Demand and Respond

Chapter One :

Fan girls are overrated

Presumptuous, clingy, annoying imbeciles! Why can't I get away from them? Is it too much to ask, to be allowed to sit in peace, and eat my lunch? I knew that fame would have its drawbacks. I didn't realize that I would have to have help just to get away for an hour.

A very short hour. I can see that Tai is just as angry as I am. It was his idea to spirit me away to the museum, thinking that most of the airheads that stalked me, the ones titled 'fans', wouldn't be caught dead in a place of education and stuffiness.

I enjoyed the first part of the tour, until the first groupie spotted me. A group of middle-schoolers are here for a field trip, and just my luck, they're 90% female. Sadly enough, I think it's the teacher that started chasing after us, shadowing us from exhibit to exhibit.

Great! Where's Tai? I snuck into a side corridor, but I don't think he turned with me. If he's lucky, maybe they haven't caught up with him yet.

"Hello, Matt. Having fun?" I jump, startled from my thoughts. A pair of violet eyes meets mine, their depths guarded, with just a hint of amusement.

"Loads. You?" Ken shrugs, inclining his head just a little. His lips are curved ever so slightly, adding a glint in his eyes. "What are you doing here on a school day?"

He's not wearing his school uniform, and I'm thinking that they might not be in session. Come on, why would Ken, boy genius, skip? "Skipping. You?" I know that my jaw is hanging open, but it's a reflex that I haven't learned to control, yet.

Okay, in all fairness, he's not really the prodigy child anymore. He goes to the public high school with Davis and TK. He's the top of his class, but rumor has it that he could barely keep up in his old school. "I don't have class on Fridays." The joys of going to University.

He nods as if that explains it all, and his hair slides down to cover his face. My hair is short and spiky, a new look to go with the new sound that the Wolves have come out with. We've gone from teenage pop stars, to adult rock stars. Ken still has long, silky strands of blue-black follicles. Shoulder-length, and attractive.

I can feel my heart start beating rapidly, my breath fighting to catch in my throat. At this point in time, I wish I could sink into a hole, and not come back out. There's a heat in my cheeks that usually signals a blush. He looks away, over my shoulder, and I watch as his lips curl, white teeth flashing in the fluorescent lighting.

"Your fan club is coming back this way." I look back, and see the dark-haired teacher marching our way. I don't want to be caught, but I don't really, despite the oncoming blush, and the onset of lust, want to walk away from Ken. I don't get to see him that often, and he is eye-candy, almost as addictive as chocolate.

"Want to run away with me?" I am aware of how much of a come-on that is, but he can chose to answer it either way. Pink lips purse, and his left eyebrow comes down just a bit. Okay, he's more addictive than chocolate.

"I think you should find Tai. Then maybe we can meet up." Damn. Oops. Poor Tai. He tries to rescue me, and I end up using him as a decoy, and trying to leave him behind. Some best friend I am.

"Sounds like a plan." I grin, already backing away from the oncoming group. Ken waves at me, then moves to intercept them, letting me get away. As soon as I find another door, I start running, not really caring in what direction. When I reach the entrance foyer, I can see Tai sitting on a bench. His shirt is ripped, and his hair is tousled.

"They got you." I point out the obvious, sitting down on the bench beside him. He rolls his eyes, and shakes his head. Unmentionable torture.

"In front of the mummy. They tackled me, crushed me into the ground, then stood up and went back to find you. I tried to delay them longer, but it took me five minutes to peel myself up from the ground." He sighs, and I can feel the fatigue emanating from him. He was up all last night, trying to write a paper. I doubt that he slept two hours.

His eyes slide shut, and I take a moment to study him, one of my favorite past-times. His skin is tan, evidence of his love of the outdoors. His lashes are long, brushing softly against the skin under his eyes. He has wide, kissable lips.

I lean back against the wall, smiling to myself. Tai was my first crush. He was strong, daring, and honest. It's hard for people not to like him. Going out with Sora when I was fifteen was a bad idea. He ended up turning to Izzy, breaking my heart in the process. It didn't take Sora long to realize that I wasn't interested in our relationship.

"Where did you hide?" He murmurs around a yawn, eyes slitted, but watching me.

"I ran into Ken." That makes him jerk upright. He knows I'm gay, knows that I used to lust after him, and that I'm currently falling in love with Ichijouji. He's my best friend, why not?

"Really?" No, I'm just making it up. I raise an eyebrow, instead of using my sarcasm. If there's one thing that hasn't changed, it's his lack of tolerance for my bad attitudes and mood swings. Izzy's been good for him, but there's only so much the boy can do. "So?"

"So, we might meet for lunch." My smile is smug, I know, but I can't help it. It feels good, just thinking about the violet-haired teen. It feels good in a lot of ways.

"Where?" Uh-oh. I open my mouth, but stop. We never agreed on a place to meet, or a time, or anything. He just sent me off. My euphoria fades quickly, leaving me to slump down. There are days that I wish I had a mind like Ken's, or Izzy's, or Joe's. Mine is outdated, and obsolete. "I can't believe you didn't ask!"

Thanks, Tai. Your support is so wonderful. As if I don't feel dumb enough already. "Hey, guys." I look up, grateful for once to see Davis. Overly excitable, slow on the uptake, and a disaster waiting to happen.

"Davis!" Okay, that was overdone. I didn't have to yell his name out loud. Tone down, Ishida. I try again. "Hey, Motomiya. What's up?" Better. A little distant, a little cool. I can see them both mentally shrugging it off.

"Nothing much. Ken sent me to ask where you wanted to meet. We're skipping together, but he's playing tour guide to that bunch of hippies that keep screaming your name." He doesn't sound like he cares that they might have stripped and beaten him by now. I can feel my ire rise, and force to keep it down. Davis is his best friend, and it wouldn't do to have him against me.

So, Ken may not be gay. That's not the point. I just need to keep all my options open, and my fingers crossed. "I don't know. There aren't that many places nearby, not without running the risk of parents, or faculty from the school."

Tai straightens up beside me, and I can feel an impending sense of doom pervade my body. His grin is too wide, his eyes glowing too much in the dim light. Davis is clueless, looking around to see if Ken has reappeared. "I know of a place."

"No." I shake my head, already disliking whatever place he wants to drag us to. Tai gives me a hurt look, but goes on anyway.

"We can hit a fast-food joint, and then go out to that old haunted house. They have unguided tours, where you can just wander around, and see what you find. I hear that it's free during the day, since business is slow in the daylight." He has Davis' attention. By the excitement and interest in his eyes, I already know that I'll be outnumbered.

"I'd rather get stuck with the groupies." I mutter, as Ken steps into view. He starts toward us quickly, gesturing behind him rapidly. The fan girls are ten feet behind him, sniffing the air. "Or not. Let's go." Davis and Tai look at me, but I'm already on my feet, and moving to the door. I can see one of the museum curators heading off the females.