New York, Rio, TOKIO - Chapter 2: Boys and Girls

[yoru_no_hikaru]

Pairing: Nagase/Shigeru
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Don't own JE-stuff, or people
Warnings: none really, it's all fluffy
Multi-Chapter

Summary: Tomoya is confromted with totally new issues and Shigeru has trouble dealing with a hormonal and confused teenager. It's really cute. ^_^

Note: I like clueless Tomo-chan. And helpless Shigeru. ^_^


“Leader-san!”

Shigeru jumped. He turned his head about agitatedly, looking for the source of the irritating noise that had ripped him from his thoughts.

“Wah! Ah, Taichi-kun. What?!” Shigeru finally heaved out.

“That’s what I’m asking you,” Taichi retorted. “Really, what’s with you today? You’re so absentminded, we don’t get anything finished.”

Shigeru slowly shook his head. “I’m sorry, everyone. I… didn’t sleep very well tonight.”

Nagase flinched at the comment, which earned him a meaningful look from Shigeru.

“Okay then, shall we leave it here and continue tomorrow?” Taichi suggested.

“Fine with me,” Yamaguchi cut in. “I’ve got a date later and I really don’t mind getting home and taking a shower before that.”

“You’ve got a date?” Taichi asked pointedly.

“Y-yeah,” Yamaguchi confirmed warily. “Why?”

Taichi considered him for a few moments, then just shrugged as he turned off his keyboard. “Nothing. Just don’t get yourself caught, is all.”

“Hey, I’m not stupid,” Yamaguchi retorted.

“Who are you dating?” Mabo asked, seemingly interested. “Do we know them?”

Everybody was looking at Yamaguchi expectantly, curious about whether they’d know the person and also whether the bassist would give away the gender.

Yamaguchi shook his head, grinning. “You guys are unbelievable.” He sighed. “No, you don’t know her.”

“A girl?!” Shigeru exclaimed.

“You sound a bit too surprised, you know,” Yamaguchi pouted.

“No, no, that’s not what I mean,” Shigeru waved him off.

“He’s more like wondering what kind of girl would date you,” Taichi teased.

“Well, she’s pretty and smart and cute and her cooking is fantastic,” Yamaguchi informed them.

“Sounds like you got quite lucky,” Shigeru analysed.

“Well, yeah, I guess so,” Yamaguchi smiled.

“Then be off already,” Taichi told him. “Oh, and tell her we absolutely want to meet her.”

“No way,” Yamaguchi laughed as he left.

Mabo snorted. “He’s totally afraid that we’ll scare her off.”

Nagase blinked. “Eh?”

The drummer grinned. “Well, we’re infamous for our special style, ne? Plus, someone might try and steal her? But it doesn’t sound like she’s my type.”

“You don’t like someone who cooks?” Nagase asked, confused.

Mabo blinked at the other boy. “Eh, no… But somehow, when they’re too girly they can get annoying,” he explained.

At that Nagase blinked. “Oh.” Then he nodded. “Okay.”

“You have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?” Mabo sighed. “Really, have you ever dated a girl? So long as you haven’t you can’t join in adult conversation.”

“And you would know that how?” Shigeru shot at him. “I haven’t exactly seen you very busy with girls a lot.”

“When it comes to that, I’m definitely still better than you. Well, that is, of course, not too hard to manage…” Mabo retorted, a teasing grin on his face.

“Eh?” Nagase made once more, now totally cofused.

“That’s about enough, now,” Taichi interrupted. “You’ll give the boy weird ideas.”

“He’s about my age,” Mabo argued.

“Yes, well, you’re a bit pre-mature, which might be a result of you hanging with us and us not watching our ways enough. Can’t make the same mistake with Nagase-kun.”

“Tomoya,” Nagase cut in.

Everybody blinked at him.

“Well,” Nagase continued, blushing a bit, “Shigeru-kun said we’re all on first name basis, so I thought…”

“Shigeru-kun?” Taichi asked, raising a curious brow and looking at the band leader pointedly.

“What?!” Shigeru exclaimed. “We all are on first name basis, so what?!”

Taichi grinned. “Yes, yes, fine with me. Alright, then, Tomoya-kun. Please don’t give too much thought on what Mabo’s saying, okay?”

“Okay,” Nagase nodded back.

“Very well, then,” Taichi concluded. “Let’s finish here. We’ll meet up again tomorrow 9 a.m. See you there.”

With that everybody left to spend a free afternoon so that they could continue working the following day.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

That night there was an awkward atmosphere in Shigeru’s room. Nagase had found the door unlocked, just as the nights before and Shigeru was nice and attended to him as usual. Something was different, though, Nagase was sure of it. He just couldn’t put a finger on it. What could it be that made him feel so uneasy? As he kept pondering the thought, he tried to remember what he had done during the day. Maybe something had happened to make him feel that way and it had nothing to do with Shigeru. Then something hit him. He looked at his older band mate who was sitting opposite him on his new couch.

“Ne, Shigeru-kun?” he asked warily.

Shigeru looked up from the news paper. “Hm?”

“Ano…. Do you think…” Nagase broke off, licking his lips.

“Did something happen again?” Shigeru asked, immediately concerned.

“No, no,” Nagase waved him off quickly. “It’s just… there’s something I can’t get out of my head.”

“Well, what is it?” Shigeru wanted to know.

“Do you think I’m weird?” Nagase asked, blushing.

Shigeru blinked at that. Apparently he had not expected such a question.

“Why would I think that?” Shigeru asked.

“Well,” Nagase retorted, “it’s what Mabo said. About girls. I really haven’t been on a date. Is it weird? I mean, at my age. I’ve been wondering whether I should be more into that whole dating stuff, but I can’t really get myself to care.”

Shigeru put his paper away. “Ah, I see how this must be bothering you. But then, so long as you’re happy, isn’t it okay?”

Nagase just nodded. “I guess so,” he mused.

“See,” Shigeru smiled gently.

“Ano,” Nagase spoke up again, blushing a bit. “Can I tell you something else?”

“Of course. What?”

“Well… but you can’t tell anyone,” the boy told him, a stern look on his face.

The band leader merely nodded.

“It’s… Koichi.”

Shigeru’s heart skipped a beat at that. “K-koichi-kun?” he stuttered out. “What, you… I mean, you… like him?”

Nagase first blinked at him again, then shook his head wildly. “Oh, no, no, no. I… Koichi told me he’s with Tsuyoshi now.”

“Oh, okay,” Shigeru nodded, storing the information for later uses. “And you?”

“I don’t know,” Nagase shrugged. “I guess I just never really thought of that. I mean, guys. It’s a bit…”

“Is it disturbing for you?” the band leader asked, trying to sound sympathetic.

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “I mean it’s… quite different, isn’t it? And… somehow I just wonder now. How do you like a guy? But then, I haven’t really fallen for a girl so far either, so… I just don’t know…” Nagase blushed a bit, shifting uncomfortably.

“You don’t know whether you like boys or girls?” Shigeru asked simply.

“Ano….” Nagase muttered. “How do you know which you like?”

Shigeru blinked. “Well… I guess you know when you fall in love.”

“Okay,” Nagase nodded. “What about you?” he asked, looking expectantly at Shigeru, who flinched as he had feared that question might arise.

“What about me?” Shigeru tried to avoid an immediate answer, which was, of course, to no avail.

“Well, do you like boys or girls?” Nagase explained.

The band leader sighed. “I really think we should not have this kind of conversation.”

“I won’t tell Taichi about it,” Nagase offered, smiling.

“That’s very wise,” Shigeru laughed. Then he sighed again, but more easily this time. “I like guys,” he announced.

“Alright,” Nagase nodded. “And how did you find out?”

“Well,” Shigeru mused, “there was this guy I was grouped with. Yamato Ichirou. We spent a lot of time together and then somehow…”

“Yes?” Nagase urged.

“Well, just how things like that come about. You start to like being close to the other, you think how it would be to kiss them and stuff and then you want to try it.”

“And did you?” Nagase wanted to know.

“Yes, I did,” Shigeru nodded. “We were together for about 2 months.”

“What happened then?” the younger boy wanted to know.

“He left the agency in order to study and take over the family company,” Shigeru explained. “It was nice, though. First love is always special.”

Nagase nodded. Then he spoke up again. “Do you have someone now?”

“Do I look like I have someone? You come here every night. Did you ever see anyone in here?”

Nagase shook his head.

“Well, there you go, then,” Shigeru offered. “Nobody right now.”

“Alright,” Nagase concluded. “So, I have to find out whether I like boys or girls.”

“Don’t worry too much about that,” Shigeru told him.

“But what if someone really likes me and wants to kiss me and stuff like you told me, but I actually like… well, the other kind. Isn’t it important that I know?”

Shigeru blinked at that. Then he smiled. “You really are a very considerate boy, Tomo-chan. Do try to find an answer, then.”

Nagase nodded, smiling back.

“But now it’s late,” Shigeru concluded. “You go to bed.”

“Okay,” Nagase replied, getting up and moving over to the bed. He’d already sat down when he turned around again, addressing the other once more. “You sleeping in the bed again?”

“I just told you I like guys and you want me to sleep in one bed with you?”

“Well, it’s your bed, so I feel like I’m troubling you,” Nagase explained. “Plus, I don’t mind. I liked sleeping together last night. And tonight is no different. You are no different as a person from yesterday, right? So, it’s okay.”

“Tomo-chan,” Shigeru said evenly, “you are a total enigma.”

“Eh?” Nagase blinked.

Shigeru smiled, shaking his head. “You often need a lot of time to catch on to the seemingly simplest thing, and then you come out and say stuff like this, like you’re a well-experienced guy. A total enigma.”

Nagase shrugged. “Well, I can’t really help that, can I?”

“No, I suppose you can’t,” Shigeru agreed.

“So, what now?” Nagase wanted to know. “Are you sleeping in the bed, or not?”

“Very well, if you insist,” Shigeru stated, getting up from the couch and moving over to the bed. “Youroshiku onegaishimasu,” he added, bowing slightly.

Nagase blushed. “You don’t need to do that. You’re the elder,” he informed him as he pulled the covers down and moved over a bit to give Shigeru some space.

“It’s still courtesy,” Shigeru informed him, getting into the bed. Then he flinched as something hard stung him in his left arm. “What?!” He blinked. “What on earth?! You actually sleep with this?!”

“Well,” Nagase explained, blushing again, “Koichi-kun said how precious your own mic is. And I really like this one. So…”

“Have it your way,” Shigeru waved him off. “Just don’t sting me with it.”

“Right, sorry,” the younger boy replied, pulling the item back slightly.

“And now sleep, will you.”

“Nh,” Nagase made, eyes already closed.

Shigeru looked at the boy and smiled. It still felt awkward to share a bed, but the boy acted so natural about it, it took away the uneasiness. He patted Nagase’s head lightly, before settling down and drifting off to sleep as well.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

“AAHHHH!!!!! Itai-itai-itai-itai!!!!!!!”

Shigeru held his head, rolling about and pushing Nagase’s mic right into his stomach.

“Uffff! Ah, what’s happening?!”

“That’s what I’m asking you,” Yamaguchi’s voice rang through the room.

Shigeru turned around again and shifted into a stable position, finally able to see the bassist standing next to his bed, a huge book in his hand and glaring down at Shigeru.

“What is it?!” Shigeru yelled out agitatedly.

Then he felt something shift next to him - or rather someone.

“Neeehhhhh….. Shigeru-kun…..” Nagase mumbled sleepily.

“Oh, shit,” Shigeru sighed out, falling back onto the bed, covering his eyes with his right hand.

“That’s about right,” Yamaguchi confirmed, raising the book again.

“Woah,” Shigeru exclaimed. “Hold it. Let’s… talk about it calmly, okay?”

“Shigeru-kun,” Nagase’s sleepy voice sounded again. “What is it?”

“Nothing much,” Shigeru assured him. “Tatsuya-kun came over for breakfast.”

He shot Yamaguchi a pleading look. While the other was still glaring at him, he nodded.

Nagase sat up at that. “Really?” he beamed happily. “Ohayo gosaimasu!”

“O-ohayo-na, Tomoya-kun,” Yamaguchi returned, smiling awkwardly.

“Shigeru-kun, do I get pan cakes?” Nagase asked in a whiny voice.

Shigeru sighed. “Only if you get cleaned up and dressed first,” he decided.

“Yatta!!!!!!!!” Nagase exclaimed and hopped right out of the bed and into the bathroom.

As soon as the youngest boy was out of the room, the remaining two stared at each other meaningfully, but neither said anything. Finally Shigeru decided to go for it, trying to put the most important information first.

“I did not touch the boy,” he informed the other.

“Why on earth are you sleeping in one bed with him?” Yamaguchi asked, still sounding irritated.

“Well, I… I slept on the couch at first. No, wait, actually, I slept on the floor at first. Then I got a new couch that I could sleep on.”

“Then why don’t you sleep on it now?” Yamaguchi wanted to know. “I came to see how Tomoya is doing, whether he’s feeling any better. Has he been sleeping here all this while?”

“Well…. Yes,” Shigeru admitted. “But I think he’s really only going for company. He’s quite fine, really. He told me about the letters too. We talked about it. It’s fine.”

“Which still doesn’t explain why you’re both sleeping in this bed,” Yamaguchi pointed out.

“Well, that…. I told you, I kept sleeping on the couch.” He paused there, looking up at Yamaguchi who only kept glaring down at him. “But then he kept saying I should sleep in the bed, since it’s mine and he’d feel like he’s bothering me and everything. Yesterday night he just clung to me and I absolutely couldn’t get out, so I stayed in bed with him. And last night… well….”

“What - you mean he explicitly wants you in there?” Yamaguchi asked in disbelief.

Shigeru just nodded. “I swear, I never even thought of something like that. But he kept insisting. And somehow I could not deny him.”

“I’m still not sure this is good,” Yamaguchi mused. “What if he gets attached to you?”

Shigeru snorted at that. “As if. What would he do with a guy like me? I’m ten years older than him and not nearly as attractive. Even if he liked guys, which I doubt, and even liked older guys, he’d still rather go for Taichi, or you maybe.”

Yamaguchi sighed. “Fine. But what about you? He is young and cute, after all.”

“What are you saying?!” Shigeru demanded. “I’m not into kids. He’s only a boy, I wouldn’t lay a finger on him. He’s like…. my younger brother.”

Yamaguchi still eyed him warily.

“Absolutely,” Shigeru confirmed again.

“Okay, fine. But this is getting distressful,” Yamaguchi complained. “Now it’s not just that I cannot tell Taichi about this, but if he should ever find out about it, I’ll have to deny the fact that I know anything about this - and I’ll swear on my life on that.”

“I get it,” Shigeru returned. “Sorry for troubling you so.”

The next moment the door to the bathroom flew open. “All done,” Nagase announced, a small towel wrapped around his small hips. “Pan cakes?”

Shigeru chuckled at that. “Right, right, I’ll get to it. You go get dressed.”

“Haaaaiiii,” Nagase answered, opening a drawer on the nightstand. “Tatsuya-kun, you should come for dinner too.”

“Eh?” Yamaguchi blinked.

“Well, Shigeru and I always eat together after rehearsal. Why don’t you come by for that?”

“Ano…” Yamaguchi stuttered. “Maybe I will.”

“Good,” Nagase beamed at him, then made his way to the kitchen.

Yamaguchi blinked after him, then shrugged and followed as he could catch the smell of pan cakes from the kitchen.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Okay, I hope you guys enjoyed. This is kind of a set-up. How do these two get close, and everything. I might add little story line pieces to this, but next I'll start posting  bits where Tomo-chan is a bit older. Next update might take a while, because I'm away on a short trip visiting friends. Be back on Wednesday. Jaa! ^_^/

Chapter 1

Chapter 3