Title: Choices Too Late

Meaning: N/A
Pairing: unrequited Shinya+Kyo; Gackt+Shinya
Type: Romantic fluffy drama
Rating: PG

~*~*~*~*~

How he'd come to meet Gackt was still vague in his mind. (He thought it was at a party thrown for Yoshiki's birthday, but Yoshiki hadn'd even been there.) How he'd come to be considered one of the man's better friends was beyond his comprehension. (Apparently the two had a lot in common and You approved of him as an influence.) They'd only hung out a few times after said party, and always in the presence of other band mates or mutual acquaintances (ie: Kyo would never leave them alone when they were in a twenty foot radius, and You always seemed to be attached to Gackt's side). Gackt had once said that he found Shinya fascinating ・Shinya wondered what that was supposed to mean, and if it was even a compliment. But despite the uncertainty of where he stood with the singer, the fact remained that he was sitting on the lush and comfortable couch of Gackt's living room, in his flat, the curtains drawn over the huge windows to dim the harsh light of day. Sometimes Shinya wondered if maybe Gackt hadn'd been lying when he had said he was a vampire during his old Malice Mizer days. The man certainly had the habits of one, and avoided direct sun as much as was humanly possible.
Dir en grey's drummer turned his attention from the glass of water in his hand to his host. The older man had called him early in the morning, asking if he had plans and if not, then would he like to come over? A little bitterly, Shinya replied that he almost never had plans on the weekends, except to walk his dog and play with her in the park. Gackt had said he could bring Miyu, too, and she could play with Belle. (As far as Shinya knew the two dogs were in the bathroom, curled up together on Belle's doggie-bed and sleeping soundly.) The drummer had then agreed to allow Gackt to entertain him for the day. (And really, he'd been glad for the distraction - too much time alone with his thoughts was never fun because he always wound up reflecting on everything he didn't have; and then he would yell at himself for sounding like a spoiled brat or, worse, a diva.)
"Would you like a refill?" Gackt asked quietly, motioning gracefully with his hand in the general direction of Shinya's glass.
Camui Gackt was beautiful, Shinya decided then. He looked down at the half-full glass automatically, then back up at the body of his host, sprawled out on the couch opposite himself. He shook his head.
"No, thank you. I have enough."
Gackt just nodded, "I'm sorry I didn't have any better plans for the day."
Shinya shook his head again, and this time offered a small smile, "No, this is just fine. My own plans would have been worse."
The older man gave his own version of a smile - that slight up-turn of his lips, just enough to be seen. Sometimes he smiled with his mouth open and his perfect white teeth showing for magazines. Shinya thought that Gackt looked sad in those pictures; like he was being forced to show something that was meant to be kept a secret.
"Don't your band-mates ever ask you to events?"
"Die-kun sometimes asks me to go drinking with him, but that always winds up with me as the designated driver," the young drummer smirked ironically. He was gratified to hear Gackt's deep voice chuckling. "Toshiya-kun and I used to spend more time with each other, but now he's got a girl-friend to take care of."
"What about the others?"
"Kaoru-kun turns off all his phones on the weekends we have off. No disrupting him, I guess. Kyo-kun ... no one knows what Kyo-kun does."
"Aren't you ever lonely?"
"... Yes. A lot. I try not to think about it."
"Ah."
"What about you?"
"I ... I'm always surrounded by people. They're everywhere. Fans, managers, band members, press, TV hosts, other artists ... I get tired of people. I just want to see friends sometimes, and no one but friends, but I get so tied up in other people that I have to settle for the phone and a few calls."
"To Kozi-san?"
"And you. And Yu~ki. And Hyde. And Lee-hom. And Masa and Ren and ... " Gackt trailed off, his hand waving circles lazily in the air. "Sometimes even Mana. But I never get to see those people I actually want to see, you understand?"
"Mmm," Shinya nodded, "Like they're all chosen for you."
"Aa. And then I feel like I'm neglecting everyone, which I am, and when I finally do have the time to see them, they're off doing something and it doesn't work out."
"You could always make movies with all of them," the drummer said, his voice gently teasing.
The tall singer snorted, "How it worked out that that half-assed ploy actually got me and Hyde to meet, I'll never understand. But I'm thankful for it. He's a good friend - his baby is cute."
Shinya nodded silently. He hadn't seen Hyde's child; but then very few people had. The singer was very intent on keeping that part of his personal life very, very personal. Shinya supposed that if he ever wanted to see the baby he could ask Gackt to take a picture for him. He looked at the curtain-covered windows, his glass forgotten in one hand while his chin balanced on the other.
"You could disappear," the drummer suggested, and he was only half teasing. "Just take a vacation for a while and let only the essential people know where you are. Sneak off to see your friends when they're least expecting it."
"Yu~ki would kill me if I randomly showed up at his house."
"That's what cell phones are for."
"Hn. And you?"
"And me, what?" Shinya asked, blinking as he turned back to face Gackt.
The older man rolled his eyes slightly and shot him a Look. "Don't play dumb, Shinya. What's your excuse? Why don't you go out and make your band-mates spend time with you? Why don't you force your friends to go out for lunch or just to see each other for a while? Why don't you get yourself a girl-friend? Why do you let yourself stay lonely?"
"I ... " the younger man paused, frowning slightly as he tried to think of an appropriate answer to the singer's question. Why indeed? Why did he stay lonely? Was it on purpose, a cry for attention? Well, at least he knew why he didn't have a girl-friend. "I don't know. I never have the initiative, I guess. I'm not suited for being pushy." He shrugged.
"And a girl-friend?"
Shinya blushed deeply, turning away. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to come up with a proper answer, a gentle way to formulate and break the news to his new friend, but nothing came. He was surprised, then to hear Gackt laughing.
"You don't want one, do you?"
"I ... ah ... no."
"Neither do I. It's nothing to be ashamed of. It's just much harder to find a partner and keep it out of the spotlight. So I don't go out of my way to find them."
"But aren't you lonely without that companionship?"
Gackt shrugged, "Aren't you?"
"Well ... yes."
"I repeat, what's stopping you? Don't you want something more?"
"Are you offering?" Shinya asked, a smirk tugging at his lips again, sure that Gackt would laugh and take it as the joke it was meant to be. His breath caught in his throat when the older man stood in one fluid movement and began walking towards his couch. Then Gackt's hand was cupping his jaw, tilting his chin upwards so they were both looking at each other in the eye.
"Yes, I think I am."


The words repeated in his head for the rest of that day. Gackt had smiled easily and told him to think about it when he'd begun blushing profusely and stammering, but Shinya had never been the sort of person to let something like that stand. Although they'd been able to get through the rest of their visit without ever touching on the subject again, the drummer's mind kept wandering back to Gackt's offer. But inevitably right after, his mind would snicker at him, What about Kyo? and he would have to hurriedly turn away from that train before he started blushing again.
Shinya had been in lust, if not in love, with Kyo for longer than he cared to remember. It had started some time between Haijin kuro bara zoku's break-up and the formation of La:Sadie's shortly thereafter - the blonde couldn't even remember what had first attracted him to Kyo. All he knew was that the attraction had never stopped since then, and had always been very one-sided.
"So now what do I do?" Shinya asked out loud in frustration.
Miyu yipped shrilly in answer. The drummer, who was sprawled over his bed and staring at the ceiling, turned his head to that he cheek rested on the covers, looking at his tiny dog.
"Thank you. You're very helpful," he quipped.
The little dog cocked her head to the side, her little tongue hanging out of her mouth, and proceeded to settle herself on his stomach. Shinya let her curl up there, returning to his contemplation of the plastered ceiling and the fan hanging down from it.
"I could ask Kaoru-kun, but he deals with so much from the others that I don't want to bother him, too. Not to mention I don't think he's gay or would sympathize much," the blonde informed his long-haired chihuahua, "And I guess I could ask Die-kun what he would do, but he'd probably see it as another opportunity to nag at me about my personal life, and then I'd be expected to tell all during an interview. Or he'll tell all for me ... " he trailed off, shuddering at the thought. Miyu yawned and twitched her ear - Shinya took that as an agreement, "So Die-kun's out. Maybe Toshiya-kun? ... I suppose I could call now, he said he'd be home ... "
Miyu barked. Shinya took it as a sign, and sat up, displacing her from his stomach and moving her to his lap. She nipped his shirt in reproach, but just as soon settled down and went back to half-sleep. The drummer reached for his phone and dialed the number he knew better than any of his other band-mates・ He wished now, more than ever, that Toshiya didn稚 have a girl-friend ・the two of them used to spend much more time talking to each other at night, but now it seemed they rarely spoke outside of practices, tours and other band-related things. The phone rang three times before it was picked up.
"Moshi-moshi, Hara residence,・a giggly female voice said happily.
"Ara ... This is Terachi Shinya. Is Toshiya there?"
"Oh, no, he just stepped out. Shall I tell him you called and ask him to call you back?"
"Ah ... Sure. Thanks."
"No problem. Bai bai."
After the girl hung up, Shinya took the receiver away from his ear and gave it a strange look, as if it had any control over who Toshiya's girlfriend was and how she spoke and needed its programming changed. He shook his head while hanging it back in its cradle.
"Why do I get the feeling Toshiya-kun won't be calling me back tonight?" he asked Miyu, stroking her head gently. The little dog just whined and licked his finger. "Yeah, that's what I thought."
But he still had no answer to his predicament, and judging by his girlfriend, Toshiya wouldn't be calling back any time soon. Which meant he could either go ask someone entirely un-band-related (but he knew very few that he actually trusted outside of them, and didn't really feel like taking his private life outside of the band anyway), or ask Die or Kaoru (which he really didn稚 want to do because of the aforementioned reasons). And that left Kyo. Shinya tried to repress the urge to bash his head against the headboard of his bed quite admirably, but did slump his shoulders and drop his face into his hands. He uttered, "Fuck," for good measure.


As predicted, Toshiya never called back, despite Shinya's prayers that he would. The drummer gave a derisive snort as he thought about the bassist's girlfriend, and decided she'd probably forgotten his name the moment he'd hung up. The other few times he'd tried, they'd either been out or had turned off the phone. But as it turned out, Shinya wasn't able to ask Kyo until they got together for practice about a week later.
And then, of course, he couldn't ask before practice because Kyo was late. He certainly couldn't ask during practice - Kaoru would have his head and he risked Die hearing him anyway. During their break Kyo went out with the others for a smoke. Not only would it have been folly to ask because the others would have been there, but everyone knew you just didn't bother Kyo when he was smoking. By the time Kaoru called an end to practice, even Shinya had to admit to himself that he was just stalling for time. But really, how could he ask Kyo a question like that?
Walk up to him and say, "Hi there. Never-mind that I've been lusting after you for three years now, but Gackt just asked me to be his boyfriend. You think I should accept the offer?"
Making sure that the bathroom was empty, Shinya laughed out loud at his own thought. And just how stupid would he sound if he really did ask like that? He answered himself, "Very." The more he thought about Gackt's offer, though, the more he did want someone's advice. It just happened to be a very good bet that Kyo was the wrong person to be searching for said advice from, or he'd have asked a while ago. Finally Shinya sighed, gripping the edge of the sink tightly and releasing it as he pushed himself away and towards the door. He needed to hear something.
Upon re-entry of the studio, nervousness and anxiety welled up in him as almost never before and threatened to spill out in the form of hysteric laughter. There were very few times when Kyo was calm, but when they happened, the short singer was beautiful. The drummer stamped down on the urge to laugh at his predicament ferociously, and eyed Kyo, who was lounging on the couch with a book and looking quite content, with some apprehension. Kyo was the sort of person who had moods that could be very dangerous when changed against his will. For instance, when he was feeling lazy, only Kaoru had the ability to get him to work without getting killed - when Die had tried the first time, he'd wound up with the singer gnawing on his arm. It was rare enough to see Kyo reading any book voluntarily, too, which meant that whatever he was reading had to be good, and if his own reaction to being interrupted while reading was anything to go by, Shinya would be having one bitch of a time trying to get Kyo to talk to him.[1]
"Ah ... " he started, but his voice got caught in his throat and he had to clear it to get it to work again, "Ae, Kyo-kun?"
The singer hardly even glanced up from the book; simply picking up his eyes from the page, very slowly, to look at Shinya, and then dropping them back down. Shinya got the distinct impression that Kyo would soon be imaging various ways in which he could murder Shinya and get away with it.
"Nan darou na?" the short man asked testily.[2]
Shinya gulped, "Um ... well ... can I ask you something ... odd?"
Kyo's eyebrow quirked up, and this time he gave the drummer an assessing look, "If you must ... How odd?"
"I don't know how odd ... it's a strange question, that's all," the blonde shrugged, hopinghe looked less nervous than he felt. For God's sake, he spoke to Kyo every day almost! Why should he be frightened now?
The vocalist sighed, "Go ahead." He put down the book and stared at Shinya expectantly.
The drummer fidgeted where he was standing - damn Kyo; he knew that he hated to be the focus of anyone's complete attention! Not only that, but the question he was about to ask! Shinya flushed just thinking about it. He looked down at the floor and muttered into his jacket, "Ah ... er ... ifyouhadachancetobewithsomeonebutdidn'tthinkyoubelongedwiththemwhatwouldyoudo?"
Kyo blinked, and his eyebrow returned to where it had been raised. This time the other one joined it, and both stayed firmly planted there while the singer tried to process what had just been slurred at him. His expression never quite changed from the stony-faced boredom that had appeared when Shinya had come into the room. The drummer flushed brighter and studiously looked at the floor - it was better than looking at his band mate, who didn't seem to be going to answer anytime soon.
"Sorry," Shinya said, feeling an unaccountable defeat. He turned, preparing to leave, "I shouldn't have bothered you. I hope it's a good book. I'll go."
"Why?"
It was Shinya's turn to blink, as he looked back at Kyo over his shoulder. "Why am I leaving? I just told you."
"Why don't you belong - with them?" the singer asked, rolling his eyes.
"What?"
"Why. Don't you. Belong. With them? What's stopping you from being with them?" Kyo settled back on the couch and watched Shinya as the drummer tried to come up with an answer. He'd be the first to admit that he'd never seen the young man this nervous about asking him a question - but then Shinya'd never asked anyone questions dealing with relationships. Mentally the shorter man frowned - did Shinya even know what this sort of question was doing to him? Did Shinya know what pain Kyo would cause himself in setting the young blonde up with someone outside of the band? Someone who wasn't Kyo?
"It's just ... " the drummer finally began after an awkward silence, "I don't know. I guess ... well ... I'm sort of promised to someone else."
"Sort of?" Kyo echoed, and if he were a dog his ears would have perked up.
Shinya shrugged, feeling foolish to have said such a thing. Of course he wasn't promised to Kyo; that was only in his own head! But it was the feeling of being 'promised' to Kyo that was holding him back from giving Gackt an answer, wasn't it? "It's not important, really."
"But it's keeping you back from being with this new person," Kyo said, and it was much more than just a statement. It was a layered question, just as nearly everything Kyo did and said was layered - it all depended on which layer one wanted to see.
Shinya saw them all, but didn't know which one he wanted to answer. He could take the obvious route and simply shrug and say "Yes" - of course his own mind would be keeping him from being in a relationship; wasn't that just typical of him? Or he could answer what Kyo was really asking: "Why are you even considering this person if you're so stuck on someone else?" Or he could just leave it at a statement and look down embarrassedly at his feet, as if realizing for the first time his own stupidity.
Kyo sighed, sensing that Shinya would never answer the one part of the question that the vocalist really wanted to hear. He wanted to hear that of course Shinya was keeping himself from being with someone else. That it was Kyo who he kept thinking of, that gave him so many doubts about being with someone else.
"Shinya, never mind. ... Come here."
The drummer, confused, looked into Kyo's eyes. The short singer merely smiled his crooked little grin, which made him look absolutely adorable and reminded Shinya again and again why he'd fallen for the man, and held out his arms. Why Kyo was being so suddenly touchy-feely with him, Shinya didn't know, but he wasn't one to question a blessing like that. He went to the couch and sat down beside his band mate, allowing Kyo to wrap his surprisingly strong arms around his waist. The singer let his weight rest against the drummers chest, pushing Shinya down until he was lying on the couch and Kyo could comfortably nestle himself on top of him.
"It's me, isn't it?" the short man asked quietly, not wanting to scare Shinya right away. The young blonde sucked in a breath and his eyes went wide. That was all the answer Kyo needed. "I thought maybe it was. I wasn't sure."
"But ... I don't ... I never ... "
"How did I guess?" the singer asked, "Because you never said anything?" Shinya nodded mutely. Kyo shrugged, "It was a good guess." He relaxed more against the drummers warmth, resting his ear over the drummer's heart, wishing the younger man would do more than lie there like a board. Maybe even put his arms around him. That would be nice.
"You have pretty bad timing, you know," the vocalist said conversationally, watching the wall in front of him, listening as Shinya's heart beat sped up.
"What?"
"I'd given up on you. I didn't think you noticed, or if you did, I didn't think you cared. So I gave up. I let myself let go of you, because I knew I wouldn't have you."
Shinya stared silently at the ceiling, his eyes wide with the shock of Kyo's words. That meant ... the vocalist had felt something for him? This whole time? His arms started the journey up, intent on wrapping around the shorter man's shoulders. The rest of Kyo's words rang through his mind just then, and he stopped.
But he gave up ... he gave up on me ... "Why?" the drummer winced, sure his voice had cracked on the word.
Kyo laughed sadly, closing his eyes, "Why did I give up on you?"
Shinya nodded, his face blank. He knew Kyo could feel it anyway. The singer sighed and buried his face in Shinya's neck, inhaling the scent.
"I didn't want to. There were moments when I was sure that you did feel something. Like when you would yell at me for smoking, or clean up the blood I got on myself during lives. But I never had the courage to just kiss you ... and I couldn't bring myself to ask if you'd want me to. You just seemed so oblivious to any pass I made at you - to any lingering looks or touches I might give you. And at the time I needed someone so badly ... so I went out and found them."
"So you gave up," the drummer echoed dully, "You gave up on me. And got together with that girl. And then with what's-his-name from the indies band. Whom you're still with. Toshiya mentioned that. You never even told me."
"I couldn't live forever on my own ... I'm sorry."
"Please let me up, Kyo-kun."
The singer shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut tightly, sure that there were tears gathering behind the lids. He bit his bottom lip tightly, hoping to keep them from spilling out. But he kept his weight on Shinya the whole time, not wanting to let the drummer go like this - not when his voice was so tired and ... dead.
"Kyo-kun. Let me get up."
"... No."
"You sound like a petulant child, Kyo-kun. It's not becoming on you. Let me go."
"Maybe I am a child. I've wanted to hold you like this for years. I can't let you go; not upset like this and angry at me."
"I'm not angry at you, Kyo-kun. Myself, perhaps, but not you," Shinya said, his voice still as blank as his face. He lifted his arms to Kyo's hands, still wrapped around his waist, and wrenched them apart firmly. Then he sat up, displacing the singer none too gently, and finally stood, walking quickly towards the door. Before he left, though, he offered what he hoped were comforting words, "Everyone has to get rejected once in their life. It's happened to me before. It's my fault, really ... I just waited too long this time."
"But - no ... "
"Yes, Kyo-kun. You said it yourself. And you're happy now. Don't throw that away to take a chance on me. I'll hurt you in the end."
"Shin -"
"No, Kyo-kun. Please. It's okay. I'll see you at practice. Don't worry about this changing things; we know it will, but I won't let it hurt Dir en grey if you won't. Ja mata ne," the drummer finished softly, and he left the building, trying not to let the tears blur his vision.


Shinya let his feet guide him down the crowded streets of Tokyo, not thinking about or knowing where he wanted to go. He just needed to get far away from the studio - far away from Kyo. How could he have been so stupid, so blind? How could he have not let himself see that the vocalist might have had some deeper feelings for him, just as he did for Kyo? What had made him draw so far into himself that even Kyo couldn't pull him back out? Why had he let his chance at happiness pass by?
Shit.
Tears were coming to his eyes again. Shinya scrubbed them away from his eyes angrily - dammit! He'd thought he'd forgotten this. Why did he have to pick now of all times to remember how to cry? When the drummer finally looked up again, he didn't recognize the neighborhood or any of the buildings in his immediate sight-line, and stamped viciously down on the panic that was threatening to well up in his throat. He'd be just fine; he had his keitai, after all. But a quick search of his pockets proved otherwise - Shinya cursed softly when he remembered that he'd left his phone in his bag, and his bag at the studio when he'd all but run out.
"Now what?" he muttered, searching around desperately for anything that he might recognize. There was nothing. Nothing at all. He tried to remind himself not to panic, but it was a mental battle he was slowly losing.
And it's not like there's anyone to worry about me right now. To wonder where I am ... would they even bother to call? I never pick up.
A hand came down on his shoulder gently. Shinya yelped and jumped in the air as he spun around to face his potential attacker. But what he saw was nothing of the kind.
"Shinya-kun?" Gackt asked quietly, his eyes devoid of contacts and concerned as they bored into Shinya's own, "What's wrong? Why are you crying? What are you doing here? I thought you lived farther away."
The drummer chewed on his lip, wondering what he could possibly say. Gackt's hand took his own, squeezing gently. Rather than say anything, Shinya threw himself into Gackt's arms, allowing himself to cry in front of someone for the first time in years. Silently, Gackt wrapped his arms around the younger man's skinny shoulders and twined his fingers in the soft blonde hair, shushing gently into his ear.
"It's all right, Shinya-kun. It'll all be all right. Don't cry ... you're too pretty to be crying."
Shinya laughed a little, brokenly, and settled himself more comfortably in the taller man's arms. It was so warm and safe there - he didn't even really mind the fact that he was crying in the middle of the street. And Gackt smelled good.
"Can ... Will you ... " the young drummer stopped, not knowing how to ask.
"Shhh ... let me take you home. You can rest there," the taller man said, rocking Shinya a little even as he lead him down the blocks to where his flat was located (which, Shinya realized vaguely, was not that far from where they'd been).
"Domo arigatou," Shinya whispered.
"It's nothing," Gackt shook his head, holding Shinya a little closer.
They reached his apartment in record time, as far as the tall singer was concerned, and he quickly led Shinya into its shelter. They slipped off their shoes and Gackt, still holding onto Shinya's hand, brought him to the couch, urging him to sit. Once Shinya was sitting, the singer sat next to him, unsure of how close the drummer would want him to be. Shinya took care of that by laying his head on Gackt's lap, his body still shaking as silent tears made their way down his cheeks. Gackt brushed them away lovingly, amazed that he even remembered to be gentle after all this time with nobody. They sat mostly in silence; only the sound of harshly sucked in breaths could be heard as Shinya cried himself out of tears.
"I'm sorry,・the drummer whispered after he couldn't cry any more.
Gackt shook his head, even though Shinya wasn't looking at him, and stroked the younger man's hair softly, "Don't be. Sometimes ... sometimes you just have to cry. Even I do. ... Will you tell me what happened, though? Maybe I can help?"
Shinya turned over so that he was looking up at Gackt, rather than at Gackt's wall. Gackt's hand followed the movement of his head, still stroking the fine locks rhythmically, but his eyes locked with the drummer's as he looked down. The younger man gave him a wavering sort of smile.
"I ... I think you can. Help, that it. It's just ... I don't think ... no, let me start over. Do you remember your offer?"
"To be your something more."
Shinya nodded, reaching up to clasp one of Gackt's hands in his own, kissing the back of it lightly, "I ... I think ... no, I know ... I can accept it, now. If it still stands."
Gackt smiled slowly as Shinya's words sunk into his mind and brought Shinya's own hand to his lips, pressing his own kiss there. "Of course it does."
"Then ... " Shinya blushed brightly, " ... anou ... would you ... kiss me?" he stammered out.
Gackt grinned, and kissed Shinya's cheeks. The drummer's mouth opened a little in protest, and he looked adorably indignant.
"Not like that!"
"But you look so adorable there. I can't help it," the tall singer smiled, leaning down and picking Shinya up a little so they met half way, pressing their lips together chastely.
He was immediately gratified to feel the drummer's eyelashes brushing against his cheeks as they fluttered closed, and Shinya's lips moving against his. Emboldened, he gently swiped his tongue over Shinya's lips, asking permission to deepen their kiss. Shinya granted it. Gackt found he had to fight to suppress his moan as he slid his tongue into Shinya's mouth and began to explore the hot crevices. He smiled into the kiss when he felt Shinya's tongue touch his tentatively, and Shinya's hand grip onto his arm. When Gackt broke the kiss, they were both breathing a little heavier. He kept their foreheads close, so that they were almost touching, and kissed the tip of Shinya's nose.
"Like that?"
"Much better," Shinya breathed.
"Shall we do it again?"
"Please."
And this time it was Shinya who moved up in Gackt's arms, initiating the sweet kiss; the second of many that were to follow.

Owari[3]

NOTES:
[1] Most, if not all, of this is very, very, very untrue. Considering I don't know any of the members, I can't claim to know their personalities or what they like, etc. etc. Therefore, take everything there with a grain of salt - maybe Kyo is, in fact, a very avid reader; and as much as the thought amuses me, I've never seen him gnawing on anyone's arm.
[2] Basically this is a rather rude was to say "What do you want?"
[3] This wasn't really very romantic, was it? And damn, but is that ending cheesy or what? ::sigh:: Well, this is my first try at writing a real romance story. I've got no idea how it came out like this - or why I decided that Gackt and Shinya would be the final pairing instead of Kyo and Shinya (which is what I was originally going for). Eech. Well, hopefully you enjoyed it anyway >_>;;

The requirements for this:

Anime, band, or book?
I'll go with band for this one.
What anime, band, or book am I going to be writing about?
If you don't mind making it a crossover I'd like to see both Dir en grey and Gackt.
One-shot or a chaptered story?
One-shot. I would be very happy if you tried not making it too short though.
Genre? (Action, angst, romance, hurt/comfort, etc.)
Romance, I think. Maybe a hint of drama, but overall romance.
Rating?
Anything from PG-13 to NC-17.
Do you want a yaoi/yuri pairing, or a straight one?
Yaoi
Whom do you want paired?
Don't worry, though I do want Shinya as one of the main characters, Kyo and Gackt too. How you pair them is up to you, feel free to add people from Diru and/or from Gackt's band if you want, but at the very least I want Shinya, Kyo and Gackt to be the main characters, and all three of them to be involved with someone.
When and where do you want it set? (If you want a surprise, I'll do that, too)
Present time, that's all I ask. Other than that, surprise me.