[One-Shot] The Art of Dabbling in Everything… And Failing
Title: The Art of Dabbling in Everything… And Failing
Pairing: JunDa
Rating: G
Genre: Fluff, Humour
Summary: Ueda suggests twenty-seven different types of hobbies they can both try out together. Things don’t work out for twenty-seven times.
Disclaimer: I don’t own anybody.
Author’s Note: Written for Taguchi’s 27th birthday :D
The Art of Dabbling in Everything… And Failing
Twenty-seven days before Taguchi’s birthday, Ueda comes skipping into the room with a stack of papers in hand. Instantaneously getting worried, Taguchi quirks his eyebrows when Ueda exclaims “I have an idea!”
Ueda’s happy demeanour usually suggests outrageous and impossible plans with an inevitable disastrous ending that leads to both parties waging a silent war. Shuddering as he recalls their previous trip to Europe, he smiles patronizingly and asks Ueda to spill the beans.
“I’ve decided that we ought to share a hobby to get along better and spend more time together,” Ueda proclaims as he tosses the numerous pamphlets onto the desk. Taguchi complains that they have already been spending much time together and there isn’t a need for such things but Ueda cuts him off with a glare. When Ueda starts his sentence with “Spent days looking for twenty-seven different activities…” Taguchi knows he has lost the battle.
“When do we start?”
***
1. Stargazing
Whipping out an astronomy book, Ueda fixes the telescope and checks the lenses meticulously. Seeing how focused Ueda is, Taguchi finally understands how invested Ueda is in his ’27 Plans’. It seems like there isn’t a way out till Ueda has went through the entire thing.
“We’re done,” Ueda proclaims and he pats the spot beside him at the balcony. Taguchi takes a seat and waits.
“So… when are the stars coming out?”
Ueda frowns and stares at the sky.
“Soon?”
After hours of staring at the urban lights, Taguchi decides that the Tokyo skyline is far too cluttered by skyscrapers for the stars to reveal themselves. He voices his opinion but realizes that Ueda is fast asleep on his shoulder when there isn’t a reply.
2. Surfing
Since a late-night activity didn’t exactly work out, Ueda suggests surfing at six in the morning.
“You slept but I didn’t!” Taguchi groans as Ueda rips off the sheets and begins shaking him violently. When Ueda brutally rolls him off the bed and he hits the hard ground, Taguchi crawls to the bathroom and proceeds with washing up. Half-awake, he grabs his surfing board and follows Ueda blindly to the car.
---
An hour later, the salty air jolts him awake and Taguchi almost lets out a gasp when he’s just in time to see Ueda toss his shirt away to hit the sandy beach. It’s not like he’s never seen Ueda topless but being out in the public makes things… different.
“Sleepy head, are you ready?”
Now, Taguchi isn’t a possessive person but the thought of him sharing the sight of Ueda’s abs does upset him a little. Nodding, he gets off the car and doesn’t have enough time to adjust to his surroundings when Ueda starts yanking him towards the ocean.
“I just woke up,” Taguchi grumbles a little at Ueda’s eagerness. “I need to warm up. I know you already did your exercise routine in the morning so go ahead without me.”
“I’ll do another round of stretching,” Ueda responses and slows his pace. “We’ll go over to that more secluded spot.”
---
Warm-up was supposed to be a simple process. However, Ueda doesn’t make it easy. It’s not the weird positions Taguchi finds himself contorting in but Ueda’s overwhelming jealousy.
“I caught you smiling at the girl, why don’t you approach her and ask for her number?”
“I’m just happy to share a day with you,” Taguchi rebuts, slight annoyance creeping up his nerves. “She just happened to be in my line of vision. Moreover, she’s ogling at your abs so I should be the one complaining!”
Ueda seemingly accepts Taguchi’s reasoning yet three seconds later, Ueda gets all insecure about another girl winking in their direction.
“Here’s my camera phone, why don’t you take a photo with her?”
“Don’t be ridiculous Uepi… You’re probably the one attracting all the attention, not me. Why don’t you put your dumb shirt on instead?”
“Fine!”
When Ueda stomps back to the car, a very lost female tourist approaches Taguchi. Being his usual helpful self, Taguchi peers over her map in an attempt to mark out the location of her destination. Just then, Ueda returns at this untimely moment and…
3.1 Swimming
Taguchi peers over just in time to see Ueda tossing away the third plan. After yesterday’s saga, it’s little wonder why Ueda would strike ‘swimming’ off the list.
“We’ll just… do our own activities today. There’s filming in the afternoon for our variety show anyway.”
3.2 Popping
Taguchi doesn’t really understand Ueda when the older man approaches him after filming and declares dancing the back-up plan for swimming. It’s obvious that Ueda doesn’t really have a flair for it so why suggest it?
“Maybe I’ll fare better in another style,” Ueda defends his decision when Taguchi asks about it. Taguchi shrugs and looks on doubtfully.
---
Class commences and Taguchi wows everyone with his natural groove. On the other hand, Ueda gets advice from their instructor to enrol in another class meant for younger children.
“The pace is much slower,” Taguchi overhears and he can’t help but snicker.
4. Baking
Purchasing a baking book together, they pick a relative simple recipe for their virgin attempt. ‘Chocolate-Peanut Butter-Butterscotch Bars’ didn’t require baking so Taguchi is incredibly relieved that he wouldn’t have to clean the oven alone.
---
A quick trip to the toilet turns into a disaster when Ueda forgets to stir the peanut butter (Taguchi should have trusted his instincts and turn off the fire when Ueda is the only one around) under the blazing heat. Not only did their mixing bowl get charred, the lingering smell in the kitchen is awful and Taguchi calls it a day.
After all, he has much scrubbing to do.
5. Roller Coaster
Taguchi isn’t afraid of roller coasters but he is neither an adrenaline junkie nor a risk taker. After fifteen rides, he finds everything repetitive and dull. Not wanting to continue any further in the amusement park, he plucks up his courage and tells Ueda about it (who looks really excited and happy on the contrary).
“I’m sorry Uepi but I just don’t think it’s the thing for me…”
Ueda’s face quickly morphs into disappointment upon hearing the statement. Although he assures Taguchi that it’s okay and the main purpose of his plans is to find something in which they both will enjoy, Taguchi feels a pang of guilt.
6. Board Games
Board games easily become ‘bored games’ for Ueda when Taguchi shows his prowess of dominating in all games - video or not. Despite having a great time, Taguchi decides to be understanding and call it a day.
The previous plans haven’t been going well but Taguchi discovers something far more important - Ueda can spare a thought for his feelings and he can easily do so too for the other man.
7. Arcade
Even before Ueda could pull the brakes, Taguchi has already leapt out of their car and is charging towards the holy land - Game Zone. Blown away by the amazing new variety of video games they provided, Taguchi got so engrossed that it took probably two hours or so before realising that Ueda has already left (or that he never entered in the first place).
8. Cooking
After the failed baking attempt previously, Taguchi and Ueda both agree that this will most definitely not work out. They spend their evening at some premium steak house which Ueda absolutely adores instead.
It’s the least Taguchi could do as a form of apology for yesterday’s happening.
9. Hiking
Taguchi suspects that Ueda isn’t human for being able to hike with weights around his wrists and ankles.
Has he been cohabiting with a robot all this while?
Albeit trying his best to keep up with Ueda, Taguchi feels his knee acting up when they aren’t even halfway through the path.
“I should have been more careful in planning,” Ueda sighs as he helps Taguchi down the trail.
10. Archery
It’s a new and interesting sport where neither of them has ever tried. Hiring their own personal instructor and after a short theoretical course, Taguchi gets excited being able to get his hands on an actual bow.
“I’m finally able to feel like a real archer!” Taguchi exclaims with delight. “No longer am I confined to role-playing games!”
However, Ueda doesn’t share half his enthusiasm and is sceptical about pulling the string and resting it on his face before shooting. Although Taguchi knows the importance of looks in their industry, he still thinks that Ueda is being over-concerned about the issue.
“Just get a new nose if the string breaks,” he jokes and Ueda retaliates by jabbing Taguchi’s ribs.
---
After thirty arrows, Taguchi strikes archery off the list as a viable option for their bonding time when Ueda has yet to shoot a single one.
11. Boxing
When Ueda gives him a black eye, Taguchi makes it a personal commitment never to step into the boxing ring ever again. It’s not unexpected so Taguchi is glad he has informed his makeup artist in advance to purchase a stronger concealer for his next TV appearance.
12. Karaoke
Karaoke is next on the list and Taguchi is actually looking forward to it. However, it reminds Ueda about the solo he has yet to write and record for so the atmosphere doesn’t stay jolly.
In a gallant attempt to get Ueda into the mood, Taguchi immerses himself into singing ‘Samurai Love Attack’ with all his concert actions. However, he cringes when he noticed how Ueda has silently left the room.
Taguchi ponders if Ueda is lying when the older man commented on his wonderful performance a few years back.
13. Reading
It’s eleven when both Ueda and Taguchi get comfortable on bed. Snuggling together, they begin on a rather thick novel that Nakamaru has strongly recommended together but the book is quickly traded for Shounen Jump instead.
Due to differences in reading speed and preferences, Taguchi finds Ueda flipping the pages too slowly. Impatient and wanting to know what happens next (Ueda hasn’t even reached the series he is interested in after 20 minutes), Taguchi actually runs down to their nearest convenient store to pick up his own personal copy.
So much for spending more time together when they remain silent and engrossed in their own preferred manga for the entire night.
14. Watching TV
“They say you can’t go wrong with being a couch potato,” Taguchi exclaims gleefully when he checks Ueda’s list on the soon-to-come plans. Hopping onto the sofa, he whistles when he turns on the television and finds DameYoru showing.
“Hey Uepi! It’s us! Come join me quickly!”
Stepping out of the showers, Ueda dries his hair with a towel and hurriedly grabs his glasses. However, he only lasts for a couple of minutes before marching off to their bedroom, miffed.
Taguchi reckons that Ueda didn’t exactly enjoy seeing himself being splashed by curry udon. Feeling it once was probably enough.
15. Going to the movies
Like every normal couple, Ueda proposes a trip to the cinema. According to the papers, there is a great romance movie that is sure not to disappoint. Taguchi would very much like to view the latest action film but he decides that he’ll watch it some other time when they make catching films their regular activity (Taguchi supports this idea wholly since it’s safe too; no black eye involved).
Although hand-holding would have to be sacrificed in public, it’s a little exchange they can deal with. However, when Taguchi spots a few paparazzi chasing another idol, he decides not to take the risk and leads Ueda home.
“Perhaps some other day,” Taguchi sighs and Ueda pouts in response.
16. Renting movies
Renting movies seemed like a safer option so the two of them drop by a rental shop on their way back after work. Dashing off to separate genres, they pick several movies and return home with great anticipation.
---
Agreeing on one movie to start with proved to be the obstacle of the century. Taguchi has been dying to watch the Macross Frontier Movie while Ueda is stubbornly insistent on some boxing movie.
“Uepi, can we not watch such a violent film before bed?”
“And exploding aliens and mechas is your idea of peaceful?”
“Well…”
Eventually, they compromise and settle for some slow-paced romance movie that lulls them both to dreamland.
17. Shopping
It takes a fair deal of disguise before Taguchi and Ueda is assured that they wouldn’t be spotted in a bustling shopping district. Although Ueda is overjoyed and couldn’t stop smiling throughout the entire trip, Taguchi can’t say the same for himself.
He ends up being loaded with bags after bags of branded goods and nothing for himself (he can’t even stretch his hand out to examine the items he liked). Taguchi convinces himself that it’s okay and he can shop some other time. Seeing Ueda happy while undergoing the most intense session of arm muscle training is probably sufficient.
18. Golf
Although Ueda could hardly see where he sends his golf ball flying, the other man seemed to have some sort of luck in this sport when most of his shots lands in desired locations that make winning easy. Being competitive and not having a liking to lose, Taguchi complains that swinging a club is no fun (especially when you’re not having an advantage). Quick to pick up Taguchi’s sore vibes, Ueda retorts swiftly that billiards is similar and Taguchi ought to be enjoying golf.
“Instead of using a club, you poke the ball with a stick. I don’t see additional joy to that.”
“I’ll prove you wrong,” Taguchi snaps back. “You’ll have a change of heart starting from tomorrow!”
Ueda nods along in a mocking manner that leaves Taguchi puzzled.
19. Billiard
Having never played billiards with Ueda before (Ueda always cooks up numerous reasons to avoid a session), Taguchi feels that he has underestimated the older man. Ueda constantly bending over the table and revealing his chest muscles proved too much for Taguchi’s eyes to take.
Stupid low v-neck shirt, Taguchi curses when he misses every shot. He thinks suspiciously that Ueda has chosen that top on purpose.
“What’s wrong today? I thought you were good in this.”
Try as Taguchi did to wipe that smug grin off Ueda’s face, he fails miserably and continues messing up since Ueda has taken a liking in standing really close to Taguchi whenever it’s his turn.
He plays dirty, Taguchi huffs to himself before conceding defeat. He doesn’t think he have the patience to redeem himself in another game when Ueda sends a coy smile in his direction.
20. Horseback riding
Although they had prior experiences while training for their ‘NO MORE PAIN’ concert, Ueda calls it a day pretty quickly.
“You like horses and you’re pretty good in it,” Taguchi asks in puzzlement. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m hurting everywhere no thanks to you,” Ueda blames Taguchi while wearing a scowl on his face. “Sitting on a freaking horse is too much for me to take. I want to go home.”
“Yesterday got rough only because you were leaning seductively over that billiard table,” Taguchi attempts to defend himself but decides to head home anyway. Arguing with Ueda about such matters is a losing war one must never attempt to fight; Taguchi hardly wants to recall the time whereby Ueda denied him for three months and gave him a cold shoulder.
21. Animal care
Taguchi gets upset when Ueda devotes all his time on his pets. In fact, he doesn’t even cast Taguchi a look when he is busy grooming his dogs. Taguchi feels more like an assistant rather than Ueda’s boyfriend when all the other man ever does is to instruct him around (“Junno, fetch me the comb!”, “Junno, fetch me the scissors!” etc.).
“Blame it on yourself that you don’t have a pet,” Ueda rubs it in coldly when Taguchi whines for some of Ueda’s attention.
At least Taguchi knows how a kicked puppy feels like now.
22. Tennis
Even though Ueda has special coaching from Matsuoka Shuzo, the tennis ball still finds its way to smack Ueda square in the face. Taguchi knows he should not be laughing obnoxiously at Ueda’s predicament but he just couldn’t help himself.
“Tennis is a dangerous sport,” Ueda scowls as he rubs his sore forehead. “We should never engage in it again.”
Taguchi laughs harder and louder.
23. Working on cars
Instead of doing what couples do, Ueda suggests some “male bonding” instead.
“We could… work on our cars? Koki helped Kame with those new wheels.”
“Koki is experienced in that field. Surely we wouldn’t be able to pull it off?”
“Fixing cars is an inborn male talent, we’ll figure it out. All we need is an instruction manual and time.”
Although the plan sounds incredibly ideal, Taguchi feels a little worried.
---
When three hours pass and a broken car emerges, Ueda finally throws in the towel and admits that he made a mistake somewhere. While Ueda agrees that car mechanics do a better job, Taguchi cries at the aspect that Ueda has chosen to work on his car first.
24. Housework
It would have been great if they could straighten the house together. However, Taguchi should have known better than to believe that Ueda would actually do his part.
“Why suggest it even in the first place?” Taguchi grumbles to himself while dusting the television set. When Ueda helpfully calls him an obstruction for blocking the television screen and hence his boxing match, Taguchi sighs and wonders how their relationship lasted for years.
25. Running
All decked in the proper attire, Taguchi meets Ueda at a nearby park. Albeit not a frequent runner, Taguchi is pretty confident that he could at least keep up with Ueda. Besides being younger, he has the advantage of longer limbs too.
Yet after a couple of laps, Taguchi finds himself eating Ueda’s dust. Since losing to both an older and shorter individual crushes his male ego, Taguchi decides that he’ll do his own running in the future.
26. Playing the Piano
“Sounds easy enough,” Taguchi notes when Ueda informs him that he’ll be teaching Taguchi on how to play the piano. It is unusual for someone his age to pick up the piano but Ueda says he’ll be fine.
“You have long fingers,” Ueda encourages himself with a smile.
When they both take their seat, Taguchi can’t seem to concentrate with Ueda sitting that close to him. Touching hands constantly doesn’t make anything easier. Feeling remorseful for his perverse thoughts when Ueda is actually making an effort (who else can afford Ueda as a piano teacher?), Taguchi attempts to better channel his focus. Everything comes to a naught when Ueda seems to have realised their intimate situation and proceeds to forget where the key for ‘C’ is located at.
27. Strip Poker
Nothing can go wrong with cards, Taguchi thinks. It’s the last item on the list and it would suck if things still didn’t work out. Hoping for the best, he takes a seat opposite of Ueda and begins shuffling the cards.
Despite enjoying the first few games, their interest in it wanes as the night progresses.
“Let’s do something to spruce things up,” Ueda suggests. Attempting to be cheeky, Taguchi offers “Strip Poker” as their next game and he chokes on the beer he is downing when Ueda actually agrees.
“It’s not like I haven’t seen you naked or anything,” Ueda manages flatly as Taguchi blushes in both excitement and embarrassment. “No loss.”
---
The game would have lasted longer if Ueda didn’t become such a bad player after the new rules got implemented. After Ueda lost his vest, shirt and belt, Taguchi thinks it’s time to retire to bed.
***
“I’m sorry things didn’t work out,” Ueda sighs apologetically as the clock strikes twelve. “Happy Birthday, Junno. I really wanted to make today special where we spend the entire day together doing things that we both enjoy but we have such conflicting interests.”
Taguchi smiles contentedly as he pulls the other man closer to him, resting his chin on Ueda’s black locks.
“It’s fine to have conflicting interests. Opposites attract, no? Moreover, you did achieve your goal in the end,” Taguchi replies while wrapping his fingers tighter around Ueda’s waist. “You should have suggested this activity right from the start.”
Ueda squirms and flips himself over, greeting Taguchi with a quizzical look.
“Like what?”
“Cuddling,” Taguchi chuckles as he kisses Ueda gently on the lips.
~ The End ~
Author’s Note: My brain kinda exploded having to churn out 27 different ideas during my examination period (killer paper tomorrow and I’m still writing, what’s wrong with me?) but I’m glad I managed it 8’D In my haste, I could have made some mistake so feel free to point them out. After all, I don’t think I’ve ever written something that long in so little time T__T I know I’m still late but it’s better than never! And the new SOLIO CM has so much fluffy JunDa feels that I am compelled to finish it asap #sobs
Pairing: JunDa
Rating: G
Genre: Fluff, Humour
Summary: Ueda suggests twenty-seven different types of hobbies they can both try out together. Things don’t work out for twenty-seven times.
Disclaimer: I don’t own anybody.
Author’s Note: Written for Taguchi’s 27th birthday :D
The Art of Dabbling in Everything… And Failing
Twenty-seven days before Taguchi’s birthday, Ueda comes skipping into the room with a stack of papers in hand. Instantaneously getting worried, Taguchi quirks his eyebrows when Ueda exclaims “I have an idea!”
Ueda’s happy demeanour usually suggests outrageous and impossible plans with an inevitable disastrous ending that leads to both parties waging a silent war. Shuddering as he recalls their previous trip to Europe, he smiles patronizingly and asks Ueda to spill the beans.
“I’ve decided that we ought to share a hobby to get along better and spend more time together,” Ueda proclaims as he tosses the numerous pamphlets onto the desk. Taguchi complains that they have already been spending much time together and there isn’t a need for such things but Ueda cuts him off with a glare. When Ueda starts his sentence with “Spent days looking for twenty-seven different activities…” Taguchi knows he has lost the battle.
“When do we start?”
***
1. Stargazing
Whipping out an astronomy book, Ueda fixes the telescope and checks the lenses meticulously. Seeing how focused Ueda is, Taguchi finally understands how invested Ueda is in his ’27 Plans’. It seems like there isn’t a way out till Ueda has went through the entire thing.
“We’re done,” Ueda proclaims and he pats the spot beside him at the balcony. Taguchi takes a seat and waits.
“So… when are the stars coming out?”
Ueda frowns and stares at the sky.
“Soon?”
After hours of staring at the urban lights, Taguchi decides that the Tokyo skyline is far too cluttered by skyscrapers for the stars to reveal themselves. He voices his opinion but realizes that Ueda is fast asleep on his shoulder when there isn’t a reply.
2. Surfing
Since a late-night activity didn’t exactly work out, Ueda suggests surfing at six in the morning.
“You slept but I didn’t!” Taguchi groans as Ueda rips off the sheets and begins shaking him violently. When Ueda brutally rolls him off the bed and he hits the hard ground, Taguchi crawls to the bathroom and proceeds with washing up. Half-awake, he grabs his surfing board and follows Ueda blindly to the car.
---
An hour later, the salty air jolts him awake and Taguchi almost lets out a gasp when he’s just in time to see Ueda toss his shirt away to hit the sandy beach. It’s not like he’s never seen Ueda topless but being out in the public makes things… different.
“Sleepy head, are you ready?”
Now, Taguchi isn’t a possessive person but the thought of him sharing the sight of Ueda’s abs does upset him a little. Nodding, he gets off the car and doesn’t have enough time to adjust to his surroundings when Ueda starts yanking him towards the ocean.
“I just woke up,” Taguchi grumbles a little at Ueda’s eagerness. “I need to warm up. I know you already did your exercise routine in the morning so go ahead without me.”
“I’ll do another round of stretching,” Ueda responses and slows his pace. “We’ll go over to that more secluded spot.”
---
Warm-up was supposed to be a simple process. However, Ueda doesn’t make it easy. It’s not the weird positions Taguchi finds himself contorting in but Ueda’s overwhelming jealousy.
“I caught you smiling at the girl, why don’t you approach her and ask for her number?”
“I’m just happy to share a day with you,” Taguchi rebuts, slight annoyance creeping up his nerves. “She just happened to be in my line of vision. Moreover, she’s ogling at your abs so I should be the one complaining!”
Ueda seemingly accepts Taguchi’s reasoning yet three seconds later, Ueda gets all insecure about another girl winking in their direction.
“Here’s my camera phone, why don’t you take a photo with her?”
“Don’t be ridiculous Uepi… You’re probably the one attracting all the attention, not me. Why don’t you put your dumb shirt on instead?”
“Fine!”
When Ueda stomps back to the car, a very lost female tourist approaches Taguchi. Being his usual helpful self, Taguchi peers over her map in an attempt to mark out the location of her destination. Just then, Ueda returns at this untimely moment and…
3.1 Swimming
Taguchi peers over just in time to see Ueda tossing away the third plan. After yesterday’s saga, it’s little wonder why Ueda would strike ‘swimming’ off the list.
“We’ll just… do our own activities today. There’s filming in the afternoon for our variety show anyway.”
3.2 Popping
Taguchi doesn’t really understand Ueda when the older man approaches him after filming and declares dancing the back-up plan for swimming. It’s obvious that Ueda doesn’t really have a flair for it so why suggest it?
“Maybe I’ll fare better in another style,” Ueda defends his decision when Taguchi asks about it. Taguchi shrugs and looks on doubtfully.
---
Class commences and Taguchi wows everyone with his natural groove. On the other hand, Ueda gets advice from their instructor to enrol in another class meant for younger children.
“The pace is much slower,” Taguchi overhears and he can’t help but snicker.
4. Baking
Purchasing a baking book together, they pick a relative simple recipe for their virgin attempt. ‘Chocolate-Peanut Butter-Butterscotch Bars’ didn’t require baking so Taguchi is incredibly relieved that he wouldn’t have to clean the oven alone.
---
A quick trip to the toilet turns into a disaster when Ueda forgets to stir the peanut butter (Taguchi should have trusted his instincts and turn off the fire when Ueda is the only one around) under the blazing heat. Not only did their mixing bowl get charred, the lingering smell in the kitchen is awful and Taguchi calls it a day.
After all, he has much scrubbing to do.
5. Roller Coaster
Taguchi isn’t afraid of roller coasters but he is neither an adrenaline junkie nor a risk taker. After fifteen rides, he finds everything repetitive and dull. Not wanting to continue any further in the amusement park, he plucks up his courage and tells Ueda about it (who looks really excited and happy on the contrary).
“I’m sorry Uepi but I just don’t think it’s the thing for me…”
Ueda’s face quickly morphs into disappointment upon hearing the statement. Although he assures Taguchi that it’s okay and the main purpose of his plans is to find something in which they both will enjoy, Taguchi feels a pang of guilt.
6. Board Games
Board games easily become ‘bored games’ for Ueda when Taguchi shows his prowess of dominating in all games - video or not. Despite having a great time, Taguchi decides to be understanding and call it a day.
The previous plans haven’t been going well but Taguchi discovers something far more important - Ueda can spare a thought for his feelings and he can easily do so too for the other man.
7. Arcade
Even before Ueda could pull the brakes, Taguchi has already leapt out of their car and is charging towards the holy land - Game Zone. Blown away by the amazing new variety of video games they provided, Taguchi got so engrossed that it took probably two hours or so before realising that Ueda has already left (or that he never entered in the first place).
8. Cooking
After the failed baking attempt previously, Taguchi and Ueda both agree that this will most definitely not work out. They spend their evening at some premium steak house which Ueda absolutely adores instead.
It’s the least Taguchi could do as a form of apology for yesterday’s happening.
9. Hiking
Taguchi suspects that Ueda isn’t human for being able to hike with weights around his wrists and ankles.
Has he been cohabiting with a robot all this while?
Albeit trying his best to keep up with Ueda, Taguchi feels his knee acting up when they aren’t even halfway through the path.
“I should have been more careful in planning,” Ueda sighs as he helps Taguchi down the trail.
10. Archery
It’s a new and interesting sport where neither of them has ever tried. Hiring their own personal instructor and after a short theoretical course, Taguchi gets excited being able to get his hands on an actual bow.
“I’m finally able to feel like a real archer!” Taguchi exclaims with delight. “No longer am I confined to role-playing games!”
However, Ueda doesn’t share half his enthusiasm and is sceptical about pulling the string and resting it on his face before shooting. Although Taguchi knows the importance of looks in their industry, he still thinks that Ueda is being over-concerned about the issue.
“Just get a new nose if the string breaks,” he jokes and Ueda retaliates by jabbing Taguchi’s ribs.
---
After thirty arrows, Taguchi strikes archery off the list as a viable option for their bonding time when Ueda has yet to shoot a single one.
11. Boxing
When Ueda gives him a black eye, Taguchi makes it a personal commitment never to step into the boxing ring ever again. It’s not unexpected so Taguchi is glad he has informed his makeup artist in advance to purchase a stronger concealer for his next TV appearance.
12. Karaoke
Karaoke is next on the list and Taguchi is actually looking forward to it. However, it reminds Ueda about the solo he has yet to write and record for so the atmosphere doesn’t stay jolly.
In a gallant attempt to get Ueda into the mood, Taguchi immerses himself into singing ‘Samurai Love Attack’ with all his concert actions. However, he cringes when he noticed how Ueda has silently left the room.
Taguchi ponders if Ueda is lying when the older man commented on his wonderful performance a few years back.
13. Reading
It’s eleven when both Ueda and Taguchi get comfortable on bed. Snuggling together, they begin on a rather thick novel that Nakamaru has strongly recommended together but the book is quickly traded for Shounen Jump instead.
Due to differences in reading speed and preferences, Taguchi finds Ueda flipping the pages too slowly. Impatient and wanting to know what happens next (Ueda hasn’t even reached the series he is interested in after 20 minutes), Taguchi actually runs down to their nearest convenient store to pick up his own personal copy.
So much for spending more time together when they remain silent and engrossed in their own preferred manga for the entire night.
14. Watching TV
“They say you can’t go wrong with being a couch potato,” Taguchi exclaims gleefully when he checks Ueda’s list on the soon-to-come plans. Hopping onto the sofa, he whistles when he turns on the television and finds DameYoru showing.
“Hey Uepi! It’s us! Come join me quickly!”
Stepping out of the showers, Ueda dries his hair with a towel and hurriedly grabs his glasses. However, he only lasts for a couple of minutes before marching off to their bedroom, miffed.
Taguchi reckons that Ueda didn’t exactly enjoy seeing himself being splashed by curry udon. Feeling it once was probably enough.
15. Going to the movies
Like every normal couple, Ueda proposes a trip to the cinema. According to the papers, there is a great romance movie that is sure not to disappoint. Taguchi would very much like to view the latest action film but he decides that he’ll watch it some other time when they make catching films their regular activity (Taguchi supports this idea wholly since it’s safe too; no black eye involved).
Although hand-holding would have to be sacrificed in public, it’s a little exchange they can deal with. However, when Taguchi spots a few paparazzi chasing another idol, he decides not to take the risk and leads Ueda home.
“Perhaps some other day,” Taguchi sighs and Ueda pouts in response.
16. Renting movies
Renting movies seemed like a safer option so the two of them drop by a rental shop on their way back after work. Dashing off to separate genres, they pick several movies and return home with great anticipation.
---
Agreeing on one movie to start with proved to be the obstacle of the century. Taguchi has been dying to watch the Macross Frontier Movie while Ueda is stubbornly insistent on some boxing movie.
“Uepi, can we not watch such a violent film before bed?”
“And exploding aliens and mechas is your idea of peaceful?”
“Well…”
Eventually, they compromise and settle for some slow-paced romance movie that lulls them both to dreamland.
17. Shopping
It takes a fair deal of disguise before Taguchi and Ueda is assured that they wouldn’t be spotted in a bustling shopping district. Although Ueda is overjoyed and couldn’t stop smiling throughout the entire trip, Taguchi can’t say the same for himself.
He ends up being loaded with bags after bags of branded goods and nothing for himself (he can’t even stretch his hand out to examine the items he liked). Taguchi convinces himself that it’s okay and he can shop some other time. Seeing Ueda happy while undergoing the most intense session of arm muscle training is probably sufficient.
18. Golf
Although Ueda could hardly see where he sends his golf ball flying, the other man seemed to have some sort of luck in this sport when most of his shots lands in desired locations that make winning easy. Being competitive and not having a liking to lose, Taguchi complains that swinging a club is no fun (especially when you’re not having an advantage). Quick to pick up Taguchi’s sore vibes, Ueda retorts swiftly that billiards is similar and Taguchi ought to be enjoying golf.
“Instead of using a club, you poke the ball with a stick. I don’t see additional joy to that.”
“I’ll prove you wrong,” Taguchi snaps back. “You’ll have a change of heart starting from tomorrow!”
Ueda nods along in a mocking manner that leaves Taguchi puzzled.
19. Billiard
Having never played billiards with Ueda before (Ueda always cooks up numerous reasons to avoid a session), Taguchi feels that he has underestimated the older man. Ueda constantly bending over the table and revealing his chest muscles proved too much for Taguchi’s eyes to take.
Stupid low v-neck shirt, Taguchi curses when he misses every shot. He thinks suspiciously that Ueda has chosen that top on purpose.
“What’s wrong today? I thought you were good in this.”
Try as Taguchi did to wipe that smug grin off Ueda’s face, he fails miserably and continues messing up since Ueda has taken a liking in standing really close to Taguchi whenever it’s his turn.
He plays dirty, Taguchi huffs to himself before conceding defeat. He doesn’t think he have the patience to redeem himself in another game when Ueda sends a coy smile in his direction.
20. Horseback riding
Although they had prior experiences while training for their ‘NO MORE PAIN’ concert, Ueda calls it a day pretty quickly.
“You like horses and you’re pretty good in it,” Taguchi asks in puzzlement. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m hurting everywhere no thanks to you,” Ueda blames Taguchi while wearing a scowl on his face. “Sitting on a freaking horse is too much for me to take. I want to go home.”
“Yesterday got rough only because you were leaning seductively over that billiard table,” Taguchi attempts to defend himself but decides to head home anyway. Arguing with Ueda about such matters is a losing war one must never attempt to fight; Taguchi hardly wants to recall the time whereby Ueda denied him for three months and gave him a cold shoulder.
21. Animal care
Taguchi gets upset when Ueda devotes all his time on his pets. In fact, he doesn’t even cast Taguchi a look when he is busy grooming his dogs. Taguchi feels more like an assistant rather than Ueda’s boyfriend when all the other man ever does is to instruct him around (“Junno, fetch me the comb!”, “Junno, fetch me the scissors!” etc.).
“Blame it on yourself that you don’t have a pet,” Ueda rubs it in coldly when Taguchi whines for some of Ueda’s attention.
At least Taguchi knows how a kicked puppy feels like now.
22. Tennis
Even though Ueda has special coaching from Matsuoka Shuzo, the tennis ball still finds its way to smack Ueda square in the face. Taguchi knows he should not be laughing obnoxiously at Ueda’s predicament but he just couldn’t help himself.
“Tennis is a dangerous sport,” Ueda scowls as he rubs his sore forehead. “We should never engage in it again.”
Taguchi laughs harder and louder.
23. Working on cars
Instead of doing what couples do, Ueda suggests some “male bonding” instead.
“We could… work on our cars? Koki helped Kame with those new wheels.”
“Koki is experienced in that field. Surely we wouldn’t be able to pull it off?”
“Fixing cars is an inborn male talent, we’ll figure it out. All we need is an instruction manual and time.”
Although the plan sounds incredibly ideal, Taguchi feels a little worried.
---
When three hours pass and a broken car emerges, Ueda finally throws in the towel and admits that he made a mistake somewhere. While Ueda agrees that car mechanics do a better job, Taguchi cries at the aspect that Ueda has chosen to work on his car first.
24. Housework
It would have been great if they could straighten the house together. However, Taguchi should have known better than to believe that Ueda would actually do his part.
“Why suggest it even in the first place?” Taguchi grumbles to himself while dusting the television set. When Ueda helpfully calls him an obstruction for blocking the television screen and hence his boxing match, Taguchi sighs and wonders how their relationship lasted for years.
25. Running
All decked in the proper attire, Taguchi meets Ueda at a nearby park. Albeit not a frequent runner, Taguchi is pretty confident that he could at least keep up with Ueda. Besides being younger, he has the advantage of longer limbs too.
Yet after a couple of laps, Taguchi finds himself eating Ueda’s dust. Since losing to both an older and shorter individual crushes his male ego, Taguchi decides that he’ll do his own running in the future.
26. Playing the Piano
“Sounds easy enough,” Taguchi notes when Ueda informs him that he’ll be teaching Taguchi on how to play the piano. It is unusual for someone his age to pick up the piano but Ueda says he’ll be fine.
“You have long fingers,” Ueda encourages himself with a smile.
When they both take their seat, Taguchi can’t seem to concentrate with Ueda sitting that close to him. Touching hands constantly doesn’t make anything easier. Feeling remorseful for his perverse thoughts when Ueda is actually making an effort (who else can afford Ueda as a piano teacher?), Taguchi attempts to better channel his focus. Everything comes to a naught when Ueda seems to have realised their intimate situation and proceeds to forget where the key for ‘C’ is located at.
27. Strip Poker
Nothing can go wrong with cards, Taguchi thinks. It’s the last item on the list and it would suck if things still didn’t work out. Hoping for the best, he takes a seat opposite of Ueda and begins shuffling the cards.
Despite enjoying the first few games, their interest in it wanes as the night progresses.
“Let’s do something to spruce things up,” Ueda suggests. Attempting to be cheeky, Taguchi offers “Strip Poker” as their next game and he chokes on the beer he is downing when Ueda actually agrees.
“It’s not like I haven’t seen you naked or anything,” Ueda manages flatly as Taguchi blushes in both excitement and embarrassment. “No loss.”
---
The game would have lasted longer if Ueda didn’t become such a bad player after the new rules got implemented. After Ueda lost his vest, shirt and belt, Taguchi thinks it’s time to retire to bed.
***
“I’m sorry things didn’t work out,” Ueda sighs apologetically as the clock strikes twelve. “Happy Birthday, Junno. I really wanted to make today special where we spend the entire day together doing things that we both enjoy but we have such conflicting interests.”
Taguchi smiles contentedly as he pulls the other man closer to him, resting his chin on Ueda’s black locks.
“It’s fine to have conflicting interests. Opposites attract, no? Moreover, you did achieve your goal in the end,” Taguchi replies while wrapping his fingers tighter around Ueda’s waist. “You should have suggested this activity right from the start.”
Ueda squirms and flips himself over, greeting Taguchi with a quizzical look.
“Like what?”
“Cuddling,” Taguchi chuckles as he kisses Ueda gently on the lips.
~ The End ~
Author’s Note: My brain kinda exploded having to churn out 27 different ideas during my examination period (killer paper tomorrow and I’m still writing, what’s wrong with me?) but I’m glad I managed it 8’D In my haste, I could have made some mistake so feel free to point them out. After all, I don’t think I’ve ever written something that long in so little time T__T I know I’m still late but it’s better than never! And the new SOLIO CM has so much fluffy JunDa feels that I am compelled to finish it asap #sobs