Strive for Something Better Ch5
STRIVE FOR SOMETHING BETTER - CHAPTER FIVE
Humming Snow Express under his breath as he stood in front of a vending machine Tegoshi swept his gaze over his options, not noticing another presence until a warped reflection slid over the clear plastic pane of the vending machine and he turned slightly to one side, no trace of his innocent ‘Tegoshi-desu’ smile within sight.
“Murakami-kun, shouldn’t you be practicing?”
Murakami Shingo raised one eyebrow and smirked.
“Tegoshi-kun, shouldn’t you be back at the Jimusho?” Tegoshi, having pressed the right buttons on the vending machine, bent to retrieve his chocolate bar before straightening up and turning to Shingo with his own smirk in place.
“I felt like coming and seeing Ryo-tan, we’re friends after all,”
“I get the idea that’s not the only reason you’re here Tegoshi-kun, you have some ulterior motive with Ryo-chan, I can tell, you make it so obvious when you’re after something,” Tegoshi folded his arms, smirk not moving an inch.
“Oh? What about you? You’re all over him, hugging him, touching him, there something you want Murakami-kun?” Shingo suddenly walked straight towards him and loomed over his younger colleague, staring down into his eyes.
“I get the idea, Tego-nyan, that we may just be after the same thing, don’t you think?” Tegoshi stopped smirking for a moment to stare hard at Shingo, searching his eyes, but it brought him the same conclusion he had already been toying with. He and Shingo were certainly after the same thing, for whatever reason and with whatever motivation, they were aiming for the same goal.
Ryo.
He sighed and beckoned for Shingo to start walking with him back to the practice room.
“So? How’s your conquest going Murakami-kun, I assume you’ve not succeeded yet?” Shingo snorted.
“Me and Yoko only came up with this wager yesterday, of course not, what about you? I doubt he’s gone there with you yet either,” Tegoshi gave him an eerie smile.
“Of course, I only came up with my own wager yesterday as well, I’m skilled but even a pro couldn’t do it that fast,” A pro in what? Shingo thought, turning his gaze from Tegoshi’s strange expression.
“Wait, wager?” Shingo said suddenly, halting in his steps. Tegoshi stopped and glanced back at him.
“Hmm? Oh, yeah, I made a bet, you did too right? With Yokoyama-kun?”
“Yeah, yesterday, the rest of Kanjani8 doesn’t know, who’d you make your bet with?”
Tegoshi looked up at the ceiling an infuriatingly innocent expression, considering the subject, adorning his features as he held a finger to his cheek thinking for a moment.
“Hmmm…Massu, and…Kei-chan and Shige, Yamapi doesn’t know,” Shingo rolled his eyes.
“What the hell would you go and make a bet like that for with them? They don’t seem like the types who’d go for that,” Tegoshi tipped his head thoughtfully on one side, nibbling the end of the chocolate bar subconsciously as he considered Shingo’s words.
“No…they don’t do they…well, they implied Ryo-tan wouldn’t want me so I’m proving he does,” Shingo’s eyebrows shot up into his hair for a moment while he pressed his lips together.
“You think Ryo-chan wants you?” Tegoshi gave him a sharp look that was an unsettling contrast to his usual cute and cheerful image.
“I’ve argued this point too much already, I’m not going over it again, I know I’m right, I just have to prove it, what about you Murakami-kun?” Shingo started walking again, running a hand through his hair.
“Yoko was implying I don’t have as much sex appeal as Ryo-chan or Tacchon or any of the others, so I’m proving him wrong,” Tegoshi bit down hard on his chocolate to smother the swelling urge to burst out laughing.
“I see,” he said lightly.
“I only have the next five days to do it though,”
“You have a time limit?”
Shingo nodded and Tegoshi smirked. The way he saw it, even if he had to fight Shingo for Ryo’s attention and affection for the next five days, Ryo already liked him more so once Shingo failed and his time was up, hi task would only become easier.
“Tegoshi-kun, I was thinking…” Shingo slowed his pace and Tegoshi looked up at him curiously.
“I know we’re technically rivals here, so we should be working against each other, but either way Ryo-chan will probably only sleep with one of us, so maybe we should join forces until he picks,” Tegoshi stared at him in surprise.
“Huh? You want me to work with you?”
“I figure we each have our own plans for ways of getting Ryo-chan, like the bar tonight, you intercepted that nicely,” Tegoshi couldn’t suppress a victorious smirk.
“What if we worked on those plans together, while still working against each other,” Tegoshi turned to him completely and folded his arms; they were only a few feet from the open door to the practice studio.
“Why in the world would I work with you?” Shingo gave him a pointed look.
“We don’t want Ryo-chan ending up with someone other than one of us right? I want him, you want him, how many others in the Jimusho do you think might want him? If we work together we can keep him away from anyone else and work on our individual plans in a more closed situation, and if it’s both of us it means both bands, so he won’t get suspicious,” Tegoshi nodded slowly.
“I still don’t really want to work with you, but you make a good point,” his face suddenly morphed into the picture of sweet innocence as he smiled and extended his right hand. Shingo smiled back and shook the proffered hand.
“Let’s get back before someone notices we’re both gone,” he said.
They stepped back into the room just in time to see Ryo tumble into Ueda’s waiting arms, drinks cans rolling around their feet. Unable to see the expression on Ueda’s face as it was hidden by his hair, Tegoshi zeroed in on Ryo’s face, his shocked and embarrassed expression, but also, he caught the other look in his eyes even if he couldn’t quite place it.
Shingo stared at the pair as they stumbled apart and picked up the fallen cans of tea, smiling awkwardly and apologising all over the place before they each returned to their respective bands. Somehow the thought that KAT-TUN’s Ueda Tatsuya might pose a problem to their plan had never occurred to him. Ryo had always acted like he had no interest in the man’s very existence, but if that was so, what was that weird look on his face just now?
He shook his head, attempting to dispel the malicious narrow eyed glare he was sending the unsuspecting Ueda, and turned to look at Tegoshi who also had a look of murderous thunder on his face. When that face wasn’t labouring to be cute it could be downright terrifying and Shingo made a mental note never to get on the younger singer’s bad side.
Nudging his shoulder to snap him out of it he pasted a smile on his own face and strolled back over to his band mates.
~~~
“Mou, Tacchon, what’s taking you so long, let’s go!” Yassu whined, resting his chin on the table as he watched Ohkura pack his bag.
“I don’t want to end up forgetting anything here again! Last time I left both my hairbrushes and an entire bag of clothes!” Yassu rolled his eyes and mumbled as best he could with his chin pressing into the wood grain.
“We’re still here for another few days Tacchon!” he grumbled.
“I’m keeping track of everything! Alright let’s go,” Ohkura rolled his eyes and headed for the door, where everyone else was already waiting.
“Look guys, Yassan’s holding us up again,” Ohkura said, a sly smile on his face as he slipped out of the door.
“Oi! Tacchon, I’ve been waiting for you!” Yassu wailed and ran after him, leaving everyone else to follow behind them, laughing.
In the lobby, Yamapi, Shige and Tegoshi were already waiting. Ryo lightly punched PI’s shoulder by way of greeting.
“Yo, where are Kei-chan and Massu?”
“Massu has drama filming until late today, Kei-chan will meet us there, he had a Shounen club meeting with Nakamaru-kun,” Yamapi replied, shooting Tegoshi a slightly puzzled glance as he practically threw himself at Ryo’s neck, squeezing once before loosely linking one arm with Ryo’s.
With that, the ten idols headed out of the building.
The club they had decided to go to was only a couple of streets away, and the entire time they were walking there, aside from Yassu, Ohkura and Maru’s cheerful, light-hearted antics, and Shige and Yoko making what looked like awkward small talk, Yamapi couldn’t help but take note of Tegoshi’s arm having not once moved from Ryo’s arm.
Moving his subtle gaze from Tegoshi’s arm to his face Pi noticed his gaze, similar o his arm, hadn’t left Ryo’s face. I wasn’t exactly full of glowing adoration, but he was practically staring at his band-mate with a sweet smile that Yamapi somehow found eerie. Weird for him to act like that, I know he and Ryo are good friends, but he’s usually more casual than that.
While Yamapi mused over his youngest band-mate’s sudden clingy behaviour, the leader of Kanjani8 was currently wondering what had gotten into the group’s Purple Ranger. Of course, Kanjani8 got on well all the time, they were all close friends, but it had never been in the nature of any one of them to cling to another so much as Shingo was currently clinging o Ryo. Sure he and Yassu were practically best friends and hung out together a lot, were often seen hugging each other and in each other’s presence, they were a little closer than everyone else, but then Yassu was almost if not just as close with Ohkura, and normally Shingo was closer with Yoko, while Ryo would usually be more likely to talk with Ohkura first should separate conversations be taking place.
So why had Shingo been talking to almost no-one but Ryo since they go back from their rehearsal?
Suddenly feeling another’s gaze Subaru glanced over at Yamapi, who was walking beside Shige, occasionally dropping input into his conversation with Yoko. Bu now he was looking pointedly at Subaru, had he noticed Hina’s weird behaviour too? No, he wouldn’t necessarily recognise it as weird, what had he noticed then?
Shrugging off these troubling thoughts Subaru turned to Maru and Yassu, injecting himself back into their conversation to distract himself from his worried musings.
~~~
Ryo slowly turned his drink in his hands, re-playing the day’s events in his head, glad of the dim lights in the club as he cheeks warmed to the memory of Ueda catching him in his arms as he tripped.
He couldn’t read anything into that could he? He had just happened to be there to catch him, but that look in his eyes, he had felt his heartbeat through his t-shirt as he was pressed so close, it was fast and it had taken a moment before either of them had moved…
He was finding it harder and harder somehow to believe that Ueda’s new and more pleasant attitude towards him was part of some elaborate evil scheme. But it was so out of the blue…
“Mou~! Ryo-tan~!” Ryo jumped at the sound of his name in a whiny tone so close to his ear.
“Ah, Tego-nyan, sorry, were you talking to me?” Tegoshi gave him a pout and folded his arms on the bar.
“Ryo-tan was ignoring me!” Ryo blinked in surprise. Ok, so Tegoshi could be a little bratty but this was a new level of childish from him. Usually he’d just roll his eyes and tell him to snap out of it, but now he was practically sulking. No, scratch that, he was sulking.
“Uh, I’m sorry Tego-nyan, I didn’t mean to, I was thinking about something, what were you saying?”
Tegoshi glanced at him, then smiled his bright Tegoshi-desu smile again, sidling closer and continuing to babble. On Ryo’s other side Shingo raised one eyebrow and sipped his drink. The next time there seemed to be a break in Tegoshi’s rambling he shifted slightly, getting Ryo’s attention.
“So, Ryo-chan, when do you think you’ll be back in Osaka?”
Ignoring Tegoshi’s narrow eyed look Shingo flashed a smile at his band-mate as they continued their conversation.
A few feet away down the bar Subaru glanced over at his friends and frowned again. Shingo had yet to leave Ryo’s side. Just what exactly is your angle Hina…?
He was jolted from his thoughts by a hand landing on his shoulder, glancing up he blinked as he saw, not one of his band-mates but the leader of the other band.
“Yamapi, what’s up?” Yamapi said nothing but jerked his head in Ryo’s direction and looked back at Subaru with a grim expression. Subaru sighed.
“You noticed too?” Pi nodded.
“I didn’t want to say anything to Shige or anyone else if they hadn’t noticed, I didn’t want to make more of it than it was, but you noticed too, and I’m starting to get a little worried, Tegoshi’s not normally like this…” he trailed off, looking at his younger band-mate with an unreadable expression on his face.
“Tegoshi-kun…?” Subaru muttered. True, the younger singer had also been clinging to Ryo, but he hadn’t thought too much of it as he wasn’t completely familiar with his usual behaviour, but now that Yamapi mentioned it, he hadn’t left Ryo’s side all night either.
“Mmm, he’s never this clingy, I thought he’d just missed spending time with him, but he asked if he could go to Kanjani8’s rehearsal today and he hasn’t taken his eyes off Ryo since we all met up, and I wouldn’t normally notice but…does Murakami-kun always stick to Ryo like that?” Subaru looked at him sharply. So he had noticed, Shingo’s behaviour was noticeable enough that Yamapi, who barely had any contact with him could tell he was acting strangely.
“So you noticed him too?” Yamapi nodded.
“What are they after exactly?” he murmured. Subaru sighed and looked back at the three of them.
“I have no idea,” he muttered.
~~~
“See you tomorrow Uepi!” Junno called, leaving with Koki and Maru who waved at him. He waved back distractedly, nodding at Kame and Jin as they passed on their way home.
How he had ended up being the last to leave he wasn’t sure, but it probably had something to do with the fact that his mind refused point blank to focus on any one subject for more than two minutes before straying back to the memory of Ryo falling into his arms, staring into his eyes, his heartbeat against Ueda’s chest. Ueda’s own heartbeat throbbing in his ears…
He shook his head and sighed, realising his hands had frozen in the act of putting away his sneakers. He shoved them into his bag and slung the bag over his shoulder and strode from the room.
This was ridiculous, had he become so pathetic that a simple accidental embrace was enough to rattle him to distraction…?
He chewed his lip, attempting to keep Nishikido Ryo out of his head as he drove to his boxing gym, whiling away a few hours by training as hard as he physically could, unaware of the concerned looks he was getting from those who frequented the gym with him. Eventually the trainer came up and caught the sandbag he was attacking as it swung back violently from a vicious punch Ueda had landed. He held it up at the angle it had swung to get Ueda’s attention, raising one eyebrow when Ueda simple blinked at him.
“Ueda-san, are you alright?”
“Uh, y-yeah, um, why?” his trainer raised his eyebrow even further.
“You’ve been knocking seven colours of shit out of this thing for over an hour,” Ueda blinked in shock and glanced at the clock. Without realising it his mind had wandered to Ryo again and he had been moving on autopilot, his mind full of the remembered feeling of his arms, his chest, his eyes…
He sighed and shook his head clear of the images.
“Sorry, a lot on my mind I guess,”
“I think you’d better head home before I need to order in a new one of these things,” he smiled sheepishly and nodded, bowing before retreating to the locker room to shower.
I can’t keep going like this…I either have to get closer to him, establish some kind of, I don’t know, friendship? Or I forget him…
He blinked the water from his eyes, shutting off the water and brushing his dripping bangs away from his eyes.
I don’t think I can do that…
He knew, of course Ryo could never love him back, he could never expect to have his feelings returned. But Nakamaru was right, as long as knew what to expect, or what not to expect, he could at least try and be friends with Ryo, being close to him that way would have to be enough. Maybe that way he wouldn’t feel so breathless and helpless in his presence, maybe he’d even get over him eventually…
Whatever, I don’t want to forget him, or avoid him, and the whole point in the first place was to close some of the rift created between us…
Ueda left the gym, mind set in determination.
~~~
The next day Ryo brushed his hair out of his eyes, putting down the lyric book he had been studying and glanced at the clock. Yamapi had disappeared to find Jin, Koyama and Shige had already gone downstairs to eat, and Massu and Tegoshi were in some meeting or other. He sighed. Guess I should get some-
“N-Nishikido?” he looked up and jumped, when the hell had Ueda come in? how had he not noticed him until now.
“Oh, Ueda, what are you doing here?” Ueda dodged the question with one of his own.
“Why are you by yourself?”
“Everyone had stuff to do I guess,” Ueda paused and seemed to take a deep breath before smiling at him.
“You look like you could use a break, wanna grab something to eat?” Ryo blinked up at him, not knowing what to make of the sudden invitation. Somehow the suspicious apprehension he had had yesterday was all but gone and he found himself smiling in response.
“Sure, why not,”
つづく
A/N Once again, apologies for the late update, I’m trying, really I am, but I have a whole other bunch of things going on right now that I have to take care of, so updates might continue to be slow for a little while, I think in June and July I might be able to pick up the pace a little, bear with me until then? Anyway, hope you like this chapter ^_^
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