Chapter 4: Mostly Daiken, but it sets up a few situations for later on. Oh, and there are a few references to my unfinished-and-unnamed Daiken epic which will be making an appearance shortly (I hope...) you just basically need to know that Daisuke and Ken are living in New Orleans, Daisuke's been mostly disowned and Ken has cut off his own family ties.
*****
*Ken*
I come home to find all the windows open and the air conditioning running as hard as it can. It's a sweltering, horribly humid day, and I can't really fault Daisuke for fighting the heat any way he can...even if he's an idiot some times. I drop my bag and turn off the AC, it's dark and it gets cooler, and, anyway, I tend to prefer the windows to the AC if I get a choice, even if there wasn't the issue of the electric bill, our machine pops and tends to wheeze like a dying beast. As soon as I finally stop the god-awful racket, I can hear the slightest strains of Daisuke's radio coming from his "workroom" (which, in a previous life, was an unused closet until Daisuke commandeered it and hauled his desk in there). I open the door to see Daisuke hunched over his drawing table, phone hunched between his shoulder and ear. He turns to look at me, then drops his pencil and takes the phone in his hand. "Listen. I'll call you back" He says. "Yeah, I love you, too. Bye." Then he hits the disconnect button and drops it to the floor.
"Who was that?" I ask.
He stands and stretches. "Jun. Pick a number between one and three."
I find myself almost laughing. "Why?"
"I have some news for you, and it'll be easier if you choose how you want to die first."
"The ogre's bargain?"
"What?"
"Nevermind. Bad news?"
"You might say that. Listen, Ken, just pick a number."
"Fine. Two."
Daisuke spreads his arms and gets a funny looking grin on his face. "I'm the good kid again."
I raise an eyebrow at him. "Um...what?"
"Jun has just...comparatively...made me look good." He smiles and doesn't elaborate.
"Fine. I'll bite." I say. "What did she do?"
"I'm going to be an uncle."
"That's not THAT bad..."
"She has no intention of marrying the father. And...while I know that this means NOTHING in my parents eyes...well...by the end of this week either they'll be saying that they never had any kids, or...I don't know."
"I see." I said slowly. "I can...kind of...see why your parents would be angry."
"Hell, Ken, I think I'M angry. Can you see Jun as a mom?"
"Honestly? Yes. But I also have to admit that I'd probably be shaky if she was my sister. When's she due?"
"Huh? Oh, late December."
I nod. Daisuke grins, again. "Pick another number."
"One."
He growls a little, then turns and picks up his script from his desk, then half-throws it at me. "Just read." He moans. "The margin notes."
Daisuke pencils a few small comic books. He started doing it for fun, and now it's become his primary source of income. Unfortunately, one of his writers has taken a liking to him, and seems completely unable to take in the niceties of a comment such as "I have a very jealous boyfriend" and insists on writing little flirtatious comments in her margins before she sends the scripts on to Daisuke. I find it hilarious, especially in a karmic sense, seeing how Daisuke used to be. Daisuke...sees no humor whatsoever in the situation. I flip through the pages again, then feel that smile threaten my lips for a slight moment. "She's getting inventive." I say.
He groans. "God. I mean, she's a pretty good writer, this is fun, but..."
"Just use the magic words. 'I'm not gay, but I'm learning.'" Daisuke tends to say that if it wasn't for me and Takeru, he'd be completely straight.
"Already tried that." He says. "And I used the 'My boyfriend is very jealous and a Judo master' line, too. I don't think she believes me. Maybe if she had never met you, it might fly, but..."
I feign being insulted, "What are you insinuating?"
"You don't LOOK dangerous, Ken." Then he stops and starts to laugh, a little. That smile that's been quirking around my lips since we started talking finally makes it's appearance.
"No. I guess I don't." I say, slowly. "What's the other news?"
He stops laughing and calms. Then he takes a deep breath and smiles at me. "You should try writing some time." He says, slowly. "I think you'd be good at it."
"Thanks." I say. "You should learn how to change the subject. What is it, Daisuke?"
He sighs. "You know, if you listened to the radio...not those sad bastard tapes of yours..."
"Daisuke?"
He takes the script from my hands and, slowly, lays it on the table. "TK called me earlier today. It seems that...listen. Tai left Matt. Matt left the band and has, apparently, lost his mind. Or something like that."
"Oh."
"There's...a little bit more." He says, still slowly. "Listen, Ken...TK and I had a long talk earlier today...and...it was on his phone-bill, so don't worry..."
"Daisuke, I'm not worried about the phone bill..."
"Oh. Good. So, listen. We came up with this plan...and I want you to just listen and not immediately throw it out just because TK came up with it...or to see anything paranoid in it or anything..."
"Daisuke?" I love this man, but there are times I just want to kick him.
"We...I...we think that Matt needs someone to go help take care of him. And...and...okay, I'll just say it. TK said he'll pay for a plane ticket and expenses if you'll go down and help look after Matt."
"What? Why me?"
"It makes sense, Ken. I mean...Matt's pretty messed up...he isn't really talking to TK...and anyway, TK's in Japan..."
"And Matt's in California and we're in Louisiana." I say.
"We're still the closest." Daisuke points out. When did he get so logical about these things? "And, anyway, you've been through a bit of Hell yourself, you should know..."
"Maybe I have." I say. "But..."
"Look, Ken, you don't have to decide now." He puts his hands on my upper arms and then pulls me into a kiss. "Just think about it." He whispers into my lips.
I put my hands over his. "I know what this is." I say.
He raises an eyebrow.
"It's your usual Modus Operandi." I say. "You're going to get me into bed, get me into a...delicate...position, and then ask me again. And then I usually say yes. If I don't, you wait until I'm falling asleep, then you ask again."
"I don't do that!" He sputters.
"Sure you do." I whisper. "I don't even think you realize you're doing it. It almost always works, too."
He looks distant for a second. "I do do that, don't I?" He asks. "I'm sorry, Ken."
"I don't really mind." I say. "Most of the time, I'd say yes anyway, and you pay complete attention to me until I do."
He pulls my brow down to meet his. "Does that mean you're going to agree?" He asks.
"Maybe." I say. "But I want to be the center of attention for a little while before I do."
He smiles for a second, then wraps his arms around me. "I can deal with that." He whispers, then kisses me again before he takes my hands to lead me into the bedroom.
*****
*Ken*
I come home to find all the windows open and the air conditioning running as hard as it can. It's a sweltering, horribly humid day, and I can't really fault Daisuke for fighting the heat any way he can...even if he's an idiot some times. I drop my bag and turn off the AC, it's dark and it gets cooler, and, anyway, I tend to prefer the windows to the AC if I get a choice, even if there wasn't the issue of the electric bill, our machine pops and tends to wheeze like a dying beast. As soon as I finally stop the god-awful racket, I can hear the slightest strains of Daisuke's radio coming from his "workroom" (which, in a previous life, was an unused closet until Daisuke commandeered it and hauled his desk in there). I open the door to see Daisuke hunched over his drawing table, phone hunched between his shoulder and ear. He turns to look at me, then drops his pencil and takes the phone in his hand. "Listen. I'll call you back" He says. "Yeah, I love you, too. Bye." Then he hits the disconnect button and drops it to the floor.
"Who was that?" I ask.
He stands and stretches. "Jun. Pick a number between one and three."
I find myself almost laughing. "Why?"
"I have some news for you, and it'll be easier if you choose how you want to die first."
"The ogre's bargain?"
"What?"
"Nevermind. Bad news?"
"You might say that. Listen, Ken, just pick a number."
"Fine. Two."
Daisuke spreads his arms and gets a funny looking grin on his face. "I'm the good kid again."
I raise an eyebrow at him. "Um...what?"
"Jun has just...comparatively...made me look good." He smiles and doesn't elaborate.
"Fine. I'll bite." I say. "What did she do?"
"I'm going to be an uncle."
"That's not THAT bad..."
"She has no intention of marrying the father. And...while I know that this means NOTHING in my parents eyes...well...by the end of this week either they'll be saying that they never had any kids, or...I don't know."
"I see." I said slowly. "I can...kind of...see why your parents would be angry."
"Hell, Ken, I think I'M angry. Can you see Jun as a mom?"
"Honestly? Yes. But I also have to admit that I'd probably be shaky if she was my sister. When's she due?"
"Huh? Oh, late December."
I nod. Daisuke grins, again. "Pick another number."
"One."
He growls a little, then turns and picks up his script from his desk, then half-throws it at me. "Just read." He moans. "The margin notes."
Daisuke pencils a few small comic books. He started doing it for fun, and now it's become his primary source of income. Unfortunately, one of his writers has taken a liking to him, and seems completely unable to take in the niceties of a comment such as "I have a very jealous boyfriend" and insists on writing little flirtatious comments in her margins before she sends the scripts on to Daisuke. I find it hilarious, especially in a karmic sense, seeing how Daisuke used to be. Daisuke...sees no humor whatsoever in the situation. I flip through the pages again, then feel that smile threaten my lips for a slight moment. "She's getting inventive." I say.
He groans. "God. I mean, she's a pretty good writer, this is fun, but..."
"Just use the magic words. 'I'm not gay, but I'm learning.'" Daisuke tends to say that if it wasn't for me and Takeru, he'd be completely straight.
"Already tried that." He says. "And I used the 'My boyfriend is very jealous and a Judo master' line, too. I don't think she believes me. Maybe if she had never met you, it might fly, but..."
I feign being insulted, "What are you insinuating?"
"You don't LOOK dangerous, Ken." Then he stops and starts to laugh, a little. That smile that's been quirking around my lips since we started talking finally makes it's appearance.
"No. I guess I don't." I say, slowly. "What's the other news?"
He stops laughing and calms. Then he takes a deep breath and smiles at me. "You should try writing some time." He says, slowly. "I think you'd be good at it."
"Thanks." I say. "You should learn how to change the subject. What is it, Daisuke?"
He sighs. "You know, if you listened to the radio...not those sad bastard tapes of yours..."
"Daisuke?"
He takes the script from my hands and, slowly, lays it on the table. "TK called me earlier today. It seems that...listen. Tai left Matt. Matt left the band and has, apparently, lost his mind. Or something like that."
"Oh."
"There's...a little bit more." He says, still slowly. "Listen, Ken...TK and I had a long talk earlier today...and...it was on his phone-bill, so don't worry..."
"Daisuke, I'm not worried about the phone bill..."
"Oh. Good. So, listen. We came up with this plan...and I want you to just listen and not immediately throw it out just because TK came up with it...or to see anything paranoid in it or anything..."
"Daisuke?" I love this man, but there are times I just want to kick him.
"We...I...we think that Matt needs someone to go help take care of him. And...and...okay, I'll just say it. TK said he'll pay for a plane ticket and expenses if you'll go down and help look after Matt."
"What? Why me?"
"It makes sense, Ken. I mean...Matt's pretty messed up...he isn't really talking to TK...and anyway, TK's in Japan..."
"And Matt's in California and we're in Louisiana." I say.
"We're still the closest." Daisuke points out. When did he get so logical about these things? "And, anyway, you've been through a bit of Hell yourself, you should know..."
"Maybe I have." I say. "But..."
"Look, Ken, you don't have to decide now." He puts his hands on my upper arms and then pulls me into a kiss. "Just think about it." He whispers into my lips.
I put my hands over his. "I know what this is." I say.
He raises an eyebrow.
"It's your usual Modus Operandi." I say. "You're going to get me into bed, get me into a...delicate...position, and then ask me again. And then I usually say yes. If I don't, you wait until I'm falling asleep, then you ask again."
"I don't do that!" He sputters.
"Sure you do." I whisper. "I don't even think you realize you're doing it. It almost always works, too."
He looks distant for a second. "I do do that, don't I?" He asks. "I'm sorry, Ken."
"I don't really mind." I say. "Most of the time, I'd say yes anyway, and you pay complete attention to me until I do."
He pulls my brow down to meet his. "Does that mean you're going to agree?" He asks.
"Maybe." I say. "But I want to be the center of attention for a little while before I do."
He smiles for a second, then wraps his arms around me. "I can deal with that." He whispers, then kisses me again before he takes my hands to lead me into the bedroom.