Kin no Shuichi

Kin no Shuichi
Written by: Chochowilliams
Disclaimer: I do not own Gravitation or the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Summary: Shuichi and Eiri are working things out after a mistake on both of their parts nearly ended their five-year relationship. But what about Bad Luck? What does the future hold for them?
Chapter Summary: Maiko stops by for a surprise visit
Warning: M/M, romance, angst, OOC-ness, language, Shuichi/Eiri, implied Eiri/oc, implied Shuichi/oc
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A/N: Thank you to sun‘s and stars, RiverSakina, lilgurlanima, Acherona, Kaoru Sayuri Kamiya for your reviews. I always love hearing from you guys.

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Chapter 20: Clarity in the Face of the Unknown

“…And Ami had her adenoids taken out.”

Shuichi frowned at the unfamiliar name. “Who?”

“Ami.”

“…Who?” The name was still not ringing any bells.

“Shindou.”

Shuichi frowned harder. “And that would be…?”

“Your uncle Rei’s stepdaughter. Your cousin.”

“Oh.”

Now he remembered. Ami Shindou was six years old and cute as a button. Other than his own daughter, his cousin was hands down one of the most adorable little kids in the world. From what he has been able to learn from his mother, Ami’s biological father abandoned her and her mother mere weeks after Ami’s birth. His uncle started dating Ami’s mother a couple of years later and just last month they were wed. If he did not have his own courtship with Eiri to compare it to, he would say that theirs was a long engagement. Apparently, his uncle was looking into formally adopting Ami. Shuichi hoped it went through. The whole family was. His uncle Rei has been the only father that Ami has ever known. It only took Shuichi so long to remember who Ami was because he has yet to actually meet his new aunt and new cousin.

“Well that’s your own fault,” came his mother’s harsh comment in his ear.

Too late, he realized he must have said that last part aloud. But his mother was right. He really did not have anyone else to blame but himself. “What are ‘adenoids’ anyway?”

“They’re located in your throat and keep you from getting sick by releasing antibodies that fight off infections, but as you grow they become less important.”

“Why?”

“Because we develop other way of fighting off germs.”

Could you tell his mother studied to be a nurse at one time? “Okay, so why would they need to be taken out then?”

“Well, the adenoid tissue can become enflamed. Usually, it’s only temporary and the swelling goes down on its own, but there are times when it doesn’t and the adenoids get infected.”

“Ew.”

“Oh yeah. It’s very serious. It can cause breathing problems. You can start snoring and have trouble getting a good night's sleep. Uhm, you can develop a sore throat, have trouble swallowing and your glands in your neck could become swollen…”

“Yikes,” Shuichi shivered. “Isn’t she kinda young?”

“Your sister was four when she had hers taken out.”

“Really? I don’t remember.”

“You were only six.”

“Oh.”

“Oh before I forget, your aunt Sayuri had a tumor removed from her brain last week.”

“Oh my God!” Shuichi’s heart pounded in panic.

“Turns out it was non-cancerous.”

“Oh, thank God,” Shuichi sighed in relief. His aunt had only recently become a grandmother.

“Yeah. She had one removed from her shoulder when we were kids.”

“Jeeze.”

A buzzing sounded through the condominium.

“Someone’s at the door, Ma.”

“Alright, sweetie. You call me, hear?”

“Yes, Ma.” Shuichi suddenly felt ten-years-old again.

The buzzing sounded again.

“I gotta go. Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Shuichi ended the call and set the cordless extension in its cradle on the table behind the sofa. He crossed the room to the foyer.

“Hey big brother.”

Surprised, Shuichi blinked at the smiling face on the screen. “Maiko.”

“Bad time?”

“No. Not at all. C’mon up.” Hanging up the phone, he buzzed his baby sister into the building. Talk about déjà vu. He wondered what she was doing here, though. “Weird,” he muttered. Not that he was not happy to see her. Things have been hectic lately, more so than usual, so he has not seen or spoken to his parents or his sister in awhile. So any excuse to catch up with the outside world was much welcome.

“Who is it?”

Glancing over his shoulder, Shuichi watched as Eiri strode around the corner. “Maiko.”

“Your sister?” Eiri walked to the closet and grabbed his shoes as well as his daughter’s tiny white sneakers that had yellow daises on them.

“Yeah.”

“That’s not like her to not call ahead. Sayo!” Eiri called loudly as he slid into his shoes. “Time to go bye-bye!”

Shuichi giggled as the sound of their daughter’s running footsteps filled the apartment.

Eiri smirked.

The nearly two-year-old with her bouncy blond curls and light hazel eyes flew into the room and flung herself at Eiri, hugging herself to his leg. Shuichi burst out laughing. He clapped his hands together. Sayo was just like him! Guess Eiri was right. When Eiri’s eye twitched, Shuichi knew that Eiri saw the similarity as well. It caused him to laugh even harder.

“Dada go bye-bye?” Sayo asked, tipping her head back to gaze up at her nearly six-foot tall father. It was a wonder she did not have a permanent creak in her neck. He knew his neck tended to bother him sometimes.

Eiri crouched down at that he was face to face with her. “Yup. Go bye-bye.”

Sayo released Eiri’s leg and sat down on the floor. She stared up expectantly at her father, eagerly waiting for him to put her shoes on.

“What she want?” Eiri asked as he slid Sayo’s stockinged feet into her sneakers.

Shuichi shrugged. “Not sure.”

A knock sounded at the door. As Shuichi went to answer it, Eiri grabbed his and his daughter’s jackets out of the closet.

“Hey,” Maiko greeted warmly as the door swung open.

“Maiko!” It sure was good to see her. Shuichi’s heart swelled at the sight of his sister.

They hugged tightly.

Over her big brother’s shoulder, she spied her niece and brother-in-law slipping into their lightweight spring jackets. “Are you going somewhere?”

“Squirt’s gotta doctor’s appointment,” Eiri said.

“Is she alright?” Maiko asked in a sudden panic. She flung her brother aside and rushed to her niece.

Sayo peered around Eiri’s leg with her thumb in her mouth. Her other hand gripped the back of Eiri’s pants. At the sight of her aunt, Sayo giggled.

“Yeah, she’s fine. Just a checkup,” Shuichi assured his sister.

“Alright. Let’s go.” Eiri scooped Sayo into his arms with a grunt.

Shuichi giggled. He would most definitely have to tease his husband about that later. After all, Eiri was four years older than he was. When Eiri threw him a glare, Shuichi instantly smoothed his expression out. Eiri snorted at the patent innocent look

“Bye-bye, Sayo! Be good,” Shuichi told his daughter with a little wave.

They laughed when Sayo’s idea of returning the gesture ended up with her waving at herself.

“Stay out of the kitchen, brat,” Eiri told Shuichi as he grabbed his wallet out of the dish on the shelf along the wall opposite the closet. He shoved it in his back pocket.

Shuichi rolled his eyes.

Eiri put his cellphone in his coat pocket and then palmed his keys.

“Hey,” Shuichi barked after Eiri as the man stepped out into the hall.

Eiri paused and peered over his shoulder. “What?”

“Didn’t you forget something?” Shuichi asked brightly, tipping his head.

As Sayo played with the blond strands of his hair, Eiri ignored the little flutter of wings in his stomach and how his heart skipped a beat. Cute. He could not stop the stray thought from entering his mind. Eiri turned his face away. “Nope,” he said.

Shuichi pouted after his husband’s retreating back. “Meanie!”

“Yup,” Eiri agreed as he stepped onto the elevator.

He heard a muffled giggle behind him. “What?” he asked his sister as he shut and locked the door.

Grinning, Maiko shook her head.

+---+---+

Rounding the armchair, Shuichi handed Maiko a glass of iced tea.

“Thanks.” She glanced at his arm in its thick plaster cast. “How’s the arm?”

With his own bottle of Ramuné, Shuichi flopped into the chair with a shrug. “Itches like hell.”

Maiko snickered.

“But fine.”

“How much longer will it have to be…?” Maiko waved at the cast with her free hand.

Shuichi scratched his head. “A few more weeks I think.”

“Hm. You have to do strengthening exercises? Or whatever they’re called?”

“Yeah.” He snorted. “Eiri makes sure I do them. Real pain in the ass.”

Maiko laughed. As her gaze roamed over the cast, she caught sight of where she signed it. Her grin slipped. Her expression darkened. “Did Yuki-san really do that?” The question came out more as a demand.

Shuichi‘s head snapped up and around at the hardedge to his sister‘s voice. “No.”

Maiko cocked an eyebrow at the reply that came a little too fast.

Shuichi sighed and glanced away from the prying glare of his baby sister. “Look, Mai, it’s…complicated.” To say the least.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Try me.” Her brother has yet to fully explain what happened.

Shuichi tapped the bottom of the thick glass on the arm of the chair. “I was…trying to stop Eiri from…killing Yoshi.” He watched as a droplet rolled down the side of the glass bottle to vanish within the fabric of the armchair.

Maiko sat up in surprise. “Yoshio Nakamura?!”

“Yeah.” He nodded.

“Wow! I haven’t seen him in like…forever! How is he?”

A pain jolted through Shuichi’s heart.

Maiko grew more curious as she saw Shuichi wince. “What happened? Why would Yuki-san…?”

“Like I said, it’s…complicated. I don’t want to get into it right now,” he told her, raising his voice over her protestations. “I just…tried to stop Eiri and Yoshi from fighting and…”

“You got in-between them?” Maiko guessed.

“…Yeah.” Eiri’s fist had connected with his cheek and the impact sent him reeling and when he landed…

Now it was Maiko’s turn to wince.

“He’s been trying to make it up to me ever since.”

“Good.” Maiko nodded. It was the least her brother-in-law could do. She took a dainty sip of her iced tea. “This is good.”

“Thanks. Made it myself,” Shuichi announced with pride.

“Really?”

“…Okay so maybe Eiri helped. A little”

Maiko laughed.

“So? What’s up?” Shuichi asked. He took a long gulp of his strawberry soda. It burned down his throat. Eiri did not approve of his choice of carbonated beverages, which was why he had his very own secret stash that he could only partake in when said author was otherwise preoccupied. Now that Sayo was getting older, he could not drink it in front of her. She might let something slip by accident. Then his ass would be grass and Eiri would be the lawnmower. And not in that kinky way either. This reminded him. “Don’t tell Eiri.”

“What?”

Shuichi held up his clear bottle of pop.

“Huh?” A look of confusion crossed Maiko’s face.

“Eiri doesn’t let me drink this.”

“Ah!” Maiko winked. “Won’t say a thing.” Her grin vanished as quickly as it appeared. With the cold glass clasped between her knees, she stared down into the brown liquid.

Shuichi studied his baby sister. It was hard to tell what she was thinking. Her long chestnut brown hair veiled her face. Looking away, he twirled the ramuné bottle and watched as the red liquid spun into a vortex. “Ma called earlier.”

“Yeah?” Grateful for the change of topic, Maiko eagerly snatched the thread.

Shuichi pretended he did not catch sight of the tear that slipped down Maiko’s cheek before she brushed it out of existence with her knuckle as if it was nothing more than an itch. He ignored the pain that was clearly outlined on her face before she quickly suppressed it when she lifted her head. “She was telling me that Ami had her ade-things taken out.”

“Yeah she did.” Maiko laughed. “She got to eat shakes and ice cream till she got brain freeze.”

Shuichi laughed. Sounded like the perfect meal to him.

As silence descended upon the siblings, Maiko’s grin faded into a smile as her worries and confusion that had led her to her older brother’s condominium in the first place pushed forth in her mind. They refused to be ignored or silenced for very long. She regarded the frothy bubbles in her untouched iced tea. “…When did you know?” Her voice was barely a whisper.

“Know what?” Shuichi asked with no real conviction as he leaned forward to set his bottle of pop down on the coffee table.

Maiko lifted her head back up and looked her brother squarely in the eye. “That you were gay.”

The question threw Shuichi for a loop. He was only ever asked that question once before and that was by the man who interviewed him for the premiere issue of Yoshio’s magazine. Never before or since has he ever discussed his homosexuality with anyone. Not with Hiro, Eiri or even his sister. So why now? Shuichi blinked. “When?”

Maiko lowered her gaze as she tried to straighten out her jumbled thoughts. “…I mean…” She ran her tongue along her lips.

A nervous habit, Shuichi recognized instantly.

“How did you know…what you felt for Yuki-san wasn’t…” Maiko struggled with her words.

That night flashed into Shuichi’s mind. A tender smile softened his face. “I didn’t.”

Maiko’s head snapped around.

“I’m not sure if you can call me ‘gay’.” He chuckled. “I used to joke I was ‘Yuki-sexual’.”

Maiko was confused.

“…At first, I didn’t get that I was falling in love with Eiri. All I knew was that I couldn’t stop thinking about him and I found myself always talking about him and I would make up some excuse to see him…”

“So, how did you…?”

“Hiro.”

“Hiro?”

“And Eiri.”

He could remember that day all too well. Acting like the cold, emotionless bastard that he pretended to be back then, Eiri had provoked him into admitting the truth (1). They say the truth shall set you free and Shuichi knew for a fact that saying had some validity to it. Coming out had been the best decision of his entire life. He was still not completely sure if he considered himself to be “all the way gay”. For Eiri was the only man that had ever caught his eye. Then again, there was not a contingent of women he found attractive either. Hence the “Yuki-sexual” orientation. It was not as if it would be the first time someone who was supposedly straight fell for someone of the same sex. Just the opposite in fact. And he was not speaking about yaoi novels or mangas either.

“What did Hiro say?”

His sister’s voice jerked him out of his thoughts. “Well, he commented that…I was happy.”

“Happy?” Maiko drew her eyebrows together.

Shuichi nodded.

“You like him. Don’t you?”

He could still hear Hiro’s voice in his head.

“Cause all you do is talk about him.”

“Sometimes…that’s all it takes.”

Maiko blinked slowly as she tried to take in what her brother said. “Someone…who makes me…happy.”

“Right!”

She glanced down into her now warm iced tea.

Shuichi tipped his head. He studied his sister as she smiled into her drink.

“Thanks, Shuichi.”

“For what?”

Maiko merely smiled and shook her head.

“Well, you are welcome anyway.” He could wait.

“So?”

“What?”

“What’s going on with you and Bad Luck?”

Shuichi rolled his eyes. “Don’t. Ask.” Going into the studio the day before had been a nightmare.

“I hear you guys are doing a song for a movie?”

“Yeah.”

Maiko raised an eyebrow at the lack of enthusiasm in her brother’s voice. “And?”

Shuichi shrugged.

Yes, Bad Luck was going to have a track on what they were calling next year’s big summer blockbuster. The movie apparently was a cross between Pretty Woman and Rush Hour. The working title was Who Is It and Bad Luck had been called upon to record the movie’s theme song. As per usual, Suguru wanted absolutely nothing to do with the song or the movie. It had nothing to do with the fact that an “outsider” had written, arranged and produced the track. No his deal this time was that the song was “not their sound”. Whatever that was supposed to mean. Shuichi had a feeling that the problem with his keyboardist had little to do with the music and more to do with his dislike for Shuichi. Being given the opportunity to be on a major movie soundtrack was a very big deal. It was a chance to expand their fan base. Therefore, Suguru should have jumped at the chance. However, he did not. Why? Because Shuichi was all for it. Suguru hated what Shuichi liked and liked what Shuichi hated. It was that plain and simple. Moreover, this continued childish behavior might just be the end of Bad Luck. To say that agreeing to record the song for the movie had been another nail in Bad Luck’s coffin would be an understatement. If Bad Luck were a patient in the hospital, they would be on life support.

Maiko might have sudden clarity in her life, but Shuichi could not say the same.

---TBC---

1. From the manga

Preview: “One Too Many”

A/N: The info about adenoids was found at kidshealth.org and from my own family health history. So, what do you think? Can you guess why Maiko asked her brother about his sexuality?