Beta & Bunny credit: Nekoeyes
It was deadline time for Yuki. His editor had been calling daily to see what progress he was making. As far as he was concerned it was an ideal time because his creative juices were flowing. The past two nights he'd stayed up until 3 a.m. working. He'd been so deep into it that it had only been calls from Shuichi that alerted him to the time.
Normally, he'd be furious with Shuichi for calling so late. Then again, when Shuichi was away on tour it was his big chance to write. Maybe the little pink fluff ball finally learned that. Yuki leaned back, a cup of mildly warm coffee in hand and felt satisfaction wash over him. He was really on a roll with this story. Hanging up with his editor, he assured her that if he kept going at this pace he was sure to finish the story by the end of the week.
Finishing up his coffee, he smiled at the picture of Shuichi on the corner of his laptop. He missed the little rugrat. Not that he'd ever let him know. His screensaver came on, telling him to "GET BACK TO WORK" in big letters. With a sigh, he went back to it.
Three days of little sleep, less food and no sex and Yuki was ready to drop or explode at anything that crossed his path. His editor had stopped calling sensing he was at his breaking point. A large storm had hit the coast causing widespread power failures all over Japan. Naturally, he had forgotten to save a nights work and in the darkness thinking he was hitting 'save' hit 'delete'.
It was a very good thing that Shuichi was not home that day.
"Hey brat, time to go home!" Shuichi looked up with bleary eyes into the eyes of his manager.
"K? Is it morning?" Scratching his stomach, Shuichi found remnants of last night's supper.
Then he felt K's gun pointed at his temple. This was such old hat that Shuichi merely nodded, rubbing his eyes and toddled toward the shower. He sagged against the back wall of the shower in exhaustion. It had been a rough tour. And he missed his Yuki terribly. He could hardly wait to be held in his arms again! Five hours on the bus and he'd be home! As he emerged from the shower he felt revived and eager to get to see Yuki.
His enthusiasm had only grown on the bus. It grated on the nerves of his tired band mates who practically threw him of the bus and in front of the house he shared with his lover. Technically, it was Yuki's, but Shuichi had come to think of it as his home too.
Throwing open the door he yelled as loudly as he could, "YUKI!!!!"
A loud groan could be heard from the direction of Yuki's office. Shuichi threw his things down and ran to the office door. It was locked and had a sign up on it. "You enter, you die."
Shuichi laughed. Yuki could be so funny sometimes! Standing on his tiptoes, Shuichi reached up and ripped the sign down. Then he opened the door. "HIDEY HO! YUKI I’M HOME!"
Yuki who was just entering the final stretch of wrapping up his story glared at him. Shuichi stepped back, surprised at the anger radiating of his lover. "Didn't you miss me?"
"NO!" Yuki lied. "It was quiet and I have work to do! Not all of us can be freeloaders on society and their boyfriends like you can!" As soon as the words left his mouth Yuki felt his stomach, which had been living on coffee and cigarettes, lurch.
Huge tears filled Shuichi's eyes, but Yuki couldn't seem to stop the words that flowed out of his mouth next. It was as if he was standing outside his body watching a wreck, unfortunately it was wrecking his life. "I don't care if I ever see you again! GET OUT!"
Shuichi reeled. "But…but I love you!"
"I should have known with your singing that you were deaf! I SAID GET OUT, AND STAY OUT! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!" Yuki roared over the screaming protests of his own heart.
Fat teardrops were rolling down Shuichi's face, his eyes were huge as dinner plates as he bolted for the door, grabbed his gear and ran into the street. His eyes were closed, the tears coming too fast and furious to contain. Running pell-mell into the crowded streets he didn't stop until he bounced off a firm chest. He was so startled he stopped crying.
Arms wrapped around his waist preventing him from falling. "Whoa there, gorgeous… Where's the fire?"
Shuichi panted trying to get back the breath that had been knocked out of his chest by the collision. He looked up and for a moment thought it was Eiri, and then saw the smile and the dark hair. "I…I…" Shuichi started to cry again.
The tall, dark handsome stranger held him closer and moved them over to a nearby bench. Shuichi was overcome with gratitude at the man's kindness. Eventually, his tears died down to hiccups, which made the man chuckle. "Now, what's got you so riled up?"
As Shuichi poured out his troubles to the kindly man, Yuki was being eaten up by guilt. In the time that Shuichi was gone he'd put the book to bed. The overwhelming quiet of the house seemed to echo with the words Yuki had shouted to him. He emailed the manuscript to his editor and went to look for his stray lover.
Ten minutes later, he found Shuichi on a bench. Relief flowed through him. Surely Shuichi would forgive him. All he had to do was …then he spotted it. Shuichi was wrapped in the arms of another man who curled protectively around him. The ever present cigarette fell from his mouth as he met the eyes of the man in question. It was his own brother!
Tatsuha's eyes went wide as comprehension dawned over his face seeing how Eiri was looking from Shuichi to him. First, it was shock on his older brother's face, then pain, and finally disappointment? Did Eiri really care about this pink mopped singer? Was this the boy-toy their sister had referred to? Shuichi's heart was breaking over Eiri? But Eiri never cared about anyone but himself.
Yet looking at Eiri's hurt and confused face, Tatsuha realized that Eiri had not only finally allowed himself to care about someone else, but to actually love that person. If Eiri's face was anything to go by, he loved Shuichi.
It was then that Tatsuha realized that having his arms around Shuichi could be taken wrongly. He quickly pulled away, almost causing Shuichi to fall down. His eyes looked up in confusion. "I…um…maybe he really does care about you and you caught him at a bad time."
"Why are you taking his side?" Shuichi asked.
"My brother can be like that," Tatsuha shrugged looking down at him.
"Oh, then you know how much it hurts!" Shuichi shook his head. "No, no, I'm never going back to him."
Tatsuha sighed. Looking back up, he saw that his brother had vanished. He had failed.
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After a week, Tatsuha found he'd become friends with Shuichi. They met at a local coffee shop for breakfast, near the university that Tatsuha was attending. Shuichi was apartment hunting and had gone back to living at his parents. Tatsuha felt two-faced. He was on the phone each night with Eiri trying to convince him to try again to win Shuichi back. During the day he was spending his free time with Shuichi in an attempt to convince him to give Eiri another go.
The day reflected his mood today. It was threatening to rain as he and Shuichi exited the small coffee shop. Shuichi was going back into the studio soon to record a new album to capitalize on the huge success of his recent tour. He was looking forward to it, even though he was not as confident about his singing since his fight with Eiri. So Tatsuha was also given the task of ego builder. It was trying at his nerves.
Desperate, Tatsuha was grasping at wild ideas. Should he try to make Eiri jealous with Shuichi? No. He became sullen and silent as he pondered different ideas. He felt that he was very close to convincing his brother to try again. Oddly, the fact that Tatsuha was trying to help was bringing the brothers together. Playing the jealousy card was definitely a bad idea.
In the meantime, Shuichi was given to fits of silence himself. Tatsuha knew he was supposed to be writing songs. But the only lyrics he'd seen from Shuichi's scribbling so far were depressing and sad. It was like a red light special at a mausoleum, and Tatsuha really didn't want to get too friendly for fear of becoming a consolation prize for Shuichi's affections.
Outside the shop he spotted Eiri across the street watching them. It gave Tatsuha hope, yet it pained him to see Eiri so obviously upset. Dark circles ringed his eyes and he was shaking. Tatsuha couldn’t tell if it was from lack of sleep or eating. Looking across the table at Shuichi he noticed matching circles under his eyes.
Tatsuha sighed. Maybe it was time for honesty. "If I was in love with someone and realized I made a mistake, do you know what I'd do?"
Shuichi looked up and shook his head.
"I'd watch them from afar as much as I could, so even though my heart was breaking I could still go on." Tatsuha jerked his head to the store window.
Blinking in confusion, Shuichi looked out the window. Eiri was still there putting up his umbrella now that the rain had started. "Yuki," he whispered. "But…"
"He loves you Shuichi. I've talked to him every night. He's falling apart without you." Tatsuha smiled wearily at his companion as he looked back at him in confusion. "I know how difficult my brother can be."
Shuichi mouthed the word 'brother' without making a sound.
"Eiri has never cared a shit about anyone for years. He's got a wall around him that makes the Great Wall of China look like cardboard. But he let you inside. I've never seen him so in love. Forgive him Shuichi and go to him now. He's come more than halfway across town just to watch you. Doesn’t that say something?" Tatsuha smiled encouragingly.
Shuichi pushed back from the table and looked out at Eiri who was now looking down, sadness oozing from his very being.
"Go on, Shuichi," Tatsuha urged. "You belong together."
With a shaky smile Shuichi nodded and ran from the shop. Tatsuha watched as Shuichi ran across the street. Eiri had looked up and saw him coming. A huge smile spread across his face unbidden. Even through the glass, Tatsuha heard the singer scream out his brother's name. "EIRI!"
Tatsuha crossed his finger that his brother wouldn’t be stupid, in actions or words. With relief, he witnessed a small miracle as Eiri swept Shuichi up into his arms, tossing aside the umbrella and kissed him passionately in the middle of the busy downtown, causing people to part around them in a black tide of umbrellas obscuring them from view.
Leaning back in his chair, Tatsuha sighed happily, knowing he'd given them both all they ever wanted. He reached into his pocket to get out the money to pay the waitress as she appeared at the table, but a hand appeared putting the needed Yen down. Tatsuha looked up into the grateful eyes of his brother who had Shuichi plastered to his side grinning from ear-to-ear.
"Eiri?" Tatsuha asked slowly, not sure why his brother was picking up the tab.
For one of the few times in his life, Tatsuha was graced with one of his brother's dazzling smiles, the kind he only seemed to reserve for Shuichi, it would seem, as they beamed at each other. Eiri looked back from his lover to his brother. "This one is on me."
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