Transaction

Disclaimer: Opium.

Author’s Notes: I'm so tired, guys. I'm sorry this is up late. I JUST woke up. We all had a late night of Guitar Hero. Again. XD But now I've got it at my house, and I'm setting it up after this so I can rock out, man. Totally. I'm gonna bust out some crazy mad meduim play! Woo!

Anon, thanks again for the review. This should answer your eagerness. YAY!

Kel's still taking a breather from the sequel. And we were getting to a part that I randomly thought of! A little disappointing, but I understand. Also, to answer the questions about BAD LUCK and reporters... um, we're dumb and didn't think of it. Seriously. I guess we figured after two years the hype died down a bit. Now that it's mentioned, it would've made the story ten times more interesting. I feel dumb. Oh well!

Enjoy!
~~~
Transaction

Chapter Fifty-Two
~~~
Haido froze as he heard those words again. Again from the same man he'd been working for the whole last week. Trying to get back into his good graces. Why did he freeze up now? Wasn't this what he had wanted? Really, when he though about it, what had he been working for if not a relationship?

"I...," he stopped. What if this all went downhill from here? What if this ruined the band? What if Keiko decided to kill him!? "I...loveyoutoo."

There. Said and done.


It could have made him angry, but Kenji woke with the same rush of relief he'd felt when he heard it over the phone. That was all he'd needed to hear, because somehow, it settled everything that had been pent up inside him. It didn't matter what Haido had done during sex.

Keiko had definitely proved that to him.

Opening his eyes blearily, Kenji recognized the sound of Kenichi's guitar playing from his television. It took him a moment to realize where he was and what had happened, but when he did, he was smiling.

Haido looked so cute asleep. He wondered how often he'd stayed up over the week.

Their relationship now was something they hadn't made official, and that was fine with Kenji. Haido knew he loved him, and he felt secure with what Haido had said. That was all they needed to know, wasn't it?

He shifted down to rest his head on Haido's chest, one arm wrapping around his waist.

Haido shifted in his sleep as much as his body could. He was in a slightly awkward position. He was aware of a warm weight on top of him, but didn't think on it. He was comfortable with it.

But the loud cheering from the TV woke him up with a slight start. After realizing where he was, he relaxed again, looking down at Kenji' resting on his chest. He smiled, able to feel more comfortable with this when no one else, not even his partner, was aware.

Haido ran a thin hand through the bright red hair, the other rest around Kenji's shoulders. He didn't know why, but he had a hard time with strong feelings. He didn't like the enclosed feelings. The personal space that became invaded with strong feelings.

"Sorry if I'm not everything you want," he said quietly. After all, he was Kenji's first boyfriend. "I'm... going to make a lot of mistakes. I'm an idiot. Just don't sic Keiko on me for it."

He figured that Kenji was asleep, so it was safe to say these things.

Kenji was comfortable, and Haido's hand slipping through his hair was soothing. His eyes shut, blocking out the retreating figure of Kenichi Ito on the screen. The DVD was over, but Kenji wasn't paying any attention to it anymore.

Because Haido was talking to him. Judging by the tone, he wasn't sure Haido knew he was awake.

But he couldn't make himself stay silent. Slowly, he pushed himself up, turning his head to press a kiss to the corner of Haido's mouth. "I won't. I'll make a lot of mistakes, too."

He'd never had a girlfriend, Haido was his first boyfriend... Keiko was really his only friend. He didn't know how to act in a relationship, or even how one worked. He knew he'd end up stepping on Haido's toes a lot, and would probably drive him to the brink of insanity, but Kenji was really going to try.

This had to work out. He had a lot invested in Haido.

His eyes went wide as Kenji sat up and kissed him. Shit, shit, shit. Not good. Haido didn't want Kenji to know the things he'd said! That's why he thought he'd been asleep! Wonderful. Feelings. Gah... squishy ones.

"I... uh, well... the... look, Kenichi's doing that... thing he does," Haido stuttered, not even looking at the TV. Ah, he was hopeless. Seriously, horribly hopeless.

Crap. This was going to end badly. He had a feeling that Kenji was a complete opposite of him. Where as he didn't want all the big feelings out there, Kenji would want them out there. Shit.

It was actually kind of cute. Kenji was smiling, and he didn't glance back at the screen. "Haido, the DVD's playing the menu." Yes, patiently waiting to be turned off, because they'd slept right through the recorded concert.

He really did want Haido to relax. He didn't think admitting their feelings now, after the great big one they'd already managed twice, had to be such a big deal. Haido was so wound up about it, too, and somehow, it wasn't really surprising to Kenji.

Haido didn't exactly seem like the kind of guy to be totally open about the way he felt.

That was okay, though. It would just take some getting used to, right? It wasn't fair to expect everyone to be just like him.

Kenji reached up to brush a small bit of hair back from Haido's face, most of his weight braced on the cushion that seemed dangerously close to falling off the couch. His poor, old, beat up couch. He'd gotten it from his parents when he'd moved out, the same one that had sat in their living room since he was a child.

"I don't want to rush this, okay? I love you." He felt his face heat, a rush of blood to one location. "That's not going to change just because we're going to make mistakes."

He flushed at his mistake about the TV. Damnit. Stupid Kenichi Ito for not playing a longer concert! It wasn't like he didn't want to be open with Kenji. He did. That was good in relationships. At least it was this week. Who knew about next week. He just... bad times. He figured staying in control was to keep oneself in check.

And now Kenji was being cute and blushing like that... shit. Haido wasn't sure what to do. One part of him wanted to be an idiot and grin and hug Kenji. But the other part of him really, really felt like running away and hiding in a small, dark closet.

"Ah... yeah," he said quietly, eyes averted. "I love you too..."

It felt so weird saying that to someone else outside his family again.

So, it hurt a little. Maybe a lot. Kenji was trying really, really hard to be good about it. He knew Haido was awkward, he'd heard it over the phone and whenever they came close to this point. He knew Haido was awkward, and he was trying to give him space.

But it wasn't easy. Especially when Haido wouldn't look at him when he said it.

So, when faced with an uncomfortable situation, what did Kenji revert back to? Music. A safe, easy medium for both of them.

"Have you heard Kotani Kinya's cover of Mr. D? I think I like that version better than Iceman's." Because that was a song written and performed by Kenichi Ito, and it had totally cut Rin out. That wasn't exactly fair, especially not when Rin had such a great voice.

"No, I haven't heard it," Haido said, trying to make the uncomfortable feeling go away. It was hard! Everything was almost new and it was hard to make it happen again. "I thought you loved Iceman... how could a cover compare?"

Right? Kenji loved Iceman? He figured it had to be true... he did have a lot of Iceman CDs. It seemed odd that he would choose a cover over a favorite.

But this was avoiding something big. He was thankful to Kenji for it, but it wasn't right. How was Haido going to work through it if they kept avoiding it, or making excuses?

"Kenji, wait," Haido said, interrupting any answer, shaking his head. He rubbed his eyes briefly. "I'm sorry... I'm not... good with these things. I mean, thank you for switching the subject, but it's not right."

It was unfair to Kenji.

"I don't know what IS right." Kenji was making a face, because he really hated not knowing what he was doing. And this, right here, this had to be the first of his preordained mistakes. It certainly seemed so, and maybe for both of them. "I don't want to make this worse for you."

Because he knew he could be overwhelming. He was everything a Japanese man wasn't supposed to be. He wasn't reserved, he made a point to tell people how he felt, he interrupted conversations and often forgot to apologize, he made it too obvious when he didn't like something or someone, and, well...

He was gay. There would be no continuation of the Sonoda family, and that was against everything he'd heard since childhood.

Sighing, he flopped back onto the couch, looking up at Haido from where his head had hit the cushion. "What do you want me to do?" Because he'd do it if he could.

Now that was a tough question. What did he want Kenji to do? Well... there were some various ways to answer that, but mind out of the gutter it was a little more difficult. He didn't want to restrict Kenji. That wasn't how he wanted the other man. But he didn't want to hurt him. It seemed all too much like Kenji might end up another number added to the relationships, Haido'd killed before.

He wormed his way across the couch and over to Kenji. He didn't want the other man mad at him. Not so soon! Gods, what a new record that would be. But, he wanted this smoothed over so they could stand a chance.

"I want you to be you, Kenji," Haido said, easing up to the other man, laying on top of him, practically. "And I'm sorry if I hurt you... I'm trying. Really, I'm trying. It's hard though."

Kenji brought his arms up to wrap around Haido's waist. He was still making his, "I'm not happy with myself," face, but it was distinctly softened now. Finally, he sighed again, the frown in his unhappy face deepening.

Maybe it would have been better if he'd stayed 'asleep.'

"I know it's hard, but I don't think you should be the only one who’s trying." He was trying, too. He was trying not to be so sensitive about it. "You don't have to say it back every time I do." The frown slipped away, and Kenji felt himself give a little smile. "You'll never stop saying it if you do."

He was a very affectionate boy. There was nothing he could do to change that. He was the kind of person to make his lover a bad lunch and leave them a note apologizing profusely, even though it was all in the thought.

"See?" Haido said, looking up at Kenji. "That's what you want though... and it- I mean..."

It scared him. Having a relationship was one thing, but when strong emotions got involved, it was scary! Because then there was moving in together, then living together for a long period of time and then huge fights, arguing over who gets the cat...

Maybe he was getting ahead of himself just a bit here...

The smile was gone, and Kenji's frown was back, but it wasn't the same as the last one. He was looking distinctly displeased, and he made it clear by flicking Haido hard in the side. He didn't want to hit him because hitting seemed a little too Keiko-esque.

"Stop, okay? I want you to be you, and if being you is going to take some time so you can get used to this, then take the time. I promise I won't get like... depressed or something if it takes us a little while to be comfortable together."

Nothing was perfect when it started out. Opium hadn't been. Not at all, and then they'd added Haido, and things had gotten better.

Kenji's eyes widened just enough to be noticeable.

Oh, fuck. The band! After everything, he couldn't let them down now. "What day is it?" He thought their earlier conversation had reached a suitable enough point to change the subject.

He really hoped Haido understood what he meant.

Haido blinked, taken by surprise as Kenji switched topics again.

"Um...,"he thought for a second. "Thursday? Thursday."

Yep, Thursday. One more day until Friday, which meant the weekend was coming up! No more work, time to relax...

"Shit! The band! Work! Taki!" Haido said, pushing himself up over Kenji on his hands. "You! Damnit. We can worry about this later. Keiko'll kill both of us if she goes into work and finds out Opium isn't together anymore because we forgot!"

He scrambled off the couch, reaching for his keys on the table.

"Shoes. Car. Now."

Oh, they were so screwed! Damnit!

She would kill them, and Kenji thought it was pretty bad that he thought Haido ordering him around like that was hot. He had no time for that! There was no time at all! Thursday. God, how could they have forgotten?

Kenji wanted to hit himself.

Ooh, and WHERE were his shoes?

Fuck it! He had different shoes, and this was so much of an emergency, he didn't care if they gave him blisters. This was his band (yes, HIS. He made it, but he didn't want to be the one to let it fall apart), his life, he couldn't let that all go just because he'd forgotten.

This wasn't like homework. He couldn't turn it in late.

He was off the couch before he realized it, pushing his feet into the first shoes that he recognized as his. He didn't pull the old, fraying sweater over his head. In fact, he wasn't thinking about it, he was already back at the table, barely taking the time to shut off the TV.

"Let's go!"

Haido rushed over to the door, stumbling to yank his shoes on, nearly falling over himself to get out the door. It wasn't like they wouldn't be in late, but the rush was still there and the blood and adrenaline was pumping. No need to stop now.

Pulling open the door, he pulled Kenji along with him and out to his car. That took a second (he forgot to hit unlock and pulled the handle, cursing for a bit) but soon they were in the car.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit," Haido muttered, hitting the steering wheel each time as they were stuck at a red light. "I can't believe this... how could we forget that we have a band!?"

"Stupidity." Kenji nodded as he said it, because he could already hear Keiko yelling at them. And they weren't even there yet! He knew they were safe until tomorrow, though, because Keiko was probably at home, asleep and hung over.

Well, maybe not hung over, but definitely asleep.

And he knew that they had no time for this, and there really was no cause, but he couldn't help but think it. Haido was sooooooooo attractive when he was angry and just a little bit aggressive. Kenji would have reached over to let him know if the light hadn't changed just after he'd spoken.

Haido pressed the gas pedal down, never easing up as they wove their way between cars on the road. It was the worst time to be driving. The traffic was horrible, and he though he knew he didn't need to rush, he had an urge to do so.

"Stupidity... yeah, that sounds right," he muttered, making the turn into the parking lot of N-G. "Damnit... parking all the way in the back. Shit."

He had to slow down, cruising through the lines of cars, eventually finding a spot to park.

"Out." he said, pulling the keys from the ignition, unfastening the seatbelt and climbing out of the car.

Ooh, and there Haido went with the orders again. It really wasn't fair, not at all, that Haido could be that tempting when they had the threat of losing everything hanging over their heads. Kenji bit at his lip as he got out of the car, shutting the door behind him.

His hands slipped into the pocket of his sweater and he realized belatedly that he had done something he had resolved years ago never to do. It wasn't necessarily something that made sense, but he never wore his sweaters out of his apartment.

Dammit.

He didn't take Haido's hand as they walked toward the building, because he wasn't sure if Haido's mood would allow it. Kenji was a hand holding guy, but he had a good sense of self preservation. At least, when it was important.

Haido was a bit too focused on the many issues they were having with their jobs to really pay close attention to Kenji. Otherwise he would've realized he was wearing the sweater. Keiko told him he never wore them outside his place. He would've noticed how strangely quiet Kenji was being as well. Not quiet, but... odd.

"One of them had better be here still," he said, talking to no one in particular. "This is insane. We're complete idiots. Jeeze."

Raking his hands through his hair, he held the door open for Kenji, following quickly after. Straight to the elevator. He hit the up button. Nothing. He didn't even hear a ding for any floors above it. Leaning close to the doors, he listened. Damnit!

"You've got to be kidding me! The elevator's out!" Haido said, feeling very, very frustrated. "Come on. Stairs."

He grabbed Kenji's arm and stalked off towards the stairs.

He shouldn't have been thinking that if this was all it took to get Haido so flustered and demanding, they needed to hold off on deadlines more often. Kenji let Haido pull him up the stairs, up so many flights it felt as if his legs were going to fall off.

Damn this building! And damn Taki and Tohma for having offices on the top floor!

They were reaching the floor that held Taki's office, and dimly, Kenji heard the elevator sound. His eyes widened, then narrowed dramatically, because he'd just been forced up countless stairs, and the elevator was WORKING?

What kind of bullshit was that?

When they rounded the corner, Kenji was suddenly very aware that they'd just found something they weren't supposed to. Taki was leaning heavily against Tohma, the obviousness of what they'd been doing glaring at them through dark, tired eyes.
~~~
Author's Notes: Ahahaha! We were laughing so hard when the end of this scene came up. I mean, seriously, what the hell do you do when you just see this? Alright, time for some GH. ROCK ON PEOPLE!

Drop us a line.

~Subby