"Twice in one day. I'm deeply flattered, Eiri-san."

"Can it, Seguchi." Eiri entered and kicked off his shoes, letting Tohma gather them together in the getabako. "So what are you doing home so early?" Eiri asked, hunting around for something shaped like an ashtray.

"Just having lunch, then it's back to the office. Would you like some spaghetti? I made the meatballs just the way you like them."

"You never quit, do you? No, I don't want any spaghetti. All I want is a smoke." There was a fancy lacquered candy dish on the end table, currently holding paper clips, loose change, rubber bands and other odds and ends. It would have to do. Eiri dumped the contents on the table and lit a cigarette, blowing the smoke directly toward his brother-in-law. He then leaned back on the sofa, staring at the ceiling. "What am I going to do, Seguchi? There's a deadline coming up, but I can't concentrate. There's too much of Shuichi's presence in the apartment."

"Too much? Or too little?" Tohma sat down on the loveseat opposite his brother-in-law. "If you apologized sincerely, you could easily get him back. He's always had a magnetic attraction to you."

Eiri's head snapped up as he glared at Tohma. "Apologize? For what? I can't even remember what the argument was about. Have you spoken to him yet? I thought you were going to fix all this, so I can get back to the mess I call my life."

Tohma smiled with an expression he reserved solely for Eiri. "I'll talk to him. But first—"

"Damn you, Seguchi. I asked one little favor. Just talk to the brat and get him to come home so I can concentrate on my book. Instead, you're here playing Iron Chef Italy when you ought to be at the office putting pressure on the moron. Can't you threaten to break his contract or something?"

"If I broke his contract he'd go directly to XMR, and they'd make a fortune off him instead of me. I'd be shooting myself in the foot, and he knows it." He probably knew a lot of things, just from eavesdropping in the kitchen. And his brother-in-law had no idea Shuichi was there? Maybe Tohma could use that. "I promised I'll talk to him, Eiri-san, and I will. But it's not really necessary. If you simply told him how much you love him—"

"Love him? Ha. He's the world's biggest idiot."

"But you do love him, Eiri-san. You've done so many things to help and protect him. Deep down you truly care."

"He's a hole to fuck."

Okay, this wasn't working quite the way he'd expected. Tohma rose from the loveseat and paced slowly around the room, thinking of things Eiri had done for Shuichi through the years. "You've let him live with you all this time. That, when you prefer solitude. Just living with him is proof that you love him."

"I've gotten used to him. It's too quiet when he's not around."

"Eiri-san, please. You could ask any of your old girlfriends to move in with you if you just wanted noise. There's something special about Shindo-san. He's an interesting person, and the first one you met who didn't want anything from you except love."

"Fine. I love him. But more importantly, I need to finish this fucking book. Just get the moron back in the apartment so I can meet my deadline. Is that so hard? I still don't understand why the brat left in the first place."

Yes, that was a mystery. A better question was how he could live there so long. "Erm...perhaps your personal manner could use some fine tuning, Eiri-san. You used to be so charming when you were a boy."

"Let's not go there, Seguchi. I am what you and Sensei made me; let's leave it at that. Just talk to the idiot and get him to come home. All right?"

"Yes, Eiri-san."

Eiri ashed the cigarette, then grabbed his shoes in the foyer. While he put them on, Tohma tried to think of something to salvage the conversation, but what was there to say? If Eiri kept talking, he'd queer the deal permanently. It was going to take a major engineering effort to undo the damage he'd already done.

"Eiri-san, I think there's something you should know about Shindo—"

"Stow it, Seguchi. I don't have time right now. Got to get back to work."

Fine. Tohma watched Eiri get into his car and drive off, then closed the door. What were the odds Shuichi hadn't realized Eiri was here? Hmm, about the same odds that Eiri will win a congeniality prize.

This was all Tohma's fault. Eiri had been a charming, kind, cheerful little boy when he'd first taken him to New York. It was Tohma's fault he'd returned him like this.

All my fault.