Walking Wounded

The pool thing came about because Kenken said that was one of his favorite things, so I now have a tendancy to picture Shishido playing pool - horrible, I know. And every time he talked about it, he called it Billiards, which confused me because Billiards has different rules than pool, but he was playing pool when he was talking about it. So I don't know, I just called it billiards, even though I know there's a difference. I kinda swap between the two terms.

The way Shishido is teaching is the way I was taught to play pool. Worked for me, so I figured it would work for Dan too.

CHAPTER 7

The bar was the familiar smoky dimness it always was, but this time the atmosphere was different. People pulsed with the music, chairs scraped back from tables. All familiar, yet tonight it was seen in a different light. The bartender smiled knowingly, bouncers slapped one another and pointed in shock.

Shishido grinned; there was a bit more of a bounce in his step, more of a sway to his hips. Not the usual demeanor he carried whenever he went to that bar. He was determined, once and for all, to prove to Choutarou that he could change, and this was the only way he could think how.

“Who are we meeting?” Choutarou had to lean close to Shishido’s ear to be heard past the pumping music.

Shishido leaned back against his chest, head on his shoulder, “you’ll see.”

Choutarou sighed, all night he’d been trying to get Shishido to tell him who they were meeting - all to no avail. The way Shishido decided to dress that night made him curious as to who they were meeting. It also made him down right nervous …and a little jealous. He had a sneaking suspicion if who it was, but whenever he tried to ask, his voice died in his throat. It was a part of the relationship he really didn’t want to venture.

Shishido’s hip-hugging jeans slid with the sway of his hips, bones moving over the edge of the material. The thick belt he wore only accentuated the curve of his hips, drew attention to the thin section of skin below his tight band tee. All normal things the teen chose to wear on a day to day basis, but all seemed to come in a size smaller that night.

Shishido stopped abruptly; Choutarou grabbed his hips sharply to stop himself from colliding with his smaller partner. Shishido waved to someone at the bar and then held up two fingers.

“What?” His question died in the air when Shishido grabbed his hand and dragged him to the opposite side of the bar.

A single figure stood in the corner, balancing a cue stick.

Shishido weaved around the pool tables to the small male in the corner, “Dan, oyasashiburi,” he kept back a respectable distance, hands clasped behind his back. The little male looked up, and immediately Choutarou recognized him. Dan Taichi hadn’t changed much from the last time he had seen him, albeit, he was now closer to Shishido’s height. He was still rake thin with a mop of black hair, and large bright eyes. The green headband he usually wore was now twisted around his wrist.

Dan’s eyes narrowed as he nodded to Shishido, hands tightening around the pool stick.

Choutarou squawked and jumped when something very cold was pressed to the back of his neck. The bottle was dropped over his shoulder into his open hand.

“Ryou told me that’s what you drink,” Akutsu skirted around him, passing Shishido another bottle.

Choutarou knew that seeing Dan should have tipped him off, but for some reason he still wasn’t prepared for it. Even Dan seemed caught off guard when Shishido approached him.

Akutsu hooked one arm around Shishido’s waist in a quick hug. Choutarou noticed Dan’s shoulders stiffen, much the way his own had.

“Is this gonna work?” Akutsu asked Shishido quietly.

“One way to find out.”

Shishido quickly sized up a cue for himself, “teams?”

Akutsu nodded, “Taichi’s not too good at billiards.”

Shishido smirked, “neither is Choutarou.”

Akutsu mimicked his grin, “So, me and Ootori …”

“Versus me and Dan, perfect!” Shishido tapped the cue on the ground like a Judges hammer, finalizing the sentence.

Choutarou and Dan opened their mouths to protest, but were ignored just as quickly when they were dragged away. Dan’s wide eyes found Choutarou, looking for help. Choutarou shrugged, he wasn’t trying to be rude - he was just as lost.
Choutarou figured this was the plan all along, worked out by Shishido and Akutsu. Logically, it made sense - to pair a weaker player with a stronger one. But splitting them up the way they did only showed ulterior motive, one that had nothing to do with the game of pool.

Shishido bumped Dan with a small jab of his hips, “relax, we’ll show them!”

Dan smiled weakly and nodded, looking again to Choutaoru. Realization passed behind his bright green eyes, he clued into the same thing Choutarou had just figured out. He flashed Choutarou a weak smile and quietly mouthed, “ganbatte”.

Choutarou ducked his head to hide his grin; this awkward evening might just turn out to be fun.

He shared a secret link with Dan, similar stories, similar people. Choutarou figured Dan’s internal struggle was much the same as his own; mind telling them to abandon their dreams, heart telling them to hold on.

Akutsu leaned over the edge of the table to break, long fingers balancing the stick. After taking a few experimental jabs he struck. The cue ball struck the lead ball just slightly to the side, scattering the entire formation. Shishido took his shot next, leaning over the table much the same way Akutsu had. His t-shirt rode up as his pants slid lower on his hips. Tanned skin moved over tight muscles as he extended his back to get in line with his next shot. Spine protruded and shifted as Shishido spread his feet. His low pants revealed just the top of his buttock muscles and the curve of his tailbone. Choutarou closed his eyes tightly – as he had figured when Shishido had arrived at his house to pick him up that night – he wasn’t wearing anything under his jeans.

Choutarou opened his eyes to see Akutsu grinning at him.

Shishido’s shot sank a ball in the corner pocket, “stripes,” he declared and lined up his next shot. This shot put his backside directly in front of Choutarou’s hips, his eyes widened before he stepped aside.

Akutsu turned away from the table to hide his laugh, Choutarou didn’t miss the action. He was next to go, waving off Akutsu’s offer to help line up his shot. The white ball skimmed off another but ended up bouncing harmlessly around the table. Dan slipped up to the table next, clearly having never played the game. Shishido took his wrist gently, smiling softly. He leaned in behind Dan, showing him how to position himself so he could see better and how to keep his elbow up. The blush growing on Dan’s cheeks was evident under the bright over-head lights. Shishido moved from him and around the table, he held his hand over the ball Dan was to aim for, finger showing the side of the ball to hit, “hit where my finger is,” Shishido smiled encouragingly.

Dan nodded and jabbed his left arm quickly, his trembling hands made him knock the ball a little too far off to the side. Never-the-less, the ball skimmed off the corner of the pocket and clattered the others around. Akutsu clicked his tongue as all their balls were blocked or knocked out of line.

“I did it!” Dan exclaimed in shock, jumping and clapping his hands, “it didn’t go in, but I hit it!”

Akutsu patted his shoulder and kissed the top of his head, but Dan simply waved him off – much to Akutsu’s shock.

“Shishido-san, you’re amazing!” He turned his wide eyes to Shishido, who grinned sheepishly, “I’m not very good at this kind of thing.”

Shishido smiled, tilting his head slightly, “stick with me and I’ll help you learn.”

“Unh!” Dan’s eyes closed under the force of his smile.

Choutarou couldn’t help but frown, Dan’s careless attitude was cute but he couldn’t figure out how he could be so happy. He sighed; maybe Dan was just more mature than he was? He couldn’t help but give Akutsu the cold shoulder; even though he knew that he really shouldn’t blame him. His own problems had lead to those events; as Akutsu’s just happened lead him the same way. But Choutarou wanted to blame him for sleeping with Shishido, for being partner in creating an unforgettable rift in their relationship, for just being the OTHER guy. He knew Akutsu was trying to redeem himself, but Choutarou didn’t care. Akutsu always kept a respectful distance back from him, he even stopped offering advice. Choutarou hoped Akutsu felt the murderous vibe coming off of him. He felt strangely satisfied when the bigger male stepped aside without a word to let him pass.

When he circled the table to line up his next shot Dan suddenly grabbed his hand, flashing him his familiar million-watt smile. Choutarou couldn’t help but smile back, Dan’s good mood was infectious. He couldn’t land a clear shot from any vantage point, all solids were blocked by a stripe, or just in an awkward place, like against the side.

Choutarou sighed, Dan’s smile had managed to kill some off the burning anger – if Dan could be so mature, why shouldn’t he? “Akutsu-san, could you help me?”

Akutsu’s jump nearly upset the stool he had rocked back on two legs, the thunk of it hitting the tiled floor was loud in their enclosed corner.

Choutarou couldn’t help but laugh, “fine, if you want to lose that badly then don’t help, I’ll just figure something out myself.”

“U-uh, no, I’ll help,” Akutsu stammered, stepping off the now grounded stool.

Shishido tucked his head to his shoulder as he laughed; Dan had turned away, shoulders jerking. Choutarou really didn’t want to be nice to this guy, but he was starting to feel bad, especially in light of Dan’s good mood. He was sure his enthusiasm was a cover, a show of good will more-or-less. Especially when he thought no one was looking, Dan’s pretty features would drop and his sad eyes would follow Akutsu. His eyes landed on Choutarou on one of those moments, he had been following Akutsu as he helped Choutarou line up his next shot. Choutarou gave him a knowing smile, mouthing, ‘ganbatte.’ Dan smiled back, nodding.

Akutsu lowered himself eye-level with the table a few times before going back to Choutarou’s side, “we’re really fucked this time.” Akutsu pointed out the only shot he could really see that wouldn’t knock in a striped ball; all it really did was just scatter around the rest on the table.

Akutsu stood at the opposite end of the table, pointing to where Choutarou should hit. Akutsu was taller than he was, but not by much. Broad shoulders, round chest, and narrow hips - much the same as himself only on a bigger scale. Even their hair was close in colour. He was clearly sizing up the other male, eyes narrowed as they scanned over him – what did Akutsu have that he didn’t? Oh, right, inhibitions.

Choutarou’s shot scattered the balls around, as was planned. Akutsu nodded to him, his silent approval.

Jealousy burned red hot in Choutarou’s stomach the more he studied Akutsu. Whenever Akutsu laid a hand on Shishido, it took all his strength not to hurtle his pool stick at him. Images of Shishido in Akutsu’s arms hung at the edge of his memory, haunting him. Reminding him of what he almost lost, of what he did lose. He knew deep down that he should have left Shishido, but for the life of him he couldn’t do it. The few months they had spent apart were hell for him. Making him realize how much he had taken Shishido’s company for granted. Always having Shishido beside him, waking to find a text message on his phone, random calls in the afternoon ‘yo, you busy later?”. To the crashing reality of nothing - no calls, no warmth of his partner coming up behind him to hold his hand.

Sure, Shishido was, and always would be a hot-headed, short tempered asshole, but he wasn’t solely to blame. Choutarou knew he wasn’t the emotional type, in the sense that he didn’t like sharing his feelings – he didn’t really see a point in talking about something as fleeting as an emotion. He was as quick to anger and jealousy as Shishido, but he wasn’t the kind to explain it. He’d rather bottle it up and move on. To a point, Shishido was the same, which was why they started butting heads. Shishido held back many things, but his explosive temper always made him blurt out what he was feeling, even if he hadn’t intended to.

Even with many new things coming to light, the small voice in the back of Choutarou’s head nagged at him, will Shishido stray again? Do you really want to be around to find out?

A new voice had recently started to surface, a voice brought out by his jealousy and insecurities. Why not MAKE sure Shishido doesn’t stray again? Keep him so well laid he won’t WANT to go. Choutarou’s stomach would lurch and his ears would burn. He often found his mind wandering after that voice surfaced. The old haunting memories faded, blurred at the edges. No longer was Akutsu holding Shishido, he was; Shishido moaning his name in ecstasy, not Akutsu’s. Even the threat of his father couldn’t derail those thoughts.

After several more games, and several more beers, they decided to call it a night. Dan hugged Shishido, startling both him and Akutsu.

“I really do like you Shishido-san, but Akutsu-san is mine, I won’t forgive you next time.”

It was Choutarou’s turn to laugh, maybe Dan wasn’t more mature. Maybe he was just better at hiding it?

“Uuh …” Shishido stammered, feeling like a deer caught in the headlights under Dan’s fierce stare – a stare that resembled Akutsu’s a little too closely.

Dan looked past Shishido’s shoulder to Choutarou, “keep the leash tight,” he said with a wink.

Choutarou laughed again, as insecure as the night had made him feel, it was nice to have someone in his corner.

The ride home was full of Shishido’s animated chatter from the passenger seat. Choutarou had only had one beer all night long, and being the sober one, opted to drive home.

“I’m not drunk, I’m just not sober!” Shishido pointed at Choutarou to emphasize, “you’d know if I was drunk!”

“I know,” Choutarou grinned.

“I get really chatty when I’m drunk!”

“Much like now …”

“And I stumble!”

“Much like now …”

“I did not stumble! There was a rock!”

“Sure.”

“And I get really horny.”

The car lurched as Choutarou’s foot slipped from the gas pedal. He had almost said, ‘much like now’ which would have turned the conversation in completely the wrong direction.

“You’re quiet when you’re drunk.”

Choutarou was glad Shishido was too tipsy to notice he was flustered, “I’m always quiet.”

Shishido thought for a moment, “that’s true. You don’t get drunk much.”

“It takes too long, and besides, I have to look out for you,” Choutarou grinned at him.

Shishido giggled, “remember the time we broke into my parents liquor cabinet?”

Choutarou blushed, how could he forget? That was the first time he had ever drank, and the first time two had ever fooled around. Shishido had ended up straddled across his lap, grinding him like no tomorrow.

“Good times,” Shishido stretched out in the seat, throwing his arms over the back, “Sleep over at my place tonight?”

“My parents are gone for the night and I know my sister is out with friends and won’t be back till morning, why don’t you sleep over at mine?”

Shishido’s grin fell slightly, “sure, I guess.”

Choutarou grinned to himself, knowing full well why Shishido acted crest-fallen.

The house was completely dark when they pulled into the driveway. Shishido staggered getting out of the car, clinging to the door as he straightened himself.

“The bricks are uneven, I’m not drunk!”

“Hai, hai!” Choutarou laughed, shushing him, “I –do- have neighbors you know!”

“Oh right!” Shishido held his fingers to his lips, “sorry.”

Choutarou chuckled and rolled his eyes, “lock you door, just because I have neighbors doesn’t mean someone won’t steal your car.”

Shishido was the first one into the house, his entry exaggerated by a loud thump, “ITAI! Son of a bitch!”

Choutarou closed the door behind him and flipped on the hall light, “was that entirely necessary?”

Shishido rubbed his backside, “YES! I tripped on your damn shoes!” The much larger running shoes were tangled in Shishido’s own feet. Choutarou took Shishido’s elbow to help him stand. “Big bloody feet!” Shishido stomped on Choutarou’s nearest foot.

“Ow!” Choutarou laughed and wiggled his foot out from under Shishido’s heel.

Shishido’s expression suddenly changed, he seemed to sober immediately, “I know tonight was probably tough on both you and Dan, but Jin and I wanted you two to come with us. Kinda to show you we’re not hiding from you two anymore, you know. This was a place we went to when we were upset, now it’s a place we wanna go with you when we’re happy …” he rambled, looking at his feet and kneading his hands.

“Unh, I understand,” Choutarou kissed his forehead, “I really do. This is gonna take a lot of work to patch up, but we’re taking steps to try.”

“I really fucked up.”

Choutarou chuckled, “you did,” Shishido winced, “but, I’m on the way to forgiving you.”

Shishido smiled sadly, “that’s the most I can hope for. Listen, I’ll go set up the guest room,” he turned to head up the stairs but Choutarou’s arms around his chest stopped him.

“No, you’re staying in my room.”

A tremor went through Shishido’s entire body; it had been a long, long time since the two had shared a bed. He didn’t want to get his hopes up, but Choutarou’s strong chest to his back and the way the curve of his pelvis fit against the small of his back just felt too good. His belt buckle pinched his tailbone a little, but that just served as a reminder to how close they were.

“I’m hungry first,” Choutarou nuzzled his neck before letting him go and heading into the kitchen.

Shishido let out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding and looked down – yup, he was most definitely turned on.