Ryo let out an exhausted sigh as he collapsed onto his sofa. His feet ached, his stomach growled at him, and all he wanted to do was sleep for the next three days.
In the days following his first meeting with Shuichi's boss, Tohma Seguchi, life had suddenly and inexplicably become hectic. Tohma Seguchi demanded a lot of Shuichi's time over contract negotiations, or so he kept saying. Ryo was not entirely sure since Hiro and Suguru were often not included in the conversations. Even Bad Luck's manager, K, and their producer, Sakano, were kicked out of the office, according to what Hiro told Ryo when he arrived at N-G's office to pick up Shuichi. What Tohma was actually saying to Shuichi, the singer was not saying, either. When Ryo asked, Shuichi simply said they were personal matters, and he was not ready to speak of them as of yet.
There was also his situation at his work place Ryo had to contend with, and Commissioner Rose was slowly losing the sandy-haired detective's respect and admiration as an officer. While the older man was not saying anything derogatory about his past lover, Dee, or his current lover, Shuichi, Rose seemed to have the impression Shuichi was no longer in the picture after one kiss under the mistletoe. Everyone, except for J.J., kept asking Ryo about Shuichi and what had happened because Rose constantly commented on how well Ryo kissed. The holidays were fast becoming sour to Ryo again, and he did not care for the sensation.
'That's not true,' he told himself as he listened to Shuichi singing. The younger man was currently in the shower and singing some kind of a ballad in his native tongue. 'It hasn't been entirely bad. That concert was rather spectacular.'
The concert was one of his Christmas gifts to Shuichi, Nittle Grasper performing in Central Park next to the Christmas tree, and the concert turned out to be a surprise for Ryo as well. Tohma Seguchi played keyboards for Nittle Grasper, something Shuichi had never mentioned to the detective, nor had his young lover told him he knew the rest of the band as well. Ryuichi Sakuma, Nittle Grasper's lead singer, immediately spotted Shuichi in the crowd and insisted upon the younger man joining him onstage. It took a slight nod of encouragement from Tohma to convince Shuichi, and the rest of the show rocked loud and hard. Ryo felt fairly certain that, if Dee and Bikky had been there, they would have enjoyed themselves greatly. The sandy-haired detective even saw Carol there, and he managed to get autographs for the young girl, something she had never expected.
Afterwards, he and Shuichi went for a long walk. It had been pleasant and soothing after the chaos of the concert and his hectic workday. The two even stopped for cookies and hot chocolate at a local vendor, and they had spoken of the plans they originally held for the future, when their respective life partners were still alive. The days had held their bright spots as well as sore points, but Ryo found he really did not want them to be any other way. He learned from Dee a long time that he had to accept the bad as well as the good. Without the bad, one could never appreciate the good, and Dee knew very well just how difficult things could get.
'I wish you could meet him, Dee,' Ryo thought, the sound of Shuichi's singing growing a little louder. 'You'd love him. I know you would. You, too, Bikky.'
Ryo glanced at the Christmas tree sitting in the center of his living room and felt his heart swell a little as he did so. It had turned into a party of sorts with Hiro, his fiancé Ayaka, Suguru, K and his wife and son, Sakano, and even Tohma Seguchi, decorating the artificial limbs with the baubles and lights and tinsel garlands. The apartment felt alive, like Ryo had a family there instead of people he had only met. As they decorated the tree, Shuichi sang a few Christmas carols, Hiro and Tohma joining him. Shuichi insisted on colourful candy canes as well, which Ryo imposed the rule of one candy cane per day until Christmas. The singer pouted at first, but he conceded to the rule. He even handed one of the treats over to Michael, K's little boy, and the child's eyes lit up as he received the treat.
When they were finished with the tree, Ryo plugged in the lights, and the assembled group cheered, though not too loudly. Many of Ryo's neighbours did not appreciate being disturbed, no matter the reason, and Shuichi's musical family seemed to understand. They were still intent on celebrating, however, and K was opening a bottle of sake, something the blond managed to sneak through customs. Ryo also ordered Chinese take-out, really turning the gathering into a small party.
Ryo smiled as he thought of that night. After their food arrived, Hiro brought out his acoustic guitar and began to play, and Shuichi continued to sing. Someone – probably K or Suguru – shut off all but the Christmas lights, enhancing the magic of the moment. Then Suguru and Tohma joined the two men, their keyboards to either side of Hiro and Shuichi. The voices from that night were not ones Ryo wanted to forget any time soon. Already, he had snuck a few presents under the tree, and more would join them after Shuichi had gone to bed for the night. Idly, he wondered what Bikky would have asked for this Christmas if he had not been in that wreck with Dee. Outside, a few church bells started to ring, indicating Christmas Eve mass was about to begin.
"Ryo? Are you all right?"
Shuichi's voice interrupted Ryo's reverie, and he turned his attention from the tree to the singer standing in the hallway door, a towel wrapped around his waist. The sandy-haired detective offered the younger man a faint smile.
"I'm fine," he murmured. "Just . . . thinking."
"Oh? About what?" Shuichi asked. He walked over to Ryo and sat down. The sandy-haired man could not help but notice Shuichi had not completely dried himself off. Water still beaded along his flesh, and Ryo felt something stirring within his blood.
"About how I think Dee and Bikky would have loved you," Ryo murmured. Suddenly, he felt his body becoming hotter, like he had been set on fire. "How I love you . . ."
Before Shuichi could respond, Ryo captured the singer's lips in a tentative kiss. Desire surged through the detective's blood, and the need to let Shuichi know overwhelmed Ryo. He touched Shuichi's cheek with one hand while the other slid around the singer's waist, pulling the younger man plush against his body.
Shuichi returned his kiss, deepening it, his tongue gliding along Ryo's lips. Nimble fingers brushed along the detective's shirt, sending jolts of electricity coursing through the sandy-haired man, and Shuichi tugged at the fabric. Both men were unaware of the front door opening a crack then closing just as quietly.
Moments later, Ryo broke their kiss, his cheeks flushed. Keeping the singer as close to him as he could, the sandy-haired detective then rose to his feet, leading Shuichi towards the bedroom . . .
* * *
Berkeley Rose wanted to bang his head against the wall. Never before in his life had he felt so frustrated and so . . . rejected by one person, and he could not understand why. Angered by what he saw, Rose stormed towards the elevators.
"People change . . ."
'Why couldn't it have been me?'
"What they want isn't always what they need . . ."
'He needed Dee . . . Why couldn't he need me?'
"Because you haven't changed . . ."
The words stopped Rose short, and he paused for a moment. Was that voice speaking the truth? Was the fact he had not changed since they first met the reason for his inability to capture Ryo's heart? Was that how Dee caught Ryo?
Rose shook his head. There had to be more to it than simply changing . . . and what would have Dee changed, anyway? The man, as Rose understood about Dee, once thought of himself as a player, a lover of both men and women. J.J. fawning over the dark-haired man had only proven it for Rose. So how had a promiscuous freak like Dee win Ryo's heart?
His questions warranted a private investigation of sorts, and Rose swore to himself he would find the answers. He resumed walking towards the elevators.
'One of these days, Ryo, you will love me. I swear it. For now, I'll wait for that Shindou kid to break your heart. He won't be around forever.'
