la dolce vita ~chapter 2~
Title: la dolce vita
Author: msdesireen
Characters: Akanishi, Kamenashi, Nakamaru, OC
Rating: PG-13 [for mentions of alcohol and hinted BL in later chapters]
Genre: Slice of life, AU
Beta by: myself?
Disclaimer: The plot is mine. The boys aren't.
Summary: La dolce vita, Italian for “the sweet life” or “the good life”, is something everyone would like to have. Of course, the definition of it varies, but in essence it always involves Happiness and well Love.
This is the story of 4 young individuals, all in their twenties, fumbling and grasping with the meaning of their lives and what it holds for them. This is the story of how 4 individuals with different personalities and coming from entirely different families, met, became friends and even fall in love with each other. This is also a story depicting their individual quest in search of Happiness and Love, which most unfortunately might elude them forever.
Chapter 2 - I know you!
The sky was painted in gun metal. Lightning flashed and thunder roared. He smiled, when large droplets of water got caught in his hair, and soaked through his clothes while the rest of the world was scampering off to shelter. He loved the rain. Central Tokyo received heavy rainfall and it poured in mid summer. Still, annual rainfall of 60 inches was hardly enough. It would be better if it rained every other day. Yes, even in winter.
When Professor Kimura Takuya had arrived in the lecture hall, he looked clearly amused. Students had the habit of gathering at the front during his lectures, the lecturer was after all easy on the eye. But everyone had put considerable distance from Kamenashi that day, leaving the front seats empty. He had seated himself comfortably in the middle seat, third row from the front of the lecture hall and a good 15 minutes before the lecture was schedule to start. Everyone who came after him avoided him like a plague, as if being drenched was a highly contagious disease. He felt cold, but refreshed. He loved being in the rain, and he didn't mind telling the whole world just that.
He was particularly restless that day. Being trapped indoors with a day packed full of lectures and tutorials when the rain was calling out to him. He wanted to be embraced by it, but couldn't possibly skip his lessons, or could he?
"Kamenashi! Desireen! If the rain is more important than what I have to say about relativity, please, show yourself out!" He turned when Professor Domoto Koichi yelled, clearly annoyed that his students were not paying attention during his tutorials. Domoto was passionate, but uninteresting and definitely not one of his favourite tutors. He didn't like physics, and Professor Domoto had to make it even more unpleasant. If not for the fact that he didn't have enough credits to do that popular neurology exposure module, he would never have ended up having anything to do with physics.
The other girl who was also being yelled at slammed her book shut, sweeping everything into her bag before fleeing the classroom. Professor Domoto was baffled.
Kamenashi closed his book too, making to follow her out of the prison of a classroom. But the look Professor Domoto shot him told him he was too late and skipping the rest of the lesson was out of the question. He grimaced, envious of the girl who was now free to enjoy the rain. He wondered if she was really staring at the rain like himself, concentrating on the rhythmic pitter-patter and watching the raindrops that hit the glass window roll down until they were well out of sight.
Then onwards, he started seeing her anywhere and everywhere on campus.
He discovered she was living in the same residence hall, only in different blocks. He realized that apart from that module on relativity, they were also doing the same modules for English Literature that semester. From the looks of it, they were both art students with nothing to do with the other science and engineering faculties.
She was always alone. He was alone for most part of the time too, what with most of his friends being in the business faculty. But, well, still not as solitary as she was. She didn't seem to have any friends, and she generally didn't have much interaction with people when it was not needed.
She was also very much different from the girls he had met. For one she seemed to pride herself in being alone, and had seemingly no interests in building relationships with people. He had greeted her a couple of times when they ran into each other along the corridors. During those times, she would merely nod in acknowledgment, out of courtesy, before walking off.
It was not until he saw her tears stained face at a secluded corner in the residence hall one day did he so much as get her to say something to him.
~*~
She was craving for something to drink that night, but wasn't in the mood for the clubs in Roppongi. Wandering aimlessly around the neighborhood, the signboard “Waiting Bar” caught her attention. She pushed the doors open and was embraced by Michael Bublé's rendition of Sway.
She always liked the spontaneity and vitality of Jazz, not to mention the seemingly lazy feel of the genre. She's not exactly into it, but it calmed her nerves, and it was just about the thing she needed on a night like that.
Inside it was dimly lit and the place was rather quiet for a Friday evening. A couple of round white tables and large black couches were being squeezed inside, and running the whole length is a bar made of polished dark wood, with rows of spirits lined at the back of the counter. There was also a small area with a drum set dedicated to acts which were invited to perform in the bar.
She walked in and took a seat at the far end of the counter, before ordering a margarita. The lone bartender looked to be in his mid twenties, and was dressed smartly in pastel gray long sleeve shirt, a choice of color not common among bartenders. She shrugged, not expecting much when her drink was served.
It was not until the sour and bright taste of that particular Margarita hit her did she take another look at the composed bartender. She was rather used to her Margarita being tarred by young pretenders who did not treat that cocktail with the respect it deserved. It was not uncommon for her to encounter Margarita mixes with too much ice, or for sweetened concentrated lime juice to be used instead of fresh ones.
She quickly ordered another, this time paying attention to the sharp and assertive movements of the bartender. The way he kept his hands on both parts of the shaker while shaking all the ingredients with cracked ice, then strained it into a frosted margarita glass rimmed with salt. She wouldn't exaggerate and say it was a work of art. Still, she was pleased with her decent cocktail and promised herself she would be back.
And she did, as often as she could. She was no good with small talks, and the bartender left her alone. She liked the way he was always sensitive to the customers' needs. The way he was quiet most of the time but could have surprisingly a lot to say when needed. She liked the comfortable aura exuded, the way he was not the least bit intimidating, and seemingly comfortable with himself. She also liked the way he was very particular about doing things properly and serving nothing short of the best to his customers. Not to forget, she liked the delicious drinks he made too.
It was uncharacteristic of her to be forcing her way through and making things difficult for others. She definitely was not out to bully the bar owner either. It just so happened that the bar, in that foreign city, was the only place comfortable enough for her to anchor herself with. She was still apologetic about invading his private space, but she couldn't help herself there and then, and it seemed rude to simply leave things as it was and returned to being a regular customer.
After starting work, she quickly got used to waking up from her power naps with two onigiri from the convenience store down the street, placed on the table she was resting on. At first she just left it as it is without touching it, not quite used to being cared for by strangers. But the bar owner had forced her to sit down, and refused to leave her alone until she had finished the rice ball one fine evening.
She was no good with food. It took her an eternity to so much as to force one of it down without throwing up. Her employer picked up on that habit of hers quickly, and saw it as his personal responsibility to make sure she ate. She was furious at first, but couldn't be bothered later on and merely did what was expected of her. To eat, before starting work.
~*~
Nakamaru had decided against serving yet another shot to the man in front of him right there and then. He decided it was a school night and the latter shouldn't have so much to drink.
“Coffee?” Akanishi pointed to the cup with raised brows.
“Not as good as the ones you make but enough to get you started on that dreaded essay Akanishi,” the bartender reminded.
His junior from high school sipped on the coffee obediently, but started asking about the other bartender in an attempt to change the subject. Nakamaru gave him a knowing look before engaging himself with the conversation Akanishi had started.
They were comfortable in each others' company, Nakamaru and Akanishi. There seemed to be this bond binding them together. They were both from the soccer team, but unlike Akanishi, Nakamaru was just a regular team member who was more often than not being asked to be one of the fullbacks.
Nakamaru knew his strengths. He was never aggressive enough to be one of the forwards. Neither was he industrious enough to be playing as a midfielder. The only thing he knew was, he loved soccer, he wanted to be playing with his team mates and he was always better at defending than attacking. That was not to say he was not the least bit competitive, he was just not that aggressive.
Akanishi, unlike himself, had always played with more flair. He was amongst the better ones and had been on the first team ever since he was only a first year. Nakamaru respected him for his talents and was one of those who had convinced the executive committee that a first year should be allowed to play based on his skills, and if a third year had to give up his position because Akanishi was clearly a better player, it should be done since it would no doubt increase their chance of winning.
Nakamaru liked being with Akanishi. He liked the way the guy used to be so cheerful and surprisingly silly despite his looks. He liked the way the guy had grown into a reserved, fine young man, who was still as passionate but more capable of keeping himself in reign. He liked the way the guy could be so determined and unrelenting once he had set his eyes on the goal. But he didn't quite like how Akanishi might try to please the people around him and in turn get hurt. He didn't quite like how Akanishi could sometimes be so terribly unsure of himself, and be oblivious to his true abilities when unkind words got to him. At times like those, Nakamaru would try to nudge the younger one a little, reminding him how great he actually was.
~*~
Akanishi was perturbed to see that particular customer entering the store with a lady following right at his back. Oh right, wrong choice of vocabulary, he was merely curious. And no, he wasn't the least bit surprised, or unhappy to see him accompanied, he just needed some getting used to. He was just, well, used to Kamenashi being alone, and...what's with the girl? What's with him smiling like that to a girl? What's with the girl being all indifferent? But of course, Akanishi could only keep those thoughts to himself, and he served them with the usual smiles he flashed at customers.
The girl was in a comfortable looking beige long sleeve dress, with a gray scarf around her neck. Her long black hair hung loosely around her shoulders and she was currently looking out of the cafe while Kamenashi was getting the drinks.
“Two cafe mocha please,” Kamenashi piped in, pulling Akanishi out of his reverie.
“Two cafe mocha coming right up, any cakes or muffins for you?” Akanishi asked, somewhat robotic.
“No, not today,” Kamenashi smiled before handing the latter a bill.
“You've got company today, girlfriend?” Akanishi mused, while punching on the cash register.
“More like, fellow school mate,” Kamenashi corrected.
Akanishi nodded before handling him his change and proceeded to make the order.
Frankly speaking, Kamenashi and the girl could sit at two different tables and it wouldn't have made a difference. The two of them were barely speaking to each other. Each of them seemingly to be absorbed in their individual activities. Kamenashi was once again pouring over his notes and the girl seemed absorbed in her book. Sometimes, Kamenashi would attempt to start up a conversation, but it seemed like the girl weren't exactly being cooperative.
One last thing, Akanishi can't help feeling he had met the girl somewhere, and couldn't believe he actually blurted out the question when the girl came to the counter, asking for a glass of warm water. He was berating himself inwardly, wondering if the girl would just thought he had came up with one of the most cliché pick-up lines ever. However, it turned out that he had indeed met the girl before, and on a regular basis.
“I make you drinks,” the girl smiled before picking up her glass of warm water and walking back to her seat.
~*~
A/N: Alright, chapter 2 turned out a lot better than what I had expected. There are more interactions between the various characters and I bet there are more to come. I'm not sure if you guys shared the same sentiments but you know, Chapter 1 came out rather well and I didn't have the confidence to keep up with it initially. Right now, I'm just taking things slowly, not giving myself any pressure, and continue to explore the characters at the moment, drawing links between them.
I wonder if anyone had figured the structure I used for these two chapters. The first one started off with the girl's perspective of Akanishi, followed by Akanishi's perspective of Kamenashi, Kamenashi's perspective of Nakamaru before finishing off with Nakamaru's perspective of the girl. A full circle. This one had a similar structure. I've always wondered what the world would be like from another person's perspective, so I decided to try it out over here.
I find the need to clarify this part. Please understand that Kamenashi was not the least bit obsessed with the girl when he mentioned seeing her anywhere and everywhere on campus. It is just a reflex action of the brain to pick up on things it could recognize. Just like when I was in secondary school, I could suddenly see a lot of other secondary school students wherever I went, but was rather oblivious to all the older junior college students who were also in uniforms until I was like one of them? Have you had similar experiences?
I hope none of the characters are coming through as ooc. I don't know those guys personally, and all I could do is try to extrapolate their personalities from what I read in interviews, seen in concert videos and variety shows. With regards to the girl, she's not me. I'm not exactly like that as much as I try to be some times. And if I loved nothing about myself, I love my name and I'm definitely using it in here. Unless, well, you guys don't mind me leaving the name as .
One last thing, various Johnny's would be making a cameo appearance if I managed to squeeze them in. [Koichi wasn't supposed to be teaching them relativity, I never got physics, but well, with Koichi, it definitely has to be relativity if you do get what I mean.] XDDD
Sorry for the terribly long author's note. Comments are loved, they are after all the best kind of motivation.
Author: msdesireen
Characters: Akanishi, Kamenashi, Nakamaru, OC
Rating: PG-13 [for mentions of alcohol and hinted BL in later chapters]
Genre: Slice of life, AU
Beta by: myself?
Disclaimer: The plot is mine. The boys aren't.
Summary: La dolce vita, Italian for “the sweet life” or “the good life”, is something everyone would like to have. Of course, the definition of it varies, but in essence it always involves Happiness and well Love.
This is the story of 4 young individuals, all in their twenties, fumbling and grasping with the meaning of their lives and what it holds for them. This is the story of how 4 individuals with different personalities and coming from entirely different families, met, became friends and even fall in love with each other. This is also a story depicting their individual quest in search of Happiness and Love, which most unfortunately might elude them forever.
Chapter 2 - I know you!
The sky was painted in gun metal. Lightning flashed and thunder roared. He smiled, when large droplets of water got caught in his hair, and soaked through his clothes while the rest of the world was scampering off to shelter. He loved the rain. Central Tokyo received heavy rainfall and it poured in mid summer. Still, annual rainfall of 60 inches was hardly enough. It would be better if it rained every other day. Yes, even in winter.
When Professor Kimura Takuya had arrived in the lecture hall, he looked clearly amused. Students had the habit of gathering at the front during his lectures, the lecturer was after all easy on the eye. But everyone had put considerable distance from Kamenashi that day, leaving the front seats empty. He had seated himself comfortably in the middle seat, third row from the front of the lecture hall and a good 15 minutes before the lecture was schedule to start. Everyone who came after him avoided him like a plague, as if being drenched was a highly contagious disease. He felt cold, but refreshed. He loved being in the rain, and he didn't mind telling the whole world just that.
He was particularly restless that day. Being trapped indoors with a day packed full of lectures and tutorials when the rain was calling out to him. He wanted to be embraced by it, but couldn't possibly skip his lessons, or could he?
"Kamenashi! Desireen! If the rain is more important than what I have to say about relativity, please, show yourself out!" He turned when Professor Domoto Koichi yelled, clearly annoyed that his students were not paying attention during his tutorials. Domoto was passionate, but uninteresting and definitely not one of his favourite tutors. He didn't like physics, and Professor Domoto had to make it even more unpleasant. If not for the fact that he didn't have enough credits to do that popular neurology exposure module, he would never have ended up having anything to do with physics.
The other girl who was also being yelled at slammed her book shut, sweeping everything into her bag before fleeing the classroom. Professor Domoto was baffled.
Kamenashi closed his book too, making to follow her out of the prison of a classroom. But the look Professor Domoto shot him told him he was too late and skipping the rest of the lesson was out of the question. He grimaced, envious of the girl who was now free to enjoy the rain. He wondered if she was really staring at the rain like himself, concentrating on the rhythmic pitter-patter and watching the raindrops that hit the glass window roll down until they were well out of sight.
Then onwards, he started seeing her anywhere and everywhere on campus.
He discovered she was living in the same residence hall, only in different blocks. He realized that apart from that module on relativity, they were also doing the same modules for English Literature that semester. From the looks of it, they were both art students with nothing to do with the other science and engineering faculties.
She was always alone. He was alone for most part of the time too, what with most of his friends being in the business faculty. But, well, still not as solitary as she was. She didn't seem to have any friends, and she generally didn't have much interaction with people when it was not needed.
She was also very much different from the girls he had met. For one she seemed to pride herself in being alone, and had seemingly no interests in building relationships with people. He had greeted her a couple of times when they ran into each other along the corridors. During those times, she would merely nod in acknowledgment, out of courtesy, before walking off.
It was not until he saw her tears stained face at a secluded corner in the residence hall one day did he so much as get her to say something to him.
~*~
She was craving for something to drink that night, but wasn't in the mood for the clubs in Roppongi. Wandering aimlessly around the neighborhood, the signboard “Waiting Bar” caught her attention. She pushed the doors open and was embraced by Michael Bublé's rendition of Sway.
She always liked the spontaneity and vitality of Jazz, not to mention the seemingly lazy feel of the genre. She's not exactly into it, but it calmed her nerves, and it was just about the thing she needed on a night like that.
Inside it was dimly lit and the place was rather quiet for a Friday evening. A couple of round white tables and large black couches were being squeezed inside, and running the whole length is a bar made of polished dark wood, with rows of spirits lined at the back of the counter. There was also a small area with a drum set dedicated to acts which were invited to perform in the bar.
She walked in and took a seat at the far end of the counter, before ordering a margarita. The lone bartender looked to be in his mid twenties, and was dressed smartly in pastel gray long sleeve shirt, a choice of color not common among bartenders. She shrugged, not expecting much when her drink was served.
It was not until the sour and bright taste of that particular Margarita hit her did she take another look at the composed bartender. She was rather used to her Margarita being tarred by young pretenders who did not treat that cocktail with the respect it deserved. It was not uncommon for her to encounter Margarita mixes with too much ice, or for sweetened concentrated lime juice to be used instead of fresh ones.
She quickly ordered another, this time paying attention to the sharp and assertive movements of the bartender. The way he kept his hands on both parts of the shaker while shaking all the ingredients with cracked ice, then strained it into a frosted margarita glass rimmed with salt. She wouldn't exaggerate and say it was a work of art. Still, she was pleased with her decent cocktail and promised herself she would be back.
And she did, as often as she could. She was no good with small talks, and the bartender left her alone. She liked the way he was always sensitive to the customers' needs. The way he was quiet most of the time but could have surprisingly a lot to say when needed. She liked the comfortable aura exuded, the way he was not the least bit intimidating, and seemingly comfortable with himself. She also liked the way he was very particular about doing things properly and serving nothing short of the best to his customers. Not to forget, she liked the delicious drinks he made too.
It was uncharacteristic of her to be forcing her way through and making things difficult for others. She definitely was not out to bully the bar owner either. It just so happened that the bar, in that foreign city, was the only place comfortable enough for her to anchor herself with. She was still apologetic about invading his private space, but she couldn't help herself there and then, and it seemed rude to simply leave things as it was and returned to being a regular customer.
After starting work, she quickly got used to waking up from her power naps with two onigiri from the convenience store down the street, placed on the table she was resting on. At first she just left it as it is without touching it, not quite used to being cared for by strangers. But the bar owner had forced her to sit down, and refused to leave her alone until she had finished the rice ball one fine evening.
She was no good with food. It took her an eternity to so much as to force one of it down without throwing up. Her employer picked up on that habit of hers quickly, and saw it as his personal responsibility to make sure she ate. She was furious at first, but couldn't be bothered later on and merely did what was expected of her. To eat, before starting work.
~*~
Nakamaru had decided against serving yet another shot to the man in front of him right there and then. He decided it was a school night and the latter shouldn't have so much to drink.
“Coffee?” Akanishi pointed to the cup with raised brows.
“Not as good as the ones you make but enough to get you started on that dreaded essay Akanishi,” the bartender reminded.
His junior from high school sipped on the coffee obediently, but started asking about the other bartender in an attempt to change the subject. Nakamaru gave him a knowing look before engaging himself with the conversation Akanishi had started.
They were comfortable in each others' company, Nakamaru and Akanishi. There seemed to be this bond binding them together. They were both from the soccer team, but unlike Akanishi, Nakamaru was just a regular team member who was more often than not being asked to be one of the fullbacks.
Nakamaru knew his strengths. He was never aggressive enough to be one of the forwards. Neither was he industrious enough to be playing as a midfielder. The only thing he knew was, he loved soccer, he wanted to be playing with his team mates and he was always better at defending than attacking. That was not to say he was not the least bit competitive, he was just not that aggressive.
Akanishi, unlike himself, had always played with more flair. He was amongst the better ones and had been on the first team ever since he was only a first year. Nakamaru respected him for his talents and was one of those who had convinced the executive committee that a first year should be allowed to play based on his skills, and if a third year had to give up his position because Akanishi was clearly a better player, it should be done since it would no doubt increase their chance of winning.
Nakamaru liked being with Akanishi. He liked the way the guy used to be so cheerful and surprisingly silly despite his looks. He liked the way the guy had grown into a reserved, fine young man, who was still as passionate but more capable of keeping himself in reign. He liked the way the guy could be so determined and unrelenting once he had set his eyes on the goal. But he didn't quite like how Akanishi might try to please the people around him and in turn get hurt. He didn't quite like how Akanishi could sometimes be so terribly unsure of himself, and be oblivious to his true abilities when unkind words got to him. At times like those, Nakamaru would try to nudge the younger one a little, reminding him how great he actually was.
~*~
Akanishi was perturbed to see that particular customer entering the store with a lady following right at his back. Oh right, wrong choice of vocabulary, he was merely curious. And no, he wasn't the least bit surprised, or unhappy to see him accompanied, he just needed some getting used to. He was just, well, used to Kamenashi being alone, and...what's with the girl? What's with him smiling like that to a girl? What's with the girl being all indifferent? But of course, Akanishi could only keep those thoughts to himself, and he served them with the usual smiles he flashed at customers.
The girl was in a comfortable looking beige long sleeve dress, with a gray scarf around her neck. Her long black hair hung loosely around her shoulders and she was currently looking out of the cafe while Kamenashi was getting the drinks.
“Two cafe mocha please,” Kamenashi piped in, pulling Akanishi out of his reverie.
“Two cafe mocha coming right up, any cakes or muffins for you?” Akanishi asked, somewhat robotic.
“No, not today,” Kamenashi smiled before handing the latter a bill.
“You've got company today, girlfriend?” Akanishi mused, while punching on the cash register.
“More like, fellow school mate,” Kamenashi corrected.
Akanishi nodded before handling him his change and proceeded to make the order.
Frankly speaking, Kamenashi and the girl could sit at two different tables and it wouldn't have made a difference. The two of them were barely speaking to each other. Each of them seemingly to be absorbed in their individual activities. Kamenashi was once again pouring over his notes and the girl seemed absorbed in her book. Sometimes, Kamenashi would attempt to start up a conversation, but it seemed like the girl weren't exactly being cooperative.
One last thing, Akanishi can't help feeling he had met the girl somewhere, and couldn't believe he actually blurted out the question when the girl came to the counter, asking for a glass of warm water. He was berating himself inwardly, wondering if the girl would just thought he had came up with one of the most cliché pick-up lines ever. However, it turned out that he had indeed met the girl before, and on a regular basis.
“I make you drinks,” the girl smiled before picking up her glass of warm water and walking back to her seat.
~*~
A/N: Alright, chapter 2 turned out a lot better than what I had expected. There are more interactions between the various characters and I bet there are more to come. I'm not sure if you guys shared the same sentiments but you know, Chapter 1 came out rather well and I didn't have the confidence to keep up with it initially. Right now, I'm just taking things slowly, not giving myself any pressure, and continue to explore the characters at the moment, drawing links between them.
I wonder if anyone had figured the structure I used for these two chapters. The first one started off with the girl's perspective of Akanishi, followed by Akanishi's perspective of Kamenashi, Kamenashi's perspective of Nakamaru before finishing off with Nakamaru's perspective of the girl. A full circle. This one had a similar structure. I've always wondered what the world would be like from another person's perspective, so I decided to try it out over here.
I find the need to clarify this part. Please understand that Kamenashi was not the least bit obsessed with the girl when he mentioned seeing her anywhere and everywhere on campus. It is just a reflex action of the brain to pick up on things it could recognize. Just like when I was in secondary school, I could suddenly see a lot of other secondary school students wherever I went, but was rather oblivious to all the older junior college students who were also in uniforms until I was like one of them? Have you had similar experiences?
I hope none of the characters are coming through as ooc. I don't know those guys personally, and all I could do is try to extrapolate their personalities from what I read in interviews, seen in concert videos and variety shows. With regards to the girl, she's not me. I'm not exactly like that as much as I try to be some times. And if I loved nothing about myself, I love my name and I'm definitely using it in here. Unless, well, you guys don't mind me leaving the name as .
One last thing, various Johnny's would be making a cameo appearance if I managed to squeeze them in. [Koichi wasn't supposed to be teaching them relativity, I never got physics, but well, with Koichi, it definitely has to be relativity if you do get what I mean.] XDDD
Sorry for the terribly long author's note. Comments are loved, they are after all the best kind of motivation.