Wolf's Rain Fan Fiction ❯ My Cousin, Toboe ❯ Fluff and Fold ( Chapter 16 )

A.N: Sorry for the late update but bills are a bitch. But aside from that (sniffs and gives big hug to BonC) All I’ve ever wanted was to be called creative not crazy and you have given me that compliment. Thank you so much!!! Now this silly bitch can die happy. Enjoy the chapter. Fantasy

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Chapter 16.

Kiba scrubbed. He scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed until his fingers began to ache. What other choice did he have? Toboe disappeared somewhere in the house or out of it, but he didn't bother to go looking for him. Instead he settled for house work. Good old fashion distraction. Nothing like mindless work to get your head out of the gutter and stop you from completely ruining.... well, a lot of peoples lives. So here he is on his knees, bent over, scrubbing the invisible dirt from the bath tub, next will be the toilet; nothing drops the urge for sex better than cleaning the mold ring from a toilet.

Sitting back on his knees, Kiba looks at his hands. Haven't these people ever heard of rubber gloves? Sighing, he leans over to turn on the tub water to rinse the cleaning contents from his hand. Shaking them, dry enough, he turns around just in time to avoid the door swinging in on him.

"Hi Kiba!" Greets his cousin.

That explained where he went to; the young boy was fully equipped with a bag of chips in one hand and a Cola in the other. Kiba side eyed the boy, then walked on his knees over to the toilet. Toboe watched him a moment before discarding his snack into the trash and placing his soda down on the floor in the hallway.

Curious as a cat, he asks. "What'cha doin'?"

"Cleaning." He stated the obvious.

His cousin made a sound indicating that he understood. "Why?"

To avoid touching you again. He shrugged making up a lie in that short time. "I just feel like it." He stuck the toilet brush in the freshly sprayed toilet. Haven't these people ever heard of filth? He couldn't imagine his Aunt being so anal, so it must be because of Hubb that this place is offended that anyone lives in it.

"Who just wants to clean?" He asked directly behind him now, peeking over his shoulder into the toilet bowl. ".............Can I help?"

"If you want," he flushed the suds down the drain. "Sweep the floor."

Dropping to his knees the boy began to brush his hand over the floor. Kiba listened to the sound a moment before he turned around because he realized that it wasn't a broom that he was hearing. Blinking in confusion, he sighed in agitation. Crawling a short distance, he scooped up the mini broom and held it out.

"They have brooms now, ever hear of it?"

Taking it, he sniffed bitterly. "Sure I have. I just don't think I should be cleaning a place that isn't dirty." He began to sweep the floor. "And anyway, if you really want something to do, we can do laundry. That's piled up." He stopped sweeping. "Why clean something that doesn't need it."

Kiba bit his bottom lip, then nodded. "Good point." Standing on pained legs from being bent for so long, he gave himself a little jiggle to get his limbs back in tune. "I'll wash, you dry."

"Okay." Dropping the broom, he left the bathroom scooping his soda can back into his hand as he passed by it. Glancing over his shoulder, he frowned. What was wrong with Kiba that he was being so mean all of a sudden? Is it because of what they did? If that's it than he would surely cry because to him it really meant that they were close. So close that they could do that and share the secret, but now Kiba was gonna turn his back on him and be mean? That wasn't fair. "Ki-.." He felt a hand on top of his head as his cousin messed it around his head.

Going by he smiled at him. Toboe was lost for a moment, but then he smiled back. Maybe he's not mad at me after all. Walking a little faster he takes his cousin's hand and continues downstairs with him.

Doing laundry was nice. The little room, the smell of the "Surf" detergent his mother buys. And the weird smell of "Snuggle" from dryer sheets that went into the machine. But the silence was deafening to a young boy. So he decided to break it with the announcement of a game.

"Hey Kiba, wanna play a word game?" His legs swung out a bit as he folded a towel over his lap. "It's easy.... If you wanna try."

Hearing that the boy was grasping for some conversation he complied. "Okay. How do you play?"

Brightening up, he explained the rules. "It's a color game. Me and Leara play it all the time."

"Go on."

"Well, you take any thing you can think of that's red, but you can only name off things that start with 'A' that are red. Understand."

"No." He shakes his head before climbing up on the washer as it spun the next set of clothes.

"Like.... Apple, obviously.... or if the letter were 'M' you'd say Mars!"

Kiba nodded slowly. "Mmhmm. And who made up this game?"

"I did!" He beamed.

Kiba held back his laughter. "Okay. I'll play... but I don't know as many words as you, I think."

"That's okay, you only have to name four things. I'll make it easy for you and give you Apple."

That made the older boy laugh as he swats the kid on the head following it up with, "Asshole."

Waving a finger, Toboe says. "Uh-uh, that's not red."

"You've got reddish hair."

The boy only laughed as he felt around the top of his head. "Whatever. I pick, Ant."

"Wouldn't that be under 'R' since the ant you mean starts with red."

Turning a bit, he sticks his tongue out. Dropping the towel into the basket off to the side on the floor, he's handed a shirt to fold next. "It doesn't count if it's implied."

"Than you're cheating." He waves a hand to stop the boys protest to his teasing. "Okay... Axe."

"Axe, huh?" He swings his legs out a bit to think.

Kiba waits for the boys next answer, and decides to take out his own thinking aid. A nice smooth cigarette. Mmm, nicotine. Not to mention, smoking is a nice distraction from the vibrating washer below. Lighting it up, he got an unexpected, wide eyed, stare from his cousin. "You smoke?"

"Only when I need to think." He blew the cloud away from the boys face. If Hubb didn't want his son gay, he would probably fly off the handle if he knew he got second hand smoke directly up his nose. But there were enough smells in the room to intoxicate anyone, surely a little smoke smell wouldn't phase the odd child at all.

"That's so cool! Someday, I think I wanna smoke." He declared, eyeing the stick within his cousins fingers, Kiba shook his head.

"You're not getting your first lesson from me." He took another suck, then poked the boy with his elbow. "Your turn."

"Hmmm...." Tapping his finger to his chin he snaps them together. "Akepa!"

Shoving the boy on the shoulder, he shakes his head. "Now you're just being fancy." He mentions, impressed by the boys knowledge of the small asian bird. "Let's see... it's three to three...." He thinks to himself. "Ape. They have red apes out there- I've seen it."

Smiling the boy waves his hands. "I know, I know, you don't have to justify it.... But I don't think I have anymore words so looks like you win."

Smugly, Kiba grabs his cousins cheeks and gives them a shake, using a kids voice on him saying. "Aaaww, wimpy can't think of another word?"

"So! And anyway it would be a tie if I didn't already give you apple! Beginneeerrrrrr..." The boy broke into a fit of laughter when Kiba went for the neck with the tickle treatment. "Stop! Stop! I'm so-rr-heeheehee!" He scrunched his body away, then slipped down from the dryer to the floor, knocking the folded clothes in his lap to the floor. Slamming his back against the wall, he holds his hands out to stop Kiba from advancing.

"Like that will stop me," says the fiendish teen, approaching.

"It better or.... you're not gonna get your birthday surprise."

"I already know you're making me a cake."

"I don't mean the cake," Toboe explains, inching away toward the door. "I mean something else- something fuuuun."

Kiba stopped, scrunching his face. "What?" He asked thinking, in the back of his mind that maybe the boy could somehow arrange for Tsume to come up and visit him. But that was probably hoping for too much.

"Uh-uh... I can't tell you." He turned his back on him, playing coy. "It's a surprise and surprises are meant to stay that way."

"Uh huh.... it better not be some party with a bunch of people that I don't know."

"I wouldn't do that. Besides, I was gonna tell you tomorrow." Looking down at the pile of clean clothes on the floor, he scooped them up, gave them a quick brushing off then tossed them into the basket where they belonged. "Let's finish the game, you pick the color." He slipped onto the dryer again.

Returning to the washer, he sighed as he thought. "Probably..... Brown."

"Okay, only things that start with 'B'. I'll go first." Thinking, he chewed his bottom lip until something came to him.

Kiba continued to finish his cigarette as he waited. Staring at the side of the boys face, he tilted his head to get a better look. How could he not see how adorable he was before or how nice. Ha. He would have went on thinking the kid was a pain and tried his best to ignore him until he went home. But he truly does like the little runt.

"Okay. Bear, box, bark, beetles." He grinned cheekily. "Top those."

"Hmm.." He blew out some smoke. "Bear- as in, teddy bear.... boards..." He thought for a moment. "Bag... Uuuhhh..."

Toboe chuckled beside him. "Can't think of a fourth can you?"

"I can! Hold on a second.... A..... Oh! Brownie." Toboe made a sound of approval. Kiba got off the washer and opened it up. The rinse cycle had finished and there was nothing left now except for the dryer, folding, and delivering the clothes where they needed to be.

Toboe parted his legs when Kiba opened the empty dryer. He loaded it up while the younger boy gazed at him. His mouth looked so inviting with that cigarette held loosely between his lips. Would Kiba mind if he.... He did say they shouldn't do that but-.... but maybe just one little kiss once in a while wouldn't hurt anything.

When the boy snapped out of his train of thought and as his mind began to focus he saw that Kiba was looking at him as well. His eyes lidded in a dreamy haze of his cousins soft kiss, the one he gave him as they lay there in the spare room holding each other. Did that mean anything to Kiba? Or was it just a kiss?

Kiba leaned forward, close enough to smell the smoke on his breath, close enough to see the light but rich blue of his eyes, close enough to-.... Toboe leaned over, lips puckered but ended up bouncing his forehead into Kiba's shoulder, since the boy was putting out his cigarette.

"Huh?"

"We've gotta put the clothes and things away." He bent down to grab the basket, then left the tiny washing room without a second glance.

Toboe looked dumbfounded for a moment, but shook it off hopping down from the dryer to follow after Kiba. As they went upstairs their little game went on with letter 'C' to the color green. They were in Cher's and Hubb's room hanging this up and that as they thought of words. Toboe was leading by two, but Kiba was having trouble finding some thing that could start with 'C' that's green.

"How about cash? Do you consider money green or gray?"

Toboe paused, in hanging a red silk shirt that belonged to his mother, as he thought about it. "I guess you can count that. Carpeting."

"Hmm." He hung a jacket on the wrack. "Toboe."

"Yeah?"

"I wanna know. What are we gonna do on my birthday?"

The boy cocks his head, then shrugs. "I guess I can tell you. We're going ice skating."

"Ice skating!?" He looked baffeled. "But I can't."

"How do you know unless you try?" The basket hoisted into his hands before he started for the hall. "It's easy."

"I never.... I mean, we don't have skating rinks back home. It's always hot there." He explained in a tone flat and defending.

Looking over his shoulder at his cousin, the boy says. "That's okay. I can teach you how. It really is easy." They stop at the towel closet. "Have you ever roller bladed before?"

"Tsume says that's for dorks with too much free time on their hands." With another thought he adds. "And he says that they're also for lazy people who need to learn how to walk."

The Lewbosky boy made an odd face. "What did you guys do for fun then?"

"Lots of things, movies.... robberies- small ones, mind you, and usually from his Dad's store." He had a reflective moment. "We really hate him."

His cousin laughed at that while stuffing an arm full of towels on the low shelf. With a sigh, he backs from the closet and announces. "We're done- well," he waves an arm at him. "there's the stuff downstairs but that could take a while so... what do you wanna do?"

Kiba brushed his hand through his cousin's soft hair, kneeling down he whispered. "I think you know."

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

"No fair Kiba, you can't un-plug my controller just because you're losing!" He shouts as though he's trying to get the attention of adults that aren't home.

It was nearing dinner now so the couple should be back soon. The two boys were in a fierce game of Mario Kart 64 and Kiba wasn't exactly being a good sport about his young cousin beating him every race. And how was he supposed to drive well with all those- things! on the road, huh?!

"I only un-plugged you because you were cheating."

Toboe cocked his head with a disbelieving look on his face. "Uh-huh... and how?"

"Tch. You know the courses better than I do."

"Whaat?"

"Yeah. I should have been given a trial run on them, then we could have played."

Leaning over he turned the game off with a snap. "Older people are cry babies." Hearing the front door open, he stands. "Mom! Dad! We're up here!" Though he was on his way out the door.

Hoisting himself up, the smell of sea food filled his nostrils. "Mmm." Heading downstairs as well, he joined the family in the kitchen. Toboe, like any kid, has his nose in every bag as if sniffing out what he liked best.

"We've goooot, shrimp in here... or was that the shrimp?" She opens the bag. "Yeah, shrimp, here. Cat fish, here. Hush puppies, here and a couple crab legs incase you don't like the other choices."

"You're not cooking." Asks Kiba taking a bite of the perfectly done, curled in, piece of shrimp.

"I can't. I have a meeting tonight. Hubb's gonna be here so you don't have to worry about babysitting, okay."

"Mm hmm." He piled some of everything onto a plate.

"Yuck." Whines her son. "How come you got cat fish. I like cod."

Stuffing a half shelled leg that she had been nibbling on, Cher stuffed the crab into her sons mouth. "Than you don't have to eat it."

Hubb returned from the bathroom and said with a smile. "Thank you for doing the laundry, and putting away the clothes. It's very responsible of you."

"You're welcome, Dad."

"Yeah, you're welcome, uncle Hubb." This time it didn't sound forced or choked out. It sounded as though he really wanted to say it. "Can Toboe and I go ice skating on my birthday?"

Hubb, still dumbfounded by Kiba calling him 'Uncle' nodded or shook his head he wasn't sure. But he answered. "Yes. Of course you can, I hope you both have fun."

"Thanks."

"Aaand you did the dishes?" Noticed Cher as she freed a plate for herself. "Your father can kiss you goodbye because you're never going home." Filling the plate with a pile of this and that, Cher waved a hand to them as she left. "I'm eating upstairs, then taking a nap before I go. I hate night shifts." She added under her breath.

Taking a seat, Hubb bit into a piece of fish. "You two were very busy today, but you know Kiba, you don't have to feel as though you need to do those sorts of things. You're our guest, enjoy your time here. There's a lot to do."

Kiba took a moment to absorb what the man said since he didn't slow it down for him. It reminded him of the boy from the food stand. "It's no problem."

"It was fun!" He raised his hand. "We played color code."

The blond man nods. "You actually understood that game. My hat goes off to you."

Kiba laughed at that, though, he wasn't sure what the man had meant by the last part. It didn't translate well to him as Hubb was clearly hatless.

The rest of dinner was nice. Hubb was actually an interesting fellow. After dinner the three of them played a couple rounds of chess before Kiba retired to his room to read for a while. Just as his eyes started to shut, he heard his door open. Cracking his lids, he sees his cousin walk in, climb in the bed then straddle his hips.

"Kiba.... are you awake?" He asked in a quiet voice.