[Ngounie]
by verloren1983
Now and Then
"Isumi-san!"
Isumi turned to the voice and couldn't help but smile. Waya was in a bright red coat much too big for his small frame, equally large yellow rain boots, and a thick scarf to top it off... in green camoflage. It was ridiculous and completely adorable in a way that only an nine year old could possibly pull off. He was flailing about helplessly so that Isumi couldn't tell what the problem was.
"What's wrong?"
"My zipper's stuck," Waya said through the scarf that completely hid the bottom half of his face.
Isumi looked closer and sure enough, the zipper on the coat was caught on the scarf.
"Okay, okay, hold still."
Isumi wasn't the oldest in the Insei program- he was only eleven, after all- but somehow he'd ended up as a big brother figure to a lot of the Insei, and not just the ones younger than him. He wasn't sure why. He was tall for his age, but then so was Honda. Yeah, he had younger siblings, but so did a lot of people. It didn't mean he wanted the responsibility.
He couldn't seem to help himself, though. One of the younger kids would come up to him to ask for help, all big eyes and grins, and he would cave totally and completely. Waya especially was guilty of this, always seeming to need help with one thing or another.
"All done," Isumi smiled once he had freed the precious scarf from the teeth of the evil coat.
Waya beamed brightly at him. "Thanks, Isumi-san!" Then he launched himself at Isumi, hugging him tightly around the middle. Waya wasn't that much younger, but there was a significant difference in their heights. It made Waya's hugs more endearing, somehow.
"No problem," Isumi patted Waya's spikey head. "Watch your coat, you'll get stuck again."
"Oh!" Waya jumped back and surveyed the damage. Deeming his favorite scarf unharmed, he zippered up his coat before holding a hand out to Isumi.
"Come on, let's go get sushi!"
"Waya-"
"Sushi, sushi, sushi!" Waya grinned. He grabbed Isumi's hand and began dragging him out of the Institute, surprisingly strong for a little kid.
Isumi sighed. So much for saving up for his school trip.
It was a nudge to his shoulder that snapped him out of his daydreaming.
"Isumi-san~" Waya called, so like how it was in his memory and completely different at the same time. Deeper, for one thing. No longer a cry for help but a request for attention from his friend. "Earth to Isumi, do you copy?"
"Yeah, I copy."
Waya smiled and nudged his shoulder again with his own, easy enough to do when they were lying on their stomachs watching a movie on Waya's tiny television.
"Where did you go?"
"Hmm? I was thinking about when we were younger, how you would get me to help you with stuff and then drag me out for sushi."
"Oh, God," Waya said, cheeks turning pink. "Why are you thinking about that? I was such a brat."
"You were cute. Now you're a brat."
"Hey! At least I pay now. Sometimes."
"Sometimes," Isumi agreed.
"Seriously, why were you thinking about that?"
"I don't know. I just was."
"Hn."
Waya turned his attention back to the movie, which Isumi didn't find particularly interesting, being some terrible American action thing that Waya and Shindou had probably rented. They were entirely too alike sometimes, even if Waya had matured and had stopped being so affectonate a long time ago, something Shindou had yet to learn.
"What is it with you and these movies?"
Waya shrugged. "Dunno. Just like them. Explosions are cool."
"Blondes with low cut tops?" Isumi guessed. Waya gave him an odd look.
"Uh, no."
"Well, we've never talked about those kinds of things. I'm not really sure what you like."
Waya was staring at him. "Are you seriously asking me what my turn-ons are?"
Isumi blushed darkly. "No, I mean, I didn't mean it like that, I just- stop laughing!"
Waya had rolled over on his back, overcome with the giggles at Isumi's awkwardness. The demand just made him laugh harder until Isumi poked him in the stomach.
"It's not funny."
"Actually it is," Waya said. "You don't have to be so weird about it, jeez. We're best friends, aren't we?"
"Yes."
"So that's it. You always acted like you didn't want to talk about it, so I didn't bring it up. Besides, I thought you would've figured it out by now."
"What do you mean?"
"Oh come on, seriously?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Waya rolled his eyes. "Oh fine, whatever," he said and flopped back on his stomach.
"What? Did I say something wrong?"
"No. Don't worry about it," Waya said, a little too sharply for Isumi to actually believe it. He'd known Waya for a long time, after all.
"You're upset with me."
"Let it go."
"Waya-"
Waya growled. "Seriously, cut it out. If you haven't noticed by now, then there's no point."
"How am I supposed to know if you won't tell me?" Isumi asked. He put a hand on Waya's back in what he hoped was a calming gesture, but then his friend hissed and flinched away from him.
"You... dammit."
How it went from that to Waya pressing him against the floor and kissing him, Isumi really had no idea, but it certainly wasn't a bad thing. At least until they seperated and he moved to sit up and he hit his head on Waya's goban. They'd moved a bit somewhere along the line, apparently.
"Ow," Isumi said, holding the side of his head.
"Oh, crap, are you okay?" Waya asked, hovering right in front of him. His brown eyes looked worried, and Isumi realized they were a lot prettier up close than he'd thought they were.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he said. "What... what was that? I mean, I'm not complaining..."
Waya just shook his head. "I've been in love with you for pretty much forever, are you kidding? I think even Shindou's noticed."
"Wow."
"So is this okay, or...?"
"I said I didn't have any complaints," Isumi pointed out.
"Right," Waya nodded and kissed him again.
Well, they weren't really watching the movie anyway.
Now and Then
"Isumi-san!"
Isumi turned to the voice and couldn't help but smile. Waya was in a bright red coat much too big for his small frame, equally large yellow rain boots, and a thick scarf to top it off... in green camoflage. It was ridiculous and completely adorable in a way that only an nine year old could possibly pull off. He was flailing about helplessly so that Isumi couldn't tell what the problem was.
"What's wrong?"
"My zipper's stuck," Waya said through the scarf that completely hid the bottom half of his face.
Isumi looked closer and sure enough, the zipper on the coat was caught on the scarf.
"Okay, okay, hold still."
Isumi wasn't the oldest in the Insei program- he was only eleven, after all- but somehow he'd ended up as a big brother figure to a lot of the Insei, and not just the ones younger than him. He wasn't sure why. He was tall for his age, but then so was Honda. Yeah, he had younger siblings, but so did a lot of people. It didn't mean he wanted the responsibility.
He couldn't seem to help himself, though. One of the younger kids would come up to him to ask for help, all big eyes and grins, and he would cave totally and completely. Waya especially was guilty of this, always seeming to need help with one thing or another.
"All done," Isumi smiled once he had freed the precious scarf from the teeth of the evil coat.
Waya beamed brightly at him. "Thanks, Isumi-san!" Then he launched himself at Isumi, hugging him tightly around the middle. Waya wasn't that much younger, but there was a significant difference in their heights. It made Waya's hugs more endearing, somehow.
"No problem," Isumi patted Waya's spikey head. "Watch your coat, you'll get stuck again."
"Oh!" Waya jumped back and surveyed the damage. Deeming his favorite scarf unharmed, he zippered up his coat before holding a hand out to Isumi.
"Come on, let's go get sushi!"
"Waya-"
"Sushi, sushi, sushi!" Waya grinned. He grabbed Isumi's hand and began dragging him out of the Institute, surprisingly strong for a little kid.
Isumi sighed. So much for saving up for his school trip.
It was a nudge to his shoulder that snapped him out of his daydreaming.
"Isumi-san~" Waya called, so like how it was in his memory and completely different at the same time. Deeper, for one thing. No longer a cry for help but a request for attention from his friend. "Earth to Isumi, do you copy?"
"Yeah, I copy."
Waya smiled and nudged his shoulder again with his own, easy enough to do when they were lying on their stomachs watching a movie on Waya's tiny television.
"Where did you go?"
"Hmm? I was thinking about when we were younger, how you would get me to help you with stuff and then drag me out for sushi."
"Oh, God," Waya said, cheeks turning pink. "Why are you thinking about that? I was such a brat."
"You were cute. Now you're a brat."
"Hey! At least I pay now. Sometimes."
"Sometimes," Isumi agreed.
"Seriously, why were you thinking about that?"
"I don't know. I just was."
"Hn."
Waya turned his attention back to the movie, which Isumi didn't find particularly interesting, being some terrible American action thing that Waya and Shindou had probably rented. They were entirely too alike sometimes, even if Waya had matured and had stopped being so affectonate a long time ago, something Shindou had yet to learn.
"What is it with you and these movies?"
Waya shrugged. "Dunno. Just like them. Explosions are cool."
"Blondes with low cut tops?" Isumi guessed. Waya gave him an odd look.
"Uh, no."
"Well, we've never talked about those kinds of things. I'm not really sure what you like."
Waya was staring at him. "Are you seriously asking me what my turn-ons are?"
Isumi blushed darkly. "No, I mean, I didn't mean it like that, I just- stop laughing!"
Waya had rolled over on his back, overcome with the giggles at Isumi's awkwardness. The demand just made him laugh harder until Isumi poked him in the stomach.
"It's not funny."
"Actually it is," Waya said. "You don't have to be so weird about it, jeez. We're best friends, aren't we?"
"Yes."
"So that's it. You always acted like you didn't want to talk about it, so I didn't bring it up. Besides, I thought you would've figured it out by now."
"What do you mean?"
"Oh come on, seriously?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Waya rolled his eyes. "Oh fine, whatever," he said and flopped back on his stomach.
"What? Did I say something wrong?"
"No. Don't worry about it," Waya said, a little too sharply for Isumi to actually believe it. He'd known Waya for a long time, after all.
"You're upset with me."
"Let it go."
"Waya-"
Waya growled. "Seriously, cut it out. If you haven't noticed by now, then there's no point."
"How am I supposed to know if you won't tell me?" Isumi asked. He put a hand on Waya's back in what he hoped was a calming gesture, but then his friend hissed and flinched away from him.
"You... dammit."
How it went from that to Waya pressing him against the floor and kissing him, Isumi really had no idea, but it certainly wasn't a bad thing. At least until they seperated and he moved to sit up and he hit his head on Waya's goban. They'd moved a bit somewhere along the line, apparently.
"Ow," Isumi said, holding the side of his head.
"Oh, crap, are you okay?" Waya asked, hovering right in front of him. His brown eyes looked worried, and Isumi realized they were a lot prettier up close than he'd thought they were.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he said. "What... what was that? I mean, I'm not complaining..."
Waya just shook his head. "I've been in love with you for pretty much forever, are you kidding? I think even Shindou's noticed."
"Wow."
"So is this okay, or...?"
"I said I didn't have any complaints," Isumi pointed out.
"Right," Waya nodded and kissed him again.
Well, they weren't really watching the movie anyway.