SPG VERSION 2
'So.'
'Yeah.'
Tatsuha and Suguru sat at the small table in the kitchen, one looking embarrassed and the other looking ready to cry.
'You have a key to my apartment.'
'That I do.'
Suguru closed his eyes. How could this be happening now?
'Would you like to explain why? And how?'
Tatsuha shuffled nervously.
'Do you think we could go outside to talk? Only I'm feeling kinda trapped in here.'
Suguru wanted to snap, but he didn't feel up to it. 'You're the one breaking into my apartment.'
'It's not like that!' Tatsuha whined. God, he sounded so pathetic.
'All right, we'll go outside,' Suguru said. His patience was wearing thin, and he was starting to feel sick again. Following Tatsuha to the top of the stairs, he wondered what on earth he had done to deserve this.
The air calmed him a little, but not much. Tatsuha looked flustered, even now.
'So you have a key to my apartment,' Suguru repeated 'why do you have a key to my apartment?'
Tatsuha wondered briefly if he was allowed to actually tell Suguru The Plan, and decided he didn't have enough time to invent a cover up, so he started as he meant to begin.
'Okay, well yesterday I got a call from K at the studio, and he said I should come down right away, I thought maybe he had given in and got me a meeting with Ryuichi, but he hadn't, he had this crazy proposition, and it was that I was to talk to you back into playing for Bad Luck, and to find out why your playing ability had dropped and to somehow fix it and all in all make you a happier person in Bad Luck, and he gave me this copy of your key so I could come in and check on you even if you resisted, though you could just change the locks or something, and I don't know why he asked me but he seemed kinda concerned and he threatened me so I had to come and just now I came to see if you were any better and now you're pissed so maybe I should just go back and tell K to forget it even though that'll mean I never get to see my Ryuichi again,' he finished lamely, out of breath and red-faced.
Suguru just stared at him.
'I'm really sorry,' he added.
'I don't know what to say,' Suguru said finally.
'I can tell K to forget it...'
Suguru shook his head 'No, don't worry about it, just... let me be for today,' he smiled weakly 'too many things have happened.'
'Um..um...okay then.'
'I'll see you,' Suguru said, walking back to his room, holding on to the cold railings for support.
'Yeah,' Tatsuha murmured. He turned to face the road. This is messed up, he thought, sitting down on the top step, head in his hands.
Tatsuha then realised the key was still in his hand. He thought to leave it by the door, but somehow...he didn't want to leave it.
As he closed the door, Suguru had the same thought. It would have made sense to ask for the key back. Although, now that he thought about it, even if he had remembered he wasn't sure if he would have asked.
At that moment, in poetic irony, both boys had the same thought:
Now what?
Tohma sat at his desk, studying the man in front of him thoughtfully.
'It isn't that I question your judgement,' he said 'but is involving Eiri's younger brother really necessary?'
K shrugged 'Who knows? But it was convenient.'
Tohma smiled 'You know what you're doing, K. I'll trust you with this.'
'No problem.'
'Do you think Suguru will be joining us tomorrow?'
K grinned 'If all goes to plan. Even if it doesn't, I don't think it will be a problem.'
'Well then,' Tohma said 'I leave it in your hands.'
Suguru made his way back into the kitchen, cold and numb from hunger and shock and downright confusion.
So he hadn't been dismissed from Bad Luck...
Damn Uesugi... he muttered, Why did he have to lie?
Because he knew I was sick?
Suguru shook his head unconsciously. That wasn't the point, was it? K had set up a big plan to get him back into Bad Luck... But as far as he knew he still was in Bad Luck. He had never decided to quit himself, he only thought that he had been dropped...
Why was Uesugi involved, anyway? It wasn't like he had experience or wisdom or anything that could help him. Why did K think that the boy could help?
Suguru sighed. This was all too much to take in. So as things stood now...
He was still part of Bad Luck.
Bad Luck were concerned for him (or for the role of keyboardist - it didn't matter).
He might still have to make excuses in front of Tohma.
But that didn't concern him much now. At least he wasn't totally ruined.
With that thought, he proceeded to make himself lunch, and even managed to keep it down. Warmth flowed back into him, and he decided not to make any effort with the rest of his day.
Switching on the television, he sat down to an afternoon of nothing. With the door locked and the key at large in Uesugi's pocket, he could only trust for it to be used wisely.
Subconsciously, that made him feel a whole lot better.
Tatsuha wondered just how annoyed Suguru really was. He wasn't the best judge when it came to emotions, but he could see one thing: Suguru wasn't as mature as he liked to think. Some things were obvious, like his height...but other things, like his strong reaction to...well, anything, really.
Something was obviously getting him down and making him sick - maybe he was reading too much into something, or maybe this was the whole plan. If only K had told him the problem then maybe he could be more help... He had considered asking K to explain but he knew he would only be told to find out for himself. So maybe that's what he had to do.
There was little point in trying to get himself out of this mess. It would be best to just try and get it over with. Even if he knew the whole ordeal would end in tears.
He doesn't look like the sort to cry though...
He sighed. Maybe that was the problem. It didn't look like Suguru had anyone to unload his problems on - and he didn't appear to be the type to do so anyway. At least playing Agony Aunt was easy enough - all he had to do was listen, right? It wasn't like he could do anything to help, was it?
Tatsuha made up his mind, his face set with grim determination. The sooner this was over, the sooner he was safe to stalk Ryuichi. Because that was what he was doing this for. Of course it was. He'd do anything for Ryuichi.
Suguru stared at the ceiling, lost in thought. The warmth of his bed was comforting, even after a hard day spent doing nothing. His head was still spinning, and he wanted to do anything to shut it off. But try as he might to forget everything, he was willing the door open, willing the click of the lock.
He buried his head in the pillow. This was stupid. He'd only known the boy for a day and already he seemed the closest person to him, a friend he could talk to. Someone who he didn't have to prove himself to, or to sacrifice his opinions for, or to appease. It was an unfamiliar feeling, and Suguru hated it.
His cousin made everything seem easy. Maybe it was because he was always compared to him, or because he had come to idolise him, but Tohma seemed to be on some unreachable stage, somewhere Suguru could never reach himself. But his cousin had got there, and he couldn't see how. Did he never have problems with Nittle Grasper? Had Ryuichi always been the character he was? Was it all just second nature to him?
It seemed so, at least.
But Suguru couldn't understand Shuichi. He couldn't understand how Hiroshi found the energy to stay by his side. Was that the sort of friendship he lacked? It made Shuichi seem weak - always relying on Hiroshi to help him and comfort him.
He only half heard the click of the lock, and the soft, hesitant footsteps to his room. What did Uesugi know, anyway? About him, about Bad Luck, about anything?
'Fujisaki? You're awake right?'
Suguru mumbled something in response.
'Good.' Tatsuha said, sitting down on the bed. 'Now I want you to turn around, and tell me everything,' he didn't try to not sound stupid. It was easier.
'Everything?' Suguru said, sitting up and raising his eyebrows 'That's an awfully big request.'
'Don't be stupid,' Tatsuha sighed 'I want to know what happened with Bad Luck. Why you're ill suddenly. Why K sent me here.'
'I don't know why K sent you here,' Suguru replied bluntly.
'Then what is the problem? Is it K? Shuichi? Seguchi?'
Suguru had to bite back a sarcastic response. All Uesugi wanted was to get some information and report back to K, so he could be with his precious Ryuichi again. It was obvious! Why hadn't he realised that before? Uesugi was simple, really. Not worth wasting time on.
'Fine,' Suguru said. 'It is Shuichi. I can't stand him any more. One day he's happy the next he's sad, crying for Yuki. I don't care about your brother or his weird relationship with our braindead vocalist, but I do care when he stops me from working like this! How am I suppose to work with him? I'm sixteen, I'm halfway through my time to become as great as Seguchi Tohma is now, how can I do it when no one wants to work?'
Tatsuha was taken aback 'That's a fairly well structured problem' he managed.
'Don't patronise me!' Suguru snapped. 'You wanted to know what was making me ill and I told you! Now you can go twist that however you want and report back to K, and then he'll let you back with your darling Ryuichi! I don't know what this big plan of his was, but I don't want any part of it any more. All I want is to be able to work and to achieve my dream. It's easy for you when all you want to do is have some idol for yourself, but not for me!'
He wasn't sure why he was getting so upset, and the other boy just seemed to be taking it.
'Wait,' Tatsuha said finally, 'this hasn't got anything to do with Ryuichi...'
Was that true? Wasn't the only reason he was doing this because of Ryuichi?
'I think it does,' Suguru spat 'All you want is him, but I don't care, I'm fine being alone. You go have him, you've got all you'll have from me!'
Tatsuha couldn't bear this. Sure, he was terrible at reading emotions, but they were being flung right in his face now, how could he miss them?
'Fujisaki...' he said desperately. How were you supposed to calm someone down when they were like this?
'Just leave, Uesugi! I don't want to play this game anymo...'
But Tatsuha's lips were on his, and he couldn't think, let alone speak. His heart lodged in his throat, pounding fit to burst as the taller boy pushed him down.
This emotion, this warmth, this powerful connection. It was an unfamiliar feeling, warm and frightening and confusing all at once...
...so why didn't he hate it?