The Absence Equation - Chapter 5
Title: The Absence Equation - Chapter 5
Group/Pairings: NewS. Pairings: Koyama/Shige, Massu/Yamapi
Rating: R
Warnings: Violence, cursing, sexual implications.
Words: 1,540
Summary: First try: "The fate of the world as they know it rests in the hands of one Kato Shigeaki. Oh shit." Possibly more coherent try (though it sounds like a lame old-school sci fi jacket blurb): The A.I. guarding cyberspace is forced to choose between eternal imprisonment and self-destruction. With the fate of the world resting in their hands, they must race against time to give her a third option before it's too late.
Prologue - Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Epilogue
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Chapter 5 - 101
Tegoshi brought them into the dark and dirty underbelly of lower Manhattan, hips swaying and his ‘business-face’ on. That’s all Shige could think to call the sly and sexy take-charge face the man now wore. Koyama walked to the left and just behind him and Shige and Massu were several feet behind. Shige was a little nervous; this place brought back memories he’d rather not have of the times when he and Koyama were just starting out and had to work their ways up their respective food chains. He’d had to pick Koyama up bloodied and broken from the floors of more than one arena in areas just like this and Shige had been jumped a few times in dark alleys just like the ones around him. He shuddered and unconsciously drifted closer to Masuda and kept his eyes trained on Koyama’s back, only occasionally looking down at the datapad in his hand to make sure Tegoshi’s recording equipment was working properly.
Men and women approached from either side offering goods or services and sometimes Tegoshi would listen interestedly before moving on, sometimes not. Once, a man in a dirty overcoat and more days growth of a beard than Shige had ever conceived of grabbed Tegoshi by the arm and jerked him close angrily. Koyama had smoothly stepped up, mouth set in a grim line and wraparound mirrored visor concealing his eyes, and shot a hand out faster than Shige could see and suddenly the man was on the ground, arm twisted up behind his back. “Hands off. We don’t want any trouble tonight, ok?”
“Ok, ok,” the man whimpered, and Koyama let him go and continued after Tegoshi who’d started walking again as soon as the man had released him.
Finally he stopped in front of a club, lights blown in the ‘i’s so that the name read “V sual R ddle.” Tegoshi’s lip gloss glistened bubblegum pink in the neon and he waited for Masuda to step ahead of him and talk to the bouncer. Shige saw Masuda slip a bill into the bouncer’s hand as he whispered something in his ear and then stepped back as the bouncer moved aside to let them in.
They pushed their way through sweaty bodies, mods of all types to be seen. Some more discreet than others, but Shige paused to admire one girl with a tattoo that covered the entire left side-view from ankle to hairline and her outfit had sheer netting all up that side to display it, and he couldn’t tell if it was the lights or if the colors were actually swirling. Suddenly her head snapped to face him and she smirked at him and licked her lips. Startled, he turned away and hurried to catch up to the others.
Tegoshi was leaning against Masuda, whisper-shouting something into his ear and jerking his chin in the direction of a reserved table in the corner and Masuda turned to beckon Shige. He and Masuda made their way to the table while Tegoshi and Koyama made their way to the bar and, after he sat, Shige watched the way Koyama hooked a thumb through one of the belt loops on the back of Tegoshi’s pants as they both sipped something neon blue.
Shige was startled by Masuda pressing his thumb into Shige’s thigh and he looked up to see a dark-haired caucasian sitting across from them.
“Ryder?” Masuda asked, and the man nodded and slid a sheet of paper over to him.
Shige leaned over to check it out but it just looked like a reference. Then he noticed Masuda’s fingers moving from where they rested casually on the table. Shige fumbled with the datapad and folded out its cover so that it would stand up on the table and also serve to block the motions Masuda was making as he talked to the man. The conversation they held was technical and sounded like an interview to be in Tegoshi’s latest simstim and Shige was impressed at the way they both sat there so casually carrying on two completely different conversations. From Shige could gather, the ‘reference letter’ was actually a coded list of information on their target and the gentleman was giving Masuda the cipher.
Then Masuda was dismissing the man with a cheerful smile and a handshake and Koyama was slipping into the vacant seat, drinks in hand and he set them down and then slid Masuda and Shige theirs. Tegoshi slipped in next to Shige, pressing up closely against him to peer at the datapad.
“Take care of Jun for me, Takayama. I can’t mix business with pleasure,” he said to Shige with a wink before standing and disappearing into the crowd.
Masuda politely asked to be let out and he followed after Tegoshi to help with the mingling and make sure nothing unfavorable happened to him. Shige scowled and looked over at Koyama who was taking small sips of his drink and looking out into the crowd, his legs crossed, one arm extended along the back of the booth, and one foot jiggling lazily. Shige sighed and watched the datapad, making sure everything was recording properly. They’d probably be done in an hour, unless Tegoshi got caught up in something but that’s what Masuda was supposed to help prevent, and then it was back to the code.
By the end of the hour, his nerves were jangling. Guys and girls who had seen them come in with Tegoshi and had recognized him kept coming up to them and flirting shamelessly with them. One girl had flung herself onto Shige’s lap and tried to kiss him and he’d had to disengage her as gently but firmly as possible. And Koyama barely looked at him the whole time. He couldn’t see his eyes or tell what he was thinking and he was getting antsy. And when Tegoshi had returned, wreathed in smiles, Koyama had unfolded himself and gone straight to his side to wrap a long arm around his shoulders as they walked out, Shige trailing dejectedly after.
Masuda stopped at a seedy corner store along the way to pick up energy drinks and Shige stayed with him, pondering the code he’d be working on when he got back into the room. Anything to keep from thinking about Koyama. He was being ridiculous. He knew it. Koyama was acting and he himself was just overly tired and stressed. He pinched his arm and got back to 0’s and 1’s.
Back at the hotel, Masuda deposited one of the drinks on the table next to where Shige was setting up and put the rest in the fridge before leaving the room quietly. Not two minutes later the door opened again and Shige didn’t bother to look up from where he was gathering his toiletries for a much desired shower. He needed to relax. And then strong arms were wrapping gently around his waist and Koyama was nuzzling his ear and Shige felt himself go nearly limp in his lover’s arms. “Kei,” he whispered.
“We have two hours. Tegoshi and Masuda are having a ‘meeting’ and Tegoshi said that two hours should be long enough.”
“For them?” Shige asked sarcastically.
“For us,” Koyama replied. “He said to bring the laptop over and he’ll work on it over there.” Then he was unwrapping his arms from around Shige and pushing him gently toward the table.
He quickly shut the laptop and unhooked it, legging it over to Tegoshi’s room. Tegoshi was sitting at the desk leaning back in his chair with his legs crossed and a knowing smirk on his face and when Shige leaned over to place the laptop on the desk, Tegoshi tilted forward to whisper in his ear.
“Take good care of Jun for me, Takayama.”
Shige snorted.
“Two hours, Shige. I’m not as good at this part as you are. Massu will bring a couple derms over as well, to help keep you up tonight. I’ll be doing … other things.” And then he blew a kiss at Shige and turned to open the laptop.
Shige would have been annoyed at the double entendre Tegoshi had just employed but he was more interested in heading back to his room posthaste, so he did. When he went to get his things off the bed and head into the bathroom, Koyama stopped him.
“I just want to take the makeup off. I feel …” self-conscious, he thought.
But Koyama pulled him close and kissed him gently but insistently and Shige felt his knees go a little weak before Koyama pulled away to look him seriously in the eyes, a sly smile on his lips. “Don’t. Shige is hot just like this,” and Shige let him tug him down onto the bed and press him against it, lips moving feverishly against his own, tinged with desperation, and Shige realized that it hadn’t just been hard on him.
After, they lay twined together on the sheets, Koyama’s cheek over Shige’s heart and he whispered to Shige about the first time they went to the ocean when Shige was seven years old, and Shige rubbed gentle circles on Koyama’s ribs with his thumb and didn’t even notice his fingers whitening against Koyama’s bony hip.
Chapter 6
Group/Pairings: NewS. Pairings: Koyama/Shige, Massu/Yamapi
Rating: R
Warnings: Violence, cursing, sexual implications.
Words: 1,540
Summary: First try: "The fate of the world as they know it rests in the hands of one Kato Shigeaki. Oh shit." Possibly more coherent try (though it sounds like a lame old-school sci fi jacket blurb): The A.I. guarding cyberspace is forced to choose between eternal imprisonment and self-destruction. With the fate of the world resting in their hands, they must race against time to give her a third option before it's too late.
Prologue - Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Epilogue
---
Chapter 5 - 101
Tegoshi brought them into the dark and dirty underbelly of lower Manhattan, hips swaying and his ‘business-face’ on. That’s all Shige could think to call the sly and sexy take-charge face the man now wore. Koyama walked to the left and just behind him and Shige and Massu were several feet behind. Shige was a little nervous; this place brought back memories he’d rather not have of the times when he and Koyama were just starting out and had to work their ways up their respective food chains. He’d had to pick Koyama up bloodied and broken from the floors of more than one arena in areas just like this and Shige had been jumped a few times in dark alleys just like the ones around him. He shuddered and unconsciously drifted closer to Masuda and kept his eyes trained on Koyama’s back, only occasionally looking down at the datapad in his hand to make sure Tegoshi’s recording equipment was working properly.
Men and women approached from either side offering goods or services and sometimes Tegoshi would listen interestedly before moving on, sometimes not. Once, a man in a dirty overcoat and more days growth of a beard than Shige had ever conceived of grabbed Tegoshi by the arm and jerked him close angrily. Koyama had smoothly stepped up, mouth set in a grim line and wraparound mirrored visor concealing his eyes, and shot a hand out faster than Shige could see and suddenly the man was on the ground, arm twisted up behind his back. “Hands off. We don’t want any trouble tonight, ok?”
“Ok, ok,” the man whimpered, and Koyama let him go and continued after Tegoshi who’d started walking again as soon as the man had released him.
Finally he stopped in front of a club, lights blown in the ‘i’s so that the name read “V sual R ddle.” Tegoshi’s lip gloss glistened bubblegum pink in the neon and he waited for Masuda to step ahead of him and talk to the bouncer. Shige saw Masuda slip a bill into the bouncer’s hand as he whispered something in his ear and then stepped back as the bouncer moved aside to let them in.
They pushed their way through sweaty bodies, mods of all types to be seen. Some more discreet than others, but Shige paused to admire one girl with a tattoo that covered the entire left side-view from ankle to hairline and her outfit had sheer netting all up that side to display it, and he couldn’t tell if it was the lights or if the colors were actually swirling. Suddenly her head snapped to face him and she smirked at him and licked her lips. Startled, he turned away and hurried to catch up to the others.
Tegoshi was leaning against Masuda, whisper-shouting something into his ear and jerking his chin in the direction of a reserved table in the corner and Masuda turned to beckon Shige. He and Masuda made their way to the table while Tegoshi and Koyama made their way to the bar and, after he sat, Shige watched the way Koyama hooked a thumb through one of the belt loops on the back of Tegoshi’s pants as they both sipped something neon blue.
Shige was startled by Masuda pressing his thumb into Shige’s thigh and he looked up to see a dark-haired caucasian sitting across from them.
“Ryder?” Masuda asked, and the man nodded and slid a sheet of paper over to him.
Shige leaned over to check it out but it just looked like a reference. Then he noticed Masuda’s fingers moving from where they rested casually on the table. Shige fumbled with the datapad and folded out its cover so that it would stand up on the table and also serve to block the motions Masuda was making as he talked to the man. The conversation they held was technical and sounded like an interview to be in Tegoshi’s latest simstim and Shige was impressed at the way they both sat there so casually carrying on two completely different conversations. From Shige could gather, the ‘reference letter’ was actually a coded list of information on their target and the gentleman was giving Masuda the cipher.
Then Masuda was dismissing the man with a cheerful smile and a handshake and Koyama was slipping into the vacant seat, drinks in hand and he set them down and then slid Masuda and Shige theirs. Tegoshi slipped in next to Shige, pressing up closely against him to peer at the datapad.
“Take care of Jun for me, Takayama. I can’t mix business with pleasure,” he said to Shige with a wink before standing and disappearing into the crowd.
Masuda politely asked to be let out and he followed after Tegoshi to help with the mingling and make sure nothing unfavorable happened to him. Shige scowled and looked over at Koyama who was taking small sips of his drink and looking out into the crowd, his legs crossed, one arm extended along the back of the booth, and one foot jiggling lazily. Shige sighed and watched the datapad, making sure everything was recording properly. They’d probably be done in an hour, unless Tegoshi got caught up in something but that’s what Masuda was supposed to help prevent, and then it was back to the code.
By the end of the hour, his nerves were jangling. Guys and girls who had seen them come in with Tegoshi and had recognized him kept coming up to them and flirting shamelessly with them. One girl had flung herself onto Shige’s lap and tried to kiss him and he’d had to disengage her as gently but firmly as possible. And Koyama barely looked at him the whole time. He couldn’t see his eyes or tell what he was thinking and he was getting antsy. And when Tegoshi had returned, wreathed in smiles, Koyama had unfolded himself and gone straight to his side to wrap a long arm around his shoulders as they walked out, Shige trailing dejectedly after.
Masuda stopped at a seedy corner store along the way to pick up energy drinks and Shige stayed with him, pondering the code he’d be working on when he got back into the room. Anything to keep from thinking about Koyama. He was being ridiculous. He knew it. Koyama was acting and he himself was just overly tired and stressed. He pinched his arm and got back to 0’s and 1’s.
Back at the hotel, Masuda deposited one of the drinks on the table next to where Shige was setting up and put the rest in the fridge before leaving the room quietly. Not two minutes later the door opened again and Shige didn’t bother to look up from where he was gathering his toiletries for a much desired shower. He needed to relax. And then strong arms were wrapping gently around his waist and Koyama was nuzzling his ear and Shige felt himself go nearly limp in his lover’s arms. “Kei,” he whispered.
“We have two hours. Tegoshi and Masuda are having a ‘meeting’ and Tegoshi said that two hours should be long enough.”
“For them?” Shige asked sarcastically.
“For us,” Koyama replied. “He said to bring the laptop over and he’ll work on it over there.” Then he was unwrapping his arms from around Shige and pushing him gently toward the table.
He quickly shut the laptop and unhooked it, legging it over to Tegoshi’s room. Tegoshi was sitting at the desk leaning back in his chair with his legs crossed and a knowing smirk on his face and when Shige leaned over to place the laptop on the desk, Tegoshi tilted forward to whisper in his ear.
“Take good care of Jun for me, Takayama.”
Shige snorted.
“Two hours, Shige. I’m not as good at this part as you are. Massu will bring a couple derms over as well, to help keep you up tonight. I’ll be doing … other things.” And then he blew a kiss at Shige and turned to open the laptop.
Shige would have been annoyed at the double entendre Tegoshi had just employed but he was more interested in heading back to his room posthaste, so he did. When he went to get his things off the bed and head into the bathroom, Koyama stopped him.
“I just want to take the makeup off. I feel …” self-conscious, he thought.
But Koyama pulled him close and kissed him gently but insistently and Shige felt his knees go a little weak before Koyama pulled away to look him seriously in the eyes, a sly smile on his lips. “Don’t. Shige is hot just like this,” and Shige let him tug him down onto the bed and press him against it, lips moving feverishly against his own, tinged with desperation, and Shige realized that it hadn’t just been hard on him.
After, they lay twined together on the sheets, Koyama’s cheek over Shige’s heart and he whispered to Shige about the first time they went to the ocean when Shige was seven years old, and Shige rubbed gentle circles on Koyama’s ribs with his thumb and didn’t even notice his fingers whitening against Koyama’s bony hip.
Chapter 6