(no subject)
december 8th
Title: Small things
warning: none
characters: LM.c & ALvino
Crowded streets made him feel alive, he felt the puls of the city, the laughter of children, giggling of teenagers and the content smiles of older people vibrating through his veins, pulsing in his heart, making his nerves come to notice strange sensual sensations he never experienced before.
Shouta knew there were some people looking at him, asking themselves why this young man was smiling to nobody and nothing in particular, and it made him even more alive. They took note of him, some smiled back at him, others frowned, wondering if they didn't know this boy from somewhere else. It was a different feeling than standing on stage, looking down and into the eyes of many admiring and celebrating fans, consuming their collected energy of support and happiness.
These days, the jubilant feeling that washed over him when he crossed the evening streets, illuminated by dvertisements and people's smiles, was even more intense. It was snowing slightly, some shops had posters with special Christmas offers, many schoolgirls were busy buying tons of chocolate and small presents for their loved ones and hopefully-soon-to-be-loved-ones.
Exactly the same Shouta was about to do tonight. He was well prepared, enough cash in his wallet, a credit card in case the money wasn't enough, comfy shoes so he could walk for miles and just for this special occasion: a mobile phone with a full battery. He'd call every person he knew in case he didn't find the right present, somebody just had to know what he could get Jun.
It had to be a great, special, extraordinary, flashy, expensive and unique present, after the embarassment of last year's Christmas party they had held at Koji's. He winced, thinking back to this awful day. Koji had gotten Jun a special game for his PSP, some kind of navigation system for the poor Guitarist got lost much too easily. Aiji and Maya had - crazy as always - made a giant cake, claiming to have baked it on their own, which Shouta highly doubted, filled with tiny presents, like jewelery, keychains and other small nothings Jun loved so much. They even put a whole CD into the top level of the giant cake. Jun had been completely out of it, marveling and fussing over their presents, even weeks later he seemed to have just this single topic: his glorious christmas gifts.
Shoutas present had been… a disaster.
They had agreed on "small presents" when they set up the date for the small familiar party, and he had taken it a little bit too literally, not knowing the standarts of famous and rather rich musicians. He had given Jun a small phonestrap, a plastic, heart shaped photocase. He'd put in the first purikura the three of them had taken together. Jun assured him he loved it, but he didn't use it. Compared to the Gifts Of Greatness, this small piece of junk went lost and forgotten. Sometimes, Shouta wondered if Jun still kept it somewhere in a drawer or if he had thrown it away the very same evening. Jun wasn't like that, he loved small, meaningful things but… maybe, Christmas was just too important an occasion for worthless, sentimental trash.
He wouldn't make the same mistake again.
So here he was, in the middle of the street, strolling from one shop to the next, spending hours and hours trying to find a suitable present for his beloved friend. Koji had been easy, he had been talking about this guitar case for months now, so Shouta had just bought it. Maya and Aiji were the easiest, sticking together like the twins they tried to be, one had just to think of one present and buy it twice. Shouta had decided to buy two pink robodogs. He'd heard Maya squeaking and drooling over the dog of Shouta's girlfriend - ex-girlfriend, actually - and what ever Maya loved, Aiji would at least like enough to smile and use.
But still, he didn't have a clue about a present for Jun. Sure, he could call Aiji and ask him, the skinny man always knew what Jun might like, say and think. But he wanted to get something completely on his own, for Jun in particular. Ever since they first met, he held a special interest in his friend. Nothing sexual or romantic, he was just… loving him, dearly. He sometimes called him Nii-san, Aniki or Sempai. Jun always laughed and took it as a joke, acting overprotective and bossy for some minutes, calling him Otouto or Shochi. But Shouta really meant it.
So what to buy for this very special person?
Nothing was good enough. He'd rumaged through all three stories of the HMV, debating if this or that CD could be the right one for Jun, but nothing was even close to good enough. He had thought of buying a new iPod, since Jun's old one was slightly not-so up to date, but he couldn't decide wich colour, edition, size… and wasn't a simple damn iPod a little bit too… normal? The music store had been his number one adress to look for a present, but he didn't know enough about Jun's preferences concerning electric and synth guitars, he didn't know for sure which technical devices he already had, didn't need or wanted to buy himself. A guitarcase was out of question, Jun had more than enough of them and a simple stupid case was just too cheap. The confiseriestore around the corner offered special designed chocolate statues, such as guitars, teddy bears or cars, every size. He knew Jun loved chocolate, but wasn’t this just a little bit too close to what Maya and Aiji had given him last year? And it was too cheap, too simple again.
There were only two hours left until the shops would close, and the fluffy snow had changed into icy cold rain. Most people didn't bother, they headed towards the train station or just used umbrellas.
Shouta was depressed and frustrated. He had known this wasn't an easy task, but he hadn't imagined it to be so damn difficult. Sighing, he decided to call it a day and strolled towards his famous McDonalds restaurant, next to the smaller HMV shop. A cheeseburger and some french fries with too much ketchup would lighten up his mood a bit, and maybe held some inspiration for him.
He didn't find inspiration as he looked for an empty seat. But he found somebody he had thought of all day, but never expected him here.
"Shouta-kun! Over here!"
Jun waved at him, laughing and ellbowing Maya in the process, who tried to steal some of Jun's fries. Aiji got up to help Shouta place his tray on the full table, hugging him lightly.
"Hi Shouta-kun, long time no see… how're you?"
"Great, just a little bit tired… shopping all day."
"Shopping?"
That sure as hell caught Aiji's attention.
"Oh no, here we go…"
Jun and Maya muttered simultanously and rolled their eyes. Shouta couldn't help but smile. Every time they met up with the two guys, Jun changed and became even younger than he already appeared. Sometimes he sided with Maya, annoying Aiji to no end, sometimes Maya and Aiji bothered him playfully, sometimes Aiji and Jun acted all grown up just to piss Maya off. One wa or the other, it was hilarious.
"We've been shopping, too. Looking for christmas presents, not an easy task for certain individuals."
Aiji cast a sideglance towards Maya, who was eating Jun's fries without looking up.
"Eh? I thought some people…." Sideglance at Maya, "were rather easy…."
Aiji shook his head, taking an exaggerated breath.
"Kids always want things they can't get."
"Aiji-man doesn't want to buy me a pony."
"See?"
Jun giggled and took a bite of Maya's hamburger, earning a Glare Of Wardeclaration.
"Ne Aiji-san…"
Shouta leaned closet to the tall man, making sure Jun didn't pay attention. The gutarist was busy defending his coke from Maya anyway.
"I don't know what to buy for him…"
Aiji looked at him, surprised to a level that could as well be called mild shock.
"What? You of all people don't know? Then the rest of us is doomed."
Shouta didn't ask, he just blinked at him and frowned. He didn't understand at all.
"You always know how to make him glow with happiness, I'd never have thought he could be a problem…"
"Who?"
Maya asked, while pushing his paper handkerchief into Jun's mouth.
"Elvis Presley."
"Ah. Never heard of him."
And his attention was focused on Jun again, who was busy ripping Maya's hamburger into small pieces.
"No I really don't know. After last year, I'm just… I don't know. Nothing's suitable."
"Last year?"
Aiji didn't seem to understand, he didn't even look at Maya as he prevented his coke from falling to the floor. It seemed, spending time with the vivid vocalist made one develop special senses and reflexes.
"Yeah… last year was just… embarassing. You had those wonderful ideas and he was so happy about your presents…he doesn't even use mine…"
Oh no, frustration alert.
Aiji seemed to sense his upcomming depression, he smiled gently and shook his head, his warm eyes resting on Shouta.
"You're a litte dense, aren't you? He loved your gift the most. He keeps it in his car, he didn't want to use it as a phonestrap because he was afraid it would get lost or damaged. You know how he treats his cellphone…"
True, none of Jun's straps had ever survived more that three month. His cellphone was always flying around, off the tables and through his huge bag. The display had to be exchanged twice during the last four months alone.
"It's dangling from his front mirror. You've nevre seen it? He loves it, silly."
Shouta had never ever been in Jun's car. When they were going somewhere, they always split up, Shouta and Koji forming the No-Smoking-Inside-A-Car-Team and Jun … well, he couldn't stand driving without a cig dangling from his lips.
"You know… Jun doesn't care if it's expensive or flashy or new. He still has his old cellphone, his not quite working iPod, even his old fashioned camera. He keeps them because they mean something to him. The camera was a present from his mother, I bought the cellphone with him when he was depressed about his girl leaving him, he still has the bleached purikura of the two of us attached to the back of this crappy thing. He just uses this silly navigation system Koji bought for him because it was Koji who bought it. It doesn't help, he's still getting lost frequently."
The paper box of his cheeseburger was destroyed, ripped into small pieces. He couldn't look at Aiji as he talked, didn't notice Maya and Jun leaving to get new ammo at the counter.
He wasn't sure if he could trust and believe Aiji's words, and he didn't know if he should be happy about what he just told him. He should be… but somehow the words didn't sink in.
A soft touch on his thigh caught his attention. He would have felt alert and molested if any other person had touched him in this way, but it was just normal for Aiji to do such strange things.
"Don't worry. He likes you a lot, he would be as happy as a puppy if you just gave him a hug and bar of chocolate. He'd never eat it and put it on his cupboard or his desk, because it reminds him of you. Trust me, it's not hard to make him smile."
The lump in his throat wouldn't go away, even as he gulped down half of his coke. Jun and Maya returned, and they started babbling about some movie they wanted to see this weekend.
Shouta smiled and started to joke around with the two of them, Aiji soon joining in as well.
Maybe this wasn't too hard at all. If Aiji was right, Jun would sure as hell be happy about the present Shouta suddenly had in mind.
All he needed was a camera, some time with Jun's friends and family, and this beautiful, cube-frame he'd seen in a fotoshop today.
The hug and the bar of chocolate was obligatory anyway.
The rain had stopped. A fine sheet of white cotton wool covered the streets and houses.
Two weeks left till Christmas.
Title: Small things
warning: none
characters: LM.c & ALvino
Crowded streets made him feel alive, he felt the puls of the city, the laughter of children, giggling of teenagers and the content smiles of older people vibrating through his veins, pulsing in his heart, making his nerves come to notice strange sensual sensations he never experienced before.
Shouta knew there were some people looking at him, asking themselves why this young man was smiling to nobody and nothing in particular, and it made him even more alive. They took note of him, some smiled back at him, others frowned, wondering if they didn't know this boy from somewhere else. It was a different feeling than standing on stage, looking down and into the eyes of many admiring and celebrating fans, consuming their collected energy of support and happiness.
These days, the jubilant feeling that washed over him when he crossed the evening streets, illuminated by dvertisements and people's smiles, was even more intense. It was snowing slightly, some shops had posters with special Christmas offers, many schoolgirls were busy buying tons of chocolate and small presents for their loved ones and hopefully-soon-to-be-loved-ones.
Exactly the same Shouta was about to do tonight. He was well prepared, enough cash in his wallet, a credit card in case the money wasn't enough, comfy shoes so he could walk for miles and just for this special occasion: a mobile phone with a full battery. He'd call every person he knew in case he didn't find the right present, somebody just had to know what he could get Jun.
It had to be a great, special, extraordinary, flashy, expensive and unique present, after the embarassment of last year's Christmas party they had held at Koji's. He winced, thinking back to this awful day. Koji had gotten Jun a special game for his PSP, some kind of navigation system for the poor Guitarist got lost much too easily. Aiji and Maya had - crazy as always - made a giant cake, claiming to have baked it on their own, which Shouta highly doubted, filled with tiny presents, like jewelery, keychains and other small nothings Jun loved so much. They even put a whole CD into the top level of the giant cake. Jun had been completely out of it, marveling and fussing over their presents, even weeks later he seemed to have just this single topic: his glorious christmas gifts.
Shoutas present had been… a disaster.
They had agreed on "small presents" when they set up the date for the small familiar party, and he had taken it a little bit too literally, not knowing the standarts of famous and rather rich musicians. He had given Jun a small phonestrap, a plastic, heart shaped photocase. He'd put in the first purikura the three of them had taken together. Jun assured him he loved it, but he didn't use it. Compared to the Gifts Of Greatness, this small piece of junk went lost and forgotten. Sometimes, Shouta wondered if Jun still kept it somewhere in a drawer or if he had thrown it away the very same evening. Jun wasn't like that, he loved small, meaningful things but… maybe, Christmas was just too important an occasion for worthless, sentimental trash.
He wouldn't make the same mistake again.
So here he was, in the middle of the street, strolling from one shop to the next, spending hours and hours trying to find a suitable present for his beloved friend. Koji had been easy, he had been talking about this guitar case for months now, so Shouta had just bought it. Maya and Aiji were the easiest, sticking together like the twins they tried to be, one had just to think of one present and buy it twice. Shouta had decided to buy two pink robodogs. He'd heard Maya squeaking and drooling over the dog of Shouta's girlfriend - ex-girlfriend, actually - and what ever Maya loved, Aiji would at least like enough to smile and use.
But still, he didn't have a clue about a present for Jun. Sure, he could call Aiji and ask him, the skinny man always knew what Jun might like, say and think. But he wanted to get something completely on his own, for Jun in particular. Ever since they first met, he held a special interest in his friend. Nothing sexual or romantic, he was just… loving him, dearly. He sometimes called him Nii-san, Aniki or Sempai. Jun always laughed and took it as a joke, acting overprotective and bossy for some minutes, calling him Otouto or Shochi. But Shouta really meant it.
So what to buy for this very special person?
Nothing was good enough. He'd rumaged through all three stories of the HMV, debating if this or that CD could be the right one for Jun, but nothing was even close to good enough. He had thought of buying a new iPod, since Jun's old one was slightly not-so up to date, but he couldn't decide wich colour, edition, size… and wasn't a simple damn iPod a little bit too… normal? The music store had been his number one adress to look for a present, but he didn't know enough about Jun's preferences concerning electric and synth guitars, he didn't know for sure which technical devices he already had, didn't need or wanted to buy himself. A guitarcase was out of question, Jun had more than enough of them and a simple stupid case was just too cheap. The confiseriestore around the corner offered special designed chocolate statues, such as guitars, teddy bears or cars, every size. He knew Jun loved chocolate, but wasn’t this just a little bit too close to what Maya and Aiji had given him last year? And it was too cheap, too simple again.
There were only two hours left until the shops would close, and the fluffy snow had changed into icy cold rain. Most people didn't bother, they headed towards the train station or just used umbrellas.
Shouta was depressed and frustrated. He had known this wasn't an easy task, but he hadn't imagined it to be so damn difficult. Sighing, he decided to call it a day and strolled towards his famous McDonalds restaurant, next to the smaller HMV shop. A cheeseburger and some french fries with too much ketchup would lighten up his mood a bit, and maybe held some inspiration for him.
He didn't find inspiration as he looked for an empty seat. But he found somebody he had thought of all day, but never expected him here.
"Shouta-kun! Over here!"
Jun waved at him, laughing and ellbowing Maya in the process, who tried to steal some of Jun's fries. Aiji got up to help Shouta place his tray on the full table, hugging him lightly.
"Hi Shouta-kun, long time no see… how're you?"
"Great, just a little bit tired… shopping all day."
"Shopping?"
That sure as hell caught Aiji's attention.
"Oh no, here we go…"
Jun and Maya muttered simultanously and rolled their eyes. Shouta couldn't help but smile. Every time they met up with the two guys, Jun changed and became even younger than he already appeared. Sometimes he sided with Maya, annoying Aiji to no end, sometimes Maya and Aiji bothered him playfully, sometimes Aiji and Jun acted all grown up just to piss Maya off. One wa or the other, it was hilarious.
"We've been shopping, too. Looking for christmas presents, not an easy task for certain individuals."
Aiji cast a sideglance towards Maya, who was eating Jun's fries without looking up.
"Eh? I thought some people…." Sideglance at Maya, "were rather easy…."
Aiji shook his head, taking an exaggerated breath.
"Kids always want things they can't get."
"Aiji-man doesn't want to buy me a pony."
"See?"
Jun giggled and took a bite of Maya's hamburger, earning a Glare Of Wardeclaration.
"Ne Aiji-san…"
Shouta leaned closet to the tall man, making sure Jun didn't pay attention. The gutarist was busy defending his coke from Maya anyway.
"I don't know what to buy for him…"
Aiji looked at him, surprised to a level that could as well be called mild shock.
"What? You of all people don't know? Then the rest of us is doomed."
Shouta didn't ask, he just blinked at him and frowned. He didn't understand at all.
"You always know how to make him glow with happiness, I'd never have thought he could be a problem…"
"Who?"
Maya asked, while pushing his paper handkerchief into Jun's mouth.
"Elvis Presley."
"Ah. Never heard of him."
And his attention was focused on Jun again, who was busy ripping Maya's hamburger into small pieces.
"No I really don't know. After last year, I'm just… I don't know. Nothing's suitable."
"Last year?"
Aiji didn't seem to understand, he didn't even look at Maya as he prevented his coke from falling to the floor. It seemed, spending time with the vivid vocalist made one develop special senses and reflexes.
"Yeah… last year was just… embarassing. You had those wonderful ideas and he was so happy about your presents…he doesn't even use mine…"
Oh no, frustration alert.
Aiji seemed to sense his upcomming depression, he smiled gently and shook his head, his warm eyes resting on Shouta.
"You're a litte dense, aren't you? He loved your gift the most. He keeps it in his car, he didn't want to use it as a phonestrap because he was afraid it would get lost or damaged. You know how he treats his cellphone…"
True, none of Jun's straps had ever survived more that three month. His cellphone was always flying around, off the tables and through his huge bag. The display had to be exchanged twice during the last four months alone.
"It's dangling from his front mirror. You've nevre seen it? He loves it, silly."
Shouta had never ever been in Jun's car. When they were going somewhere, they always split up, Shouta and Koji forming the No-Smoking-Inside-A-Car-Team and Jun … well, he couldn't stand driving without a cig dangling from his lips.
"You know… Jun doesn't care if it's expensive or flashy or new. He still has his old cellphone, his not quite working iPod, even his old fashioned camera. He keeps them because they mean something to him. The camera was a present from his mother, I bought the cellphone with him when he was depressed about his girl leaving him, he still has the bleached purikura of the two of us attached to the back of this crappy thing. He just uses this silly navigation system Koji bought for him because it was Koji who bought it. It doesn't help, he's still getting lost frequently."
The paper box of his cheeseburger was destroyed, ripped into small pieces. He couldn't look at Aiji as he talked, didn't notice Maya and Jun leaving to get new ammo at the counter.
He wasn't sure if he could trust and believe Aiji's words, and he didn't know if he should be happy about what he just told him. He should be… but somehow the words didn't sink in.
A soft touch on his thigh caught his attention. He would have felt alert and molested if any other person had touched him in this way, but it was just normal for Aiji to do such strange things.
"Don't worry. He likes you a lot, he would be as happy as a puppy if you just gave him a hug and bar of chocolate. He'd never eat it and put it on his cupboard or his desk, because it reminds him of you. Trust me, it's not hard to make him smile."
The lump in his throat wouldn't go away, even as he gulped down half of his coke. Jun and Maya returned, and they started babbling about some movie they wanted to see this weekend.
Shouta smiled and started to joke around with the two of them, Aiji soon joining in as well.
Maybe this wasn't too hard at all. If Aiji was right, Jun would sure as hell be happy about the present Shouta suddenly had in mind.
All he needed was a camera, some time with Jun's friends and family, and this beautiful, cube-frame he'd seen in a fotoshop today.
The hug and the bar of chocolate was obligatory anyway.
The rain had stopped. A fine sheet of white cotton wool covered the streets and houses.
Two weeks left till Christmas.