Disclaimer: I own no rights to Gravitation. This is purely for entertainment.
A/N: Thank you for continuing to read, it's much appreciated. Any feedback is welcome.
Three months had passed since Eiri woke up. Shuichi moved into his own little one bedroom apartment after four days. He didn't want to be there when Eiri was discharged. He decided it was best to simply let go. It wasn't treating him well. He took some time off working with the band after all he could do was stare at a blank page for days at a time, unable to pull any inspiration. It was hard to write a love song when love has disintegrated and he didn't feel comfortable putting his true feelings to paper.
Six o'clock. Any minute Hiro and Suguru would show up to bring Shuichi dinner. He recalled Mika saying he shouldn't be babied anymore, but his friends seemed to strongly disagree with the sentiment. Shuichi didn't mind so much considering it felt better than being alone every minute with his thoughts. His reality was engulfing him with an overwhelming depression. He often day dreamt about Eiri charging into his apartment and declaring that everything came back to him. He knew it was impossible, but it didn't keep him from imagining how it would feel.
Shuichi was pulled from his thoughts by a knock at his front door. "It's open," he called out as he looked over to the door. It slowly opened and his friends entered holding a bag of food.
"Hi," Hiro greeted, joining Shu on the couch. Suguru followed suit and sat down as well.
"How are you feeling today?" Suguru asked.
Shuichi remained silent and thought about the question for a couple minutes. How was he feeling? He honestly didn't know. He searched his brain for the words and eventually let out a quiet response. "Numb? I think."
Hiroshi set the bag of food down on the table in front of him and started to dig hamburgers out. He handed out burgers to the others before taking out his own. "You should eat, you didn't last night," he commented.
Shuichi looked down at his wrapped burger and cringed at the thought of forcing the act of eating. He slowly unwrapped it and stared down at his for a few seconds before he reluctantly took a bite. "How is he?" He mumbled through the food in his mouth. He hadn't asked the question once, and refused to be told if anyone offered up the information.
Hiro looked to his friend with a questioning expression. "Are you sure you want to know?"
Shuichi nodded and stuffed another bite into his mouth. "I'm ready."
"Well, he has a scar on the side of his head, and he's having a little trouble with his arm and hand...But he's doing better," Hiroshi said delicately, unwrapping his burger. "Touma says that he asks about you."
"I don't want to know that," Shuichi replied, holding back the urge to cry.
"Yes you do," Suguru flatly commented.
"Shut up, Fujisaki," barked Hiro. "If he says he doesn't want to hear it, he means it."
Shuichi set down his burger and stood up. "I need a drink," he announced. He shuffled to the kitchen and pulled a beer from the refrigerator. He grabbed a bottle opener off the counter and opened his drink, letting the cap fall to the ground. He looked down at the dozens of caps that had been collecting on the floor. He took a sip from the bottle and walked back over to the couch, dropping his weight down on it. He set down his beer and picked his meal back up.
"You should go see him," Suguru suggested nonchalantly.
"Damnit, shut your face before I shut it for you," Hiro growled.
"Stop," Shu pleaded. "Don't fight over this. It's not worth your time." He took another bite from his burger, his nails digging into the bun. Once he finished the bite he cleared his throat and sheepishly asked, "What did he say?"
Hiro sighed. "He wanted to know about you. About how you two lived," he explained. "It's natural for him to be curious." He placed a hand on Shuichi's knee. "Don't let it get to you."
"I won't," Shu responded. He sighed and leaned back. "I miss him."
"Of course you do," chimed in Suguru. "You really should visit him," he said in a bored tone.
"What is your problem, Fujisaki?" Asked Hiro, throwing his burger to the table. The sandwich fell apart as hit landed and Hiro shot up to his feet.
Suguru looked over to Hiro and rolled his eyes. "Calm down. We all know Shindou will win Yuki's heart again."
Shuichi let out a small sigh. "No, we don't know that," he stated. He set his burger down next to the pieces of Hiro's and took a swig from his beer. "Thanks for the food, I should get some sleep."
Hiro frowned at his best friend. "Are you sure?"
Shuichi nodded and finished his beer and let out a little burp before setting it down on the floor. "I'll be okay," he said quietly, standing up and stretching. "Goodnight." Shu walked off to his room and said over his shoulder before going in, "Guys maybe we should just move back to Japan." He waited for no response and went into his room, closing the door behind him.
Hiro and Suguru looked at each other for a couple minutes before they got up and left without saying a word.
Shuichi crawled into his bed and pulled the covers over his head. His warm breath hit the blanket and bounced back to his face. The smell of alcohol filled his nostrils and his eyes drifted closed. He rolled to his side and hugged his knees to his chest. Whimpers emitted from his mouth as he began to cry.
He wanted to see Eiri so badly. Even though deep down he figured the only thing his husband really wanted was to file for divorce. He was dreading the notion so much that is was the main reason he avoided seeing or even talking about Eiri. He had to believe that's what was going to happen. Who would stay married to somebody they didn't even know. Shuichi assumed it wouldn't take very long for Eiri to snag some beautiful woman that he would only be cold to before finishing his uses for her.
The air around Shuichi was completely silent. He held his breath and waited until he could no longer stand it and quickly started to bring air back into his lungs. He kicked the blanket away from his face, needing fresher oxygen than the hot alcohol and burger mixture surrounding his face. Shu wiped his face with the rough blue comforter on his bed before sitting up. He looked over to his window, glows from the city around him peeking through his sheer drapes. He wondered to himself what Eiri was doing right now.
"Can I get you anything?" Touma asked Eiri, walking up to him on the couch while offering a warm smile. Eiri looked to Touma and shook his head. As Eiri looked away Touma's smile faded. He looked to the scar on Eiri's temple and around his eye. "Is it strange?" He questioned as he took a seat next to his brother-in-law.
"Is what strange?" Eiri asked, leaning over to pick up a pack of cigarettes from his cherry end table. He pulled one out and lit it up. He took a short drag and looked to Touma.
"The things I've told you that you don't remember," came Touma's nervous answer.
Eiri took a long drag from his cigarette, keeping his eyes locked to Touma's. Smoke swirled from his nose as he slowly exhaled. He could feel how uncomfortable his brother-in-law felt and he somewhat basked in the glory over it. He held his eye contact for another moment before responding, "is it strange to be married to a she-devil?"
Touma shamefully looked away. No matter what conversing he tried, Eiri always struck back with a retort about Mika. He tried to be understanding considering that Mika was there everyday doting over Eiri. It could make anyone cranky, really. She had a tendency to be rude and overbearing even if her attempt was to try and help. "My apologies, Eiri."
Eiri scoffed and tapped his cigarette over a cheap plastic black and red ashtray. "Speaking of my sister shouldn't you be with her?" he asked.
Touma watched the ash drop and sighed. "No," he answered. "She's at a benefit tonight. Would you like me to leave?"
Eiri looked away, crushing his half-smoked cigarette into the ashtray. "Do whatever you want, I don't care."
"I want to talk about Shuichi," Touma said cautiously.
Eiri's eyebrow slowly raised. Everyone wanted to talk about that kid. He wondered how he ended up falling in love with a man, or even getting married. Eiri knew he was never the type for such trivial parts of life. He knew how to write romance but he didn't know how to live it. "Like I said... Do whatever you want."
Touma gave a gentle smile. "I think we should see him soon. Everyone knows he's not going to come to you, so you should go to him." Touma stood up and looked down to Eiri. "I think the time for that is coming."
A soft chuckle came from Eiri as he also stood up. He walked over to a small counter with varying bottles of liquor. He grabbed a clear glass and grabbed a bottle of scotch. He opened it up and poured himself a drink. He closed the bottle and put it back before taking his drink and going back to sit down on the couch. The brown leather squeaked beneath him as he shifted around. "What makes you think I should do anything about him? I don't remember him and I'm fine with that," he said nonchalantly before taking a careful sip from his drink.
"Eiri," Touma began, reaching out and taking the other man's drink from his hand. He set it down on the table and continued, "it's not only about you. There is another human being involved in this. A human with feelings... Strong feelings."
Eiri reached out and took his drink back, finishing the liquid before Touma could take it away again. He slammed the glass down on the table. "Yeah? I have strong feelings too," he commented with a little smirk. "Feelings for fucking women, not little punk kids."
A tiny glare graced Touma's face as he spoke, "you're the one being a punk, Eiri. You loved Shuichi more than you love yourself. And that is quite the feat." He shook his head in disapproval and lead himself to the front door of the apartment. He slowly opened the door and looked back to Eiri over his shoulder. "You owe it to him to at least talk to him." He sighed as he left, lightly closing the door behind him.
Eiri blinked a couple times in surprise. He had never seen Touma so stern with him. It was always smiles and a tender voice. He figured he probably deserved it though. He could recall many times he ignored Touma's advice but his brother-in-law always found a way to let it roll of his back and just grin. Eiri wondered to himself if perhaps Touma was right was right about this one. Why else would he get mad?
The rhythmic tick of a clock hanging from the wall was the only sound filling Eiri's apartment. He glanced up to the clock and asked himself what he had been doing to pass the time and avoid writing for the past few years. He chuckled and thought to himself that he probably did his husband for fun. Eiri found himself missing sex. Three months had seemed like an eternity and it was on the brink of irritating him.
Eiri looked around the quiet apartment and sighed. He remembered being used to being alone and enjoying it, but things felt out of place. He felt as though somebody should be sitting next to him. He almost wished that Touma hadn't left.
A sharp ring of a telephone broke through the silence, causing Eiri to jump a little from being startled. He looked over to the phone and hastily answered it. "Yes?"
"Hey, bro," came Tatsuha's voice. "Sitting alone in a dark room?"
"What do you want, Tatsuha?" Eiri asked in an irritated tone despite the fact he was glad to have someone talking to him.
Tatsuha chuckled at his brother. "Let's go out, have some fun."
"Why should I waste my time with you?" Eiri scoffed. "Don't you think I have better things to do?"
"Not unless you're going to see Shuichi," Tatsuha replied slyly.
Eiri sighed into the receiver of the phone. "Why won't you people just drop it? You, Mika, Touma, and even the friends of that kid won't leave me alone." Eiri could have sworn he could hear the rolling of his brother's eyes.
"Relax, I'm teasing you, bro," Tatsuha answered in a chipper voice. "Seriously, let's do something while I'm in town."
"Mika is going to kill you," Eiri commented with a small smirk on his lips.
"Who does she think she is? Mom?" Giggled the younger Uesugi.
Eiri quietly laughed at his brother's question. "She wishes she could be as scary as that woman. What do you have in mind?"
Tatsuha let out a hum as he pondered his elder brother's question. "We could always get sloshed and see where the night takes us!" Tatsuha suggested excitedly.
Eiri looked around his empty home thinking he'd rather be anywhere but there. "Fine. But I'm not paying for your drinks," he firmly answered.
"Fair enough," Tatsuha chuckled. "I'll be at your place in fifteen minutes."
Before Eiri could say anything in return his brother ended the call. The blonde pulled the phone away from his ear and stared down at it as he turned it off. He was anxious to see his brother. At this point he'd be anxious to see anybody. He didn't know why but he felt alone and restless the last few weeks. He felt as though he was yearning for something but wasn't sure what.
Eiri sighed as his gaze fixated on the clock hanging on the wall. He knew his brother and his habitual tardiness and it irked him to watch each minute pass by. 'For every minute that bastard is late he's buying me a drink,' he though to himself.
To Eiri's pleasure, only three minutes late came the knock at his door he anticipated. He quickly got up from the couch and grabbed his black pea-coat from the floor. He snaked his arms through the arm holes of the coat and reached out, wriggling the jacket comfortably around his shoulders. The blonde made his way to the door, slipping into his shoes as he opened it.
There stood Tatsuha with his snide grin. He looked down to a watch around his wrist and chuckled. "Only three minutes late. New record for being on time, wouldn't you say?"
Eiri scoffed as he walked out of his apartment, closing the door and pushing past his brother. "My first three are on you," he declared as he starting walking towards the closest place he could find booze and women.
Tatsuha quickly caught up to Eiri as he shoved his cold hands into the pockets of his old and torn jean jacket.
Eiri glanced to his brother and chuckled. "Didn't Mika throw that away last week?" He asked as he pulled a cigarette from his coat pocket. He pulled a lighter from The other pocket and lit his cigarette.
"Yep," Tatsuha answered with a grin.
"Go shopping," Eiri remarked before taking a long drag, sharply exhaling his smoke into the brisk January air. "I can't believe I've been in New York all this time. I hate this place," Eiri mused aloud.
"You could always come back to Japan with me," Tatsuha replied nonchalantly.
Eiri remained silent as he played with the idea in his head. After a couple moments he spoke up, "I'd hate being that close to Mika."
The two shared a laugh over the comment. Mika was always the boss of the three, and a buzz-kill to be around. The brothers could always agree that something to irritate their sister was a pleasing thing.
The rest of their walk was made in silence, Eiri debating in his mind if he should go back with his brother. He was pleasantly pulled from his thoughts as he approached a bar he spotted. He tossed his cigarette to the ground, orange embers flying from the cherry as it hit the pavement. He crushed it out with his foot as he walked past it before grabbing Tatsuha by the arm and speeding his pace towards the building.
As the two approached the door Eiri released his grip from his brother and walked in, heading straight for the bar. "Don't you maybe want to sit at a table and eat?" Tatsuha questioned and he followed after Eiri.
"Nope," Eiri answered as he took his coat off, tossing it to the ground next to the stool he took a seat at. He pulled his wallet from his pants pocket and flashed his ID to the bartender. He pointed to his brother while saying, "I'll have a scotch on this guy."
Tatsuha chuckled as he sat next to Eiri. He pulled a loose card from his jacket pocket and showed it to the bartender. "Make it two doubles," he requested.
"Get a wallet," Eiri scoffed as he put his away.
"Nope," Tatsuha teased in response as he shoved his ID card back into his pocket.
The bartender came to them and set their drinks in front of them. Tatsuha thanked the man and pulled a bill from his pocket. He set the hundred dollar bill down on the bar. "Just let me know when this stops covering us." The bartender nodded to Tatsuha as he took the money and moved on to serve others.
"Get a damn wallet," Eiri muttered.
Tatsuha put a hand to his ear as leaned in towards Eiri. "Is there an echo in here?" He asked with a chuckle.
"Shut up and drink, Tatsuha," Eiri ordered as he took a drink from his glass.
Tatsuha smiled at his brother, doing as told. The two finished their drinks in silence, Eiri making glances around the room noting any cute girls he saw. He was startled from his thoughts as his younger brother slammed his finished glass down onto the bar.
"Alright, Eiri's enjoyment drink is done," Tatsuha proclaimed. "Bartender!" He called out. Eiri put his head in his hand, ashamed to be with Tatsuha. "Bring us whiskey!" The younger Uesugi ordered.
"Don't be a dick," Eiri murmured.
Tatsuha paid no mind to Eiri as he grinned at the sight of his drink being poured. The bartender set down a shot for each of The brothers and walked away, ignoring Tatsuha's demeanor.
"As my big brother taught me, shut up and drink," Tatsuha laughed as he picked up his shot and held it up, waiting on Eiri.
Eiri shook his head and grabbed his drink, holding it up to Tatsuha's. The two tapped their shot glasses together and downed the amber liquid. Tatsuha once again slammed his finished drink down while Eiri gingerly set his down. Eiri had forgotten how embarrassing his younger brother could be. The two continued to drink, mostly in silence with the occasional out burst from Tatsuha. Eiri kept his eye out for anyone who tickled his fancy but he found himself lacking any motivation to do anything further than taking a gander.
Tatsuha noticed his brother's wandering gazes, wondering if he was thinking of Shuichi at all. "Looking for better companionship?" He asked.
"Always," came Eiri's dry response.
A tall brunette walked her way up to Eiri. She was wearing a form fitting black dress which showed a moderate amount of the woman's cleavage. She rested her elbow on the bar next to Eiri and slowly leaned closer to him, gently touching her breasts against his shoulder. "I could offer my services," she said slyly close to Eiri's ear.
Eiri pulled away from the sensation of breath touching his ear, looking at the woman coming on to him. She had tanned skin with dark brown freckles spotting her bare shoulders. Her face was rounded, and obscured by large brown curls of hair. Eiri looked her up and down, admiring the shape under her tight dress. He sighed and looked to his little brother. "I'm ready," he mumbled quietly.
Tatsuha looked to the woman then back to Eiri, shrugging. "I'll get lost then."
Eiri shook his head and stood up. He grabbed his coat from the floor and quickly squirmed into it. He grabbed Tatsuha by the arm and pulled him from the stool. Tatsuha let out a sound of surprise as he was being yanked away, waving to the woman his brother we blowing off.
As the two got outside Eiri let go of Tatsuha and fumbled around for his cigarettes. Tatsuha looked back to the bar, seeing the confused look gracing the woman's face. "What's up, bro?" He asked, looking back to the blonde watching him light up a smoke.
"I said I'm ready," Eiri grunted passed the limp cigarette resting between his lips.
"I don't get it. Ready for what? Didn't you want to find a hookup?" Tatsuha asked.
"I guess not," the elder brother answered with a shrug. "Give me his address, I'll take a cab."
Tatsuha blinked in disbelief. "Bro, do you mean Shuichi?" He queried, trying not to get too excited at the notion.
Eiri took a couple drags from his cigarette, ash falling to the ground as he pulled from his mouth with a shaky hand. He looked his brother in the eye and nodded his head.
"Well, maybe now isn't the best time? You should probably have Touma go with you," Tatsuha thought aloud.
"I'm going, give me his address," Eiri ordered, giving his brother a stern gaze.
Tatsuha sighed to the look Eiri was giving him as he pulled a receipt and a pen from an inner pocket from his jacket. He put the receipt to his brother's chest and scribbled away. When he was done he stepped back and held the paper out to Eiri. The elder brother quickly snatched it from Tatsuha's hand and stared down at it for a couple moments.
"You don't have to go. It might be better with others there," Tatsuha suggested with a frown.
"Fuck off, I'm doing it now," Eiri responded before pulling out a cellphone from his pants pocket. He began fiddling around with the phone before putting it to his ear and walking away from his little brother. Tatsuha shrugged and decided it was simply best to let Eiri have his way.
Shuichi tossed around in bed, finding it difficult to do anything other than think of where his life was heading without Eiri. It was strange not seeing him everyday, being scolded by him, and of course it was like hell for Shuichi to be without sex for so long. He wondered where Eiri was, what he was doing without him around anymore. Shuichi scoffed. He figured Eiri was better off at this point. He didn't need the stress that Shu brought to their lives. Besides, Eiri was never the type to settle down. Shuichi was convinced what he had was once in a life time and he'd never get it back.
A loud groan of frustration came from Shuichi as he sat up and ran his hands through his messy hair. He looked around his dark room and muttered quietly as he got up and made his way to the bathroom. He jumped a little at the cold sensation of the bathroom floor against his bare feet. He quickly made his way to the toilet and began to take care of business. Mid stream a loud pounding at his front door startled him. Shuichi sighed and quickly finished, figuring Hiroshi had come back alone to try and comfort him.
Shu exited the bathroom and slowly shuffled towards the front door, more and louder pounding occurring. "I'm coming, damnit!" Shuichi hollered as he got up to the door. He sighed as he slowly opened the door, rubbing the back of his head. "Hiro, you could have just called me," he muttered, looking away.
"Hello," came the familiar sound of Eiri's voice.
"Huh?" Shu looked up to see Eiri staring down at him. His eyes widened as he locked them onto Eiri's. 'Is he really standing here?' he asked himself in disbelief. He looked Eiri up and down, his body quivering. There he stood in all his glory. Dull and dirty black shoes, dark brown slacks covering his long legs and a long fitting white button up shirt under his black pea-coat . Messy blonde hair framed his face, his glasses resting at the edge of his nose.
"Are you going to invite me in?" Eiri asked with a smirk forming on his lips, enjoying the look of shock on Shu's face.
"Um, yeah… Come in," Shuichi offered as he stepped aside and motioned Eiri to enter.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to leave any comments negative it positive all criticism is welcome.
I hope to see you in the next chapter.