In the middle of night

Band: UNiTE.

Pairing: Lin&Sana, mentioned Hikaru (Kameleo)&Yui, Reika&Hikaru (D=OUT), Haku&Mio (one-sided)

Rating: 17+

Genre: romance, comedy

Warnings: -

Note: "You would have to call me every night and wake me up to make me agree."

Based on true story.

Lin had a lot of friends. In fact, you could say that he was friends with everyone in the world of Japanese rock.

He also had a lot of female fans. He could go on a date with everyone, meet with them, sleep with them, whatever he liked.

And he also had a band that fell apart recently. Literally. Yukimi left, Haku was depressed, Mio didn't smile for five years or more. Only Yui was holding on somehow. But Lin loved his band and wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

It seemed like Imai Tomoaki had everything he needed. Friends, fame and a job he loved. What more could you want?

And here it gets complicated, because Lin just wanted more.

Someone to be precise.

Yoshida Sana, known as Yoshi from Eve, had been his friend for many, many years. In fact, Lin didn't remember, when he met Yoshi and their friendship reached the stage of calling themselves by short names, which, as you know, in Japan already means a really strong bond. And Lin wanted to deepen it even more.

The occasion had to explain to Sana that Lin cares more about him than he thinks had arisen. Yoshi was the drummer! And UNiTE. needed a drummer! A perfect plan that was born in Lin's mind was that the guitarist would bring his lover to the band. And then it will be easier for him to hook up with him and... Bullseye, we have a winner in a competition of the relationship of the year.

However, Lin's plan didn't foresee just one thing...

"No" he heard on the other side of the receiver. "That would be weird, Lin. I'm a fan of your band."

"But Sana..." Lin groaned.

His entire plan had just crashed to pieces like a car going off the road and crashing into a tree.

"You would have to call me every night and wake me up to make me agree" Sana laughed. "You know, some people say that it works. I'm really sorry, but I would really feel a little uncomfortable playing songs that I loop over on MP3 player every day."

"As you wish" Lin sighed. "Do you have time to meet?"

"Not yet. But I'll let you know, when I'll have a spare moment" replied Sana. "Bye bye."

And he hang up.

And that’s why Lin wanted to persuade Sana to join UNiTE.. At least they would have a chance to talk. Sana must have taken being Soan’s fanboy too seriously and decided to be as hard a workaholic as he is. He never had time for himself, let alone for his friends.

But Lin loved him and decided to fight. He just had to find a weapon.

He looked at his phone. And suddenly he got an idea. How about trying out what Sana just said to him and call the drummer until he finally agrees? Apparently, this method worked for the vocalist of one of the legendary bands on the Visual Kei scene. Maybe Lin will succeed this time as well.

Tomoaki smiled radiantly and went to the bathroom. If he's going to call Sana every night, he needs to get some sleep. He liked to sleep, and after twelve hours of sleeplessness, he could be a zombie without makeup, but for love he decided to sacrifice everything. Even his precious sleep time.

Clock showed a few minutes past three. Sana slept with a quilt up to the tip of his nose. Nothing could bring him out of his sleep.

At least until his phone rang.

Yoshi opened his eyes and glared at his cell phone. The calm melody he heard didn’t soothe him at all. He grabbed the phone and looked at the screen.

“Lin?” Sana picked his phone up. “Hello?”

“Join us” he heard.

“What?” the drummer rubbed his eyes. “Lin, I told you that…”

“Join us. You like our music, so you won’t have a problem with learning our songs. I tell you, you’re going to be rapturous!” Lin was babbling like crazy. “So?”

“Lin…” Yoshi yawned. “First, it’s middle of the night. Second, are you really using my silly ironic idea against me?”

“You know, I thought that if you'd join us, Haku wouldn’t be able to complain. And even if he would, I’ll punch his face so many times that he’s going to look like a pancake” said Lin. “Join us, Sana.”

“I have to think about it” Sana laid down on his back and looked at the ceiling.

“Don’t think, just join us!” Lin laughed. “Sana, Sana~!”

“Don’t sing or I won’t agree” Yoshi sighed. “Can we talk later?”

“Of course, no problem. Good night” said Lin and hung up.

Guitarist looked at his cell phone. There was hope for his plan again.

Several days and nights passed, but Lin still didn’t leave Sana alone. And drummer was getting really annoyed.

“Lin, stop calling me or I’ll snap and hurt you” he said pleadingly as the guitarist bothered him for the ninth consecutive night.

“But Sana! Join us and I’l let you sleep, I promise” said Lin, though he knew it was only half true.

After all, once they become a couple, Sana will surely have many sleepless nights. But at least because of a very pleasant reason.

“Let's meet at Sakana Club tomorrow and we'll talk” said Sana.

Lin blinked. Sana had time to meet him?

“Of course. When?” asked Lin, leaning against a big, orange pillow.

“5pm?”

“Okay” Lin agreed. “So good night. Sweet dreams.”

“Good night, Lin-chan” Sana hang up.

Lin smiled slightly and called another person.

“Hello?” he heard a voice of a way too awake in his opinion Mio. “What's the matter, Lin?”

“Why are you not sleeping?” Tomoaki was surprised.

"Haku got drunk again” explained Mio. “I had to get him home.”

“So he called you again?”

"Yes” confirmed Mio. “I just left his flat. What happened?”

“And when will you tell him you love him?”

“Lin!” Mio growled, then a guitarist heard the sound of a door slamming in the background. “Be interested in your love life, don’t stick your nose into my privacy.”

"Alright, alright, sorry” Lin sighed. “Mio, I can't be at the rehearsal tomorrow.”

“I'd call it off anyway. Haku will have a hangover and I won’t get enough sleep today” replied Mio.”Why won't you come?”

"I want to try to get Sana to become our new drummer” explained Lin.

“Sana?”

“Yoshi from Eve.”

“Oh, that friend of yours? But Lin, Haku won’t agree to this!”

“That's why I need a whole day. First I have to get Haku to accept the idea, and then... Pull Sana into the light force's side.”

“Do what you think is right” said Mio. “You have my leader's permission.”

“Thanks, Mio" Lin smiled brightly and hung up.

The first thing he had to do was get enough sleep.

Haku felt as if Godzilla attacked his home, grabbed him, chewed him up then spit him out, trampled him over and threw him under the truck, so the sound of the doorbell wasn't one of the most anticipated things by the bassist at that moment. He got up, holding his head, and opened the door to whoever was trying to reach him.

“Hi, Haku” Lin was smiling radiantly, as he used to do. “How are you?”

“Hangover. What do you want?” mumbled Haku.

His own voice sounded for him like a scream. let alone Lin's loud, giggling voice…

“Maybe we'll hire a new drummer?”

“And will you go away then?” Haku groaned, leaning against the door frame.

He wanted to kill Lin for pulling him out of his bed, so he would even agree to dance cancan naked, if only guitarist would leave him alone.

“Of course!” exclaimed Lin, making Haku cover his ears. “So what?”

“We can hire even talentless moron playing on pots and dumpster covers with spoons, just please speak quietly” Haku slumped down the wall.”

“Sorry” Lin handed him an aspirin leaf and water, which he pulled out of the bag. ”Thanks for the approval. Have a nice day. Oh, and Haku?”

“Yes?”

"Next time, at least put on your dressing-gown" Lin laughed shortly and ran down the stairs.

Haku closed the door with a frozen expression on his face, realizing that he wasn't far from dancing naked cancan…

………….

Sakana Club was still empty at this time of the day. Lin sat on the sofa at the corner table and waited.

“Oh, hey, Lin-kun” Lin looked up, hearing a familliar voice.

He saw Hikaru from D=OUT, his good friend.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m waiting for someone” replied Lin. “How are you, Hika-chan?”

“I’m fine, thanks. Minoru went to order drinks. Can we sit with you or you want to be alone?”

“Do you have a gift of persuasion, Hika-chan?” asked Lin.

“Persuasion..." Hikaru thought for a moment. "I convinced Minoru that I had lost my memory to win his heart. Yes, I think I do. Why do you ask?”

“I have to persuade Sana to join UNiTE.” explained Lin. 

“Oh, really? Minoru, come here! Lin-kun needs our help” Hikaru summoned Reika with a hand gesture.

"Hi, Lin” Reika put the drinks on the table. “Should I bring anything else?

“You don't have to. I'll go when Sana comes” replied Lin, staring at the door.

And then, as if  they summoned him, Sana appeared at the threshold.

He pushed his hair out of his face, straightened his sweater and walked to the table with a  bright smile.

“Hey, Lin-chan. You didn’t tell me that Hikaru-san and Reika-san would be there as well” Sana sat beside Lin.

"We met each other by accident” explained Reika.

“What would you like to drink?” asked Lin.

Sana thought for a moment.

"Something with not much of alcohol, so you won't have to pick me up from under the table” he replied after a moment.

"Oh yeah, I forgot you have such a light head” Lin fluffed Sana’s hair and got up from the table.

He leaned over to Hikaru and whispered in his ear to throw Sana a few arguments in his absence.

When he came back, he put a glass of blue drink in front of Sana.

"It's the weakest they had” he said, looking at Sana's hesitant face.

"Well, I'll sip it all evening” said Yoshi, putting a straw in his glass. “Reika-san and Hikaru-san seem to know, why you brought me here. They started to persuade me to accept your offer.

“It just turned out like that” Hikaru shrugged.

"Lin, I don't mean to be rude, but shouldn't that be only our business?" Sana looked at the guitarist intently.

Tomoaki sighed.

“Sorry, I shouldn't get them involved.”

“Don't worry about it. I just don't like, when others make decisions for me” explained Sana. "But... Whatever they said, it wouldn't change my mind."

“No?” Lin looked down at the glass.

Warm colour of his orange drink didn’t match how thich the atmosphere had just come.

"No” repeated Sana.”I've already made up my mind. I accept your invitation.”

There was a moment of silence, during which only the music from the speakers and the breathing of all four could be heard.

“Really?!” Lin hugged Sana, making him confused. “You don’t even know, how happy I am!”

“Did you ask your band, by the way?” asked Sana, breaking free from Lin’s arms.

“Mio and Haku agreed.”

“What about Yui?”

“Yui?” Lin was confused. “Yui probably won't complain about this idea…”

“But you should tell me about this anyway, Rin-chan” heard Lin, feeling someone’s hands on his head.

Someone leaned over him.

“So you’re telling me that you want to invite this cute and sweet drummer into our band?”

“Yui” Lin sighed.

Sana looked a little embarrassed. Hikaru chuckled. Reika tried not to laugh, but it didn’t work.

“What? I like this place” Yui jumped over the backrest and landed next to Lin. “But don’t worry, I know about your plans from Mio. He told me, when he called me to announce that rehearsal was cancelled.”

“It wouldn't be a rehearsal anyway. Haku was in such a condition that when he opened the door for me, he didn't even notice that he was naked” replied Lin, to which Reika spilled his drink, Hikaru choked and Sana almost dropped his glass.

“What?” Yui, who was simply speechless, looked at Lin intently. “Did you see Haku... naked?”

“Yes.

“And what? Does he have anything to be proud of down there?” Reika laughed shortly, trying to tidy himself up.

“Minoru!” Hikaru gently slapped the back of his head.

“Report back to Mio. Overrate him a little, maybe he'll tell him, how he feels about him finally” said Yui.

"Yui-kun” Sana glared at him, which surprisingly silenced Yui immediately.

“So here you are!” they heard a loud voice behind them and the other Hikaru, Kameleo's vocalist and Yui's longtime partner, jumped on the backrest and slipped off of it straight onto his koi's lap. “Kai, don't leave your capybara alone, capybaras need a lot of love!”

And he loved a little embarrassed Yui.

“Is he drunk?” asked Reika.

“No, it’s the norm in his case, believe me” Lin looked at him, a little tired.

Reika just sighed and went to order another drink. He probably thought that two Hikarus is too much for him, when he’s sober.

Lin had to be pleased to say that when Sana joined UNiTE., he revived this band. Drummer decided that he would introduce himself with his real name from now on, which suited Lin very much, as he preferred Sana to be Sana rather than Yoshi. And now he’ll be able to call him that outside the private sphere as well.

However, there was something left for him to do, which he had been planning for a long time - picking up the cute and sweet drummer, as Yui called him. He had been doing well so far, but he had to do something to get Sana to run up to him byhimself. But what?

“Why love has to be so complicated?” Lin sighed, looking at Sana, who was talking with Haku.

They seemed to be getting along well. Good. Very good.

“Just tell him” Lin jumped, hearing Yui’s voice behind his back.

“Do you always have to sneak on people like this?!” Lin cried, making Yui laugh.

“Mio said he had a call from Visulog TV. We're going to be at a concert for their fourth anniversary. And you know what?” Yui leaned close to Lin. “There will be interviews. Two members from each team. And you know who volunteered? Soan.”

“From Moran?”

“Yes.”

“Mio! Come here for a moment!” called him Lin.

Mio sighed, got up from the sofa and walked to them.

“What’s going on, why are you screaming?” asked Mio.

“Who’s going to Visulog?”

“Me and Yui?”

“Call them and change one of you to Sana, before someone will steal Soan” Lin pressed the phone into his hand. “Go on!”

"Alright, alright, don't rush me like that” Mio looked at him a little surprised. “Hello? This is Shiina Mio from UNiTE....”

"Let it work, let it work” Lin ran to Sana. “Sana, Sana, I have a surprise for you. I got you something. I mean, Mio is calling them right now, but it’ll definitely work.”

“But what?” Sana blinked. “Lin-chan, what are you up to again?”

"Okay, you've got this interview” Mio threw Lin's cell phone back to him. “Sana, you’re going to the interview by Visulog TV. Lin's idea.”

“But why? I don't like interviews, I stress about them” Sana sighed.

“Sana, but you don't understand. In the same interview there'll be, wait for it... ”Lin put his arm around Sana and pointed his hand in front of him. “Soan.”

“What?” Sana looked at him in amazement. “B-but S-Soan? But this drummer? The one from Moran?”

"Yes, that's exactly him” Lin nodded.

"I don't think I understand” Haku scratched his head.

"By all gods, I have an interview with Soan!" Sana moved away from Lin, twisted him around his axis, then pulled him to him and…

They don't really know what he wanted to do, because he stumbled, dragged Lin with him, and they both landed on the floor.

"We're leaving” Yui pulled Haku and Mio by their hands out of the room.

"...I guess I still don't understand” said Haku, closing the door behind them.

Lin looked at the door, then at still very happy Sana.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m okay” replied Sana.

Lin got up and helped Sana to do the same.

“Lin-chan… I don’t know, how I should pay you back” said Sana. “Or maybe I know.”

Sana leaned and kissed Lin. Tomoaki froze for a moment. Shouldn't he be the one to kiss Sana? Oh, nevermind! He stopped thinking about nonsense, embraced Sana and kissed him back.

“I love you, Tomoaki” whispered Sana, hugging him. “I love you for all, not only because of this interview.”

“I love you too, Sana” Lin smiled radiantly. “I love you too.”

Lin's brilliant plan was one hundred percent successful. And it turned out that the sofa in the studio isn’t as uncomfortable as everyone thought.

The end