Gravitation Fan Fiction ❯ Cats, Crutches and Babies? Oh My! ❯ The Shark Gets Bitten ( Chapter 24 )

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“But Yuuuki! Ryu has her brother at his house and I thought you could use a friend for when I'm not here!” Shuichi pleaded as Eiri continued to scowl at him.

The get well present was as the novelist had feared: alive.

Not only was it alive, but it was small, and covered with soft long fur. He could have lived with a get well fern or possibly, maybe, even a get well goldfish, but this thing was…it was…It was peeing right in his lap!

 

“Aghh! Disgusting! Get this fucking thing off of me!” He screamed as he picked the small kitten up quickly and shoved her right in Shuichi's startled lap.

 

“Yuki! Don't be so mean to her! She's just a baby, she can't hold it! And it's not her fault you don't like her so don`t be such a jerk!”

Shuichi snuggled the kitten into his arms and stomped out of the bedroom with her, muttering angrily about how he never should have tried to be nice in the first place.

 

Eiri looked down at the little round wet spot in his lap where the thing had peed on him and sighed. Off somewhere in the house he distantly heard Shuichi's cell phone ring.

It wasn't that he didn't like cats, in fact up until he and Shuichi had moved from his old apartment, the neighbors cat had practically lived on his balcony. He bought food specially for it to eat, and though this new kitten was cute, it was unfortunately also a surprise. Eiri was not particularly fond of surprises, especially the kind that peed on him.

 

Running fingers through his hair he tried to calm himself down and think things through. If he didn't accept the “thing” openly, Shuichi would try to force it on him constantly. If he pretended to like it (which admittedly wouldn't be that hard, it was cute), but made it too convincing the brat might think that having animals in the apartment was okay and get more, which Eiri certainly didn't want.

Perhaps if he just resigned himself to the fact that the kitten was there and didn't gripe about it too much, then maybe Shu would just accept that it was as close as the two of them were going to get to agreeing on the issue and just leave it alone. He opted to go with the latter and try the civil approach to this whole mess.

 

 

The author waited patiently for the kid to come back in and change the comforter for him, secure in his brilliant plan of deception. Sometimes he just reveled in the knowledge that he was so smart and the brat was so dumb. In most cases it allowed him to be selfish, well, more selfish than usual anyway.

 

He waited and waited, but Shuichi didn't come back into the bedroom.

Vaguely he remembered Shu's cell phone ringing and deduced that he was probably still on it.

 

It was at about the same moment that Eiri thought this, that his own cell phone began to produce the whimsical little beeps that let him know he had a call waiting.

Mildly annoyed, yet curious as to who would be calling so late at night, the author flipped open his black phone and hit the `receive call' button.

 

“What?” He asked the unknown caller in his typical curt tone of voice.

 

“Hello Eiri.” It was Seguchi. Fuck. Man did he ever hate getting calls from that little blond bastard. Each and every one of them came with a money back guaranteed that he'd have a headache by the time he hung up.

 

“What do you want Seguchi?” Eiri asked in the same “straight to the point” “no bullshit” sort of tone he used whenever misfortune smiled on him enough to make Tohma call. Now that he thought about it, this was probably bad karma catching up with him for thinking bad thoughts about Shuichi's intelligence. He didn't think that this was a just punishment for a few stupid comments about the brat, considering that they weren't all that far off from the truth. Seriously, the kid could drown trying to save his own reflection in water.

 

Scowling, the incensed novelist returned his attention to the masqueraded devil he had on line one.

 

“I do apologize for disturbing you at such a late hour Eiri. Are you feeling alright?” The older of the two blonds purred earnestly, in the caring, demure voice that Eiri knew hid the inner voice of a demon.

If the writer had to pick a weapon that reminded him of Tohma it would be either, a hair pin knife or a sleeve dart. Yes, Seguchi Tohma was just like those two deadly blades that hid inside something innocent and beautiful, because inside his petite, blond headed, seemingly fragile body was something bigger, darker and more ruthless; Something just waiting to burst out and destroy everything in sight.

For all that Eiri hated to say it, Tohma really was a text book example of a wolf in sheep's clothing. Curled up with you one minute and picking your bones out of it's teeth the next.

 

“I'm not doing too damn well right now actually and if you knew that it was late then why the hell did you bother calling? What could you possibly have to say to me that couldn't wait twelve bloody hours?”

Eiri could hear Tohma breathing on the other line, apparently he was deep in thought. Eiri waited but the older man said nothing, which unnerved the novelist and increased his agitation towards the whole situation.

 

“Seguchi, let me lay some things out for you, to maybe help put my current situation into perspective.

I have a broken leg, bruised ribs, an idiot for a fiancé and to top it all off, a kitten just pissed in my lap! The worst part is I can't even drink beer to make all this go away because of my fucking pills, which, by the way, make me drowsy and nauseous when I take them. So if you can't tell by now, I am not in the mood for the one person on this planet that I despise more than anyone to call me at an ungodly hour and do nothing, but say hello and then breathe in my ear for minutes on end!”

 

“I'm very sorry Eiri. I have a lot of things on my mind, I was lost in thought.”

 

“Well get lost on your own time, don't do it when you're traipsing onto mine. Goodnight Tohma.”

 

“No! Please don't hang up Eiri, I really must insist that we speak.”

 

Eiri was getting rather fed up with his brother in law pussy footing around like this.

“Fine, you've got five minutes and then I'm going to sleep. Start talking and maybe I'll listen.”

 

“Thank you for being so generous, I'm sure you are quite tired. This is however about Tatsuha-kun, or more to the point, Tatsuha-kun and his newest love interest. I figured you would want to know, but more importantly I have something to ask of you.”

 

Great, this was exactly what Eiri wanted to talk to his brother in law about at 12:30 in the morning. Tatsuha.

 

“What did the little shit get himself into now? Let me guess, he's finally kidnapped that idiot Ryuichi and dragged him off to some remote mountain location where he is proceeding to do immoral and indecent things to the poor man even as we speak?”

 

Tohma laughed softly at Eiri's verbal rendition, a bright joyful sound that safeguarded his true nature.

“No, not exactly, but still you were rather close. I'm afraid it's the other way around.

Tatsuha is at Ryuichi's penthouse, has been for several days now in fact, and it seems Ryu-san has grown rather attached to our little brother.”

 

It irked Eiri to no end when Tohma reminded him of their familial ties like that, as if he had the right to do it. While technically Tohma marrying Mika did make them all family, it did not mean that Eiri saw their relationship any differently then he had when he had first met the blond all those years ago, when he had been nothing more than Mika's casual boyfriend.

 

Over the years they had know each other, their relationship had only change once, briefly, when Eiri was both young and foolish. Mika knew all about it, and while it had caused problems once, they had since reverted back to the way it had been before, for the most part, with no hard feelings from either party.

Eiri was now both closer to Tohma than he had been to begin with, and more distant in comparison to those few years when there wasn't one second of the day that they weren't together. Eiri had thought it was love at the time, but that was then, and this was now and right now he hated every cell in Tohma's body.

It was because the cut throat shark of a producer insisted on using family ties to irritate Eiri at every opportunity that the younger blond hated him so much. It was like the bastard took pleasure in reminding him of what they had once had together, despite their ties to one another through Mika. It was like the asshole didn't even care about her sometimes.

 

“Drop the `little brother' crap Tohma.” Eiri snapped at the phone, far more angry at the man on the other end of the line now then he had been before he had brought Tatsuha into the conversation.

“He is, regrettably, my little brother, and Mika's little brother, but he is certainly not yours.”

 

Tohma smiled apologetically into the phone, and just from the way his breath came through the line, Eiri knew what he was trying to do. He was trying to be placating. But why?

 

“Alright cut to the chase Seguchi, what is this really about? Since when do you give a rats ass about Tatsuha?”

 

Another smiling sigh into the phone from the devil, another line of goosebumps for Eiri's spine.

Tohma's voice dropped considerably. “I can see that you are not in the mood for our usual game of pretension, Eiri, so I will get right down to business. Nittle Grasper is leaving to tour Europe again very soon, as I am sure Mika or Shindou-san has told you. Mika will be accompanying me on this tour-”

 

“Why?” Eiri asked suspiciously. To his's knowledge, Mika never went with Tohma anywhere, be it on tour or to the grocery store. Where domesticity was concerned, Tohma and Mika lived in the same house, and went to formal and family gatherings as husband and wife. That, as far as Eiri knew, was where it ended. Other than that, they were basically roomates with the odd benefit here and there. It made Shuichi and Eiri's relationship look like a happy go lucky, hand holding, communication cake walk through fucking candy land.

Mika openly had lovers on the side, as did Tohma on occasion. The blonde was, however, far more discrete about what and where he was doing things with, in comparison to Mika, who didn't give a flying fuck who she was seen with. In her own way, Eiri suspected that it was her way of trying to hurt Tohma; to get him back for what he had done to her, what he continually did to her.

But they seemed to have a system, albeit an unconventional one, and it appeared to work well enough for the two of them.

 

“She has decided to come on tour with us this time, so that I can be with her when our child is born.” Tohma said this as if it should be common knowledge and Eiri's eyes went wide with disbelief. There was no way Tohma and his sister actually conceived a child together…

 

“What are you talking about, she can't be having your kid.”

 

Tohma laughed coldly and Eiri shivered.

“Contrary to popular belief, Mika and I are more than just friendly room mates, Eiri. She is my wife, and I am her husband. Does it not makes sense that she would be carrying my child?”

 

This was news to Eiri, and he made a note to call his sister and find out the real story behind “Tohma's” baby.

 

“I suppose it would, if you actually slept with her, which I have my doubts against. Stop lying to yourself Tohma, it'll only make things worse…for all of you.”

 

Another brief chuckle into the phone, before the producer took a slow deep breath. Letting it out as though it were his last, he continued.

 

“Your skepticism is not unfounded, I agree. Mika and I plan on having paternity testing done when the child is born, but I assure you Eiri, it is mine. That however, is neither here nor there, and means nothing to this conversation. What I have called to tell you, is that Ryuichi has got it in his mind to bring Tatsuha with us on tour. It seems he is rather smitten with the young lad, and visa versa, though Ryuichi is far from being young.”

 

It was notably strange to think of his brother being with somebody who was a year shy of being twice his age, but at the same time, Eiri had a hard time wrapping his brain around the fact that Ryuichi was thirty four years old. The entire situation required a dedicated head ache of it's own, and Eiri had one forming from entirely different reasons, so he decided to leave well enough alone.

 

With a tired sigh, the novelist laid his sore body back against the sea of pillows that Shuichi had scrounged from around the apartment and gathered behind him on the bed. It was admittedly quite comfortable, but the novelist had drawn the line when Shu had tried to haul in the large leather sofa cushions. That was just going ridiculously overboard.

 

“I can see where that might make things difficult, but Tatsuha is nineteen years old and can make decisions for himself. I'm not his keeper and he doesn't need my permission to do things, so why did you even bother calling?”

 

In truth, Eiri already knew why Tohma had called and he knew why he cared so much now as well. Tohma Seguchi and Ryuichi Sakuma had, once upon a time, been lovers. Tohma obviously was still upset over their break up, and was now projecting his spurned feelings onto Tatsuha, who in Tohma's mind, was something of rival for Ryuichi's attention, or lack there of.

 

Sakuma was an idiot to behold, a rising star amongst the dull and the dimwitted, but Tohma used that to keep him close, just as he used Mika as a way to constantly weasel his way into Eiri's life. If Tatsuha came into the picture and started to take Sakuma's attention away from Tohma, then it would seem only fitting that the older blond would hold resentment towards the new relationship. It was childish, and immature to be so stubborn, but Eiri never claimed that Tohma was not either of those things.

He was after all, The Tohma Seguchi, and what Tohma Seguchi wants Tohma Seguchi gets. Except when it came to matters of the heart.

In some ways Tohma was worse off than Eiri when it came to relationships. Not only had he lost Ryuichi, and then his beloved Eiri-kun, but he had in essence lost both of them all over again. Eiri to Shuichi and as of late, Ryuichi to Tatsuha. Even his own wife wasn't truly his, though it didn't appear that he even wanted her most of the time.

 

“You're losing your hold on us Tohma. And that scares you doesn't it?”

Eiri smirked as he lounged about in the pillow mountain. That one surely hit a nerve.

 

“I haven't the faintest idea what you-”

 

“Oh cut the crap Seguchi! You know exactly what I mean. You can't have me and you can't have Sakuma. Yet you insist on cramming yourself into both our lives. I can't speak for Ryuichi because he can't even speak for himself half the time, but I can speak for myself and I know that the way you use people to reach your own selfish goals is sick. You use Ryuichi's lack of common sense to keep him close and dependant and you use my sister to get to me. So don't pretend like you don't know why you're upset over this.”

 

Tohma was stunned silent. Never had his own feelings been so outwardly exposed to him before by another person.

“Well… it seems that you, you have this all figured out. I'll phone and talk to your father about Tatsuha's arrangements tomorrow and get this whole mess out of your hair. Goodnight, Eiri-kun.”

 

Damn that little hint of endearment! He must have hurt Tohma a lot to force the man back that far, so far as to use a childish honorific with his name. When the older blond said goodnight, somehow, to the novelist, it felt like a goodbye.

While Eiri couldn't deny that he had once harbored feelings, deep feelings, for Tohma, he also couldn't say he would ever want to be with the man again the way they had been when he was a teenager. He knew things about the blond now that he hadn't when he was young and those things were what kept him at a safe distance.

 

In his own strange way, Eiri still loved Tohma, and cared about him. But in a way that was different from how he loved and cared for Shuichi. Tohma was the only living link to his past, and he still just couldn't let go of it. Couldn't let go of him. Not yet. And for that reason and that reason alone, Eiri still remained close to Tohma. He reminded him of a brighter time in his life, before it had all gone to shit, and that was something Eiri was not ready to let slip away from him. Not until his new time of happiness was solidified and he knew that it was not going anywhere.

 

Eiri still relied on Tohma for support when he needed it, and trusted him when he wanted to talk. But even he, as jaded as he was, knew that his need of Tohma was diminishing every day. He had fewer concerns than he had years before he met Shuichi, and when he did have things he should talk about, but didn't choose to, Shu was always there to ring the details out of him. While unpleasant, he had to admit that Shuichi dragging things out of him and making him talk was healthy. It was not good to keep things bottled inside, and before Shu had come along, Tohma was the only one that could get Eiri to talk. About anything.

 

Would he ever be able to finally let his past rest? Would he ever not need Tohma's aid? Eiri couldn't say for sure.

He did know that the man needed to find a new focus for his attention and scheming, because the novelist was outgrowing Tohma's ways of calming him, and starting to lean on Shuichi when things got rough. Ryuichi it seemed, was moving along with his own life as well, and though it was with Tatsuha that he was finding happiness, Eiri had to commend him for it. Tohma's grip was a hard thing to break free of, Eiri was still trying to do just that, but the singer was definitely heading in the right direction.

 

For all Tohma's power, looks and wealth, he was an emotionally destitute human being. He poured everything he had into getting other people to like him by force, that he neglected the things that should have been most important to him. Like his family.

Eiri knew that, for all the grandstanding and declarations against Tohma, deep down Mika still loved him. Somewhere, far down inside her hardened exterior, was that shy little girl that she had been before their mother had died. The same little girl with dreams of marrying a knight in shinning Armour and living happily ever after.

She hadn't exactly married the cream of the crop when it came to knights, and Eiri couldn't say whether she was happy or not, but she had truly loved Tohma, once. And Eiri knew that in some ways she still did.

 

Perhaps this baby would be a good thing for the two of them, He thought.

It would bring the two of them closer together, and would give Tohma somewhere to unload all his affections, when he was not longer able to do it on Eiri or Ryuichi.

 

Who knew? Perhaps things were looking up for everyone these days, and despite Eiri's injury, he wasn't unhappy. In fact he had never been more content with his life than he was at that exact moment. He was warm, tucked into his own bed, and had a fiancé who loved him to the ends of the earth and back again. Those thoughts were what accompanied the author off to a deep, dreamless sleep.

 

When Shuichi finally came in to change the blanket and apologize for taking so long, he found his lover already asleep, a small smile tucking up the corners of his mouth. Shuichi's heart just about melted at the sight of his lover looking so happy and at peace.

After gently changing the comforter, he climbed into bed with Eiri and placed a kiss on each of his lovers eyes, and one on his mouth before snuggling up against him and drifting off to sleep.

 

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Sorry this took so long everyone, I know I know you hear that from me all the time, but I suppose this one didn't take nearly as long as some of the others though did it? Only about a month I think…

Hmm, anyway, this chapter had a lot of speculation as far as Tohma and Mika's relationship is concerned, but I tried to make as many deductive assumptions as possible before inventing new material, so bare with me if Tohma or Eiri seemed OOC in this chapter. I know it was a rather long dialogue piece, but this chapter was necessary to get to where I need this to be. I see an end in sight now and I am going to work as hard as I can to reach it before the end of this year. So I can wrap things up and start fresh with the new year. I may make a sequel to this, I may not. I am not sure how many more chapters I will make this story, though I know that it won't be more than ten. Most likely, with the things I have planned, It might be another three, maybe four chapters long. I would love for this to reach thirty chapters, but I'm not going to stretch things out for the sake of making it longer. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it took me a while to write it. I would also like to apologize for my last chapter, which I know some of you were unhappy with. I had to pick a side on the “Is Ryu really stupid or mental or what?” fence and I went with childhood trauma as the birth place of Kumagoro and his abnormal behaviors. I know, most people don't like to go there, but I did. So sue me. It was very hard to write a scene with that much emotion, and I am sure your imaginations did a pretty good job of making up his facial expressions as he went through the story. I kind of had him with this blank staring kind of face in my mind when Kuma was talking, and then near the end when he slipped out of his case and told the story from his point of view, a sort of shocked, confused, and most of all hurt expression. Also accompanied by lost of drooling and nose running and crying. Like I said this was a major traumatic event and people don't just sit down a talk about it over coffee. It required a little grit, or else why was he damaged in the first place right? Pain is beauty in my eyes.

Please Review, honestly it is the most expedient way for you to get me to post. Really. I know that there are a lot of you reading, but I don't get any reviews. None! So stop being lazy and write them! >_<

 

Yours,

Bakayasha