#48 - Lamp
Title: Lamp
Author: lena108
Theme: #48 - Lamp
Pairing: Taki/Maiko
Rating: PG
Warnings: Taki’s potty mouth.
Disclaimer: I do not own Gravitation, Shindou Maiko, Taki Aizawa or anything affiliated with the three. They are all © Maki Murakami.
Summary: Taki and Maiko meet by chance under a streetlamp near NG.
Taki grumbled and hurried along the darkened road. He had been near the NG office building, but upon thinking about it, he didn’t want to be seen anywhere near there, especially by Seguchi Tohma. He’d wanted to pay the man back for what he’d done to him: humiliated him and tried to kill him. Taki glared down at the sidewalk as he quickened his pace to a run. He turned the corner to emerge in the light of a flickering streetlamp when a young girl did just the same from the opposite direction and ran straight into him. Taki stumbled back, but the girl hit the floor.
“Shit, girl, watch where you’re going!” Taki snapped.
“I’m sorry!” the girl looked up at him. She looked horribly familiar. From a bad dream perhaps… maybe a good one. Taki hesitated a moment, trying to think of whether he wanted to help her up or not. Finally, he reached his hand out to her. She smiled gratefully and took it, allowing him to help her up.
“Don’t worry about it,” he told her, running a hand through his hair. “What are you doing out so late anyway?”
“I was coming to visit my brother… I know it’s late but I can never catch him in the daytime, so I figured if I tried at night…” she frowned, suddenly, either because of the look that appeared on Taki’s face or she too realized how ridiculous her plan sounded. “I’m sorry… I should be going now.”
“Heh… right. Good luck,” he told her, giving her a slight nod before shoving his hands into his pockets.
“Um… if you don’t mind my asking… what were you doing out so late too?” Apparantly she’d changed her mind about leaving.
“Me? I wanted to take a walk,” he lied, shrugging nonchalantly. “I just asked you because you’re still a kid, aren’t you?”
“I am not!” she told him indignantly. “I’m eighteen now! I’m allowed to be out this late!”
“Oh, sorry,” he said, not feeling very sorry at all. “You look younger than that.”
“That’s okay,” she gave him a smile that also looked very familiar. “I get that a lot. I guess it’s better to look young than look old.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” he shrugged once again, suddenly trying to find a topic of conversation. “So what’s your name, kid?”
“I’m Maiko,” she said proudly. “And I told you, I’m not a kid!”
“You’re a kid to me,” he said and she rolled her eyes.
“So you’re an old timer, huh?” He frowned slightly and blinked, unable to find a comeback to that. She blushed slightly and apologized once again before changing the topic back to the one he’d picked. “What’s your name?”
“You mean you haven’t heard of me?” he asked her, puffing out his chest. Of course she hadn’t. Seguchi had wiped his band off the map, he remembered bitterly.
“Sorry… no…” she bit her lip and studied him. “Should I?”
“Whatever. I guess not anyway,” he said with a sigh. “Aizawa Taki. Lead singer of ASK?”
“Oh! Yeah! I saw you guys in concert once!” she declared with a smile. That surprised him greatly. Not so much that she saw them, but that she remembered.
“Did you really? That’s cool.”
“Yeah,” she smiled a little bit wider and turned down the path she’d been running from. “I think it’s getting pretty late. I should probably get home.” Taki nodded and hesitated a moment, debating with himself. Finally, as she’d started walking away, he called out to stop her.
“Erm… Maiko-san,” he reached out and involuntarily grabbed her arm. She turned to him with the same smile she’d been wearing seconds before she’d turned away.
“Hm?” she regarded him with curiosity.
“You want me to walk you home? It’s late and it would suck if anything happened to you, you know?” He ran a hand through his hair, feeling rather ridiculous about asking her that. He hardly knew her. Nevertheless, she seemed to sense his need for company at the present moment and grabbed his hand.
“Thanks,” she told him, leading him away from the flickering lamp. “I could always use someone to protect me.” She giggled and dragged him into the darkness.
Author: lena108
Theme: #48 - Lamp
Pairing: Taki/Maiko
Rating: PG
Warnings: Taki’s potty mouth.
Disclaimer: I do not own Gravitation, Shindou Maiko, Taki Aizawa or anything affiliated with the three. They are all © Maki Murakami.
Summary: Taki and Maiko meet by chance under a streetlamp near NG.
Taki grumbled and hurried along the darkened road. He had been near the NG office building, but upon thinking about it, he didn’t want to be seen anywhere near there, especially by Seguchi Tohma. He’d wanted to pay the man back for what he’d done to him: humiliated him and tried to kill him. Taki glared down at the sidewalk as he quickened his pace to a run. He turned the corner to emerge in the light of a flickering streetlamp when a young girl did just the same from the opposite direction and ran straight into him. Taki stumbled back, but the girl hit the floor.
“Shit, girl, watch where you’re going!” Taki snapped.
“I’m sorry!” the girl looked up at him. She looked horribly familiar. From a bad dream perhaps… maybe a good one. Taki hesitated a moment, trying to think of whether he wanted to help her up or not. Finally, he reached his hand out to her. She smiled gratefully and took it, allowing him to help her up.
“Don’t worry about it,” he told her, running a hand through his hair. “What are you doing out so late anyway?”
“I was coming to visit my brother… I know it’s late but I can never catch him in the daytime, so I figured if I tried at night…” she frowned, suddenly, either because of the look that appeared on Taki’s face or she too realized how ridiculous her plan sounded. “I’m sorry… I should be going now.”
“Heh… right. Good luck,” he told her, giving her a slight nod before shoving his hands into his pockets.
“Um… if you don’t mind my asking… what were you doing out so late too?” Apparantly she’d changed her mind about leaving.
“Me? I wanted to take a walk,” he lied, shrugging nonchalantly. “I just asked you because you’re still a kid, aren’t you?”
“I am not!” she told him indignantly. “I’m eighteen now! I’m allowed to be out this late!”
“Oh, sorry,” he said, not feeling very sorry at all. “You look younger than that.”
“That’s okay,” she gave him a smile that also looked very familiar. “I get that a lot. I guess it’s better to look young than look old.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” he shrugged once again, suddenly trying to find a topic of conversation. “So what’s your name, kid?”
“I’m Maiko,” she said proudly. “And I told you, I’m not a kid!”
“You’re a kid to me,” he said and she rolled her eyes.
“So you’re an old timer, huh?” He frowned slightly and blinked, unable to find a comeback to that. She blushed slightly and apologized once again before changing the topic back to the one he’d picked. “What’s your name?”
“You mean you haven’t heard of me?” he asked her, puffing out his chest. Of course she hadn’t. Seguchi had wiped his band off the map, he remembered bitterly.
“Sorry… no…” she bit her lip and studied him. “Should I?”
“Whatever. I guess not anyway,” he said with a sigh. “Aizawa Taki. Lead singer of ASK?”
“Oh! Yeah! I saw you guys in concert once!” she declared with a smile. That surprised him greatly. Not so much that she saw them, but that she remembered.
“Did you really? That’s cool.”
“Yeah,” she smiled a little bit wider and turned down the path she’d been running from. “I think it’s getting pretty late. I should probably get home.” Taki nodded and hesitated a moment, debating with himself. Finally, as she’d started walking away, he called out to stop her.
“Erm… Maiko-san,” he reached out and involuntarily grabbed her arm. She turned to him with the same smile she’d been wearing seconds before she’d turned away.
“Hm?” she regarded him with curiosity.
“You want me to walk you home? It’s late and it would suck if anything happened to you, you know?” He ran a hand through his hair, feeling rather ridiculous about asking her that. He hardly knew her. Nevertheless, she seemed to sense his need for company at the present moment and grabbed his hand.
“Thanks,” she told him, leading him away from the flickering lamp. “I could always use someone to protect me.” She giggled and dragged him into the darkness.