"Change of Plans"

Asato was still pacing. He had been doing so for the better part of an hour and it was getting old. At first Asato's fit was cute. He was adorably upset about our lack of time together, but now it was just getting annoying. Asato's jealous side was showing.

"So you're ditching me to hang around with people you barely know in a bar?"

I sighed angrily. "I told you, Asato. I'm going to spend the day with Kin."

"And you spend time with your brother at a bar?"

"No, but he just happens to be going to a bar that day. It wasn't as if I begged to go along with him. He just noticed that I had the day off and invited me along."

"You already had plans with me!" Asato cried, sounding more like a five year-old than someone I wanted to date, and I was a second away from making that fact known to him.

"He's my brother."

"Exactly! You live with him, why spend even more time with him?"

"Because I like my brother, and we used to spend all our free time together and we haven't done anything together lately."

"You mean other than live together?" He put in.

I had never called Asato stupid before, never even thought it, but now I wasn't so sure. I hadn't known Ganei or Teji until a few weeks ago and they already knew me. They knew it was unusual to see me anywhere without Kin immediately at my side. I was seriously thinking Asato spent all his free time under a rock. Not that I thought so much about myself as to think that I’m widely known, but seriously. I was dating Asato, but he didn't seem to know anything about me.

"Asa...this is getting old."

He stopped pacing to turn and glare at me. For a minute he almost looked as if he was about to pout. Or cry. Or, his favorite, throw a fit.

"Stop freaking out," I told him.

"Stop canceling plans on me," he snapped.

"I'm leaving. I don't know why I wasted my time with you today, because I knew you would do this."

"Do what?"

"Act like a little kid!" I shouted. This felt weird. The only person I’ve ever fought with was Kin, and that was only when I was throwing a tantrum. "I spend my only two days off with you and Kin has really long work hours."

"He picks you up from work every day. I have to hide outside like some idiot while he goes inside and talks to Teji for a half hour."

"That was one time and I already said sorry! And it made him happy. He worries about me and I was just doing something to calm him down."

"He worries too much."

"If I started disappearing twice a week without you having any idea where I was, wouldn’t you worry?"

Instead of answering, he just huffed and started pacing again. In a way, I guess I understood his bad mood. He had been fighting with Ganei nonstop this week and Teji told me they were at the stage where they stopped talking completely. My fights with Kin didn't help my mood, either, but I'd like to think I was better behaved than Asato.

"Will you be there all day?" Asato asked, pausing in his pacing to look at me.

"We're going to the bar around six."

"Then meet me at the park at twelve, okay? Will that work out?"

"I guess. But I'd rather go to your house than to the park. Its been so hot lately, I'd be too tired to go to the bar with Kin and he'd be upset."

Asato frowned. "Then... We can go somewhere else."

"Like your house? Perfect!"

"Teji told you!" Asato accused. "He told you I was fighting with Ganei and he's trying to get you to make me apologize."

"So what if he did?"

"We always fight. We get over it, though," he huffed.

"How long has this been going on? I thought you said he was nice to you."

"He was. He's not mean, he's just really pissy and strict all the time now. I guess he's been like that for about a year."

"Didn't you start your gang a year ago?"

Asato scowled and I knew I was right. Asato forming Tori had been a sore spot in their makeshift family. When I had asked Teji about it he almost looked as if he was about to cry. He had only forced a smile and told me that Asato was growing up in his own way. Asato turned away from me and walked a few steps away, as if planning to leave, before turning back to collapse angrily on the bench next to me.

It was getting to be a little late now and the park was deserted. The street lamps had begun to flicker a half hour ago and I knew Kin would be expecting me back soon, but I liked the feel of Asato resting his head on my shoulder as we watched fireflies flitting around in the small grass area that was the slums' park. The acre of grass and dirt surrounded by a border of concrete was the only bit of normalcy in the sewers we mongrels called home. In the city, there were large parks almost everywhere, but here we only had this one and it was the defining line between being human or trash.

"Are you coming?" Asato asked.

"To your house or to the park?"

"My house, I guess. But you get to see all the dirty looks Ganei gives me, so I'm warning you now."

"I'll be fine. I'll see you on Thursday, then."

He scooted away from me a bit to let me get up and caught my arm as he moved away. He pulled me a little closer and pressed his lips against mine before letting me go and standing up. We were out of order, I knew, but it worked. Asato was still going to walk me home, but we couldn't kiss near my house without Kin finding out and throwing a fit.

Besides, I liked the park, and the moonlit kisses there were romantic.

--

Okay, so I know its been a while, but here’s an update. Nothing much is going in this chapter, I know, but…well, here’s five pages of nothing going on . Anyway, this was really just a chapter to get me back into the swing of writing this story again since…you know…its been so long.

Beta’s by the awesome HurtMe. Read her stuff. Its better than mine! Do it!