On the Street of Dreams

Chapter summary: Irritated, Shuichi growled and banged the bottle against his leg. He used his nails and tried to pry the top off, but like his other attempts, it failed. He clutched the bottle tightly, his knuckles turning white and growled, sobbing in frustration.

***

Discovering His Identity


By the time Shuichi made it back to his “father’s” house, it was nearly three o’clock in the afternoon. If he was remembering correctly, Bad Luck was scheduled to meet with Mr. Matsusaki at six-thirty in his offices at Entertainment Records. He had no idea where their headquarters was located, or what to expect.

Shuichi stood on the front stoop, staring blankly at the door. For the life of him, he could not make his feet move. The last thing he wanted was to go into that house. Neither of his parents would be home yet, but that was hardly the point. The place just had too many memories and none of them good.

Sighing, he leaned his head back, steeling himself.

Shuichi had to fight the urge to reach into his bag for his pills as a heavy weight settled in the pit of his stomach. Suddenly feeling uncomfortably warm, he took deep even breathes to dispel the rising nausea and lightheadedness. As his head began spinning, Shuichi grabbed the doorframe with trembling hands to keep from falling over. Closing his eyes, he bowed his head, panting heavily.

Behind him, a silver Trailblazer pulled up. Out of the car stepped two men. The first one was nearly six-feet tall with unruly dark hair and eyes. He was wearing jeans and a black shirt. His passenger stood on the other side of the truck and smiled. This man, who was no more than five-foot-four, had a black Stetson over brown shoulder length hair. His sparkling brown eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses, but his lithe toned body was shown off by his tight jeans and white shirt. Together, they watched the boy on the front porch.

Ryuichi felt like a heavy weight had been lifted when he saw his brother. Tension he had not known he was carrying vanished. Tatsuha thought he was an idiot, and had no qualms with saying so on a regular basis, for worrying about Shuichi so much, but Ryuichi did not care. So, he was a tad overprotective of his baby Shu-shu. So what? Someone had to be.

A frown crossed the older singer’s face as he took in the wrinkled, rumbled clothes and disheveled hair. Was Shuichi just getting home? Just where the hell had he been all night?

Rounding the car, he laid a hand on Tatsuha’s arm and strode towards the house. “Shuichi,” he called softly.

The teen gasped and jumped. Spinning around, a hand over his racing heart, he stared blankly at the man, standing before him.

Ryuichi blinked at his brother, frowning. Shuichi was pale and breathing heavily. He looked at the hand on his brothers chest was trembling. He also saw a thin layer of sweat on Shuichi’s upper lip and brow despite the cool spring day. What was wrong with him? Was he sick?

Shuichi blinked stupidly, his mind unable to process what his eyes fed it. Slowly, the pieces started to come together. “R-Ryu,” he breathed.

Ryuichi stepped towards his brother with a forced grin and nodded. “Yes, Shuichi.”

His brother! His brother was home! Tears blurring his vision, Shuichi flung himself at his brother with a sob. “I’m so glad your home!”

Ryuichi hugged his little brother tightly as the boy clung to him. “Me, too, Shu-shu. Me, too.” Ryuichi glanced at his boyfriend over his shoulder, a small smile on his face.

Tatsuha smiled back, elated at the sight before him.

“Ya know,” Ryuichi said to the human leech wrapped around his waist. “I saw your concert last night and I though you guys were great.”

Shuichi lifted a tear and snot covered face with a gasp. He stared at his brother wide eyes. “Y-you did?”

Ryuichi nodded, grinning. He felt a surge of pride for his little brother. “Uh, huh! We took an earlier flight home just so we could come check you out. I even know you won that contract with Entertainment Records.” He pouted. “I wanted to come see you afterwards, but Tohma said it would be a bad idea.”

Shuichi giggled and wiped his face with the sleeve of his large button down shirt, shaking his head. “It’s okay, Ryu,” he admitted, smiling happily. Stepping back, he grinned at his brother. Suddenly he felt a lot better than he had mere moments ago. “So, you really thought we were good? What did you think of the song? Did you like it? And what about the Mad Doggs and that other band, whatever they were called? Did you like them? I thought they were okay, but-“

“You guys were the best band there hands down,” Ryu assured his brother.

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Now, come on. Let’s get you cleaned up. Tohma wants us to be at Club Bokki at four and it’s twenty to, now.”

Shuichi cocked his head, his brows drawn together in confusion. “Club Bokki? Isn’t that-“

“A gay nightclub, yes.” Ryuichi studied his brother closely. “And how would you know that?”

A reddish tint colored Shuichi’s face. He bit back a grin threatening to split his face wide open and turned away, clearing his throat. “Why does Tohma want to see us?” he asked, changing the subject.

Determined not to let the subject drop, Ryuichi filed it away for later and shrugged. “C’mon, Tatsu. I’ll make some tea.” Ryuichi led them both to the house. “I have no idea why Tohma wants to see us,” he told his brother as he unlocked the front door. “All I know is that he called me this afternoon and said to ‘gather the troops’.”

As Shuichi chucked off his shoes and put on his house slippers, he asked his brother what that was supposed to mean. It made Tohma sound like a General, or Commander and Chief of the Armed Forces.

“I’m assuming you, Hiro and Fujisaki, plus me and Noriko.”

“Why?” Tatsuha asked his boyfriend as he followed the man towards the kitchen. “You guys just got off tour last night. Couldn’t he give you at least one day to rest before he calls a war council?”

“Who knows why Tohma does the things he does. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

As Shuichi headed up the stairs towards the bathroom, he wondered what General Seguchi wanted and hoped that whatever it was, the man made it fast because Bad Luck had a meeting they had to get to.

*

After a shower and a fresh change of clothes- those being a pair of tight black leather pants, a short sleeved white silk button down shirt and his ankle boots- Shuichi found himself in the backseat of Tatsuha’s truck.

The whole time he had been in that house, a dark gloomy cloud seemed to hover over him, slowly sucking the life out of him, but as soon as he stepped onto the sidewalk, it was like seeing the clouds part to show a beautiful rainbow after a rainstorm. Herald angels sang and trumpets trumpeted in jubilee. It may sound a bit excessive but that was how Shuichi felt. It made him feel like jumping to his feet and shouting, “Ahalleluiah!” It was no wonder most nights he arranged to sleep elsewhere.

Shuichi shifted his small shoulder bag and studied his brother’s boyfriend’s profile as he drove through the early evening traffic that clogged Kyoto. Tatsuha’s dark hair and eyes were replaced with dark blond hair and golden eyes in Shuichi’s mind. Tatsuha really did look like the gorgeous writer from last night. Maybe that was why the guy seemed so familiar, because he reminded him of Tatsuha. “Um, Tatsuha?” Shuichi asked the driver timidly.

Tatsuha stopped at a red light and glanced at the boy briefly before turning his attention to the stoplight. “What?”

“Um, do you…do you have a brother by chance?”

With a quirked eyebrow, Tatsuha studied Shuichi in the rearview mirror. The boy’s face was pink and he avoided looking at him. He wondered…

“Yeah, I do. I thought I told you about him.”

Ryuichi touched his lover’s knees and pointed out the windshield. The light had change.

Tatsuha blasted through the intersection. “He’s a romance writer of all things,” Tatsuha continued with a roll of his eyes.

Shuichi’s eyes flashed in recognition. His heart started pounding in his chest. “Does he look like you?” he asked.

“Identical.”

“They’re twins,” Ryuichi supplied. He turned in his seat as far as the seatbelt would let him. “Eiri’s like the negative image of Tatsu, like the albino of the Uesugi clan.”

Tatsuha slapped Ryuichi’s arm and mock glared at him. Ryuichi laughed and looked innocently at his boyfriend.

“Eiri,” Shuichi repeated softly. He like the way it sounded. He could not help a blush that colored his face as he remembered the events of the night before. He wondered what the man was doing right now. Was he thinking about him?

“Yep. Blond hair, light eyes and pale skin. He smokes, drinks, is a fully trained monk, hates my father, stays locked in his apartment and writes trashy dime store novels that every female in the country eats up and is a cold bastard that would rather slit his own throat then show any sort of emotion to anyone.”

As they slowed down and Tatsuha pulled into an empty spot along the curb in front of the club, Shuichi could not stop a smile that lit his face as he thought about his lover.

Eiri Uesugi.

According to Tatsuha, the man was supposed to be cold and distance, a recluse, but the Eiri he knew was totally different. The man had been sweet, gentle and kind. They stayed up all night making love and Eiri had been like an antique dealer going over a fine period piece. Shuichi felt like a princess whose prince had come to rescue her.

He thought he was never again going to see the mysterious writer, who in one night, seemed to have somehow stolen his heart, but if he was Tatsuha’s brothers, then maybe…

Wait a minute! Ryuichi said that Eiri and Tatsuha were twins, right? That meant that…

“Tatsuha?” Shuichi asked as the three of them walked through a red steel door and down a narrow, gloomy staircase. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-two, why?”

Shuichi stumbled, nearing falling down the stairs, but caught himself, saving himself from a dangerous drop. Twenty-two? He felt his heart drop. His face fell. “No reason,” he lied. Eiri was Tatsuha’s twin brother which meant that the writer was also…six years his senior.

Standing in the middle of the deserted gay nightclub, Tatsuha and Ryuichi glanced questioningly at each other then at the boy.

Shuichi looked like he had just heard his best friend died. That was exactly how he felt, too. According to the law, he was still technically a minor and Eiri could get in big trouble if it became known that he slept with a “child that was unable to think clearly and make rational decisions for him/herself”. He did not want to get Eiri into any trouble. The writer was one of the nicest people Shuichi ever met. He was not all jumpy, hyper and overtly familiar like his fans. He was not cold and detached like his parents and even his younger sister. Eiri was not like his friends who seemed to either be overtly protective or put up with his crap just because they were friends. No, Eiri treated him like a person, an actual to God person and Shuichi liked that.

Eiri’s face popped into his mind. He remembered those strong, powerful hands touching him, caressing him with gentleness and expertise, those broad, muscular shoulders rising above him, the taste and smell of tobacco on his soft lips, the powerful thrust of his manhood as it slid into him repeatedly. He could remember Eiri’s deep guttural groans and cries as he climaxed.

Shuichi’s breath hitched and tears filled his eyes.

He wanted to see Eiri again, wanted to feel safe within those strong arms as they wrapped around him and hugged him tightly. Just to be in the same room as him, to be enveloped in his musky cologne was enough, but it would never be. Their one night had to remain just that, one night; otherwise, Eiri would be arrested for statutory rape. Shuichi would never be able to forgive himself if that happened.

Ryu stepped forward and laid a hand on his brother’s shoulder, a frown on his face. “Shuichi?”

Shuichi jumped, startled out of his thoughts. “Huh?”

“Are you alright? Do you want to talk about it?”

The boy forced a smile onto his face and shuffled his thoughts aside. “I’m fine, Ryu. Really.”

“Shu-“

“Excuse me,” Shuichi interrupted his brother, his voice tight. “I have to use the bathroom.”

Ryuichi was left to stare after his younger brother in confusion. “What…?” He glanced at Tatsuha in confusion. Something was definitely going on with that kid.

Tatsuha watched the pink haired boy vanish into the bathroom. He had a feeling he knew what was going on. If he was right, things could get a bit complicated.

*

Shuichi slammed into the bathroom and fled into the first stall he saw. Locking the door behind him, he sat on the toilet and pulled his tan bag onto his lap. He held off as long as he could, but these emotions were killing him! He needed the bad feelings to go away. He needed to be happy and smile and laugh. He could not be pouty and sad and crying over a lost love. No, not tonight.

Panting heavily, he opened his bag with shaking hands and fumbled through all the crap he had until he found the white bottle of pills. Sobbing, Shuichi fumbled with the cap. Forgetting he had to press it down and twist, he jerked at it, pulling and tugging. Irritated, Shuichi growled and banged the bottle against his leg. He used his nails and tried to pry the top off, but like his other attempts, it failed. He clutched the bottle tightly, his knuckles turning white and growled, sobbing in frustration.

One last time, he tried to get the cap off, but could not. Gritting his teeth, he sobbed his impatience and annoyance.

“Goddamn piece of crap!”

He whipped the bottle into the stall door. It hit with a loud clatter and bounced off. Huffing, his hands fisted, Shuichi watched angrily as the pill bottle rattled to the floor and rolled out of the stall, vanishing from view.

Panting, his anger boiling, Shuichi glared at the spot where the bottle disappeared. As quickly as the temper tantrum appeared, it vanished. He was left feeling drained and exhausted.

Tears filled his eyes and his jaw trembled as a sob echoed in the red and black tiled bathroom. Dropping his head, he buried his face in his hands and sobbed. His lithe frame shook as he cried.

*

Shuichi had no idea how long he sat on the toilet bawling his eyes out like a baby. By the time he was able to get hold of himself, he felt physically, mentally and emotionally drained. All he wanted to do was go home and sleep.

Unlocking the stall door, he walked over to the sinks and splashed some cold water onto his face. Gripping the edge of the sink, he hung his head down, letting the water drip off his face. He lifted his head and stared at his reflection. His eyes were puffy and bloodshot. His face was red and splotchy.

Sighing, he stood up and jumped in fright as a loud knock startled him back to reality. A hand over a rapidly beating heart, Shuichi sighed deeply as the door to the bathroom swung open. A genuine smile brightened his face as a familiar head poked inside.

“Hey,” greeted the long haired guitarist with a smile.

“Hey, Hiro,” Shuichi said as his gathered his wits. He pushed away from the sink and walked towards the paper towel dispenser on the wall.

Hiro pushed open the door and leaned against it, crossing his arms over his chest. “Are you okay?”

Turning his back to his friend, Shuichi’s smile slipped, replaced by a frown as he tore some paper towels out of the wall mount. Patting his face dry, Shuichi forced a chuckle. “Ryu sent you, huh?”

“Yeah,” Hiro admitted, scratching his head. “He’s worried about you.”

Shuichi nodded. “Well, he doesn’t need to be. I’m fine.” Crumbling the paper towels, he tossed them in the trash and strode confidently out of the bathroom, a fake smile on his face. "C’mon! Let’s go see what General Seguchi wants.”

Hiro watched his friend with a frown as he practically skipped out across the empty dance floor and up the center staircase towards one of the VIP rooms near the DJ booth. Pushing away from the door, the guitarist sighed. As he turned, something out of the corner of his eyes caught his attention. Curious, he walked into the bathroom and picked it up. It was a plain, white pill bottle. Hiro glanced at the closet bathroom door with a frown.

“What have you gotten yourself into, Shuichi?”

***