Fanfiction: Drifting (Part III)
A/N: Firstly, thanks for all of those that commented. I seriously appreciated every single one, you guys really made my day. Sorry for the delay, but all kinds of funny things over the weekend made me late >_< Anyway here are the next two parts, with the final part to be posted over the next two days.
Thanks for reading, comments are serious love and have a good rest of the week ^^
***
Part III
~Push a Dirty Little Secret~
***
“What do I feel like dinner tonight?” Ruka thought to himself, absentmindedly clicking his tongue stud against his teeth as he looked down at the supermarket’s shelves. Usually his best friend was his local takeout place, something that couldn't be helped given Nightmare’s hectic schedule.
But on his off days he liked to cook. Well, at least tried to cook. It wasn't as if he particularly enjoyed it, he just reasoned that vegetables should play a bigger part in his diet than alcohol and nicotine did.
“Noodles I suppose,” he finally decided, halfheartedly picking up a packet of uncooked ramen and powered soup base, which he placed next to a bunch of spinach. But at the moment, even the thought of it seemed unappetising.
“Truth is, I just want Jack Daniels-soaked ribs and a tub of ice cream,” Ruka thought with a wry grin.
“Are you always so happy when you go grocery shopping Ruka?”
Ruka jumped and turned to find Nightmare’s guitarist smiling at him from a few feet away, his shopping basket resting against his hip.
“Fancy running into you here,” Sakito said cheerfully as he strolled up to him.
A blatant lie of course, as he had overheard the drummer telling Hitsugi that he’d be at this particular supermarket to buy dinner. And because Ruka hadn’t specified what time he would be there, Sakito had been forced to wander up and down the aisles for the better part of an hour, which had earned him some strange looks from the staff.
“Well you know my apartment is nearby, so it makes sense right for me to be here?” Ruka said dryly. “I don’t understand what you are doing here though Sakito.”
As if in explanation, Sakito showed him a bottle of wine that had been in his basket.
“They ran out of this at the wine shop I usually go to, and I had to meet someone in the area so I decided to kill two birds with one stone,” he said as he watched Ruka trace his fingers over the word “Shiraz” that was embossed in gold on the off-white label.
Ruka took a surreptitious glance at the rest of Sakito’s shopping and noted the dinner candles nestled next to a punnet of mushrooms and packets of fresh spices.
He then looked up and noticed Sakito’s newly darkened hair that appeared neater than usual beneath his trademark fedora, ending in a clean sweep at his jaw and his crisp white shirt and black pants.
“You entertaining someone at your apartment? A date perhaps?” Ruka asked with a raised eyebrow. He knew that despite his appearance on stage, Sakito rarely went out on dates. If anything, he had pegged the guitarist as having a steady girlfriend rather than living like a bachelor.
Sakito laughed.
“No date, just my roommate. Which reminds me I should be getting back soon, I left him to watch over dinner but I don't trust him near a stove quite frankly. But when we have both days off, I try to cook.”
“Well I won’t keep you then. See you at practice next week,” Ruka excused himself politely and was about to make a move when Sakito caught his sleeve.
“Say, Ruka if you’re not busy, why don't you come to dinner?” Sakito said, hoping he sounded if the idea had just occurred to him.
“That’s nice of you to offer Sakito, but I wouldn't want to intrude. It’s almost dinnertime and I’m sure your roommate wouldn’t be happy when you suddenly bring home another mouth to feed,” Ruka said pointedly only to have Sakito shake his head.
“It’s no bother really, I’m making beef rib stew and I usually make more than usual because it keeps great as leftovers. Please Ruka, it would be great if you could join us,” Sakito said as he flicked his bangs to the side and shot him his most persuasive smile.
Without realizing it, something in Ruka softened. He had always found something appealing about the lead guitarist and besides, his stomach growled at the mention of beef ribs.
“All right,” he relented, “but you must let me bring something,” he added adamantly.
“Dessert,” Sakito answered promptly, “you can bring dessert.”
“I know just the thing,” Ruka said with a glimmer of a smile as he remembered his earlier thought. “Meet you at the counter Sakito.”
*
“I’m back!” Sakito called out as he led Ruka into his apartment.
Ruka could smell something delicious cooking the minute he stepped over the threshold. Pungent and rich with the scent of basil and port, it wafted around him and made his mouth start to water as he followed Sakito, and his nose, to the kitchen.
On the way, he managed to get a good look at the guitarist’s share apartment and wasn't surprised to find it neat as a pin. Ruka reasoned that even if Sakito had moved in with a complete slob, he would insist the apartment mirror how he ran his life, with a place for everything and everything in its place.
Although not lavishly decorated, Ruka immediately liked the black leather couch that was the focal point of the living room, the flat-screen TV and various gaming devices in various cubbyholes of the Sakito’s home entertainment system.
“Where did you learn how to cook anyway Sakito?” Ruka asked as he deposited the grocery bags on the kitchen table.
“Kai, I went over to his place once with Uruha and he was cooking this. It’s pretty simple actually,” Sakito said distractedly as he rummaged through the cupboards for an extra plate.
Of course. Ruka himself wasn’t so familiar with the Gazette boys, but he had wondered at one time if Sakito and Uruha were dating given how much time they had spent together. But then he knew that Uruha was shacking up with his fellow guitarist.
Ruka had been intrigued though when he first heard, how they did it. It must have presented its own set of complications, dating a bandmate. But at that time it had given him a glimmer of hope, should ever…
“Ruka? I think you should put the ice cream in the freezer,” Sakito said tactfully as he eyed the beads of condensation rolling down the plastic bags.
“Shit, sorry,” Ruka muttered as he extracted two blue tubs from the bags and glanced around. “Where’s your freezer?”
“Right behind you, next to the washing machine,” an overly familiar voice instructed, which made Ruka stiffen.
He slowly turned and came face to face with Ni~ya, who was dressed in black sweatpants and a towel around his neck, having just come out from the shower.
“Ni~ya?” You are Sakito’s roommate?” Ruka said in disbelief. He honestly felt like throttling the guitarist for leaving out that important fact but Sakito seemed to have disappeared.
“He didn't tell you did he?” Ni~ya rolled his eyes. “Honestly, I must apologise for him. He probably wanted to surprise you. Why, I have no idea. We’ve actually been living together for about six months now,” he added with a smile.
Although was still taken aback from Ni~ya’s statement, he couldn't help but notice the tender edge to the bassist’s words when he mentioned Sakito’s name. Ni~ya’s features softened and Ruka could see the splinters of grey in his normally dark eyes.
It made Ruka stop and think whether he was in fact interrupting dinner between two lovers rather than two roommates.
“Dude, you’d better put that in the freezer before it drips. Sakito is fucking anal about messes on his kitchen floor,” Ni~ya said pointedly. Ruka started and looked down at his hands.
“Damn,” Ruka cursed and hurriedly stuffed the now slightly liquid tubs into the freezer. Ni~ya couldn't help a smirk as he handed the drummer a paper towel for his sticky fingers.
“Ni~ya, you aren’t messing up my kitchen are you?” Sakito warned as he entered the kitchen after having changed into more casual three-quarter chinos instead of the black dress pants he had been wearing earlier.
Ni~ya rolled his eyes.
“No, mum,” Ni~ya answered sarcastically, causing Ruka to smile as he composed himself. “Do you need me to do anything Sakito?”
“Yes Ni, could you please chop the mushrooms. But fix Ruka a drink first, I’m going to set the table,” Sakito said before leaving the two men alone.
Ni~ya nodded dutifully reaching into the drawer for a bottle opener and popping open the wine. He was about to pour it into a glass when Ruka stopped him.
“Shouldn't you let it breathe first?” Ruka said with a raised eyebrow. Ni~ya matched his look with a quizzical eyebrow of his own.
“You’re right, I forgot that you knew about these things,” Ni~ya said, setting the bottle down before leaning against the counter. There was an uncomfortable minute between them as they each looked away from the other as they searched for something to say.
It got to the point where Ruka was about to offer to help Sakito with the place settings when Ni~ya clearing his throat stopped him.
“Ruka, when Sakito called me to tell me that he had invited you to dinner, I was glad. You see, I wanted to apologise for how I acted a few weeks ago. I was annoyed with Sakito for brushing me off, but I didn't have a right to take it out on you,” Ni~ya said almost too casually.
Ruka’s breath caught at his throat when Ni~ya suddenly closed the space between them and looked him straight in the eye.
“You’re a good guy Ruka, and I mean that, no bullshit,” Ni~ya said, his voice dropping an octave.
The words were innocent, but for the first time in a long time, Ruka felt nervous around the younger man. Ni~ya’s eyes had lost the tenderness of a moment ago and was instead replaced by something a lot darker.
If Ruka didn't know better, he would have pegged it as desire.
“What are you on about, it was nothing. I had forgotten about it,” Ruka answered, hoping that he matched the bassist’s earlier casual tone. But Ni~ya’s sharp eyes didn’t miss the faint shiver that ran through Ruka’s body.
“I’m going to go smoke, do you need any help in here?” Ruka said abruptly, the urge to bolt for the nearest exit suddenly stronger than ever. Ni~ya simply shook his head and waved him in the direction of the balcony.
The minute Ruka left however, Ni~ya allowed himself a knowing smile that he had been suppressing earlier. As he went back to pouring the wine in the glasses, it was then he knew that Sakito’s plan would work.
*
It was only when dinner was ready and on the table that Ruka made an appearance. Obviously the smoke break had given him a chance to get his act together, so that Sakito couldn't have known how wrong-footed he had felt earlier, if not for the fact that Ni~ya had whispered it in his ear.
Sakito had been worried however, that Ruka would make a beeline for the door the minute dinner was over. But the hearty stew and rice along with the wine did the trick in relaxing Ruka to the point that he didn't turn down Ni~ya’s invitation to play Call of Duty.
In fact, Ruka had forgotten the last time he had enjoyed himself so immensely. He had gotten so used to seeing the rest of Nightmare as his colleagues that it had been an age since spent time with in this kind of relaxed setting.
If anything, it made Ruka a little wistful. When the band first started out, they had to spend time with each other regardless of whether they were sick of each other.
After the five year mark, Ruka had made a point of distancing himself whenever possible, knowing that the depth of his tolerance was extremely shallow. On a deeper level, which he would never admit to himself, it was simply easier not to see Yomi quite so happy.
But now he realised that it made him miss out on Sakito’s affable nature and Ni~ya’s wickedly dry sense of humour. Even though he didn't plan it, Ruka unconsciously made a resolution to spend more time with them socially, after all they weren’t at fault.
Plus, he hadn’t played such an intense session of Call of Duty in such a while. He could hardly stop from laughing menacingly as he beat Ni~ya soundly. But it was his turn to curse like a sailor when Sakito took up the controls and promptly managed to obliterate his team.
After eking out a victory over Sakito, Ruka was about to call it a day when Ni~ya intervened, saying that he wanted to Ruka to play the winner between him and Sakito.
As he watched them, Ruka briefly thought about getting the ice cream thinking that the sugar would help him stay awake.
But as he sank deeper into the plush leather of the sofa, he felt his eyes getting heavy as the many late nights of practice and touring catch up with him. Before he knew it, his eyelids unconsciously fluttered closed and he fell fast asleep.
***
Part IV:~Fallen~
***
Thanks for reading, comments are serious love and have a good rest of the week ^^
***
Part III
~Push a Dirty Little Secret~
***
“What do I feel like dinner tonight?” Ruka thought to himself, absentmindedly clicking his tongue stud against his teeth as he looked down at the supermarket’s shelves. Usually his best friend was his local takeout place, something that couldn't be helped given Nightmare’s hectic schedule.
But on his off days he liked to cook. Well, at least tried to cook. It wasn't as if he particularly enjoyed it, he just reasoned that vegetables should play a bigger part in his diet than alcohol and nicotine did.
“Noodles I suppose,” he finally decided, halfheartedly picking up a packet of uncooked ramen and powered soup base, which he placed next to a bunch of spinach. But at the moment, even the thought of it seemed unappetising.
“Truth is, I just want Jack Daniels-soaked ribs and a tub of ice cream,” Ruka thought with a wry grin.
“Are you always so happy when you go grocery shopping Ruka?”
Ruka jumped and turned to find Nightmare’s guitarist smiling at him from a few feet away, his shopping basket resting against his hip.
“Fancy running into you here,” Sakito said cheerfully as he strolled up to him.
A blatant lie of course, as he had overheard the drummer telling Hitsugi that he’d be at this particular supermarket to buy dinner. And because Ruka hadn’t specified what time he would be there, Sakito had been forced to wander up and down the aisles for the better part of an hour, which had earned him some strange looks from the staff.
“Well you know my apartment is nearby, so it makes sense right for me to be here?” Ruka said dryly. “I don’t understand what you are doing here though Sakito.”
As if in explanation, Sakito showed him a bottle of wine that had been in his basket.
“They ran out of this at the wine shop I usually go to, and I had to meet someone in the area so I decided to kill two birds with one stone,” he said as he watched Ruka trace his fingers over the word “Shiraz” that was embossed in gold on the off-white label.
Ruka took a surreptitious glance at the rest of Sakito’s shopping and noted the dinner candles nestled next to a punnet of mushrooms and packets of fresh spices.
He then looked up and noticed Sakito’s newly darkened hair that appeared neater than usual beneath his trademark fedora, ending in a clean sweep at his jaw and his crisp white shirt and black pants.
“You entertaining someone at your apartment? A date perhaps?” Ruka asked with a raised eyebrow. He knew that despite his appearance on stage, Sakito rarely went out on dates. If anything, he had pegged the guitarist as having a steady girlfriend rather than living like a bachelor.
Sakito laughed.
“No date, just my roommate. Which reminds me I should be getting back soon, I left him to watch over dinner but I don't trust him near a stove quite frankly. But when we have both days off, I try to cook.”
“Well I won’t keep you then. See you at practice next week,” Ruka excused himself politely and was about to make a move when Sakito caught his sleeve.
“Say, Ruka if you’re not busy, why don't you come to dinner?” Sakito said, hoping he sounded if the idea had just occurred to him.
“That’s nice of you to offer Sakito, but I wouldn't want to intrude. It’s almost dinnertime and I’m sure your roommate wouldn’t be happy when you suddenly bring home another mouth to feed,” Ruka said pointedly only to have Sakito shake his head.
“It’s no bother really, I’m making beef rib stew and I usually make more than usual because it keeps great as leftovers. Please Ruka, it would be great if you could join us,” Sakito said as he flicked his bangs to the side and shot him his most persuasive smile.
Without realizing it, something in Ruka softened. He had always found something appealing about the lead guitarist and besides, his stomach growled at the mention of beef ribs.
“All right,” he relented, “but you must let me bring something,” he added adamantly.
“Dessert,” Sakito answered promptly, “you can bring dessert.”
“I know just the thing,” Ruka said with a glimmer of a smile as he remembered his earlier thought. “Meet you at the counter Sakito.”
*
“I’m back!” Sakito called out as he led Ruka into his apartment.
Ruka could smell something delicious cooking the minute he stepped over the threshold. Pungent and rich with the scent of basil and port, it wafted around him and made his mouth start to water as he followed Sakito, and his nose, to the kitchen.
On the way, he managed to get a good look at the guitarist’s share apartment and wasn't surprised to find it neat as a pin. Ruka reasoned that even if Sakito had moved in with a complete slob, he would insist the apartment mirror how he ran his life, with a place for everything and everything in its place.
Although not lavishly decorated, Ruka immediately liked the black leather couch that was the focal point of the living room, the flat-screen TV and various gaming devices in various cubbyholes of the Sakito’s home entertainment system.
“Where did you learn how to cook anyway Sakito?” Ruka asked as he deposited the grocery bags on the kitchen table.
“Kai, I went over to his place once with Uruha and he was cooking this. It’s pretty simple actually,” Sakito said distractedly as he rummaged through the cupboards for an extra plate.
Of course. Ruka himself wasn’t so familiar with the Gazette boys, but he had wondered at one time if Sakito and Uruha were dating given how much time they had spent together. But then he knew that Uruha was shacking up with his fellow guitarist.
Ruka had been intrigued though when he first heard, how they did it. It must have presented its own set of complications, dating a bandmate. But at that time it had given him a glimmer of hope, should ever…
“Ruka? I think you should put the ice cream in the freezer,” Sakito said tactfully as he eyed the beads of condensation rolling down the plastic bags.
“Shit, sorry,” Ruka muttered as he extracted two blue tubs from the bags and glanced around. “Where’s your freezer?”
“Right behind you, next to the washing machine,” an overly familiar voice instructed, which made Ruka stiffen.
He slowly turned and came face to face with Ni~ya, who was dressed in black sweatpants and a towel around his neck, having just come out from the shower.
“Ni~ya?” You are Sakito’s roommate?” Ruka said in disbelief. He honestly felt like throttling the guitarist for leaving out that important fact but Sakito seemed to have disappeared.
“He didn't tell you did he?” Ni~ya rolled his eyes. “Honestly, I must apologise for him. He probably wanted to surprise you. Why, I have no idea. We’ve actually been living together for about six months now,” he added with a smile.
Although was still taken aback from Ni~ya’s statement, he couldn't help but notice the tender edge to the bassist’s words when he mentioned Sakito’s name. Ni~ya’s features softened and Ruka could see the splinters of grey in his normally dark eyes.
It made Ruka stop and think whether he was in fact interrupting dinner between two lovers rather than two roommates.
“Dude, you’d better put that in the freezer before it drips. Sakito is fucking anal about messes on his kitchen floor,” Ni~ya said pointedly. Ruka started and looked down at his hands.
“Damn,” Ruka cursed and hurriedly stuffed the now slightly liquid tubs into the freezer. Ni~ya couldn't help a smirk as he handed the drummer a paper towel for his sticky fingers.
“Ni~ya, you aren’t messing up my kitchen are you?” Sakito warned as he entered the kitchen after having changed into more casual three-quarter chinos instead of the black dress pants he had been wearing earlier.
Ni~ya rolled his eyes.
“No, mum,” Ni~ya answered sarcastically, causing Ruka to smile as he composed himself. “Do you need me to do anything Sakito?”
“Yes Ni, could you please chop the mushrooms. But fix Ruka a drink first, I’m going to set the table,” Sakito said before leaving the two men alone.
Ni~ya nodded dutifully reaching into the drawer for a bottle opener and popping open the wine. He was about to pour it into a glass when Ruka stopped him.
“Shouldn't you let it breathe first?” Ruka said with a raised eyebrow. Ni~ya matched his look with a quizzical eyebrow of his own.
“You’re right, I forgot that you knew about these things,” Ni~ya said, setting the bottle down before leaning against the counter. There was an uncomfortable minute between them as they each looked away from the other as they searched for something to say.
It got to the point where Ruka was about to offer to help Sakito with the place settings when Ni~ya clearing his throat stopped him.
“Ruka, when Sakito called me to tell me that he had invited you to dinner, I was glad. You see, I wanted to apologise for how I acted a few weeks ago. I was annoyed with Sakito for brushing me off, but I didn't have a right to take it out on you,” Ni~ya said almost too casually.
Ruka’s breath caught at his throat when Ni~ya suddenly closed the space between them and looked him straight in the eye.
“You’re a good guy Ruka, and I mean that, no bullshit,” Ni~ya said, his voice dropping an octave.
The words were innocent, but for the first time in a long time, Ruka felt nervous around the younger man. Ni~ya’s eyes had lost the tenderness of a moment ago and was instead replaced by something a lot darker.
If Ruka didn't know better, he would have pegged it as desire.
“What are you on about, it was nothing. I had forgotten about it,” Ruka answered, hoping that he matched the bassist’s earlier casual tone. But Ni~ya’s sharp eyes didn’t miss the faint shiver that ran through Ruka’s body.
“I’m going to go smoke, do you need any help in here?” Ruka said abruptly, the urge to bolt for the nearest exit suddenly stronger than ever. Ni~ya simply shook his head and waved him in the direction of the balcony.
The minute Ruka left however, Ni~ya allowed himself a knowing smile that he had been suppressing earlier. As he went back to pouring the wine in the glasses, it was then he knew that Sakito’s plan would work.
*
It was only when dinner was ready and on the table that Ruka made an appearance. Obviously the smoke break had given him a chance to get his act together, so that Sakito couldn't have known how wrong-footed he had felt earlier, if not for the fact that Ni~ya had whispered it in his ear.
Sakito had been worried however, that Ruka would make a beeline for the door the minute dinner was over. But the hearty stew and rice along with the wine did the trick in relaxing Ruka to the point that he didn't turn down Ni~ya’s invitation to play Call of Duty.
In fact, Ruka had forgotten the last time he had enjoyed himself so immensely. He had gotten so used to seeing the rest of Nightmare as his colleagues that it had been an age since spent time with in this kind of relaxed setting.
If anything, it made Ruka a little wistful. When the band first started out, they had to spend time with each other regardless of whether they were sick of each other.
After the five year mark, Ruka had made a point of distancing himself whenever possible, knowing that the depth of his tolerance was extremely shallow. On a deeper level, which he would never admit to himself, it was simply easier not to see Yomi quite so happy.
But now he realised that it made him miss out on Sakito’s affable nature and Ni~ya’s wickedly dry sense of humour. Even though he didn't plan it, Ruka unconsciously made a resolution to spend more time with them socially, after all they weren’t at fault.
Plus, he hadn’t played such an intense session of Call of Duty in such a while. He could hardly stop from laughing menacingly as he beat Ni~ya soundly. But it was his turn to curse like a sailor when Sakito took up the controls and promptly managed to obliterate his team.
After eking out a victory over Sakito, Ruka was about to call it a day when Ni~ya intervened, saying that he wanted to Ruka to play the winner between him and Sakito.
As he watched them, Ruka briefly thought about getting the ice cream thinking that the sugar would help him stay awake.
But as he sank deeper into the plush leather of the sofa, he felt his eyes getting heavy as the many late nights of practice and touring catch up with him. Before he knew it, his eyelids unconsciously fluttered closed and he fell fast asleep.
***
Part IV:~Fallen~
***