AN: Alright! We're on chapter three already…There is only going to be two more chapters, including this… Anyway, thanks again to my wonderful beta Neko Kate-chan… She's awesome! Onto the story…
Friday night came all too soon, if you were to ask Eiri. Shuichi had left for work early that morning, promising to be home to help straighten up, since Eiri didn't allow his lover to cook.
The only problem with that was, Eiri now had nothing to do. His next novel wasn't expected to be finished for a few months. Normally, he would try to get a head start on the novel, but he was suffering from severe writer's block. He knew the cause. He was too damn worried about meeting his pink haired lover's parents.
He was fine with Shuichi seeing his family again, although he was going to keep a close eye on his sister and brother-in-law. He didn't trust them when the vocalist was involved.
Speaking of his sister… Eiri sighed. He still didn't know what Mika had planned for his little lover, but it couldn't be anything good… Especially since Mika always was trying to embarrass him.
Deciding that he needed to keep busy, Eiri walked out of his study and surveyed the living room. It was relatively clean; if it were just the novelist's family coming, then he wouldn't really care. But Shuichi's parents were coming, and it would be the first time he would formally meet them. He knew that first impressions were important.
Another sigh escaped the blonde's mouth. He walked into the living room and began to pick up randomly placed paraphernalia. Scattered Pocky boxes littered the floor in front of the TV, and some of Shuichi's notebooks were haphazardly tossed on the coffee table, and a few mugs from Shuichi, Hiro, and Suguru's late night song writing party.
Tossing the empty boxes in the trash, the mugs in the sink, and straightening up his lover's notebooks, he surveyed the room again. Deciding that it was acceptable for the vocalist's parents, he walked over to the coat closet and grabbed the vacuum cleaner. Plugging in the device, he turned it on and vacuumed the floor within an itch of its life. Satisfied, he vacuumed the hall, the study, and the room he shared with his lover.
After the apartment was meticulously vacuumed, Eiri moved onto the bathroom. Pulling out the Clorox and 409, he scrubbed the counters, toilet bowl, and shower. He cleaned the mirror ten times before he deemed it acceptable.
He left the bathroom only to return with the mop. It was going to be a long afternoon.
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Shuichi was nervous. His parents were coming to dinner, and they were going to meet Eiri's father.
It wasn't that Shuichi doubted his parents would get along with his lover's father, it was just that… Well… The vocalist wasn't ready to confront the monk just yet.
He knew that it was a long time ago, but he also knew that Uesugi-sama wouldn't forget his son's boyfriend flashing him anytime soon. To top it all off, Mika-san and Seguchi-san were going to be there as well. The only one that he was comfortable with at the moment was Tatsuha, but Eiri's little brother had a sick sense of humor, and would probably enjoy Shuichi's discomfort.
He knew that he wasn't being any help to the band today. He couldn't concentrate on what they were doing for more than two minutes, and it wasn't good that he was this distracted when they were recording a new song. Hiro was looking curiously at him, and the vocalist blushed.
Shuichi hadn't been distracted as much since his and Eiri's three-year anniversary. He knew that his lover didn't mean the cold things he said, that it was just his irritation speaking. Suddenly, the pink haired man realized that Hiro might mistake his sudden case of ADD as a result of a fight with the novelist.
He heard K tell them that they had a five-minute break, and Hiro headed over to his friend immediately. Shuichi sighed. He hadn't told his best friend that his and Eiri's parents were coming to dinner tonight. Smiling brightly as Hiro approached, Shuichi waited for the guitarist to ask the usual questions.
"Hey Shu. You okay? You seem kind of out of it today… Did something happen between you and Yuki-san?"
Shuichi's smile grew at his friend's concern. "Naw. We're great. It's just, well, Mom, Dad, and Maiko are coming to dinner at me and Eiri's place. I'm kinda nervous."
Hiro laughed. "Don't worry. You knew this day would come eventually. Nothing will go wrong."
The vocalist's smile wilted. "Oh, I wouldn't say that…Eiri's family is coming, too."
The guitarist's eyes widened. "You don't mean…"
Shuichi nodded. "Yup. Seguchi-san, Mika-san, Uesugi-sama, and Tatsuha. With my parents and little sister. Under one roof."
The red head shook his head in disbelief. "What I would give to be a fly on the wall tonight."
The pink haired man rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Hiro."
Hiro smiled and slapped his friend on the back. "Don't worry. It's not like you don't deal with Seguchi-san everyday, and you said yourself that Mika-san isn't so bad."
Shuichi sighed. "I know, but I'm worried about Eiri's dad. I flashed him the first time I met him, for crying out loud!"
Out of nowhere, Suguru appeared. "Don't worry so much. Uesugi-sama isn't going to really hold it against you."
The vocalist regarded his sister's boyfriend for a moment. "I don't know…"
The synth player rolled his eyes. "Trust me. I know Uesugi-sama. If he didn't hold something I did against me, and, trust me, it was much worse than you flashing him, he won't hold that against you."
Intrigued, Hiro and Shuichi were about to question Suguru further when a bullet grazed his ear. Eyes wide, and face bloodless, the vocalist turned a shaky smile on his band mates. "Maybe we should finish recording, huh guys?"
The other two members of BAD LUCK quickly nodded their heads in agreement. Without another word, the three members reentered the sound booth, and began to rerecord one of the songs they had written last night for the fifth time.
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By the time Shuichi walked through the door of the apartment he shared with his lover, Eiri had finished cleaning the entire apartment. Every room had been vacuumed, mopped, dusted, and whatever else the novelist could find to do.
The vocalist was slightly wary as he toed off his sneakers and walked through the living room to the kitchen, where his blonde lover was currently standing over a stove.
"Did you leave me anything to do?" the younger man asked hesitantly. He knew that Eiri only did massive cleaning sprees when he was beyond nervous. Shuichi bit his lip. If the novelist was nervous, then that meant something bad was going to happen. It always did.
"Everything is clean. Make sure you don't make a mess. Dinner will be done at 6:15, so we have to find a way to occupy my family and yours for a little while."
Shuichi just nodded. He didn't really want to think about the two families meeting. It was just… Well, not right. "Eiri, did you tell your father my parents were coming?"
The novelist looked at Shuichi, face set in a scowl. "No. I forgot, but it doesn't matter. He'll get over it, and maybe he'll behave."
The pink haired man just nodded. If Eiri said it was okay that his father didn't know, then it was okay. If it wasn't, then it was Eiri's fault. Deciding that he should go change, the younger man left the kitchen and the man in it to retreat to his room to put on something more appropriate.
When Shuichi entered the room that he and his lover shared, he stopped. The room was spotless. All of the clothes that usually remained on the floor until one of them did laundry was picked up and put in the laundry basket. The bed was made, and there was nothing except a glass and the blonde's glasses on the night tables. He shook his head, because, honestly, did Eiri expect their families to explore their bedroom? Turning to the closet, he wasn't surprised to find out that the clothes were rearranged by color, article, and length.
Shuichi grabbed a pair of black slacks and a white button-up shirt, then made his way to the bathroom to take a shower. When he entered, he didn't even stop to think to about how long it must have took his lover to clean the entire apartment. Instead, he turned on the water, undressed, and hopped into the shower.
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As soon as Shuichi got out of the shower, Eiri jumped in. He had already showered that day, but since the food just had to sit for a while, there wasn't anything that he could do, and he always needed to keep busy when he was nervous.
It didn't take the blonde long to shower, and he was out of the shower five minutes after he had gotten in. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he left the bathroom to change.
He surveyed his closet, trying to decide what he wanted to wear. Deciding that a charcoal sweater and black slacks would be appropriate, he dried off and got dressed, then returned to the bathroom to blow dry his blonde hair.
He re-entered the living room at a quarter to six to see Shuichi sitting on the couch, nervously bouncing his knee. Knowing that there was still half an hour to go before dinner was done, and only fifteen minutes until everyone was expected to arrive, Eiri sat down next to his lover.
The novelist noticed his lover jump slightly at the dip in the couch. "It'll be fine, brat."
Shuichi sighed, resting his head on the older man's shoulder. "Are you sure? I mean, your family is different from mine. Very different. And your dad doesn't like me, and Tohma and Mika want us to break up. The only one who's okay with us is Tatsuha, but he likes watching me squirm. And-"
Eiri kissed Shuichi, effectively silencing his lover's nervous babble. The blonde felt the younger man sigh and lean into the kiss, and as tempting as it was to further their activities, the novelist pulled away. "They'll be here soon."
The pink haired man nodded mutely, staring blankly ahead at the clock. The usually happy, vibrant young man looked as if he were waiting for death to arrive.
Eiri smirked. That's not such a bad analogy, the novelist thought. Lord knew, if any of his family tried anything, death would be visiting. The blonde didn't suffer fools lightly, and his family was made up of fools.
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There was a sharp knock at exactly six o'clock. Shuichi stared at the door, very hesitant to answer. He knew that behind that door lay either Eiri's family, or his own, and he wasn't very eager to any of them.
"Who's at the door?" Eiri called from the kitchen.
Shuichi sighed. He would have to answer. Walking to the door, he called back, "I'm answering it!"
The pink haired man paused in front of the door, drawing courage from inside to actually face the people behind the door. Drawing a deep breath and plastering a smile on his face, Shuichi opened the door.
"Hello Shindou-san," Tohma Seguchi greeted. He was dressed in his usual attire of black pants, colorful shirt (this evening it was green), a black vest, and his hat. His wife, Mika, was dressed in a red blouse and black knee-length skirt. Shuichi thought they looked ready to celebrate Christmas.
"Seguchi-san, Mika-san."
Mika and Tohma entered the apartment, and Shuichi shut the door behind them. When the pink haired man turned around, he was dismayed to note that Eiri's sister and brother-in-law were staring at him.
Mika smiled at the vocalist, and was pleased to note that he took a slight step back. She held up the package in her hands and held it out so that it was between her and Shuichi. "I have a present for you, Shuichi. I hope you like it." She winked.
The younger man suppressed a shudder. Mika-san was giving him something? Surely the world was ending. She had been nothing but mean to him since the first time she met him, and only really talked to him when she wanted him to get Eiri to do something…
Shuichi took the present carefully, eyeing it suspiciously. "Thank you, Mika-san."
The woman laughed, a sheer sound of enjoyment. "No need to be so formal, Shuichi dear. For better or worse, it seems you're stuck with my brother, so I may as well be nice to you." When Shuichi made no move to open his present, she sighed. "It's harmless, Shuichi. Trust me. It's him you have to worry about when it comes to dangerous presents." She pointed at her husband with her thumb, who just smiled.
Biting his lip, the vocalist looked over the present. It was wrapped in neon orange wrapping paper, and the word "SHUICHI" was written on top of it in what appeared to be red lipstick. "Is this lipstick, Mika-san?"
The older woman rolled her eyes. "I forgot to write who it was to, so I pulled out my lipstick to write it."
Shuichi nodded silently. Before he could say anything else, another knock sounded at the door. Turning around, Shuichi mentally prepared himself for whoever was on the other side of the door. He opened it and was suddenly thrown to the floor, his sister on top of him.
"Aniki! It's so good to see you!" Maiko stated happily. Although she was seated on top of her brother, Shuichi noticed her eyes scanning the immediate vicinity for Eiri.
The vocalist sighed. "He's in the kitchen, stay out of there. Where are Mom and Dad? And can you get off of me?"
Maiko pouted cutely. Realizing that it was having no effect on her older brother, she sighed, standing up and dusting herself off. Her brother was straightening his shirt when she answered his question. "Mom and Dad should be up in a second. They were parking."
Sure enough, as soon as the words were out of Maiko's mouth, Shuichi's mom and dad walked into the apartment. Their mom was wearing a long blue skirt with a white button up blouse, while their father was in a black suit. Maiko wore a red knee length skirt and a white peasant top.
"Shuichi! You have a wonderful apartment!" his mother exclaimed. "Where on earth is that boyfriend of your's?"
The pink haired man blushed. A quick glance at Mika and Tohma told him that they were enjoying this. "He's in the kitchen, finishing up dinner," he told them.
Shuichi's mom considered this. "Really? He cooks? From the looks of you, it doesn't look like he feeds you much. Are you eating?" Without warning, Shuichi's mom began unbuttoning his shirt, poking his stomach and ribs.
"MOM!" Shuichi screamed. "I'm eating fine." His mother shot him a disbelieving look. "Really."
His mother huffed, but didn't push the subject.
Deciding that he better get introductions over with, Shuichi began. "Mom, Dad, Maiko, this is Eiri's older sister and brother-in-law, Mika and Tohma Seguchi. Mika-san, Seguchi-san, this is my mother, Minako Shindou. My father, Seiishirou Shindou. And this is my sister, Maiko."
Everyone murmured pleasant "how do you do's" and "nice to meet you's" and shook hands. Shuichi let out the breath he'd been holding. So far, so good. There was no bloodshed, and there was only twelve minutes until dinner.
Shuichi looked down at his hands, startled to still see the neon orange present in it. Slowly moving away from the group, he put the present on the coffee table. He was about to suggest that everyone take a seat when another knock sounded.
The vocalist already knew who it was, since they were the only ones not here yet. Making his way to the door, he opened it to let Eiri's father and younger brother in.
A squeal sounded from the congregation of people already present, and too late, Shuichi realized that his sister probably thought that Tatsuha was Eiri. Before he could stop her, she had already launched herself at the poor unsuspecting monk.
Shuichi watched as Maiko landed on Tatsuha and saw his friend's look of surprise. He saw them hit the floor, and he saw Tatsuha wince as his back made impact with the hardwood. He also saw the instance Tatsuha realized that he had a girl on top of him, and watched in slow motion as Tatsuha's hands moved to cup his sister's bottom.
Maiko froze, her back stiffening as she realized what was happening. The next thing anyone heard was a dull whack echoing in the silent living room. Every single person in the area winced, even Eiri's father.
There was silence as Maiko got up and once again dusted herself off. Tatsuha was staring at her in open astonishment, as though he couldn't just believe what happened.
Shuichi saw Tohma and Mika holding in laughter from the corner of his eye. He could tell they thought that that was the end of it, but Shuichi and his parents knew better. Mentally, the vocalist counted to three, then:
"HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO MY BROTHER YOU SLIME-BALL!"
Shuichi wasn't sure whether he should laugh, feel sorry for Tatsuha, or cry.
"What? What do you mean?" Tatsuha wasn't yelling, but anyone who knew him could tell he was close to it. "You threw yourself at me!"
Maiko huffed. "I didn't throw myself at you. I merely was trying to give my big brother's boyfriend a hug. I didn't think you'd grab my ass!" Shuichi's younger sister glared at Tatsuha. All of a sudden, Maiko's expression changed. "Why do you have black hair? Aren't you supposed to be a blonde?"
Tatsuha gave a world-weary sigh. "I am NOT Eiri. I'm his younger brother, Tatsuha Uesugi."
Maiko looked suspiciously at Tatsuha. "You look an awful lot like Eiri Yuki."
Shuichi thought that this was a good point to break in. It was obvious from the silent tears streaming down Mika's face and Tohma's silly grin that they were enjoying this far too much. "Maiko, this IS Eiri's younger brother, Tatsuha. They look a lot alike. Believe me, I made the same mistake you did when I first met him."
Maiko looked at her brother, trying to decide whether or not he was telling her the truth. Deciding that he was, Maiko stuck out her hand. "I'm Maiko Shindou, Shuichi's younger sister."
Tatsuha took her hand, a lecherous grin forming on his face. "Pleased to meet you, Maiko." He leaned down and whispered something that Shuichi couldn't make out in her ear. Maiko turned a bright red, releasing his hand as though he had acid on it.
She turned around and walked to the other side of the room and sat on the couch, not saying a word.
Shuichi looked at Tatsuha suspiciously, wondering what he had said to his sister that had quieted her. Deciding to ask later, he introduced his parents to Tatsuha. Tatsuha shook their hands and introduced himself to them.
There was only one person left to introduce, and Shuichi didn't know how to do it. For one, he didn't know Uesugi-sama's first name. Mika, who had regained control of herself a few minutes earlier, wiped a tear from her eye and stepped forward.
"Mr. and Mrs. Shindou, I would like to introduce you to my father, Isshin Uesugi. He's the chief monk at our family run temple in Kyoto."
Uesugi-sama nodded stiffly at Shuichi's parents, and they bowed politely.
Shuichi was about to break the tension when Eiri entered the living room. He walked over to the pink haired vocalist and put an arm around his waist, and Shuichi relaxed. Eiri gave his lover's waist a quick squeeze before he turned to address the Shindous.
"Mr. and Mrs. Shindou, a pleasure to meet you," he said smoothly.
Shuichi watched as his mother blushed. His father just stared at Eiri critically, no doubt trying to decide it this man was worthy of dating his son.
"No, no, Yuki-sama," Minako exclaimed. "The pleasure is all ours! It's so nice to finally meet you." She gave her son a glare that was not lost on Eiri.
Trying to soothe her hurt feelings of not meeting her son's boyfriend until they've been together for three years, Eiri replied smoothly, "I'm so sorry it's taken this long for us to meet. The first two years of our relationship were really rough, and we didn't want to drag both of our families into the media hype."
Shuichi watched as his mother took in Eiri's explanation. She looked as though his boyfriend was some divine oracle, and everything out of his mouth was undeniable. "Of course. We completely understand."
Shuichi rolled his eyes. He had told his mom the same thing, several times, and she always said that it was an excuse. Eiri says it, and of course it's the truth. Shuichi glanced at his dad, who rolled his own eyes in response.
Eiri continued polite chatter with Shuichi's mother for a few minutes longer before moving to introduce himself to Seiishirou. "Mr. Shindou, a pleasure to meet you."
Shuichi's father shook Eiri's hand, replying, "Pleasure is all mine, Yuki-sama. Please, call me Seiishirou. You're family, after all."
Eiri was surprised, but quickly covered it, murmuring a quiet "thank you" and moving to the couch where Maiko was still sitting. He sat down beside the young woman, and watched her startle as soon as she saw Eiri beside her. The joy in her eyes was quickly replaced by suspicion, and she quickly moved as far from Eiri as she could.
Eiri was confused, but as soon as he spoke, he understood why.
"Are you Tatsuha-san, or Yuki-sama?"
Eiri closed his eyes for a brief second, once again cursing whatever gene it was that made him and his younger brother look so much alike. "I'm Eiri. What did my idiot of a brother say to you?"
Maiko relaxed, recognizing the speech pattern instantly from the tape that she had made when she hid a tape recorder in his office. "He said that if I wanted, he could be you for me and he'd show me a good time." She paused. "Oh, and that Shuichi could vouch for it."
Eiri felt his left eye begin to tick. "Believe me, Shu could NOT vouch for that, and Tatsuha will be taken care of." He smiled at Maiko, who smiled uncertainly back at him. Realizing that he should put his lover's sister at ease, he racked his brain for what he knew about her. He came up with she's dating Fujisaki, and is a fan of his books.
Sighing, Eiri realized that to put her at ease, he could talk about his next book. "So, Shuichi tells me that you're a fan of mine. How many of my books have you read?"
Maiko's eyes brightened instantly. "I've read every book you've written, and I have them all! Paperback and Hardcover editions, not to mention re-releases!"
Eiri smiled, although it was a little forced. When Shuichi had told him that she was a fan, he hadn't mentioned that she was obsessed, although he probably should have realized that when his hairbrush went missing. "Really? I'm flattered. I have another book coming out in a few weeks. I usually get an advanced copy of the book to look over before the release. I never look them through." Maiko was listening to everything with rapt attention, and Eiri knew that everyone was looking at him.
Gritting his teeth, he continued. "If you want, I could give you all of my advanced copies. I already have the new book's advance, if you want that as well."
In truth, Eiri had wanted to keep that particular advance, seeing as it had Shuichi's story as an added bonus in the back, but because the vocalist was a contributor, he had received one as well, so they could just keep that one. Plus, he had the original story.
Maiko's eyes were wide, and she was nodding fervently. Eiri glanced at his watch. There was still eight minutes before dinner was done. The novelist stood up and extended a hand to the woman that was sitting next to him. Maiko took his hand, and he helped her stand.
"Good. Before you leave, I'll give them to you. They're in my study, so maybe you could accompany me and I'll show you where I write."
Maiko just nodded, too dumbfounded to talk.
Eiri looked at Shuichi and saw that his lover had a soft smile on his face. The vocalist mouthed "thank you" and the blonde just shook his head slightly.
Figuring that he had spent enough attention on the Shindous, Eiri turned to address his family. "Mika, Tohma, Tatsuha, Father."
Mika shook out of the trance that she had been in while witnessing her cold-hearted brother being nice. "Eiri."
Tohma smiled, unruffled as always. "Eiri-kun, how nice of you to invite us all here for dinner."
Eiri heard the edge in his brother-in-law's voice and smiled. He knew that Tohma wouldn't like Shuichi's family being here, but being the polite as ever jackass that he was, he wouldn't say anything. Instead he would probably kill them all with his sugary sweet disposition. "It's nothing," Eiri said graciously, smirk in place.
Tatsuha just nodded, and Eiri nodded back. Eiri noticed that his brother was wearing blue jeans and a bright yellow button up shirt. Eiri's smirk grew. Tatsuha and their father must have gotten into it before they had left the temple, otherwise, his younger brother would be wearing something a bit more formal than that.
His father just glared at him. Eiri suppressed a sigh. There was only a few ways to please the old monk, and the blonde wasn't willing to do any of them. Ayaka was dating Hiro, and Eiri didn't want to marry the priestess anyway. He wouldn't dye his hair black or shave it bald, and there was no way he was going to run his family temple when their father died. Eiri stared back at his father, defiant as ever. He would just have to get used to the way that the blonde wanted to run his life.
Shuichi noticed the tension in the room begin to start rising again. Panicking, he looked at the clock. Still ten minutes to go until dinner. Damn it, the pink haired man thought. He had no idea how to break the tension in the room. He glanced at his sister helplessly.
Maiko watched her brother watch his lover face off with the monk. She saw her brother give her a helpless look, which she knew meant, DO SOMETHING! She smiled. She remembered back when her, Hiro, and Shuichi were back in school that her older brother had told them about his first encounter with Eiri Yuki. She had always wondered what the blonde had thought of it, and since she had Shuichi's go ahead…
Shuichi noticed the angelic smile appear on Maiko's face an instant before she spoke. He knew that whatever was going to come out of his mouth wasn't going to be any good, because Maiko never smiled like that if what she was going to do would be helpful.
"So, Yuki-sama, how did you and my brother meet?"
Eiri turned upon hearing the question. "What?"
Maiko looked at Eiri, brown eyes innocently wide. "How. Did. You. And. Shuichi. Meet." A ghostly smile appeared on her face.
Eiri was taken aback. Surely Shuichi had told her how they met, hadn't he? All of a sudden, he realized that none of his family knew exactly how he and the vocalist had met. A feeling of doom swept over him an instant before Tohma spoke.
"Yes, Eiri-kun. How did you two meet? You've never told us."
Shuichi looked at Eiri, his eyes apologetic. The novelist looked at his watch. Eight minutes. Deciding that he needed to either answer or change the subject, Eiri replied, "We met in the park."
Figuring that was all that they needed to know, Eiri considered the question answered. He didn't count on Maiko, who was the queen of detail, to stare expectantly at him. As if taking their cue from her, everyone with the exception of Shuichi and Tatsuha, who already knew the details, stared at him.
Eiri glared at all of them, trying to make it clear that he wasn't going any further. Maiko glared right back. The blonde glared at Maiko, silently impressed that she was able to withstand his glare. Everyone else had already started looking elsewhere, but not Shuichi's younger sister. She was still glaring at him.
"You met in the park? Is that all you're going to give us? Do we have to force it out of you?" Maiko demanded.
Eiri continued to glare. Maiko gave an exasperated sigh, throwing her hands in the air. "Fine. Force it is."
Maiko disappeared down the hall for a moment, returning with a slim paperback book that Shuichi and Eiri immediately recognized. Shuichi spoke first.
"Maiko, put the book down. I've already told you how we met, so there's no need to get violent."
Eiri nodded in agreement, but Maiko smiled in mischievous glee. "Nope. I want to hear it from him. And, I'm assuming, so does everyone else. Right?"
A chorus of "yes's" arose from those in the living room.
Gritting his teeth, the novelist said, "Fine, I'll tell you how we met, just give me the book, Maiko."
Maiko snorted. "Yeah, like that's going to happen. Tell us, then I'll give you the book back."
Sighing in defeat, the blonde told the two families how he and the singer had first met. It didn't take long. After all, their first encounter was Eiri reading over Shuichi's lyrics and telling him he had "zero talent." When he was done, though, Maiko looked satisfied and returned the book.
Eiri handed Shuichi the little paperback, and the vocalist went and put it away, back in their room.
It was when the vocalist came back the blonde noticed the bright orange gift sitting on the coffee table. Glancing at Shuichi, the novelist made his way to the garishly wrapped present and held it up. It was heavy, the heft of a good book. On top, scrawled in bright red, was his lover's name. With a sinking feeling, he knew that this was the gift that Mika had been talking about.
"Oh! In all the excitement, I totally forgot about that," Mika exclaimed, her expression one of surprise that Eiri was sure was fake. "Why don't you open it up before we all sit down to dinner, Shuichi?"
The vocalist was trapped and he knew it. He couldn't decline, otherwise his mother would start in on him about manners, but he knew if he opened it, it would be embarrassing to him, if not also Eiri. Sighing, he walked over and plucked the orange monstrosity out of his lover's hands.
Turning to the people assembled in the room, he began to peel off the wrapping paper, making sure not to get the red lipstick on his hands. From the little paper he had extracted, he could see a cream color and pages. A book? he thought. Mika-san got me a book? Shuichi was more curious than anything now, because, honestly, how embarrassing could a book be? Unless, of course, it was The Joy of Gay Sex or The Kama Sutra. The vocalist suppressed a shudder and went back to being afraid of the gift.
He finally freed the book from its wrapping and stared at it blankly. It was a cream colored book with a spongy cover. The front had a bear embossed on it holding three balloons, and a name was engraved under the bear. Uesugi Eiri. Understanding dawned on Shuichi then.
A smile blossomed on his face and he opened the book to the first page. In neat script, he saw the answers to several questions written on the straight lines. His birthday, time of birth, weight, height, and even his blood type was on the first type. Where he was born and his birth announcement was on the next page.
The vocalist looked up and smiled brightly at Mika. Eiri, who hadn't seen what it was that his lover had been given, peeked over his shoulder, and his face immediately paled. Making a mad grab for the book that the pink haired singer sidestepped, the novelist glared at his sister, who smiled back innocently.
Maiko, who didn't know what the book was or why Eiri wanted it, piped up. "What is, aniki?"
Shuichi's grin widened. "It's Eiri's baby book. Thank you so much Mika-san!" The vocalist went over to the older woman and gave her a hug, which she returned.
"Well, after all, Shuichi, you are family. And it wasn't all my idea. Father deserves some of the credit. He wanted to show it to you; I suggested we give it to you at dinner." Mika smiled devilishly, and for a moment, Shuichi thought that her and Tohma were perfect for each other.
Snapping out of it, the pink haired man turned to Isshin Uesugi and bowed politely. "Thank you, Uesugi-sama."
The older man huffed, waving it away. "It was no problem. I knew that you'd want to see it, and I also knew that it would annoy Eiri. Two problems, one stone, and what not."
Shuichi laughed, deciding that he liked his lover's father. Looking at the clock, the vocalist realized that it was time for dinner. "Eiri, it's time for dinner."
Eiri grumbled, but said, "Table is over here," and began to lead them in that direction. After everyone was seated, he pulled Shuichi into the kitchen with him. To his dismay, his pink haired lover still had the baby book.
"Why don't you put the book down, Shu-chan?" Eiri purred in his lover's ear.
Shuichi shivered, but resolutely shook his head. "If I do, you'll take it and hide it, or destroy it, and I'll never see it."
Eiri couldn't help but nod in agreement. It was the truth. There were pictures in that baby book that no one should see, and the blonde had always thought that no one would. The only reason he hadn't destroyed the pictures were because every one of them had his mother in them, and the book had been kept by his mother.
Sighing in defeat, the blonde kissed the shorter man lightly on the lips. He felt his lover respond to the kiss, and smiled. Pulling away, the novelist whispered, "I will get that book. Enjoy while you have it Shu-chan."
Shuichi smiled secretly. "Oh, I'll enjoy it immensely, Eiri-kun," he whispered back to the novelist.
Eiri was momentarily worried. Before he could ask what the vocalist meant by that, Shuichi picked up some of the dishes and began to carry them to the table, where their guests were waiting, the baby book safely nestled in the crook of his arm.
The novelist had no choice but to follow, the rest of the food in his hands.
AN: Yay! So sorry for the time elapsed before an update... Life caught up with me and decided it wanted to give me bronchitus and an ear infection... Joy... Also, for those of you who didn't get the lemon, didn't post your e-mail addresses all the way, so I couldn't send it to you. If you still want it, go to my profile, and e-mail me directly. I'll get it to you! Thanks to everyone who's reviewed this so far!
Morbid Flower: Glad you're enjoying this... Hope the wait wasn't too long...
Gwen: You need wait no longer for the next chapter! It is here!
SaberShadow Kitten: I'm glad you're finding this interesting... I used to read your Buffy fic on your site, so I'm flattered that you're reading my stuff... :grin: Hope you continue to enjoy!
Towa-chan: Yeah... The long chapters are what's killing me, but it makes it so much easier to find a definite point to end it at. :grin: Continue to enjoy!
Ichi-chan: I'm glad you think it's cute... I was going for that... Hope you like this chapter!
Mizuky: I sent you the lemon, and I'm glad you think it's good... Just a hint, there's another one in the last chapter... Shh!
MC-88: You like this better than Anniversary Gifts? Hmmm... I thought that one was stronger, but hey. Whatever. I'm glad you're enjoying it!
Eve: Send me your e-mail and I'll send you the lemon... I'm glad you're likin this!
Shuuichi Shindou-Uesugi: Glad that you're still enjoying this... Sorry about the wait... :hangs head in shame: The next part will be up quicker.
JasLine: Well, dinner has started... Let's see how it goes... Enjoy!
Lemur130: A lot of people seem to like long chapters... Huh... I'll keep that in mind for future stories... As for Suguru... Well, you'll have to wait and see, won't you? Continue to enjoy!
Wendyghost: Of course I will finish this story... It may take a while, but it will be finished... I'm glad you're liking it!
EiriYukiLover: I'm glad you're liking this... Dinner may have started, but there are still more moments to come... :grin:
Yazzy: Nice to see you're still with me! LOL Anyway, I'm glad you're liking this as well... Keep reading!
Kimra Dattei: Send me an e-mail and I'll send you the lemon... I'm glad you're enjoying this story. Mika's present hasn't worn out its usefullness yet... There are still some moments for it... :grin:
ShadoFyre: Hee hee... Murphy seems to have his own law when it comes to Shu and Eiri, though... :sigh: Continue to enjoy!