Transaction

Disclaimer: Wooo!

Author’s Notes: Look! A second update! Wowie! Okay, the reason for this is because I can officially say that I have finished editing every chapter left in the story. That's right folks, it's all smooth sailing from here and I can upload as I please! I kinda want to do it all at once to end it, but, I won't.

Alright, so last chapter we saw Haido and Kenji break the rushed news to Keiko and that ended bittersweet. In this chapter we foreshadow things to come with the first day back at work for the band.

Enjoy!
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Transaction
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Chapter Fifty-Five
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Yawning quietly, Haido stretched in bed next to Kenji, rolling to his side, arm draping over the man next to him. He pulled up close pressed his bare chest to Kenji's bare back, nose resting at the base of his lover's neck, nuzzling it. He could get used to mornings like this.

But it was morning, and if his internal clock had anything to say, it was six in the morning. His usual time.

"Wake up, Kenji," Haido said, patting his thigh fairly hard before rolling off the bed. "We've got about an hour to be at work."

He made his way to the bathroom (having to search around for a towel before hand) and showered quickly. Dressing in just a towel he started a pot of coffee for Kenji, and went back into the bedroom.

"C'mon. You've got just enough time for a quick shower and some coffee before we go," he said, bouncing back onto the bed, making Kenji's sleeping form bounce.

He could smell soap, and that was weird. It was a clean, fresh smell, warm and inviting. Kenji sighed in his sleep, groaning when his body bounced.

What the hell?

Cracking open tired eyes, he looked up at Haido's face. "I don' wanna go..." He mumbled, rolling over and burying his face in the pillow. Sleep. Sleep was gooood...

Waking up was bad. Shower was bad. Even coffee was bad.

Sleep.

Mmm...

"You know I can't lift you, so I will drag you off this bed and into a cold shower if I have to," Haido threatened, removing the towel from his waist and drying himself completely with it as he sat on the edge of the bed. "It's our first day back. We have five days to finish, and I don't think Taki would put in a good word for us if we didn't finish by Wednesday."

He got up, tossing his damp towel over Kenji's head for the humor of it. If he wasn't up soon, Haido was breaking out the ice cubes and Kenji would only have time for a cup of coffee. He wouldn't be late. He liked not being hit by Keiko.

Not thinking ahead (for once) Haido hadn't brought his own clothes, so he'd be borrowing a few from Kenji. His clothing style was really different from Kenji's. It was a little worrisome. He pulled a long sleeve button-up from the closet, rolling the sleeves up to the elbows and pulled his own pants back on. His t-shirt had been used to kinda sorta clean up the mess last night a little bit.

"UP KENJI!" Haido bellowed before leaving the room, leaving the shirt unbuttoned for now.

Groaning loudly, Kenji grabbed both the towel and his pillow and threw them at the door. See? He was good. He only threw soft things.

He forced himself from the bed and stumbled toward the shower. He felt covered from head to foot in dried gunk, and he knew that in a sense, he was. It was almost a relief to get into the shower, and Kenji knew that if he leaned against the wall long enough, he'd fall asleep again.

Forcing himself to grab the soap, starting to clean his body. It took him a long time, and he realized as he was washing his hair that he needed to redye it. Soon. There was too much red dye going down the drain for his tastes.

It was a good sign if he was awake enough to think about his hair.

Drying off quickly, Kenji pulled a brush through his hair, just to get the knots out from rubbing the water out. It caught and tugged, but he grit his teeth and suffered through it. It was nothing compared to everything else he endured.

Which reminded him.

He needed to change the sheets.

Later, though. Right now, he needed to concentrate on zipping up his pants without hurting himself. That would be a bad, bad way to start the morning. He was tugging an almost see-through tank top over his head as he padded out into the living room, then to the kitchen.

He could smell coffee.

"About damn time," Haido said, pouring out himself a cup of coffee, and then one for Kenji. He set both mugs on the table and looked at Kenji. Took him in for the first time this morning.

"You look like a whore," he said simply, taking his seat and blowing on his coffee as he waited for Kenji to take his seat. After all, in pants that tight and an almost see through top for regular everyday wear, while looking thoroughly worn through? Yep. That had 'whore' written all across it.

He tugged at the shirt he'd borrow. It was a little clingy. Even for his frame.

"Why do you wear such form fitting clothes, if I may ask," he said, sipping the coffee.

Too tired to get worked up, Kenji shot Haido a weak glare as he took the mug closest to him. He didn't answer until after he'd taken a drink, burning the roof of his mouth.

In his defense, he was going to put another shirt over the tank top. He was hardly going to wander around Tokyo at six thirty in the morning wearing only a thin shirt and tight pants.

Shrugging with one shoulder, he stifled a yawn. "Because I can."

It sounded too petty to say "Because my parents hate it," even in his head.

"Uh-huh," Haido said with a raised eyebrow and a short nod of the head. Eh, why did he wear clothes that hid his body? To each their own. They didn't have to just blurt everything about each other right away.

"Thanks for letting me stay over last night," he said, blowing on the coffee before sipping again. "And... I'm sorry if Keiko works you over pretty bad for a while. It really is my fault."

If he hadn't been an idiot earlier.

"But, I know it doesn't account for now."

Reaching across the table, Kenji flicked Haido in the forehead. Then he settled back, both hands on his mug. "It was not." He'd stick stubbornly with that until he forgot what they were arguing about, and considering their day...

It wouldn't be any time soon.

He started to drink his coffee as if it would disappear if he left it alone for too long. Then he was getting up, pouring the third cup of the pot. Normally, he could get four out of one, and he was counting on that now. He needed the caffeine.

Haido winced as he was flicked, crossing his eyes to look up at where he'd been hit, as if he could check it. It made him dizzy. Personally, coffee didn't do much for him. It was just something hot to drink in the mornings.

"You'd better hurry up with that, Kenji," Haido warned lightly, only halfway through with his first cup. Which was fine. He didn't plan on finishing it to begin with. "Traffic might hold us back a bit anyways."

Setting the mug down on the table, he proceed to button up the shirt he'd borrowed, leaving the two top ones undone. Button ups always felt constricting. Especially around the neck.

Kenji watched Haido button the shirt as he downed the second cup of coffee. It was dark, and Kenji liked the way it looked against Haido's skin. He liked it a lot.

Setting his empty mug back down in the sink, he stole (yes, stole. Once he was awake, he was quite a morning person) a quick kiss from Haido. "I'll be ready in a minute." He was smiling when he left the table, small and smug.

It was going to be a good day. He didn't care how late they worked, because it would be worth it just to watch Haido in that shirt.

Reaching into his closet when he reached his bedroom, Kenji pulled on a white button up shirt that he had no intention of buttoning. The sleeves were already rolled up because Kenji had no concept of unrolling them when he washed them.

Next were the socks, and the jacket that went over his shirts. His hair was already drying, covering his left eye the way it always did. That was good, because Kenji really hated going outside with wet hair.

When he left the bedroom again, he pulled the door closed behind him and went straight for his shoes.

Haido blinked, watching Kenji walk off. Kenji tasted like strong coffee. Haido added a little milk to his early in the mornings. Licking his lips, tip of his tongue barely peeking out, as if he were trying to hide the motion, he got up and emptied the rest of his coffee into the sink, rinsing out the mug and leaving it.

He heard the bedroom door shut, checked the time and met Kenji at the door, slipping on his shoes. Looking over Kenji's new attire, he smiled. Kenji could make anything look good, he was sure of it.

Once the shoes were on, he patted his pockets until he heard a familiar muffled jingle and pulled his keys out, looking over Kenji again as he opened the door for him. There was just attractive about him. Maybe it was the fact that he wasn't talking at the moment...

Haido followed him out the door and caught him in a hug from behind. Letting go, he took Kenji's hand in his and held it until they got to the car.

The hug made him smile, warm even though the air they'd just stepped into was cold. Kenji gave Haido's hand a light squeeze before he let go, moving around to the passenger side as Haido unlocked it.

When he got in, he swore he could see his breath. It wasn't even light outside yet! God, mornings were so disgusting sometimes. He would have gone back to sleep if he hadn't tried to drown himself in two cups of coffee.

"Oooh, if Keiko's not there when we get there, I'm going to her house and jumping on her..." Because it was so much more fun then telling her he'd broken something. He wanted to do something new.

"I think she'd put you through a wall," Haido said, turn the ignition, engine purring and a blast of cool air from the vents. "Ooo, I hate that." He messed with it a bit and let the cold ride out into the heat it was supposed to be on.

He backed out of the spot and drove out of the lot and onto the road down to N-G. He turned the radio on and it babbled softly. Something about the whether. Eh. But he didn't change it.

"Why don't you just try calling her like a normal person?" he asked, rolling up to a stop sign, looking and turning. Not that he minded. He wasn't getting beat. And, Kenji was cute as a whacko.

"Because..." Kenji rolled his eyes, reaching to change the radio station. He changed it until there was something with music. It sounded a lot like T.M. Revolution, but Kenji wasn't paying that close of attention. "She doesn't wake up to her phone anymore."

He'd done that for the first three years. By fifteen, he'd realized there were so many more ways to wake a person up, and they were soooo much more fun.

He'd always been more interested in fun than formality. It was hard to think formal. It was all straight edges, but if everything had a straight edge, there would be nothing interesting in the world.

"I can just imagine how she's going to repay you for all your wake up calls," he said dryly, pulling into the N-G parking lot. "And for once, we're early. Five minutes. So, we should get to the studio on time."

Parking the car, he shut it off, unfastening his seatbelt and climbing out, locking the car right after Kenji got out. He walked through the door after Kenji and when they stopped in front of the elevator, Haido felt laughter bubbling up.

"Think we should risk it?"

Making a face at Haido, Kenji reached out and pushed the 'up' button to call an elevator from above them. He could hear it coming down, and even in the hushed early morning activity, the ding as the doors opened seemed loud.

Kenji looked inside before he stepped into it, eyeing the walls and corners critically. "I'm not going to touch anything. I think maybe I'll be safe that way."

He nodded, as if it were genius. But he seriously wouldn't touch anything. He'd stand right in the middle and hold onto Haido if he started to fall. That sounded like the best idea he'd had since keeping Haido for the night.

Haido shook his head and hit their floor button.

"Hey, what if one of them was pressed up against the buttons?" he asked teasingly, trying to gross Kenji out. "Ooo... do think the buttons were imprinted on their back?"

He reached out towards Kenji with the hand he'd pressed the button with. Ew, think of all the fluidy germs on just one possible button!

"Think of all the germs!"

"Ewww..." Kenji took a step back, inches from a wall. "I bet that was really uncomfortable for Taki." And even MORE ew! He could tell Taki had been on the bottom, but he really, really didn't want to think about it.

From now on, he'd take the stairs. At least until he knew the elevators had been cleaned. This was so gross.

It still smelled like sex, but it was stale. That was icky. Icky, icky, icky. Kenji could tell he was going to have a hard time looking at Taki and Tohma today.

"Kenji...," Haido said, pouting through fallen strands of hair as he let his hand fall. "You're too far away..."

He grabbed Kenji's hips, pulling their bodies together and let his arms slip around his waist and hook together loosely. He was smiling up at Kenji now.

"Better," he said, leaning up to kiss him. "You need to relax sometimes too."

It almost made Kenji laugh. Haido was telling HIM to relax? They had to have this backwards, but he thought it was cute. His arms slipped around Haido's body, and he leaned down to get his kiss.

Relaxed... He was relaxed! Especially now that Haido was wrapped around him. He was going to protest that he was relaxed, too, but he wanted the kiss.

Haido wasn't usually this affectionate. Leftovers from the night before? Maybe, but Kenji didn't want to question and ruin the moment.

Maybe it was last night. Maybe it was just because Kenji was so damn cute sometimes! Maybe because he realized there was no reason to run away from this, even in public. Whatever it was, he didn't let go of Kenji, even as the elevator hit their floor and opened up.

"Is this the sex area or something from now on?" a dry voice asked. You could almost hear the eyes rolling.

Haido turned his head and saw Keiko standing in front to the open elevator, one arm out to keep it open.

"How'd you find out about that?" Haido asked, not moving.

"People talk." she said simply. "C'mon. Tohma's waiting."

Kenji took a small step back out of Haido's arms, but wrapped one tightly around Haido's shoulders, because his waist was too far down to be comfortable. "Where's Taki?" Because normally, Taki was the one waiting, tapping his foot impatiently.

Tohma didn't seem that easy to ruffle. Not that Kenji had been trying.

Guiding Haido from the elevator, Kenji wasn't at all perturbed by what Keiko had caught them doing. It was just a kiss, and he was with Haido now. Really, it was better they'd only been caught kissing instead of removing clothes.

Like before. Thinking about that still made Kenji blush.

"Not in today," Keiko said, walking with them down the hall. "Tohma's here in his place and he's already told me that he's going to work us just as hard as if Taki were here, but less dramatic. And he said not to mention to Taki about the dramatic comment."

She had no idea what was going on, but it seemed like she just woke up one day and now everyone around her was gay! Keiko sighed, shaking her head.

"Well, I guess they're not hiding much, huh?" Haido asked, looking up at Kenji. It was... interesting to say the least.

"I guess not." Kenji shrugged, slowing a little as they approached the studio door. Was he sure he wanted to do this? Yes... he was sure, but he didn't think he was entirely ready for it. "I mean, we already knew about Taki. And Tohma, just... look at him!"

The day he'd worn a purple suit and a green tie was quite enough proof for Kenji. It just screamed queer. And the voice, and the hands, and the face...

Tohma was probably every gay adolescents’ biggest wet dream.

And that was kind of creepy.

But the suit was done tastefully so, as was everything else in his life. He liked colors. And Tohma hated the business world's lack of comfort when he had entered it. So, he had made his own style, he wore it confidently, and he knew that while he did looked gay, he looked good too.

"Hey, Kenji," Haido said, trying to snap his mind off of Tohma. "How about you stop watching the gay boss and watch the gay boyfriend?"

Hm. Go figure. Out of all the places he might have to try and keep Kenji's attention, it would be at work. Damn.

"Guys, let's go in. We have a lot of work to do," Keiko said, entering the room.

The grin on Kenji's face proved how hard he was trying not to laugh. He wasn't laughing AT Haido, but he thought the indignance was just so cute. If they didn't have to work, he would have suggested they go back to the car so he could prove to Haido just how much he really did watch him.

Instead, once Keiko had disappeared into the studio, Kenji leaned down to get another kiss. This one wasn't nearly as thorough as the kiss in the elevator, but it still got the point through. "I always watch you. It was watching you that got me into this mess."

But he was still smiling. He didn't think their relationship was a mess at all.

"Now, come on. Work!" And such a change of pace! He'd never had to remind Haido about work before.

Haido followed Kenji into the studio. Tohma was there talking with Keiko, but he looked dull. Bored even. Well, what was to be expected? His lover was stuck at home and he had to work this band all by himself. That in itself wasn't the issue, but the fact that he would probably be doing overtime instead of leaving early was. Maybe he could take an extended lunch?

"Ah, the other two have arrived," Tohma said, turning in his chair to look at them as they came in.

"Good morning," Haido said with a nod.

"Can we get started yet?" Keiko asked, child-like.

"If these two are ready to work, of course we can," Tohma said with a small smile.

Two cups of coffee in him, kisses from Haido, and no bruises? Hell yes, Kenji was ready to work. Really, it might just be a great day. Especially since there was no Taki to yell at them for goofing off!

It didn't occur to him that Tohma might be worse.
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Author's Notes: Aw, seems like it's going good so far, right? Coffee, kisses and no pain and especially no Taki? What could possibly go wrong?

Find out later!

~Subby