On the Street of Dreams

Chapter summary: “I…I love you,” he said in a rush. His face flushed hot in embarrassment.

***

The Second Chance


“I heard,” whispered a deep voice in his ear, “you got yourself a new guy and,” a large muscular hand slid to Shuichi’s abdomen, “that you got yourself pregnant.” The other hand slid down to Shuichi’s thigh. “Is that true?”

Shuichi was frozen. He could not move, could not speak.

“Ya know I don’t like the idea of sharing you with another guy.”

Shuichi gulped nervously. “Taki-“

“I never said anything to Kizou because well, ya know, he’s the boss man. He could ring my neck with his pinkie.” He held up his finger to emphasize his point. Securing his hold once again, he leaned his chin on Shuichi’s shoulder. “So…is it true? Did a one night stand create a little Shuichi?”

“N-no,” Shuichi stammered. “I-I was d-drunk.” He regretted it as soon as it left his mouth.

Taki stood up and draped an arm around the boy’s shoulders. “Drunk, huh?” He scratched his cheek. “Ya know it’s impossible to lie while intoxicated. People’s true nature comes out when they’re drunk.”

Shuichi gulped, thinking fast. “I-I…I…It was w-wishful thinking.”

“Wishful thinking, huh?” Taki thought about that. He nodded. “I guess that makes sense.” His free hand cupped Shuichi’s chin, stroking his cheek gently. “Seeing as you’re not loved by even your own family, the idea of making your own who will is pretty appealing.”

That hurt because it was true. He had been thinking the very same thing last week.

Taki dropped his hand from Shuichi’s face and laid his hands on the boy’s abdomen from behind. “Ya know, if you are pregnant, it could be mine,” he whispered in Shuichi’s ear.

A shudder ran down Shuichi’s spine. The idea of carrying this creep’s child disgusted him, even though he was right. Another thing that nauseated him was this perverts hand slowly creeping down his abdomen to his crotch.

Without thinking, he snatched Taki’s hand and elbowed him in the gut. Taki grunted as the wind was knocked out of him and doubled over in pain. His hold loosened as he staggered backwards. Shuichi stepped away from the older singer and glared evilly at the man. “Don’t touch me,” he hissed. “You have no rights to me any more!”

Neither one was certain who was more surprised with his sudden and unexpected outburst, Shuichi or Taki.

Taki blinked, taken back. Only once before in the year he has known this boy has Shuichi ever stood up to him and that was last week right before Kizou banned the boy from the “compound”. Shuichi, maybe, struck him once since they meet. The first time was when he had forcibly taken the boy that first time. This would be the second time. He had to admit he liked the boy’s spunk, but he could do without the attitude.

He scowled angrily as he got his wits about him. He straightened, rubbing his sore stomach. “Why you filthy little…” He raised his hand and brought it back. “I’ll teach you to smart off to me!”

Shuichi gasped, his eyes widening in fright. He squeezed them closed and turned his head aside, his body preparing itself.

Taki swung his hand down but suddenly found it restrained by a large vise-like grip. “Huh? What the…” He glanced behind him and came face to face with a pale, blond man hiding behind a pair of dark sunglasses. “Who the hell are you? Let me go!” He tugged futilely against the impenetrable hold on his wrist.

Shuichi pried open an eye to see what was going on and gasped. “Eiri!” he cried out in surprise.

Taki glanced at Shuichi and then back at his captor. A smile tilted his lips. “So, you’re the new guy, huh?” he asked slyly. He gave Eiri the once over and sniffed. What was so special about this guy? He did not even appear to be Japanese. If anything, he looked Caucasian. He was tall, pale, smelled like stale cigarettes and had this cold, hard look to him. How could his Shuichi fall for someone like this when he had him, Taki Aizawa, tall, dark and handsome? “How does it feel to know you have spoiled goods?”

Eiri growled, his scowl deepening. He had no idea who this guy was but hated the sight of him already. He twisted Taki’s arm and forced it behind his back. Ignoring the man’s hisses and small yelp’s of pain, Eiri brought the guy around and smashed him face first into the nearest building.

Shuichi gasped, his hands flying to his mouth, shocked at the brutality his lover was behind. He watched with wide eyed horrific fascination as Eiri wrenched Taki’s arm farther behind his back.

Eiri leaned forward until his lips rested against Taki’s ear. “Touch him again and you’re a dead man,” he hissed. Shoving him into the building, Eiri let him go and backed away. Shuichi raced forward and latched onto his arm, half hiding behind him.

Taki turned around, favoring his sore arm. He glowered at the couple. “I won’t forget this,” he promised.

The stoic writer slipped off his sunglasses and took a menacing step forward. His golden hazel eyes bore coldly into the dark, angry eyes of the other singer. “You come near him, speak to him, come into contact with him in any way, shape or form and I. Will. Kill. You.”

That got Shuichi’s attention. Blinking, he let go of Eiri and stared at him in shock.

Taki paled himself.

Eiri grabbed the boy’s hand and dragged him to the car, slipping his sunglasses back on. “Get in,” he ordered.

Shuichi raced around the foreign car and flung himself into the passenger seat as Eiri slid calmly behind the wheel and started the engine. He peeled away from the curb before Shuichi had a chance to put on his seat belt and swung into traffic with such force that it threw Shuichi across the front seat, spilling into Eiri’s lap. Eiri through him an irritated look. Blushing, Shuichi sat back in his seat.

“Sorry.”

He put on his seat belt, holding his bag on his lap. He glanced at Eiri out of the corner of his eye and felt his heart drop. Was Eiri angry with him? Had he done something wrong? Dropping his head, Shuichi stared at the bag in his lap.

“Thank you for what you did back there.”

Eiri said nothing. Instead, he pressed a button on the door arm and the locks in the car clicked simultaneously. He then switched on the air conditioning. Immediately, cold air blasted out of the vents cooling down the inside of the car.

Shuichi turned with a sigh to stare out the window. Guess he’s not feeling very talkative, he thought. He felt depressed all of a sudden. He hated people ignoring him and he hated the idea that he might have done something to upset his lover. Tears blurred his eyes and his throat clogged with tears. Maybe this had been a bad idea.

Slowing as a light turned red, Eiri grabbed his pack of cigarettes from the middle console and clamped a cigarette between his lips. Lighting it, he cracked open the driver’s side window. “Who was he?” Eiri asked out of the blue, blowing out a thin stream of smoke.

Shuichi jumped in surprise, blinking back tears. He turned to look at him in confusion. “Huh? Who?”

“That guy back there. Who was he? What did he mean by ‘spoiled goods’?”

Once again, Shuichi was startled by the blatant jealousy in Eiri’s voice. What a minute. Was that why he was acting so angry, like a man spurned? Because he was…jealous? A smile slowly lit his face, chasing away the depression.

“Who was he?”

Shuichi sighed heavily. He had had a feeling this would come up eventually. He turned to stare blankly out the passenger door window. Resting his elbow on the door, he pillowed his cheek on his knuckles. “Taki Aizawa, lead singer of another band called Ask,” he said softly in an even, matter-of-fact tone. “I met him a year ago at Kizou’s place. Bastard was like a fucking leech, or something. Wouldn’t leave me alone.” He shuddered violently.

“Who’s Kizou?” Eiri asked around his cigarette as the light turned green.

“The boss.”

Eiri raised an eyebrow in question.

“Drug lord, ammunition and weaponry specialist and pimp.”

Startled, Eiri shortly lost control of the car and his cigarette dropped into his lap. Shuichi gasped and grabbed hold of the door handle, paling. Cursing, Eiri swerved the car back into the proper lane, narrowly avoiding an oncoming car. He grabbed the cancer stick that was burning a hole in his expensive leather seats. He crushed it out in the ashtray and brushed the ashes onto the floor. “Excuse me?” he demanded.

Shuichi blushed. “I was his…lover,” he admitted. “In exchange, I would get access to any of the drugs I wanted and the others were supposed to leave me alone because I was…the boss’s property.” He sighed. “And they did, except Taki.” He did not bother to mention that when the others were drunk or high, they tended to forget what Kizou said. “One night when Kizou was away…” His voice cracked. Clearing his throat, he started again. “When Kizou was away, one night, Taki came into the bedroom, drunk, and…he, uh…he…” Shuichi voice dropped away into sobs as his eyes stung with tears.

Just remembering that first night, Taki’s sour breath on his neck, those sweaty, calloused hands touching, poking, squeezing, and his heavy body on top of his, his loud grunts filling the room…It made Shu’s stomach churn. He put a hand over his stomach and took deep, even breaths to try to calm him down.

Eiri cursed soundly, gripping the wheel tightly until his knuckles turned white.

Shuichi took a deep breath. “Kizou somehow found out-“ Though he conveniently turned a blind eye when the others did the same thing. “-but I was afraid…and…I told him it was…consensual. When Taki realized that, I wouldn’t squeal and that I wouldn’t fight him, it became a regular thing. It didn’t matter if I was in the mood or not.”

Eiri yanked the wheel to the left hard, flinging Shuichi across the seat and into him. Shuichi picked himself up as the older man snapped furiously, “Of all the stupid, fucking, asinine…Why’d you lie? Why the fuck did you let that asshole do that to you?!”

Shuichi did not have an answer to that question. He stared at his clasped hands in his lap.

Eiri slowed and turned into the garage at his apartment building. He pulled into his parking spot and shutting the car off, turned in his seat to look at the boy. He wanted to ring his scrawny little neck! How could he be so stupid? If he had known this earlier, he would not have stopped with shoving that asshole from Ass into the side of the building. He would have fucking killed the bastard.

“I told Kizou about you last week,” Shuichi admitted quietly, trying to lighten the mood. “He got angry and tossed me out, told me never to return.” He conveniently neglected to mention exactly why. He decided to let Eiri think that he was dumped by Kizou because of him. The alternative was something he did not want to even think about.

“Good. I don’t want you hanging out with those perverted fucks.”

Shuichi blinked at the possessive tone. Eiri took the keys out of the ignition and stepped out of the car, leaving a brightly smiling Shuichi behind. Undoing his seat belt, Shuichi grabbed his bag from the floor and raced after the blond writer. “Eiri, wait up!” He caught up to the older man just as the elevator pinged and the doors slid open.

Eiri grabbed his arm and tossed him inside. Shuichi tripped and stumbled into the metal box, running into the back wall. Eiri marched in behind him and flipped him around. Pinning him to the back wall, he kneed the boy’s legs apart and captured his lips, forcing his tongue into his mouth.

At first surprised, Shuichi could only stand, staring wide eyed at the closed elevator doors. Then he started to relax. He kissed Eiri back, wrapping his arms around his lover’s neck. Eiri’s hands moved to Shu’s hips and brought the boy’s small, tight body against his, forcing Shuichi onto his toes. They ate at each other’s mouths like they were being given their first taste of food in months.

Panting, their chests heaving, Eiri pulled away. “Get it?” he breathed, staring into the boy’s beautiful violet eyes.

Shuichi looked back at his lover, trying to catch his breath. He licked his lips and nodded, unable to speak over the rapid beating of his heart.

Eiri smirked, running a hand over the boy’s cheek. He gave him a quick peck on his swollen lips and turned to press the button for his floor. He felt small arms slide around his waist and an equally lithe body spoon him from behind. With a tiny side smile, Eiri laid a hand on the boy’s clasp hands over his stomach.

When the elevator pinged, announcing they had arrived at their designated floor, Shuichi reluctantly let Eiri go and stepped aside. The couple came face to face with an elderly couple when the doors opened.

“Good evening,” the elderly man and woman greeted with a nod.

Shuichi started to return the greeting, but Eiri grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together and pulled him after him out of the elevator and down the hall. They both ignored the elderly couples shocked gasps that followed them. Shuichi stared at their linked hands and then at Eiri, blushing deeply. Halfway down the hallway, Eiri stopped in front of a door and dropped Shuichi’s hand. Shuichi frowned in disappointment. His hand felt suddenly cold.

Eiri unlocked the apartment door and flinging it open, waved Shuichi’s inside. The teenaged singer stepped into the foyer and toed off his shoes. As Eiri stepped inside the apartment, shutting and locking the door behind him, Shuichi decided to look around. He stepped through the nearest door and realized it was the living room. It was sparsely furnished with white walls. The only adornment on the walls also happened to be the only color as well. It was a rather large picture of colored interlocking shapes. Shuichi thought it was ugly. What he did like was the sliding glass doors that overlooked the Kyoto cityscape. It was a breath taking sight.

Eiri stepped into the living room and stood in the shadowy threshold, watching his young lover. He felt his body tighten in need and his heart lurch as the setting sun cast a red glow upon the boy. Pushing out of the doorway, Eiri silently strode across the room. He loosened his tie and tossed it aside along with his suit coat. Undoing the top few buttons of his shirt, he stood behind Shuichi and wrapped his arms around the boy’s waist. Leaning his chin on the boy’s head, they watched the sun slowly slide below the horizon, but soon Eiri got bored with watching the sun set.

Straightening, he slid his hands to the singer’s hips. Lightly, his hands traced up the boy’s sides, tickling his ribs. Shuichi gasped and closed his eyes, letting out a shaky breath. He relaxed into the light, sensual touch. Eiri’s hands ran up Shuichi’s shoulder blades to his shoulders and down his arms. Gently, he turned the boy around and cupped his face. He leaned down and kissed him with just a feathery press of lips, his body carefully not touching his.

He raised his head and studied the boy briefly as his eyes fluttered open, glancing at the older man questioningly. Eiri saw utter trust on his face. He was not sure if he felt fully comfortable with someone throwing caution into the wind like that, but he would be damned if he would let this opportunity to take his young love once again pass him by.

He pulled Shuichi to him roughly and devoured his mouth, taking possession of the warm, damp cavern.

His hands groped the boy’s behind, holding him tightly against his hard body. Shuichi moaned into Eiri’s mouth as he wrapped his arms around his neck, pulling him closer. Eiri picked the boy up, one hand cupping his butt and the other splayed in the middle of his back. Shuichi wrapped his legs tightly around Eiri’s waist, wiggling his hips against the obvious bulge pressing into him. He had never wanted something so much in his life.

Eiri kissed a trail from Shuichi’s mouth along his jaw and down to his neck as his hand teased the band of his pants. Shuichi squirmed under the touch, giggling. Eiri shoved Shuichi into the nearest wall, causing the boy to grunt in reaction. He peeled open the boy’s pants and ran a hand lightly over the bulge that tightened Shuichi’s boxer shorts.

“I want you,” Shuichi whispered huskily as he captured Eiri’s lips.

Eiri ate Shuichi’s mouth, kissing him like he was trying to climb down his throat. He released Shuichi’s lips and laid two fingers against the boy’s swollen, lush pink lips. He pried open the singer’s mouth and stuck his fingers in. Shuichi sucked on them, licking them like they were candy.

Pulling his fingers out, Eiri slid his hands under the waist band of Shuichi’s underwear and circled the boy’s opening. Shuichi hissed then groaned, burying his face in the crook of Eiri’s neck as first one and then two fingers were thrust into him. He nipped his lover’s neck, tightening his hold as Eiri continued to prep him. Shuichi moaned into Eiri’s neck. He tossed back his head, exposing his neck and cried out as Eiri’s fingers thrust deeply into him, hitting his sweet spot.

“Eiri! Please!”

The apartment was filled with the boy’s loud moans and cries of ecstasy. His begging made Eiri harder then before, causing his pants to become uncomfortably restrictive.

Eiri growled and pulled his finger’s free. Shuichi pouted in disappointment. Eiri pried his human koala off him setting him on his feet. He flipped Shuichi around, placing his hands against the wall. He then grabbed the boy’s pants and yanked them down. Shuichi yelped in reaction. Freeing himself, Eiri pressed himself inside of his lover. He pinned Shuichi to the wall, sliding inside him one tight inch at a time until he hit the end then slowly withdrew until he was barely inside. He thrust back in; losing himself as he quickly found his rhythm and quickened his pace.

“Harder,” Shuichi ordered in a voice that did not sound quite like his own.

Eiri did not question the boy. He thrust into his young lover with everything he had, ripping a scream from him. He drove into Shuichi fast and hard, leaving the boy gasping as he pounded into him and moaning when he withdrew. Shuichi uttered small, helpless noises and words of encouragement to his blond lover that turned Eiri on. He smashed himself into Shuichi like a madman, his balls slapping against the boy’s rear.

There was nothing but the hypnotic sensation of Eiri thrusting into Shuichi, filling him. The feeling of fullness swelled up inside of him until it exploded, spilling out of his mouth in a shout. He spasmed between the wall and Eiri as his seed shot out and coated the wall. Seconds later, Eiri followed, his hips thrusting into Shuichi’s butt one last time. He grunted as he came, releasing his seed inside his young lover.

Still inside him, Eiri held Shuichi tightly against the front of his body and together they slid to the floor. Shuichi rested his head against the writer’s shoulders. Both men sat quietly while they tried to catch their breath and slow their heart rates.

Eiri kissed the side of Shuichi’s head, tightening his hold on the boy.

Shuichi ran his hands slowly and lightly over Eiri’s arms. He sighed happily, closing his eyes with a smile. If this was not Nirvana, he did not know what was.

*

The apartment was as silent as a tomb and as dark as a moonless night in the country.

Silently, Shuichi sat up and tossed aside the covers. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he glanced over his shoulder at the sleeping male snoring softly besides him. Smiling, he fingered the writer’s soft blond tresses. He trailed his fingers over the wide, broad shoulder and down his muscled arm. This was something he could get used to.

Shuichi reached out blindly and searched for his clothes. Finding them, he slipped on his pants and stood up. Creeping without a sound out of the bedroom, shutting the door quietly behind him, he walked down the hall and picked up his bag, walking into the living room.

Flicking the light, he plopped himself down on the large L-shaped sofa, folding his legs underneath him. Shuichi reached into his bag and searched for his phone. He found his notebook with all his songs in it, his makeup, wallet, tons of empty wrappers from vending machine goodies, keys, and a comb and buried at the bottom was where he found his phone.

The LCD screen claimed he had half a dozen new messages. A quick look at the header told him he had left his phone on silent mood. That would explain why he had not heard it ring. He also needed to recharge it. Again, he searched his bag and several frustrated minutes later found his adapter. Plugging it into the bottom of his phone, he searched for a power outlet. Finding on in the corner, he plugged the adapter in. A picture of a battery and the bold word “charging” flashed on the screen.

Sitting cross legged on the floor, he checked his messages. The first one was from Ryuichi from the night of the battle wondering where he was. The second one was again from his brother, an hour later. Shuichi chuckled. Can you say, “Overprotective”? The third was from Kizou wondering if he was going to stop by and asking how the battle went. The forth one was from Taki, leeringly wondering if he would stop by. Shuichi could not suppress a shudder. The fifth one was from, surprisingly, his mother timidly asking if he was staying with his brother and to be good and not cause Ryu too much trouble. The sixth one was from Kizou, an hour after he kicked him out of the “compound”. He claimed he was sorry for what happened, but that it was all for the best. The last one was from Ryuichi, earlier this evening wondering “where the hell” he was.

Sighing, Shuichi dialed his brother’s number and prayed that it was Tatsuha that answered and not Ryuichi. After half a dozen rings, a groggy voice croaked out a sleepy hello. “Tatsuha?”

“Shuichi,” his brother-in-law said in a firmer voice. “Where the hell are you? Do you have any idea how late it is?”

“Uh, yeah,” Shuichi blushed, scratching his head sheepishly, “I’m sorry.”

There was a sigh over the line. “Where are you?”

“I’m, uh…” He could not tell him the truth. Tatsuha would tell Ryu and Ryu would have a cow. Even if Eiri had been sixteen instead of twenty-two, there was no way in bloody hell Ryuichi would allow him to stay over his boyfriend’s house. “…still at my friend’s house.”

“A friend, huh?” Tatsuha did not sound like he believed him. Shuichi gulped nervously. “Which friend?”

“Uh…” Think, Shuichi, think! “Y-you don’t know him. I, uh, met him at the park l-last week.” Partly true.

“Okay…You know Ryu’s been worried about you. You were supposed to call earlier.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I was, uh, busy.” To say the least, he added with a dark blush as he remembered all too clearly, why he had neglected to call sooner.

“Alright,” Tatsuha yawned. “Call when you want to come home and we’ll pick you up.”

Shuichi eyes popped wide. Panic surged through Shuichi. There was no way in hell that was going to happen. It could not. “N-no,” he cried. “T-that’s alright! I’ll have my friend drive me home. D-don’t worry about it.”

“Fine. Do ya want to talk with Ryu?”

Hell no, Shuichi thought. “No. It’s alright.”

“Alright. Talk to ya later, Shu. ‘Night.”

“’Night.” Flipping the phone shut, Shuichi sighed heavily and flopped backwards, spread eagle. “God, that was close.”

“As much as I hate to admit this-“

Shuichi’s heart leapt out of his chest. With a gasp, he flew up and twirled around to see Eiri lounging in the doorway, a lit cigarette clamped between his lips. His hair looked as if he had put his finger in an outlet and the right side of his face had crease marks. “Jeeze,” he breathed a hand over his rapidly beating heart.

“-my brother ain’t stupid.” A smile creased Eiri’s face at the startled reaction he got out of his young lover. “If he doesn’t already know about us than he’ll find out sooner or later.”

Pale, Shuichi stared slack jawed at the writer. “S-sooner or l-later?” He hoped to all that was holy that that was not the case. Even if both Tatsuha and his brother supported his relationship with the older man that did not mean that, everyone else would, especially if the police find out. The last thing he wanted was to get Eiri into trouble. His vision blurred. “Eiri!”

Eiri smirked. He loved that Shuichi worried about him, but he had to admit he had the same fears. He did not want to go to jail or get into trouble either, but at the same time, he did not want to lose his young lover. He loved the kid, had been infatuated with him for at least a year. At first, he had been worried about these feelings, not because it meant he was gay, but because Shuichi was so young. What did that mean? Did he have a thing for young boys? Was he some kind of sick pervert? It did not take him long to realize how wrong his fears were. He had fallen in love with Shuichi Shindou, plain and simple. Pushing away from the doorframe, Eiri crossed the living room towards him. “I wouldn’t worry. If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll keep his mouth shut.”

Shuichi’s heart soared. If Eiri could have hope, then so could he. “Eiri.” Shuichi picked at some imaginary lint on his pant leg, avoiding those gorgeous golden hazel eyes.

“Hm?”

“I…I love you,” he said in a rush. His face flushed hot in embarrassment.

Eiri stopped dead, half way across the dimly lit living room and stared wide eyed at the teenaged singer. “What?”

“I love you and…I don’t want…I don’t want to-“

Kneeling down, Eiri cupped Shuichi’s chin and forced the boy to look at him. “Stop it,” he commanded gently but firmly. “You’re not causing me any trouble, Shuichi.”

He was not too surprised that the older man could read him so easily. He has always been told that his thoughts played across his face like a stage play. “But-“

Eiri shook his head. “Shuichi, I’m with you because I want to be with you.” He wiped at a stray tear that rolled down the young singer’s face. “If I didn’t care about you then I never would have stopped to speak with you that night at the park. I never would have made love to you and you would not be here now.”

With a sob and a bright smile, Shuichi threw himself at the writer, wrapping his arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. “I love you,” he cried.

Wrapping his arms around Shuichi’s waist, Eiri hugged the boy back. I love you, too, he thought. Letting the boy go, Eiri stood up and held out a hand to him. “Now, let’s get back to bed.”

Shuichi slipped his hand within Eiri’s warm one and let the writer lead him back to the bedroom.

***