GOD! this chapter was a pain in the ass to write! It grew and grew and I wanted to fit the next part into it as well but then it got way too long. SO have just a fluffy nice filler chapter!

Chapter 09

Okay I'm ready, let's go," Hotsuma said. "Do I look okay?"

"You look great. You're just meeting my friends, no need to be nervous!" Shuusei smiled at his friend.

"And what if they don't like me? If they think I'm not good enough to live with you? If they think I'll drag you down? They're so important to you!"

"Oh, come on! That's ridiculous! You're not my girlfriend asking my family to approve of you." It was almost hilarious. "Even if they didn't like you nothing will change." Shuusei knew Hotsuma well enough that his friends could not change his opinion of his best friend. He would just not let them meet again besides on his birthdays.

Hotsuma wanted to say anything but decided against it. Shuusei would again brush it off. But he really didn't want to become a problem inside the band. It was often like this when someone else appeared in a person's life that too much changed.

After Shuusei had made sure they had got everything they needed - a bowl of fruit salad made by Shuusei, another quite large box of cookies and a cake, a peach-rose-lavender tarte baked by Hotsuma - they left the flat and building. A taxi already waited for them which would take them to Sairi's mansion where they would celebrate the band's 8th anniversary. Kase had at first wanted to promote that event as well but they wanted to celebrate together without having to do any work or introduce the public to parts of their private lives.

It was almost winter so they couldn't sit in the garden but Sairi and Ria had prepared the large living room. Sairi's family had gone on vacation so that the friends had the house for themselves.

When they arrived Hotsuma looked at the large mansion. "Wow... Does he live here alone?"

"No. His family has always been wealthy. And he doesn't want to move to an own flat. He's just too used to this comfortable life." Shuusei shrugged. "But besides that he's really okay."

Hotsuma frowned a bit. He didn't like people who took their wealth for granted. But he wanted to pull himself together.

"Hey, welcome!" Ria greeted them when Shuusei rang the doorbell. "Come in!" She hugged Shuusei and then looked at Hotsuma. "So this is how you look when you're not wearing a cosplay," she stated. "Which brand of hair dye do you use?"

Hotsuma tried his best not to roll his eyes. "It's my natural colour," he said and Ria squealed.

"Oh wow! I'm sorry. But I like it! Come in!" She urged both of them inside when they had taken off their shoes and slipped into guest slippers.

"Are the siblings here, yet?"

"Nope. Sairi's in the main living room I guess or getting you his guitar, I don't know."

Shuusei nodded. "Okay, I've made a new playlist. This time with many European influences thanks to Hotsuma."

"Oh, then I'm looking forward to listening to it. What kind of music do you like?" Ria asked curiously on their way to the prepared party room.

"Everything besides opera, blues and classical music. I don't have one favourite genre."

Ria grinned. "That's good. I can't imagine only listening to one genre as well. There is so much great music out there!"

Hotsuma strongly agreed.

"Do you play an instrument?"

"I've learned to play the guitar. That's where I met Shuusei." Meanwhile they had reached their destination. "But I'm not nearly as talented as he is."

"Believe me, no one is!" Ria grinned and brushed all of Shuusei's protests away.

"Woah!" Hotsuma was amazed by how much party decoration Ria and Sairi had put up. Shuusei already knew the young woman's love for decoration articles so he already went to the table where he put the food they've taken along.

And Ria curiously looked inside the box and already took a cookie. "You don't mind, right?" she had asked a mere second before she put it into her mouth and Hotsuma shrugged. Even if wanted to complain it would have been too late.

"Oh wow! They're delicious! Sairi! You must try Hotsu-kun's cookies!" Ria took another cookie and held it out for Sairi who just had entered the room with his music boxes in his hand. The young man grinned and took the cookie out of his friend's hand and chewed while he put the music equipment down.

"They're really good!" Sairi said when he had swallowed and went over to Hotsuma to hold out his hand. "Hi, nice to meet you in person. When Shuusei doesn't talk about music he talks about you." Sairi grinned and Hotsuma took the hand.

"That's an exaggeration!" Shuusei said.

"No, it's not. First is music, then your handsome flatmate and then everything else," Ria giggled.

Shuusei sighed and started to put the boxes to their destined places. He already knew Sairi's music system well enough that he could get it to work as well.

"As I said: They're all terrible", he declared and Sairi and Ria grinned.

"You love us! Don't deny it!" Ria grinned happily and jumped onto Shuusei's back.

"I don't. That doesn't change the fact that you are loud and don't know the meaning of personal space!" Shuusei grinned and shook her off to knock affectionately with one finger against her forehead.

"You can teach me?"

"Don't push your luck too hard dearest Ria. And I think the doorbell rang. You can go let the siblings in."

Shuusei shook his head when Ria left the room.

When Shuusei looked over to Sairi and Hotsuma he noticed the two were talking about Hotsuma's tarte. He had indeed been a bit worried about Sairi and Hotsuma. They were very different but when he looked at them now Shuusei was positive that these two would leave each other alive even if they came to the conclusion to dislike each other at the end of the day.

But he didn't get to think much longer because Ria returned with the siblings who brought two different kinds of tea and cupcakes.

"Okay, we will not starve today." Shuusei stated when he looked over the table full of food.

"Coffee and tea will be soon ready as well." Sairi said and while the siblings greeted Hotsuma he took care of his laptop so that soon Shuusei could start the music. Somehow he didn't expect their guitarist to play much on the guitar today.

Hotsuma had to answer the same questions about his taste in music again. Well, he knew he would spend the afternoon and evening with a well-known band and from what Shuusei had told him he already assumed that much of these people's lives rotated around music, and they almost knew no other topics. But somehow he liked it and now he knew why Shuusei was so fond of them.

Half an hour later they were sitting at the table, devouring the stuff they had prepared.

"Hotsu-kun, have you thought about asking in cafés if they're looking for a pastry chef?" Ria asked when she took the second slice of Hotsuma's tarte.

"What? I don't think I can do that..."

"Why not? This is delicious! And your cookies are great as well. And when Shuu-kun didn't lie you can also prepare decent meals so why don't you try to work in a kitchen? That should give you more money than being a waiter or filling supermarket shelves."

"But... I don't have that training. I have not learned any job!"

"No one is perfect when they start a job. Just try it!" Ria seemed to like the idea.

"I support this idea," Tsukumo smiled while taking another cookie. "And I will be a new regular wherever you prepare food."

Hotsuma looked at the group who all seemed to like the idea.

"I should have thought about that as well. I think you should try it. No matter if it's sweet or hearty, I like everything you prepare," Shuusei mused. "They won't give you more than other rejections. But I think that would indeed suit you." He looked at Hotsuma. Yes he could imagine him wearing a chef's hat.

Hotsuma gave it a thought. "I don't know..."

"Just consider it," Sairi proposed. "Go to a few cafés and take some of you cookies or so with you so that they can taste that you're not a total beginner"

Shuusei smiled at him and put his hand on Hotsuma's to give it a gentle squeeze. Hotsuma looked at him and smiled as well. None of them noticed the surprised look on the band's faces. It was usually not Shuusei who initiated contact.

They all were surprised when the doorbell rang again. Well, Sairi was not. "Ahh, my special guests," He grinned and stood up while the rest of the band looked at each other. No one seemed to know anything about any special guests. But it didn't take long until they heard a baby's voice and as soon as the guests entered the room the band was on their feet.

"Ishida-san!"

Their former manager had entered the room together with his wife and baby.

"I'm glad to see you again as well!" Ishida greeted them. "This is my wife Mai and our daughter Aika."

"Nice to meet you!" Ishida Mai bowed and the band returned that gesture.

Touko had immediately asked if she could take the baby girl for a while and Ria wanted to take her as well.

"And who is this young man? I haven't heard anything about a sixth member of your group?" Ishida asked looking at Hotsuma.

"This is Renjou Hotsuma, my childhood friend."

"And he's close enough to you that you let him join?" Ishida seemed astonished but greeted Hotsuma friendly.

"He needed refuge and I gave it to him."

"Wait? You're living together? Are you still Shuusei?"

Shuusei rolled his eyes. "Of course I am. I just decided to not let him live in the streets and he is a big help for me." Really, he was kind of a lonely wolf but he had a few people he cared for. And most of these people were in this room.

"I was just kidding. I'm happy for you." Ishida grinned and Shuusei rolled his eyes.

"It's not what you think right now." He was not allowed to have any relationships as Ishida knew as well as the rest.

Then the manager laughed. "I'm just teasing you. It's so rare to see you socialize. But if you're content it's great."

"I am," Shuusei said and looked at Hotsuma. At least when it came to his private life he was very content. Of course the Ishidas got coffee as well and they also found praising words for Hotsuma's tarte.

But then Hotsuma felt a bit left out while the band and their old manager caught up. So he talked to Mai and somehow Aika seemed to already love him.

Ishida was worried when he heard about the problems with Kase. He had not expected that so much would change for the band and that they had slight problems with keeping their creative work afloat. He promised to talk to his successor once again, although the band told him it was completely unnecessary. They were able to deal with it themselves and until now they managed to not take every shit he threw at them. And when it came to scheduling their concerts and organizing everything around them he did a great job.

Later Shuusei went to Sairi's guitar to play a bit and Hotsuma kept him company as well as little Aika who seemed to love the music as well. Especially since Hotsuma took her on his lap.

And while he played everyone knew that he kept an eye on Hotsuma so that he would not feel left out and got bored. It was somehow cute how important his old childhood friend had become to Shuusei. And now that they had all met Hotsuma the last doubts of him were erased. Of course they were not always the same opinion, but they came to respect each other. And Shuusei was allowed to take him along when they had these private band evenings in the future.

"See? It was not that bad, right?" Shuusei asked when they came home. "They are the same kind of weird as I am."

Hotsuma nodded. "I like them." He sat down on the couch. "I've never imagined being so close to them. Yes, you're my friend, but that started before you got famous..."

"We are all humans. I don't care about fame," Shuusei said and got them both a small cup of sake before he sat down next to his friend. "And we all want to make music. That's all."

"And your music is great." Hotsuma took one of the cups raised it and drank from it just as Shuusei did. They had had a few drinks at Sairi's but this was the perfect end for a nice afternoon and evening. Shuusei felt relaxed as he hadn't in a few weeks. Perhaps he'd be able to fall asleep without medical help tonight.

I really don't know if I'll be able to update on friday because ma dad decided I need to accompany him to his sister's for unknown reasons and talks I probably don't want to have... and I'll be back either Saturday or Sunday.
But I'll try to keep on writing so that I stay on schedule and there will be two chapters until sunday evening. I'll do my best!