L'Arc en Ciel fanfiction .::. Offer and Demand

Episode 9

"Listen, Ken-chan... I'm going to your place. We gotta talk. I'm stuck in a traffic jam now. It's almost dark... Friday... every hour is rush hour... so bear with me, please."
"OK, Hide-kun. At what time do you think you'll be here?"
"In about... an hour I think."
"OK. Want me to call the guys?"
"Which guys?"
"Sakura and Ein."
"Oh... there is a big traffic jam, man... they'll never make it in time..."
"Oh, don't worry. They are smart. They won't drive here."
I wonder what the hell he meant by that.
"Uh... well, fine. I'll be there in an hour. No booze, no porn... we gotta talk."
"Yeah, yeah, sure... whatever." I hear him chuckling.
"I mean it!"
"Sure! Sure! OK, Saint Hyde."
"Don't... Just don't give me crap, man! I'm serious!" I yell and I honk in irritation. I think the driver in front of me has fallen asleep on the steering wheel.
"Good. Drive carefully, Saint Hyde. See ya later."
"Bye, idiot." I hang up and I keep honking until the asshole in front of me finally moves.
Some people should not hold a driver's license!

At about 2AM we call it a day.
I suppose everything is planned now. The musicians in my band are friends of Sakura's, so he's fairly happy about seeing them again onstage. I am really grateful. I don't know why I was having such a hard time finding renowned musicians to join my solo project.
Ken-chan laughed ironically and never replied when I posed the question. Sakura pressed his lips as if he was trying to hold a roaring laughter back, and then muttered something about my uncanny talent and fame eclipsing them… I think he's right although I also think he's lying to me and he probably thinks my solo work sucks.
Whatever.
I believe Ein-kun is the nicest one of the three. At least he didn't mock me… but that can be because he doesn't know me that well.
I really hate it when they join forces to laugh at me. It makes me really mad, and when I am mad, I can do really bad things like…
Hmmm… Sulking.
I think I sulk and I twitch my eyebrow when I'm mad.
Ah… fine… I know that isn't very menacing.
So… it's 2AM… and I don't want to go back home. They are planning some sort of thing for the night… I think they'll be going for drinks, and I'm a little hurt that they didn't mention it to me… and they are talking about it in front of me without even inviting me! They are brushing their social lives to my face shamelessly.
I am so hurt. I could cry if I were a little less tired. But I refrain. I remain poker-faced… until a grimace of disdain slowly creeps up my countenance and evidently shows.
"Hm? Hai-chan? What's wrong?" Sakura asks while pouring another glassful of whisky.
"Nothing." I spit back.
"You look… mad. Is there anything you want to change about the concerts? Anything you disagree with? Please, tell us."
"Nothing at all." I reply dryly and I grab my coat. It is evident they are not inviting me to their "party".
"Hey!" I hear Sakura calling while I walk towards the door.
"Good night. Have fun, you." I relent and I escape Ken's apartment.
I take a couple steps into the corridor, and then I start running… dashing towards the exit. I feel like crying as a child… like a five-year-old.
I'm sad, really sad that my friends don't count me in for fun anymore.
Maybe it means I'm becoming old and useless.
Maybe the see me as a married man who wouldn't join their young-men parties because he has forgotten how to have fun.
Funny… they didn't use to think like that about Ken-chan when he was married. I really don't mind now. I just want to get out of here and wander about the streets of Tokyo on my own. I will go from bar to bar, drinking myself stupid, until I pass out… or maybe until I die. Whatever arrives first.
But what arrives first is a firm hand holding me back by my left shoulder, and turning me suddenly.
"Haido! What's the matter?"
"No... nothing, nothing, Yatchan..." I try to hide the evident fact that I'm crying like an asshole. What a sorry exhibition.
"Why are you crying?"
"I'm not, man. I'm not."
"Yes, you are. I'm not blind."
"I'm not, and that's it. Let me go. I'm tired."
"Yeah, sure..." He nods, but it's evident that he won't let me go.
"Stop it. Let me go." I clutch my strap bag and pulling out from his grab, I try to run towards the exit again. But he re-catches me.
Man, he is obnoxious.
"I won't let you go like this. I know you too well to let you go like this… all flustered and mad."
"I'm not mad. Leave me alone!"
"Haido… Come on…" He snorts with an air of superiority.
He does that a lot lately. I suppose he thinks he's been to hell and back and that gives him the authority to patronize us at will.
"Listen, Yasunori. I'm not a kid. I have things to do and matters to attend. I am an old piece of crap who has a wife and a dog to go back home to, so please, let me be. Got that? Go drink yourself unconscious and have fun." I blurt angrily… although I am aware that my voice sounds more frustrated than cross.
He smiles knowingly… with that very same air of superiority.
I hate that, but I admit it attracts me, and I admit his eyes haunt me…

Half an hour later, I'm clutching Yatchan from the rear seat of his motorbike and pressing my face to his back.
Shit! He drives fast. I think he's trying to kill me or something.
What a bastard.
As soon as I get down and do all the puking I'm holding back, I'm gonna kick his nuts.
He'll be sorry. Oh, yeah, he'll be.
"Hey! Everything OK back there?" I hear him chuckling.
"I'll throttle you!" I grunt against his back while I clench my arms around his stomach. I hope I make him puke too!
"Ne... we've been terrorizing the whole neighborhood for a while. Is there any place you wanna go?"
"Hospital..."
"OK. I'm gonna pull up."
"If you knew my intentions, you wouldn't do that..." Oops... I said it aloud.
"Hahaha! Haido, you are so funny."
"Fuck you, man." He pulls up by a grisly bar. A couple minutes after he does, he manages to un-clamp my arms from around his stomach and after I am reassured that we aren't moving anymore, I agree to open my eyes.
"Shit, Yatchan!! I'm gonna kill you! Did you have to swerve like that and speed like a demon?!"
"Yeah..." He grins like an idiot.
"Are you getting revenge?!"
"Revenge? What the fuck...? I'm just getting fun."
"Ahhh!" I try to punch him but he dodges me. "You have fun at my expense... uh... wait... I gotta puke."
"No! Come on! Don't puke!" He says and runs to my side.
"I'll kill you! I'll really kill you, and it'll be a slow and painful death, my friend."
"OK, listen..." he says chuckling. "Let's go inside for a beer, OK? Let's chat like two good buddies, tell each other a couple hentai jokes, and stuff like that."
"O... K." I nod and I follow him into the run-down bar.

He talks without stopping (except to drink his beer). He chats and chats, and sometimes I think I can guess he's flirting with me, but I don't know... I could be wrong.
Anyway, I flirt back. Just in case.
Hehehe... just for the hell of it. Just to remind him he's NOT the only one who can pull out uncontrolled appeal, and be absolutely desirable and doable, and just because there is no point in me getting turned on all by myself.
Wait... What am I thinking of? I'm straight! I'm straight, dammit! I'm a man! He's also a man... a sexy... man... BUT WE ARE MEN!
The train of thoughts leads me to hit my fist against the table startling him.

"Anything wrong?"
"Well..." I start and stare at him angrily.
"I'm... sorry...? Whatever it is I said...?" He looks puzzled. He's so sexy.
No, wait. Concentrate on puzzled. I'm gonna tell him that I'm mad because he made me feel sick driving so crazily. Yes, I'm gonna tell him that very angrily. I'm gonna make it clear that I don't enjoy reckless driving... I'm gonna tell him to take his bike and shove it!
"Yatchan! Take your bike and.... and... and... let's go to a motel..." Damn. Inner me winning the battle again.
"What?!"
"Uh..." Now I'm the one feeling puzzled.
"Are you... doing... anything... illegal?" He looks at me seriously, raising an eyebrow.
"No... I... I'm just... Why are you flirting with me?!"
"I AM NOT!"
"Yes you are!" Yes, you are, Yatchan. The worst part is that it seems you didn't notice I was flirting back.
"You are demented!"
"And you are a pervert!"
"Not that kind of pervert!" he stops and swallows. "... not anymore, OK? Not with you anymore."
Now that hurts. That seriously hurts. It hurts so much I want to punch him now. I want to tackle him, and start kicking his head until he bleeds from eyes, mouth, nose, ears, etc, etc...
But instead... I calm down. I calm down and... I punch the table.
"Haido...?"
"So. Well... I find you attractive. Still... after all these years. So sue me."
"Haido... listen... that's not good. OK? You are married now and..."
"Don't!! Don't bring that up! I've a lot to say to you and Ken-chan about that, got it? Because you weren't that concerned when it was Ken-chan the one being married, but now… Now you act like idiots around me only because I am! You are a couple of…"
"OK. Well... let's find another reason." Sakura interrupts.
I think he doesn't put up with my arguing very well, but then again, I have never found anyone that wants to listen to me when I'm not singing.
"I'm not gay." He continues. "I'm really trying to fight the past and become a better man in the present and future. I'm trying to be a happy, successful and STRAIGHT guy. So... going to a motel with you would mean twisting everything I've been working for..."
"Not to have sex, baka." I lie.
"Oh... then what for?"
"To talk."
"We can talk here!"
"Privately!"
"We can talk privately HERE!"
"I am suspicious of the waiter."
"Come on!" He says and rolls his eyes. "The man is drunker than us!"
"I want to tell you something I can't afford to have anyone listen... it's very private, and I need a very private place. I need to speak to you... I need to tell you something important... I mean it." I watch him gulp.
He nods, he pats my hand, and he calls the waiter.
"Thank you, Yatchan."

It's true... I'm gonna tell him. I'm gonna tell him what I've been doing behind everyone's back.
I'm gonna tell him I've been prostituting myself and I'm not hating it.
I'm gonna tell him the thing that I want most right now is finding out who my mystery client is… Yes.
That is what I'm gonna do.
Although I haven't discarded the idea of sex completely...

We get on his bike and this time he drives like a normal person.
Er... correction: he drives like a normal Yatchan. He still speeds a little more than I'd like him to within city limits, but at least, he doesn't swerve.
I still hold on to him tightly. I need some comfort... I'm gonna tell my best friend... my dearest friend... that I have been prostituting myself for money. To pay the debt my wife has put us both into. I need warmth to encourage me... it's not easy. But I wouldn't trust anyone else with this secret.

And so we get to the motel. A cheap, badly maintained one located in the outskirts of Tokyo. So very Yatchan-esque to do this. But at least this is smarter than hitting one of the better known motels in Roppongi.
We make it past the counter… we check in… I can't help but thinking a big part of what's important for me at present is happening in places where sex is implied.
We get to the gruesome, bad-lit room and we go in.
It's not the first time I visit a place like this.
It's not the first time I visit a place like this with him.
I sit on the bed and I watch him. A part of me is expecting him to start undressing and smirk at me lustfully. But instead, he simply lights a cigarette, pulls a chair and sits on it.

"Speak." He coaxes me.
"I'm… doing something questionable, Yatchan…"
"What? Cheating on your wife?"
"Er… well… I am… doing something I shouldn't do, no matter if I'm married or not." I think I dodged it pretty nicely.
"What is it?"
"I am… doing something to get out of debt…"
"What are you doing?" I notice his voice gets tinted of uneasiness.
"I am…"

My keitai rings startling us both. I look at the tiny blue screen… It's them… I mean, it's a call to work. The only job that is paying me lately.

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