This I Promise You
Sequel to: "My Heart Beats Like A Drum"
Building A Family series
Written by: Chochowilliams
Disclaimer: I do not own Gravitation or the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Summary: Could it be that Shuichi really is just paranoid or is there something about the new neighbor?
Warning: M/M, Sexual Situations, Romance, Drama, Angst, Fantasy, Infidelity, OOC-ness, Language, M-Preg, Masturbation, Anal, Oral, Minor Character Death, OCs, 1st person POV, Japan Natives: surname first
Pairings: Shuichi/Eiri, Hiro/Ayaka, Hiro/Suguru, OMC/OFC
Insert: Recap from "My Heart Beats Like A Drum", "This I Promise You", by *NSYNC, No Strings Attached
A/N: This is the fifth installment in the Building A Family series. In order, they are: "Parental Revenge", "In the Closet", "Give In To Me", "My Heart Beats Like A Drum", This I Promise You, Because of You, "Limelight". There original was 27 chapters, but I have since combined them to make them longer making 9 new chapters. Enjoy!
oOo
When the visions around you
Bring tears to your eyes
And all that surround you
Are secrets and lies
I'll be your strength
I'll give you hope
Keeping your faith when it's gone
The one you should call
Was standing here all along
And I will take you in my arms
And hold you right where you belong
'Til the day my life is through
This I promise you
This I promise you
-"This I Promise You", by *NSYNC, No Strings Attached
oOo
Last Time
The elevator slowed as it came to his floor. Shuichi pushed away from the back wall as he heard the familiar ping. The doors slid open and he stepped out when Jacob indicated it was alright to proceed. He started down the hall towards the apartment he shared with Eiri and their son when the door to what used to be Chosokabe Kita-san's apartment just this morning opened and out stepped a man who had to be at least Hiro's height.
Jacob came to a sudden halt before him and held out an arm, which forced Shuichi to stop.
"Aah! Hello! You must be, Shindou-san," the man greeted with a wide toothy grin when he spotted Shuichi.
Shuichi forced himself to smile at the man. "Hello," he returned with a small voice. He felt his smile waver. The man had a pale complexion, but not like Eiri's. It was more of a sickly paleness. Almost as if the man could keel over at any moment. The narrow eyes the color of mud seemed to bore deeply into Shuichi's. An abnormally large nose took up most of his long face. Shuichi found himself taking several steps backwards away from the guy.
"I'm Rinjin Yasashii," the man introduced. He stepped forward. "I'm your new neighbor. Nice to meet you."
Shuichi stared at that hand with those white skeletal digits Yasashii was holding out to him. A wave of fear washed over him. He could not explain it, but he did not like this guy, not one bit. There was something about him. But thinking he was being ridiculous, for he did not even know the man, Shuichi tentatively stepped forward and shook the man's proffered hand. Yasashii's clammy, wraith-like fingers closed around his and Shuichi fought against the impulse to pull his hand back and race into his apartment to sterilize it. Instead, he remained where he was with a forced smile on his face. "N-nice to meet you too…Rinjin-san."
oOo
Chapter 1: Is it Paranoia?
Paranoid.
They told me I should not worry about it, that he was probably just another "obsessed fan". I was not so sure about that, but they reminded me that in the decade I have been in the music business, I have had countless fans just like him, fans so overtly obsessed.
I hate to admit it, but they are right. Some have even been downright clinically insane. I had been chased, mulled and stalked in almost every way, shape and form from everyone from fanatical groupies, conservative traditionalists, angry parents who think I am "corrupting" their young children, to the most obvious people: the damn media. I have seen my share of scandals. I even have several restraining orders against said people. You name it, I have been through it all.
Therefore, yeah, I could see their point. I mean, this person has done nothing even the most remotely threatening. I have not received any phone calls, nor have I received any letters or packages. He has not been cornering me, begging and threatening me to go out with him. No, this person was the perfect gentleman, a very good friend and neighbor.
Did I say "neighbor"? Oh, yeah. The person whom everyone was telling me I had nothing to worry about lives right down the hall from the apartment I share with my long time boyfriend Uesugi Eiri.
Rinjin Yasashii was aptly named. He was the gentle neighbor. He never made any noise, never had his television or radio on too high. He never had any parties that got too loud and out of control. If any of his neighbors got too loud and rowdy, or bothered him in any way, he would very kindly ask them to please keep it down. He was the ideal person to have as a neighbor but that was the problem: he was too perfect.
Why then, do you ask am I being paranoid of a man that was seemingly the ideal person to live next door? I have absolutely no idea to tell you the truth, but from the moment I stared into his mud-colored eyes and shook that clammy, white skeletal hand with its wraith-like fingers when he moved in our building a month ago, the guy has just plain given me with creeps.
Stupid, right? Probably, but I cannot help it! This Rinjin guy always just happens to be wherever I am.
"What a coincidence," he would laugh huskily.
Uh huh. Yeah, right. If you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you.
Rinjin-san just happened to score tickets to every concert and appearance Bad Luck did. He just happened to have backstage passes to all of our concerts. He just happened to leave and return from work at exactly the same time I did every single day. Even when I overslept or had to go into the studio early or when I got home late?
"Come on, Shu," Nakano Hiroshi, my best friend told me when I spoke to him about my creepy neighbor, "don't be so paranoid. I think you're reading too much into this."
"But Hiro…"
"Maybe the guy has the hots for you or something and is just afraid of saying anything. Anyway, the guy hasn't done anything, right?"
"Well, yeah, but…"
"Coincidence, Shu-chan," Eiri told me when I spoke to me.
Coincidence? Bull-fucking-shit.
Rinjin Yasashii-san made my skin crawl. He gave me the heebie-jeebies. Every time I came within three meters of the guy, I have a panic attack. My mouth dries. I cannot breathe and I start sweating buckets. For the life of me, I cannot explain why I always become like this around this guy! He really is nice, kind, and gentle. He is a good friend, but…If I were a woman they would call it woman's intuition, right? Well, my intuition is telling me he is up to no good and it is only a matter of time before the shit hits the fan, but until then, I am trying to heed the advice from Hiro and Eiri. I am trying to make myself believe that this "gentle neighbor" meant me no harm and that I was only being paranoid but I was soon to find out just how right I was…
oOo
November - Uesugi-Shindou Residence
Darkness. Silence. Utterly and complete. They surrounded me, encompassed and engulfed me. A sea of nothingness entrenches me. I am alone in a great, black void. The silence is just as thick, just as heavy and suffocating. There are no birds chirping, no locust buzzing, no creaking boards or settling foundations. I can hear none of the traffic that should be on the other side of the wall or hear the conversations of people floating up from the street. The only sound is the buzzing in my ears the silence causes.
The hair on the back of my neck and on my arms stands on end as I suddenly feel as if I am no longer alone.
My heart races, pounding painfully in my chest, making it difficult to catch my breath. The silence is drowned by my sudden wheezing that sounds louder than it really is in the unnatural silence. I place my hand on my rapidly rising and falling chest as I try to catch my breath.
I lick my lips and swallow. My mouth has gone inexplicably dry.
From out of the darkness come two ghostly hands. My eyes widen in fright. I swallow a scream that is trying to claw up my throat. I scramble backwards as the floating hands slowly travel toward me. I cannot allow those things to touch me. I do not want them anywhere near me!
Someone! Keep them away from me! Eiri! Help me!
"Stay away," I cry. My voice shakes, betraying how terrified I am. I continue backing away from those hands, shaking my head and screaming into the darkness, "No!"
Suddenly I feel something solid and smooth rub up against my back. I gasp in disbelief as I feel behind me blindly. A wall! No! This is not happening! I inch my way along the barrier, pressing myself into it as if it would somehow swallow me and spit me out to safety somewhere where those bodiless hands would never find me.
"What do you want? Who are you?" I cry, feeling fat tears roll down my face.
I sob loudly, my cries echoing in the black nothingness. My wails grow as I find myself suddenly trapped in a corner, literally, with those wraithlike hands creeping towards me ever so slowly, prolonging and stretching out my fear and panic. I know that those things were not going to just come and shake my hand. They were out to get me! To rip me into tiny pieces and scatter me in the river! I have to get away! Dammit! Why was this happening to me? Why?
I am crying in earnest by now. My whole body is trembling. I shake my head back and forth, back and forth. I slide down the wall to the floor and huddle in as tiny a ball as I can.
A scream rips from my lungs as those long, slinky digits cup my face. "Eiri," I scream at the top of my lungs. "Yamero! Help me! Eiri!"
Shuichi flew up in bed, screaming and entangled in the bed sheets. His face was twisted and contorted in terror. His plaid pajama bottoms were twisted around his slender body and his shoulder length jet-black layered hair was glued to his face with sweat. His fear followed him out of his dream and clouded his mind, hindering his ability to fully wake. The tangled sheets, in his mind, were those cold, clammy ghostly hands that would not relent their hold on him. He scrambled out of the bed with another scream, hitting the floor with a loud and hard thud but in his fear-induced haze, none of that registered. He crab walked in a blurred rush until his back hit something solid and whimpered.
Eiri flew up out of bed, having been ripped from a sleep deeper than that of the dead by a sound that chilled him to the bone and stopped his heart cold.
The first thing he saw when he was finally focused was his boyfriend huddled in a tight ball in the corner, his eyes wide and clouded in fear. Fully awake now, Eiri swallowed back his rising terror and panic. He tossed aside the bedcovers with a sound curse and fell to his knees in front of Shuichi. Having gone through this before, Eiri knew what to do. "Shuichi," he called lightly as to not startle the younger man. He reached out to the visibly trembling man. "Shu, it's-"
Shuichi's whimpering turned into a cry of fright. His hand shot out quick, connecting with a loud, hard slap across Eiri's face.
The elder man stared across the room in shock. Slowly, he touched his cheek, wincing as he touched the tender spot.
He hit me, Eiri thought nonchalant with a blink. My sweet Shu actually hit me.
Movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Shuichi was scampering out of the bedroom. Cursing, Eiri chased his faster, more agile boyfriend. He had to stop him before he escaped out into the hall. There was no telling what the neighbors would think if they saw a half naked man screaming in absolute terror racing down the hallway in the middle of the night. It was one thing for them to hear those noises from inside the apartment, they were all used to that by now but it was another to watch a man fleeing for his life out of the building.
Eiri tackled Shuichi to the floor, not bothering to be gentle or worry about splinters or rug burns.
He had never been so glad as he was right now that he had allowed Riku to spend the night at his friend's house on a school night. The last thing the thirteen year old needed was to be a witness this. It would probably traumatize the poor boy.
Shuichi kicked, clawed, punched and screamed as Eiri used all his strength to pin the singer beneath him. In any other situation, this would very erotic. Eiri straddled Shuichi's flaying legs, holding them down in the process. Grabbing Shuichi's tiny wrists, he held them securely above a squirming Shuichi's head. He brought back his other hand and slapped the singer harshly across the face, wincing as the sound echoed through the apartment. In a normal situation, he would never hit Shuichi. He would never hurt him. He did enough of that at the beginning of their relationship, but unfortunately, it seemed to be the only way to snap Shuichi out of it.
Immediately, Shuichi's screams stopped. His struggles ceased. It was as if a switch had been thrown. The apartment became eerily silent except for the heavy sound of Eiri's breathing.
I am so out of shape, he thought.
He smiled softly as dull amethyst eyes blinked up at him. He could see life slowly returning to them. He watched as Shuichi's twisted features relaxed and clouded over this time in confusion.
"Eiri," Shuichi said softly. "Eiri, what's-I don't- What happened?"
Eiri sighed, his body slumping. He dropped his head to his partner's chest and closed his eyes as he said a silent prayer. He suddenly felt exhausted. "I'm getting too old for this," he muttered.
This has been going on for a month. Something had to be done.
Shuichi frowned at his boyfriend's silence. "Eiri," he called, staring at the man's blond hair.
"God, Shu," Eiri choked out. His throat was suddenly clogged with a sob as the adrenaline and the excitement wore off. "You scared the shit out of me. My heart just about stopped when I heard you scream. I never want to feel this way again."
Shuichi blinked in confusion. Scream? What was he…?
He closed his eyes with a distressed cry. Tears stung his eyes. Another nightmare? Damn! What did he keep having these? It was ridiculous! Not only did they cause both Eiri and him to lose sleep but also he caused the man he loved unnecessary anxiety. Guilt rose up and swallowed the last remnants of the fear left behind by the dream that was even now slipping away.
"Gomen," he whispered, feeling the tears slid down his face. "I'm sorry." Opening his eyes, he gasped as a pair of gorgeous, heart stopping golden hazel eyes stared into his, eyes that were full of worry, anger and relief at the same time.
Eiri could not believe what he heard coming from his life companion's mouth. Why did the damned idiot always have to apologize for every little thing? Sitting up, Eiri slid off his lover and lifted the smaller man into his lap. He enveloped him tightly in his arms.
Shuichi buried his face against Eiri's neck and cried silently. He so desperately needed his partner's warmth and love. He could only get this comforting presence from his soul mate. Not even his best friend Hiro could chase away the deeply rooted chills and fright after the nightmares sent him flying from some unknown, unseen, mysterious enemy.
He could never remember the nightmare. It faded as soon as he woke up, or as Eiri said, "snapped back to reality". The more he tried to remember it, the farther away it slipped. The only things that remained were a coldness that seemed to have built a foundation and planted roots deeply within his soul and a mind numbing fear.
"I'm sorry," Shuichi cried, hugging the man tighter. Pulling back reluctantly, he searched his older lover's face. "Did I-Did I…?"
Eiri snorted and wiggled his jaw back and forth. "Nearly broke my jaw this time, damned brat," he teased in mock seriousness.
Shuichi's face crumbled. Fresh tears filled with tears. "I'm so sorry! It's my fault!" he cried throwing himself at the writer.
Eiri heaved a heavy sigh. One of his hands was splayed in the middle of Shuichi's back while the other clutched at his silken hair. "Stop apologizing, Shu-chan," he whispered softly. "And please stop crying! I hate seeing you so upset!"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry," he cried louder.
"Shu! I was only joking! Please, stop crying!"
Shuichi's cries only grew.
Sighing, Eiri rested his chin against the top of Shuichi's head. "What if I said there was a way for you to make it up to me?"
That got Shuichi's immediate attention. Sitting up, he wiped at his tear-streaked face and searched his lover's eagerly. "Really?"
A sly grin slipped across Eiri's face. His eyes glinted mischievously. Shuichi felt himself blushing under the older man's heated gaze. Eiri's hands slid tantalizingly slow down Shuichi's back to cup his firm, round ass. He felt Shuichi shiver and this time it had nothing to do with the nightmare. Eiri squeezed the tight, rounded globes. He felt Shuichi's cock begin to harden against his own rapidly swelling one. Shuichi moaned loudly, arched his back and tossed his head back as he felt his groin stroked by his lover's through their loose pajama bottoms.
"Eiri," Shuichi groaned breathlessly. He tightened his legs around Eiri's waist, rubbing and grinding himself against the other man. He moaned again, dropping his head and stared into Eiri's hunger filled eyes. His breathing sped and his heart raced.
Growling, Eiri tackled Shuichi's mouth just as he had wrestled him to the ground earlier, hard and without mercy. Shuichi and Eiri swallowed each other. They bit and nipped, their tongues wrestling and fighting for dominance.
Eiri left a trail of saliva as he kissed down Shuichi's neck, biting and sucking the tender flesh. He was determined to leave his mark on his territory. He wanted the whole world to know that this petit man was his and his alone.
Shuichi made small helpless noises as Eiri dominated him. "Eiri! Oh, god, Eiri!"
"What do you want, Shu," Eiri breathed huskily. He felt so hard it was just this side of pain. "Tell me what you want."
Breathlessly, Shuichi's chest heaved heavily. "You. Eiri."
"Exactly what you want," Eiri growled, pressing their bodies together.
Shuichi tossed his head back and arched his back. "Eiri! Don't tease me!"
"Then tell me what you want me to do."
"Ah! Fuck me! Eiri! Now!"
Eiri smiled slyly. "Your wish is my command," he whispered hoarsely.
He stood; keeping Shu pressed against him as if they were Siamese twins and entered their bedroom. He collapsed them both onto the bed. Leaning over his heavily panting lover, Eiri kept the lower half of their bodies pressed together while he lifted his upper half in a push-up motion and stared down into his lover's flushed and already sweating face. He ground his hips into Shuichi's. He enjoyed watching as the singer tossed his head back and cried out, clearly lost in his ecstasy. Eiri groaned as their cocks were squeezed together. He smiled victoriously as Shuichi's cries becoming louder he was ground into the bed teasingly.
Eiri felt like a ravenous wolf. Growling deep in his throat, he attacked his lover. Shuichi's cries, moans, and mewling echoed throughout the apartment. Eiri knew that the neighbors were getting quite an earful right about now but he could care less. Just the thought of everyone knowing exactly what he was doing to his boyfriend spurned him to become even wilder and aggressive. Shuichi ate it all up, screaming loudly for all to hear.
oOo
He could hear them all too clearly.
"Faster! Harder," he heard the singer shout. "Hai! Yes! Yes!"
The man clasped his hands over his ears and squeezed his eyes shut, curling into a tight ball in order to drown out the noise and images being forced into his mind.
"Oh, God, Eiri! Aah! Oh! Aah!" he heard the singer chant right behind his head. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Eiri!"
He could picture all too clearly his young koi being mauled by that pervert writer's rough hands, groped by a filthy mouth and raped by a cock way too large for his Shu-han to enjoy. Who knows where that thing has been? The images of that beast pounding his sweet Shuichi into the mattress angered him, blinding him with a fury so strong it was nothing he had ever felt before.
He curled tighter, burying himself deeply within the covers and ground his teeth as the insistent creaking and hammering grew in intensity. Then he heard it, the worst part of hearing that pervert bastard making love to his Shu-han, their voices crying out in disgusting harmony before blissful silence fell over the building.
Uncurling himself, he glared out into the night, his face twisted in anger. "Damn you, Yuki Eiri," the man hissed. "I will make you pay for twisting and abusing my sweet Shu-han. He will be mine! This I promise you!"
…To Be Continued…
Preview: "And on the Seventh Day…"
