Rating: R (ok, so maybe it won't change...)
A/N: Haylo~ 3rd chapter done! Whee~ Aaaah, I was in a weird mood and I started writing of my own accord, not good~ Hopefully (now, I like this word) next chapter won't be like this. Just warning you ahead of time. Okay, there's like this huge spider on my keyboard, so I'm gonna rush. Practically all of this is Taki-centric, but whaddaya expect from a Taki fic, eh? Not much of a dialogue either... Ah, okay and um I was going to tell you more but I kinda forgot... (Eck, it moved a leg!) Oh that's right, still not much of a progress in plot, it's going too slow and this thing isn't even that big. Better luck with the next chapter, huh? (Ha, spider's gone! Victory!) Well, I'll let you try and enjoy the fic now. Happy reading! My beta-reader thinks she's not needed anymore, but that's not true! Iry, come back I need you dammit!




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FAMOUS OBSESSION
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Chapter 3
ASK's Bad Luck


Shallow beams of dim, yellow light lit up a small part of the bedroom. Most corners and a large part of the west wall were still enshrouded in darkness. It was hard to see much of anything with the tiny night-light as only source to drive away the shadows, but it had to do. The bulb for the main source of light had given in just the other day ago and since light wasn't exactly on the priority list, neither of the young men had bothered to buy a new one.

A strong breeze set the curtains of the only window in motion. It was promising to be a cold winter. Just their luck.

Ma-kun couldn't help but chuckle in bitter irony. Luckily Taki wasn't able to hear him or his thoughts. Bad Luck indeed. The scraping sound of Ken-chan moving across the glass-strewn floor helped him out of his thoughts and he turned to regard the other.

Even in the late hour, the other still wore those ridiculous sunglasses, the black glass glinting slightly as they reflected in the dim lighting. His face was drawn, most likely from tiredness, his dark spiky hair practically deflating right on top of his head. To Ma-kun, the other looked as tired as he himself felt.

In his hand, Ken-chan held the handle of a vacuum-cleaner, the body of the cleaner in the other. While it's belly and the handle were a nice obsidian black, the top was - lo and behold - a shiny rich purple. It absolutely screamed Aizawa Taki.

"You should be careful with that," Ken-chan nodded in the direction of Ma-kun's hand, while carefully navigating through the room.

The blond looked down, almost absently, not really seeing the large shards he had picked up earlier. Even though it had been some time since he had started to work on picking up all the larger pieces of glass that would never be able to pass the tube of the vacuum, the floor right below the broken window almost seemed untouched. There was just too much.

He stood up with a grunt and deposited the load in the dustbin across the room. Ken-chan had found a convenient socket to plug in the vacuum-cleaner, just in range of the soiled space of floor and was silently busying himself by pulling out the cord.

"...how is he?"

It wasn't necessary to explain who Ma-kun meant with 'he'.

Ken-chan shrugged. More out of habit than seeming not to care. He was just like that, Ken-chan. His answers mainly started with the shrug of a shoulder. "Still sitting in the livingroom. Staring at nothing." He straightened and brushed a hand through his hair. Than added, almost unwillingly, "And smoking like a chimney hooked on wood."

If it had been a different situation, Ma-kun would have laughed and patted Ken-chan on the back. That little gesture of brushing his hand through his hair was his way of physically showing irritation. Ken-chan was a hard man to irritate and even harder to make him show irritation. The only ones who knew about the gesture were probably Ma-kun and Taki. They still hadn't figured out if Ken-chan was even aware of it.

But for now the blond only nodded automatically. The former guitarists of ASK both knew that a silent Taki was never a good sign. Taki had never been much of a pointless talker, but being completely silent and smoking as well had always been a definite no-no. Because a silent Taki was a brooding Taki. And a brooding Sleepy-eyes was a dangerous Sleepy-eyes. Many people underestimated him because of his size. He wasn't very tall compared to the average man, and while it was true Taki wasn't much of a fighter, his skill of hurting others lay in his sharp tongue and wits. He could lash out pretty violently if he needed. It was always better to be safe than sorry.

Besides, Ken-chan hated cigarettes with a passion.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts for the ninth time since the incident, Ma-kun turned to Ken-chan. "Well," he said a bit too loudly for his own ears, "let's try and get this place cleaned up a bit."

Ken-chan nodded a bit warily. "Right." No shrug this time.

Before he could get a hand on his vacuum-cleaner however, was the light in the room flickering precariously. As one, Ma-kun and Ken-chan turned to each other, dark and blond eyebrows raised. Light...? Only a few seconds after, a united lightbulb began glowing above their heads and they both scrambled for the night-light (their only source of precious light) as if they could save it just by standing next to the thing.

Of course that wasn't the case.

As the lights completely died, the two fell into a heap on the floor just two feet away from the nightstand, a cloud of dust marking their fall.

Great. Cough. Really. Just great. Bad Luck right on their tail once again.

*****

As Ken-chan left the main room, there was only silence. A thick silence which did nothing to relieve Taki of his mood. He had tried it all. Standing, walking, brooding, smoking, lying, sitting... There was absolutely nothing that could take his mind off what had happened merely half an hour ago. Taki knew the cause of his turmoil. How could he not when the object, the cause of his inner turmoil, was sitting right in front of him on the low coffee table a foot, maybe half a foot away from him.

Taki was sitting on his priceless, cool-to-the-touch-leather sofa, elbows on knees, legs apart, eyes glued to the table-top in front of him.

Grey, black and white ashes were almost falling off the end of his... Heh, he couldn't even remember how many cigarettes he had had, even though the evidence lay right in front of his nose. A black marble ashtray, sitting demurely on the coffee table (it reminded him of the one at the shrink's - exactly the same), had brown little stumps and ashes completely cover the bottom. He couldn't begin to imagine how many butts there were.

He didn't care, either. His eyes had strayed, unwillingly, to a large, filthy piece of red brick. Dirt and sand had accumulated around and under the slab of stone, the brick dirtying and scratching the varnish of his favorite piece of furniture. He had already seen a slight sliver of the original beige color where the dark paint had peeled. If Taki hadn't been preoccupied he'd have thrown a fit for sure. As it was, the brick and the table weren't of any importance at the moment. What had really caught his attention was the dirty, wrinkled piece of paper and the message written on it, addressed to none other than Aizawa Taki, lying undisturbed on top of of the heavy brick.

Although there was no real identification - his name hadn't been part of the message - Taki knew for sure the message was meant solely for his eyes.

A slow flick of the wrist and the ashes had dropped into the over-filled ashtray, small flecks of light dieing out as seconds ticked by.

"Bastard... Rapist... Shindou Shuuichi... Sadist... Whore... Failure... Bad Luck... Loser..."

Taki dipped his head, dark locks of hair hiding his eyes from view. Or maybe it was to create a barrier between him and the temptation of the brick and the paper lying on top of it, Taki wasn't sure. He breathed softly. A trail of smoke circling it's way in the air to the ceiling of the spacious apartmant.

//Well... fuck you too...//

When he had first read the message, he hadn't been as cool-headed. He had been livid. His very first thought was throwing the fucking heavy brick through the broken window from whence it came - Making a mockery of poetic words had felt so good then. Now it just seemed stupid... - and denying he had ever raped that Shindou slut.

But Ma-kun, blond, practical Ma-kun and his own God-be-damned conscience had gotten in the way of his fit. Of course it wasn't wise to throw away the evidence that neither of them had purposely broken their own window. Their tenants were money-hungry senile old fools who thrived on seeking any kind of reason to help you off your money. Ma-kun always had been a pro in keeping level-headed whenever a situation threatened to get out of hand. He had also been the one to try and calm Taki and try to get him to talk about his thoughts. But he had finally given up when he had realized Taki wasn't about to talk about anything any time soon.

Stupid moronic conscience just blabbered on and on about how no, he hadn't been the one to do the raping. But yes, he had been the one to bribe two nameless shits off the street to do the sexual assaulting for him. Two nameless shits, who could have been Ma-kun's and Ken-chan's long lost twins.

In that instant Taki had also come to realize who had been responsible for the mess his bedroom had become. Those two had been the only ones who knew what had happened between him and Shindou, except of course for the pink-haired slut's posse and the bastard writer. But no, they wouldn't tell. Taki knew they wouldn't. So that only left those two.

He hadn't known what he could accomplish with the new bit of information. And still didn't, to be honest. The only thing he did know was the knowledge he had already come to accept since the disbandment of ASK: how utterly and terribly he had fucked up. Big time.

A slight ache echoed through his thoughts. Taki looked up in reflex, his eyes falling on his clenched fist, the white filter and lightly glowing ashes barely visible. Some of the grey flakes had flitted down on his knuckles and fingers, leaving tiny specks of red on his flesh. For a moment all he could do was stare. His thoughts blanked for a second, his mind than homing in on the pain and focusing on the familiar feeling.

That was it.

Taki pushed himself up from the comfortable sofa and stood. He didn't waver. With a last look at the smudged piece of white paper lying content and wrinkled on the filthy red brick dirtying his priced piece of favorite furniture, Taki turned and made his way to the small kitchen area. Comfortable pace, one foot after the other. One step at the time.

Taki knew what he wanted. He wanted to feel pain, wanted to feel nothing, wanted to feel red hot flaming pain and abso-fucking-lutely nothing. The only place he could think of at the moment to get him the pain and numbing sensations was the kitchen. You see, Taki knew from experience that both Ken-chan and Ma-kun enjoyed alcoholic beverages from time to time. They always had at least one bottle of... well, alcohol stored in the refrigerator for their convenience. And Taki had heard from countless resources that alcohol numbed the mind. He had never been one to drink, not alcohol at least. The habit of rotting away his lungs was bad enough.

The former leader and vocalist of ASK opened the speck and span door of the fridge to find to his satisfaction that there was indeed a bottle of... Taki took the bottle and bent closer to read the label. //Wine... Red wine...// Hmmm, maybe another name for rice wine, perhaps. He remembered his father drinking one cup of rice wine at nine PM sharp every day of the week. His father wouldn't allow him a sip, ever. He almost felt naughty as he closed the fridge and took the bottle with him to the counter.

Being naughty... felt painfully priceless. A euphoric high.

One bottle of alcohol, red wine. Check.

As for the pain...

Taki opened a specific drawer, the soft rattling of cutlery sending chills down his spine. He picked one of the big knives with the razor sharp edges.

As he took the knife, a voice in the back of his mind whispered Ma-kun and Ken-chan would never let him go through with this. If they ever found out, their watchful and untrusting eyes would never leave his back. Like a naughty child.

But he wouldn't be caught. Ma-kun and Ken-chan were too busy cleaning up the bedroom. Maybe they were too afraid to come out until they knew Taki's mood had settled somewhat? Besides, he would be careful not to go overboard. He wasn't crazy like that shit-faced Seguchi. Who did that queer think he was, telling Taki to visit a shrink while it was in fact him who needed the head-doctor more? Whatever... he wanted to feel pain and nothing. He would be careful. No cutting near the wrist and the main artery, right? ...Right?

Taki looked down to see his hand, which was holding the knife, shaking, trembling. The tiny red specks where the ashes had fallen earlier still hadn't vanished. He could feel moisture on his palms. Sweat.

The undeniable sound of heavy footsteps behind him.

"Taki?" Ma-kun.

"Taki..." A slightly lower voice with a rougher edge. Ken-chan.

He couldn't move. He couldn't turn around, not with the knife still in his hand. Maybe they would get the wrong impression.

"Taki," Ma-kun was moving forward. "Taki, are you okay--?" That slight catch just at the end of his question told Taki Ma-kun had seen the knife, the bottle, him holding the knife and the bottle of red wine sitting still undisturbed on the kitchen counter. Definitely a wrong impression.

Ma-kun was on him in an instant, a hesitant protest sounded from Ken-chan who didn't know the situation even though he was right on top of it and Taki, not expecting the warm and solid form wrestling him for the big knife, dropped the sharp object. It nearly missed both their feet. Taki could feel it just lightly grazing the edge of his black slacks. Ma-kun had his arms wrapped around him, the blond's quick breaths stirring the hair next to his left ear. Ma-kun was slightly taller than him. Maybe two or three inches.

He heard Ken-chan's startled gasp, small and quick. He must have seen the knife hitting the floor just between their feet.

Nobody moved for some time. Taki was too afraid to move. He wanted to, to get Ma-kun off him, to get him as far away from him as he could. A flash of Shindou and his assailants flashed before Taki's eyes. He had taken only three pictures, because he couldn't stand the sight of the two unknown men doing what they did to Shindou any more than he needed to get the evidence. Ma-kun swung both ways. He'd made it clear from the start. Even though Ma-kun had told Taki he fancied the younger man, Taki hadn't minded the friendship. He just didn't want to be... 'that' kind of man.

But... at the same time...

//Ma-kun...//

A gunshot. The sound of a solid kick. The slam of their front door against the wall. Only a flash of a second went by. That could only mean one thing.

"Matt!"

"Matt-kun! Aizawa-kun!"

The Dirty Pair had arrived.

*****

Everything went by in a flash afterwards, for Taki at least. While Ma-kun and Ken-chan explained things at the best of their abilities (the broken window, the brick and and the letter attached to it), Taki kept silent and watched, listening while not hearing anything at all. He didn't want to think, so he tried to listen and not think back at what had transpired only a few minutes before.

But everything was a blur, sounds mingling as everything flashed by in front of his eyes. Before he knew it, Ma-kun was pushing a backpack in his arms and the blond's strong arm guided him away from his apartment. Ma-kun hadn't spoken to him since the American and producer of Bad Luck had arrived. Ken-chan either. He wanted it to keep it that way. No questions from them and no answers from him.

They stopped in front of a brown sedan. It looked familiar. Taki didn't know where they were going, but he didn't care either. So he didn't ask and robotically stepped in. The engine was soon purring gently and the vehicle moved out onto the street. Fortunately the ride to wherever was silent and quick. Or it was Taki drowning in his own thoughts again. Ma-kun still hadn't spoken a word.

It was a building. A large building at that. Even the elevator which took all five of them up to the 13th floor was huge. A soft ding and the doors slid open, allowing them to step out into a hallway with soft, red carpeting. It all looked very expensive. Taki vaguely wondered where they were going again, but still didn't ask.

The blond American stepped up to a door and opened it to reveal nothing short of a penthouse suite worthy of Seguchi himself. Sadly it didn't spark even a twinge of emotion in Taki. He, Ken-chan and Ma-kun got assigned sleeping quarters (one spare room) and it was all the information Taki needed to excuse himself and retire.

The dark-haired singer knew Ma-kun would find the perfect opportunity to exploit the privacy of their shared bedroom, so when he was alone Taki hurried through the ritual of washing and dressing for bed before feigning sleep on the grand-size four-poster bed.

Ma-kun never came.

Taki was still awake when the clock on the nightstand next to the bed read 3:57 AM. Lights died out in the apartment, but still Ma-kun hadn't come. Even when the clock changed to 5:00 AM.

Curled into a ball, Taki seemed very small on the huge expanse of bed. It was cold. Far too cold.

His hand curled into a fist next to his head. //Ma-kun... where are you...?//

End of Chapter 3






THE CHIBI-CORNER:

NOTICEBOARD: Chibi-Vacation in Chibi-World. Bai bai!
TUMBLEWEED: *rolls by*



THE REVIEW-CORNER:

Silverone: Yes, you're absolutely right, Taki-angst is the best and very addictive, heh heh! Hopefully I didn't go overboard in this chappie, though... Ah well, ^ ^ Thank You~ for admonishing people to read the fic. Very much appreciated!

Yami Tsuki: Yay! Another Ma-kun/Taki lover! Thank you muchies for the review and hopefully I won't be disappointing you with my slow update-rate ^ ^;;;.

Tex-chan: Hee hee, Wednesday like I promised, ne? So sorry for not having more K in here, but I promise I'll have more of the handsome stud in following chappies ^ ^. Thank you so much for the kind words and be sure to keep an eye out for incoming mail this evening!

Omakase Shimasu: Eheh... due to my laziness I haven't even begun fourth chapter, so there aren't any spoilers for me to entice you this time. (Honestly, who's looking out for spoilers anyway?) But I promise I'll have fourth chappie out as soon as possible, hopefully it will be next week (tops). ^ ^ 'Till then!