Gravitation Fan Fiction ❯ Apogee ❯ Chapter XXV ( Chapter 25 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Saanrio 
Anime/Manga: Gravitation Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Romance / Angst | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 06.27.2008 | Pages: 1 | Words: 2.1K | Visits: 273 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Gravitation Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Romance / Angst | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 06.27.2008 | Pages: 1 | Words: 2.1K | Visits: 273 | Status: Work In Progress
Disclaimer: I do not own Gravitation, it is owned by Maki Murakami. I own nothing.
Author's Note: Yeah, this one is more set-up, but things get started toward the end here... I kinda left a bit of a cliffhanger to keep y'all interested. I hate cliffhangers, but I felt it needed one to tie it in with what is coming next. So, here we go!
_________-------------------===========--------------------_________
The days quickly gained a rhythm and routine. Yuki took over the job of taking Shuichi to NG in the mornings, claiming that he couldn't deal with either Sakano's nervousness or K's energy and love of guns first thing in the morning. Shuichi understood, but refrained from speaking out about how un-Yuki that seemed to him. In the weeks he lived with his ex-lover turned friend, he saw sides of Yuki that he wished desperately he had been shown more often while they had been together. He almost brought it up one night at dinner when Yuki commented on how much Shuichi had changed, but stopped because he didn't want to start an argument. Things were better between him and Yuki, now that they didn't have the tension of being lovers hanging over their heads. Shuichi also was willing to admit it probably helped that he didn't speak without thinking these days, either.
After two weeks, the doctor decided he was doing well enough to be taken off the IV nutrients, and Shuichi broached the subject of him moving back into his own apartment. When he was told that K had had his things packed up and put in storage in anticipation of a permanent move to the states, Shuichi had been quite obviously upset. He had sat quietly for a moment, jaw and fists clenched, before getting up from the dinner table and making a call to the agent who had procured his last apartment for him. When he came back to the table, he'd calmly let Yuki know he wouldn't be going in to NG the next day and that the agent would be picking him up at eight to show him apartments he could rent that day. Yuki had raised an eyebrow at that, but had otherwise been silent on the issue. Shuichi hadn't spoken another word that night, and had retired to the spare bedroom soon after he finished eating.
The next day Shuichi walked through the door of Yuki's apartment at four in the afternoon and calmly announced that he would be moving into his new apartment in a week. He had presented Yuki with a paper detailing his new address and the phone number that was being installed for him without being asked.
"You seem to have everything decided, then."
Shuichi had looked up at Yuki when he spoke, catching the note of suppressed anger in the tone he used. He studied Yuki for a moment before answering. "Yeah, I thought you'd be glad to have me out of your hair, now that I'm not being fed through a tube anymore."
"You could have asked me. I might have let you stay."
Shuichi felt tears pricking behind his eyes and felt his fists clench in his lap. Yuki chose now to say something like that. After all the times he had thrown Shuichi out on his ear -- in the middle of the afternoon, after midnight, fully dressed, naked but for a pillow he snatched off the couch in passing, with all his belongings, with nothing but his name -- he chose now to say the one thing that could have saved what had been left of their relationship. He hated Yuki in that moment, hated him for all the casual cruelties he'd suffered, hated him for the more deliberate ones, but most of all for this kindness. He hated him for finally being nice to him, when there was no chance of fixing what was broken. Shuichi stared at Yuki, his hatred burning in his eyes, and stalked back to the door, not bothering to answer Yuki's question of where he was going or when he would be back. The answer to the first was obvious -- he was going 'out' -- and the answer to the second was never. He had his cell phone in hand by the time he reached the street, and called a cab to meet him a block away.
A bowl of noodles and half a bottle of sake later, Shuichi found himself waiting for Hiro to answer his door, the half-empty bottle in one hand and a bag containing another full bottle, a large amount of strawberry pocky and some of the latest anime DVD releases in the other. Hiro answered the door after the second impatient ring to his doorbell, clearly ready to tell him to kiss off, but never got the words out once he saw who was leaning on the bell.
Shuichi found himself pulled inside and dumped unceremoniously on the couch. Hiro was crouching in front of him, pressing on a bump on his forehead that Shuichi hadn't realized was there until Hiro pressed too hard and it hurt. Hiro went to go get the first aid kit and cleaned up the small bit of blood that had seeped from the scratch. Shuichi just shrugged and said something about losing his balance on the stairs before asking Hiro why he couldn't live somewhere with an elevator like sensible people. Hiro only looked at him calmly and asked if something happened with Yuki.
The question broke the dam holding back his tears, and Shuichi spent the next twenty minutes crying on Hiro's shoulder, pouring out his anger and frustration with Yuki, cursing him and blessing him by turns. When it seemed he had cried himself out, Hiro asked what he planned to do now.
"I don't know. I'm still mad at him, I'm not going back tonight. I was hoping I could stay here, maybe, until my apartment's ready?" He looked up at Hiro, and upon seeing the considering look on his friend's face promptly began to push his bottom lip out just a smidge and let his eyes go all soft and puppy-dog pleading. Hiro had never been able to truly resist him when he really begged for something. Well, ok, so maybe he could when he wanted to, but Shuichi preferred to think that he had won every time he'd really, really wanted something. Tonight was no exception, it seemed as Hiro asked what Shuichi had brought with him and the two soon settled in for a night of sake, pocky and anime.
_________-------------------===========--------------------_________
A week later, Shuichi calmly took the key from the manager of the building and closed the door behind the man, then turned and grinned, running through the apartment and squealing at the top of his lungs as Hiro looked on in amusement. Shuichi had told him how he had been able to choose the scheme his apartment would be decorated in, since the previous tenants had repainted in a way that was completely and utterly offensive to everyone except them. He had chosen the 'Mountain' theme, a soothing modern mix of blues, purples and greens with chrome and black accents. Shuichi had told Hiro he has chosen it partly because he liked it and partly because he thought that both Yuki and Tohma would have chosen the more neutral palette had it been their choice, and he was trying to figure out who he was without either of the two playing a major role in his life.
As he ran through the apartment, sliding on the glossy black wood floors and taking the steps to the second floor two at a time, Hiro wandered through at a more sedate pace. It was good to see Shuichi so happy again. It had seemed like forever since he had heard his friend's voice raised in pure joy like it was now. Hiro paused to peer quickly into the guest toilet near the door, and then the small utility room across the hall. He whistled softly as he noted the stacked washer/dryer unit. Hiro had a washer, but he had to hang his clothes on the roof or in his bathroom to dry them. Shuichi wouldn't have to worry about the weather, which was probably a good thing considering his tendency to forget things like laundry in favor of a new lyric or a new video from Sakuma Ryuichi. He continued on into the kitchen, noting the open counter to the living area. Here was where he was finally able to truly appreciate the color scheme and the way the designers had chosen the furniture to fit in with the theme. Hiro smiled softly, thinking that he might have chosen this theme for himself, had he had the choice.
He caught sight of Shuichi as he ran back down the stairs and was ready when Shuichi grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the windows, gesturing excitedly and talking a mile a minute. Next Shuichi pulled him over to what would normally be the second bedroom, that he had requested have soundproofing installed so he could sing and write for Bad Luck without disturbing the neighbors. The space was perfect for what Shuichi had in mind, and before Hiro knew what had happened, he'd agreed to help Shuichi set up his keyboards and computer. The ride down in the elevator didn't take very long, considering that the bottom floor of Shuichi's apartment was on the thirty-fifth floor of the high-rise. Hiro had seen the stairs, seen Shuichi running headlong up and down them, and had been told the upstairs was nothing more than Shuichi's bedroom and a loft-type area that was open to the floor below, but he'd yet to see that part of the apartment.
Once the keyboard and computer were set up, Shuichi insisted on calling for a pizza to celebrate his new home, and together the two sat on the floor in the living room with the television on, idly flipping through the channels as they ate. Hiro spent more time watching Shuichi out of the corner of his eye than looking at the shows that flipped past. Shuichi had spent the last week staying at Hiro's apartment, and it had been almost like old times. Shuichi had been upbeat and bubbly, a loveable little idiot like he'd been back in high school. Yet every now and then, there was a small, nearly unnoticeable pause in his ramblings and Hiro detected the momentary sadness that flitted across his features.
In the time that Bad Luck had been back in the studio, they had begun work on three of the songs Shuichi had written while he was at Yuki Eiri's, and told him to work some more on another four that went together, but the rest they were saving for now. Whether they would ever use them or not they didn't know, but it was nice to know that Shuichi was ahead on lyrics for once in his life. Though they had been in the studio five or six days a week for the last three weeks solid, and Hiro knew Seguchi was coming in to work, it seemed that Shuichi had not yet run into the man. While it seemed to be putting off the inevitable, Hiro was glad for it. He hoped Seguchi continued to stay away from Shuichi, hoped it would give Shuichi a chance to move on enough that he wouldn't fall to pieces if Seguchi ignored him or treated him with a casual cruelty like he had in the past.
It was late when Hiro finally left to go back to his own home. His bike was in the shop, but it was a short walk to the correct station, and the train didn't take long to arrive. It would be a relatively short ride, but Hiro looked around him, bored, finding a tabloid left lying on the seat a few rows up from the door. He picked it up and immediately sat down hard. Looking at the picture that graced the cover of the rag, he knew he had to make sure that K knew about this and that they were prepared to do damage control if necessary. When the train came to his stop, he stepped off and was on the phone as soon as he was out of the station, the tabloid with it's cover picture of Seguchi Tohma locked in a passionate embrace with a young starlet rolled up in his fist.
Author's Note: Yeah, this one is more set-up, but things get started toward the end here... I kinda left a bit of a cliffhanger to keep y'all interested. I hate cliffhangers, but I felt it needed one to tie it in with what is coming next. So, here we go!
_________-------------------===========--------------------_________
The days quickly gained a rhythm and routine. Yuki took over the job of taking Shuichi to NG in the mornings, claiming that he couldn't deal with either Sakano's nervousness or K's energy and love of guns first thing in the morning. Shuichi understood, but refrained from speaking out about how un-Yuki that seemed to him. In the weeks he lived with his ex-lover turned friend, he saw sides of Yuki that he wished desperately he had been shown more often while they had been together. He almost brought it up one night at dinner when Yuki commented on how much Shuichi had changed, but stopped because he didn't want to start an argument. Things were better between him and Yuki, now that they didn't have the tension of being lovers hanging over their heads. Shuichi also was willing to admit it probably helped that he didn't speak without thinking these days, either.
After two weeks, the doctor decided he was doing well enough to be taken off the IV nutrients, and Shuichi broached the subject of him moving back into his own apartment. When he was told that K had had his things packed up and put in storage in anticipation of a permanent move to the states, Shuichi had been quite obviously upset. He had sat quietly for a moment, jaw and fists clenched, before getting up from the dinner table and making a call to the agent who had procured his last apartment for him. When he came back to the table, he'd calmly let Yuki know he wouldn't be going in to NG the next day and that the agent would be picking him up at eight to show him apartments he could rent that day. Yuki had raised an eyebrow at that, but had otherwise been silent on the issue. Shuichi hadn't spoken another word that night, and had retired to the spare bedroom soon after he finished eating.
The next day Shuichi walked through the door of Yuki's apartment at four in the afternoon and calmly announced that he would be moving into his new apartment in a week. He had presented Yuki with a paper detailing his new address and the phone number that was being installed for him without being asked.
"You seem to have everything decided, then."
Shuichi had looked up at Yuki when he spoke, catching the note of suppressed anger in the tone he used. He studied Yuki for a moment before answering. "Yeah, I thought you'd be glad to have me out of your hair, now that I'm not being fed through a tube anymore."
"You could have asked me. I might have let you stay."
Shuichi felt tears pricking behind his eyes and felt his fists clench in his lap. Yuki chose now to say something like that. After all the times he had thrown Shuichi out on his ear -- in the middle of the afternoon, after midnight, fully dressed, naked but for a pillow he snatched off the couch in passing, with all his belongings, with nothing but his name -- he chose now to say the one thing that could have saved what had been left of their relationship. He hated Yuki in that moment, hated him for all the casual cruelties he'd suffered, hated him for the more deliberate ones, but most of all for this kindness. He hated him for finally being nice to him, when there was no chance of fixing what was broken. Shuichi stared at Yuki, his hatred burning in his eyes, and stalked back to the door, not bothering to answer Yuki's question of where he was going or when he would be back. The answer to the first was obvious -- he was going 'out' -- and the answer to the second was never. He had his cell phone in hand by the time he reached the street, and called a cab to meet him a block away.
A bowl of noodles and half a bottle of sake later, Shuichi found himself waiting for Hiro to answer his door, the half-empty bottle in one hand and a bag containing another full bottle, a large amount of strawberry pocky and some of the latest anime DVD releases in the other. Hiro answered the door after the second impatient ring to his doorbell, clearly ready to tell him to kiss off, but never got the words out once he saw who was leaning on the bell.
Shuichi found himself pulled inside and dumped unceremoniously on the couch. Hiro was crouching in front of him, pressing on a bump on his forehead that Shuichi hadn't realized was there until Hiro pressed too hard and it hurt. Hiro went to go get the first aid kit and cleaned up the small bit of blood that had seeped from the scratch. Shuichi just shrugged and said something about losing his balance on the stairs before asking Hiro why he couldn't live somewhere with an elevator like sensible people. Hiro only looked at him calmly and asked if something happened with Yuki.
The question broke the dam holding back his tears, and Shuichi spent the next twenty minutes crying on Hiro's shoulder, pouring out his anger and frustration with Yuki, cursing him and blessing him by turns. When it seemed he had cried himself out, Hiro asked what he planned to do now.
"I don't know. I'm still mad at him, I'm not going back tonight. I was hoping I could stay here, maybe, until my apartment's ready?" He looked up at Hiro, and upon seeing the considering look on his friend's face promptly began to push his bottom lip out just a smidge and let his eyes go all soft and puppy-dog pleading. Hiro had never been able to truly resist him when he really begged for something. Well, ok, so maybe he could when he wanted to, but Shuichi preferred to think that he had won every time he'd really, really wanted something. Tonight was no exception, it seemed as Hiro asked what Shuichi had brought with him and the two soon settled in for a night of sake, pocky and anime.
_________-------------------===========--------------------_________
A week later, Shuichi calmly took the key from the manager of the building and closed the door behind the man, then turned and grinned, running through the apartment and squealing at the top of his lungs as Hiro looked on in amusement. Shuichi had told him how he had been able to choose the scheme his apartment would be decorated in, since the previous tenants had repainted in a way that was completely and utterly offensive to everyone except them. He had chosen the 'Mountain' theme, a soothing modern mix of blues, purples and greens with chrome and black accents. Shuichi had told Hiro he has chosen it partly because he liked it and partly because he thought that both Yuki and Tohma would have chosen the more neutral palette had it been their choice, and he was trying to figure out who he was without either of the two playing a major role in his life.
As he ran through the apartment, sliding on the glossy black wood floors and taking the steps to the second floor two at a time, Hiro wandered through at a more sedate pace. It was good to see Shuichi so happy again. It had seemed like forever since he had heard his friend's voice raised in pure joy like it was now. Hiro paused to peer quickly into the guest toilet near the door, and then the small utility room across the hall. He whistled softly as he noted the stacked washer/dryer unit. Hiro had a washer, but he had to hang his clothes on the roof or in his bathroom to dry them. Shuichi wouldn't have to worry about the weather, which was probably a good thing considering his tendency to forget things like laundry in favor of a new lyric or a new video from Sakuma Ryuichi. He continued on into the kitchen, noting the open counter to the living area. Here was where he was finally able to truly appreciate the color scheme and the way the designers had chosen the furniture to fit in with the theme. Hiro smiled softly, thinking that he might have chosen this theme for himself, had he had the choice.
He caught sight of Shuichi as he ran back down the stairs and was ready when Shuichi grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the windows, gesturing excitedly and talking a mile a minute. Next Shuichi pulled him over to what would normally be the second bedroom, that he had requested have soundproofing installed so he could sing and write for Bad Luck without disturbing the neighbors. The space was perfect for what Shuichi had in mind, and before Hiro knew what had happened, he'd agreed to help Shuichi set up his keyboards and computer. The ride down in the elevator didn't take very long, considering that the bottom floor of Shuichi's apartment was on the thirty-fifth floor of the high-rise. Hiro had seen the stairs, seen Shuichi running headlong up and down them, and had been told the upstairs was nothing more than Shuichi's bedroom and a loft-type area that was open to the floor below, but he'd yet to see that part of the apartment.
Once the keyboard and computer were set up, Shuichi insisted on calling for a pizza to celebrate his new home, and together the two sat on the floor in the living room with the television on, idly flipping through the channels as they ate. Hiro spent more time watching Shuichi out of the corner of his eye than looking at the shows that flipped past. Shuichi had spent the last week staying at Hiro's apartment, and it had been almost like old times. Shuichi had been upbeat and bubbly, a loveable little idiot like he'd been back in high school. Yet every now and then, there was a small, nearly unnoticeable pause in his ramblings and Hiro detected the momentary sadness that flitted across his features.
In the time that Bad Luck had been back in the studio, they had begun work on three of the songs Shuichi had written while he was at Yuki Eiri's, and told him to work some more on another four that went together, but the rest they were saving for now. Whether they would ever use them or not they didn't know, but it was nice to know that Shuichi was ahead on lyrics for once in his life. Though they had been in the studio five or six days a week for the last three weeks solid, and Hiro knew Seguchi was coming in to work, it seemed that Shuichi had not yet run into the man. While it seemed to be putting off the inevitable, Hiro was glad for it. He hoped Seguchi continued to stay away from Shuichi, hoped it would give Shuichi a chance to move on enough that he wouldn't fall to pieces if Seguchi ignored him or treated him with a casual cruelty like he had in the past.
It was late when Hiro finally left to go back to his own home. His bike was in the shop, but it was a short walk to the correct station, and the train didn't take long to arrive. It would be a relatively short ride, but Hiro looked around him, bored, finding a tabloid left lying on the seat a few rows up from the door. He picked it up and immediately sat down hard. Looking at the picture that graced the cover of the rag, he knew he had to make sure that K knew about this and that they were prepared to do damage control if necessary. When the train came to his stop, he stepped off and was on the phone as soon as he was out of the station, the tabloid with it's cover picture of Seguchi Tohma locked in a passionate embrace with a young starlet rolled up in his fist.