[Fanfic] Not Going Anywhere
Title: Not Going Anywhere
Author: yutorinislove
Pairing: Keito x OC
Rating: PG
Genre: Romance
Summary: Okamoto Keito didn’t know how to write songs. So it was his long-time and sole female friend to the rescue!
Author’s Note: Agh, Keito’s finally. :3 I kind of really liked this, for some reason. Oh well. Hope you enjoy! :D
---
It was already bad enough that all of the members of Mugendai already had girlfriends of their own. Keito didn't want to be the wet blanket or something, but he seriously believed that having to date a girl in this crucial point in their career meant having less time for practice.
Keito sighed in his corner as he watched his band mates and silently ticked off the Mugendai band members who were at least linked to a girl. Kota had a girlfriend -- Sandra-chan, who was working at a radio station and whose compositions they often played during gigs -- and they were going on for about a year already. The second eldest, Yuya, the most popular member of their little troop because he is tall, gangly, with a bad-boy aura around him that leads to most of their fans liking him and stalking him (but even though there was that, Yuya was adamant that he had a girlfriend hidden somewhere. Keito wasn't sure if it was a prank or something, because they have been friends for about two years and he had yet to see the shadow of this girlfriend.) Then there was Inoo Kei, who had a childhood sweetheart in the wings (though Kei still had to confess to her and ask her to be his girlfriend). Then there was Hikaru, who, Keito thought rather sheepishly, had a new girlfriend every other week or so. Lastly, there was Yuto, whom they branded the most innocent of them all. And for what? Yuto had a girlfriend! (Yeah, he and Aki-chan must be going out for less than Kota and Sandra-chan, having only went out for less than two months, but there was no reason to doubt how great they were working out. For one, Keito was relieved that there was at least one girl who could handle Yuto's innocence and hyperactivity.)
So far, according to Keito's tally, that meant all of the Mugendai members, maybe except him, Okamoto Keito, had a girl they could dedicate their free time to.
Keito would have felt pathetic in his girlfriend-less state if he wasn't the least bit disappointed of how Mugendai was turning out: missed practices, rushed performances, more impromptu lyrics on Yuya's end because he hasn't had the time to memorize them all. It wasn't that Keito was bitter because he didn't have someone, but he kind of missed the kind of rigor that Kota once imposed on Mugendai as a whole.
"So, how are the lyrics for Mugendai's new song?" Yuya asked lazily from where he was lounging on the loveseat in the Mugendai practice room. It seemed that ever since they had signed on to a record label during Yuto's sophomore year in university, they had been able to furnish their small practice room a bit more luxuriously. They were able to buy this red velvet-upholstered love seat, but then again, Yuya lords over it as if it is his.
Kota shrugged as he handed a score sheet towards Hikaru, who was busy rolling a strawberry-flavored lollipop inside his mouth. Hikaru looked through the score sheet and his forehead wrinkled a bit. "Seriously, Kota, an eighth note in the middle of rests?"
"That was a mistake, it was crossed out, can't you see?'
"If you're going to erase a mistake, you can just use a rubber eraser. There are reasons why you use a pencil when you're writing compositions, Koppi," Hikaru said as he shook his head, reaching over for an eraser and erasing the eighth note.
"Whatever," Kota said as he rummaged through his file folder. "I wrote a couple more compositions. I thought we had an assignment, Yuya, why are you asking us that?"
Keito nearly started, suddenly remembering the assignment Kota handed out last week, about them writing song lyrics for the next songs individually. It seemed that Kota was getting tired of always being the only one writing their singles' lyrics, and had, instead, asked the whole band to write the lyrics for the batch of compositions he and Hikaru would be making.
Yuya beamed big at that. And though normally Yuya's grins were larger than life, this smile on his face was even bigger than that. "I finished that assignment!"
"Ah, me too!" Yuto said happily, bringing out his own papers from his shoulder bag.
Soon the room was in a flurry of bringing out their lyrics from their bags and Keito just watched them, trying to press closer to the wall where he was already pressed up against, because he knows that Kota and Hikaru, not to mention the other members of Mugendai, would skin him alive if they knew that he forgot to write lyrics for the band's new songs.
Never mind that he had already insisted that his songwriting prowess sucked big time.
There was a grand total of sixteen written lyrics on top of the mahogany writing table. Keito thought that he would be able to escape being questioned on why, out of the sixteen lyric sheets on the table, there seems to be none that was donning his handwriting. But then again, knowing how much of a hawk Inoo Kei was when it came to fairness and 'doing-your-duty' and shit, he knew that he won't be able to escape that kid.
"Hey," Kei said in his lilting voice. Keito blinked at Kei who was glaring pointedly at him. "Keito. Where's yours?"
There was no sense in lying when five pairs of eyes were equally glaring at you intensely. Okay, so maybe it was because he was afraid of a mad Takaki Yuya, but that was irrelevant. Really. "I'm sorry, I didn't have time -- it's midterms back in University..."
"It's midterms with me, too!" Yuto declared hotly.
"...and I had three Philosophy reports to do before next week and..."
"I have a thesis to do, Keito, and I know that it beats reports anytime," Kei said menacingly.
"...besides, I don't even know what the composition sounds like! How am I supposed to write lyrics for some tune I haven't even heard?" Keito finished.
Hikaru raised an eyebrow at the younger boy. "Well, we have written lyrics. And there's this thing called imagination, Keito," the blonde said. He pursed his lips. "These three wrote sixteen. I mean, I won't mind if you could have just written crap -- though these three would have killed you if you did. Wrote crap, I mean -- and gave it to us, at least that way we knew you still cared for the band somewhat..."
"Hikka. Quit guilt-tripping Keito," Kota said from the side. Keito reluctantly looked over at Kota's direction. The eldest Mugendai was looking at him with consideration in his eyes. "If he's too busy to write, then he's too busy to write. There's nothing wrong with that."
"But-!" Kei, Yuto, and Yuya protested.
"But, in order to be fair to these three idiots here, he still has to submit something for us." Kota said. He smiled widely, and Keito feared for what was in store for him. Kota's smile was different, unlike the usual smiles he shows to the public. It was kind of malicious. "And since it's Keito, I prepared something that would really, really measure how committed he is to the band."
---
A FREAKING SONG. HE WAS IN CHARGE OF A FREAKING SONG.
God kill him. He knew that he should have done something last week to have passed that night so he would have escaped the punishment of pressuring himself to come up with semi-decent lyrics for A NEW SONG.
And it was even more pressure on him because it was easier the first time around since the chances of the others choosing his lyrics for the one of the compositions is pretty slim. This time around, one whole composition was allotted for him.
He was so doomed.
And he has to finish the lyrics by next week.
Keito tapped his pen on the desk and sighed before turning his attention back to his professor who was rambling on about formula and corrections and whatever. He didn't hate math, but he did not particularly like or understand it either, and so he thought that it would be better if he paid attention. At least that would be more beneficial than sitting around and moping about a song he was going to bungle up anyway.
"Okamoto-kun, can you give us the answer for the third number?"
Startled out of his wits, he scrambled to answer the question asked of him. Seriously. If he's going to bungle his studies up, too, then there was no point in worrying if he can pen a song. His father would make sure that he would no longer participate in the Mugendai if he could not keep his grades up.
Too bad he got his answer wrong, but at least, he tried. He sighed and looked out the classroom window and debated inwardly why, why and why had he chosen to go to university.
---
It was times like these that Keito was thankful that he has a very close female friend. Inoue Keiri was his classmate ever since middle school, and was even attending the same university, and though she was studying a completely different course plan, she and Keito still shared one same class.
"I don't know how to write songs, you know, and then Yuto tells me I have to find a muse, and... I don't know, Keiri, I don't know what to do," Keito complained through the phone, listening to his friend's even breathing on the other line. When Keiri failed to respond, Keito shifted his phone from one ear to the other and asked, a bit concerned and a bit irked, "Keiri? Still there?"
"Yeah, still here," Keiri said, and Keito heard shuffling of papers on the other end of the line. "I don't understand what your problem is, Kei-kun."
"My trouble's not as important as yours, isn't it?" Keito said, a small smile ghosting on his lips as he leaned back down on his pillows. He threw the pad down on the floor beside his bed as he shuffled the blankets around him. "How is university working for you?"
"Sucks, I'd rather talk about your problem." Keiri said, and Keito could hear her straightening up on the other line. Which made him throw his alarm clock a gaze. It was nearly midnight, and though it never really bothered either Keito or Keiri when their phone calls extended until the wee hours of the morning before (that was how much of best friends they were), Keito suddenly felt conscious. "When was the deadline Yabu-kun gave you?"
He shrugged, though she can't see. "Next week Friday."
"And what kind of advice did Yuto give you?"
"Find my muse?"
Keiri laughed, and Keito raised an eyebrow. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing," Keiri said, still laughing. "It's just that... who still uses that word?"
"Um... Yuto?"
"Oh my god, I can't believe it, you're actually as clueless as your best friend!" she said, bursting in another fit of laughter. Keito sighed inaudibly. Most of the time, Keito couldn't get angry at Keiri. Maybe it was just the way she laughed, so sincere and bright, that didn't give Keito the chance to get irritated at how Keiri was laughing at him.
That was most of the time. This time was not one of those times.
"Keiri, it's not funny," he said in a sharp tone that he almost apologizes right away when the other line suddenly becomes quiet. "I--"
"It's that serious, huh?" Keiri said in a subdued voice that was so unlike her. Keito felt the tears spring to his eyes as he tried to churn out the words of apology. Nobody should be talked at the way he had snapped at Keiri. "'Cause you never get mad, ever."
"I'm sorry!" Keito exclaimed, a few tears leaking out of his eyes. It was so ironic, him being the toughest-looking guy in the whole band, just to turn out to be a big crybaby in the end. "It's just..."
Keiri's tone at the other end of the line was dulcet. "Then why don't you go find you're muse? Try to copy how Yuto found his."
"But... but that involves a bar and alcohol and...."
"You can do it, Keito. Good night~!"
---
Despite the cheerful voice with which Keiri said good night to him last night, Keito still had reservations about his sole female friend's mood. It wasn't that he thought Keiri was unforgiving, it was just that...he knew that he did something wrong, and he hasn't made up for what he did. At least not yet, and not in the way that Keito's soul would rest in peace, knowing that he did what was right.
He went to class, eyes roaming the classroom immediately to spot where his friend was.
"Keito!"
He turned towards the source of the voice. It was Keiri all right, with a widely mischievous smile on her face. That kind of expression on her face spelled not very good things for Keito most of the time, so he was kind of nervous when he approached her.
"Hey," he said in a low voice. "About last night..."
"It's fine," Keiri said briskly, in a manner that just screamed at Keito that it was more than not fine. "Hey, Keito, about that problem you were having..."
Keiri ushered him out of the classroom, the eyes of their university classmates on them, with some sniggling at them. Keito was more than used to teasing like these -- it was a thing that came with having a close female friend you hang out with most of the time -- so he ignored it and let himself be dragged along with Keiri. "What about it?"
"I think I found a solution to your problem," she said, eyes twinkling. She held up two movie tickets in her hand, her grin mischievous.
Keito felt like this was something bad.
---
"You fixed me up with a date?" Keito asked, incredulous as Keiri helped him into a suit after university classes.
"Hold still, will you? I want to have to be able to tie this necktie properly, you know," Keiri bit out. Then she pulled away, smiling flawlessly. "Of course I did! What's wrong with that?"
"With Kawashima Umika. Seriously. How did this even happen?"
"Umika-chan agreed when I asked her, you know. And I still remember you telling me how much you liked her when you were still in middle school. I was angling for you writing a song about her, you know, since you wouldn't even think of living a little like Yuto did, old man," Keiri eyed him critically, arms crossed over his chest.
"I'm not an old man!" Keito whined as he looked at himself in the mirror. "You don't know the circumstances of how Yuto met Aki-chan!"
"Be that as it is, I still think Umika-chan would be able to help you get the inspiration you need to start on the song you have to write," Keiri said as she fluffed his hair, making him whine about him spending so much time waxing his hair for her to ruin it just a few moments later. "I get the job done, don't I?"
Keito pouted as he tried to salvage his hair and looked at Keiri. Keiri looked back defiantly. "Gee. I don't know how to thank you enough."
She smirked. "Just let me be one of the first people to hear the finished product, I will be more than happy with that."
Keito laughed. "Okay, fine, that's actually more than okay."
She stuck out her tongue and pushed him out of the door. "Come on already, just let this night be a success, okay? I still have a rep to maintain with Umika-chan."
---
"So here's the battle plan -- you take her out for a movie, then you go straight to this restaurant for dinner. Okay? Just ask for the reservation by Kei-chan. They'll lead you to the place I reserved for the two of you," Keiri said, shoving the restaurant's address towards him as the cab slows down to a stop in front of the movie house. Keito, from inside of the cab, sees the pretty girl in a pink dress and matching bow behind her head, holding back her hair. In his chest, his heart did a wild dance. He did like Umika back in high school, and maybe, that unrequited crush was the same thing that has his heart beating wildly in his chest right now.
"Keito. You listening?" Keiri asked, breaking into her explanation about why she used the name 'Kei-chan' as a reservation name in the restaurant. She followed his gaze. "Ah, there's Umika-chan, now I know why you spaced out."
The cab stopped and Keiri smiled at Keito brightly, before pushing him towards the direction of the door. "She looks so lovely like that. I know you can do this."
Keito took a deep calming breath before turning to Keiri, and felt something constrict in his chest, seeing her smiling at him softly. "I... Keiri. I don't know how to thank you for this."
"Thank me later when the date is a success." she said cheekily. Then she looked at Keito with something indescribable in her eyes. "Go on. Find your muse."
Keito sighed happily as he stepped out of the cab and walked up to Umika. He handed her the small bouquet Keiri provided, and felt himself melt at the bright smile Umika gave him. "Thank you, Okamoto-kun."
"Keito, please," he said happily. "Let's go?"
When Umika nodded, Keito turned to the direction of the cab. It was still there. He smiled a little at Keiri, who was looking at them.
She smiled back. But Keito was puzzled as to why her smile wasn't all that happy.
---
"Keito-kun? Is something bothering you?" Umika asked, her wide eyes questioning as she sipped at her water. Keito started, blinking, before smiling apologetically at Umika. "I'm sorry, Umika-chan. What were you saying?"
Umika smiled, a bit awkward at first, before melting into a huge smile. "I was just talking about the food. It was delicious -- thank you for bringing me here."
Keito smiled, never mind that it was half-hearted. His smiles always come across as half-hearted, anyway. "Glad you liked it. Would you care for blueberry cheesecake for dessert?"
Umika's eyes sparkled as she nodded yes, and the waiter laid a platter of cheesecake in front of the girl, to which she gushed and thanked Keito for before digging in. Keito just smiled absently.
Keito wondered how he had gotten through most of the evening with just half of his consciousness present? He was too bothered by Keiri's expression the moment the cab pulled away. Did he just imagine the sad look in her eyes? But it was not dark -- and he could see pretty clearly. There must be a mistake, though. Why should Keiri feel sad?
---
After dropping Umika to her house, Keito walked home, his mind still occupied by his friend. Did he really see right? Did Keiri look sad?
He tried calling her, but she wasn't answering the phone. This just served to fan the fires of panic in his body with every passing second that he could not reach his formerly always there, always available friend. It had come to the point that the moment he arrived home and entered his room, he grabbed a pen and started scribbling lyrics on the notepad lying on his bed, ignoring the hacking sobs in his throat and the falling tears that threatened to ruin what he was writing.
---
It's a call in the woods
It's a cry from afar
It's the feeling of losing you
But you're not even going anywhere
All I know is I can't do this anymore
Can you hear me where you are
It's suffocating, this feeling
Of losing you
But you're not even going anywhere
---
Next day was Mugendai practice, and he handed the tearstained notepad to Kota.
"I'm finished with the assignment," he said in a hoarse voice. "I think it goes well with the tune."
Kota's gaze flicked briefly from Keito's expression towards the lyrics. Giving it a quick scan, he called Hikaru over and said in a loud voice, "Hey, guys. We have our second song."
---
Keito approached Keiri the next day with a small smile on his face. "Keiri."
Keiri looked up, beaming automatically at what she saw. "Hey hey hey there lover boy. Umika-chan told me that the date went fine. What are the details? Come on, tell me~"
"I was supposed to tell you when I got home, but you weren't answering your phone," Keito said pointedly, noticing the dark look that passed briefly in her eyes. She grinned instead.
"I was already asleep, dumbass. So what up? Found your muse? You done with that song Yabu-kun asked you to write?" Keiri said cheekily.
Keito watched her carefully, but his face broke out in a grin as he handed her a ticket for their next gig. "How about you come listen to it for yourself?"
---
How come the moment you turn your back
To say a usual goodbye
The sky turns black and it feels so cold
When before it wasn't the case?
What has changed?
Maybe it was me?
I don't want you to go, though
But you're not even going anywhere
Took me long enough to realize
Had to take the darkening of the summer sky
To know that I can't have you away from me
To know that I love you like my next breath
To know that I don't want you going anywhere
---
After the gig, Keito found Keiri sitting against a ledge on the rooftop. The post-gig high was starting to wear off, and he laid the guitar on the ground before sitting on the ledge beside her.
"Hey, so how was it?" Keito asked, smiling gently.
"Well, Yuya-kun looked great, as always, and his and Yabu-kun's voices blended together well during the choruses," Keiri said, shrugging before meeting Keito's eyes and smiling brightly. "Seriously. It was good."
"Glad you thought so," Keito said, sighing deeply before gazing out at the stars.
"I was kind of puzzled, though," Keiri broke through the silence. "Don't get me wrong, though, I am proud you finished your lyrics in time for this gig of yours... but what exactly happened during that date with Umika-chan? I wasn't expecting the song to be sad, you know. I was expecting it to be happy."
Keito was silent, and Keiri looked at him, prodding silently. "Keito?" she asked again.
He took a breath before answering. "You."
Keiri cocked her head to one side. "Huh?"
He looked at her, smiling faintly. "You happened."
Her eyes widened. "What..." she laughed awkwardly, "What do you even mean by that?"
"You became my muse."
Her mouth parted in an 'o' shape. "Oh," she said after a while. "But what about Umika-chan, I mean, she said you really enjoyed -- "
"I enjoyed, but I was preoccupied the whole night with wanting to know what happened with you, of why you looked so sad when the cab drove away, with -- " he paused, looking at her. "Keiri, what happened? Why did you look sad?"
There was a moment of silence, and Keito started to say something, but then, Keiri suddenly turned to him. "I like you, dammit, Keito," Keiri said suddenly, then she looked away.
"If you liked me then why did you push me to go on a date with Umika-chan?" Keito said incredulously. "Why would you hurt yourself like that?"
"Because I wanted you to be happy, and I knew you liked Umika-chan -- "
"That was in high school," Keito said, his eyes looking into hers intensely. "I have different likes now."
"Oh really, then why don't you tell me -- "
But Keiri never finished what she was saying because suddenly Keito's mouth is on hers, swallowing all the other words into his mouth, his lips moving against hers in a deep, insistent pace that served to blur everything else in her mind into a blurry, insignificant mess.
"I love you," he said against her lips when he pulled back a bit. He cupped her face into his hands, marveling in the way her cheeks felt oh-so-soft in his palms. "I only realized that while I was writing that song. I didn't want you to be gone from me, Keiri. I don't want you to push other people to me, because I only want you, and being with you, that is what I want. You are my muse, Keiri, okay? Not Umika-chan. Not anybody else. Okay?"
Keito watched as Keiri's eyes fluttered open, her eyes welling up with tears as her lips part in a shaky smile. "Are you serious? Tell me you're serious, Okamoto Keito or else -- "
Keito smiled as he pressed his lips against hers again. "I'm serious, okay? I love you."
Those three words barely made their way out of his mouth when Keiri put her arms around his neck, crying silently into his shoulder. Keito smiled gently, feeling his heart implode with happiness when Keiri whispered into his shoulder:
"I'm not going anywhere."
---
"Good afternoon~" Keito said as he entered the studio after university lessons, a small cake box in his hands which he laid on top of the small table they have in a corner.
"Someone's in a good mood today," Yuto teased from where he was studying the music sheets. "Hey, is that cake?"
"Keiri asked me to bring this to you, said it's for last night. You guys did a good job, she said," Keito said as she gestured at the multi-colored cake box.
"So it's for us! Wow! Tell Keiri-chan thanks!" Kei said as he nearly flew towards the cake box. Hikaru got to it first, though, and after much scuffling between the two, Yuya finally stepped in and opened the box.
"Wow! This looks great! Can you tell Keiri-chan to please marry me now?" Hikaru said as he tried to scoop some icing with his fingers, but not before Yabu slapped his hand off and gave him a proper plastic plate they have stocked somewhere.
Keito laughed gently at Hikaru before going towards the windows and dialing Keiri's phone. "Keiri?"
"Hi. So how did they like the cake?"
"Uh, lemme see. Hikaru asked you to marry him," he teased. "I guess he loves you that much, huh?"
"You know, you're adorable when you're jealous."
"I'm not."
"..."
"Okay, I am, but I know you love me better, right?"
"...You got that right, Okamoto." He could feel her smile even through the telephone lines. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
---
Comments are well-appreciated!
Author: yutorinislove
Pairing: Keito x OC
Rating: PG
Genre: Romance
Summary: Okamoto Keito didn’t know how to write songs. So it was his long-time and sole female friend to the rescue!
Author’s Note: Agh, Keito’s finally. :3 I kind of really liked this, for some reason. Oh well. Hope you enjoy! :D
---
It was already bad enough that all of the members of Mugendai already had girlfriends of their own. Keito didn't want to be the wet blanket or something, but he seriously believed that having to date a girl in this crucial point in their career meant having less time for practice.
Keito sighed in his corner as he watched his band mates and silently ticked off the Mugendai band members who were at least linked to a girl. Kota had a girlfriend -- Sandra-chan, who was working at a radio station and whose compositions they often played during gigs -- and they were going on for about a year already. The second eldest, Yuya, the most popular member of their little troop because he is tall, gangly, with a bad-boy aura around him that leads to most of their fans liking him and stalking him (but even though there was that, Yuya was adamant that he had a girlfriend hidden somewhere. Keito wasn't sure if it was a prank or something, because they have been friends for about two years and he had yet to see the shadow of this girlfriend.) Then there was Inoo Kei, who had a childhood sweetheart in the wings (though Kei still had to confess to her and ask her to be his girlfriend). Then there was Hikaru, who, Keito thought rather sheepishly, had a new girlfriend every other week or so. Lastly, there was Yuto, whom they branded the most innocent of them all. And for what? Yuto had a girlfriend! (Yeah, he and Aki-chan must be going out for less than Kota and Sandra-chan, having only went out for less than two months, but there was no reason to doubt how great they were working out. For one, Keito was relieved that there was at least one girl who could handle Yuto's innocence and hyperactivity.)
So far, according to Keito's tally, that meant all of the Mugendai members, maybe except him, Okamoto Keito, had a girl they could dedicate their free time to.
Keito would have felt pathetic in his girlfriend-less state if he wasn't the least bit disappointed of how Mugendai was turning out: missed practices, rushed performances, more impromptu lyrics on Yuya's end because he hasn't had the time to memorize them all. It wasn't that Keito was bitter because he didn't have someone, but he kind of missed the kind of rigor that Kota once imposed on Mugendai as a whole.
"So, how are the lyrics for Mugendai's new song?" Yuya asked lazily from where he was lounging on the loveseat in the Mugendai practice room. It seemed that ever since they had signed on to a record label during Yuto's sophomore year in university, they had been able to furnish their small practice room a bit more luxuriously. They were able to buy this red velvet-upholstered love seat, but then again, Yuya lords over it as if it is his.
Kota shrugged as he handed a score sheet towards Hikaru, who was busy rolling a strawberry-flavored lollipop inside his mouth. Hikaru looked through the score sheet and his forehead wrinkled a bit. "Seriously, Kota, an eighth note in the middle of rests?"
"That was a mistake, it was crossed out, can't you see?'
"If you're going to erase a mistake, you can just use a rubber eraser. There are reasons why you use a pencil when you're writing compositions, Koppi," Hikaru said as he shook his head, reaching over for an eraser and erasing the eighth note.
"Whatever," Kota said as he rummaged through his file folder. "I wrote a couple more compositions. I thought we had an assignment, Yuya, why are you asking us that?"
Keito nearly started, suddenly remembering the assignment Kota handed out last week, about them writing song lyrics for the next songs individually. It seemed that Kota was getting tired of always being the only one writing their singles' lyrics, and had, instead, asked the whole band to write the lyrics for the batch of compositions he and Hikaru would be making.
Yuya beamed big at that. And though normally Yuya's grins were larger than life, this smile on his face was even bigger than that. "I finished that assignment!"
"Ah, me too!" Yuto said happily, bringing out his own papers from his shoulder bag.
Soon the room was in a flurry of bringing out their lyrics from their bags and Keito just watched them, trying to press closer to the wall where he was already pressed up against, because he knows that Kota and Hikaru, not to mention the other members of Mugendai, would skin him alive if they knew that he forgot to write lyrics for the band's new songs.
Never mind that he had already insisted that his songwriting prowess sucked big time.
There was a grand total of sixteen written lyrics on top of the mahogany writing table. Keito thought that he would be able to escape being questioned on why, out of the sixteen lyric sheets on the table, there seems to be none that was donning his handwriting. But then again, knowing how much of a hawk Inoo Kei was when it came to fairness and 'doing-your-duty' and shit, he knew that he won't be able to escape that kid.
"Hey," Kei said in his lilting voice. Keito blinked at Kei who was glaring pointedly at him. "Keito. Where's yours?"
There was no sense in lying when five pairs of eyes were equally glaring at you intensely. Okay, so maybe it was because he was afraid of a mad Takaki Yuya, but that was irrelevant. Really. "I'm sorry, I didn't have time -- it's midterms back in University..."
"It's midterms with me, too!" Yuto declared hotly.
"...and I had three Philosophy reports to do before next week and..."
"I have a thesis to do, Keito, and I know that it beats reports anytime," Kei said menacingly.
"...besides, I don't even know what the composition sounds like! How am I supposed to write lyrics for some tune I haven't even heard?" Keito finished.
Hikaru raised an eyebrow at the younger boy. "Well, we have written lyrics. And there's this thing called imagination, Keito," the blonde said. He pursed his lips. "These three wrote sixteen. I mean, I won't mind if you could have just written crap -- though these three would have killed you if you did. Wrote crap, I mean -- and gave it to us, at least that way we knew you still cared for the band somewhat..."
"Hikka. Quit guilt-tripping Keito," Kota said from the side. Keito reluctantly looked over at Kota's direction. The eldest Mugendai was looking at him with consideration in his eyes. "If he's too busy to write, then he's too busy to write. There's nothing wrong with that."
"But-!" Kei, Yuto, and Yuya protested.
"But, in order to be fair to these three idiots here, he still has to submit something for us." Kota said. He smiled widely, and Keito feared for what was in store for him. Kota's smile was different, unlike the usual smiles he shows to the public. It was kind of malicious. "And since it's Keito, I prepared something that would really, really measure how committed he is to the band."
---
A FREAKING SONG. HE WAS IN CHARGE OF A FREAKING SONG.
God kill him. He knew that he should have done something last week to have passed that night so he would have escaped the punishment of pressuring himself to come up with semi-decent lyrics for A NEW SONG.
And it was even more pressure on him because it was easier the first time around since the chances of the others choosing his lyrics for the one of the compositions is pretty slim. This time around, one whole composition was allotted for him.
He was so doomed.
And he has to finish the lyrics by next week.
Keito tapped his pen on the desk and sighed before turning his attention back to his professor who was rambling on about formula and corrections and whatever. He didn't hate math, but he did not particularly like or understand it either, and so he thought that it would be better if he paid attention. At least that would be more beneficial than sitting around and moping about a song he was going to bungle up anyway.
"Okamoto-kun, can you give us the answer for the third number?"
Startled out of his wits, he scrambled to answer the question asked of him. Seriously. If he's going to bungle his studies up, too, then there was no point in worrying if he can pen a song. His father would make sure that he would no longer participate in the Mugendai if he could not keep his grades up.
Too bad he got his answer wrong, but at least, he tried. He sighed and looked out the classroom window and debated inwardly why, why and why had he chosen to go to university.
---
It was times like these that Keito was thankful that he has a very close female friend. Inoue Keiri was his classmate ever since middle school, and was even attending the same university, and though she was studying a completely different course plan, she and Keito still shared one same class.
"I don't know how to write songs, you know, and then Yuto tells me I have to find a muse, and... I don't know, Keiri, I don't know what to do," Keito complained through the phone, listening to his friend's even breathing on the other line. When Keiri failed to respond, Keito shifted his phone from one ear to the other and asked, a bit concerned and a bit irked, "Keiri? Still there?"
"Yeah, still here," Keiri said, and Keito heard shuffling of papers on the other end of the line. "I don't understand what your problem is, Kei-kun."
"My trouble's not as important as yours, isn't it?" Keito said, a small smile ghosting on his lips as he leaned back down on his pillows. He threw the pad down on the floor beside his bed as he shuffled the blankets around him. "How is university working for you?"
"Sucks, I'd rather talk about your problem." Keiri said, and Keito could hear her straightening up on the other line. Which made him throw his alarm clock a gaze. It was nearly midnight, and though it never really bothered either Keito or Keiri when their phone calls extended until the wee hours of the morning before (that was how much of best friends they were), Keito suddenly felt conscious. "When was the deadline Yabu-kun gave you?"
He shrugged, though she can't see. "Next week Friday."
"And what kind of advice did Yuto give you?"
"Find my muse?"
Keiri laughed, and Keito raised an eyebrow. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing," Keiri said, still laughing. "It's just that... who still uses that word?"
"Um... Yuto?"
"Oh my god, I can't believe it, you're actually as clueless as your best friend!" she said, bursting in another fit of laughter. Keito sighed inaudibly. Most of the time, Keito couldn't get angry at Keiri. Maybe it was just the way she laughed, so sincere and bright, that didn't give Keito the chance to get irritated at how Keiri was laughing at him.
That was most of the time. This time was not one of those times.
"Keiri, it's not funny," he said in a sharp tone that he almost apologizes right away when the other line suddenly becomes quiet. "I--"
"It's that serious, huh?" Keiri said in a subdued voice that was so unlike her. Keito felt the tears spring to his eyes as he tried to churn out the words of apology. Nobody should be talked at the way he had snapped at Keiri. "'Cause you never get mad, ever."
"I'm sorry!" Keito exclaimed, a few tears leaking out of his eyes. It was so ironic, him being the toughest-looking guy in the whole band, just to turn out to be a big crybaby in the end. "It's just..."
Keiri's tone at the other end of the line was dulcet. "Then why don't you go find you're muse? Try to copy how Yuto found his."
"But... but that involves a bar and alcohol and...."
"You can do it, Keito. Good night~!"
---
Despite the cheerful voice with which Keiri said good night to him last night, Keito still had reservations about his sole female friend's mood. It wasn't that he thought Keiri was unforgiving, it was just that...he knew that he did something wrong, and he hasn't made up for what he did. At least not yet, and not in the way that Keito's soul would rest in peace, knowing that he did what was right.
He went to class, eyes roaming the classroom immediately to spot where his friend was.
"Keito!"
He turned towards the source of the voice. It was Keiri all right, with a widely mischievous smile on her face. That kind of expression on her face spelled not very good things for Keito most of the time, so he was kind of nervous when he approached her.
"Hey," he said in a low voice. "About last night..."
"It's fine," Keiri said briskly, in a manner that just screamed at Keito that it was more than not fine. "Hey, Keito, about that problem you were having..."
Keiri ushered him out of the classroom, the eyes of their university classmates on them, with some sniggling at them. Keito was more than used to teasing like these -- it was a thing that came with having a close female friend you hang out with most of the time -- so he ignored it and let himself be dragged along with Keiri. "What about it?"
"I think I found a solution to your problem," she said, eyes twinkling. She held up two movie tickets in her hand, her grin mischievous.
Keito felt like this was something bad.
---
"You fixed me up with a date?" Keito asked, incredulous as Keiri helped him into a suit after university classes.
"Hold still, will you? I want to have to be able to tie this necktie properly, you know," Keiri bit out. Then she pulled away, smiling flawlessly. "Of course I did! What's wrong with that?"
"With Kawashima Umika. Seriously. How did this even happen?"
"Umika-chan agreed when I asked her, you know. And I still remember you telling me how much you liked her when you were still in middle school. I was angling for you writing a song about her, you know, since you wouldn't even think of living a little like Yuto did, old man," Keiri eyed him critically, arms crossed over his chest.
"I'm not an old man!" Keito whined as he looked at himself in the mirror. "You don't know the circumstances of how Yuto met Aki-chan!"
"Be that as it is, I still think Umika-chan would be able to help you get the inspiration you need to start on the song you have to write," Keiri said as she fluffed his hair, making him whine about him spending so much time waxing his hair for her to ruin it just a few moments later. "I get the job done, don't I?"
Keito pouted as he tried to salvage his hair and looked at Keiri. Keiri looked back defiantly. "Gee. I don't know how to thank you enough."
She smirked. "Just let me be one of the first people to hear the finished product, I will be more than happy with that."
Keito laughed. "Okay, fine, that's actually more than okay."
She stuck out her tongue and pushed him out of the door. "Come on already, just let this night be a success, okay? I still have a rep to maintain with Umika-chan."
---
"So here's the battle plan -- you take her out for a movie, then you go straight to this restaurant for dinner. Okay? Just ask for the reservation by Kei-chan. They'll lead you to the place I reserved for the two of you," Keiri said, shoving the restaurant's address towards him as the cab slows down to a stop in front of the movie house. Keito, from inside of the cab, sees the pretty girl in a pink dress and matching bow behind her head, holding back her hair. In his chest, his heart did a wild dance. He did like Umika back in high school, and maybe, that unrequited crush was the same thing that has his heart beating wildly in his chest right now.
"Keito. You listening?" Keiri asked, breaking into her explanation about why she used the name 'Kei-chan' as a reservation name in the restaurant. She followed his gaze. "Ah, there's Umika-chan, now I know why you spaced out."
The cab stopped and Keiri smiled at Keito brightly, before pushing him towards the direction of the door. "She looks so lovely like that. I know you can do this."
Keito took a deep calming breath before turning to Keiri, and felt something constrict in his chest, seeing her smiling at him softly. "I... Keiri. I don't know how to thank you for this."
"Thank me later when the date is a success." she said cheekily. Then she looked at Keito with something indescribable in her eyes. "Go on. Find your muse."
Keito sighed happily as he stepped out of the cab and walked up to Umika. He handed her the small bouquet Keiri provided, and felt himself melt at the bright smile Umika gave him. "Thank you, Okamoto-kun."
"Keito, please," he said happily. "Let's go?"
When Umika nodded, Keito turned to the direction of the cab. It was still there. He smiled a little at Keiri, who was looking at them.
She smiled back. But Keito was puzzled as to why her smile wasn't all that happy.
---
"Keito-kun? Is something bothering you?" Umika asked, her wide eyes questioning as she sipped at her water. Keito started, blinking, before smiling apologetically at Umika. "I'm sorry, Umika-chan. What were you saying?"
Umika smiled, a bit awkward at first, before melting into a huge smile. "I was just talking about the food. It was delicious -- thank you for bringing me here."
Keito smiled, never mind that it was half-hearted. His smiles always come across as half-hearted, anyway. "Glad you liked it. Would you care for blueberry cheesecake for dessert?"
Umika's eyes sparkled as she nodded yes, and the waiter laid a platter of cheesecake in front of the girl, to which she gushed and thanked Keito for before digging in. Keito just smiled absently.
Keito wondered how he had gotten through most of the evening with just half of his consciousness present? He was too bothered by Keiri's expression the moment the cab pulled away. Did he just imagine the sad look in her eyes? But it was not dark -- and he could see pretty clearly. There must be a mistake, though. Why should Keiri feel sad?
---
After dropping Umika to her house, Keito walked home, his mind still occupied by his friend. Did he really see right? Did Keiri look sad?
He tried calling her, but she wasn't answering the phone. This just served to fan the fires of panic in his body with every passing second that he could not reach his formerly always there, always available friend. It had come to the point that the moment he arrived home and entered his room, he grabbed a pen and started scribbling lyrics on the notepad lying on his bed, ignoring the hacking sobs in his throat and the falling tears that threatened to ruin what he was writing.
---
It's a call in the woods
It's a cry from afar
It's the feeling of losing you
But you're not even going anywhere
All I know is I can't do this anymore
Can you hear me where you are
It's suffocating, this feeling
Of losing you
But you're not even going anywhere
---
Next day was Mugendai practice, and he handed the tearstained notepad to Kota.
"I'm finished with the assignment," he said in a hoarse voice. "I think it goes well with the tune."
Kota's gaze flicked briefly from Keito's expression towards the lyrics. Giving it a quick scan, he called Hikaru over and said in a loud voice, "Hey, guys. We have our second song."
---
Keito approached Keiri the next day with a small smile on his face. "Keiri."
Keiri looked up, beaming automatically at what she saw. "Hey hey hey there lover boy. Umika-chan told me that the date went fine. What are the details? Come on, tell me~"
"I was supposed to tell you when I got home, but you weren't answering your phone," Keito said pointedly, noticing the dark look that passed briefly in her eyes. She grinned instead.
"I was already asleep, dumbass. So what up? Found your muse? You done with that song Yabu-kun asked you to write?" Keiri said cheekily.
Keito watched her carefully, but his face broke out in a grin as he handed her a ticket for their next gig. "How about you come listen to it for yourself?"
---
How come the moment you turn your back
To say a usual goodbye
The sky turns black and it feels so cold
When before it wasn't the case?
What has changed?
Maybe it was me?
I don't want you to go, though
But you're not even going anywhere
Took me long enough to realize
Had to take the darkening of the summer sky
To know that I can't have you away from me
To know that I love you like my next breath
To know that I don't want you going anywhere
---
After the gig, Keito found Keiri sitting against a ledge on the rooftop. The post-gig high was starting to wear off, and he laid the guitar on the ground before sitting on the ledge beside her.
"Hey, so how was it?" Keito asked, smiling gently.
"Well, Yuya-kun looked great, as always, and his and Yabu-kun's voices blended together well during the choruses," Keiri said, shrugging before meeting Keito's eyes and smiling brightly. "Seriously. It was good."
"Glad you thought so," Keito said, sighing deeply before gazing out at the stars.
"I was kind of puzzled, though," Keiri broke through the silence. "Don't get me wrong, though, I am proud you finished your lyrics in time for this gig of yours... but what exactly happened during that date with Umika-chan? I wasn't expecting the song to be sad, you know. I was expecting it to be happy."
Keito was silent, and Keiri looked at him, prodding silently. "Keito?" she asked again.
He took a breath before answering. "You."
Keiri cocked her head to one side. "Huh?"
He looked at her, smiling faintly. "You happened."
Her eyes widened. "What..." she laughed awkwardly, "What do you even mean by that?"
"You became my muse."
Her mouth parted in an 'o' shape. "Oh," she said after a while. "But what about Umika-chan, I mean, she said you really enjoyed -- "
"I enjoyed, but I was preoccupied the whole night with wanting to know what happened with you, of why you looked so sad when the cab drove away, with -- " he paused, looking at her. "Keiri, what happened? Why did you look sad?"
There was a moment of silence, and Keito started to say something, but then, Keiri suddenly turned to him. "I like you, dammit, Keito," Keiri said suddenly, then she looked away.
"If you liked me then why did you push me to go on a date with Umika-chan?" Keito said incredulously. "Why would you hurt yourself like that?"
"Because I wanted you to be happy, and I knew you liked Umika-chan -- "
"That was in high school," Keito said, his eyes looking into hers intensely. "I have different likes now."
"Oh really, then why don't you tell me -- "
But Keiri never finished what she was saying because suddenly Keito's mouth is on hers, swallowing all the other words into his mouth, his lips moving against hers in a deep, insistent pace that served to blur everything else in her mind into a blurry, insignificant mess.
"I love you," he said against her lips when he pulled back a bit. He cupped her face into his hands, marveling in the way her cheeks felt oh-so-soft in his palms. "I only realized that while I was writing that song. I didn't want you to be gone from me, Keiri. I don't want you to push other people to me, because I only want you, and being with you, that is what I want. You are my muse, Keiri, okay? Not Umika-chan. Not anybody else. Okay?"
Keito watched as Keiri's eyes fluttered open, her eyes welling up with tears as her lips part in a shaky smile. "Are you serious? Tell me you're serious, Okamoto Keito or else -- "
Keito smiled as he pressed his lips against hers again. "I'm serious, okay? I love you."
Those three words barely made their way out of his mouth when Keiri put her arms around his neck, crying silently into his shoulder. Keito smiled gently, feeling his heart implode with happiness when Keiri whispered into his shoulder:
"I'm not going anywhere."
---
"Good afternoon~" Keito said as he entered the studio after university lessons, a small cake box in his hands which he laid on top of the small table they have in a corner.
"Someone's in a good mood today," Yuto teased from where he was studying the music sheets. "Hey, is that cake?"
"Keiri asked me to bring this to you, said it's for last night. You guys did a good job, she said," Keito said as she gestured at the multi-colored cake box.
"So it's for us! Wow! Tell Keiri-chan thanks!" Kei said as he nearly flew towards the cake box. Hikaru got to it first, though, and after much scuffling between the two, Yuya finally stepped in and opened the box.
"Wow! This looks great! Can you tell Keiri-chan to please marry me now?" Hikaru said as he tried to scoop some icing with his fingers, but not before Yabu slapped his hand off and gave him a proper plastic plate they have stocked somewhere.
Keito laughed gently at Hikaru before going towards the windows and dialing Keiri's phone. "Keiri?"
"Hi. So how did they like the cake?"
"Uh, lemme see. Hikaru asked you to marry him," he teased. "I guess he loves you that much, huh?"
"You know, you're adorable when you're jealous."
"I'm not."
"..."
"Okay, I am, but I know you love me better, right?"
"...You got that right, Okamoto." He could feel her smile even through the telephone lines. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
---
Comments are well-appreciated!