[boyband au]

[angstennou]

Who: Nephrite and anyone who comes visit him!
What: Nephrite and Ami discussing what to do about Kunzite's blackmailing
When: After Nephrite gets arrested for punching Kunzite in a concert
Where: Juuban district's jail

Nephrite was sitting at his cell, still fuming. Kunzite, that bastard. He doesn't have the right to treat Ami like that. And he dared to say he loved her? Yeah, sure. They say Nephrite is a bad loser because of his temper. At least he doesn't try to hurt someone he likes. Aaaaargh he should have broken all the bastard's teeth, so he wouldn't be able to show up at that meet and greet tomorrow.

Nephrite didn't care anymore if Beryl fired him. He never got paid and he didn't want to share a stage with such an asshole. But he didn't want to ruin Ami's career too. He wished he still had his phone, so he could text Mamoru for help. He started pacing as he tried to think of a way to help Ami while he couldn't get out of the jail.

Comments

[geniustheveil]

Flustered by the sudden outburst, Ami didn't answer for a moment. She glanced down at her hands, which were carefully folded in her lap and tightly gripping the fabric of her skirt.

"Why?" She thought the reasoning would be obvious. Then she realized that, well, it was really only obvious to her.

"It's because I don't want to hurt my friends," she said finally. "It won't matter if Kunzite has proof that you and I were seeing each other, if I'm not a member anymore."

Which, if Nephrite was sharp enough to read between the lines, meant that Kunzite had not only been blackmailing Ami with the threat of revealing the relationship, but also trying to force her to do something that would have been harmful to the other girls in her group.

That had been the line for Ami.

"So, it's better this way."

That had been trying to convince herself.

[angstennou]

Nephrite had never been especially good at reading between the lines, but what he could see was that Ami was hurting. And that as much as she said it was better this way, he felt it might be better for the group, maybe, but not for her. His fists closed in tight balls as he wished he could punch Kunzite again.

He tried to think of something they could do to get rid of Kunzite. If he couldn't contact Mamoru from jail, maybe Ami could talk to her friend?

"Can't you ask your friend for help? She's dating Mamoru isn't she?"

Or... there was another option that would hurt him badly, but he had screwed up already and he could endure it if it kept her happy in the group. "Or... do you want us to end it, and if Kunzite says anything you say that I forced you or something?"

[geniustheveil]

"I don't want that!"

That answer, at least, came immediately and without any hesitation or second-guessing. And she could rationalize it by saying she didn't want to cause her friends more trouble from the scandal, or that at least she didn't want to make Nephrite seem to be a bad person in the public eye, but the truth was she just didn't want to end it.

"Besides," she added a little more calmly, "It could just cause trouble for her, too. She has a lot to worry about already." For one, Usagi needed to keep her own relationship with Chiba Mamoru secret. Loudly talking about another forbidden relationship wasn't going to help that.

[angstennou]

He let out a relieved sigh as Ami told him she didn't want to end their relationship. He had offered because it seemed an alternative but he did hope that Ami still liked him enough to want to stay with him.

But now they were trapped by Kunzite, weren't they? There was nothing Nephrite could blackmail or bribe his former leader with. He wished Kunzite would direct all his anger and vengeance to him, and not Ami. Hell, he wished the man was a better sport about losing a girl. Wasn't he always nagging about how immature Nephrite and Jadeite were blah blah blah?

"Sorry. I didn't want to cause more trouble. I asked because Mamoru maybe could keep Kunzite at bay, but I can't contact him from here."

After another silent moment, he asked, "There's nothing else we can do then? Are you really okay with that?", looking in her eyes, trying to figure out how upset she was with this outcome.

[geniustheveil]

"It's for the best," Ami said, and she managed something close to a smile. It was... not exactly untrue, at least. There were other things she could do. She could focus on her schooling, something Mama had always worried about while Ami pursued her idol career. It would make Mama happy. And her friends could chase after the upcoming competitions and contracts without any added troubles.

"But what about you?" she asked. "Will it be alright if you can't go back to singing?" As far as she knew, at least, Nephrite had enjoyed performing - or at least, he had been like her: enjoying being a part of a group, doing something special together.

[angstennou]

Nephrite wasn't entirely convinced, but he couldn't think of any other way out to suggest. He reached out for Ami's hand, trying to comfort her at least a little.

He shrugged at her question, though. "I liked the attention, and I thought we were a group, but I don't want to work with Kunzite anymore." And by what Zoisite had said, nobody would notice he wasn't there anyway.

[geniustheveil]

Ami glanced over at the nearby officers, who were at least doing them the courtesy of pretending not to notice Nephrite holding her hand.

"Then," she asked the obvious yet difficult next question, "What will you do?"

As far as she was concerned, there were nearly endless options. He could try anything he wanted to do, any type of schooling or job or career. When she thought about it that way, maybe quitting her group, too, wasn't all bad.

[angstennou]

Nephrite was ignoring the guards completely now that Ami was here, and shrugged again.

"I don't know. I am not specially good at anything." He had gotten in this business because of his friends, but now that he didn't have someone to follow he was a little lost. "What do you want to do?"

[geniustheveil]

Surely there were many things Nephrite was good at? He seemed strong and capable to her, anyway.

"Me?" Ami asked, a little surprised at the question - but she'd given it plenty of thought recently.

"I might go to America. To study, I mean. Study abroad would look good on my applications for university, and a career later on." After all, if she didn't have her singing career anymore, she needed to focus on something else, something else practical.

[angstennou]

"America? America sounds like a cool place." He looked excited at the start, but then he remembered it was far, so she wouldn't be able to visit him. "I would like to go with you if I wasn't... well... here." And if he had money too. With what he got from the band he could barely pay the rent and eat.

[geniustheveil]

"They have very good schools. I was researching them the other day." It was something she did want to do, she reminded herself. She'd just thought she'd be able to be with her friends for a little while longer first.

"If you came too..." She didn't know how to finish that. She'd like it. As for the money, maybe something else she was considering could help him. "But before that, I think you should talk with a lawyer, about what happened. There might be something you can do."

[angstennou]

Nephrite had always been quite eager to flee school, but it seemed Ami liked studying as much as singing?

He was curious about what she thought of him going to America too... but she changed subjects and he felt insecure. Maybe she didn't want him to go? But she hadn't wanted to end their relationship, right?

"I don't know any lawyer. And I can't afford one, anyway." So yeah, probably rotting in jail for a couple years. It would be unfair to hold her back during all that time, though. "But it's okay. You should go and do what you want to do."

[geniustheveil]

There was no way Ami could do that. She shook her head.

"It's alright. We can find a lawyer. Some lawyers even take on work pro bono; that means they don't charge any fee unless you win."

Sure, those fees would cut into any damages awarded; but definitely no worse than what Beryl had already managed to - Ami was certain - cheat Nephrite out of.

And if she couldn't find a lawyer to take on the case that way, she'd find a way to pay for it. She'd even ask Mama for help if she needed to.

[angstennou]

"Are you sure? I don't want to cause you more trouble." Ami was a nice person, and he worried that she would try too hard to help him. He knew that what he did was wrong, and he was alright with taking responsibility.

[geniustheveil]

"If it's for Nephrite," Ami said quietly, "it's not any trouble."

After all, they were dealing with some very serious situations together by now: the ends of their careers, Nephrite's upcoming sentencing, even this possible talk about going to America. If they were close enough to be going through these experiences together, they were close enough to help each other out as much as possible.

[angstennou]

"Thanks. I don't know what I would do without you." He smiled and gave her hand a light squeeze. Just by being there she calmed him down and made him feel he had a chance of a better outcome. Nephrite couldn't have asked for a better girlfriend.

[geniustheveil]

"It's really not any trouble..." Ami repeated, a little embarrassed by Nephrite's thankfulness. She glanced towards the officer, but although being watched was embarrassing, too, she didn't remove her hand.

"Nephrite," she brightened a little with the thought, "What should I bring you next time?" After all, as long as it wasn't anything forbidden of course, she could bring him something when she visited.

[angstennou]

It would have upset him if she had removed her hand. He didn't know when he would be able to see or hold her again, so this was the little comfort he had.

"Uh... Bring me...?" He considered her question for a few seconds and remembered she had talked to him once about trying to bake some cookies. "Those cookies...?"

[geniustheveil]

"The cookies?" That was... not what she expected, because Ami knew her baking attempts had ended in, well, burns. A lot of burns. A batch of burns.

But, "If it's what you'd like, then I'll make you a lot of them."

[angstennou]

As long as it wasn't burns on her body, it was ok. He usually ate just instant noodles, he wasn't really picky. The cookies were something that reminded him of her and that he could keep with him in between her visits.

"Yes please! I mean, if you don't mind doing the cooking." Because she'd spend some free time doing that when she could be resting or having fun somewhere.

[geniustheveil]

Ami actually smiled at that as she shook her head. "I don't mind at all! That is, if you want to eat them."

She couldn't really imagine the idea of a guy wanting to eat her baking, but it was a thought that made her very happy. She'd make dozens if he wanted. She could certainly make enough that hopefully some would turn out well.

"I'll bring some next time. I hope you like them."