Doing Laundry: Chapter 2 ~ [The Pig Pen]

Doing Laundry

(Chapter 2)

Sakuragi Hanamichi woke up to a beautiful Saturday morning. However, the red-haired young man failed to appreciate this fact and, instead, cursed the alarm clock as it blared incessantly on the bedside table. He reached out in frustration and swatted the noisy contraption away. The poor clock found itself on the floor, still ringing loudly, despite the fact that it is now not one piece, but five.

Growling his defeat as the annoying noise continued to torture his poor eardrums, Hanamichi threw back the covers and swung his legs over the side of the bed. “All right, all right, I’m awake! Stupid clock!” the youth grumbled under his breath. He stood up and managed to step on one of the broken pieces scattered on the floor. He gave a yelp of pain before landing unceremoniously on the floor. “Itai! Yaro!” Hanamichi grabbed his injured foot in his hands and used the other one to angrily kick the other pieces away, cursing all the while. That was how Kogure found him when the bespectacled man opened the door to check on the commotion.

“Why are you sitting on the floor, Hanamichi?” the brown haired man asked in a worried voice, thinking that the younger boy was sick. He walked into the small room as his eyes roamed over the mess the redhead had created. Shaking his head in amusement, the older boy commented in feigned disappointment, “You’ve broken your alarm clock again, Hanamichi. Now you’re going to have to buy a new one. That makes, what, 5 clocks in a month? You must be earning a lot from your job if you have enough money to keep buying alarm clocks.” Kogure knew that chastising the younger man directly would get him nowhere so he used the guilt tactic instead.

As predicted, the redhead looked at Kogure guiltily before bowing his head in shame. “Gomenasai, Kogure-kun.” *Baka! Now look what you’ve done! Kogure has taken you in when you had nothing and this is how you repay him?* Hanamichi continued to berate himself inwardly.

It was roughly 4 years ago that Kogure had found Hanamichi at his front door. The then 16-year-old boy was fast asleep on Kogure’s front steps, shivering in the cold night air. Despite being only 18 years old himself, Kogure had woken the boy up and welcomed him into his home. When Hanamichi found out that the brown-haired boy was struggling to put himself through medical school, the fiery youth vowed to repay his kindness and started looking for a job. And now, 4 years later, they treated each other as brothers, though Hanamichi still feels that he has not done enough to repay the older man’s kindness.

Hanamichi had been lucky to get a job back then. Not only was he only 16 years old, but he also had no documents whatsoever proving his residence and citizenship in Japan. Fortunately, Fujima-san had taken one look at the strapping boy and hired him on the spot. And Hanamichi has been working for the Fujima family since then. In fact, the Fujimas also treated him as a member of the family, providing him with free meals and giving him a generous salary.

You have to understand that beneath the redhead’s tough guy act lived a kind-hearted soul. Anyone lucky enough to be considered a friend will find that the redhead can be the most loyal, understanding and helpful person in the world. That is why, even though he had an opportunity to pursue his studies, (Fujima-san offered to help pay for his tuition) he refused to do so and instead worked like a horse. In his mind, he needed to repay Kogure and the Fujimas. And the only way to do that was to work and earn money. He had never liked school anyway.

Still, even with the amount that Fujima-san pays him and Kogure’s salary from his part-time job at the grocery, the two boys still struggled to make ends meet. One reason is that Kogure now needed more books and other things for his studies. Another reason was the redhead’s healthy appetite. More often than not, Kogure would come home to find the cupboards and the refrigerator empty, compliments of Hanamichi. But somehow, they managed, never really reaching a time when they had nothing to eat.

Kogure gazed down fondly at the fiery head bowed in front of him. He knew that Hanamichi was probably reliving the past 4 years. He was really thankful that the young boy he had picked up from the streets had turned into a fine young man. He was also thankful that he now had a companion, no, a brother. But sometimes, he wondered about Hanamichi’s past. All he knew about the redhead started from 4 years ago to the present. Everything else before that remained a mystery. “Yare, Yare. An alarm clock doesn’t cost that much anyway. Demo, hurry up, Hanamichi. I’ve already cooked breakfast for you and it might get cold if you don’t eat it immediately. I have to go to the hospital now so remember to lock the door when you leave for work, ne.” Giving the sitting figure a pat on the head, he left the room and closed the door softly.

Hanamichi looked up just as the door to his room closed with a soft click. *I swear, Kogure-kun, I’ll do my best. I will repay you someday.* With that, he stood up, gave the scattered pieces one last baleful glare and went to the bathroom.

~*~*~*~

Hanamichi whistled softly as he strolled through the streets of the peaceful neighborhood. He was grinning from ear to ear as he had enjoyed his breakfast thoroughly. Kogure had thoughtfully prepared his favorites, including a tall glass of milk. He was still patting his stomach in contentment when he finally reached his destination.

“Ohayo!” Hanamichi greeted in a loud voice as he pushed the door of the laundromat open. The bells hanging on the door jumped around crazily due to the hard shove administered by the enthusiastic man. The racket he created would have surprised the people inside if not for the fact that they were used to it. It had become a sort of a ritual. Everyday the redhead would come to work and the poor door would find itself in his mercy.

“Ohayo!” came the reply from behind the counter. There sat a brown-haired girl, carefully inspecting the cash register and arranging the piles of coins that would be needed to operate the washing machines. “You seem to be in a good mood today, Hana-nisan.” Haruko smiled up at the redhead as he approached the counter. “Hai! Kogure-kun prepared lots of food for the Tensai this morning! Nyahahaha!” The girl sweatdropped as Hanamichi gave a hearty, maniacal laugh.

“Oi, Hanamichi no baka. Can’t you see that you’re scaring my sister with your foolish antics?” Fujima Kenji slapped the taller boy’s butt as he walked over to the counter. “Nani?! Who are you calling foolish, Ken-chan?” Hanamichi smiled smugly as Kenji’s face turned several shades of red. They all knew that the older of the Fujima siblings didn’t like any reference to the fact that he looked too much like a girl. “Urusai!” he muttered darkly.

Mentally slapping himself on the forehead, Kenji smiled ruefully. He should have learned by now that the younger man always had a comeback for everything. “Yare, yare. By the way, I’ll be leaving the shop to you two later today. Today is Toru’s day off and we’re planning to spend some time together.” He couldn’t help but smile happily at the thought. Being one of the best professional photographers in Japan, Hanagata Toru was in big demand and Kenji would often have to settle for the occasional phone call and visit. But today, he was determined to spend the rest of the day, and night, with his boyfriend. Yup, ladies and gentlemen, the feminine-looking 24-year-old is gay. However, that doesn’t mean that he wants himself to be likened to the female gender.

“Toru-nisan is back? Sugoi! I wonder what he has for me this time?” Haruko clapped her hands in excitement. It had been a sort of custom that Hanagata would have a little something for the bubbly girl whenever he returned to Kanagawa. And even though they were often just trinkets from his travels, Haruko nonetheless treasures them. Kenji smiled at his sister’s enthusiasm and ruffled her hair fondly. “I’m sure it’ll be something very nice, Haruko.” Kenji turned to issue additional instructions to the redhead and was surprised to see that Hanamichi’s face showed a mixture of thoughtfulness and… jealousy?

“What’s the matter, Hanamichi?” Kenji had often seen that expression on the redhead’s face whenever there was any mention of his and Hanagata’s relationship. “Huh? Oh, iya, it’s nothing. I was just thinking that it must be nice, having those people close to you accept you for who you are.” Kenji raised his brows at the redhead’s wistful tone. He then gave the taller boy a pat on the shoulder. “What do you mean? We know you’re gay and we accept you. Stop talking nonsense, Hanamichi.” Haruko nodded in agreement. The Fujima siblings exchanged worried looks when the only response they got from the redhead was a slight nod.

~*~*~*~

Hanamichi looked up from the magazine he was reading when the bells at the door rang softly, signaling a customer. “Ah! Tsujimoto-san! How are you today? Here, let me help you with that.” He quickly stood up from behind the counter and approached the old woman, who was carrying a basket of laundry. She smiled gratefully up at him before saying, “Arigato, Hana-chan. My, there sure is a lot of laundry to do today.” Hanamichi smiled cheerfully at her while he carried the basket over to an unoccupied machine. “Here you go. Wait here while I get you some change.” He walked over to the counter again, smiling at Haruko who was helping another customer.

Writing down the amount to be charged to the old woman in the log-book, Hanamichi strolled back and presented the pile of coins. “There. I think that should be enough for your laundry, Tsujimoto-san.” After bowing to the old woman, he returned to his post behind the counter. Soon, Haruko came back and joined him. “Whew! There seems to be more people coming here nowadays, Hana-nisan. I think they like you.” The younger girl grinned when Hanamichi blushed at the compliment.

They continued talking, occasionally teasing each other and just basically chatting about life. It was not often that Haruko came to help at the laundromat since she was studying at an exclusive all-girls’ school outside Kanagawa. However, it was a Saturday so there was no school. They were so engrossed in their playful banter that they failed to notice when the bells at the door tinkled, signaling the entrance of a new customer. So it was with some surprise that they looked up when they heard someone clearing his throat. Surprise turned to slight shock when their eyes encountered the figure at the other side of the counter. *Kami-sama!*

Hanamichi and Haruko stared at the raven-haired standing patiently in front of the counter. Both were awe-struck at the man’s handsome, albeit expressionless, face. It was Hanamichi who came to his senses first. He smiled and said, “Welcome! How may I help you?”

Chapter 1

Chapter 3