Pianissimo: 07 (La Corda d'Oro, Ryoutarou/Len)
Title: Pianissimo ~ A Violin & Piano Romance
07: Get a Job
Fandom: La Corda d’Oro
Pairing: Eventual Ryoutarou Tsuchiura x Len Tsukimori (Getting closer!)
Rating: PG? There’s some language. So a light PG-13, maybe.
Disclaimer: La Corda d’Oro and its characters do not belong to me.
Summary: Future fic. A series of one-shots and drabbles following the progression of the relationship between Ryoutarou and Len, from feuding roommates to friends to lovers.
A/N: This one has another small reference to “You’re Pretty.”
Len had been living with him for nearly four months. Ryoutarou couldn’t take it anymore. It was driving him crazy. He had to ask. He had to know.
“What do you do here all day?”
Len looked out from underneath his small towel as he dried his shower-damp hair. He seemed to be considering the question, like he was deciding whether or not answering it was worth his time. Friend or not, Len was still a snobby little bastard sometimes.
“Normal stuff,” he finally said. “Play the violin. Pimp out my yacht.”
“I knew that word was cool.”
“Catch up on TV shows I’ve missed… Did you know that Team Rocket is still after that Pikachu? You’d think they’d move on.”
“Yeah.” That was about all he could say; he’d been a Yu-Gi-Oh fan, himself. “Why don’t you get a job? Have you ever even had a job?”
“No. Not really.”
Not really? What was that supposed to mean? He decided not to ask.
“Well, why don’t you get one?”
Len frowned, running the towel over his hair once more before balling it up and tossing it at the pianist. “What do you care? I’m paying my half of the rent, aren’t I?”
“Yeah,” Ryoutarou said, catching the towel and chucking it into their laundry hamper that sat in the hallway. Sometimes he liked how in-sync they were; sometimes it weirded him out a little. “But you can’t depend on someone else the rest of your life.”
“Sure, I can.”
“What happens once your parents die and stop making money?” Ryoutarou asked, rolling his eyes when Len shrugged. “Len, just get a job! Why-you play that violin every single day, don’t you? Playing it professionally wouldn’t be that different, you know. You’d just get paid. You’d be-”
“I’d be just like my parents.”
“Yeah!”
Len’s frown deepened. “What makes you think I’d want to be just like my parents?”
“Oh yeah, you’re right, how silly of me,” Ryoutarou scoffed. “Why would anyone want to be rich and famous doing what they love?”
Len glared at him, but it wasn’t that kind of glare he was used to. It wasn’t one of those icy, I-could-care-less-about-you-peon glares. It was almost…fiery. And full of emotion. Not anger, really, at least not so much. It was almost like he was…hurt. But what was hurting him, Ryoutarou wasn’t sure.
“My parents were never home.”
Oh. Maybe that was it.
“We had to schedule dinner together days in advance. I got five minutes phone calls for more than half of my birthdays. I had to talk to my parrot when I had nightmares. Do you have any idea-of course you don’t. Now, yes, I love my violin, but I don’t want to do that to my children, all right?”
“I-” Ryoutarou wasn’t sure what to say. Part of him just wanted to hug the guy. But he’d probably get smacked. So he settled for saying something stupid. “You-you don’t have kids.”
“NOT THE POINT.” Len stood stiffly and stormed into his bedroom, smacking Ryoutarou on the head as he went.
[~]
Do you have any idea-
No. He had no idea at all, Ryoutarou thought as he walked down the sidewalk. There’d always been at least one parent at home when he was growing up, and he’d always had either his sister or brother whenever he needed somebody to talk to. The week or two when he’d first moved into the apartment had been his first time living alone, and that was nothing compared to what he imagined the violinist had been through.
He wanted once again to hug Len just thinking about it. Hug him and hold him tight and never let go, so that he’d never, ever be alone ever again.
His face burned when he realized what a horribly romantic thought that was, so he quickly pushed it aside.
He still wanted the guy to get a job, though. He just didn’t think that sort of financial dependency was healthy. And besides, working and making money for oneself could be emotionally liberating, too. And eventually Len was bound to get bored just hanging out, watching Pokemon reruns.
There had to be something Len could do. Something that…maybe…wouldn’t involve him interacting with people. At least, not too much. He wasn’t very good at that. And something that wouldn’t get his hands dirty or possibly injure his fingers. No manual labor. Nothing that would require him to smile.
…Maybe he should just stay home.
“Hello, Ryoutarou! How are you?”
Ryoutarou slowed and smiled, tossing a friendly wave to the storekeeper as he passed Minami Instruments. And then he stilled. And smiled wider. And said, “So, I’ve got this roommate who needs a job…”
[~]
Len was sitting on the couch with his laptop in his lap when Ryoutarou got back. He looked up and looked like he was about to speak, but Ryoutarou held up his hand.
“Look,” he said, “I get it, okay? I do. But I just think you should be able to do for yourself, you know? I mean, I don’t mind you depending on me-” Len arched an eyebrow and Ryoutarou realized his slip, his face growing hot again. This was just one of those days… “Well, not-not on me, you’re not depending on me, I meant-I meant depending on your parents’ money. But whatever, I just think-”
“Stop and breathe, dummy.” Len chuckled as Ryoutarou obeyed. “I took the job.”
“Wha-how did you-”
“The old man called a few minutes ago. He seems nice.”
“He is,” Ryoutarou said, relieved and feeling a bit triumphant.
“He said he had some videos I might enjoy seeing.”
…Oh, hell. This was a bad idea.
07: Get a Job
Fandom: La Corda d’Oro
Pairing: Eventual Ryoutarou Tsuchiura x Len Tsukimori (Getting closer!)
Rating: PG? There’s some language. So a light PG-13, maybe.
Disclaimer: La Corda d’Oro and its characters do not belong to me.
Summary: Future fic. A series of one-shots and drabbles following the progression of the relationship between Ryoutarou and Len, from feuding roommates to friends to lovers.
A/N: This one has another small reference to “You’re Pretty.”
Len had been living with him for nearly four months. Ryoutarou couldn’t take it anymore. It was driving him crazy. He had to ask. He had to know.
“What do you do here all day?”
Len looked out from underneath his small towel as he dried his shower-damp hair. He seemed to be considering the question, like he was deciding whether or not answering it was worth his time. Friend or not, Len was still a snobby little bastard sometimes.
“Normal stuff,” he finally said. “Play the violin. Pimp out my yacht.”
“I knew that word was cool.”
“Catch up on TV shows I’ve missed… Did you know that Team Rocket is still after that Pikachu? You’d think they’d move on.”
“Yeah.” That was about all he could say; he’d been a Yu-Gi-Oh fan, himself. “Why don’t you get a job? Have you ever even had a job?”
“No. Not really.”
Not really? What was that supposed to mean? He decided not to ask.
“Well, why don’t you get one?”
Len frowned, running the towel over his hair once more before balling it up and tossing it at the pianist. “What do you care? I’m paying my half of the rent, aren’t I?”
“Yeah,” Ryoutarou said, catching the towel and chucking it into their laundry hamper that sat in the hallway. Sometimes he liked how in-sync they were; sometimes it weirded him out a little. “But you can’t depend on someone else the rest of your life.”
“Sure, I can.”
“What happens once your parents die and stop making money?” Ryoutarou asked, rolling his eyes when Len shrugged. “Len, just get a job! Why-you play that violin every single day, don’t you? Playing it professionally wouldn’t be that different, you know. You’d just get paid. You’d be-”
“I’d be just like my parents.”
“Yeah!”
Len’s frown deepened. “What makes you think I’d want to be just like my parents?”
“Oh yeah, you’re right, how silly of me,” Ryoutarou scoffed. “Why would anyone want to be rich and famous doing what they love?”
Len glared at him, but it wasn’t that kind of glare he was used to. It wasn’t one of those icy, I-could-care-less-about-you-peon glares. It was almost…fiery. And full of emotion. Not anger, really, at least not so much. It was almost like he was…hurt. But what was hurting him, Ryoutarou wasn’t sure.
“My parents were never home.”
Oh. Maybe that was it.
“We had to schedule dinner together days in advance. I got five minutes phone calls for more than half of my birthdays. I had to talk to my parrot when I had nightmares. Do you have any idea-of course you don’t. Now, yes, I love my violin, but I don’t want to do that to my children, all right?”
“I-” Ryoutarou wasn’t sure what to say. Part of him just wanted to hug the guy. But he’d probably get smacked. So he settled for saying something stupid. “You-you don’t have kids.”
“NOT THE POINT.” Len stood stiffly and stormed into his bedroom, smacking Ryoutarou on the head as he went.
[~]
Do you have any idea-
No. He had no idea at all, Ryoutarou thought as he walked down the sidewalk. There’d always been at least one parent at home when he was growing up, and he’d always had either his sister or brother whenever he needed somebody to talk to. The week or two when he’d first moved into the apartment had been his first time living alone, and that was nothing compared to what he imagined the violinist had been through.
He wanted once again to hug Len just thinking about it. Hug him and hold him tight and never let go, so that he’d never, ever be alone ever again.
His face burned when he realized what a horribly romantic thought that was, so he quickly pushed it aside.
He still wanted the guy to get a job, though. He just didn’t think that sort of financial dependency was healthy. And besides, working and making money for oneself could be emotionally liberating, too. And eventually Len was bound to get bored just hanging out, watching Pokemon reruns.
There had to be something Len could do. Something that…maybe…wouldn’t involve him interacting with people. At least, not too much. He wasn’t very good at that. And something that wouldn’t get his hands dirty or possibly injure his fingers. No manual labor. Nothing that would require him to smile.
…Maybe he should just stay home.
“Hello, Ryoutarou! How are you?”
Ryoutarou slowed and smiled, tossing a friendly wave to the storekeeper as he passed Minami Instruments. And then he stilled. And smiled wider. And said, “So, I’ve got this roommate who needs a job…”
[~]
Len was sitting on the couch with his laptop in his lap when Ryoutarou got back. He looked up and looked like he was about to speak, but Ryoutarou held up his hand.
“Look,” he said, “I get it, okay? I do. But I just think you should be able to do for yourself, you know? I mean, I don’t mind you depending on me-” Len arched an eyebrow and Ryoutarou realized his slip, his face growing hot again. This was just one of those days… “Well, not-not on me, you’re not depending on me, I meant-I meant depending on your parents’ money. But whatever, I just think-”
“Stop and breathe, dummy.” Len chuckled as Ryoutarou obeyed. “I took the job.”
“Wha-how did you-”
“The old man called a few minutes ago. He seems nice.”
“He is,” Ryoutarou said, relieved and feeling a bit triumphant.
“He said he had some videos I might enjoy seeing.”
…Oh, hell. This was a bad idea.