Stepbrothers (Rewrite) - Chapter 2 [The Gazette - Reita/Ruki (Akira/Takanori)]
Title: Stepbrothers
Author: shir0ukun
Rating: PG15
Genre: Humour | Romance | Crack?
Chapter: Chapter 2
Warnings: Crack | Bitch fights between two grown men
Band[s]: The GazettE
Pairing[s]: Reita/Ruki (Akira/Takanori)
Synopsis: Two good-for-nothing man-child are brought together as stepbrothers when their single-parent remarries. What should be rejoiced over turns out as a tragedy, as Akira and Takanori engage themselves in brutal fights over the television and the bed.
Comments: The plot from this chapter on will start to differ from the movie itself as well as my original version. This is to facilitate the flow of the story, but if you’re a new reader, I’m thinking it should make no drastic difference. (: Hmm. I particularly liked this chapter (but I’m not gona spoil it for you people). Enjoy! (:
Previous Chapters:
[Chapter 1] [Prologue]
Something nagged.
And Takanori couldn’t quite lay a finger on it. Having woken up from his nap, he stretched lazily and squinted at the glaring sun light of the noon. His head refused to leave the pillow, and laying limp on the bed, the red-head stared at the ceiling listlessly.
Kenji was coming.
He’d never liked his brother from the beginning; unlike him, Kenji was successful in everything he did. At an age of 24, he’s made himself a name in both the residential industry as well as the lucrative fishing market. Everyone seemed to find the younger sibling a dear, but ever since young, Kenji has never once stopped terrorizing Takanori.
The audience hummed in appreciation of the melodious voice as Nami beamed proudly at her son. Takanori truly possessed a talent like no other, and hearing him sing his heart out like this brought tears to her eyes. With a bright young brother like Kenji, Takanori has always been looked down upon by others- but Nami knew otherwise. Her older son might not be as smart in his studies; nor as excelling in sports- but the child’s resolution was definitely something not to be reckoned with. It would be impossible for him to budge once he sets sight on something, and within his passionate lines, Nami could feel his son’s fierce resolve.
“Hey Takanori!” A growl from the audience cut off the soft chorale, and it struck Nami at once that she knew the voice all too well.
“Taka is a faa~ag! Taka is a faa~ag! He has no baa~alls! He has no baa~alls!” Along with his other friends, Kenji started the atrocious chant, and to Nami’s horror, the audience roared into laughter and even started chanting along.
“Stop it!” The woman screamed at her younger son, but all she shouted fell on deaf ears as the chant grew only louder. Without the heart to look at her boy, Nami could only watch out of the corners of her eyes as Takanori solemnly retreated backstage. He didn’t cry when Nami asked- neither did he complain. What was left was only silence- as he always was, refusing to stick up for himself.
Something was still nagging, and the red-head stirred on his bed. It was only when he turned on his side, that Takanori realized what was wrong.
“… A. KI. RA.”
~ . ~ . ~
Day 2: God’s Akira - Plan 1 vs Takanori [CODENAME: r.e.v.e.n.g.e]
“Is that you, Taka?” Nami wiped the perspiration off her forehead as she struggled to beat the eggs in the heat, “Great, come and help me wit- holy shit what the hell is that behind your head?!”
“A pillow, mum,” The red-head gritted his teeth and scanned the kitchen maliciously for a certain blonde, “A fuckin’ pillow.”
“Come here,” Nami placed the mixing bowl down with a sigh and beckoned for her son, “I’ll get it off you.”
“The next time I see him,” Takanori grumbled as he flopped himself down on the high stool, “I swear I’ll rip his balls off.”
“Mind your language, Taka,” Nami grimaced at the permanent glue on the pillow before finally getting a pair of scissors, “My son, I hope you know that what I’m doing now is for your own good.”
“What?”
“A little sacrifice is nothing, don’t you agree? It’s all for the better good.” Nami pried the scissors open, and Takanori’s eyes widened in horror when he felt cold steel against his head.
“Mum? Hey, are you listenin’? Don’t do it, seriously, hey I’ve been keepin’ that hair for- Mum?” And then a sharp tear was heard as the sharp blade sliced through the smooth locks connected to the pillow, “NOOOOOO!”
~ . ~ . ~
Akira analyzed the situation before him.
Across him sat Nami, who was smiling at a stranger, and beside her was his dad, who was laughing his teeth off at the joke Matsumoto Kenji just made. Akira wasn’t amused at the entire Kenji family before him- including his wife and two daughters. He’s had enough of the Matsumoto’s, and at the rate the silly jokes was going, Akira was an inch away from knocking the teeth out of Kenji.
On the other hand, though, Akira found himself being close to smothered by the murderous intent slicing relentlessly at him. The blonde found himself torn between rolling on the floor laughing and running away from the potential killer equipped with a fairly sharp knife for cutting to his right.
Takanori seemed to be slicing at the beef with all his might, trying his best to contain his hatred as Akira stifled his laugh. His shoulder-length hair was gone, now left with a short, awkward hairstyle which he knew was about to become one of Kenji’s mockery in no time. The red-head shoved his meal down in silence, except for the occasional death-glares he shot Akira’s way when the humiliation got out of control.
“That was funny!” Takahiro rubbed the tears off his eyes and beamed proudly at his step-son, “You’re amazing, Kenji. Not only are you successful, your sense of humor seems to rub off on me pretty well too.”
“No, no,” Kenji waved the compliment off humbly, “You’re a great dad.”
With the exception of Akira and Takanori, the entire dining table exploded into fits, and the irritated twosome only rolled their eyes.
“So, bro,” Kenji finally diverted his attention to his brother, “What happened to… uh… your mane?”
The guy laughed at his own joke hysterically, and his family and Takahiro chimed in almost instantly. Nami shot her younger son a look, but he didn’t seem to notice- neither did he care.
“That’s none of your business, Kenji” Much to the surprised of Akira, Takanori sounded disturbed, “I’m going upstairs.”
The red-head pushed himself off the dining table and bounded upstairs in an instant. What seemed to dissatisfy Akira the most was the fact that neither Takahiro nor Kenji’s family seem to care about the unhappy red-head. For some reason, he felt himself fuming now, and what Kenji said next only served to rile him on.
“And, Akira, is it? What’s with that bandage around your nose? You broke it in an accident or something’?” Once again, everyone - with the only exception of Nami- found themselves in hysterics, and out of nowhere, the blonde slammed his fist onto the table and stood up furiously.
“It’s a noseband, fucktard,” The blonde shot him a glare, and then started making his way across the living room, “Enjoy your meal. ‘Cos you never know when you’ll never have one again.”
~ . ~ . ~
“Your bro’s a real douche.”
Takanori jumped when he heard a voice behind him. Akira rolled his eyes upon finishing his statement, and the red-head returned to sulking at the edge of his bed.
“I told ya he’s a much bigger asshole than I am.”
“He’s one hell of a mother fucker, I swear,” The blonde threw himself down onto the bed beside Takanori, and for once, in the face of an enemy, they weren’t about to pounce on each other right then, “Say, why are you so upset when you see him? I mean, you’re the big bro, dude. Flame him, for the love of god- be a man!”
“You have no idea what goes on in my head when he’s around,” Takanori scoffed, and then drove his fist into the pillow, “Sometimes, I just feel like feeding him to the sharks. But that just doesn’t seem like torture enough to me…”
“I’m seriously not boasting but,” Akira gave a cheeky smile, “When we’re talkin’ about torture, you can count on me. We’re talkin’ about fun, after all.”
“You sound like a sadistic bitch,” Takanori paused, “But hell do you come in handy.”
The red-head turned around when he heard a knock at the door, and he instantly felt nauseated at the sight of his biological sibling.
“I hope I’m not disrupting something.” Kenji’s eyes drifted across the room with little interest, and stepped in without the smallest hints of invitation. Akira narrowed his eyes at the brunette, and Takanori simply refused to look Kenji in the eye.
“So what’s up, bro?” Kenji leaned against the wall across Takanori, “Lost your appetite? Why not show a little love for your little brother?”
“Go away, the sight of you disgusts me.” Akira found himself recoiling at the venom within Takanori’s lines- they sounded nothing like the insults the red-head usually flung at himself.
“I’m hurt, Takanori. Seriously.” Kenji faked an innocent expression, but his features faded into ugliness instantly, “I’m not gona put up this façade anymore, fag. But guess what? You can’t do nothin’, ‘cus you’re a sissy.”
“Grow up, Kenji. And learn to screw yourself.”
“No, I don’t screw myself. I have a wife to do that,” He smirked, “And the sight of your pathetic self is enough to tell me you haven’t been getting laid.”
Takanori made no move to reply, and the blonde beside him only watched his stepbrother in silence. It would take more than insults to make the red-head speechless, but Takanori’s solemn gaze only told Akira the poor guy’s been tortured enough back in the days.
“Why don’t you shut the fuck up, Kenji? We all know you ain’t got no balls,” Akira stood and took on his fullest height, “What’s with insulting your brother like this? Be a man, assclown. And take it to the floor instead of sprouting bullshit.”
Takanori looked as aghast as Kenji was- that someone he’d always been at loggerheads with was speaking up for him. Against his own brother. Akira looked as if he was about to roundhouse Kenji’s ass right then, and Takanori found himself amused at the height difference between his brother and the blonde.
“What’s your problem?” Kenji mustered up his height as well before smiling smugly at Akira, “You wana punch me, don’t you?”
Akira clenched his fist. Kenji was seriously getting on his nerves.
“I’m right, aren’t I? You do wana punch me. But you can’t. Because if that’s what you’re about to do, you’re dad’s gona ground you for life ‘cus he likes me better.”
Akira didn’t reply. He was having a hard enough time trying to control his body. His limbs weren’t listening to him anymore.
“So, what’s keepin’ you, Akira? I thought you wanted me to be a man. And take it to the floor. Look who’s shakin’ no-“
Kenji couldn’t finish his statement before he felt pain fan out from his nose across his skull. He felt himself gradually losing conscious from the searing burn, but before he passed out, he caught sight of Akira’s dumbfounded expression. And ultimately, Takanori holding his stomach from laughter.
Bulls eye.
~ . ~ . ~
Akira watched as the silver Mercedes pulled out of the driveway and onto the road. Takahiro was waving enthusiastically to a bandaged Kenji, the fire in the latter’s eyes enough to incinerate graphite right then. With Takanori dabbing his tears beside him, Akira leaned against the door frame and basked in the moment of pride. It didn’t matter that his office was being quarantined for a week, nor the fact that Takahiro was downright pissed. All that he knows of now was the occasional chuckle he heard to his left, and the slowly dying rage he acknowledged towards Kenji.
“That move was kickass, Akira!” A giggle escaped his lips as Takanori gave Akira a small punch on his shoulder, “You would have made great company if you weren’t such a bitch.”
“He deserved it, anyway.” Akira smiled to himself, and then rolled his eyes at the red-head, “I’m not a bitch, Takanori. You’ll come to realise that soon.”
He heard a scoff.
“It doesn’t matter to me, but, like it or not, we just became BFFs.” Takanori gave Akira another punch- this time, a little rougher- but the latter only stared into space.
“Why do you let him treat you like that?”
“Huh?”
“It pisses me off,” Akira turned his back on Takanori, “When he treats you like dirt. I’m the only one who can treat you like this, Takanori. So don’t let him do that to you the next time.”
Takanori raised his eyebrows.
“I’m confused. Are you trying to humiliate me? Or are you trying to say that I should fear you?”
“Neither, Takanori. Neither.”
“Ohh, I get what you’re tryin’ to say…” Takanori narrowed his eyes, “You’re tellin’ me you’re badass just because of that punch, aren’t you? Aren’t you? Now, don’t get cocky, bastard, I can pull that one off too!”
Akira spun around in his heels and threw Takanori an unbelievable look.
“Christ, you’re as slow as a brainless fuck can get, Takanori!” Akira gave up and made his way upstairs in exasperation, “All of the above, okay? All of the above!”
Takanori’s eyes widened.
“Now you’re calling me brainless too?! You’re seriously pissin’ me off!” The red-head rolled his sleeves up, “You want a piece of me? Bring it then, bitch! I’m ready for you!”