Chapter 2

Lunch ticked by so slowly Len was sure he was going to die of old age. Despite the fear lurking at the pit of his stomach, Gakupo remained almost unusually quiet, only quipping in when he found a sarcastic or inappropriate comment was desperately needed. His eyes, however, kept wandering to Len, leaving the boy fidgeting in his seat as he tried not to shiver or blush or further embarrass himself in any other way.

"Our hour is almost up." Kaito finally sighed. "And we need time to get back and get organized." He stood, pulling out the money to pay for his portion of the meal. Gakupo did the same, also sighing.

"I suppose you're right." He glanced at Len again, and the boy stood without returning the mischievous violet gaze.

"Let's go then." He offered, leaving Rin half for the plate of food they had shared.

"See you guys later!" Miku called after them, Rin echoing her with just as much energy. "Have fun!"

"Don't we always?" Gakupo hooked his arm around Len's shoulders, ruffling his hair.

"G-Gaku-nii!" Len objected, laughing as he struggled away. Kaito joined in, chuckled as he watched the teen and samurai interact.

"What's the matter, Len-kun?" Len laughed more as Gakupo snatched his fingers, pulling him back and preventing his immediate retreat. "You're not scared of me, are you?"

"As if!" Len twisted around, about to let a snide comment slip until he saw the look in Gakupo's eyes. Do you trust me? Len stilled, his eyes wide as he read the question written plainly in Gakupo's violet eyes.

"Why would he be scared when he's seen Rin level you with an orange before?" Kaito's voice caught Len off guard, and he realized with a light flush that Gakupo still held his fingers in his own.

"Yeah," he agreed absently, glancing back into Gakupo's eyes, only to sigh as he realized the moment was gone. The samurai loosened his grip, and Len let his arm fall limp to his side, his fingertips tingling where Gakupo had touched them.

"Only once." The oldest of the three defended himself, moving forward again.

"What was only once?" Len's brow furrowed, and Gakupo raised an eyebrow, before he chuckled quietly and shook his head.

"Your sister," he elaborated. "That time when I put popcorn kernels in her cookie mix and they all exploded in the oven."

A sweat drop slid down Kaito's head, and Len twitched. "She was in a terrible mood for two and a half weeks..." He mumbled, cringing at the memory.

"She also lopped an orange at me and knocked me unconscious. I swear she would make a killer softball pitcher."

"Or one of those American 'quarterbacks'." Kaito added thoughtfully. Gakupo laughed.

"That's a men's sport!"

"Rin could pull it off." Len sighed, smiling as he imagined his sister wearing an American football jersey. They reached the front doors of the recording studio, and Len couldn't help but to smile a little wider, craning his neck to try and see the top. From there, it was virtually impossible. They walked in together, and were greeted (as they were this morning) by the receptionist, who reminded them of their room and wished them a productive session. This time, they all boarded the elevator together, though Len felt his face flush as he clearly remembered Gakupo cornering him when they had been alone. The samurai flashed him a smirk, and pushed the '80' on the elevator panel.

You're overthinking it. Len told himself, shaking his head and unconsciously keeping Kaito in between himself and Gakupo. He's obviously just... being Gakupo. He sighed, rubbing his temple as they reached their destination and the elevator doors opened. Just forget about it and focus on the rest of practice.

Practicing with Kaito was easy-it always had been, even when it came down to singing ShotadeSuyon. Their voices mingled well, and Kaito was always reassuring. Gakupo, on the other hand, always made Len feel feminine when they sang together. His voice deeper and richer than Kaito's and his own, and always held this lingering, alluring edge that sent chills down Len's spine when he sang softly.

It grew quiet, and Len blinked, slowly pulling out of his thoughts. "Wh-What's wrong?"

Gakupo chuckled. "You totally missed your harmony with Kaito." He ran his fingers through his loose bangs, a disarming smirk making itself present on his face. "Are you feeling alright Len-kun? Do we need to call our practice early?"

"No." Len ground out, shooting a glare at the samurai. "I'm fine, I just spaced out, that's all."

Kaito gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Len-kun, we'll take a little break."

"I don't need a break." The teen huffed, crossing his arms and glaring moodily at the wall.

"Then practice with Gakupo for a bit, I'm going to go get an energy drink out of the machine." Kaito waved a dismissive hand, heading for the door.

"Wait!" Len gasped, standing quickly from his perch on a tall stool. "I'll go with...you..."

The bluenette was already gone, Gakupo taking his place beside him. "Let's start from the top, Len."

"Right..." Len sighed, sitting back on the stool. Gakupo started the music, and they waited through the entro until Gakupo reached his cue. You're really thinking about this too much... Len could feel Gakupo's eyes on him. The teen was hyperaware of every move that the older man made. He continued staring at the wall until Gakupo's voice drew him back out of his thoughts.

"Are you sure you're okay, Len-kun?" When he looked up, Gakupo was standing in front of him. "Missing your harmonies with Kaito I can forgive you for-but I can't bring myself to be sympathetic when you skip mine."

"Sorry, Gaku-nii." He fidgeted, suddenly even more aware of the fact they were alone together-again. And he was stepping closer-again. "M-Maybe you're right!" The teen suddenly exclaimed, scrambling backwards off of the stool, desperately trying to put distance between them before he fell under Gakupo's spell again.

Gakupo raised an eyebrow. "Aren't I always?"

Len ignored his dry comment, still backing away. "I think I need to take a break." He bumped into the drumset that was situated in the back of the recording room, nearly knocking over one of the crash cymbals. The sound startled him, and he spun to catch the obnoxious instrument before it fell to the ground. His fingers just barely caught on the metal stand, and sighing in relief he turned back around, only to yelp as he noticed Gakupo had yet again closed in on him.

"You weren't seriously trying to get away from me, were you?" Gakupo flashed him a triumphant smirk. "You said later-we're alone, and it's later."

Len was thrown into a mental backpedal. "We only said later a few hours ago!" He spluttered incredulously.

"Anything that is after 'now' and before 'tomorrow' is later."

"Tomorrow then...!" Len looked around for anything that could help him in this situation, as Gakupo reached towards him and slid his fingers through the teen's bright golden bangs.

"Too late." Gakupo shrugged, grinning smugly and leaning closer. "We need to talk. Now."

"Later." Len countered, reaching slowly behind him. They were too close again. The teen was losing his ability to think straight under Gakupo's dark violet gaze, feeling his resolve quiver and fail him. His fingers grazed the cool surface of the cymbal, and he gripped it tightly as Gakupo tilted his chin up, bringing their faces closer together. "I thought we were going to talk..." Len exhaled shakily.

"Actions speak much louder than words, don't you think...?" Gakupo's voice dropped to a husky whisper, and Len felt the cymbal's edge digging into his fingers as he gripped it even tighter. The edge of pain kept him rooted to his resolve, however shaky it was, and as Gakupo leaned in, the teen's eyes shot wide, and he did the only thing he could think to do. In a moment of panic, he jerked the cymbal off of the stand, holding it in between the lower half of their faces. Gakupo's eyes flashed and Len's widened even more as Gakupo still leaned in, until the cold metal was pressed gently against Len's lips. They stood perfectly still for a moment, their eyes locked together as Gakupo's lips quirked into a smirk that Len sent electricity jolting through the teen's veins.

"Len, Gakupo, I-"

"K-Kaito-nii!" Len gasped, shoving the cymbal forward, forcing Gakupo back as Kaito walked in the recording room. The samurai only grabbed the cymbal, pulling Len forward even as he tried to push him away, and Len let out a startled exclamation, hurriedly releasing the object between them.

"What did I..."

Gakupo shook his head. "Nothing. I was just showing Len-kun here some tips for breaking down a drum set."

"Because I changed my mind." Len added, quickly dodging around Gakupo and approaching Kaito-and the door. "I'm feeling kind of out of it, do you think we could end this early?"

"Sure," Kaito looked confused.

"Thanks." Len didn't leave him any time to ask questions, brushing past him and catching the door as it swung shut.

"Len," Gakupo sighed, seeming half-serious, but at the same time half-amused. The teen didn't wait for him, heading for the elevator.

"Why don't you wait for Kaito this time?" Len called back, jamming the button on the elevator. He was getting a sense of dejavu. This time, however, he didn't leave Gakupo with the chance to get in, barely catching the samurai's irritated "tsk" at he just missed his opportunity to stop the doors from closing. He could hear Kaito questioning the older man as he pushed the "lobby" button, taking a deep breath and leaning back against railing. The elevator started moving, and Len closed his eyes, remembering when he had Gakupo had taken the elevator before lunch.

Why are you doing this...? He sighed, shaking his head. "Why are you letting it get to you?" Len chided himself quietly. The elevator was moving slowly, he noticed absent-mindedly, glancing up at the floor numbers as they seemed to drag by, like the pulley mechanism at the top of the elevator was jamming. Slowly-hesitantly-the boy brought his shaking fingers back to his lips, closing his eyes and remembering with a shuddering breath the look in Gakupo's eyes as he leaned in entirely too close. Why did I stop him...? The chill of the cymbal's metal was still present against his lips, and with another soft sigh the boy realized that he didn't have an answer to the question. There was something about Gakupo; something that pulled Len in and entranced him. When Gakupo's eyes met his own, everything escaped his mind. Everything, of course, besides the samurai's dark eyes.

What's happening to me...? Len dropped the fingers that were brushing his lips down to grip the material of his shirt-right above his heart. Just thinking about the violet-haired Vocaloid made his heart race. Do I have feelings for him...? Len winced at the silent question. He thought back to when he had been younger-when he and Rin had only been 8. Rin had asked him, quietly, in the privacy of the room they shared, "You don't like girls, do you, Len-kun?" At the time, Len had been scared to answer her, but when Rin wrapped him in a secure hug, he couldn't help but whisper back to her, "No, I don't think so." She took a deep breath, one that the younger of the twins felt in his own chest. "Do you like boys more?" Len had sighed, merely nodding against his twin's shouder.

The teen shook his head, bringing himself back to the present. It was pointless to dwell on it-after all, Gakupo was notoriously flirtatious, and it wouldn't surprise Len at all for the older man to stoop to teasing him. You're overthinking it. Len told himself again, letting go of his shirt and shaking his head, trying to clear it for good this time. There was a creaking sound, and Len glanced up, blinking in confusion as he realized that he only made it 15 floors-there were still 65 between him and the lobby. "What..."

The elevator lurched suddenly, and Len let out a splitting scream as he plummeted downward, gripping the bar so tightly it hurt. It seemed like the entire elevator had broken free of the mechanisms making it work, until it caught slightly. Len barely held on, shaking as he began to straighten up. "What just..." he was taking in large gulps of air, his heart pounding in his chest, tears beginning to form in the corner of his eyes. "What happened...?" The lights flickered, and Len gasped, letting another scream tear from his throat as he dropped again. He gripped the rail tighter, tucking his head and closing his eyes. Momentum was building, and Len's grip was faltering on the slick rail in front of him. I can't hold on...! Len realized, his breath escaping him as he came to the conclusion that he was probably going to die. With a sudden shriek of metal on metal, the elevator caught, slamming to a halt as Len uttered a startled cry, losing his grip and slamming upward into the elevator ceiling with a sickening crunch. He was unconscious before he hit the floor.

Gakupo sighed, putting his hands on his hips as the elevator doors closed in front of him, sealing Len away from him-at least until they reached the lobby.

"What's with you two today?" Kaito panted as he caught up to the samurai. Gakupo ignored the question, turning and walking towards the stairs. "Gakupo?"

"Nothing," Gakupo finally sighed, glancing back at the elevator. "There's just something I need to talk to him about."

"And he's avoiding you...?" Kaito frowned, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"You could say that." Gakupo waved a dismissive hand, feeling his lips quirk up into his usual smirk. But you can't avoid me forever. "Don't worry about it, Kaito. We'll get it figured out."

"If you say so." Kaito shrugged, finally following him to the stairs. They stood at the top for a moment, Gakupo sensing that Kaito still had something to say, and Kaito not seeming to be able to find the words he wanted to use. As the bluenette finally opened his mouth, a rustic groan echoed through the hall, cutting him off and causing both men to turn, looking back in confusion.

"It sounded like... it came from the elevator shaft." Kaito took a step back towards the elevators, while Gakupo stood completely still, straining to hear, his heart pounding. Len is in that elevator... A shuddering crack split the air, followed by a chilling scream that had Gakupo moving before the sound had even processed in his head.

"Len!"

Chapter 2! Thanks to my guest reviewer and The-Doll-Who-Dreamt for reviewing, I love getting feedback(: I hope you all enjoy the story, next chapter should be up soon-ish (4 day weekend! Wootwoot!) so… yeah… Thanks for reading, let me know what you thought(: Lots of love~