Fanfiction: When contempt and disdain collide (Chapter 2/3: Proposal and Punishment)
Characters: Tsubasa, Kame, Ryo, Pi, Takki, Jinnifer, Jin (in order of appearance)
Pairings: TakkiPi, TakkiTsuba, KamePi, TsubaJinnifer, TakkiJin
Genre: Fluff
Rating: G
Disclaimer: I don’t own the characters, even the plot is loosely based on an old international favourite. Make a guess. Pride and Prejudice.
Chapter 1/3: Ryokan & Renowned International Hotel Chain
Perhaps for pity of his poor heart, the good news Mrs Takizawa and Pi were waiting for never came……
Even after a month of waiting, there was no news.
Every time Mrs Takizawa wanted to call Kame for an update, Pi would stop her. He believed in the promise that Kame made to him. The way Kame looked deep into his eyes, into his soul, he knew those words to be true, even if the memory of them were starting to fade.
Pi’s hope died a slow and painful death.
It started with a confident ‘He’ll call. I know he will. He just needs time to make the arrangements.’
Then it became a hesitant, halfhearted ‘It should be soon now. I believe in him.’
Finally, a crest-fallen submission to fate, ‘If he doesn’t call, then I guess it’s not meant to be.’
Seeing his precious baby brother dejected like that, almost hurt Takki more than it did Pi. But he knew they belonged to different worlds and Kame, as nice as he was, was out of their reach. He reckoned that the truth would only hurt even more later. So he did nothing but silently suffered alongside his brother. All he could do was hug him when he missed Kame, and kissed his tears away when they fell.
Although Takki’s actions were only cold comfort, Pi feared that he would soon even be denied them.
Their Aunt Jinnifer in Tokyo had suddenly had a very bad fall and was currently bed-ridden, leaving her ryokan in the not-so-capable-hands of her young and inexperienced son, Jin.
Hearing this, the whole family agreed that it was best that Takki was there to help out. Jin was not called ‘Bakanishi’ for nothing. It was a collective and very real fear that he should burn down the business trying to fry an omelette for a guest.
Even Pi gravely agreed that Takki was sorely needed there.
………..
‘No! Bakanishi! You don’t wash rice with detergent!’
Takki was exasperated. And he feared that soon, no amount of Jin’s goofy charms could keep him safe from his ‘akuma no te’ (hands of the devil).
‘Why don’t you just drop dead and do us all a favour?’
‘What?! And deny the world the most yummilicious eye candy cum hottest stud it had ever seen?’ Jin sounded almost genuinely concerned.
‘No worries. I’m still around,’ Takki cheekily assured as he mockingly attempted to attack his beloved cousin. Although Takki was the elder of the two, Jin was taller. But Jin good-naturedly let his older but smaller pro-wrestler wannabe cousin pin him to the ground.
‘Die, you curly airhead!’
‘No, you die, you Mr Tear-Mound!’
‘Oh just stop it, you two embarrassing narcissists! I would easily beat you guys hands down if I were a guy,’ Aunt Jinnifer chipped in, accompanied with a fling of her trademark curls.
That effectively silenced the two, for they knew that Jinnifer was out of their league.
………..
With Takki around, Aunt Jinnifer was very much relieved. As much as she loved her son, Jin, she had never trusted him near a stove. So she was eternally grateful now that her guests would not starve to death or become charred remains in her ryokan.
With the handy helper around, she even managed to make time for a visitation from her dance partner.
………….
‘Irrashai….masu.’
‘What are you doing here?’ Takki asked, very surprised. It was a face he had never expected to see again.
‘I might ask the same of you,’ Tsubasa replied, equally surprised but his usual cool, calm and collected facade betrayed nothing.
It turns out that Tsubasa was Jinnifer’s dance partner and was here to inquire after her health.
And inquire about her health he did, every day. Being used to a let’s-get-down-to-business Tsubasa, even Jinnifer was taken aback by his sudden surge of concern. With Tsubasa, their dance practice always felt like a drill. No doubt, Tsubasa was good. He was very precise in his execution and synchronized flawlessly to the music, but his dance lacked soul. However, since there weren’t that many good male partners around, not to mention super rich and very good-looking ones, Jinnifer had to ‘settle’ for him.
‘Somebody’s gotta love this nobody’s child. Then it might as well be me,’ she ravenously thought to herself.
Despite her earlier ‘noble’ intentions, she had so far never made a move on him. Not for the lack of opportunity, though. When they dance, they would touch and look into each other’s eyes, but he would always feel like he was miles away. His eyes were distant, his smile rehearsed.
And she almost hated him. He was the first man to make her doubt her womanly charms. What kind of girl, she wondered, would ever melt a glacier like him?
Maybe, she was asking the wrong question.
…………..
‘Maybe he’s here so often because he misses my presence? And he’s starting to feel my weight in his heart?’ Jinnifer hopefully sought her son’s concurrence.
‘I’m not so sure about that. Right now, he’s busy feeling someone else’s weight.’
Jin pointed to a Tsubasa who was currently busy holding Takki up by his waist so as to help him reach a condiment on the top shelf.
That night’s dinner, a joint venture by Takki and Tsubasa, tasted unexpectedly sumptuous. Jin was in awe. He was stunned that Tsubasa could cook. Teh latter actually knew his way around the kitchen and even cooked for them! Jin had always figured that Tsubasa being the billionaire hotel magnate that he was, would have a kitchen staffed with world-class chefs on rotation.
Wanting to reward Tsubasa for his effort, Jin invited him to join them for their after-dinner onsen.
The onsen of choice was a humble and packed family-orientated onsen, a far cry from the exclusive private ones that Tsubasa was used to. Therefore, unused to sharing a pool with complete strangers, not to mention completely naked strangers, Tsubasa was fidgety and self-conscious. He was clearly uncomfortable but he persevered.
‘Why did he even bother coming? He’s sticking out like a sore thumb,’ Takki mumbled.
His impression of Tsubasa had slightly improved but he was still an enigma to him. Although they were seeing more of each other, there was rarely anything more than unbroken silence between them.
‘Maybe to see you naked?’ Jin profoundly reasoned.
‘Ehh…?!’
‘Love makes you do silly things, ne?’ Winking at Takki, Jin towel-slapped him playfully on his naked butt.
‘Are you insane?’
‘Nope, unlike someone we know, I’m not insane or in love.’
Maybe Jin wasn’t such an airhead after all.
…………
Uneasy and feeling like a fish out of water wasn’t going to make him leave any earlier, Tsubasa resolved. And his resolve was very much strengthened by Takki’s naked hard bod prancing around in front of him.
But ever in denial, he was still clueless as to what was actually making him so compelled to stay. It was certainly not the creepy lecherously drooling guy across the pool who kept staring at his ‘chin chin ii’. And watching Jin and Takki rub and scrub each other’s backs only made him feel lonely to the core.
‘YOU, massage me!’ Takki commanded.
‘Who died and made you God?’ Jin retorted.
‘I’m your senpai. Obey or die.’ Takki smugly asserted.
‘No, I fight! Fighting!’ Jin then boldly groped Little Takki in retaliation.
‘What the?!’
‘You're going down, you pervert!’ Takki masterfully tickled Jin’s sensitive collarbone, eliciting in the most cringe-worthy shriek anyone had ever heard. It was then followed by equally discomforting fits of girly giggles, unbefitting of any grown man.Takki was no less of a scene, recklessly abandoning himself to bouts of uncontrollable laughter.
Jin and Takki were making such a spectacle of themselves that Tsubasa had to distance himself. Reluctantly, he wadded across the pool to sit next to the not-so-secret admirer of his ‘chin chin’. He wasn’t sure if it was the heat from the hot spring or the blatant gawks he continued to receive from his shamelessly sleazy neighbour, but Tsubasa was hot and very bothered.
It was not until Takki decided that he too had to distance himself from Jin, that Tsubasa's emotions piped down a little. But not for long.
Parking himself into the only other available space, which happened to be right next to Tsubasa, Takki made himself comfortable, closed his eyes then placed a wet towel over his face.
All seemed peaceful, except for the stirring in Tsubasa’s heart and in his brother down south.
Involuntarily, Tsubasa could feel himself inch closer to Takki. And when they were close enough, he felt his little pinky stretch outwards to touch Takki’s. When they made contact, Tsubasa felt his heart swell and spirit soar. An onslaught of emotions overwhelmed him. In that moment he thought he finally understood what happiness was!
………….
To thank them for a very enjoyable evening, Tsubasa invited them to a star-studded charity gala dinner that he was hosting over the weekend.
Under the coercion of a very excited Jin, Takki the would-be chaperone unwillingly accepted the invitation.
So when Tsuabsa saw Jin all alone, except for the bevy of ladies circling around him, he was very surprised and hugely disappointed.
‘My cousin was suddenly unwell and had to stay put,’ Jin explained.
‘Face turned all ashen. You might want to inquire after his health too,’ Jin encouraged.
And inquire after his health, Tsubasa did. He even cut his speech short so that he could leave the event earlier.
When Tsubasa finally saw Takki, it was worse than he had anticipated. His eyes were red, swollen red.
Seeing Takki all vulnerable like that, Tsubasa’s heart went out to him. But being inept at handling touchy situations like this, Tsubasa was at a loss. He tried to sit but was too anxious. He tried to stand still but was too nervous.
Then silence suffocating his mind, he blurted, without thinking and with eyes firmly shut, ‘In vain I have struggled, this will not do. My feelings will not be repressed.’
‘Stay with me!’
‘Erm…what I mean to say is... be my PA! My Personal Assistant.’ Tsuaba hurriedly corrected, alarming even himself with his sudden confession.
Peering a look at Takki, and mistaking his deer-in-the-headlight-look for encouragement, Tsubasa continued.
‘Although we come from very different background, and you may not have the necessary qualifications or experience, I hope you’d work for me. Coming from a small country town, I don’t know what qualifications you might have, if any. But I am willing to overlook it if you’d be with me, I mean… work for me.’
Pausing for breath, Tsubasa added, ‘It’s an offer many would jump at and I’m sure you have no reason to decline. So what do you say?'
Although Tsubasa sought for confirmation, he was quietly confident. It was an offer few could refuse. And it was almost unheard of, to refuse the great Imai Tsubasa. Besides, Tsubasa was certain that he was Takki's opportunity of a lifetime.
Understandably, Takki’s astonishment was beyond words.
But finally, he found the right word.
‘No.’
Thank you for reading and spending time here.
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To Chapter 3?