[FIC] Crush (Yamapi x Maki)
Title: Crush
Author: kohee
Pairing: Yamashita Tomohisa x Horikita Maki
Summary: Yamapi has a crush, and he thinks he will probably get over it...but he never really does.
Genre: Romance/(Attempted) Humor
Rating: PG
Author's note: I know this is kinda cliché and kinda done, but I just sort of wanted to get into writing something again, and this particular plot bunny clung to my brain and refused to get off. I discovered that clichés can be pretty damn stubborn.
The very first time Yamashita Tomohisa saw Horikita Maki, he felt his heart fluttered, missed a beat, and skipped around in a few circles, and he thought that he may never be the same again. But they were worlds apart; she was awkward, shy and new. And he, he had lived in the limelight, thrived on living in the limelight, and really, they couldn't be any more different.
All the same, by the time they were halfway through filming, he was contemplating on asking her out, only to be stopped by his horrified best friend, who proceeded to call him a pedophile (for she was barely 17 years old), and took it upon himself to change Yamapi's mind and make him see the light.
“So you were tongue-tied, had sweaty palms, and silly grins, etcetera etcetera?” Jin asked.
Yamapi nodded sheepishly, and Jin looked very smug as he imparted his knowledge to his younger friend.
It was just a crush, a small crush, Jin assured Yamapi confidently, and he prided himself on being very experienced and knowledgeable about the matters of the heart, because he had dated so many women (and rumor has it, as well as some men). Jin also reminded Yamapi that because he was one year older, he had lived life much longer, and therefore, he was the wiser and more worldly one of the two.
Yamapi wasn't sure about the whole idea of Jin being wise (and Jin was only 9 months older, not really a year), but he thought maybe Jin was right. After all, he was only 20 years old, coming-of-age, there couldn't be anything really serious to his feelings. He had almost an entire lifetime to live before even thinking about relationships - serious ones, that is.
Besides, Maki-chan did not seem to be interested in him that way.
The filming for Nobuta wo Produce soon ended, and they parted ways with each other's mobile numbers stored away in a long list of other acquaintances.
-
They met again, much sooner than he anticipated, and she was slightly older now (and the emphasis was really on the word 'slightly' for it had been but a few months), and they were no longer playing high-school kids, for he was a broody swindler and she was a righteous university student majoring in law.
Maki was less shy and much more natural for the press, for she was blossoming into the spotlight as one of Japan's most sought-after young actresses. Yamapi was ever still the media darling, of course, and their collaboration soon became one of the most talked-about topics in the entertainment circle as the media started to speculate about their relationship.
Sadly, there wasn't really a relationship. He was thrilled to be working with her again, that much was true, but it was disheartening hearing her stress, again and again, that she took her work seriously, was mindful about work ethics, and no, she would never, never date a co-star.
That made him feel like that there was something wrong with his heart, in the sense that it was sort of hurting. For he couldn't stop thinking about her, he saw her almost everywhere on the set even when she wasn't there. There were a few times he came close to asking her out, but he remembered her policies and things and the fact that she was only just 17 years old, and Yamapi the chicken always took over before he could say what he wanted.
And he was not really sure of his feelings. Was it still a crush? Was it something more? What the hell did he want? His confusion was voiced over a few drinks in a bar after work, and his drinking buddy, his favourite and ever oh-so-respected senior, Takizawa Hideaki, jumped at the chance to impart his worldliness.
“It is just a crush,” said Takizawa, knowingly and confidently as he twirled his shot glass between his fingers.
And Yamapi believed him, because Takizawa knew all about love, more so than Jin. He had been with Tsubasa for slightly more than a year, and the two of them were practically married, joined at the hip and all. And if Jin claimed to be wiser with 9 more months of life (he could hear Jin screeching that it was a YEAR), then Takizawa was practically a sage, as he was three years older.
So it was a crush, Yamapi decided. And nothing good ever came out of crushes, especially the ones that seemed one-sided.
And so, he didn't ask her out, and didn't attempt to scratch the surface of a working relationship, and they approached the days where the filming of Kurosagi eventually ended. On a whim, he bought her a small present, a bookmark made of delicate pressed flowers, because he noticed that she loved to read. She seemed surprised at the gift, but she thanked him, and almost awkwardly, she said that he could call her sometime, and they could keep in touch.
Out of politeness that she had asked, Yamapi thought, so it was with the same politeness he agreed. But he never called beyond the necessity of work, because Takizawa said the quickest way to get over a crush was not to encourage it with feelings of hope.
-
It was nearly two years later when Yamapi was informed of the plans to film a movie for Kurosagi, and that he would be working with Maki again. His heart did a little somersault when he found out, and to his dismay, he realised that he may not quite be over his crush.
But that was ridiculous, he thought, for it had been almost two years. In those two years, they saw each other often, and they were friendly, if not exactly great friends. He dated, casually, but never seriously. Abiru Yuu tried to get serious and he immediately backed off. Jin triumphantly told him that he was too young to be serious, and he thought Jin was right, but at the same time, he thought maybe it was because he didn't love Yuu and couldn't see himself loving her.
He looked forward to work, looked forward to getting on set because he had not seen her in months. When he saw her again, his heart did the same weird thing it did the first time he saw her, all the skipping and missing beats, and he swore he was almost breathless. For although she was more beautiful, there was something radiating within her, something bright and shining and so alluring, that caught his attention and refused to let go.
The first day of filming was a disaster, as Yamapi stumbled over lines, knocked into props, missing cues to enter scenes, because he was too confused and jumbled about his feelings and too busy thinking about what should he do with his love life.
And so a mixed-up Yamapi found himself at a loss, and was just about to seek Jin or Takizawa (or both) for their advice when he bumped into Kame. He was so despondent that he spilled out the entire story, despairing over the fact that he still had a crush on Maki when it was been almost three years now.
Kame stared at him for five seconds, and rolled his eyes, and proceeded to ask Yamapi whether was he a moron, or simply oblivious, or both.
Yamapi was offended, for he needed advice and not insults. But before he could respond with a few choice words, Kame pointed out the one thing he was obsessing over, and coincidentally, was also the one thing that he just kept missing.
“If it has been three years, Pi, then it's not a fucking crush.” Kame said tiredly, but concisely.
And he gaped at Kame for, as the realisation dawned upon him that he, Yamashita Tomohisa, was indeed, a complete idiot.
-
Jin had to give in and agree with his other best friend, although he tried his best to convince Yamapi that the life of a swinging bachelor was still the best life. But Yamapi had spent three years being stupid and did not intend to spend a second more being stupid. Jin relented, and helpfully said that because Maki was now older, Yamapi no longer appeared to be a pedophile (which was really unhelpful, now Yamapi thought about it).
And so, during one random day, Yamapi approached Maki, after almost three whole years of hesitation and uncertainty, and finally, finally, asked her for a date. As he waited for her response, his hands were clammy and his heart was beating about a million miles an hour, and he daresay he had never been so nervous before.
She looked at him, smiled a little, and she said yes, and he had this strange urge to start back-flipping all over the room, but he managed to remain civilised, and made plans for a dinner that very night.
They had a wonderful dinner together, and he had never felt more at ease with a girl than he did with her. She was so special, so different, so amazing, and just because she was Horikita Maki.
During dessert, she conversationally brought up the topic of their first collaboration, and he remembered the days when he was Akira and she was Nobuta, and how long ago that seemed, and how he had a crush on her for ages, and how it never went away. Even so, he wasn't quite prepared for what she said next.
“I used to have a crush on you,” she confessed, with a sheepish air as she spooned a mouthful of chocolate mousse.
Across the table, Yamapi was about to swallow his cake when he heard those words, and involuntarily, he sputtered, and started to choke in a most unrefined manner. He still managed to swallow, and as he raised his eyes to her face, he saw that her cheeks were slightly pink.
“Can you, uh...” He croaked, and then cleared his throat with a sip of water. “Can you repeat that?”
She fiddled with her dessert, and met his eyes, and he smiled at her, so she repeated her words. “I used to have a crush on you, Yamashita Tomohisa.”
He felt his world becoming brighter, and if it was some cheesy romance movie, there'd probably be hearts in his eyes. She was much braver than he was, he thought, and maybe he should be brave now. He stretched out his hand, inched towards her hand on the table, and rest his fingers on top of hers. “Really? What about now?”
The corner of her mouth lifted in a smile. “Not anymore, I think I'm over my crush.”
Yamapi's face colored as his heart dropped, and as he drew away his hand, he thought maybe he was better off being Yamapi the chicken.
But Maki caught his hand again, and looked at him squarely in the eye. “Because now, I don't think it's a crush anymore. I am pretty sure that I do like you.”
He laughed then, as he felt relief, and a new sort of emotion that made him feel all giddy and happy. He tightened his fingers around hers, and marveled at how their fingers and hands seemed to fit together.
“That's good, because I am pretty sure I like you, too.”
-
It was maybe a few months later from the first date, and they were spending a quiet and lazy afternoon together in Yamapi's apartment. Maki was curled up on one end of the couch, reading, while he was stretched out, seemingly sleeping, his head on her lap.
Almost naturally, he reached out, and caught the hand that was to turn a page. “Maki~chan.”
She closed her book and brushed back his hair with her other hand. “I thought you were sleeping.”
“I was, but I remembered something that I had to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“I used to have a crush on you.”
“Oh, did you?” She asked teasingly, as she poked him in his ribs.
“Yup.” He answered, raising his head from her lap and sitting up to face her, and she thought his eyes were more serious than she expected them to be.
“So, what about now? Are you still having a crush on me?”
“Nope.” He shook his head, and dragged her onto his lap. “Because...I am very sure that I love you.”
Smiling, she looped her arms around his neck, and brushed her lips against his in a feather light kiss. “That's good, because I am very sure I love you, too.”
He laughed, his arms tightening around her waist, as he pulled her closer to him, pressing his mouth to hers in a long kiss that said it just as well as the words did.
-----
- end, 2220 words -
I haven't been writing Yamapi/Maki (or ANYTHING for that fact) in a very very long while, so I hope characterisations wasn't a bit too off. With some big fic writing assignments coming up, I thought I should get back in the groove of writing, especially RP.
Comments, reviews, constructive criticism are more than welcome and will be greatly appreciated and ♥ to the infinity!
Author: kohee
Pairing: Yamashita Tomohisa x Horikita Maki
Summary: Yamapi has a crush, and he thinks he will probably get over it...but he never really does.
Genre: Romance/(Attempted) Humor
Rating: PG
Author's note: I know this is kinda cliché and kinda done, but I just sort of wanted to get into writing something again, and this particular plot bunny clung to my brain and refused to get off. I discovered that clichés can be pretty damn stubborn.
The very first time Yamashita Tomohisa saw Horikita Maki, he felt his heart fluttered, missed a beat, and skipped around in a few circles, and he thought that he may never be the same again. But they were worlds apart; she was awkward, shy and new. And he, he had lived in the limelight, thrived on living in the limelight, and really, they couldn't be any more different.
All the same, by the time they were halfway through filming, he was contemplating on asking her out, only to be stopped by his horrified best friend, who proceeded to call him a pedophile (for she was barely 17 years old), and took it upon himself to change Yamapi's mind and make him see the light.
“So you were tongue-tied, had sweaty palms, and silly grins, etcetera etcetera?” Jin asked.
Yamapi nodded sheepishly, and Jin looked very smug as he imparted his knowledge to his younger friend.
It was just a crush, a small crush, Jin assured Yamapi confidently, and he prided himself on being very experienced and knowledgeable about the matters of the heart, because he had dated so many women (and rumor has it, as well as some men). Jin also reminded Yamapi that because he was one year older, he had lived life much longer, and therefore, he was the wiser and more worldly one of the two.
Yamapi wasn't sure about the whole idea of Jin being wise (and Jin was only 9 months older, not really a year), but he thought maybe Jin was right. After all, he was only 20 years old, coming-of-age, there couldn't be anything really serious to his feelings. He had almost an entire lifetime to live before even thinking about relationships - serious ones, that is.
Besides, Maki-chan did not seem to be interested in him that way.
The filming for Nobuta wo Produce soon ended, and they parted ways with each other's mobile numbers stored away in a long list of other acquaintances.
-
They met again, much sooner than he anticipated, and she was slightly older now (and the emphasis was really on the word 'slightly' for it had been but a few months), and they were no longer playing high-school kids, for he was a broody swindler and she was a righteous university student majoring in law.
Maki was less shy and much more natural for the press, for she was blossoming into the spotlight as one of Japan's most sought-after young actresses. Yamapi was ever still the media darling, of course, and their collaboration soon became one of the most talked-about topics in the entertainment circle as the media started to speculate about their relationship.
Sadly, there wasn't really a relationship. He was thrilled to be working with her again, that much was true, but it was disheartening hearing her stress, again and again, that she took her work seriously, was mindful about work ethics, and no, she would never, never date a co-star.
That made him feel like that there was something wrong with his heart, in the sense that it was sort of hurting. For he couldn't stop thinking about her, he saw her almost everywhere on the set even when she wasn't there. There were a few times he came close to asking her out, but he remembered her policies and things and the fact that she was only just 17 years old, and Yamapi the chicken always took over before he could say what he wanted.
And he was not really sure of his feelings. Was it still a crush? Was it something more? What the hell did he want? His confusion was voiced over a few drinks in a bar after work, and his drinking buddy, his favourite and ever oh-so-respected senior, Takizawa Hideaki, jumped at the chance to impart his worldliness.
“It is just a crush,” said Takizawa, knowingly and confidently as he twirled his shot glass between his fingers.
And Yamapi believed him, because Takizawa knew all about love, more so than Jin. He had been with Tsubasa for slightly more than a year, and the two of them were practically married, joined at the hip and all. And if Jin claimed to be wiser with 9 more months of life (he could hear Jin screeching that it was a YEAR), then Takizawa was practically a sage, as he was three years older.
So it was a crush, Yamapi decided. And nothing good ever came out of crushes, especially the ones that seemed one-sided.
And so, he didn't ask her out, and didn't attempt to scratch the surface of a working relationship, and they approached the days where the filming of Kurosagi eventually ended. On a whim, he bought her a small present, a bookmark made of delicate pressed flowers, because he noticed that she loved to read. She seemed surprised at the gift, but she thanked him, and almost awkwardly, she said that he could call her sometime, and they could keep in touch.
Out of politeness that she had asked, Yamapi thought, so it was with the same politeness he agreed. But he never called beyond the necessity of work, because Takizawa said the quickest way to get over a crush was not to encourage it with feelings of hope.
-
It was nearly two years later when Yamapi was informed of the plans to film a movie for Kurosagi, and that he would be working with Maki again. His heart did a little somersault when he found out, and to his dismay, he realised that he may not quite be over his crush.
But that was ridiculous, he thought, for it had been almost two years. In those two years, they saw each other often, and they were friendly, if not exactly great friends. He dated, casually, but never seriously. Abiru Yuu tried to get serious and he immediately backed off. Jin triumphantly told him that he was too young to be serious, and he thought Jin was right, but at the same time, he thought maybe it was because he didn't love Yuu and couldn't see himself loving her.
He looked forward to work, looked forward to getting on set because he had not seen her in months. When he saw her again, his heart did the same weird thing it did the first time he saw her, all the skipping and missing beats, and he swore he was almost breathless. For although she was more beautiful, there was something radiating within her, something bright and shining and so alluring, that caught his attention and refused to let go.
The first day of filming was a disaster, as Yamapi stumbled over lines, knocked into props, missing cues to enter scenes, because he was too confused and jumbled about his feelings and too busy thinking about what should he do with his love life.
And so a mixed-up Yamapi found himself at a loss, and was just about to seek Jin or Takizawa (or both) for their advice when he bumped into Kame. He was so despondent that he spilled out the entire story, despairing over the fact that he still had a crush on Maki when it was been almost three years now.
Kame stared at him for five seconds, and rolled his eyes, and proceeded to ask Yamapi whether was he a moron, or simply oblivious, or both.
Yamapi was offended, for he needed advice and not insults. But before he could respond with a few choice words, Kame pointed out the one thing he was obsessing over, and coincidentally, was also the one thing that he just kept missing.
“If it has been three years, Pi, then it's not a fucking crush.” Kame said tiredly, but concisely.
And he gaped at Kame for, as the realisation dawned upon him that he, Yamashita Tomohisa, was indeed, a complete idiot.
-
Jin had to give in and agree with his other best friend, although he tried his best to convince Yamapi that the life of a swinging bachelor was still the best life. But Yamapi had spent three years being stupid and did not intend to spend a second more being stupid. Jin relented, and helpfully said that because Maki was now older, Yamapi no longer appeared to be a pedophile (which was really unhelpful, now Yamapi thought about it).
And so, during one random day, Yamapi approached Maki, after almost three whole years of hesitation and uncertainty, and finally, finally, asked her for a date. As he waited for her response, his hands were clammy and his heart was beating about a million miles an hour, and he daresay he had never been so nervous before.
She looked at him, smiled a little, and she said yes, and he had this strange urge to start back-flipping all over the room, but he managed to remain civilised, and made plans for a dinner that very night.
They had a wonderful dinner together, and he had never felt more at ease with a girl than he did with her. She was so special, so different, so amazing, and just because she was Horikita Maki.
During dessert, she conversationally brought up the topic of their first collaboration, and he remembered the days when he was Akira and she was Nobuta, and how long ago that seemed, and how he had a crush on her for ages, and how it never went away. Even so, he wasn't quite prepared for what she said next.
“I used to have a crush on you,” she confessed, with a sheepish air as she spooned a mouthful of chocolate mousse.
Across the table, Yamapi was about to swallow his cake when he heard those words, and involuntarily, he sputtered, and started to choke in a most unrefined manner. He still managed to swallow, and as he raised his eyes to her face, he saw that her cheeks were slightly pink.
“Can you, uh...” He croaked, and then cleared his throat with a sip of water. “Can you repeat that?”
She fiddled with her dessert, and met his eyes, and he smiled at her, so she repeated her words. “I used to have a crush on you, Yamashita Tomohisa.”
He felt his world becoming brighter, and if it was some cheesy romance movie, there'd probably be hearts in his eyes. She was much braver than he was, he thought, and maybe he should be brave now. He stretched out his hand, inched towards her hand on the table, and rest his fingers on top of hers. “Really? What about now?”
The corner of her mouth lifted in a smile. “Not anymore, I think I'm over my crush.”
Yamapi's face colored as his heart dropped, and as he drew away his hand, he thought maybe he was better off being Yamapi the chicken.
But Maki caught his hand again, and looked at him squarely in the eye. “Because now, I don't think it's a crush anymore. I am pretty sure that I do like you.”
He laughed then, as he felt relief, and a new sort of emotion that made him feel all giddy and happy. He tightened his fingers around hers, and marveled at how their fingers and hands seemed to fit together.
“That's good, because I am pretty sure I like you, too.”
-
It was maybe a few months later from the first date, and they were spending a quiet and lazy afternoon together in Yamapi's apartment. Maki was curled up on one end of the couch, reading, while he was stretched out, seemingly sleeping, his head on her lap.
Almost naturally, he reached out, and caught the hand that was to turn a page. “Maki~chan.”
She closed her book and brushed back his hair with her other hand. “I thought you were sleeping.”
“I was, but I remembered something that I had to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“I used to have a crush on you.”
“Oh, did you?” She asked teasingly, as she poked him in his ribs.
“Yup.” He answered, raising his head from her lap and sitting up to face her, and she thought his eyes were more serious than she expected them to be.
“So, what about now? Are you still having a crush on me?”
“Nope.” He shook his head, and dragged her onto his lap. “Because...I am very sure that I love you.”
Smiling, she looped her arms around his neck, and brushed her lips against his in a feather light kiss. “That's good, because I am very sure I love you, too.”
He laughed, his arms tightening around her waist, as he pulled her closer to him, pressing his mouth to hers in a long kiss that said it just as well as the words did.
-----
- end, 2220 words -
I haven't been writing Yamapi/Maki (or ANYTHING for that fact) in a very very long while, so I hope characterisations wasn't a bit too off. With some big fic writing assignments coming up, I thought I should get back in the groove of writing, especially RP.
Comments, reviews, constructive criticism are more than welcome and will be greatly appreciated and ♥ to the infinity!