“Keisuke-kun, you can relax, you know. My car’s been restored like twice now, once courtesy of my vocalist and his ability to get into a serious car wreck almost ten years ago, and once due to my mother’s ancient oak tree, just last year. So, I’m not terribly worried that you’ll do anything horrible to it…so, ease up a little.” Navigating out of the parking lot, Kir drove them out to the main road, the small town slipping away into rice fields as the bassist turned onto one of the back roads and shifted into a quiet 50 kilometers per hour. Following his lead, Kei watched the darkening countryside stream past, and smiled a little to himself.

“Hai, Akira-san…Thank you, again. You didn’t have to do all of that…or take me home like some little lost puppy.” Akira shrugged, turning onto an even smaller road and switching on his brights, even as the stars began to wink into existence up above. Glancing at them, he smiled at the faint glow of the Milky Way only a little dimmed by the moon.

“You’re a colleague, for one…and for another, you didn’t sound too enthused about going back to Tokyo for the night. Besides…I dunno…” He replied softly, eyes following to match up with Keisuke’s. The younger one quirked an eyebrow, curious now.

“You don’t know?”

“Mmm…You looked like you could use a friend at the moment.” He replied breezily, breaking the contact only to watch the road.

“A friend…that is rather nice. Thank you…” Keisuke chose to look up at that moment, and stifled a soft cry. The stars! He hadn't seen such a glittering sky in three years...not since he'd left Hokkaido...He glanced at Akira, who'd caught his fascination with the cosmos, and blushed under the warmth of the other's smile.
“It’s no problem. So, Keisuke-kun, how’s the band holding up?” At that, the small vocalist’s eyes darkened with anger.

“Not so well. We…had a falling out with Mitsuru, so he’s leaving the band. Thankfully, Yuji’s second instrument is drums, so he’ll be our drummer for the time being. It’s frustrating, though…Mit-san always wanted this, wanted that, and when we didn’t do things quite the way he described, it was always a failed project. Half of my lyrics were butchered in n0iz Star, because he decided they didn’t ‘flow right.’”

“Seriously? No wonder I’d been hearing rumors about fights breaking out downstairs. Glad he’s leaving though…he was a sucky drummer, and he never listened to Kai.”

“Exactly! He always did things his way, and regarded the rest of us as morons. Ugh…Man, he’s still stressing me out…” Akira grunted at that, and Keisuke was surprised to catch a frown on the other's face. He'd never seen the bassist even miffed, let alone the distinct anger radiating from him now. But he closed his eyes, and letting out a deep sigh, give Kei a wry smile.

“Don’t let him get to you. He’s leaving after this next CD and the tour, right?”

“…Yeah.”

“Then you’ll have Yuji-kun, and a better band. And don’t forget; you can always come up to our studio and ask for help or advice. Ruki may act like a prick at times, but he’s got a great heart and plenty of experience, and he’s always ready to help. We’re not like some bands; we don’t see our fellow musicians as rivals. Besides…It’s fun to go back and remember all the little things we used to do at your ages.” He grinned, then laughed a little. “God, I sound so damn old…and I’m only twenty-seven.” Keisuke giggled.

“That’s okay, Akira…It’s nice to talk to someone who does know what we’re going through. So, what’s your house like, since we’ve been talking so much? I’m curious now.” Akira chuckled and cracked his knuckles on the steering wheel as he took another turn into the darkness.

“Well, it’s a little place, four rooms and a hallway, with a good-sized backroom kind of separated from the rest of the house. Mom used it as a storage room, but it’s been my dojo for the two years I’ve been living alone there. Basic Japanese architecture, shoji and all. The tatami had to be replaced when we moved in, so they’re a little old, but comfy. The only room I messed with was my den. It’s so awesome…it’s a full theatre-style entertainment system with two walls of games and movies.”

“Seriously?! Rockin’! Can we watch a movie tonight? Can we?” He asked excitedly, bouncing like a kid on the seat next to the bassist. Akira laughed and nodded, then he chortled again.

“Yes, Keisuke-kun, we can…Speaking of home…here we are.” He gestured, killing the engine and climbing out, he reached back and swung the protected bass over his shoulder with an easy grace. Keisuke followed that movement and almost fell out of the car, but he trotted up to the bassist easily, hiding the little shiver of anticipation coiling in his stomach. Easy now, Kei, easy…let’s take it nice and slow. Rei-Akira is just being nice, like that first day. Don’t complicate a simple situation now… He thought, though it was a little tinged with sadness at that. He shook the mood away and kept on the other’s tail as Akira navigated his way through a pitch black house to the kitchen, where he flipped the lights on with a sigh, and set the bass up proudly in an empty stand next to the den wall. “There…she was a little lonely up on that stand.”

“Lonely?” Keisuke quirked an eyebrow at that, but smiled as the bassist caressed the pearly guitar with an almost fatherly air.

“You know, like a great microphone, high on a stand, in the dead center of a stage. That lonesome feeling you get, like you left a child behind…” Akira replied softly, eyes gentle, but far away in their thoughts. Kei smiled a little shyly and made his way through the simple kitchen, admiring the soft purples and blues in the mosaics and the simple black cupboards and appliances. The bassist’s eyes shifted back to reality as he watched the other walk around, and Akira shook his bangs back. Lonely indeed…his new bass wasn’t the only one who’d looked like they needed a little TLC. He slipped into the kitchen, and rifling around in the fridge, pulled out a large pizza box from a few nights before and pulling down a pair of plates as he opened the box and sniffed hesitantly, before smirking and pulling out a pair of slices for Keisuke.

“You guys had pizza your first night back?” Keisuke grinned, taking the small ceramic plate with two slices of pepperoni.

“Nobody was in the mood to attempt to cook…and Kai was passed out on the
couch, so I ordered in a couple of pizzas. This is all that remains…care for it cold or microwaved?”

“Cold…normally, I’d be munching on celery or something else rabbity this late if I was hungry…my roommate would kill me if I ordered take out of any form.” Akira raised an eyebrow at that as he leaned against the stove, munching on one of his three pieces.

“How’s that work? I was of the opinion that if you bought it, you can eat it.” Kei shrugged and leaned against the opposite counter, increasing their distance only a little so that he could talk to the other without brushing against him too much.

“He’s a finicky bastard. I just happened to be the unlucky guy who got paired with him through that weird roommate service Tokyo put together. He’s vegan, obsessed with Hootie and the Blowfish, and disdains all other Japanese save for his ‘doting parents’ and himself…oh, and he loves BBC. He ran up our cable bill so badly that most of my first PS paycheck went to that. Fucking 120000 yen…and I got to keep enough for rent and a couple drinks. That’s all.” He crunched down on the pizza crust rather viciously, earning a slight wince from Akira.

“Ouch…Man, and I thought living with Kouyou was bad…he just got drunk all the time and tried to feel me up daily. But…it helps that we’re distant cousins, and that we’re also really good friends. He apologized when he sobered up.”

“Ayumu’s not like that at all. I kind of wish he was, though. Maybe then, things would go smoother…but, no…”

“You haven’t tried to find another roommate?”

“I haven’t had the time. Between shoots and recordings and writing, I’m lucky if I get to collapse in my room at PS most nights. And my off weeks…they’re spent with me stuck with all of Ayu’s friends, all of which are stuck up prissy boys who haven’t worked a day in their lives. And of course, being the odd duck, they all talk about me constantly. It’s like they’ve never seen an oshare-style shirt thrown over a pair of goth pants, topped with visual hair and a few earrings and my lip ring. Shit, I’m normal compared to half of what walks around Harajuku and Shinjuku everyday! And when I finally, finally get away from them…I tuck myself in a café, order a coffee and some cheesecake, and set to work once more. It’s either writing, or being dragged around by Ayumu’s crew, and I’d much rather take the former. Work at least…I get to be around people who like me for who I am…and who I like back…” He blushed a little at that, and shook his head a bit. “Sorry…didn’t mean to rant.”

“It’s quite alright.” Akira murmured, taking his plate as he finished the last few bites. “If anything, you needed it. Besides, I’ve been subjected to much, much worse. You, at least, have a decent reason as to why you hate your roommate. In any case…feel up to a movie to make the night a little better?” He pushed aside the den’s shoji and offered Keisuke the option of going first, which the vocalist took with a shaky, thankful smile. As he slipped into the dim room, Akira followed, sliding the shoji back in place, then finding himself a bit stuck. Keisuke was right where he needed to pass through, but he doubted the younger man knew that. So, gentle as could be, he grasped the younger man’s arms and moved him just a little, enough to slide past. Akira almost let go at the electric shock he got from just his fingers touching the skin above Kei’s elbows, and judging from the faint jump, the other had felt a similar jolt. “S-sorry about that…I didn’t mean to startle you, Keisuke-kun.”

“It’s alright…Um…sorry…didn’t mean to get in your way, Akira-san…” He replied with a soft smile, the shivers going down his spine relaxing as he touched where those calloused hands had caught hold of him. The bassist’s dark figure motioned for him to sit as Akira set about finding a decent movie, finally settling on one of his favorites.

“No, no…that’s quite alright…So, how does this movie sound? It’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.”

“Really? Dude, I’m totally cool with that! I’ve seen all three…but the first is still my favorite, bar none.”

“Oh, thank god! I had to force Gaze to sit with me in the theatres for all of
them, and Lord of the Rings was out of the question.” Kei perked up at that, and slyly, very slyly, started to sing an Elvish song. Akira paused, his shock turning to absolute delight as he followed, a little slower, and at the end of the verse both burst into laughter. “I never knew you were a LoTR fan!”

“I know, right? It’s an easy thing to hide…but I kinda wish I didn’t have to. I miss my old cosplay friends in Hokkaido! I was totally Frodo when I was a kid, then as I grew up, they turned me into Elrond.”

“Huh…I had a few cosplay friends who were as geeky as I was, so we occasionally did LoTR, but I mostly ended up being Faramir and Gandalf, for some odd as hell reason.” Kei shrugged and leaned into the couch, bouncing a bit as Akira plopped down and stretched his legs out.

“There are most certainly worse ones out there. Besides, you got to be some pretty cool characters…y’know what we should do sometime?”

“No, what?”

“Go cosplaying together. At one of the cons.” Keisuke grinned, then started laughing a bit as another thought popped into his head. “And while we’re at it, let’s cos ourselves as well. See how many people ‘criticize’ us for ‘bad character’ and ‘poor costume’!” Akira was laughing now too, and they both missed the opening scenes as they let their laughter die away and caught their second winds.

“Alright then! We’ll make it a date, eh?” Kir gasped a bit, turning his attention back to the movie as Keisuke froze next to him. A…date? Did he seriously, honestly just say what he thought he said?