Walking Wounded

The whole thing with Choutarou's father ranting actually happened to me (something, only not so far along, or as funny) it as many, many years ago and I was watching the News with my Grandmother and my mother and there was a thing about Gay Marriage and my Grandmother looked at me, smiled, and said, "what is this world coming to!" My mother physically kicked me so I wouldn't say anything. I just had to add in a littler version of that into the story cause it was too funny.

CHAPTER 6

Shishido talked into the phone at such a speed that Choutarou wondered if the person on the other end could understand him, because he sure couldn’t. He couldn’t help but grin though; it had been a while since Shishido had worked himself into such an excited frenzy. One hand played absent mindedly at the hair near the back of his neck while the other gestured widely, phone pinned between his ear and shoulder.

“Oi…” Choutarou leaned over the arm of the couch, waving his hand in Shishido’s line of sight. The other waved him off, catching the phone as it slipped from his shoulder with the gesture.

Almost every day for the past several weeks one found themselves in the home of the other. It was usually Choutarou who ended up at Shishido’s. The single apartment the other owned made it easier to talk in private, without the worry of being over-heard by eaves dropping parents. Whenever at home, Choutarou’s mother made a point of checking in on them, giving her son warm smiles and encouraging glances. His sister always cornered him within minutes of Shishido leaving to find out if they had made any progress.

Progress, that he wasn’t sure of. One could say that they were, but at the same time, it didn’t feel like it. They spent hours talking, about everything and nothing, scraping their relationship back together from the very beginning. Shishido sometimes complaining about teachers, Choutarou about his parents – talking as friends might. They agreed to work on their relationship, even if that meant starting from square one.

That was also one of their agreements, something they both decided on in hopes of patching their quickly crumbling relationship, no more hiding. Everything was laid out on the table - from the simplest thing, to the most important and personal fact. No matter what it was, the smallest detail may unveil the biggest secret about their thoughts, helping the other to understand them a little better. It was time for them to travel beyond tennis and school, to start to understand the person they were with.

“My dad went on a rant today.”

“’Bout what this time?”

“There’s a new guy in his office …”

“Cause that’s so horrible?”

“He’s gay.”

Shishido had the decency to wince. They had both come to the conclusion that Choutarou’s mother and sister were all for their relationship …his father was an entirely different story.

“I bet that was an interesting evening.”

“Actually, it was kind of funny.”

“Uhh …how?”

“Well, he started down the same track about how gays should be killed like they used to be, and my mom actually piped up and said, ‘I don’t know why you’re so judgmental, they’ve done nothing to you. They are no different from any other person.’ Dad tried to argue with his usual, ‘but they lay with men’ crap,” Choutarou puffed out his chest and deepened his voice in imitation of his father, making Shishido laugh. “So my frigging sister says, ‘and some men lay with goats, but of course, it’s only the men that lay with other men that are the real problem …never mind the explosion of population from all the heterosexual couples.’”

Shishido threw himself backwards on the bed laughing.

The more Choutarou opened up to Shishido about his father, the more he decided for himself that he was going to get past this. Mockery and jokes were just the surface of it all, getting all his thoughts out in the open was a way for him to face it. Shishido became like his own personal sounding board, a place where he could bounce ideas around, straighten his thoughts out. And even if Shishido didn’t provide his own personal insight, Choutarou was still able to get it off his chest.

And for the times he was away from Shishido, his sister was more than happy to fill in the gaps. Helping Choutarou the way only a family member could. She was his back-up, his quiet guard. If he ever did decide to tell their father, she would be there. His mother was also there for him, she wasn’t the verbal help that his sister was, she was the quiet support. A thumb’s up from behind Shishido’s shoulder, a wink from behind his father, a warm smile when he came home after talking with Shishido. A quiet soldier that stood behind his other shoulder. This gave him the courage to stand up to his father. He had considered many different ways of approaching his father, some from movies, some from his own mind, but whenever it came down to it, he still couldn’t face him. And that was alright.

Words of encouragement from his sister, quiet strength in a hug from his mother, and learning understanding from Shishido. Shishido was trying, trying to change and be better for both of them, and that made Choutarou want to keep fighting as well. He may have been his lover and best friend, but he was also his biggest competition, and he wasn’t about to let Shishido best him.

Shishido suddenly laughed into the phone, bouncing on his toes.

“O~oi …” Choutarou tried again, only louder. Shishido waved at him again, a little more forcefully.

“Hai, hai …yeah, we’ll be there, no, ya, totally …no, we’ll be there,” Shishido smiled, a simple action he hadn’t done in a long time.

When they weren’t, as Shishido commonly called it, shooting the shit, they talked about their relationship. This was a tough topic for the two, both being completely bull-headed and hot-tempered. They had started from the beginning, and worked their way to the end …to the issue of the other male Shishido had been with. That was a topic neither had really wanted to go over, but because of their deal, it was inevitable.

Sex was the biggest topic they strayed on, not because it was the most important, but because it had caused the most problems.

“I don’t know why it made me so mad,” the first point to figuring out the problem was finding the root of the issue. “I think …I dunno, I was frustrated, and because I’m really quick to temper-“

“That’s an understatement.”

“Oi! Be nice Choutarou, I’m trying here!”

“Hai hai.”

“As I was saying, because I’m really quick to temper, instead of talking or understanding, I just flew off the handle. Now that I think about the way I was …I’m a huge child. I was irresponsible and not being fair. And once the rock started rolling, everything just started to piss me off …”

Shishido had agreed to be patient, to be more understanding, to work on his temper – so that his first reaction wasn’t to get mad.

“Who’s going where?” Choutarou cupped his hands around his mouth to throw his voice further. Shishido actually turned towards him at this, giving him a harsh glare while shushing him.

“No, we’ll meet you there …ya, that works …we’ll see you then, see you.” Shishido hung up the phone and then in a flash he had crossed the hallway back into the living room where he pounced on Choutarou.

“Do you know how much of a pain in the ass you are!?” Shishido growled, tickling Choutarou’s sides.

Grabbing him around the waist, Choutarou easily lifted his partner and slammed him back down onto the couch in a flail of limbs. Shishido laughed and kicked wildly as Choutarou started tickling him, they had recently learned that both had sensitive spots on their sides. Shishido’s was directly above his hip bones, and Choutarou’s under his ribs. Both had laughed at how ‘manly’ it was to be ticklish. Choutarou suddenly dipped down to Shishido’s neck, lips attaching to the soft skin below his ear.

Choutarou had also become bolder with their relationship, taking some pity on Shishido. But also out of jealousy. He wanted to prove to Shishido, and to himself, the he was good enough, to make Shishido never want to stray. To have Shishido begging and panting in his arms, to get him addicted. It was often Shishido that stopped them, usually when he heard the front door open and Choutarou’s parents announcing their arrival. Even though he was getting bolder, the lingering fear of his father was still there.

“Who’s going where?” Choutarou breathed against Shishido’s neck.

Shishido panted, rubbing against Choutarou, “us.”

Choutarou moved down to Shishido’s collar, biting hard enough to leave a mark. One hand propped himself up while the other wandered down Shishido’s stomach. The smaller male moaned and arched, trying to press himself closer to his partner. Choutarou chuckled and kissed Shishido roughly, teeth and tongue exploring and biting. Shishido responded instantly, arms tossed around Choutarou’s shoulders and back, already turned on enough to be hard. The wandering hand firmly grasped Shishido’s thigh, pulling up to hook around his back. Shishido moaned louder, using his raised leg to push Choutarou’s hips down against his own. Both moaned when their hips connected, Shishido tossing his head back against the cushions. Choutarou didn’t miss the action and went back down to his neck, tongue tracing up the pale column of his throat.

“Where are we going?” Voice deep and husky from passion.

“W-what?” Shishido couldn’t figure out why Choutarou was talking, or even what he was asking. He just wanted to finish it, he was half tempted to start pulling off the other clothes, but figured that since they were on the family couch, it wouldn’t be a good idea.

“Where. Are. We. Going?” He punctuated every word with either a grind of his hips or a nip from his sharp teeth.

“Bar,” Shishido practically cried, erection pulsing against the tight material of his jeans.

Choutarou paused for a second, bar? That was an odd place for them to be going.

“Uhh …I don’t mean to intrude but …”

Choutarou froze, how had he missed the door opening. He glanced over his shoulder to see his sister standing in the entryway to the living room, blushing but grinning from ear to ear.

“I can explain!” Choutarou started, but his sister held up her hand.

“I’m sure I’d rather not hear it …as hot as this is …you’re my brother …and just …ew.”

Choutarou stuck out his tongue, a childish impulse only reserved for his sister. She laughed, sticking out her own tongue while pulling down her bottom eyelid.

“Look, I don’t mean to rush you two, but I want to watch TV.”

Choutarou cleared his throat nervously, “Ahh, I’d rather not stand up with you there …”

His sister tilted her head and frowned, “what’s that supposed to –OH MY GOD!” She threw her hands into the air, turning on her heel in the same motion, “Alright, playing on my computer in my own room it is!” Her footsteps echoed as she stomped up the stairs.

Any other time, Choutarou would have been embarrassed and ashamed, but now that he was determined to change, he actually found the humor in the situation.

“Well, that was embarrassing.” Shishido pushed himself up onto his elbows, wiping his hair from his forehead.

“Mm,” Choutarou agreed, leaning forward to kiss Shishido again.

“Whoa there boy, as much as I hate to stop you, your sister IS upstairs, and your parents DO sit on this couch.” Shishido pushed Choutarou back, shifting himself back so he could sit up without knocking their foreheads together.

“So why are we going out to a bar?” Choutarou asked.

“We were invited,” Shishido shrugged nonchalantly.

“By who?”

Shishido winked, “Se~cr~et.”