Sleep

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN UTA NO PRINCE SAMA AND THE COVER IMAGE ! I ALSO DO NOT OWN THE SONG – 'THAT SHOULD BE ME' BY JUSTIN BIEBER AND RASCAL FLATTS!

Otoya looked at the door for the umpteenth time that night. He sighed in disappointment when the door stayed shut and his roommate still hadn't returned. A quick glance to the clock on his night stand told him that it was just after midnight. Although he wasn't very close with the older boy, he still worried about him. The redhead could be quite oblivious, but he had noticed the ever increasing dark circles under his roommate's eyes. He had tried to talk about this problem with Tokiya, but he had instantly snapped at the guitarist, stating that it was none of his business.

Sighing in defeat, Otoya decided to take a shower. He quickly went inside the bathroom, turning on the water and taking off his clothes. The water felt refreshing and calmed the guitarist down. Once he finished and dried himself off, he put on a loose pair of sweatpants and went back to sitting on his bed and waiting for his roommate to come back.

When he heard footsteps outside the door, Otoya immediately leapt from his bed and stood near the door in anticipation. The door opened and the younger male let a smile grace his lips.

"Tokiya! You're back!" The older male gasped in surprise when he heard the voice of the cheery redhead. Tokiya had expected the other boy to already be in bed, fast asleep.

"What are you still doing up? You should be-" Before he could finish, he noticed that his vision was blurring. The exhaustion from the last few days took over and everything went black. The last thing he saw was a redhead running towards him, exclaiming his name in concern.

When consciousness started to return to the older male, he heard a soft tune accompanying the gentle strumming of a guitar. He quickly recognised the voice of his roommate singing. After listening to the song more intently, Tokiya noticed two things: The song was new and it was a love song.

That should be me holding your hand,

That should be me making you laugh.

That should be me, this is so sad,

That should be me, that should be me.

That should be me feeling your kiss,

That should be me buying you gifts.

This is so wrong, I can't go on,

Until you believe that,

That should be me.

Tokiya listened to the other male's voice and heard the affection and heartbreak that fitted the lyrics perfectly. He could tell that Otoya was singing out his feelings and as his best friend, Tokiya listened more intently than before. Once the red head sung the last word, silence filled the room. The guitarist stayed in the same spot, sitting on his bed and looking at his secret crush.

He hadn't told anyone about the love he held for the man on the opposite side of the room. Although he was cheery on the outside, on the inside he was trying to hide the jealousy and pain he felt when his love was with Haruka. The composer hadn't asked for it, but she was surrounded by five boys who liked her. He didn't know when this jealousy and love for his roommate had started, but he knew that this wasn't just a silly crush that he would get over at the end of the month.

A groan from the older male snapped him out of his thoughts. He quickly placed his guitar down on the bed and rushed over to the other bed in the room.

"Tokiya! How do you feel? Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?" The redhead kept asking one question after another, worried about what had happened earlier.

"I'm fine, so you can stop worrying. You should go to bed and sleep." Normally the younger male would have listened to his friend, but things had gone too far this time. He had tried to respect his roommate's privacy, but he was far too frustrated, upset, worried and impatient at the moment and needed to know what was going on with the taller male.

"Stop lying to me!" Otoya's outburst gained Tokiya's full attention and he looked at his roommate closely. The guitarist was kneeling on Tokiya's bed, hands clenched so tightly that they were turning white. His head was down, making his red locks cover his eyes. The guitarist was frowning and Tokiya thought he saw a single tear slide across the younger teen's face.

"Otoya," the taller male said softly, trying to calm down his friend.

"Stop it! Stop acting like you didn't just pass out from exhaustion. Stop lying to me and telling me that you're alright when you're not! I can't stand this secrecy! Please, just tell me what's going on! Why do you keep disappearing? Why do you come back so late? Why do you - "

"Otoya!" the younger boy immediately stopped talking when he heard the firm and warning tone that his roommate had spoken in. He hesitantly lifted his gaze to stare at the other teen. The older male let out a sigh and met Otoya's gaze.

"I'm sorry that I have made you worry so much, but I can't tell you what's going on." Otoya tried to hide the betrayed feeling that made its way through his body, but Tokiya had already seen it. He averted his eyes, trying to stop guilt from getting the better of him.

"It's late, you should go to bed," the older singer said softly.

"Do you trust me?" The small whisper was just loud enough for the other boy to hear it. The redhead's voice sounded broken and when Tokiya looked at the other boy, he saw tears running down Otoya's face. Tokiya felt his heart clench at the sight in front of him.

When Tokiya first came to the academy, he had been worried about people calling him Hayato and not believing the lie about being twins. The reason he came to the academy was to break away from Hayato and be himself. The first time he had met his roommate, he was surprised about the lack of questions about Hayato, but he felt happy that someone didn't care about his 'twin', but cared about Tokiya.

Becoming friends with Otoya wasn't hard, as the younger teen had been very stubborn and wouldn't stop pestering until the taller teen agreed to be his friend. The redhead often asked his roommate for advice when it came to things like school work, song lyrics and even dancing. Although Otoya could often be childish and annoying, he was the most loyal and supportive person that Tokiya had ever met.

Tokiya had soon noticed that he felt different around his roommate. When the redhead thanked him for whatever reason and showed him that cheery smile, his face always heated up and he couldn't help a small smile from gracing his lips. The songs he was writing were often written with Otoya as his inspiration; most of them were love songs.

When the guitarist was around Haruka, Tokiya felt anger burn within him. It took all of his self control to not drag the younger male away from the composer and put an arm around the redhead to show that Otoya belonged to him (not yet, anyway). When the shorter male was upset (although it was a rare occurrence), Tokiya wanted to hug him, tell him everything would be alright and that the older teen would protect him.

After finally realising that he had fallen in love with his roommate, Tokiya tried to act like usual, not wanting to ruin the friendship he had with his roommate (in the case that Otoya didn't return his feelings, which he probably didn't). He tried to keep his emotions in control, but his heart was shattering into more pieces every time he told himself that his love was one-sided.

"Yes," he couldn't help but answer. Seeing Otoya so upset and knowing that he was at fault made the older teen feel guiltier than before. He was hoping that his answer would cheer up his roommate and that the subject would be dropped, but that wasn't the case. Otoya's eyes showed more determination than before and Tokiya knew that the redhead wouldn't give up.

"So, why won't you tell me what's going on?"

"Otoya, please stop," the voice was whispering, but the guitarist could hear a tone of guilt coming through. He knew that he was walking on a tight rope; things could go well or their friendship and trust could be broken.

"Can't you see how much you're hurting me? You're keeping secrets from me and you've been making me worry about you every time that you disappear and come back so late! I just want to help you, but how can I if you won't tell me what's going on?"

As much as Tokiya wanted to stay away from telling people about his 'twin brother', he knew that he couldn't stand hurting Otoya any further than he already had because of this secret. The older teen let out a defeated sigh before he stared at Otoya's eyes.

"I don't have a twin brother. I've been Hayato all along." Red orbs widened in surprise at the new information. How hadn't he realised it before? The 'brothers' were so similar in looks and tone, but their personalities were complete opposites.

"So all the times you kept coming back so late was because you were being Tokiya and Hayato at the same time," Otoya whispered. Tokiya nodded, waiting for Otoya to yell at him about his secrecy.

"I wasn't supposed to tell anyone, but I trust you to keep this secret."

"I won't tell a soul." Otoya smiled at the older teen, making the other boy smile as well. Hearing that Tokiya trusted him had made the redhead forgive his roommate immediately.

"You should sleep." Tokiya nodded, feeling the exhaustion from the previous days returning. He lay on his side to face Otoya. The guitarist was still sitting on Tokiya's bed, staring at the empty space next to the older male. Tokiya quickly noticed and lifted the blanket, waiting for the redhead to join him. Otoya smiled and slipped in, lying next to the other teen.

Otoya was relieved that his best friend had quickly realised that the redhead didn't want to leave the taller boy alone after what had happened. The guitarist was still worried about the other boy's condition and since he now knew that Tokiya trusted him, he took the chance. Trying his luck, he shuffled closer to Tokiya, resting his head on the older teen's chest. He heard Tokiya sigh and then felt arms wrap around his body, pulling him even closer.

They both smiled at their new position and it reminded Tokiya of Otoya's song that he sang that night. It was supposed to be the older male holding the redhead and no one else. The thought made him realise something and he couldn't hold in his curiosity.

"Otoya?" he softly whispered, wondering if the guitarist was already asleep.

"Hmmm, what is it?"

"That song...who was it about?" The question surprised the younger male and he quickly shot his eyes open to look at the other boy.

"You heard that?" Tokiya gave a small nod and the redhead let out a defeated sigh. He knew he wouldn't be able to get away with avoiding the subject after going to such troubles to make the older boy tell his secret.

"It was about you," the smaller boy whispered. It wasn't loud, but Tokiya had heard and it spiked his curiosity even further.

"How was it about me?" The redhead felt more nervous than before. This was it. It was finally the time for him to confess to Tokiya.

"Because you're always with Nanami and I kept thinking that you love her. I want it to be me that makes you happy and receives your love. I love you and I get so jealous when you're with her instead of me." The guitarist closed his eyes, scared to look at the other boy's reaction. He was waiting for a 'get out' or 'I don't love you' and he definitely wasn't expecting soft lips to press against his. Otoya's eyes opened immediately to look at the other boy. The older teen's eyes were closed and his warms wrapped around the smaller boy more than before, bringing him even closer. The taller boy broke away, opened his eyes and stared at his roommate.

"I never loved Nanami. It was always you." Otoya's smile couldn't be wider and he hugged the other boy tighter, snuggling his face into his lover's chest. Tokiya let his hand wander through the other boy's red locks and gave him a small kiss on the forehead before they both let sleep take over them.

Who would have thought that something as simple as sleep could bring two people together?