Vivid Bad Squad Polyship (Slow Burn)

KAITO'S Korner

Before VBS knew it, another week of practices and small-scale performances had passed by. It was Thursday afternoon, and as the girls chatted with the feminine VOCALOIDS, the guys went out for extra practice at Toya's behest.

Len guided them to KAITO's secret hiding place, where he and Luka were napping. Luka got pissed and disappeared elsewhere. KAITO glared at them from a cluttered sofa. Toya sneezed at the dusty curtains and random crap strewn about.

"*gasp* Len, I trusted you~!" Len shrugged.

"No reason to deny extra practice now, right, KAITO-niisan?"

He got up and rubbed his eyes. "Don't you 'KAITO-niisan' me, kid..." He put on his jacket and ruffled Len's head. "So, what brings you all here?"

"Hm?" Toya noticed something more than KAITO's abrasiveness. He wore a different jacket. "Is that a new jacket, KAITO-san?"

"Huh? Yes, it is. You like, I'm assuming?" he boasted. "My old one was destroyed when the building fell on me."

Both boys were caught off guard. "A building... fell on you?" Akito muttered.

"Yup. Hurt like hel--heck, but it didn't even scratch me. That jacket was a trooper. But hey, my new one matches the lady in this photo, so it's not all bad."

Akito looked at the photo he held out. "That's--!"

"So what are we working on today?"

"Ah, right." Toya attracted Akito's attention again. "You're looking for advice on breath control, Akito."

"Eh, since when?"

"Okay, can you straighten up for me, Akito-kun, like when you're about to sing?" He looked at KAITO sideways.

"This is what I look like, man," Akito growled in annoyance. He was told he had the best posture of his dad and sister...

KAITO placed a finger on his chin. "No, no, no, this will not do..." Now that Akito thought of it, Ena and papa Shinonome had some wack painting poses. He still felt offended.

"How am I supposed to stand, then?" He artificially pumped out his chest.

"Just naturally..." KAITO shook his head, unable to explain it. "If your stand like that all the time, you probably get shoulder pain."

Toya nodded. "I've offered to massage him once or twice in the past, but no dice."

"I see, not everyone is comfortable with that sort of thing..."

Akito watched them talk like he wasn't even in the room.

KAITO turned back to him, making over-exaggerated hand gestures. "Imagine you are a string of pearls. Someone picks it up, and they all sit perfectly on top of each other."

"A string of pearls... tch." If it helped him improve even a fraction, he'd go for it.

"Ah! You're doing it now, see!" Akito's head felt at least a couple centimeters higher. This was uncomfortable. Toya smiled at him though, so he kept it up. "Just... can I make an adjustment?" KAITO asked hesitantly.

"Sure?" What was he gonna do, put a book on his head?

KAITO got to his knees. Akito froze. "Try to tuck your tailbone underneath your stomach more..." He peeked through his blue hair at Akito, not that he could see his face well in the shadowy room, and put a hand on his lower back and beneath his belly button. He gently urged them to a better place. He stood up and patted Akito's shoulder in approval. Akito stood straight. Maybe a little too straight...

Toya couldn't see Akito's face too well either, but the fact he didn't move worried him.

"Akito?" Len, Toya, and KAITO asked in unison.

"Fuck..!" he breathed. He ran off.

"Hmph. If I could get KAITO on his knees, I'd do more than just swear..." Len inappropriately joked.

"Kagamine Len is hereby banned from guy club. All in favor, say 'I.'"

"I," came from KAITO, a hidden Luka, and a Toya almost out the door.

"Motion passes with a three to two majority. I sleep now."

"Luka is a woman!" Len protested.

"I am not a woman. I'm sleeping too, so leave, please."

Akito paused for a moment after he exited the run down house. 'Is that... Is that just... what people like them do? Can hippy people just touch people like that without a second thought??' He took breaths from the stomach like Ena taught. 'Calm down, calm down...'

"Akito?" he heard Toya call from a distance.

Akito instinctively dashed away. Toya heard the footsteps and gave chase. 'Fuck fuck fuck. I can't let him catch me like this. He's queer. What would he do to me..?' Nothing, probably. He wouldn't even laugh. But Akito's spiraling, so screw logic. 'Why would I even let him?!' He remembered KAITO's hands. They were focused on one thing: helping Akito's posture. Akito felt that intention, but he still responded this way. 'Am I gay? Like, actually gay? Is this really how I find out? Some airhead with blue nail polish just looks at me the wrong way..?' He ducked into an alleyway.

Toya had run out of breath at this point, but was hot on his trail. He knew how to catch stray cats, so surely Akito wasn't all that different.

'I'm not gay. I'm not gay. I like Kohane. I like Kohane. I think she likes me too? She gave me a really sweet look once, so I think that counts. It's proven. I'm not gay. My body just needs to calm down.' Akito sucked in a breath. A figure appeared around the dumpster he was hiding behind.

"Akito."

"GAH!" He pulled his knees to his chest.

"Akito, what's wrong? Why did you run away?" He avoided eye contact. He wanted to be alone, so why couldn't he say it??

"I-I, er--"

"..!" Akito craned his neck to look at Toya again. His eyes were wide with sympathy. "Are..." Did he find out?!! Akito flinched. "Are you uncomfortable with close physical contact?"

It lined up well with a time he'd witnessed Nene go through a shutdown once. Some people don't like others touching them. Maybe Akito only felt okay when he was the one touching.

"Huh? Oh... I guess you can say that..."

Toya ignored Akito's relaxation and nodded guiltily. "Sorry. I'll leave you alone then. I'll be with KAITO-san and Luka-san for awhile."

Jealousy. Akito raised a finger but could not open his mouth. KAITO wouldn't hit on someone his age, so why was he worried. It's not like he cared if Toya developed a crush. A distraction would let him and Kohane date easier. Akito came up with a master response.

"Ok."

Toya left with another worried glance. Akito relaxed his legs. As he waited for himself to calm down, he tried to rationalize what just happened.

'A position like that is just-- no. Nothing is innocent about that.' His mind replaced one blue-haired guy with another. 'NO NO NO.' He was trying to calm down, not get more riled up. He couldn't stop fantasizing about his partner, though. Toya was nowhere near being on his knees earlier, but the image formed itself so clearly...

"Jeez..." Akito muttered. He turned on some music. A song came on the shuffle radio because to hell with premium. It had a melancholic tone.

Akito's face fell as he became lost in thought. 'This feeling is so strong. It's something... impossible.' The beat drifted up into the air, and he found himself singing along softly. It hit him. 'That's right. I'm teaming up with my rich kid partner and dating a cute girl from a rival duo.' He stood, ready to start practice again. If he let himself fall into the trap of 'loving' someone he couldn't, it'd end up poorly for all of them.

Meanwhile, An sat unaware as MEIKO gave Kohane signals about her partner. Which, you ask? That's what she was confused about. Whatever it was she wanted to say, she'd be able to say it a little later. She planned to stay back for a little longer, a surprise for Akito brewing in the back of her mind.

A/N: Enby VBS Luka real. This was a one off joke at first but now I'm fully on board.