[Kuksu]
by jedusor
Childish
Considering Shindou's reckless enthusiasm on the Go board, it comes as no surprise to Touya when his hormones kick into gear around age seventeen and he turns into a bit of a slut. Nor does Touya faint with shock when, two years later, Shindou gets a girl pregnant. Least surprising of all, though entertaining, is the information that this happened between halves of an official pro game, with that day's opponent.
The female in question is Sato Katsumi, an attractive seven-dan who proceeded to wipe the board with Shindou that afternoon while his sperm jostled for admittance to her fallopian tubes. This, Waya observes dryly in the lunch room, is the closest Shindou has ever gotten to romance.
Touya expects Shindou to either drop to one knee in a fit of passion or run away; he does neither. He asks her if she's keeping the baby. When she says yes, he buys her a decaffeinated soda from the vending machine and offers to play her while she's in labor to distract her from the pain. This, Katsumi tells Waya, is more romantic than a bouquet.
When their daughter Mieko is four and a half, Touya discovers her alone in the game room at the Ki'in, arranging a line of stones on one of the boards. "Is your father here?" he asks, because of her parents, Shindou is infinitely more likely to leave his kid playing with institute equipment by herself.
"He's playing a title game in Hiroshima," says Waya from the doorway. "I'm surprised you didn't know that. Katsumi has a regular shidougo gig this afternoon, so they asked me to babysit."
"I knew about Shindou's game," says Touya. "I was just thrown off by finding Mieko here."
"Katsumi's picking her up from my apartment later." Waya squats by the board. "Hey, kiddo, let's go. Pack up those stones and we'll get you candy or some crap on the way out." He turns to Touya. "Want to come along?"
Touya doesn't particularly, but his mistrust of Waya's childcare qualifications is deep enough that he agrees. He takes immediate custody of the bag of chocolates Waya obtains in the downstairs gift shop, giving Mieko only one.
"Don't run off with those," Waya says sternly. "If she doesn't eat them, they're mine."
Touya reassures Waya that he has no intention of pilfering the sweets, and spends the subway ride closely monitoring the proximity of Mieko's sugar-slimy fingers to his suit jacket.
At Waya's apartment, Waya and Mieko immediately dive into some sort of game involving what sound like cats and rocket ships. Possibly cats in rocket ships. Or, if the noises Waya is making are accurate, rocket ships in cats. Touya sits on the couch and watches awkwardly until Mieko ducks behind his legs, sticks her head up between his ankles, and says, "Meow?"
"Meow," Touya confirms gravely. She squeals and runs over to Waya, who channels an impressive inner jet engine, sending her careening back to Touya's feet. Touya is almost beginning to enjoy himself when she crashes into a table and lets loose a holler that puts Waya's jet engine to shame.
Touya kneels and examines her. The corner of the table seems to have hit her shoulder, which looks like it's going to bruise, but the death grip she exerts on his tie indicates no nerve damage. Nonetheless, the screaming is not stopping.
"Go stones," says Touya.
"What?" yells Waya.
"Go stones! She was playing with them earlier, maybe they'll calm her down!"
Waya speedily fetches a goke and shoves it at her. She doesn't stop wailing, but her tone starts sounding more forced, and Touya suspects her of willful deception as to the actual extent of injuries sustained. He extricates his tie from her grasp, finds a goban, and begins setting out one of the many games he's committed to memory. As he predicted, she quickly falls silent and wriggles over to investigate.
Touya stops laying down stones and offers one to her, wondering if she knows how to play. She places it lopsidedly next to a stone in atari and picks up her prisoner. So she knows that much, at least. "That wasn't necessary," Touya explains. "That stone was already dead. You're just taking territory away from yourself." He lays down another stone. "This is what white should do."
Mieko, ignoring him, places another stone in atari and captures it. Touya captures one of hers. She gets him in a ko and takes his stone three times in a row. "You can't do that," he admonishes her.
Waya shakes his head. "You're trying to teach her to actually play?"
"I was stronger than she is when I was her age," Touya says. Waya snorts.
There's a knock on the door, and Katsumi is here to retrieve her offspring. She greets Touya, thanks Waya, pries Mieko away from the goban, and departs. Waya collapses on the floor next to Touya. "Hand over that candy," he commands.
Touya fishes the bag out of his pocket and complies. Waya pops three of the chocolates into his mouth and lies on his back next to the goban, chewing with his eyes closed. Touya wonders if he should leave, but somehow the silence seems comfortable.
"Kids are so blunt about everything," says Waya after he swallows. "When they want things, they just say they want them." There's a pause, then he opens his eyes. "I want to kiss you."
Touya blinks. "Really."
"I know it's kind of random, but we've never actually been alone together, so I thought I'd toss it out there. I promise not to throw a tantrum if you say no."
It is indeed kind of random, but it's been a random day, and Touya does not say no.
Later, just before they have sex, Touya checks three times to make sure the condom is on properly. Waya, amused, says, "You do realize that we're men, right? We can't get pregnant."
"I am not," says Touya, "taking any chances."
Childish
Considering Shindou's reckless enthusiasm on the Go board, it comes as no surprise to Touya when his hormones kick into gear around age seventeen and he turns into a bit of a slut. Nor does Touya faint with shock when, two years later, Shindou gets a girl pregnant. Least surprising of all, though entertaining, is the information that this happened between halves of an official pro game, with that day's opponent.
The female in question is Sato Katsumi, an attractive seven-dan who proceeded to wipe the board with Shindou that afternoon while his sperm jostled for admittance to her fallopian tubes. This, Waya observes dryly in the lunch room, is the closest Shindou has ever gotten to romance.
Touya expects Shindou to either drop to one knee in a fit of passion or run away; he does neither. He asks her if she's keeping the baby. When she says yes, he buys her a decaffeinated soda from the vending machine and offers to play her while she's in labor to distract her from the pain. This, Katsumi tells Waya, is more romantic than a bouquet.
When their daughter Mieko is four and a half, Touya discovers her alone in the game room at the Ki'in, arranging a line of stones on one of the boards. "Is your father here?" he asks, because of her parents, Shindou is infinitely more likely to leave his kid playing with institute equipment by herself.
"He's playing a title game in Hiroshima," says Waya from the doorway. "I'm surprised you didn't know that. Katsumi has a regular shidougo gig this afternoon, so they asked me to babysit."
"I knew about Shindou's game," says Touya. "I was just thrown off by finding Mieko here."
"Katsumi's picking her up from my apartment later." Waya squats by the board. "Hey, kiddo, let's go. Pack up those stones and we'll get you candy or some crap on the way out." He turns to Touya. "Want to come along?"
Touya doesn't particularly, but his mistrust of Waya's childcare qualifications is deep enough that he agrees. He takes immediate custody of the bag of chocolates Waya obtains in the downstairs gift shop, giving Mieko only one.
"Don't run off with those," Waya says sternly. "If she doesn't eat them, they're mine."
Touya reassures Waya that he has no intention of pilfering the sweets, and spends the subway ride closely monitoring the proximity of Mieko's sugar-slimy fingers to his suit jacket.
At Waya's apartment, Waya and Mieko immediately dive into some sort of game involving what sound like cats and rocket ships. Possibly cats in rocket ships. Or, if the noises Waya is making are accurate, rocket ships in cats. Touya sits on the couch and watches awkwardly until Mieko ducks behind his legs, sticks her head up between his ankles, and says, "Meow?"
"Meow," Touya confirms gravely. She squeals and runs over to Waya, who channels an impressive inner jet engine, sending her careening back to Touya's feet. Touya is almost beginning to enjoy himself when she crashes into a table and lets loose a holler that puts Waya's jet engine to shame.
Touya kneels and examines her. The corner of the table seems to have hit her shoulder, which looks like it's going to bruise, but the death grip she exerts on his tie indicates no nerve damage. Nonetheless, the screaming is not stopping.
"Go stones," says Touya.
"What?" yells Waya.
"Go stones! She was playing with them earlier, maybe they'll calm her down!"
Waya speedily fetches a goke and shoves it at her. She doesn't stop wailing, but her tone starts sounding more forced, and Touya suspects her of willful deception as to the actual extent of injuries sustained. He extricates his tie from her grasp, finds a goban, and begins setting out one of the many games he's committed to memory. As he predicted, she quickly falls silent and wriggles over to investigate.
Touya stops laying down stones and offers one to her, wondering if she knows how to play. She places it lopsidedly next to a stone in atari and picks up her prisoner. So she knows that much, at least. "That wasn't necessary," Touya explains. "That stone was already dead. You're just taking territory away from yourself." He lays down another stone. "This is what white should do."
Mieko, ignoring him, places another stone in atari and captures it. Touya captures one of hers. She gets him in a ko and takes his stone three times in a row. "You can't do that," he admonishes her.
Waya shakes his head. "You're trying to teach her to actually play?"
"I was stronger than she is when I was her age," Touya says. Waya snorts.
There's a knock on the door, and Katsumi is here to retrieve her offspring. She greets Touya, thanks Waya, pries Mieko away from the goban, and departs. Waya collapses on the floor next to Touya. "Hand over that candy," he commands.
Touya fishes the bag out of his pocket and complies. Waya pops three of the chocolates into his mouth and lies on his back next to the goban, chewing with his eyes closed. Touya wonders if he should leave, but somehow the silence seems comfortable.
"Kids are so blunt about everything," says Waya after he swallows. "When they want things, they just say they want them." There's a pause, then he opens his eyes. "I want to kiss you."
Touya blinks. "Really."
"I know it's kind of random, but we've never actually been alone together, so I thought I'd toss it out there. I promise not to throw a tantrum if you say no."
It is indeed kind of random, but it's been a random day, and Touya does not say no.
Later, just before they have sex, Touya checks three times to make sure the condom is on properly. Waya, amused, says, "You do realize that we're men, right? We can't get pregnant."
"I am not," says Touya, "taking any chances."