Chapter 18: New Books: Egoist, Romantica

The Uke Flu

Chapter Eighteen: New Books

Late afternoon found Hiroki strangely dislocated within one of his favorite places: he was standing in the used bookstore that he and Akihiko frequented for their literary meetings, waiting for his friend. He and Akihiko had now been coming to this bookstore for years. The place was well off the beaten path and filled to the point of being claustrophobic with books, the exception being a small area that was kept cleared enough for a few small tables and comfortable chairs.

The two men had spent countless hours in this space, stalking the shelves and stacks, arguing literature, and reading each other's writing.

When they were younger and had first started coming here, the shopkeeper would roll his eyes at the sight of them, realizing how hard they would be to get rid of once they sat down. These days however, knowing that the number of books bought by the pair had helped pay for a significant part of his livlihood, the arrival of either was always greeted with the utmost deference and respect.

Standing amidst a cluttered aisle, Hiroki flipped open his phone to check the time.

Usually while waiting, he would be lurking in literature and poetry. Today, however, he found himself browsing in parenting and pregnancy. He looked around surreptitiously. For some reason Hiroki found that he felt as uneasy viewing these titles as if they were porn.

While he had his phone open, Hiroki also checked his texts, but there was nothing new. Nowaki had been texting him faithfully every hour or so now, to let him know that he was okay. He was doing this, Hiroki knew, because his constant calling had been making Nowaki crazy.

Hiroki was very disappointed in himself. He understood on a certain level that he should be able to maintain his aloof and disinterested persona, but this whole thing was still so new and to be honest, he couldn't bear the idea of anything happening to Nowaki. Hiroki didn't think he could live anymore without his giant in his life and this realization, along with the possibility that with their new situation something could happen or go wrong that might steal the Nowaki from him, left him incredibly anxious.

"Kamijou-san?" Blessedly, Sato the elderly proprietor of the shop broke into Hiroki's thoughts, preventing him from following the devastating mental trail he was on any further. "Can I help you find anything? This isn't your regular section."

Hiroki felt his face get horribly hot. "Ummm, well Sato-san, I'm thinking about trying my hand at writing some of my own fiction and wanted to do something about the Uke Flu." Looking at all the texts on regular (female) pregnancy Hiroki suddenly felt even more uncomfortable. "Do you have anything on the MP3REG36 pregnancy process?" He wondered if his lame lie sounded as bad as it felt.

Sato, fortunately, had developed quite a poker face over the years to deal with his customers' sometimes "eclectic," literary tastes. "Well, not much, Kamijou-san and I think it would be over there in the gender/sexuality section."

Hiroki followed the man over to the area of the bookstore devoted to queer texts. Abysmally small, as usual, Hiroki observed, perusing this section of the store in comparison with all the straight publications.

He looked at his phone again. He supposed he still had time to search a bit. Akihiko was rarely punctual. And now that he and Misaki have their bra… Aki, Akihiko is usually even later.

Hiroki searched the shelves and stacks with an academic's expertise and located a few texts. He took these with him to one of the tables and sat down to study. As with almost anything written, once Hiroki engaged he was lost; so he started when the phone in his pocket began to vibrate. He took it out and flipped it open.

It was a text: Nowaki was checking in. Over the course of the day the giant's communications had become increasingly concise. His health alerts had now been reduced to a simple. "FinexoxoxoN."

Hiroki smiled. This rarity lived on his lips for only a moment, however, because when he looked up, he saw a certain giant rabbit with silver hair and lavender eyes now seated across from him, studying him with keen interest.

"Judging from the look on your face, Hiroki, my guess is that text was from your young doctor. Am I right?"

Hiroki blushed and scowled at Akihiko simultaneously.

Akihiko dropped his eyes and began tracing the titles on the spines of the books that Hiroki had on the table with one of his long elegant fingers. "Something you're not telling me, Old Man?"

Hiroki stared and frowned down at the pile of books.

"Ah, no. These were here when I got here. I thought you would be later than this, so I just started flipping through one to pass the time." He gestured to the book laying open, face-down on the table. Hiroki deflected."Why are you on time, Akihiko?"

"Misaki took Aki for the afternoon so that I could get away, but even so, it seems so much harder to get out of the flat. There are times I envy the carefree days of old." Akihiko frowned. "Anyway, I had a meeting with Aikawa-san, so I was already out. Her's was the meeting I was late to." Akihiko casually picked up the text Hiroki had been scanning. "Funny these should be here. My meeting with Aikawa was about the Uke Flu also."

"Oh?"

"Yes, the woman actually wants me to try writing a new type of Boy Love story now: one where one of the main characters ends up pregnant. Seriously, Hiroki, have you ever heard of anything more ridiculous or less sexy? I mean what type of person would want to read that?" Akihiko took a pen out of his pocket and began rolling it loosely between his fingers. Hiroki could tell the man desperately wanted a cigarette.

"Well, it is kind of an intriguing idea I suppose. Are you going to do it?" Hiroki was genuinely interested.

"How can I not?" Akihiko sighed wearily. "If I don't the woman will have my testicles, and you know how attached I am to them." Akihiko's expression became momentarily pensive after saying this and then it shifted into something more sexily wicked.

"Stop having lustful thoughts about Takahashi in front of me, Akihiko, you big pervert!" Hiroki snapped. He knew exactly where his friend's mind had wandered.

Reluctantly, Akihiko complied. The author sighed again as he released Misaki from his mind. "Anyway, Aikawa-san says this is going to be the next big thing in BL. They're even talking about starting a small division just for this genre at the publishing company, if you can believe that.

"I told her that I'd take a new pen name for the project though, as I can't imagine any self-respecting Yayoi fangirl being interested in this stuff." Akihiko nudged the pile of books with his pen.

Just then, Sato approached the pair with a tray, bearing tea and some sweets for this two best customers. It was something he had started doing a few years ago whenever the men appeared.

Hiroki and Akihiko thanked the merchant for his hospitality.

As he watched the elderly vendor return to his post behind the counter, Akihiko offered, "I'm not putting Misaki through that again anytime soon." He paused, a moment. "And since you're taking the vaccine…" his eyes swung over now to the professor and narrowed as the man shifted from rabbit to cat. He studied Hiroki while he picked up his cup and took a small sip.

"I've taken it already," Hiroki lied.

"Yes, well then." Akihiko did not look entirely convinced. "As I was saying, without you or Misaki who am I supposed to use as my uke inspiration?"

Hiroki scowled having never enjoyed being the subject of Akihiko's BL trash books. Then a thought struck him. "I have an idea for you, Akihiko," He said cautiously.

"Ummmmm." Akihiko took another drink waiting for his friend to continue.

"Why don't you make one of the semes in one of these new stories pregnant?" Hiroki watched as Akihiko suddenly began choking on his tea. He ended up rising and going round to the author, pounding Akihiko on his back as he coughed.

Once he'd regained his composure, Akihiko looked up at the man standing next to him. He gazed at the professor with disbelief.

"Hiroki have you gone mental?" He gasped, still trying to fully catch his breath.

Hiroki returned to his seat and saw Akihiko's proud seme nostrils flare with distaste at the thought he'd just put in his head.

"Honestly, Hiroki" Akihiko said with disdain, "as if the whole concept of this new sub-genre isn't enough. I rank that suggestion right up there with your childhood theories on alien invasion."Hiroki winced at this painful reminder of his early overactive imagination. He needed to change the subject.

"So, how is Aki?" Children, he realized if nothing else, were a handy diversion. All of Akihiko's ire dissolved at the mention of his son and his usually still face suddenly became incredibly active.

"Well, he's starting to be very verbal lately. However, he refuses to use 'papa' and 'dada' to address us. He's taken to calling Misaki, 'Misa' and I have somehow officially become 'Agi.' I think it's because that's how he hears us refer to each other most often. Though I must admit sometimes I am surprised that he doesn't call me 'idiot'." Akihiko chuckled slightly at the thought.

"Just wait until he's a teenager, I'm sure it will come," Hiroki muttered, taking a drink of his own tea. He looked up over the rim of his cup and was disconcerted to see his friend looking at him again strangely.

"What's really going on with you, Hiroki?" Akihiko asked.

"Ummm, I don't know what you mean."

"You seem different today. Your attempt at parentally themed humor and the fact that this is the first time since he's been born that you didn't first refer to Aki as 'brat,' perplexes me."

"Stop being so overly sensitive, Usami… And don't analyze me. I'm not one of your characters," Hiroki growled.

"Ah, that's much better." Akihiko leaned back in his chair smiling. He picked up the pen again and resumed twirling, his fingers lost without their perpetual prop of his smokes. "Are you coming over again on Friday for another cooking lesson?"

"I'm not sure." Not that he didn't need the instruction, but now that Hiroki knew that it was not just his meals that had been upsetting Nowaki's stomach, he wasn't as inclined to continue. Besides, this would be one more thing that would keep him away from his partner and Hiroki wanted to be there as much as possible right now, even if his overly-attentiveness crazed Nowaki.

"I wish you would come back, Hiroki," Akihiko's lavender eyes were serious. "I don't know why, but Misaki's time in the kitchen with you last week really seemed to help him."

Hiroki's own eyes widened at this. "Really?"

"Yes, in fact..." The author looked at his watch. "Misaki even wanted to bring Aki and try and meet me here, coming down on their own today. I think in part to see you. "Anyway, I don't have to tell you this is huge progress for Misaki." Unconsciously, Akihiko glanced at his watch again. Anxiety flashed for an instant on his face, but was quickly subdued, his mask of composure regained.

"Let me see how things look at the end of the week, Akihiko? But I will try." Hiroki was strangely touched by what his friend had just told him.

Akihiko reached down into the bag he had at his feet and pulled out his newest manuscript. He handed it across the table.

"Help me prepare myself…" Hiroki took the pages with a certain amount of wariness. "Is this BL or a real novel?"

"Oh, it's very real," Akihiko said. "It's kind of a coming of age, coming out story. A bit of a memoir really. You're the first person to see it and I truly want your feedback. I'm not sure about publishing it, so Aikawa-san doesn't know it exists. There's no deadline for this, Hiroki, so you can take your time with it."

Hiroki was intrigued by Akihiko's words. Normally he would have instantly begun reading it, but today, even with his curiosity peaked, his thoughts were elsewhere.

"Akihiko, how was it when Takahashi-kun was... pregnant?" It still seemed so unnatural to Hiroki to be talking about another man using such a term.

Across the table Akihiko's brows rose. He was surprised by both the question and the earnestness in Hiroki's voice. He ran his fingers through his thick silver hair with the hand not occupied with his pen and shook his head.

The smoky quality in his voice was a bit denser than usual as he said: "Terrible." Then seeing the look in Hiroki's eyes, he amended himself. "Understand, Hiroki, when it happened, we had no idea how it happened or how things worked and Misaki had already been through so much.

"You know when he went into labor, they wouldn't let me go in with him because of the uncertainty. Now, while still far from perfect, everything is so much more civilized."

"To tell you the truth, after what happened in South America, I knew I wouldn't be able to live if I ever lost him again."

Akihiko paused for a moment; Hiroki listened with rapt attention. "It was also exhilarating too, once I reconciled myself to Misaki's decision to keep Aki and see the pregnancy through.

"So many things shifted so quickly. I mean, the possibility of perpetuation that had never existed before… The unimagined reality that our coming together, no pun intended, could result in something so miraculous… That we, as men and lovers, could have this incredible living record of our feelings for each other, I can't even begin to describe it."

Akihiko didn't need to, Hiroki had already begun to have some of these feelings himself since he'd learned of Nowaki's condition.

"And now?" Hiroki asked.

Akihiko considered this a moment. "I suppose I would have to answer the same: terrible and exhilarating. I never knew, Hiroki, that it was possible to love so much."

"Akihiko, you're not going to have any trouble writing those new books." Hiroki leaned back in his chair. The professor found himself wondering about the ways in which his friend had changed over the last few years.

"Hiroki, what's…"

Just then, Akihiko's cell rang. The man glanced at the number and immediately flipped it open, his face grave.

"Misaki, where are you? Are you and Aki okay?... No, no, it's no bother, Mi, so relax.… Is there someplace you can sit down, a shop you can go into?... Good.

"Look just stay there, I'm coming to get you… No love, it's no problem, Hiroki and I were just finishing here… I'm not hanging up but I'm going to say goodbye to him now and be on my way. I'm staying with you on the line until I get there. Okay?"

Akihiko pulled the phone away for an instant. "Hiroki, Misaki got halfway here with Aki and then something set him off. He's having some sort of panic attack. He's gone into a coffee shop to sit down with the baby. I'm going to go get him.

The man shook his silvered head. "I know I have to let him do these things on his own, but…"

Hiroki, waved Akihiko off. "Just shut up and go get your brats, Usami."

Akihiko, nodded appreciatively at this, grabbed his bag and got up to leave. As he was headed out of the shop Hiroki could hear him trying to soothe Misaki over the before he reached the door, Akihiko turned and called back, pointing at the texts on the table.

"Hiroki, buy those books will you and I'll pay you later. I can use them for research, that is if you're not interested in them," he shot Hiroki a suspicious smirk even in the midst of his current crisis and headed out of the store.

Old AN:

Thank you everyone who reviewed and gave input on the sprout poll. Next stop on this train... Dr. Suzuki. There will be other yaoi couple cameos again! Hooray! I will try to get something up tomorrow, though it may be Monday. As always, please review and thanks for reading!

-Cerberus