Cradle-robber - JE - G
Author: anamuan
Title: Cradle-robber
Pairing: Nakamaru/Horikita Maki
Word Count: 760
Rating: G
A/N: for cynicalism's fic wish list. Nakamaru/Horikita Maki. First date. With stuttering, stumbly, fumbly, awkward-and-nervous as hell!Nakamaru. Horrible title is horrible; please look away.
After Horikita Maki came on Cartoon KAT-TUN, Kame told Nakamaru she'd thought he was cute. Nakamaru looked at him disbelievingly and asked if he was forgetting the total idiot he had made of himself, or just ignoring it conveniently. Kame gave him a look, but didn't bring it up again; Jin made it a habit of telling him, loudly, that he should just go for it already, even if it made him a cradle robber because he thought it was funny to watch Nakamaru work himself into a tizzy about the idea of maybe actually asking Horikita Maki out, and then work himself up even further at the idea that not only was he an idiot for her, he was a creepy idiot.
In the end, Kame asked her out for him. He said he couldn't take the way Nakamaru's eyes lit up whenever Horikita's name came up and the awkward stumbling and mumbling that inevitably accompanied it. Nakamaru wasn't sure he believed Kame completely. Nakamaru thought it was because Kame had a bit of a vicious streak sometimes and he'd rather watch Nakamaru squirm in reality than hypothetically.
Kame told him at work, early in the morning, before dance practice. Nakamaru spent the day fretting himself sick. He wasn't sure what happened at dance practice--he didn't even notice when the choreographer ended it early because Nakamaru was busy exploring outer space in his mind. Nakamaru didn't even notice the choreographer's snarky comments.
It took Nakamaru two hours to pick out his outfit. It took him another forty-five minutes to decide it was safer not to try to do anything with his hair. He arrived at the restaurant half an hour early, and paced around outside the door for five, before running down the street to buy a small bouquet of flowers from a nearby flower shop. He spent fifteen minutes picking out the prettiest bouquet, and then threw it away five minutes later, in front of the restuarant again, because what if she was allergic? The worst-date-ever scenarious in his head involving sneezing fits and anaphylactic shock were too much for him to deal with in his frazzled state.
Horikita was three minutes late, and in that time, Nakamaru convinced himself that she wasn't coming, of course she wasn't coming, she'd probably never agreed in the first place--how gullible was he?--and Kame was having a laugh at him right now, possibly with cameras. When Horikita cleared her throat behind him, apologizing for being late, Nakamaru was convinced that the shock momentarily stopped his heart.
Dinner itself was possibly the most uncomfortable experience of Nakamaru's life, even worse than being made to try to make Nicholas Cage laugh. Everything tasted like sawdust and he was so pre-occupied he had to consciously remind himself how to chew. Nothing he tried to say came out right, and even though he was hanging on Horikita's every word, after the fourth or fifth try Nakamaru gave up replying because it just made things worse.
He walked her as far as the train station, because he felt it was the right thing to do (not because it meant he'd get to spend a little more time with her, since this was definitely going to be the last time they went out). She lingered by the wicket for her line a little and Nakamaru thought the way the station lights caught on her hair had to be the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. She'd said goodnight in that sweet little voice of hers, and then in a swirl of skirt and dark hair, slipped through the wickets and up the elevator and out of sight. Nakamaru took what was probably his first deep breath all night, and firmly told himself he was not upset about blowing it because he never really had a chance in the first place. Instead he should treasure the experience for having had the opportunity at all. And because Horikita had looked really pretty all night, and was sweet enough not to have laughed at him obviously.
Sure enough, the next day, Kame told him 'Maki-chan' had said they weren't going to have a repeat of the evening. Nakamaru tried to pretend he wasn't depressed about it, even if it wasn't really a surprise.
Then Kame slipped him a piece of paper with a phone email address on it. "She says, 'Next time he has to ask himself. I'll be waiting for one today.'"
Jin teased him mercilessly about being a cradle-robber, but Nakamaru couldn't seem to mind.
Title: Cradle-robber
Pairing: Nakamaru/Horikita Maki
Word Count: 760
Rating: G
A/N: for cynicalism's fic wish list. Nakamaru/Horikita Maki. First date. With stuttering, stumbly, fumbly, awkward-and-nervous as hell!Nakamaru. Horrible title is horrible; please look away.
After Horikita Maki came on Cartoon KAT-TUN, Kame told Nakamaru she'd thought he was cute. Nakamaru looked at him disbelievingly and asked if he was forgetting the total idiot he had made of himself, or just ignoring it conveniently. Kame gave him a look, but didn't bring it up again; Jin made it a habit of telling him, loudly, that he should just go for it already, even if it made him a cradle robber because he thought it was funny to watch Nakamaru work himself into a tizzy about the idea of maybe actually asking Horikita Maki out, and then work himself up even further at the idea that not only was he an idiot for her, he was a creepy idiot.
In the end, Kame asked her out for him. He said he couldn't take the way Nakamaru's eyes lit up whenever Horikita's name came up and the awkward stumbling and mumbling that inevitably accompanied it. Nakamaru wasn't sure he believed Kame completely. Nakamaru thought it was because Kame had a bit of a vicious streak sometimes and he'd rather watch Nakamaru squirm in reality than hypothetically.
Kame told him at work, early in the morning, before dance practice. Nakamaru spent the day fretting himself sick. He wasn't sure what happened at dance practice--he didn't even notice when the choreographer ended it early because Nakamaru was busy exploring outer space in his mind. Nakamaru didn't even notice the choreographer's snarky comments.
It took Nakamaru two hours to pick out his outfit. It took him another forty-five minutes to decide it was safer not to try to do anything with his hair. He arrived at the restaurant half an hour early, and paced around outside the door for five, before running down the street to buy a small bouquet of flowers from a nearby flower shop. He spent fifteen minutes picking out the prettiest bouquet, and then threw it away five minutes later, in front of the restuarant again, because what if she was allergic? The worst-date-ever scenarious in his head involving sneezing fits and anaphylactic shock were too much for him to deal with in his frazzled state.
Horikita was three minutes late, and in that time, Nakamaru convinced himself that she wasn't coming, of course she wasn't coming, she'd probably never agreed in the first place--how gullible was he?--and Kame was having a laugh at him right now, possibly with cameras. When Horikita cleared her throat behind him, apologizing for being late, Nakamaru was convinced that the shock momentarily stopped his heart.
Dinner itself was possibly the most uncomfortable experience of Nakamaru's life, even worse than being made to try to make Nicholas Cage laugh. Everything tasted like sawdust and he was so pre-occupied he had to consciously remind himself how to chew. Nothing he tried to say came out right, and even though he was hanging on Horikita's every word, after the fourth or fifth try Nakamaru gave up replying because it just made things worse.
He walked her as far as the train station, because he felt it was the right thing to do (not because it meant he'd get to spend a little more time with her, since this was definitely going to be the last time they went out). She lingered by the wicket for her line a little and Nakamaru thought the way the station lights caught on her hair had to be the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. She'd said goodnight in that sweet little voice of hers, and then in a swirl of skirt and dark hair, slipped through the wickets and up the elevator and out of sight. Nakamaru took what was probably his first deep breath all night, and firmly told himself he was not upset about blowing it because he never really had a chance in the first place. Instead he should treasure the experience for having had the opportunity at all. And because Horikita had looked really pretty all night, and was sweet enough not to have laughed at him obviously.
Sure enough, the next day, Kame told him 'Maki-chan' had said they weren't going to have a repeat of the evening. Nakamaru tried to pretend he wasn't depressed about it, even if it wasn't really a surprise.
Then Kame slipped him a piece of paper with a phone email address on it. "She says, 'Next time he has to ask himself. I'll be waiting for one today.'"
Jin teased him mercilessly about being a cradle-robber, but Nakamaru couldn't seem to mind.