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FIC: Unmasked, Part 22 of 25
Title: Unmasked, Part 22 of 25
Rating: NC-17 overall
Fandom: Haru wo Daiteita (Embracing Love)
Pairing: Kikuchi/Onozuka, Iwaki/Katou
Characters: Kikuchi, Onozuka, Iwaki, Katou
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Word count: ~8,470
Sequel to: Unexpected Opportunities, Comeback (Part 1 and Part 2), Forgiveness, Firsts, First Date (Part 1 and Part 2), Going Steady (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6), Audition (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Cookout (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Press Conference (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Sanctuary, The Prince vs. the Groupie (Part 1, Part 2), Family Visit: Tokyo (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), Gigolo (Part 1, Part 2), Yoshizumi's Night Out (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Family Visit: Okinawa (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), and Interlude. The series also includes two side-stories that are outside of the main timeline: Valentine's Day Surprise and Strictly Business.
Summary: Kikuchi and Onozuka discover that their relationship has been revealed to the media.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21
***
Onozuka yawned and stretched as he woke up, still pleasantly sated from last night (or rather, earlier this morning).
"Three times," he murmured, smiling at the memory. Hardly a record compared to Katou and Iwaki, though--and his smile faded as he remembered that his friend was still in the hospital with a hopeful but still uncertain prognosis. He was just wondering whether he should try to contact Iwaki when he heard his cell phone ringing.
It took him a little while to track down his phone--Kikuchi had apparently gathered up their clothes and piled it in a heap on the bedroom floor. Onozuka followed the sound, pulled his jacket out of the pile, and fished his phone out of the pocket.
"Yes?" he asked anxiously.
"Onozuka-kun?" Iwaki replied, sounding tired but happy. "It's Iwaki. I just wanted to let you know that Katou woke up a few minutes ago."
"I bet the first thing he said was 'Is Iwaki-san all right?'" Onozuka laughed. He was so overwhelmed with relief that his legs felt shaky, and he sank back down onto the bed.
"Yes, pretty much," Iwaki admitted in an exasperated but affectionate voice. "Anyway, it will still take some time for him to recover, but his doctors say that he's doing well and that he's out of danger."
"Thanks for letting me know," Onozuka said sincerely.
"I know how worried you were, so I wanted to call you right away," Iwaki said compassionately.
"Thank you, Iwaki-san."
"Well, I need to give everyone else the good news, so I'll let you go now," Iwaki said. There was a brief pause, and he added, "By the way, I hope things will work out for you and Kikuchi-san."
Onozuka blushed and replied, "Thanks, we're...um...working on it."
"I'm glad," Iwaki said. "Good luck, Onozuka-kun."
As Onozuka hung up, Kikuchi appeared in the doorway and asked, "Was that news about Katou?"
"Yes, that was Iwaki," Onozuka replied. "He says that Katou will be all right."
"I'm glad," Kikuchi said, then smiled at Onozuka's look of surprise. "Hey, I don't like Katou, but that doesn't mean I'd wish him dead. Besides..." He walked over and leaned down to brush a kiss against Onozuka's cheek. "You care about Katou even if I don't, and I don't want to see you weep."
He spoke lightly, as if it were a joke, but there was a tender look in his eyes and Onozuka suddenly remembered the way that Kikuchi had rushed over to render first aid to Katou last night.
"You tried to help Katou last night," Onozuka said, staring up at Kikuchi in wonder.
"For your sake, not his," Kikuchi said, looking a little embarrassed. Then he grinned wickedly and said, "But I fully intend to rub it in Katou's face the next time I see him!"
Onozuka burst into laughter and Kikuchi looked pleased. "I'm glad to see you looking more like your old self," he said, giving Onozuka another kiss. "Why don't you take a shower while I make breakfast?"
After Onozuka was done showering, he realized that he didn't have any fresh clothes, and put on his shirt and trousers from last night. They were creased and wrinkled from having been thrown carelessly on the floor, which didn't really bother Onozuka--okay, well, it did bother his vanity a little bit. But mostly it made Onozuka realize that he had left nothing of himself behind at Kikuchi's apartment, not even a spare t-shirt, even though he'd slept over here several times before. Some of his coworkers had complained about their girlfriends leaving stuff behind--clothes, make-up, jewelry--like they were trying to stake a foothold, the first step before actually moving in.
Onozuka, on the other hand, had been careful to leave nothing behind--his way of keeping up the illusion that their relationship was only casual. The only sign that he'd ever been here was the extra toothbrush that Kikuchi had bought him, and it suddenly disturbed him that he could have vanished out of Kikuchi's life without leaving a trace of himself behind.
Still brooding, he brushed his teeth and combed his hair, and as he glanced at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, he noticed--with a combination of amusement and irritation--that Kikuchi had left a huge hickey on his neck. Still, they were done filming, so it wasn't a major concern, and right now he was more bothered by the question of how he fit into Kikuchi's life.
But Onozuka cheered up when he walked into the kitchen and smelled fresh-brewed coffee, and saw Kikuchi setting out plates of omelette and French toast on the table. "Wow, looks like a feast!" he exclaimed.
Kikuchi smiled proudly and said, "Well, it's been awhile since I was able to cook for you, so I wanted to make something special."
Onozuka took a bite of the omelette, tasting cheese, mushrooms, and peppers mixed in with the eggs, which were light and fluffy. "It's delicious," he said sincerely, then tried the French toast next. It had been fried up golden brown and dusted with powdered sugar, and there was pure maple syrup to pour over it. It was rich and mildly sweet, tasting faintly of vanilla and cinnamon.
"Mmm, this is so good," Onozuka said, half-closing his eyes in pleasure, and Kikuchi looked even more pleased. He continued to eat, enjoying every bite--not just because it was delicious, although it was, but because he was so happy to be sitting here with Kikuchi, being spoiled by his lover again. Maybe it was childish of him, but he had missed having Kikuchi cook for him and fuss over him. And he had missed the way that Kikuchi would smile indulgently at him, as he was now, taking pride and pleasure in Onozuka's happiness.
When he was done, he pushed his plate away and leaned back in his chair, sighing contentedly. "Had enough?" Kikuchi asked. "There's still one more piece of toast left."
"I'll burst if I eat another bite," Onozuka replied. "But it was great, thanks."
"You're welcome," Kikuchi said, spearing the last piece of toast with his fork. But instead of eating it, he pushed it around on his plate nervously.
"Is something wrong?" Onozuka asked cautiously, wondering if Kikuchi wanted to continue their discussion from last night. He had promised to talk about their relationship "after Katou has recovered," and while Katou wasn't fully recovered yet, he was going to live, which might be recovery enough in Kikuchi's mind.
"I have something to confess," Kikuchi said, visibly steeling himself as if anticipating an argument.
"What is it?" Onozuka asked suspiciously. He thought he had already discovered all of Kikuchi's scheming. Seized by a sudden panic, he asked sharply, "Were you seeing someone else?"
"What?" Kikuchi replied, looking genuinely shocked. "No, of course not! It's nothing like that."
Onozuka breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "What is it, then?"
"You weren't speaking to me," Kikuchi said, then hastily added, "Which was completely my fault, of course. But you wouldn't accept my apologies and filming was almost over, and I was terrified that I was going to lose you. I was desperate and I didn't know what to do...so I called up your friend Toshi for advice, and he invited me over to have dinner with him and his wife."
"You met Misa-chan?" Onozuka asked. Maybe a week ago he would have been angry that Kikuchi had gone to see his friends behind his back, but right now he was still relieved that his first panicked guess wasn't true.
"Yes," Kikuchi replied, looking pleasantly surprised by Onozuka's calm response. "Honestly, I wasn't trying to deceive you or dig up secrets about your past. I just hoped that they might be able to give me some advice about making up with you."
"I bet that Misa had a few choice words to say about me," Onozuka said wryly. "So what advice did they give you?"
"Well, they both said that you would keep running away from me," Kikuchi replied apologetically. "But Misa said that if I really cared about you, I wouldn't give up. And also that if I did give up, that meant I didn't really love you, in which case I didn't deserve you."
Onozuka burst into laughter. "Oh man, that sounds like Misa! I've felt the sharp edge of her tongue more times than I can count!"
"She's blunt, it's true," Kikuchi agreed with a smile. "But she cares a lot about you--they both do."
"I know," Onozuka said quietly. He avoided Misa because she would tell him truths that he didn't want to hear and that Toshi was too kind to say, but he knew that she did it out of friendship. "So that was your big secret? Well...you had already met Toshi before, so I guess I can forgive that."
But Kikuchi looked only slightly relieved, and Onozuka gave him another suspicious look. "I have one more thing to confess," Kikuchi said sheepishly.
"What is it this time?" Onozuka sighed.
"I asked another of your friends for advice," Kikuchi replied. "Or actually, two of them."
Onozuka gave him a puzzled look and asked, "Surely, you wouldn't ask Miyasaka for advice? Or was it Yoshizumi-san?" He couldn't think of anyone else that Kikuchi might have sought advice from.
"It was Katou and Iwaki," Kikuchi replied, looking even more sheepish.
"What?!" Onozuka asked disbelievingly. "You're kidding, right?"
"No, it's true," Kikuchi said. "I was desperate. Misa-san's advice strengthened my resolve not to give up, but it wasn't going to help me get back together with you. I figured that Katou and Iwaki might be the only ones who could convince you to at least listen to me."
Kikuchi was still nervously awaiting his reaction, but Onozuka wasn't so much angry as he was completely flabbergasted. Kikuchi seemed sincere, and Onozuka couldn't think why he would lie about such a thing. At the same time, he knew that Kikuchi had a lot of pride, and it was difficult to picture Kikuchi humbling himself enough to ask his two hated rivals for help.
"Even if you did ask them for help, I can't believe that they'd agree to it," Onozuka said skeptically. "Well, maybe Iwaki would," he conceded on second thought. "But Katou? Never." Even as he spoke, Onozuka suddenly recalled Katou saying, "I don't like Kikuchi-san and I doubt that I ever will, but if he really makes you happy, then I'll put up with him for your sake." But surely there was a difference between tolerating an enemy for the sake of a friend, and actively helping that enemy.
"Katou was furious," Kikuchi admitted. "He said that I had a lot of nerve asking them for help when when I'd never apologized for what I did to Iwaki."
"So what did you do?" Onozuka asked, and to his amazement, Kikuchi explained how Katou had provoked him, and how he had ended up bowing down in apology to both Katou and Iwaki. "I don't believe it," Onozuka said incredulously.
"It's true," Kikuchi insisted, his eyes meeting Onozuka's without hesitation. "I swear it, Yuu. You can ask them if you don't believe me."
Kikuchi was a good actor and therefore a good liar, but his story could be confirmed or denied by Iwaki easily enough, so Onozuka saw no reason for Kikuchi to lie, as incredible as his story sounded. "You really apologized to them...got down on your hands and knees...for my sake?" Onozuka asked softly, staring at his lover in amazement.
"Yes," Kikuchi replied. "Although it wasn't just to get their help." He flushed, with something that seemed very much like shame. "When Katou asked me how I would feel if someone attacked you the way that I did Iwaki, I realized that I'd kill anyone who tried to hurt you...and that made me realize what a terrible thing I did to them." He looked rather embarrassed by that confession and added gruffly, "Even if they are a sanctimonious prig and a hot-headed idiot."
Onozuka laughed out loud and Kikuchi looked a bit offended. "Sorry, it's just that you kind of sounded like Katou for a second there," he apologized with a grin, secretly tickled by Kikuchi's admission. "He's always, 'I'll kill anyone who touches my Iwaki-san!'"
"Do not compare me to that...that...puppy!" Kikuchi exclaimed indignantly, causing Onozuka to burst into another bout of laughter. Kikuchi continued to look offended for a moment, then sighed, and his features softened as he smiled ruefully at Onozuka. "Well, I guess it's better to have you laughing at me than angry with me," he said wryly.
"You'd really kill anyone who laid a hand on me?" Onozuka asked, leaning across the table to smile flirtatiously at Kikuchi, and was even more pleased when Kikuchi's breath quickened in response.
"I'd try to, at least," Kikuchi said huskily.
"So after you made this dramatic apology, did Katou agree to help you?" Onozuka asked, curious to know the answer now.
"Yes," Kikuchi replied. "Although he made it clear that it was for your sake, not mine. And he said that he would kick my ass all the way back to America if I ever hurt you." Onozuka nearly fell off his chair laughing, and Kikuchi sighed again but smiled at Onozuka's reaction. "Anyway, in the end, he and Iwaki agreed to invite me to the dinner party so that I could have a chance to talk to you in private."
"What?!" Onozuka exclaimed. "That sneaky bastard!"
"He said he owed you payback for the thing you set up with him and Miyasaka and Iwaki, where Iwaki asked Miyasaka to be 'the woman,'" Kikuchi said, perhaps trying to deflect blame away from himself to Katou.
Onozuka wavered between being outraged and impressed. "Katou acts like an idiot sometimes, but he's smarter than he looks," he finally said, with a little snort of grudging amusement.
"Oh yes," Kikuchi agreed with feeling, somewhat to Onozuka's surprise. "I think maybe he uses the puppy act to make people underestimate him. I won't make that mistake again." Onozuka smiled, amused by Kikuchi's new respect for his enemy, and Kikuchi looked relieved. "Obviously there isn't going to be a dinner party today, but since you're smiling at me, does that mean I'm forgiven?"
"So was that the important thing you were trying to tell me earlier?" Onozuka asked. "That you met with Toshi and Misa, and Iwaki and Katou?"
Kikuchi nodded. "I meant what I said, about wanting to be honest with you from now on. I wasn't trying to hide it from you, but I didn't want to tell you about it in a text message, either."
Onozuka had already pretty much decided to forgive Kikuchi, but couldn't resist teasing him a little first. "So is that it? You don't have any more deep, dark secrets that you're hiding from me?"
"No, that's it," Kikuchi replied, but a sudden look of consternation crossed his face as if something had just occurred to him.
"What?" Onozuka asked, feeling a little alarmed. "I was only joking; are you telling me there really is something?"
"Well..." Kikuchi temporized sheepishly.
Onozuka crossed his arms over his chest and said sternly, "Out with it, Katsuya."
"All right, but just remember that it was before my resolution to be honest," Kikuchi said placatingly.
"Just spill it, already!" Onozuka snapped impatiently, and Kikuchi gave in with a sigh.
"Do you remember that time when your uncle came to visit us on location in Okinawa? I might have happened to send him an e-mail that might have mentioned the time and place where we'd be filming."
"Might have?" Onozuka asked pointedly.
"All right, I did send it to him," Kikuchi admitted, giving Onozuka his most charming smile. "But he probably would have found out without my help, considering how many other people showed up--it wasn't exactly a state secret. Once the film crew started setting up on the beach, I'm sure that word got out pretty quickly."
"How did you get Uncle Kaoru's e-mail address, anyway?" Onozuka demanded.
"The night before we flew to Okinawa, you cruelly deserted me to hang out with Katou and Miyasaka," Kikuchi reminded him playfully. "I was home alone, drowning my sorrows in a bottle of sake, and having too much time on my hands, I did an internet search and found the website for your family's inn...which conveniently had an e-mail address listed on it."
"So it's my fault?" Onozuka asked, glaring at his lover.
"No, it's mine," Kikuchi sighed, dropping the joking attitude. "I was out of line, and I'm sorry. I just...well, I was curious about your family because you're so secretive about them, and I guess I thought meeting them might make me feel closer to you."
He looked so wistful and anxious that Onozuka felt his anger beginning to dissipate. And actually, all those past incidents didn't seem quite so important anymore compared to Katou being shot and nearly killed. Kikuchi had been there for Onozuka last night, protecting him--both from the shooter and from himself, trying to help Katou for Onozuka's sake, and comforting him at the hospital when he'd been on the verge of losing it. And all of that even though Onozuka had been treating him coldly, barely speaking to him for the last two weeks.
"I guess I have things I need to apologize for, too," Onozuka said quietly, staring down at his empty plate. "You were right--I did plan for Miyasaka to walk in on us that night. I wanted to make both of you a little jealous and it backfired on me spectacularly." He smiled wryly and glanced up to see Kikuchi staring at him hopefully. "And...I did suspect that you wanted to get serious," Onozuka said, although that was harder to admit. "It was kind of hard not to notice, especially after the surprise visit to your family. But..." His eyes dropped back to the plate, and his voice dropped down to a whisper. "I was scared. Not just of you getting serious, but by how much I wanted you. It was only supposed to be a casual fling, after all. If you were really getting serious, then I'd have to break up with you, but I didn't want to do that so...I just pretended not to notice."
"Yuu," Kikuchi said urgently, reaching across the table to place his hand beneath Onozuka's chin, gently tilting Onozuka's head up so that their eyes met. "No more lies, no more games--I am dead serious about you. Please tell me that you're not going to break up with me."
The emotion in Kikuchi's eyes --a mix of love and desperation--was so intense that Onozuka felt skewered in place, unable to move. Which was maybe a good thing, because he was struck by one last panic attack that normally would have sent him fleeing for safety. Or maybe it was going to be his downfall, but he still couldn't bring himself to move.
"I can't," Onozuka whispered. "If I was smart, I would have done it a long time ago, but now it's too late. I can't break up with you...I don't want to lose you."
"Yuu," Kikuchi breathed in a fervent sigh of relief. He rose from his chair and moved to Onozuka's side, bending down to capture his lips in a passionate kiss. Onozuka returned the kiss, moaning softly, thinking that he might be up for a repeat performance of their lovemaking, despite having been exhausted a few hours ago.
And then the phone rang. Or to be more specific, two phones rang--his and Kikuchi's, almost simultaneously.
"That's Fujimoto's ringtone," Onozuka groaned, breaking off the kiss.
"Well, we were going to have to face the music sometime," Kikuchi said regretfully. Onozuka ran to get his phone, and while Kikuchi was answering his phone, the intercom buzzed. "Hang on, there's someone downstairs," Kikuchi said, presumably to Kojima. "Who is it?" Kikuchi said into the intercom.
"This is Okada from Entertainment News," a male voice replied. "Would you care to comment on the tabloid article about you and Onozuka Yuu? There's a photo of Onozuka-san entering the building with you last night. Is he there with you now?"
"No comment," Kikuchi said curtly, breaking the connection.
Meanwhile, Fujimoto was telling Onozuka, "There's a tabloid article about you and Kikuchi in this morning's news. The main headline is about Katou's shooting, of course, but there's a major secondary feature on the two of you. I don't know where he was hiding or how I managed to overlook him, but that little punk Urushizaki managed to get pictures of you at the hospital and going into Kikuchi's building together." Fujimoto sounded outraged and chagrined, as much at himself as at the reporter. "No kisses or embraces, at least, but there are shots of Kikuchi leading you to the chapel and helping you into the car, and well...they're not explicit, but they look intimate. And one of the TV stations just aired a clip of Kikuchi knocking you to the ground while the ex-president was shooting--almost like the way Katou did Iwaki, except that he didn't get shot. But it makes him look like a protective lover."
"I think there are reporters outside the building, too," Onozuka said.
"This is a disaster!" Fujimoto groaned, and in the background, Onozuka heard Kojima's voice say, "Not necessarily."
"Is Kojima-san with you?" Onozuka asked as he and Kikuchi glanced at each other, realizing that their managers were in the same room together.
"Er...yes, we got together to talk strategy," Fujimoto replied, sounding a little sheepish, which was completely out of character for him. But before Onozuka had time to dwell on it, there was a knock at the door.
"No comment!" Kikuchi snapped.
"Um, Kikuchi-san, it's Nomura, the resident manager," a timid voice called out.
"Oh, sorry," Kikuchi apologized. "I thought you were a reporter."
"Actually, that's why I'm here," Nomura said. "The other tenants are complaining that the reporters are harassing them as they enter and leave the building."
"Sorry, I'll try to take care of it," Kikuchi said, and the manager left. "Kojima-san, apparently the reporters are pestering the other residents in my building, and I'd rather not get kicked out of this place."
"Hang on a minute, Onozuka-kun," Fujimoto said, and there was silence on both lines as he and Kojima conferred.
"Stay put and keep a low profile," Fujimoto ordered when he came back on. "You're going to have to give a press conference, but don't speak to any reporters until we work out a strategy. Kojima and I will be right over." The line went dead without so much as a goodbye, but that was typical Fujimoto behavior, especially when he was annoyed.
Kikuchi hung up his phone and went to the windows overlooking the street, pulling the drapes back slightly to peer through them. "There's about a dozen reporters out there," he told Onozuka. "There would probably be more if Katou wasn't in the hospital right now."
"You'll have to thank Katou for getting shot later," Onozuka said sarcastically.
"Hey, I didn't mean it that way," Kikuchi said gently, coming over to place a hand on Onozuka's shoulder.
"Sorry, I know," Onozuka said gruffly. "It's my fault, isn't it? If I hadn't made a fuss...if I'd been able to keep my cool, then there wouldn't have been anything for Urushizaki to photograph."
"You're only human, Yuu," Kikuchi said, his hand squeezing Onozuka's shoulder comfortingly. "I'd think less of you if you didn't gave a damn about your friend getting hurt." He leaned in to kiss Onozuka, murmuring, "Even if it does make me insanely jealous that you care about Katou so much."
"I care about you, too," Onozuka whispered, and Kikuchi grinned widely. Embarrassed by that admission, Onozuka moved away to turn on the TV, saying, "Well, let's see how bad the damage is."
"In case you missed our earlier broadcast, a hospital spokesman has reported that actor Katou Youji is doing well. He was conscious and speaking with his family and his lover, Iwaki Kyousuke, and is said to be in good spirits. Doctors say that he is expected to make a full recovery. Former InterPro president Nojima Takuya was arrested for the shooting, and while police have not yet released a statement regarding his motive, it is widely assumed that he was taking revenge for Iwaki-san's surprise takeover of the company. This casts an additional shadow over InterPro, coming so soon after the arrest of the first president, the alleged shooter's father, for drug possession.
"In related news, it seems that the rumored romance between Onozuka Yuu and Kikuchi Katsuya might be more than just rumors. When the shooting took place after the Academy Awards ceremony, Kikuchi-san dramatically rushed to protect his co-star, shielding Onozuka-san with his own body."
A short film clip played across the TV screen, and Onozuka had to admit that it did look pretty dramatic, as good as anything they'd filmed for the movie. "It might have been better if you'd just let me get shot," Onozuka joked. "Because Fujimoto and Kojima are probably going to kill us when they get here."
"Do not even joke about that," Kikuchi said glaring at him. "And there is no way that I would ever risk letting you get shot if I could do something about it, no matter how many reporters were watching."
"Onozuka-san is known to be a good friend of Katou-san, and was apparently quite distraught after the shooting. In an article for the Jitsuwa Weekly, it was alleged that Onozuka-san blamed Iwaki-san for the shooting, since Katou-san was shot trying to protect him."
"Oh, crap!" Onozuka exclaimed in dismay. "Fujimoto really is going to kill me!"
Kikuchi kindly did not say, "I told you so," but instead tried to reassure him by saying, "It's all right. You'll hold a press conference and cry tears of remorse. Just make big eyes at the cameras, with that innocent, princely look of yours, and your fans' hearts will melt when they see how earnestly remorseful you are."
The news show went on to show stills from the tabloid article of Kikuchi and Onozuka heading to the chapel ("to pray for Katou-san's recovery"), and of them getting into Fujimoto's car together, with Kikuchi's hand resting protectively and possessively on Onozuka's back. Fujimoto was right--it did look nearly as intimate as a kiss, especially with the way that Kikuchi was gazing tenderly at him, and it made Onozuka uncomfortable to see those emotions displayed on TV for the entire country to see, although Kikuchi didn't seem nearly as perturbed.
And finally, there was a shot of Kikuchi and Onozuka entering the apartment building together. It had been taken from a distance and was slightly blurry, but Onozuka's blond hair stood out like a beacon in the dark. They could try to argue that it was mistaken identity or that the photo had been doctored, but it was unlikely that anyone would believe them.
"It will be all right," Kikuchi tried to comfort him, without much success. Onozuka thought he had been prepared for the possibility of being outed, but the reality was more overwhelming than he had expected.
***
"Onozuka said what?" Katou snarled as he attempted to sit up in bed, and was gently but firmly pushed back down by his husband.
Iwaki turned off the TV and said sternly, "If you want to go home, you need to follow the doctor's instructions and rest! If you overexert yourself and reopen your wounds, you'll end up staying here longer. Is that what you want?"
"No," Katou said, grudgingly subsiding. What he wanted was to be back home in his own bed, sleeping beside his beloved Iwaki-san. "But did Onozuka really say that?"
"Yes, but he didn't mean it," Iwaki said placatingly. "He just lashed out at me because he was frightened and angry, and the real culprit wasn't around to get angry at."
"He had no right!" Katou fumed. "I'm going to kick his ass when I get out of here!"
"You will do nothing of the sort," Iwaki ordered in a steely voice. "I told you, I'm not offended. It's because he cares about you so much that he lost his temper. I don't think there are many people that Onozuka-kun would lose control over, aside from you and Miyasaka-kun and Kikuchi-san." Iwaki frowned worriedly, his stern expression easing. "I had better go talk to the press and clear things up."
"You're so quick to rush to his defense after he attacked you?" Katou demanded, feeling a little hurt that Iwaki would leave his side to go defend Onozuka. "How can it not bother you that he said something so cruel?"
"Aren't you the one who told me that Onozuka-kun is really a good guy?" Iwaki reminded him. "Remember when you were still under suspension by your agency, and Onozuka-kun made a joke that you should become my manager and just live off my earnings? I was really angry, but you said that it was just a joke and I shouldn't let it bother me. You said he was a good friend, and that if he really wanted to belittle you, he wouldn't show it so openly."
"Well, yeah," Katou admitted. "But that was different! I don't care what he says about me, but insulting my Iwaki-san is another story!"
Iwaki laughed and bent down to kiss him, saying fondly, "You're so childish, Katou."
"What he said...it really doesn't bother you, Iwaki-san?" Katou asked anxiously.
"No, it doesn't," Iwaki replied, smiling at him tenderly. "Because I know how deeply he cares about you. And also because I know he's a little jealous of how close I am to you, and he was probably venting some of his frustration on me."
"You make it sound like he's in love with me or something," Katou said incredulously.
"No, he's in love with Kikuchi-san, but he does love you in his own way," Iwaki replied. "And the reason that I can forgive him is because I love you, too, and I know that you belong to me, not him."
He smiled, with a look of smug possessiveness that both startled and delighted Katou. "Iwaki-san, you can be surprisingly ruthless at times, but I'm happy that you love me so much," Katou chuckled. "Okay, go defend Onozuka--I feel a little sorry for him now."
***
Fujimoto and Kojima arrived at the apartment a short time later. "I spoke to the resident manager and to the police," Kojima announced as they walked through the door. "They can't get rid of the paparazzi entirely, but they'll be charged with trespassing if they set foot on the property. They've moved across the street for the most part, so at least they won't be jumping on your neighbors as soon as they walk out the door. And the police are also vigorously enforcing the no-parking restrictions in the area." Kojima smirked. "One news crew nearly got their van towed away. Again, it won't get rid of all the reporters, but at least we can make things difficult for them, and give them something to occupy their attention besides you."
"Kojima-san, you're a rare jewel," Kikuchi said with a grin.
Kojima looked pleased, but she modestly replied, "Well, your father is a retired detective, and the police are protective of their own. I'm not sure they would have exerted themselves that much if it was just Onozuka-kun."
"Still, you deserve another bonus," Kikuchi told her.
"Not if it's like the last one," Kojima said hastily. "I've had enough so-called glitz and glamor to last me a lifetime!"
"That's a pity," Kikuchi teased her. "You looked good in that dress."
"Like you cared," she retorted.
"Hey, I can still appreciate female beauty from an aesthetic perspective," Kikuchi argued.
Kojima was once again wearing her practical business attire--and looking much more comfortable in it. Fujimoto looked the same as always to Onozuka, but Kikuchi took a closer look at him and asked, "Isn't that the same suit you were wearing last night?"
Fujimoto flushed and barked, "That's because I was up all night trying to figure out a way to mitigate the disaster you two have gotten yourselves into!"
"Now, now, calm down, Fujimoto," Kojima said soothingly. "It's true that they've done some very stupid and reckless things--"
"Gee, thanks," Kikuchi muttered, but was silenced by a cold glare from his manager.
"But now is not the time to sling recriminations back and forth," Kojima continued. "The situation is no longer hypothetical. They've been exposed, and our first priority is now damage control."
"Anyway, if we're worrying about appearances, shouldn't you be more worried about that?" Fujimoto asked, pointing accusingly at Onozuka's neck. Kikuchi grinned proudly, and Onozuka flushed, his hand flying up to cover the mark on his neck.
"Kind of like locking the barn door after the horse is stolen, don't you think?" Kojima asked dryly, and Onozuka felt his blush deepen. "You can always cover it with a scarf. Right now, that's the least of our concerns."
"The first thing to deal with is your accusation against Iwaki," Fujimoto told Onozuka impatiently. "In some ways, that might be more damaging than your relationship with Kikuchi-san. The public adores Iwaki and Katou, and furthermore, it's a blemish on your princely image."
"I'll apologize publicly, of course," Onozuka said, cursing himself for his momentary lapse of judgment.
"That might not be enough--" Fujimoto started to say, but was interrupted when his phone rang. "Hello? Yes, thank you; I understand." He hung up and said, "That was the office. Apparently Iwaki is making a statement to the press right now."
Kikuchi had turned the TV off after the disastrous announcement, but now he turned it back on, and Iwaki stood in front of the reporters gathered outside the hospital. Someone--probably Shimizu--had brought him a change of clothes, and he looked serene and composed.
"How is Katou-san doing?" a reporter called out.
"He's doing fine," Iwaki replied with a smile. "He's in good spirits and is already being a bad patient--he wants to be up and about instead of resting in bed like he should be. If he's well enough to cause trouble, then he must be feeling better!"
The reporters laughed along with him, and then one of them asked, "Is it true that Onozuka-san blamed you for Katou-san being shot?"
"Under extreme stress, in the heat of the moment, Onozuka-kun did lose his temper," Iwaki said gently. "But he apologized to me afterwards, and I don't blame him at all, and I ask that the public not hold it against him, either. He lost control because he cares about Katou so much, and I much prefer a friend who speaks rashly in the heat of the moment over someone who remains cold and calculating, only thinking of his image even when another person's life is in danger. No one is perfect." Iwaki smiled mischievously and added, "Not even the Golden Prince." The reporters laughed again, and Iwaki said earnestly, "It's like the way that family members sometimes say harsh, even hurtful things to each other, but we forgive them and they forgive us because we love each other. Onozuka-kun and Katou are like brothers who bicker and squabble sometimes but love each other deeply, and Onozuka-kun has always been there to support us when we needed help. I'm grateful that Katou has such a good friend, and if Onozuka-kun can lose his temper with me, it makes me happy that he considers me part of the family."
"My God," Fujimoto said, looking stunned and impressed. "He's as manipulative as you are, your Highness!"
"Actually, he probably means every word of it," Kikuchi replied, looking very amused.
"Now this means that I have to treat Iwaki like a brother in public," Onozuka groaned, burying his face in his hands.
"You should be grateful that Iwaki went on TV to defend you so eloquently," Kojima scolded, smacking him lightly on the head with a rolled up tabloid magazine. "Now if you shed a few tears of remorse and beg forgiveness, the public will be more inclined to grant it."
"Yes, Kojima-san," Onozuka said glumly. He knew that she was right, but damn--it galled him to have to owe a favor to Iwaki!
Iwaki answered a few more questions, but ended the impromptu press conference when the reporters began asking about the ex-president's motive for the shooting. Onozuka frowned; that boded ill for the future. Nojima might end up getting his wish in a roundabout way, if he was able to damage Iwaki's reputation by making out Iwaki to be the villain for taking over his father's company.
Fujimoto, however, was only concerned about Onozuka's reputation. "Since Iwaki has kindly solved that problem, let's move on to the next," he said briskly. "Kojima is right; we no longer have the luxury of time to deal with the rumors about your relationship. You have only three options: deny it, which seems rather pointless; break up; or acknowledge the relationship."
"Denying it won't work," Kojima said. "No one will believe it, and it's pretty hard to think of an innocent reason why Onozuka-kun would be going to Kikuchi-san's apartment in the middle of the night."
"Unless Kikuchi-san was taking advantage of the Prince in a moment of weakness," Fujimoto pointed out.
Kojima, understandably, seemed less than pleased with that idea, but Kikuchi glanced over at Onozuka and said, "If you really don't want to be outed, I'm willing to play the bad guy. It's not like I haven't done it before."
He didn't sound very enthused about the possibility, but still, the offer seemed sincere enough. Onozuka hesitated for only a second before saying gruffly, "You know I can't let you do that. Besides, it's bad enough having Iwaki-san play the martyr all the time without you getting in on the act."
Kikuchi smiled at him gratefully, and Kojima said, "All right, denial is out of the question. Besides, 'taking advantage' of the Prince makes him less culpable, but it still taints him. Breaking up isn't an option for the same reason, in my opinion. Even if you publicly break up, that still acknowledges that you were in a relationship to begin with. That means your only choice is to convince the public that you're in True Love." She emphasized the last two words with a slightly sarcastic, overdramatic flair, and Fujimoto rolled his eyes. "Don't roll your eyes at me, Fujimoto; you know it's true."
"Yes, I know it's true," Fujimoto sighed. "That doesn't mean I have to like it." He glared at Onozuka and Kikuchi. "Things would have been much easier if you two could have kept things hidden, but what's done is done. The only way you can keep your innocent, princely image intact, Onozuka-kun, is to convince the public that you have a pure love that transcends gender, like your friends Iwaki and Katou."
Kikuchi scowled at the mention of his rivals, and Kojima asked sharply, "Is that a problem, Kikuchi-san?"
"No," Kikuchi replied, taking Onozuka's hand and lifting it to his lips, then kissing it tenderly. "Showing my love for Onozuka-kun requires no acting at all."
"That's better," Kojima said, sounding mollified. "I think the public will accept that the Prince's love is pure--the harder part will be convincing them that your love is true."
"Ah, but how could anyone--even a bastard like me--resist the Prince's tender charms?" Kikuchi asked, his eyes sparkling with both mischief and affection. He kissed Onozuka's hand again and said, "Truly, I have been tamed by love."
Onozuka was less comfortable about performing for the cameras. He was only just beginning to come to terms with his feelings for Kikuchi, without having to display them in public for all the world to see.
"Onozuka-kun?" Fujimoto asked, frowning. "Do you have a problem with that strategy?"
"No," Onozuka replied reluctantly. "It's just difficult to have to go public like this."
Kikuchi seemed to understand, and he gave Onozuka a sympathetic look. "What's between us is private," he said quietly. "We don't have to show the public everything that we share--just think of it as a role to play, like Eisuke and Ryotaro."
"Yes," Onozuka said slowly, "I think I can do that." It would just be another extension of his role as the Golden Prince, he rationalized, and that made him feel a little better. He gave Kikuchi the loving but sweetly shy smile he used when he was playing Eisuke, and Kojima and Fujimoto nodded approvingly. Kikuchi looked a little disturbed for some reason, but quickly recovered and flashed an equally loving smile at him in return.
"Well, your acting skills seem up to par," Kojima conceded. "Now we just have to polish the details and get your stories straight. Did you get together before or after you started working on the film?"
Onozuka and Kikuchi exchanged a look, and Fujimoto frowned again. "Before," Onozuka replied truthfully. "Miyasaka introduced us after 'Yakuza Love Story' ended, and well...let's just say that we hit it off."
"That's not good," Fujimoto said. "People might think that you got the role because you were sleeping with Kikuchi-san."
"That's not true," Kikuchi defended him. "I was careful not to promote Onozuka-kun to the producers or director. Kitamura was the one who made the selection, and both he and Mizutani-sensei said that he was perfect for the role."
"That doesn't matter," Fujimoto said impatiently. "All that matters is what the public thinks."
"Well, we could always say that we fell in love on the set," Kikuchi suggested. "There's no one to contradict it, aside from Miyasaka and Katou, and they won't betray Onozuka-kun."
"People might still think he got the role because of you," Fujimoto said, frowning but in a more thoughtful way this time, as if weighing the pros and cons of Kikuchi's suggestion.
"It's all right if there's some uncertainty," Kojima said. "The Prince can just smile innocently and it will be his word against theirs. A little bit of controversy is good for publicity, as long as the Prince can keep his halo shining."
"Am I a prince or an angel?" Onozuka asked wryly, and Kikuchi chuckled.
"You'll be an unemployed prince or angel if we don't get this straightened out," Fujimoto said pointedly. "Have you spoken to your family yet? If they react badly it will make things more difficult for us."
"Not yet," Onozuka replied, paling at the thought of facing his father, even over the phone. "But like I told you before, my father won't demean himself by badmouthing me in public."
"That's not good enough!" Fujimoto snapped. "This is a major scandal and I'm not leaving anything to chance! Call them right now or I will."
Given no choice, Onozuka reluctantly dialed Takumi's number, hoping to avoid having to speak directly to his parents.
"Yuu-san?" Takumi asked in a hushed voice. "Have you seen the news?"
"Yes, that's why I'm calling," Onozuka replied. "How's my old man taking it?"
"He's...upset," Takumi said hesitantly. "Is it true, Yuu-san? Are you dating Kikuchi-san?"
"Yes, it's true," Onozuka replied wearily. He laughed bitterly and added, "It's just one more thing for him to be ashamed of, I suppose. But I was already a disgrace to the family to begin with."
"I'm not sure it's really the gay rumors that bother him so much as it is the fact that he got hit with the story by surprise when reporters showed up at the house this morning," Takumi said. "Your family was worried, you know--they knew you were at the Academy Awards when the shooting took place. You could have been hurt."
"Yes, I'm sure that my father was so concerned about me," Onozuka said sarcastically.
"Stop being such a child, Yuu-san!" Takumi snapped impatiently; Onozuka had really been doing a good job of making people angry at him lately. "I'm not saying that the Master can't be unreasonable at times, but just because you and he don't get along doesn't mean that he doesn't care about you. No matter what happens, you're still his son!"
"Takumi-kun!" Onozuka heard his father's voice bark out in the background. "Are you talking to Yuu?"
"Er..." a sheepish and nervous Takumi said.
"Are you at the house?" Onozuka hissed. "You didn't tell me that!"
"You didn't ask," Takumi protested, but Kouhei must have wrested the phone away from him, because Onozuka heard his father's stern voice say, "Yuu?"
"Father," Onozuka said weakly, while Kojima and Fujimoto stared at him with interest, and Kikuchi with concern.
"What do you want?" Kouhei asked curtly.
"I, uh, just called to warn you about the tabloid story, but it seems that you already know," Onozuka replied.
"Is it true?" Kouhei asked, sounding cold and stern.
"Yes," Onozuka said defiantly. "I really am seeing Kikuchi-san. Sorry to disappoint you, but I guess you must be used to that by now."
"Onozuka-kun!" Fujimoto snapped in reprimand, and Kikuchi looked even more worried.
"It's bad enough that you abandoned your duty, but are you determined to disgrace the family name as well, by dragging us into your show business scandals?" Kouhei said scornfully.
"That's not fair!" Onozuka protested. "I've tried to keep this a secret in order to protect the family!"
"And you've done a fine job of that, haven't you?" Kouhei retorted sarcastically.
Fujimoto was glaring at Onozuka in a way that signaled, Do not piss off your family on top of everything else! So Onozuka took a deep breath and made an effort to calm himself. "I'm sorry," he said a stiffly polite tone, which was the best he could manage. "I'm meeting with my manager right now, trying to figure out the best way to handle the situation. Kikuchi-san and I will be giving a press conference later today, and I'll do my best to get the media to leave you alone. Please bear with it in the meantime."
"Isn't it yourself that you're really worried about?" Kouhei accused. "Didn't you call because you're worried that your precious image might be ruined if I say something critical of you to the press?"
It was the reason why Fujimoto had forced him to call, but Onozuka had sincerely been trying to protect the Nakata reputation--and as usual, his father assumed the worst of him. "You can say whatever you want!" Onozuka shouted, losing his tenuous hold on his temper, while Fujimoto frantically waved at him to calm down. "I was trying to protect the family name, but go ahead and believe whatever you like! I don't know why I even bothered!"
"Onozuka-kun," Kikuchi whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder, but Onozuka impatiently shrugged it off.
Kouhei's voice grew colder as Onozuka's temper grew hotter. "I don't know why I should believe anything you say, Yuu, when you lied to me--to everyone--the entire time you were pretending to be a dutiful heir, when all along you were planning to run off and become an actor. Leaving the business was bad enough, but you didn't even have the decency to be honest about your intentions."
"If I'd told you the truth, you would have tried to stop me!" Onozuka snarled.
"Of course," Kouhei replied coolly. "But now I see that you were right about one thing--the confectionery is better off without an heir who shirks his responsibilities. If acting means more to you than the business that your family worked so hard to build, then fine--do as you please."
"I will!" Onozuka shouted, ignoring Fujimoto's and Kikuchi's attempts to calm him down. In the background, he could hear Takumi trying to reason with his father, with just as little effect.
"Oh, and you needn't worry about me talking to the press," Kouhei said contemptuously. "Whatever I think of your career and your affairs, I wouldn't sully the Nakata name by carrying on a family feud in the media."
Onozuka spluttered in outrage, too angry to make a coherent reply, and he heard his mother's voice, tearful and anxious, asking, "Dear, is that Yuu on the phone?" He didn't think he could handle dealing with his mother right now, but Kouhei abruptly hung up, at least sparing Onozuka that much.
"What did you think you were doing?" a furious Fujimoto demanded as Onozuka flipped his cell phone shut with a trembling hand.
"Cut him some slack!" Kikuchi snapped, jumping to Onozuka's defense. "It's hard enough telling your family that you're gay without the press getting involved!"
"Stop it, both of you," Onozuka said wearily. "You don't have anything to worry about, Fujimoto-san. As I've told you before, my father thinks I'm a worthless son, but he won't sully the family name in the press. He's promised not to say anything against me in public--that's all you care about, right?"
"Yuu," Kikuchi whispered, slipping an arm around Onozuka's shoulders. "Are you all right?"
Onozuka wanted the comfort of Kikuchi's embrace, but didn't feel comfortable exposing so much of his personal life in front of their managers. "I'm fine," he said, trying to pull himself together. With long practice, he pushed his emotions aside to be dealt with later--or not. Putting on a false mask always made it easier, and he managed to summon up a princely smile. "I'm fine," he said with more conviction. "Let's get back to work."
Fujimoto and Kojima accepted his words at face value, or more likely, they didn't care if he was lying as long as he didn't fall apart during the press conference. Kikuchi didn't really seem convinced, but he reluctantly went along with Onozuka's act, and they returned to strategizing. They carefully created and refined the "official" story of Onozuka's and Kikuchi's romance, going over it again and again until they had it memorized, so that there would be no mistakes when they went before the press.
Part 23
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*greedily moving on*
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