Shuichi walked past Seguchi and into a big room with wood boarded walls and lushly carpeted floors. He recognized the office to be a sound-proofed room, for purposes a president of an international company could find and the mini-grand piano in the middle of the room, a little to the left of the door, gave.
Shuichi had to stare at the instrument. It was...pretty, to say the least; pearly-white all over that seemed to glow in the white lights that lit up the office just right. It was small enough to be not overwhelming but big enough to be grand. Guess 'mini-grand piano' did suit it very well. The young singer found himself unable to look away.
"I see you like my piano." a voice broke through his thoughts and Shuichi took notice again of the other man in the room with him. Said man was currently behind the marble-top bar at the wall across the door, bringing out two glasses and preparing a drink. Seguchi had taken off his long coat, now tossed casually on the arm of the couch near the door, revealing that he wore a simple black collared shirt with the first two buttons undone and a black leather pants – a rather casual outfit for one as extravagant as Seguchi. And then Shuichi noticed something he never noticed before, at least not with that much interest, that Seguchi Tohma looked good. No, no. Not just good. He looked... good.
Shoulders that could not be described as 'broad' but neither was the man slight. He did stand at a good 178cm tall, after all. Shuichi suddenly felt very small in the other man's presence. No, not physically. But he felt he couldn't compare. He wondered wh…
"Shindou-san," And said man was suddenly before him and Shuichi let out a small scream, caught completely off guard. Seguchi, however, look non-pulsed as he held out a hand towards Shuichi, who flinched. It was only then that the young man realized that the soft delicate hand was holding onto a glass of a fizzy liquid that had different layers of different shades of pink.
"It seems that you are easily distracted, Shindou-san. I asked you what you would like to drink several times and received no answer, so I went ahead and made a decision for you, if you don't mind." He smiled and Shuichi's finger's brushed his as he accepted the drink due to pure reflex, making the boy shiver. "Huh?" was all Shuichi managed to say.
Seguchi let out a small chuckle as he walked towards his desk and sat down in the high chair behind it. The late afternoon sun making a halo around the head of the company president and Shuichi was entranced once again.
"Take a seat, Shindou-san."
Shuichi complied. The seat was soft and cool.
A pause. A swirl of heavy liquor in a thin crystal glass.
"How's your album doing, Shindou-san?" Shuichi gaped at the question. That's all? That's all he's going to ask? About my album? My freakin'albumShuichi couldn't stop the wave of disappointment that washed over him. What he was expecting, he himself did not know. But it was not about his stupid album that he vaguely remembers is on hold because of some issues. The young man kept his eyes concentrated on the pink swirl in his hands so as to keep from shooting a pointed glare at the blonde before him.
"It's…okay."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Another pause.
"It seems quite the contrary, though, when I dropped by your studio just now. K-san was filling me in on your…lack of progress." Oh, just go on and say lack.
Shuichi pouted and did not look up. Stupid K.
He brought the cocktail drink up to his lips and tipped the glass back, downing most of the pink stuff in one go. Sweet. The anger and pressure flew from his mind temporarily and he looked up to the man before him. "Wow. This is good."
The serious face broke into a grateful smile. "Is it? I thought you would have the same taste as Ryuichi."
"Ryuichi likes this too?" Seguchi gave a small nod.
"Would you like another?" he said, standing up and already moving towards the bar again. Shuichi hesitated.
"I don't give Ryuichi alcohol." He said, reading Shuichi's mind. Shuichi looked up, surprised that Seguchi could tell. "Umm… Okay, then. Sorry to…"
"No trouble at all." Seguchi said graciously, holding the drink out to Shuichi who stared a moment before blushing lightly and taking the drink in two hands. Seguchi held his refilled glass of liquor instead of going back to his seat, began to move pass the white piano and toward the couches. "Come here and talk, Shindou-san."
Shuichi had no choice but to obey silently again. He reached the sofa and Seguchi motioned for him to sit on the long couch whereas he took a comfortably on the lush single velvet seat with over-sized cushions.
The small area, although just a few steps away from the president's desk, felt like a totally different room. It was much more… warm, and welcoming. The beige leather seats were not the type that stuck to your skin and yet not so polished that you could just slide down them. The one that Shuichi sat in, facing away from the big office desk and the pretty white piano, was adjacent to the one on the left which was pushed up against the wall, right next to the door. The velvet seat was the most warm-looking one. It was obvious that no one but Seguchi got to sit in that dark maroon seat; like a king and his throne.
A coffee table sat in the middle and framed posters of different bands under NG hung on the far wall. But one of the framed photographs stood out as it was in fact, not a poster or anything of that kind. Shuichi recognized it as one of Ryuichi's favourite drawings. The one with Seguchi, Noriko and Ryuichi himself, apparently on stage and drawn with child-like strokes and details of bright lights and happy faces. Shuichi couldn't help but smile fondly at the memory of Ryuichi showing off the drawing to him. The older singer had proudly boasted that he had drawn and coloured it all by himself with the new crayons that Noriko had bought for him while they were out shopping the day before. Shuichi had this feeling that not many people got to seat in this part of the room.
Shuichi wondered why he was invited to seat here. Well, that reason was made pretty obvious just a few days before. But why? Why him? Was Seguchi looking for comfort in a rebound? That idea was dismissed almost immediately, though it stayed in the recesses of his mind. Seguchi wasn't that sort of person. And even if he was on rebound, he would rather go for Yuki, wouldn't he?
They both sat there for a while, each lost in his own thoughts as they sipped their own beverages quietly.
"How is Eiri?"
Shuichi almost spilled his drink. He turned to stare at Seguchi again, thinking this time, 'Is he crazy!'
"Umm… Fine," Shuichi mumbled, not totally sure if Seguchi heard his answer.
Another pause and Shuichi started to fidget. God, he could almost feel those eyes burning into him. He heard a rustle of cloth and didn't look up. He was forced to, however, when his half-drunk drink was gently tugged out of his tensed grasp and set on the low pine coffee table that was positioned in the middle of the small area along with Seguchi's own glass with brown liquid.
The seat beside him dipped slightly and Shuichi suddenly registered that Seguchi had just moved and taken the seat beside him. He jerked and was to move away but a hand on his knee halted his attempt to escape. His purple eyes looked from the pale hand and travelled up to its owner eyes which met his them straight on.
"Shuichi…" the soft and slightly hoarse voice called out to him. The boy did not move as another hand came up to push a stray lock of his unruly black hair off his face. He still did not move as one of the fingers ran a light trail down from his eyes to his lips. He did not move as the hand on his knee glided across his skin and off onto the leather beside his hip. Neither did he move when his name was spoken again, softer this time…gentler, calling him, reaching out to him…so close...he could feel the warm breath on his face and lips.
He ceased to breathe when the other's lips met his in a gentle kiss and then pulled back again before rejoining the touch, deeper this time.
He did not move. He didn't think he wanted to.
A/N: I feel something's missing. I don't know what. And it's killing me. I made the damn story so much more complicated when I put Yuki into it in the first chapter. I meant for a TxS fic. Not a TxSxY fic. And me, being the impulsive writer, had to go ahead and write the easiest and first start off that popped into my head. So if you find that there is a lack of Yuki in my chapters, please, please, please tell me. And just might and well tell me how to write the whole thing. Damn.
