Exposure
Chapter 4
Shuichi turned away to go join the rest of the band for their sound check. Eiri stood in the back of the concert hall, listening, until they were done, and then snagged Shuichi and dragged him away. There was still some time left before dinner.
"I need a cigarette," Eiri said curtly, walking down a hallway toward an exit sign.
One of the stagehands, noticing him about to open the door without regard to where it led or the alarm attached to it, stopped him. "Yuki-sensei," he said, "you can't go out that way. All sorts of alarms will go off, and the press is nearby."
"I need a cigarette," Eiri growled, "and the fucking building's smoke free. So how do I get my nicotine fix?"
"There's an area the employees use for smoking that's more private and doesn't have an alarm. Let me show you."
The man escorted them up some stairs and down several hallways to a door. "The code is 646," he said.
When they went outside, Eiri noticed a keypad next to the door. Chairs sat on an asphalt patio surrounded by a privacy fence. Not a lot of sun got through, but it was better than nothing.
They sat in companionable silence while Eiri smoked a cigarette. Eiri stretched his legs and Shuichi arched his back like a cat, making his spine pop, and continued to stretch and fidget as Eiri's cigarette burned down.
As soon as Eiri stubbed out his cigarette, instead of lighting another, he beckoned Shuichi to sit on his lap. Without any prompting, Shuichi nuzzled his face against Eiri's and began kissing him with increasing abandon.
Eiri held Shuichi firmly in place. He wasn't going to let him go anywhere just yet. He also silently thanked whoever had the bright idea to install a privacy fence.
Soon they were panting from the effort of attempting to lick and kiss each other into oblivion. Eiri knew that he couldn't press or nip too hard until after the concert, though it was increasingly more difficult to get his rebellious body to obey. Maybe he should figure out an alternate activity that would keep them pleasantly occupied in a way that didn't risk inflicting visible bites and bruises.
Eiri pushed Shuichi backward and fumbled with his zipper, exposing his already half-erect penis. Shuichi didn't need to be told what Eiri had in mind and he knelt, thankful he was wearing jeans that protected his knees from abrasion by the asphalt instead of his usual shorts, and after fondling Eiri with his hand a couple of times, he wrapped one hand around the base and took Eiri's cock into his mouth. He could taste the precum when he teased the slit at the tip.
It was a little chilly outside, so Eiri leaned forward, his elbows on Shuichi's shoulders while he grasped the silky pink hair. He began thrusting into that warm, inviting mouth. He could feel Shuichi's jaw muscles working, the pressure building, Shuichi stroking him with his free hand.
He was near the point of no return when the door swung open and K walked in on them. Eiri groaned, partly from lust and partly from annoyance, and came in Shuichi's mouth just as K began speaking, playing to an audience more of a turn on than a turnoff.
Shuichi blushed at being caught at the tail end of giving Eiri a blowjob, but swallowed carefully nevertheless. He wiped his mouth and stood up more quickly than he should have, stumbling a bit and requiring a helping hand from Eiri.
K said, "Dinner's waiting." He chuckled as he continued. "I see you've already started eating, but what we have inside is probably more nutritious."
Eiri glared at him while he tucked himself in and zipped himself up after wiping off what little residue Shuichi had missed. They followed K inside.
A buffet table had been set up in the cafeteria. They collected their food in silence and sat at an empty table where no one tried to approach them. Hiro and Suguru were seated at another table; Hiro gave a friendly wave and a thumbs up.
Tohma was nowhere to be found, which improved Eiri's mood considerably. He didn't want to listen to another lecture about keeping a lid on his libido while in semi-public places. If Tohma didn't want to have to lecture him, then he should stop sending Shuichi away for months at a time.
Shuichi was shoveling rice and beef teriyaki into his mouth at an alarming rate. "Hey, slow down," Eiri said. "You'll make yourself sick."
"I'm nervous about the press conference," Shuichi said, "and this makes me feel better."
Eiri finished his food and inserted a cigarette between his lips even though he made no move to light it, having learned how strictly the no smoking rule was enforced. "I need another smoke. Want to come with me?"
Shuichi seemed to read some significance in the quizzical way Eiri lifted his eyebrow and said, "Sure. Just give me a minute to finish this cake, and I'll be right with you."
While Eiri strode out of the room, Shuichi made quick work of his dessert. Figuring that Eiri had gone back to the outdoor smoking area, he retraced the route up the stairs, down the corridor, and out the door. This time, however, a member of the security detail was standing by the door. Apparently, when K busted them, he ordered the door watched.
Shuichi went out anyway. The man stayed inside, but Shuichi noticed the door didn't close all the way. He must have put something down to act as a doorstop so he could monitor them and presumably step in if things got out of hand again.
"What took you so long?" Eiri said, smirking and lounging against the outside wall. He flicked a look at the slightly open door but didn't otherwise acknowledge it.
Shuichi had followed as quickly as he possibly could without running outright and was a little short of breath, so he knew Eiri was just giving him a hard time.
"My boyfriend didn't leave me a trail of bread crumbs to let me know where he went," Shuichi retorted.
Eiri grunted. "Sounds like a shitty boyfriend. Want to spend some time with me instead?"
"You look a lot like my boyfriend, only you're nicer."
Eiri urged him forward and embraced him. As Shuichi nestled against his chest, he said, "Boyfriend trouble?"
"Hmm," Shuichi said. "Not anymore."
Eiri leaned over and kissed the top of Shuichi's head, then gently pushed him backwards so he could kiss his forehead. Shuichi looked up at him, eyes shining with unshed tears, which Eiri traced with his finger.
Seeing the concern on Eiri's face, Shuichi hastened to reassure him. "I'm not sad. I'm tearing up because I'm s-so ha-hap—"
"Shh," Eiri said, brushing away the tears and the hair obscuring Shuichi's face. "I get it." Was crying the little idiot's all-purpose reaction to everything?
Shuichi began hiccupping. Eiri kept trying to shush him and get his diaphragm to stop going into spasms, but it wasn't working. He grabbed Shuichi's nose and pinched it shut.
"Heh!" Shuichi yelled as best he could even though he sounded like he had a cold. "Whad are you doink?" He tried to pull his nose out of Eiri's grip.
"I'm trying to stop your hiccups, you dope," Eiri growled.
"By smotherin' me?"
The guard poked his head around the corner of the door, then withdrew it quickly once he'd ascertained nothing truly untoward was happening.
"Taking in excess air caused your hiccups in the first place. Temporarily blocking the airway should stop it."
Eiri let go and Shuichi rubbed at his now sore nose. "Didja have to half strangle me?" he asked.
"Yes," Eiri said, and kissed him. "And that was smothering, not strangling. You didn't like it?"
"No!" Shuichi yelled.
Eiri plugged the ear Shuichi had yelled into. "Damn, I'm right here. I can hear you fine," he grumbled. "It didn't turn you on at all?"
Shuichi looked shocked. "What? You can't seriously tell me that some people-" He stopped. "Does it turn you on?"
Shuichi wasn't stupid or ignorant. He knew some people got off on it, but he never understood why, and he never dreamed that Eiri might. There was no real way for him to tell now either, since Eiri's arousal could simply be the result of their physical closeness, especially after they'd been apart for so long.
Eiri looked at him defiantly. "What if it does? Does that bother you?"
"Yes. No. Maybe." He huffed in frustration. "I don't know. As long as you don't try it on me, it doesn't really matter whether it turns you on." Then he realized what he'd said. "Unless you like it so much you want to do it with someone else. That's not what you're saying, is it?"
Eiri ruffled his hair. "No, it's not, you idiot."
Shuichi expelled the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "That's good."
This time Shuichi was the one who initiated the kiss, letting his tongue linger but trying at the same time to keep things calm and under control. Soon he wasn't doing such a good job of it. The kiss became deep and needy. Eiri's tongue was pushing into Shuichi's mouth and all Shuichi could do was let it in while he moaned softly. He no longer had control over his body, which felt like it was suspended, weightless, only his contact with the pavement and the way their bodies were crushed together preventing him from floating away.
The door opened abruptly and the man guarding it said gruffly, "Break it up now before I have to separate you. Besides," he said with a tinge of regret in his voice, "the press conference is in half an hour and I'm told you guys need to change clothes. After that, my bosses want to brief you before the news conference. Follow me."
Shuichi broke away, panting a little. He took Eiri's hand in his and tugged to get him to walk next to him instead of skulking behind him.
If anyone had been in the corridor then, they would have been treated to the sight of Eiri Yuki and Shuichi Shindou walking hand in hand. The press corps gathering on the next level up would have killed (possibly literally) for a photograph of such an unscripted affectionate moment. Then again, if any member of the press had been visible, Eiri would have let go of Shuichi's hand and would have seriously considered giving the offender the finger, then settled for telling the offender to fuck off after realizing that the press would love a picture of him flipping the bird and would make their life even more hellish as a result.
The two of them followed the guard down the stairs to the room where they had changed for the photo shoot. Chiyo, Bad Luck's wardrobe coordinator, was there with Shuichi's stage outfit and also, apparently, was supposed to chaperone them. Eiri changed his clothes in silence, wondering what the woman would have done if he hadn't been wearing underwear. Blush and look away? Pretend not to have seen? As far as he was concerned, it was no skin off his nose. If the powers that be felt the need to monitor them this closely, they had better be prepared for any eventuality.
He wondered if she would tell her friends about seeing Eiri Yuki in his skivvies. Nah, she worked for Tohma; Tohma paid generously and required loyalty and discretion from his employees. Besides, everyone who worked for Tohma knew about his obsession with Eiri and his well-being, especially after that incident with Taki Aizawa. If she knew what was good for her, she would forget that she'd ever seen him half-naked.
Shuichi changed his clothes quickly without any of the thoughts nagging Eiri. He was used to dressing and undressing around other people and was used to having Chiyo around.
The man who'd escorted them to the dressing room led them to a conference room down the hall where Tohma, K, Sakano, Suguru and Hiro were already gathered.
Tohma cleared his throat and said, "With Sakamoto-san's help, we've picked the photograph we're going to release to the shuichiandyuki4ever website tonight, as well as several other photos for general release to the media at the press conference."
Shuichi started waving his hand. "Yes?" Tohma said, amused. "You do realize you're not in school anymore, right?"
"Uh, yeah, sorry," Shuichi said. "Can we see the photographs, please?" He was a little miffed he and Eiri hadn't been consulted.
As if he read his mind, Tohma smiled widely and said, "We might have been able to consult you and Eiri-san about which photographs to use if you hadn't been otherwise occupied."
Shuichi supposed they had earned that reproof.
For his part, Eiri lounged by the door, so desperate for another cigarette that he'd put an unlit one in his mouth and was chewing on the end of it. He would have been mildly interested in seeing the photographs in advance if for no reason other than to make sure they didn't come out looking like idiots; some of the poses and expressions that Sakamoto-san had coaxed out of him had revealed more of his feelings than usual, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. He was more than happy, however, to let Shuichi be the one who bugged Tohma about the photographs.
"Here they are," Tohma said, and used his laptop to display them on the whiteboard.
"Cool!" Shuichi crowed when the first image was displayed. "Is that the one for the website?"
Some smart aleck – possibly K – wolf-whistled, which made Shuichi blush and Eiri clap his hand to his forehead and shake his head from side to side. It was one of the photos in which Eiri stood behind Shuichi with his arms wrapped around him. Even Eiri had to admit that he looked carefree, almost happy, even. Unsurprisingly, Shuichi was grinning broadly, probably because Eiri was willingly photographed embracing him.
"Yes," Tohma confirmed. "That's the one the website will use to replace the photograph that caused the fuss to begin with."
Tohma quickly clicked through the other three photographs that were being made available to the rest of the media as well. Everyone except for Eiri 'oohed' and 'aahed' over them. He stood with his arms crossed and did his best to look bored and unmoved.
Tohma waved his hand, then waited for the hubbub displaying the photographs had caused to die down before proceeding. "As for the press conference itself, I will make a brief statement first, then open it up for questions. We're making the three members of Bad Luck and Eiri-san available for questions."
Eiri rolled his eyes. It figured. First Tohma sprang the fact that there would be a press conference on him, and now he was feeding him up to the media wolves. He had figured he'd be expected to answer questions at the press conference as soon as Tohma had told him about it, and he knew that Tohma knew he'd know...The hell with it. Just thinking about it made his head hurt.
Tohma continued, "Sakano-san will be in charge of vetting the press corps and overseeing security with K-san's more than competent help, of course. Any questions?" The question was delivered in a voice that made it clear that Tohma expected no such questions on pain of death. The captive audience understood his nuances, so no questions were forthcoming.
"Good," Tohma said crisply. "Eiri-san, Shindou-san, Nakano-san, and Suguru-kun, come up here, please."
Eiri pushed himself off the wall he'd been leaning against and loped to the front of the room. Shuichi and the other members of Bad Luck, who'd been sitting closer to Tohma, were already standing in a semi-circle around him. Eiri stood behind and slightly to the side of Shuichi. Since he was annoyed with Tohma, he cast his eyes downward and looked at Shuichi's butt instead. He looked highly desirable, not to mention fuckable, in the black leather pants he was wearing, which were so tight as to appear painted on.
"No comments that make it seem like the objectionable image is legitimate," Tohma told them. "If you have to, say you have no comment, that our lawyers are pursuing the matter, or refer the question to me. This has not riled the band, caused problems, or created ill will or a split in the group."
He looked at Shuichi and Eiri. "What you say about its effect on your relationship is your business, but I suggest that you put as positive a spin on it as possible. We want to engender good will, not more drama."
He looked directly at Shuichi when he said those last words. Shuichi stared back at him, almost defiantly. He knew he'd screwed up, but he hadn't anticipated that the photo he e-mailed Eiri would be hacked. He figured he'd suffered enough by now.
Not for the last (or the first) time, Eiri rolled his eyes. He hated having reporters prying into his private life, but if someone were going to chastise Shuichi for it, he'd prefer it be him, not Tohma.
Tohma clapped his hands once and waved them off, dismissing them. Shuichi turned to Eiri and nuzzled him until K finally tapped them on the shoulder.
"It seems like I'm always separating you," he said with a smile, but his smile didn't reach his eyes. He tilted his submachine gun, which Eiri took to be an implicit threat: if he caught them making out (or worse) again, the consequences would be dire. Perhaps not a shot in the head, but retaliation from Tohma. Of the two, Eiri thought he might prefer a shot to the head. At least it would be over quickly and would be less painful.
TBC