Chapter 7

"So this a song of history?" Kaito asked, nibbling on the end of his plastic spoon. Meiko had just stopped by and delivered their daily dose of ice cream, but had had to leave due to an appointment with her other client, Luka.

"Yes," Gakupo replied. "It's based off of stories my grandfather used to tell me...Well, more like he yelled it at me because he couldn't hear himself speak."

Kaito chuckled at this, Gakupo smirked a little. Kaito noticed Gakupo's ice cream on the table. "Gonna eat that?"

"Yes," he replied defensively. "Don't touch it, you monster."

"Well," Kaito scoffed. He returned his gaze to his songbook, but then looked at Gakupo, who was staring intently at his phone. "Something wrong?"

"No," he replied, perhaps a little too quickly. Then he narrowed his eyes at Kaito. "Don't you read the news?"

"Was there another disaster somewhere?" Kaito raised his eyebrows.

"No, I mean celebrity news," Gakupo replied.

"Oh. No."

Gakupo sighed. "Well, there's been rumors going around about us."

"Of course there are," Kaito said. "We're singing duets together every day. It's not exactly a secret."

"No, I mean...rumors," Gakupo said. His ears felt a little hot, and he hoped he wasn't blushing. But even if he were, Kaito wouldn't have noticed since he was studying Gakupo's lyrics. "Rumors about...us. Together."

"We are together."

"No, I mean together together."

"What does that mean?"

"You-!" Gakupo groaned. "Are you really that dense?"

Kaito blinked at Gakupo. "I mean the rumor is that we're secretly dating!"

"Oh," Kaito uttered, looking a bit confused. Then he suddenly understood. "Oh," he said in dismay.

"You see," Gakupo asked dryly.

"Hm," Kaito sighed. "Well, I suppose I can understand why they'd assume so. With me being openly gay and you never being seen with either gender on your arm, it's a plausible-"

"You're gay?"

"Yes?" Kaito raised his eyebrows.

Gakupo furrowed his brow. "Huh."

"Why? Does it bother you?" Kaito asked in a leering voice, though inwardly he knew he would feel like crap if Gakupo answered yes.

"No," Gakupo replied lightly. "Other people's sexual preferences have nothing to do with me."

Kaito nodded, but then narrowed his eyes at him. "Are you...Gakupo, are you asexual?"

"Huh?" Gakupo scrunched his face up. "No, I'm not."

"Oh. You're straight?"

"No."

"Gay?"

"No."

"Bi?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Ohh."

"Are we-Can we get to work now?" Gakupo asked, feeling violated.

"Aren't you going to eat your ice cream? It's melting," Kaito pointed to it with his spoon.

Gakupo glanced at the chocolate pint and sighed. "You can have it."

"Awesome." Kaito snatched it up before Gakupo could change his mind and set to eating it. Gakupo wondered how the boy never got brain freeze.

"Anyway, while you eat, I'll-"

"Finished," Kaito said, tossing the empty container into the trash can.

Gakupo stared at him for a long moment. "Okay, then I'll just...It's a slow song," he said. "But about halfway through it picks up quickly."

"All right."

"Do you think you could follow along with the beat, and I'll cue you when the tempo picks up?"

"Sure."

"Okay, one, two, three."

They sang together, "After a bold and audacious Westernization revolution, / this is now an open and upright anti-war nation. / As I pedal forward my bicycle marked with the Japanese flag, / evil spirits will disperse from my intercontinental ballistic missiles.

"Looping the belt line, I don't care if I'm constantly on the move. / Boys and girls must be unrivaled during the warring era, in the floating world."

Gakupo made a motion that indicated the beat went faster. "Thousands of cherry trees dissolve into the night. Not even your voice will reach. / This is a banquet inside a steel jail cell. Look down on us from your guillotine.

"The whole world is shrouded in hellish darkness. Not even a lamenting song is audible. / With your raygun, shoot out the azure sky and the far distance."

Gakupo stopped. "Nice harmony," he said. "And very good with the following. I think we're ready to record."

"Okay," Kaito said. He felt quite happy, both at the compliment, and the earlier statement that Gakupo was bisexual. Kaito wasn't entirely sure why that made him happy. It wasn't like he liked Gakupo. That they were dating was just a fangirl's rumor. Or Meiko's rumor, it sounded like something she'd start, the jerk.

In any case, the meetings he first dreaded were now something he looked forward to. He liked seeing and working with Gakupo every day. He was actually a cool guy, not cold-hearted and derisive like the image he put forward. He was just an act. Kaito only hoped that Gakupo didn't dislike him. He allowed a wistful expression to play across his face as he was setting up the console. As long as Gakupo couldn't see, Kaito could admire him.

A/N: song is A Thousand Cherry Trees (sometimes translated as Thousands of Cherry Trees).

Thanks for reading! ^-^