. Summary .
Eiri has committed an unspeakable crime against his brother: he's forced Tatsuha to get a JOB! Now Tatsuha is working at a hotel and is anything but happy about it. Until he hears that Ryuichi is staying in one of the rooms. Then, all hell breaks loose.
. Author's Note .
I watched DVD 4 at last. It was so cute. Now, after watching Gravitation, my friends and I are going to dress up for Halloween. One friend is going to be a battery, one friend is going to be a suitcase, one friend is going to be a vending machine, and I'm opting for Ryuichi's Kumagoro outfit. Bwahaha. Oh, and thanks to everybody who reviewed! I really appreciate it! - Hanabina
. Disclaimer .
Me no own. You no sue.
. Two .
Guess We'll Have To Do It The Hard Way
"Tatsuha... may I inquire as to why half of you is sticking out of my air vent?" Tohma asked calmly, watching Tatsuha wriggle around until he fell out of the air vent with a plop and landed at the president's feet.
The youngest Uesugi laughed sheepishly. "Uh... I was... cleaning it?"
"I don't believe I hired you as a cleaning lady. Last time I checked, you were on room service." Tohma eyed the vent carefully, then turned back to Tatsuha. "Is it just my imagination, or does this particular air vent lead directly to room 106?"
"Oh," Tatsuha said innocently. "Does it? I hadn't the faintest idea."
Tohma gazed at him flatly. "Do get back to work, Tatsuha, and don't let me catch you here again. If you want to stalk Ryuichi, please do it on your own time. I'm certainly not paying you for the last half-hour you've wasted."
"Half-hour? I've only been here for ten minutes!"
"Then think of the extra twenty minutes as punishment."
Tatsuha glared daggers at Tohma's retreating back and pouted as he screwed the cover of the air vent back into place. Well, fine. He'd just have to find another way into Ryuichi's bedroom.
Or into Ryuichi's bed.
Or both.
…Room Service?
"I want a new world!" Shuichi crooned into the microphone for the ninth time that day, waiting for the melody to fade out before letting go of the note he was holding. He beamed at Ryuichi, who was sitting in a corner of the room (with Kumagoro of course) clapping wildly.
"Sparkly Shuichi!" Ryuichi called, leaping up and tackling Shuichi in a hug. "That was SO COOL!"
Shuichi laughed, sitting up and flailing. "Didja hear that, Hiro? Ryuichi said I was cool! ALRIGHT!"
Hiro smiled as shook his head as the two singers began bouncing off the roof, laughing and complimenting each other. He paused as he remembered something. "Hey, Shuichi? How's that friend of yours holding up? Mr. Uesugi?"
Shuichi stopped bouncing for a moment to consider the question. "I don't know, really. He's always fast asleep in the living room when I get home. I think his job is exhausting."
Ryuichi stopped bouncing as well. "Work's no fun if you can't smile doing it!" He said, pumping his fist in the air. "Maybe I can help!"
Hiro and Shuichi exchanged glances, then looked at Ryuichi with matching grins.
"Maybe you can…" Shuichi said, laughing maniacally.
…Room Service?
"Toh-ma?" Kumagoro said, sticking his head into Tohma's office, his owner hidden from view. "Can Kuma-chan talk to you for a minute?"
"Er, of course. Come in, Kumagoro." Tohma said, trying not to let his amusement show through. "Is there something I can help you with?"
"Well, I was wondering," The pink rabbit said, sounding sheepish. "Shuichi said one of his friends works at the hotel where Ryuichi is staying and that Shuichi's friend really likes Ryuichi. So Kumagoro was wondering if he and Ryuichi could maybe talk to Shuichi's friend?"
Tohma didn't answer, so the pink rabbit continued.
"Work is no fun if you can't smile doing it!" He finished with a flourish. "Please, Tohma?"
"Tatsuha did not receive this job with the intention of having fun," Tohma said slowly. "In fact, Eiri asked me to personally make sure Tatsuha didn't have any fun whatsoever. He's supposed to be learning a lesson. And nobody is supposed to know that you—that is, Ryuichi—are staying here."
"But, Toh-ma," Ryuichi said, making his appearance at last. "I just want to meet him! Surely, he can't be that bad!"
Tohma raised an eyebrow. "If Mr. Shindou is to be believed, then Tatsuha molested him with no explanation other than 'I bet Ryuichi feels like this'."
Ryuichi blinked, a blank look on his face. "Feel?" He asked uncomprehendingly. "Feel? Meal? Peel? Banana peel? Do you want a banana, Tohma?"
"Ah, that's quite alright, Ryuichi. The fact of the matter is, I think it would be better if you didn't meet Tatsuha." Tohma finished, smiling. "Now, what are your plans for today?"
"Shuichi and Ryuichi and Kumagoro are going to the zoo!" Ryuichi announced, holding up the pink bunny. "Do you want to come, Tohma?"
"I'm afraid I can't. I have far too much work to do. You go and have fun, alright? Goodbye."
Ryuichi waved, then allowed Kumagoro to wave as well before both flounced out the door.
…Room Service?
"I had a feeling Mr. Seguchi would say no." Shuichi said seriously as he and Ryuichi walked along the sidewalk to the zoo. "And whatever Mr. Seguchi says, goes."
"You make Tohma sound scary." Ryuichi replied, bouncing Kumagoro on his head. "Tohma's a nice guy. You just have to get used to him, is all."
"Oh, I know that. I'm just saying he's very protective of you and Yuki is all." Shuichi answered before his eyes caught sight of the sign hanging over their heads. "WE'RE HERE!"
Shuichi and Ryuichi took off at breakneck speed into the zoo, trying to see as many of the animals as they could. They came to a screeching halt in front of the lion cages, watching the lions stalk around and roar.
Ryuichi roared back.
Shuichi licked his palm and pressed it against the steel bars.
The two laughed maniacally and ran away.
They came to another stop in front of an ice cream vender and bought two scoops of vanilla each, sitting down on a bench to eat them. Shuichi checked his watch. "You know…" He began. "I don't think Tatsuha is working today."
Ryuichi cocked his head to the side.
"We could go to Yuki's house and you could meet him…"
"But Tohma said—"
"We don't have to tell him." Shuichi said, smirking. "He doesn't need to know everything. And, besides, it would make Tatsuha really happy."
"Yeah!" Ryuichi cheered, excited. "Happy!"
Shuichi hopped to his feet. "Let's go!"
…Room Service
Tatsuha groaned as he laid face down on the couch. His hair was a mess, his face was pale, and he was wearing an old t-shirt, boxers, and a pair of socks with holes in them. But he could care less because the effort of moving was too much of a strain.
Eiri sat on a chair opposite him, typing away on his laptop. He had a deadline to meet, after all, and he had no time for Tatsuha's stupidity.
"You don't even work that hard, according to Seguchi." Eiri said flatly, not taking his eyes off the screen. "The whole reason your back hurts is because of that air vent stunt you pulled. Got stuck in there, didn't you?"
"No." Tatsuha snapped forlornly. "I just couldn't get all the way in before Tohma caught me. I could have been in Ryuichi Sakuma's room. Where he sleeps, breathes, and eats."
"I'm pretty sure he breathes everywhere he goes." Eiri said sarcastically. "But I could be wrong."
"Oh, shut up."
Ding-Dong!
"Yuki! Yuki – Open the door!"
"You've got a key, you damn brat." Eiri shouted, unwilling to get up. "Make use of it for once in your life!"
"But Yukiii, I left it on the table! Please let me in!"
Eiri narrowed his eyes at his groaning brother. "Go let the brat in."
"But I'm tired. And I've got back pains." Tatsuha whined. "You're so mean."
Eiri's foot snapped out, effectively kicking over the couch and dumping Tatsuha onto the floor.
"You are not human." Tatsuha muttered. Nevertheless he got to his feet and shuffled over to the door, unlocking it and pulling it open. "Your lover's a bas—"
"SURPRISE!" Shuichi and Ryuichi cheered simultaneously, jumping through the doorway and tackling Tatsuha. The dark haired boy blinked in confusion until he realized that there were not one, but two bodies lying on top of him.
Shuichi stood first. "I brought you a present." He pointed beside him as Ryuichi got up, flashing the victory sign in Tatsuha's direction. "Ryuichi heard that you were sad, so he came to help you cheer up!"
"Ryu… ichi… Sakuma…?" Tatsuha said, sitting up and staring at Ryuichi in wide mouth shock. Ryuichi leaned down so that they were eye level with each other, and stared back.
"I remember this game!" He beamed, trying not to blink. "Last time, I won!"
Tatsuha seemed to remember that he was in a horrible state of disarray and jumped to his feet, running to Eiri's bedroom and slamming the door.
Shuichi and Ryuichi exchanged glances.
"Potty break." Ryuichi said decisively, sitting down on the floor and waiting for Tatsuha to do his business.
…Room Service?
Tatsuha returned to the living room minutes later, dressed much better than he was earlier, and with his hair actually combed for once. Shuichi was sitting obediently next to Eiri, while the man typed away on his laptop. Ryuichi was sitting cross-legged by the door.
Tatsuha walked over and extended a hand. "It's a, um, pleasure to meet you. I'm Tatsuha Uesugi."
"Shuichi told me!" Ryuichi said happily, shaking Tatsuha's hand with all the vigor of a five year old. "He also suggested I give you this." Ryuichi produced a tape from out of nowhere and handed it to Tatsuha. "It's the same one I gave to Shuichi to cheer him up!"
Tatsuha looked at the tape as though it were gold.
"Oh, I almost forgot! This is Kumagoro!" Ryuichi continued, holding up his pink companion. "Kuma-chan, this is Tatsuha."
Tatsuha shook the rabbit's hand, well aware of the singer's attachment to it. He sat down cross-legged in front of the two.
"So…" He said awkwardly. "What's up?"
"Well, to tell you the truth, I'm not really supposed to be here." Ryuichi said in a conspiratorial voice, leaning forward. "Tohma said I shouldn't meet you because you molested Shuichi."
Shuichi caught this part and coughed violently, his face bright red. Tatsuha scratched the back of his head nervously.
"I did not. I was just teasing him." Tatsuha protested, pouting. "That's a crude and unfounded rumor! Lies, I tell you."
Ryuichi beamed. "Really?"
"Go ahead and ask Shuichi if I molested him. He'll say no."
Tatsuha and Ryuichi turned to look at the pink-haired singer, but a cloud of dust leading to the kitchen was all that remained of him.
Tatsuha sweat dropped. "Well, he would say no if he were still in here."
Ryuichi laughed. "I like you, Tatsuha. You're weird."
"As if you're one to talk!" Tatsuha replied. "At least I didn't dress up in a giant bunny costume to deliver congratulations."
"Shuichi said you taped the broadcast of it and watched me pop out from under the table twelve times." Ryuichi shot back, raising an eyebrow in amusement.
Tatsuha turned red and muttered something.
"What was that?" Ryuichi asked, a smirk on his face. "I didn't quite hear you. Speak up."
"I said," Tatsuha replied, face burning. "It was thirteen times."
"Ryuichi's normal compared to you!" Kumagoro piped up from Ryuichi's lap. Tatsuha looked down at the bunny, then at Ryuichi before both of them broke out laughing.
Eiri twitched. "SHUT UP! I'M TRYING TO WRITE A GODDAMN BOOK HERE!"
Tatsuha and Ryuichi flinched, then exchanged glances and laughed more quietly. Shuichi stuck his head out from the kitchen.
"I'm glad to see that you're getting along." He said sheepishly. "Sorry about leaving. I, um, had something on the fire…"
Eiri snorted.
"That's alright, Shuichi!" Ryuichi beamed, believing every word. "You can make it up to us by taking me and Kumagoro back to the hotel."
"I'll do it!" Tatsuha volunteered immediately.
Shuichi scratched the back of his head. "You probably shouldn't. Tohma doesn't know that Ryuichi came to see you today and we'd like to keep it that way."
Tatsuha deflated, pouting. "Oh. Okay."
Ryuichi watched this exchange for a moment before pulling off his left sneaker and taking a marker out of his pocket. He scrawled his name on the bottom of the sneaker and handed it to Tatsuha. "Smile!"
Tatsuha looked at the shoe – which kind of reeked, he noticed – then smiled weakly. "Thank you, Mr. Sakuma."
"Ew," Ryuichi said, making a face. "Don't call me that. Call me Ryuichi. That's what all my friends call me."
Tatsuha's eyes grew wide and watery. "We're… friends?"
"Of course! Any friend of Shuichi's is a friend of mine!"
"Let's go, Ryuichi!" Shuichi said, heading for the doorway. "Yuki, I'll be back soon!"
Eiri didn't even spare him a glance. "Whatever."
"You're so mean!" Shuichi pouted, stomping through the door. Ryuichi looked back at Tatsuha, then beamed and ran out as well.
Tatsuha looked down at the stinky sneaker in his hand, then took a whiff. "Ahhh. It stinks like Ryuichi."
Eiri frowned. "You're disgusting."
…Room Service?
Ryuichi hummed happily as he entered room 106, only to find Tohma and Noriko sitting in front of the television. He beamed. "I'm back from the zoo! Shuichi just dropped me off."
Noriko turned around on the couch and smiled. "Did you have fun, Ryu?"
"Oh yeah!" Ryuichi said, remembering his conversation with Tatsuha. "Lots of fun. There were lions and tigers and snakes and—"
"Ryuichi," Tohma interrupted. "Where's one of your shoes?"
Ryuichi looked down at his feet briefly before placing a hand behind his head and laughing stupidly. "Well, you see, I was playing fetch with the seals and—"
"Nevermind." Noriko said, waving a hand. "We don't need to know. Go get some shut eye."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Ryuichi waved at his band mates one more time before skipping off to his room and closing the door. He grinned widely.
What was that? I didn't quite hear you. Speak up.
I said it was thirteen times.
"Silly, silly, Tatsuha." He said quietly, his grin widening.
. End Notes .
That was so much fun to write. I love Ryuichi and Tatsuha! And Tohma, too, although so many people don't like him. Wonder why. –Hanabina