Life Happens, Part 1 for Rhapshie!

[arysthaeniru]

Title: Life Happens: Part 1
Author: chouta_angel
Recipient: rhapsie
Rating: PG-13 for language
Warnings: There is cursing. Shishido has a dirty mouth (and mind).
Summary: Sometimes things don't work out. Sometimes life likes to throw curveballs at you. This is the story of how the past refused to stay in the past.
Notes (if required): I kind of really ended up going overboard with the whole silver pair domestic theme. I hope you enjoy.

Looking at his watch, Shishido Ryou swore. His mother was going to kill him. The time was had completely gotten away from him and he had already been late as it was. Now it was just going to be a desperate attempt to minimize the lateness as much as he could. It didn't matter though. He already knew he was going to get an earful from her. Even worse, it was probably going to be in front of Shun. How lame would that be? He sighed, resting his cheek against the cool glass of the train's window. No need to stress out about it now. Still, it was a relief when he saw his stop.

“I'm here,” he called out, kicking his shoes off. A blur of green and brown came running towards him. Sheer reflex allowed him to catch Shun, picking the boy up to keep from getting knocked back. “Sorry,” he mouthed to his mother. She was just standing there, watching them. He couldn't read her expression and that was the scary part. “Lost track of time.”

Shun was speaking a mile a minute, talking about his day. Experience had taught Shishido how to tune the boy out, nodding at all the appropriate moments without actually having to pay attention. It wasn't something he actively tried to do but it was a necessary evil at times. “Any issues?” He asked, still just mouthing the words to keep up the ruse of listening to Shun.

His mother shook her head. When Shun paused, she seized the moment. “I have some leftovers for you. Shun even helped.”

The little boy nodded. “Grandma let me stir.” He grinned, obviously proud of the fact. “And Grandpa said it was super good.”

“I guess I should try some then, shouldn't I?” Shishido asked as he set the boy down. Shun nodded enthusiastically.

“Why don't you get a bowl and cup out?” He heard his mother suggest as the two walked towards the kitchen. Hanging up his jacket, Shishido realized he'd left his shoes in a mess. No need to earn an additional lecture. He took a moment to straighten his things up, tennis bag sitting in its spot just inside the door. The same place it had always gone. Sometimes it felt like nothing had change and he was still a teenager living at home with his parents. But things were definitely not the same. The pair of bright blue kid's sneakers, the little blue jacket, and Shun himself were all evidence that life was not the same. As familiar as this house was, all the little reminders added up to one thing: Shishido Ryou was most definitely not a teenager anymore.

Shun was practically bouncing in his chair. He had a bowl and cup waiting on the table for Shishido. Every few moments, he'd shoot a glance over at the pot still sitting on the stove.

“I'm sure that it's still warm,” Shishido's mother assured. Turning to her youngest son, she added, “If not, please let me know so I can heat it up for you.”

“I'm not a kid anymore,” Shishido protested as he helped himself to the soup.

His mother looked at Shun fondly. “I should hope not.” She sighed softly and smiled at the child. “Why don't you gather your things and say goodbye to your grandfather while I talk to your father?”

Shishido paled, not liking the sound of that. He almost asked his son to stay but the look in his mother's eyes stopped that thought in its tracks. Besides, as much as he hated to admit it, if this was like any of the other times she wanted to have one of these talks then he really did not want his son around. Shun might get the wrong idea. The boy looked at Shishido. When Shishido nodded that it was okay, the boy scurried off.

“My friend,” his mother started. It took all his willpower to not groan, already knowing where this was going. “-of a person who gives music lessons.”

Or not. Shishido stared at his mother, not fully comprehending what he'd just heard. “You're not setting me up?” He asked, voice clearly expressing his disbelief. That was how this conversation always went and had gone for the past few years. Had his mother finally decided to drop the whole topic of marriage? Halle-freaking-lujah.

“Not this time though if you want...” She gave a sweet smile that hid her evil. It was terrifying.

“So, music lessons,” Shishido quickly tried to shift the subject back to a far safer topic.

She nodded. “My friend, Sasuwa-chan, you remember her, don't you? She's the one who had the daughter your brother dated a couple of years in high school.”

“Vaguely,” Shishido replied, hoping his mother wasn't about to switch the topic back into dangerous marriage talk. “What about her?”

“Her niece recently started taking piano lessons from a new teacher. She absolutely loves going and Sasuwa-chan says the girl's playing has increased dramatically since starting,” his mother went on.

Shishido took a bite, thinking about it. Shun had been asking to learn how to play an instrument. It was strange. Where his son had gotten the musical inclinations, Shishido had no clue. Even worse, his son seemed to have no interest in sports. “If the teacher's so good, how do you know there's any free slots for new students?”

“That's the best part,” his mother replied. “Apparently he attended a university in the south and just moved back. He's looking for new students.”

Promising. Shishido gave a little nod. “Can you call and set it up for me?” His work hours were sometimes crazy and setting up appointments wasn't exactly his strong suit to begin with.

“I already did.” His mother wore a smug smile. “Shun's first lesson is Friday after school.”

~*~*~

Friday quickly appeared. Shishido watched as kids left Shun's elementary, often going off in small, overly excited groups. They were all chattering happily. A couple of boys were talking about some kanji character they'd learned that looked neat. He spotted his son and stood off to the side, waiting to be noticed. It took a few moments but the grin on Shun's face made picking him up worth the trip.

“No going to Grandma's today?” The boy asked as he ran over.

“Not today,” Shishido confirmed, shaking his head. “Remember how you keep asking to learn to play an instrument?” Shun nodded. It was cute how the boy didn't seem to catch on. Shishido didn't leave it a mystery for long. “Grandma found someone who teaches piano. You're going to have your first lesson today.”

The boy's eyes widened in surprise and delight. “Really?”

“Yes, really,” Shishido answered. “It'll be hard though and take a lot of practice to get good.” He knew his kid wasn't going to sit down and be this musical prodigy. Or even if he was, he knew the kid would start out as crap. He'd already decided he wouldn't let Shun quit for at least a month. After a month, if his son wanted to keep going he could but a month would also be long enough to see if this was just some passing whim as children often had.

“Like Dad and tennis?”

The man chuckled. “Yes, just like me and tennis. It's taken me years to get where I am now but when I started-”

“You were bad?” Shun interrupted, grinning.

“Absolutely horrible.” Thankfully those days were far, far behind him. As they continued towards their destination, Shishido couldn't help but notice they'd entered a rather nice neighborhood. Something about it seemed familiar but Shishido couldn't place from where. He'd probably had a classmate who'd lived nearby or something. It was only when he saw the nameplate on the traditional looking house that he realized why it all looked familiar. He swallowed hard. How many times had he come to this house when he was younger? A large part of him wanted to run away, to stop this from ever happening. He couldn't though. The expression on Shun's face was testament to that. Sighing, Shishido knew this was going to be awkward but he had to do it for his son.

“Want to ring the bell?” Shishido forced the words out. He tried to smile and it was apparently able to hide his discomfort because his son was grinning. Picking his son up so the boy could reach, Shishido's heart started beating hard enough he was sure he was going to have broken ribs.

He already knew who was going to open the door. He'd realized what was going to happen the moment he'd seen that name. All of that did not make it any less of a surprise when Ohtori Choutarou opened the door to greet them. For a moment, Choutarou didn't seem to recognize him but the moment the younger man did, Shishido could see it in Choutarou's eyes.

“Say hi, Shun,” Shishido prompted, setting his son down. It was hard to speak when his whole system felt on the verge of shutting down. Besides, someone needed to break the awkward silence that had descended immediately. At the words, Choutarou's gaze traveled down to the small boy at Shishido's side. The shock was written all over Choutarou's face. He was trying to hide it but then, well, he'd always been horrible at hiding his emotions from Shishido. The fact that Choutarou was openly staring and looking between the two only made it worse. Shishido could understand. His son took after him in the looks department though he'd inherited his mother's black hair and nose.

Choutarou recovered. He looked at the boy, giving Shun a friendly smile. “Hello Shishido-kun. My name's Ohtori-sensei. I heard you wanted to learn how to play piano. Is that right?”

It was Shun's turn to stare. “How'd you know my name?”

Choutarou glanced at Shishido, obviously looking for help. “We went to school together,” Shishido decided to answer. It was true. They'd gone to Hyotei together for years and it was the least complicated truth. “Chou-Ohtori-sensei was...” Crap, now what? And geez, had he really almost slipped into that old habit? It'd been years since he'd seen Choutarou and they definitely hadn't parted on good enough terms for Shishido to slip back into calling him by his given name.

“We played tennis together,” Choutarou finished.

Shun wrinkled his nose. “I don't like tennis,” he declared. It wasn't the first time and Shishido doubted it'd be the last. “Can you teach me now? 'Cause Dad says it'll take lotsa work to get good and so I wanna start now.”

“Go ahead,” Shishido told the other two. Mentally he wasn't sure if he was ready for this but he had to fake the confidence to keep the situation from spiraling out of control. “I'll...be back in a bit,” he added. Originally he'd planned on staying with his son, of observing the first lesson and meeting the teacher. He wasn't expecting Choutarou though and that had changed the situation entirely.

“You can stay and observe if you like,” Choutarou offered. There was a long, heavy pause before the next word. “Shishido-san.”

Shishido shook his head. He needed out of here, to regain any and all semblances of sanity. And honestly, as bad as things had been between himself and Choutarou, Shishido knew the other would never do anything to hurt Shun. He wasn't the type to take things out on an innocent, unrelated party. “Be good for...Ohtori-sensei, okay? I'll be back in a bit.”

His son nodded, grinning as he followed Choutarou into the Ohtori house. Once the door closed Shishido let out a huge sigh of relief. That had been unexpected. And now he had some unexpected time to kill. As he walked through Choutarou's neighborhood, it was all starting to come back to the brunet man. He was fairly sure he remembered there being a convenience store nearby. He could kill a little time there, maybe get some drinks or something.

Of all the people. He sighed again, resting his forehead against the cool door of the refrigerated drink case. “Worst luck ever,” he mumbled under his breath. It had been years since he'd last seen Choutarou. Almost ten years since they'd parted ways and that hadn't exactly been an easy or happy parting either. Their whole situation had ended in such an ugly way. He could look back now and see exactly what had gone wrong. At the time, he'd been blinded by youthful stupidity. They'd been way too young for that kind of a relationship but he couldn't bring himself to blame Choutarou. Or himself. The whole mess had been both their faults and neither at the same time.

The cans clinked in the bag at Shishido's side. He'd found one of Shun's favorites. There was a can in the bag for Choutarou too. It had taken several long moments of serious internal debating and he wasn't sure if the guy still enjoyed strawberry-kiwi juice but that's what Shishido had picked up. A decade ago, it'd been one of Choutarou's favorites but time had a way of changing people.

When he returned, Choutarou's mother was the one to greet him. It was a relief and even moreso when she didn't appear to recognize him. Shishido stood off to the side, standing barely in the doorway of the music room. Choutarou's family had always had a musical tendency. They had an entire room in their house just for playing. When Shishido had first seen it, he had had trouble believing it. The differences between himself and Choutarou had never felt more apparent. Even now, it was still hard to believe in a lot of ways.

The two at the piano didn't seem to notice him.

Seeing Choutarou was hard. Far harder than it had seemed when Shishido had been outside. After a little while, a timer buzzed. Choutarou did something that turned it off, saying something to Shun that Shishido couldn't make out.

“I've got drinks,” Shishido offered, finally breaking his silence. Choutarou jumped at the sound of his voice.

Shun closed the book on the piano. He was grinning which was a surprised to Shishido. The man had expected to see a frustrated look on the boy's face. “Is there a grape one?” He asked, eyeing the bag at Shishido's side.

“Make sure Chou-Ohtori-sensei is finished first,” Shishido lightly scolded. “He might have something for you to do before your next lesson.”

“Shishido-kun will be returning?” Choutarou sounded surprised. He looked surprised too.

Shishido nodded. He'd already decided in advance that he'd make his son stick with lessons for at least a month. “Unless you have a problem with it.” Choutarou shook his head and Shun grinned. The two spoke for a few more moments, Shun scrambling to write something down. The smile on the boy's face was infectious because it had spread to Choutarou's face as well.

As he and his son were getting ready to go, Shishido went through the bag of drinks to hand Shun the grape one. Shishido's fingers lingered on the can of strawberry-kiwi juice. He could still not give it to Choutarou. Except he couldn't. Shishido handed over the can, trying and failing to ignore the surprised expression on the other man's face. Choutarou stared at it.

“It's not going to bite you,” Shishido tried to joke. He could see his once friend biting the inside of his cheek, a sign the guy was freaking out but didn't feel comfortable enough to speak his mind. Unless that was something about Choutarou that had changed over the years.

“Can we talk?” The younger man finally requested.

Shishido glanced down at Shun who had been watching them. “There a playground nearby?” He hadn't seen one in his earlier walk. Besides, he had a feeling he really didn't want his son listening in on this particular conversation. There were a few parts of his life that Shishido wasn't quite comfortable with his son knowing yet.

“There's one a few blocks away,” Choutarou answered.

The walk to the playground would have been awkward if not for Shun. The little boy was excited, trying to explain what he'd done during the short music lesson. If there was something he didn't know how to explain, he'd shoot an expectant look Choutarou's way. Those were the only times Shishido actually heard his former teammate speak.

When they reached the playground, Shun practically shoved his can of grape juice into his father's hand. Shishido didn't have time to say anything before the boy ran over to the slide. The man chuckled and took a seat on a nearby bench. He kept his attention focused on watching his son. He was acutely aware of Choutarou sitting beside him.

“You have a son.”

It wasn't a question. It wasn't full of judgment. It was just a simple statement.

“Shun,” Shishido confirmed. “He'll be six in August.”

“Are you married now?”

It was an innocent question, one Shishido heard all the time. It was one he expected to hear. Just because he knew it was coming didn't make it any easier to answer.

Shishido sighed. “No. It's not a fun topic for me to talk about either.” Thoughts of his ex-girlfriend were about as fun as a bullet to the brain. “Don't ask Shun about it. He doesn't know anything.” And it was going to stay that way for the foreseeable future.

Looking at his love life, Shishido couldn't help but notice he had an amazing ability to fall for all the wrong people. Case and point was sitting right next to him and the proof of the other was about to fall off the monkey bars. “Be careful,” Shishido called out. He'd rather not explain to the boy's grandparents why Shun was missing any teeth. Once was more than enough.

“What about you?” Shishido asked, steering the conversation away from himself. He didn't allow himself to look over. “You seeing anyone now?”

Choutarou was quiet for a moment. If it weren't for the movement of his arm as he took a drink, Shishido would have thought his companion gone. “No, not now,” Choutarou finally answered.

“It was a surprised to see you,” he continued on. “I'd seen the name and wondered if it was just some weird coincidence or maybe your brother.”

“And then you got me.” Shishido finally gave in, sneaking a peek at his former friend. The guy was fidgeting with his can of juice. “Most people tend to be surprised.”

Shishido knew he was kind of young to be a parent. Not unreasonably young but most 28 year old's weren't running around with a 5 year old. Most people his age were just starting down the whole settling down, starting to have kids, and had really little ones. “My kid's not like me at all either. Biggest klutz in the world with no interest in sports. Not even tennis. If he decides he likes music, you'll probably have good luck with him. He did not get my brain.” Shishido wasn't stupid but academia hadn't exactly been his strong suit.

That got Choutarou to laugh. “He seems like a sweet boy.”

“Don't ask me how that happened.”

Shishido stretched. And sighed. He knew what he needed to say. It was a topic he'd wanted to discuss about as much as he'd wanted to talk about his ex-girlfriend. Still, it was going to come up eventually if his kid was taking lessons with Choutarou. “Shun doesn't know...well anything before he was born, especially about...”

Hard to say. That's what this was.

“He doesn't know we dated,” Choutarou finished, summing it up perfectly. He flashed a quick nervous smile.

“Yeah.” Wow, great use of words there. Shishido wondered if the world could pity him and maybe swallow him up any moment now. “I mean, well, how? How do you explain something like that to a kid?”

Choutarou slowly nodded. “Besides, it's not as if it was relevant.”

“Exactly.” Someone who understood. “But, you know, if we're going to end up seeing each other again, I wouldn't mind being friends again.”

...crap, had he really just said that? Shishido poked the ground with his foot. Any minute now would be nice. A little Shishido-sized hole was all he needed to escape this nightmare. Choutarou was smiling. Shishido felt like cursing. He could already tell just how screwed he was.

~*~*~

“So, Shun's birthday is Thursday,” Shishido murmured. He was at Choutarou's, standing with the guy while Shun was practicing. It was the only time he really had to do so since it wasn't like they could exactly fit a piano in their apartment. “We're going out for dinner on his birthday and then he's having a small party on Saturday at my parents' house. If you want to come to either...”

Stupid Choutarou and his stupid smile. “Thank you for the offer.”

A few months had passed since the music lessons had started. If anything, the boy was even more in love with making noise than he had been before. Luckily, it had been fairly easy to fall back into a friendship with Choutarou. Surprisingly easy but then, they always had clicked. Their personalities seemed to fit together perfectly. When he'd been a teenager, Shishido had chalked it up to fate, that it had been some divine sign that he and Choutarou had been meant for each other. Now? He realized just how weird those thoughts were. Choutarou wasn't his soul mate, at least, not in the sense that a teenaged Shishido would have described. It wasn't as if Choutarou's gender had anything to do with it either. It was just the whole idea of a soul mate, of that one perfect person, was stupid. Really, the whole idea was just some Oshitari nonsense if Shishido cared to give it a label.

“Unfortunately, I'm busy Saturday,” Choutarou continued, “but I'd love to join you two on Thursday if it's okay with you.”

“He wants pork ramen,” Shishido warned. “His favorite character loves it so it's practically all he ever wants to eat now.”

Choutarou's eyes took on this faraway look. Shishido immediately knew where his friend had gone. “I haven't had ramen in ages,” the younger man said wistfully.

“It took me awhile to be able to eat the stuff myself,” Shishido admitted. “We're, uh...” Crap. “It's the same place.” Because it was awesome and cheap. Sure, it was kind of out of the way from his apartment but it was totally worth it. He had to admit this was probably a bad idea. He was inviting trouble into his life. A small voice in the back of his head yelled he was long past inviting it. Trouble had arrived the moment Ohtori Choutarou had opened the door.

Thursday seemed to appear in the blink of an eye. All too soon, Shishido found himself walking to the ramen shop, Shun at his side. His son was skipping with excitement. It was his birthday, he was getting pork ramen, and there was a shiny box in Shishido's other hand. Shishido just hoped he was ready for this.

“Sensei!” Shun dropped his father's hand, running over to Choutarou. The taller man was waiting for them outside the entrance to the small shop. “What are you doing here?”

Choutarou bent down, ruffling the boy's hair. “I hope it's okay. I can't make it to your party on Saturday like everyone else.”

Shun gave an enthusiastic nod. “Did Dad tell you how yummy this is?”

“Actually,” Choutarou glanced over at Shishido. There was a smile in his eyes and Shishido knew what his friend was about to say. Lowering his voice, Choutarou continued, “I'm the one who showed him this place.” It had been part of Choutarou's whole 'rebelling against being a rich boy' stage that had lasted for all of about two months when he'd been fifteen.

Shun's eyes grew wide, seeming to take up half the boy's little face. “He never told me that. You never told me that!” The boy said in quick succession, turn to address his father.

“I'm sorry.” Shishido was doing his best not to laugh and only just barely succeeding. “But you didn't even know who Choutarou;” Shishido froze at the the name slip. “You didn't know who Ohtori-sensei was the first time we came here,” he recovered.

“Well I know him now.” Because that was a valid argument. Sometimes Shishido didn't know if he should laugh or roll his eyes at some of the stuff his son came up with.

“Okay,” Shishido said, taking the third option. “Next time we go anywhere, I'm make sure to tell you who told me to go there.”

The smile on Shun's face was a little too smug for Shishido's tastes. His son looked entirely too pleased with himself for having won this little battle but in the end, it really wasn't about the battles. It was about the war and something as stupid as this was not where he was going to fight.

Over the years, the ramen shop had lost some of its rundown aesthetic, upgrading from milk crates to actual tables and chairs. None of them matched but that was besides the point. All it did was lend the place a homey feeling. It had gone from a hole in the wall dive, definitely not somewhere he'd take a kid (and if he were his parents, he would have been horrified at how often teenaged Shishido had come here) to still being a hole in a wall but one he didn't worry about bringing a kid to. The place even had a server.

After they ordered, the trio sat off to the side. A few others were in the shop but it was fairly uncrowded. Shun kept eyeing the box in his father's hand. Shishido shook his head. “After you eat.”

Shun pouted. Luckily, Shishido was immune to its intended effect. Choutarou, however, was definitely not immune to the pout and was visibly debating helping the boy out. Which was bad because Shishido knew he'd fall for whatever his friend would say. Stupid Choutarou and his being able to get Shishido to do anything without even realizing it.

“No,” Shishido repeated, putting a little power behind the word. “If you see it now, you'll just want to go home and if we do that, you won't get a chance to eat.”

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say because the now six year old was looking at the box with even more interest if that was at all possible. Just then, their food arrived and it was just the distraction Shishido needed to safely move the present out of Shun's sight without the boy noticing. Choutarou saw, shooting him a look. Shishido shrugged. He didn't care. He'd said his son would wait and this would make it easier on all of them.

The first one done was, to no one's surprise, Shun. Shishido watched the boy carefully, trying to make sure that his son didn't somehow choke. It shouldn't have been a concern but then normally the boy took the time to actually chew his food too. Shun looked around for the present, only just now noticing it wasn't sitting out anymore. “You have to wait until we're done too,” Shishido added between bites.

“I don't mind if he opens it while we finish,” Choutarou tried to help the boy out.

Shishido knew his friend meant well but that was the wrong thing to say. “He can wait,” the man repeated, voice firm. They were almost done. It would not kill his son to be a little patient. Just as he was turning back to his food, he saw Choutarou mouth an apology Shun's direction. Shun gave a little nod, mouthing back a thanks.

“Really you two?” Shishido asked, feeling more than a little outnumbered here. Shishido shook his head in disbelief. He sighed and decided that once (and just this once) he'd give in. He set the box on the table, pushing it towards his son. “This is only a small part of it.”

The soft smile on Choutarou's face should have been outlawed. Shishido busied himself with finishing his food in what was definitely not a desperate attempt to keep from blushing or something like like that. Besides, he wasn't allowed to show any signs of the small crush that was threatening to appear. He wasn't going to screw up their rekindled friendship with feelings that might be stronger. They hadn't discussed their old relationship which meant that any future ones were definitely off-limits. It wasn't like a romantic relationship was possible anyway. Choutarou was a different person now and Shishido was too. Choutarou didn't deserve the headache of being with a single parent. So yeah, even the idea of having feelings was a bad route to go down.

“What is this?” Shun had the present open, staring at it in confusion.

“It's part of your present,” Shishido explained. “Your uncles are supposed to be setting up the rest of it at home.”

“It's just a cord,” Shun said even though they could all see that. “What's it go to?”

Shishido chuckled. “You'll see when we get home.”

“Does Sensei know?” Shun all but shoved the cord into Choutarou's face.

The taller man shook his head. “I have no clue, Shun-kun. You'll just have to wait until you get home.”

“You should come see it then,” the boy insisted. “Come home with us, please? Dad, can he?” He shot his father a pleading look.

Shishido was quiet, thinking about it. He'd been to Choutarou's home many times since they'd become friends but the other had never been to the Shishido boys' apartment. “If he wants to come and see, he can,” Shishido decided, speaking slowly and picking his words out carefully.

“I'd love to.”

Crap.

“WHAT!” Shun stared at the shiny black keyboard set up in their small apartment. It took up most of what little freespace they'd had but if that reaction was any indication, it was worth it. He turned to his father, eyes wide. When Shishido gave a little nod, the boy ran over to the instrument to inspect it.

“No need to be so loud kiddo,” a familiar voice said, yawning loud enough to wake the dead.

“Thanks for the help Jirou.” Shishido shot his friend a grateful smile. He looked around, noticing a friend was missing. “Gakuto already take off?”

Jirou nodded, pausing when he finally noticed Choutarou. “Said he had a date,” Jirou explained. “I haven't seen you in awhile, Ohtori. Since when have you two been on good terms?”

Choutarou paled though it wasn't as if anyone unfamiliar with him would have noticed. “It's nice to see you as well.”

“He's Shun's music teacher,” Shishido decided to nip this in the bud. No need to let the situation get out of hand.

“Really now?” Jirou sounded skeptical. He had an uncharacteristically serious expression on his face.

Shishido sighed. Really? Even after he'd tried to keep this from getting ugly? He loved his friends but they had a tendency to meddle in his life. “It's crazy how things happen,” he tried to stop the conversation. “Neither of us had a clue until Shun's first lesson.”

Luckily, Jirou finally seemed to catch the hit about dropping that line of talk. “Well I should probably head out anyway. Ami's been alone with the kids all evening so she's probably going nuts. See you Saturday.”

Choutarou waited to speak until after Jirou had left. “He has kids?”

“Two,” Shishido confirmed. Meanwhile Shishido's own child was completely enamored with the keyboard, hesitantly touching the keys to play soft melodies that Shishido didn't recognize. “Want something to drink?”

“Water's fine.” Choutarou turned his attention towards Shun and chuckled. “That's going to get quite a bit of use,” he said as he followed Shishido into the tiny kitchen.

“Well the whole music thing's lasted long enough that it's not just some phase he'd outgrow,” Shishido explained. “And we can't keep bugging you for little bits of practice time.” He pulled out two cups for them. They stayed there, listening to Shun. The atmosphere was actually nice. They had a comfortable silence going on between the two of them. It reminded Shishido of when they were teens, often spending the entire day together but working on separate projects. Those days, back before things had gotten complicated, had been nice.

“You called me Choutarou.”

Crap. Again. “It was an accident.”

Choutarou chuckled. “I didn't say I was complaining. It was kind of nice to hear actually.”

“Oh?” Shishido raised an eyebrow. Part of him wanted to run far away from this topic. They'd avoided bringing up the past and all that had happened and it meant that their current friendship was progressing perfectly.

“It reminded me of when we were kids.”

Definite crap. “Really?”

“We had a lot of fun,” Choutarou continued. “Remember the time we ended up late to that movie but you helped the manager deal with that drunk so he let us into an unused theater so we could still see our movie?”

“I still say that's the best movie I ever saw in theaters.” Shishido couldn't help but grin at the memory.

“Do you even remember what movie it was?”

“Not a clue.”

Choutarou started laughing. It was infectious and soon Shishido found himself laughing as well. “I don't remember what it was either,” the younger man admitted.

“You guys are loud.” Shun glared at them from the doorway. The adults just exchanged a look and started to laugh even harder. Shishido leaned against Choutarou to keep from falling down. He felt an arm wrap around his shoulders as Choutarou leaned on him to do the same.

Shun stomped his foot on the floor. “Stop laughing at me.”

“I...” Shishido couldn't breathe. “Sor...”

“Not...” Choutarou sounded like he was having just as much trouble. “...pur...”

Shun continued to glare. “Adults are weird,” he finally declared once he realized the adults were only continuing to laugh. He stomped out, heading straight for his present. He started to play loudly as if he were attempting to drown them out.

With Shun gone, Shishido became very aware of how he and Choutarou were standing. The arm around him felt heavy but comforting. He knew he should move but he couldn't help it. He wanted to stay like this a little longer. It was a conflicting feeling that was only made worse by the fact that Choutarou was now resting his head against Shishido's. Crap. This was way bad.

“You can call me Choutarou again. I don't mind,” the younger man said, his breath hot on Shishido's ear.

“Then,” Shishido swallowed hard, trying to calm his racing heart, “then you have to call me Ryou. It's only fair.” He squirmed out from under his friend's arm and gave the guy a poke in the side. “You think you can do that?”

“I think so, Ryou-san.”

Shishido saw the grin on Choutarou's face and groaned. “Don't you dare. No more -san's on my name,” he tried to order as he sat on his counter. He could already hear his mother's voice in the back of his mind, scolding him. He ignored it. Besides, it was nice because he was now on the same level as Choutarou and able to look his friend in the eye without craning his neck up. “Did you every think we'd end up friends again?”

“After what happened in high school, I never thought we'd even see each other again, let alone become friends,” Choutarou answered honestly.

The older nodded, understanding where his friend was coming from. “Could you imagine if we'd stayed together? I mean, where we'd be now?” Oh crap. This was not an appropriate topic of conversation.

Choutarou took his time answering. “You wouldn't have Shun,” he finally decided on. “I think, I think it's better to not go down that path though, Shi-Ryou. Dwelling on the past? It's never a good idea.”

He could respect that. He was grateful that Choutarou had said that. Trust his friend to be perfect yet again. If he wasn't such a nice guy, Choutarou would be downright sickening to be around with his whole perfectness. “Yeah, you're right. And I'd never trade Shun for anything. Kid's my world and has been since the day he was born.”

“Have you dated? Since he was born, I mean.” Choutarou had an innocent, if a tad blank, expression on his face.

Shishido fiddled with the cup sitting next to him. “Not much,” he admitted. “A few dates over the years but that's about the extent of it. Nothing serious, that's for sure. You?”

Choutarou didn't answer right away. Just when Shishido was about to give up and steer the conversation in another direction, he finally heard the other respond. “I...it's been about the same for me. I had a boyfriend for a couple of years in university but nothing serious other than that.”

“Why not? You're a nice guy. I'm sure you've got tons of people lining up to date you.” Shishido was annoyed at how happy he was to hear Choutarou's current relationship status.

“I'm picky,” Choutarou said with a nervous chuckle.

“So you either didn't have standards or I somehow passed them. Choutarou, I'm not sure which is scarier.” Shishido reached over, lightly punching his friend's shoulder.

“I think it was a little of both.” Choutarou shook his head, almost as if he couldn't believe it himself. “But, you know, as bad as it was when it ended, I don't regret it.”

“Me neither,” Shishido admitted. He ran a hand through his hair. “I mean, looking back on it now? I understand why it was a disaster. We were way too young for that.”

Choutarou nodded in agreement. “We just didn't think we were. Dumb kids, that's what we were.”

“It was all just way too much, way too fast, and it crashed and burned in a spectacular mess that ended up making me lose one of my best friends,” Shishido summed up their past. “At least it was fun.”

The banging on the keyboard in the other room stopped, Shun appearing a few moments later. “You're normal again,” he stated, looking at the two of them. It barely took him more than a step to reach Choutarou, tugging on the man's hand. “Come play with me?” He requested. Shishido could see his friend melt under Shun's adorable brown eyes. The kid had some deadly eyes, especially to the inexperienced.

“Why don't you guys play something?” Shishido agreed, jumping off his counter and narrowly avoiding falling into Choutarou. That would have been so beyond bad he really didn't want to think about it. Choutarou shot him a betrayed look but Shishido ignored it, choosing to instead push Choutarou out of the kitchen. The younger man quickly caved.

Shishido watched the other two sit at the keyboard. Choutarou glanced back at him for a moment, an obviously impressed expression on his face. He turned back to the instrument, gently running his fingers over the keys. It was that reaction that made Shishido feel proud of the purchase. It was a joint gift from his entire family, all of them chipping in some to get one of the better keyboards on the market. It wasn't the absolute best but it was in the top five. Shun seemed serious about music and if so, that made it a terrific investment. And if not? Well, at least they should be able to get most of the market value back.

Shun had his book of beginner melodies out. “Can we play this one?” He asked, pointing to something that Shishido couldn't read. Music was definitely not his strong point. The closest Shishido came was having a decent singing voice but that was the limit of his musical talents. He settled on the low-laying sofa that was set in the middle of the room. Laying down, he watched the other two.

He'd seen Choutarou with kids before but that had always been in a teaching setting or passing by in the street. Now? Shishido was hit by a sudden realization that refused to leave him alone.

Choutarou would make one hell of a good parent. If he ever had or adopted kids anyway. His friend hadn't outright stated it but from the sounds of it, his friend probably identified as gay. And as much as Shishido didn't want it to, that news made him smile. Shishido didn't know why. Well he did. He just didn't want to admit it to himself. Besides, it wasn't like he was gay. The only guy he had ever been attracted to was Choutarou which meant the guy was obviously some strange outlier. If anything, the best case to be made was that Shishido was Choutarou-sexual and oh god had he really just thought that? He was glad the other two had their backs to Shishido. It was bad enough he'd started to think he had a crush on Choutarou. There was absolutely no need to feed it.

He closed his eyes, listening to the two play. He wasn't sure how fast time was moving and it was only when the music changed, becoming something far too complicated for it to be Shun playing, that Shishido opened his eyes. Shun was curled up in front of the sofa, yawning as he fought to stay awake. Pulling his son onto the sofa with him, they listened to Choutarou play. Classical music had never been Shishido's genre but Choutarou always had had the ability to make it sound somehow interesting.

~*~*~

Kids were everywhere. Okay, not really but that's what it felt like. Shun and a bunch of his friends were running around the small yard at Shishido's parents' house. Why in the world he'd thought it was a good idea to have a dozen kids under the age of ten he'd never guess.

“Here,” Jirou said, handing over a small bundle. It didn't take a genius to realize it contained the man's younger daughter, a baby of just a few months. He held his other daughter on his hip. The man's wife was nearby, watching Jirou and the girls carefully. It was almost hilarious. “You need to explain.”

“Yeah, what's this I hear about you hanging out with Ohtori again?” Gakuto said, appearing on Shishido's other side. Crap. He was trapped.

“Hey, cutie,” Shishido said, speaking to the infant he'd been handed and ignoring his friends. As annoying as Jirou could be, Shishido had to admit his friend had made some cute kids. The baby in his arms already had soft blonde curls that made her look angelic. “You're going to be a heart-breaker when you grow up.”

“Ohtori-kun,” Jirou reminded. “Talk or we trade.”

Shishido took one glance at the squirming toddler Jirou was attempting to hold onto and shook his head. He was more than glad his son was past that stage. Shun had been a nightmare as a toddler and he did not envy Jirou one bit for having two and getting to live through it twice. “He's Shun's piano teacher, that's all,” Shishido explained.

“And you expect me to believe that's a coincidence?” Gakuto was skeptical, not that Shishido could find he really blamed the guy. Had their positions been reversed, Shishido would sure he'd be acting the same way.

“It is.” The sleeping baby shifted in Shishido's arms, yawning but never waking. “She like you or she like Hana?” He asked, nodding towards Jirou's older daughter.

“Me.”

Shishido and Gakuto exchanged twin looks of amusement. The sheer amount of relief in Jirou's voice was clear. Then again, the blond's older daughter had rarely slept, being a fussy baby who had often started crying at the drop of a of hat. Again, Shishido couldn't help but appreciate just how relatively easy his own son had been.

“I mean it though. My mom's the one who set it all up, not me. Choutarou was just as surprised as I was.”

Gakuto groaned loud enough to wake the dead. “Jirou, we're too late.”

The other nodded, frowning as he did so. “At least we can say we tried.”

Shishido growled. Did these two have to always be so frustrating? “What are you two going on about?”

“You're calling him 'Choutarou' again,” Gakuto answered, rolling his eyes like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “That can only mean one thing. You've already fallen for him. Again.”

Jirou finally gave up, setting his toddler on the ground. “And don't tell me you haven't. I saw how you were looking at him.”

“We're just friends.” This wasn't a thing, not like the other two were making it out to be. “Believe me, I remember what happened in high school. I'm not going to have a repeat of that.”

“Jirou, your kid's getting away,” Gakuto observed. Shishido looked over, noticing the little girl had managed to somehow make it halfway across the small yard. She was getting dangerously close to where Shun and his friends were playing. The blond man swore, heading over to collect his wayward child. His wife was on his heels, the two speaking.

Which also meant that Shishido was now alone with Gakuto. Hello hell on Earth. “But,” Gakuto sighed, shaking his head. The beads in his hair clinked, sounding almost musical. “But I guess this isn't high school. You guys did that whole self-destructing thing because you were a couple of dumb kids.”

“You were one too,” Shishido shot back. Sometimes he wondered if Gakuto still be one.

“Shut up,” the redhead snapped. “Just listen to me for a few seconds, okay? All I'm trying to say is that maybe you guys will have better luck this time around.”

“Is that a blessing?” Shishido stared at Gakuto, more than a little surprised to hear that.

Gakuto shrugged. “One way to interpret what I said. But whatever you do, do not tell Jirou.”

Shishido shifted their friend's daughter, trying not to wake her as he laughed. She might have been small but infants somehow always seemed to weigh ungodly heavy amounts. “Are you still scared of him?”

“Scared of who?” Jirou asked, returning without the toddler.

“I'm not scared of him.” Gakuto's eyes were practically throwing daggers at Shishido.

“Want her back?” Shishido held out the infant. “And you, still.”

“I'm not,” Gakuto continued to protest. “That happened years ago and I'm not scared of him. It's Jirou. Who in their right mind would be scared of you?”

Shishido grinned. “Keep talking. The more you do it, the bigger a hole you dig for yourself.” Jirou took the infant, grinning and nodding along with Shishido's words. “So, we're done with the whole Choutarou thing?”

He didn't like it when the other two exchanged a look and nodded in unison. Jirou gave his younger daughter a little hug as he added, “just don't go making the same mistakes again.”

~*~*~

Shishido let out a whoop of joy as his lob went in right at the line. Jogging over to the net, he shook hands with his coworker, a fellow tennis instructor at the sports club Shishido worked at. “I can't believe you made that,” the other man said, shaking his head. “Good job.”

“I thought I was a goner when I dropped that first set,” Shishido admitted.

“Want to play another?”

Shishido shook his head. “Can't. My kid and a friend are attempting to cook dinner.”

“Attempting?”

“Yeah,” Shishido said as they walked towards the clubhouse. “My friend still lives with his parents so he's basically hopeless.” He held the door open, motioning his coworker to go in first.

“Really? The way you phrased that, it sounded like you were talking about a girl.” The guy laughed, apparently amused by that. Shishido didn't get it.

“Nah, just an old friend,” Shishido explained. “We grew apart a few years ago but back in March met up again and started becoming friends again.” It was weird to think just how much Choutarou had become part of his life in just a few months. They'd gone from not speaking to him trusting Choutarou's attempts at cooking. Really, that was the one thing that ruined Choutarou's otherwise perfect persona. He completely lacked any skills in the kitchen. It was sad but Shishido honestly had more faith in his son to create something edible.

Pulling off his sweat-soaked shirt, Shishido rummaged through his bag for a clean one. “Childhood friend?” The coworker asked as he did the same.

“More like middle school and high school.” Shishido frowned, only finding dirty shirts in his bag. He knew he needed to clean it out but he hadn't thought it was that bad. “We got any clean shirts in the laundry room?”

His coworker shrugged. “Have fun in there. I think we might have a few left but I have no clue.”

“Going to see if anyone's signed up for a session tomorrow?” Shishido asked as he headed towards the door marked 'Staff Only' that housed the club's laundry room. It was mostly used for the millions of towels the place seemed to go through but the various trainers and instructors tried to keep some clean club shirts stocked.

The answer drifted back as the coworker walked the other direction, heading out of the locker room. “Might as well.”

Awesome! Shishido grinned, spying a whole stack of the club's purple shirts. The locker room was empty when he emerged a few moments later. It didn't bother him. All that meant was that he was all the more likely to get out of there quickly. Besides, as terrible as the food was going to be, Shishido had to admit he was looking forward to his birthday dinner.

“Miss me?” Shishido called out as he stepped into his apartment. It was more than a little surprise that the place smelled good. With the combination in his kitchen, Shishido had expected fires. There was a familiar set of voices laughing coming from the room. Thinking they hadn't hear him, Shishido quietly walked towards the room with a grin on his face.

And that's when he discovered why his apartment wasn't a disaster. “Takeout?” He asked, not even bothering to hide. Not that he could have anyway.

“It seemed the safer option,” Choutarou answered as he moved to let Shun rush past him.

“Happy birthday Dad!” The boy cheered. “We gotted your favorite.”

Ruffling his son's hair, Shishido corrected the boy's grammar. “It certainly smells good,” he added, looking between the two. “Eat now or do you guys want me to take a quick shower?”

“Now,” Shun decided for them. “It's been making me real hungry and Sensei said no snacks.”

“I didn't want you to ruin your appetite,” Choutarou protested. His face looked adorable as he was obviously torn between giving in to Shun's puppy dog eyes and being a responsible adult.

“Why don't you get the movies out?” Shishido decided to try and save Choutarou. He really didn't want melted friend all over his kitchen.

Shun nodded, slipping past Shishido to head towards their little television in the main room of the apartment. He was halfway there before he stopped and turned to look at them. “Which one?”

“Start from the beginning,” Shishido answered. “Plates are-” he stopped, watching Choutarou open the cabinet and pull three out. When had that happened, that Choutarou had become so familiar with his kitchen? Nevermind the fact that the taller guy looked good in the room. Shishido swallowed hard, trying to squash the thought. A crush on Choutarou was the absolute last thing he needed right now. And that's exactly what he had. It sucked.

Choutarou knew his kitchen. The thought wouldn't leave Shishido alone the entire time they watched Return of the Jedi. Shishido loved the movie and normally it was everything when he watched. But now? Now he found himself sneaking little glances over at Choutarou. Hating himself for wondering what it'd be like to have Choutarou again. Sadly, the guy had only physically improved with age.

Clenching his hands into fists, Shishido fought the urge to reach over and touch his found. Did his hair still feel as soft as it had in high school? Was he still muscular or had he let his physical training go? He looked like he still had the same muscular build but clothes could be deceiving. Could Choutarou still pull off that irresistible look, the one that was somehow both hot and sweet? Looking at his friend, Shishido hated himself. He hated that he was wondering what it would be like to date Choutarou again. He could remember high school, remember what a disaster it'd been and how wrong they'd ended up being.

In the end, they'd just been too young. The relationship had started almost immediately after Shishido had started high school with Choutarou still in middle school. That first year had been amazing. Basically they were friends who hung out, sometimes holding hands and a few innocent kisses here or there. Even the second year hadn't been too bad. It was only when they'd started screwing around, adding sex to the mix, that they'd ended up destroying themselves. As an adult, Shishido could see it now. Doing that had put their relationship on a level that had been far too intense for a couple of kids.

But they weren't teenagers anymore.

The credits rolling signaled the end of the second movie. Or the third. He really wasn't sure. Shun had long since fallen asleep and had spent the last 20 minutes drooling on Shishido's shoulder.

“Back in a moment,” Shishido said, carefully shifting his son into a position that allowed him to carry the boy. After he put his son in bed, Shishido returned to find Choutarou cleaning up. Again, he couldn't help but be struck by just how much he liked having Choutarou in his room, of how right it looked.

“Thought I'd do you little favor,” Choutarou explained. “Are you okay? You seemed a little distracted tonight.”

Shishido rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling nervously. Had he really been so transparent? Crap. “I'm fine,” he lied. Or tried to. His tongue felt huge and heavy in his dry mouth and talking felt like an impossible task. He grabbed a cup from next to the sink, getting himself a glass or water. It didn't help.

“I'll be out of your hair soon,” Choutarou promised as he walked past Shishido, putting the plates in the sink.

“Or you could crash here.” Was he stupid? Shishido wondered what was wrong with him.

Choutarou froze for a brief moment. If he hadn't been watching his friend, Shishido knew he would have missed it. “I...” Choutarou looked down at the plate he'd started washing. “I don't know if that's a good idea, Shishido-san.”

The old nickname hit Shishido hard. He hadn't heard it in forever. He might have even forgotten how to breathe momentarily. “Didn't we go through that awhile back?” Shishido teased, trying to keep his nerves under control. Damn this night for stirring up all these old feelings that needed to stay in the past. “Ryou, not Shishido-san.”

The muscles in Choutarou's arm tensed. His jaw clenched. Slowly, he looked up from the plates and over at Shishido. His fave was hard, expression serious, and his eyes...Shishido had to fight not to shiver. They held a fiery intensity in them, one Shishido had rarely seen and even more rarely directed at himself.

When the younger man spoke, though, his voice was sad. It was completely at odds with his posture and expression. “I'm sorry Shishido-san.”

The name made Shishido bristle. He wanted to walk those few steps it would take to reach Choutarou. To shake some sense into his friend. One problem with that though. He couldn't move. Choutarou's eyes had rooted Shishido to the spot.

“I thought we could be friends,” Choutarou continued, voice still sad. Shishido's stomach dropped. Choutarou was leaving and their friendship was going to be over. Again. Just like that. He didn't want it to be over. “It's just...”

Choutarou gave a heavy sigh. “It's just that being around you has stirred up all these old feelings in me. Good ones but it makes it hard. I...I want us to be friends but I can't keep myself detached enough.”

That was why? Hearing the reason, Shishido understood. He'd been dealing with the exact same issues but it wasn't like he was going to run away. It pissed him off that that's what Choutarou was attempting to do.

“Dammit Choutarou,” Shishido growled, punching his wall. “You really think you're the only one feeling that way? How selfish are you?”

He watched the other's eyes widen, the hard expression melting away as Shishido's words sank in. “...you too?” It was barely more than a whisper but at the moment, it felt more like a shout for the entire world to hear. Shishido half-expected his son to come running around. After all, kids did have a tendency to ruin moments.

No son came. Shishido slowly pulled his fist back, letting his hand dangle at his side. “What do you think?” He asked, feeling his face heat up. Was he seriously blushing? How lame was that? Twenty nine and feeling like he was fifteen again. Only Choutarou could do that to him. Not even Shun's mother had ever been capable of reducing Shishido to the mess of emotions he was felt now.

He watched Choutarou move, coming close and closer. It wasn't until the other's arms were around him that Shishido's brain caught up and connected the pieces. Even then, all he could think was how weird it felt to be hugged by someone bigger than himself. Not bad, just weird.

Shishido squirmed, pulling away from the hug. He didn't want to but he had to. “Do you realize what you're getting yourself into?” He had to make sure Choutarou realized things were different now. The two of them were different. “I've got a kid. You date me, have need to realize you get him too. We're a package deal.”

It was the only thing that had really kept Shishido from dating. He was smart enough to realize that but before now, it had never felt like such a big deal. Anyone who couldn't handle that wasn't good enough for him. Choutarou had to be able to handle that.

“He's a sweet boy,” Choutarou replied. “And I know that. I like the both of you and I love spending time with you guys.”

“There's a difference between liking a kid and taking care of one.” Shishido gave a heavy sigh. He ran a hand through his hair, wishing he could somehow convey just how important this was. “I can't really do fun and light.” At least, not when it came to Choutarou. “With me, it's going to be serious.” And that sucked. Shishido knew just how full of attachments and commitments his life had now. Maybe with someone else, he could have enjoyed a lighter relationship that wasn't quite so strings attached.

Choutarou nodded, eyes sparkling with determination. “I know. I've thought about it before,” he admitted. “It's scary but a good kind of scary.”

Part of Shishido wanted to doubt Choutarou could handle it. After all, he himself was still scared of being a parent and he'd been doing it for six years. He decided to ignore the voices in his head yelling why this was a terrible idea. “We take this slow,” he said, giving in. “And I don't want to tell Shun right away.”

“I can do that,” Choutarou agreed. His voice had raised half an octave, a sign he was excited. It was cute and it made Shishido smile.. He reached over to give his...oh crap. Boyfriend. Holy crap he was dating Choutarou. What the fuck was going on with this world?

“I should go,” the taller said after a moment. He certainly didn't want to go from the way he was hugging Shishido. “Unless you think it'd be okay to stay the night.”

He was leaving the decision firmly on Shishido's shoulders and Shishido wasn't sure how he felt about that. The smart thing would be to send Choutarou home. The problem with that? He didn't want Choutarou to go either. “You can sleep on the sofa,” Shishido decided, trying to find a decent middle ground. Though he doubted the sofa would be comfortable for Choutarou. It wasn't exactly long enough for an adult to stretch out. “I'll make you breakfast in the morning.”

A flicker of disappointment ran through Choutarou's eyes. Shishido felt a little guilty but in the end he didn't. As teenagers, they'd allowed their emotions and hormones run rampant and it'd torn them apart. When it'd been all said and done, they hadn't even been able to be friends. He wasn't about to let the same mistakes happen again. But it was also late and it was perfectly acceptable for a friend to stay the night.

Sleep did not come easy. Shishido found his mind wandering to the man attempting to sleep on his sofa. A goofy grin was firmly planted on Shishido's face and he couldn't make it go away even if he tried. It was lame. He was glad no one was around to witness this embarrassment. At one point in the night, he'd been tempted to grab Choutarou off the sofa and pull him into bed. Shishido resisted but just barely.