Taking in a Friend
#5 of A Slice of Jake and Toki
"Isao, dinner!" The female white tiger shouted. Her voice was shrill enough to cut through the walls of the house.
The door opened. The chubby white tiger exited his room and went down to the kitchen. He sighed a bit.
He looked up when he entered, and saw his mother taking off her apron, and sitting down to eat. His father was also sitting at the table, with a newspaper obscuring most of him. He did little more than grunt to acknowledge Isao's entrance.
"Put the paper down, honey." The wife said. "It's time to eat."
The big white tiger grunted again, this time a little more annoyed. He put the paper down revealing his face.
He was very big white tiger, fairly built for his age. He had some good muscles on him, yet he was getting more barrrel-chested by the year. Despite this, he detested the fact that his son was overweight. He started wearing glasses, but denied ever really needing them.
Isao grabbed the chopsticks by his bowl, and started eating.
The father looked on in disdain, as if the young white tiger shouldn't really be eating anything at all.
Isao looked up at his father, and gave a bit of a careless look. The big white tiger met this with a much more angry look. Isao went back to his bowl.
The mother ignored all this.
"Isao, how was school?"
"Mom, today is Sunday. School tends to be closed on this day." The young white tiger replied.
"Oh, really?" The mother replied as if she never knew this.
"Don't talk to your mother that way, Isao."
"Sorry." Isao apologized.
"If you didn't go to school, what did you do today?" his mother asked.
"I went to Jake and Toki's apartment. I played video games with Toki." Isao replied.
"Ah, the panda's apartment. Not him again. Don't you have other friends, Isao?" His father asked.
"Yes, but not as close as Toki. Also, Jake is very nice too, what do you have against him?" Isao replied.
"Well," the big white tiger paused, "he's pretty fat. I've seen him a lot. He always has this big dopey grin. Why is he so happy? He has no wife to come home to, I think he may be gay. One wonders about Toki with a man like Jake."
"Actually he is gay. What's that have to do with anything?" The young white tiger asked.
Isao's father's eyes widened.
"I knew it! It's no good, Isao. Not normal. You can't make a family. Jake and Toki aren't a real family. Toki's family must be worried about him."
"His biological parents are dead, and most of his relatives are in America. Jake was a family friend and the closest one." Isao replied.
"Is that so?" The old white tiger asked.
"Yup." Isao confirmed.
The big white tiger grew very stern.
"Isao, I don't want you seeing Toki and Jake very much. If I later learn that you're gay too, I won't be happy!"
Isao immediately stopped eating after hearing that. His heart sank a little. He looked over at his mother, who was paying no attention to this.
A little later on, Isao was laying in his bed, wearing only a pair of boxers. He thought about what his father told him at the end of dinner.
The young white tiger looked at a frame. He grabbed it off his shelf and looked at it. Inside of it was a picture of him and Toki, at the pool, wearing only their swimming trunks. He remembered the day Toki coaxed him into removing his shirt. He recalled how embarrassing it was at first, then later feeling it was no big deal.
Isao then checked to see that the door was indeed locked and no one was outside.
The white tiger grabbed from his nightstand drawer another photo of him and Toki. This time, they were only wearing t-shirts. They secretly took the photo of them bottomless and Isao kept a copy for himself.
Isao's lips started to quiver. Tears were welling up within his eyes.
Storm clouds started gathering in the distance. The white tiger got out of his father's car. The father said nothing and simply drove off.
Isao turned around and saw Toki doing the same thing. He heard the conversation going on between the two of them.
Toki left Jake's car.
"Hmm...it looks like it may rain soon." The raccoon said.
"Oh, yeah...Here, Toki. Take this, just in case." The panda replied, handing the raccoon an umbrella. "Don't forget your raincoat as well."
"Thanks, Jake. Have a good day at work." Toki said.
"And you have a good day at school." Jake went in and kissed Toki on the cheek.
Isao saw this and smiled.
After Jake drove away, Isao met up with Toki.
"Hey, Toki!" The white tiger greeted the raccoon.
"Isao!" Toki hugged Isao. The white tiger was happy to return the hug.
The two entered the school, and went off to their classes.
The storm clouds were getting closer and closer as the day went by and Toki and Isao went through their classes.
By the time the final bell rung, rain started pouring everywhere, canceling all outdoor clubs in the school. Toki had orchestra, and so he parted from Isao.
Isao saw that the bus he could've taken just left. He sighed and took out his cell phone to call his mother. He got no answer from her. After a few tries, he tried calling his father instead.
"Dad..." Isao muttered under his breath.
"Hello?" The voice on the other end answered.
"It's me. It's raining, I need to be picked up."
The voice on the other end got annoyed.
"Why do I have to pick you up? Can't you take the bus?" Isao's father asked.
"No, it left before I could get on."
"Then call your mother."
"She's not answering me. I tried 3 or 4 times." Isao replied.
"Then, start walking home I guess." The voice on the other end was getting increasingly annoyed.
"IT'S RAINING." Isao said, also getting annoyed at his father.
"THEN START RUNNING." The father replied, and hung up.
The white tiger was furious. He kicked the cement wall of the school entrance. He then made a run for it off school grounds, trying to get home.
A little later, Toki left the school, with his raincoat on, an umbrella in his hand, and his viola in his other hand.
He took out his cell phone and started to call Jake. He got an answer almost immediately.
"Hello?"
"Hey Jake. I just got out of orchestra. Are you sure you can't pick me up today in the rain?"
"Unfortunately, yes. I have to run the English club today. Say hi to Toki, students!"
The raccoon heard a bunch of young kids trying to say "HELLO TOKI!" in English.
"HIIII!" The raccoon shouted back into the phone.
"Do you know the way home, Toki?"
"Yes I do, Jake. Thanks for giving me my raincoat and umbrella."
"Of course, Toki. I have to get back to work now."
"Okay. Bye." Toki said.
"Goodbye. Stay dry." Jake replied, and hung up.
He opened the umbrella and started walking home.
As he was walking home, he heard sounds coming from an alleyway. He tried to pay no mind to it.
"To...ki...Toki..."
Hearing the voice call his name got Toki's attention just as he passed the alleyway. He looked into the alleyway and his eyes widened.
He saw a drenched, cold, shivering Isao, trying to take shelter.
"Isao! What are you doing here?"
"Dad...he...wouldn't..." Isao was visibly upset and tired. It was hard for Toki to tell he was crying, though.
"Do you want to dry off in our house?" Toki asked.
All Isao could do was nod. The raccoon helped the white tiger up and tried to keep him under the umbrella as much as possible.
The sink had a small leak, and dripped every 5 seconds. It was the only sound in the bathroom.
Toki helped Isao out of his wet clothes and then removed his own. He took out two stools, the larger one for Isao, the smaller one for him. He helped the tired white tiger into the stool, and started rinsing him in warm water. The white tiger felt at ease.
"When you're comfortable, Isao, tell me what happened."
"Okay." Isao replied. He was regaining himself, enjoying the warm air in the bathroom, and the gentle touch of his best friend on his exposed back fur.
"Would you like me to wash you with soap?" Toki asked.
"Yes, I'd like that." The white tiger replied.
The raccoon took some liquid soap and started rubbing it all through Isao's back. The white tiger sighed in enjoyment.
"Your...whole body?" Toki blushed a bit.
"Yes, please."
"I'll have to ask you to stand up, then. Can you do that?"
"I think so."
The naked white tiger started to stand up. The raccoon lathered Isao a bit further down, and started to rub soap onto his rear end.
"Should I...?" Toki didn't finish the sentence, but he didn't need to.
"You can wash inside it, Toki." The tiger spread the cheeks of his rear end a bit.
The raccoon blushed again. He took some more soap and cleaned the tiger's hole.
"Does it feel alright?" The raccoon asked.
"It may feel weird to clean there but I found it very comforting. Would you like to wash the other side?" Isao replied with another question.
"Sure. Turn around in the stool."
The chubby naked white tiger turned around, facing the naked raccoon. Toki started to wash Isao's other side.
The white tiger started to blush a bit now, as he could see his friend washing him. He also had a full view of Toki, who was as naked as him. He tried not to let his eyes wander, but the raccoon saw this.
"It's okay, Isao. You can look at my penis if you want to. We're friends, remember?" Toki smiled.
"I know...It's just that we've never done this together besides last summer..." Isao chuckled. He continued. "...I think I'm ready to talk about what happened today."
"Oh well that's good. Tell me." The raccoon said, continuing to wash his friend's chest.
"Well, as you know, it started raining in the afternoon. When classes ended and you went to orchestra, I saw that the bus already left. Then I...." The white tiger paused.
"...Then you what?" Toki asked. He saw that Isao was looking down. He looked down as well.
While Isao was telling the story, Toki started washing his penis. Both of them blushed a bit.
"...Sorry, my hands just go on auto-pilot when I wash myself, so I guess that happened when I started washing you."
"It's fine...I just can't really...focus too well when that part is being touched. I'll continue when you're done."
Toki continued washing the white tiger's private area, while Isao stayed silent. He cleaned the little shaft, pulled back the foreskin and cleaned the head, and washed the scrotum under it as well as areas nearby.
"You're very gentle." Isao started talking again.
"I have to be. Can you go on?"
"Yes. I tried calling my mom to give me a ride home. She did not answer her phone the times I tried. So I gave up and tried dad."
"Oh...What happened then?"
"He didn't want to pick me up. He told me to try mom. After I told him I tried her and the bus left already, he said to walk home." Isao sniffled.
Toki frowned. "He wanted you to walk home?"
Isao's lips quivered. "Then... then I reminded him that it was rain...raining." He sniffled again. "So he...he said to start r-r-RUNNING."
The white tiger started to cry. Toki saw this and hugged his friend. Tears started welling up within his own eyes.
"Why would he do such a thing like that?" Toki asked.
Isao couldn't talk while crying. He couldn't get out one word out.
"Isao, why?" The raccoon also couldn't hold it together.
The white tiger tried to talk, but just thinking about his father made him cry harder.
Toki also started sniffling.
"Tokiiiii! I'm back." Jake had entered the apartment. "Toki...? What's that sound?"
The panda opened the door to the bathroom to see the two. Toki could only look up at Jake, with tears in his eyes.
After Toki finished cleaning Isao and rinsed him off, they went into Jake's room.
Toki told Jake the story Isao told him, with tears in his eyes. The sad story moved the panda as well. The white tiger looked on, weeping on and off in the corner, with only a towel around his waist.
"And so Isao ran in the rain to try and get home as fast as he could...but he gave up and took shelter in an alleyway where I found him walking home."
"That's terrible! His dad didn't give him a ride?"
"No, his dad just told him to run home. I asked Isao why he'd do that but he couldn't tell me, he just cried harder. I think his dad doesn't like him. He must've hurt him emotionally." Toki sniffled.
Jake handed Toki the box of tissues.
"Thanks." The raccoon blew his snout into one.
The panda then stood up.
"...I have to go somewhere, to take care of something. Watch Isao while I'm gone, please. I won't be gone long."
"Um...okay." Toki said.
After the panda left, the two of them retreated into Toki's room.
Isao waited in there while Toki went to find him some dry clothing. After a minute, Toki returned.
"Here's one of Jake's t-shirts, it should be small enough to fit you. I'm sorry, I don't believe he has any pants or underwear small enough to fit you, and I don't think I've got anything big enough for you."
"Thanks." Isao replied. "...I don't want to go home."
"No, you're staying with us tonight." Toki said. "After we do our homework we can play video games. It's still raining too hard for you to go home."
"Okay. I'd like to stay here with you and Jake. I don't want to go back to-"
"Don't say it, because you'll start crying again, and that'll make me start crying again." Toki smiled.
Isao removed his towel and put on Jake's t-shirt. It was kind of small, and didn't go past his waist. Toki saw this.
"Hmm...I thought it could go past your waist, but I guess I was wrong. If you feel uncomfortable I can wear just a short shirt too."
"I'd like that." Isao said.
Toki removed his own towel and got one of his own t-shirts, and put it on.
"Looks like we're bottomless again." Toki said, smiling.
"It may be hard to concentrate on homework with our weenies showing." Isao said.
"Heh heh, you still call it that?" Toki asked?
"Yes." The white tiger laughed.
"Hehe....so do I." Toki replied.
There was a furious knocking on the door.
"Hold on....HOLD ON A SECOND! I'M COMING, DAMNIT!" The big white tiger yelled.
Isao's father opened the door to find an annoyed panda.
"You? What are you doing here?" He asked.
"I'm here to get Isao's things."
"WHAT?!?" The big white tiger asked, in a raised voice.
"You heard me. Please get out of the way and show me where his bedroom is."
"Get the hell out of here! I don't want you here."
Jake stepped off to the side revealing two police officers.
"Either I will go in and get Isao's stuff, or they will. Your choice."
Isao's father was mad.
"...It's down that way." His father pointed.
The panda went to the young white tiger's bedroom, and started gathering some clothing, a few other personal belongings, and the frame Isao looked at the day before. Isao's father watched, in both fury and awe.
"Why are you doing this?" Isao's father asked.
"Because Isao is not in a loving house."
"WHAT? Of course he is!"
"According to him and Toki you told him to RUN HOME IN THE RAIN."
"THE STUPID KID DID THAT?"
"Calling him stupid doesn't necessarily help your case, sir. What, no umbrella to give him? I saw you this morning, you clearly saw those approaching clouds, why didn't you give him some protection, or, hell, A RIDE HOME?"
Isao's father was speechless for a minute.
"...So I didn't give him a ride home today. How does that warrant two police officers at my doorstep?"
"Child neglect is taken very seriously, sir."
"He's not a child, he's almost done with high school!"
"Yes, but he's still not at the age of majority. You're still responsible for him...well..."
"Well what?"
"You'll see in a minute." The panda said as he was almost done gathering Isao's clothing and other items.
After Jake finished, he went back to the front door with Isao's father.
"One last thing." The panda took out a folded paper from his pocket. He unfolded it.
"What's this?"
"The police and I would like you to sign this. It's a form that will release Isao from your custody."
"WHAT?"
"The police have heard all they need. It's either you sign this or handcuffs."
"I....I...." Isao's father was speechless again. He gave up, and wrote his name on the line.
"There may be hope for you, because Isao's not the age of majority but still old enough, he has to sign this as well for you to lose him. If I were you, sir, I would PRAY that he doesn't sign it. You have no choice, though."
"Where is he now?"
"He's with Toki in our apartment. If he signs this, I will take care of him. He will be loved in our house. If you didn't sign at all, you would have been arrested and who knows where Isao would have gone. He can't stay with your wife as she'd be arrested too. The child neglect charge affects both parents."
"...Why...would he do this?"
"Maybe you said something to him that spooked him into wanting to leave."
The big white tiger tried to think about what he recently said to him the other night. It hit him.
'Isao, I don't want you seeing Toki and Jake very much. If I later learn that you're gay too, I won't be happy!'
"HE'S GAY?"
"Possibly. Do you have a problem with that?" Jake asked.
"Ah...Toki..." Was all he could mutter. "...Where's your stupid grin, panda? I thought you'd like this now that you have my kid."
"I let Isao borrow it. With the way you've been treating him, he definitely needs it now more than I do."
Jake returned to the apartment. He saw the two eating dinner.
"I'm back, Toki. Tadaima, Isao-kun."
Toki and Isao said "Welcome back" and "Okaerinasai" respectively.
"Isao, I need to speak with you. Toki, you can listen, too." The panda said.
"This may be a little hard. I went to your father's house and got your things. They're in the car, we can get them out later."
"Okay." Isao nodded.
"The police didn't like what your father did today. They let him off and decided to give you the choice of continuing to live with him, or to live with us. This is entirely your decision."
The panda took out the form from earlier.
"Your father has no say on this matter. He has to respect whichever decision you make. I can't guarantee you'll live a very happy life with him, but I can tell you that you will be loved very much in this house. It won't be like what you had over there."
The white tiger didn't know what to say.
"...So, you'll...really let me live here?"
"Of course, Isao. You're always welcome here. If you don't sign this form, you get to go back home to your dad. If you do sign it, I will take custody over you. If you decide to live with us, there will be some rules you'll have to follow, but I don't think you will have trouble following them, you're a nice guy."
"Well....my mom..." Isao mumbled. "She wasn't mean, but..."
"I know. Your mother was saddened to see this happen. She didn't know how terrible you felt with your dad. She will be allowed to come visit, and help me with what you like to eat, and other things."
"Well...I guess. I like being here. Does it mean I can sleep in Toki's room?"
"Of course you can sleep in Toki's room. I'm sure he'd like that too."
The raccoon across the table nodded his head.
The white tiger grabbed the pen, and signed his name on the form.
"Welcome to the family, Isao." The panda hugged the white tiger, which he returned. Isao sniffled.
"Um...what were the rules?"
"Well, for one, and this is the biggest one...We don't normally speak Japanese in this house unless you're a guest. Since you're now a part of the family and not a guest, we will have you learn English. Toki will help you too. I will speak Japanese with some of the more complicated things, but eventually I will speak to you in English, and only English, once I see you are able to handle it. Is this okay with you?"
"Okay, sure. What else?"
"You may be subjected to random hugs by both Toki and me." Jake joked.
The white tiger laughed. "I think I can handle that one. Anything else?"
"Not that I can think of. Just the normal stuff I'm sure you had in your house, clean your plate, flush, do your homework..."
"I think I can live with those rules." Isao said.
"Very good, then."
The panda hugged the white tiger again. This time, Toki got out of his seat and joined in on the hug.
The two bottomless friends finished their homework, played some video games, and then got into Toki's bed.
"Isao, are you sad that you don't live with your parents anymore?"
The white tiger thought about it.
"...No. He was nice only when he wanted to be nice. Jake seems to be nice all the time. I like that."
The panda opened the door to their room. He was just as naked as they were.
"Oh, you are in the bed together? I was actually going to put out a futon for you, Isao. Are you more comfortable that way?"
"Yes, I like sleeping with Toki."
"Okay then. That's fine with me. I found this frame by your bed at your dad's house, I think you may have wanted it. I like the pictures inside of it, they're very cute, you and Toki."
The panda walked up to the bed and handed the frame to Isao. The white tiger took it.
"Have a very good night, you two." Jake said.
The panda went in and kissed Toki on the cheek. The raccoon smiled.
"Jake?"
"Yes, Isao?"
"...Can I have a goodnight kiss too? Dad never gave me one."
"Never? That won't do."
Jake kissed Isao on the cheek as well.
"Goodnight, Isao."
"Goodnight, Jake." The white tiger replied.
The panda got up, and walked out of the room.
"So, what's in that frame?" Toki asked.
"The picture of you and me and the pool." Isao replied. "But...."
"Hm?"
"...There was another picture I didn't keep in this frame, I liked it a bit more...It was also of you and me. And we were...you know..."
"Oh. THAT photo. I kinda lost my copy too. I don't know where it went."
Isao opened the frame to take the photo out of it. His eyes widened. There was another photo inside. The photo he was referring to, of him and Toki, bottomless.
"Jake must've found the photo with my things and put it in the frame!"
He showed Toki.
"Jake is very thoughtful like that, even if it may be embarrassing." The raccoon replied.
"Yeah." The white tiger put the frame on the nightstand.
The two friends hugged.
"Can you sleep with our weenies rubbing together like this, Isao?" Toki asked.
"I think so, as long as we stay holding each other like this."
Isao and Toki started to kiss each other on the lips.
"Goodnight, Isao." Toki said.
"Goodnight, Toki." Isao replied.
The two friends slowly drifted to sleep together.
"Isao, dinner!" Jake's voice was loud when it needed to be.
The door opened. The chubby white tiger exited the room and went to the kitchen.
Isao grabbed the chopsticks by his bowl, and started eating.
Isao looked up, and saw Jake. Jake looked back, and smiled at him. The white tiger returned the smile.
"How is it, Isao?" Jake asked him in English.
"...It...It is..."
"Go on, Isao, we won't laugh if you say it wrong." Toki said from across the table.
"It is...delicious." Isao smiled.