Opening Notes: Alright I don't think I'm doing too badly with keeping up with the updates. This will probably be the only update till next weekend since I have this project to do during the week. I have to say I am extremely thankful and flattered at the reviews I've been receiving. It defiantly keeps me motived and excited to put up new chapters. So just keep enjoying yourselves with this.
Chapter Notes: Well, I would tell you all the details of how I feel like this chapter is lacking, but every time I do I get this awesome reviews saying otherwise. So long as you all enjoy them. I will say my biggest fear when writing is that I do too much 'setting up' chapters and I hope you all don't get bored. So tell me what you think about what happens here. The next chapter I will bring Seiichi and Genichirou back into the picture. I've already begun writing the next chapter and I promise you things will begin to play out in the most interesting of ways so please enjoy and things begin to heat up. #teamnoproofreading. my fail joke.
chapter: We Don't Serve Soda
It had taken a bit of coaxing, but Fuji managed to sway the emotional distraught tennis player to bring him to his apartment. Syuusuke would admit it was a nice little place, cozy, and a place where he wouldn't have minded visiting under much more normal circumstances. Golden eyes puffy and lined with red, Ryoma headed straight for the bathroom to wash and cool down his tear streaked face. Syuusuke on the other hand made himself quite at home and invited himself into the boy's kitchen. He had kind of figured the boy in his late teens would not have a refined array of teas like there was at Keigo's mansion, but he was pleased to be able to find a medium sized dark green tea full of a few options. He chose to boil the ginseng and honey leaves to give Ryoma something to help settle his nerves. Working calmly and quietly, the aloof photographer didn't give any signs of just how disturbed he actually was to hear about Ryoma's predicament. Of course, the younger male still have plenty of explaining to do but the bit he had told Syuusuke was enough to evaluate that Ryoma was not going to be ok alone. That then arose the question of why his parents let him move out so soon on his own.
A soft sigh escaped the brunette's lips just as Ryoma entered the kitchen. The younger boy had obviously washed his face clean of any evidence indicating that he had shed any tears just a few moments ago. Standing there with a bored, or perhaps tired, expression on his face Ryoma's gaze landed on the tea pot sitting over the gas flame of his stove top. "I don't want tea." He readily argued, even when knowing it was futile against his friend's older brother. He had seen Yuuta get into it many of times with the older Fuji and each time the younger was humiliated into complying with the man's wishes.
"Saa, Ryoma, are you feeling better now?" Syuusuke spoke with a chuckle, ignoring the other's last words. The brunette ruffled the shorter male's hair teasingly, "You look sleepy, all tuckered out now?"
Ryoma scowled up at the other, his golden eyes narrowing into a heated glare. He was most certainly not a child and after, though he hated the fact he broke down like that, his little scene just a few moments ago he didn't understand what would warrant such light hearted behavior. Did Syuusuke think this was a joke? Ryoma had a decent sense of humor but not when it was at his own expense. The devious boy had a real niche for teasing, and word play but became extremely uptight when he just wanted to be alone. "Don't kid around, I'm not in the mood." Turning his back to the brunette, Ryoma made his way to the fridge. "I'm fine now, so you can go home or…back to whatever you were planning to do earlier."
As Ryoma was about to open up a can of grape Ponta Syuusuke swiped it from him and with his other hand he cupped Ryoma's face, squeezing his cheek as he spoke to emphasize his point. "Ne, Ryo-chan, would you like a bit of sugar in your tea. It'll do wonders to help you relax." Syuusuke spoke kindly enough but there was warning laced elegantly into his tone, daring Ryoma to protest further. And of course with Ryoma being who he was he bit back with defiance. Snatching the can back from the brunette, Ryoma pulled back from him and took a mouth full of soda from the open can. Even when Syuusuke took the can back he was satisfied because had won.
What happened next even the always collected and in control Syuusuke could not explained. The man's eyes opened and cerulean blue took in Ryoma's pink tongue slowly swiping across very delectable lips. He had never been a fan of carbonated beverages but suddenly he found himself wanting to taste what little artificial flavor still clinging to the boy's lips. Again, Syuusuke held Ryoma's cheeks squishing them together teasingly and he inched closer.
"Fu-…Fu'i-sem.p'i." Ryoma managed to muffle out of his puckered lips as he struggled to pull away from the other. It was as if everything was happening in slow motion. Syuusuke was getting closer, he endless pools of blue were beginning to captivate the young man, and his struggle became more futile as Syuusuke slipped his arm around his waist, stilling his squirming and pulling away. It seemed inevitable. Quickly Ryoma shut his eyes just as he felt the older man's lips brush lightly over his own causing him to shiver. Ryoma was surprised at how his body responded to that alone. Surly he should be cringing in disgust as Syuusuke's lips met his own once more. Still lightly, but the brunette wasn't as quick to pull away that time and, shocking both male's, Ryoma leaned in to feel more of the photographer's lips.
The tall perplexed brunette gently set his glasses down on his desk alongside the mountainous stacks of documents he still had yet to go through. Rubbing the bridge of his nose in an attempt to relieve the extra stress his eccentric silvered haired lover was pouring onto him, he yet again attempted to halt Keigo's tantrum. "Keigo, enough we-.."
"Enough? Enough!" The CEO hissed into the phone, making the brunette cringe. Calming the man's breakdowns were a lot easier in person. "Kunimitsu that is exactly the problem here! There is not enough. We hardly see or spend time with each other, this is why we're falling apart and Syuusuke is separating himself from us!"
It was too bad Keigo couldn't see Kunimitsu's expression, man looked appalled at the notion that their relationship was falling apart. He understood that Kei had seen their lover in a rather questionable situation but that was hardly indication of a failing relationship. At least not when they did not have all the facts. "Kei, please calm down." Tezuka Kunimitsu was a man with great lengths of patients which he was thankful for. Excluding Genichirou, his lovers tended to be rather emotional on very different ends of the spectrum. "Are you sure he wasn't just with Yuuta this morning?"
"Ore-sama is very aware of what Syuusuke's brother looks like. That was not Yuuta. More over Yuuta is in Yokohama right now attending his classes at his university so it could NOT have been Yuuta." Keigo sighed exasperatedly and slumped over in his seat. From the time Tezuka had answered his phone he had commanded his driver to go to the man's clinic to pick him up. As work oriented as Kunimitsu was he knew there would be no fighting the man. Regardless it seemed Keigo was hell bent on making this into a much larger situation than it needed to be, even though he had claimed to not want to tell Gen or Seiichi to avoid doing exactly that, so there was no denying that his work would have to wait. "Mitsu, you have to believe ore-sama, he had the strangest blackish green hair."
"Did you see his face?" Tezuka asked as he stood and placed his glasses back on. Holding back a sigh, he slipped off his lab coat and hung it over his chair. He couldn't put his finger on it for some reason, that unique characteristic sounded familiar.
"No, at the angle they were standing ore-sama could not see his face. He did however have a cast on his left arm." Keigo explained with bitter annoyance that he didn't have more to go on. One the other hand Tezuka's eyes widened and he paused mid stride just as he was about to exit. Masking his revelation with his usual stoicism, Tezuka rerouted his destination from the exit to the clinic's medical record archives.
"Mitsu, are you almost out, Ore-sama is burning precious gas…"
"I know who he is."
Keigo's eyes widened, "Excuse me?"
"I know who is is." Tezuka repeated, as he traced his fingers along the filing cabiniets until he found the 'E' section. "Echizen, Ryoma."
"Are you sure," Keigo murmured, now becoming the skeptical one as he had not given hardly any specifics as to who Syuusuke was embracing.
"Not one hundred percent, I will admit, but blackish green hair is very unique. I have never seen anyone in Tokyo with natural hair such as that. This patient also so happens to have a cast on his left arm and a very extensive history." Tezuka found the file he was looking for and after a quick skim to be sure he had the right one, he made his way to his lover's car. "I will see you in a moment."
Atobe sat with his mouth agape in the backseat. He could not believe what he was hearing or seeing. The last hour or so was like a sudden drop on a rollercoaster. No that wasn't a good analogy at all. At least on a rollercoaster you are aware that a drop is coming therefore you are typically prepared for it. This, this was much more torturous. It was just last night things were perfect, and this morning although he was a little upset things were normal. Slowly, Keigo pulled the phone away from his ear and glanced down at the small device. A part of him wanted to call Syuusuke up and demand answers, or at least demand that he come home to meet him and Kunimitsu. But, the silver haired man was arrogant, not stupid. Fuji Syuusuke was an elusive, manipulative, devil. If he was low enough to cheat than Keigo couldn't put it past him to lie about it. He knew anything Syuusuke could come up with would sound to legitament to argue with, and from then on the brunette would be on guard at all times, possibly making it hard to find out the truth or at the very least making it hard to trust him. No, he and Kunimitsu could not confront him on anything until they had undeniable proof that he was cheating and with whom. Even this Echizen person could be misplaced in all this. Sighing softly as Kunimitsu came into sight, striding confidently out of the clinical building, Keigo promised himself that he would keep quiet with this for now.