Lightning (Next to You)
Chapter 2
Tatsuya felt warm. He slowly opened his eyes and a bright light appeared. He blinked twice to get used to the light and finally opened his eyes to see a room with white walls.
"Am I dead?" he asked as soon as he had scanned the room. He felt something warm holding his hand and turned to see Yamapi sleeping beside his bed; he was holding Tatsuya’s hand. A feeling of confusion and hurt was coming back to him when the door flew open, revealing his brother.
"So, you're already awake, Tat-chan. You scared us," Koki said taking a good look at him. Then his eyes moved to Yamapi.
"He was surely worried about you. He didn't go home,” Koki said and then looked at his brother. The tears ran down Tatsuya’s face. He couldn’t stop them-he was both happy and sad at the same time.
"I think he likes you, too, but you should give him more time. It was new to him and he didn’t know how to react. Well, for a straight guy to figure out that he likes another guy, it might be really hard for him to accept. So, be patient with him, okay?" Koki moved closer to the bed and patted his brother’s head gently.
Yamapi felt the presence of another person in the room and woke up to see Koki standing beside him.
"You're here already?" Yamapi yawned. He saw Koki smiling and looking at the person in the bed, so Yamapi turned his gaze toward Tatsuya.
"Tat-chan you’re awake! Wait, I’ll call the doctor... do you need anything else? Do you want to eat? Wait, I’ll get you something to eat and drink,” Yamapi said, running to the door to do everything at once.
"You see what I mean, right?" Koki said to Tatsuya. He smiled. Yup, he saw what his brother meant and he was happy. But he was also scared-he still didn't know what Yamapi felt for him.
+++
It was his best week, even though he was in the hospital and had a bandage on his left arm covering the burn from the lightning, because Yamapi came every day and took care of him. When his best friend Tegoshi saw how Yamapi was taking care of Tatsuya, he was always teasing them. But Yamapi just smiled whenever Tegoshi teased. Tatsuya was just happy and didn't ask Yamapi about what would happen next or what their relationship even was now.
When it was time to go home, he waited for his brother and Yamapi, of course. He had promised Tat-chan that he would come take him home today, too. Then the door opened.
"We’re here, Tat-chan!" Koki announced as he entered the room.
"You're so... late-“ Tat-chan started to say, but then stopped. He couldn’t believe his eyes! Yamapi walked into the room holding hands with the girl from the party. Tat-chan looked at Yamapi and saw the pleading and asking for forgiveness in his eyes.
"Hi, I'm Rin-chan, Yamapi’s girlfriend. Nice to meet you," the girl said not waiting for Koki or Yamapi to introduce her. Maybe she thought they wouldn’t.
"Hi, I'm Tatsuya, Koki’s half-brother," he replied, bowing to the girl.
"Okay! Are you ready?” Koki said. “I already settled the bill, so let’s go if you are already packed." Koki picked up Tatsuya’s bag and carried it out. Tat-chan just followed his brother and not saying anything. He felt his world start crushing down again.
+++
Yamapi looked in the rear-view mirror and saw Tat-chan in the back seat next to his girlfriend. He could see Tat-chan’s sadness and it crushed his heart.
Flashback
"What do you think you’re doing taking that girl to the hospital?" Koki grabbed Yamapi’s hand. He was really pissed off at his friend.
"I know, I really don't want her to go but she keeps bugging me and threatening me,” Yamapi told Koki, trying to make him understand what was happening.
"What does she threaten you with?" Koki asked. He really couldn’t understand what kind of threat that girl could make to his best friend.
"You know that we are going to enter the police force, right?” Yamapi said. “Her father was the commander in chief and she is threatening me that she will tell her father to not accept us into the force. You know that it’s my dream to be a police officer," Yamapi said. Koki could hear the sadness in his voice.
“That’s all? She just threatened you about this lousy job? You can come up with a better excuse than that, Pi! Figure out who you love and then decide what you are going to do. You will hurt them both if you do this,” Koki said.
“I promise you, Koki, that I will make it right. Just this once, please,” Yamapi pleaded.
"Okay, I will play along with this, but you have to promise me that you won’t ever try to hurt my brother again or you won’t you see him ever again," Koki snapped, then walked away.
Yamapi just sighed. Why did he have to realize that he loved Tat-chan now, when he can't get away from that girl?
End of Flashback
He looked back again to see what the two of them were doing and saw that Rin-chan had started a conversation with Tat-chan. Relief flowed through him.
"Hey, are you mad at me?" the girl asked Tatsuya. He looked at the girl and sighed.
"Nope, I'm not mad at you. I was just tired and my hand is still in pain." He smiled at her.
"Good. But I'm pissed at you! You are the reason that me and my boyfriend did not enjoy this day," she whispered so that only Tat-chan could hear. He looked at her to see if she really just said what he thought she did.
She just smirked at him and then turned toward Yamapi with a sweet smile on her face. "See Pi-chan,” she said. “We’re already friends."
"Good to hear that," Yamapi said glancing at them both in the mirror again.
Tatsuya couldn’t believe what was happening-this girl was a bitch.
To be continued.