Chapter 4
The tour-bus was already filled with Massu, Koyama and surprisingly Yamapi, when Tegoshi came in in addition. “Ohayou~” he greeted with a smile and threw his bag into the baggage cart. Yamapi moved up to the window, so Tegoshi could sit beside him. With a wide grin he patted on the empty seat. “Kochi, kochi!”
“Arigatou~” Tegoshi said with a smile and plopped down. “Ryo-chan not here?” he asked and looked around the van.
“Shige lost his train ticket and his bike is broken, so Ryo went to pick him up.” Koyama explained. “They’re joining us in Yokohama.”
“And Ryo’s car?”
“Probably he’s gonna leave it there. Maybe he has some friends there or whatever.”
“One of his siblings lives there.” Yamapi said with a slight cold voice.
“Really?” Tegoshi lifted his puppy-eyes up to Yamapi. “I didn’t know that.”
“There are a lot of things you don’t know about him.” Yamapi mumbled to himself and stared out of his window. Finally he got Tegoshi nearly alone for two or three hours and all what’s on the other ones mind is, was Ryo. He felt that bitter punch deep inside his stomach. Beside him, little Tegoshi yawned.
“Didn’t you get enough sleep?” Yamapi asked as Tegoshi rubbed his yes. “You don’t look really fit.”
Tegoshi shook his head. “I thought too much this night.” he admitted and couldn’t avoid yawning again.
“About what did you think?”
”This and that.” Tegoshi replied evasively and smiled a bit nervously. Yamapi watched him closely and wished to wipe off away the tiredness from Tegoshi’s angelic baby-face. He looked so hurt as his sorrowful eyes moved around the van again. “Are you okay?” Yamapi asked and Tegoshi twitched. “Of course.” He said with a smile Yamapi didn’t trust in. “I am just tired, that’s all.”
Yamapi didn’t believe that was all, but he didn’t want to force an answer out of Tegoshi, who really seemed not in the mood to say anything. So he stayed quiet. After a while he felt a little weight again his shoulder and looked down. Tegoshi was sound asleep and his head lay against Yamapi who smiled. He looked like an angel, the eyes closed, the lips slightly opened and breathing calmly like a baby. He could feel Tegoshi’s breath against his arms. It felt so warm against his own skin. Tegoshi sighed in sleep and lifted worried his eyebrows.
I wonder what he is dreaming about, Pi thought and brushed some dyed hair out of Tegoshi’s forehead, who smacked and then moved further to Yamapi. With two small fingers he clung onto Pi’s shirt. Kawaii~
Yamapi marvelled at Tegoshi’s adorable face, which reminded him once again of a little puppy. He resisted the desire of hugging Tegoshi. First because of the fear to wake him up, and second were still Koyama and Massu in the van. Tegoshi lying against his shoulders asleep was nothing unusual. Everybody had once lay against the other one or even on his lap (Ryo was a genius at it) but tightening the arms around him would be too obvious.
Would Ryo do it? Yamapi wondered and looked down at Tegoshi’s fingers that still grabbed his shirt. Maybe…
They drove along the highway and Tegoshi stayed where he was, sleeping like a baby against Yamapi, who enjoyed the younger one’s warmth and near.
Koyama and Massu were looking every now and then, but didn’t say a thing. Even they didn’t want to disturb Tegoshi’s sleep, who still looked completely exhausted with his troubled face.
The hours passed and they arrived in Yokohama. Yamapi felt the stones inside his stomach again. Never once he did not want to be with Ryo. Never once he did not looked forward to see his best friend. But right now he just wished Ryo would stay away and leave him and Tegoshi alone. He finally got the chance to be more or less near to the younger one. He knew he didn’t start to win Tesshi’s heart yet. But he didn’t want to rush things. He was pretty sure, that if he took it calmly Tegoshi would get to know him better. Ryo was always so impulsive, and Pi thought that was the point where he could better him. He knew Ryo so well…Too well… And that’s why he feared that Ryo would take Tegoshi away from him. Scary if you can exactly follow the mind of your worst enemy.
“Oh, there they are!” Massu shouted suddenly and Tegoshi twitched. “Mmmh?” he made and lifted his head. “Doko?” he asked and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. “What happened?” He looked completely lost as he scanned the van, before he realized, where he was.
“You fell asleep.” Yamapi explained and moved his shoulder, which he didn’t do all the time Tegoshi slept in order to not wake him up.
“I did?”
“Yup.” Yamapi smiled at Tegoshi’s confused face. His hair was all messy and he didn’t seem awake at all.
“Why didn’t you wake me up?” He wanted to know and stifled a yawn.
“You simply looked too cute. And you said yourself that you didn’t get enough sleep tonight, so I thought it would be better to stay quiet.”
Tegoshi smiled a warm smile. “Arigatou~” he said and lay his head to the side. Thoughtful he tousled through his hair. Yamapi just wanted to ask, what was on his mind, when Koyama shouted: “Ohayou, Shige!” Tegoshi whirled around and Yamapi did the same. Shige entered the van and right behind him climbed Ryo in. “Ohayou.” he said and nodded to everybody. Tegoshi last, on whom is eyes stuck on and narrowed, when he noticed how close he was to Yamapi.
“Ohayou~” everybody greeted back and Koyama attacked Shige for being so lousy with his train ticket.
“You really are forgetful!”
“Look at who’s talking!” They started arguing, always spreading the KoyaShige-Love, while Ryo climbed to the empty seat at Tegoshi’s other side. “Ohayou, Pi!” he greeted with a wide grin, but icy-cold-eyes. Kimoi~ , Tegoshi thought as he felt the atmosphere frozen immediately around him. Kowai. Somebody please help me…
“Ohayou, Ryo-chan. Genki?” Pi replied with the same facial expression his best friend had.
“Un. Gomen ne for being so late.”
“Don’t worry. It was so kind of you to pick up Shige.”
“No, that was nothing. You would’ve done the same, deshou?”
The all lovey-dovey-super-happy-behaviour of Yamapi and Ryo made Tegoshi feel awful. Without being noticed he shrunk in his seat, making himself as small as he could. He really envied Ryo and Yamapi for being so close and so good friends, but the last week they had scared him. Never once they tried so hard for looking alright with each other.
In the row in front of him Shige and Koyama were laughing and having fun, and Massu ate again, admiring the beautiful landscaped that rushed along the van-windows.
Tegoshi wished to be there, just a step ahead from him. But it was like an invisible wall that kept him between Ryo-chan and Yamapi, and locked him out from the normal, real-happy NEWS-members. Never once he felt so uncomfortable with Ryo and Yamapi.
Well, looks like this trip is gonna be a once-in-a-lifetime-experience…he thought full of sarcasm and sighed inside. If I’m gonna survive this I will publish my memoirs. Haha…
Nagoya, their first concert stop, came nearer and nearer, while poor little Tegoshi tried to cool himself down with making fun of his own, pitiable situation.
***
“We arrived in Nagoya, Minna-san”, Manager-san said to the crowd of around 30 people, including NEWS and various Johnny’s Jr. “Tomorrow 8pm we’ll start with the rehearsal for the first concert.” Little applause. “So rest well and enjoy the afternoon free-time, ne~” This time everybody clapped in joy. Even Manager-san seemed to be happy for having at least a few hors before bedtime. The group split up. The Jr’s Searched their hotel rooms, staff-san went to celebrate their safe arrival in Nagoya and NEWS was left in the hotel lobby.
“Jyaa~” Koyama looked around his beloved Members. Tegoshi still seemed tired, holding his head, Yamapi and Ryo at his sides, both carrying their luggage casually over their shoulders, Shige with his bad in the right and his camera in the left hand, and Massu who was finally full and seemed quite satisfied with himself and the world.
“Wanna got to a karaoke bar?” With big excitement in his eyes Koyama waited for an answer. Shige raised his hand. “I wanna go!”
“Me too!” Ryo-chan shouted. “Tesshi, you too?”
“Mh.” Tegoshi said with a wide smile. He loved karaoke. He couldn’t resist, even if he had such a damn headache as today.
“I will go too!” Yamapi said, glaring at Ryo-chan who grinned evil.
“Me too.” Massu raised his hand last and Koyama smiled happily. “Then we meet here in 10 minutes?”
“Hai~~” Shige went with Massu to his hotel-room and Pi left reluctantly with Koyama. Ryo-chan stuck out his tongue at him and lay his hand on Tegoshi’s small shoulder. “So, here are the keys for our honey-moon-suite.” He said as he swang the card for their room in front of Tegoshi’s nose.
“Ho-Honey-moon-suite?” he said and blushed. With widely opened eyes he stared at Ryo who burst into laughter. “Just kidding!” he chuckled and patted Tegoshi’s back.
Yokatta~, Tegoshi thought and sighed in relief. I really thought for a moment – Ya! Don’t think about it Tegoshi! He scaled himself as he shook his head like a cow. Ryo smiled to himself as he saw that scene. “You really are cute, ne~” he said and watched Tegoshi’s pouting. “I am not!”
“You so are!” Ryo insisted, poked Tegoshi’s still blushed cheeks and then went ahead. “You coming?” he asked over his shoulder, when Tegoshi didn’t make a step. He still stood there pouting. “You~” he squealed at Ryo.
“What?”
“You’re so mean!” Tegoshi acted like a little kid.
“Because I called you cute?”
“Mmmmmh….”
Ryo laughed. “Come on, you really think that?”
“Mmmmmh…”
“So what do you want me to do as an apologize?”
Tegoshi thought for a moment, tipping his finger on his chin. “You…You can…CARRY ME~” And in the next second he ran forward and hopped on Ryo’s back, who shrunk a bit due to the sudden weight. “Phew~” he made and grabbed Tegoshi’s legs before he could fall off.
“Don’t ‘Phew’! I am not that heavy…” Tegoshi said reproachfully. He was right. Ryo never thought that Tegoshi was so actually so light. But he acted like he would weight a lot of tons though. “Make sure you don’t fall of, ne~” So he piggy-backed him all the stairs to the elevators and through the long hallways to their hotel-room, even to their bed, though it was quite complicated to open the door with Tegoshi on his back and his luggage in his hand.
“Hai~ Here we are, jump off.” He said as he stood in front of their bed.
“Don’t want to~” Tegoshi said all jolly and tightened his arms around Ryo.
“Wait, can’t breathe!”
Ryo heard Tegoshi’s chuckle at his ear and had to smile himself. “If you don’t get off I’m gonna let you fall!” He threatened.
“Mmh…” Tegoshi acted like he would think hardly about it again.
“It’s just…”
“What?”
“…that you’re quite comfortable.”
“I would not mind carrying you for the rest of my life, it’s just that the others will probably look weird if I’ll appear with you on my back.”
“Good argument.” Tegoshi said and took his arms off. With a slight movement Ryo knelt down and placed him on the bed. “Arigatou~” Tegoshi said bright-smiling at Ryo.
“It was my pleasure.” He replied, bowing down like a butler for the queen, and looked at the bed. Actually it was two single-beds that were moved together as one. “You really don’t have a problem with that?” Ryo asked with lifted eyebrows. He was worried that Tegoshi might step back after all.
“No, not at all. It’s not like you would rape me or something like that, deshou?” This time Ryo was the one blushing and quickly turned around as he saw Tegoshi’s innocent looking puppy-eyes. “Haha. As if I would do something like that. Hehehehe…” Oh shit, he said to himself. Yabai yo~ This was dead on…
“See, then everything’s all right.”
“Mh. Well, I’m changing. I wore that shirt the whole day.” Ryo tried to change the topic. “Blue, white or yellow?” he asked Tegoshi and held up three shirts.
“Blue. Though you are the ‘yellow Ranger’, ne~ But blue suits you better. Reminds me of summer.”
“Summer?” Ryo doff out his black shirt. Tegoshi looked at his naked upper part of the body. He could perfectly see every muscle of his recently trained six-pack.
“Right, summer. Well, let’s the. The summer is blue, deshou?” Tegoshi could have slapped himself for his stupid answer and Ryo must’ve seen that on his face, because he laughed. “Blue sky? Interesting…no…funny.” Then he dressed on his fresh, tight shirt. “Jya, do I look like summer now?”
Tegoshi didn’t reply and just pouted.
“Mata?” Ryo bristled, but smiled though. Without a word he stepped back to Tegoshi and kneeled down again. “Hora! Jump up!” he said and waited. Tegoshi stared at his back a moment and then smiled in happiness.
“You really should think about a diet…” Ryo teased as they headed downstairs.
“Mmmmh. I think I will eat a lot of desserts today at the karaoke bar. “Tegoshi thought loudly. “Maybe chocolate-cake?”
Ryo just chuckled and didn’t say a thing anymore. Further he simply enjoyed feeling Tegoshi’s warm breath at his ear and his hands searching hold at his chest. They were exactly were his heart beat so fast it almost wanted to jump out.
