Tokyo Boys

Apologies for the long delay, hope you'll enjoy the new chapter :) Thank you as usual for the reviews and feedback!

TOKYO BOYS
Chapter 40

Several days had passed and Yuuto appeared to be back to his old self again. It was the last day of school again and everyone was busy taking up their roles in the big school cleaning operation.

Yuuto had waited anxiously until everyone cleared the bulletin board to check out his results on the final exams. Daisuke kept a distance, watching Yuuto’s back even as several classmates continued speaking to him. He only replied brusquely, keeping his eyes on his friend.

“I’m still fourth…” Yuuto said with sullen face as he returned to Daisuke’s side. “I’ll never get that scholarship…”

“Of course you will!” Daisuke berated him. “Don’t think so lowly of yourself, how could they pass on your talent?”

Yuuto sighed. “You haven’t seen really talented artists if you think that…”

Daisuke grabbed him, shaking him slightly. “Stop being so negative! It’s annoying.”

“I’m sorry…” Yuuto stepped out of his reach. “We should join the class now…”

“Hasabe-kun, come here a moment…” Moriyama-sensei suddenly popped up in the hallway, signaling Daisuke to follow him to his office.

“What is it sensei?” Daisuke asked and closed the door behind him.

“Have you reached a decision?” he asked. “I was thinking of going back tonight instead of tomorrow.”

“Oh…” Daisuke rubbed his head. “I think I’ll stay here… your family might not see it well if you bring a kid with you instead of your girlfriend…”

“Or you don’t want to leave Kaname-kun alone?” Shouji asked with a small smile.

“He won’t be alone… his sister will be in town for a visit… actually I think I’m the one who’s going to be all alone…” Daisuke rubbed a finger under his nose. “Don’t let the guilt ruin your holiday spirit though.”

“It wouldn’t…” Shouji grinned and suppressed an urge to ruffle the boy’s carefully styled hair. “Just don’t mess up my apartment.”

~*~

Yuuto woke up with a start when he heard the door bell. He realized he fell asleep on his textbook and rubbed his eyes, before getting up to answer the door.

“Merry Christmas, Yuu-chan!” His heavily pregnant sister beamed at him when he opened the door.

“Sister!” he smiled brightly. “Wow, you’re so big!” He stared at her round stomach.

It didn’t really register that she was having a child as long as he didn’t see it with his own eyes.

“You look a little bigger yourself. Did you grow taller?” She smiled at him.

Her husband bent down to help her change her shoes and then he was free to bow and greet Yuuto too.

“Where’s mom?” Emi asked after sinking in an armchair inside the living room.

“She probably went to buy a Christmas cake. She worked until late yesterday…” he said quietly.

He wasn’t sure if his mother told his older sister anything about their financial situation, her collapse at work or the plans to sell the house. He knew that after Christmas his mother was planning to take a long vacation and leave to Tottori to be with her daughter during birth and help out for a while afterwards.

Yuuto knew that part of growing up and becoming a man was being independent. He has grown up a spoiled child, loved by his mother and older sister who helped raising him like a second mother. However, in the past year their roles in his life have become minuscule due to distance and the obligations. Instead of feeling sad about it, as he had been at first, Yuuto started seeing the long time he was going to be on his own, as a chance to become an adult. It already took enough time to convince his mother it was okay let him stay home alone.

“I have to study,” he told her. “I won’t be able to concentrate on my homework with all the excitement about the baby,” he explained.

She wasn’t entirely convinced, but promised to leave him enough food that could last for a year.

~*~

For the first time in months, Daisuke felt bored. He was watching TV in sensei’s living room, but every year the same programs were playing and watching it alone was not as fun. He missed sensei’s company and he missed Yuu-chan’s presence. He thought briefly about going over to Yuuto’s house, but he knew they had a family reunion and didn’t want to get in the way.

Strangely enough, or maybe because it was Christmas, Daisuke missed his own family. On Christmas Eve they had the luxury to enjoy mom’s cooking. Then they would eat the Christmas cake father had bought on his way home from work. After that, Akira and he were allowed to play on the playstation console for hours.

Funny Daisuke never realized how nice it was to have a family, especially on days like these. Despite all the fights and bickering, the nagging and near obsessive-compulsive behavior from his parents, feeling he belonged felt good.

Daisuke sighed heavily and switched the channel again on the television. He wondered if he should join his friends in their karaoke outing or just call it a day and go to bed early.

It was late, almost 11pm when he suddenly heard a knock on the door. His body tensed. Who could it be? Friends of Moriyama-sensei? No one was supposed to know he was staying in his teacher’s place. He knew Sensei had kept it secret even from friends and family that he took him in. He could get into trouble if anyone found out.

Daisuke’s eyes wandered to the television and he wondered if it wasn’t too late to mute it. He decided to ignore the knocks and almost held his breath when it repeated.

Suddenly his phone started ringing. He grabbed onto it, as if hiding it with his hands could silence it.

“Yes?” he answered quietly, in a hoarse whisper, cupping his hand over his mouth.

“Would you open the door already?” He heard his brother’s voice. “It’s me!”

“Huh…” Daisuke closed his phone and stood up, staring at the door.

He then went to open it, surprised to see both his mother and brother standing at the door.

“About time…” Akira muttered and stepped inside, kicking his shoes off.

“Merry Christmas, Daisuke,” his mother said. “We brought some cake. Did you eat?” she asked and headed to the kitchenette.

Daisuke stood still, still puzzled at the sudden visit. Akira walked in without shame and looked around the apartment.

“Not bad…” he said. “Where’s the game console?”

“There isn’t any…” Daisuke said. “It’s sad, I know.”

“Damn… then what do you do here for fun?” Akira asked as he slumped down on the armchair, taking hold of the remote control.

Daisuke’s mind flashed with images of sex on the sofa, sex in the bed, sex in the shower, sex in the workroom, sex on the kitchen table…

“Oh, I just study in my free time… I need to be serious, you know…” he said quietly and waved his hand.

“How boring…” the younger brother muttered.

Akiko handed Daisuke a plate with a piece of cake. He looked at it for a moment, before mumbling a small thank you.

Suddenly she lifted her hand to move a strand of hair from his face. “What happened to your eyebrow?” she asked and Daisuke automatically raised his fingers to touch the scar where his eyebrow piercing had been.

“Oh… a small accident,” he said quietly, grateful the other bruises had already healed. “I’m still handsome, right?”

She shook her head. “You’re the same as ever.”

“Does the old man know you’re here?” Daisuke asked once she went to give a piece of the cake to his brother.

“Yes, of course. We couldn’t disappear at this hour without explanation,” she said.

“And he agreed?” Daisuke raised an eyebrow.

“Hnnn…” Akira lowered his voice to mimic their father, “’Do whatever you like.’ Is what he said.”

Akiko thwacked her younger son’s head. “He won’t admit it, but he cares about you,” she said quietly. “You know how stubborn and proud he is… he needs time.”

She looked around the apartment, peering into the hallway. “Where do you sleep?” she asked.

“Uh, on the sofa…” Daisuke rushed to say. He stuffed his mouth with more cake. “Hmm, this is so delicious.”

“I have some good news.” his mother smiled at him and he raised his eyes from the cake.

“What?”

“I found you an apartment. It’s not far from your school. You’ll be able to live there and Moriyama-sensei will be off the hook,” she said. “Isn’t it great?”

“Uh, yeah…” Daisuke hummed. He wasn’t sure how he felt about moving out of Moriyama-sensei’s house, he wasn’t thrilled, but he wasn’t sad either.

“Who… who is going to pay the rent?” he asked.

“Your grandfather. I asked him and he agreed at once,” his mother said with a smile.

“Wait, grandfather knows?” Daisuke gaped a little. “Did you tell him that I…”

“No, no…” his mother cut him off. “He only knows you had a fight with your father and got disowned… he offered to take you in, but I said you wanted to stay in your current school.”

Akira sighed loudly from his place on the armchair. “And if I were you, I’d call to thank him and ask for a game console with the apartment…”

“Akira!” His mother scolded him.

Daisuke smiled. It really did feel good to be a part of a family, even if they were irritating as hell most of the time. His mother promised to give him more details about the new apartment the next day and that he will be able to move in after the New Year holiday. They stayed with him, watching TV and chatting until it was past midnight. Daisuke was thankful for their visit, especially as he slipped to sensei’s bed, all alone.

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