ready for abduction
Title: ready for abduction
Characters/Pairing: Tegoshi/Yamapi, Koyama, Ryo, Rina
Rating: PG-13
Words: 3,470
Warnings: Angst. Oh god the angst. Happy ending? Romeos 'verse: Probably won't make sense unless you've at least read the last two in the 'verse, means to an end and the best laid plans and hijacking your heart, though obviously it's better if you've read more. XD
Summary: Rina's brother has always put her first. She's ready for him to put himself in front now.
Notes: Thank you to beltenebra for brainstorming parts of this with me so long ago. This is for her. <3
---
She'd been shopping all day and she was a little tired. That plus the heavy bags all on one arm as she dug through her purse for her phone had her overbalancing right into a slight young man.
"Oh I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, stooping to help pick up his papers and looking up into a strangely familiar face. She froze because the face she was suddenly matching his with had been framed by long black curls and hidden behind a layer of makeup. "…girl?" was what her mouth helpfully, and embarrassingly, supplied, and the boy straightened with a smile, pushing his glasses up his nose.
"Not today," he said with a little laugh, and she blushed. "Ahhh, you were with the bachelorette party a couple weeks ago. Did the bride have a good time?"
"She did. That guy you brought over really loosened her up."
"Oh, Kei-chan," the man said with a fond smile. "He makes everyone comfortable."
"I'm surprised you remember," she said, stepping to the side to get out of everyone's way, and he moved with her, adjusting the bag over his shoulder.
"Sure. I only work a couple nights a week and we don't get that many ladies there."
"So you don't, like, do that all the time?"
He threw his head back and laughed, mouth wide open and eyes squinched shut, oblivious to the people who stared at him as they passed. "No, just for work. I do it mostly to keep people from recognizing me as easily, but… it's kind of fun, too."
"Do you want to go for coffee?" she blurted out. "I mean. You can say no. I just… you're interesting and I have questions for you that… might be a little personal."
"You want to ask me if I'm gay? You don't have to treat me to coffee to do that, but I'll accept anyway," he added with an infectious grin. "Lead on…" he paused and looked at her expectantly.
"Rina Yamashita."
"Yuya Tegoshi. Pleased to meet you."
"So are you?" she asked, blushing hard, once they were settled at a corner table in a café down the road.
"Gay?" he replied easily. "No. I like girls, too."
"When did you know?"
"Oh, probably since forever. I don't ever remember caring about the gender of the person I was interested in. It just never occurred to me."
She stared thoughtfully into her cup and he took another sip before asking casually, "Why? Are you?"
"No! I mean, I'm not, but I don't think it's bad. I… I think my brother is. And I'm trying to figure out how to let him know it's okay."
"Your older brother?"
"Yeah. That's what makes it hard. He's been the man of the house since we were young and I think he's trying to stay strong for us. But I don't think it's fair that he should deny himself just to make us happy. I mean, I'm happy either way. Mom might have a hard time accepting it… but he's done so much for us already. I want him to think about himself for a change."
Tegoshi looked at her thoughtfully for a moment before saying, "I think maybe you should just tell him that. He'll be embarrassed to know you've found out, but there's no real delicate way of broaching it."
"Yeah," she replied distractedly, staring out the window. They moved onto lighter topics until Tegoshi drained the last of his coffee and excused himself.
"Lots of homework still," he replied, tapping his notebook and smiling. But she didn't let him leave without getting his number. He'd been about as much fun as she'd expected, even if she'd had ulterior motives.
---
Three months had passed since Yamashita's little sister had confronted him about his sexuality. He'd been too shocked to lie, never expecting she'd had even a clue. He'd thought he'd done so well in hiding it, and he'd been ashamed he hadn't done it well enough. At first he'd apologized and insisted that he'd get over it somehow and there had been ridiculous amounts of tears on both sides even though he almost never cried, Rina insisting through it the whole thing that that was never what she wanted at all. They kept it between themselves, but she'd been subtly opening him up to being okay with his sexual preferences, if only because she treated him exactly the same way she had for the last 23 years. Only now she'd point out the hot guys whether he responded or not.
So when she invited him out for the night, he thought nothing of it. Until he walked in the door of the club to find half a dozen half-naked men dancing around the room. Freezing where he was, he stared in horror until she looked back questioningly.
"Come on, nii-san."
He took a shaky step backward, then another, and then she was reaching forward with a smile to grab his arm and yank him in. "It's my treat tonight," she said with a smirk, and led him straight to the bar.
Well. At least there was booze. He had just ordered a shot from a tall, lanky bartender ("Give me something strong." "Any preference?" A pointed look and the guy just grabbed a bottle.) when he spotted something that nearly stopped his heart. Long, lean lines encased in tight black pants and nothing else, all tipped practically across the countertop teasing another bartender so hard he was blushing, and a familiar pleased smirk. Then the man stood up and looked straight into his eyes and a heart-breaking smile lit up the man's face.
Koyama. Shit. He was going to need to be way more drunk for this. Panicking, he turned back to the bar and held up three fingers. "Line 'em up." Koyama was closing in fast when he looked back, already opening his mouth to say something when Yamashita glanced at Rina's back in front of him and shook his head wildly, mouthing, "You don't know me." He had to admit that Koyama was pretty good when the taller man switched his gaze immediately to Rina.
"Welcome back!" he said cheerfully. "How's the bride doing?" And then leaned forward to whisper something in her ear that made her laugh and slap playfully at him, Koyama looking up through long bangs at Yamashita with eyes so dark it made his cock twitch from not-faded-enough memories, and he twisted back to the bar and did all three shots in quick succession, earning a cheer from the bar crowd.
When he turned back around, Koyama and his sister had both disappeared and he looked around the club mournfully. There was Jin on stage, dancing on the pole like some kind of pro, which he guessed he was, and it made sense now how he'd thought he and Nishikido had moved like strippers in the beginning. As though on cue, Nishikido slipped out onto the floor. Yamashita sort of felt like crying.
He thought he'd been at the height of embarrassment several times in his life. Nothing held a candle to this, though - sitting right next to his little sister and watching Koyama practically make love to the pole, his sister clapping excitedly and catcalling playfully. Shifting uncomfortably, he tried to adjust his erection.
Halfway through the next guy's act, Rina stood abruptly, waving at Yamashita to stay seated and leaned down to yell in his ear that she had to go pick up a girlfriend from the station and that she'd be right back. What was this? Some sort of second circle of hell reserved for the overly lustful, he imagined, and wondered just how mad Rina would be if he simply left. And that's when Koyama practically fell in his lap, eyes glittering mischievously at him as he twined himself around Yamashita, hips gyrating lewdly. Yamashita stiffened (generally and locally) and Koyama pressed his lips to Yamashita's ear and said, "It's already paid for, so you might as well enjoy it." A pause and then a kittenish flick of his tongue against Yamashita's ear. "I've missed you."
Torn. That was the only way to describe his emotions. Everything came flooding back and he forced himself to keep his hands at his sides, only to find them creeping up to touch lightly against Koyama's arm, leg, waist, and god it only made him want more. Raw. That's what he felt like. Raw and open, and when Koyama looked into his eyes, he must have seen it because he stopped smiling, faltered, before trailing slender fingers across his cheek and pressing a chaste kiss to his lips, and backing away. Yamashita clenched his fists at his sides before standing and walking out.
"That… was unexpected," Tegoshi whispered in Rina's ear from the far corner of the club where they'd been watching, and Rina worried at her lip with her teeth.
"Not quite what I'd planned on happening… Crap."
"Yeah."
---
"I knew that girl looked familiar," Ryo said later that night, wrapped around Koyama in bed, smoothing his hand down Koyama's chest as the man looked up at the ceiling broodingly.
"He looked really hurt, like I was hurting him," Koyama mused, frowning. "People shouldn't look like that. It made me hurt."
"You didn't do anything wrong, Kei." Silence filled the moments as Ryo tried not to fall asleep.
"I know. I just feel like I did."
---
They hadn't spoken about that night at all, Yamashita trying desperately to forget it completely, and Rina giving him pensive looks sometimes but not saying anything. He was grateful for that, at least. Regardless of that, he was still nervous about their meeting today, a long lunch he had been dreading, but when he entered the restaurant, he was still a little irritated to find that she wasn't there yet.
Some short, pretty brunet had been waving as he scanned the room, and he realized with a frown that the person was looking straight at him and smiled widely when he finally caught Yamashita's eye, beckoning him over. Warily Yamashita made his way over.
"Hi!" the young man said, standing smoothly. "I'm Tegoshi Yuya, a friend of Rina's." Tegoshi gave a quick bow.
"Yamashita Tomohisa," he replied uncomfortably, bowing slightly before clearing his throat. "Where's Rina?"
Tegoshi slid back into his sit and motioned for Yamashita to join him. "Something came up at the last minute and she said you'd almost be here, so she asked me to meet you." He paused and smiled innocently at him. "She said you'd treat me as thanks."
Yamashita stood shock still, a little angry with his sister, a little flustered at the audacity of this guy.
"Besides," Tegoshi continued obliviously, "you came here expecting to eat and you're probably hungry. And I hear the roe udon here is amazing." He smiled disarmingly and Yamashita lowered himself into the opposite seat with a defeated sigh. He was hungry.
It wasn't too trying a lunch; Tegoshi saved him the trouble of making conversation, filling awkward silences with interesting topics and smiling amiably the whole time. It was kind of energizing in a strange sort of way, like the other man's vivacity was catching though also tiring, trying to keep up. When they parted outside the doors, Tegoshi thanking him politely (about the only polite thing he'd done the whole time, he noted vaguely) before walking away, Yamashita was smiling despite himself.
---
"Kei-chan…"
"Yeah, Tego?"
"I met Yamashita-san today. You know him, don't you?"
Koyama choked on his rice and avoided Tegoshi's eyes. "Ye-es. We've met."
"A… client?"
"Tegoshi…" Koyama whined, finally looking at him. "We shouldn't talk about this."
"I saw him when you gave him the lap dance. He looked tortured. Were you lovers, then?"
Sighing, Koyama put his chopsticks down and took a big gulp of his tea. "He was a client. Ryo's."
"And you?"
"I was there too."
"I think he was in love with you," Tegoshi told him matter-of-factly.
"Well, I can't imagine why," he said exasperatedly and Tegoshi snorted.
"I can't imagine why not," he told him fondly and Koyama frowned.
"Why do you need to know, anyway…"
"I want to be his friend," Tegoshi replied brightly, ignoring the weird look Koyama gave him, instead focusing on Koyama's plate. "Koyama~ I want a bite." Koyama just shook his head and indulged him. As usual.
---
Yamashita didn't really think about Tegoshi again until he met his sister for lunch two weeks later and Tegoshi was with her.
"Hello again," Tegoshi said, waving cheekily and continuing whatever he'd been telling Rina before Yamashita came in, and Yamashita sat down with an unimpressed glance at Rina who just flashed a grin at him before devoting her attention to Tegoshi again, leaving Yamashita to stare at the menu on his own.
There was a lot of laughter, Yamashita joining in helplessly several times, hiding his mouth behind a hand unconsciously as Tegoshi watched him with interest. There was also a lot of touching, though, and that ruffled his feathers a bit. Yamashita watched Tegoshi walk toward the bathroom before looking back at his sister and pursing his lips. "You like him?"
Rina stared at him. "What? Tegoshi? No. I mean, no don't take it that way. I think he's really fantastic. But, come on, Tomo. He's too high maintenance."
"You're one to talk," Yamashita snorted, amused, and, if he'd admit it, relieved.
She wrinkled her nose at him and said haughtily. "There can't be two high maintenance people in one relationship. It'll implode. Besides," she went on, looking to the side. "He's too pretty."
And Yamashita couldn't help laughing, not really, even if she huffed at him, affronted, and smacked him. Because it was kind of true.
Before long Tegoshi had wormed his way into Yamashita's life in a way he'd never have imagined possible, calling his number and telling him he'd gotten it from his sister, and inviting himself on outings to the movies or other things Yamashita mentioned. He probably could have prevented it by ignoring Tegoshi's calls, but he didn't really want to. Sometimes it was really trying, the way Tegoshi was so self-centered, but mostly he couldn't help liking him anyway, for the way he was fiercely determined to be the best at anything he did, for the way he wasn't afraid to look stupid or silly, willing to try anything once. It felt like he could do anything when he was with Tegoshi, because Tegoshi wouldn't care if Yamashita looked stupid, either - he'd just join in with a grin.
Perhaps for the first time since he discovered that he was gay, he was truly comfortable in his own skin. And the way Tegoshi smiled at him when he just… let go, was breathtaking. He was more than a little afraid that he was falling in love again.
The day Tegoshi said goodbye by tugging Yamashita down to kiss him just inside his apartment, he was just glad it wasn't one-sided this time. He wondered when all hell would break loose. He didn't have to wait long.
He'd just wanted to surprise Tegoshi, stopping by the apartment with some takeout after a late meeting. But it wasn't Tegoshi who answered the door, but Koyama. Unconsciously he took a horrified step back. "I… you…" and Koyama was looking at him with a pained expression and reaching out.
"Who is it?" Tegoshi asked curiously, coming up behind Koyama and biting his lip when he saw Yamashita. "Yamashita… um. I… think you've met my friend Koyama." When Ryo showed up, scowling, behind Tegoshi, Yamashita felt his blood grow cold. "And Ryo?" Yamashita had never seen Tegoshi look uncomfortable before. It didn't look good on him.
"I have," he replied icily, a creeping suspicion coming on him. "And how did you meet them?" He didn't want to know, not really. But he had to.
"They're my coworkers," Tegoshi replied, no longer uncomfortable, voiced tinged with defiance. "And my friends."
"You… you're a…" He couldn't finish it.
"I'm a cross-dressing lounge singer at a male strip club when I'm not in school. Yes."
Yamashita couldn't even speak, all that came out were stutters and he was certain his eyes were bulging. Koyama was looking frantically between them, hands fluttering in the air.
"Let's go, Koyama," Ryo said gruffly, and grabbed Koyama's hand to pull him away, but not before stopping and shoving a finger in Yamashita's face. "Don't you fucking dare look down on him." He looked like he wanted to say more, but just dragged Koyama off instead.
"What the hell is this?" Yamashita growled. "I don't need my sister to set me up with call boys." no, you can do that yourself a little voice in his head said mercilessly. "Look. I'm sorry if she put you up to this. I'll pay you whatever she's supposed to pay you, but I'm out of here. That chapter of my life is over."
"It's not like that at all," Tegoshi told him, narrowing his eyes. "I'm going to give you one chance to listen to what I have to say, and I'll forget that you said that."
Yamashita was angry, but he held his tongue. "I don't care if you forget it or not. But I'll listen. And then I'm going."
"The only thing your sister wanted was for you to realize that you should learn to take your own desires into account. That you should learn to be selfish for once. She thought I could teach you that. The falling for you part, that was all me, and maybe I should have stopped myself, not for you, but for me, because god knows you're a mess. But I wanted you, and I've never given up before, and there's no reason I ought to have before now. I can take 'no' for an answer, but I'm not going to put up with you assuming untruths and treating me like some whore."
Yamashita didn't know what he wanted to believe, but Tegoshi sounded sincere. Sincere, proud, and really really pissed. He rubbed at his temple. "Okay." He sagged back against the wall. "Okay, I believe you. I'm just. I'm not ready for this."
The hardness melted from Tegoshi's face and there was a flicker of understanding. "Well. You've got my number," he said, shrugging, and closed the door in Yamashita's face with a quiet, "Good bye."
---
He spent the next week ignoring pretty much everything but work. Turning off his personal cell phone completely and letting the messages pile up in his virtual inbox, he was sure. Then his sister cornered him in his office, furious, and there was no way he was going to get her to leave. He wouldn't even try.
"What's wrong with you?" she asked him angrily, getting up in his face and he pushed his seat back a little. "My brother would never do this. What hell happened to the man who told me that I had to learn to do things on my own strength? That I had to stand up for what I believed in, even if it hurt? Do you know how much it hurt me to watch you become the biggest hypocrite I knew in one moment? To learn that you'd lied to me the whole time? For my sake?"
"Rina… you don't know…"
"I'm not 12 anymore, Tomo. I can stand on my own now." Her voice softened and she stepped back and sat on the edge of his desk. "You taught me that. I want you to stand on your own now. No more lying. Not to me, not to mom, not to yourself. I understand that you don't want it all over the papers, but that doesn't mean you can't be true to yourself. I'll be supporting you when you need it, and I'm sure mom will too. We want you to be happy."
Yamashita didn't cry on principle. It wasn't productive. It wasn't manly. He did it anyway, his sister putting her arms around him for a few moments before passing him a box of tissues and leaving him there. Turning on his phone, he watched the inbox fill up and read through every message before flipping it shut and standing.
Forty-five minutes later he was in front of Tegoshi's door with a dozen pink roses, still in his wrinkled suit, cliché in a million ways but he was beyond caring.
"Figured it out?" Tegoshi asked, lips quirking up on one side.
"You drive me crazy," Yamashita conceded, "and not all in good ways." Tegoshi laughed loudly, throwing his head back and showing all his teeth, eyes crinkling in his mirth and Yamashita dropped the flowers and took him in his arms. Where anyone could see, and he couldn't care less.
Characters/Pairing: Tegoshi/Yamapi, Koyama, Ryo, Rina
Rating: PG-13
Words: 3,470
Warnings: Angst. Oh god the angst. Happy ending? Romeos 'verse: Probably won't make sense unless you've at least read the last two in the 'verse, means to an end and the best laid plans and hijacking your heart, though obviously it's better if you've read more. XD
Summary: Rina's brother has always put her first. She's ready for him to put himself in front now.
Notes: Thank you to beltenebra for brainstorming parts of this with me so long ago. This is for her. <3
---
She'd been shopping all day and she was a little tired. That plus the heavy bags all on one arm as she dug through her purse for her phone had her overbalancing right into a slight young man.
"Oh I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, stooping to help pick up his papers and looking up into a strangely familiar face. She froze because the face she was suddenly matching his with had been framed by long black curls and hidden behind a layer of makeup. "…girl?" was what her mouth helpfully, and embarrassingly, supplied, and the boy straightened with a smile, pushing his glasses up his nose.
"Not today," he said with a little laugh, and she blushed. "Ahhh, you were with the bachelorette party a couple weeks ago. Did the bride have a good time?"
"She did. That guy you brought over really loosened her up."
"Oh, Kei-chan," the man said with a fond smile. "He makes everyone comfortable."
"I'm surprised you remember," she said, stepping to the side to get out of everyone's way, and he moved with her, adjusting the bag over his shoulder.
"Sure. I only work a couple nights a week and we don't get that many ladies there."
"So you don't, like, do that all the time?"
He threw his head back and laughed, mouth wide open and eyes squinched shut, oblivious to the people who stared at him as they passed. "No, just for work. I do it mostly to keep people from recognizing me as easily, but… it's kind of fun, too."
"Do you want to go for coffee?" she blurted out. "I mean. You can say no. I just… you're interesting and I have questions for you that… might be a little personal."
"You want to ask me if I'm gay? You don't have to treat me to coffee to do that, but I'll accept anyway," he added with an infectious grin. "Lead on…" he paused and looked at her expectantly.
"Rina Yamashita."
"Yuya Tegoshi. Pleased to meet you."
"So are you?" she asked, blushing hard, once they were settled at a corner table in a café down the road.
"Gay?" he replied easily. "No. I like girls, too."
"When did you know?"
"Oh, probably since forever. I don't ever remember caring about the gender of the person I was interested in. It just never occurred to me."
She stared thoughtfully into her cup and he took another sip before asking casually, "Why? Are you?"
"No! I mean, I'm not, but I don't think it's bad. I… I think my brother is. And I'm trying to figure out how to let him know it's okay."
"Your older brother?"
"Yeah. That's what makes it hard. He's been the man of the house since we were young and I think he's trying to stay strong for us. But I don't think it's fair that he should deny himself just to make us happy. I mean, I'm happy either way. Mom might have a hard time accepting it… but he's done so much for us already. I want him to think about himself for a change."
Tegoshi looked at her thoughtfully for a moment before saying, "I think maybe you should just tell him that. He'll be embarrassed to know you've found out, but there's no real delicate way of broaching it."
"Yeah," she replied distractedly, staring out the window. They moved onto lighter topics until Tegoshi drained the last of his coffee and excused himself.
"Lots of homework still," he replied, tapping his notebook and smiling. But she didn't let him leave without getting his number. He'd been about as much fun as she'd expected, even if she'd had ulterior motives.
---
Three months had passed since Yamashita's little sister had confronted him about his sexuality. He'd been too shocked to lie, never expecting she'd had even a clue. He'd thought he'd done so well in hiding it, and he'd been ashamed he hadn't done it well enough. At first he'd apologized and insisted that he'd get over it somehow and there had been ridiculous amounts of tears on both sides even though he almost never cried, Rina insisting through it the whole thing that that was never what she wanted at all. They kept it between themselves, but she'd been subtly opening him up to being okay with his sexual preferences, if only because she treated him exactly the same way she had for the last 23 years. Only now she'd point out the hot guys whether he responded or not.
So when she invited him out for the night, he thought nothing of it. Until he walked in the door of the club to find half a dozen half-naked men dancing around the room. Freezing where he was, he stared in horror until she looked back questioningly.
"Come on, nii-san."
He took a shaky step backward, then another, and then she was reaching forward with a smile to grab his arm and yank him in. "It's my treat tonight," she said with a smirk, and led him straight to the bar.
Well. At least there was booze. He had just ordered a shot from a tall, lanky bartender ("Give me something strong." "Any preference?" A pointed look and the guy just grabbed a bottle.) when he spotted something that nearly stopped his heart. Long, lean lines encased in tight black pants and nothing else, all tipped practically across the countertop teasing another bartender so hard he was blushing, and a familiar pleased smirk. Then the man stood up and looked straight into his eyes and a heart-breaking smile lit up the man's face.
Koyama. Shit. He was going to need to be way more drunk for this. Panicking, he turned back to the bar and held up three fingers. "Line 'em up." Koyama was closing in fast when he looked back, already opening his mouth to say something when Yamashita glanced at Rina's back in front of him and shook his head wildly, mouthing, "You don't know me." He had to admit that Koyama was pretty good when the taller man switched his gaze immediately to Rina.
"Welcome back!" he said cheerfully. "How's the bride doing?" And then leaned forward to whisper something in her ear that made her laugh and slap playfully at him, Koyama looking up through long bangs at Yamashita with eyes so dark it made his cock twitch from not-faded-enough memories, and he twisted back to the bar and did all three shots in quick succession, earning a cheer from the bar crowd.
When he turned back around, Koyama and his sister had both disappeared and he looked around the club mournfully. There was Jin on stage, dancing on the pole like some kind of pro, which he guessed he was, and it made sense now how he'd thought he and Nishikido had moved like strippers in the beginning. As though on cue, Nishikido slipped out onto the floor. Yamashita sort of felt like crying.
He thought he'd been at the height of embarrassment several times in his life. Nothing held a candle to this, though - sitting right next to his little sister and watching Koyama practically make love to the pole, his sister clapping excitedly and catcalling playfully. Shifting uncomfortably, he tried to adjust his erection.
Halfway through the next guy's act, Rina stood abruptly, waving at Yamashita to stay seated and leaned down to yell in his ear that she had to go pick up a girlfriend from the station and that she'd be right back. What was this? Some sort of second circle of hell reserved for the overly lustful, he imagined, and wondered just how mad Rina would be if he simply left. And that's when Koyama practically fell in his lap, eyes glittering mischievously at him as he twined himself around Yamashita, hips gyrating lewdly. Yamashita stiffened (generally and locally) and Koyama pressed his lips to Yamashita's ear and said, "It's already paid for, so you might as well enjoy it." A pause and then a kittenish flick of his tongue against Yamashita's ear. "I've missed you."
Torn. That was the only way to describe his emotions. Everything came flooding back and he forced himself to keep his hands at his sides, only to find them creeping up to touch lightly against Koyama's arm, leg, waist, and god it only made him want more. Raw. That's what he felt like. Raw and open, and when Koyama looked into his eyes, he must have seen it because he stopped smiling, faltered, before trailing slender fingers across his cheek and pressing a chaste kiss to his lips, and backing away. Yamashita clenched his fists at his sides before standing and walking out.
"That… was unexpected," Tegoshi whispered in Rina's ear from the far corner of the club where they'd been watching, and Rina worried at her lip with her teeth.
"Not quite what I'd planned on happening… Crap."
"Yeah."
---
"I knew that girl looked familiar," Ryo said later that night, wrapped around Koyama in bed, smoothing his hand down Koyama's chest as the man looked up at the ceiling broodingly.
"He looked really hurt, like I was hurting him," Koyama mused, frowning. "People shouldn't look like that. It made me hurt."
"You didn't do anything wrong, Kei." Silence filled the moments as Ryo tried not to fall asleep.
"I know. I just feel like I did."
---
They hadn't spoken about that night at all, Yamashita trying desperately to forget it completely, and Rina giving him pensive looks sometimes but not saying anything. He was grateful for that, at least. Regardless of that, he was still nervous about their meeting today, a long lunch he had been dreading, but when he entered the restaurant, he was still a little irritated to find that she wasn't there yet.
Some short, pretty brunet had been waving as he scanned the room, and he realized with a frown that the person was looking straight at him and smiled widely when he finally caught Yamashita's eye, beckoning him over. Warily Yamashita made his way over.
"Hi!" the young man said, standing smoothly. "I'm Tegoshi Yuya, a friend of Rina's." Tegoshi gave a quick bow.
"Yamashita Tomohisa," he replied uncomfortably, bowing slightly before clearing his throat. "Where's Rina?"
Tegoshi slid back into his sit and motioned for Yamashita to join him. "Something came up at the last minute and she said you'd almost be here, so she asked me to meet you." He paused and smiled innocently at him. "She said you'd treat me as thanks."
Yamashita stood shock still, a little angry with his sister, a little flustered at the audacity of this guy.
"Besides," Tegoshi continued obliviously, "you came here expecting to eat and you're probably hungry. And I hear the roe udon here is amazing." He smiled disarmingly and Yamashita lowered himself into the opposite seat with a defeated sigh. He was hungry.
It wasn't too trying a lunch; Tegoshi saved him the trouble of making conversation, filling awkward silences with interesting topics and smiling amiably the whole time. It was kind of energizing in a strange sort of way, like the other man's vivacity was catching though also tiring, trying to keep up. When they parted outside the doors, Tegoshi thanking him politely (about the only polite thing he'd done the whole time, he noted vaguely) before walking away, Yamashita was smiling despite himself.
---
"Kei-chan…"
"Yeah, Tego?"
"I met Yamashita-san today. You know him, don't you?"
Koyama choked on his rice and avoided Tegoshi's eyes. "Ye-es. We've met."
"A… client?"
"Tegoshi…" Koyama whined, finally looking at him. "We shouldn't talk about this."
"I saw him when you gave him the lap dance. He looked tortured. Were you lovers, then?"
Sighing, Koyama put his chopsticks down and took a big gulp of his tea. "He was a client. Ryo's."
"And you?"
"I was there too."
"I think he was in love with you," Tegoshi told him matter-of-factly.
"Well, I can't imagine why," he said exasperatedly and Tegoshi snorted.
"I can't imagine why not," he told him fondly and Koyama frowned.
"Why do you need to know, anyway…"
"I want to be his friend," Tegoshi replied brightly, ignoring the weird look Koyama gave him, instead focusing on Koyama's plate. "Koyama~ I want a bite." Koyama just shook his head and indulged him. As usual.
---
Yamashita didn't really think about Tegoshi again until he met his sister for lunch two weeks later and Tegoshi was with her.
"Hello again," Tegoshi said, waving cheekily and continuing whatever he'd been telling Rina before Yamashita came in, and Yamashita sat down with an unimpressed glance at Rina who just flashed a grin at him before devoting her attention to Tegoshi again, leaving Yamashita to stare at the menu on his own.
There was a lot of laughter, Yamashita joining in helplessly several times, hiding his mouth behind a hand unconsciously as Tegoshi watched him with interest. There was also a lot of touching, though, and that ruffled his feathers a bit. Yamashita watched Tegoshi walk toward the bathroom before looking back at his sister and pursing his lips. "You like him?"
Rina stared at him. "What? Tegoshi? No. I mean, no don't take it that way. I think he's really fantastic. But, come on, Tomo. He's too high maintenance."
"You're one to talk," Yamashita snorted, amused, and, if he'd admit it, relieved.
She wrinkled her nose at him and said haughtily. "There can't be two high maintenance people in one relationship. It'll implode. Besides," she went on, looking to the side. "He's too pretty."
And Yamashita couldn't help laughing, not really, even if she huffed at him, affronted, and smacked him. Because it was kind of true.
Before long Tegoshi had wormed his way into Yamashita's life in a way he'd never have imagined possible, calling his number and telling him he'd gotten it from his sister, and inviting himself on outings to the movies or other things Yamashita mentioned. He probably could have prevented it by ignoring Tegoshi's calls, but he didn't really want to. Sometimes it was really trying, the way Tegoshi was so self-centered, but mostly he couldn't help liking him anyway, for the way he was fiercely determined to be the best at anything he did, for the way he wasn't afraid to look stupid or silly, willing to try anything once. It felt like he could do anything when he was with Tegoshi, because Tegoshi wouldn't care if Yamashita looked stupid, either - he'd just join in with a grin.
Perhaps for the first time since he discovered that he was gay, he was truly comfortable in his own skin. And the way Tegoshi smiled at him when he just… let go, was breathtaking. He was more than a little afraid that he was falling in love again.
The day Tegoshi said goodbye by tugging Yamashita down to kiss him just inside his apartment, he was just glad it wasn't one-sided this time. He wondered when all hell would break loose. He didn't have to wait long.
He'd just wanted to surprise Tegoshi, stopping by the apartment with some takeout after a late meeting. But it wasn't Tegoshi who answered the door, but Koyama. Unconsciously he took a horrified step back. "I… you…" and Koyama was looking at him with a pained expression and reaching out.
"Who is it?" Tegoshi asked curiously, coming up behind Koyama and biting his lip when he saw Yamashita. "Yamashita… um. I… think you've met my friend Koyama." When Ryo showed up, scowling, behind Tegoshi, Yamashita felt his blood grow cold. "And Ryo?" Yamashita had never seen Tegoshi look uncomfortable before. It didn't look good on him.
"I have," he replied icily, a creeping suspicion coming on him. "And how did you meet them?" He didn't want to know, not really. But he had to.
"They're my coworkers," Tegoshi replied, no longer uncomfortable, voiced tinged with defiance. "And my friends."
"You… you're a…" He couldn't finish it.
"I'm a cross-dressing lounge singer at a male strip club when I'm not in school. Yes."
Yamashita couldn't even speak, all that came out were stutters and he was certain his eyes were bulging. Koyama was looking frantically between them, hands fluttering in the air.
"Let's go, Koyama," Ryo said gruffly, and grabbed Koyama's hand to pull him away, but not before stopping and shoving a finger in Yamashita's face. "Don't you fucking dare look down on him." He looked like he wanted to say more, but just dragged Koyama off instead.
"What the hell is this?" Yamashita growled. "I don't need my sister to set me up with call boys." no, you can do that yourself a little voice in his head said mercilessly. "Look. I'm sorry if she put you up to this. I'll pay you whatever she's supposed to pay you, but I'm out of here. That chapter of my life is over."
"It's not like that at all," Tegoshi told him, narrowing his eyes. "I'm going to give you one chance to listen to what I have to say, and I'll forget that you said that."
Yamashita was angry, but he held his tongue. "I don't care if you forget it or not. But I'll listen. And then I'm going."
"The only thing your sister wanted was for you to realize that you should learn to take your own desires into account. That you should learn to be selfish for once. She thought I could teach you that. The falling for you part, that was all me, and maybe I should have stopped myself, not for you, but for me, because god knows you're a mess. But I wanted you, and I've never given up before, and there's no reason I ought to have before now. I can take 'no' for an answer, but I'm not going to put up with you assuming untruths and treating me like some whore."
Yamashita didn't know what he wanted to believe, but Tegoshi sounded sincere. Sincere, proud, and really really pissed. He rubbed at his temple. "Okay." He sagged back against the wall. "Okay, I believe you. I'm just. I'm not ready for this."
The hardness melted from Tegoshi's face and there was a flicker of understanding. "Well. You've got my number," he said, shrugging, and closed the door in Yamashita's face with a quiet, "Good bye."
---
He spent the next week ignoring pretty much everything but work. Turning off his personal cell phone completely and letting the messages pile up in his virtual inbox, he was sure. Then his sister cornered him in his office, furious, and there was no way he was going to get her to leave. He wouldn't even try.
"What's wrong with you?" she asked him angrily, getting up in his face and he pushed his seat back a little. "My brother would never do this. What hell happened to the man who told me that I had to learn to do things on my own strength? That I had to stand up for what I believed in, even if it hurt? Do you know how much it hurt me to watch you become the biggest hypocrite I knew in one moment? To learn that you'd lied to me the whole time? For my sake?"
"Rina… you don't know…"
"I'm not 12 anymore, Tomo. I can stand on my own now." Her voice softened and she stepped back and sat on the edge of his desk. "You taught me that. I want you to stand on your own now. No more lying. Not to me, not to mom, not to yourself. I understand that you don't want it all over the papers, but that doesn't mean you can't be true to yourself. I'll be supporting you when you need it, and I'm sure mom will too. We want you to be happy."
Yamashita didn't cry on principle. It wasn't productive. It wasn't manly. He did it anyway, his sister putting her arms around him for a few moments before passing him a box of tissues and leaving him there. Turning on his phone, he watched the inbox fill up and read through every message before flipping it shut and standing.
Forty-five minutes later he was in front of Tegoshi's door with a dozen pink roses, still in his wrinkled suit, cliché in a million ways but he was beyond caring.
"Figured it out?" Tegoshi asked, lips quirking up on one side.
"You drive me crazy," Yamashita conceded, "and not all in good ways." Tegoshi laughed loudly, throwing his head back and showing all his teeth, eyes crinkling in his mirth and Yamashita dropped the flowers and took him in his arms. Where anyone could see, and he couldn't care less.