“The Shindous”
Rating: G^^
Pairings: None, really.
Type: One-shot
Disclaimer: “Gravitation” and its characters belong to Murakami Maki.
A/N: Hello everyone, my name is Melinda, and I’m a newcomer to Gurabiteshiyon. I’ve been reading many great stories here, and was inspired to write a few of my own. I’m currently working on a long work, and I’ve finally broken down and realized the wisdom in having a beta-reader. However, because I’m new to this scene, I really don’t know how to go about getting a beta, so I’ve decided to write and post a one-shot, just so everyone here can get a sense of my style. If you like this story, and wouldn’t mind being my beta-reader, please email me at sugarstar84@hotmail.com. Thanks everyone!
~*~*~
The thick walls of the department store may have kept out the torrential downpour that was currently plaguing Tokyo, but that didn’t mean Uesegi Eiri’s mood was pacified. Upon awakening to clumsily executed attempts at seduction from his lover, Eiri knew his day was going downhill. Not that sex was discouraged—on the contrary, Eiri was a firm believer in morning sex as a way to set a positive tone for the rest of the day, but the fact still remained that after two and a half years of couple-hood, Shuichi was just as bashful about sex as the day he was swept off his feet in that elevator. Naturally, any attempts from Shuichi to initiate sex sent off warning bells in Eiri’s head and one question would come to the forefront in his mind: what does he want now?
This particular day, it had been a trip to Ginza (1), in order to shop for a new pair of sneakers that were *desperately* needed. Eiri thought that, like a bacteria, his immunity to Shuichi’s wiles would improve, and perhaps this time he could say no to the pink-haired maniac. He was sadly mistaken, however. Once Shuichi set his mind to something, it was woefully impossible to detract him, and today, he wanted to go shop. So after a hastily put together breakfast, Eiri finally broke down and agreed, if only for the sake of his sanity (his head was still ringing with the whining that assaulted his ears for a good half-hour). He was tempted to turn back, of course, once Shuichi admitted in a sheepish, innocent voice that his family also happened to (coincidentally) be shopping this very day at the same shopping district they were going to, and that the chances of them meeting up would be very likely.
Eiri had scowled fiercely at the nearest red light and unleashed a string of curses and threats upon the head of his pink coifed lover, all of which were brushed off as casually as a lose particle of dust from Seguchi Tohma’s fabulous, fur-lined coat. Realizing that his bullying tactics were perhaps not as effectual as when they first began their relationship, Eiri resorted to logic: mainly that he had already met Shuichi’s family and there *really* wasn’t a pressing need to repeat the awkward process. That argument was quickly beaten down by the sheer force of the smile Shuichi threw his way as he declared that this was his *extended* family, and that Eiri would be meeting his aunt and uncle, along with his younger cousin. And so, Eiri was once again shot down, leading him to the conclusion that perhaps he was…whipped.
‘How much longer will I have to endure this? Does that idiot really think I find this pleasurable? The standing around, the crowds, the constant fear that we’ll be recognized?’ Eiri thought, his teeth grinding together painfully as he stifled the urge to pull out a cigarette or ten and start chain-smoking.
They were currently in a department store, ostensibly to look for a brand of perfume that Shuichi’s mother had been harping on recently. The real reason they were there, Eiri suspected, was to feed Shuichi’s obsessive and annoying need to shop. The boy was a classic shop-aholic, and it didn’t matter what the hell he was buying as long as he was in a goddamned store, spending money.
‘Make it end, make it end, make it end…’ Eiri’s pleasant internal monologue was interrupted as a small figure caught his attention out of the corner of his eyes. He was currently loitering in front of the general area of the fitting rooms, waiting for his lover to come out so they could get the hell out of there. People were generally passing him without a second glance, much too absorbed in the mind-numbing process of spending their hard-earned cash to notice a man wearing sunglasses and a beanie. But one person, a mere child, appeared to have singled him out.
Eiri paused in his negative thoughts to send a glare towards the grimy, funny looking kid, but he supposed it wasn’t very effective from behind his sunglasses. Noticing that the man he was staring at finally turned his head towards him, the boy brightened up and smiled widely, exposing two missing front teeth. Eiri grimaced—he was revolting really; all children were. They were ignorant, naive, hyperactive, and mercurial at best.
This one in particular aroused Eiri’s aversion. He was short and alarmingly thin, and if his brightly colored, mismatched wardrobe was any indication, his parents were far too lenient with him. His hair was also rather disturbing…one side was noticeably shorter than the other was, and the ends were completely uneven. Eiri suspected that the kid tried to give himself a makeover because there was no way any barber would screw up that badly. But for a brown haired, brown-eyed kid, he sure did know how to stand out. Eiri suspected it had something to do with the smart-ass gleam in his eyes.
Realizing that Eiri was now staring at him, the kid felt his performative, attention-seeking behavior rise and he did a silly dance that consisted of convulsing and gyrating around a fixture of boxer shorts. Eiri was not impressed, and the slight tightening of his mouth informed the boy that he needed to try harder.
The kid seemed resilient, however, because his antics became more and more exaggerated and stupid. Eiri had to acknowledge and even admire the tenacity that the boy displayed as he continued to make faces at the blond writer. Seeing that Eiri still wasn’t reacting, however, the boy decided to do something that normally made his parents livid. Noticing the shiny male mannequin standing on the right side of the aisle, the boy ran over and, checking to make sure Eiri was still watching, pulled down the corduroy pants the dummy was modeling before pointing and snickering at the fake, plastic mound that represented a man’s crotch.
Eiri couldn’t help the snicker that escaped his mouth, nor the slight smile that accompanied it. However small it was, the reaction was enough to encourage the tenacious brat who now bounced over to him, stopping in front of Eiri and staring intently at his face.
“You’re that writer guy!”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about, kid.” Eiri replied automatically, panic sending shocks of heat through his system. He didn’t know what he’d do if all these people found out his identity….a swarm of locusts would be preferable. Any plague, in fact, as long as the masses were kept at bay.
“Yea, you are! I know ‘cuz my sister reads your books all the time, and the only picture in any of them is you. You should put more pictures in them, and then more people would read them.”
Eiri smirked, imagining the public outcry that would follow if his books came with illustrations. He was writing romance novels, not patronizing amateur pornography. ‘Only a child would make such a ridiculous suggestion.’ Eiri thought. ‘They don’t know any better, hence one of the many reasons why I cannot put up with them.’
“My mom talks about you all the time too. She says you’re practically part of the family, so I guess we’re related now.” Eiri narrowed his eyes at the pipsqueak, wondering what the hell he was prattling about now. Clearly, this kid came from a deranged family with a mother and possibly a sister prone to obsessions, if they thought they were going to incorporate him into their family. “I’m happy you’re in the family now, because my mom said you’re really rich. So that means you’ll give cool presents, right? I made up a list of all the things I want for Christmas, even though we don’t celebrate it. But mom says if you’re rich, you don’t need a reason to give presents. Here it is.”
The boy rummaged in one of the numerous, oversized pockets that lined the sides of his baggy pants before coming up with a folded, crinkled piece of loose-leaf, obviously torn out of a school notebook. Against his better judgment, Eiri took the paper and unfolded it, his eyes scanning the sheet. The writing on it was nearly incomprehensible, written in red and green crayons with a mixture of kanji and English letters. Eiri was used to reading Shuichi’s code-like manner of writing, however, and he managed to decipher that the kid wanted a play station, 10 video games, a bicycle, camping equipment, and…what the hell? A pony?
“Fat chance, kid. Now go bother someone else, I don’t work for the Salvation Army.”
“Mou, you’re just like my mom said. She said you’ll probably be mean. But I don’t care; I’ll just keep sending you my Christmas list, until you buy me everything on it.” The kid declared with confidence, smiling up at Eiri and once again showing off the large gap where his two front teeth should have been.
“Nice teeth you got there, kid. Close your mouth before you catch a bug.” Eiri did not particularly care if he made this kid cry, but his reaction was not what the blonde was expecting. Instead of plummeting into despair and crying his eyes out, the kid merely scowled up at Eiri and stuck his tongue out before closing his mouth. Then he stuck the appendage out again. And again. And again. And-
“Would you stop that?! You’re so fu—freakin annoying! Go find your mother; she sounds like the type who would enjoy this.”
“No. I was supposed to find you and Shuichi.”
“What?”
Eiri was now genuinely nervous. Not frightened, because those possessing Uesegi genes do not fright, but he was entertaining the thought that this kid was some sort of decoy, meant to distract him so his lunatic mother could jump on him and demand an autograph or something less innocent. He did not know how Shuichi came into the picture, or why this kid was referring to his lover so casually, and he did not care to find out.
“Whatever kid, I’m done playing babysitter. Now be a good boy and pretend you didn’t see me.” Eiri commanded, pulling the beanie on his head lower; just to make sure that it covered his blonde hair. He then turned away from the nuisance, intent on barging into the fitting room and demanding that Shuichi and he leave immediately, when he felt a dead weight attach itself to his leg.
With rising panic, Eiri looked down and found the dirty, smelly child attached firmly to his brand-new Armani slacks. His thin, paint splotched, dirt smudged arms were hugging his leg firmly, and his short legs were coiled around his ankle like a serpent. Not to mention, his bony ass was resting on Eiri’s foot, causing much discomfort.
“What the hell are you doing, kid? Get off!”
“No!” The boy yelled, tightening his grasp.
Eiri bent down, cursing as his sunglasses fell off his face. He started tugging on the small arms, trying to force the cretin loose without hurting him.
“Off!” He yelled, tugging harder. “Off, off, off!”
“No, no, no!”
With horror, Eiri realized that the kid was now crying, tears running down his cheeks and seeping into the expensive, *dry-clean only* material of his pants.
“Geez, would you stop, you big baby? I swear, your mother must—what are you doing? No, no don’t—!”
It was too late. The boy, feeling snot trickling out his nose as a result of his crying, had rubbed his face into the soft material of Eiri’s pant leg; blowing simultaneously to make sure that all the mucus was out and wiped off his face. Looking up, the child had to cower at the disgusted yet still murderous look directed his way: it was the same look his parents gave him when scolding. Looking into those golden eyes, the child couldn’t help the laughter that began to bubble up. It was always a natural reaction with him; if the situation were inappropriate for mirth, it would only make him want to laugh harder. The outraged look that entered Eiri’s eyes only augmented his problem, and soon the boy was laughing loudly, his high voice proclaiming his jollity to passersby who seemed charmed with the whole situation, thinking that Eiri was a big brother.
“*What* is so funny, huh? The fact that you go snot on my pants? Look at that! Once this dries, it’s going to be stiff!” The revulsion in Eiri’s voice was also funny, and the boy tried to stifle his laughter, only to end up bursting into mad convulsions a moment later, spraying his spit onto the gooey mass residing on Eiri’s pant leg.
“You are a disgusting, filthy child, you know that? You are a prime example of why Japanese society is going down the drain, if children like you are someday going to enter the work force. I bet your equally insane mother prays every night and wonders what she did to anger God that he should send the devil to be her kid. If you were my kid, I would…make…sure…”
A shadow falling over Eiri gave him pause and he slowly trailed off as he straightened up, finding himself face to face with an outraged face. The frail body of the woman, as well as her face and bone structure, were sure indicators that she was related to the kid Eiri was currently scolding. Perhaps, Eiri thought with a sinking heart, she was even his mother.
‘Shit.’
~*~*~
Shuichi exited the fitting rooms, humming happily to himself. He had tried on about 15 items and after much deliberation, decided to buy a cute black tee shirt with a pink drawing of an owl on it.
‘I wonder where Eiri is? I think he’ll really like this, it’s so cute!’ He gushed to himself, smiling as he held the shirt out in front of him by the sleeves. A throat being cleared caught his attention, and he recognized the raspy sound to be that of his lover’s.
“Eiri, look at this cute shirt! Do you think it will make me look smart?” He asked, pointing to the pink owl adorning the fabric. He paused, however, when he saw the child still attached to Eiri’s leg, as well as the scowling woman standing next to him. Shuichi’s face broke out into a huge smile. “Oba-san, Saburo-chan, you found us! I thought we were going to meet at the Sashisuan (2)!” Shuichi squealed, delighted. He skipped up to his family and hugged his aunt before bending down to Eiri’s new appendage and ruffling his hair. “I see you two have met Eiri.”
“Yea! He’s going to get me a pony! And everything else I wanted too because he was scared of momma~”
Shuichi smiled and scratched the back of his head in confusion before straightening again and looking up at Eiri. He winced when he saw the angry fire in his lover’s eyes and figured he would be hearing the whole story and then some once they got home. “Eh hehe…why don’t we go get some food now!” Shuichi declared, holding up his two fingers in the peace sign, his legs spreading into a power stance. Saburo cheered from somewhere below and his mother tittered delightedly before threading an arm with her nephew and leading him on ahead. The two seemed to be in deep conversation and had seemingly forgotten their son and lover, respectively.
“Hey, get going, I’m hungry.”
Eiri looked down at the cretin, scowl firmly in place. The kid wasn’t moving. Not after the mother found Eiri scolding her child and insulting her at the same time, oh no…the kid *was not* moving. Apparently, Shuichi’s aunt, realizing that she could do much better than just chew Eiri out for insulting her family, declared that for the rest of the day, Saburo-chan and Eiri-san should bond a little, and no, there was no need for Saburo-chan to get up from his comfortable position.
“I’m sure Eiri-san wouldn’t mind it if you stayed there the whole day.” Eiri mimicked in a high-pitched voice, scowling after the head of his pink haired lover and his thin, frail- looking aunt. A giggle recalled him to his present situation and with a sigh; Eiri replaced his sunglasses back on his face and grunting, began the slow trek to the restaurant.
“Should’ve known that someone that annoying and stupid could only be from Shuichi’s family.”
~*~*~
1. The Ginza is a famous shopping district in Tokyo. For more information: http://www.ginza.jp/eng/index_e.html
2. Sashisuan is a restaurant in Ginza. For more info, consult the link in the first note.
More A/N: I’m not Japanese, but I like to read realistic stories. I therefore do research for my works, and I like to incorporate culture and facts^^ If, however, my information is wrong, please feel free to correct me, and I’ll fix all errors.
Secondly, the manner in which Saburo behaves really isn’t realistic. In Japan, the family is very important, and parents go through many pains to make sure their children behave themselves properly in public, because the way in which a child behaves is a reflection of the family itself. For more information, visit this concise site: http://www.settlement.org/cp/english/japan/family.html
*Fixed the -kun problem. Thank you, HawkCloud, for pointing that out, I appreciate it! |