Remix of snoozing_kitten
Title: Finding the Way Home
Rating: G
Group/Pairing: NEWS; Yamapi-centric, Koyama/Yamapi
Warnings: Uh…really stereotypically written Johnny and slight fluff?
Notes: It was really hard to choose a fic, because you have so many awesome ones, but this one called out to me :) Props go out to my prompt beta <3
Link to Original Story: YamaPi, a Man of Many Lands
Link to Original Writer: snoozing_kitten
Yamapi knocked on the door of Johnny Kitagawa’s office and opened it slightly.
"Come in, have a seat," he said, swiveling his seat to face the young idol.
"You wanted to see me, sir?" Yamapi asked tentatively. Even though it had already been years since he knew the old man, knew he was basically harmless except for his odd business demands, this was the Johnny, and he garnered respect.
"What have YOU been up to?"
"NEWS just finished promotions for ‘weeeek’ and we've started preparations for our next album, ‘Pacific,’ which makes us on schedule for a tour at the end of next year. I just finished filming a drama, so I'm free now."
Johnny nodded, "Good, now YOU..."
Yamapi waited for his next assignment, excited to start on another project.
"...go on vacation."
Yamapi stared at the older man for a couple of seconds wondering if there was more to his statement.
"I have ideas for your next project, but first, I need you to take a vacation. You've been working too much and I need you fresh for the album. When you’re back, I’d like for you to think about what love means to YOU. When you’ve thought about it, come in and we’ll discuss the details."
Yamapi nodded and excused himself from the room. What love means to me…what exactly is this guy planning?
--
”Do you have your charger?”
“Check,” Yamapi said while shoving a few last minute items into his luggage.
“Toothbrush, deodorant-”
“Yes, Koyama,” he let out an exasperated sigh. “I’ve done this how many times now?”
Koyama sat down on the bed where the luggage was placed. “I know, but you know I get nervous and this is how I cope.”
Yamapi chuckled. “You’re nervous that I won’t have enough clean underwear or extra shampoo in case mine explodes on the plane?”
Koyama gave him a wry look. “Yes, if you must know. It’s happened before.”
Yamapi threw a few extra pairs of undergarments into the pile and gave him a pointed look, “There.”
Koyama smiled, satisfied.
This was obviously not the first or last time Yamapi was flying overseas, but he hadn’t recalled Koyama being so anxious. In order to distract him from practically hiding himself in the luggage, he asked, “So, what will you be doing this week?”
“The usual. K-chanNEWS with Shige, though I think Tegoshi and Massu will be coming for a special broadcast. Promoting their “Kiss~” single. Then I have to finish that interview with POTATO and mail that in.”
“Oh, that reminds me, I have to do that before I leave,” Yamapi mentioned, distractedly picking out a comfortable outfit to wear on the plane.
“I already did that for you.”
Yamapi looked up from his dresser, quirking his head. “How did you know I was done with it?”
Koyama held back a snort, “You left it in one of the bathrooms in the Jimusho.”
“What? I don’t remember doing that.”
“Well you did. You just leave things everywhere. Haven’t you ever noticed how many water bottles are missing caps in your house?”
“Oh shut up,” Yamapi scowled jokingly. “Ok, I’m done packing.”
Koyama heaved the luggage off the bed and rolled it towards the apartment door. "Why couldn't you have vacationed in Japan?”
"Because, I've already visited Disney, the other amusement parks in the area, the onsens, and the famous tourist sites,” Yamapi explained, putting air quotes around ‘famous,’ “ Since I've got the chance to go somewhere, I'm going to take it."
Koyama scoffed, speaking with a hint of whining, “There are tons of places I could take you to that you’ve never been to before though.
Yamapi walked over to Koyama and pulled him into a hug. “You should ditch work and come fly away with me then.”
The soft rumble of Koyama’s laugh echoed into the other man’s chest and they stood like this, enjoying each other’s warmth for a few moments. “I wish I could.”
“Me too.”
“But that means you have to tell me everything when you get back.”
It was Yamapi’s turn to laugh, nodding.
It wasn’t unusual for them to show affection in the privacy of their own homes, even though people at work were catching onto the kind of relationship they had. Of course they could hide it with things like member love, but there was a deeper level of connection they were developing, one that grew as their friendship became stronger and they experienced growing older in the agency.
Yamapi pulled away first. “Kei, don’t work too hard.”
“Enjoy your trip, you deserve it.
“Ittekimasu.”
“Ittarasshai.”
--
Yamapi had flown to Hawaii a couple times before, so he knew his way around. It was nice travelling somewhere where it was foreign enough to be a vacation, but relaxing enough that he wasn’t constantly trying to find his way around. The first time he came, he had the other members keep him company, and the next was his manager, but now it was just him. He had hours on the plane to watch movies, listen to music, work on some songs, or sleep, but his mind ended up drifting back to what Johnny said, about the meaning of love. He couldn’t believe he had forgotten to tell Koyama about it, but had planned to once he got back.
The project Johnny was planning had something to do with love, obviously, but what kind? Love permeated through everything they did, love for the music, the fans, for each other, and in all the busyness, he found times where he had lost sight of what it was he was truly singing about. He drifted off to a restless sleep thinking about that; about what he knew of love, with his family, his friends, the members, Koyama…how does he even begin to explain that feeling?
They landed in Hawaii with no problems. The flight was more tiring than he remembered. It was already nighttime, so as soon as he was settled at his hotel, he was going to call it a night. He wanted to spend as much time at the beach as possible the next day, and for that, he needed rest.
---
"What's your name?"
"Tomo."
"Ok, Tomo. You've got the board until 4pm. Surf's up," the guy motioned a shaka with his hand and went to serve the next customer.
Yamapi chuckled a little, he had missed this.
When his feet touched the warm sand and the early morning sea breeze blew into his face, he knew it was going to be a great day. He threw himself into the waves, letting it wash away his past few months of stress and hard work. He liked the rigorous routine, but he needed this too.
He came out after a bit, short of breath, yet enjoying the sharp intake of the salty air. He stood on the sands of the beach and thought that Koyama would really like the scenery. He imagined Koyama busying himself, preparing the grill for a barbeque, and while he was waiting, he’d come over and pester him about his surf board. And then he thought about Shige -it was only natural to think of him coupled with Koyama- he would be wearing shades, putting sunscreen on everyone (except maybe Ryo), with a textbook hidden somewhere in his bags. Their relationship was different from his and Koyama’s. They were the patent KoyaShige pair, there was no KoyamaPi pair. He liked the sound of that, KoyamaPi, and wondered what their ‘thing’ would be.
Deciding that he had had enough of a break, he went back into the crashing waves. He enjoyed the smooth glide of the surf pushing against strong water. It erased away any lingering thoughts and he thought solely of the techniques and execution of that perfect ride.
By the time he got out of the water completely, he was too tired to do anything else and decided to grab some dinner at a local restaurant. It was a small place, but he wasn't used to eating by himself in public; probably because the members would usually drag him out after a studio session or dance rehearsal and they would all hang out together.
He looked through the menu several times, not knowing what to get. He wished there was someone he could ask and thought about texting Koyama when he realized where he was. He hit himself on the head inwardly, but smiled still.
That night, Yamapi had a fitful night of sleep. He had planned on surfing again, but he recalled Koyama scolding him about getting too much sun and his skin turning prune-like, so he decided on souvenir-shopping instead. Perhaps wandering the streets would give him some more time to think.
---
“I think Massu would really love this shirt,” Yamapi said aloud as he held up a yellow shirt with a giant coconut smiley-face in the center.
“That’s a good choice, sir,” the young lady who worked there commented.
Yamapi blushed not knowing if he should try and explain his friend’s eccentric taste or just to nod and smile. In English, he answered, “Uh…he likes yellow. He is bright.”
The girl responded in Japanese, “Having trouble trying to decide on what to bring home?”
Yamapi was somewhat delighted to hear Japanese again, though there were smatterings of Japanese words all over the place. He was also glad that this person didn’t seem to be a fan, and he didn’t have to be hyper aware of how he appeared at the moment.
“My friends have been here before, but I still feel like getting them something. Key chains are too generic for me, is there anything else that you think is cool for a guy, but still…souvenir-like?”
The girl laughed. “We get that a lot.” She directed him over to a postcard section. “Why don’t you send something home? It’ll be unexpected and personalized, thoughtful but not too sentimental, the perfect combination.”
Yamapi thought about it and smiled. “Thanks so much, I think I’ll do that.”
He ended up getting a couple of other things too, but he really liked the idea of hand writing a note home. He still had the rest of the day to kill, so he brought his pen and postcards along and went for a walk along the beach. His mind kept drifting back to love and for a moment he wished he could teleport back to Japan. He could talk to Koyama and everyone through messages and late night phone calls, but it wasn’t the same. Sitting down on a bench, he knew what it was that he wanted to write home, the place where everyone he loved was.
That night, Yamapi rolled around in his sheets, trying to find a comfortable position. The room was a decent temperature, but he was either too hot or too cold. The hum of the air conditioner was not enough to drown out the emptiness of that room. He was so used to hearing the city outside his apartment window, the sound of Koyama’s occasional sniffling and rusting of the sheets when he turned around; he was only noticing just how quiet and lonely it was there. You can't even go a week by yourself without Koyama. He would never let you live this down if he knew.
---
The return flight felt much quicker than he expected, though he was still itching to get back on home ground. It wasn’t as if he didn’t enjoy his vacation, because he did. It gave him time to reflect and breathe, but too much time off messed with his sense of normalcy and he was glad to be back in Japan; ready to work.
Yamapi was summoned into Johnny’s office the day after he arrived home, Koyama along with him. They were a bit concerned it had something to do with their not-so-secret relationship, but what Johnny presented to them was a total shock.
"I want YOU two to sing a love song about Ginza."
Yamapi and Koyama glanced at each other and back at their boss. "Are we writing the lyrics?"
"Yes. You'll be working on it with some of our usual producers and you'll be performing this at your Winter concert."
Koyama nearly jumped off his seat and happiness. While Yamapi had been busy, the rest of the NEWS members were antsy for group activities.
Now," he turned to Yamapi, "have you properly thought about what love means to you?"
Koyama quirked his head and gave him a questioning look. Yamapi returned it with an apologetic nod saying that he'd tell him later, not that he wasn't going to know about it at that moment.
"Good," Johnny said without even waiting for an answer, "We'll begin preparations."
---
"You didn't tell me he was preparing a project for us," Koyama playfully hit Yamapi's arm and smiled widely. They were heading back home after a long day.
Yamapi laughed, giddy from that meeting. "I didn't know! One day he tells me to go on vacation and to think about love, and the next thing you know, he wants us to sing a duet together."
"Do you think he knows?" Koyama asked, motioning between the two of them.
"Probably. Or he knows that we have chemistry together."
There was a twinkle in Koyama's eyes when he walked in front of Yamapi, stopping them in their tracks. "I think we should do something to celebrate."
Yamapi thought about it and answered excitedly, "Do you remember how you said there were tons of places you wanted to take me? Well, let's go to one of them now."
"Yes! I know just the place to go, and this will get rid of that horrible jet lag too, and--" Koyama continued rambling at a mile a minute.
And so they went on a Koyama-led mini-vacation, visiting a hidden spa near their apartment complex and a particularly delicious Ramen shop around the corner. Yamapi would never admit it to anyone, but this was better than surfing by himself any day. It was only a few hours, but it really was rejuvenating. He was glad to have Koyama with him again, chattering and enjoying each other's company after a long week away.
“Tada ima,” both said as they collapsed onto the couch, exhausted. They sat for a moment, paying attention to their slow breathing and then looked at each other, smiling. “Okaeri.”
That was when Yamapi knew. Love was like some place comfortable, with people who make you feel at ease, no need to put up defenses or upholding an image. Love was an unexpected visit from someone, making sure you were eating proper meals or checking up on you if you were sick. Love was enjoying private jokes on public television and smiling like there were no worries in the world. Love was the adrenaline rush after a concert and you were wired and tired at the same time; love was sharing that experience with people you cared about. Love was like home and Yamapi knew that he was home with Koyama.
Rating: G
Group/Pairing: NEWS; Yamapi-centric, Koyama/Yamapi
Warnings: Uh…really stereotypically written Johnny and slight fluff?
Notes: It was really hard to choose a fic, because you have so many awesome ones, but this one called out to me :) Props go out to my prompt beta <3
Link to Original Story: YamaPi, a Man of Many Lands
Link to Original Writer: snoozing_kitten
Yamapi knocked on the door of Johnny Kitagawa’s office and opened it slightly.
"Come in, have a seat," he said, swiveling his seat to face the young idol.
"You wanted to see me, sir?" Yamapi asked tentatively. Even though it had already been years since he knew the old man, knew he was basically harmless except for his odd business demands, this was the Johnny, and he garnered respect.
"What have YOU been up to?"
"NEWS just finished promotions for ‘weeeek’ and we've started preparations for our next album, ‘Pacific,’ which makes us on schedule for a tour at the end of next year. I just finished filming a drama, so I'm free now."
Johnny nodded, "Good, now YOU..."
Yamapi waited for his next assignment, excited to start on another project.
"...go on vacation."
Yamapi stared at the older man for a couple of seconds wondering if there was more to his statement.
"I have ideas for your next project, but first, I need you to take a vacation. You've been working too much and I need you fresh for the album. When you’re back, I’d like for you to think about what love means to YOU. When you’ve thought about it, come in and we’ll discuss the details."
Yamapi nodded and excused himself from the room. What love means to me…what exactly is this guy planning?
--
”Do you have your charger?”
“Check,” Yamapi said while shoving a few last minute items into his luggage.
“Toothbrush, deodorant-”
“Yes, Koyama,” he let out an exasperated sigh. “I’ve done this how many times now?”
Koyama sat down on the bed where the luggage was placed. “I know, but you know I get nervous and this is how I cope.”
Yamapi chuckled. “You’re nervous that I won’t have enough clean underwear or extra shampoo in case mine explodes on the plane?”
Koyama gave him a wry look. “Yes, if you must know. It’s happened before.”
Yamapi threw a few extra pairs of undergarments into the pile and gave him a pointed look, “There.”
Koyama smiled, satisfied.
This was obviously not the first or last time Yamapi was flying overseas, but he hadn’t recalled Koyama being so anxious. In order to distract him from practically hiding himself in the luggage, he asked, “So, what will you be doing this week?”
“The usual. K-chanNEWS with Shige, though I think Tegoshi and Massu will be coming for a special broadcast. Promoting their “Kiss~” single. Then I have to finish that interview with POTATO and mail that in.”
“Oh, that reminds me, I have to do that before I leave,” Yamapi mentioned, distractedly picking out a comfortable outfit to wear on the plane.
“I already did that for you.”
Yamapi looked up from his dresser, quirking his head. “How did you know I was done with it?”
Koyama held back a snort, “You left it in one of the bathrooms in the Jimusho.”
“What? I don’t remember doing that.”
“Well you did. You just leave things everywhere. Haven’t you ever noticed how many water bottles are missing caps in your house?”
“Oh shut up,” Yamapi scowled jokingly. “Ok, I’m done packing.”
Koyama heaved the luggage off the bed and rolled it towards the apartment door. "Why couldn't you have vacationed in Japan?”
"Because, I've already visited Disney, the other amusement parks in the area, the onsens, and the famous tourist sites,” Yamapi explained, putting air quotes around ‘famous,’ “ Since I've got the chance to go somewhere, I'm going to take it."
Koyama scoffed, speaking with a hint of whining, “There are tons of places I could take you to that you’ve never been to before though.
Yamapi walked over to Koyama and pulled him into a hug. “You should ditch work and come fly away with me then.”
The soft rumble of Koyama’s laugh echoed into the other man’s chest and they stood like this, enjoying each other’s warmth for a few moments. “I wish I could.”
“Me too.”
“But that means you have to tell me everything when you get back.”
It was Yamapi’s turn to laugh, nodding.
It wasn’t unusual for them to show affection in the privacy of their own homes, even though people at work were catching onto the kind of relationship they had. Of course they could hide it with things like member love, but there was a deeper level of connection they were developing, one that grew as their friendship became stronger and they experienced growing older in the agency.
Yamapi pulled away first. “Kei, don’t work too hard.”
“Enjoy your trip, you deserve it.
“Ittekimasu.”
“Ittarasshai.”
--
Yamapi had flown to Hawaii a couple times before, so he knew his way around. It was nice travelling somewhere where it was foreign enough to be a vacation, but relaxing enough that he wasn’t constantly trying to find his way around. The first time he came, he had the other members keep him company, and the next was his manager, but now it was just him. He had hours on the plane to watch movies, listen to music, work on some songs, or sleep, but his mind ended up drifting back to what Johnny said, about the meaning of love. He couldn’t believe he had forgotten to tell Koyama about it, but had planned to once he got back.
The project Johnny was planning had something to do with love, obviously, but what kind? Love permeated through everything they did, love for the music, the fans, for each other, and in all the busyness, he found times where he had lost sight of what it was he was truly singing about. He drifted off to a restless sleep thinking about that; about what he knew of love, with his family, his friends, the members, Koyama…how does he even begin to explain that feeling?
They landed in Hawaii with no problems. The flight was more tiring than he remembered. It was already nighttime, so as soon as he was settled at his hotel, he was going to call it a night. He wanted to spend as much time at the beach as possible the next day, and for that, he needed rest.
---
"What's your name?"
"Tomo."
"Ok, Tomo. You've got the board until 4pm. Surf's up," the guy motioned a shaka with his hand and went to serve the next customer.
Yamapi chuckled a little, he had missed this.
When his feet touched the warm sand and the early morning sea breeze blew into his face, he knew it was going to be a great day. He threw himself into the waves, letting it wash away his past few months of stress and hard work. He liked the rigorous routine, but he needed this too.
He came out after a bit, short of breath, yet enjoying the sharp intake of the salty air. He stood on the sands of the beach and thought that Koyama would really like the scenery. He imagined Koyama busying himself, preparing the grill for a barbeque, and while he was waiting, he’d come over and pester him about his surf board. And then he thought about Shige -it was only natural to think of him coupled with Koyama- he would be wearing shades, putting sunscreen on everyone (except maybe Ryo), with a textbook hidden somewhere in his bags. Their relationship was different from his and Koyama’s. They were the patent KoyaShige pair, there was no KoyamaPi pair. He liked the sound of that, KoyamaPi, and wondered what their ‘thing’ would be.
Deciding that he had had enough of a break, he went back into the crashing waves. He enjoyed the smooth glide of the surf pushing against strong water. It erased away any lingering thoughts and he thought solely of the techniques and execution of that perfect ride.
By the time he got out of the water completely, he was too tired to do anything else and decided to grab some dinner at a local restaurant. It was a small place, but he wasn't used to eating by himself in public; probably because the members would usually drag him out after a studio session or dance rehearsal and they would all hang out together.
He looked through the menu several times, not knowing what to get. He wished there was someone he could ask and thought about texting Koyama when he realized where he was. He hit himself on the head inwardly, but smiled still.
That night, Yamapi had a fitful night of sleep. He had planned on surfing again, but he recalled Koyama scolding him about getting too much sun and his skin turning prune-like, so he decided on souvenir-shopping instead. Perhaps wandering the streets would give him some more time to think.
---
“I think Massu would really love this shirt,” Yamapi said aloud as he held up a yellow shirt with a giant coconut smiley-face in the center.
“That’s a good choice, sir,” the young lady who worked there commented.
Yamapi blushed not knowing if he should try and explain his friend’s eccentric taste or just to nod and smile. In English, he answered, “Uh…he likes yellow. He is bright.”
The girl responded in Japanese, “Having trouble trying to decide on what to bring home?”
Yamapi was somewhat delighted to hear Japanese again, though there were smatterings of Japanese words all over the place. He was also glad that this person didn’t seem to be a fan, and he didn’t have to be hyper aware of how he appeared at the moment.
“My friends have been here before, but I still feel like getting them something. Key chains are too generic for me, is there anything else that you think is cool for a guy, but still…souvenir-like?”
The girl laughed. “We get that a lot.” She directed him over to a postcard section. “Why don’t you send something home? It’ll be unexpected and personalized, thoughtful but not too sentimental, the perfect combination.”
Yamapi thought about it and smiled. “Thanks so much, I think I’ll do that.”
He ended up getting a couple of other things too, but he really liked the idea of hand writing a note home. He still had the rest of the day to kill, so he brought his pen and postcards along and went for a walk along the beach. His mind kept drifting back to love and for a moment he wished he could teleport back to Japan. He could talk to Koyama and everyone through messages and late night phone calls, but it wasn’t the same. Sitting down on a bench, he knew what it was that he wanted to write home, the place where everyone he loved was.
That night, Yamapi rolled around in his sheets, trying to find a comfortable position. The room was a decent temperature, but he was either too hot or too cold. The hum of the air conditioner was not enough to drown out the emptiness of that room. He was so used to hearing the city outside his apartment window, the sound of Koyama’s occasional sniffling and rusting of the sheets when he turned around; he was only noticing just how quiet and lonely it was there. You can't even go a week by yourself without Koyama. He would never let you live this down if he knew.
---
The return flight felt much quicker than he expected, though he was still itching to get back on home ground. It wasn’t as if he didn’t enjoy his vacation, because he did. It gave him time to reflect and breathe, but too much time off messed with his sense of normalcy and he was glad to be back in Japan; ready to work.
Yamapi was summoned into Johnny’s office the day after he arrived home, Koyama along with him. They were a bit concerned it had something to do with their not-so-secret relationship, but what Johnny presented to them was a total shock.
"I want YOU two to sing a love song about Ginza."
Yamapi and Koyama glanced at each other and back at their boss. "Are we writing the lyrics?"
"Yes. You'll be working on it with some of our usual producers and you'll be performing this at your Winter concert."
Koyama nearly jumped off his seat and happiness. While Yamapi had been busy, the rest of the NEWS members were antsy for group activities.
Now," he turned to Yamapi, "have you properly thought about what love means to you?"
Koyama quirked his head and gave him a questioning look. Yamapi returned it with an apologetic nod saying that he'd tell him later, not that he wasn't going to know about it at that moment.
"Good," Johnny said without even waiting for an answer, "We'll begin preparations."
---
"You didn't tell me he was preparing a project for us," Koyama playfully hit Yamapi's arm and smiled widely. They were heading back home after a long day.
Yamapi laughed, giddy from that meeting. "I didn't know! One day he tells me to go on vacation and to think about love, and the next thing you know, he wants us to sing a duet together."
"Do you think he knows?" Koyama asked, motioning between the two of them.
"Probably. Or he knows that we have chemistry together."
There was a twinkle in Koyama's eyes when he walked in front of Yamapi, stopping them in their tracks. "I think we should do something to celebrate."
Yamapi thought about it and answered excitedly, "Do you remember how you said there were tons of places you wanted to take me? Well, let's go to one of them now."
"Yes! I know just the place to go, and this will get rid of that horrible jet lag too, and--" Koyama continued rambling at a mile a minute.
And so they went on a Koyama-led mini-vacation, visiting a hidden spa near their apartment complex and a particularly delicious Ramen shop around the corner. Yamapi would never admit it to anyone, but this was better than surfing by himself any day. It was only a few hours, but it really was rejuvenating. He was glad to have Koyama with him again, chattering and enjoying each other's company after a long week away.
“Tada ima,” both said as they collapsed onto the couch, exhausted. They sat for a moment, paying attention to their slow breathing and then looked at each other, smiling. “Okaeri.”
That was when Yamapi knew. Love was like some place comfortable, with people who make you feel at ease, no need to put up defenses or upholding an image. Love was an unexpected visit from someone, making sure you were eating proper meals or checking up on you if you were sick. Love was enjoying private jokes on public television and smiling like there were no worries in the world. Love was the adrenaline rush after a concert and you were wired and tired at the same time; love was sharing that experience with people you cared about. Love was like home and Yamapi knew that he was home with Koyama.