[Fic] 1 Upper + Jealousy=?
Title: 1 Upper + Jealousy=?
Pairing: RyoDa
Genre: action, romance, randomness XD failed everything
Rating: PG-15
Summary: They're together for a while now. But what happens when another one enters the scene?
Disclaimer: I own their hearts.... no, wait... it's the other way around *sigh*
A/N: Sequel to '8Uppers+1' XD
A/N 2: Tadaima ^__^
~*~*~
It was a nice and sunny afternoon and a few warm rays of sun fell through the half-closed curtains of their bedroom. Ryo insisted that Tat-chan should move in with him, and right then neither of them regretted the decision, as they could just lay in bed after they woke up. And that afternoon was the same: the two just woke up after a long night of love making - they didn't call it sex anymore - with Tat-chan's head on Ryo's chest, and an arm around his waist, while the latter had his arm around the older one's shoulders. Ryo took Tat-chan's free hand and entwined their fingers before placing a soft kiss on the back of the latter's palm.
“Morning.” Tasuya let out sleepily, with eyes more closed than open, trying to reach for his lover's lips lazily.
“It's afternoon.” Ryo answered before placing a long and soft kiss on the other's plump lips. “We should get up and go to the bar.”
“Let's just stay here for a bit more. I'm sure the others won't mind. Besides, you're the boss.”
“You're right.” he let out and made Tatsuya groan in displeasure when he sat up, only to straddle the older one. He bent down and placed another kiss on his lover's lips, his hands sneaking at the back of his head, bringing him up.
“I'm sometimes amazed at how mushy and romantic you can be, Ryo.” he chuckled as his arms encircled the latter's waist, bringing him close in a tight hug.
“You're the one that's making me be like this.” The warm atmosphere inside the room made both of them feel loved and cherished, something they kept only for themselves, as they were sure the other Uppers thought they were together only for the sex. “Now let's go. We'll continue this later on.” he wiggled his eyebrows, earning a pillow in his face. “Hey!”
“Pervert.” Tatsuya chuckled and ran into the bathroom to take a shower.
Later that everning
Being Saturday night, the place was full as always. Tatsuya was so busy that he asked Okura to help him with the orders, him being the one with experience in being a bartender.
“There are a lot of people tonight. Anything going on?”
“There was some kind of concert somewhere nearby. Usually when there is, the bar looks like this.” They heard glasses breaking and silence, except for the music.
“Don't tell me he's fighting again.” Tatsuya rolled his eyes annoyed.
“I'll go stop him before something really bad happens.”
“Thanks, Johnny.” he let out as he gave the drinks to one of the customers.
“Excuse me.” Tatsuya turned to the person who called him.
“Yes?” He smiled at the man.
“Is-is....” Tatsuya raised his eyebrows, waiting for the man to continue. “Hi, I'm Oguri Shun.” the man smiled back at Tatsuya, a pretty excited look on his face. “Is Johnny or one of the guys here?”
“Yeah. I'll go after him.”
“No!” hearing the man's tone, he raised an eyebrow at his reaction. “I-I mean... I can wait for him.”
“Do you want something to drink, then?”
“Sure.” Tatsuya's first thought was that the guy was pretty handsome and that he seemed a nice guy, but a bit weird. “So, do you work here?” Tatsuya laughed at the question.
“Well, since I'm behind the bar, I guess I do.”
“True, hehe. How did you get to know these guys?”
“It's a... long story.”
“I have time.”
“Well, I don't.” Tatsuya winked at him and went away, as he had to serve other people as well. He seemed to like that stranger and was curios about the reason why he wanted to talk to the Uppers. Maybe he already knew them, seeing that he knew Okura's code name. The moment he saw Ryo got beaten up again, he forgot those thoughts as he attended to his lover's wounds, scolding him and totally forgot about the stranger.
The following days, that guy kept coming to the bar and always sat at the same table. Each time Tatsuya went to clear the empty bottles off the tables, the guy stopped him and talked to him, a smile always adorning his face. Tatsuya grew to like the guy, finding him interesting, funny and actually smart. One evening, when the bar was practically empty, Tatsuya saw him enter. Having nothing else better to do - the guys weren't there - he sat down at the guy's table.
“Ueda-kun, aren't you thinking of quitting this place?”
“Why should I?” Tat-chan asked casually, but thought that the question was a bit weird.
“Well... I think you deserve better than to work in a bar like this.” his eyes roamed around the place, scanning it.
“Oh?” he raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms at his chest, leaning back on the chair.
“Why don't you come work for me?” he let out directly, leaning his elbows on the table and waiting for an answer.
“Work for you? Where?” he placed his hands on the table and leaned in a bit, curious about what the man was saying.
“You seem like a fashionable guy. Don't you want to work as a consultant in my store?” he smiled sweetly and took Tat-chan's hands in his.
“I'm afraid I'll have to pass on your offer.” he let out as he escaped the grip. “I actually enjoy working here.”
“At least think about it, ok?”
“Maybe.” he smiled shyly.
“You should be a model, not a bartender. I mean... look at your features.” As he continued talking about Tatsuya's looks, the latter had the strong impression that the guy was hitting on him. Tatsuya got bored of it at some point and asked him about how he knew the guys and he told the bartender pretty much everything.
As soon as he saw the guys entering he excused himself, telling the guy that the Uppers arrived and that he also had a lot of stuff to do. While walking away, he could almost feel the guy piercing him with his eyes, and when he got behind the bar he had the impression that he was stripping Tat-chan with his eyes of every piece of fabric. That's when he was relieved Ryo wasn't there.
The following night
It was Tat-chan's night off and he decided to spend it at the bar as a customer and not as an employee. He sat down at the bar, that being the place where he could see everyone and everything that happened. Little did he notice was that not long after, the guy named Shun took a seat right next to him.
“Not working tonight?”
“Huh? Oh, hi.” Tat-chan smiled widely. “Nope, it's my night off.”
“And you're spending it here? There must be a really good reason for you to be here even on days off.”
You have no idea. Tat-chan thought and a knowing smile appeared on his face. “As I told you yesterday, Shun-kun, I really enjoy it here.” he let out and took a healthy gulp out of his beer. He saw the guy lean in.
“Want to come to my place and have some fun?” he asked and made Tat-chan cough, choking on the liquid. When the shock passed, he started laughing.
“You're funny, Shun-kun.” He calmed his laughter down and left for the dance floor. He kept laughing to himself even when he was dancing until he felt a pair of arms circling his waist and dancing seductively behind him. Tatsuya turned around and smiled at his lover, who pecked his lips before pulling him closer and dancing the whole night with him.
The next day when they woke up, Ryo entered the kitchen as he felt the smell of fresh, good coffee and what seemed to be a delicious breakfast - or lunch. He approached Tat-chan and placed a kiss on his shoulder, whispering 'good morning' to him.
“Coffee's on the table. Black, just the way you like it. And breakfast will be served in a few minutes.”
“Great.” he smiled sleepily at how caring the other one was acting towards him. Tat-chan kissed him right before he sat down with the two plates and soon started eating.
“Ne...”
“Hm?”
“For how long do you know Shun-kun?” he asked casually.
“Shun-kun?” Ryo knitted his eyebrows, trying to place the name with a face.
“Yeah. Oguri Shun.” Hearing that name, the younger one spit out the sip of coffee he took. “Are you ok?” Tat-chan asked concerned.
“How do you know him?”
“Well, he kept coming at the bar in the past several days.”
“He did?”
“Mhm.” Tat-chan nodded as he sipped his coffee.
“Stay away from him.” Ryo frowned.
“Why? He seems like a nice guy.”
“I don't care. Just stay away from him.”
“Jealous much?” he let out with one eyebrow raised and took a peek at a fuming Ryo.
“I'm not- I'm not jealous. I just don't like the guy.”
“Why?”
“I... have my reasons. Gochisousama.” he mumbled and got up, leaving a confused Tatsuya behind.
“Ryo, let's talk about this.”
“There's nothing to talk about. Stay away from him.” the younger man shouted from the bedroom, making Tatsuya sigh.
The older one decided that he wouldn't listen to Ryo. He had the right to talk to anyone he wanted and makes friends, because except Ryo's friends, he didn't have any anymore. Tatsuya was aware of the fact that Shun was hitting on him each time they saw each other, but always refused him in such a way that he wouldn't notice. He liked the guy, but he couldn't compare it to how he felt for Ryo. What they had was something Tatsuya always secretly wished for: the warmth of a home, seeing that he was an orphan as well. He thought of trying to settle things between the two, but first he wanted to find out Ryo's point of view, because he wasn't sure how much truth there was behind Shun's words. But apparently his lover didn't want to talk about it, so he thought of asking the other Uppers.
Tatsuya was the first one to arrive at the bar, him being the one to open it that night. He went inside and turned on the lights, sighing as he was a bit upset that Ryo didn't want to talk about that guy and what else was bothering him.
“We're not open yet.” he said when he heard someone coming through the door while he was putting down the chairs.
“I know.” Tatsuya turned around when he heard the familiar voice and saw Shun's smiling figure standing in the door.
“Oh, hi.” he smiled back at him as he resumed his work. “What are you doing here so early?”
“I just... thought of dropping by and see how you were doing?”
“That's nice of you.”
“Here, let me help you with that.”
“Ah, it's ok. Really.” he went closer and wanted to take the chairs out of his hands and seeing that he kept insisting, Tatsuya let him. “Thanks.”
“So have you thought about my offer?”
“Honestly? No. I told you I like it here.”
“Please think again.” Shun smiled as he grabbed his hands in his own, looking directly at Tatsuya. The latter felt his cheeks redden a bit at the sudden act, but then he took his hands away.
“It's the third and final time I'm refusing you.” he smiled and returned to his duty.
“But Tatsuya-kun...”
“Look...” the bartender approached him, a thoughtful look on his face. “Let me get things straight. If you want us to be friends, fine. But I won't give into your nice words and gentle acts. And no, I'm not interested in you in that way, so please stop trying so hard to get my attention. I have to admit that you're a nice and handsome guy, but as I said... I'm not interested. I already have someone in my life, someone I'm not willing to give up.” with that said, he went behind the bar and started wiping it. Tatsuya felt somewhat proud of himself for telling the other guy those words, as he knew Ryo would just start being overly romantic, something that made his cute side come out. He was woken up from his thoughts by the man sitting at the bar.
“I can only say I'm impressed. You're the first one to reject my offer. Three times.”
“I'm true to myself.”
“I can see that.” he smiled mildly.
“So we're settled then?”
“Sure, Tatsuya-kun.”
“Good.” he smiled widely. He was about to say something when he saw the Uppers entering the bar: Maru and Shingo were picking on Yasu who was playing again, Yuu and Tacchon were discussing something, while Ryo entered silently after Subaru. “Hi guys.” They each said their 'hello' and went inside the VIP room - they called it VIP, but in fact only they sat in there. However, there was one among them who saw the two figures at the bar and his blood level grew. He frowned as he walked over to them, immediately throwing a punch in Shun's face. “Ryo, stop it!” Tatsuya said and the other guys approached them.
“Stay away!” he yelled at his lover and friends to back off and Tatsuya instantly knew Ryo was seriously pissed off. He kept throwing punches at the guy who - at some point - got up and started defending himself. Tatsuya went over to the other guys and asked them to separate the two.
“Tat-chan, you know he can't be stopped when he's like that.” Subaru let out. He grew fond of their bartender, especially since he was the only one that figured out their relationship, but had no intention of telling anyone. He liked the way Ryo changed after meeting his lover; seeing them when they were together made him wonder if he will have something like that one day.
Seeing that the fighting wouldn't stop soon, Tatsuya decided to separate them himself, which seemed to have been a bad move as he accidentally got a punch in his face.
“Tatsuya!” One of the guys yelled and caught Ryo's attention.
“Tat-chan?” he looked in his lover's direction with a worried look on his face, letting go of the man and hurrying to his side. “Tat-chan are you ok?” He said as he took the older one's hand away from his face. Ryo panicked a bit when he saw a small stream of blood rushing down from the corner of his lover's mouth.
“I'm fine.” he smiled weakly. “Just... please stop fighting. He didn't do anything to me, we just talked.”
“If you want that, I'll-” he didn't get to end his words as he was pulled back by a strong grip on his hair, making him wince.
“I have to finish the business I started years ago, Nishikido.”
“Leave me alone!” the guy threw him to the floor, but Ryo got up and started fighting with him again.
“Please stop them.” Tatsuya let out as he got up, wiping the blood away from his face.
“We can't. He told us to stay away.” Maruyama answered.
“I can't believe you guys.” The bartender approached the two again, this time with care, and pulled Ryo away, frowning. “I swear I'm going to beat the crap out of both of you if you don't stop.” he growled and earned himself two surprised looks.
“Tat-chan?” Ryo whispered, not fully understanding what his lover wanted to say, knowing he never fought and wasn't the type to do so.
“Trust me, I can beat the both of you up at the same time.”
“What are you talking about, Tatsuya? With that skinny body of yours?” Shun let out, apparently amused of Tatsuya's words.
“You know...” he crouched in front of him. “Do you know the reason why I did over eight years of professional boxing?” Eight pairs of eyes looked at him amazed. “So I wouldn't get bullied again. Which is what you did to him when you were kids, right?” he asked as he pointed at Ryo.
“How did you-” Ryo started, but was cut short.
“After what he told me and the fact that you said to stay away from him... it's the only conclusion I could get to.” he smiled weakly at his lover. “And as I was saying... I don't think you two want to continue fighting.” he got up and went back behind the bar under at least two shocked pairs of eyes. “What?” he raised an eyebrow as he felt so many gazes on him. After that, the other six guys scattered around the place, leaving only the three of them there. Shun got up from the floor and looked at Ryo and then at Tat-chan, and realized that the person he was talking about was the guy he used to bully when they were young. He then took his leave without saying a word, promising to get his hands on Tatsuya as soon as he could. He wanted a strong guy like him.
On the other hand, Ryo just stood there, staring at his lover who started humming something, soon being woken up by his voice.
“Could you put some music on?” He started rearranging the bottles on the shelves so they would look good. Not long after, he felt himself pulled back and onto the bar, a pair of lips covering his own.
“You have some explaining to do, you do realize that, right?” Ryo whispered against his lips.
“So do you. But after we finish here.” he let out seductively, the vibration of his voice going straight into Ryo's jeans.
“Fuck it. We're calling it a night. Yo, Tacchon!”
“Yeah?” his friend appeared from the supply room.
“You can take care of things tonight, right?”
“I guess. Why?”
“I have something to discuss with him.” he pointed at his lover, who had a smug smile on.
“Uh... ok.”
“Ja, see you tomorrow.” he let out as he grabbed Tatsuya's hand and dragged him out of the bar.
The moment they stepped foot in the apartment, the older one felt himself being pushed to the wall, facing it, as Ryo glued their hands somewhere above.
“You little liar. You never told me you did boxing.” Ryo whispered and placed a soft kiss on his lover's neck, his hips moving slowly against the other's butt.
“You never asked.” he moaned softly when he felt the other buck his hips up a bit. He was then turned around and could see his smiling lover. “You know... it kind of turns me on when I see you so jealous.” His hands escaped the grip and Tatsuya circled Ryo's waist, pulling him closer.
“Oh really? Then I should be like this more often.” he smiled and crashed their lips together, but the kiss was soon broken as Tatsuya whimpered in slight pain.
“Does it hurt that bad?”
“Not that bad, but it does. Come on, I'll disinfect your soon-to-be bruises.” the older one said softly, pulling the other along. He sat Ryo down on the edge of the bathtub and raised his chin a bit, so he could see what he was doing. He liked the silence that lingered, finding it relaxing and full of warmth. “You don't have to fight for me, Ryo.” he suddenly said, making his lover knit his eyebrows in confusion. “Stop picking fights with every guy I meet. Even if a guy or a girl comes on to me, you should know that I won't accept his or her feelings. Just like it happened with Shun.”
“What? He hit on you? I'm going to-” he hissed in pain as his lover pressed a bit too hard.
“Sorry. No, you're going to leave him alone. And yes, he hit on me and made me a very good deal. But I refused him. Three times.” he smiled mildly. “Because I don't want to let you go.” he looked everywhere but into Ryo's eyes, as he felt his cheeks heat up a bit. He was then pulled into a tight hug and Ryo made him sit on his lap.
“I love you.” he whispered, making Tatsuya doubt his ears.
“You... I don't think I heard well.” He yelped when Ryo pushed him onto the floor and pinned him down.
“I love you, Tat-chan, and I want to be with you for as much time as possible.”
“I...” His words were cut short by the pair of lips he loved to feel. The heat of the kiss contradicted with the coldness of the floor, which soon made Ryo sit both of them up without breaking the contact. They moved towards the bedroom, not caring about the end table that fell or about anything else. It was just the two of them, enjoying each other's presence and touches.
“Took you long enough.” Tat-chan smiled widely after breaking the kiss, his hands at Ryo's nape. The latter placed a soft kiss on his chest and then filled his face with small butterfly kisses, making his lover giggle.
“I thought you were staying with me just for the sex.”
“Honestly? At first I did. But now... there's more to what I feel about you than just lust. It's... deeper.”
“Well, then let's-”
“Not in the condition you're in.” he pushed his lover away a bit.
“But...”
“It's enough that I feel guilty about your state now.” Tat-chan caressed his face and smiled softly.
“You're too caring.” Ryo let out with a smile, lying down near his lover and placing his head on Tatsuya's shoulder.
“You deserve it. Sometimes.” He said as he took their hands and entwined their fingers. “Only thinking about you makes me happy.” Seeing that he wasn't receiving an answer, he looked at Ryo and smiled when he saw him already sleeping, an arm around Tatsuya's waist and the other entwined with his lover's. “I love you too, Ryo.”
“I know you do.” the older one heard him mumbling and tightening his grip. “And I'm not letting you go either.” Tatsuya turned around to face him and smiled before placing a kiss on his forehead.
“I thought you were asleep already.”
“I was about to.”
“So... why did he bully you?”
“How should I know?” Ryo shrugged, or at least attempted to. “Besides that, he always took my important stuff away from me, including my friends. That's how I got stuck with the rest of the Uppers.”
“Ah, I see. And is that the reason you didn't want me to talk to him?”Ryo hesitated. “Ryo?”
“Yes, that's the reason.” He mumbled. “I didn't want him to take you away from me.”
“Baka.” he chuckled lightly. “I could never choose him over you.”
“Why not?”
“Because... because I don't want to.” he pulled Ryo closer, wanting all of his warmth.
“You don't say.” he smiled widely as he opened his eyes. “And now I know why I was attracted to you the first time.”
“Oh? And what would that be?”
“Your passion and your stubbornness. And of course you big and delicious lips, which I want to kiss right now.” he didn't get to end his words as he pressed his lips over Tatsuya's, in a slow and full of love kiss.
“You're a hopeless romantic.” The older one chuckled as he straddled his lover.
“You said no sex for tonight.”
“Well I changed my mind. Any complaints?”
Pairing: RyoDa
Genre: action, romance, randomness XD failed everything
Rating: PG-15
Summary: They're together for a while now. But what happens when another one enters the scene?
Disclaimer: I own their hearts.... no, wait... it's the other way around *sigh*
A/N: Sequel to '8Uppers+1' XD
A/N 2: Tadaima ^__^
~*~*~
It was a nice and sunny afternoon and a few warm rays of sun fell through the half-closed curtains of their bedroom. Ryo insisted that Tat-chan should move in with him, and right then neither of them regretted the decision, as they could just lay in bed after they woke up. And that afternoon was the same: the two just woke up after a long night of love making - they didn't call it sex anymore - with Tat-chan's head on Ryo's chest, and an arm around his waist, while the latter had his arm around the older one's shoulders. Ryo took Tat-chan's free hand and entwined their fingers before placing a soft kiss on the back of the latter's palm.
“Morning.” Tasuya let out sleepily, with eyes more closed than open, trying to reach for his lover's lips lazily.
“It's afternoon.” Ryo answered before placing a long and soft kiss on the other's plump lips. “We should get up and go to the bar.”
“Let's just stay here for a bit more. I'm sure the others won't mind. Besides, you're the boss.”
“You're right.” he let out and made Tatsuya groan in displeasure when he sat up, only to straddle the older one. He bent down and placed another kiss on his lover's lips, his hands sneaking at the back of his head, bringing him up.
“I'm sometimes amazed at how mushy and romantic you can be, Ryo.” he chuckled as his arms encircled the latter's waist, bringing him close in a tight hug.
“You're the one that's making me be like this.” The warm atmosphere inside the room made both of them feel loved and cherished, something they kept only for themselves, as they were sure the other Uppers thought they were together only for the sex. “Now let's go. We'll continue this later on.” he wiggled his eyebrows, earning a pillow in his face. “Hey!”
“Pervert.” Tatsuya chuckled and ran into the bathroom to take a shower.
Later that everning
Being Saturday night, the place was full as always. Tatsuya was so busy that he asked Okura to help him with the orders, him being the one with experience in being a bartender.
“There are a lot of people tonight. Anything going on?”
“There was some kind of concert somewhere nearby. Usually when there is, the bar looks like this.” They heard glasses breaking and silence, except for the music.
“Don't tell me he's fighting again.” Tatsuya rolled his eyes annoyed.
“I'll go stop him before something really bad happens.”
“Thanks, Johnny.” he let out as he gave the drinks to one of the customers.
“Excuse me.” Tatsuya turned to the person who called him.
“Yes?” He smiled at the man.
“Is-is....” Tatsuya raised his eyebrows, waiting for the man to continue. “Hi, I'm Oguri Shun.” the man smiled back at Tatsuya, a pretty excited look on his face. “Is Johnny or one of the guys here?”
“Yeah. I'll go after him.”
“No!” hearing the man's tone, he raised an eyebrow at his reaction. “I-I mean... I can wait for him.”
“Do you want something to drink, then?”
“Sure.” Tatsuya's first thought was that the guy was pretty handsome and that he seemed a nice guy, but a bit weird. “So, do you work here?” Tatsuya laughed at the question.
“Well, since I'm behind the bar, I guess I do.”
“True, hehe. How did you get to know these guys?”
“It's a... long story.”
“I have time.”
“Well, I don't.” Tatsuya winked at him and went away, as he had to serve other people as well. He seemed to like that stranger and was curios about the reason why he wanted to talk to the Uppers. Maybe he already knew them, seeing that he knew Okura's code name. The moment he saw Ryo got beaten up again, he forgot those thoughts as he attended to his lover's wounds, scolding him and totally forgot about the stranger.
The following days, that guy kept coming to the bar and always sat at the same table. Each time Tatsuya went to clear the empty bottles off the tables, the guy stopped him and talked to him, a smile always adorning his face. Tatsuya grew to like the guy, finding him interesting, funny and actually smart. One evening, when the bar was practically empty, Tatsuya saw him enter. Having nothing else better to do - the guys weren't there - he sat down at the guy's table.
“Ueda-kun, aren't you thinking of quitting this place?”
“Why should I?” Tat-chan asked casually, but thought that the question was a bit weird.
“Well... I think you deserve better than to work in a bar like this.” his eyes roamed around the place, scanning it.
“Oh?” he raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms at his chest, leaning back on the chair.
“Why don't you come work for me?” he let out directly, leaning his elbows on the table and waiting for an answer.
“Work for you? Where?” he placed his hands on the table and leaned in a bit, curious about what the man was saying.
“You seem like a fashionable guy. Don't you want to work as a consultant in my store?” he smiled sweetly and took Tat-chan's hands in his.
“I'm afraid I'll have to pass on your offer.” he let out as he escaped the grip. “I actually enjoy working here.”
“At least think about it, ok?”
“Maybe.” he smiled shyly.
“You should be a model, not a bartender. I mean... look at your features.” As he continued talking about Tatsuya's looks, the latter had the strong impression that the guy was hitting on him. Tatsuya got bored of it at some point and asked him about how he knew the guys and he told the bartender pretty much everything.
As soon as he saw the guys entering he excused himself, telling the guy that the Uppers arrived and that he also had a lot of stuff to do. While walking away, he could almost feel the guy piercing him with his eyes, and when he got behind the bar he had the impression that he was stripping Tat-chan with his eyes of every piece of fabric. That's when he was relieved Ryo wasn't there.
The following night
It was Tat-chan's night off and he decided to spend it at the bar as a customer and not as an employee. He sat down at the bar, that being the place where he could see everyone and everything that happened. Little did he notice was that not long after, the guy named Shun took a seat right next to him.
“Not working tonight?”
“Huh? Oh, hi.” Tat-chan smiled widely. “Nope, it's my night off.”
“And you're spending it here? There must be a really good reason for you to be here even on days off.”
You have no idea. Tat-chan thought and a knowing smile appeared on his face. “As I told you yesterday, Shun-kun, I really enjoy it here.” he let out and took a healthy gulp out of his beer. He saw the guy lean in.
“Want to come to my place and have some fun?” he asked and made Tat-chan cough, choking on the liquid. When the shock passed, he started laughing.
“You're funny, Shun-kun.” He calmed his laughter down and left for the dance floor. He kept laughing to himself even when he was dancing until he felt a pair of arms circling his waist and dancing seductively behind him. Tatsuya turned around and smiled at his lover, who pecked his lips before pulling him closer and dancing the whole night with him.
The next day when they woke up, Ryo entered the kitchen as he felt the smell of fresh, good coffee and what seemed to be a delicious breakfast - or lunch. He approached Tat-chan and placed a kiss on his shoulder, whispering 'good morning' to him.
“Coffee's on the table. Black, just the way you like it. And breakfast will be served in a few minutes.”
“Great.” he smiled sleepily at how caring the other one was acting towards him. Tat-chan kissed him right before he sat down with the two plates and soon started eating.
“Ne...”
“Hm?”
“For how long do you know Shun-kun?” he asked casually.
“Shun-kun?” Ryo knitted his eyebrows, trying to place the name with a face.
“Yeah. Oguri Shun.” Hearing that name, the younger one spit out the sip of coffee he took. “Are you ok?” Tat-chan asked concerned.
“How do you know him?”
“Well, he kept coming at the bar in the past several days.”
“He did?”
“Mhm.” Tat-chan nodded as he sipped his coffee.
“Stay away from him.” Ryo frowned.
“Why? He seems like a nice guy.”
“I don't care. Just stay away from him.”
“Jealous much?” he let out with one eyebrow raised and took a peek at a fuming Ryo.
“I'm not- I'm not jealous. I just don't like the guy.”
“Why?”
“I... have my reasons. Gochisousama.” he mumbled and got up, leaving a confused Tatsuya behind.
“Ryo, let's talk about this.”
“There's nothing to talk about. Stay away from him.” the younger man shouted from the bedroom, making Tatsuya sigh.
The older one decided that he wouldn't listen to Ryo. He had the right to talk to anyone he wanted and makes friends, because except Ryo's friends, he didn't have any anymore. Tatsuya was aware of the fact that Shun was hitting on him each time they saw each other, but always refused him in such a way that he wouldn't notice. He liked the guy, but he couldn't compare it to how he felt for Ryo. What they had was something Tatsuya always secretly wished for: the warmth of a home, seeing that he was an orphan as well. He thought of trying to settle things between the two, but first he wanted to find out Ryo's point of view, because he wasn't sure how much truth there was behind Shun's words. But apparently his lover didn't want to talk about it, so he thought of asking the other Uppers.
Tatsuya was the first one to arrive at the bar, him being the one to open it that night. He went inside and turned on the lights, sighing as he was a bit upset that Ryo didn't want to talk about that guy and what else was bothering him.
“We're not open yet.” he said when he heard someone coming through the door while he was putting down the chairs.
“I know.” Tatsuya turned around when he heard the familiar voice and saw Shun's smiling figure standing in the door.
“Oh, hi.” he smiled back at him as he resumed his work. “What are you doing here so early?”
“I just... thought of dropping by and see how you were doing?”
“That's nice of you.”
“Here, let me help you with that.”
“Ah, it's ok. Really.” he went closer and wanted to take the chairs out of his hands and seeing that he kept insisting, Tatsuya let him. “Thanks.”
“So have you thought about my offer?”
“Honestly? No. I told you I like it here.”
“Please think again.” Shun smiled as he grabbed his hands in his own, looking directly at Tatsuya. The latter felt his cheeks redden a bit at the sudden act, but then he took his hands away.
“It's the third and final time I'm refusing you.” he smiled and returned to his duty.
“But Tatsuya-kun...”
“Look...” the bartender approached him, a thoughtful look on his face. “Let me get things straight. If you want us to be friends, fine. But I won't give into your nice words and gentle acts. And no, I'm not interested in you in that way, so please stop trying so hard to get my attention. I have to admit that you're a nice and handsome guy, but as I said... I'm not interested. I already have someone in my life, someone I'm not willing to give up.” with that said, he went behind the bar and started wiping it. Tatsuya felt somewhat proud of himself for telling the other guy those words, as he knew Ryo would just start being overly romantic, something that made his cute side come out. He was woken up from his thoughts by the man sitting at the bar.
“I can only say I'm impressed. You're the first one to reject my offer. Three times.”
“I'm true to myself.”
“I can see that.” he smiled mildly.
“So we're settled then?”
“Sure, Tatsuya-kun.”
“Good.” he smiled widely. He was about to say something when he saw the Uppers entering the bar: Maru and Shingo were picking on Yasu who was playing again, Yuu and Tacchon were discussing something, while Ryo entered silently after Subaru. “Hi guys.” They each said their 'hello' and went inside the VIP room - they called it VIP, but in fact only they sat in there. However, there was one among them who saw the two figures at the bar and his blood level grew. He frowned as he walked over to them, immediately throwing a punch in Shun's face. “Ryo, stop it!” Tatsuya said and the other guys approached them.
“Stay away!” he yelled at his lover and friends to back off and Tatsuya instantly knew Ryo was seriously pissed off. He kept throwing punches at the guy who - at some point - got up and started defending himself. Tatsuya went over to the other guys and asked them to separate the two.
“Tat-chan, you know he can't be stopped when he's like that.” Subaru let out. He grew fond of their bartender, especially since he was the only one that figured out their relationship, but had no intention of telling anyone. He liked the way Ryo changed after meeting his lover; seeing them when they were together made him wonder if he will have something like that one day.
Seeing that the fighting wouldn't stop soon, Tatsuya decided to separate them himself, which seemed to have been a bad move as he accidentally got a punch in his face.
“Tatsuya!” One of the guys yelled and caught Ryo's attention.
“Tat-chan?” he looked in his lover's direction with a worried look on his face, letting go of the man and hurrying to his side. “Tat-chan are you ok?” He said as he took the older one's hand away from his face. Ryo panicked a bit when he saw a small stream of blood rushing down from the corner of his lover's mouth.
“I'm fine.” he smiled weakly. “Just... please stop fighting. He didn't do anything to me, we just talked.”
“If you want that, I'll-” he didn't get to end his words as he was pulled back by a strong grip on his hair, making him wince.
“I have to finish the business I started years ago, Nishikido.”
“Leave me alone!” the guy threw him to the floor, but Ryo got up and started fighting with him again.
“Please stop them.” Tatsuya let out as he got up, wiping the blood away from his face.
“We can't. He told us to stay away.” Maruyama answered.
“I can't believe you guys.” The bartender approached the two again, this time with care, and pulled Ryo away, frowning. “I swear I'm going to beat the crap out of both of you if you don't stop.” he growled and earned himself two surprised looks.
“Tat-chan?” Ryo whispered, not fully understanding what his lover wanted to say, knowing he never fought and wasn't the type to do so.
“Trust me, I can beat the both of you up at the same time.”
“What are you talking about, Tatsuya? With that skinny body of yours?” Shun let out, apparently amused of Tatsuya's words.
“You know...” he crouched in front of him. “Do you know the reason why I did over eight years of professional boxing?” Eight pairs of eyes looked at him amazed. “So I wouldn't get bullied again. Which is what you did to him when you were kids, right?” he asked as he pointed at Ryo.
“How did you-” Ryo started, but was cut short.
“After what he told me and the fact that you said to stay away from him... it's the only conclusion I could get to.” he smiled weakly at his lover. “And as I was saying... I don't think you two want to continue fighting.” he got up and went back behind the bar under at least two shocked pairs of eyes. “What?” he raised an eyebrow as he felt so many gazes on him. After that, the other six guys scattered around the place, leaving only the three of them there. Shun got up from the floor and looked at Ryo and then at Tat-chan, and realized that the person he was talking about was the guy he used to bully when they were young. He then took his leave without saying a word, promising to get his hands on Tatsuya as soon as he could. He wanted a strong guy like him.
On the other hand, Ryo just stood there, staring at his lover who started humming something, soon being woken up by his voice.
“Could you put some music on?” He started rearranging the bottles on the shelves so they would look good. Not long after, he felt himself pulled back and onto the bar, a pair of lips covering his own.
“You have some explaining to do, you do realize that, right?” Ryo whispered against his lips.
“So do you. But after we finish here.” he let out seductively, the vibration of his voice going straight into Ryo's jeans.
“Fuck it. We're calling it a night. Yo, Tacchon!”
“Yeah?” his friend appeared from the supply room.
“You can take care of things tonight, right?”
“I guess. Why?”
“I have something to discuss with him.” he pointed at his lover, who had a smug smile on.
“Uh... ok.”
“Ja, see you tomorrow.” he let out as he grabbed Tatsuya's hand and dragged him out of the bar.
The moment they stepped foot in the apartment, the older one felt himself being pushed to the wall, facing it, as Ryo glued their hands somewhere above.
“You little liar. You never told me you did boxing.” Ryo whispered and placed a soft kiss on his lover's neck, his hips moving slowly against the other's butt.
“You never asked.” he moaned softly when he felt the other buck his hips up a bit. He was then turned around and could see his smiling lover. “You know... it kind of turns me on when I see you so jealous.” His hands escaped the grip and Tatsuya circled Ryo's waist, pulling him closer.
“Oh really? Then I should be like this more often.” he smiled and crashed their lips together, but the kiss was soon broken as Tatsuya whimpered in slight pain.
“Does it hurt that bad?”
“Not that bad, but it does. Come on, I'll disinfect your soon-to-be bruises.” the older one said softly, pulling the other along. He sat Ryo down on the edge of the bathtub and raised his chin a bit, so he could see what he was doing. He liked the silence that lingered, finding it relaxing and full of warmth. “You don't have to fight for me, Ryo.” he suddenly said, making his lover knit his eyebrows in confusion. “Stop picking fights with every guy I meet. Even if a guy or a girl comes on to me, you should know that I won't accept his or her feelings. Just like it happened with Shun.”
“What? He hit on you? I'm going to-” he hissed in pain as his lover pressed a bit too hard.
“Sorry. No, you're going to leave him alone. And yes, he hit on me and made me a very good deal. But I refused him. Three times.” he smiled mildly. “Because I don't want to let you go.” he looked everywhere but into Ryo's eyes, as he felt his cheeks heat up a bit. He was then pulled into a tight hug and Ryo made him sit on his lap.
“I love you.” he whispered, making Tatsuya doubt his ears.
“You... I don't think I heard well.” He yelped when Ryo pushed him onto the floor and pinned him down.
“I love you, Tat-chan, and I want to be with you for as much time as possible.”
“I...” His words were cut short by the pair of lips he loved to feel. The heat of the kiss contradicted with the coldness of the floor, which soon made Ryo sit both of them up without breaking the contact. They moved towards the bedroom, not caring about the end table that fell or about anything else. It was just the two of them, enjoying each other's presence and touches.
“Took you long enough.” Tat-chan smiled widely after breaking the kiss, his hands at Ryo's nape. The latter placed a soft kiss on his chest and then filled his face with small butterfly kisses, making his lover giggle.
“I thought you were staying with me just for the sex.”
“Honestly? At first I did. But now... there's more to what I feel about you than just lust. It's... deeper.”
“Well, then let's-”
“Not in the condition you're in.” he pushed his lover away a bit.
“But...”
“It's enough that I feel guilty about your state now.” Tat-chan caressed his face and smiled softly.
“You're too caring.” Ryo let out with a smile, lying down near his lover and placing his head on Tatsuya's shoulder.
“You deserve it. Sometimes.” He said as he took their hands and entwined their fingers. “Only thinking about you makes me happy.” Seeing that he wasn't receiving an answer, he looked at Ryo and smiled when he saw him already sleeping, an arm around Tatsuya's waist and the other entwined with his lover's. “I love you too, Ryo.”
“I know you do.” the older one heard him mumbling and tightening his grip. “And I'm not letting you go either.” Tatsuya turned around to face him and smiled before placing a kiss on his forehead.
“I thought you were asleep already.”
“I was about to.”
“So... why did he bully you?”
“How should I know?” Ryo shrugged, or at least attempted to. “Besides that, he always took my important stuff away from me, including my friends. That's how I got stuck with the rest of the Uppers.”
“Ah, I see. And is that the reason you didn't want me to talk to him?”Ryo hesitated. “Ryo?”
“Yes, that's the reason.” He mumbled. “I didn't want him to take you away from me.”
“Baka.” he chuckled lightly. “I could never choose him over you.”
“Why not?”
“Because... because I don't want to.” he pulled Ryo closer, wanting all of his warmth.
“You don't say.” he smiled widely as he opened his eyes. “And now I know why I was attracted to you the first time.”
“Oh? And what would that be?”
“Your passion and your stubbornness. And of course you big and delicious lips, which I want to kiss right now.” he didn't get to end his words as he pressed his lips over Tatsuya's, in a slow and full of love kiss.
“You're a hopeless romantic.” The older one chuckled as he straddled his lover.
“You said no sex for tonight.”
“Well I changed my mind. Any complaints?”