Drievuldigheid - Drie Samen

Shuichi rushed out of his apartment, trying to get to work before K came to look for him. After Tohma had dropped him off that morning he'd spent the rest of the day lounging around his living room, holding his own personal pity party. He knew he hadn't had any right to it-- he'd run of his own volition. But there had been a part of him that had been hoping that the blond would stop him from going, give him a sign that he didn't regret it, or wouldn't go back to being cold and treating him with the same indifference he gave all his employees. Seeing the distance between them would hurt, now that he'd been as close to him as he'd ever been with anyone.

But the part of him that had held hope died as he watched the sleek car drive away, no goodbye or even a glance at him as he'd climbed out from the driver. He had stayed in his apartment sulking, watching his old videos of Nittle Grasper. He hadn't known why he'd insisted on torturing himself that way -- with glimpses of the man he'd slept with and still wanted getting it on with the man he'd always wanted and still did-- but he had, and he cried more than once until he finally fell asleep. On the couch, of course.

That had several drawbacks: His couch was very uncomfortable, especially when one sleeps with one's head on the armrest so that one's neck is craned unnaturally to the side; the other, more major set back--not that being unable to move his head was minor-- was that his alarm clock was in his bedroom. So, he cheerfully slept right through it, waking only when his stomach told him it needed food.

Now, an hour and ten minutes after he was supposed to have left, Shuichi dashed out of the doors of his building, and was snagged by his shirt collar by a gun-toting manager looking for blood. "Explain the reason you're late in a minute or less in 15 words. Open parenthesis, 10 points, close parenthesis."

Gulping, Shuichi just blinked at K, hoping he was in a forgiving mood.

Apparently, he was, because the singer was stared at for a few seconds before he was thrown in the passenger seat of the car and K peeled away towards NG. Shuichi was not looking forward to what was to come. K might not have pressed, might not even have noticed, but Hiro would... and how do you explain to your friend and co-worker that you've slept with your boss and your depression comes not from that, but from the fact that you want to date him as well? Hiro wouldn't understand... and even if he did, Shuichi would still find himself committed, or at least in counseling. Hiro would see it as proof of how far his break-up with Yuki had pushed him, despite any protests otherwise.

Blinking, Shuichi realized that he hadn't even thought of Yuki once since he'd seen Tohma in the bar two nights ago. Was he that far gone on the keyboardist, to forget entirely about the man who had been plaguing his thoughts for almost a month? Maybe Hiro would be right in sending him to an institution--he had to be insane. And not the fun sort of insane, like Ryuichi was. Thinking of his childish and extremely hot friend made Shuichi smile, as always. He was such a puzzle, a man who could take joy in such simple things that he seemed about five, making the much younger singer feel like a pedophile when his thoughts turned lewd, as they always inadvertently did. But when he was on stage, or, really, anytime he was serious, he was so obviously an adult and in control that if Shuichi thought what they'd be like together he had no doubt Sakuma-san would have no aversion to taking full advantage of him. Which was, the singer admitted privately, an incredible turn-on.

His thoughts drifted to Tohma and Ryuichi together, as they had done more and more often. He couldn't think of one anymore with out thinking of the other. What would they be like together? Whenever his singer acted childishly, Tohma would take care of him... Shuichi thought that the same would apply when they made love. But after a concert? After one of the shows where Ryuichi had been all over Tohma and looked like sex incarnate? Then, then Tohma would get fucked. Ryuichi would be the one in control, and for one of the few times in his life the president would give up all semblance of responsibility as he surrendered to the demands of his singer.

Blushing furiously, Shuichi was suddenly glad he had worn loose shorts today. Explaining the events after the bar to his guitarist would be difficult enough without explaining to everyone else why he had a hard-on. Because, you know, the reason was so normal! 'Yes, you see, as we drove here I was imagining Seguchi-san topping Ryuichi-san, and then Sakuma-san fucking him. It was a very nice fantasy!'

That would go over so well. He'd get shot at, screamed at, stared at, and make someone faint. Not the best start to practice.

When K finally slammed on the brakes in front of the building, Shuichi took a deep breath and forced himself to get out of the car, looking up the tall building to the very top floor, where Tohma would undoubtedly be. Was he looking out his window now, watching Shuichi walk slowly towards the entrance? Would he be wondering why he was late, what he’d been doing since that morning? Shuichi doubted it. Tohma would be hard at work as he always was, sharp, brilliant eyes focused solely on the person or document that had his attention. Whenever he thought of it aimed at him he shivered. It was only after their night together that it wasn’t entirely in fear.

He had been walking towards the entrance, but was so busy staring straight upwards, craning his head back as he got closer to the building, that he could no longer see what was in front of him.

“Oof!” With that lovely comment, he fell on his butt.

“Shu~ichi!” And with that exclamation, he was tackled flat backwards.

He really loved Ryuichi, he really, really did. Usually as more than his friend, as much as he did value the friendship. But there were times when he also really, really wished the man didn’t have to tackle him so hard! The older singer was only a little bigger than he was; how’d he put so much force behind it? And without barely trying, too! He could go from sitting down to sitting on you, and it was as strong as when he ran right into you! Of course, both involved his entire weight landing on his victim, so maybe that had something to do with it?

Blinking, Shuichi realized he was looking right up at his idol from about 2 inches away. Their noses were touching, and he could feel Ryuichi’s breath washing over his face from his mouth right above his. Before he could develop that line of thought any further and get himself into trouble, he was interrupted by loud babbling.

“Shuichi! Kuma and I have been looking for you all over for forever, na no da! Where’d you go? Why couldn’t we find you?” The last two questions were spoken in a sniffling voice that promised tears, and very soon. Before he could interrupt, Ryuichi continued his barrage of questions. “Did you not want to see us? You say you don’t hate us, but you do!”

And with the last pronouncement, the singer burst into tears. Shuichi, used to reassuring his friend by now, repeated the same line he always did. “Of course I don’t hate you, Ryuichi-san! I’ve just been busy, and I haven’t seen you!”

To his shock, this answer did not get its usual response, which was for the elder to giggle joyfully and pull him off to play somewhere. Instead, serious eyes stared into his as his idol rested his forehead against Shuichi’s. “Don’t lie to me, Shuichi, please?”

“Ummm…” This adult, cajoling side to his friend left Shuichi clueless how to respond. Even worse, part of his mind disregarded how strange recent developments were and proclaimed how glad he should be that he was close enough to kiss one of the men from his fantasies. Slowly, he felt himself flush red, trying to beat back the thoughts that insisted on invading his mind.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~RYUICHI’S POV~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Shuichi had first run into him, staring straight up at the sky for some reason, Ryuichi was glad that he was getting to see his playmate for the first time in weeks. When he glomped him, however, and felt how Shuichi stiffened under him momentarily--that had never happened before, had it?-- he knew something was wrong.

He had come in to work early today, because he’d been unable to reach Tohma the day before had been worried, having to yell at Kuma several times not to give him crazy ideas about how his keyboardist could have ended up dead. After all, synthesizers don’t explode for no reason, do they? Kuma hadn’t believed him, so they’d compromised and shown up extra early to find their errant friend. They had found him, but something had been terribly off. Tohma had been wearing his mask; usual to most, yes, but Tohma hadn’t tried to keep something secret from Ryuichi for years, and his fake smile proved he had something he did not want to share. The singer hadn’t been able to get it out of him, but knew that he’d get his way eventually. If it came down to it, he could always make his lover tell him.

Holding back a slightly wicked grin at the thought, he stared down at the younger boy underneath him, ready to demand answers.

“Shuichi! Kuma and I have been looking for you all over for forever, na no da! Where’d you go? Why couldn’t we find you?” He saw Shuichi was about to answer, but he continued anyway. “Did you not want to see us? You say you don’t hate us, but you do!”

He saw acknowledgment in his friend’s eyes, and knew he was about to spout the same bullshit line he fed the older man every time. “Of course I don’t hate you, Ryuichi-san! I’ve just been busy, and I haven’t seen you!”

But while that flippant answer may have appeased him when he was joking about the younger neglecting him, Shuichi was wrong to think it would work now. Ryuichi had a startling thought as he realized that perhaps the other singer couldn’t tell when he was serious, and decided he’d have to make sure they got to know each other better. Of course, Ryuichi would like to get to know the younger much better, but he wasn’t sure how open he’d be to it. Hadn’t he just broken up with Yuki-san a while ago?

Tearing himself back to what Shuichi had said, Ryuichi lowered himself till his nose and forehead were brushing the others, a fleeting moment passing as he wanted contemplated how he’d like their lips to brush as well, but he finally responded to Shuichi. “Don’t lie to me, Shuichi, please?”

He didn’t want the young singer to feel he was pressured into answering, but he thought it was high time he learned that he knew more than he let on. But interestingly enough, as he lay sprawled on the slightly smaller boy, he watched him flush, starting in his cheeks and growing more prominent. Smirking slightly as he comprehended why, he heard the stuttering response of the younger, and had to use all his will power to keep from kissing him, there on the sidewalk in front of NG.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~SHUICHI’S POV~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“I… I was just dealing with…stuff, okay, Ryuichi-san? I just… needed to be by myself…” That had been as close to the truth as he could manage, and even if it was stuttered, at least it was honest enough that his friend shouldn’t mind. He just hoped he didn’t ask what stuff.

Thankfully, he didn’t, but one of the most evil expressions crossed his face, and Shuichi had to hold himself back from going fan boy on his idol, because it was by far the sexiest he had ever seen him. Then, abruptly, the weight was gone and he was being pulled to his feet.

“Be careful, ne, Shu-chan? You don’t want to walk into someone you don’t know cause you’re watching the sky, no da!” And with that cheerful advice, the child-like puzzle vanished into the building.

Eyes in front of him now, he finished his journey to his studio, wondering why K had left him there while Ryuichi questioned him. As he entered, he braced himself for a day where he would have to act as normal as possible until Hiro made him confess what was on his mind.

That time came during their lunch break, where Hiro dragged them to a nearby café and confronted him.

“Okay, Shuichi, spill it. What’s happened to you?”

Gulping down a bite of his food, Shuichi tried the denial tactic; he always did it, and it might as well be tradition by now. “What do you mean? Huh, Hiro? I’m fine!”

Hiro didn’t say a word, but he stared at him while they ate. Finally, the singer decided that telling the recent developments couldn’t be any worse than the constant staring, and he confessed his story.

He started with the conversation three days after his split with Yuki, and told him how confused he was; ending only when he’d explained Ryuichi’s new actions this morning. When he was done, the stunned expression on Hiro’s face wasn’t as shocked as his friend had suspected it would be.

“You actually slept with him?” Blinking, Shuichi confirmed this fact, wondering why he wasn’t demanding to know when the singer had become so eager to love two people at once.

When the guitarist was silent after learning he’d spent the night with Tohma, he asked him why he wasn’t surprised.

“Shuichi, you’ve always been easily attracted to people. I assumed you’d like someone very soon after Yuki-san; you didn’t let yourself think about it during the relationship, but by the time it ended you had gotten over your crush on him enough that I thought you’d be finding someone new. That you like Seguchi-san isn’t shocking in itself; you liked him when you idolized Nittle Grasper almost as much as Sakuma-san, whom you obsessed over. Honestly, I’d thought you’d go for Ryuichi first, but I suppose since Seguchi-san was there…” Hiro trailed off at the end of this speech, leaving Shuichi to figure it out himself.

Staring at his friend, once again surprised by how well he seemed to know him, he flew across the table to hug the guitarist, who put up with it as he always did, smiling slightly at his good mood. “So, you mean I like both of them and I would have slept with either?” That thought was sobering, but was probably true. Hiro understood it was hypothetical, and didn’t answer.

Finally, Shuichi untangled himself from the red-head, and went back to his seat. “But Hiro! What do I do? Tohma hates me now, and I can’t just start a relationship with Ryuichi-san, even if he’s interested, right after I sleep with the other person I like!”

Hiro raised an eyebrow at the familiar use of their boss’s name, but didn’t comment. Instead, he suggested that Shuichi wait and let things sort themselves out, most especially his feelings, and they got up to go back to NG Studios.

Throwing himself at Hiro again, his guitarist barely caught him. “Thankyouthankyouthankyou!”

Babbling cheerfully about the differences between the two on the way back to work, Shuichi extolled the virtues of his new obsessions relentlessly. Having heard it all before, both in high school and with different descriptions when Shuichi was talking about Yuki-san, Hiro nodded when appropriate and let his thoughts drift to his own lover.

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AN:
Okay, so, here's Ch. 3 Pt. 1! I only actually got one response on how to update it, but I really wanted to post the next part so I decided to go ahead and do it. I don't know how many parts there will be in this chapter; but the next chapter will be Tohma and Ryuichi. I also think I'll have Hiro talk to Suguru about Shuichi--not sure, though.

Anyway, please tell me what you think, and have a good life till I see you next!