Log: Izumo and Kotetsu [part one]

[krazedkotetsu]

Izumo: Izumo stepped out of the bookstore with a newly purchased paperback sticking out of his shirt pocket. Yes, it was about time Izumo got a dictionary for himself. Being the reasonable guy that he was, he bought the cheapest one there and planned on using the change to grab a drink at the grocery store around the corner. Taking out the dictionary again, he skimmed through it and noticed the label on the back saying something about it being a children’s elementary edition. "Oh well, let's hope the teachers don't notice that..." He muttered to himself as he walked down the street.

Kotetsu: Walking down the street with your iPod on, and your eyes closed was not a good idea, Kotetsu decided, as he stumbled into another person. Opening his eyes quickly at the first brush of a body, he only caught sight of a sheet of hair covering half of the other's face before he fell flat on his behind. Blinking, and rubbing his lower back to lessen the pain and get the endorphins flowing, Kotetsu waited a moment before looking over at the person he had tripped on. "Izumo?!" He asked loudly, the surprised look on his face quickly turning into a slight glare.

Izumo: Izumo stumbled backwards, however catching his step in time to not fall over completely like his friend there below him. Looking downwards for a moment in surprise, Izumo recovered almost instantly and offered a hand to help him up. It was then when he realized that he was in the S-section of the dictionary and decided to vent his feelings just a bit. "Why hello stranger, stranger - noun, unfamiliar person; a person whom somebody does not know; an alien person, somebody who has become distanced or alienated from another, others, or something. Aka. Hagane Kotetsu." He then removed his eyes from his dictionary and grinned broadly at Kotetsu. "Looks like I got my moneys worth."

Kotetsu: Kotetsu took the offered hand with a slight grimace, pulling himself to his feet and rubbing his behind slightly. "You're calling me the stranger? I do believe you have my cell phone number, and my house number, you know where I live, you go to the same school as me... Hmm, did I leave anything out?" He asked, tapping his index finger against his cheek thoughtfully. "Nope, I think that's everything. Nice dictionary, by the way." Came the teasing afterthought, Kotetsu muffling laughter with his hand. "Does it have pictures too?" It really was too bad that Izumo was reading it in front of Kotetsu, leaving him the opportunity to see on the back cover that it was a children's dictionary.

Izumo: "Why, yes, yes it does," Izumo answered matter-of-factly. "Funny you should ask really," Izumo added. "Cause the picture they've got of you is really hideous. You should call and threaten a law suit or something," he suggested in a tone of mocked seriousness. He snapped the book shut and stowed it away safely in his pocket again, patting it as if it was his newfound treasure. "I would try calling you, but I didn't feel like having your secretary penciling me in for an appointment or anything," he rolled his eyes. "Anyway, where are you heading to?"

Kotetsu: He snorted in reply. "Hey, at least they have a picture of me in there. You're not even important enough to get a mention. Oh wait! I forgot, there is a slight mention of you under the 'liar' section." Brushing the dust off his elbows, he began to wander in the direction he had previously been going in. "I'm just... going. Want to come?" It was sad, but Kotetsu simply wasn't feeling witty today, and wasn't up to the verbal battles that Izumo and he constantly had. Izumo knew him though, most likely just as well, if not better, than he knew himself, so he figured Izumo'd pick up on his reluctance to spar today.

Izumo: Izumo snickered softly in reply to Kotetsu's response, but did not advance onto another insult. In actuality, he was quite glad to have bumped into Kotetsu today, since it seems to have been ages since they've last held conversation. "Just going, huh? Well tell you want, why don't you just go with me instead to get something to drink and then we can...just go, or something," he knew he should probably go all out and demand where in the hell of all hells he has been, but decided to save it for later. Something like that deserves to be talked about over a bottle of soda.

Kotetsu: "Are you buying?" Kotetsu asked, already contemplating what to get. There was some amusement in simply buying the most expensive item available (since soda was so incredibly expensive to begin with), but he was really in the mood for a Sprite. A part of him wanted to turn tail and run in the opposite direction, if only to avoid the dreaded conversation of the hour. Grinning over at Izumo, he nudged him in the side. "What have you been up to in your mysterious absence anyways, fool?"

Izumo: "Sure, why not," Izumo answered, though he would probably have to put in more money than just the change left over from his dictionary. "Though I don't know since when I've turned into your sugar daddy or something," he laughed, walking in the direction to the grocery store. Izumo recoiled, however not in time to avoid the nudge and made the most painful expression. "Meh, what else do you think I would be up to other than build on my secret shrine of you in my bedroom? I've found you a new nose, now if you would find some time to come over, I think you would enjoy it very much," he snorted then shrugged. "Actually I've been working on the stupid essays for college, mom won't rest till I get a million grants to cover not only my tuition but a new hip she will need in thirty years."

Kotetsu: Kotetsu laughed, ensnaring Izumo's arm with his own, and leaned against the slightly taller boy. "You've always been my sugar daddy, Kamizuki-san!" He squealed, adding a slightly high-pitched tone to his voice. Dropping the sugary-sweet tone, but not releasing Izumo from his grasp (because it was nearly as much fun to harass Izumo with hugs and grabbing and flirting as it was too harass Hayate), he continued to stroll down the street. "One, I love having a shrine in your room, but isn't your room a little small? I mean, I should at least take up the living room and the kitchen. Two, you're just getting grants, right? I mean, you're not leaving the area to go to some special-college-place..."

Izumo: Izumo felt his face heating up a little at Kotetsu's actions and managed to shake his head. "You're such an ass, Koty-chan," he laughed slightly. He allowed Kotetsu to cling onto his arm without a word and even took his chance to lean into him a bit. "One, you're absolutely correct. I have to move your shrine soon because your head is taking up all the space in my comfort zone. I'm thinking of having it moved to the dumpster outside, pretty roomy out there, ya know? And two, yeah, just grants. So far I've only heard back from my early applications which means no, I'm not leaving the area as of now." He paused for a moment before adding, "But if I do get to go faraway, I'm going to buy a huge suitcase to stow you away in."

Kotetsu: "The dumpster!" He exclaimed, pouting up at Izumo. "But it's all smelly back there. I should know, you were the one that pushed me into it when we were little." Kotetsu wrinkled his nose at the memory, especially at the thought of when he had climbed out and Izumo had picked a half-eaten chicken leg out of his hood. Shaking himself out of his memories, he tossed a grin towards the other. "What, am I going to be stuck living in your closet? Or under your bed? I suppose it is the thought that counts though..." He shrugged. "You should go, I mean, if that's what you want. I'm just being my typical 'only child' self."

Izumo: "Oh yeah...I remember that time," Izumo smiled in reminiscence while stroking his chin. "You know my mom still asks if you really have a habit of skipping showers?" He laughed as he pushed open the door to the grocery store. "Aw, do you really think I would do something like that? Nah, I'm going to put you on my bed right next to me so I can cuddle with you in the dark of the night," he grinned. The grin soon faded into a embarrassed smile as he noticed the shop owner having overheard. "Ahem, come on and pick out whatever you want. Sugar daddy's got you covered," he said, this time ignoring the strange look he had elicited from the owner again.

Kotetsu: "You’d better be setting her straight about that." Kotetsu answered, growling slightly under his breath. Running a finger along the cases of drinks on the side, he was completely oblivious to the shop owner watching them. Then again, even if he had noticed he wouldn't have cared. Spotting a case of Sprite varieties, he tugged Izumo with him towards it. "Aww, I'm so lucky to have you." He crooned before jabbing his pointer finger at the case. "Now which one do I get? Stupid indecisiveness."

Izumo: "And ruin the stink jokes that we share about you? No way!" Izumo said while looking quite harassed. "Besides, she swears that she has this new found power to detect you by your smell, why do you want me to burst her bubble?" He glanced at the multitude of Sprite drinks that were suddenly in front of him and closed his eyes. Not before long, his finger randomly jutted out. "That one!" When he opened his eyes, he realized that he was pointing at a small apple juice box instead. "Cause an apple a day keeps the doctor away? Even if it was artificially grown and squished..." He chuckled lamely.

Kotetsu: "You suck." Kotetsu jabbed Izumo in the side and detached himself. Opening the case, he reached for a Sprite before pausing, and redirected his hand to the apple juice. Grabbing two juice boxes, he tossed them one after the other to Izumo. "Here ya go, my sweet little cash cow." Grinning lopsidedly at the other, he wandered off towards the aisle filled with chips and other less than nutritious foods. "Want to grab your drink, while I go grab a bag of chips? I'll pay for the chips, and we can split them if you'd like?"

Izumo: "I'm not a cow," Izumo sniffed, pretending to be horribly offended. "I'm just a little chubby in areas that I cannot control." He grabbed a Sprite for himself, figuring that he could tease Kotetsu later with it and walked towards him. "Got my drink already and yeah grab some chips, don't get the ...well whatever new flavored one. I tried them last week and well, my kid neighbor's dog wouldn't even take it," he made a face and walked towards the register to pay.

Kotetsu: "Barbeque works, like usual, right? Unless you've changed so much over the past few weeks that you're too good for BBQ." Kotetsu yelled over, drawing the attention of the shop owner, who he innocently smiled at before selecting a medium-sized bag of chips. Paying for their chips, he met Izumo outside of the store. "Where to now?" He asked curiously, popping a chip into his mouth and biting down with an audible 'crunch'.

Izumo: "I'm too good for a lot of things," Izumo called back before he paid and went outside. Once Kotetsu came out, he threw him one of the little juice boxes and opened his own bottle of soda. "Hrm, I don't know," he responded. "We're supposed to go wherever you're going to after we got some drinks, remember?" He started to walk idly in no particular direction and beckoned Kotetsu to follow. They're probably going to end up in the park or something anyway.

Kotetsu: Catching the juice box with one hand was awkward, but not impossible. Tucking it into one pocket for later, he looked towards Izumo curiously. "Well... where's my other one?" Shrugging off the question, as he didn't especially need the juice box, and he didn't mind Izumo carrying it for him, he turned his attention to other matters. "Hey, are you going to that party this weekend?" He asked, a hint of hopefulness evident in his voice. "It's at Matsumoto Rangiku's..."

Izumo: "If you can guess where it is, I'll give something shiny," Izumo gave him a winning grin and winked. Well you wouldn't really be able to tell because he stupidly winked with the eye that was covered by his hair...but that's beside the point. Izumo moved to steal a chip from Kotetsu and continued walking, munching on the chip loudly as he heard his question. "Umm that party?" He was puzzled at first and took a moment to try to realize what Kotetsu was talking about. Unfortunately, the realization never dawned on him. "I don't know, I don't think I've heard about it...unless I did, in which case I forgot. Why, are you going?"

Kotetsu: Kotetsu rolled his eyes. "And you say I was the one that disappeared. It's this weekend, to celebrate her moving or something. I don't know. She asked me to go, and I said I'd think about it... Want to go with me?" He looked over with a grin. It was always better to go to parties with friends than dates. Then you didn't feel bad about ditching them for more exciting people halfway through the evening.

Izumo: "You did..." Izumo half-whined. "I don't know, I guess I'll find out when I talk to her or something," he replied. "Can we dress up? If we can, I want to dress up as you," Izumo said. "It'd be like Halloween in March...er..April, whatever it is today," he grinned. Rounding the familiar way to the park, he made way towards their usual seat and sat down. It wasn't a split second before he jumped straight back up however, cursing mildly. "Shit! Ahh...sorry..." He turned to give Kotetsu a sheepish grin as he scratched the back of his head. In his other hand, he held out Kotetsu's second box of apple juice. "Now it's going to be apple juice, Izumo flavored. Very yummy, I guarantee you."

Kotetsu: "Great. I get to have apple juice, flavored to taste like your ass." Kotetsu replied with a flat, unamused voice. "Just what I always wanted." Sitting down and falling into the comfortable slouch he always used, he pushed a hand through his messy hair, shifting it for a moment before it fell back into his face. Batting at one of the strands, which was currently trying to blind him, he finally gave up and just kept that one eye closed. "Maybe I should cut my hair off. Get it cut short. What'd you think?"

Izumo: "No...no..." An exaggerated shiver ran through Izumo's body, making him shudder visibly. Though he didn't want to say it out loud, he did find Kotetsu's longer hair to be quite attractive, and if he ever chopped it off...well it wouldn't be the same. "I would laugh at you and most likely throw spitballs up your nose while you are sleeping," he added. "Unless you are a freak who likes that kind of stuff, in which then I would suggest you to go through with it," he shrugged and drank his soda. "But don't come crying to me when all the kids punch you and call you ugly-short-hair-snotball-face."

Kotetsu: "You wouldn't protect me from the meanies?" Kotetsu asked sadly, looking towards Izumo and jutting his bottom lip out in an exaggerated pout. He would never cut off his hair, but he enjoyed talking about things that wouldn't happen, if only to see other's reactions. Pushing his hair back once again, he let out an aggravated growl before shaking his head vigorously. More hair fell into his face, but at least they shifted so that none were in his eyes. "Plus, I can't believe that you would even join the meanies." He added as an afterthought, looking down at his knees, shadows and his positioning of his head hiding the small grin on his face.

Izumo: "I wouldn't join them," Izumo said shaking his head. "I would kind of just laugh behind the shadows," he grinned, contrasting greatly with Kotetsu's pout. Watching as Kotetsu struggled with his hair, he automatically reached over and brushed some back. The possibility of it being a strange gesture didn't even occur to him until mid-stroke, in which then he covered up by messing it up more. "You can just do what all the hippies do," Izumo offered. "Use one of 'em colorful bandanas that contains some sort of flower loving message," he gave him two thumbs up as if he really believed that that was the way to go.

Kotetsu: Kotetsu flicked a glance towards Izumo, not thinking much of the gesture, but still feeling vaguely uncomfortable -- as if he were missing something important. Shaking the disconcerting feeling off, he lifted his head and leaned back against the bench. "If I ever do that, you have my permission to strangle me with it." The idea of wearing a bandana was worse that his unruly hair, and the day he put one on voluntarily, was the day he chewed his own hand off. "So, are you going to come with me or not? Why do you need to talk to her?" He whined, bumping shoulders roughly with the other.

Izumo: "Consider your permission to be well appreciated, though I would have done so with or without," he chuckled. He started to spin his bottle cap on the bench and ignored it when it fell through the crack and onto the floor. "I don't know, I can't very well show up and be like 'Hi I wasn't invited but I wanted to come anyway so here I am to eat all your food and drink your sake' you know," he shrugged awkwardly. He rocked with the force that Kotetsu bumped into him with and swayed lazily twice before going back to his original position. "Aren't you going with your girlfriend though?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow and not facing him directly.

Kotetsu: "Rangiku said I could bring someone. I'll bring you." He didn't see the big deal, or why Izumo was being so difficult. "As for going with Hinata, I wouldn't call her my girlfriend. We've only gone out twice now. Plus, I just said that I was bringing you, so obviously I'm not going with Hinata." Pushing the straw into his first juice box after retrieving it from his pocket, he took a sip of the drink, watching Izumo out of the corner of his eye.

Izumo: Izumo opened his mouth in protest, but then snapped it shut when he couldn't think of anything to say. "Yeah, true," he mumbled. "I thought it'd be more of a thing to bring your girlfriend to," he said, but hitched up a smile. "Rather than you know, your sugar pops. Wait, but that's just it, isn't it? You need me to get you something for the party," he snorted and pulled out his dictionary. "You are moronic...let see...'moronic' - adjective; see 'moron' for more details," Izumo frowned at the definition. "Well according to this definition, you are ...an offensive term for somebody with significant learning difficulties and difficulty in carrying out usual social functions," he droned in a rather monotonous voice. "Er. Yeah, that's what you are," he brightened up when he finished.

Kotetsu: Kotetsu scowled, and pushed himself off the bench into a standing position. "You know what, forget it." He said, surprisingly not fooling around this time, and truly upset. His father was coming back in three days, and he was looking forward to Friday as his last night of true freedom. If Izumo wanted to make a joke out of it, and be a pain, then fine. It wasn't as if Kotetsu had missed having his best friend around, and was trying to combine a promise he had made to Rangiku as well as hang out with Izumo.

Izumo: Izumo's eyebrows shot up in surprise at Kotetsu's reaction and fell silent for a few moments to recollect his thoughts. A frown steadily emerged though, followed by an inward sigh. He couldn't help joking around, especially when tension is abound or when he's trying to cover up what he's really thinking. "Hey, I was just playing..." He said softly still in his seated position, though his back was a lot stiffer than before. "I just didn't really know if you want me to go or not," he shrugged. "Hell, I don't even know if Rangiku want me to go or not, guest or no guest." Shifting his gaze downward to the cement floor, he realized that the pebbles were suddenly a lot easier to look at than a not-so-happy Kotetsu. "Doesn't mean that I don't want to go with you though."

Kotetsu: "You still haven't figured out that I generally say what I mean?" Kotetsu complained, falling back into a seated position on the bench. "If you don't want to go to the party, that's fine. We can just rent movies and stay at my place. I could care less." He kicked Izumo's foot gently with his own foot. "Hey. Relax, I'm not pissed... just irritated."

Izumo: "Yes, but I'm a paranoid shit now that I've taken Psych 102. The human mind is a complex piece of crap, and yes, yours included," he gave a weak smile. "Nah, I do want to go. If Rangiku kicks me out, I will blame it on you though," he laughed lightly. "Though renting movies and....whoa. Did you just invite me over to your place? Fuckin' milestone of my life right there, there's no way I'm going to refuse that!" Izumo grinned broadly by now, mood picking up rather quickly. "Why don't we go to Rangiku's for a bit, just to say we went and paid respect to her new place and blah blah and go over to yours? I'll bring...uhh games or something."

Kotetsu: "Well, I figured since Hayate and Hinata had been over, it was about time I let you into the apartment." He sighed. Izumo was probably the person whose opinion meant the most to him at this point, and the idea of letting him into his home was rather unnerving. However, the invitation had been extended already, and he couldn't very well rescind it. "But games require thinking and paying attention..." Kotetsu whined, poking Izumo in the side. "...that's why I said movies, because it means I can nap, and eat, and we can do whatever -- and no, not in that sense -- without worrying about paying attention."

Izumo: Izumo picked up his bottle cap that had fallen onto the floor early and randomly flicked it at Kotetsu. "I can't believe you had them over before you did me, way to break a poor soul's little heart," he frowned, retrieving the bottle cap to flick it at him again. "Hinata...ok, well I guess it's because you're dating her. But what does Hayate have that I don't have?!" He pouted, wondering why he wasn't invited sooner. "Stop that," Izumo told him automatically when Kotetsu poked him, refraining his laughter since it was rather ticklish than not. "And fine, we can watch movies instead. But if you fall asleep on me the first time I'm at your house, I'm going to do some serious ass kicking."

Kotetsu: Batting the bottle cap away from him on the second time, he smacked it so that it landed on the concrete with a soft 'ping'. "Hayate's fun to tease. He gets all red and embarrassed when I snuggle up with him." He laughed a bit at the memory, grinning over at Izumo. "You know how easy Hayate is to razz." He poked Izumo again, gently pinching his thumb and pointer finger around Izumo's side. "You're pretty amusing yourself, though." He commented, poking the other one last time for good measure.

Izumo: Izumo swatted Kotetsu's hand away, still fighting the urge to laugh. "So if I pretend to be more fun to tease, would you let me over more?" Izumo asked. "I will even color my face red with a marker or something," he nodded, not minding how insane it sounded. He must admit that he didn't mind it so much anymore; his excitement about going over overriding any feelings of hidden jealousy. "I think I'm just going to tell my mom I'm spending the night out though. Not that I don't want to tell her I'm spending the night at your house or anything, but because she's going to pack me an overnight bag," he rolled his eyes and laid his back into the bench with his arms behind his head. "Hey, you're not making me sleep on the couch or the floor...are you?"

Kotetsu: "Aww, Izumo, you don't want her to pack your Power Ranger tighty-whities?" He gasped as if surprised, before leaning back and retreating from his attack on Izumo's side. "Er, well, Hayate slept on the floor, even though I offered to share the bed. I think he was afraid I'd rape him or something. Honestly, I could have told him -- he's not my type. Do you mind sharing the bed? I promise: no inappropriate touching." Kotetsu held his hands up innocently, simultaneously rolling his eyes. "Oh, right... don't color your face red, you'd look weird with a dark blush." He paused, not finishing his thought, not even sure why it had come up. "Eh, nevermind."

Izumo: "What makes you think I'm not wearing them now?" He shot Kotetsu a smug look. "Psh, Hayate's dumb then. You wouldn't even be able to rape a mushroom," Izumo laughed. "Wait...then again I don't think raping mushrooms is physically possible..." He shrugged and drank the last drop of his soda, tipping his head all the way back to get the last drop. "And hell no I don't mind sharing the bed. In fact, I insist. There is no way I'm sleeping on the floor," he declared. He ignored his statement about inappropriate touching, because either way he replies to that still wouldn't change what's really in his mind.

Kotetsu: "Really?" Kotetsu leered at Izumo. "They'd be a little small now, wouldn't they?" He grinned, wiping the perverted look off his face. "I know; I'm too nice to rape anyone." He sighed. "Hayate's paranoid though." Tapping his fingers against his thigh, he laughed aloud at Izumo's comment. "I think you just insist on the bed because you want me to touch you." He waggled his eyebrows, before breaking out into sputtering laughter, not able to keep up the joking facade.

Izumo: "They are," Izumo nodded in agreement. "But I am willing to give up all comfort levels to be near my Power Rangers," he shot at him. "I've promised my devotion years ago and I'm not planning to break any promises!" He rose his fist stupidly as to egg himself on. Izumo looked away from him as his face heated slightly. "I think you're just stupid," he muttered, unable to think of a better reply than that. "Why would I want that? It's like asking for...whatever, you're stupid." He watched as Kotetsu laughed and frowned himself, unable to feel the twinge of hurt that any possibility of them two would just be a joke to him. "Yeah, so funny. I hope you don't choke and die. Or maybe I do."

Kotetsu: Izumo's remark had startled him, along with the slight frown detected, and so Kotetsu nudged him on the shoulder gently. "Hey, uh, you don't think I'm a pervert or anything, right? I mean, I really wouldn't do anything. You're my best friend..." He assumed Izumo didn't trust him, which stung quite a bit, but he supposed it was to be expected when he was such a constant flirt. Sighing, the good mood ruined by his own slip-up, he stuck his hands into his jacket pockets, fidgeting with the pack of cigarettes and the lighter that he carried with him. Except that Hinata didn't like the smell of smoke. He frowned, withdrawing one of his hands and placing it tightly against his leg, trying to ignore his want for a smoke.

Izumo: "What?" A baffled expression crossed Izumo's face at Kotetsu's question before it turned into one of amusement. The thought of Kotetsu being a pervert...man I wish. "Hah, like I said, you wouldn't even be able to rape a mushroom." He stretched out his arms and legs, moving to sit all the way on the edge of the bench seat since he felt his rear falling asleep. "So best friend or not, I wouldn't even be freaked out if I had to display myself naked in front of you while being under your every whim and will," he snorted. A part of him felt extremely awkward saying that, not to mention the very same twinge of hurt before throbbed even more; but even so, he felt it was more of an obligatory joke than not.

Kotetsu: Kotetsu wasn't completely convinced, but he didn't want to push the issue anymore, a little fearful of what he might find. Allowing it to go, he pushed the straw into the second juice pack, taking a long sip. "Yum." He chirped, turning the juice box to inspect the ingredients. "Pear juice? What is pear juice doing in apple juice? Ya know, if it was supposed to have pear juice, it'd be in the naaaaame." He whined, looking towards Izumo for agreement. "It's a monstrosity -- they have defiled the good name of apple juice!"

Izumo: "It's not pear juice, Koty," Izumo informed him solemnly. "Remember before? When I ....well it's apple-ass flavor now, and in no way is that pear juice," he insisted. "And I beg your pardon, my ass has not defiled anything, so please mind your words," he added. "I would like to have you know that it's rather sensitive," he said. Wait. It came out weirder than he had anticipated, especially with what he had on his mind regarding the earlier topic. "So, do we have to bring presents for Rangiku's thing? And I still insist we dress up..." A diversion, good.

Kotetsu: Rather sensitive. Kotetsu burst out into loud laughter at the phrase, only slightly attempting to stifle it with a hand over his mouth. Pushing his giggles and snorts away a few minutes later, he inhaled deeply, cheekily grinning at Izumo. "Good to know." He replied, teasing Izumo with a lilting tone of sarcasm in his voice. "As for Rangiku's, I'm pretty sure we don't need to bring anything, and no, I refuse to dress up. I plan to get very drunk, and pour myself into bed around dawn. Dressing up is nowhere involved in that plan... Plus, I'm not going to try to fit into your skinny-ass jeans." He stuck his tongue out childishly at Izumo.

Izumo: Izumo rolled his eyes and allowed a small bit of laughter to pass through his lips. "You sound like a dying pig when you do that, just letting you know," he told him, regarding his stifled laughter. Adjusting his cap on his head to shield more sunlight away from his face, he picked it up and smooth out his hair just once before putting it back on. "My jeans are not skinny-ass. I do not have a skinny-ass. You, bonehead, are the one with the skinny-ass," he said, repeating the word since it sounded so funny to him. "And why not? I wanted to put on a tiara and a skirt, it would have been so fun!" He whined. "Your skirt would look hot on me."

Kotetsu: "We both have a skinny-ass." He grumbled in response, getting up from his seat on the bench. Pausing a few feet away from Izumo, he held out an offered arm. "Are you coming or not?" He asked, looking back towards the still sitting boy. "And it wasn't a skirt you had me wear, it was a dress." Kotetsu rolled his eyes, remembering the dare. "That lovely, hot pink, freaking halter dress. I still can't believe you did that to me, by the way." He grinned. "Even if I did look crazy hot in it."

Izumo: "Depends where you are taking me," he replied, but took his arm anyway. He laughed as Kotetsu made a remark about the dress. "And I still can't believe you remembered it exactly in detail, but I suppose the million pictures that I took would help to serve some purpose in that matter," he grinned. "You did look kind of good in it," Izumo said rubbing his chin thoughtfully, speaking more in truth than not. "But you killed it when you stuffed those oranges on your chest. I felt like stabbing them with a chopstick."

Kotetsu: "Shaddup!" Kotetsu hollered, a blush creeping over his cheekbones. "I was trying to lessen the embarrassment of the situation with comedy! And I thought that you said you burned those pictures!" He jutted out his bottom lip pathetically towards Izumo. "Why do you hate me?" The whimper accompaning the pout worked beautifully, a wounded tone woven in and out of the inquiry. Izumo always had been (at least when they were children) a sucker for hurt-Kotetsu. Then again, nowadays, Kotetsu wouldn't be surprised if Izumo simply pointed and laughed at him.

Izumo: "Did I say that?" Izumo said with wide eyes in surprise. "Maybe you misheard me, what I really said was that I made a wonderful collage out of them with burning passion for my shrine," he grinned and patted Kotetsu on the head. "And it's all out of love baby, all out of love," he said, hugging an arm around his neck. "It's not like I've blackmailed you or anything," he added. "Cause you know I'd never, ever do that..."

Kotetsu: "You're such an ass." Kotetsu said, trying to hide the giddy smile. Things were finally back to normal. It wasn’t that he didn't appreciate Hayate, but he and Izumo just worked better as friends. They fed off each other's strangeness and energy, and in general, there were no boring moments when the two of them were around. Disasters, mayhem, and sugar highs - yes. Quiet, peace, or boredom - no. At any rate, he wasn't surprised to be more energetic and happy now that Izumo was free to hang out again. The other was a staple in his life… kind of like bread or something. "Oh, of course not!" He drawled, pinching the arm around his neck. "And get off me would you? Evil pedophile!"

Izumo: "It's a pity because I probably won't even be able to get anything good out of it," he pouted. "It saddens me slightly to think that my photographic skills were wasted on someone like you," he held a hand over his chest. "But then I look at the pictures again and I don't feel so bad anymore," his pout slowly turned into a teasing grin. He couldn't really place his finger on why he has been poking fun at Kotetsu lately; maybe it was because it helped him hide his emotions better, or even something even simpler like the fact that Kotetsu's reactions always provided him with amusement. Whatever it was, he knew it would be hella hard to stop. "Do you know that with agreed consent, it is no longer considered pedophilia? Or at least it shouldn't be," he gave him a grin and pulled him even closer so that their faces nearly touched.

Kotetsu: He wasn't sure what to make of the sudden lack of distance between them, but Kotetsu never gave up. "Really? Hmm, that's interesting." He murmured quietly, reaching up to brush his fingertips against Izumo's arm. As soon as he had adopted the facade of being interested in Izumo though, he dropped it, walking away without a backward glance. "Too bad I don't go for older men!" He shouted back to Izumo, waving a hand over his shoulder without turning around to look at the other. Time to see how far Izumo would go to win, but Kotetsu was 90% certain he had it in the bag.

Izumo: Izumo felt an invisible shiver on his arm wherever Kotetsu's fingers touched and forced himself to ignore it. But his will power when it came to Kotetsu was obviously quite weak so he decided to play along instead, how much could it hurt if he thought it was just a joke anyway? And so with this new thought in mind, he decided to pursue Kotetsu as soon as he walked off. "Oh really?" He called as he jogged up to him, pressing his chin onto Kotetsu's shoulder when he was close enough. "Even if older man would buy you things and give you whatever you wanted?" A bump between himself and Kotetsu's back suddenly interrupted his thoughts and he reached into his pocket to discover what it was. "Eh? This thing, oh I forgot that I had it in here..." He murmured and pulled the dictionary into Kotetsu's view. "But yeah, I can even get you stuff like this," he grinned waving it around. He was rather thankful of the interruption that served quite well, in his opinion, as comic relief. Just a moment there...things were getting hotter than he thought it should.

Kotetsu: Kotetsu laughed as Izumo waved the dictionary in his face, snatching it out of the other's hand, and flipping through it quickly. "What, no roses? No declarations of love?" He snickered, tossing the book back to Izumo. "Sorry, I have standards, and your dictionary just doesn't cut it." A lopsided grin was directed towards him before Kotetsu grabbed him by the wrist and began to drag him in the direction of one of the park exits. "I vote that we go get something to eat, because Kotetsu is hungry. Yes, yes, I did talk about myself in the third person. Got a problem with that? No. Good." He released Izumo's wrist after finishing his pseudo-conversation, falling back into a lazy stroll. "Hey, is there anyone you're interested in nowadays? I know, I know, you would have said something if there was, but I was just double-checking. Maybe someone like Kotestu Isane? She's kind of what you normally go for."

Izumo: "Well I'm sure the dictionary declares love somewhere inside..." He said. "You just have to look for it," he smiled. "But of course you will get me singing you old men songs to you by your window every night, and I will buy you all the sexy lingerie you can wear," he bite back a laugh. He followed Kotetsu out of the park quietly, listening to his little third person talk. "Uh, ok. I vote that too and I also vote that you're insane," he commented. "As for a real problem with it? No, not I don't have one," he snickered as they walked towards the evening food shops. He was just about to ask what Kotetsu felt like eating when he was stopped with a question for himself. "..." Was all he said at first, but then he scratched the back of his head awkwardly and shrugged. "No, after Ryou...I kinda just stayed away from all of that."

Kotetsu: "Ooh, sexy lingerie." He placed a hand over his heart. "How did you know my secret fetish?" Laughing under his breath, he shoved Izumo towards one of his favorite places to eat. It was a small restaurant, a simple food stand with a counter and the kitchen in the back, but they had food to die for. "I think I'm going to get the unadon." Kotetsu mused, before returning his attention back to Izumo. "Ryou... That girl was a complete psycho, but not everyone's like that. Maybe it'd do you good to start dating again." He chuckled, nudging Izumo in the side. "Then maybe you'd get along with Hinata better if you had someone distracting you. I mean, I went through the same thing when you were dating Ryou, but once I asked out Tetsuo, I relaxed a lot more."

Izumo: Izumo waved his hand as if signaling that it's not going to happen. "She was a complete psycho, yeah. But then how would you account for the Michiru girl?" He already knew what he wanted to order and placed it absent-mindedly when the waiter prompted him for a reply. "What do you mean get along better with her? I already get along super with her," he said, not minding that he was completely lying through his teeth. "And how would distractions promote getting-along-better-er with someone else?" He rolled his eyes at Kotetsu's logic. "How did you like Tetsuo anyway? What happened between you two?"

Kotetsu: "I think you're much too picky. Not everyone's perfect... Okay, so Michiru was more of a mouse than a girl, but still, she had her good points. You're never going to find someone that you like 100%, as sad as that realization is." Pausing to add his own order to Izumo's, he drummed his fingers on the counter in a pensive manner. "Tetsuo... I don't know. We just didn't click. I don't even think he liked me that much, or rather, didn't like the idea of me being a boy. Got in over his head or something." He shrugged, a bit bothered by the fact that Tetsuo now treated him as if he were a shadow, if he acknowledged him at all. "It's really not a big thing."

Izumo: "Yes, but finding someone that I like at least 65% would be quite snazzy, don't you think?" He snorted, thinking about Michiru and Ryou. Ok, maybe the statement was a bit harsh on Michiru, but as for Ryou... it fitted perfectly. "I'm thinking I'll find someone in college or something," he shrugged. "Broaden my choices a bit, you know," he snuck a glance from the table top towards Kotetsu and then back again. Feeling slightly awkward while the focus was on him and his past relationships, he quickly turned back to Tetsuo. "Heh, seems like his lost then," he commented. "I didn't really know why you went out with him anyway. Seems like a little egotistical shit to me," he shrugged. "Who knows, if someone even bothered to make him a shrine, his head would probably be even bigger than yours."

Kotetsu: Kotetsu wasn't sure why he had gone out with Tetsuo either, but that was beside the point. They'd only dated for a month or two before the other had dumped him, and even then it didn't affect him. The only difference was that he had more free time on his hands, as he hadn't allowed himself to grow attached to Tetsuo. He didn't really allow himself to become attached to anyone he dated, which was one of the things that startled him about the quickly evolving relationship with Hinata. "Yeah, but he was a damn gorgeous, egotistical, little shit." He added after a moment, realizing that he had been staring absentmindedly at the counter. A small chuckle escaped his mouth. "Izu, we should just date each other. Honestly, if you weren't straight, and I weren't dating Hinata..." He grinned, laughing a bit more loudly. "Man, sorry, but that sounded way more serious than I intended it to be. Just forget I said anything."

Izumo: Izumo laughed at Kotetsu's addition to his earlier statement. "Why, I didn't know you've turned into such a superficial pig," he gasped softly, widening his eyes as he covered his mouth with a hand. "And I suppose you're just here with me because of my pretty face, too huh?" He questioned, nudging Kotetsu with his elbow. Right before Kotetsu had suggested them to date each other, Izumo had ordered a refill on his drink. Unfortunately, the drink came right as Kotetsu began talking. After a moment of incoherent silent sputtering on his part, he decided to put in his two cents of agreement - that is until he heard Kotetsu's last sentence. "Consider it forgotten," he muttered in reply, focusing his eyes on his dinner.

Kotetsu: "Well, of course." Kotetsu replied, leering at Izumo. As their food came, he broke his chopsticks, offering the typical thanks for the food before shoveling in the first mouthful. He covered his mouth with his free hand before speaking, a crooked smile peeking out from behind the shield. "D'u sa' ‘omtin'?" He asked, not having heard the other's muttered phrase. Swallowing the food, he tried again. "Did you say something?" Curious brown eyes looked over to Izumo, his head tilted slightly to the right as if studying the suddenly quiet male. Izumo did have his moods, but they weren't often as abrupt, and if they were, the cause of said moodiness was often easily detected. Kotetsu couldn't think of anything that would have bothered him though. Who knew… maybe Izumo was just having a bad day... It didn't make any sense to him, but he'd accept it as a plausible reason until he saw more of the other's strange actions.

Izumo: "I said to hurry up, because I really, really have to use the bathroom," Izumo said, deciding to drop it. Now that he knew more or less how Kotetsu felt on the subject, there was no point in pushing anything anywhere. They did not need more tension in the already somewhat straining ties between them. From now on, he decided, he just won't think on it anymore. Feelings like that come and go, and he really needed to focus on making his own leave soon. "Heh, imagine if we were to date each other though. I'd probably dump your ass in a week, you know how I am with girls like you," he laughed lightly, fighting the sigh that wanted to escape his chest.

Kotetsu: Ignoring his friend in favor of concentrating on his meal, Kotetsu planned to match Izumo bite for bite. He wasn't about to rush through his meal, only to find the other only halfway done with his own. Nuh uh, not happening. However, he paused at the comment about being dumped, his pride rankled by the idea that he wouldn't be enough to keep Izumo's attention. "Oh please. If we were dating, you'd never dump me." He rolled his eyes, jabbing his chopsticks towards Izumo to accentuate his point. "I've kept your interest for at least ten years now, I think I can manage to keep it for more than a week, lameass." It really didn't strike him as odd to be having this discussion, although he supposed to outsides it would look peculiar. At any rate, he didn't notice Izumo's edginess when the topic was brought up, mostly because of his own obliviousness.

Izumo: Izumo laughed when he was referred to a lameass and just shook his head while he finished chewing his food. "I don't know," he said shrugging, a hint of playful skeptism in his voice. "You know how relationships can change people. You might turn out all clingy or freaky on me," he said, raising a finger as if he had a point there. "But then again, I don't deny that it's hard to not get freaky when I'm there. What can I say? I'm just too damn irresistible," he finally gave in laughed, striking a pose with his chopsticks in hand.

Kotetsu: "Oh baby, oh baby. You're so hot, I can't even stand it." He deadpanned, raising an eyebrow skeptically at Izumo. Gently pushing his food away from him to indicate that he was finished eating, Kotetsu rolled his head from side to side, cracking his neck loudly. "Are you almost done?" He whined, poking Izumo in the side with one finger. "M'bored. You're booooring today." No, he wasn't really boring Kotetsu, but he figured that if he said Izumo was boring him, then Izumo'd feel as if he had something to prove, and they'd get going faster.

Izumo: "Humph," Izumo turned his nose upwards at Kotetsu's comment about him being boring, but started to eat at a faster pace. "Thas nuh too, 'ew ah," he started to say with food in his mouth. Washing the food down with a sip of water, he began again. "That's not true, you are the one that's boring," he picked up his bowl and shoved the remainings into his mouth, creating an odd looking bump on the left side of his face. "Where do you want to go now, oh High and Mighty King of excitement?" He asked, wheeling side to side on his seat.

Kotetsu: He wrinkled his nose as Izumo felt the need to show him exactly what he was eating. Only looking back after he heard him speaking without the hindrance of food in his mouth, Kotetsu barely caught the action of him shoving all his remains into his mouth. "That's... pleasant." He offered, holding back a disgusted snort. Tearing his eyes away from the other's face, he looked out at the busy streets. "We could go back to my place... It looks like it's going to rain, and I even have homemade cookies at my house." Kotetsu paused before clarifying. Since he couldn't cook (other than cup ramen, frozen meals, and sandwiches, that is) he knew Izumo'd be surprised that he had homemade cookies at his place. "Hinata made'em for me."

Izumo: Izumo's eyes went wide and glazed over. "You're inviting me today?" He clasped his hands together, and then released them to cling onto Kotetsu's arm. "Oh I feel so warm and fuzzy inside, my life long dream is going to come sooner than I thought!" He leaned his head on Kotetsu's shoulder and nodded, his cheek rubbing against the fabric of Kotetsu's shirt. "Of course I want to go," he smiled. Laughing as he picked his head up to recompose himself, he stood up from his seat. "Cookies, eh?" He flinched inwardly as he heard that they were specifically made for Kotetsu by Hinata, but decided that it was about time to start the whole 'force-those-feelings-away' operation. "Time to see if your girlfriend is up to par or not with her cooking skills," he grinned.

Kotetsu: "No? Really? I mean, it was kind of hard to tell if you wanted to go, since you were only attached to me... And were you smelling me?" The look given to Izumo was surprised and a little confused. Kotetsu could have sworn he felt the other inhaling, but wasn't sure why he'd do that. He was probably making too big of a deal out of it. After all, even Izumo had to breathe to stay alive. Shrugging away the disconcerted feeling that his thoughts had brought about, Kotetsu rose from his seat to join Izumo. "Cab or walking?" He asked, not particularly wanting to get caught in the rain. "Peanut butter chocolate chip, to be specific. I mentioned them, and when I went to her house for dinner, she had some there." He grinned over at Izumo. "Trust me, her cooking is amazing. I'm two steps away from falling to me knees and worshipping her cooking."

Izumo: "Yeah I was, you smelled a bit like msg and I'm addicted to msg. Got a problem with it?" Izumo said to him when he stood up. "I think you're going to give me cancer sooner than any msg-filled food would though," he rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he teased him. Soon they were walking down the street, with Izumo leading them towards the bus stop. "How about the bus? Can't go wrong with that," he suggested with a shrug. It was better than walking and cheaper than a cab, a great alternative to them both. "Peanut butter?" Izumo's eyes lit up as he heard this. He never had any at home since his mother hated peanut butter; maybe this isn't going to be so bad after all. However when he listened to Kotetsu's praising of Hinata, he had to struggle to keep his smile from faltering. "That's nice. You definitely need someone like that, cause god knows your cooking tastes like shit," he clapped him on the back.

Kotetsu: "B-but... the bus won't get here for another half-hour!" Kotetsu whined, pointing an outstretched finger towards the bus stop sign. Sighing in resignation, he stuck his hands in his pockets, obviously annoyed with the situation. "Fine, fine, we'll wait for the bus." He said slowly. "But I get the corner seat, and you have to sit next to some stranger."

Izumo clapping him on the back was unexpected, to say the least, causing Kotetsu to step forward off the curb and nearly get hit by an oncoming car. Jumping back onto the sidewalk, fully intent on screaming, slapping, and otherwise berating his friend, he was surprised out of the death-mode by a splattering of raindrops against his face. He wiped one finger across his nose. "Uh, Izumo?" He asked, studying the moisture clinging to his finger. "I think it's going to start raining..."

Izumo: Izumo waved his hand as if the waiting time was not a big deal at all. They were men of leisure, weren't they? And taking the city bus is a damn good leisure activity, unless you had old women and their saggy boobs in your face, shoving their busy hands around you pretending to be reaching for their purses. Izumo shuddered silently at the thought and turned back to Kotetsu who was currently consumed with slapping and punching and screaming. "Stop hitting, I'll give you the corner seat, stop, ow that really hu-" Izumo was interrupted by a big splat of rain to his forehead. Looking upwards to the darkening sky, he frowned. "Uh...it's just going to be a light drizzle. Don't worry. We'll be by your house before you know it..."

Kotetsu: A light drizzle, Izumo had said. Kotetsu was reflecting on that statement a few minutes later, when he was desperately trying to escape from the rain pouring down around them. "A light drizzle, my ass, Izumo!" He growled, pressed against the slightly taller boy, using the other's body as a makeshift shield against the rain. The wind had picked up, and although it had been a relatively windy day before this, that had been a pleasant breeze. Now, the wind was pushing the rain down at a slight angle. Of course, this did allow Kotetsu to place Izumo between himself and the rain. It didn't help much... but it was better than bearing the wind full-force. In his mind, Izumo deserved to be the wall, since he was the one to decide that they were taking the bus. "I'm soaked." He continued, glaring at Izumo. "And it's your fault. We just had to take the bus, and wait around for the bus to come." He kicked aimlessly into the air. "Stupid bus." He muttered under his breath, fixating his glare on the busy street in front of them.

Izumo: "I'm...sorry?" Izumo called out against the wind. He gave Kotetsu a lopsided, guilty smile and squinted as the raindrops got caught in his eyes. "Damn, where is the bus?" He muttered, looking in the direction in which the bus should be coming. If it was late before without the rain, it probably will be running even later now. Izumo sighed, noticing the way Kotetsu was using him as a shield. Without any second thoughts, he turned around and faced Kotetsu so that the rain would fall on his back instead of his face. "Yeah well I'm even more...soaker," Izumo finished lamely, making up the last word. Feeling a bit uncomfortable would be the understatement of the century as he realized the close proximity of their faces, but he soon channeled his thoughts to the pouring rain and turned his eyes to the ground. "I'm sure it'd get here soon...and you can think of this as a sign from nature for you to shower," he laughed.

Kotetsu: Kotetsu noticed the closeness of the other boy, but didn't pay much attention to it, too busy shivering from the amount of water collected in his clothes. "Well, I'm sure as hell taking a shower when we get back to my place. I'm freezing." He crossed his arms, tightly grasping one arm above the elbow. "Generally, I'd say that we should wait for your stupid bus, but we're going to have to walk from the bus stop to my place. That's another five minutes in the rain. Can we just take a taxi instead?" He looked up at Izumo hopefully, teeth already beginning to knock together from the cold. It was times like these he envied Izumo, especially since he had to have at least fifteen to twenty pounds more on him. Being thin, Kotetsu always had been more susceptible to the cold, and this situation was no different.

Izumo: Izumo bit his bottom lip slightly as he was thinking. The bus should be getting here in a few minutes, but there certainly was no guaranteeing. Especially in weather like this. "Ok ok, come on, we'll just get a cab," he said giving in as he looked at the shivering boy. He looked out into the street and noticed that the amount of cabs available suddenly doubled from before. Those smartass drivers probably all come out the most when weather conditions leave people not unlike them two with no choice but to pay the fare. Sticking his hand up to call for one of the cabs before them, he quickly opened the car door to stick Kotetsu in first when it pulled up. "See? I promised we'd be back at your place in no time!" He grinned at him with one of his thumbs up.

((for part two go to: this post))