Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ The Babysitter ❯ Next Thing You Know ( Chapter 3 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Weiss Kreuz nor am I profiting from this, it is for pure reading enjoyment. The wonderful Koyasu Takehito is the creator.

The next day started with average accounts. Yohji and Omi were pretending as if the previous night had all been a dream. Yoko nor Van could pick up on the uneasy vibes between the two men.

Half an hour went by. Omi turned his head in the direction of the front door. He could hear keys opening it. Omi’s father was the first to come through. “Hey kid,” he greeted his eldest son. The younger two children made their way over as quickly as they could. Their fevers were gone but they were still pretty itchy with pox and their mother made a sad face when she saw them. Yohji came over to greet the returning parents as well. “Yohji, thanks again for watching the brats.” The two kids giggled when their father said that.

“No problem,” the young man replied. “If you don’t need me anymore, I guess I’ll be on my way.”

“Alright, Yohji,” the mother agreed. “Take care.”

One thing Omi had sort of forgotten until now was the fact that he was suspended from school and he didn’t want to tell his parents. In fact, if he did confess then, he’d also have to reveal the fact that he’d gotten Yohji to scam his principal. Omi would be double busted and Yohji might not be trusted as much anymore.

“Oh shit,” the young blonde said to himself. He couldn’t just stay home today like he’d done the last two days. His parents would be home or at least his mother would stay home from work to look after the two sick children. He could play sick but that would fall through too. His mother would no doubt call the school informing them that Omi Tsukiyono would be out ill today and they would politely reply that it didn’t matter anyway because the boy was still suspended...and that would foil Omi’s cover up. Quick as lightning then, he finished dressing himself and picked up his back pack.

“Omi darling, where are you off to so early? You don’t have to leave for school yet.”

“Uhm...I kind of wanted to get their early today. I’ve been having a little trouble with my homework so I wanted to see if my instructor could help me before class.”

“Oh? In what subject? Maybe I can go over it with you later.” Omi was afraid she’d say that. After all, she was a school teacher herself. “I know that I work at the elementary but I still know some highschool level stuff.”

“No, no, it’s okay, I, I...know what I’m doing...I just need some help...from my instructor.”
“Okay dear.”
“Bye,” Omi yelled in a hurry. He flew down the street, striding to Ken’s house. He had to catch him before the brunette left for school. Ken was just shutting the front door when Omi called out his name. “Ken, ken wait!”

“Hey Omi.” The younger boy was breathing hard and trying to catch his breath. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I just ran all the way here to catch up with you before you caught the bus to school. I wanted to know if I could stay at your house today since I can’t be at mine or else my mom will get wise that I’m suspended.” Ken started laughing. “What’s so funny.”

“You ran all the way here for nothing. I’m not going to school today. They’re having a test and I’m not prepared.” Omi shut his eyes in mild regret. “But sure. You can hang out with me here today. I’m just going out for a cruise, wanna come?”

“A cruise?”

“Yeah,” Ken smiled.

“Oh shit, don’t tell me you...”

“Yeah, I finally got that car I wanted. It’s right there,” Ken pointed to the blue automobile. “It’s a little older and it doesn’t have any air but I paid for it every cent with my own money and it’s mine all mine!” he said proudly.

“It’s a fucking Corvette, who cares whether it has any air or not it’s beautiful! Now you can finally get rid of that hunk of junk pick-up truck.”

“Hey, I love that truck.”

“Ken, it doesn’t even run anymore. It’s dead.”

“But it was my very first automobile. It has memories.”

“It has cracks in the upholstery that make your skin itch and the driver’s side door doesn’t open so you have to crawl in through the passenger side. Not to mention the all money you’ve invested just getting it to stop overheating. Money you could have used on this car.”

“You’re right. It’s junk. I’ll be glad to get rid of it,” Ken said with a look. All the frustration that old pick-up had given him came flooding back. “Anyway, now I can afford to drop my job at The Burger House and just focus on working at the record store. I was getting so fucking tired of wearing that obnoxious Burger House uniform and hat I nearly slit my wrists.”

+++

Ken chauffeured his little blonde friend around the city as the boy sat in the back like a V.I.P. or someone. “So, you’re parents came back today, right?”

“Yep.”

“And no more Yohji.”

“I know.”

“You sound disappointed.”

“We were getting to be friends. And not just cause he didn’t rat me out for stuff I regularly would have been busted for. He was fun to be with,”Omi said smilingly.

They returned to Ken’s house after a twenty minute drive and went into the brunette’s room. “I want you to hear this song.” Ken played the track and Omi listened.

“What is that, robot music? That’s what it sounds like.” Ken started moving his arms mechanically. He stood up and did his legs the same way. Omi applauded him and the older boy fell back onto his bed. The younger man walked over and sat next to him.

“So what have you been up to lately? We didn’t talk much these past few days.” Omi shrugged his shoulders thinkingly. “Jack any more cigarettes from the babysitter?” Ken teased.

“No. Besides, he was wise to me. He knew we’d gone through his stuff.”

“Oh shit. Did he get all pissed off?”

“No, but he knew we saw that photo of him and that guy kissing and I called him a fag, it really hurt his feelings. He thought I’d called him that because of the picture and that I was prejudice, subconsciously I think it was true. Other than that though, he didn’t seem mad.”

“That’s good,” the older boy replied as he scratched the length of his neck and yawned. “I’m bored.”

“Well what do you wanna do?”

Ken thought to himself for a moment. Suddenly, his lips curled up into a smile. He stood up and closed the drapes of his window. “You wanna experiment?”

Omi’s eyes drew wide. “Experiment? Us?”

“C’mon. It’ll feel good.” Ken bent down and fished a tin box from under his bed. He pulled out a bottle of blue pills and other filled with white that had stars on the front. “These white ones are supposed to make you feel like you’re weightless and the other...I dunno, guess we’ll find out.”

[Oh–that kind of experiment,] Omi thought to himself. “Where’d you get the blue ones?”
“I got’em both from my cousin. I think they possibly have the same results as the white ones. I forgot to ask.” Ken also readied a water bottle. “Bottoms up,” he said as he downed the star tablet. Omi repeated the action. “If these are any good, I’m gonna sell ‘em at school.”

“Is that a good idea?” Omi asked, which Ken thought was slightly out of character.

“No, but I want some fast money and it’ll stop me from taking them myself. I don’t want to become a junkie.”

“Whoa,” Omi said as he started swaying.

“Oh, shit. Is it working?” Ken smiled. Omi nodded. “Wow, I can feel it now too. It works fast. Awesome.” Ken waved his hands around in front of his face. “Hmm, no double vision. That’s a plus. It really does make you feel all floaty, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, I feel like a cloud.” Omi tried to move around but he’d lost control of his legs. They felt like they were trying to escape from under him. He finally rested back on Ken’s bed and the spring from the mattress made the room jiggle. “What about the blue kind now?”

“We should let the side affects from this stuff wear off first.”

“Okay,” Omi replied slowly. Everything was going by in snail time now. The comforting feeling of feathery weightlessness started to turn into dizziness but it felt interesting somehow and made him more curious as to what the little blue pills were like. While Ken stilled in his own hallucinations, Omi crept over to the next set of tablets. He swallowed one blue pill with a long drink of water and sat in wait. He started to giggle and ever so often his older friend would look back at him in a confused fashion. The giggles turned into uncontrollable laughter.

“What’s wrong with you?” Ken asked with a tilted head.

“I...haha...I took another one. The blue kind.”

“Oh,” the older boy smiled. “Is it really making you feel that good?”

“No,” Omi shook his head with a grin. “I’m laughing because I know I shouldn’t have taken it but I just had to sneak one anyway.”

“Well, how does the blue pill make you feel then?

“I’m not sure. I don’t feel different at all yet.” Omi hesitated for a moment. Suddenly, something was different. They way he felt inside. It was very emotional and very passionate. “I feel really comfortable and content.”

“It stopped the giggles, didn’t it.”

“Yeah, it did. I feel relaxed,” Omi said staring out the window. “Yohji wouldn’t like this though, especially after that last incident.”

“Are we gonna talk about that guy all day?”

“Are you jealous?” the blonde smirked.

“Of what, the non-existent bond that you guys share? He’s a tool.”

“No, he’s not!”

“Don’t get so defensive. This is me you’re talking to. Whose side are you on, anyway?”

“This isn’t about sides,” Omi said softly. He sat very closely by his friend and looked into the depths of his brown eyes. “Besides, how could I ever choose him over you?”

Ken kept still. Omi’s voice was starting to sound husky. “Okay.”

“I’m hungry. What do you have to eat?”

Ken was glad that the conversation was turning toward a different direction. “I’ve got all sorts of stuff. Let’s go to the kitchen.”

The two walked slowly to the refrigerator and had a look inside. Omi scouted around the counter tops and cupboards. “What’s with all the graham crackers? Why do you have so many boxes?”

“Ever since I moved out on my own, my mom has been extra concerned about whether or not I have enough food to eat. Each week she’ll bring me something in bulk. Last week was rice and the week before that was fish for the freezer. I think now that she’s gotten some of the practical out of the way, she’s trying to bring me snack foods.”

“You’re lucky to live on your own.”

Ken chuckled at the comment. “It’s not as easy as it looks. The only reason I finally got my own place is because I had to for peace of mind. I couldn’t live with my mother’s new husband and his bratty kids another day. How about some soup?”

“Sounds good.”

They fixed to bowls of soup and sat at the table to eat. “Well, I’m done. I’ll be back, I have to piss.” Omi took it upon himself to wash the dishes and wipe down the area they’d eaten in. Ken returned to find the younger boy still polishing the kitchen. “Whoa, good job.” This was the first moment that Ken had stopped thinking about how suspicious Omi was acting earlier. Things seemed to have gone back to normal. “C’mon, let’s go back to the room.” Ken’s legs were coming back to him as the pill he’d taken was gradually wearing off. Omi on the other hand was still feeling high as a kite. “That blue pill still got you goin?” The younger boy nodded.

“You wanna experiment?”

“Yeah, where’d I put those tablets? Hand me the water bottle.”

“Not like that,” Omi replied lazily.

Ken looked confused and he hardly moved as his friend leant in to kiss him gently on the lips. He felt his mouth being licked and suddenly a tongue went inside which made the older boy jump. “No.”

“Why not?” said the blonde as he closed in again.

“Because I’m not gay.”

“This doesn’t mean we’re gay. We’re just being silly. It’s just the two of us...and kissing is fun.” Omi put a hand to Ken’s shoulder. His fingers began to gently caress the side of the boy’s neck.

“No, this isn’t you talking. It’s whatever the hell was in those blue tablets, it’s been changing your behavior for a while now.”

“Ken, it’s not that. I really do want this to happen. I think I might really be gay or bi-sexual at least.”

“You’re curious, you’ve never had a homosexual experience before and you only think it’s something that you want. You want your first time to be with me because you trust me.”

“I’ve already tried it once with someone else and I know it’s something that I want.”

The brunette’s eyes widened with astonishment. “What?! When? With who?”

Omi was silent for a moment then, he sighed loudly. “With Yohji.”

“You had sex with him?!”

“No, we didn’t get that far.” Omi explained in detail exactly what had happened. “I was scared, but I’m not anymore. I don’t know if I’ll get another chance with Yohji; you and he are the only ones I really feel comfortable with about this. I know I freaked out with him but I won’t with you. You see, because I love you and nothing’s ever been wrong between us and I think that...”
“Don’t even finish that sentence because I know what it leads to. And you’re right, nothing has ever been wrong between us so let’s not let anything start. No more talk about being queer. Do you know what the rest of the guys would say if they heard us talking about this? And that kiss, if they ever knew about that, furthermore that I let you do it...we’d both never live it down.”

“Ken, please don’t make me feel ashamed of this.”

“Well, I don’t know what else to say to you ‘cause I don’t understand it; and I think it’s plenty rotten that the babysitter tried to fuck you.”

“Please don’t make me feel cheap either.”

“It is how it sounds.”

Ken was right but he was also wrong. On the standard scale of immorality, Yohji was guilty. He hadn’t any business lying in bed naked with a boy he’d been instructed to watch over but, it had been the man’s own moral beliefs that led him to end the situation due to Omi’s emotional state; based on that fact the event wasn’t exactly how it sounded.

+++

The hours passed and Omi felt completely sober. He also started to feel foolish once he began to recall how he’d been acting earlier. He kept looking over at Ken, wondering what the man thought of him now but, the brunette didn’t seem to care much at all. [Maybe he doesn’t remember. No, he wasn’t that far gone, not like I was.] Omi stretched and grabbed his back pack. “I should get going now. School’s already out and my mom will expect me home.”

Ken nodded and walked his younger friend to the door. “Call me later. There’s supposed to be an underground party tonight. We should go.”

“Cool, when is it?”

“It starts at 9:00 o’clock in the old industrial park.”

There are some things in life that you have to pay extra caution to. There are some situations that you cannot, Can Not afford to be irresponsible with or face a troubled fate. Omi recalled the statement in his mind. “Bad stuff usually goes down at that place. I don’t want to get caught up in the middle of it. We should find something else to do.”

“Is that shit still affecting your brain? I thought the side affects had finally worn off the both of us,” Ken teased. “We go there all the time. What’s the difference now?”

“I’m just trying to be more careful. I don’t need anymore trouble in my life. Yohji said something to me the other day...”

“Screw Yohji. He’s not your friend, I am. Do you really think I’d put you in danger on purpose?”

“No, not on purpose but...”

“We’ve never ran into anything we couldn’t handle down there before.”
“Ken, what if that luck is running short? I don’t think we should take any chances. Let’s pass on this party tonight.”

The older boy gave his friend a long look and then a snicker. “Fine.” Omi smiled in triumph. “Whatever, meet me here around eight. I should be off from work by then and we can go see a film or something.”

“Great. I’ll be here,” Omi responded as he headed in the direction of home.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

“I’m proud of you,” the boy yelled, now across the street.

“Get lost.”

+++

Omi’s mother was glad to see that her youngest two children were looking a little better than earlier and their appetites were picking back up again. But soon the little boy and girl found themselves entering the world of sleep, which meant their mother was left with nothing to do. She was a hardworking person and didn’t like to keep still for long so she started cleaning their room. She picked up all the toys not forgetting to spray them with sanitizer and started to collect all of the clothes they’d worn during their sickness for washing.

Omi was a fairly neat person and usually kept his room clean but his mother decided to give it a run down anyhow. She smiled noticing that he too needed some of his clothing washed so she gathered them up. Before heading to the laundry room she started going threw the pockets to make sure the boy hadn’t left anything inside. She pulled out a few coins, a ring, and the yellow dismissal note from Omi’s suspension. Fortunately, for her son, she just threw it all onto his desk and whisked away with the laundry. Later she returned for a little more sprucing while the yellow note sat face down. His mother reached beside the desk, grabbing hold of the trash bin and pulling out a full bag; the force of her movement blew the dismissal note face up. It’s bold black letters ‘Dismissal Pass Per Suspension’ screamed Omi’s doom. “No!” the woman said to herself. “You’ve got to be kidding me!” Apparently, something had caught her eye and Omi was in trouble.

+++

Omi passed through the front door and took off his shoes. He found his mother waiting in the dining room. She had a sour look on her face and her eyes were black as tar while they stared at him. “Are you alright?”

“Go to your room, Omi?”

The blonde was stunned but he quickly made his way to his bedroom and shut the door behind him. Almost immediately, he noticed the yellow paper on his desk and closed his eyes with a sigh. “Fuck, she knows...” He started to pace. [I should’ve tore that shit up.]

Eventually, the man of the house came home and that meant that he was about to get an earful from his wife. “This is serious,” she said to her husband. “Now, we’ve gotta go have a talk with him. And don’t make me out to be the bad guy. You’ve gotta show him you mean business too.”

“Alright, I will.”

Omi’s parents strode down the hall to his room and opened the door. His father seemed pretty cool headed but Omi’s mother was about to explode.

The blonde who had been lying down, suddenly raised up. “I’m sorry,” were the first words out of his mouth. He did not like the twitch in his mother’s eye and didn’t expect for her to be this mad.

“Good,” said Omi’s dad, trying to sound firm.

“No, he’s not off the hook yet!” ranted the woman.

“What are you talking about?” her son asked.

“Well, Omi, how can you apologize for something if you don’t even know what you’re apologizing for? Don’t be phony with me. I was cleaning your room today and I saw a condom in your trash bin when some of the loose papers fell out. How dare you turn this home into a motel when you’re supposed to be looking after it. Your brother or sister could’ve walked in on you or heard you. They shouldn’t have to be embarrassed by your actions over something they don’t even understand yet. No one in this family deserves that sort of disrespect.” The boy was stunned. So this was why she looked so mad. He absentmindedly laughed to himself. “Oh, so you think this is funny?!”

“No, no, I thought...Well, anyhow, I didn’t have sex if that’s what you’re worried about. It started to happen and then...it just didn’t.”

“Does your Dad have to have ‘the talk’ with you again?”

“Please, no!” cried the two men in unison.

“Sex is very serious. It can be very wonderful and very damning all at the same time. What if you got this girl pregnant, you don’t even have a job. How could you support the baby? Or even pay for an abortion without any money? ‘Cause it wouldn’t be coming out of my pocket. I already have children of my own to worry about, I don’t need to take care of someone else’s.” Omi started to laugh again. “So this is funny?!”

“No.” Omi pondered whether he should just come out and say that he’d been with another man. Nah. “Mom, that was the whole point of using the condom, being careful.”
Still shaking her head, the woman sighed. “Fine. But I don’t want this going on in my house anymore. Furthermore, you’ve proven to me that you do need a babysitter because you obviously don’t know the meaning of responsibility and certainly aren’t mature enough to start having sex because as the old saying goes ‘there is a time and a place for everything’ but you don’t seem to care about that. By the way, how many times has it happened?”

“Never.” It wasn’t a complete lie. It never happened in her house. Only the Yohji incident took place there, the times when he really did have sex had either been at someone else’s house or in the back seat of a car.

“Well, I guess you’re at that age now. And by law you’re old enough to start having sex but I still think you’re too young and immature to handle the consequences. And I hope you really know this person you’re sleeping with, it’d be a shame if you came home with an STD because you didn’t think to investigate your partner more thoroughly.”

“I know the person’s character very well.”

“Alright, end of discussion, this is making me too upset. I need to rest.”

The heat was on and Omi was feeling the flames. But at least his parents didn’t know how much he’d really screwed up while they were gone and he was going to do his best to keep it all from them, starting with ripping up that dismissal note. Right now he was really proud of himself for declining Ken’s suggestion to go down to the old industrial park. A week ago he’d have jumped at the opportunity but now he was ready to start reverting back to his genuine self.

+++

Omi looked at the clock. If his calculations were right, Ken had just been released from work. The blonde hopped in the shower quickly and found something fresh to wear. He slid his wallet into his back pocket and attached the chain to his black leather belt.

On the way to his friend’s house, Omi realized how peaceful and calm the night air was. It seemed like a good omen. He looked up at the darkening sky and wondered as to what part of it’s infinite body stretched out over Yohji’s head. What was the older boy doing? What was he feeling? Or what would the two of them be doing if they were together right now?

Omi started to clear his thoughts and wiped the smirk off his face as Ken’s house came into view. He crossed the street and knocked on the door, hoping that the brunette wouldn’t mind that he was late; Omi’s day dreams had swept time away from him. The boy knocked at the door again but still there was no answer. He went around to Ken’s bedroom window. No sign of the older boy and none of the lights seemed to be on in the house. He waited another ten minutes on the front steps before coming to his feet but just then, Ken pulled up. “Hop in.” Omi smiled and entered the car.

Ken went on about how tonight was his last night at his second job and upon turning in his letter of two weeks notice, the manager blew up at him unnecessarily causing a scene in front of everyone. Another employee called the restaurant owner and the whole ordeal was just long and explosive.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m just a little pissed off. I can’t believe what kind of shit went down tonight. I have to go back there again tomorrow morning and figure stuff out.” Suddenly, Ken’s cell phone started to ring. “Omi, can you answer that for me?”

The blonde picked up the phone noting that the name on the caller ID was familiar. “Yeah, Ken’s right here, hang on,” said Omi as he passed the phone to Ken’s free hand.

“What’s up?” Omi tried to pay attention to the conversation. “Uh...no,” Ken said shaking his head. “Okay fine, real quick.” He hung up and turned the car around.

“Where are we going. What was that all about?”

“We’re gonna go pay Saka a visit.” The closer they came to Saka the more Omi realized that they were headed in the direction of the industrial park. “Oh no, we’re not going where I think we’re going.”

“It’s just for a minute. Saka says he has something important to tell me.”

“He could have done it over the phone!”

“No, he sounded upset. I wanna make sure he’s okay. I don’t want him doing anything stupid.”

“Going to this party is stupid.”

“Chill, would you?! Geeze.” Omi sat quietly. It wasn’t so much that he feared danger at the party, he was disappointed that Ken wasn’t respecting his wishes. Apparently, Saka was more important. “Just stay in the car if you’re gonna be such a cry baby,” Ken proposed after parking in the lot and opening his side door. Eventually, the younger man began to feel abandoned so he left the car and went in search of Ken. He treaded down a dark alley, led only by the sounds of partying teenagers and other young adults. The party was huge, an old warehouse building was packed with people and loud music. Omi peeked inside but went no further or else he’d have to pay the door charge. He knew that Saka and Ken would be speaking privately and probably wouldn’t choose such a public place to discuss matters. Omi flipped around and did some more exploring around the outside of the building where he finally found Ken standing with Saka and another guy who Omi didn’t recognize. “I thought you were gonna stay in the car.”

“That was before I realized we were gonna be here so long.”

“Well, just hang out or something. It looks like we’re gonna be here for a while.”

Omi could see in Ken’s eyes that he’d obviously taken something. His speech patterns were slightly off and he just seemed to be in a daze. “Do your remember what I told you earlier?” Omi’s voice was beginning to become assertive.

Ken crossed the distance between them. “Look...”

“No, you look. You lied to me and now I’ve got to wonder if you didn’t do this all on purpose. If maybe you’d always intended to come here then, get high so you’d have an excuse not to leave ‘cause you can’t drive like this. You just out right lied.”

“This whole good boy routine is getting really old. We were here exactly two weeks ago today and you didn’t have any complaints partying and doing what every other person here is doing. Not whining like a two year old and calling your best friend a liar. This all just started after Lord Yohji began influencing you with his bull shit.” Ken crept an inch closer. “And if he’s so righteous then, ask him why he tried to fuck you while your kid brother and sister were asleep in the next room,” he whispered.

“You’re cracked.”

“Well, maybe I am. In fact, why don’t you go ask Yohji. He’s the one doing all the thinking for you lately. And he’s the one whose side you’re constantly taking so why don’t you do yourself a favor and go to him ‘cause I don’t wanna see your face right now.” Omi stood his ground. “Go!” Unable to keep himself together, Omi strode off into the night and out of the abandoned industrial park. Moments later, Ken had actually gone looking for his little friend but lost track of him so he returned to the party.

The air went from feeling cool to humid and muggy. He didn’t know where exactly that he was going, Omi just kept on walking. He could sense danger all around. He was in the downtown area and this was where the homeless usually took up residence. Their gleaming eyes watched him carefully. They knew that the young boy possibly had money on him. A man started to follow the blonde and the faster Omi sped up so did the man. Finally the blonde started to run and he could hear the quickening of footsteps behind him.

BEEEP!!! The sound of a car horn blew. Beep, beep!

The car was coming in Omi’s direction and the flashing high beams distracted both him and his stalker. The car moved forward and threatened to run over the man who had been chasing Omi. The boy was stunned. Suddenly, the car circled back around and the passenger side door popped open. “Get in,” said the familiar voice. Omi was so relieved and satisfied that yet again, Yohji had come to his rescue. Ken had to be wrong about this man. They didn’t say anything for a moment but the younger boy kept a look of contentment on his face. “I’m almost afraid to ask what you were doing on this side of town at night, alone and by yourself, running away from your potential mugger or murderer.”

“I went to an underground party and things got out of hand down at the old industrial park.”

“Not a smart place to be. Remember our talk about choices.”
“Yeah, I know and I really tried hard to make the right one. I kept you in mind but someone dragged me there...he tricked me.”

Yohji could hear the sincerity in Omi’s voice. “Well, I guess I’ll drop you home now.”

“No please just drop me off at the diner down the street from my house. I don’t feel like playing twenty questions with my parents when they see me home so early. I almost wish I didn’t have to go home at all tonight.”

“Well, why don’t you come back to my house. I’m starting dinner and being there will kill some time. Besides, how fun is it to sit alone in a diner that serves bad food?”

Omi nodded his head. “Alright, I’ll go with you.”

The younger man helped carry up a bag of groceries to Yohji’s apartment. Together they prepared stir fried vegetables with rice and glazed chicken. They sat in the dining area and began eating their meals. “You seem so quiet. Are you okay?”

“I’m just a little hurt and disappointed. You see, a friend and I were supposed to go see a movie together but he changed plans at the last minute. I wouldn’t have minded if I hadn’t already told him that I didn’t think going to that party was such a good idea but, I’d already expressed those feelings to him. It was like he chose not to hear a word I said. Then, we got in an argument and he basically told me to scram. I think I was starting to embarrass him in front of our other friends because I wanted to leave.”

“He just let you walk out on your own?”

“Pretty much. But it’s not like I’m a child.”

“Yes you are. Not a small one but you are still a child and you were all alone in a strange place after dark.”

Omi started to think about the situation. Perhaps Yohji was right. But Ken was his friend. “Well maybe...”

“Maybe nothin’. Would you have done that to him?” Omi sort of shrugged his shoulders. “No you wouldn’t have,” Yohji said firmly and shoveled another piece of broccoli into his mouth. The younger man started to loose his appetite. After dinner Yohji drove him home and gave him words of comfort as he walked him to the doorstep. They told each other good night and parted.