Part 37

Die entered the room yawning and threw his jacket on the chair. He sat down and rubbed his cheeks roughly. He looked around the room and there was no one to be seen. Kaoru had gone recording, Kyo went home, Shinya…where was Shinya anyway?

And Toshiya…

The red head bit his lip

It had been few days

Toshiya hadn’t shown up and it was just so weird. He didn’t call and when Die asked, Kyo merely said Toshiya had gone back to his own apartment. What made it even weirder was the fact that Kaoru didn’t seem to care. Normally, in the midst of recording and catching deadlines, Kaoru would go MENTAL

But now…

Well, even without recording and deadlines, Kaoru would rush to Toshiya’s place and did some checkings. This time, what Kaoru did was PURE INDIFFERENT, ignorance.

How come?

…

Was it…because…because he had told Kaoru that him, and Toshiya…The red head joined his eyebrows and nibbled on his lips. He didn’t want to be relationship destroyer, but he was also the one who declared ‘Kaoru and Toshiya had none of that’

And Kaoru looked cold that night, when Die told him about his first time with Toshiya, as if Kaoru knew it, as if Kaoru…predicted…expected.

Die blinked as he heard the door being closed

It was Shinya, and the drummer walked across the room to get his bag

Die wasn’t Die if he didn’t notice the slight discomfort showing on Shinya’s face every time he moved his legs

…

There it was again

Shinya winced so so slightly but again, Die wasn’t Die if he didn’t notice that on Shinya

So he called out

“Shinya”

The drummer turned

“Are you okay?”

…

“Hai”

Die got up the chair and walked to him. Shinya cleared his throat and walked faster but Die caught his frail arm and turned his around. The drummer gasped and tried to pull away but Die insisted.

“Let me go!” Shinya protested, pushing Die as hard as he could but he ended up knocking his elbow on the hard wall.

“Itai!!!” he screamed.

The red head looked at his legs, and then bent down and gently held Shinya’s thigh.

Shinya winced

Die sighed and in an easy grab he carried Shinya up. The drummer gasped aloud but he didn’t do anything. Shinya blushed slightly as Die placed him on the couch.

“What happened?”

Shinya bit his lip

“Shinya…?” Die started

“I…I fell down the stairs”

‘When?!!!”

“This morning, I missed the elevator, so I ran up the stairs …but somehow I lost balance…” Shinya answered meekly, slightly embarrassed. Die pouted and looked like as if he was going to scold Shinya. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Because we were all recording, and it’s not a big fuss anyway!” Shinya sulked

“Said who?! Look at you! You’re so in pain! Let me see…” Die started to roll the hem of Shinya’s pants and the younger one let him do so. When it reached the knee, Die gasped all the sudden, “Shinchan! You’re bleeding!!! And looked at this big bruise!!!” he exclaimed and Shinya squirmed uncomfortably.

“Take off your pants, I’ll go get the first aid kit”

Shinya blinked

When Die came back with a box in his hands, Shinya was sitting on the couch, his coat covering his thighs, and Die’s eyes swept the sight of those exposed legs.

…

“Die?”

…

“We have to clean it first” Die replied in a strange tone. Then he kneeled beside Shinya and took out a bottle of sterilized liquid. Shinya winced as the other man patted the cotton ball gently on the wound. The blood had dried up so it took Die a while to slowly cleaned them.

“Okay, now …” Die mumbled, his eyes searching for something from the box, then he smiled and picked something up, and read, “Hm, this should do”

Shinya widened his eyes, “What is that?” he asked

“Something to make it heal faster, and…” Die pouted, eyes went back to the box, “I need something for the wound so it won’t leave a scar, like…a cream” he wondered. The drummer looked at Die suspiciously, “How do you know it’s a cream? And how do you know it will work??” he asked. The red head looked at him funnily, “Shinchan…I wasn’t born yesterday, and you know this one okay? I used to do sports (is it?) and I used to deal with wounds” he answered calmly.

Shinya pouted

“There!” Die smiled, “This is what we need”

We…?

I need something for the wound so it won’t leave a scar

I…?

Shinya watched as Die carefully applied the powdery stuff on his wound, then the cream on top of it. Then Die took out bandage and looked at Die’s face when he was done.

“There, you’re pretty again”

It probably came up naturally

Maybe it was a tease

But not for Shinya

Die’s heart thumped when Shinya kissed his lips. It was so quick yet, so strong. Die closed his eyes and pulled the young one closer and continued the kiss deeply. Then he pulled back and stared at the drummer, who was smiling.

What a strange smile

“Was that ‘thank you’? Die asked. Shinya pouted, “I thought I was always pretty” he pretended to sulk. The red head widened his eyes and laughed, “Shinchan!”

The drummer smiled and pushed Die away, “I want to put on my pants, go away!”

“Mouuu…”

“Go away!”

Die laughed, got up then ruffled Shinya’s hair. The drummer yelped but Die was faster. He had run out the room. Shinya pouted, and started to put on his pants carefully.

(ok, you guys probably go ‘what a slut!!!’ but Noooo ~~~ Shinchan is no slut, read on!)

*

“Kaoru kun…I think it’s lunch time” Emiko smiled at the purple head. The man looked at his watch and pouted, “It’s only one”

“But we’re all hungry!!!!”

Kaoru smiled and waved his hands, “Okay, gomenasai….gomenasai…happy lunch” he bowed and packed his stuff. Then Kaoru walked down the stairs to the canteen. But something caught his eyes …

Necklace

Kaoru looked around and picked it up.

His eyes widened in realization

He knew whom it belonged to

The man who had been absent for few days

It just lit up the fire in him.

The last time Toshiya was in the studio was four days ago. That necklace couldn’t be there for four days but did that mean he was there? Those four days, did Toshiya go back to studio and NOT telling anyone?

Did Kyo lie?

Kaoru looked at the thing again and put it in his pocket

Whatever it was…

…

Kaoru closed his eyes, opened them and paced down the staircase

*

“Toshiya…”

He knocked again but still no reply. So Kyo decided to just do whatever he wanted to.

“Toshiya, I used the spare key you gave me last time. So I don’t just storm in without permission. I mean…” Kyo scratched his head, “I just want to check on you…are you okay?” Kyo stared at the closed door. He knew Toshiya was in that bedroom.

“Everyone is so worried”

*

Toshiya opened his eyes

Worried my ass…

*

“Toshiya, onegai”

*

Toshiya got up the bed.

Kyo’s voice shook

*

“What did I do that makes you think I deserve this?!” Kyo yelled out of the blue

*

Toshiya jumped

*

“Get your ass out here dammit!!! I don’t know what Kaoru or whoever did to you and I don’t fucking care!!!! Just show me your face so I know you’re still fucking ALIVE!!!!!”

Kyo took a deep breath but leaped as the door opened slightly. Then it widened and when a figure appeared in front of him, the vocalist paled as if he was seeing a ghost.

*

“Kaoru! Here!!” Die waved his hand and smiled. The older one smiled back and sat beside him, “I didn’t know you’re eating now” he stated smiling still. The red head shrugged, “I’m kind of hungry”

“You know the elevator is so crowded?” Kaoru asked, sipping his mineral water. Die chuckled, “It’s lunch time” he replied, “That’s why I’m here earlier than you. I kid of can’t take the stairs. Ah! Do you know Shin-” he started but the older one touched his arm and took out something from his pocket. Die stopped.

“I came down here using staircase, and look what I found!” Kaoru sounded low. The red head looked at the thing and looked at Kaoru, “Necklace?”

Then he studied it closer

Nope, not Shinya’s

But…looked familiar…

“I don’t know how Toshiya manages to drop this there and not coming here in this four days!” Kaoru stared at the thing that he had placed on the table

…

Shinya

Fell

The careful Shinya, the strong, careful Shinya

Lost balance?

…

How?

Die stared at the necklace on the table, thought a little but then silently continued having his lunch. The looks on his face, in his eyes, the silence, everything oblivious to Kaoru.

***

to be continued...