[We had grand adventures, fighting evil, and many victories. We were all very close, because we had the same purpose. It helped that there had always been someone there to lead us, someone to keep us together.]
Takeru took one last look around his apartment, the place that he'd called home for the three years following college. He'd thought to live there for a long time, possibly even the rest of his life. The other tenants were wonderful people, the landlord was great, and the building owner was already a millionaire, so there would never be a sharp increase in rent. It had seemed the perfect place.
From paradise, to hell. Tai was waiting for him at what would be his new home. He had already moved his computer and books. All that was left was transporting the last of his clothes, and the food that was left, which wasn't much. It had been a short two weeks since Tai had come to him with that ultimatum, and his anger hadn't left him yet, but neither had his feeling of pessimism.
He was supposed to be the incarnate of hope. He should have been able to find something good in the situation, but he couldn't. And that made him a little bit more upset. Because he knew that nothing good could or would come from his life in the near future. There was no way around it, either.
When Tai had returned the second time, and told him exactly what to move when, he had seriously considered calling Matt. He knew his brother would tell him to tell Tai off, no matter what the consequences were. There was no doubt in his mind that Matt would shrug off the threat to his happiness, and possibly retaliate against his friend in a like manner, but Takeru didn't want to take the chance that it would only be worse for the both of them.
With a sigh, he shut the door, making sure that the bolt was locked. Most of the furniture would stay, except what he had brought, which hadn't been much. His desk and chair had been at Tai's for three days. Everything else had been there when he moved in. On his way out of the building, he stopped at Mr. Tagami's, and left the key in the mailslot.
Outside, the heat of summer hung with humidity in the air, and he could feel the sweat already forming on his forehead and back. He crossed the concourse, and got into the waiting car without a word. It was a nice car, air-conditioned. The sweat dried quickly, leaving him sligthly chill from the damp. Tai put it into gear, and they started the trip across town in silence.
Takeru looked out the window, blue eyes focusing on the buildings as they neared their destination. He had been to Tai's apartment six times in the last two weeks, moving things from one place to another, finding the promised space for his belongings. The spare room had been nearly empty, except for some sports equipment that had never made it's way to the trash, despite years of unuse.
His computer and desk had gone against a wall, his stereo on the other side. Tai had an entertainment center in his living room. The recliner that Takeru had gotten for his twenty-first birthday had gone in a corner with a vantage of the kitchen, door, and television. In the back of the car was the last suitcase, full of his casual, everyday clothes.
"Where's your hat?" Tai broke the silence.
"Packed away with my clothes." Takeru answered shortly, disliking being forced to communicate with the man beside him.
Tai grunted, a sign that Takeru had come to learn meant that he was displeased about something. "When we get home, you'll unpack it, and wear it."
"Whatever." He didn't disagree, didn't refuse. They both knew that he wouldn't. He was a slave, in every detail, for his word had been given. He'd do whatever he had to protect his brother.
"Good." They turned into the parking lot of a larger apartment complex. "Don't unpack too much else, though. We're moving upstairs in another week." That caused Takeru's head to whip around.
"Why?" The car stopped in a designated parking area, and Tai got out, stretching. The blonde man followed, opening the back door to reach for his bag.
"Because we're getting a bigger place, of course. I thought you'd like to know that the other apartment will have three bedrooms." A sliver of hope snaked its way around Takeru's heart, and leapt into his eyes. "Now we'll have an office, a guest bedroom, and our room."
Disgust and anger slammed into his gut, turning that small amount of hope into ashes. He didn't respond, just roughly pulled out the luggage and slammed the door. He could feel the cruel smile that Tai sent his way, but he ignored it, chosing instead to lead the way upstairs. He headed to the elevators, blue eyes refusing to take in the surroundings in his fury.
"TK?" He swung around, dropping the bag he was holding, as his brother called his name.
"Matt? What are you doing here?" He tried not to sound desperate, fought to hide any evidence that anything was wrong. It seemed to work, because Matt gave him his familiar small smile, blue eyes sparkling in the dim light.
"I thought I'd pay Tai a visit. What are you doing?" He gestured to the bags with a wave of his hand, and Takeru felt lost, uncertain of how to answer. He wasn't given a chance to respond.
"Your brother's going to be living with me for awhile, Matt." Tai walked up to them, his grin friendly, his eyes considerably darker. Something akin to pain flashed through Matt's eyes before he looked back at his brother, his worry only betrayed by the slight rise of one eyebrow.
"When did that happen?" They were playing a game, and the three of them knew it. There was something wrong, something that both brother's felt they were missing somehow. Yet, they kept their emotions checked, not letting anything slip. Giving nothing away.
"I lost the lease on my place, and Tai offered to let me stay." It was the version they had agreed upon, the most unassuming one possible.
"Oh. You should have called me, there's an extra room at my place. In fact, you can come stay with me now. We'll just move your stuff, since it's not far from here."
"Don't worry about it, Matt. I appreciate the offer, but all my stuff's already here. And, I figured, with the hours I keep, that it might be a problem. You've always been a light sleeper, where as Tai isn't. I won't have to worry about waking him up." Logical and practical. "Besides, I don't really want to intrude on you and Sora, since you admitted to me less that a month ago that she was staying at your place more often than yours."
Matt grinned, the thought of his fiancee causing a light to grow in his eyes. He missed the pain and anger that flashed through Tai's eyes, but Takeru didn't. He filed the reaction away, to be dealt with at another time. He had to get rid of his brother. Fast.
"Which reminds me, I was going to call you tonight, to remind you that you're supposed to be getting her a gift. You're anniversary is in three days, remember."
"Oh, shit!" With a sheepish look that said the older man hadn't remembered, he said goodbye, and nearly ran out of the building. Tai looked after him, his brown eyes slightly glazed as he became lost in his thoughts.
The doors pinged as they opened, and they stepped into the four-walled machine that would take them to the sixth-story. It was a nice complex, with a lot of class and style, in a nice section of the city. Each floor had less apartments, with each progressive story being more expensive than the last. The tenth and top floor was a penthouse, belonging to a movie star.
The ride up was quiet, the hum of the elevator the only sound. Takeru kept the bags in his hands and stood in the corner farthest from Tai. Neither man spoke or looked at the other. It was as if, by silent agreement, they had agreed to pretend that the other didn't exist for the short time before they reached their destination.
They stepped out together when the doors opened, their strides matching. At the door, Takeru sat his bags down and waited while Tai found the right key and unlocked it. Once inside, they separated, Takeru to the back of the apartment and the bedrooms, Tai into the kitchen.
There was no sound in the apartment. They were high enough up that traffic wasn't heard, and the walls between the apartments were soundproof, so they didn't have to listen to the neighbors. If not for the muffled noises from moving things around, Takeru might have thought that he was alone in the apartment, and that Tai had left.
"No such luck." He mumbled, setting his stuff on the bed, and unzipping the first suitcase. Seemingly out of the air, Tai had produced another dresser, identical to his in appearance, as well as extra closet space that he wasn't using.
An hour later, all his clothes taken care of, Takeru walked back into the living room. Tai was moving around in the kitchen, fixing two plates of food. The kitchen table had been set for dinner, which surprised the blonde. He had figured that he'd cook for the both of them. He said as much to the older man.
"Not tonight. After this, the kitchen belongs to you. I thought that I'd let you put everything away in peace." He gestured for Takeru to take a seat, and he did. There were only two chairs, set up across from each other. It saved room in the kitchen, and the others were accessible in a nearby closet.
"Thanks." It was the first thing that came into his head to say, and he clenched his teeth as soon as the word was uttered. He didn't want to thank Tai for anything. He had destroyed his hopes and dreams for the future, turned him into a servant, and was planning on stealing his innocence.
Yes, his innocence. He had saved himself for the day when he would fall in love, for the woman that would be is wife. That dream, too, had been shattered. He couldn't picture himself in any relationship after Tai was done with him. He would never be whole again. He'd have nothing of himself to give.
As childish and naive as that sounded, it was the truth. He had always held love in the highest of esteem. He had wanted a relationship as beautiful as his brother's, a partner as loving and faithful as Sora. They were the perfect couple: complementing each other, as well as balancing each other.
Now, he would be tainted, scarred. Whether he ever found the love of his life, or not, there would always be this to hold him back. A piece of him missing.
Tai looked up from his meal, and noticed the man across from him glaring at his plate. "Stop frowning." Takeru looked up, blue eyes flashing, lips open in a retort that he stopped before it passed his lips. "Eat."
With a forced smile, Takeru picked up his sandwich and began to eat. He didn't taste it, just chewed and swallowed as was habit. He cleared his plate, drained the glass of milk that Tai had given him, then pushed back from the table.
"Where are you going?" Tai didn't bother to look up from his plate.
"I was going to work on the computer." Takeru glared at the top of his head, fists clenching at his sides. After his freedom was taken, he had hoped to be able to escape inside his writing, to find some solace in his work.
"You can sit until I finish eating, at least." Dark brown eyes looked up, catching Takeru in their cruelty. He sat back down. He waited as the brunette finished his meal, slowly. He seemed to take a purposely long time. When he was finished, he stood up, and Takeru did the same. "You can take care of the dishes, wash them, and then get on with your...work." He said it disparagingly, forcing Takeru to grit his teeth.
"Yes, sir!" He saluted smartly.
"I think 'master' would be a better title, don't you?" Tai turned and left the kitchen, going into the back of the apartment. Takeru stood in angry silence, tamping down his emotions before he did something stupid. He counted to ten and back six times before he trusted himself to clear the table with his shaking hands.
If he thought that he had hated Tai before, he knew it in that moment.
_______________________
Okay, not too bad, yet. The next part gets a little citrusy. And what follows makes me kinda want to gag. Not 'cuz it's yaoi, not 'cuz it's Taikeru, but because it's an evil rapist Tai. That's you're warning.
Takeru took one last look around his apartment, the place that he'd called home for the three years following college. He'd thought to live there for a long time, possibly even the rest of his life. The other tenants were wonderful people, the landlord was great, and the building owner was already a millionaire, so there would never be a sharp increase in rent. It had seemed the perfect place.
From paradise, to hell. Tai was waiting for him at what would be his new home. He had already moved his computer and books. All that was left was transporting the last of his clothes, and the food that was left, which wasn't much. It had been a short two weeks since Tai had come to him with that ultimatum, and his anger hadn't left him yet, but neither had his feeling of pessimism.
He was supposed to be the incarnate of hope. He should have been able to find something good in the situation, but he couldn't. And that made him a little bit more upset. Because he knew that nothing good could or would come from his life in the near future. There was no way around it, either.
When Tai had returned the second time, and told him exactly what to move when, he had seriously considered calling Matt. He knew his brother would tell him to tell Tai off, no matter what the consequences were. There was no doubt in his mind that Matt would shrug off the threat to his happiness, and possibly retaliate against his friend in a like manner, but Takeru didn't want to take the chance that it would only be worse for the both of them.
With a sigh, he shut the door, making sure that the bolt was locked. Most of the furniture would stay, except what he had brought, which hadn't been much. His desk and chair had been at Tai's for three days. Everything else had been there when he moved in. On his way out of the building, he stopped at Mr. Tagami's, and left the key in the mailslot.
Outside, the heat of summer hung with humidity in the air, and he could feel the sweat already forming on his forehead and back. He crossed the concourse, and got into the waiting car without a word. It was a nice car, air-conditioned. The sweat dried quickly, leaving him sligthly chill from the damp. Tai put it into gear, and they started the trip across town in silence.
Takeru looked out the window, blue eyes focusing on the buildings as they neared their destination. He had been to Tai's apartment six times in the last two weeks, moving things from one place to another, finding the promised space for his belongings. The spare room had been nearly empty, except for some sports equipment that had never made it's way to the trash, despite years of unuse.
His computer and desk had gone against a wall, his stereo on the other side. Tai had an entertainment center in his living room. The recliner that Takeru had gotten for his twenty-first birthday had gone in a corner with a vantage of the kitchen, door, and television. In the back of the car was the last suitcase, full of his casual, everyday clothes.
"Where's your hat?" Tai broke the silence.
"Packed away with my clothes." Takeru answered shortly, disliking being forced to communicate with the man beside him.
Tai grunted, a sign that Takeru had come to learn meant that he was displeased about something. "When we get home, you'll unpack it, and wear it."
"Whatever." He didn't disagree, didn't refuse. They both knew that he wouldn't. He was a slave, in every detail, for his word had been given. He'd do whatever he had to protect his brother.
"Good." They turned into the parking lot of a larger apartment complex. "Don't unpack too much else, though. We're moving upstairs in another week." That caused Takeru's head to whip around.
"Why?" The car stopped in a designated parking area, and Tai got out, stretching. The blonde man followed, opening the back door to reach for his bag.
"Because we're getting a bigger place, of course. I thought you'd like to know that the other apartment will have three bedrooms." A sliver of hope snaked its way around Takeru's heart, and leapt into his eyes. "Now we'll have an office, a guest bedroom, and our room."
Disgust and anger slammed into his gut, turning that small amount of hope into ashes. He didn't respond, just roughly pulled out the luggage and slammed the door. He could feel the cruel smile that Tai sent his way, but he ignored it, chosing instead to lead the way upstairs. He headed to the elevators, blue eyes refusing to take in the surroundings in his fury.
"TK?" He swung around, dropping the bag he was holding, as his brother called his name.
"Matt? What are you doing here?" He tried not to sound desperate, fought to hide any evidence that anything was wrong. It seemed to work, because Matt gave him his familiar small smile, blue eyes sparkling in the dim light.
"I thought I'd pay Tai a visit. What are you doing?" He gestured to the bags with a wave of his hand, and Takeru felt lost, uncertain of how to answer. He wasn't given a chance to respond.
"Your brother's going to be living with me for awhile, Matt." Tai walked up to them, his grin friendly, his eyes considerably darker. Something akin to pain flashed through Matt's eyes before he looked back at his brother, his worry only betrayed by the slight rise of one eyebrow.
"When did that happen?" They were playing a game, and the three of them knew it. There was something wrong, something that both brother's felt they were missing somehow. Yet, they kept their emotions checked, not letting anything slip. Giving nothing away.
"I lost the lease on my place, and Tai offered to let me stay." It was the version they had agreed upon, the most unassuming one possible.
"Oh. You should have called me, there's an extra room at my place. In fact, you can come stay with me now. We'll just move your stuff, since it's not far from here."
"Don't worry about it, Matt. I appreciate the offer, but all my stuff's already here. And, I figured, with the hours I keep, that it might be a problem. You've always been a light sleeper, where as Tai isn't. I won't have to worry about waking him up." Logical and practical. "Besides, I don't really want to intrude on you and Sora, since you admitted to me less that a month ago that she was staying at your place more often than yours."
Matt grinned, the thought of his fiancee causing a light to grow in his eyes. He missed the pain and anger that flashed through Tai's eyes, but Takeru didn't. He filed the reaction away, to be dealt with at another time. He had to get rid of his brother. Fast.
"Which reminds me, I was going to call you tonight, to remind you that you're supposed to be getting her a gift. You're anniversary is in three days, remember."
"Oh, shit!" With a sheepish look that said the older man hadn't remembered, he said goodbye, and nearly ran out of the building. Tai looked after him, his brown eyes slightly glazed as he became lost in his thoughts.
The doors pinged as they opened, and they stepped into the four-walled machine that would take them to the sixth-story. It was a nice complex, with a lot of class and style, in a nice section of the city. Each floor had less apartments, with each progressive story being more expensive than the last. The tenth and top floor was a penthouse, belonging to a movie star.
The ride up was quiet, the hum of the elevator the only sound. Takeru kept the bags in his hands and stood in the corner farthest from Tai. Neither man spoke or looked at the other. It was as if, by silent agreement, they had agreed to pretend that the other didn't exist for the short time before they reached their destination.
They stepped out together when the doors opened, their strides matching. At the door, Takeru sat his bags down and waited while Tai found the right key and unlocked it. Once inside, they separated, Takeru to the back of the apartment and the bedrooms, Tai into the kitchen.
There was no sound in the apartment. They were high enough up that traffic wasn't heard, and the walls between the apartments were soundproof, so they didn't have to listen to the neighbors. If not for the muffled noises from moving things around, Takeru might have thought that he was alone in the apartment, and that Tai had left.
"No such luck." He mumbled, setting his stuff on the bed, and unzipping the first suitcase. Seemingly out of the air, Tai had produced another dresser, identical to his in appearance, as well as extra closet space that he wasn't using.
An hour later, all his clothes taken care of, Takeru walked back into the living room. Tai was moving around in the kitchen, fixing two plates of food. The kitchen table had been set for dinner, which surprised the blonde. He had figured that he'd cook for the both of them. He said as much to the older man.
"Not tonight. After this, the kitchen belongs to you. I thought that I'd let you put everything away in peace." He gestured for Takeru to take a seat, and he did. There were only two chairs, set up across from each other. It saved room in the kitchen, and the others were accessible in a nearby closet.
"Thanks." It was the first thing that came into his head to say, and he clenched his teeth as soon as the word was uttered. He didn't want to thank Tai for anything. He had destroyed his hopes and dreams for the future, turned him into a servant, and was planning on stealing his innocence.
Yes, his innocence. He had saved himself for the day when he would fall in love, for the woman that would be is wife. That dream, too, had been shattered. He couldn't picture himself in any relationship after Tai was done with him. He would never be whole again. He'd have nothing of himself to give.
As childish and naive as that sounded, it was the truth. He had always held love in the highest of esteem. He had wanted a relationship as beautiful as his brother's, a partner as loving and faithful as Sora. They were the perfect couple: complementing each other, as well as balancing each other.
Now, he would be tainted, scarred. Whether he ever found the love of his life, or not, there would always be this to hold him back. A piece of him missing.
Tai looked up from his meal, and noticed the man across from him glaring at his plate. "Stop frowning." Takeru looked up, blue eyes flashing, lips open in a retort that he stopped before it passed his lips. "Eat."
With a forced smile, Takeru picked up his sandwich and began to eat. He didn't taste it, just chewed and swallowed as was habit. He cleared his plate, drained the glass of milk that Tai had given him, then pushed back from the table.
"Where are you going?" Tai didn't bother to look up from his plate.
"I was going to work on the computer." Takeru glared at the top of his head, fists clenching at his sides. After his freedom was taken, he had hoped to be able to escape inside his writing, to find some solace in his work.
"You can sit until I finish eating, at least." Dark brown eyes looked up, catching Takeru in their cruelty. He sat back down. He waited as the brunette finished his meal, slowly. He seemed to take a purposely long time. When he was finished, he stood up, and Takeru did the same. "You can take care of the dishes, wash them, and then get on with your...work." He said it disparagingly, forcing Takeru to grit his teeth.
"Yes, sir!" He saluted smartly.
"I think 'master' would be a better title, don't you?" Tai turned and left the kitchen, going into the back of the apartment. Takeru stood in angry silence, tamping down his emotions before he did something stupid. He counted to ten and back six times before he trusted himself to clear the table with his shaking hands.
If he thought that he had hated Tai before, he knew it in that moment.
_______________________
Okay, not too bad, yet. The next part gets a little citrusy. And what follows makes me kinda want to gag. Not 'cuz it's yaoi, not 'cuz it's Taikeru, but because it's an evil rapist Tai. That's you're warning.