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Shoichi sat in the student council room, remaining completely still in his seat. His eyes focused so intensely on the complaint form in front of him, he couldn’t make out what was written on it.
His mind was too busy. Too preoccupied about his thoughts of the night before. Yuuichi and him had gotten carried away in a night of passion and-
“Urata-senpai?”
“Huh?!” The husky squeaks out in a high pitched voice. He coughs into his fist, now speaking in his regular sophisticated tone. “Sorry about that, you caught me off guard just now. Was there something you wanted to ask?
“N-No! I’m sorry! I should be the one apologizing!” The border collie furiously apologized, clasping his hands together. “I just um… I wanted to ask you something. Something kind of weird."
“We’re members of the student council, you don’t need to ask permission to ask questions.” Shoichi chuckles as takes off his glasses to wipe them with a cloth he keeps in his pocket.
“…” The border collie grips his arm tightly, internally debating on whether or not to ask his question. “Urata-senpai…”
“You’re really off today.”
“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?!” Shoichi asks, a lot more defensively than he intended.
The border collie backs away from the Student Council President and immediately starts to wave his arms around, as if dispelling an invisible force. “I-I didn’t mean to insult you or anything like that! It’s just- erm- uh-“
Knock knock.
Slide.
Both dogs look at the open door in shock. There standing in the doorway is a familiar Shiba Inu.
“Yu!” Shoichi cries out in joy and relief.
“Michimiya-san!” The border collie exclaimed in shock.
“Hi Sho.” Yuuichi says calmly as he steps into the Student Council Room. He looks at the husky with a sad but sincere smile.
The two stare at each other in silence for a while.
“Michimiya-san! It’s good to see you!” The border collie says nervously as the other two dogs look at his direction looking annoyed. The distaste in the two’s face isn’t lost on the border collie. “W-We’re in the same class.”
“We are?”
“I uh… I sit behind you.” The border collie looks to the floor and kicks the ground. “But back on topic! Michimiya-san! You’re good friends with Urata-senpai, right? Doesn’t something look like he’s on his mind-“
“We really need to get going.” Yuuichi interrupts as he suddenly grabs the husky’s wrist. Shoichi stumbles as Yuuichi pulls him closer. “Shoichi’s gonna help me study for our next test, he’s always nagging me to do better whenever I can, so I’ve gotta hold him to the same standards as my tutor, y’know?”
“Y-yeah! Yuuichi is really smart, but he needs me to whip him into shape.” Shoichi makes for the door, dragging the Shiba Inu behind him with his sheer strength. “Just leave me a note if you have any more questions!”
“O-Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow in class, Michimiya-san.” The border collie mumbles. “And I’ll see you again during lunch, Ura-“
Yuuichi slams the door closed behind him.
~
The husky and shiba sit in a solitary corner of the school together, laying on the grass and looking at the clear blue sky above. The two interlock their hands and fingers together without saying a word. Knowing they could possibly be caught makes the whole situation more exciting.
Shoichi’s tail is already wagging from Yuuichi’s proximity, it wags even faster when they make eye contact together.
“Yu?”
“What’s up?”
“Haha, it’s nothing, I just wanted to hear your voice.”
The dependable and firm student council president melted into a needy puppy whenever it was just him and Yuuichi together. Part of the husky felt like he could survive off this sensation alone for forever.
Yuuichi smiles at the husky sadly, he grips Shoichi’s hand a little tighter.
“I don’t want to bring the mood down but…”
“Everyone was worried when you didn’t pull up to the classroom for lunch today.”
Shoichi’s tail stops wagging.
“Oh uh… you know, I just wanted some alone time.”
“Alone time from everyone but you.” He wants to add. But the husky’s smart enough to acknowledge now isn’t the time or place for such things.
“…Sorry, Yu.” The husky mutters as he rips his eyes away from his boyfriend to the clear sky above. “We should probably meet up with the others now, huh?”
“No, I get it. It’s okay. I covered for you.”
“Just a heads up though, everyone might be a little worried or suspicious tomorrow.”
Shoichi takes a deep breath, clenching his free hand into a fist. “I can handle that.”
“No you won’t, you idiot.” Shoichi looks at Yuuichi, who stares right back at him. “You have me to help. Remember? You don’t need to do anything all alone anymore.”
Shoichi stares at Yuuichi in pleasant shock. A cacophony of emotions rises through his chest. Pain, guilt, pleasure, relief, gratitude, infatuation. Shoichi had spent the entire day unsure what exactly he was feeling.
The answer alludes him even now. But he knows what he wants.
He feels his hand rise to Yuuichi's chest and rest there for a while. The heartbeat and strength of his childhood friend, it awakens something in him.
“Yuu… I…” Before he can think about it, Shoichi brings his lips to meet Yuuichi’s for a kiss. It’s a desperate and sudden action. Yuuichi, caught off guard initially, reciprocates without half as much energy.
The two part and guilt immediately overcomes the husky.
“Sorry… Sorry, Yuuichi. I didn’t mean to… just suddenly…” Shoichi mutters out, sounding like he wants to cry.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay, Sho. You’re going through a lot right now, right?” Before the husky can answer, Yuuichi closes the distance, scooting even closer to Shoichi, as if tempting the husky to go for a second kiss. “Lean on me, okay?”
Shoichi hesitates for a second before he suddenly presses his chest against Yuuichi’s. Holding him tight as a lifeline as the husky begins another sloppy, passionate, and unrestrained kiss.
~
“Wait 4 me at ur class.”
Shoichi stares down at Yuuichi’s message on his phone.
“Bye Urata!” One of his classmates call out as they make to leave.
“…”
“Hm? Oh, goodbye! See you tomorrow!”
Shoichi shakes himself alert in his seat, he needs to be alert. Especially now of all times. All this constant spacing out is the complete opposite of what he should be doing.
Just go back to things like everything is fine.
Everything isn’t fine right now, but they will be.
That’s what Yuuichi promised him after all.
Before Shoichi steps into the hallway outside, he walks over to the classroom’s window, looking down at all the students below. There’s so many people, it’s hard to look for anyone in particular.
No one would notice if any single person went missing, right?
Shoichi stays at the window for a second longer, before psyching himself up and heading out. There in the hallway is Yuuichi, just like where he said he’d be.
“You ready to go, Sho?”
“Yeah I am. I’m just surprised you actually arrived on time!” Shoichi jokes in an attempt to lighten the mood. “Who are you, and what have you done to the real Yu?”
Yuuichi cringes incredibly hard. Shoichi’s face drops to a concerned frown.
Yuuichi immediately tries to perk up.
“Hey, I can be pretty responsible when the time calls for it too, maybe even more than you!” Yuuichi grins in the same joking tone as Shoichi. Yuuichi sighs in defeat when that doesn’t seem to help raise the husky’s mood.. “Guh, sorry, guess I messed up.”
“No. It’s okay, Yuu. I just… didn’t think about what I was saying before I said it.”
The two stand around in awkward silence.
“So I bought the things we’ll need.” Yuuichi mutters.
“…you did?” Shoichi asks.
“Yeah. The things were surprisingly pretty easy to find. And the-“
“U-Urata-senpai, Michimiya-san?! Why are you two still here?” A familiar nervous voice speaks up. The two schoolboys turn their heads to see the Student Council’s signature anxious border collie.
“Well class literally just ended. Do you expect us to book it at the speed of light?” Yuuichi answers for the two.
“You definitely would.” Shoichi adds, with a smile on his face. He turns to the border collie. “You know Yu a lot better than I thought you did.”
“I-I didn’t mean it like that!” The border collie frantically waves his hands around as Shoichi laughs.
Both the Border Collie and Shiba Inu relax once they see the husky’s joyful expression return to his face.
“But erm…” The border collie’s voice trails off. The nervousness in him melts away as he stares at Shoichi. “N-Nevermind. You seem to be in a better mood now that you’re with Michimiya-san, Urata-senpai!”
“Don’t point it out like that or else I’ll feel like some needy puppy.”
“I-I don’t mean it like that!”
Shoichi and Yuuichi laugh at the third dog’s nervous expression.
“Sho and I are gonna head home now! Take care of him when you two are doing student council stuff, got it?” Yuuichi pets the top of the husky’s head as he looks at the border collie. “He’s just a poor little puppy after all!”
“I-I’ll keep that in mind?” The border collie answers hesitantly. The husky seems to be doing a lot better than before at least, so that’s something. “You’re so close, are you two neighbors?”
“We’re actually-“ Shoichi starts.
“Yup! We are!” Yuuichi interrupts. “From childhood we lived right next to each other! Right, Sho?”
“Yeah. We did.” Shoichi says, more to himself than to his fellow student council member. “Trust me dude, you do not want Yuuichi as your neighbor. Love the guy, but he’s a whole bag of worms!”
“Oh wow, that’s so cool! Did you two ever-“
“Aw man, look at the time.” Yuuichi pulls out his phone. He grabs Shoichi’s wrist again and begins to move. “We really gotta get going now. It was really nice catching up with you err… student council guy?”
“M-My name is Hoshi actually…”
Yuuichi doesn’t stick around to catch the border collie’s name as he rushes down the hallway with Shoichi in tow. Shoichi’s tail wags excitedly behind him as he waves goodbye to Hoshi.
~
When the two of us arrive at Shoichi’s house, I kick my shoes off in a random direction, not really caring where they land.
“Ahh! Home sweet home!”
Shoichi: “You should really watch where you leave your shoes, y'know?"
He takes his shoes off and places them neatly at the entrance. There’s no one else home, so I don’t entirely understand why he does it. But maybe it’s just because he’s more responsible than me. Not that I’d admit that outloud to him.
I end up putting my shoes next to his.
“Let’s put a movie on and relax, it’s been a long day-“
Shoichi: “I thought we were going to…”
Shoichi’s eyes fall on my school bag. He stares at it with his eyes so empty and black it makes me feel uneasy.
“Don’t worry about it for now. We have time. Let’s just relax and enjoy ourselves before we have to get our hands dirty.”
Shoichi: “…”
Shoichi: “Ok.”
Shoichi walks over to me and puts his arms around me from behind. I can feel him sniff my fur and run his hand across it too. Thank God I took such a good shower last night.
Shoichi: “You smell so nice, Yu.”
“You smell nice too.”
We did take that shower together afterall.
Shoichi: “God, I’m probably acting so pathetic right now, huh?”
His voice starts to break, almost as if he’s about to cry.
“That’s okay, Sho. Because now you have me, right?”
Shoichi: “T-That’s right.”
He sniffles so hard it hurts my ears, but I know better than to complain about that right now.
Shoichi: “You meant what you said last night, right?”
I do a shitty job at hiding the sheer terror in my voice.
“H-How much do you remember from last night?”
Shoichi: “Not a lot. Just blurs and flashes here and there.”
“That’s good I think..?”
Shoichi: “I do remember what you did for me though.”
I’m stunned into silence, what the hell can I possibly say?!
Shoichi: “Thank you. I don’t think I could have done anything about it myself.”
He hugs me tighter. He’s hugging me with so much strength in his arms, but this is the most vulnerable I’ve seen him in a long time.
…it reminds me why I’m doing what I’m doing.
“Like I told you, don’t worry about it. Just leave it all to me, okay?”
He leans against me.
Shoichi: “Okay…”
Shoichi’s hands wander again. He starts to sniff at my nape and shuffle against me. His tail wags as his face turns bright pink. It’s pretty clear what he wants with how touchy he’s being.
And I don’t want to do it. Not really. Not now at the very least.
“Hey Shoichi…”
Shoichi: “Hm?”
He backs off.
“…”
“Let’s go to your room before we go any further.”
Shoichi: “Yeah! Of course!”
He’s so excited, it’s hard to imagine he was so gloomy just a moment ago. Shoichi eagerly grabs my wrist and pulls me along as we walk to his door.
I can’t help but stare at one door in specific as Shoichi opens the door to his room.
His dad’s- no Takehiko’s room.
I can feel his eyes stare at me from the door. Of course that’s impossible, even if the door were wide open, but I can’t help but shake the feeling.
Shoichi seems to be thinking the same thing. He stays staring at the door with me, no longer excited.
“Let’s worry about that later. This time, we can be as loud as you’d like.”
I grab his wrist and rush into the room, slamming the door close with tons of force.
~
It’s pretty late at night now. When I grab my phone, my face is blinded as the screen reads 3:59 AM. There are some concerned messages from Saya, as well as some from Aki, both about Shoichi. Makes sense, even though I told them not to worry, they both know him almost as well as I do.
I’ll answer in the morning. Which I’ll define as when I wake up again.
After Shoichi and I… had our fun. We konked out big time and fell asleep on his bed. He had a lot more stamina than I bet on. Urgh, guess that’s what I get for underestimating him. That won’t happen again.
The me underestimating him part I mean.
The sex was good. But definitely not good enough to send us into comas. I guess it was a combination of that as well as the stress we have on our minds that had us sleep for so long.
Normally Shoichi’s so good at handling stress. Or at least that’s what I thought at first. I feel like an idiot for not being there for him sooner. Maybe if I were, things wouldn’t have gotten so bad for him. Maybe that didn’t have to happen.
Don’t think like that, Yuuichi! That sort of thinking won’t get you anywhere! And anyways, there’s no way I’d regret what I did, I can’t, for Shoichi’s sake. If I did, he wouldn’t be smiling so blissfully right now, even though he’s asleep.
The last time I saw him like this was so long ago. When I helped him for Takehiko’s party.
…
How ironic.
Speaking of the man, I should get out of bed already and do what needs to be done. Before I do though, I grab my school bag from the living room.
Once it rests around my shoulder, I’ve got nothing left to delay the inevitable. Just thinking about it makes me nervous and my fur stand up. But like I told myself before, I can’t afford regret right now. Especially with Shoichi added into the mix.
Deep breaths, Yuuichi.
I close my eyes shut as I open Takehiko’s door wide open. Before I open my eyes, I take a deep breath. I already know what’s there, but that doesn’t mean I’m looking forward to seeing it again. Maybe if I hope really hard, he- no, it won’t be there anymore.
I hesitantly open my eyes.
…
Even in the dark I can see Takehiko sprawled out on the floor.
It’s dark, but I can see how his shirt sticks to his chest. I can see the unnatural way he’s laid out on the ground. I can see the white of his eyes. I don’t see his chest move up and down.
The body of my boyfriend’s dad is sitting right there in front of me. It’s unnerving, sure, but it isn’t surprising.
After all, I was the one who beat him to death just last night. Even right now, a part of me wants to grab a curtain rod and smash his face beyond recognition. But Shoichi wouldn’t want that, even after everything that man put him through.
…and maybe a good part of my anger is personal. Just from me to Shoichi’s da- I mean, Takehiko.
I kick his body hard in the stomach even though I know it won’t get a response. It feels good though
That’s enough dilly dallying though, it’s time for me to put my money where my mouth is. I’ve never hidden a body before, I’m sure most people haven’t.
But I told Shoichi he can rely on me, and I meant that with all my heart. It’s what I promised to him last night before we started cleaning the blood off the floor and sheets. Even when I’m trying to do things for him, I’m always relying on him, huh? I’m such a shitty boyfriend for that.
So at the very least, I want to do the hardest part without burdening him.
I do my best to keep my grunts as quiet as possible as I drag the big husky away as his fur and blood scrape against the floor.
I drag him all the way out the back door and to the backyard outside.
Wait, what’s that noise?
Shoichi: “Yu…”
“GAH! You scared the shit out of me, dude!”
The relief I see at encountering the husky fades away once I remember what I’m dragging just behind me. I look away, but I can feel Shoichi’s eyes pierce into me anyways.
Shoichi: “…”
“…”
He’s carrying a shovel covered with dirt.
He hands it over to me.
Shoichi: “I started digging by the way. Want me to finish it or start cleaning the… the stains.”
I take the shovel from him.
“There should be some vinegar left over from last night.”
Shoichi: “Ok.”
We stare at each other under the night sky. Shoichi looks at me with a completely flat and monotone expression. It sends shivers down my spine, although I don’t know if it’s because of how handsome Sho looks under the moonlight or because how worried I am for him.
It’s probably both.
“Hey, I already told you too many times to count, but you can rely on me. So don’t push yourself any further than you have to, okay?”
I give him a kiss on his cheek.
Shoichi: “You make me want to push myself further. For you, I don’t mind going the extra mile. If you’d have me that is.”
“Too bad for you, but you’re stuck with me for the rest of your life, haha!”
We can cheer each other up just by talking. It’s something Aki or Mom can’t do for me. It’s not something Hitoka or Shoichi’s Mom can do for him. Or even something any of our friends at school can do for the two of us.
“I’ll be back inside soon.”
“Love you.”
Shoichi: “I love you too.”
Shoichi steps inside, making sure to stare straight ahead as he does.
Once he leaves, I continue to drag Takehiko’s body to the hole Shoichi has dug. He probably didn’t want to stick around to see me toss Takehiko in. Shoichi already dug a lot, so once I’ve shoveled for a bit, I drop the old husky inside.
I look down at him, and I swear he stares back.
I throw some dirt into the hole and directly on his face before I can think about it too much.
I didn’t think I had it in me to kill anyone, but I did for Shoichi. I don’t know how to hide a body, but I’m figuring it out for Shoichi. I still don’t know how to get away with murder, but if it’s for Shoichi…
I’ll figure something out. I’m sure of it.
With enough time, the old dog is covered up entirely by the ground. Man, I have no idea how easily Shoichi dug the home with how long it took for me to pack it up. Feels like making the hole is a lot harder than filling it up.
When I head back inside, I see there are no more spots of blood on the ground. I also see Shoichi in the kitchen. He’s set down two cereal bowls on the table.
Shoichi: “ Since we’re already both awake, I thought we should just get the day started with already!”
Shoichi sounds so cheerful, or at least he’s trying his best to sound cheerful. His hands tremble as he grabs the milk from the fridge. I end up snatching it away from him. I love the man, but I’ll never trust him with food, especially now of all times.
“Plop your butt down and let me handle this.”
We eat and chat at the table as I serve Shoichi his breakfast. The entire time, I can’t help my leg from bouncing and I notice how Shoichi keeps looking in the direction of the backyard.
“We got a test coming up soon, right?”
Shoichi: “How would I know, we’re not in the same class, remember?”
We talk about nonsensical things as the Sun slowly rises. It just hits me though. I forgot to take a shower and get clean. I forgot to bring a new change of clothes. I even forgot to tell Aki and Mom I was sleeping over.
…
I’ll make sure everything’s gonna work out though. Because I don’t know what I’ll do if it doesn’t.