Title: Fragmented Intimacy
Author: DC, Dave
Pairing(s): Ryuichi/Tatsuha
Warnings: Sexual innuendo, Drooling, Language, All I could think of so far. If I missed some, do let me know.
Disclaimer: No, I don’t own them but damn I’d love to. Okay, just their bodies.
A/N: The first parts of three/four lines of dialogue came directly from the third manga. The whole point of this was to see how Tatsuha and Ryuichi might actually get together and all the insanity/fluffy/angst/humor that it would entail. Yes, there will (hopefully) be more of this as time, muses, and motivation allow. Reviews always welcome! Thank you Aja for the beta of the rough, rough draft!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Part 1 - Chance Encounter:
"Is something wrong, Tatsuha? Are you not feeling well?"
"How sweet of you to notice! Yes, I feel faint...may I lean on you Sakuma-san?"
"Get a grip on yourself! Oh, I, uh, I'll take Tatsuha somewhere to rest."
"Good. Don't bother coming back," Noriko whispered as she waved to the unlikely duo of Tatsuha Uesugi and Ryuichi Sakuma as they stumbled out of the bar. The conversation behind the pair was slowly muffled as the door swung closed. The familiar chill of the night air engulfed the musician and his cargo. Both men were shivering slightly from the abrupt change in temperature though the smog tinted sky above them was clear and cold. Dark blue eyes studied Tatsuha for an instant before the adorably clueless expression was back upon the singer's face. The younger man could only look perplexed at the sudden change in mood and wondered if he had seen it at all.
Pink bunny in hand and monk in tow, Ryuichi helped Tatsuha to the nearest bench where he shoved the younger man down. Much to his frustration, Tatsuha's wandering hands were ignored by the object of his desire. Ryuichi settled Tatsuha into place and pulled out his cell phone. Dialing the number, he waited for a response and chewed on his lower lip thoughtfully. The younger man shivered in response to the simple action performed upon Ryuichi’s mouth as he listened to the sweet voice he worshipped holding a conversation with someone unworthy.
"I'm at Tohma's favorite bar. Yes, that one. Come on, Martin. No, I'm not alone. Kumagoro's with me! Just come pick us up, alright? Yes, I have a ...friend here too. I'm safe, promise. I'll see you then," Ryuichi whispered softly into his cell phone. Lightly scratching the back of his head and pushing his bandanna back, he was so engrossed in answering the man on the other end that he didn't notice the glazed look in Tatsuha's eyes. The young monk was staring at every motion the musician made. Although he did remember to hide his fan boy, drooling reaction when Ryuichi sat down on the bench and looked in his direction with concern.
"Tatsuha? You really don't look so good. A limo driver is on his way over to pick us up. I know! Kumagoro can cheer you up until then!" Ryuichi exclaimed. He set the pink bunny down on Tatsuha's stomach with a tilt of his head and a sweet smile. Tatsuha stared from the plush to its owner with unfeigned curiosity and skepticism. His god, his idol, his honey was treating a stuffed animal like it was a real, living person? Musicians were eccentric and a little strange but this was beyond Tatsuha's experience. Still, the thought of his brother-in-law naming a plant and holding meetings with it did have a certain appeal.
"Kumagoro? It's alright, Sakuma-san. I need to get off my feet and rest a few minutes. I'll be fine, honest. I don't know what came over me but I started feeling so dizzy and the room started spinning," Tatsuha said through half-closed eyes. The darkness of his gaze held a devious flash that spelled certain doom and molestation for someone. Ryuichi leaned in and whispered something in the rabbit's ear, which put him perilously close to talking to Tatsuha's navel. The monk stiffened and stared like a love struck puppy. If Ryuichi moved his head a little lower, Tatsuha could die a very happy man.
"Kumagoro is his name and he's very sensitive about what people say and do around him. You wouldn't want to hurt his feelings would you? He wasn't ignoring you, Kumagoro! Silly me, I didn't introduce you yet. Kumagoro, this is Tatsuha. Tatsuha, this is Kumagoro. I'm sure you two will be really good friends. Oh, well I'm sure he's not just faking an illness to get me alone and do naughty things to me. I love Kumagoro dearly but he's a little overprotective," Ryuichi said to both Tatsuha and the bunny in question. The monk stared at the beady little eyes of the plush and wondered exactly who in this relationship was the closet genius, Ryuichi or his pink, fuzzy pet. Immediately, he smiled reassuringly to the singer and made a soft noise of shock at the mention of looking for an excuse to go home with Ryuichi.
"It's nice to meet you, Kumagoro. I'd never hurt Ryuichi or try to take advantage of him. Never, never! Thanks for trying to cheer me up, Kuma. I can call you Kuma, right?" Tatsuha asked as he lifted the plushy up to his nose. Kissing the rabbit between the ears, he smiled and hugged it carefully. Just because Ryuichi (or Kumagoro?) was on to him didn't mean he couldn't try a different approach. The strangest thing was that simply being alone with the sex idol was enough to make Tatsuha's heart beat faster and an intense need to know more about the real Ryuichi came over him. What did he really know about the singer, other than what any other drooling fan hadn't memorized long ago? Nothing.
"Long as you call me Ryuichi since we're already calling you Tatsuha. Sakuma-san makes me feel old," Ryuichi answered. Wrinkling his nose a little, he retrieved Kuma from Tatsuha's arms and carefully held the plush against his chest. He studied Tatsuha long enough for the monk to stare at his lap and to wonder what he had done right or wrong this time. Outside of a little groping which didn't count anyway, the monk had been a perfect gentleman. Folding his hands across his stomach, he stretched out on the bench and ignored the cold in favor of returning Ryuichi's scrutiny. All of his teenage life he had been lusting, drooling, and moping after this man and all he could think of to say to him when he finally managed to get him alone was discussing his stuffed animal fetish. Too weird.
"You aren't old!" Tatsuha exclaimed loudly as Ryuichi's last comment penetrated his hormone fogged mind. Thinking with his groin was nothing new to the teen but around the wet dream given flesh beside of him; he was going to have to find his control. Why? Oh right, he didn't want to end up on the cover of a newspaper as the rabid fan that tried to paw Ryuichi Sakuma to death. He didn't really care but it would be bad publicity for the musician. As enthusiastic as Tatsuha was, he honestly wouldn't do anything to hurt the man beside of him who was having another conversation with the bunny. The jury was still out on whether or not he was going to get along with the evil plushy. It all depended on what Kumagoro did to thwart his plans.
"You think so? See, time is the enemy. Everyone expects you to stay exactly the same, no matter how long it's been since you started in the business. Unlike people, cameras and mirrors don't lie. They show everything and there is a strange comfort in their unfaltering truth," Ryuichi said softly. Rubbing his thumb gently around the velvet side of Kuma's ear, his voice had deepened in timbre. Tatsuha did a double take as he realized the lights were all on in Ryuichi's eyes, and he was talking to an adult instead of a five year old trapped in the body of a sex god. Funny, he hadn't realized the color of the singer's eyes were such a deep, sapphire color or so perfectly matched to his skin. A soft sigh of pleasure escaped Tatsuha's lips as he began picking non-existent lint off his faded jeans. It had to be a crime for one man to have such an abundance of charisma, talent, and to be so clueless about being so well-endowed. Speaking of well-endowed, Tatsuha wondered...
"Who's your mirror?" Tatsuha asked quietly. It had taken him a moment to sort through Ryuichi's words and for his mind to make an intuitive leap. The monk was more than another pretty face in the crowd, though a few of his teachers had doubts about that when he was slacking during a class. Tatsuha could do the schoolwork and had high marks; only sometimes he couldn't bring himself to sit through a boring lecture when there was a beautiful day outside and a stretch of empty road calling his name. Spring was the time of year he had to force himself to go to class. Who was he kidding? He had to force himself to sit in school all the time. He loved learning and books but he lacked Eiri's utter obsession with the written word. He often thought his brother got a hard on just by touching one of his favorite books. Turning his head enough to pop his neck, Tatsuha focused completely on the conversation with Ryuichi. It felt important somehow and the man was gorgeous to look at even by the fluorescent bulbs of the streetlights.
"Kumagoro," Ryuichi responded with a slow blink of his eyes, answering Tatsuha’s question. The singer tucked his legs up on the bench to allow his chin to rest on his knees. Tatsuha received the distinct impression that he had either surprised or offended his bench partner. He wasn't sure which it was but he quickly racked his brain for a way to make it right. He hoped he hadn’t pissed off Ryuichi.
"Oh. Does that mean everyone else lies to you?" Tatsuha asked. Propping up against the back of the bench, he ran his fingers slowly along the worn wooden surface. Dark brown eyes looked up to meet Ryuichi's penetrating gaze and caused Tatsuha to shiver. How could the singer be so light heartedly cute and harmless one moment while the next have an intensity so sharp it hurt? Ryuichi seemed to go from living in his own little world to being completely in the moment deeply enough for the monk to swear he could feel the man's mind working.
Any moment, Tatsuha expected the musician to break out in song and sweep him off his feet. Okay, that was just his private fantasy but it could happen. Maybe in an alternate universe where pigs flew and Eiri was a midget. Tatsuha wasn't giving up hope on his sweetest, oldest daydreams coming true; only delaying them enough to at least try to get to know their star better.
"No, but he's the only one that doesn't try to protect me from it," Ryuichi answered matter-of-factly. Holding onto his legs and Kumagoro tightly, Ryuichi looked very vulnerable and a little lost to Tatsuha. In fact, he felt the oddest urge to gather the older man into his arms and comfort him. The teenager squelched his feelings and impulses into the back of his mind for later consideration. He was either going soft or Ryuichi was having a greater effect on him that he had anticipated. Yet, this was Ryuichi Sakuma and that made everything fine and dandy.
"It....?"
"The truth," Ryuichi responded. He fell into silent communion with his bunny and Tatsuha started glancing over when he thought Ryuichi wasn't looking. Tatsuha smiled and pushed his body forward so that he was perched on the edge of the bench. He was fairly certain his backside had gone numb and would freeze solid by the time their transportation arrived. The monk's smile turned purely lecherous as he wondered if Ryuichi would rub his ass back to life. Thoughts like that were going to get him into trouble but it would be such evil, evil fun. As the silence stretched between them, he was a little startled to realize it wasn't awkward or tense in the least. It was ...nice and comfortable. Who would have ever thought such a thing was possible? Tatsuha cleared his throat and reluctantly broke it when he felt his toes growing numb.
"So who's picking us up anyway?" Tatsuha asked. He had long since forgotten the name of the man Ryuichi had been speaking to earlier on his cell phone.
"Martin. He's one of N-G's private chauffeurs and bodyguards. Tonight he was on duty so I called him," Ryuichi said in a lighter tone. The hyper, innocent seeming man was back and Tatsuha was left wondering which one he preferred. He was having enough trouble keeping up with the lightning shifts of mood. Though he should have been an expert at dealing with such situations thanks to all the practice he had with the evil bitch queen and eternal bastard (known respectively as his siblings). The most perplexing thing about the man sitting beside him was: he didn't know what was real. Perhaps the light hearted, cheerfulness and perceptive seriousness were simply different sides of a very complex man. Tatsuha thought that sounded more reasonable than the idea that Ryuichi was a closet female with permanent mood-swinging PMS.
"Honestly, I'm feeling better now. I can go home and all so I don't trouble you," Tatsuha mumbled. Wait!? Had he actually said those words? With a sinking feeling in the middle of his stomach, he realized he was the only idiot around. Kumagoro didn't count.
"Where's home?" Ryuichi asked curiously. He smiled over at Tatsuha in a way that utterly melted the monk's heart.
"My brother kicked us all to the curb tonight so I'll grab my bike and go back to Kyoto," Tatsuha replied with a sigh. Eiri was the biggest jerk on the face of the earth. Too bad he couldn't disown his older brother but he actually liked the asswipe part of the time. At least Eiri gave him free beer and a place to sleep when he was in Tokyo. All it cost him was a little breaking and entering or copious amounts of begging.
"That's a long way to go this late," Ryuichi said before a pink nose was pressed to his ear. The dark haired musician held a furious, whispered conversation with the soft plushy while Tatsuha looked on bemusedly. Never let it be said that the teenager came between a rock god and his bunny. Somehow, he was fairly certain bad things would happen should he try something along those lines. "Kumagoro and I insist you come home with us. We have plenty of room."
"Seriously?"
"I won't take no for an answer, Tatsuha," Ryuichi said with a huge smile on his face. Furiously bobbing his head to confirm his answer, he stopped long enough to acknowledge a pair of headlights approaching from the east side of town. Rising to his feet, he propped Kumagoro on his head and tugged his shirt down to conserve body heat or to look less rumpled. Tatsuha wasn't sure which, but he thoroughly enjoyed the show.
"Great!! You know I really am your biggest fan," Tatsuha said. Bouncing to his own feet, he buttoned his short jacket up though he was as impervious to the cold as Eiri. He glanced down at Ryuichi and slid a few inches closer to the older man. It was to keep the wind from blowing against him. Tatsuha's intentions were completely honorable and sweetness incarnate, if one ignored the fact he had a very nice view of Ryuichi's posterior from his new position.
"Do you dig the group, the music, or my body?" Ryuichi asked. The too knowing, shrewd flicker in the singer's fathomless blue eyes caused Tatsuha to answer honestly. The limo rolled to a stop in front of them before Tatsuha managed to reply. The man that climbed out from behind the wheel was big enough to play American football and appeared to be strong enough to break the monk in half. Tatsuha cursed his vivid, overactive imagination for gifting him with the ability to create amazingly, detailed imagery.
"All of the above," Tatsuha said with a wink. The mountain of muscles known as Martin opened the back door for both of them. Tatsuha had the oddest sensation the guy didn't like him at all and was about to deliver a tired speech about what to do or not do around Ryuichi. Cutting that possibility off, Tatsuha hunched down into the back of the limousine. Soft, light grey leather covered the double seated back of the vehicle. A mini fridge with a bar was tucked discretely behind the seat closest to the trunk.
Tatsuha slid towards Ryuichi but the singer quickly hopped to the opposite side. The only reason he didn't protest was because sitting across from the musician gave the teenager a better view of the older man’s antics. Before the singer became too engrossed with the door's electronic buttons, Kumagoro discovered the fridge and was busily flicking stolen ice cubes at Ryuichi. The priceless, adorable moment made Tatsuha long for a camera to capture the scene in front of his hungry eyes. Otherwise, no one would believe him.
Wiping drool away from the side of his face, Tatsuha’s eyes drifted to the top of the car as he felt it pull away from the curb. Without thinking, the monk finally gave into an irresistible fan moment. "I'm sure you hear this all the time but your music is amazingly magnificently, holy, wow special. I fell in love with the words, the sound, and how it all fit together so beautifully the first time I heard Grasper on the radio. Your voice gives me goose bumps and tingles from the pit of my stomach all the way up to my hair. When you sing, you move me in ways no one ever has. Since first hearing you sing Be There, I knew I was hooked for life on Nittle Grasper. You most of all are magical and incredible. I mean Noriko and Tohma are great musicians but you’re the heart of the band. You make it happen and reach out. I just wanted you to know that everything I’ve heard you sing, regardless of what the lyrics said, has touched parts of me way down that nothing else can. It’s…well…you’re just something awesome and I’ll shut up now before I start sounding like an even bigger lunatic.”
"That's nice. Isn't it, Kumagoro?" Ryuichi asked the plush. Grabbing a bottle of water from the mini-bar, Ryuichi sipped on it and appeared to overlook Tatsuha's moment. Propping against the door, Tatsuha stared out the window and gave into sordid thoughts about defiling the back of the limo. It was only a prelude to what he wanted to do to Ryuichi's bedroom, carpet, kitchen table, and bathtub. Smirking behind his hand, Tatsuha hummed softly and let his mind fall straight into the gutter. Truthfully, when did it ever leave? Ryuichi joined in the humming and a few city blocks went by in a blur of flashing lights before Tatsuha woke up enough to notice he had spaced out in his own naughty paradise. Glancing at the bunny-infested, bouncing Ryuichi, Tatsuha had the sinking suspicion that he wasn't even going to get to first base.
You can't blame a horny teenager for hoping though. |