The Great Manipulator

by Lady7 ( runaluna )

Synopsis: Sequel to Sextape/Home Video. Would Shinya be able bring Kyo to the studio? Would Kaoru tell Die? Would Sherlock Toshiya continue his “investigation”?
Disclaimer: I own no one but the fic is mine
Comments: Thank you so much for reading!!! A little tired so I apologize for the late update ^^ and I apologize for any misspellings!!!


Chapter 2


“Really? You’ll bring Kyo tomorrow? To the studio?”

“I kinda feel that I can”

Die shook his head.

“No way”

Shinya gave him a look.

“We’ll see!”


No way indeed

Shinya shook his head with fingers digging into his bag.

“Come on Kyo kun” he pushed.

The vocalist didn’t even move a muscle. He was lying on the bed, with his back facing Shinya, who took out the ringing cell phone from his bag, and answered without looking at the screen.

“Told ya” came a voice from the other end.

Shinya blinked in shocked.

“What are you … a shaman?!” he blurted out, eyes still locked on the man who stubbornly stayed on the bed upon hearing his idea of setting up a meeting in the studio.

“I know Kyo more than you do”

“Huh?” Shinya uttered in confusion, feet stepping out of the bedroom. He took one last glance at Kyo before closing the door, and replied, “What do you mean by that?”

Die laughed dryly, “Who’s got the upper hand in this?”

Shinya joined his eyebrows.

“Kyo does. He knows Kaoru needs to talk to him. He knows you desperately need him to talk to Kaoru. He won’t go, he’ll take his own sweet time”

Shinya shook his head in disagreement, “I’m sure with a little push, he will-”

“Shinchan” Die said in a soft tone, “He won’t. He’s more stubborn than you think”

The drummer fell silent, biting his lower lip.

“You’re wasting your time, just come to the studio already” Die stated, then said his goodbyes and hang up. Shinya sighed aloud and kept the phone back into his bag. His brain started to think very carefully. Okay. He DID promise Kaoru he would bring Kyo today. But according to Die, it’d never happened. So what’s he to do now? He didn’t want to let anyone down.

But what could he do in this situation?

Shinya narrowed his eyes as he leaned on the wall.

If he pushed Kyo more, it would look like he was on Kaoru’s side. And Shinya certainly didn’t want to be misunderstood. He and Die just wanted this whole thing to be settled. The sex tape and gay issue, the exact subjects they had tried to avoid. Their secret relationship was at stake. If this went on any longer, maybe one of the guys would notice a thing or two about them. He’s not sure, after this home video shocker, could the guys take another shocker?!

Shinya rubbed his forehead gently, trying to come up with an idea. Any idea would do. If he told Kaoru to lay it off a bit, just relaxed and not pushed Kyo so quickly, Kaoru would probably accused him for siding Kyo. It’s really two-way blade, the situation he had thrown himself in. God, what made him open his stupid mouth and offered to help?!

…

Help

… Exactly

Help!

Shinya’s eyes widened in realization. He had told Kaoru he would help Kyo go thru this. He was so focused on doing it, that when he’s stuck like this, he didn’t realize there’s another way of helping right in front of his eyes.

Gah! Why hadn’t he thought of it?!

Shinya smirk a little as he opened the bedroom door slowly and snuck a glance at Kyo, who had fallen asleep. He actually felt good about his new idea, and thought for the first time after Kyo discovered the tape, Shinya felt positive. Yes. He’s soo gonna put these subjects to rest.

The drummer walked toward the carpark with a faint smile on his lips, as his brain started plotting what should happened and such when suddenly his cellphone rang. Shinya answered without looking at the screen, “Yes, Toshiya kun”

“Could you please come over?” Toshiya’s voice was shaky, and it sounded like he had just cried. The drummer reached his car and got in. Sitting down comfortably, he was able to think more clearly.

“Let’s just meet up in the studio” he suggested. But the bassist whined about Kaoru not allowing him to go. Shinya shook his head, “I can’t believe he’s doing this to you” he whispered, pitying Toshiya and how he was shunned away from this whole thing. But Kaoru had a point. Toshiya would probably ruined everything.

“He think he’s Tom Cruise” Toshiya sulked, “But I’m no Katie Holmes. I’m not going to be told what to do! I’m going to fight back and defend myself! I searched EVERYWHERE in the apartment, and it’s not here!”

Alarms were ringing in Shinya’s head as Toshiya continued, “That damn tape wasn’t in the apartment, and those boxes, I put all the stuff in there! I KNEW what went in them!” he spat furiously, “There’s some kind of conspiracy going on against me, and I’m about to find out what it is!”

Shinya heard him huffed, then he sighed aloud and went back to whiny mode, “But seriously Shinya, please come and see me please?”

Had he no heart to leave Toshiya alone, and upset, and depressed over the sex tape? But he knew too well. The whiny voice was just a trap, Shinya thought as his forehead rested on the steering wheel. It’s a huge trap to lure Shinya and once he was there, Toshiya would wildly tell him what happened the day he searched for the tape. At this rate, the way Toshiya’s suddenly so fired up, the secret was in danger.

But he didn’t want to seem like he sided Kaoru either.

Crap.

“Toshiya, listen to me” he started with a serious tone, “Everything will be okay in the end. This is just a phase we have to go thru, like any other bad phases we had been in. And no” he added, “There’s no conspiracy against you. You’re not framed or anything!” Shinya obviously lied thru his teeth, and he bit his tongue for that.

“The reason Kaoru told you to stay away from this, is probably bcuz you had it bad. Like baaad”

Toshiya blinked, “Really? Like he’s actually thinking about me? You mean shunning me away from this is actually for my own good?” he inquired.

Shinya clenched his fist tight, swallowed hard and replied, “Yes. Kaoru probably wants you to just sit back and relax. I mean, I know you and Kyo are quite close, and he seems very shocked to see you on that tape”

Toshiya blinked more and asked after a while, “But aren’t you?”

“Sure!” Shinya blurted out, not expecting the question, “I was SHOCKED beyond belief! I was like …. OMG! A sex tape! Kaoru and Toshiya’s sex tape!” he gushed, and winced. He hoped it sounded convincing. But Toshiya was in his own element this morning, “Yeah, but it wouldn’t be as shocked as to find Die and Shinya’s sex tape”

Shinya froze

“You know what I mean?” Toshiya pushed.

His lips were numb, and he couldn’t think of a single word to say. And Toshiya started to whine again, “Can you imagine if it was your tape that Kyo found? Maybe he’d roll his eyes and be like yeaaahhh so predicted! And then switched the channel. And Kaoru would probably stop worshipping you and comparing us. That’d make my life so much easier!” he exclaimed.

Shinya started to laugh humorlessly, “Ahaha…” he paused, “Like that’s gonna happen!”

Where’s Die when he needed the red head to crack a joke at moments like this?!

“Toshiya” he muttered firmly, and closed his eyes. He needed to focus and made his point clear, “This whole tape and gay thing, I will try my best to help Kyo accept what has happened. We’re all living in twilight zone at the moment, and we’re not thinking straight”

“Right” came a calm reply and Shinya started to feel relieved, and he continued, “Sit back, relaxed, and please. Stop thinking about the conspiracy and the framing stuff. No way you could prove them true because nothing like that happened here”

The bassist fell silent, and he went on, “So if I were you, I would focus on what I’d be telling Kyo when he’s finally ready to talk to you”

He could feel Toshiya held his breath, and slowly released it, “Ahhh…” the bassist sighed, “You’re right”

Great. Shinya smiled and added, “So you know what to do now?”

“Yes” Toshiya smiled, “Thanks Shinchan, you’re the best!” he exclaimed and hung up the phone. Shinya leaned back on the seat and exhaled loudly. God that was tough. He buckled up and started the engine. He would go to the studio and started working on the new plan.

Right

But what Toshiya said just now … it kinda made him a very happy gay drummer.

How if Toshiya was right about Die and him being so predictable? Too predictable that Kyo would just go ‘pfft’ and switched the channel? After discovering the home video, Shinya couldn’t help but feel relieved that Kaoru and Toshiya would had no problem with the relationship. They did it before Die and him even started. It was Kyo that worried them.

Looking at his reaction to Kaoru and Toshiya’s tape, and how Kyo told him he was sickened by the sight of Kaoru and Toshiya doing it … would Kyo hate them, and refused to talk to them, and even quit the band, once and for all?

Shinya sighed and wet his lips. That was another story altogether. Right now, he needed to focus on this. How to get Kyo talk to Kaoru, how to make Toshiya forget about the conspiracy, and how to finally let Die had something to do in this. Shinya pouted and swore that the red head really breezed thru this whole thing like nothing happened!

What did Die do to contribute to this? Aside from a *ahem* hot massage two nights ago on his shoulders … and other places too actually … *ahem* Shinya kicked the thought away as he felt his face reddened. Focus! Focus! He mentally slapped himself. He still needed to come up with a very good excuse. What should he say to Kaoru when he arrived with no Kyo in sight? And why was the studio always seem so near when he didn’t want to get there so quickly?

Shinya took his usual parking space and got out the car. Some technician was taking a puff and he greeted the older man. Shinya then walked into the building and was so not surprise to see Kaoru in the lobby. He smiled a little as the older man saw him, got up and started to say, “Oh Shinya, I-”

“Kaoru san!”

Both turned to the source, “We need to talk to you”

It was their sound systems guys, and they were dragging Kaoru away as they spoke. Shinya stood there for a moment, his hand stretched out a little for Kaoru, and he blinked several times. Not Shinya without the drama every now and then, and Kaoru was watching anyway. He mustn’t look glad that Kaoru couldn’t ask about Kyo.

Slowly, with less heavier steps, he got on the elevator and headed upstairs. He took a deep breath and twisted the door knob opened. Right on the first step as he entered - “Shinya! About time you’re here!” Die exclaimed and jumped on him. The younger man felt himself being dragged across the room, “I’m guessing no one’s in the room” he muttered flatly.

“Nope. Just me and you now” the red head exclaimed and made him sit on the couch. Shinya sighed and placed his bag on the carpeted floor as Die’s arms wrapped around him tightly, “Did it take that long to reach here from Kyo’s house?”

Shinya rolled his eyes, “I felt it’s too short! Die, anyone can just walk in and catch us together” he complained and started to pull away from their union, but his lover was persistent, “Let me just have our moment. It’s very rare for us to canoodle in this room” Die replied, climbing on top of Shinya as he pinned the drummer down.

“We’re not doing it here!” Shinya exclaimed in panic as Die started to nuzzle on his neck. There was no reply from the older man and he started to avert his eyes to the door, “I swear Die, someone’s gonna open that door and see us like this … get off me!” he hissed, still watching the door. The red head merely laughed, then lay on top of him with arms wrapping around Shinya’s body. They stayed like that for a while, “No one’s gonna walk thru that door Shinchan” he whispered.

As soon as he finished that sentence, the door was opened and Kaoru entered the room

“Shinya here? … HEH?!”
 

************