Disclaimer: I do not own Gravitation nor do I profit financially from writing this.

Warnings: Not an Eiri/Shuichi pairing! If that's your OTP and you're not going to be open to any other possibilities, please click away from the story. You have been forewarned.

Also, it's a one-shot. No more is forthcoming.

Shuichi closed his eyes as he concentrated on the words he wanted to sing. He then opened his mouth and let the words flow as naturally as water in a river,

It was not so much the remembering of the words that necessarily tripped the singer, but rather for who the song was intended. When he first put pen to paper over a year before, the meaning for the song was different. It contained hints of sadness and despair as it spoke of loneliness and a broken heart. Shuichi knew the song contained those elements once before because he had been feeling them as he tried to form the words in a way to help him cope. The person he wrote the lyrics for was breaking his heart.

Now those emotions were gone, chased away by hope and love and a feeling of renewal. The singer felt lighter than he had the year before, when the song first started to take shape. A new person had entered his life and helped him to find a new purpose for the song, a different meaning, and for that Shuichi was grateful. He simply had to remember this person as the words came to mind.

'No,' he told himself. 'That isn't right . . . It's not the same now . . .'

He opened his eyes and stared at the sheet music with the words next to each note, and the singer sighed. The meaning in his lyrics was still there, but he could not see what he intended any longer. That alone was depressing.

"Having some troubles?"

Shuichi turned his head to see Tohma walking towards him, a warm smile on his features. In his hands he carried two light blue coffee mugs with silver snowflakes on the sides, steam rising from both. The sight of the older man caused Shuichi's heart to literally skip a beat, and he found himself returning the smile.

"Nothing I can't handle," the singer replied. "What brings you by? I thought you had a bunch of meetings today."

"They're already over," Tohma replied, holding out one of the mugs for Shuichi the moment he reached the singer. "It seems the problems weren't as big or as troublesome as some originally believed. Besides, I wished to see you before the evening's concert."

"That's good then," Shuichi said, accepting the mug from his lover. The scent of hot chocolate wafted up to greet him, and he inhaled deeply. "Thank you. It smells wonderful."

"I thought you might enjoy it," Tohma murmured. He stood next to Shuichi, his eyes landing on the sheet music, and Shuichi followed his gaze. "Is that the new song?"

"Kind of," Shuichi said. "I wrote it last year when Eiri and I were still together . . ."

"And things were no longer the same," the blond said. "I understand."

"I've been trying to think of you when I sing it," the singer murmured, letting out a soft sigh. "But it doesn't feel the same anymore. How I feel has changed."

"So make a change to the words then," Tohma said. "It is your song. You can sing it how it feels right and no other way. Your success should have taught you as much."

To that, Shuichi playfully slapped Tohma in the arm, but he knew exactly what the older man was saying. He also knew that Tohma was very much right, too. Bad Luck's success not so much based on the fact they worked well with Nittle Grasper or Shuichi's now former relationship with novelist Eiri Yuki. Every emotion Shuichi kept inside of him – his love, his fears, his sadness, his hopes, his passion – he poured into his music. He wanted the world to feel the same things he felt on a daily basis, and his words connected with so many people on so many different levels. The fact he could still pour all of his heart into his music and still have something left over amazed and scared Shuichi at the same time. Slowly, the vocalist nodded.

"You're right," he murmured. "As usual."

"Of course, I am," Tohma said, leaning over and kissing Shuichi on the cheek. The public display surprised Shuichi, since Tohma rarely liked to show his emotions to the world, but he could not deny he enjoyed the sign of affection. Then again, there was no one else in the auditorium so Tohma must have felt safe in doing so. Shuichi glanced at his lover.

"What is it?" he asked, the song momentarily forgotten. He saw something in Tohma's eyes, like a quiet resignation or some other troublesome emotion. The older man immediately clamped down on what he was feeling, shoving the signs away, but not as quickly as he probably would have liked. Tohma then offered Shuichi a faint smile.

"What makes . . ."

"There's something bothering you," Shuichi said, keeping his voice as low and as gentle as possible. "And you need to be here, if only for a few minutes. Spill it. What's going on?"

To that, Tohma shook his head, his smile still in place. It was as if he were berating himself for trying to hide whatever this problem was.

"I will need to travel to New York in a few days," he murmured. "I may be gone over the holiday season. It will depend on what the New York executives have to say."

"They can't tell you in an email or over the phone?" Shuichi said, feeling a little crestfallen by the news. It was his first holiday with Tohma as his lover, and he wanted the time to be more than special.

However, Shuichi knew Tohma could not put his professional life on hold whenever he wanted. Many people, Shuichi included, depended on the older man's ability to maintain a properly functioning business, even if it meant traveling to another city during the holidays.

To Shuichi's inquiry, Tohma shook his head. His eyes were a little sad.

"I am afraid it isn't something they can easily explain in an email or phone conference. I feel I must travel there and leave as soon as I can," he murmured. "I apologize for this. I know how much you were looking forward to spending more time together."

Shuichi pressed his against Tohma's, mindful of the mugs they were holding. As much as it broke his heart, he offered the older man a smile.

"You were, too," he said. "Besides . . . this is important for a lot of people, right?"

"Yes . . ."

"Then you need to be there for a while," Shuichi murmured. "It isn't like we can't call or email each other. And you will be home in time for Christmas, right?"

"Absolutely," Tohma said, conviction in his tone.

"Then that's all I ask for," Shuichi said. "For us to be together on Christmas. When do you have to leave?"

"I should leave tonight," Tohma replied, "but there is another important matter I must see to first before I go. I will probably leave sometime tomorrow."

Shuichi nodded, but could not refrain from being curious about this other important matter Tohma mentioned. He tilted his head.

"What else do you need to do before you go?"

"To spend one more night with you," Tohma answered. He kissed Shuichi on the cheek again. "I look forward to your performance tonight . . . both of them."

With those words said, Tohma pulled away, his smile a little on the mischievous side. He then walked off the stage and disappeared into the darkness of the backstage area.

It took Shuichi a moment to catch on to the older man's implications, but, when he realized what Tohma had said, a bright smile lit the vocalist's features. His cheeks burned a little, but he really did not care if anyone saw him. The way he saw it, the brightest star in all the world belonged to him, and he was ready to let the world know, if only in the form of a song.

Taking a sip of his hot chocolate and reveling in the taste, Shuichi turned his attention back to the task at hand. The concert started in a few hours, and he still had much work to do before the show began. All his lyrics needed was a little change . . .