shinobu's sleeping face and he instantly lost any drowsiness left in him, if nothing else from sheer shock and surprise. Despite this, he still tried to fall asleep over the next few hours, but failed miserably. No matter what position he was in he'd either be too hot, too cold, too uncomfortable or his lower back would feel too painful.
After a few more failed attempts, Misaki pulled himself out of bed. Not bothering with the clothes that had been scattered the night before, he quickly retrieved a fresh outfit from his suit case and shoved it on. With one final fleeting glance to Shinobu's sleeping form he exited the room.
The transition from the darkened room to the bright hotel hallway caused his eyes to squint against the glare. He shielded his eyes away from the light, heading straight down the hall. As luck would have it, he wasn't a lucky person, for – being the old tavern-like hotel it was – there was no elevator at the end of the hall to greet him. Instead he had to fumble his way down a flight of stairs. One flight wasn't so bad though. But still, for his aching muscles, it was challenge enough.
Needless to say, tonight really wasn't a good night for him walking, but Misaki knew he needed to get out, at least to get some fresh air. And he couldn't think of anything else to do right now so a walk sounded like the best option.
The small lobby of the hotel was almost completely empty, with the exception of the sleepy night clerk leaning on the lobby's check-in desk. The hotel they were staying at didn't have many customers, so why a night clerk was needed was confusing to Misaki, but he tried to think nothing of it. Upon passing she turned her tired smile to Misaki and called out, "May I help you sir?" When Misaki shook his head she just went back to playing with the pen attached to the sign-in clipboard.
The chilly night air attacked Misaki's cheeks as he opened the lobby door that lead out into the night. The air wasn't cold, but it did cool Misaki off in contrast to the warm temperature that seemed to hang around the beach. Each refreshing gust of crisp night air woke Misaki up a little more each time it blew by him. He traveled down the moonlit sidewalk, concentrating on where his feet were falling on the darkened pavement as apposed to where his feet were taking him.
Soon, his normal fears returned, asking him if he was making a mistake. Were they moving too fast? Would he – or more importantly, would Shinobu – regret it later on? These questions invaded his mind as he aimlessly continued down the street.
In a last ditch effort to take his mind off of it all he attempted to occupy his mind with little mental notes.
Wow, who knew street lights could be so bright. I guess that's the point though.
The ocean looks nice in the moonlight. But the water's probably pretty cool right now.
Look at those trees. And the flowers! They're very pretty. I'm sure Manami would like those!
I wonder what Nii-chan will think of us...-
Misaki jolted to a stop.
Wow, occupying his mind worked wonderfully.
He looked down, walking at a slower pace as his shoulders sagged. There really wasn't any thinking around it. The subject was weighing far too heavy on his mind.
He slept with Shinobu.
No big deal right?
Right?
No, it was probably a big deal.
I love Shinobu right? he asked himself, stopping in front of a bench. Wait, bench? Oh this was a park. He turned off his path and headed further into the park. There were lots of trees and a fountain and flowers.
I...
He halted in front of another fountain and looked up to the sky for the first time that night. The sky was clear, all except for a few wisps of clouds here and there. Smiling he looked away from the sky and turned back to the park entrance.
Of course I love him. Silly me.
Chuckling and scratching the back of his head, Misaki fell into step on the path he had taken a few moments before, heading back to the hotel.
And he loves me too.
A few animals scurried up the trees, but they didn't catch his attention as he strode down the sidewalk with a soft smile on his face.
So everything will be fine.
I'll go back to bed. And in the morning Shinobu and I can take care of everything that needs taken care of.
Misaki walked at a slow, calm pace for the rest of the walk to the hotel. And as the building came into view again Misaki thought about less stressful things. Like the animals roaming about, which constellations were in the sky and how pleasant walks really can be.
~.~.~.~
Only ten minutes later Misaki slipped into bed next to Shinobu. The other boy was turned away from Misaki's side of the bed and he was curled up in a good majority of the covers, though Misaki didn't care much. He tugged on one of the topmost covers and it slid over both boys. The brunette eased himself down, laying his head upon the pillow and closing his eyes.
"Were did you go?"
Misaki's eyes opened again and looked over. Shinobu's back was still facing him.
"What?" he asked quietly, hoping he was just imagining things.
Shinobu shifted a little, in a groggy, yet tense sort of way.
"You left. Where did you go?"
"Uh, oh, um, I went on a walk?" Misaki answered hesitantly.
There was a moment's silence. And then, "Why?"
Misaki's attention was now focused on the cover's interesting thread designs. "I just wanted to go think."
Shinobu finally turned around, but Misaki didn't look away from his hands fiddling with the cover's edge as he heard Shinobu shift.
"What about?"
"Just... things."
"Misaki."
"Yes?"
"Look at me."
Misaki paused. He gripped the cover nervously and slowly looked up.
Everything was quiet. The only thing Misaki could hear was the thumping of his own heart in his ears. And they just stared at each other, scanning each other's faces for something, even though it was hard to see anything in the dark room. Still, despite the lack of lighting, Misaki could still vaguely distinguish the look of concern on his boyfriend's face. But before he could comment on it or anything, Shinobu was moving again.
He shifted the covers around him for a moment, forcing them away a bit and granting him more room to move. He then swiftly moved closer to Misaki, subtly laying the cover over both of them before wrapping his arms around the brunette's waist and burying his face in the crook of Misaki's neck.
And then they were quiet again. Misaki sat in a mind surprise, slowly wrapping his arms around Shinobu's torso and listened to Shinobu's ragged breathing on his neck.
"Do you regret it?"
The question took Misaki by surprise, but he didn't pause for but only a second.
"No."
"No?" Shinobu repeated.
Misaki shook his head. "Not at all."
Shinobu moved again, this time to pull Misaki closer.
"Then, why do you seem so worried?"
Misaki thought for a moment, gently clutching Shinobu's shoulder.
"I think...- I think that... now..., I'm just worried about what Nii-chan will think... when he finds out."
Shinobu was quiet for a minute, and Misaki silently wondered if he believed him or not. Then, to Misaki's immense terror and confusion, Shinobu began... chuckling?
Yes, the dirty-blonde haired boy was chuckling, shaking lightly against Misaki's side. "I wouldn't worry so much about that, Misaki." he said.
"Why not...?" Misaki asked, suspiciously.
Shinobu pulled his head back from Misaki's neck and smirked. Then suddenly rolled back to his side of the bed, yet again facing away from Misaki. "Good night!"
"Wha- wait a second!" Misaki whined, rolling onto his side. "Shinobu-saan, what did you do?"
Shinobu turned his head towards Misaki a bit and chuckled. "Don't worry so much, Misaki. I'm sure you'll find out soon. Just get some sleep." And then, following his own advice, Shinobu squirmed deeper into the covers and drifted off.
Misaki sat for a few minutes in horror, simply contemplating what his boyfriend could have done. But soon, a feeling of sheer exhaustion came over him and he too lied down, shifted the covers around and let sleep take him.
Writer's block has been successfully fucked.