Gravitation Fan Fiction ❯ Inspired ❯ ...and the morning after ( Chapter 12 )

Pairings: Ryu/Taki and slight Tatsuha/Shuichi

Summary: The morning after. Taki and Ryuichi get to know one another a little better and Tatsuha and Shuichi have some issues.

Note: Yes, there will be Tatsuha/Shuichi. But, there will still be Yuki/Shuichi as well. It's a very evil love triangle.

[] a character's thoughts.

// // flashback

Disclaimer: I don't own gravitation or its characters
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Inspired

Chapter 12

Ryuichi stretched, purring like a cat. He turned his head towards Taki and grinned. "What a wonderful morning!" His daily mantra was always rather life affirming, but today it seemed more meaningful. Taki groaned next to him, turning away. "Taki, time to get up!" Ryuichi bounced up and down on the bed, causing some creaking. The other man looked at him, glaring, then turned away again, this time covering his face with a pillow.

"Leave me alone." Ryuichi stopped his bouncing and looked at Taki in concern. He began to poke the younger man, using a gentle yet annoying jabbing motion.

"Taki, it's a beautiful morning. Get up." Ryuichi whined.

"I don't want to." Taki grumbled as he pulled away from the offending finger. Ryuichi became annoyed. He leaned in closer and began to whisper in Taki's ear.

"Taki. Taki. Taki." It quickly became obvious that Taki was asleep though. Ryuichi inhaled slightly and yelled out, "Taki!!" Taki's eyes flew wide open as he sat up quickly, looking around to see who was attacking him.

Realizing it was Ryuichi, he stared at him in wonderment. "What the fuck are you thinking?" He could feel his heart hammering in his chest, trying to break out.

Ryuichi smiled brightly at him. "Come on silly. It's breakfast time!"

"Why? I want to sleep." Taki said as his eyelids began to close of their own accord.

"Because, when you sleep together for the first time, you're supposed to have breakfast together." Ryuichi said this as if it was a sort of rule.

Taki sputtered as he collapsed onto the bed. "Where did you come up with that?"

"The movies, anime, tv Shows, manga and books." Said, once again as if it were a creed.

"Okay." Taki said as he went back to sleep.
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Tatsuha lay in his brother's living room, having not slept the entire night. He was watching his video of the Nittle Grasper and Bad Luck concert in Okinawa. He had hoped on some level that he would be able to figure out what had happened last night, but he still wasn't sure.

He paused on an image of Ryuichi. [The man's so sexy that it's a crime, but off stage, well, he's still that way, but now…] Tatsuha, realized that he had been rejected. It may not have been said, but nonetheless, he had been rejected. The fact that Ryuichi knew about his feelings and still chose someone else was a painful dose of reality.

He had been looking at his videos and realized that he didn't feel the same as before. He still felt that Ryuichi was the greatest singer alive, but… His God… Tatsuha didn't know any more. Ryuichi had become all too human in only a short time. A human being with flaws, wants and needs. A human being that he might not want.

He had never understood that until now. "I failed. And now Ryuichi probably hates me. Why couldn't I be satisfied like a normal person? I should have been happy that he even acknowledged my existence, but instead, instead I had to force my stupid dreams on him."

He un-paused the video and let it play a while longer until it came to a scene where Ryuichi and Shuichi were doing a duet together. Tatsuha paused again, this time on the image of Shuichi. "And what the hell is wrong with me now? Why am I thinking about him that way? Last night I almost… Argh!" Tatsuha buried his face in a pillow and screamed.

[Damn it! I was serious! I wasn't kidding around! It's not right though! Shuichi's my friend, not some rebound! Why did he let me do that! He's my brother's boyfriend!]

Yet, besides thinking about Ryuichi, he had been thinking about Shuichi. He hadn't been able to forget, not for a moment. It didn't help that the boy was in the house, in the arms of his brother.

[Damn! Don't tell me I'm in love with him! This can't be happening. If I was in love with him, I'd have known when we first met. What the hell is wrong with me?]

"Why are you still here? Do you realize how much racket you're making? It's six in the morning." Tatsuha rolled over to see his brother towering over him. Tatsuha shrugged and went back to watching the video. After a few minutes, Yuki stalked off towards his office.

[What would Eiri do if he knew I was thinking this way?] That was the worst thought yet. Rejection, hate, mockery. [No, not from him. I don't want that from my own brother.] Tatsuha got up and gathered his stuff.

"Eiri, I'm going home." He said as he exited the door. [I'm not going to ruin my brother's life.]
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Ryuichi, now fully dressed glanced once more at Taki before exiting the room. Getting the younger man to move was obviously a lost cause. At least now he could make breakfast. He headed towards the kitchen, and grabbed Kumagoro.

"Wow, wow, wow. I can't believe it. He's here in my house. And last night we, we…" Ryuichi started to giggle. [I can't say those kinds of things in front of Kumagoro.]

He grabbed a frying pan and then went to get some eggs. Ryuichi preferred western food, especially breakfast food, because of how easy it was to make. He usually goofed when it came to anything else. He started humming as he began to crack eggs and dump their contents into the pan.

"Kumagoro, do you think Taki likes scrambled eggs?" The rabbit said nothing, yet Ryuichi nodded as if it had spoken. "Of course, who doesn't like scrambled eggs? At least, he'll like the way I make them. After all, I am the master." Ryuichi exclaimed proudly.
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It was around this time that Taki had finally woken up. Well, more like he partially revived. As he got dressed, his mind started moving, although it was a clumsy process. Finally, he slumped out of the room, hoping to find Ryuichi.

He poked his head in different rooms, not finding what he was looking for. One particular room caught his interest. It was a small study with a tv and a desk. The desk was pilled high with papers, sloppily arranged. Taki was curious by nature and soon found himself sitting down at the desk and sifting through the papers.

He recognized them as Nittle Grasper song lyrics. He had never seen such bad handwriting in his life. He could just barely read it. He skimmed over them, very much aware that he was probably the envy of a million Nittle Grasper fans. His eyes widened as he came across some particular papers…

"Taki, there you are." Ryuichi poked his head into the door. "Breakfast is ready! Come on, come on, before it gets cold! What are you looking at?" He asked quizzically.

"Your eyes, dark and wild, burning with passion…" Taki read off something from a sheet of paper he was holding. Ryuichi stood there for a moment, frozen stiff. The color slowly returned to his face, making him look sunburned. It was then that he sprang into action, grabbing the paper from Taki's hands and proceeding in a light speed clean up of his desk. In a few seconds, the desk was bare and sparkling clean

Ryuichi threw a hand behind his head and began to laugh like a maniac. "Nothing to see here, nope not a thing. Let's hurry before breakfast gets cold." He made a motion to grab Taki, only to find that the younger man was already walking out of the door.

"My perfect angel, to whom I'd sell my soul…" Taki said with a smirk. Ryuichi stood there mortified. "I have them memorized." Taki replied as he headed towards the kitchen.
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Shuichi walked into Yuki's office and reclined against the doorway. "Yuki, where's Tatsuha?"

"He went home." Yuki said, still typing.

"I see…" Shuichi walked out of the room, his eyes downcast. [Tatsuha… I… Damn it. What's wrong with me?]

Shuichi slumped down on the couch, grabbing a box of Pocky. [First, I decided to ruin Ryuichi's date along with Tatsuha. Then I decide to ruin Tatsuha's date-breaking plan. And then I almost-almost-almost-] Shuichi shivered. He just couldn't bring himself to think about last night. Not in any way, shape or form.

Yet, the simple facts had remained. Last night had gone too far. It wasn't the usual fooling around Tatsuha did. He didn't know what it was and he didn't know what he had been thinking. And now Tatsuha was gone. [I don't know whether to laugh or cry.]
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Taki was surprised that he hadn't gotten poisoned by the meal. Ryuichi had not struck him as being capable of cooking himself a meal. Yet, the scrambled eggs weren't only passable as food, they were pretty damn good. Ryuichi was hardly touching his eggs though, only looking up occasionally then going back to stirring them.

"They're just lyrics. What's the big deal?" Taki looked at Ryuichi pointedly. Ryuichi was now very interested in tearing his napkin into little pieces. "I mean, they're a little cheesy, but it's the thought that counts, right?"

"When I first saw you I really wanted to write a song about you. I tried really hard and the lyrics still won't come out right. They have to be perfect." Ryuichi said morosely as he butchered yet another napkin.

Taki looked down at his plate feeling a little peaked at the moment. "Well, like I said, it's the thought that counts. It's not every day that Ryuichi Sakuma writes songs for you. At least that's something." [Really what have I done to deserve anything from you? I was in denial until last night. In fact, I'm still a little scared.]

"But, it's just, haven't you ever done anything embarrassing like that? For love I mean?"

Taki looked at him a moment, then chuckled. "That's what's bothering you? What happened to that little movie ideal of yours?" Ryuichi glared at him, then merely looked down, realizing Taki was right.

"I've never had a real boyfriend or girlfriend. Not really. In school, I was always the class clown. No one ever took me seriously, but when I tried to be serious, no one liked me. I was too straightforward, too harsh, too bold."

Ryuichi swallowed. "Then, when I became a singer, it all flipped around. Suddenly, everyone liked the serious, "cool" Ryuichi they saw on stage. And they refused to believe that the playful side was also me. They'd get annoyed and leave after a time, convinced that I was faking.

That's the way it's always been. I guess because of that I've always idealized relationships. I always wanted someone who would stay with me, regardless of the fact that I put on these masks. I guess I thought you were the one."

Taki felt like a jerk at that moment. "I didn't know it meant that much to you." He looked down a moment, staring at the empty plate before him. "You're not the only one who puts on masks, you know." He sighed, not sure if he wanted to continue.

"Everyone thinks I'm so confidant. Hell, I even fool myself sometimes. Deep down, I'm scared. I want to be liked. I want everyone to look at me, be in awe of me and admire me. I don't know what I'd do without that. So I act mean and nasty. That way, no one will ever realize how dependant I am. They won't pity me." He gave a dry laugh. "Sounds pretty sorry next to what you said though."

Ryuichi shook his head furiously. "No, no. I don't think it's lame at all. I even understand it, a little bit." They were quiet for a moment, not sure what to say next.

"Listen, just so you know, I'm a prick. I'm stuck up and obsessive. I also get really jealous. Can you honestly tell me that you still like me?" Taki was serious as he looked at Ryuichi, waiting for the older man's response.

"Hey, I'm a thirty year old who still has a toy rabbit and likes to color with crayons. I'm annoying and childish. And I'm socially handicapped. I'm guaranteed to embarrass you wherever we go. Yet, you like me, don't you?" Ryuichi smiled, holding Kumagoro closely. The two started laughing.

"Yeah. I guess I am snapped. It must be Seguchi's fault. He has nothing but crazies in that building." Taki grinned, feeling strangely relieved. [Damn. Crazy doesn't even begin to cover this. I should be practical and end this, but…] "I have the feeling that this is a good thing." [Maybe just this is worth taking a chance on.]

"Crazy isn't a very nice word. But, I'm glad you're seeing things my way." Ryuichi had a warm feeling inside. He knew something good was happening, but he wasn't sure what it was. All he knew was that one thought was crossing his mind. [This is what I wanted.]
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To Be Continued…

Taki undergoes a rather extensive Q and A session coursed of his friends. And Ryuichi still a little peeved at Shuichi and Tatsuha. Of course Shuichi has problems of his own. Namely a love sick teenager.

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