Where Is Your Boy Tonight?
Title: Where Is Your Boy Tonight? [Part 2]
Author: carcrashheart_8
Fandom: KAT-TUN
Pairings: Junda, Ryoda, TaNaka [friendship], with more pairings to come
Rating: PG-13 [for some language]
Summary: Junno has never been able to confess his feelings to the person he likes. He finds himself now in love with his best friend Ueda Tatsuya but Ueda already has a boyfriend, Ryo. Junno does what he can for his best friend even if it means getting in the middle of his and Ryo's relationship.
Disclaimer: Title taken from and story inspired by the song "Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy" by Fall Out Boy
Part 2
Eventually, the pair came to school and walked to their classroom and took their seats, right next to each other. Almost immediately, Junno was bombarded by Koki and Maru once again. Koki sat in the desk in front of Junno’s while Maru simply rested on the desk on the opposite side of Ueda’s.
“Hey, Junnosuke-kun. We wanna know if you’ll hang out with us this weekend. We’re gonna go see that new horror movie, wanna come?” Koki asked, trying desperately to do puppy dog eyes.
“What are---we don’t hang out! Why are you asking me this?” Junno leant away a little.
“Eh?? Why are you so cold, Junnosuke-kun?” Maru asked looking devastated.
“I’m not being cold. I’m being realistic. You and I don’t hang out, not in school and certainly, not outside of school.”
“Then that should change,” Koki enthusiastically replied.
“Why?”
“Because we like you!” the pair said simultaneously.
“You guys need brains. Separate ones---ones with actual functioning power. The one you share now needs some tuning or something,” Junno crossed his arms and leant back in his chair.
Koki frowned as did Maru. Ueda just stifled the giggle fit that was overcoming him but he simply looked away and got out a book from his desk.
“It’s ‘cause you’re always hanging out with Tatsuya-kun. You don’t hang out with anyone else,” Maru noted.
“That’s not true. Junno talks to Kamenashi-kun from Class 3-C, right, Junno?” Ueda remarked.
Junno blushed a tiny bit and nodded. Maru and Koki both looked a little shocked.
“Really?? You hang out with Kamenashi-kun but not us? That’s not nice,” the pair once again said in unison.
“Seriously---separate brains, you really need them,” Junno said before getting out the same book Ueda had on his desk at the moment. When the bell rang, Koki and Maru, both looking forlorn, trudged back to their seats at the opposite side of the room. Junno chuckled to himself while shaking his head as he prepared for the beginning of the school day.
During his walk to his first class of the day, Junno was stopped by something calling after him. He turned around and smiled as he watched Kame dodging other students as he ran down the hallway.
“Good morning, Kame. How are you today?”
“I’m---I’m *gasp* out of breath,” Kame bent over at the waist and tried desperately to catch his breath as Junno slowly patted his back. He got up quickly and came awfully close to Junno’s face which made him fall backwards.
“WOAAAAHH!” the shorter boy said as he fell down.
“Kame, watch out!” Junno called after him but Kame fell and everyone around him just gasped in unison.
“Are you okay?”
“Y--yeah, I’m fine. I guess I’m just a little clumsy today haha! Um---I got to---got to go to class now. I’ll see you later, J---J---Junno,” Kame stuttered before running off. Junno watched him and just scratched his head. He shrugged his shoulders and made his way to his classroom.
“Taguchi-kun!!”
“What the--?”
“I need your help!”
Junno looked across the room and saw Akanishi Jin waving his arms around like a madman to get his attention. He just looked and proceeded very cautiously to his classmate’s desk.
“Um---good morning, A--Akanishi-kun?? What can I do for you?” Junno looked at Jin strangely and put his hands slightly in front of his chest.
“I’m so glad you’re here! I need you to do something for me,” Jin said, looking very desperate and sounding slightly out of breath.
“Umm---what?”
“Can you h--help me study for the entrance exams?”
“Eh? What---why me?”
“I know that you get high marks in History and in math and those happen to be my worst subjects,” Jin scratched the back of his head as he blushed at revealing his weaknesses.
“I see. Well, I guess I can but you kinda have to tell me when you need---”
“GREAT! We can start this weekend! Saturday at my house?”
“Whoa---whoa, I have plans on Saturday with--with a friend.”
“Really?? Well, are you free on Sunday? I really need to start or my dad’s going to cut off my allowance,” Jin whined.
“You still get an allowance?” Junno raised his eyebrow.
“I---yes. But that’s not the point! I need to do this or he’ll think I’m being lazy and will---I don’t even wanna think about it,” Jin dramatically looked away and placed his hand in front of Junno’s face, “Anyways, can you help me?”
“Yeah, on Sunday, I guess, is 11:00 good for you?”
“Yep! Sunday at 11:00 is absolutely perfect! Thanks so much---eek, class is starting. We can dish out the details later, thanks again.”
Junno just nodded and walked to his seat. Jin was smiling like an idiot and turned to Junno and did a thumbs up to which Junno replied awkwardly with a thumbs up of his own. When Jin looked away, Junno exhaled and sunk down in his seat.
Lunchtime came and Junno was feeling hungry and a little anxious to see Ueda, whom he hadn’t seen since homeroom. The two met at their usual table in the cafeteria, with Junno carrying a tray of food and Ueda carrying a small lunchbox.
“Hey, Tat-chan!”
“Hey, Junno!”
The pair sat down and almost immediately delved into their lunches. Junno was practically ravaging his plate when Ueda stopped and stared at him.
“You act like you haven’t eaten in days,” the shorter boy said with his eyes slightly bugged out.
Junno had a piece of bread in his mouth and stopped chewing. He took a bite and swallowed before saying, “It’s not my fault my mom makes such a light breakfast for me. I feel like I haven’t had a decent meal in weeks.”
“I see,” Ueda opened his lunchbox and just stared at what was inside.
“Hmm? What’s wrong, Tat-chan?”
“What the hell is this crap?”
Junno peered over and looked back at Ueda, “Isn’t that what you always have?”
“No! My---sister is such a---she took my lunch! And I took hers and now I have to eat---whatever the hell this is,” he picked up the box and sniffed it, making a disgusted face before putting it back down.
“Do you want some of my food?” Junno pushed his tray over slightly.
Ueda smiled and nodded before grabbing some of the pasta that Junno was eating and a tiny piece of the bread that Junno had been chomping on earlier.
“This is actually not that bad,” Ueda covered his mouth while talking.
Junno muttered an affirmation as he continued to ravage his meal like a starving animal. He took a big gulp of his soda when Ueda cleared his throat to say something.
“By the way--I--I’m gonna have to cancel our plans for Saturday,” the shorter boy whispered.
Junno spit out his drink once again and wiped his mouth.
“PFFFFT---WHAT?!”
“I’m--I’m sorry, Junno, it’s just that Ryo just texted me earlier, during class to tell me that his other plans fell through and that he still wants to go out with me.”
“But---but---you---and I?”
“Oh, don’t worry about it. We can hang out some other time, it’s not a big deal really,” Ueda started picking his food and eating it while Junno just stared straight at him, “What’s wrong?”
“That---that guy is so---inconsiderate!” Junno looked angrily as Ueda just calmly responded to his furious demeanor.
“It’s fine, I said. He apologized for being so flakey and I---I already told him that it was fine.”
“You told him yes before even consulting me?!”
“What’s the big deal? It’s not like this was so special. It was just me and you at the movies. It’s nothing,” Ueda didn’t even realize how hurtful the words he were saying were to Junno. The taller boy sulked a little and hung his head as he picked his food.
Ueda looked up, “It’s okay, Junno, don’t act all disappointed. We’ll hang out again sometime---how about Sunday?”
“I can’t. I have to study with Akanishi from class 3-A. He just asked me this morning,” Junno muttered under his breath as he continued to keep his gaze from his friend’s.
“Oooh, I see. So you’re hanging out with Akanishi-kun? That’s cool. But what about Kamenashi-kun?” Ueda teased.
Junno looked up suddenly with his eyes bugging out of their sockets.
“Relax, I’m just teasing you. Don’t be such a spazz,” Ueda said before taking a gulp from his water bottle. Junno glared at him slightly but Ueda just laughed and Junno realized he couldn’t stay mad for long at his friend. The two laughed together until the end of lunch bell rang for them to go to class.
Despite his lighter disposition, Junno began to sulk while walking to his next class. He made sure he wasn’t going to be attacked by any more of his schoolmates by turning around suddenly at anything that sounded like his name or a greeting from afar. When he finally got to class, he was, unfortunately, attacked by Koki and Maru once again.
“We finally found you!” the pair said in unison.
“Why do I always run into you guys at the most random of moments? And why do you always talk at the same exact time?! It’s weird,” Junno sat down in his seat, wishing he had remembered that he had the next class with the pair.
“Why do you always act so mean towards us?” Koki asked, sitting in his seat in front of Junno.
Maru sat behind Junno and said, “Yeah, we’re just trying to be friendly to you, Junnosuke-kun. We’re just trying to be nice.”
“What you’re doing isn’t ‘nice’ or ‘friendly’. It’s stalkerish---stalkery---stalker-like?? You guys are acting like a pair of weird stalker people,” Junno said, turning his head back and forth to look at both boys.
“We’re not stalkers, we’re just friendly people! But that’s not what’s important right now. We heard that Tatsuya-kun canceled on you and we wanna see if you still wanna come with us to the movies,” Maru smiled eagerly. Koki smiled almost the same exact smile which creeped Junno out even more.
“I would ask how you know that but I’m sure you have your ways---”
“YEP!” the pair answered.
“I guess---there’s no harm in us hanging out---” Junno mumbled incoherently so the two wouldn’t understand him.
“Huh?!”
“He said he’d hang out with us,” Maru clarified to Koki.
“I didn’t say that---exactly. I just said it wouldn’t be harmful to me---I guess. I’m really not too sure; give me some time to think about it.” Junno said right as their teacher walked into the classroom, prompting Koki and Maru to no longer be attentive to him but to the class itself.
For the rest of the day, Junno could think about nothing but Ueda and the plans that had been broken. Nothing hurt more than being stood up by your best friend except maybe being stood up by the person you loved. And it certainly didn’t help that Junno was being ditched for Ueda’s boyfriend, Ryo.
“Damn that guy!” Junno thought to himself as he pounded on his desk, drawing everyone’s attention to him.
“S--sorry,” he stuttered as the lesson began up again. He put his head on his desk and closed his eyes. The last bell had finally rung and now he had to go help his teacher with some things.
“Why must these things always happen to me?” Junno muttered to himself as he trudged down the hallway to his homeroom.
“Hey, Junnosuke-kun!” someone shouted from behind him.
“What is it now?” Junno grumbled as he turned around. He saw Kame coming up to him and immediately, Junno’s frown was wiped off his face.
“Hey, Kame. What’s up? And what’s with the name? Remember, just call me ‘Junno’”, the taller boy smiled widely.
Kame gulped and blushed before looking away. He cleared his throat and firmly stared into Junno’s eyes.
“I---I want to apologize for earlier! I shouldn’t have run off like that! I’m really sorry!” Kame rambled as Junno just looked away, completely unfazed, almost like he wasn’t paying attention. He wasn’t. Kame looked up and saw that Junno was looking at Ueda who was down the hallway talking to a classmate. Determined to get Junno’s attention, Kame waved his hand in front of the other’s face.
“Junno! Hello!”
“Huh? Oh, sorry---oh my gosh, I’m sorry, Kame. I wasn’t---I mean, I was---I’m sorry. You were saying?”
Kame laughed nervously, pretending it didn’t matter that Junno was staring at someone else.
“Um--I was just saying that I was sorry about this morning. But I guess you were looking---you know what, it doesn’t matter. Anyways, um---yeah, I guess that’s it. I’ll---I’ll see you tomorrow, bye!” Kame ran off and Junno just waved before continuing onto the classroom.
After he finished his duties as class rep, Junno walked home fairly slow and just stared at the sky as he dragged his feet. He held his bag over his shoulder and had one hand in his pocket. He heard some noise and saw a bunch of kids from another high school walking in the opposite direction as him.
Some girls walked by Junno giggling as some guys just stared at him with awkward expressions. He thought the uniform looked familiar and in a second he knew why. Walking towards him was Ueda’s boyfriend, Ryo, and Junno felt his heart pumping faster and faster.
He took his bag and tried to obscure his face with it. It worked well until Ryo walked right past him, stopped and turned around.
“Hey you!”
Junno stopped walking like he had been caught red-handed, committing a crime. He slowly turned around and walked towards the other boy with a nervous smile on his face.
“I know you. You’re Tatsuya’s---classmate, right? Tanuchi---” Ryo said, walking towards the taller boy.
“Actually, it’s Taguchi---Taguchi Junnosuke,” Junno replied with a slightly angry tone.
“Oh yeah. What are you doing around this area? I thought you lived near Tatsuya---isn’t that on the other side of town?”
“Not that it’s any of your business but I decided to go do a little shopping before going home,” Junno flung his bag over his shoulder again and proceeded to walk back in the direction he had originally been going in.
“Hey---you’re going to that one used record store, aren’t you? Yeah, Tatsuya told me you guys go there a lot.”
“HE DID?!” Junno squealed with delight before clearing his throat and speaking in a deeper voice, “(cough) I mean---he did?”
“Yeah, I thought it was weird that you guys hang out a lot but I guess you guys have known each other for a while---plus you live so close to each other.”
“We’re actually childhood friends. Since we were 5 years old---best friends actually, but I’m sure you knew that already,” Junno laughed in a somewhat proud manner.
“Actually, he didn’t mention that,” Ryo casually replied, not realizing the dagger it sent right through Junno’s heart.
“I see,” Junno’s shoulders sunk and his head hung down, “Um--I think I’m going to go now. Excuse me---”
“Okay see you.” Ryo scampered off while Junno just glared at him from behind. Out of nowhere, Junno got the “brilliant” idea to stalk his best friend’s boyfriend, by following him to wherever it was he was going. He wasn’t really planning on going shopping and since he had nothing better to do, Junno ran after the other boy, hiding behind nearby objects anytime Ryo stopped or was too close.
The first place Ryo stopped was a coffee shop where he got a small iced coffee. Junno watched him from outside and cleverly hid himself behind the sign that was standing on the sidewalk. Once Ryo left the coffee place, Junno continued following him to his next destination.
Ryo then made another stop, this time at a women’s clothing store. The situation seemed pretty suspicious to Junno because it could prove any number of things about Ueda’s boyfriend. Possibly that Ryo worked there or maybe that his mother’s birthday was coming up and he was buying a gift or maybe even that Ueda’s boyfriend actually had a cross-dressing fetish.
But one idea immediately came to mind and would not leave Junno’s head. From outside, hiding his face behind a newspaper he had found on the floor, Junno could see that Ryo was looking over a display of jewelry and asking the clerk about a particular piece, a sparkling pair of earrings. The female clerk took them out of the glass case and showed them to Ryo.
As Ryo admired them, Junno gasped and could only assume that it was a gift for the secret girlfriend Ryo was cheating on Ueda with. But his mind was even more clouded when Ryo left the store without the earrings and headed towards a residential street. Junno continued to follow the other boy until Ryo stopped when his phone rang.
Ryo leant against a nearby wall while Junno hid behind a pair of trashcans that were nearby enough for the taller boy to hear the phone conversation.
“Hey man, what’s up?…the earrings? I was going to get them but they were a little expensive so now I’m going to have to work some more hours so I can buy them for her…I think she’ll like them…there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for that girl…I love her so much…hey look I gotta go…Tatsuya’s expecting me to call him and I don’t need him nagging me later on about it…talk to you later, man.”
Ryo hung up his phone and put it away before continuing walking. Junno decided not to continue his stalking and instead sat down on the ground, a little sullen about what he’d just heard. Ryo was having an affair with someone, a girl. It hurt Junno to know that his best friend was being cheated on and at that moment, he couldn’t feel anything but empathy for the boy he loved. He eventually made his way home but stopped when he saw Ryo in front of Ueda’s house.
“Crap!” Junno hid behind the wall that separated Ueda’s house from the alleyway. He sneaked a peek around the corner and could clearly see Ueda come out of his house to greet Ryo.
“Hi. I didn’t expect you to come visit me today,” Ueda smiled sweetly causing Junno’s heart to break a little.
“I was just in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop by,” Ryo smugly replied, making Junno gag a little.
“Do you want to come inside? My family’s not home right now---it’s just me,” Ueda suggestively proposed.
“No, I can’t today. I have to go to work. I’ll see you later,” Ryo pecked Ueda on the cheek and walked away, leaving Ueda alone.
Ueda stood there frowning as he watched his boyfriend walking away from him. Junno noticed Ryo was out of sight and took it as his cue to pretend he was just coming home. He whistled casually and stopped as he saw Ueda.
“Tat-chan? Hi, what are you doing here?” the taller boy smiled stupidly.
“Oh, hi, Junno. Did you just get out from classroom duties? That took a long time, it’s nearly 7.”
“Nah, it’s fine. I actually made a couple of stops along the way. Anyways---um, why are you looking so sad, what happened?” Junno asked, pretending not to know anything.
“It--It’s nothing. It’s just Ry---it’s nothing,” Ueda attempted to smile but ended up looking away.
“Tat-chan? What is it? You can tell me anything. That’s what friends are for,” Junno put his hand on his friend’s shoulder and smiled widely.
Ueda smirked a little and put his own hand on Junno‘s, “You’re a really good friend, Junno. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Junno’s smile cracked a little as he slowly pulled his hand away and he muttered through his teeth while still grinning, “That’s what I’m here for. I’m your friend---always have been---always will be.”
“Thanks for saying that,” Ueda sighed and looked down the street where Ryo had been walking a few minutes earlier, “At least you’re reliable. It seems like Ryo’s always working---it seems he never has time for me. Sometimes I feel so lonely because of him.”
“I’d never do that to you,” Junno barely whispered.
“Hmm?”
“N--nothing. I just said that it was a shame. Well---I think my mom’s probably wondering where I am---so I’m going to go. Talk to you later, Tat-chan---Hey, and if you need someone to talk to---you can always come to me. I’ll always be there for you.”
“Thanks, Junno. I know I can depend on you,” Ueda smiled and waved as Junno walked home. As soon as he turned around, the taller boy exhaled deeply and shook his head as he walked up the steps to his house.
“I’m home!”
“Where’ve you been, young man?” Junno’s mom stomped out of the kitchen and to her just entering son.
“I told you I had to stay after school today. It’s my job as cl---”
“I know---I know, as class representative! We all know how important your job is, sweetie. I just wish you would call when you’re done so I know when to expect you,” his mother continued to gripe.
“Sorry, I’ll remember next time. What’s for dinner?” Junno’s mouth opened as he rubbed his stomach.
His mom just rolled her eyes and wiped her hands on her apron as she went back to the kitchen. Junno laughed uneasily as he walked up the stairs to his room and fell on his bed.
“Oooh, today was so long. I’m glad to be ho---”
Just then his phone started ringing.
“H--hello?”
“Ah! Taguchi-kun, I’m so glad I got a hold of you!”
“Wait--who is this? Akanishi-kun?”
“Yeah, yeah! It’s me! Umm---I’m sorry for calling you like this but I was just making sure you could still come this Sunday.”
“S--sure, I can. I thought I already said I could---”
“What? Oh yeah---I’m sorry! I’m just really stressed with my dad yelling at me about exams and now my mom’s acting all---ANYWAYS, so you can do it?”
“Yes, Akanishi-kun. I can---please calm down,” Junno attempted to get the other boy to relax.
“Oookayy,” Jin exhaled, “Thanks so much for doing this. It’ll help me out a lot.”
“No problem.”
“Haha, I’m glad to hear you say that. Um---Taguchi-kun?”
“Hmmm?”
“Um---uh---can I ask you something? It’s kind of personal” Jin asked cautiously.
“Yes?”
“I heard that you were friends with---um---Kamenashi-kun fr--from class 3-C---is that true?”
“Who, Kame? Yeah I guess so. We’ve known each other since junior high.”
“So, you’re, like, childhood friends, right? I see”
“I guess so---why do you ask?”
“AHH---I---I---no reason---just curious. I---I have to go now. I’ll see you at school---and then on Sunday right?”
“Yeah---Akanishi-kun?”
“Sorry---have--have to go. Bye!” Jin hung up the phone quickly causing Junno to become a little shocked.
It seemed people were acting weird around Junno a lot lately, but he didn’t really notice, or rather that he decided not to think about it. He chose instead to keep his mind on Ueda and his relationship with Nishikido Ryo.
“That---that bastard is probably cheating on him, with a girl---a girl who probably goes to his school. And Tat-chan doesn’t have a clue. He’s just disappointed because that jerk always leaves him hanging.”
Junno put his head and his hands and sighed heavily. His brief moment of angst was halted when he heard his mom calling to him from downstairs for dinner. Junno got up and ran down the stairs, ready for food and ready for clearing his head temporarily of the bad thoughts that plagued his mind.
END PART 2
A/N: Interesting, right? Junno thinks Ryo is cheating on Tat-chan D: but is it true? Lolz I finally introduced Jin into the series ^_^ now it contains all of KAT-TUN!! I hope that it's getting better, the series that is :3 Thanks to all who read the first chapter and all those who commented~! ♥
Author: carcrashheart_8
Fandom: KAT-TUN
Pairings: Junda, Ryoda, TaNaka [friendship], with more pairings to come
Rating: PG-13 [for some language]
Summary: Junno has never been able to confess his feelings to the person he likes. He finds himself now in love with his best friend Ueda Tatsuya but Ueda already has a boyfriend, Ryo. Junno does what he can for his best friend even if it means getting in the middle of his and Ryo's relationship.
Disclaimer: Title taken from and story inspired by the song "Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy" by Fall Out Boy
Part 2
Eventually, the pair came to school and walked to their classroom and took their seats, right next to each other. Almost immediately, Junno was bombarded by Koki and Maru once again. Koki sat in the desk in front of Junno’s while Maru simply rested on the desk on the opposite side of Ueda’s.
“Hey, Junnosuke-kun. We wanna know if you’ll hang out with us this weekend. We’re gonna go see that new horror movie, wanna come?” Koki asked, trying desperately to do puppy dog eyes.
“What are---we don’t hang out! Why are you asking me this?” Junno leant away a little.
“Eh?? Why are you so cold, Junnosuke-kun?” Maru asked looking devastated.
“I’m not being cold. I’m being realistic. You and I don’t hang out, not in school and certainly, not outside of school.”
“Then that should change,” Koki enthusiastically replied.
“Why?”
“Because we like you!” the pair said simultaneously.
“You guys need brains. Separate ones---ones with actual functioning power. The one you share now needs some tuning or something,” Junno crossed his arms and leant back in his chair.
Koki frowned as did Maru. Ueda just stifled the giggle fit that was overcoming him but he simply looked away and got out a book from his desk.
“It’s ‘cause you’re always hanging out with Tatsuya-kun. You don’t hang out with anyone else,” Maru noted.
“That’s not true. Junno talks to Kamenashi-kun from Class 3-C, right, Junno?” Ueda remarked.
Junno blushed a tiny bit and nodded. Maru and Koki both looked a little shocked.
“Really?? You hang out with Kamenashi-kun but not us? That’s not nice,” the pair once again said in unison.
“Seriously---separate brains, you really need them,” Junno said before getting out the same book Ueda had on his desk at the moment. When the bell rang, Koki and Maru, both looking forlorn, trudged back to their seats at the opposite side of the room. Junno chuckled to himself while shaking his head as he prepared for the beginning of the school day.
During his walk to his first class of the day, Junno was stopped by something calling after him. He turned around and smiled as he watched Kame dodging other students as he ran down the hallway.
“Good morning, Kame. How are you today?”
“I’m---I’m *gasp* out of breath,” Kame bent over at the waist and tried desperately to catch his breath as Junno slowly patted his back. He got up quickly and came awfully close to Junno’s face which made him fall backwards.
“WOAAAAHH!” the shorter boy said as he fell down.
“Kame, watch out!” Junno called after him but Kame fell and everyone around him just gasped in unison.
“Are you okay?”
“Y--yeah, I’m fine. I guess I’m just a little clumsy today haha! Um---I got to---got to go to class now. I’ll see you later, J---J---Junno,” Kame stuttered before running off. Junno watched him and just scratched his head. He shrugged his shoulders and made his way to his classroom.
“Taguchi-kun!!”
“What the--?”
“I need your help!”
Junno looked across the room and saw Akanishi Jin waving his arms around like a madman to get his attention. He just looked and proceeded very cautiously to his classmate’s desk.
“Um---good morning, A--Akanishi-kun?? What can I do for you?” Junno looked at Jin strangely and put his hands slightly in front of his chest.
“I’m so glad you’re here! I need you to do something for me,” Jin said, looking very desperate and sounding slightly out of breath.
“Umm---what?”
“Can you h--help me study for the entrance exams?”
“Eh? What---why me?”
“I know that you get high marks in History and in math and those happen to be my worst subjects,” Jin scratched the back of his head as he blushed at revealing his weaknesses.
“I see. Well, I guess I can but you kinda have to tell me when you need---”
“GREAT! We can start this weekend! Saturday at my house?”
“Whoa---whoa, I have plans on Saturday with--with a friend.”
“Really?? Well, are you free on Sunday? I really need to start or my dad’s going to cut off my allowance,” Jin whined.
“You still get an allowance?” Junno raised his eyebrow.
“I---yes. But that’s not the point! I need to do this or he’ll think I’m being lazy and will---I don’t even wanna think about it,” Jin dramatically looked away and placed his hand in front of Junno’s face, “Anyways, can you help me?”
“Yeah, on Sunday, I guess, is 11:00 good for you?”
“Yep! Sunday at 11:00 is absolutely perfect! Thanks so much---eek, class is starting. We can dish out the details later, thanks again.”
Junno just nodded and walked to his seat. Jin was smiling like an idiot and turned to Junno and did a thumbs up to which Junno replied awkwardly with a thumbs up of his own. When Jin looked away, Junno exhaled and sunk down in his seat.
Lunchtime came and Junno was feeling hungry and a little anxious to see Ueda, whom he hadn’t seen since homeroom. The two met at their usual table in the cafeteria, with Junno carrying a tray of food and Ueda carrying a small lunchbox.
“Hey, Tat-chan!”
“Hey, Junno!”
The pair sat down and almost immediately delved into their lunches. Junno was practically ravaging his plate when Ueda stopped and stared at him.
“You act like you haven’t eaten in days,” the shorter boy said with his eyes slightly bugged out.
Junno had a piece of bread in his mouth and stopped chewing. He took a bite and swallowed before saying, “It’s not my fault my mom makes such a light breakfast for me. I feel like I haven’t had a decent meal in weeks.”
“I see,” Ueda opened his lunchbox and just stared at what was inside.
“Hmm? What’s wrong, Tat-chan?”
“What the hell is this crap?”
Junno peered over and looked back at Ueda, “Isn’t that what you always have?”
“No! My---sister is such a---she took my lunch! And I took hers and now I have to eat---whatever the hell this is,” he picked up the box and sniffed it, making a disgusted face before putting it back down.
“Do you want some of my food?” Junno pushed his tray over slightly.
Ueda smiled and nodded before grabbing some of the pasta that Junno was eating and a tiny piece of the bread that Junno had been chomping on earlier.
“This is actually not that bad,” Ueda covered his mouth while talking.
Junno muttered an affirmation as he continued to ravage his meal like a starving animal. He took a big gulp of his soda when Ueda cleared his throat to say something.
“By the way--I--I’m gonna have to cancel our plans for Saturday,” the shorter boy whispered.
Junno spit out his drink once again and wiped his mouth.
“PFFFFT---WHAT?!”
“I’m--I’m sorry, Junno, it’s just that Ryo just texted me earlier, during class to tell me that his other plans fell through and that he still wants to go out with me.”
“But---but---you---and I?”
“Oh, don’t worry about it. We can hang out some other time, it’s not a big deal really,” Ueda started picking his food and eating it while Junno just stared straight at him, “What’s wrong?”
“That---that guy is so---inconsiderate!” Junno looked angrily as Ueda just calmly responded to his furious demeanor.
“It’s fine, I said. He apologized for being so flakey and I---I already told him that it was fine.”
“You told him yes before even consulting me?!”
“What’s the big deal? It’s not like this was so special. It was just me and you at the movies. It’s nothing,” Ueda didn’t even realize how hurtful the words he were saying were to Junno. The taller boy sulked a little and hung his head as he picked his food.
Ueda looked up, “It’s okay, Junno, don’t act all disappointed. We’ll hang out again sometime---how about Sunday?”
“I can’t. I have to study with Akanishi from class 3-A. He just asked me this morning,” Junno muttered under his breath as he continued to keep his gaze from his friend’s.
“Oooh, I see. So you’re hanging out with Akanishi-kun? That’s cool. But what about Kamenashi-kun?” Ueda teased.
Junno looked up suddenly with his eyes bugging out of their sockets.
“Relax, I’m just teasing you. Don’t be such a spazz,” Ueda said before taking a gulp from his water bottle. Junno glared at him slightly but Ueda just laughed and Junno realized he couldn’t stay mad for long at his friend. The two laughed together until the end of lunch bell rang for them to go to class.
Despite his lighter disposition, Junno began to sulk while walking to his next class. He made sure he wasn’t going to be attacked by any more of his schoolmates by turning around suddenly at anything that sounded like his name or a greeting from afar. When he finally got to class, he was, unfortunately, attacked by Koki and Maru once again.
“We finally found you!” the pair said in unison.
“Why do I always run into you guys at the most random of moments? And why do you always talk at the same exact time?! It’s weird,” Junno sat down in his seat, wishing he had remembered that he had the next class with the pair.
“Why do you always act so mean towards us?” Koki asked, sitting in his seat in front of Junno.
Maru sat behind Junno and said, “Yeah, we’re just trying to be friendly to you, Junnosuke-kun. We’re just trying to be nice.”
“What you’re doing isn’t ‘nice’ or ‘friendly’. It’s stalkerish---stalkery---stalker-like?? You guys are acting like a pair of weird stalker people,” Junno said, turning his head back and forth to look at both boys.
“We’re not stalkers, we’re just friendly people! But that’s not what’s important right now. We heard that Tatsuya-kun canceled on you and we wanna see if you still wanna come with us to the movies,” Maru smiled eagerly. Koki smiled almost the same exact smile which creeped Junno out even more.
“I would ask how you know that but I’m sure you have your ways---”
“YEP!” the pair answered.
“I guess---there’s no harm in us hanging out---” Junno mumbled incoherently so the two wouldn’t understand him.
“Huh?!”
“He said he’d hang out with us,” Maru clarified to Koki.
“I didn’t say that---exactly. I just said it wouldn’t be harmful to me---I guess. I’m really not too sure; give me some time to think about it.” Junno said right as their teacher walked into the classroom, prompting Koki and Maru to no longer be attentive to him but to the class itself.
For the rest of the day, Junno could think about nothing but Ueda and the plans that had been broken. Nothing hurt more than being stood up by your best friend except maybe being stood up by the person you loved. And it certainly didn’t help that Junno was being ditched for Ueda’s boyfriend, Ryo.
“Damn that guy!” Junno thought to himself as he pounded on his desk, drawing everyone’s attention to him.
“S--sorry,” he stuttered as the lesson began up again. He put his head on his desk and closed his eyes. The last bell had finally rung and now he had to go help his teacher with some things.
“Why must these things always happen to me?” Junno muttered to himself as he trudged down the hallway to his homeroom.
“Hey, Junnosuke-kun!” someone shouted from behind him.
“What is it now?” Junno grumbled as he turned around. He saw Kame coming up to him and immediately, Junno’s frown was wiped off his face.
“Hey, Kame. What’s up? And what’s with the name? Remember, just call me ‘Junno’”, the taller boy smiled widely.
Kame gulped and blushed before looking away. He cleared his throat and firmly stared into Junno’s eyes.
“I---I want to apologize for earlier! I shouldn’t have run off like that! I’m really sorry!” Kame rambled as Junno just looked away, completely unfazed, almost like he wasn’t paying attention. He wasn’t. Kame looked up and saw that Junno was looking at Ueda who was down the hallway talking to a classmate. Determined to get Junno’s attention, Kame waved his hand in front of the other’s face.
“Junno! Hello!”
“Huh? Oh, sorry---oh my gosh, I’m sorry, Kame. I wasn’t---I mean, I was---I’m sorry. You were saying?”
Kame laughed nervously, pretending it didn’t matter that Junno was staring at someone else.
“Um--I was just saying that I was sorry about this morning. But I guess you were looking---you know what, it doesn’t matter. Anyways, um---yeah, I guess that’s it. I’ll---I’ll see you tomorrow, bye!” Kame ran off and Junno just waved before continuing onto the classroom.
After he finished his duties as class rep, Junno walked home fairly slow and just stared at the sky as he dragged his feet. He held his bag over his shoulder and had one hand in his pocket. He heard some noise and saw a bunch of kids from another high school walking in the opposite direction as him.
Some girls walked by Junno giggling as some guys just stared at him with awkward expressions. He thought the uniform looked familiar and in a second he knew why. Walking towards him was Ueda’s boyfriend, Ryo, and Junno felt his heart pumping faster and faster.
He took his bag and tried to obscure his face with it. It worked well until Ryo walked right past him, stopped and turned around.
“Hey you!”
Junno stopped walking like he had been caught red-handed, committing a crime. He slowly turned around and walked towards the other boy with a nervous smile on his face.
“I know you. You’re Tatsuya’s---classmate, right? Tanuchi---” Ryo said, walking towards the taller boy.
“Actually, it’s Taguchi---Taguchi Junnosuke,” Junno replied with a slightly angry tone.
“Oh yeah. What are you doing around this area? I thought you lived near Tatsuya---isn’t that on the other side of town?”
“Not that it’s any of your business but I decided to go do a little shopping before going home,” Junno flung his bag over his shoulder again and proceeded to walk back in the direction he had originally been going in.
“Hey---you’re going to that one used record store, aren’t you? Yeah, Tatsuya told me you guys go there a lot.”
“HE DID?!” Junno squealed with delight before clearing his throat and speaking in a deeper voice, “(cough) I mean---he did?”
“Yeah, I thought it was weird that you guys hang out a lot but I guess you guys have known each other for a while---plus you live so close to each other.”
“We’re actually childhood friends. Since we were 5 years old---best friends actually, but I’m sure you knew that already,” Junno laughed in a somewhat proud manner.
“Actually, he didn’t mention that,” Ryo casually replied, not realizing the dagger it sent right through Junno’s heart.
“I see,” Junno’s shoulders sunk and his head hung down, “Um--I think I’m going to go now. Excuse me---”
“Okay see you.” Ryo scampered off while Junno just glared at him from behind. Out of nowhere, Junno got the “brilliant” idea to stalk his best friend’s boyfriend, by following him to wherever it was he was going. He wasn’t really planning on going shopping and since he had nothing better to do, Junno ran after the other boy, hiding behind nearby objects anytime Ryo stopped or was too close.
The first place Ryo stopped was a coffee shop where he got a small iced coffee. Junno watched him from outside and cleverly hid himself behind the sign that was standing on the sidewalk. Once Ryo left the coffee place, Junno continued following him to his next destination.
Ryo then made another stop, this time at a women’s clothing store. The situation seemed pretty suspicious to Junno because it could prove any number of things about Ueda’s boyfriend. Possibly that Ryo worked there or maybe that his mother’s birthday was coming up and he was buying a gift or maybe even that Ueda’s boyfriend actually had a cross-dressing fetish.
But one idea immediately came to mind and would not leave Junno’s head. From outside, hiding his face behind a newspaper he had found on the floor, Junno could see that Ryo was looking over a display of jewelry and asking the clerk about a particular piece, a sparkling pair of earrings. The female clerk took them out of the glass case and showed them to Ryo.
As Ryo admired them, Junno gasped and could only assume that it was a gift for the secret girlfriend Ryo was cheating on Ueda with. But his mind was even more clouded when Ryo left the store without the earrings and headed towards a residential street. Junno continued to follow the other boy until Ryo stopped when his phone rang.
Ryo leant against a nearby wall while Junno hid behind a pair of trashcans that were nearby enough for the taller boy to hear the phone conversation.
“Hey man, what’s up?…the earrings? I was going to get them but they were a little expensive so now I’m going to have to work some more hours so I can buy them for her…I think she’ll like them…there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for that girl…I love her so much…hey look I gotta go…Tatsuya’s expecting me to call him and I don’t need him nagging me later on about it…talk to you later, man.”
Ryo hung up his phone and put it away before continuing walking. Junno decided not to continue his stalking and instead sat down on the ground, a little sullen about what he’d just heard. Ryo was having an affair with someone, a girl. It hurt Junno to know that his best friend was being cheated on and at that moment, he couldn’t feel anything but empathy for the boy he loved. He eventually made his way home but stopped when he saw Ryo in front of Ueda’s house.
“Crap!” Junno hid behind the wall that separated Ueda’s house from the alleyway. He sneaked a peek around the corner and could clearly see Ueda come out of his house to greet Ryo.
“Hi. I didn’t expect you to come visit me today,” Ueda smiled sweetly causing Junno’s heart to break a little.
“I was just in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop by,” Ryo smugly replied, making Junno gag a little.
“Do you want to come inside? My family’s not home right now---it’s just me,” Ueda suggestively proposed.
“No, I can’t today. I have to go to work. I’ll see you later,” Ryo pecked Ueda on the cheek and walked away, leaving Ueda alone.
Ueda stood there frowning as he watched his boyfriend walking away from him. Junno noticed Ryo was out of sight and took it as his cue to pretend he was just coming home. He whistled casually and stopped as he saw Ueda.
“Tat-chan? Hi, what are you doing here?” the taller boy smiled stupidly.
“Oh, hi, Junno. Did you just get out from classroom duties? That took a long time, it’s nearly 7.”
“Nah, it’s fine. I actually made a couple of stops along the way. Anyways---um, why are you looking so sad, what happened?” Junno asked, pretending not to know anything.
“It--It’s nothing. It’s just Ry---it’s nothing,” Ueda attempted to smile but ended up looking away.
“Tat-chan? What is it? You can tell me anything. That’s what friends are for,” Junno put his hand on his friend’s shoulder and smiled widely.
Ueda smirked a little and put his own hand on Junno‘s, “You’re a really good friend, Junno. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Junno’s smile cracked a little as he slowly pulled his hand away and he muttered through his teeth while still grinning, “That’s what I’m here for. I’m your friend---always have been---always will be.”
“Thanks for saying that,” Ueda sighed and looked down the street where Ryo had been walking a few minutes earlier, “At least you’re reliable. It seems like Ryo’s always working---it seems he never has time for me. Sometimes I feel so lonely because of him.”
“I’d never do that to you,” Junno barely whispered.
“Hmm?”
“N--nothing. I just said that it was a shame. Well---I think my mom’s probably wondering where I am---so I’m going to go. Talk to you later, Tat-chan---Hey, and if you need someone to talk to---you can always come to me. I’ll always be there for you.”
“Thanks, Junno. I know I can depend on you,” Ueda smiled and waved as Junno walked home. As soon as he turned around, the taller boy exhaled deeply and shook his head as he walked up the steps to his house.
“I’m home!”
“Where’ve you been, young man?” Junno’s mom stomped out of the kitchen and to her just entering son.
“I told you I had to stay after school today. It’s my job as cl---”
“I know---I know, as class representative! We all know how important your job is, sweetie. I just wish you would call when you’re done so I know when to expect you,” his mother continued to gripe.
“Sorry, I’ll remember next time. What’s for dinner?” Junno’s mouth opened as he rubbed his stomach.
His mom just rolled her eyes and wiped her hands on her apron as she went back to the kitchen. Junno laughed uneasily as he walked up the stairs to his room and fell on his bed.
“Oooh, today was so long. I’m glad to be ho---”
Just then his phone started ringing.
“H--hello?”
“Ah! Taguchi-kun, I’m so glad I got a hold of you!”
“Wait--who is this? Akanishi-kun?”
“Yeah, yeah! It’s me! Umm---I’m sorry for calling you like this but I was just making sure you could still come this Sunday.”
“S--sure, I can. I thought I already said I could---”
“What? Oh yeah---I’m sorry! I’m just really stressed with my dad yelling at me about exams and now my mom’s acting all---ANYWAYS, so you can do it?”
“Yes, Akanishi-kun. I can---please calm down,” Junno attempted to get the other boy to relax.
“Oookayy,” Jin exhaled, “Thanks so much for doing this. It’ll help me out a lot.”
“No problem.”
“Haha, I’m glad to hear you say that. Um---Taguchi-kun?”
“Hmmm?”
“Um---uh---can I ask you something? It’s kind of personal” Jin asked cautiously.
“Yes?”
“I heard that you were friends with---um---Kamenashi-kun fr--from class 3-C---is that true?”
“Who, Kame? Yeah I guess so. We’ve known each other since junior high.”
“So, you’re, like, childhood friends, right? I see”
“I guess so---why do you ask?”
“AHH---I---I---no reason---just curious. I---I have to go now. I’ll see you at school---and then on Sunday right?”
“Yeah---Akanishi-kun?”
“Sorry---have--have to go. Bye!” Jin hung up the phone quickly causing Junno to become a little shocked.
It seemed people were acting weird around Junno a lot lately, but he didn’t really notice, or rather that he decided not to think about it. He chose instead to keep his mind on Ueda and his relationship with Nishikido Ryo.
“That---that bastard is probably cheating on him, with a girl---a girl who probably goes to his school. And Tat-chan doesn’t have a clue. He’s just disappointed because that jerk always leaves him hanging.”
Junno put his head and his hands and sighed heavily. His brief moment of angst was halted when he heard his mom calling to him from downstairs for dinner. Junno got up and ran down the stairs, ready for food and ready for clearing his head temporarily of the bad thoughts that plagued his mind.
END PART 2
A/N: Interesting, right? Junno thinks Ryo is cheating on Tat-chan D: but is it true? Lolz I finally introduced Jin into the series ^_^ now it contains all of KAT-TUN!! I hope that it's getting better, the series that is :3 Thanks to all who read the first chapter and all those who commented~! ♥