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Takuma pov :

From the moment we started filming our new music video , my eyes have been doing nothing but watching closely . Two directions ..

Kaname and the girl , then Zero's reaction . I have to admit , he was damn good at hiding his emotions .

No one other than us knew about Kaname and Zero's relationship , likewise , no one other than us , Toxic , knew about each other's lovelife .

We have all agreed to keep our love a secret ever since we found out about it .
Senri and I .
Akatsuki and Hanabusa .

Finally , the unstable couple , Kaname and Zero.

They are not currently in speaking terms and there's barely a thin line separating them from breaking up . I'm not talking about a lovers' quarrel , I'm talking about a serious break up.

Right now for example , the main lead in our new music video - Kaname - had the female lead hovering over him as they were both lying on the bed and I'm sure as hell grateful I'm not Zero . Witnessing your lover in such position , having your hands tied , because people shouldn't know , because your relationship is to be a secret , is not a great situation to be in .

My eyes were fixated on the girl wandering her hands all about Kaname's body , his shirt halfway opened . And damn , there's a chill attacking my spine . I think I have a hunch from where it came .

Moving my eyes a bit towards the right , I was greeted with Zero's sharp expression and knitted eyebrows as he stared at the scene unfold before his eyes .

Truth be told , I felt bad . the silverette is my best friend after all , Kaname as well .
It's not the best feeling in the world when you know you can't help much .

Zero knew he couldn't just expect Kaname to push her away , yet he sure had some hopes for any distaste radiating from Kaname , something to show he wasn't enjoying it . And Kaname wasn't enjoying it , he was merely doing his job . Zero failed to see that . For him , Kaname was having the best moments in his life as the girl wandered her disgusting hands around him and inched her face closer to his .

Though they were not in speaking terms , Zero's jealousy was enough to burn anything near , reducing it to ashes .

He was angry , frustrated , and sad , but maintained his blank expression , keeping his lips in a tight line .

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During the last few weeks , Zero has been down and distant in a chronic sense . He wasn't the teasing person we knew him to be , he wasn't even smiling . And when he did , it didn't reach his eyes and it would only be for emergency-kind-of-situations , like when we had to face the fans .

Sadly , he has been shifting between two approaches interchangeably . One of them being rejection , he had refused to eat , drink , sleep , and basically anything that involved living . He had lost all the weight he didn't even have , to the point he was now approaching the epitome of a skull , .. you know.. the pirates symbol . At the other extreme , he had been excessively hyperactive , smiling at each and everything , ridiculous or not . Simply put , he was pretending to be okay when he was far from that .

Now , both approaches were intense and obviously indicated depression that needed to be handled immediately but that was nearly impossible when he did his best to avoid us and not just Kaname for that matter .

Speaking of which , that idiot wasn't doing much better . Well , yea - relatively - you can say he was . But no , he wasn't . His temper issues were a lot stronger ever since they started this abrupt 'do we want to stay together ? ' phase . He wasn't the dorky elder we knew . He wasn't smiling like a bunny any more . He wasn't scolding us like a mother hen either .

Luckily , both were not childish enough to switch rooms and actually , there was no need to do so . they only went there to sleep , not to interact . However , they were childish enough to spend the whole day out , knowing very well that the moment they do step inside the house , we would try our best to make them reconcile .

We weren't going to do that , not the cliche ' let's lock them in a room until they reconcile ' at least . We were planning to talk to them separately , to persuade them to work things out between them .

Puffing out air in exasperation , I lied back on the couch as my head started pounding thanks to those idiots .

Not surprisingly , their issues had affected us beyond limits .

" Are we out of noodles ? "

I heard Akatsuki say as he poked his head from the hallway .

" Oh .. you can have my pack . Not like I have the appetite any ways . " I waved my hand weakly , feeling chained by the flow of events .

Hearing that , he frowned and approached me . I could practically feel the sparks of concern emitting from him .

" yea .. Actually , I wasn't planning to eat it . "

His tone was sluggish and full of exhaustion .

" Hanabusa ? " I guessed and he nodded .

At least someone is looking after our shortest , he has been yet another victim of the " kaze negative vibes outbreak " .

Our glutton ball of sunshine had lost his appetite as well . That was almost unheard of . But well , it wasn't unexpected . After all , Hanabusa was the second emotional one among us after Kaname .

Cynically , my stage name is " emotional vocal " . I don't really know why they chose that . Did they want to portray me as emotional or hint the fact my voice had an emotional effect on people ? Or was it both ?

Never mind , there are more pressing matters at hand right now .

" And you want noodles to suffice ? "

I mocked , attempting to lighten up the atmosphere .

It seemed to have an effect , little though .

Akatsuki let out what seemed like a mixture of a muffled chuckle and a scoff .

" Well , yea . What else can I cook ? "

Nodding in amusement , I sighed , diverting my eyes elsewhere . He followed suit , sighing along . After all , what else can we do to let out some of our pent up emotions ?

Oh how I wish I could roll myself in a blanket and snuggle next to Senri .

Senri .. He was also affected by everything .

He is a sleepyhead yea .. but recently , he has been sleeping even more than usual or having none at all .

" We really gotta do something about it. "

Akatsuki's voice snapped me out of my thoughts . I hummed , agreeing but not knowing what to suggest .

" Those two are growing tenacious . " I noted the obvious and it was his turn to hum as he nodded along .

They were both waiting for each other to make the first move . But right now , I doubt Zero was waiting . At this point , he had seemingly stopped waiting . Kaname wouldn't go to him , he doesn't care enough to do so and as bitter as that may sound , it wasn't totally true . Yea , Kaname wasn't approaching him but that didn't mean he didn't care . He was just doing the same - waiting - .

We all knew those two loved each other immensely but they couldn't see it in light of the recent circumstances .

Why would they be suffering so much if that wasn't the case ?

" I will take care of Zero . And .. how about Hanabusa tries his luck with Kaname ? you know.. he has a soft spot for him . "

I narrowed my eyes at the younger , letting the suggestion sink in .

Seems like a good idea .

" What choice do we have ? I hope something good comes out of it . "

I could only shrug , agreeing to such a plan .

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Soon enough , Akatsuki had put his plan into action .

Zero was -surprisingly- home , in the kitchen , preparing himself something to drink when a head poked near his own .

Slowly , he turned his head to stare at a certain flame haired male - close up - . Much to the younger's despair , Zero only stared blankly at him before going back to stirring his cup , like nothing had happened .

That went well , a total success . Akatsuki thought as his eyebrows shot up in amusement and sarcasm .

Once again , he moved his face close to the elder , trying to make him respond in any way , snap , laugh , or whatever .

Zero's resolve was short lived and he found himself chuckling softly despite himself .

He didn't want to smile , chuckle , or anything of that sort . but damn , When Akatsuki makes those faces , no one can stay still , pulling a long face .

Though the silverette's resolve wasn't the only thing short - lived . The sweet moment was as well . The second Kaname passed by the kitchen , his steps coming to a halt as he realized the very person he was doing his best to avoid was in the same place , Zero's smile faded in sync .

Akatsuki narrowed his eyes in confusion before a voice sounded .

" Kain , do we still have some snacks left ? "

Way to go , Kuran Kaname .

Now we are back to square one .

Akatsuki's mind worked in full speed as he chose his words carefully .

" Yea , we do . they are in the cabinet . Help yourself . "

He wanted to see whether or not Kaname would get closer , knowing Zero was present .

Hurting the rapper was never in Akatsuki's plans , he had just wanted to test Kaname's reaction .

Alas , the brunette elder only nodded in response before shrugging , saying he wasn't that hungry and leaving to who knows where .

Zero wore a distant look , he could almost hear something inside him shattering to debris . His heart sank as he let out a weak knowing smile .

What were you hoping for ?

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Few days later :

Hanabusa took a deep breath before encouraging himself for what he was about to do . He was feeling nervous and awkward as he approached Kaname , who sat on his bed , popping bubble wraps .

The elder wasn't doing it for mere enjoyment , that much Hanabusa could tell .He was venting his emotions in it .

Such a good start , eh .

" Kaname ? " He called , sensing the dark aura disappear for a second before it came back again , that time stronger as the popping grew even more intense , as though Kaname was sending the younger a warning not to even think of approaching that subject .

The blonde could gulp nervously at that .

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Whatever those two had discussed surely made Kaname snap and for the rest of the day , he was out of sight .

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Meanwhile :

Zero sat on his bed , surfing the internet through his phone when a sound drew his attention . Haru bounced its way in the room , making him chuckle without even realizing it . Though the puppy wasn't really that attached to him , it had jumped on the rapper's lap , seeking attention . Astonishment washed over his features at first before he started petting the said puppy .

Your owner doesn't love me anymore .

He thought bitterly .

" No matter how much we try to avoid it , we have to talk . "

Zero let out a soft gasp as he heard that melodic voice addressing him , of all people . Normally and in light of recent events , the brunette never approached their room unless he wanted to sleep .

However , Kaname was now in front of him . He closed the door and , to Zero's astonishment , started approaching him .

" It has been a long time since we have .. stopped talking .. too long that I have come to lose focus on what exactly happened or how it had started , who the one at fault is .. But it doesn't matter . what matters is .. Do we want it to stay this way ? "

Kaname had sat down on his own bed , facing the silverette as he spoke seriously , pausing every once in a while to take in the younger's reaction .

Zero gulped , not meeting his lover's eyes . He didn't want to voice his thoughts , because he didn't want to voice his longing first . Not because it would hurt his pride , it would sting his heart . If he ends up voicing it first , that would mean their distance had only took its toll on him . The very notion of it tugged at his heart strings in pure anguish . Unconsciously , he had started caressing Haru's soft fur excessively that the puppy let out what seemed like a purr in response .

" I don't . "

Kaname's voice was full of dominance as he continued to lead the conversation , easily snapping the younger out of his thoughts .

" What do you want , Zero ? "

He had asked , emphasizing the second-person personal pronoun .

And for the first time in so long , Zero allowed himself to drown in those endearing doe-like eyes of his lover .

Kaname's eyes held too many emotions as did his tone , one of them being tenderness .

Then generosity and respect rippled about his gaze as he gave Zero a choice . Yet there was also some sense of longing , like he was urging the younger to agree with him so they could go back to being together .

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