[dirnt]
STARGAZING BY PICTURE
by verloren1983
"Shindou, what are you doing?!" Akira shrieked, stumbling a little as his rival pulled him outside.
"Come on!"
"Shindou, it's the middle of the night!"
A pause. "Yeah, that's kinda the point. You can't exactly see stars when it's light out."
Akira blinked at him. "...Stars."
"Yeah. Constellations. There's one out that I really want to see."
"Shindou..." Akira started. "You... do know that we live in the middle of Tokyo, right?"
"Well, duh."
"As in, there are a lot of lights, which makes stars basically impossible to see."
Shindou paused. By then they were outside, and he looked up at the sky and his shoulders slumped. Akira squeezed the hand that was still linked with his rival's.
"What was so important? I've never known you to be interested in Astronomy."
Shindou sighed heavily and sat on the pavement beneath him. Akira did the same, sitting behind his rival and wrapping his arms around the other boy's stomach. "Sai," Shindou finally said in a quiet voice.
"Sai," Akira repeated slowly. Shindou still hadn't told him about his mysterious link to Sai, and he was extremely curious, but he knew better than to push his rival to far right then.
"Yeah. I saw this constellation in one of your school books that looked sort of like him, you know? And it said the constellation's out now, so I thought..."
His shoulders slumped again and he grew silent. Akira looked up at the sky. He'd been right- you could see the moon, but no stars, though this fact didn't give him any satifaction. He tightened his hold around Shindou's stomach and they sat quietly like that for a while, both staring at the grey sky. Akira thought he heard Shindou sniffling a few times, but he decided not to mention it.
It felt like a long time, but eventually Shindou chuckled.
"You know... I used to pretend that I was making the universe, when I first started playing."
"That explains a lot about some of your earlier games."
"Hey!" Shindou protested, but then laughed a little. "Yeah, I guess you're right. It was fun though."
They were both quiet again for a while more, both boys wrapped up in their own thoughts.
"Okay," Shindou finally nodded. "Let's go back inside."
"Are you sure?" Akira asked, even though mentally he was cheering because it was hot.
"Yeah. I'm not gonna see any constellations tonight."
Akira was surprised that there was no sadness in Shindou's voice. A little bit of longing, perhaps, and a touch of something he couldn't quite identify, but it was an improvement. Shindou was slowly but surely overcoming whatever it was about Sai that had hurt him so badly.
They went back inside. The air conditioning of the apartment felt good against Akira's hot skin and Shindou sighed happily before literally jumping onto the couch.
"So what was that constellation you were looking for, anyway?"
"Oh, I'll show you," Shindou said, bouncing up and retrieving one of Akira's school books from the table, which was still open. He handed the book to Akira and pointed at a picture before sitting back down next to his rival.
"That one."
The pointing was understandable- the constellation names in the astronomy book were in English, after all. Still, Akira stared at the picture blankly for a few moments.
"Are you sure that's the right one?"
"Yeah," the other boy responded slowly, as if Akira was being particularly stupid.
Akira blinked at the picture again.
"Shindou... this is a picture of Virgo."
"So?"
"Virgo. The Virgin. As in... a woman."
"Oh."
He looked thoughtful for a moment, then smiled.
"You know what? That still kind of fits him."
Akira was flipping through the pages. "Well, there's this other one that looks kind of similar, Boötes. A hunter."
Shindou looked at it but was then distracted by another picture on the opposite page. "Hey look, that kind of looks like somebody setting down a Go stone!"
Akira smiled and they went through the book together, on occasion one or the other pointing out something Go related.
"Hey. It's Sai's fan," Shindou said softly, pointing at a picture of Triangulum Australe. "Well, upside down, anyway."
Akira didn't say anything in response, simply squeezed Shindou's hand. Shindou smiled at him, then gave Akira a small kiss before turning his attention back to the book.
"Maybe... in the next few weeks, we can get out of the city for a night or two. So you can look at these in person," Akira suggested.
Shindou smiled again, then appeared to think. "You know... that's okay. We can probably see them better in the book than we would in the sky, right? Besides, we can stay inside where it's cooler."
He blinked at Shindou. "Well, if you're sure..."
"I'm sure. Besides, this is fun. It's like stargazing by picture or something!"
Akira returned Shindou's grin with a small smile of his own. "Yes, I suppose it is."
by verloren1983
"Shindou, what are you doing?!" Akira shrieked, stumbling a little as his rival pulled him outside.
"Come on!"
"Shindou, it's the middle of the night!"
A pause. "Yeah, that's kinda the point. You can't exactly see stars when it's light out."
Akira blinked at him. "...Stars."
"Yeah. Constellations. There's one out that I really want to see."
"Shindou..." Akira started. "You... do know that we live in the middle of Tokyo, right?"
"Well, duh."
"As in, there are a lot of lights, which makes stars basically impossible to see."
Shindou paused. By then they were outside, and he looked up at the sky and his shoulders slumped. Akira squeezed the hand that was still linked with his rival's.
"What was so important? I've never known you to be interested in Astronomy."
Shindou sighed heavily and sat on the pavement beneath him. Akira did the same, sitting behind his rival and wrapping his arms around the other boy's stomach. "Sai," Shindou finally said in a quiet voice.
"Sai," Akira repeated slowly. Shindou still hadn't told him about his mysterious link to Sai, and he was extremely curious, but he knew better than to push his rival to far right then.
"Yeah. I saw this constellation in one of your school books that looked sort of like him, you know? And it said the constellation's out now, so I thought..."
His shoulders slumped again and he grew silent. Akira looked up at the sky. He'd been right- you could see the moon, but no stars, though this fact didn't give him any satifaction. He tightened his hold around Shindou's stomach and they sat quietly like that for a while, both staring at the grey sky. Akira thought he heard Shindou sniffling a few times, but he decided not to mention it.
It felt like a long time, but eventually Shindou chuckled.
"You know... I used to pretend that I was making the universe, when I first started playing."
"That explains a lot about some of your earlier games."
"Hey!" Shindou protested, but then laughed a little. "Yeah, I guess you're right. It was fun though."
They were both quiet again for a while more, both boys wrapped up in their own thoughts.
"Okay," Shindou finally nodded. "Let's go back inside."
"Are you sure?" Akira asked, even though mentally he was cheering because it was hot.
"Yeah. I'm not gonna see any constellations tonight."
Akira was surprised that there was no sadness in Shindou's voice. A little bit of longing, perhaps, and a touch of something he couldn't quite identify, but it was an improvement. Shindou was slowly but surely overcoming whatever it was about Sai that had hurt him so badly.
They went back inside. The air conditioning of the apartment felt good against Akira's hot skin and Shindou sighed happily before literally jumping onto the couch.
"So what was that constellation you were looking for, anyway?"
"Oh, I'll show you," Shindou said, bouncing up and retrieving one of Akira's school books from the table, which was still open. He handed the book to Akira and pointed at a picture before sitting back down next to his rival.
"That one."
The pointing was understandable- the constellation names in the astronomy book were in English, after all. Still, Akira stared at the picture blankly for a few moments.
"Are you sure that's the right one?"
"Yeah," the other boy responded slowly, as if Akira was being particularly stupid.
Akira blinked at the picture again.
"Shindou... this is a picture of Virgo."
"So?"
"Virgo. The Virgin. As in... a woman."
"Oh."
He looked thoughtful for a moment, then smiled.
"You know what? That still kind of fits him."
Akira was flipping through the pages. "Well, there's this other one that looks kind of similar, Boötes. A hunter."
Shindou looked at it but was then distracted by another picture on the opposite page. "Hey look, that kind of looks like somebody setting down a Go stone!"
Akira smiled and they went through the book together, on occasion one or the other pointing out something Go related.
"Hey. It's Sai's fan," Shindou said softly, pointing at a picture of Triangulum Australe. "Well, upside down, anyway."
Akira didn't say anything in response, simply squeezed Shindou's hand. Shindou smiled at him, then gave Akira a small kiss before turning his attention back to the book.
"Maybe... in the next few weeks, we can get out of the city for a night or two. So you can look at these in person," Akira suggested.
Shindou smiled again, then appeared to think. "You know... that's okay. We can probably see them better in the book than we would in the sky, right? Besides, we can stay inside where it's cooler."
He blinked at Shindou. "Well, if you're sure..."
"I'm sure. Besides, this is fun. It's like stargazing by picture or something!"
Akira returned Shindou's grin with a small smile of his own. "Yes, I suppose it is."