SOS (Strawberry on Shortcakes)
Disclaimer: Gravitation belongs to Maki Murakami. You should worship the ground She walks on.
Summary: Tatsuha seeks love advice from his brother Eiri.
Special thanks goes to Mirai for being my beta-reader!
*~*~*
"Aniki, you gotta help me!!!" Tatsuha flung himself onto his older brother Eiri and beamed up.
"I can't help you with that! GET OFF ME!! What the hell do you think you are doing?" Eiri groaned, trying to push Tatsuha off in disgust.
Shuichi observed the scene with amusement as he entered the house. He didn't know that Tatsuha was so keen on keeping up the sibling bonding! For this one time only, Shuichi didn't perform his usual "I'm home" ritual that involves tackling the writer and knocking both of them onto the hardwood floor.
"But…I'm your adorable little brother! You wouldn't leave a poor little boy like me heartbroken?" Tatsuha continued to snuggle Eiri on the ground. The novelist cringed and groaned. Okay, that was it. Eiri struggled to his feet and kicked his brother away.
Tatsuha rolled over on his stomach and re-attached himself onto Eiri's left leg within an eye blink.
"How cruel, Aniki! How could you do this to your dear brother?" Tatsuha sat on the floor cross-legged and accused Eiri with a waterfall of tears. Shit. So the cute puppy attack didn't work. Tatsuha thought darkly as he blinked more fake tears. He thought the act was going to get his brother for sure! Tatsuha had seen Shuichi doing the same act countless times before; it worked every single time for the singer! Damn it!
Proceed with Plan #2. Tatsuha got up, ran over to the pink-haired singer, grabbing his hands with enthusiasm. "Shuichi! Welcome home. You gotta help me! Please! I'm basically your future bother-in-law!" If you flatter a pig enough, it will even fly! (Old Japanese saying) I'm not a Buddhist monk in training for nothing!
Shuichi blinked his beautiful, large purple eyes in confusion. Was he missing something important? It definitely sounded nice…getting to marry Yuki one day! Shuichi grinned happily as he dwelled into his own fantasy. He nodded in complete agreement and pulled Tatsuha over towards Eiri, hand in hand with the younger boy.
"Yuki! You can't be so mean to Tatsuha-san! I feel so sorry for him. We have to help OUR brother, whatever the matter may be. I know you can be very kind if you want to be, right?" Shuichi pouted and looked up to Eiri hopefully; his big eyes shiny and filled with unconditional trust.
The stupid kid is playing on my weakness again! Why does he have to look so goddamned cute? Eiri sighed and mumbled a weak, "OUR brother? In a 100 years maybe," in protest as he retreated into the dining room. Tatsuha and Shuichi followed him in high spirits, both of them literally skipping across the floor, still hand in hand.
Eiri stopped abruptly and glared back at Tatsuha, his arms folded and his eyes icy. Totally clueless, Shuichi continued to hum "Shining Collection" on perfect beat. Tatsuha pondered for one second before letting go of Shuichi's hand like it was hot iron.
Wow. That was close. I almost ruined my only chance of happiness by accident. Tatsuha said to himself and stick out his tongue.
*~*~*
"So Tatsuha-san, what do you want us to help you for?" Shuichi asked curiously. All of them were sitting comfortably on the couch, forming a close-knitted circle, with Shuichi in the middle.
"Well … let's have something first and talk later!" Tatsuha pulled out the dozen strawberry shortcakes he bought from the famous bakery across town. The bakery would only produce a limited amount of cakes every day, so Tatsuha had to get up early to secure his place in line.
Plan #3: To win a man's heart, you have to grab his stomach first. Tatsuha knew that his brother had the biggest sweet tooth around. (Although Eiri did try to keep it a secret.) He handed over the bakery box; a dozen of delicious strawberry shortcakes looked perfect from every angle. The sweet smell of pastry playfully teased Eiri's stomach.
Eiri picked one up and chomped down on it. Shuichi picked another one and tasted with a small bite. Truth be told, Shuichi was only mildly fond of cakes. He liked Pocky way more. "The strawberry is so fresh! I love it!"
Tatsuha was consuming one himself when he grinned at Shuichi. He didn't really like cakes either; his favorite food is Misao Ramen … and Ryuichi. But he wasn't going to let his preferences in food stop his underlying love for his God!
"Tatsuha. I told you I couldn't help you with your problems. Go somewhere else." Eiri sounded nicer than before after he finished his second piece of cake.
"But … Aniki!!! You're the only one that can solve my difficulties! You see, I don't know how I can tell Sakuma-san that I love him, and definitely not as a friend! I told him over and over again about my love for him. But for some reasons, he just doesn't understand! He thought that I was declaring my profound friendship! HELP ME!!!" Tatsuha said pathetically, throwing up his arms for emphasis.
Tatsuha dropped to his knees in front of his brother as if he were proposing. "I'm begging you. You're a romance novelist, right? You're THE expert in the area. So tell me how I could confess my love to him appropriately, please!"
Shuichi was deeply touched. Tatsuha was so passionate about the object of his love! He dropped next to the younger boy and embraced him like a brother … umm brother-in-law. "Tatsuha-san! Don't worry about it. I'm sure Sakuma-san would understand your love eventually and recip … reciproc … returns the feelings! Meanwhile, you just have to be patient."
But I can't be patient! I want to jump my Ryu-bunny right now! But Tatsuha appreciated the pink head's concern all the same. He smiled brightly to Shuichi, trying his best to control his drool from leaking from the corner of his mouth while he was imagining that he was embracing Ryu-chan in his famous yummy rabbit outfit.
Eiri snapped at the pair of them unpleasantly. Is this a future kinship bonding session? "Tatsuha, for god's sake don't pretend to be an all innocent lovesick teenager. You have way more experience at handling fuck-partners than most people have for their whole lives. Just use your whoring techniques to win him over. Isn't that what you're good at, you teenage horn-ball?"
Tatsuha blushed scarlet at Eiri's words and it managed to send chill down Eiri's spine. My god, that was so fucking creepy. Eiri swallowed his third cake in fright.
"But … but … how could I? Sakuma-san is unique! He deserves to be treated differently! I mean, how could I just trap him in my arms and kiss him senseless without his consent? How could I take off his clothes when he is too weak to resist? How could I…" Tatsuha's nose began to bleed without letting him finish his speech. Shuichi handed over a piece of tissue sympathetically.
Eiri snorted, "Get a grip on yourself. This is the person you're jerking off to when you play your Nittle Grasper music video every night. What's so appealing about him anyway? He's an old fool that doubles your age. You think he'll act like an oh-so-scared, inexperienced virgin in bed? No way. You two perverts just make me sick. Just get your ass out of my house now!" Eiri wolfed down his forth piece of cake with a bottle of beer.
Shuichi started to get worried when he saw Eiri pick up his fifth piece of cake. "Yuki! Please stop eating them, for your own good! You may get a toothache, or worse, diabetes!" Eiri ignore his lover. Seeing the unresponsive retort from the writer, Shuichi burst into tears like a 5-year-old.
In order to distract his brother from eating and Shuichi from brawling, Tatsuha asked, "Aniki, why do you leave the strawberry till the end? Don't you love it the most?"
Shuichi ceased crying immediately, as if he were shutting down the water tap, and looked at Eiri's plate with curiosity. Tatsuha was right. There was still a glassy-looking strawberry sitting neatly on the plate, waiting to be nipped on.
"What kind of retarded question is this? I can eat my cake whatever way I want!" Eiri paled a little when he saw that Shuichi would resume crying in any second. There was only so much noise a man can take within a day. He had a headache already.
Eiri added in a hurried tone, "Shuichi, don't you like to save your favorite food till the end so you can enjoy it to the fullest?"
Shuichi thought for a moment; he shook his head frantically and hopped onto Eiri's lap with a loud thump, "No, Yuki! Good things should always be eaten first! Who knows what may happen to them if I leave them alone till the end? Someone may take it away from me!" He rested his pink head happily on Eiri's chest.
A ghost of a smile touched Eiri's lips. I should have guessed your answer; you intruded into my life without any hesitation and declared your love for me - whether I liked you back or not. You're not afraid of showing your emotions…your direct pursuit of me earlier in our relationship is exactly how you'd eat your strawberry.
Eiri embraced his angel tenderly, enjoying the warmth and the smell of sweet shampoo that was uniquely Shuichi. Suddenly he was aware of the amused expression on Tatsuha's face. He let go of the smaller boy, almost pushed Shuichi onto the floor.
"What about you, Tatsuha?" Eiri turned the question over to the dark-haired boy; the blonde's ever-so-slight blush betrayed his embarrassment.
Tatsuha smirked at his older brother. Ooh, better not push my luck this time. "Well, I don't know. I will probably eat the strawberry along with the actual cake itself. Then I can enjoy it from start to finish. But … Aniki … you still haven't answered my questions yet! I need your help! If you don't, I'll die of the LORG disease (Lack of Ryuichi Goodness) soon!"
Eiri never had the chance to snort at his brother, let alone answer his questions. Someone was ringing the doorbell like there was a fire alarm going off.
Shuichi ran towards to the door and yelled, "Yes, I'll go get the door!"
*~*~*
Ryuichi passed by Shuichi like a tornado and leaped onto the black-haired boy. "Ahhhhhh there you are, Tatsuha! Kumagoro and I were looking so hard for you!!! We finally found you!"
Bang!
Ryuichi was sitting on top of his Number.1 fan as he proclaimed, "I don't care what others think anymore, Tatsuha! Kumagoro said I should just tell you how I feel and it doesn't matter that you only like me as a friend of course it will make me very sad but I can't hide the truth one second longer, can you please listen to me? I love you it doesn't matter if you don't love me back, I know I'm way too old for you but I still want to tell you anyway…" Ryuichi's words were cut out when he was hugged tightly by Tatsuha.
"But I love you too, Sakuma-san! And not as a friend! I was trying so hard to tell you how I feel but you just wouldn't understand. ~sob~ I can die happily now!" Tatsuha captured Ryuichi's lips with a fierce kiss and the two of them rolled underneath the dining table. Shuichi squeaked in delight and tried to pull the writer away from the love scene, giving the two of them a private moment that was desperately needed.
What? But this is MY house! Eiri coughed loudly and rocked the table, hoping to alert the busy couple. Ryuichi pulled himself away from the younger boy with much forcefulness and determination.
Ryuichi beamed at Shuichi and held up Kumagoro to speak for him, "Ryu-chan is busy right now! He'll now say good-bye to Shu-chan and Eiri-san and go have some fun with his Tat-bear! He'll visit you again soon!" With that final note, Ryuichi got up and dragged a weak-legged Tatsuha over to the door.
"But … at least have some cake before you go!" Shuichi passed the pastry over to his friend. Ryuichi squirmed happily at the sight and finished it in one audible swallow, cake and strawberry together. "Kumagoro loves sweet pink stuff! Thank you sooooooooo much, Shu-chan!"
Shuichi opened the door for them and saw them off at the elevator. He came back sighing, eyes glittering in delight,, looking completely out of every loop. He slowly whirled off to the smoking Eiri on the couch.
"Yuki, isn't it wonderful? Aren't you happy for Sakuma-san and Tatsuha-san too?" Shuichi relaxed his head on Eiri's left shoulder and closed his eyes in content.
"Yes, I am very delighted…for myself. Those two idiots were finally gone. Thank heaven for that." Eiri stated sarcastically as he took a deep breathe from the cigarette. After all the chaos, he needed a smoke to calm his poor nerve down.
Shuichi giggled. He could tell the writer was relieved for his brother as well, but he was too reserved to show any affection whatsoever.
He asked, "Say, Yuki, how come you never tell me you like strawberry shortcakes the best before? I'd have bought you tons of those everyday!"
Eiri gently pulled Shuichi towards him and warped both of them up with a fluffy blanket. He smiled, but he didn't say anything aloud to his favorite cuddle-bunny.
You are my daily sweet strawberry fix, Shuichi.
~END~
Author Note:
1) This story is inspired by the Japanese live-action drama "Strawberry on the shortcake (SOS)" For more information, visit http://www.jdorama.com/drama.php?id=466&charset=sjis
2) Eiri's favorite food is strawberry shortcake according to both manga and anime (who'd have guessed? ^_~) I didn't make it up! Why does a PWP Ryuichi/Tatsuha lemon sound so appealing all of a sudden? May write a sequel depends on readers' response … *coughs* |