Wolf's Rain Fan Fiction ❯ My Cousin, Toboe ❯ He whispered.... Tsume ( Chapter 12 )

Chapter 12.

Kiba closed his mouth around a long winded, "23." Just as his mouth opened for twenty four a tree branch slamming into the window scared him out of it and he coughed away the sucked in air. Sitting up, so he could catch his breath easier, he looked out the un-curtained window. It had been raining for two days now. It would have been three technically if the down pour hadn't started at midnight. So with a list in mind as to why he were laying on his back having a yawning contest: Can't watch television because there are no captions and he isn't big on guessing, definitely can't hang out anywhere because of the rain, the Lebowsky, he just found out, family creeps him out and finally he's truly too bored to remember what the fourth was- granted he even had one. So laying back down, he started over with a long yawn and a-....

"One."

Just then his door swung open and in walked his cousin. "Hey Kiba."

Kiba turned his head, slowly, hair mashing over to one side from the constriction of the pillow letting it move. "Hi." He replied in a dry tone.

"Mom wants to know if you wanna come down and watch a movie with us?"

"What are you watching?"

"Something scary, I think mental scary so I don't freak out about monsters again."

"Again?"

"........." he scratched the back of his neck. "Is it uncool to be afraid of monsters that live in storms?"

Kiba turned his gaze away from the boy. "I was afraid of a lot worse, so, I guess not." He thought he'd thrown him a bone of kindness; mostly because he snapped at him the first time it had started raining and he climbed into bed with him over a little tapping on his window, although, if the branch on Toboe's window hit the glass as hard as it had hit his just a moment ago, Kiba supposed he could understand that.

The young boy climbed onto the bed with him; he had been holding something in his hands, Kiba noticed, since he walked in. "I brought you this, incase you said no about coming downstairs."

Sitting up, leaning on his elbows, Kiba looked down into a bowl of what seemed to be rice pudding. He hasn't had the stuff since he was a kid. Extending his hand, he took the bowl from his cousin. "Thanks."

"You're welcome......" smiling because his cousin liked it, Toboe looked around the room and made a notice of something. "Hey, how come the tv's not on? It's only raining, so we still have power."

"Toboe! We're gonna start the movie!" His aunt called from the stairs. "Are you two coming down?"

"Go ahead! I wanna talk to Kiba!" Toboe shouts back.

Shaking his head, he couldn't help but miss the peace and quiet his house had. Ohhh how he had taken it for granted. Sighing, he spoke in an even tone. "I'm not much of a tv person, that's all."

"Huh?" He took a moment to remember what he had asked to make Kiba say that. "Oh. Okay, we can just sit then."

"Why are you really here?" Kiba asked suddenly, wishing more and more for his silent yawn fest. "We both know you would rather watch a movie than sit up here with me and be bored."

"Yeah.... I mean," he looked hurt by what Kiba had said. But he didn't seem to want to take it back, it was the truth! "I'm gonna go and watch with them but.... I just thought you might like to spend more time with us.... Months don't last forever and....." tears formed in his glassy, orange, eyes making him look like a five year old.

"......Listen.... I'm sorry.... Maybe I'll watch the next movie with you guys."

Toboe didn't stop the stream of tears from falling. He looked as though he were really about to let go, actually.

"Toboe.... please.... please don't cry..." he cocks his head to the side. "I didn't mean to snap at you.... I'm just kind of tired that's all."

"You're always tired."

"I know... I know. But.... I want you to hang out with me, really...." He held the hot bowl of dessert rice out to him. "See, we can share."

Sniffling, he shook his head. "No. I already had two bowls downstairs."

Oh. Kiba bit his lip. What more could this kid want?

Wiping his tears away, Toboe swallowed and composed himself then he looked his cousin over and asked. "Kiba.... why are you and mom and dad keeping a secret from me?"

Aaahhh, now I get it. Thinks the brunette. I knew there had to be more behind that cry than some stupid movie. He thinks we're all keeping some great secret and figured if we were all in the same room together he might could weasel it out of us. Reaching out, he rubbed his cousins back. It always made him feel better when he felt like crying. Which he tried to never do. "It's not a secret. Your father is just being..." He trailed off mentally with: a jerk, an asshole and any other horrible things he could call him.

"What's so wrong about being gay? I heard Uncle Quent say that too, and now my Dad doesn't want me to hear about it?" His little voice got stone quiet, it was almost like he weren't talking at all. "Is it... something bad?"

Kiba leaned into the boys face and whispered back. "No."

"Than why can't I know?"

"Because, it'll warp your impressionable little mind.... at least that's what your father thinks."

Toboe thought that over. So gay wasn't bad, but he isn't supposed to hear about it because it could make him go crazy or something. "But can you just tell me? I can pretend I don't know?"

Kiba twists his lips in concentration. It made sense that he hear it from Kiba; after all, what are cousins for. Clearing his throat, he sighs. "Gay is two men kissing or having any other type of sexual contact with one another." There. Plain and simple.

Toboe weighed that thought, then looked suspiciously at his cousin. "And that's you?"

Kiba nodded to confirm then returned his attention to his, steadily cooling, dessert. Toboe smirked a moment, then his eyes got wide as he thought about it further. Then shaking his head, he smacked Kiba on the arm.

"Yeah right. Are you sure that's what it means?"

"Positive."

"....I don't believe you."

Kiba raised a brow. "Okay. What do I have to do to prove it to you."

"Go find somebody and kiss them." The boy dared, crossing his arms over his chest. "Go ahead, there's lots of guys in Sweden, pick one."

"No thanks."

Nodding with a smile of humor, he says. "Uh-huh, I don't believe you." Spreading his legs out, he relaxes a bit. "If you were really this 'gay' than you would kiss a guy."

"It doesn't work like that."

"Than what does it work like?"

"I shouldn't have to explain it.... you like guys, and that's it."

Toboe looked thoughtful for a moment. "Kiba.... if you think girls are gross, does that mean you're gay?"

This was becoming annoying. "No. It's.... just forget about it."

"I just wanted to know!" He declared. "You see, Leara is my best friend and lots of guys have girls as best friends but.... they always tell me that they're kissing already."

"So? Do you wanna kiss her?"

"No!" He shakes his head causing a rapid sweep of red bangs to swish across his face. "I mean, why would I? I don't like her that way."

"You don't have to like someone that way to wanna experiment with them." He shrugs.

Slipping from the bed, the young boy walks to the door, pulling it open before saying. "Riiight. I'm gonna go watch the movie, incase you change your mind and wanna come down."

"I'll be here. If you decide you have more questions." It was sarcastic but Toboe didn't hear it that way and just smiled a 'thanks' then headed out, thankfully, closing the door after himself.

"Give me strength." He shakes his head weary of the day. It was already 6:15; dinner had been something to behold as Hubb seemed to really like cooking. It was something along the lines of roast beef, which Kiba thought he hated after tasting the sliced deli meat his 'uncle' had bought from the store. It was like the soul of a shoe, but the stuff they had at dinner was incredible! Maybe there was some type of difference that couldn't be seen between the two and that's why one taste like old garbage.

"I wonder what Tsume's doing?" Kiba found out that he wondered that a lot, and it was bothering him that his boyfriend had given him a once a week restriction. But who was to say that Tsume didn't miss him and is hoping that he'd break off the deal. It's settled then, he's calling.

Rolling over, he picked up the phone and dialed his lovers home, then he hung up. He had forgotten that Tsume was now living with his father.... now what the hell was that mans number again? .......Shit. I never had a reason to call there before.... Wonderful. Now he was gonna have to get it from Tsume's mother and chances are, she ain't home. Especially now that her responsibility has moved in with her ex-husband. He took another spoonful into his mouth, dropping the idea of calling Tsume's home. It could wait till tomorrow he supposed. With a sigh, he then sat up. Maybe he could go watch that movie with the family. What would it hurt. And anyway, Hubb had went out of his way, spent his money on a nice little pile of winter clothing for his newphew to wear in these nippy Swedish conditions. He owed the man a little show of gratitude because of that, so he could play the nice nephew until he felt he owed him no more.

Dragging himself downstairs, Kiba chose a seat next to his aunt who is seated on the love seat with her sons head on her lap, getting his hair petted by her right hand while her left fed her from the bowl of popcorn that rest on the table beside her. Hubb was on the couch, eating from a smaller bowl of popcorn that lay between his legs. So one seat it was.

The movie they chose seemed like Toboe described, a psychological horror about a little girl who seemed to have an imaginary friend. Kiba was bored at first but then he really began to get into it. What the hell had caused the little girl to scream in the secret basement if no one was down there but her and her 'friend'?

....................

Even though it was in Swedish, Hubb had put the subs on, Kiba could guess, incase he showed up. He missed half the lines when they spoke too quickly but he could guess what happened by their actions. All and all it was a good movie; he'd have to tell Tsume about it later on. Tsume! Reaching across the bed for the phone, he dialed the boys mothers house. Waiting for her to answer, he noticed a flash of light outside the window. Hm. So much for not getting the worst of a storm. He thought in regards to what the weather man had shown.

"Yeah?" His mother answered the phone almost with the same tone her son uses. "What is it?"

"Hi, Ms. Hamada... I was wondering if you know your husbands phone number. I wanna call Tsume."

"Kiba?! Honey, hi!"

"Hi." He said absently.

"I haven't heard from or seen you around in so long, I thought for sure you had abandoned Tsume after you heard he was moving in with his father.

"No ma'am. I've been sent away while my father's away on business." Explained the boy. He didn't have time for pleasantries, he just wanted to call his boyfriend and bring a little happiness to this day.

"That would explain why he had that dog of yours with him."

"How is he?"

"Tsume? Oh he's fine as far as I know-"

"I meant, Ao." Kiba rolls his eyes.

"Who?"

"My dog!" Really now; he didn't wanna yell at the woman but she was working his last nerve.

"Oh, he's good too. He's staying at Kamui's with Tsume."

Kiba listened to the woman gab on, until finally she silenced herself saying, "well it was lovely to hear from you, I'll be sure to-..."

"Ms. Hamada, the number. Remember? I called for Mr. Hamada's number."

"Oh right, got paper?"

Looking around, he fished through the side draw and, thank god, found some stationary. "Yeah, go ahead." He wrote down the number as she told it to him and before she could say another word he hung up on her. With an exhale he dailed the number for Mr. Hamada's house, hoping that he wouldn't be suffering in the same type of conversations that he had with the wife.

The phone rang for a while; he was beginning to think that no one was home, when finally someone picked up. "Hamada residence, who's calling?"

"Yaiden, Kiba. Is Tsume there?" He hates formalities but that's the way parents are.

"Tsume? Yeah, he's here hold on."

Kiba could hear the man shouting to some location in the house where his boyfriend is, and after a moment of silence and a low thud of his father placing the phone down, Tsume picked up.

"What?"

"Hey, it's me."

"Hi.... where are you? On the street? I can barely hear you."

"No. It's raining, storming actually." He looks out the window. "What are you doing?"

Tsume made some type of scoffing sound. "What do you think? Nothing."

"Mmm. I'm bored... really bored... so bored I'm gonna tell you something horrifying that I wish I didn't even know."

He chuckles. "Sounds good, let me hear it."

"My cousin... little thirteen year old Toboe, is visiting porn sites late at night."

There was a moment of silence then a burst of laughter from the other end. "Are you shitting me?! The runts a mini perve? What types of sites is he going to? Lesbian? I'll bet he likes girl on girl."

Kiba stifled a laugh. "I couldn't really see from where I was standing but it looked like there was a guy there."

"At least his parents won't have to give him the whole, bird and bees, story."

"Yeah, and the gross thing was, he was actually responding to it."

Tsume laughed even louder. It sounded kind of like he were gonna pass out if he didn't take a breath. "Poor guy, hope you remembered to wash your eyes out with soap."

"What?" Kiba only heard half; Tsume said something about smoke? "Say it again?"

"I said, I hope...."

Kiba heard the dial come up, before the phone was completely silent. Pulling the phone away from his ear, he frowned. "Damn." Getting off the bed, he walked to the hall. "Aunt Cher,"

"Yes dear!?"

"The phones are down!"

"Okay!"

Returning to his bed, he lay down. "What's next?" Rhetorical or not, the power chose that moment to cut out.

"Kiba!" His aunt called.

Snickering, because he knew what was coming, he replies. "Yeah?"

"The power's out!"

Holding in his laughter he replied. "Okay!" Rolling over, he closed his eyes. It's already dark... might as well go to sleep early. A flash of lightning lit up the room and for a brief moment, he thought of Tsume.

......................

Sometime around midnight, the pitter patter of feet crept down the hall. Slowly, as though not to disturb the person who rest in the room, the little figure hobbled itself into the older males bedroom. Leaning over, he looked his cousin up and down. He's already sleeping mainly to one side of the bed, Toboe might as well make himself comfortable. Climbing in, he looks at his cousins sleeping face.

"Kibaaaa?" He whispered.

"Hm?" Moans his sleeping cousin.

"Can I sleep in here with you? I'm scared?" Asks the young, frightened, boy. "Mom and Dad get mad when I go into their room. So I thought I'd come in here with you."

Kiba reached out, slowly, wrapping his arms around the smaller boy. Toboe looked shocked a moment, then he blushed. No one had ever held him like that before. Maybe his mother, but that's his mother.

"Ha. Duh, he's asleep.... he's not coming on to me." Closing his eyes, they quickly shot back open. "Wait a minute...."

"Gay is two men kissing or having any other type of sexual contact with one another."

The words echoed in his head over and over. But then he thought about the first part. "Yeah, he's just holding me.... he didn't-..."

Warm lips pressed against his own in what had to be the most.... hair raising thing Toboe had ever felt. The kiss danced down his spine and into his stomach and legs making him feel like he were made of jelly and there were little pits of fruit rolling around inside of him. He felt his cousins grip tightening; and from the way his lips were opening, pressing his apart with his tongue Toboe was beginning to understand what gay was.

Kiba didn't wanna go find some guy to kiss because that's weird. Gay is, obviously, when you're kissing and sleeping with people your close to! Your relatives. That explains why.... Even his mind trailed off when he felt a lone hand slide up his night shirt. Trembling now, Toboe struggled from his cousins grip, out of the bed and toward the door.

"I.... I'm sorry Kiba but... it's just too weird... I can't sleep with you." Banging his back into a door frame he didn't see, the boy jumped out of his skin and took off down the hall.

Kiba rolled over, smiling as he whispered in the middle of a dream. "Tsume...."