Title: Mou kimi igai aisenai

Pairing: KoTsu

Summary: AU. Koichi is looking to break into the music scene. Okada has the perfect person to guide him, Domoto Tsuyoshi, the most sought-after music producer in Japan.

Disclaimer: Do I look like a very rich old man who owns an entire agency of young, shiny, sparkly and ghei pretty boys? The answer is no.

A/N: This was originally a birthday fic I wrote for aikata, ♥CY-chan♥. She requested AU!KinKi with cameo!Okada. I came up with this. It's looooong.... because I *heart* aikata. Enjoy~ ♥

“We’re going to make you… a SUPERSTAR!”

Koichi shook his head as he replayed the conversation he just had with his manager. The agency was just not satisfied with his fully-packed stage plays anymore.

If there was an avenue to make more money, why should they not exploit it? Besides, he would be able to experiment and experience new things, giving him an outlet for his incredible creativity.

At least, that was the reasoning they gave him. Truth of the matter was, Koichi was happy where he was now. He had a successful stage play and several well-received dramas. He really doubted he needed to be an idol with a music career too.

Koichi’s co-star in his current drama, Okada Junichi, watched from the corner of his eye as Koichi sighed for the umpteenth time and continued to poke at his bento.

“Something bothering you?” Okada asked, picking his bento up to sit next to Koichi on the couch.

Koichi sighed again, before turning to Okada with pitiful eyes. “Jun-chan~”

“Whoa! Don’t use those eyes on me! I’m not your girlfriend,” Okada exclaimed, bouncing to the other end of the couch.

Despite his moody thoughts, Koichi cracked a smile at his friend’s reaction. Even though this was their first time working together, they noticed similarities in their characters. Both were reserved and kept to themselves most of the time. Because they had scenes together on most shooting days, they often found the other sitting quietly around the set.

Koichi had been the first to start up a conversation with the younger man. After he dropped a plate of teriyaki chicken on Okada’s lap, that is. The conversation had progressed in a few sentences from “I’m sorry!” to “Take off your pants and give them to me!”.

From that day, the two men had struck up a quick friendship. Koichi found a calmness to their conversations that he would never get from his best friend, Nagase Tomoya. Nagase was randomly wise at times, but he would be generally very hyper and preferred to do things, rather than talk about it.

“So?” Okada tried again, knocking his shoulder against Koichi’s as he stole a prawn tempura from Koichi’s bento.

Koichi put a few more pieces of tempura into Okada’s bento. “Manager-san, or rather, President-san wants to make me the biggest idol Japan has ever known. I’m supposed to start recording a debut single next week,” he grumbled.

“Oh? Have they decided on the song?” Okada chewed on his tempura, discreetly putting a few pieces back into Koichi’s bento.

Shrugging, Koichi put his food down on the low table. “Don’t know yet. They’re looking for the perfect song. Something classy, something sexy, something me, apparently.”

Okada smiled. He put his food aside and slung an arm around Koichi’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll get you the proper song. Something reminiscent of the Edo Era, or at least the Taishou Era.”

At Koichi’s sullen look, Okada rolled his eyes.

“Look on the bright side,” he said, catching Koichi’s eye. “At least you won’t have to wear fluorescent sparkly clothes,” Okada winked.

Koichi groaned and fell sideways across the couch. “Don’t remind me of the wardrobe horror you forced me to see at your concert!”

“It’s a concert, we have to be flashier than usual,” Okada defended. “And it was a V6 concert, so you should have expected the sparkly.”

Koichi rolled off the couch at the call of his name to standby for his scene. “Yeah, keep telling yourself that. You’ll believe it one day, Mr. Flashy Pink Man.”

Laughter followed Koichi out of the room as he dodged a cushion thrown by a pouting Okada Junichi.

~*~*~

Okada yawned and jumped on the spot, trying to generate heat in the freezing winter air. He grinned evilly as he watched Koichi run along the pathway dressed only in a T-shirt and shorts.

Peep! Peep!

Okada distractedly fished his mobile out from his pocket. “’lo?”

“What are you doing?” the voice on the other line asked, not bothering with formalities.

Okada grinned wider. “Watching your one true love run in the winter cold wearing nothing but a T-shirt and shorts.”

The other person sputtered and hung up.

Okada could only shrug as Koichi ran by, the latter raising an eyebrow at the maniacal grin he was sporting.

“Who was that?” Koichi panted, quickly bundling into the winter jacket the staff held out to him.

His questioned went unanswered, however, as the director motioned him to review the scene. Koichi quickly jogged over, and nodded his understanding at the director’s instructions.

Peep! Peep!

“Yeah?” Okada answered, knowing exactly who was on the other line without even looking at the caller ID.

“He’s not my one true love,” the voice said curtly. “And we’re having dinner tonight at the usual yakitori place.”

Okada gave a small smile as the caller hung up abruptly again, most probably to prevent him from saying a single word.

As the staff reset the camera equipment, Koichi jogged back to Okada. “So when do I get to meet her?”

“Meet who?” asked a confused Okada, his brows furrowed.

Koichi sneezed once before nodding towards the mobile in Okada’s hand. “The girl that’s making you grin like a pervert.”

“I do not grin like a pervert!” Okada exclaimed, punching Koichi on the shoulder. “And that wasn’t a girl.”

Koichi’s laughter stopped abruptly, his eyes widening. “Why, Jun-chan. I never expected you to swing that way. Could that be why you never ask girls out for dates?” Koichi teased.

Muttering under his breath, Okada shot Koichi a death glare. “I don’t date girls because I’m shy. You know I can’t ask anyone for their numbers. And I like staying at home just fine.”

Okada was surprised to find a finger pointed directly at him, making his eyes cross from their proximity.

“You didn’t deny liking guys!” Koichi practically yelled, catching the attention of half the crew, who gaped at the two actors.

His face turning a burning red, Okada smacked Koichi on the head. “I like girls! Stop spreading rumours about me!”

“I can see it now. Tomorrow’s tabloid headlines! ‘Okada Junichi is gay?!’” Koichi said in a loud voice.

Okada turned a deeper shade of red. “I am not!”

Koichi found himself in the line of another smack to his head. “Ow! Okay, okay. You’re straight! You’re straight! No need to give me a concussion!” he yelped, rubbing his sore head.

Silence settled over the two men, Koichi rubbing his head with a pout while Okada stared at his winter boots.

“So? Who was that?” Koichi ventured, stopping himself from teasing Okada again.

Okada huffed, looking back at Koichi. “He was someone I wanted you to meet. But now I’m really having second thoughts.”

“Someone you want me to meet?” a curious Koichi asked.

Okada nodded. “Yeah, he’s my best friend. And a music producer. I thought it’d be great if the two of you met, so he could run some ideas over with you about your debut single.”

Koichi perked up. “Oh? An expert, is he? So when do I get to meet him? The agency still hasn’t found the right song for me yet.”

“I’m meeting him for dinner tonight. If you promise to behave and not spread anymore rumours about me,” Okada raised a warning eyebrow, “you can come along.”

Koichi nodded. “Your wish is my command, Okada-sama,” he bowed with a flourish.

“Meet me at the parking lot after the shoot. We’ll go together,” Okada gently smacked Koichi on the head. “And stop being such a drama queen!”

Koichi grinned, jogging back to his position as the director waved him over for another shot. He missed the mischievous grin on Okada’s face, and the slightly evil glint in the younger man’s eyes.

~*~*~

The bell tinkled as the door to the yakitori restaurant slid open. “Irrashaimase!” was called out by the staff.

Koichi stepped inside, followed by Okada. Both men scanned the room, even though Koichi had no idea who they were meeting, so it was rather pointless for him to look around. But he figured he would be able to spot a guy who looked vaguely like a music producer.

“Jun!” a voice called out from the back of the restaurant. Okada and Koichi turned to the voice.

Okada raised his hand in greeting, but Koichi felt the whole world screech to a sudden halt as he took in the face.

This can’t be! It can’t be him!

The shock on his face was mirrored by the other man. Koichi felt his heart stop, then it began to hammer away a million miles a minute just seconds later.

“Koichi? Koichi!” Okada’s voice startled him. He turned to find Okada gesturing for him to follow.

Mutely, Koichi switched to auto-pilot and obediently followed his co-star, sitting down opposite the man he was so shocked to see.

“Koichi, this is Domoto Tsuyoshi. Tsuyoshi, this is Domoto Koichi,” Okada did the introductions, noticing that both Domotos were not paying any attention him, their gazed fixed on each other.

Okada suppressed the enormous grin that was threatening to show on his face. “Oh, what am I talking about? You know each other right? From Ningen Shikaku!”

Finding himself at the receiving end of silence yet again, Okada suddenly wondered if this was such a brilliant idea after all. He knew for a fact that Tsuyoshi had a crush on Koichi, even before the kissing scene of Ningen Shikaku.

And even after they went their separate ways at the end of the drama, Tsuyoshi had always been keeping tabs on Koichi’s progress and news. There were newspaper clippings of accolades and awards Koichi picked up through the years for his roles in dramas and his stage play.

He had spent endless hours teasing Tsuyoshi over his obsession over the guy that stole his first kiss. Tsuyoshi would always get embarrassed and sputter indignantly, his mind too occupied with thoughts of Koichi to form a proper retort.

However, Okada never talked to Koichi about Tsuyoshi. Perhaps the older man had forgotten Tsuyoshi. After all, it has been years since they acted in that drama.

Okada shot worried glances at the two men, who were still staring at each other in silence. “Uhm….”

A sudden loud burst of laughter at the other end of the restaurant snapped Koichi out of his daze. His hand automatically shot out across the table. “Domoto Koichi. Pleased to meet you.”

As soon as the words left his lips, Koichi wanted to retract his hand to smack his forehead.

Baka! Jun-chan just introduced you. And you acted in the same drama! You even kissed him! But wait, what if he doesn’t remember me? Then why is he staring at me like he just saw a ghost? Maybe I traumatized him with the kiss? Am I a bad kisser? I can’t possibly be a bad kisser…

“Domoto Tsuyoshi. Pleased to meet you too,” a hand grasped his lightly and shook it firmly.

Koichi’s vision focused again at Tsuyoshi’s gentle smile. He immediately broke out into a smile of his own. At the side, Okada breathed a sigh of relief.

“How have you been? Sorry, but after Ningen, I really haven’t any idea of what you’ve been up to,” Tsuyoshi asked, diverting his gaze to his glass of water.

Okada frowned, “But you’ve been reading every article he’s OUCH!”

Koichi blinked confusedly as Okada disappeared under the table. “My foot, ow!” he heard Okada whine.

Tsuyoshi gave him a smile as he nodded encouragingly, and completely ignoring his best friend under the table.

“I’ve done some acting, but I’ve mainly concentrated on my stage play for the past few years,” Koichi said, peeking discreetly under the table to see Okada rubbing his foot with one hand and smacking Tsuyoshi’s leg with the other.

Looking back up, Tsuyoshi still had that smile on his face, and seemed oblivious to the abuse his leg was going through.

“Oh? What’s your stage play called? Maybe I’ll drop by one day to see it,” Tsuyoshi said, taking a big gulp of water. He could feel his heart beating at his suggestion, and his face heat up.

Baka! You’re being too forward! You’ll scare him away like that. Who would offer to attend ‘SHOCK’ after only meeting the guy for 2 minutes? Baka! Baka! And dammit, get back up here, Okada!

Koichi suddenly felt a little hot under the collar. Tsuyoshi coming to see his show? Perhaps he should seriously think about extending the flight of stairs and maybe add in a few more flying stunts. Yeah, that should impress him.

“It’s called Endless ‘SHOCK’,” he answered nonchalantly, taking a sip of his water too. “It’s starting up again in two months. Let me know when you’re free, I’ll get you tickets.”

“He rolls down a flight of stairs. You sure you want to see that?” Okada’s head popped up.

Tsuyoshi’s eyes widen considerably. “Is that true?”

Koichi gave a sheepish grin. “If you ever need lessons on falling down stairs the right way, give me a call?”

“Doesn’t it hurt?” Tsuyoshi’s concerned look made Koichi feel like grinning like a happy idiot.

He settled for shaking his head. “Not really. It does feel sore, but the most I get are a few bruises if I land oddly.”

Tsuyoshi’s eyebrow furrowed. “Why do you still do it?”

“It looks great?” Koichi answered, taking another sip of his water. “Sorry, I need to go to the men’s room for a bit,” he excused himself.

The other two men watched as Koichi made his way to the other end of the restaurant, taking a left turn and disappearing around the corner. Mere seconds later, he re-emerged, walking in the opposite direction.

“Just what the hell are you trying to do here? Why did he suddenly appear?” Tsuyoshi hissed, fixing a glare at Okada.

The younger man shrugged. “I thought you’d want to catch up. You know, at least talk to the guy?”

“I don’t need you playing matchmaker.”

“I’m not playing matchmaker! I’m just doing what you want to do, but don’t have the guts to do,” Okada argued, frowning at his best friend. “How hard could it be to go ‘Oh, hey! Fancy meeting you here! How’ve you been since we last kissed?’”

“Don’t remind me about the kiss!” Tsuyoshi felt his cheeks heat up. “And it was mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. It wasn’t supposed to be a kiss.”

Okada felt like banging his head against the table, but rolled his eyes instead. “Your lips met. I call that a kiss.”

“For the last time, Okada Junichi, it was not a-“

“Sorry, am I interrupting something?” Koichi’s voice interrupted Tsuyoshi. The older Domoto had just come back from the gent’s to find the other two in a heated whispering competition.

Okada turned to Koichi with a bright smile. “No, of course not. I was just telling Tsuyoshi here about your interest in venturing into the music industry. He seems to have the perfect song for you.”

Koichi’s eyes lit up, and he turned a hopeful gaze to Tsuyoshi. “Really? Because the agency is having a horribly hard time finding a song for my debut.”

Tsuyoshi wanted to just completely avoid having any sort of contact with his former co-star, for the sake of his own sanity. He knew that if they were to work in close contact, and Koichi were to look at him a few more times with that absolutely adorable look on his face, it would not be long before he blurted his feelings out to the older man.

“Yeah, and Tsuyoshi was saying how he’d like you to go over to his studio to have a quick listen to the track,” Okada answered, keeping the wince off his face when Tsuyoshi’s foot connected with his knee.

Koichi looked thoughtful for a moment. “Can you do Thursday? I don’t have any filming on Thursday.”

“I,” he began. One look at Koichi’s earnest face, and Tsuyoshi resigned himself to his fate. “Sure, come by around 11 and we’ll go over the track.”

Koichi genuinely beamed at him, before bouncing to sit next to him. In his mind, Tsuyoshi knew he was just setting himself up for an emotional rollercoaster. But he realized it did not matter in the least, when Koichi smiled like that.

“What the title of the track? How does it sound like? Is it easy to sing? I’m hopeless at memorizing lines, so I have a feeling I won’t do much better at lyrics,” Koichi prodded Tsuyoshi, his eyes shining.

Panicking suddenly, Tsuyoshi realized that in spite of what Okada had said, he really did not have a song in mind for Koichi. “Uhm…”

Nodding encouragingly, Koichi kept his gaze on the increasingly uncomfortable Tsuyoshi.

“I’ll show it to you on Thursday. It’ll be a surprise,” he settled for saying, hoping to buy himself some time.

Koichi’s expression visibly fell, but he nodded reluctantly.

“Good things come to those who wait,” Tsuyoshi consoled him, giving the older man a wink.

~*~*~

“Excuse me,” Koichi smiled at the young lady behind the reception counter.

The lady blinked a few times. In a moment of realization, Koichi removed his bucket hat. The lady squeaked in recognition. “Domoto Koichi!”

“I have an appointment with Domoto Tsuyoshi-san,” Koichi said politely, immediately autographing the notepad she held out to him.

“Domoto-san is in Studio 2. He’s expecting you,” she said, clutching the notepad to her chest. “Here, I’ll show you to the room.”

Koichi bowed politely as she rushed out from behind the counter and began to lead him down the long corridor. “Thank you.”

As they stopped outside a room, she opened the door for him. “Studio 2, Domoto Koichi-san.”

“Thank you,” he bowed again, entering the dark room. When she closed the door behind him, Koichi took note of his surroundings.

The room he was in had a lot of equipment and buttons and knobs on a panel. Above the panel was a small window looking into another room.

In the next room, Tsuyoshi was sitting at the piano, playing a slow tune, completely oblivious to his surroundings. Koichi found he could not tear his gaze away from the figure playing the piano, swaying lightly.

He wanted to announce his presence, but could not bear to interrupt the mesmerizing sight of Tsuyoshi. So, he stood, quietly enjoying the performance.

~*~*~

TO PART 2