Chapter Notes - 19! Okay, so I got more than I asked for out of the last chapter by way of reviews. Hopefully you'll get more than you hoped for out of the second half of it....
Answering questions from the last chapter - Yes, it's "Tatsuha", but in the first fan-tran I read of this a long while ago the name was "Tatsua" and well... I just liked the way that sounded better I guess! If people get distracted by it, I'll definitely change it... Just let me know, because search and replace is pretty easy :) You'll see it used a lot in this chapter.... Yes, English is my first language (I've never been asked that before!) with British and Canadian influence. No, I don't write essays and this is intended to be a bit more formal in style without much dramatic "what if" mysteries going on. It's just not that kinda story. It's more about Eiri and Shuichi interacting and growing in a more 'realistic' world. Shadow Bar, in this universe, is one of the hottest Tokyo night spots, frequented by celebrities of all sorts. It's Ryuichi's favorite place to hang out and shoot some pool even though he hasn't been able to get out much lately!
Hopefully you'll enjoy this next half of chapter 18, published extra-fast as promised :)
In the late afternoon, Shuichi headed out from the studio to greet his relatives as they pulled up to the carport. He was a little disappointed that the braiding in his hair had started to come out and Manager K had insisted that he remove the rest of it before going out in public again. Apparently he was still a little annoyed by the goofy photo-op Shuichi had provided for everyone when getting his ear pierced. Shuichi didn't dare contradict him, seeing the homicidal look on his face...
At the apartment building he tried to keep out of the sight of the few members of the press who were gathered outside the gates as usual. He would have rather been pacing out on the sidewalk, watching for their car but… things being what they were, he just wanted to keep it all as peaceful as possible for their arrival so he kept a low profile. Soon enough they were coming through the security gate to the parking lot. He smiled at them--Kentaro waving at him and smiling right back-- and pointed to the empty spot beside Eiri's BMW so that Alan could park.
"Be careful! If you touch Eiri's car he can sense it, miles and miles away!" He warned.
"Don't worry, kiddo. I've got the whole parking thing down pretty good. Lots of practice." Alan winked at him and they carried on to park safely.
Shortly Shuichi was getting big hugs from his travel-weary relatives, giving them the parking pass then helping them take their luggage up to the apartment.
"This is beautiful!" Kentaro gasped as he traded his shoes for house shoes to wander inside, "I've never seen a Tokyo apartment this big!"
"Yeah. I don't think about it much but it really is pretty amazing. Eiri likes his modern, trendy spaces."
Alan just wandered in, in his sock feet. The guest shoes weren't big enough for him, "This is a load bigger than where we lived in Okinawa. Remember that?" He smiled at Kentaro.
"Very well! I am so happy we have been fortunate enough to live in such an open space as we do. I can't imagine going back to that tiny place. I'm not sure how we managed!"
"The guest room isn't so great. Sorry! It's my office and I tried hard to clean it up but…" He showed Kentaro.
"It's not bad at all. How cute! There's your futon, all ready for us. Thank you!"
"You're welcome. Let me show you around."
He gave them the grand tour, apologized for still not being able to get the hair dye completely off the surfaces in the guest bath, then explained that Eiri was out at a meeting at his publishing house.
"… He wants to cook for you but I'm not sure how long he's going to be gone. Do you want to get something for a snack? There's a really great café nearby."
"That'd be fantastic. I'm starved." Alan said.
"Believe me, he is. It is all he's been talking about for the past hour!" Kentaro laughed.
"Well, Uncle Alan is a big guy. He has to eat a bunch, right?"
"Right." Alan agreed, "Feed me."
"Okay! I'll text Eiri to tell him to meet us there if he can."
Shuichi gave them a spare key and security pass for the building then took them out to have a look at the neighborhood and sit down for something quick to eat. Alan had plenty on his plate and Shuichi worried he wouldn't be hungry for dinner.
"Oh, I've never known Alan to refuse food." Kentaro patted his hand reassuringly.
"Today won't be the first day. I guarantee it." Alan winked at him, "Hey, how has Eiri been doing?"
"Really good, actually. He's just busy."
"I would never ask him to not be busy, since that means that I'll be able to read another one of his amazing novels soon!" Kentaro clapped his hands happily, "But… he does need to have some relaxation too. That's important."
"Well, we did have a lot of that when we stayed with you, which was really nice. We can't always have vacation time." He shrugged.
"There's a time and place for everything… He seems pretty good in email, so I just wanted to ask what your impressions were since you live with the guy." Alan took another bite of his sandwich.
"I have to try way harder to irritate him." Shuichi grinned and Alan laughed at him.
"That's good, I guess."
He filled them in about everything that had been going on including the ring shopping trip and how Eiri had agreed to perform the wedding ceremony for Hiro and Ayaka. After a while of their energetic chatter, Alan excused himself from the table. Unfortunately, Alan had only just gone off to the restroom when Tatsua turned up and stared at Shuichi and Kentaro from a distance, pointing back and forth between them.
"Umm… Do you know him? He looks like a young Eiri with black hair…" Kentaro asked his nephew, pointing.
Shuichi looked over and groaned at the sight of him, "It's his younger brother Tatsua. It's best to ignore him." He explained, "Maybe he'll go away."
Instead, Tatsua came over and pulled up a chair, sitting down and eyeing them both, "You look like an old Shuichi!"
"Naaa, it is not nice to talk of a man's age, little boy." Kentaro frowned, "Not even a proper greeting from you!"
"Who are you?" His mind definitely wasn't on any kind of formality.
"He's my uncle, Tatsua." Shuichi said sharply, "Be polite!"
"Wow… Uncle. You look so much alike! Shuichi, I bet you'll look just like him when you're old!"
"He really is unstoppable." Kentaro clicked his tongue.
"Bro is so lucky. You'll be young forever!" He planted his elbows on the table and his chin on his hands, just gazing at Kentaro.
"How unnerving…" Kentaro leaned back from the strange young man.
"He likes older men." Shu sighed, "I'm sorry… Usually he's just running around town trying to meet Ryuichi Sakuma."
"Oh, he is a handsome man. I've always liked his music." Kentaro nodded.
Alan returned to observe the strange arrangement from across the room. He smirked and wandered over, behind what had to be Eiri's relative who was just staring at his husband... Alan leaned down and clapped a hand on his shoulder then spoke into the shocked boy's ear.
"Hey, kid… You're kinda young to be staring so intensely at my husband."
Shuichi laughed at Tatsua's expression of surprise, "Eerr, husband?"
"Yeah. My husband. Get your eyes off him or we're going to have problems."
"Sorry!" He looked away from Kentaro then gulped as he looked up at the tall former military man that was confronting him, "He… He's just really cute for an older guy."
"Yeah, I know… How old are you, kid?"
"17… Why?"
"Man, you're getting an early start, aren't you?" He chuckled and sat down beside Kentaro who happily placed his hand on Alan's leg.
"I just have my particular preferences." He said indignantly, "So?"
"I can see that. Jeezis… 17, K-chan. This is a new record for you."
"I can't help it that I'm still so young and handsome looking." He smiled proudly.
"Beautiful smile…" Tatsua went right back to drooling over him.
"Hey, back off, perverted kid. You're jail bait." Alan warned.
"Jail bait? I wouldn't tell anyone!"
"Tatsua! Quit it!" Shu snapped at him.
"And I wouldn't tell Eiri if you wanted to-"
"Shut up! You are so weird! You're supposed to be a monk!!" He yelped.
"Yeah yeah..." Tatsua's eyes rolled upward then returned immediately to checking out the two of them, side by side.
"A monk? No kidding…" Alan laughed, "Trying to get it all out now huh? Or don't you have to be celibate?"
"Celibacy is not required. I am happy about that… You're really married?"
"Yeah. Very." Alan tapped his wedding ring on the table that separated them, "We've been together before you were even an idea… so be polite to my husband and keep your hands and eyes to yourself."
"Aaahh, why did you have to have a giant gaijin with you??" He lamented, "I have no luck."
"You are a very naughty boy…" Kentaro said to him.
"You could spank me." Tatsua recovered quickly with a grin.
"Eeeh… How frightening." Kentaro wrinkled his nose.
"I can't believe we're going to be related to this…" Alan shook his head.
"Related?" Tatsua perked up.
"Because of Eiri and I. They consider you family since you're Eiri's brother. Scary family."
"I'm not so scary. I just want to love." He gave them that warm and welcoming smile that only he could make. That look which made people think he was as one with the cosmos, but Shuichi knew he was really just thinking something disgusting.
"What is the rest of his family like?" Kentaro wondered.
"Pretty regular, sort of?… I mean you know his father's a priest. His sister is married to Touma Seguchi from NRG. She's a little over the top herself… but nothing like Tatsua. He is unique."
"One day I will have my desires fulfilled." Tatsua waved a finger at them, pointing it finally at Kentaro. "Do you have any brothers?"
"Yes. They look nothing like me."
"Aa, no luck again… Divorce the foreigner! I will be there to comfort you in your time of sorrow."
"Get lost, Tatsua!" Shu yelped again.
"You are not very nice to your relatives." Tatsua accused.
Then Eiri arrived at last, scowling at seeing Tatsua with them, "What… are you doing here? And how are you embarrassing me now?"
"I'm meeting our new relatives. That's all. Forging new bonds!"
"You're hitting on Shuichi's uncle, aren't you?"
"No, not really…"
"Just enough to make Alan-san want to put you in a full-body cast!" Shu added.
"I really do not know what is wrong with you, Tatsua. Get out of here."
"But-"
"Just get out. Go go go!"
"I don't have anywhere to stay tonight…" He pouted.
"That's your own fault, isn't it? No one invited you to come to Tokyo."
"You're the one who called me up, talking about helping you do a wedding for Ayaka!"
"At no time during that call did I ask you to come to Tokyo any time soon… That idea got in your head on its own, apparently."
"Bro! Come on! Don't put me out in the cold!"
"Mmh… We already have guests."
"Oh…" He looked across the table, "I wouldn't mind sharing a bed!"
"I would." Alan waved a fist at him.
"Fine… Sofa." He sighed, "Please??"
"I'm taking you to a hotel. You're not staying with us. That's way too dangerous. It's bad enough when it's only Shuichi in the house. Personally, I don't want to have to explain to our honorable parents why you're in the hospital. So, no, you're not staying. No argument."
"Thank you, Eiri." Shuichi sighed with relief.
"Welcome. Get up, Tatsua."
"Waaa…" He complained and Eiri took him by the back of his jacket, pulling him out of his seat.
"Move." He gave him a shove.
"Someone save me from my cruel brother…" Tatsua whined.
"Not a chance." Alan said, "Good luck, Eiri."
"I need luck. I'll meet you back at home after I take care of this… Go!" Eiri pushed his brother out of the café, Tatsua getting at least a chance to look back and ogle Kentaro once more.
"I do not know whether to be more flattered or frightened." Kentaro laughed, squeezing Alan's hand when it came to his.
"Don't worry. I'll protect you from teenaged adult-molesters."
"I am so sorry. I had no idea he'd be here. He just likes to show up every now and again to try to stay over. Eiri locks him in the spare room!"
"I've never met a hornier kid." Alan was surprised.
"I'm surprised no one has taken him up on his desires yet. He is not ugly." Kentaro shrugged.
In a little while they were all back at the apartment where Eiri was going to attempt to repay hospitality with the same, cooking dinner for their relatives. Soon they were all full and sitting around in the living room drinking wine, talking and having a laugh. The intercom buzzed and Shuichi popped up from his seat on the floor to answer it. It was the front desk asking for permission to allow a visitor onto their floor.
"Who?"
"She says she is your mother, Shindou-sama."
"My mom?? Yes, please let her up!"
"Yes, sir."
He stood there in shock, "My mom… is here?"
"If it is any comfort, she will probably be as shocked to see us here as you are looking right now." Kentaro offered.
"Probably… Wow… Umm… What should I do?"
"Relax… Just be yourself." Eiri advised.
"I am! And being just myself, I am freaked out!"
He whined and then raced out into the hall, down to the elevators to meet her. She came off the elevator and tried a smile but then it faded and she just looked worried.
"Hi… I'm… really surprised to see you here." He blinked.
"Well… I couldn't believe your father when he said you lived in an immaculately kept apartment. It seemed so unlike you that I wanted to see it for myself."
"Most of it's clean as a whistle… Just not my work space." He laughed nervously, "You can definitely see for yourself. We just finished dinner. Come in!"
"Oh… I'm intruding… Maybe I should come back another day."
"No! Please come in now. I really want you to see that everything is okay! I'm really so glad you're here."
"Are you sure?"
"Totally. There's leftovers. Eiri made this amazing curry stuff. You have to try it."
"He… cooks…"
"Yeah. Really well."
"So he is here now?"
"Yeah." He laughed, "Please don't be nervous. Eiri is not angry. And there are other people who would like to see you too."
"Other people?"
"Come on… Really!" He half begged.
"A… All right." She went down the hall with him, "I can hardly believe all of this security!"
"Comes with our being in the news all the time. They have to keep the reporters off our floor. It was really annoying for a while there."
"How strange for you… To be chased by the news."
"It is! But it's worth it, really."
He let his mother inside and there she blanched noticeably, Kentaro rising up from the sofa along with Eiri to greet her. Alan remained seated.
"Kentaro…" She gasped.
"Yasuko… It has been a long while." He smiled cheerfully, "You are looking well."
"Thank… you… What are you doing here? Moving in?" She noticed the suitcases.
"Oh no… We are here for a few days before flying to the USA for a vacation and to visit with Alan's relatives. Shu and Eiri were kind enough to let us stay with them."
"I see…"
"I hardly think these young newlyweds would want to have old people such as us moving in with them!" He laughed.
"Newlyweds??" She went even whiter, looking at Shuichi with wide eyes, "You said that you were not married!"
"Uncle Kentaro meant it in humor!" He held up his hands, trying to slow her meltdown, then escorted her to the sofa to sit for she was growing wobbly just standing there in shock, "Are you okay?"
"I think I will be." She put a hand to her forehead.
"I will bring you some water, Mrs. Shindou." Eiri offered.
"Thank you." She glanced over at Alan, "Hello…"
"Hello, Yasuko." He smiled slightly.
"You are still together after so long…"
"Yeah… It's been a great 18 years. A shame you missed the majority of it."
"Alan…" Kentaro clicked his tongue disapprovingly at his tone, sitting down beside him again, "I am so glad you come to visit your son. I was worried you might decide to forget about Shu."
"I would never…" She blushed, turning away from him.
"You can understand why I was concerned, of course."
She nodded, "I'm sorry… I'm sorry I kept you from your brother."
"Perhaps that can change now?"
She nodded again, "I don't know if you'll ever forgive me…"
"I do. I understand why you felt the way you have. Still, the rest of the family is being the same as usual. At least I have been able to keep in touch with my brother over the years… I would not have forgiven you if you cut your own son off… but you have not." He just continued to smile as she looked back in his direction.
"How can you smile like that after all of this?"
"I am just happy. Things have worked out well in my life in many ways… and now my little nephew is becoming a famous musician. I am so proud. It's very exciting, no?"
Eiri returned with a glass of water for Shuichi's mother and she accepted it, thanking him. Shuichi was just doing his best to keep his mouth shut as his elders sorted out their years of history.
"If you really can forgive me, you are welcome in our home."
"Yasuko… One of Kentaro's greatest abilities is that of forgiveness. He has always forgiven his family even when I felt that he should not." Alan said, "He has been saddened by the family keeping him away, forgetting him… but he has never closed his heart to any of you."
"And what about you? Will you ever forgive me?" She asked.
"If you treat the man I love as a human being, with respect and kindness… I will forgive you."
"I will do my best. I just don't understand…"
"You probably never will… That's not the issue. We're just two people, Yasuko. Just like you and your husband. Just like Shuichi and Eiri. Just people going through our lives."
Another nod, "I didn't know that you were all spending time together…"
"When we came over to have dinner, dad gave me Uncle Kentaro's email address. We just spent a week up at their inn. It was awesome." Shuichi tried to infuse the conversation with something cheerful.
"And you are welcome to visit us there too, Yasuko. It is especially beautiful in the fall."
"I will ask my husband…"
"Good, good."
"Where are you traveling to in the USA?"
"Florida. To see Alan's family for a week and then go on to our vacation. This time we are going hiking in the Grand Canyon and Utah."
"How nice."
"It sounds like work." Shuichi made a face.
"Hiking is fun, Shuichi! I didn't want to go at first but Alan made me. Once I tried it, I never wanted to stop. The desert is amazing. Don't be lazy, nephew. Go hiking!"
"Are you kidding? He'd complain the entire way." Eiri laughed.
"And you wouldn't? When's the last time you seriously went hiking, city-boy?" Alan smirked.
"Yeah!" Shuichi grinned.
"Well… Never…" He admitted.
"It's too bad you cannot come along with us. Perhaps the next time we go." Kentaro sighed.
"I'll be right back." Shuichi popped up again and hurried into the kitchen to bring back a plate for his mother, "You have to try this."
"It's bright yellow…"
"It tastes so good though." He really hoped she would like it and from her expression she seemed to, "Well?"
"Very good… Different… You made this?" She looked at Eiri.
"Yes."
"I'm impressed."
"My cooking does not compare to Kentaro-san's."
"Thank you, Eiri. So kind." Kentaro clapped for himself.
"Just the truth." He shrugged, "Gives me hope that Shuichi's inability in the kitchen is not genetic."
"I'm sure he would be fine in the kitchen if he were more focused… I tried to teach him a little… but every time he got a knife he would get distracted and cut himself." Yasuko explained.
"ADD." Eiri smirked and Shuichi scowled.
"Just you wait! I'm going to learn to cook so well you'll beg for my cooking!"
"Instead of for you not to cook? That'll be the day… Scorcher. They moved the fire department closer because of you."
"Please be nice to him!" Yasuko looked on the verge of tears.
"I…" Eiri was surprised by her sudden reaction.
"Mom… It's okay… We're just horsing around. It's not serious." Shuichi turned to her, "We just like to play around. You know. It's all in good humor… and I do burn everything I touch so it's just kinda funny, don't you think? At least I stopped cutting myself all the time."
"He doesn't need to be so hard on you." She sighed in frustration.
"Mom… He's not. I'm sorry you feel that way. We can try and tone it down around you if that will help."
"I just can't stand for you to be poorly treated… I guess I'm a little over sensitive right now."
" Shindou-san, I love Shuichi… I am just used to our way of interacting. I will keep things calmer." Eiri added very calmly to their discussion.
"Thank you. I would appreciate it." She looked at Shuichi and again her eyes went wide, "My God… You have your ear pierced!"
"Yeah, isn't it neat? Still hurts a bunch right now though. Heh heh…"
"Why did you decide to get your ear pierced??"
"Well… Ummm…" He blushed.
Now she looked at Eiri who turned his head away too late, "I see… You want to look more like him…"
"No no, that's not it really!" He slumped, "It's a long story…"
"Why don't you show your mother the new song you're working on…" Eiri suggested.
"That's a great idea! Come on mom! Let me show you!"
He was relieved for the suggestion to get her away from the group for a while. Inside his workroom he sat her down with him on the futon and she picked at the plate of curry, just looking upset.
"Mom…" He started with a sigh, "I don't want you to think that everything that is happening to me right now is some evil influence that Eiri's laying on me. I think you feel that way, and it's not right. I just want to say this to get it out, so please keep eating and listening, okay?"
"All right…"
"It's not like he happened along one day and dragged me off against my will. We met by accident… and I couldn't forget him. It was totally weird to me, too... But I pretty much just started hanging around and driving him nuts. I guess I grew on him after a while." He smiled hopefully, "I'll probably never be able to adequately explain it to you… I mean the why of it all… but I love him. I'm happiest when I'm with him. I know you don't like to see our messing around and arguing… It's really something that we just do. I'm not hurt by it. I give as good as I get too so it's not like I let him walk all over me."
"You're sure…"
"Yes. Positive."
"But you were so sad for a while…"
"I know. We've been through a lot together in a short time. It's all very private stuff, just like in anyone else's relationship, so I can't really tell you… Just trust me. The hardest part is over now. It's all going amazingly well… I don't want to have to lie about my life to make you more comfortable. I just want you to be happy for me."
"At least you haven't changed the rest of your ways too much." She looked around the room.
"Yeah, I'm still a mess." He smiled proudly, "And this is clean! I cleaned up so Uncle Kentaro and Uncle Alan could use this as their room!"
"The rest of the place is immaculate though. Just like your father said."
"Yup… One more thing… We're not married… We can't legally be married anyway… but I think that you're going to start hearing that we consider ourselves married around about this fall so… I wanted to warn you ahead of time."
"So you'll be wearing rings like Kentaro and Alan do."
"Uh huh… That's the plan."
"That's really what you want? To live with a man for the rest of your life?"
"Not just any man, mom… It's not like that. I want to be with Eiri for the rest of my life… There are two big things in my life that make up who I am… Music and Eiri. They're both equally important, and they both influence each other. He inspires me to create and to be better at what I do. He reassures me because I always worry about critics. He calms me even with just his presence so I can focus on working… The new song we put out on the internet was heavily inspired by him and by the load of music he brought back from New York to let me hear something different than J-pop… I guess what I'm saying is that I'm encouraged and supported in a way I didn't know was important to me. Everything is just fitting together so well."
"Just don't give him all the credit for your hard work. You're the one that makes the music."
"I know. It's also pretty cool that I get to be with someone who's already a successful artist. To see that it's really possible to make a career doing what I love to do. Obviously he's at higher level than I am… but I'll catch up! I know it."
"I know it too, Shu. I had my doubts before, but you really do have something special going on in your head for music. Even with your relationship being what it is, people are always praising you to me, asking me what you have planned next..."
"That's great! I'm glad."
"But still… I've read every novel that man has published and I cannot reconcile what he writes with who he actually is. It doesn't seem like all of that emotion can come from him. He just seems so… cold."
"He isn't, though. He's just... ummm… guarded, I guess. Some really really horrible stuff happened to him. All that emotion is there though. Every bit of it… I have an idea…" He got up and went over to his desk, rummaging through the mess to find his locked box of things from Eiri that he had stashed away, retrieving the song he had written. He unfolded the paper with a smile, going back to sit with his mother, "You have to swear you won't mention that I ever showed this to you. It's something he wrote for me and I never thought I would share any of it with anyone else… but I think it's important that you read it… I think just these first 10 lines will make a world of difference in how you see him." He folded it over so just those lines were there to read, "So do you swear?"
"Of course. I'll keep whatever you tell me private."
So she read it and he watched her expression change.
"Well?"
"You win." She gave it back to him, "If this is how he really feels… he has my approval."
"Yay! I turned into a total mess when I read it the first time." He smiled and carefully put his favorite treasure away again, "You know what's really neat, too? Seeing Uncle Kentaro and Uncle Alan interacting with Eiri. He really respects them and Alan-san just feels free to give him a hard time when he's acting like a big-shot. He keeps saying that Eiri needs to lighten up and not be an old man so early. That we've been expected to grow up too fast… So maybe now you can like Alan-san too!"
"I'm not so sure Barton-sensei will ever like me."
"I think he will. He's just very protective of Uncle Kentaro. They're both very honest and good people. It says a lot about them that Eiri is already comfortable with them. He really can't tolerate people being fake."
"Maybe that's why he likes you so much. You wear every emotion on your sleeve. You never try and hide anything."
"Probably. He trusts me because I'm transparent." He grinned, "I've never been so happy about that!" He laughed, "Can I let you hear the song I'm working on?"
"Of course. I heard on the news again about you releasing a second one for the internet soon. Is that what you're working on now?"
"Yeah. This one's going to be more upbeat. It's called Not Invisible." But before he could let her listen to anything, he heard the intercom buzz again, Eiri calling that he would answer it, "So many people are coming by today…" Then he heard Eiri get mad, "I better go see what's going on…"
His mother followed him out, Eiri telling the front desk security that they were not permitted to allow K Winchester into the building, K yelling back at him… and then something else… Amidst the noise and confusion, Shuichi's father had shown up too.
"I'll kidnap Shuichi's father if you don't let me in, you punk!" K bellowed.
"Kidnap my dad?? K, quit it!" Shuichi added his own yelling into the mix.
"Let me in, Shu-chan. I have a package to return to Eiri Uesugi! From my doorstep to yours, you rat-bastard!"
"Oh, brother…" His eyes rolled, "K, my mom is up here! Tone it down!"
"Ah! Excuse me, Shuichi's mother-san!" He said quite cheerfully.
Shortly, Shuichi's father was coming in followed by K who was dragging a very bedraggled looking Tatsua along with him.
"I believe this… belongs to you!" He shoved Tatsua at Eiri who caught his little brother before he fell over.
"Tatsua is not my responsibility." He helped his brother stand back up.
"A certain someone gave him the idea that Ryuichi Sakuma is staying at my residence. This little freak has been camped on my doorstep since this I got home from work. I wonder who would have put that idea into his pea-brain?" He sneered at Eiri.
"I have no clue." Eiri smirked.
"He wouldn't even let me see Ryuichi…" Tatsua frowned, stuffing his hands into his pants pockets, "You are unkind, giant gaijin! Why are there so many giant foreigners around lately?? Look! There's the first one! Hello Alan-san!" He removed a hand from his pocket again to wave.
"You again… Wonderful." Alan rolled his eyes.
"And cute Kentaro-chan…" He winked.
"This kid is a frickin' pervert!" K complained.
"We know." Kentaro scooted closer to Alan for safety.
"This… is the life you live?" Shuichi's mother hugged his arm.
"Not always… Tatsua just showed up today to make our lives more interesting. He's usually far away in Kyoto. I'm really sorry. It seems like you just picked a lousy day to come around."
"At least it is enlightening…"
"Hi, dad…" Shuichi waved, "Welcome to the mayhem."
"Indeed… Aah, Kentaro! Alan!… What a pleasant surprise in the midst of all this strangeness!"
While they staged a family reunion, Tatsua just gaped at Kentaro, and Eiri and Manager K glared at each other. Tatsua tried to get in line for a family hug but Kentaro jumped back from him.
"You're nuts!" He squeaked, going back to Alan for protection.
"Kid, keep your hands off my husband." Alan warned.
"I just wanted to be social with my fun new family." He grinned, "So mean, giant gaijin! Are you all raised the same?"
"Apparently so, if that involves us wanting to keep you away from our loved ones."
"Wait… Loved ones? You're… You're sleeping with Ryu?!" He turned on K suddenly, "How could you!! He's mine you big, ugly bastard!!"
"Ggh!" Manager K was shocked at his rant.
"Tatsua! Shut up!" Eiri collared him before he could try and take a whack at K, "You're out classed. He'd drop you in a second."
"So what? He's defiling my perfect Ryu! I have to protect his honor!"
"Now that's a funny thing for you to say…" Eiri sighed and continued to restrain his younger brother.
"So… How are your songs coming, Shuichi? Now that I have returned the gift that keeps on giving, I can bother you!" K grinned at him.
"They're coming along fine, actually. We're gonna start working on them in the studio a couple days from now. Fujisaki's already working on some arrangements for my first full draft of Not Invisible. We're going to be the top of the charts!"
"That's the spirit! Keep working, our best little lead singer/composer." He came and patted Shuichi's head, "So, this is your mom?"
"Yeah."
"Nice to meet you! I'm his manager, Claude K Winchester-san!" K bowed.
"You don't introduce yourself as a 'san'…" Shuichi reminded.
"Oh, yeah. Whoops. I forget sometimes."
His mother smiled as cordially as she could under the strange circumstances, "Nice to meet you, too… I've heard so much about you. You're even bigger than you look on TV."
"Thank you!" He took it as a compliment.
"And that's my dad… and my Uncle Kentaro and his husband Alan. I'm gonna bring them to visit the studio tomorrow."
"The whole family. How wonderful. Your son is very talented! You should be proud."
"We are." Mr. Shindou smiled.
"And you… You should get your publicity managers on the ball." He pointed at Eiri with a triumphant smile.
"What are you talking about?"
"Apparently you've been seen so often in the media with NRG's top singer/songwriter that people outside of Japan think you're part of the band. Isn't that a laugh?"
"Sure sure."
"They've been calling me to get to you."
"That's definitely a mistake." Eiri scowled.
"No kidding… but I'll tell you anyway because I'm such a great guy… Some casting folks called from New York. They want you to guest star in a long-running TV crime drama."
"What? I'm not an actor, I'm a writer."
"Yeah, well… they want you anyway, apparently. You've got the look they want for the part."
"That's so cool!" Shuichi squeaked, "What part do they want him to play??"
"A yakuza… Can you imagine? And they want you to be his sidekick, Shu-chan!"
"No lie??"
"No lie. You'll be on a national TV show in the USA." K nodded his head of blond hair.
"He's a musician, not an actor." Eiri added.
"True… but I got them to agree that they would use at least one of Bad Luck's songs in the show."
"I'm going to faint…" Shuichi started to pinch himself to see if this wasn't all some crazy dream he was having.
"Isn't it your job to promote Bad Luck as a band not a TV engagement?"
"Sure, but it's an opportunity to get his face out there in the USA along with at least one of their songs. You could think of it as an opportunity for you, too, Mr. Releasing-a-novel-in-English-soon."
"I see your point… but I still find it irritating the way you go about promoting the band."
"What's to complain about? It's pure publicity of the best kind…Free and nation-wide! Plus, you'll actually get a free trip to New York and a hell of a paycheck out of the deal."
"The money doesn't concern me. I have more than I need already."
"You might, but short stuff don't." K winked and turned his pointing finger at Shu.
"That's cool… but… we were going to go there for vacation… Not for work." Now that he had thought about it for a moment, it didn't seem so exciting. He wanted his next trip to New York to be just for them, "I mean… the money would be nice. We could get some new equipment… and get a song on TV…"
"Have a heart, Eiri. This could be a huge break for neon-boy and the gang." K told him.
"We'll discuss it later. Now get out and take my brother with you."
"Not a chance on that one… Bye!" With that, he made good his escape.
"Aww, c'mon! Let me stay and get to know my new relatives." Tatsua begged.
"No… You leave too. I got you a hotel room for a reason. Use it or go home to Kyoto. Doesn't matter to me."
"Fine…" Tatsua shook loose and departed as well after one more good, long look at Kentaro, "Oh, baby…"
"So… Eiri as a yakuza and Shu as his partner in crime… What an exciting day!" Kentaro clapped for them.
"Too exciting." Eiri threw back the last of his glass of wine, "Shu, before you get upset, I know what you're thinking already… but he might have a point for a change… Think about it and we'll talk it over later."
"Okay… You'd actually act for me?"
"It wouldn't kill me." He shrugged, "It's not what I want to do with my life… Happy family, you'll have to excuse me for a while. I haven't slept for a couple days while trying to meet a deadline. I still have a way to go before I sleep tonight… and now I have even more to think about thanks to Winchester-san. Please enjoy the coffee. It should be done about now. I know I'm going to need a cup." He managed a weary smile.
"Better not have another glass of wine, Uesugi-sensei. You'll be asleep on your desk." Kentaro offered him a cheerful smile.
"I know my limit… but I'll probably be sleeping there anyway." He sighed.
"I hope our being here hasn't gotten in your way." Alan added.
"Not at all. I'm glad you've come. I just never seem to be able to make a deadline without effort. I'm not sure why." He went over to Shuichi, patting his head, "Think you can take over the coffee and entertainment duties?"
"I think I can handle it. Don't worry." He smiled up at Eiri, worrying because his eyes looked tired and he really had been up for more than the past two nights trying to catch up after their vacation.
"Come check on me before you go to bed. Make sure I'm not passed out."
"Yes, sir."
"We'll talk about TV." He bent and surprised Shuichi by kissing him even though his parents were right there and watching, "Excuse me for now."
"Good luck, Uesugi-san." Shuichi's father offered.
"I need it!" He wandered off to bring his wineglass to the kitchen in exchange for a cup of coffee.
"You two do have a rather non-stop life, don't you?" His mother asked.
"Yeah. Just when it gets peaceful everything comes crashing in. It keeps us from getting bored I guess… Anyone want coffee??"
So he entertained, glad to be host to his family's rare opportunity to spend time together. It ended with an amazing thing… An offer of dinner at the Shindou household for all of them. Kentaro jumped at the chance.
"I don't know if Uesugi-san will have time, but you're both welcome of course." His mother patted his arm.
"I'll ask him, but don't count on it. He has another meeting tomorrow afternoon. I guess that will be the deciding factor. I'll show up though. It could give him a break."
So he saw his parents off and played cards with his uncles until they got tired and went off to the spare room to get some sleep. Their first futon guests. He asked them to give a review of it in the morning.
"Go check on your, Eiri. Good night!"
Kentaro kissed and hugged him good night before he wandered off to find Eiri there in his office. He was sitting in his chair, leaning forward, elbows on the desk and fingers in his hair, supporting his head. His glasses were slipping off his face and he was nearly asleep from the looks of things. Shuichi let him hear his approach instead of tip-toeing over, trying not to startle him too much, took him by the shoulders carefully…
"Mmh…" He said and leaned back on Shuichi.
"Well, you're not all the way asleep yet… Come on… Get up. I can't lift you."
He got up and accepted an escort to the nearby sofa where Shuichi got him comfortable with his feet up and a pillow, pulling the throw blanket over him. He sat on the edge of the sofa looking upon a drowsing Eiri, reaching down to carefully take off his glasses, putting them on the side table. Eiri mumbled something, then took Shuichi's hand and lay it on his chest, laying his hands on top.
"Eiri… Get some sleep."
"I still have more to do… Not much…" He yawned.
"I'll wake you up in an hour. Okay?"
"Promise you won't fall asleep. I have to get back to it."
"I promise. You can count on me."
"Thanks." He relaxed and settled in, asleep as soon as Shuichi finished kissing him.
"Sleep well." He smiled and stroked his hair away from his face before setting his watch for an hour and going off to clean up their dinnertime mess.
When the hour passed he had showered and changed into bed clothes, wandering back down the hall quietly to check on Eiri who was still sound asleep. Shuichi hated to wake him. He was just beautiful when he was asleep… but he had issued a command to be woken and so he did his best to not shock the hell out of him in the process… Sitting slowly down on the edge of the sofa, moving slightly against him so he could get used to the feeling of a presence beside him… Finally Eiri took a deep breath and his hand slid over Shuichi's thigh, causing a thrill in his body that was not going to be satisfied that night for sure given his lover's worn out condition.
"Erk… Hey… Umm… Are you close to awake yet?" He whispered.
"Mmh…"
"Almost… Hey… Eiri-kun… Wake up…" His fingers went into Eiri's soft blond hair again, rubbing his scalp, "Brain massage…"
"What time is it?" He started to stretch.
"Hour later. Don't get worried. Did you get some sleep?"
"Yeah… Good stuff. Rare."
"Hopefully you'll be able to get some more soon." He gulped as Eiri's hand found its way to home plate, "Yai… Hey, quit it. You're in no condition."
"Says you." A tired smile came to his face.
"You're such a perv even when you're asleep. You're definitely Tatsua's brother."
"I'm the more refined of the two, thank you."
"Hey… Cut it out." He tried to move his hand away.
"What? Your parents are still here?"
"No… but my Uncles are!" He hissed.
"So what? They're in bed right? Besides, I think they've seen two guys getting it on a few times in their life. Come here."
"What about your deadline?"
"It'll still be there… and I'll be more focused in a few minutes. We also have some talking to do, don't we?"
"Yeah we do… Errggghh…" He gave in, sprawled out on the sofa with Eiri all over him and smiling all the while.
"It's your fault, you know…" He whispered in Shuichi's ear.
"Fault? Huh?"
"You come in here in your cropped Tshirt showing off your stomach… Just drives me wild." He chewed on Shuichi's jaw and then throat.
"I… didn't know that." He panted.
"Now you do."
"I'll keep it in mind… Aaahh…"
"You're the best distraction… I could ask for… Mmmhh…" He buried Shuichi in his next kiss, pulling his knee up, feeling him tensing instinctively, "Relax… Just relax…"
"Sorry…" He sighed as Eiri's warm body slid against his more firmly.
"It'll take a while still, I know… I love you… I'll never hurt you again… Shuichi…"
"Eiri… I love you so much…"
And he relaxed, feeling them becoming one in a blur of kisses, Eiri being slow with him yet again, patient… so loving, so affectionate… Shuichi responded accordingly by making a complete mess, trying to remember to keep it down because his relatives were snoozing right down the hall and Eiri hadn't even given him the time to get up and shut the door to the study… Then he fell asleep hard. He woke in another hour to find Eiri had moved his work over to the sofa to sit beside him while he was asleep. He smiled again at the closeness that was there still.
"You awake?" Eiri felt the movement of feet against his legs.
"Yeah… A bit."
"There's some coffee for you on the table. Decaff."
"Thanks." He sat up, wrapping up in the blanket to get it, enjoying the fragrance and the smooth taste, "Ahhhh…"
"Good stuff." He slurped at his own cup wearily.
"You still look tired…"
"I am… but I'm more relaxed." He gave Shuichi a meaningful look, "Thanks."
"Sure… It was a real drag but… I make the sacrifice and do it for you." He shrugged.
"Chh…" He chuckled, "Sorry I cut into your TV time. Thanks for the pity-sex."
"Aa, don't mention it." He waved a hand, "So, how's it coming?"
"Almost done."
"I guess I'm inspirational too!"
"I'll throw in a special liner note just to thank you… Jerk."
"Yeah, I'd like to see how that would read…" He made a face, tongue hanging out.
"For chapter 6, many thanks to Shuichi Shindou for the pity-sex that got my brain back on track. You're one hot little piece of-"
"Hey! Keep it clean. Your readers will be jealous and all start to want me!"
"Right… Shaddap." He said, chewing on one of the flavored dental sticks that Kentaro had introduced him to, instead of having a cigarette.
Shuichi sat drinking coffee, humming happily as Eiri finished working and made sure to start burning a CD before he turned his attention toward him again.
"Hey, stop being so geeky, you."
"Sorry sorry." He quit humming.
Eiri lounged back and looked at him for a while.
"Whaaat?" Shuichi made another face.
"I'm surprised you're not all freaked out right now."
"Oh? Oh, yeah… The TV thing… Heh…" He smiled, "I'm overwhelmed with freak out, actually! I have no idea what to do! What are we going to do?" He started to shake slightly, thinking about it all again. The sex had distracted him, too.
"There's the little spaz I'm so used to. I figured you were around somewhere." Eiri smirked.
"It's been eating at me all night… Do you think K's just screwing with us?"
"He might be, in order to thank me for pointing little bro at him."
"You really did that, huh?"
"You bet I did. I just repeated what Fujisaki said about not being able to get any sleep over there. Tatsua just made the best of the information. Too bad Ryuichi wasn't around. That would have been by far the best revenge."
"I think K woulda beat the crap out of your little bro while Sakuma-san was trying desperately to shake loose from him. Bleh..."
"I woulda paid big bucks for a picture of that… but I don't actually think K's just messing around with us."
"No?? No way!"
"Hey, keep it down. You're going to wake your uncles."
"Oops…" He got up, dragging the throw blanket with him to shut the door then returned, plunking down partly in Eiri's lap where his legs were splayed, leaning sideways onto him, "What are we gonna do?" He whined and Eiri rumpled his hair.
"Look… It's not like we have to make any decisions right away. So don't get all mental."
"But but but… There's so much to think about… I mean… TV! In the USA! Wow! I wonder what series it is… and why did they decide on us?"
"Casting directors do their best to fill the parts well… Obviously we both have something they want for the parts. Me, the sophisticated yakuza and you the insane little sidekick."
"Pffhht… Sophisticated. They just want you because you're smug and pretty."
"That too. Damn I'm hot."
"You're in a mood. What's the matter with you?" He sat up, eyeing Eiri.
"I got done before dawn. I'm experiencing something new—beating a deadline. I can relax for a change." He smiled a bit.
"Cool!…But seriously… Why us?"
"Because we're all over the news, genius. They're looking for trendy Japanese. There's not a day that goes by that our picture's not printed somewhere. That counts as trendy."
"Oh… Yeah." He sighed and settled back against Eiri.
"So soon he forgets."
"I have a billion questions… What if Hiro and Suguru get pissed that they're focusing on us?? What if I suck as an actor? What if they make Taki Aizawa be your sidekick instead?? I'll throw up!" He cringed, "What if they make you kiss a chick on screen?? I'll frickin' kill her!"
"Hold on there!" He laughed at how worked up Shuichi was getting.
"What if NRG won't let me do it anyway?? And what about your publishing house?? And your deadlines?? And mine?? And and… New York was supposed to be special just for us to go on vacation! Our honeymoon, Eiri!"
Eiri clamped a hand over his whining mouth, "You've just gone over the edge and into the void, haven't you?"
"Mmmhph!" Eiri let go, Shuichi taking in a deep breath, "What about all that??"
"NRG will agree to it. K sees this as a perfect opportunity to market you overseas. They won't disagree. It would be a great platform… unless you do suck on screen. But I doubt it. Your freakish charisma will come through and you'll be fine. It has always saved you before."
"Are you going to let them make you kiss a girl in front of me?" He pouted.
"I'm not doing anything until I read the script… and if it says I have to kiss a girl…"
"You won't be too upset about it… Jerk." He griped.
"I wouldn't be. But since I know you'd lose your mind and probably track her down and assault her for touching me, I would turn the part down. It's just not worth a full-fledged Shuichi meltdown."
"What, the kiss or the job?"
"Either, spaz. Besides, I think they know what they're getting with us. I bet they've picked us for just that reason. They probably want me to plant one on you and get the show controversial."
"Oooh… I'd like that. If they pay me extra I'll even slip you a little tongue." He smiled and snuggled.
"Media whore." Eiri hugged him now.
"What about your publishing house? What'll they think?"
"It'll be good for their business too. They will just want to be sure I continue to meet my deadlines. I'll run it by Nakamura-san… In the mean time I'll get my publicity people to get on task and find out about the job… get a script for us to read… You wanted to work on something with me, right?"
"Yeah. Of course. I just thought it would be musical in nature."
"Might be a good quickie. It won't take long to shoot an hour-long TV show. While we would be the focus, we wouldn't be on screen constantly. It would be shorter than working on a song together… Who knows. We might kill each other if we had to work together for long." He shrugged.
"I don't think so." He slid his hand under Eiri's shirt, comforted by the feeling of his warm, smooth skin.
"I'm not going to let it ruin our vacation either… Okay?"
"Yeah… Thanks."
"This one is all your call, though… You have to make the decision. I'll go with whatever you want to do."
"Really?" You trust me that much?
"Really. So don't fuck it up."
"Gotcha…" He looked up at Eiri, "You know what?"
"What?"
"I'd slip you a little tongue even if they didn't pay me extra." He smiled again and Eiri rolled his pretty golden-brown eyes.
"Guess what? I bet you'll get sick of kissing me after all the takes they might have to do."
"No way." He relaxed even more as Eiri's fingers brushed at his hair, "I'll bring Chapstick!"
"Resourceful…" The computer made a 'ding' noise and the CD tray popped out, "Finally. Time to go to bed, super star."
"Yay. We can actually sleep tonight! Both of us!"
"Isn't that a surprise? Let's go."
He bundled Shuichi off to bed with him without a moment's hesitation and they both got some good shut-eye for a change.
End of chapter 19 - Want more? Give me some more feedback. Ask me some questions. I'll be glad to answer them :)