Chapter 15
Thanks to Stephane's talent as a lawyer and Nathan's testimony, Yuzuru was cleared of the assault charges filed against him, and he won his own counter lawsuit, successfully charging the tabloids for deformation and he forced them to take down their articles about him that involved slander. He then turned his attention to Jun's contract with his Korean managers and he managed to find one of the clauses that he could exploit to get the youngster out of it. With the media gone from around them, Jun was discharged by Yuna, still with regular therapy sessions scheduled, and the first thing he did was go out and buy Stephane a huge bouquet of flowers. When the duo returned to the club, Tracy swept them both up into a hug and kept repeating how much she cared about them and how worried she was. Jason gave them each a wave, and Brian raised an eyebrow at Yuzuru and Javier's linked hands, but didn't comment. Javier sat down with Yuzuru in the recording studio and smiled as the other took out his guitar to start on new ideas.
"Stay," he told Javier as he jotted things down in his notebook. "I like having you next to me. You're inspiring. My muse."
Javier smiled and pressed a kiss to his temple before he stood up. "Green tea? I need a coffee."
"Yes please. You spoil me too much."
"You deserve it. But don't ask me to bring Effie to the club so she can sit with you while you write songs or we'll have an angry Brian and an angry Effie to deal with."
"Mean!" Yuzuru called after him, tone light and teasing, and Javier shook his head with a fond smile.
It felt good to wander the hallways of the club again. Being away from it had been relaxing, but Javier had felt like he was missing a part of himself. Now, with Yuzuru as his boyfriend like he'd wanted for years, Javier felt right being back. He gave Tracy a smile as they poured their hot drinks.
"Jason's going on tour tomorrow, isn't he?"
"Yep," Tracy nodded and sipped at her tea. "First date is in a couple of days' time and he's performing in Chicago."
"Hometown," Javier smiled. "I love it. And he's finishing there too, isn't he?"
"Yep. He's mostly going around the United States, some of Europe, and a special few days in Japan because he really wants to go there, so who are we to say no?"
"Have fun," Javier gave her a wave before he carried the two mugs out. He gave Jun and Conrad a smile as he passed them in the hallway, and he joined Yuzuru again in the recording studio.
He sat down in silence and just watched Yuzuru with a fond smile. The other was so in his element and it was the best thing for Javier to watch. Yuzuru's fingers danced over the guitar frets and he hummed little tunes. He tucked his pencil behind his ear between notes so that he could try out his ideas. Javier watched as the other's eyes sparkled with delight when he had a huge spark of inspiration, and he sipped at his coffee as he relaxed into their safe and warm environment. Javier didn't even realise how long they'd sat there together until Yuzuru's stomach growled loudly enough to break both of them out of their daydreams. They exchanged a look over Yuzuru's acoustic guitar and burst out laughing.
"Hungry?" Javier asked him with a cheeky grin.
"A little. But first, I'd like to just play some of this for you and see what you think."
Javier listened, enveloped in the safe environment that Yuzuru had made by filling the space with his gentle guitar. At the end, they let the music die before their eyes met and they both smiled.
"Beautiful. Now come on. Let's get some food."
Yuzuru left his guitar in the safety of the studio and he slipped his hand into Javier's. The Spaniard squeezed his hand, enjoying the warmth that came from it, before they settled at the corner table in the cafe. As they started eating lunch, Jason and Shoma slid into the seats opposite them, and Jason had his arm around Shoma's shoulders.
"Not to be rude," Shoma said as he speared a piece of steak from within his pasta, "but it only took you two seven years to get together. So congratulations! You're finally together! Well done!"
Yuzuru kicked him hard under the table, and Shoma kicked him back before Jason could stop him. Javier rubbed Yuzuru's shoulders with his free hand and smiled across the table. His smile and Jason's combined lit up the room with the light of ten thousand stars.
"Tour starts in a couple of days I believe?" Javier said and Jason nodded. "Have fun! And I hope it goes better than some of the tours from the club recently."
Jason chuckled. "I hope so too. I know Conrad is starting his All-Canada tour soon, and his album is selling really well for a debut."
"It probably doesn't hurt that he's a very charming young man."
"You can say it Javi. He's a model. He's very attractive and that really doesn't hurt."
"Well," Javier pressed a kiss to Yuzuru's cheek, "I have my own beautiful guitarist that I'm so in love with, so I understand."
"Javi!" Yuzuru blushed but laughed, pressing a kiss to the other's cheek too. "So sappy! You're so very sappy. Spain made you sappy."
"Only for you," Javier responded, and their cuddling was interrupted as Jun and Conrad joined their table. Yuzuru's eyes lit up when he saw the chicken pasta that Jun was carrying and, when Conrad looped his arm around his shoulder, he leaned into him. "Hi kids. How's everything going?"
"It's good," Conrad grinned. "I've got my first rehearsal in one of my Toronto venues later today, and I think Jun's coming with me, right?"
"Right! I want to take a bit of time to enjoy performing before I try to write more songs."
"Well, if you'd like to join my tour at any time, you're welcome to," Jason patted his shoulder, "and I'm sure Conrad would love it if you joined him. But, for now, you should take care of yourself. Make sure that you're mentally and physically alright before you even try to step up onto another stage and perform a concert again."
Jun gave him a grateful smile and nodded, spearing a piece of chicken with his fork. "Thanks Jason. You're one of the best big brothers here. You and Yuzu. I love you both so much."
"Aww, we love you too," Yuzuru gave him a bright smile before their table fell into a comfortable atmosphere.
"I can't believe you got me a ticket to a private show," Jun said with a giggle as he took his front row seat in the empty arena. "You're so thoughtful Conrad!"
"Well, I initially wanted to invite you to actually come to one of the shows but obviously... Well, also this is a way for me to practice before an actual show."
Jun sat back and enjoyed the show that Conrad performed just for him. As he reached the end of his set, he took the microphone and smiled to Jun.
"And now I'd like to invite a very special guest to join me," Conrad winked at him and, even though there was no one else there, Jun blushed bright red. "Please welcome, from South Korea, Jun Hwan Cha!"
Conrad extended a hand to Jun and helped him up onto the stage. The younger giggled and let Conrad lead him into the middle of the stage.
"You don't have to play anything if you don't want to," Conrad assured him. "I was joking--"
"I want to play something," Jun gestured to the piano and Conrad followed him to it, leaning against it as Jun took his seat. "This is my newest song that I haven't played for anyone yet. Um, it's called Every Day, Every Moment. I hope you like it."
Conrad sighed happily and listened to the other's soft piano music. Jun's voice was soft and so warm. It was beautiful, delicate, and the song was over way before he wanted it to be done. There was a moment of silence after Jun was done and Conrad was shocked. Jun reached into his pocket and handed him a note with the English version of the lyrics scribbled on them. Conrad read them before he cupped his cheeks and pulled him into a gentle kiss.
"Hello Chicago!" Jason was met by a sea of screams in his home city, and his smile shone brighter than the spotlights. "Thank you all for coming on my tour! We've got to start off with a crowd favourite, so I hope you enjoy!"
The peppy country music of Cotton Eyed Joe filled the arena, and Jason couldn't help but invent a dance on the spot. His crowd got into it and had as much fun as the artist did; for all of them it was over too soon. He then changed the tone, performing Drive By, Dancing on My Own, Fix You, and Let her Go. His audience got into the sombre mood and he laughed sheepishly, pausing between songs to talk to them again.
"Sorry about that! Who wants to raise the tone again, huh?" The audience screamed in agreement and Jason burst out laughing. "You guys are so into it, thank you! You all make me so happy!"
Go Your Own Way started, followed by Fireflies and You Belong With Me. Jason was riding the high of the adrenaline.
"Before our last song, who wants to hear something from the new album?" Jason asked and was met with yet another scream of delight. "This one is dedicated to my partner, who is the most amazing person in the world. I love them with all my heart and would never be where I am today without them, so I hope they enjoy it! And I hope you all enjoy it too. Here we go."
A gentle melody started and the entire audience was entranced by Jason's voice as he sang Just the Way You Are, serenading the mystery person to the audience. The person himself was standing in the wings and had a goofy smile on his face as he watched Jason, the man he loved, pour his heart into the music just for him. He wanted nothing more than to run out onto the stage and sweep the other into a passionate kiss and, had he been a braver man, he might have done it.
"Thank you guys so much! I hope you've all had an amazing time because I know I have. I hope you all get home safely, and here's the final song!"
When Jason was done performing What Makes You Beautiful and the lights shut off, he headed backstage and met Shoma. The shorter fisted the front of Jason's tour shirt and pulled him down so that he could meet his lips in a passionate kiss. Jason ran his fingers through Shoma's curls, gently tugging on them as he liked, and Shoma deepened their kiss. The crew didn't bat an eyelid at the pair of them, and they only broke apart when they needed oxygen again.
"Hi," Jason whispered. "I think you just ruined your hard work on my lipstick."
"Don't care," Shoma whispered as he peppered Jason's cheeks with kisses. "I love you so much and I really wanted to just run out and kiss you in the middle of your performance."
"Well," Jason pressed a soft kiss to each of Shoma's cheeks, "if you're comfortable with it, you can do that at the end of the tour. At the final stop in Chicago. If you want to of course."
"I'd like that," Shoma slid his hand into Jason's. "But first, I'd really like to go back to your hotel room."
Jason chuckled and pressed a kiss to the top of Shoma's head. "Of course."
@Kpop_news
Cha Jun Hwan has been spotted on a date in Toronto! The date was identified as Canadian star Conrad Orzel. The pair are pictured in a cafe below, and Orzel was captured on camera holding Cha's hand. More will be posted when more is known. Are the two singers gay?
Brian read the headline once, twice, three times, and grimaced. Reaching blindly for the phone, he clicked on one of the recently used contacts.
"Stephane? Check Twitter."