Where is Your Boy Tonight?
Title: Where Is Your Boy Tonight? [Part 4]
Author: carcrashheart_8
Fandom: KAT-TUN
Pairings: Junda, Ryoda, TaNaka [friendship], Kame/Junno 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
Chapter 4
Junno stood staring at Kame, unable to say a single word. But once he had the strength to utter something, Kame kept talking.
“I’m so sorry! That---I---you---I’m sorry!” Kame stuttered before running out of the room and down the hallway.
Meanwhile, Junno remained in the same spot, his eyes bugged out and his heart about ready to bust out of his chest. He looked up and saw a figure standing outside by the open window. It was Jin and Junno immediately called for him.
“A---Akanishi-kun---” he began but Jin just looked devastated and ran off in almost the same way that Kame had just done. Junno hung his head in shame and before he could turn around and leave the room, Ueda came over to him with a box he had been holding when he heard the bombshell confession.
“So Kamenashi-kun finally confessed, huh?” Ueda casually asked.
Junno jumped up a little, startled but then looked at him with an expression that made Ueda appear a little scared.
“What the--? What’s with that face?”
“What do you mean ‘finally confessed’? Who said this wasn’t unexpected or totally out-of-nowhere?!” Junno fumed a little.
“Of course, it’s unexpected. I didn’t expect him to confess to you so suddenly, not after school and certainly not after you invited him to a study session.”
“What--how long were you standing there?”
“Just enough to know that he must’ve been ready to explode and I guess now was as good as any time to tell you how he felt.”
“You act so casually about this when someone I’ve known since junior high just confessed to me! Kame’s the last person I thought would ever tell me that he liked me!”
“You’re kidding,” Ueda put the box down on a nearby desk and started laughing, “It was so obvious that that guy liked you. He’s always blushing when he talks to you and I’ve heard him before talking about you way too much to his friends. He’s been acting like that for as long as I’ve known him which leads me to believe that he’s liked you since you two first met, which makes it---love at first sight!”
Ueda poked Junno’s cheek and Junno’s reflexes led him to swat his friend’s hand away.
“W--what do you think about it?” Junno asked, his gaze turned away from Ueda’s.
“Who? Me? Well---it’s not really any of my business but if it were me, I’d figure out how I felt towards Kamenashi-kun before giving him a straight answer.”
“A straight answer?”
“You know---like if you figure out that you like him too then you can tell him that you want to go out with him. But if you don’t then you can humbly thank him for his confession and tell him you would rather stay friends.”
“You act like you get confessed to an awful lot?”
“I do not!” Ueda’s cheeks turned the lightest shade of pink, “I just know how these things go.”
Junno giggled but sighed deeply. He was sure at that moment that Ueda was the only one for him but there was something telling him that he couldn’t simply say he didn’t feel the same way about Kame.
“Hey!”
“Huh?”
“I’m almost done with classroom duties so if you wanna stick around and wait, we can walk home together.”
Junno smiled and nodded, proving that just the idea of walking home with Ueda was enough to make him forget about everything else.
As the two made their way home, Junno seemed to be off in his own little world. He was replaying Kame’s confession over and over again in his head which made him completely ignore whatever Ueda was saying.
“I’m talking to you, Junno!”
“Huh? What?”
“Wow, you must have been in deep thought because you just stepped in some gum.”
Junno looked down and saw a large strand of gum sticking from the bottom of his shoes, connecting his feet to the sidewalk.
“Aw man!” he whined as he scraped the sticky gum off the soles of his shoes.
“I guess you must have been thinking about Kamenashi-kun,” Ueda mumbled.
“Huh?!”
“Well, why else would you completely ignore me discussing video games with you? You usually take over the conversation and never stop! This is definitely gonna eat you up inside until you give Kamenashi-kun your answer.”
“Are you saying that I’ll be unable to hold conversations or listen or just function until I can give Kame an honest answer?”
“Yep, pretty much.”
“Aw sh--I’ve already got a lot on my mind already! I don’t need this!” Junno put his hands on his heads as he bent his knees towards each other.
“Hey, it’s okay. Don’t be so dramatic, it’s not that big of a deal.”
“Not that big of a deal?! I got confessed to! For the first time in my life! By someone I thought was just a friend! While I already like someone el---” Junno stopped himself before he completed his statement. In his heart of hearts, he wished that Ueda had not just heard what he had revealed.
“Wait--did you just s--?”
“I said nothing!”
“You did so! You just said that you liked someone! Who is it? Tell me! Tell me!” Ueda grabbed Junno’s arm and began shaking it furiously.
Junno winced and looked away, “Oh man, I’m screwed.” he mumbled to himself.
“Who is it, Junno? Who do you like?”
Junno turned back and looked at Ueda who had stopped shaking him. He stared deep into his best friend’s eyes, seeing his own reflection and pretending that it symbolized how he was the only one that Ueda could ever look at.
He broke free from Ueda’s grip and said, “I---I think I hear my mother calling me! Bye!” Junno ran down the block and into his house. Ueda gasped and looked shocked as he saw what looked like a cloud of dust that had formed after Junno.
As he stood gasping behind a shut front door, Junno’s knees grew weak and he fell onto the floor. He kept breathing deeply as his thought process began to become muddled. His heart continued beating rapidly which made him think it never stopped the quick pace it took when Kame first confessed.
“Why--why is this happening to me?!” he yelled toward the ceiling as his family came out of the kitchen and stared at him, confused.
That night Junno attempted to call Jin but only got a busy signal. He couldn’t call Kame because one, he didn’t exactly seem to be in the best position with the shorter boy and two, he didn’t know Kame’s phone number. It seemed he had no one to talk to since Ueda was just going to keep asking him who he liked. Junno threw his phone on his floor and fell back onto his bed. He grabbed his headphones and turned on his mp3 player, blasting the volume. At that moment, music seemed to be the only answer.
Saturday morning came and Junno felt like someone suffering a hangover. His head was pounding and his eyes were a bit dry. He slowly got up from his bed and turned to look at the clock and suddenly remembered he had to meet Koki and Maru at the movie theater in about 4 hours.
“Why do I have to hang out with those two on a day like this?” he muttered and rolled over on his side, drifting back off into sleep. As he was about to fall asleep again, his phone started ringing from the floor where he had left it.
“H--hello?”
“…..”
“Hello? Who is it?”
“…..”
“Is anybody there?!”
“Um---” a voice came from the receiver.
“Who is it?”
“It’s---it’s me, Jin.”
Junno got up quickly and replied, “Akanishi-kun! Hi! Um---what’s up?”
“I just called to tell you to forget about the tutoring. I’ve decided to ask someone else. Thank you anyways.”
“Wait--why?”
“I---I just---I just decided to ask someone else. I have to go. Goodbye” Jin hung up the phone leaving Junno speechless. He stared at the phone as he switched it off.
“What the---” but before Junno could complete his thought, his phone began to ring again.
“Hello?”
“Junno! I need to you to get dressed right away and meet me outside of your house.”
“What the--? Tat-chan?”
“Yes, yes! Now get dressed and hurry! I’ll be waiting!”
Ueda hung up the phone and Junno instantaneously dropped his phone on the bed and jumped up and threw on some clothes. He ran down the stairs and out the front door and out the gate. He saw Ueda standing not too far from the front of the house and he called out to him.
“Tat-chan!”
Ueda turned and hustled over to his friend with a look of anxiety on his face.
“What’s--what’s going on?”
“I need you to come with me.”
“What? Why?”
“Just do it!” Ueda grabbed Junno’s hand instinctively and the two ran off. As their trek grew longer, Junno’s heart beat as he looked at Ueda’s hand in his. They eventually came to a stop in front of a small street full of shops.
“What are we doing here?” Junno asked but Ueda didn’t say anything and just walked closer towards a grocery store. He hid behind a sign and stared at a truck that was parked in front.
Junno looked confused but followed after Ueda, crouching down behind him.
“What are we doing here?” he whispered. Ueda shushed him and pointed towards a boy walking to and from the truck carrying boxes of fruit. It was Ryo and instantly Junno’s stomach sank as he gulped loudly.
“Why is he here? He told me he was visiting his mother in the hospital all day. Why is he working?” Ueda kept asking rhetorical questions that Junno clearly couldn’t answer. Ueda then suddenly moved swiftly by a phone booth that was even closer to the truck and hid behind that. Junno once again followed behind him and the two peered at Ryo.
“Thanks for your help,” a balding man said to Ryo as Ryo smiled and nodded.
Ryo took off the apron he was wearing and walked inside the store. A few minutes later, he came back out and put on his helmet before climbing onto his motorcycle. As he rode off, Ueda’s scowl disappeared and a disappointed expression came across his face.
Junno turned and looked at his friend’s face and his heart sank as he saw how upset Ueda looked. Before he could say anything, Ueda got up and grabbed Junno’s hand, “Come on, we’ve got to follow him.”
“What?!”
“Come on!” Ueda ran hand in hand with Junno after Ryo’s motorcycle.
They miraculously managed to catch up with Ryo as he turned a corner to park his bike in front of the same clothing store that Junno had caught him in, earlier that week.
“Oh man, why’s he here again?” Junno thought to himself.
The pair stayed across the street and managed to hide themselves as they watched Ryo purchasing the earrings he hadn’t been able to afford a few days earlier. With a smile on his face and the small bag in his hand, Ryo got back on his bike and drove away.
“Why was he buying earrings?” Ueda asked out of nowhere.
“What?” Junno gasped.
“It’s not---it’s not like he really has a reason. I mean unless his mom really is---or maybe he---wait, what am I saying? He wouldn’t do that. Or would he?” Ueda was mumbling to himself causing Junno to stare, confused.
“T--Tat-chan?”
“He wouldn’t do that, right? I mean---he wouldn’t ch---oh what am I saying? They’re probably just for his mom or something. It’s not such a big deal. Come on, let’s go home,” Ueda started walking away, leaving Junno standing there.
“Tat-chan!”
Ueda stopped and slowly turned around.
“How can you just stand by as you watch your boyfriend buying gifts for someone else?” Junno asked frustrated.
“It’s okay, Junno. It doesn’t necessarily mean he’s cheating on me. Like I said, they’re probably for his mom. Now, let’s go home and forget that we just spent the last half-hour or so, stalking my boyfriend,” Ueda laughed uneasily but Junno wasn’t convinced that it was “okay.”
However, Junno just walked home with Ueda but the two didn’t say much to each other. They walked a good twenty minutes before Ueda stopped dead in his tracks causing Junno to stop with him.
“Tat-chan, why’d you st---” Junno turned and looked in the direction that Ueda was looking. A small distance away was Ryo and an unfamiliar girl wearing a cute white dress and high heels standing beside a nearby tree. Ryo handed her the bag and the girl opened it up. She opened the box and started squealing and hugging Ryo.
But what was truly shocking was when she pulled back and kissed Ryo right on the mouth. Junno’s mouth hung open and he was too surprised and astonished to even notice what Ueda was doing next.
He shook himself out of his stupor and turned towards Ueda but realized the other boy wasn’t there. Ueda was stomping over towards Ryo, looking like he was going to kill his boyfriend but he stopped in the middle of the street as he saw the pair walk towards Ryo’s motorcycle and ride away. Ryo didn’t even notice Ueda standing there and just drove off with the girl he had just been kissing.
Junno ran over to Ueda and looked at him with a concerned face, “Tat-chan are you okay?”
Ueda turned to his friend with tears on his face and a big fake smile on his face, “He told me he was---he was visiting his sick mother---in the hospital!”
“Tat-chan---”
“He---he’s been breaking plans with me ever since we’ve been going out. He makes plans and then a day later, he’ll break those plans because ‘something’s come up’ but he never tells me what it is. I pretend that everything’s fine and that it’s okay that he keeps letting me down. But it’s not okay and I can’t even admit that to him because I’m so worried about what he’d do---worried that he’d break up with me over it. He---I trusted him, Junno! I---let him go off and he does gawd-knows-what with whoever and I just pretend it’s okay. All I can---I can do is just smile and say that I’m completely fine with never seeing my boyfriend because he’s doing something else! It’s not fair!”
Ueda started crying but as Junno was about to comfort his best friend, he looked up and saw Kame standing at the corner waiting for the “Walk” light to come on. Torn between whether or not he should stay there for his friend or confront the boy who confessed to him, Junno closed his eyes. He opened them and saw Ueda walking away.
“Wait---Tat-chan, where are you going?”
“Home! I’m going home! I can’t---I can’t do anything knowing that Ryo’s cheating on me! I---want to go home,” Ueda ran off and before Junno could go after him, Kame called out to him.
“Junno!”
Junno turned around and Kame was running towards him.
“Hi Kame.”
The pair sat down at a bench but neither could look at the other.
“Umm---” they both said. They chuckled nervously and looked at each other before turning away again.
“Umm---Kame?” Junno started.
“Yeah?”
“I---I think---we need to talk about your confession.”
“Uh---do--do we have to?” Kame wiped his brow.
“Yeah we do---I don’t think I can give you a straight answer right now because---there’s some other things going on with me. I mean---I want to think about it really carefully so when I answer you, it’ll be an honest and complete answer.”
“I see,” Kame nodded thusly, “I’d---I’d like that very much actually. I’ll wait.”
“You will?”
“I’ll wait for your answer for however long it takes---because, I want you to tell me honestly how you feel about me,” Kame firmly stated.
“Okay, thanks. Listen, I have to go---”
“It’s okay, I’ll see you tomorrow for tutoring?”
“Didn’t you hear? Akanishi-kun canceled it.”
“What? He did? Why?”
“He just said that he decided to go with someone else. He wouldn’t tell me why exactly but I guess it can’t be helped.”
“I see. Well, I’m kind of relieved.”
“Relieved?”
“Yeah, actually. I guess---I thought it was a little weird that Akanishi-kun wanted me to join you guys. Especially since I think he---”
“He what?”
“I think he likes you,” Kame said, definitely.
“HUHHHH???!” Junno shouted.
“Yeah. Well, that’s just what I think. I could be wrong---but I don’t think I am,” Kame stated before checking his watch, “Oh my gosh, I’m late! Sorry, Junno, I--I have to go. I’ll see you at school.”
Kame waved before running to the intersection. Junno’s mouth was curled and his head was tilted in a state of confusion. The thought of Jin liking him made him feel even more bewildered than he had been earlier that morning.
Nighttime came and after dozens of attempted calls to Ueda’s cell, Junno gave up and just sat in his room, thinking. His mind was full of so many different thoughts, his head began to hurt.
“Why do these things always seem to happen all at once?” he rubbed his eyes and stared at the blank wall in front of him. Just then, Junno’s phone rang and he answered it right away.
“Hello! Tat--”
“Junnosuke-kun?! Where are you?!” a loud voice bellowed.
“Huh? Who is th---oh my gosh! Tanaka-kun!” Junno gasped.
“Yeah, that’s right, it’s me! Maru and I waited for two hours for you to show up! Where were you?!” Koki began to whine, while Maru could be heard faintly in the background.
“I’m sorry---I completely forgot.”
“Of course, you forgot! You always forget us! Even though we’re your friends,” Koki’s voice quivered, sounding like he was about to cry.
Junno cocked an eyebrow and simply said, “It’s alright, just calm down, Tanaka-kun. I’ll make it up to you guys. How about next weekend?”
“Really?!” both Maru and Koki shouted into the phone.
Junno pulled the phone away since the pair’s voices were too loud but put it back against his ear, “Yeah, I guess. We can talk about it at school. I’ve gotta go, I need to make a call.”
“Ok! Thanks, Junnosuke-kun! We’ll see you at school,” the pair shouted once again in unison.
Junno closed his phone while he shook his head in disbelief. He then exhaled deeply and stared out his window. Ueda’s house was barely in view but he could say the faint light coming from Ueda’s room. Junno attempted one more time to make a call but again, there was no answer. He decided instead to go over to Ueda’s house and talk to his best friend face-to-face.
“Hi, is it okay if I go up to see Tatsuya-kun?” Junno asked through the screen door.
“Of course, Junnosuke-kun!” Ueda’s mother chirped as she quickly opened the door and let Junno in. Junno said hi to Ueda’s father and his sister who was in the living room watching TV.
“I’m glad you came over. Tatsuya hasn’t talked to anyone in hours and we’re all a little worried about him. I hope nothing happened between him and Nishikido-kun.”
“Eh? You know about---Nishikido-kun?” Junno asked Ueda’s mother in a shocked tone.
“Oh yes, of course. Tatsuya won’t stop talking about him. He must really like this boy which makes me wonder if Tatsuya had a fight with him,” Ueda’s mother shook her head and walked back into the kitchen as Junno ascended the stairs.
He knocked shyly on the door and whispered, “Hey, Tat-chan. Are you there?” As he slowly opened the door, he saw Ueda’s body on the floor in the fetal position, clutching a pillow and his headphones on his ears.
Junno smiled a little and walked over to his friend and crouched over him. He tapped on the shorter boy’s shoulder causing Ueda to shake a little. He looked up with bloodshot eyes as he took off his headphones.
“Oh, Junno, it’s you. Wh--what are you doing here?”
“What do you mean, why am I here? I came to see you! I’ve been trying to call you for the last few hours but you haven’t picked up.”
Ueda grabbed his phone off his bed and saw that he had about a dozen or so missed calls and a couple of voicemails, all from Junno.
“I’m sorry. I guess I didn’t hear the phone since my head---”
“Are you okay?”
“Do I look okay? My eyes are stinging, my chest hurts and I can’t stop thinking. I don’t look okay and I sure as hell don’t feel okay, all thanks to that bastard, Ryo,” Ueda wiped his eyes and put away his headphones and turned off his stereo. He pulled his knees toward his chest and sat against his bed as Junno just stared at him.
“Where is he tonight?”
“What?”
“Where is Ryo tonight? Where’d he say he’d be?”
“He told me that he was going to be with his mom all day but since we know he’s a gawddamn liar---I have no idea where he is.”
“I get it. Well, I’m gonna go.”
“What? But you just got here”, Ueda said, looking shocked as Junno got up from the floor.
“I’ve got somewhere to go and a jackass to track down.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“I’ll see you later. And---Tat-chan, you deserve better. You deserve someone whose willing to do anything for you and someone who will always be there for you. You deserve---so much better,” Junno closed Ueda’s door behind and made his way out of the house, running down the street as fast as he could.
His first instinct was to check any of the local hangouts that teenagers usually were at, including the movie theater and the coffee shop. He came up short but when he looked at a nearby restaurant, he saw a familiar motorcycle parked out in the front.
“Bingo” he said to himself as he walked over and into the restaurant. He walked in and sure enough, he saw Ryo and he wasn’t alone. The same girl that he had been kissing in the park was sitting right across from him, smiling and holding Ryo’s hand on the table. Junno began to fume and marched over to the table.
“You’ve got a hell of a lot of nerve!” Junno grumbled.
“What the f---? Oh it’s you---Tanuchi?”
“It’s Taguchi, dammit! Get it right! After all, I am your boyfriend’s best friend!” Junno shouted while directing his gaze towards the girl who looked astonished at what was happening.
Ryo got up and shoved Junno over to the side, “What the hell’s the matter with you? Why are you here anyways?”
“Funny, I was about to ask you the same exact thing,” Junno snarled, “So what’s the deal?”
“It’s none of your business and I’d advise you to get the fuck out of here if you don’t want me to call the police to come arrest you.”
“I’ll go but not before I do this---” Junno took a swing at Ryo and punched the shorter boy right in the face, “Don’t think you’re gonna get away with something like this, you gawddamn bastard!” Junno said as he walked away slowly.
“GO HOME!” Ryo shouted from the floor as he was wiping his nose. Junno stormed out of the restaurant as the other customers stared with opened mouths. Ryo apologized and sat back down in his seat, apologizing also to the girl he was with, who began smiling again.
Junno’s rage came to a boiling point and he was about ready to punch something. Despite the anger he released while punching Ryo, he still felt like not enough justice was served and his determination to save Ueda’s broken heart was growing stronger. As he walked back home, mumbling to himself and growling like a feral dog, he stopped when he saw someone standing in the middle of his path.
“A--Akanishi-kun!” Junno stated, shocked.
END CHAPTER 4
A/N: Poor Tat-chan! T__T His boyfriend got caught cheating and now Junno has to help fix things >.< These love triangles just get more complicated don't they? XD Sorry for the super fast update =.= in case there's people who haven't read the last chapter...thanks to EVERYONE who's read this and commented! I can't possibly thank you guys enough :]
Author: carcrashheart_8
Fandom: KAT-TUN
Pairings: Junda, Ryoda, TaNaka [friendship], Kame/Junno 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
Chapter 4
Junno stood staring at Kame, unable to say a single word. But once he had the strength to utter something, Kame kept talking.
“I’m so sorry! That---I---you---I’m sorry!” Kame stuttered before running out of the room and down the hallway.
Meanwhile, Junno remained in the same spot, his eyes bugged out and his heart about ready to bust out of his chest. He looked up and saw a figure standing outside by the open window. It was Jin and Junno immediately called for him.
“A---Akanishi-kun---” he began but Jin just looked devastated and ran off in almost the same way that Kame had just done. Junno hung his head in shame and before he could turn around and leave the room, Ueda came over to him with a box he had been holding when he heard the bombshell confession.
“So Kamenashi-kun finally confessed, huh?” Ueda casually asked.
Junno jumped up a little, startled but then looked at him with an expression that made Ueda appear a little scared.
“What the--? What’s with that face?”
“What do you mean ‘finally confessed’? Who said this wasn’t unexpected or totally out-of-nowhere?!” Junno fumed a little.
“Of course, it’s unexpected. I didn’t expect him to confess to you so suddenly, not after school and certainly not after you invited him to a study session.”
“What--how long were you standing there?”
“Just enough to know that he must’ve been ready to explode and I guess now was as good as any time to tell you how he felt.”
“You act so casually about this when someone I’ve known since junior high just confessed to me! Kame’s the last person I thought would ever tell me that he liked me!”
“You’re kidding,” Ueda put the box down on a nearby desk and started laughing, “It was so obvious that that guy liked you. He’s always blushing when he talks to you and I’ve heard him before talking about you way too much to his friends. He’s been acting like that for as long as I’ve known him which leads me to believe that he’s liked you since you two first met, which makes it---love at first sight!”
Ueda poked Junno’s cheek and Junno’s reflexes led him to swat his friend’s hand away.
“W--what do you think about it?” Junno asked, his gaze turned away from Ueda’s.
“Who? Me? Well---it’s not really any of my business but if it were me, I’d figure out how I felt towards Kamenashi-kun before giving him a straight answer.”
“A straight answer?”
“You know---like if you figure out that you like him too then you can tell him that you want to go out with him. But if you don’t then you can humbly thank him for his confession and tell him you would rather stay friends.”
“You act like you get confessed to an awful lot?”
“I do not!” Ueda’s cheeks turned the lightest shade of pink, “I just know how these things go.”
Junno giggled but sighed deeply. He was sure at that moment that Ueda was the only one for him but there was something telling him that he couldn’t simply say he didn’t feel the same way about Kame.
“Hey!”
“Huh?”
“I’m almost done with classroom duties so if you wanna stick around and wait, we can walk home together.”
Junno smiled and nodded, proving that just the idea of walking home with Ueda was enough to make him forget about everything else.
As the two made their way home, Junno seemed to be off in his own little world. He was replaying Kame’s confession over and over again in his head which made him completely ignore whatever Ueda was saying.
“I’m talking to you, Junno!”
“Huh? What?”
“Wow, you must have been in deep thought because you just stepped in some gum.”
Junno looked down and saw a large strand of gum sticking from the bottom of his shoes, connecting his feet to the sidewalk.
“Aw man!” he whined as he scraped the sticky gum off the soles of his shoes.
“I guess you must have been thinking about Kamenashi-kun,” Ueda mumbled.
“Huh?!”
“Well, why else would you completely ignore me discussing video games with you? You usually take over the conversation and never stop! This is definitely gonna eat you up inside until you give Kamenashi-kun your answer.”
“Are you saying that I’ll be unable to hold conversations or listen or just function until I can give Kame an honest answer?”
“Yep, pretty much.”
“Aw sh--I’ve already got a lot on my mind already! I don’t need this!” Junno put his hands on his heads as he bent his knees towards each other.
“Hey, it’s okay. Don’t be so dramatic, it’s not that big of a deal.”
“Not that big of a deal?! I got confessed to! For the first time in my life! By someone I thought was just a friend! While I already like someone el---” Junno stopped himself before he completed his statement. In his heart of hearts, he wished that Ueda had not just heard what he had revealed.
“Wait--did you just s--?”
“I said nothing!”
“You did so! You just said that you liked someone! Who is it? Tell me! Tell me!” Ueda grabbed Junno’s arm and began shaking it furiously.
Junno winced and looked away, “Oh man, I’m screwed.” he mumbled to himself.
“Who is it, Junno? Who do you like?”
Junno turned back and looked at Ueda who had stopped shaking him. He stared deep into his best friend’s eyes, seeing his own reflection and pretending that it symbolized how he was the only one that Ueda could ever look at.
He broke free from Ueda’s grip and said, “I---I think I hear my mother calling me! Bye!” Junno ran down the block and into his house. Ueda gasped and looked shocked as he saw what looked like a cloud of dust that had formed after Junno.
As he stood gasping behind a shut front door, Junno’s knees grew weak and he fell onto the floor. He kept breathing deeply as his thought process began to become muddled. His heart continued beating rapidly which made him think it never stopped the quick pace it took when Kame first confessed.
“Why--why is this happening to me?!” he yelled toward the ceiling as his family came out of the kitchen and stared at him, confused.
That night Junno attempted to call Jin but only got a busy signal. He couldn’t call Kame because one, he didn’t exactly seem to be in the best position with the shorter boy and two, he didn’t know Kame’s phone number. It seemed he had no one to talk to since Ueda was just going to keep asking him who he liked. Junno threw his phone on his floor and fell back onto his bed. He grabbed his headphones and turned on his mp3 player, blasting the volume. At that moment, music seemed to be the only answer.
Saturday morning came and Junno felt like someone suffering a hangover. His head was pounding and his eyes were a bit dry. He slowly got up from his bed and turned to look at the clock and suddenly remembered he had to meet Koki and Maru at the movie theater in about 4 hours.
“Why do I have to hang out with those two on a day like this?” he muttered and rolled over on his side, drifting back off into sleep. As he was about to fall asleep again, his phone started ringing from the floor where he had left it.
“H--hello?”
“…..”
“Hello? Who is it?”
“…..”
“Is anybody there?!”
“Um---” a voice came from the receiver.
“Who is it?”
“It’s---it’s me, Jin.”
Junno got up quickly and replied, “Akanishi-kun! Hi! Um---what’s up?”
“I just called to tell you to forget about the tutoring. I’ve decided to ask someone else. Thank you anyways.”
“Wait--why?”
“I---I just---I just decided to ask someone else. I have to go. Goodbye” Jin hung up the phone leaving Junno speechless. He stared at the phone as he switched it off.
“What the---” but before Junno could complete his thought, his phone began to ring again.
“Hello?”
“Junno! I need to you to get dressed right away and meet me outside of your house.”
“What the--? Tat-chan?”
“Yes, yes! Now get dressed and hurry! I’ll be waiting!”
Ueda hung up the phone and Junno instantaneously dropped his phone on the bed and jumped up and threw on some clothes. He ran down the stairs and out the front door and out the gate. He saw Ueda standing not too far from the front of the house and he called out to him.
“Tat-chan!”
Ueda turned and hustled over to his friend with a look of anxiety on his face.
“What’s--what’s going on?”
“I need you to come with me.”
“What? Why?”
“Just do it!” Ueda grabbed Junno’s hand instinctively and the two ran off. As their trek grew longer, Junno’s heart beat as he looked at Ueda’s hand in his. They eventually came to a stop in front of a small street full of shops.
“What are we doing here?” Junno asked but Ueda didn’t say anything and just walked closer towards a grocery store. He hid behind a sign and stared at a truck that was parked in front.
Junno looked confused but followed after Ueda, crouching down behind him.
“What are we doing here?” he whispered. Ueda shushed him and pointed towards a boy walking to and from the truck carrying boxes of fruit. It was Ryo and instantly Junno’s stomach sank as he gulped loudly.
“Why is he here? He told me he was visiting his mother in the hospital all day. Why is he working?” Ueda kept asking rhetorical questions that Junno clearly couldn’t answer. Ueda then suddenly moved swiftly by a phone booth that was even closer to the truck and hid behind that. Junno once again followed behind him and the two peered at Ryo.
“Thanks for your help,” a balding man said to Ryo as Ryo smiled and nodded.
Ryo took off the apron he was wearing and walked inside the store. A few minutes later, he came back out and put on his helmet before climbing onto his motorcycle. As he rode off, Ueda’s scowl disappeared and a disappointed expression came across his face.
Junno turned and looked at his friend’s face and his heart sank as he saw how upset Ueda looked. Before he could say anything, Ueda got up and grabbed Junno’s hand, “Come on, we’ve got to follow him.”
“What?!”
“Come on!” Ueda ran hand in hand with Junno after Ryo’s motorcycle.
They miraculously managed to catch up with Ryo as he turned a corner to park his bike in front of the same clothing store that Junno had caught him in, earlier that week.
“Oh man, why’s he here again?” Junno thought to himself.
The pair stayed across the street and managed to hide themselves as they watched Ryo purchasing the earrings he hadn’t been able to afford a few days earlier. With a smile on his face and the small bag in his hand, Ryo got back on his bike and drove away.
“Why was he buying earrings?” Ueda asked out of nowhere.
“What?” Junno gasped.
“It’s not---it’s not like he really has a reason. I mean unless his mom really is---or maybe he---wait, what am I saying? He wouldn’t do that. Or would he?” Ueda was mumbling to himself causing Junno to stare, confused.
“T--Tat-chan?”
“He wouldn’t do that, right? I mean---he wouldn’t ch---oh what am I saying? They’re probably just for his mom or something. It’s not such a big deal. Come on, let’s go home,” Ueda started walking away, leaving Junno standing there.
“Tat-chan!”
Ueda stopped and slowly turned around.
“How can you just stand by as you watch your boyfriend buying gifts for someone else?” Junno asked frustrated.
“It’s okay, Junno. It doesn’t necessarily mean he’s cheating on me. Like I said, they’re probably for his mom. Now, let’s go home and forget that we just spent the last half-hour or so, stalking my boyfriend,” Ueda laughed uneasily but Junno wasn’t convinced that it was “okay.”
However, Junno just walked home with Ueda but the two didn’t say much to each other. They walked a good twenty minutes before Ueda stopped dead in his tracks causing Junno to stop with him.
“Tat-chan, why’d you st---” Junno turned and looked in the direction that Ueda was looking. A small distance away was Ryo and an unfamiliar girl wearing a cute white dress and high heels standing beside a nearby tree. Ryo handed her the bag and the girl opened it up. She opened the box and started squealing and hugging Ryo.
But what was truly shocking was when she pulled back and kissed Ryo right on the mouth. Junno’s mouth hung open and he was too surprised and astonished to even notice what Ueda was doing next.
He shook himself out of his stupor and turned towards Ueda but realized the other boy wasn’t there. Ueda was stomping over towards Ryo, looking like he was going to kill his boyfriend but he stopped in the middle of the street as he saw the pair walk towards Ryo’s motorcycle and ride away. Ryo didn’t even notice Ueda standing there and just drove off with the girl he had just been kissing.
Junno ran over to Ueda and looked at him with a concerned face, “Tat-chan are you okay?”
Ueda turned to his friend with tears on his face and a big fake smile on his face, “He told me he was---he was visiting his sick mother---in the hospital!”
“Tat-chan---”
“He---he’s been breaking plans with me ever since we’ve been going out. He makes plans and then a day later, he’ll break those plans because ‘something’s come up’ but he never tells me what it is. I pretend that everything’s fine and that it’s okay that he keeps letting me down. But it’s not okay and I can’t even admit that to him because I’m so worried about what he’d do---worried that he’d break up with me over it. He---I trusted him, Junno! I---let him go off and he does gawd-knows-what with whoever and I just pretend it’s okay. All I can---I can do is just smile and say that I’m completely fine with never seeing my boyfriend because he’s doing something else! It’s not fair!”
Ueda started crying but as Junno was about to comfort his best friend, he looked up and saw Kame standing at the corner waiting for the “Walk” light to come on. Torn between whether or not he should stay there for his friend or confront the boy who confessed to him, Junno closed his eyes. He opened them and saw Ueda walking away.
“Wait---Tat-chan, where are you going?”
“Home! I’m going home! I can’t---I can’t do anything knowing that Ryo’s cheating on me! I---want to go home,” Ueda ran off and before Junno could go after him, Kame called out to him.
“Junno!”
Junno turned around and Kame was running towards him.
“Hi Kame.”
The pair sat down at a bench but neither could look at the other.
“Umm---” they both said. They chuckled nervously and looked at each other before turning away again.
“Umm---Kame?” Junno started.
“Yeah?”
“I---I think---we need to talk about your confession.”
“Uh---do--do we have to?” Kame wiped his brow.
“Yeah we do---I don’t think I can give you a straight answer right now because---there’s some other things going on with me. I mean---I want to think about it really carefully so when I answer you, it’ll be an honest and complete answer.”
“I see,” Kame nodded thusly, “I’d---I’d like that very much actually. I’ll wait.”
“You will?”
“I’ll wait for your answer for however long it takes---because, I want you to tell me honestly how you feel about me,” Kame firmly stated.
“Okay, thanks. Listen, I have to go---”
“It’s okay, I’ll see you tomorrow for tutoring?”
“Didn’t you hear? Akanishi-kun canceled it.”
“What? He did? Why?”
“He just said that he decided to go with someone else. He wouldn’t tell me why exactly but I guess it can’t be helped.”
“I see. Well, I’m kind of relieved.”
“Relieved?”
“Yeah, actually. I guess---I thought it was a little weird that Akanishi-kun wanted me to join you guys. Especially since I think he---”
“He what?”
“I think he likes you,” Kame said, definitely.
“HUHHHH???!” Junno shouted.
“Yeah. Well, that’s just what I think. I could be wrong---but I don’t think I am,” Kame stated before checking his watch, “Oh my gosh, I’m late! Sorry, Junno, I--I have to go. I’ll see you at school.”
Kame waved before running to the intersection. Junno’s mouth was curled and his head was tilted in a state of confusion. The thought of Jin liking him made him feel even more bewildered than he had been earlier that morning.
Nighttime came and after dozens of attempted calls to Ueda’s cell, Junno gave up and just sat in his room, thinking. His mind was full of so many different thoughts, his head began to hurt.
“Why do these things always seem to happen all at once?” he rubbed his eyes and stared at the blank wall in front of him. Just then, Junno’s phone rang and he answered it right away.
“Hello! Tat--”
“Junnosuke-kun?! Where are you?!” a loud voice bellowed.
“Huh? Who is th---oh my gosh! Tanaka-kun!” Junno gasped.
“Yeah, that’s right, it’s me! Maru and I waited for two hours for you to show up! Where were you?!” Koki began to whine, while Maru could be heard faintly in the background.
“I’m sorry---I completely forgot.”
“Of course, you forgot! You always forget us! Even though we’re your friends,” Koki’s voice quivered, sounding like he was about to cry.
Junno cocked an eyebrow and simply said, “It’s alright, just calm down, Tanaka-kun. I’ll make it up to you guys. How about next weekend?”
“Really?!” both Maru and Koki shouted into the phone.
Junno pulled the phone away since the pair’s voices were too loud but put it back against his ear, “Yeah, I guess. We can talk about it at school. I’ve gotta go, I need to make a call.”
“Ok! Thanks, Junnosuke-kun! We’ll see you at school,” the pair shouted once again in unison.
Junno closed his phone while he shook his head in disbelief. He then exhaled deeply and stared out his window. Ueda’s house was barely in view but he could say the faint light coming from Ueda’s room. Junno attempted one more time to make a call but again, there was no answer. He decided instead to go over to Ueda’s house and talk to his best friend face-to-face.
“Hi, is it okay if I go up to see Tatsuya-kun?” Junno asked through the screen door.
“Of course, Junnosuke-kun!” Ueda’s mother chirped as she quickly opened the door and let Junno in. Junno said hi to Ueda’s father and his sister who was in the living room watching TV.
“I’m glad you came over. Tatsuya hasn’t talked to anyone in hours and we’re all a little worried about him. I hope nothing happened between him and Nishikido-kun.”
“Eh? You know about---Nishikido-kun?” Junno asked Ueda’s mother in a shocked tone.
“Oh yes, of course. Tatsuya won’t stop talking about him. He must really like this boy which makes me wonder if Tatsuya had a fight with him,” Ueda’s mother shook her head and walked back into the kitchen as Junno ascended the stairs.
He knocked shyly on the door and whispered, “Hey, Tat-chan. Are you there?” As he slowly opened the door, he saw Ueda’s body on the floor in the fetal position, clutching a pillow and his headphones on his ears.
Junno smiled a little and walked over to his friend and crouched over him. He tapped on the shorter boy’s shoulder causing Ueda to shake a little. He looked up with bloodshot eyes as he took off his headphones.
“Oh, Junno, it’s you. Wh--what are you doing here?”
“What do you mean, why am I here? I came to see you! I’ve been trying to call you for the last few hours but you haven’t picked up.”
Ueda grabbed his phone off his bed and saw that he had about a dozen or so missed calls and a couple of voicemails, all from Junno.
“I’m sorry. I guess I didn’t hear the phone since my head---”
“Are you okay?”
“Do I look okay? My eyes are stinging, my chest hurts and I can’t stop thinking. I don’t look okay and I sure as hell don’t feel okay, all thanks to that bastard, Ryo,” Ueda wiped his eyes and put away his headphones and turned off his stereo. He pulled his knees toward his chest and sat against his bed as Junno just stared at him.
“Where is he tonight?”
“What?”
“Where is Ryo tonight? Where’d he say he’d be?”
“He told me that he was going to be with his mom all day but since we know he’s a gawddamn liar---I have no idea where he is.”
“I get it. Well, I’m gonna go.”
“What? But you just got here”, Ueda said, looking shocked as Junno got up from the floor.
“I’ve got somewhere to go and a jackass to track down.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“I’ll see you later. And---Tat-chan, you deserve better. You deserve someone whose willing to do anything for you and someone who will always be there for you. You deserve---so much better,” Junno closed Ueda’s door behind and made his way out of the house, running down the street as fast as he could.
His first instinct was to check any of the local hangouts that teenagers usually were at, including the movie theater and the coffee shop. He came up short but when he looked at a nearby restaurant, he saw a familiar motorcycle parked out in the front.
“Bingo” he said to himself as he walked over and into the restaurant. He walked in and sure enough, he saw Ryo and he wasn’t alone. The same girl that he had been kissing in the park was sitting right across from him, smiling and holding Ryo’s hand on the table. Junno began to fume and marched over to the table.
“You’ve got a hell of a lot of nerve!” Junno grumbled.
“What the f---? Oh it’s you---Tanuchi?”
“It’s Taguchi, dammit! Get it right! After all, I am your boyfriend’s best friend!” Junno shouted while directing his gaze towards the girl who looked astonished at what was happening.
Ryo got up and shoved Junno over to the side, “What the hell’s the matter with you? Why are you here anyways?”
“Funny, I was about to ask you the same exact thing,” Junno snarled, “So what’s the deal?”
“It’s none of your business and I’d advise you to get the fuck out of here if you don’t want me to call the police to come arrest you.”
“I’ll go but not before I do this---” Junno took a swing at Ryo and punched the shorter boy right in the face, “Don’t think you’re gonna get away with something like this, you gawddamn bastard!” Junno said as he walked away slowly.
“GO HOME!” Ryo shouted from the floor as he was wiping his nose. Junno stormed out of the restaurant as the other customers stared with opened mouths. Ryo apologized and sat back down in his seat, apologizing also to the girl he was with, who began smiling again.
Junno’s rage came to a boiling point and he was about ready to punch something. Despite the anger he released while punching Ryo, he still felt like not enough justice was served and his determination to save Ueda’s broken heart was growing stronger. As he walked back home, mumbling to himself and growling like a feral dog, he stopped when he saw someone standing in the middle of his path.
“A--Akanishi-kun!” Junno stated, shocked.
END CHAPTER 4
A/N: Poor Tat-chan! T__T His boyfriend got caught cheating and now Junno has to help fix things >.< These love triangles just get more complicated don't they? XD Sorry for the super fast update =.= in case there's people who haven't read the last chapter...thanks to EVERYONE who's read this and commented! I can't possibly thank you guys enough :]