Woo! Got this done waaay quicker than I figured I would! Of course, the reviews I get do motivate me to move faster :P And because I love you all so much, a shout out to my reviewers: viccolove, meow-meow-the-unicorn, Kemeda, Undead Gothic Princess, .angel, bbsugarxx, otakuprincessluna, lugwiglover14, and SesshXKagsluvr!

*Disclaimer-Still don't own it. Wish I did*

This chapter was betaed by the talented Chasity

It Started With a Song

Ch 2- The Happy Couple

Shuichi was still in a great mood when he woke up. For the first time in weeks, he was actually excited to go to work and get to work. He got ready as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake the still sleeping blonde. As soon as he was dressed and had eaten, he went back to the room. He stood at the older man's side of the bed, looking down at his sleeping lover. Shuichi smiled down at the sleeping form. He had always loved watching Yuki sleep. The man looked like a beautiful angel when he was asleep, especially with the light from between the curtains casting a pale halo around his face. Shuichi leaned forward and kissed the man lightly on the forehead, whispering a quiet "I love you" before exiting the apartment.

Shuichi walked into the studio with a spring in his step. He swung the door open with a smile on his face. "Hey everyone! Are you guys ready to get rolling?" He was surprised by the response from his band members. Hiro froze, forgetting about tuning his guitar. Fujisaki's fingers stopped in mid air above his keyboard, and K looked up from cleaning his gun. They were all staring at him as if he'd grown a second head. "Um…guys? Why are you all looking at me like that?" Hiro was the first to move, setting his guitar to the side and standing up to walk towards his friend. "Shuichi…you're almost never on time…but you're definitely never early. It's not even 8:00 yet…" Shuichi glanced down at his watch, eyebrows furrowing. He shrugged as he looked back up. "So? Is it a crime for me to be a little early? I figured the earlier we got to work, the earlier we'd be able to get home, right? So why is it so bad that I'm early?" K spoke to the singer as he resumed cleaning his gun. "It's not a bad thing that you're here early. Just a shock. Not only are you here early, but you also seem to be in a very good mood." Fujisaki interjected, finishing K's thoughts for him. "You've been very cranky lately, Shindou. What has you in such a good mood all of a sudden?"

Shuichi smiled. "I just had a good night, that's all. So are we gonna get to work or what?" The other members of his band looked at each other, confusion written on their faces, before they all shrugged and moved to their places. Shuichi threw his bag on a chair and headed into the recording booth, ready to get recording. He was in an awesome mood, and couldn't wait to get this album finished so that he'd be able to have more nights like last night. He was pumped to get to spend more time with his favorite author. Because of this, he further shocked his band members when he put his heart into working, getting the song perfect on the very first try. They all looked at him once they'd finished, not really sure who or what had possessed their band mate. They weren't complaining, though. It was much easier to work with this Shuichi than the daydreaming slacker they were used to.

~ISWAS~

Yuki groaned, the light of the sun finally hitting him directly in the eyes, waking him up. He rolled over, expecting to feel Shuichi lying there, but the bed was empty. He huffed and opened his eyes. He figured that if the brat was already at work, that meant he should probably get up, too. He slowly got up from the bed, grabbing a cigarette from his bedside table. He lit up as he headed towards the kitchen, his stomach grumbling. He looked in the fridge, figuring he'd whip himself up something quick and easy. He was shocked, however, when he found a note on the top shelf, taped to a Tupperware container.

Yuki,

I cooked myself some breakfast, and I figured I'd fix you some too while I was at it. Just stick it in the microwave for a minute or two. I hope you have a great day! Love you Yuki!

Shuichi

Yuki smirked upon seeing this. He wouldn't even have to fix his breakfast. How thoughtful of the brat. He stuck the food into the microwave. While he was waiting on it to finish, he fixed himself a cup of coffee.

Once he was done eating, the author headed towards his study, cigarette in mouth and newly filled cup of coffee in hand. He knew this was going to be a long day. His deadline was really stressing him out. He just wanted to get it over with so that he could relax. Maybe sleep in all day for a week? Go out to a few bars? That was his idea of relaxing. Oh, and he should probably try to spend a bit more time with the brat. Maybe he would want to go to a bar with him? That would be fun. But the brat would probably wanna dance or something stupid like that. Maybe he would just take him out to eat somewhere quiet or something simple like that.

Yuki sat down and got to work typing, hoping he'd be able to get a lot done. He hated having writer's block. He'd barely been able to finish the last chapter. His brain felt dead from all the thinking he had to put into writing his book. He stared at the screen, willing words to come to his fingers. He was already getting pissed off, and he hadn't been there for more than 30 seconds. He could see that it was going to be a very, very long day.

~ISWAS~

Because Shuichi was so dedicated to his work, the band was finished almost a full hour before they were supposed to be. Shuichi was standing by a soda machine, waiting for Hiro to get done packing his stuff so they could talk for a while before Shuichi started walking back home. He began humming to himself, thinking of lyrics to match the mood he was in. He grabbed his notepad and a marker, scribbling the lyrics before they could escape him.

"Going out of my mind these days,

Like I'm walking round in a haze,

I can't think straight, I can't concentrate,

And I need to shave.

Go to work and I look tired,

The boss K said son you gonna get fired,

This ain't your style, and behind my microphone,

I just smile."

Shuichi smiled looking at the lyrics. They perfectly matched how he normally acted at work. When he and Yuki had an argument, he couldn't concentrate on anything, too depressed to even think about singing. And when they were on good terms, he was normally flying cloud high in La-La-Land, daydreaming about his lover. But when he had woken up that morning, he had decided to put his heart into his work. He knew that the more dedicated he was, the quicker they'd be able to get done, and the more time he'd have to spend with Yuki. He was grinning stupidly when Hiro finally exited the studio. He smirked when he saw the look on his friends face. "Yo, lover boy, you ready to head out?" Shuichi shook himself from his thoughts and ran over to his friend. "Sure am! I'm super hyped to get this album done!" With that, the two friends left NG, heading their separate ways to go home.

Shuichi popped his headphones in and walked with a bounce to his step, listening to Shining Collection. He loved Sakuma Ryuichi. The man was a god! He still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that he was working in the same building as the man, and that they were now competing. He had known Nittle Grasper wouldn't be able to stay apart. They were the greatest band ever! And Ryuichi was a good friend, too. Shuichi giggled as he remembered the time he and Ryuichi had colored together. Ryuichi sure was weird, but he was a genius! As he was thinking about his spastic friend, he realized that he hadn't talked to him in quite some time. He pulled out his phone and texted the other singer.

Hey Sakuma-kun! I haven't seen you in quite a while! Are you going to be busy Friday? Maybe we could go try out that new karaoke bar together! Let me know if you want to! Bye!

He was already excited, and Ryuichi hadn't even replied yet. He'd wanted to go to the new karaoke place for weeks, but Hiro wouldn't agree to it because he was dating Ayaka, Yuki was busy with his book and didn't like karaoke, and Fujisaki was waaay too uptight. Shuichi was shocked when his phone buzzed, showing that Ryuichi had already replied.

Hey Shu-chan! How many times do I have to tell you, call me Ryu silly :P And of course I'd love to go! We can be all sparkly together! Text me later and let me know what time you want to hang out. See you then Shuichi!

Shuichi grinned. He was super excited now! He'd get to hang out with his friend this weekend! It would be a great way to celebrate being done with their album, since K had said they would probably be done by then. Shuichi was still grinning as he walked into the apartment. "Yuki! I'm home!" Shuichi removed his shoes and headed straight for the kitchen, humming as he did so. He was in a great mood! He'd had a good day at work, he was going to get to hang out with Ryuichi, and the album would be done really soon. He was so happy! Maybe he should see if Yuki could take off for an hour or two so that they could go out for dinner to celebrate. He grabbed a can of soda out of the fridge and then headed towards Yuki's study. The door was cracked slightly open, the quiet sound of fingers hitting a keyboard echoing in the small room. Shuichi poked his head in, smile still on his face. "Hey Yuki! I'm home! You think you could stop for an hour or two so we could go grab some dinner, or should I just go fix something?"

Yuki turned slowly, his eyelid twitching, his gaze cold. "Why don't you just leave me the hell alone so I can work for once, you stupid brat?" Shuichi's smile faded slowly as Yuki turned back around and resumed typing as if nothing had happened. Shuichi pulled the door closed quietly and walked away as quickly as he could. He could feel tears gathering in his eyes. Yuki hadn't spoken to him like that in a long time. He knew it was probably just the stress of the deadline getting to the man, but he couldn't help being a tad upset. And just to add icing to the cake, his stomach grumbled loudly. He didn't really feel like cooking anymore, but he sure didn't wanna go out to dinner alone…maybe he could ask Ryuichi? The other singer would get his mind off things, and it would be fun to hang out with him…he pulled his phone out and texted quickly.

Hey Sakuma-kun…it's me again. I know this is really last minute, but would you wanna go out somewhere for a quick bite to eat? If not it's fine, just let me know.

Shuichi held onto his phone, figuring it wouldn't be long before Ryuichi replied. He got up and walked into the bedroom he shared with the author, deciding to pick an outfit out just in case Ryuichi said yes. Just as he found a shirt to wear, his phone buzzed. He flipped it open, hoping the answer would be yes.

Hey Shu-chan! The only way I'll go to dinner with you is if you come stay the night like a sleepover! :D And you have to stop calling me Sakuma-san. It makes me feel old *pout* So, where do you wanna eat?

The pink-haired singer smiled. A sleepover didn't sound like a bad idea. The last part made him laugh. As if Ryuichi was old! Shuichi replied quickly, letting Ryuichi know that he would bring some clothes with him and what restaurant they should go to. He grabbed some clothes, throwing them into a backpack. He made sure to grab all the toiletries he would need. He looked down at his phone to see another text asking if he wanted Ryuichi to come pick him up. He replied and told the older singer that he would be waiting outside for him.

After making sure he absolutely had everything he needed, he went outside to wait for his friend. He sent Yuki a short text saying he was staying at a friend's. He turned his phone off, knowing there would be no reply. He saw a car speed into the drive and he grinned. Of course Ryuichi would have a sporty little car that he could practically fly in. He hopped in the front seat with a grin. "Hey Sa-I mean Ryuichi-san! Thanks for agreeing to go out at such short notice." The older man looked over with a grin of his own. "Just call me Ryu! And of course, Shu-chan! Anything for you! But, may I ask why you wanted to hang out all of sudden when we have plans for the end of the week?" Shuichi looked down and answered quietly. "Yuki's under a lot of stress right now…he didn't wanna eat with me, and I really didn't feel like cooking, and I really didn't wanna go out alone…you were the first person who came to mind." When Shuichi looked back up, he was a bit shocked. Ryuichi was looking straight ahead. His face no longer held the childish quality it normally did. Instead, his face was serious, almost like what he looked like on stage, but he looked extremely angry.

As the older man pulled out and started to drive towards the restaurant, Shuichi was a bit nervous. The man still looked furious, gripping the wheel tightly. "Ryuichi…why do you look so angry?" The older man kept his gaze straight ahead. "Because, I hate it when that man does this to you. I hate the way he treats you. I hate that he just pushes you aside when he doesn't feel like talking. That isn't how a relationship is supposed to work. Yeah, there'll be some fighting, but you're supposed to work through that together. I've seen you get hurt by that man so many times, Shu-chan, and it makes me sick. You deserve to be treated so much better than that." Shuichi stared at his idol and friend, shocked. He hadn't realized the man felt that way. "Ryuichi-kun…I didn't realize you felt that way…" The older man sighed heavily, trying to get rid of his anger. "I'm sorry, Shu-chan. That was probably a bit harsh. I just really care about you. You're a good friend." Shuichi smiled a genuine smile. "Really? That means a lot." Ryuichi's face lightened a little seeing his friend smile. He loved the kid to death and hated seeing him upset. He went back to his childish persona, knowing his serious side was probably scaring his friend. He giggled as they pulled into a parking spot. "Let's go eat some good food! And then when we get to my place, we can sing! Shiny sparkly Shuichi!" Shuichi giggled and followed his idol.

The song in this is Beautiful Mess by Diamond Rio. The original lyrics:

"Going out of my mind these days,

Like I'm walking round in a haze,

I can't think straight, I can't concentrate,

And I need to shave.

I go to work and I look tired,

The boss man said son you gonna get fired,

This ain't your style, and behind my coffee cup,

I just smile."

So, what did you guys think? Please send me reviews! I will love you forever if you do! Or, at least for as much of forever as I can :P Thanks for reading!