Disclaimers: Gravitation still doesn't belong to me, and I still wish it did.
Notes: I'm going to throw another point of view in now, so I can watch both characters without seeing into either of them.
~*The Bible of Kumagoro—Getting Closer to Your God*~
I sighed as I sat down in the lobby of NG studios, brushing blonde hair out of my eyes as I waited. I didn't allow myself many breaks, and I acknowledged less of them. However, things were going well, and I didn't see the need to overwork myself. Besides, Ryuichi had said he'd try to run Tatsuha by during my break. Therefore, I was relaxing in the lobby, hoping they would show soon. I didn't like waiting.
I traced a hand over my cheek where Mika had hit me the night before. It wasn't like I'd WANTED Tatsuha to 'disappear,' but I knew he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. He knew enough people around here that he could have gone to, and he had enough money on him for a hotel. Mika hadn't agreed with me though.
Honestly, she babied them both. No wonder they treated her ungratefully. No one wants to have someone hovering over their shoulder and telling them right from wrong constantly. You had to learn some things by myself. I wouldn't dare mention that to her, however. She would kill me, and I didn't want to make her angry anyway. Either that, or she would cry and call herself a bad sister. I didn't want her to do that, either. I think it's a curse that we'll never understand women. I'd give up my entire fortune to understand them, sometimes.
"GOOD AFTERNOON TOHMA NA NO DA!" I didn't even flinch as Ryuichi greeted me in the loudest voice he could manage from the doorway. Tatsuha had taken the precaution to plug his ears, but he still looked a little dazed. I think that was fair enough punishment for him for the day. No one around us bothered to see what was going on, either, they were so used to it. Ryuichi and Shuichi never entered the building in a necessarily quiet fashion.
"Good afternoon, Ryuichi. I take it you're doing well?" Ryuichi nodded happily and pointed at Tatsuha, who was standing two or so feet away from him, clutching Ryuichi's Kumagoro protectively. Funny, like he thought the stuffed toy was going to keep me from lecturing him on his behavior…if I'd WANTED to lecture him, that is? I'd leave that up to Mika, though. She was better at it.
"Tatsuha and me played games ALL last night, and then this morning he let me sing for him since he couldn't see the concert, and we played some more and then Kumagoro and I took him to that restaurant over by my house where everyone knows us, and…" Ryuichi rambled on happily, trying his best to tell everything that had happened since last I'd seen him. It was one of his high points when you missed him, unless you had a headache or was at your wits end. Then it was just plain annoying.
"Tatsuha, Mika was worrying herself sick the other night when you didn't call. I don't expect a reason from you, I know you don't have one, but Mika will want one when you get home. I suggest you think of a good one."
"Shuichi and Eiri were engaged in other, more interesting activities than calling my overprotective sister to tell her I was watching my brother do it on the floor with his boyfriend?" He asked and Ryuichi looked up from where he'd been tracing patterns on the floor tile and blinked up at him innocently.
"I wouldn't suggest telling her the truth today, Tatsuha. You might want to think of something she won't get offended by." He shrugged and Ryuichi stood up from the floor. Damn, couldn't Tatsuha have shut up instead of making things worse for himself?
"You…you WATCHED Shu-chan and your brother…?" Tatsuha looked panicked for a moment before sighing and handing Kumagoro back to Ryuichi.
"They were just making out, but yeah. I watched them for a little bit." He was probably watching them until he got caught, but I wasn't going to say anything to depress Ryuichi farther. That would have been a bad thing. Ryuichi was speaking so highly of him over the phone last night, I didn't want to ruin his happiness.
"You let your family worry about you to watch Shu-chan and Yuki-san na no ka…" Shit. I was going to have to have a LONG talk with Tatsuha about what to do and what NOT to do around Ryuichi after we got home. He should have known better than to say anything so rude about Mika and underhanded of himself.
"I'm sorry. I would have called, but it slipped my mind. Shuichi's pretty. I was too preoccupied with having Eiri utter curses and threats at me and having Shuichi order me around like a mother before that, and I forgot to call by then. Mika would have come to pick me up, and Eiri would have wanted her to. I wanted to spend some time with them, too. Even if I was just watching and hoping." He was slowly stroking Ryuichi's hair gently, probably so Ryuichi couldn't even feel it, as he spoke. The strands were just barely moving against his hand.
I could have sworn Ryuichi was going to run out of the building in tears, but instead he took a step forward and leaned his head on Tatsuha's shoulder slightly. I couldn't hear what he said, it was so soft, but Tatsuha wrapped his arms around his shoulders and apologized again.
"Ryuichi, Tatsuha, my break's almost over and I'd like to run Tatsuha to my house before I go back to work." Ryuichi turned around almost immediately, Tatsuha's arms still wrapped loosely around his shoulders.
"Tohma! Can Tatsuha stay with me, please? You said he's going back home in a couple weeks so until then can he stay with me na no ka! I'll take good care of him na no da! Kumagoro'll even help!" I blinked a couple times at that. Ryuichi had just seemed near tears, now he was begging for Tatsuha to stay with him. I don't think I'd ever understand Ryuichi, either. I sighed and motioned to Tatsuha for him to follow me. I was going to have to see what Tatsuha's intents were before I agreed or disagreed.
Once we were far enough down the hall that Ryuichi couldn't hear us and would have trouble seeing us clearly, I motioned for Tatsuha to stand in front of me, crossing my arms and staring at him with obvious disapproval.
"What are you expecting to gain out of this? I know it wasn't Ryuichi's idea."
"Actually, Ryuichi brought it up." I'm sure my eyes widened because Tatsuha looked like he'd discovered the answer to the meaning of life or something grand like that. Sometimes Tatsuha could really grate o n my nerves when he did things like that. I'd thought Ryuichi had sounded happy over the phone, but he must really think something of Tatsuha to let him stay with him. Especially after our little scene in the lobby.
"Alright then. Mika's probably not going to be happy about this, so don't be surprised if she drags you back to our place in a couple days, or makes you stay with us." He nodded and crossed his arms as well, staring at me seriously, a challenging girn slowly working its way onto his face.
"I'm not going to try anything. I want to hang out with him and know more about him. I want to like him for who he is, it's not like it's hard. Give me a chance." I sighed and nodded. I could see it, strangely enough. Ryuichi was too sweet a person to take advantage of, once you took the time to know him. Maybe even Tatsuha could stop being such a…teenager…for him. I couldn't believe the amount of times he'd been used in the past. You'd think that someone would want to stay with him.
"So…can Tatsuha stay with me na no ka?" Ryuichi asked as we walked back to where he was waiting, stopping the game he had been playing with Kumagoro to stare up at us. Tatsuha nodded and gave him a thumbs-up, and Ryuichi was immediately latched onto my arm. "Thank you SOOOOOOOOOOO much, Tohma!" he cheered happily and I felt like I was going to go deaf for a while.
"Come on, we have to get Tatsuha's things," I offered, patting his head gently before trying to pry my arm free of his grip.
"Okay!" he cheered, scooping Kumagoro up from where he'd dropped him on the floor and dusting him off as he turned back to face us. "Let's go na no da!" He cheered happily, skipping backwards out of the doors and waiting for us on the other side.
"I expect for you to be on your best behavior," I stated flatly as we made our way outside, following the over-eccentric Ryuichi.
"Ryuichi wouldn't like that."
"Don't speak about him so informally, you've only known him two days, and you know what I meant." Honestly, he didn't even attach proper respect to Ryuichi's name where it was needed. Mika needed to teach him some more on manners and politeness.
"He makes me call him Ryuichi, and I know that I knew what you meant." I should have figured as much. Ryuichi didn't like formalities between people he considered friends. It was just his way. Names and nicknames where more to his liking.
"Fine." I sighed as I unlocked the doors of my car, letting Ryuichi hop in before I dared try, Tatsuha following quietly behind me. "If you want to drop him back off in a couple of days, Ryuichi, don't worry about it. We won't hold it against you," I said as I left the parking lot and headed down the road to my place.
"Gee, thanks," Tatsuha snapped back from behind me, and I could see him glaring at me through the rearview mirror. "I feel so loved," he finished bitterly, sinking further down in the seat, still glaring at me. I knew it was all sarcasm and an act, I'd known him since he was little. Ryuichi, however, was easily drawn into it.
"Aw, don't be sad, Tatsuha! Kumagoro and I wouldn't want to get rid of you for a second na no da!" Ryuichi cheered from next to me, turning around to face Tatsuha. He perked up a bit at that and Ryuichi hit me in the arm with Kumagoro. "Leave Tatsuha alone na no da!" I sighed and gave into my fate. Dealing with Mika when we got back home wasn't going to be a pleasant event, judging from the worried pacing she'd been doing last night before Tatsuha called, and the way she seemed to very on edge before I went to sleep. I could only hope she'd gone out shopping.
However, as I pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex we had no such luck. Mika was standing outside the door and waiting, arms crossed. She didn't seem pleased as I stepped out of the car, but she didn't seem as mad as she had last night.
"Mika-san!" Ryuichi screamed as soon as he got the door open, running over to her and hugging her tightly. "I haven't seen you in a long time na no da. What's up?" Mika cast him a short glance before Tatsuha stepped out of the car and she fixed him with her best glare. "Mika-san?" She didn't remove her eyes from Tatsuha for an instant as she rested a hand on Ryuichi's head.
"Not now, Ryuichi-san. I need to talk with my brother." Ryuichi blinked a couple times before nodding and backing away. "Tatsuha, why didn't you call us the other night when you were staying with Eiri, or when you were at Ryuichi-san's, for that matter?"
"I fell asleep after I changed at Eiri's, I was so happy to get out of the rain I forgot to call, I'm sorry." She sighed in relief and reached out to him.
"Teens will be teens, I guess," she stated softly and Tatsuha smiled a little bit. "I take it Ryuichi-san tagged along for a reason?" she asked as she found Ryuichi attached to her again, running fingers through his hair gently. Mika and Ryuichi got along fairly well, in my opinion. She was always willing to deal with a hyperactive child, and he always liked someone who would hold him that he knew wouldn't take advantage of him.
"I wanted to know if Tatsuha could stay with me na no da. Only until he had to go back home, so we can hang out some more. We had SOOOOOOOOO much fun last night I want to do it again and again na no da!" Mika sighed and motioned her head towards the door.
"Tatsuha, go pack up your things and change into your own clothes. I'll run those by Eiri tomorrow," she ordered, still running fingers through Ryuichi's hair. "Don't wear him down too much, Ryuichi-san," she joked after Tatsuha ran inside to get his things.
"I won't na no da!" he cheered happily and she laughed softly, looking up at me.
"Tohma, do you want me to take them back to Ryuichi-san's or can you?" she asked me after a short while, and Ryuichi turned around to face me as well, blinking cutely.
"I have to get back to work now, actually. Would you mind taking them back?" She shook her head and hugged Ryuichi tightly, who seemed both disappointed and happy.
"Never. Come on Ryuichi, let's go wait in the car for Tatsuha," she ordered him like a mother orders a child around. She was good at those sorts of things. I smiled as Ryuichi ran over to her car and jumped into the back seat this time, bouncing on the seat and waiting for Tatsuha happily, talking to Kumagoro about it (I could hear him through the open windows of Mika's car). Ryuichi might have actually found what he wanted this time, and it could serve a valuable lesson for Tatsuha as well.
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ALRIGHT! That was harder than I thought it would be, but it's DONE and I can go back to my main characters!!!!!!!!! It was HARD to write as Tohma, especially since he wasn't doing much and it ended up seeming bland. Therefore, I honestly apologize for this chapter. The next one will have to make up for it.