"Meet your keyboardist."
Shuichi and Hiro were sitting together, when Tohma Seguchi walked in with a young-looking boy sporting short green hair.
"What? What do you mean, our keyboardist?" Shuichi said. His drama game, strong.
"This is Suguru Fujisaki. The third band member of Bad Luck." Tohma offered them an 'or else' smile.
"But, we can't just—" Shuichi was pulled abruptly to Hiro's side.
"Shh," he said. "Seguchi-san has the power to ruin our career," he whispered.
"Fine," Shu whined. "Hi, my name is Shuichi Shindou. No need to tell me yours—I already heard. But you can call me Shuichi. It doesn't really matter." With that, he turned on his heel and headed for the microphone.
Much to Shuichi's dismay, Hiro and Suguru seemed to get along well. As instrumentalists, they'd gotten right to working on the arrangements together. And Suguru was sixteeen years old—A baby! The vocalist silently and not-so-silently cursed his happy bandmates all day.
As they were getting ready to leave, Mr. Seguchi walked into the studio and waited until Shuichi made eye contact. It didn't take long. The vocalist shuddered at those piercing green eyes. Tohma beckoned him over by gesture of his index finger. Shu stayed still a moment, contemplated breaking through the wall in the studio room and running the opposite direction. Dramatic flashback had Hiro's words repeating in his head. Something about a ruined career. It was a different kind of fear that saw him inching toward his boss.
"I'm taking you home today," said Tohma's smiling face.
"Oh, um… well, I think you probably have the wrong address on file. See, that address is my mom's—"
"I am already aware of your living arrangements, Mr. Shindou. Now, follow me." The president was wearing the same menacing smile as before. Shuichi didn't argue.
The interior of Tohma's car was dark and comfortable. How smoothly the man drove, how careful his turns and seamless his brakes. Shuichi didn't know what to say, if anything at all. He wasn't going to question his new boss out loud, but why could he possibly want to take him home? And he had never reported to anyone about moving. Anyone but Hiro, that is. At any rate, Seguchi's calm demeanor seemed to be contagious.
Interrupting that thought, they came to a stop outside of Yuki's apartment. Shuichi got out and, to his startle, Tohma got out to follow him. He froze and stared at the blonde. "Lead the way, Shindou."
"Oh, you're coming up?" Shuichi squeaked.
"Of course."
Shuichi punched in the code and showed Seguchi-san to the elevator. It was quite a surreal experience. The keyboardist of Nittle Grasper at his front door. Well, Yuki's door. Their door, he hoped.
"I thought I told you to knock. What happened to leaving that key here?" Yuki turned the corner, his expression changing completely when he saw Tohma standing behind Shuichi.
"Back already?" Yuki said. "You and the brat have come together, I see."
Shuichi looked down at the floor. He couldn't understand why, but he suddenly felt really embarrassed. Yuki's words sank in. "Wait… back? Do you two know each other?" He did a rapid glance back and forth between them.
"Yes," Tohma said. "Eiri is my brother in law."
"Ex brother in law," Yuki spat. "Don't forget."
"How could I?"
Shuichi's head was exploding. "You," he pointed to Yuki, "and you," he pointed to Tohma, "and Mika? I just met Mika. She seemed nice."
Tohma and Yuki only stared at him. "So… but wait. You," he pointed to Tohma again, "And Mika…"
"It's true. We aren't together anymore."
"And you're okay with that?" Shuichi said, trying to parse Tohma's composure.
"Just like he's okay with everything," Yuki chided. Tohma gave no hint of reply and Yuki gestured impatiently for both of them to sit in the living room. He then disappeared into the kitchen.
Tohma waited for Shuichi to sit down first and took a seat about a cushion's length away. "Shindou. You and Eiri… how long have you been together?"
"If you don't count our first meeting… two days!" Shuichi smiled, hugging himself.
"You wouldn't say this has all happened a little quickly?" Tohma replied. Shuichi's bubblegum expression faltered a little.
"I don't expect anyone to understand. It's… even hard for me to understand."
His face lit up again when Yuki returned with drinks for both of them. He put Shuichi's directly into his hand, but set Tohma's on the table, just out of his reach. Tohma raised an eyebrow and painstakingly leaned forward to grab it. His cheeks reddened as he realized that it would take less effort to leave his seat altogether. Yuki smirked profusely.
"Well, let's hear it already. Why have you come back so soon, Tohma?"
"I came to spend time with the two of you," Tohma said, shocking both of them. Yuki had to force himself not to scratch his head.
"Oh, Mr. Seguchi! It's an absolute pleasure to make your acquaintance outside of work! But…" Shuichi paused, his eyes watering faintly. "How is a lowly commoner like me supposed to even hope to interact with a legend like you?" Yuki buried his head in one of his hands.
Bright green eyes met soft violet ones. "Very carefully," Tohma said, chuckling. Chuckling? Yuki's smirk fell agape. This man was many things. A chuckler wasn't one of them.
"Just joking," he added when Shuichi stared at him and didn't return the laughter. "Just don't think of me as the president of NG, whenever I'm here. Think of me as… Eiri's friend."
"We're far from being friends," Yuki said. But he was getting blatantly ignored by both houseguests.
"Okay!" Shuichi said, delightedly. "Nice to meet you, Yuki's friend." Shuichi gave an animated bow from his seated position.
Returning the bow, Tohma said, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Shindou." He smiled. It was quite different from his usual smile. While it made Shuichi warmer, it made Yuki colder.
"Enough with your childish introductions. The two of you already know each other. You can save it for work tomorrow." He walked toward his office, stopping close to the door. "Tohma, you can leave any time. And you, brat," he paused, giving Shuichi a chance to sweat a bit. "You can take your time with the nuisance, but you won't be able to do much until you get rid of him. Trust me."
Shuichi watched the door close and then looked back at Tohma, who's expression had remained unchanged. "Just how can he call you a nuisance? I mean, I understand how he can do it to me, but… if he does it to you, that's just mean," he said in tones of childish sadness, pouting his lip a little.
"Eiri," Tohma said, glancing at the office door and smiling. "That's just how…" he paused, as if to contemplate something. "… he is." The last two words were hushed. His expression seemed soft, and Shuichi found himself studying it.
Yuki's face was a bit harder and more angular. Even when the man was smiling, there were quite a few sharp edges to behold. His sister Mika had been similarly attractive. Shuichi caught himself wondering why things wouldn't work out between herself and the esteemed president. After all, she was a sight to behold all her own. But Shuichi swore that he had the sense to know that a healthy relationship couldn't be built on looks alone.
"Still, he really shouldn't be so mean to you. You're the Tohma Seguchi, after all!"
Tohma closed his eyes, calculated expression still in place. "What about you, Shindou?"
Unsure, Shuichi blinked and pointed to himself. Eyes still closed, and unable to see this, Tohma waited for a response. With Shuichi still silent, he opened them and said, "It seems to me that Eiri is unkind to you. The way he refers to you..."
Shuichi laughed nervously. "Oh, ha, you mean how he calls me a brat, right? That's just Yuki's cute way of getting my attention—it's nothing really." Tears formed in his eyes alongside stars. An odd combination as far as Tohma was concerned.
As Shuichi's nervous laughter continued, Tohma sipped his drink before saying. "Do you really like that?"
Shuichi's face widened before settling into a frown. "I mean… I like Yuki a lot. I want him to like me back. So, I guess I'll just have to keep trying until I get it right…"
Tohma only continued to sip his drink, turning away from Shuichi. This was the first time he'd ever had a drink at Yuki's house with another man, and Eiri out of the room, no less. What a set of surrounding circumstances too.
"Be careful."
"Careful?" Shuichi asked. Tohma nodded, still facing away.
"Why? What do you mean?"
"Just be careful. Your music career has just gotten off the ground. It should be your main focus, Mr. Shindou." Tohma took the final sip of his drink and started to head for the door.
"Wait, Mr. Seguchi. Ei—Yuki's friend." Tohma turned to face him. "I promise I'll work hard. I'll try my best!" Shuichi smiled. Tohma's trademark smile widened in return.
"I look forward to seeing you at your best then," he said before latching the door behind himself.
Shuichi stayed sitting on the couch, sipping away. "I see you've managed to throw him out," a voice said suddenly.
"Oh! Um, I wouldn't exactly say I got kicked him out. More like, he left and stuff. Yuki…" Shuichi got up and walked quickly toward him, trying to jump. Yuki dodged the movement, landing Shuichi on his face.
"Why are you always so…touchy?" he said, looking down at the slightly knocked out vocalist.
Shuichi got up and said, "Because I want to be with you."
"I can't understand why," Yuki said, looking up at the ceiling.
—
"Shuichi, did you hear? Nittle Grasper is getting back together." Shuichi heard Hiro's voice, but the words just couldn't be real.
"No! No way! Really? Ryuichi Sakuma is going to sing again?" Everyone nodded. "Hiro, do you know what this means?" Shuichi held onto his friend's shoulders, jumping up and down, threatening to fall and take Hiro with him.
"No, Shu. What does it mean?" he said with a hint of a smile.
"I… I don't know. But something good. Something amazing! My life—it's complete again!"
"If you ever got up early enough, you might have time to watch the news at home. Maybe then, we wouldn't have all these distractions," Suguru said. Shuichi glared at him.
"How can you not understand the importance of this magical moment?" He fumed.
"Nittle Grasper is my cousin's band. Of course, it's kinda cool. But I'm not a screaming fangirl or anything."
"Hey, I'm a boy—man!" Shu replied. Suguru snickered. Shuichi started to walk toward him and was promptly grabbed by the arm. Hiro gave him a 'no' look.
"Okay, so Grasper is back together. It's exciting. And I know you two have differences. But can we please just forget about it, so we can actually get something done today?" Hiro said.
Suguru and Shuichi looked at each other and quickly looked away. "Fine," they said, nearly in unison and much to their chagrin. Neither wanted to have anything in common with the other.
Shuichi felt a new sense determination in light of the good news, and he and Suguru were able to collaborate without much argument. At the end of the day, Hiro and Shuichi could be seen walking toward his motorcycle.
"So… I wonder what made them decide to get back together. Whose idea do you think it was?" Hiro asked.
"I don't know, but it would be so cool to find out! Have they done any sort of press conference about it yet?"
"Not yet. It's set for later this week, I think. So far, the only thing is that president Seguchi confirmed it in a comment." Shuichi felt his heart race all over again.
The pair rode around on Hiro's bike for a little while, feeling the wind on their faces and trying to burn off some of their excitement. Shuichi arrived at the apartment to find both Yuki and Tohma sitting in the Livingroom. Yuki had a most unpleasant look on his face, which Shu neglected to notice.
"Mr. Seguchi!" he said excitedly, running up and stopping just short of him. Shuichi's cheeks turned bright red and he took a step back. "Oh, sorry," he said bowing, "It's just that… can I ask? Grasper? Are you really getting back together?"
Tohma grinned, showing teeth. Yuki glared at him and got up and left the room. Shuichi stared after him incredulously. Once Yuki disappeared completely, he looked at Tohma questioningly. "What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?" he said.
"No, Shindou. I believe that Eiri is just a little tired." Shuichi nodded weakly and Tohma's grin faded completely, replaced by his common smile.
"For the matter of Nittle Grasper," he said, "We have decided to get back together."
Shuichi's eyes opened and a little energy returned to his features. "This is the best day ever!" he said. "Oh, can I also ask… who's idea was it? Was it Sakuma-san's?"
"No. It was mine," Tohma's eyes met with Shuichi's, who blushed again.
"W-why? I mean, what made you decide?" Tohma brought a hand up to his own face and slowly traced over his lips.
"Ryuichi's return," Tohma replied, looking away. "He came back from America recently, as you might know. We spent some time together, and I suppose it—well, it made me want to play again. Of course, Ryuichi jumped at the idea. And Noriko was ready as ever."
"So, Sakuma-san… coming back from America…" Shuichi mused.
"Yes," Tohma said more quickly than he intended. He kicked himself for it.
"That's so epic! I can't wait to see you guys perform again," Shuichi said, dancing in circles around the apartment. Tohma found himself brightening up at the sight.
When Shuichi finally came to a stop, he said, "Wanna watch a movie? Do you think Yuki will join us?"
Tohma smirked. "You could always ask him." At Shuichi's expression, he added, "Unless you'd like me to ask him."
"Would you, please Mr. Seguchi? He likes you more."
"I'm not sure what gaves you that idea. But I'll certainly try." Tohma walked over and knocked lightly. Receiving no response, he opened the door a crack to see an unamused Eiri. "Would you like to watch a movie with Mr. Shindou and I?"
Yuki said nothing, squinting his eyes as he continued to type. Tohma allowed a small smile to creep across his lips, before turning to Shuichi and asking him which movie he wanted to watch. He picked a horror film, and the keyboardist had to work hard not to frown at his choice.
"Anything you want, Shindou."
Shuichi excitedly bounced over to the player and popped the movie in. He sat on the opposite side of the couch from Tohma and criss-crossed his legs, leaning forward and staring intently at the screen. Yuki didn't really watch movies, so Tohma knew that this one must belong to the vocalist. He sighed. His hands were clasped gently in his lap with his back pressed firmly against the cushion.
Over time, Shuichi moved further forward. His elbows eventually rested on his legs. He had to tilt his head up to keep his eyes on the picture. It was a wonder to Tohma how anyone could be comfortable sitting like that.
"You know, my mom makes the best red curry in the world," Shuichi spouted, during one tiny scene in which the characters were eating dinner.
Tohma tried to think about what to say to that. His hands were slowly migrating to his knees. It was all he had not to gasp at every jump scare or allow his breathing to become shallow at every suspenseful turn the characters took. When there was a break in the action, Shu looked over at him. The vocalist had seen this movie on various occasions. He knew well when things were going to slow down or speed back up. Taking in the sight, it occurred to him that his boss, in fact, did not have this same knowledge.
"M-Mr. Seguchi… are you okay? We can watch something else," he said quietly.
Tohma's grip on his knees must have caused them to turn white underneath his trousers. He relaxed his hands a bit. "No, Mr. Shindou. I told you we could watch anything."
From the back of the couch, Shuichi grabbed his bright fleece blanket. He walked over and stood in front of Tohma. The president looked up at him, but Shuichi didn't seem to register the shock in his green eyes. He only smiled at him brightly.
"Here's this if you need it, Mr. Seguchi. Sorry I picked such a scary movie." He draped the blanket over Tohma's legs and returned to his spot.
Tohma glanced over at Shu, whose eyes had returned to being glued to the moving pictures. Slowly, his hands moved back down to his knees. Fingers now slid over soft fleece, instead of prickly polyester. Tohma gave in and allowed himself to bring his knees upward, wrapping his arms around them. He rubbed his thumb up and down, memorizing the texture. His chin lowered to meet his knee for a moment. The fabric brushed across his face, velvety and comforting. Seeing this from the corner of his eye, Shuichi smiled again in spite of the gruesome images that were currently on display. For the first time since the movie started, Tohma was indifferent to them.
By the end of the movie, Tohma had actually begun to enjoy himself. Shuichi made jokes about certain graphic parts of the movie and Tohma was starting to find them quite funny. Getting up to get something to drink, Shu reached gingerly for the blanket on his boss's lap. The ashen blonde moved his hands half an inch, pulling the blanket closer to himself. He didn't realize he had done so until Shuichi said, "It's okay. I just figured you probably didn't want it anymore." He smiled and skipped into the kitchen.
Tohma took the moment alone to compose himself. First, he kicked himself a little. His body was curled up like a child and he was clutching at a blanket. Hell! This was not proper conduct for anyone, let alone the president of NG records. Let alone at Eiri's house. And definitely not in front of someone who was supposed to be his subordinate.
Shuichi returned to the room with two glasses in hand. The sight of Tohma folding up the blanket and placing it back over the couch had him stopping abruptly. Glasses held tightly to his chest, he said, "Oh, are you leaving already?"
"Yes, I'm afraid so, Mr. Shindou. There are certain things I need to check up on and I have an early morning to think of. You've been quite the host. Thank you kindly," he replied with a nod.
"Thank you!" Shuichi squealed a little, "It's been like a dream to have you! The keyboardist of Nittle Grasper… er—Yuki's friend, I mean. I'm sorry, Mr. Seguchi. It's too bad he couldn't join us."
"That's alright. It was an experience, regardless." Tohma bowed deeply and Shuichi returned it.
A sweating glass in each hand, Shuichi was left to wonder at all that had just happened.