The boy sat in the bathroom stall staring at the oddly shaped gum next to the lock. Sighing in relief, he propped his head in his hands. It seemed as though this was the only place he could get any peace and quiet. The singer's next performance was the last for the night; then he could go home. Not like he actually preferred it there or anything. He was treated like a god on stage, when he took the first step in his house, however, he was treated as though he were less than dirt.
"Shuichi?" A familiar voice questioned from the now open bathroom door. "I'm here, Hiro." Shuichi Shindou walked from the bathroom stall to see his best friend, Hiroshi Nakano, looking slightly concerned. "You okay, Shuichi? You've been rather down lately." Hiro questioned. Saying nothing, Shuichi proceeded to reapply his sapphire blue eye liner.
The singer was decked out in too light black shorts which made his manhood all too obvious, a white, sleeveless half shirt covered by a blood red trench coat. He wore black, knee high boots and a matching red belt cinched his waist. Hiro's outfit was slightly similar. He had on black leather pants and a white button down vest with a red belt. His long burgundy hair flowed loosely behind him.
Hiro suddenly wrapped Shuichi in a giant bear hug. Confused and startled, Shuichi patted his back and looked up at him questioningly. "Feel better, Shu-chan. I'm worried about you." Hiro kissed his forehead. Shuichi blushed slightly. "Thanks Hiro; you're the best." They walked arm in arm backstage to prepare for their last performance of the night.
"Thank you! That's it for us tonight! We'll see you next week!" Shuichi hooked the mic back into the stand. Rushing across the stage, Shuichi wrapped his arm around Hiro and shouted out that he loved all of his fans, winked, and blew a kiss while prancing off the stage.
Blowing out a puff of air, the popular guitarist plopped down on a black plush sofa, setting his beloved guitar beside him. Hiro closed his eyes and he lay his head on the back of the couch, draping one arm over the back, when a muffled 'thump' came from somewhere in front of him. "Shu?" Questioned Hiro. A soft, "mm?" Was the only response from the heap sprawled in the middle of the floor.
"Let's ditch this place." Hiro smiled softly down at his favorite singer. Glancing up, Shuichi mumbled something incoherently. About an hour later, Shuichi and Hiro were walking into the VIP room of the hot new club, Vixon. Music was blaring from the room beneath them where people were dancing away their worries, stress, and fears.
Hiro was just starting to decide whether or not he would join his singer on the smaller dance floor when the lights in the VIP room were all turned on. Blinded temporarily, the twenty or so people inside looked around with confused expressions. A small group of men walked through the room examining everyone they passed.
Shuichi seemed to have frozen still. He was steadily losing color and a look of pure terror entered his previously happy face. One of the men stopped just short of Hiro and examined him closely; right as he moved on, Shuichi sidled behind him, using Hiro as a shield so he wouldn't be seen.
Regrouping, the men exchanged a few short words, returned the lights to their usual dimness, and left. Hiro didn't know who they were, or what they wanted, but it was pristine that Shuichi knew the answer to both of those questions. Hiro turned around to find his best friend shivering in what was probably fear.
"Come on, Shu." Hiro grabbed his arm and led him out the back exit to go unnoticed. Letting the door shut behind him, Hiro pushed Shuichi into the wall and placed a hand on either side of his torso under his arms so he couldn't get away. Glancing up at his guitarist, Shuichi questioned his actions with his large, lavender eyes.
"Now, you're going to tell me who those guys were and what they wanted. Only then will I let you go." "Hiro…. It's nothing, really." Hiro slammed his fist against the wall beside Shuichi's head, causing the smaller boy to flinch and let out a slight whimper. "It's better if you don't know, trust me." "Are you in to something bad, Shu?" No response. "Tell me! I may be able to help you out!" "You Can't Do Anything, Hiro!" Shuichi yelled, angered by the conversation he had been hoping to avoid.
Tears ran along the bottom of Shuichi's eyes; his mouth was pulled into a slight pout. Sighing, Hiro brushed the hair from Shuichi's face and wiped the tears from his eyes. "I'm here for you if you need me. You know that, right?" Shuichi nodded his head and asked if they could just go home. Hiro kissed his forehead and took his friend's hand and pulled him out to the main street to hail a taxi. He knew he was close to crossing a line, so he merely let the subject drop for the time being.