"Let's not walk this way." Tetchou said quickly when he and Jouno returned to the park. "What do you mean?" Jouno asked. "The burnt down trees are over this way." He pointed to where he remembered the damage happening. Tetchou nodded. "There's something else over there." Jouno sighed. "Did you destroy the play structure?" Tetchou rubbed the back of his neck. "Not intentionally." Jouno had to fight the urge to smile. "Is the park still going to be standing by the time we're done here?"
No sooner had the words left Jouno's mouth than another set of unhinged cackling began again. However, it wasn't even the same guy. How many people with terrible laughter could one person have the misfortune of encountering in a single day?
"Salutations, hunting dogs!" Said a voice that sounded like the speaker had drunk way too much coffee this morning. Nobody should be that excited. "More port mafia?" Tetchou asked. Jouno crossed his arms. "With our luck? There's no doubt."
Jouno could hear the rest of the people in the park clear out, and one person approaching him and Tetchou. "Let me guess: Kouyo told you to attack us, and you're too scared of her not to." Jouno said. "Au contraire!" The newcomer exclaimed. "Kouyo is a colleague of mine that I have a great deal of respect for. She never discounts my value because of my eccentricities."
Tetchou leaned down to whisper to Jouno. "This one might be more difficult. The others were either scared of Kouyo or trying to impress her. This guy is genuinely her friend." Jouno hated to admit it, but it sounded like Tetchou was right. "At least this is the last part of the date." Jouno said hopefully. "We still have the surprise." Tetchou said. "Ah." Jouno said, remembering the fear he felt earlier upon hearing about the surprise.
"Kouyo is a very kind woman. She doesn't ask for much. So when she asked me to send you two a message, I didn't hesitate to finish my new prototype. It came to me in a vision from god!" More cackling laughter. "So, do you want to go smack this guy or something?" Jouno asked. Tetchou shook his head. "I want to see what he's going to do."
As the attacker continued laughing, Tetchou seemed to get confused. "What's happening?" Jouno asked. He could tell their opponent was rustling his clothes, probably taking something out of a pocket, but he didn't know what it was. "That makes no sense." Tetchou said. "What?" Jouno asked. "It looks like he's pulling out a piece of fruit."
"Hahahaha, hunting dogs!" The port mafia member screamed as Jouno heard explosives start to detonate around him. "Even you can't withstand my lemon bombs." Tetchou's swords raced around him and Jouno, forming a sort of shield, while the attacker continued talking.
"The universe told me that such an occasion would come up, so I stayed up all night perfecting these bad boys!" He was sounding more and more unhinged the more he kept talking. "I could hear the angels in my head, directing the precise formation of these beautiful cylinders."
Jouno sighed. "Okay, do you want to get this guy or do I have to do it?" He asked. Jouno could practically hear the grin on Tetchou's face. "Let's do it together." Jouno frowned. "Let me guess: you go high and I go low?" He asked. Tetchou nodded. "On three!" He exclaimed. This time, it did actually make sense to go on three.
Tetchou dropped the sword barrier, and charged forwards. Jouno couldn't keep up with Tetchou when he was running, so he dematerialized and reappeared in front of the port mafia attacker. "Wait, no!" He started exclaiming. Tetchou pulled back his fist. "This isn't fair!"
Tetchou's first slammed into his head at the same time Jouno kicked his legs out from under him. The attacker collapsed unconscious, and his explosives stopped going off. "The hunting dogs can stand up to anything, including your lemon bombs." Tetchou said heroically, even though his opponent was unconscious, and couldn't hear him. Jouno sighed. "Can you please stop saying lemon bombs like they're an actual thing?"
Tetchou took Jouno's hand. "I'm sure someone will find this guy eventually." Jouno sighed. "Is there anything left of the park?" Tetchou looked around. "The swings are still standing." Jouno nodded. "At least there's that." Tetchou played with the button on his leather jacket. "I think we'd better see what the surprise is." He said with great anxiety. Jouno gathered his courage. Teruko planning a surprise was the stuff of nightmares.
YOU ARE READING
Love is Blind: a Jouno and Tetchou story
FanfictionTeruko sets Jouno and Tetchou up on a date they will enjoy, whether they like it or not