Josh

Ch 7

Later on that night I crawled into Taka's bed in my change of pajamas and my hair smelling of the Usami's jasmine and berry scented shampoo. I become very comfortable with my back against the wall and my nose buried into one of my friend's pillows. It makes me feel weird to do this, but I am so relaxed. . . So relaxed that I almost don't notice Taka crawl into bed alongside me.

"Hey," Taka spoke up. I nearly yelp from the sudden noise, but I hold it back and instead I manage a curious look. "I thought that tonight we might. . Practice something."

I look at him questionably. "What would we practice? Maths? Social studies? Sci-"

My words were cut off as Taka pressed his lips onto mine. I don't understand why at all, but I could feel my heart start to pound rapidly within my chest. To the best of my abilities, I ignore it and return the kiss. This feels weird. But. . . It feels right as well. Is there anything wrong with feeling like this with my best friend, who is also a boy? I'm so confused.

He pulls back and looks at me with his olive green eyes. I feel as if I may just grab him by the face and pull him in again, but I hold back this urge. The holding back thing must have been the right thing to do, because Taka leaned down and attacked my lips with his own as reward.
_ _ _ _ _
In the morning, I awoke to my lips swollen from kissing my best friend nonstop- Or at least until we both finally grew tired enough.

I look beside me and see the brunet is sleeping still. A smile found way to my swollen lips. I place a kiss on his cheek, then I crawl my way out of bed and I leave the room. Like usual when I visit the Usami penthouse, I find my way to the living room and start to look for the remote so I can quietly keep busy while everyone else continues to sleep.

After a few half hour programs, I am joined by a groggy looking Akihiko. He has a pack of cigarettes in hand so I push his bear-themed ash tray closer to him on the coffee table. A small grunt was my thank you and he lit up his cigarette so he could start his day.

Slowly the other Usamis wake up and join us in the living room. With the exception of Misaki, whom headed for the kitchen to start on our breakfast. I secretly hope he will make sausages that are shaped like octopi. Those are my favourite for breakfast here.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Taka asks me as he takes the spot by my side. "We could have watched cartoons together."

"Because you probably needed the extra sleep." I say simply before I look over at the girls, whom are both sitting on the ground, huddled around the coffee table while they look at a frilly, lovie-dovie manga. I try to get a peek of what it is, but fail.

"Josh, stop trying to look." I was told by one of the girls. Shinju.

I give her a look of defiance. "Why? Is it something. . . Dirty?"

This is when Chou closes the manga and handed it over to me. If I knew getting the graphic novel would be this easy. . . Oh, well. I take the manga and look at the cover. Two boys are on the cover, looking like they couldn't be pressing any closer to one another. I'm already confused, especially by the hearts and flowers around the two males. I flip through the contents to find hints on what the plot could be, when I find a page that looks like it could give me a lot of detail. I begin to open it up when I get a glance of the displayed art-

"What the Hell!?" I shout as I throw the book back at the girls. "That's two guys. . Doing the. . . The. . !"

"Yep." The girls said simply in unison. They go back to their reading. Akihiko glanced at us for a moment before he smirked, put his cigarette out, then went to join his husband in the kitchen.

Taka is holding a hand to his mouth as to stifle a fit of laughter. Was my reaction that funny? I could and probably should smack him for such rudeness, but instead my body only allows me to blush with embarrassment and look away from the three siblings.

I have a right to have freaked out! The manga was showing a very detailed art of two guys having- Oh! I can feel my face burn deeper. How could they look at something like that and not get overwhelmed?

"Calm down," Taka got my attention by wrapping an arm around my shoulders. I look at him with a half-hearted glare. "My sisters are just. . . Used to reading Yaoi."

"Yaoi. . ?" I repeat, unsure if I even pronounced it correctly.

Taka nodded. "It's um. . . Boy slash boy. Or. . . Two boys doing romantic or sexual stuff together."

I sit there for a moment, very confused on the situation. Then I look at the girls. They look like they're almost done with the manga. The 'Yaoi' manga. I make a face at them before I turn my head to look at Taka, only to feel surprised because he was already staring at me.

My hazel eyes meet his green ones and for a moment I feel. . . Warm. But the feeling quickly goes away when Misaki calls us all to the table for breakfast.
_ _ _ _ _
Later on into the day, the six of us take Akihiko's sports car to a museum. Though I think the bus or train would have been less. . . Show-off-like, Akihiko still drives his fancy red car.

The museum had a lot of cool exhibits to look at. I really enjoyed looking at all of the things there were to see. Old artifacts from long ago, here in Japan, and even books that are aged and ready to turn to dust. I become so into my gazing that the Usamis lost me and Misaki had to come find me. He looked really relieved when he found me.

After the museum, we go to a few stores so us kids can get prizes for behaving well. Yes- Even I got a prize after accidentally wandering off.

Taka got himself a new manga book. It's about these people locked away in these giant walls so they don't get eatten by giant, naked, cannibal people. Or so that's what Taka told me.

Chou got herself a new bookmark. It is as soft as silk and the ends have little bits of yarn coming off of it. It's nice, but I don't see why she just doesn't get a new novel. She already has a lot of bookmarks, anyway.

Shinju got herself a new set of hair brushes- For her really long hair. Like, it goes almost all the way down her back. I don't know how she might even get it fully brushed in the first place.

Then, finally, I got myself a marker set. I plan to use them to decorate my cast and cheer up my injury a bit. Maybe the triplets can help? Or just Shinju. She can draw the best out of the three.

After the shop, we return to the penthouse for lunch. Misaki planned to cook something up, but Aikawa- Akihiko's beautiful publisher- beat him to it by waiting for the family with take-out in hand.

"You guys have Josh with you this weekend?" I hear Aikawa asks the two male parents just as me and the triplets are sitting at the table with our food. She was trying to whisper, but she is terrible at it.

"Yes. Why?" Misaki asks back. He looks a bit taken back that she might ask about me. But then again, I do spend a lot of time here.

Aikawa looks over her shoulder at me. I pretend as if I never knew that I was the topic of their conversation and eat my food. She frowns visibly. "Why don't you guys ever send the kids to stay at his place? Don't you want alone time?"

"We get it when they're at school." Misaki states.

Aikawa doesn't look convinced. "But, Misaki-"

"Stay out of our personal life, Aikawa. My children and Josh are fine here. Stop pestering about it." Misaki finally says out of irritation. I saw that he was ready to show true anger, and in that moment Akihiko offers an arm around his husband. Misaki leans into the hold and began to calm down a little.

I feel a little bad for allowing this scene. After all- I know the only reason we don't go to my place is because my mother is never home. The Usamis know that, too.