You Remind Me (Chapter 17a)
Title: You Remind Me
Pairing: Ryoda, Akame, Tanaka and a few others on the sidelines
Rating: PG 13 ( I guess.)
Genre: Romance ( not to sure as to what genre this fic will be in except for what I've stated)
Disclaimer: Ok, it's my first time doing this notice and I'm doing this because I need to. Just a heads-up Minna-san, my English has been very bad lately and I don't even know why. Please do forgive any grammatical/typo errors you will see in here.
Summary: Ueda Tatsuya confessed to his crush Nishikido Ryo but it seems that the latter loathes him for a lot of reasons. But nothing more could surpass Ryo's hatred for Tatsuya's face. What is it with Ueda's face that made Nishikido abhor the older one? (Honestly, I'm not really good with summaries but I hope somehow I got my point through.)
CHAPTER 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16a / 16b /
CHAPTER 17a
The high pitched whining of someone he knew all too well, that irritating “mou…” and “Ryo-chan…” which he was well acquainted with stirred him from his needed sleep. Yamashita glanced at his all too pink duck alarm clock on his bedside table. 12:42. The clocked flashed as it slowly ticked its hands away while he was still looking at the lifeless device. Another shriek followed by a loud thud was heard outside his room. In an annoyed manner, he messed up his already messed-up hair as he stood up from his bed, uttering cusses on the way, as he proceeded to confront the source of his irritation.
“Akanishi Jin! For crying out loud, it’s still 12:42 at noon, let me sleep you damned fatso!” Yamashita bellowed at the said person after he forceful opened the door of his room banging itself as it closed. Akanishi, the said whining fatso, was all too shocked as he looked at the angry face of his other best friend while he was clutching a hand to his chest.
“Pi! Don’t you ever do that again! You almost gave me a heart attack!” Akanishi expressed, hand still clutched on his chest as he tried to calm his erratic heartbeat. “Why are you so agitated when you’ve just woken up?” He asked the said culprit of his untimely cardiac arrest as he glowered sharply at the man.
Yamashita glared at him in a sharper and more intense look before saying his scalding reply. “You baka! I was having a very good sleep when you started whining in that annoying high-pitched voice of yours!”
“I was not whining!” Jin contradicted the other, pout visible on his lips as tried to look like he was sulking and was deeply hurt.
“Damn you Jin! Stop that annoying look you are showing now or I swear I’m really going to beat the crap out of you!” Yamashita declared, eyes so large and almost red as he glared at his soon to be victim.
“Relax Pi. Jin’s just being his usual baka self. Why are you so hyped up?” Nishikido, who was innocently sitting at their couch, was glancing at him with curiosity in his eyes.
“I need sleep Ryo and this Baka here woke me up from my sweet slumber.” Tomohisa declared as he tried to calm the anger that was boiling within him while disregarding Akanishi’s persistent puppy eyes and, surprisingly so and if he was hearing correctly, whimpers.
“I’m sorry Pi!” Jin said in a childlike singsong tone as he continued doing that infamous puppy-eyed expression of him.
Yamapi was weak when it comes to Jin’s kicked puppy eyes expression that was why when he was seeing it now, he can’t help but forgive the latter. He just gave out a loud sigh, ruffling his hair afterwards as he went to the direction of the kitchen. When he came back to where Jin and Ryo were, he situated himself beside Nishikido on the couch while holding a glass of water. He drank it like a man who haven’t drank water for a couple of days afterwards giving out a very refreshed “ahhh!”.
“You’ve been going home late these past few days. More of like you’ve been coming home early in the morning. Is there a problem Pi?” Nishikido asked, trying not to sound all too probing and uncool.
“Just busy with different stuffs that’s all.” Yamapi answered in a nonchalant manner making the two understand the message hidden within such action: he doesn’t want to talk about it.
“So why are you so noisy at the height of day Bakanishi?” Yamapi asked, glancing at the standing Jin a couple of meter away from them, as he played with the glass he was holding.
“We were discussing the things that happened last night.” Jin replied in a very cheery tone with a very big smile to match.
“Oh…what exactly happened last night?” Yamapi asked, arching one eyebrow and interest tingling in his voice.
“You will not believe what Ryo did last night!” Akanishi expressed all to giddy as he almost looked like an excited child wanting to tell someone his biggest secret.
“Yes Jin. What did Ryo do that would make me gasped in utter disbelief?” Tomohisa said like he was coaxing a child.
“He saved Tat-chan from being molested last night!” Akanishi stated all too excited as his eyes beamed with so much happiness and glee.
Tomohisa froze for a couple of seconds after hearing Jin mentioned Ueda’s name. The scene early this morning started repeating itself in his mind.
“See Pi! I know you’ll be surprised too!” Jin voiced out, sounding all too victorious as if he won in some national competition.
Yamapi diverted his gaze away from the bubbly Jin on to the composed man sitting beside him.
“You saved Tatsuya from being molested last night?” He asked at the dark haired Osakan lounging near him. “Yeah.” was the plain and simple reply that Ryo gave to his friend.
“Where did you save him? In some dark alley or in some eerie looking place?” Pi asked again, his eyes concentrating on his friend’s face as he observed the latter’s reaction.
“In the club I that frequented. He seemed to be working there.” Nishikido answered his best friend’s curious question while looking too apathetic.
“Club? Was he with someone?” Yamapi asked- too persistently in Nishikido’s opinion - as his eyes turned a degree critical as it was watching Nishikido.
“What do you mean was he with someone? It seemed like he was working there or more of like he used to work there since I think he resigned after the incident. Why are you even asking that kind of question?” Ryo inquired curiosity at its peak while glancing at Pi with an arched brow, a look the spelled “WHAT”S WRONG WITH YOU?” and a tone that sounded interested and creeped-out at the same time.
Yamapi seemed to have composed himself after receiving such look from the dokkon as the seriousness displayed on his face mellowed down.
“Ah, just curious that’s all.” Pi replied as he detracted his sight from the Osakan to the now moist covered glass he was holding.”I thought Jin was with you since he seemed to know a lot of things about what happened last night.” The said man, who was only clad in his boxers, reasoned out his sudden question.
“Oh, I don’t need to be there Pi to get the details of things. After all, they did come here after causing such commotion in the club.” Akanishi expressed, a glint of mischief twinkled in his squinted eyes; a glint which didn’t go unnoticed by Ryo but which Pi didn’t seem to see.
“You brought Ueda here with you?” Body arched forward and hands still holding the damp cup, Yamapi asked in an unconcerned tone and still not looking at the man he was talking to but instead was glancing at Akanishi’s direction.
“I didn’t bring him here with me. The frail looking guy followed me like some shadow.” Ryo stated still unmoving from the position he was in.
“Tat-chan was worried for you Ryo that was why he followed you home. He wanted to make sure that your hands are ok.” Akanishi said this time with an eerie looking smile plastered on his face.
“You’re creeping me out with that smile of yours Jin. Stop doing that!” The black haired guy commanded while giving a scathing look at his baka friend.
“I’m not doing anything Ryo! You’re just imagining things.” Akanishi replied, his grin becoming bigger by the second as he tried to feign innocence.
“Should we go back to the bickering that we were doing long before Pi disrupted us?” Ryo asked, more of like taunting the latter, this time with mischief gleaming in his eyes too.
“Oh, I won’t loose Ryo! You can count on that!” Jin stated, confidence ringing in his voice as he looked at his opponent/ dark haired best friend, Nishikido, while giving off a very boastful aura.
“You were whining a couple of minutes ago Jin about me being not fair and just toying with your innocent feelings, as if your feelings were that innocent to begin with.” Ryo uttered disgust trailing his voice as he rolled his eyes in mockery.
“Hey! I was not whining and you really were playing unfair. Why won’t I complain about that? And for the record, my feelings are like of an innocent child! Well except maybe when it involves my sweet Kazu.” Jin declared, a sweet smile plastered on his lips, as it was very apparent that his mind was not with them anymore and was now lingering at some overly thin turtle. Nishikido just scoffed at his friend’s action.
“Ryo you better get your acts together if you want to have Tatsuya.” Yamashita declared in a staid tone while still looking at the glass on his hands. The two were shaken out from their thinking when they heard Pi’s puzzling statement as they both gave the said man a very quizzical look.
“You’re not the only guy in this world Ryo and you sure are not the best guy also. If you keep on being hindered by the past, you may find yourself alone and full of regrets in the future.” Tomohisa explained in a very sober manner as he looked at the confused lounging man beside him.
“What are you talking about?” Ryo asked in a total loss as to what his friend was trying to tell him. He was intelligent, Nishikido was damn sure about that, but he was at bay about what Pi was blabbering about.
“If you continue being at such pace now, you may not have Ueda in the end.” Pi declared looking crestfallen.
“What is it that you know?” Ryo asked attention fully focused on his friend. Jin inched near the two sitting men as he hovered himself beside Pi while giving the later a worried gaze, gone was his jesting antics.
“For all we know, a guy better than you could be courting him and it will just be a couple of days before he accepted that guy’s courtship.” Tomohisa stated as he looked from the shocked Jin to the still Ryo.
“Someone’s courting Tat-chan?” Akanishi asked all too unbelieving as his eyes round some more.
Yamapi gave out a sigh afterwards standing up from his position as he deposited the wet glass on the nearest table. “I shouldn’t be spreading gossips and you know it’s really not my nature to believe in one too but I saw him letting Taguchi out of his apartment as I was on my way home this morning.” He stated as the air got unnerving in an instant.
“What time was it?” Akanishi asked again this time with a fierce look on his face. He looked at the standing man before them without even batting an eyelash.
“Quarter to two…” Pi replied, his voice vibrating in the silence of the room as his gaze fell on the man in concern.
“So the guest he was waiting for in his apartment and that same person he was talking to on the phone could have been that Taguchi guy?” Akanishi voiced out the question in his mind afterwards observing Nishikido’s reaction and Pi’s silent disposition. “Tat-chan said he needed to go home early for his co-worker was waiting for him there.” Jin explained when he noticed the confused look Yamapi had when he expressed that query.
Nishikido was quite. He was surprisingly quite after knowing of such information and seeing him like that made Yamapi and Akanishi worry. Ryo was a hot-headed, poison tongue, dark-haired Osakan and he won’t just stay silent if something this big was happening. This was supposed to be big right? Taguchi came out of Ueda’s apartment early in the morning- no- to make it more moving; some guy spend the night at Tatsuya’s apartment and that said guy had been pursuing the latter these past few weeks. If one plus one is two then it could only mean that Ueda and Taguchi knew each other. But why deny being acquainted with the other? Jin was bewildered with such knowledge and Pi was starting to feel gloomy. He knew too well how Ryo was feeling.
When the information finally settled within the recesses of NIshikido’s mind and when the fear for the future finally confronted him, he was only able to stare at the sight before him. He was feeling a roller coaster of emotions after such realization. The past was starting to collide with the present making him feel too uncertain with the future.
Ryo knew that there was something between those two. He was not blind to not be able to see that. Even before Pi witnessed what he saw this morning and even before Jin knew that there was a connection between Tatsuya and Taguchi, he already felt that there really was something special between them. Tatsuya smiled differently whenever he was with that tall guy. The said copper haired guy was more relaxed around the other man. Ueda’s total aura just changed whenever he was with Taguchi and he also noticed that the elder man doesn’t avoid the touches of the said towering guy. He saw it, his mind was hinting some things, his senses were cautioning him of something but his heart still believed that he was still the one that Ueda loved. Amidst all the shit he had said and done, somehow he felt that Ueda’s love for him was still there. He can feel it - or was he just imagining feeling it?
He still loves Atsuko even if she just played with his heart. The girl was perfect for him in every sense. She was patient - when it comes to his nasty remarks, feisty, courageous, intelligent, loving - that was before he knew the truth, and beautiful. He hates Atsuko and at the same time he still loves the girl. He loves to see her suffer but he also wants to forgive her if she just asked to be forgiven.
Ueda was his outlet to all the pains he felt for Atsuko. But I guess without him noticing, he was feeling something more than anger to the said spineless guy. Does he know what feeling it is? I guess he does but if you’ll ask him if he accepted having that kind of feeling to a man named Ueda Tatsuya, volcanoes will erupt, large mass of lands will separate and oil and water will mix before he will do such act.
“Good for him if he can be together with that pun sprouting guy. At least, I would be free from his constantly lingering presence. This time you guys will not be blaming me for that guy’s sour mood.” Nishikido uttered giving out a chuckle while still looking aimlessly at the vision before him.
Pi glanced at the faint smiling Ryo beside him this time more worried than before about his friend’s reaction. Akanishi was no different for after hearing what his friend said, he plopped himself on the armrest beside Tomohisa while giving out a loud sigh.
“You could change this you know. If you just stop what you’re doing and really try to show what your heart has been hiding ever since you recognized his importance then things will be what it is supposed to be. This is not a hopeless case Ryo. Just a simple act from you and a firm decision that this time you won’t mix him and that damn bitch then everything is going to be great.” Akanishi declared in an unwavering tone of voice not even glancing at the man on the spot.
“Ryo, if you keep on denying your feelings this can really bring you no good. It’s ok if you’re just doing it before us. We know the truth even if you don’t tell us. We know you too well not to know. But continuously doing it before him will lead you into deep waters. Stop this Ryo!” Yamashita exclaimed in a very firm tone as he eyed his friend with such intensity.
“I told you before that I will not scold you nor berate you with regards to this matter but this time I can’t just watch and do nothing as you persistently destroy your life. As your friend, I believe that stopping you at the moment when you can still salvage anything still worth saving is the right thing for me to do.” Yamapi declared looking almost in the verge of tears.
“There is…” Before NIshikido could finish his statement, Akanishi cut him off as he glanced at the other’s direction.
“Stop it Ryo! Don’t tell us there is nothing you can do when there is a lot of options right in front of you! What do we need to do in order for you to perceive with us eye to eye or if not to get rid of that lingering trace of Atsuko within you? Do we need to wash you off with acid and scrub you until your skin peel off? Do we need to go to the extent of visiting a quack doctor and have you exorcised just so that she’ll leave you alone? Ryo it’s been a year now since you caught her cheating on you. You really should move on!” Akanishi stated in an agitated tone, eyes glaring as he looked at his Osakan best friend sitting on the far end of their coach.
“Jin is right, you know? We could only do a few things to help you; give you advices, push you when you literally need it - which usually happens most of the time, remind you when you go overboard. But we are not you Ryo. We can’t choose your happiness for you. Settle it as soon as possible Ryo or you will only have regrets your entire life. And mind you that regret is not about Atsuko but about Ueda.” Tomohisa expressed, eyes so mellow as he looked at the latter while blinking almost every 5 seconds. Yamapi got off from where he was seated as he lethargically went back inside his room bringing with him his moist glass of now not so cold water.
“I’ll be crashing my bed again and this time please do keep your mouth shut Jin. I think I’m going to have a headache!” He said, giving his baka best friend a killer stare as he continued walking towards his room while slowly making circles on his temples.
A childish “Fine…Fine….” was heard from the room afterwards the door to Yampi’s lair closed. Silence lingered in the atmosphere of the two remaining men. One, awfully trying not to be insistent on what he wanted his friend to do thus avoiding the occurrence of another World War. Jin believed that his fights with Ryo were always near that, a chaotic World War! And the other man who was again gazing at nothingness, his eyes totally empty of any emotions as his figure continued to slump lower by the minute.
Akanishi watched his troubled looking roomie and he really felt pity for the guy. But what can he do? He was only Akanishi Jin. He was not NIshikido Ryo. He stood up from the armrest he was sitting on and wearily dragged his seemed to be weighty bulk beside his sitting friend. He clasped Ryo’s shoulder tightly as if the mere act was enough to convey the sympathy he felt for the latter’s dilemma.
“Think it over Ryo… Think it over carefully and maybe things will start to become clearer in your head.” Akanishi said in a perceiving tone, hand still gripping the other man’s shoulder blade.
Nishikido merely looked up from where he was seated as he gazed at his friend. He did not nod nor did he mumble out any sound which may notify his worrying friend that he did hear what the latter just said. He just stared at the other, his face not displaying any emotions but his eyes were totally longing for the answers to his problem.
“I’ll be leaving now. Kazu and I decide to have lunch together and I’m really starving.” Jin expressed, giving Ryo a reassuring smile afterwards voicing out a “See yah!” to the latter. Minutes before their living room was all too noisy having his boisterous baka best friend, Akanishi, with him and later on they were joined by the obviously irritated Yamapi who was untimely bothered by Jin’s high shriek but now, he was here all alone feeling the atmosphere become oppressive by the moment.
Ryo really doesn’t want to think about the “thing” between him and Tatsuya. He doesn’t like thinking about anything involving Tatsuya to be more exact. The heck, he had been avoiding that name for months now but now that name haunted him like some shadow. Not only the name but the person himself had been haunting him, sticking to him both in his waking hours and even to his dreaming state. He really was getting tired of all the shit he was doing to the latter. He thought that maybe now was the right time to do what his friends had been advising him to do; confronting what it is he was feeling for that copper haired, girly looking, spineless…. beautiful angel of a man.
# # # #
Pairing: Ryoda, Akame, Tanaka and a few others on the sidelines
Rating: PG 13 ( I guess.)
Genre: Romance ( not to sure as to what genre this fic will be in except for what I've stated)
Disclaimer: Ok, it's my first time doing this notice and I'm doing this because I need to. Just a heads-up Minna-san, my English has been very bad lately and I don't even know why. Please do forgive any grammatical/typo errors you will see in here.
Summary: Ueda Tatsuya confessed to his crush Nishikido Ryo but it seems that the latter loathes him for a lot of reasons. But nothing more could surpass Ryo's hatred for Tatsuya's face. What is it with Ueda's face that made Nishikido abhor the older one? (Honestly, I'm not really good with summaries but I hope somehow I got my point through.)
CHAPTER 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16a / 16b /
CHAPTER 17a
The high pitched whining of someone he knew all too well, that irritating “mou…” and “Ryo-chan…” which he was well acquainted with stirred him from his needed sleep. Yamashita glanced at his all too pink duck alarm clock on his bedside table. 12:42. The clocked flashed as it slowly ticked its hands away while he was still looking at the lifeless device. Another shriek followed by a loud thud was heard outside his room. In an annoyed manner, he messed up his already messed-up hair as he stood up from his bed, uttering cusses on the way, as he proceeded to confront the source of his irritation.
“Akanishi Jin! For crying out loud, it’s still 12:42 at noon, let me sleep you damned fatso!” Yamashita bellowed at the said person after he forceful opened the door of his room banging itself as it closed. Akanishi, the said whining fatso, was all too shocked as he looked at the angry face of his other best friend while he was clutching a hand to his chest.
“Pi! Don’t you ever do that again! You almost gave me a heart attack!” Akanishi expressed, hand still clutched on his chest as he tried to calm his erratic heartbeat. “Why are you so agitated when you’ve just woken up?” He asked the said culprit of his untimely cardiac arrest as he glowered sharply at the man.
Yamashita glared at him in a sharper and more intense look before saying his scalding reply. “You baka! I was having a very good sleep when you started whining in that annoying high-pitched voice of yours!”
“I was not whining!” Jin contradicted the other, pout visible on his lips as tried to look like he was sulking and was deeply hurt.
“Damn you Jin! Stop that annoying look you are showing now or I swear I’m really going to beat the crap out of you!” Yamashita declared, eyes so large and almost red as he glared at his soon to be victim.
“Relax Pi. Jin’s just being his usual baka self. Why are you so hyped up?” Nishikido, who was innocently sitting at their couch, was glancing at him with curiosity in his eyes.
“I need sleep Ryo and this Baka here woke me up from my sweet slumber.” Tomohisa declared as he tried to calm the anger that was boiling within him while disregarding Akanishi’s persistent puppy eyes and, surprisingly so and if he was hearing correctly, whimpers.
“I’m sorry Pi!” Jin said in a childlike singsong tone as he continued doing that infamous puppy-eyed expression of him.
Yamapi was weak when it comes to Jin’s kicked puppy eyes expression that was why when he was seeing it now, he can’t help but forgive the latter. He just gave out a loud sigh, ruffling his hair afterwards as he went to the direction of the kitchen. When he came back to where Jin and Ryo were, he situated himself beside Nishikido on the couch while holding a glass of water. He drank it like a man who haven’t drank water for a couple of days afterwards giving out a very refreshed “ahhh!”.
“You’ve been going home late these past few days. More of like you’ve been coming home early in the morning. Is there a problem Pi?” Nishikido asked, trying not to sound all too probing and uncool.
“Just busy with different stuffs that’s all.” Yamapi answered in a nonchalant manner making the two understand the message hidden within such action: he doesn’t want to talk about it.
“So why are you so noisy at the height of day Bakanishi?” Yamapi asked, glancing at the standing Jin a couple of meter away from them, as he played with the glass he was holding.
“We were discussing the things that happened last night.” Jin replied in a very cheery tone with a very big smile to match.
“Oh…what exactly happened last night?” Yamapi asked, arching one eyebrow and interest tingling in his voice.
“You will not believe what Ryo did last night!” Akanishi expressed all to giddy as he almost looked like an excited child wanting to tell someone his biggest secret.
“Yes Jin. What did Ryo do that would make me gasped in utter disbelief?” Tomohisa said like he was coaxing a child.
“He saved Tat-chan from being molested last night!” Akanishi stated all too excited as his eyes beamed with so much happiness and glee.
Tomohisa froze for a couple of seconds after hearing Jin mentioned Ueda’s name. The scene early this morning started repeating itself in his mind.
“See Pi! I know you’ll be surprised too!” Jin voiced out, sounding all too victorious as if he won in some national competition.
Yamapi diverted his gaze away from the bubbly Jin on to the composed man sitting beside him.
“You saved Tatsuya from being molested last night?” He asked at the dark haired Osakan lounging near him. “Yeah.” was the plain and simple reply that Ryo gave to his friend.
“Where did you save him? In some dark alley or in some eerie looking place?” Pi asked again, his eyes concentrating on his friend’s face as he observed the latter’s reaction.
“In the club I that frequented. He seemed to be working there.” Nishikido answered his best friend’s curious question while looking too apathetic.
“Club? Was he with someone?” Yamapi asked- too persistently in Nishikido’s opinion - as his eyes turned a degree critical as it was watching Nishikido.
“What do you mean was he with someone? It seemed like he was working there or more of like he used to work there since I think he resigned after the incident. Why are you even asking that kind of question?” Ryo inquired curiosity at its peak while glancing at Pi with an arched brow, a look the spelled “WHAT”S WRONG WITH YOU?” and a tone that sounded interested and creeped-out at the same time.
Yamapi seemed to have composed himself after receiving such look from the dokkon as the seriousness displayed on his face mellowed down.
“Ah, just curious that’s all.” Pi replied as he detracted his sight from the Osakan to the now moist covered glass he was holding.”I thought Jin was with you since he seemed to know a lot of things about what happened last night.” The said man, who was only clad in his boxers, reasoned out his sudden question.
“Oh, I don’t need to be there Pi to get the details of things. After all, they did come here after causing such commotion in the club.” Akanishi expressed, a glint of mischief twinkled in his squinted eyes; a glint which didn’t go unnoticed by Ryo but which Pi didn’t seem to see.
“You brought Ueda here with you?” Body arched forward and hands still holding the damp cup, Yamapi asked in an unconcerned tone and still not looking at the man he was talking to but instead was glancing at Akanishi’s direction.
“I didn’t bring him here with me. The frail looking guy followed me like some shadow.” Ryo stated still unmoving from the position he was in.
“Tat-chan was worried for you Ryo that was why he followed you home. He wanted to make sure that your hands are ok.” Akanishi said this time with an eerie looking smile plastered on his face.
“You’re creeping me out with that smile of yours Jin. Stop doing that!” The black haired guy commanded while giving a scathing look at his baka friend.
“I’m not doing anything Ryo! You’re just imagining things.” Akanishi replied, his grin becoming bigger by the second as he tried to feign innocence.
“Should we go back to the bickering that we were doing long before Pi disrupted us?” Ryo asked, more of like taunting the latter, this time with mischief gleaming in his eyes too.
“Oh, I won’t loose Ryo! You can count on that!” Jin stated, confidence ringing in his voice as he looked at his opponent/ dark haired best friend, Nishikido, while giving off a very boastful aura.
“You were whining a couple of minutes ago Jin about me being not fair and just toying with your innocent feelings, as if your feelings were that innocent to begin with.” Ryo uttered disgust trailing his voice as he rolled his eyes in mockery.
“Hey! I was not whining and you really were playing unfair. Why won’t I complain about that? And for the record, my feelings are like of an innocent child! Well except maybe when it involves my sweet Kazu.” Jin declared, a sweet smile plastered on his lips, as it was very apparent that his mind was not with them anymore and was now lingering at some overly thin turtle. Nishikido just scoffed at his friend’s action.
“Ryo you better get your acts together if you want to have Tatsuya.” Yamashita declared in a staid tone while still looking at the glass on his hands. The two were shaken out from their thinking when they heard Pi’s puzzling statement as they both gave the said man a very quizzical look.
“You’re not the only guy in this world Ryo and you sure are not the best guy also. If you keep on being hindered by the past, you may find yourself alone and full of regrets in the future.” Tomohisa explained in a very sober manner as he looked at the confused lounging man beside him.
“What are you talking about?” Ryo asked in a total loss as to what his friend was trying to tell him. He was intelligent, Nishikido was damn sure about that, but he was at bay about what Pi was blabbering about.
“If you continue being at such pace now, you may not have Ueda in the end.” Pi declared looking crestfallen.
“What is it that you know?” Ryo asked attention fully focused on his friend. Jin inched near the two sitting men as he hovered himself beside Pi while giving the later a worried gaze, gone was his jesting antics.
“For all we know, a guy better than you could be courting him and it will just be a couple of days before he accepted that guy’s courtship.” Tomohisa stated as he looked from the shocked Jin to the still Ryo.
“Someone’s courting Tat-chan?” Akanishi asked all too unbelieving as his eyes round some more.
Yamapi gave out a sigh afterwards standing up from his position as he deposited the wet glass on the nearest table. “I shouldn’t be spreading gossips and you know it’s really not my nature to believe in one too but I saw him letting Taguchi out of his apartment as I was on my way home this morning.” He stated as the air got unnerving in an instant.
“What time was it?” Akanishi asked again this time with a fierce look on his face. He looked at the standing man before them without even batting an eyelash.
“Quarter to two…” Pi replied, his voice vibrating in the silence of the room as his gaze fell on the man in concern.
“So the guest he was waiting for in his apartment and that same person he was talking to on the phone could have been that Taguchi guy?” Akanishi voiced out the question in his mind afterwards observing Nishikido’s reaction and Pi’s silent disposition. “Tat-chan said he needed to go home early for his co-worker was waiting for him there.” Jin explained when he noticed the confused look Yamapi had when he expressed that query.
Nishikido was quite. He was surprisingly quite after knowing of such information and seeing him like that made Yamapi and Akanishi worry. Ryo was a hot-headed, poison tongue, dark-haired Osakan and he won’t just stay silent if something this big was happening. This was supposed to be big right? Taguchi came out of Ueda’s apartment early in the morning- no- to make it more moving; some guy spend the night at Tatsuya’s apartment and that said guy had been pursuing the latter these past few weeks. If one plus one is two then it could only mean that Ueda and Taguchi knew each other. But why deny being acquainted with the other? Jin was bewildered with such knowledge and Pi was starting to feel gloomy. He knew too well how Ryo was feeling.
When the information finally settled within the recesses of NIshikido’s mind and when the fear for the future finally confronted him, he was only able to stare at the sight before him. He was feeling a roller coaster of emotions after such realization. The past was starting to collide with the present making him feel too uncertain with the future.
Ryo knew that there was something between those two. He was not blind to not be able to see that. Even before Pi witnessed what he saw this morning and even before Jin knew that there was a connection between Tatsuya and Taguchi, he already felt that there really was something special between them. Tatsuya smiled differently whenever he was with that tall guy. The said copper haired guy was more relaxed around the other man. Ueda’s total aura just changed whenever he was with Taguchi and he also noticed that the elder man doesn’t avoid the touches of the said towering guy. He saw it, his mind was hinting some things, his senses were cautioning him of something but his heart still believed that he was still the one that Ueda loved. Amidst all the shit he had said and done, somehow he felt that Ueda’s love for him was still there. He can feel it - or was he just imagining feeling it?
He still loves Atsuko even if she just played with his heart. The girl was perfect for him in every sense. She was patient - when it comes to his nasty remarks, feisty, courageous, intelligent, loving - that was before he knew the truth, and beautiful. He hates Atsuko and at the same time he still loves the girl. He loves to see her suffer but he also wants to forgive her if she just asked to be forgiven.
Ueda was his outlet to all the pains he felt for Atsuko. But I guess without him noticing, he was feeling something more than anger to the said spineless guy. Does he know what feeling it is? I guess he does but if you’ll ask him if he accepted having that kind of feeling to a man named Ueda Tatsuya, volcanoes will erupt, large mass of lands will separate and oil and water will mix before he will do such act.
“Good for him if he can be together with that pun sprouting guy. At least, I would be free from his constantly lingering presence. This time you guys will not be blaming me for that guy’s sour mood.” Nishikido uttered giving out a chuckle while still looking aimlessly at the vision before him.
Pi glanced at the faint smiling Ryo beside him this time more worried than before about his friend’s reaction. Akanishi was no different for after hearing what his friend said, he plopped himself on the armrest beside Tomohisa while giving out a loud sigh.
“You could change this you know. If you just stop what you’re doing and really try to show what your heart has been hiding ever since you recognized his importance then things will be what it is supposed to be. This is not a hopeless case Ryo. Just a simple act from you and a firm decision that this time you won’t mix him and that damn bitch then everything is going to be great.” Akanishi declared in an unwavering tone of voice not even glancing at the man on the spot.
“Ryo, if you keep on denying your feelings this can really bring you no good. It’s ok if you’re just doing it before us. We know the truth even if you don’t tell us. We know you too well not to know. But continuously doing it before him will lead you into deep waters. Stop this Ryo!” Yamashita exclaimed in a very firm tone as he eyed his friend with such intensity.
“I told you before that I will not scold you nor berate you with regards to this matter but this time I can’t just watch and do nothing as you persistently destroy your life. As your friend, I believe that stopping you at the moment when you can still salvage anything still worth saving is the right thing for me to do.” Yamapi declared looking almost in the verge of tears.
“There is…” Before NIshikido could finish his statement, Akanishi cut him off as he glanced at the other’s direction.
“Stop it Ryo! Don’t tell us there is nothing you can do when there is a lot of options right in front of you! What do we need to do in order for you to perceive with us eye to eye or if not to get rid of that lingering trace of Atsuko within you? Do we need to wash you off with acid and scrub you until your skin peel off? Do we need to go to the extent of visiting a quack doctor and have you exorcised just so that she’ll leave you alone? Ryo it’s been a year now since you caught her cheating on you. You really should move on!” Akanishi stated in an agitated tone, eyes glaring as he looked at his Osakan best friend sitting on the far end of their coach.
“Jin is right, you know? We could only do a few things to help you; give you advices, push you when you literally need it - which usually happens most of the time, remind you when you go overboard. But we are not you Ryo. We can’t choose your happiness for you. Settle it as soon as possible Ryo or you will only have regrets your entire life. And mind you that regret is not about Atsuko but about Ueda.” Tomohisa expressed, eyes so mellow as he looked at the latter while blinking almost every 5 seconds. Yamapi got off from where he was seated as he lethargically went back inside his room bringing with him his moist glass of now not so cold water.
“I’ll be crashing my bed again and this time please do keep your mouth shut Jin. I think I’m going to have a headache!” He said, giving his baka best friend a killer stare as he continued walking towards his room while slowly making circles on his temples.
A childish “Fine…Fine….” was heard from the room afterwards the door to Yampi’s lair closed. Silence lingered in the atmosphere of the two remaining men. One, awfully trying not to be insistent on what he wanted his friend to do thus avoiding the occurrence of another World War. Jin believed that his fights with Ryo were always near that, a chaotic World War! And the other man who was again gazing at nothingness, his eyes totally empty of any emotions as his figure continued to slump lower by the minute.
Akanishi watched his troubled looking roomie and he really felt pity for the guy. But what can he do? He was only Akanishi Jin. He was not NIshikido Ryo. He stood up from the armrest he was sitting on and wearily dragged his seemed to be weighty bulk beside his sitting friend. He clasped Ryo’s shoulder tightly as if the mere act was enough to convey the sympathy he felt for the latter’s dilemma.
“Think it over Ryo… Think it over carefully and maybe things will start to become clearer in your head.” Akanishi said in a perceiving tone, hand still gripping the other man’s shoulder blade.
Nishikido merely looked up from where he was seated as he gazed at his friend. He did not nod nor did he mumble out any sound which may notify his worrying friend that he did hear what the latter just said. He just stared at the other, his face not displaying any emotions but his eyes were totally longing for the answers to his problem.
“I’ll be leaving now. Kazu and I decide to have lunch together and I’m really starving.” Jin expressed, giving Ryo a reassuring smile afterwards voicing out a “See yah!” to the latter. Minutes before their living room was all too noisy having his boisterous baka best friend, Akanishi, with him and later on they were joined by the obviously irritated Yamapi who was untimely bothered by Jin’s high shriek but now, he was here all alone feeling the atmosphere become oppressive by the moment.
Ryo really doesn’t want to think about the “thing” between him and Tatsuya. He doesn’t like thinking about anything involving Tatsuya to be more exact. The heck, he had been avoiding that name for months now but now that name haunted him like some shadow. Not only the name but the person himself had been haunting him, sticking to him both in his waking hours and even to his dreaming state. He really was getting tired of all the shit he was doing to the latter. He thought that maybe now was the right time to do what his friends had been advising him to do; confronting what it is he was feeling for that copper haired, girly looking, spineless…. beautiful angel of a man.
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