Tokyo Times- 3
Title: Tokyo Times- 3
Author: shyone
Genre: au; humor
Pairing: none
Rating: g
Summary: Gackt is trying to get some work done and can’t cope with all the- silence.
Characters: Gackt, Kami
Word count: 1625
Tokyo Times is a collection of short, interwoven stories, each complete in itself, in a universe where Gackt is a best-selling author; You, an award-winning photojournalist; & Chacha is chef/owner of one of the most popular upscale restaurants in town. Other band members and friends wander in and out as need be.
Chapter 3- Peace and Quiet
Gackt frowned and jabbed at the ‘delete’ key, erasing what little was on the screen. This last bit was not going well, not well at all.
He picked up his empty coffee cup and sauntered out to the kitchen, poured himself a fresh cup, opened the refrigerator and stared inside for a minute, then shut the door and headed back toward his office. In the living room he detoured to the front door and stepped out into the foyer.
The apartment across the foyer stood open. Music could be heard playing, along with hammering and laughter from the crew of workmen. “...probably by the end of the week,” the foreman said as he and the owner stepped out into the hall.
“Great! Perfect timing,” the apartment owner replied.
“Yeah, I’ll give you a call, and let Mori know, too, when you’ll be able to move back in,” the foreman said. “Sorry it’s taking so long.”
“That’s alright,” the owner said, “I’d rather have it done right than move back and have to leave again.” He shook the workman’s hand and turned to leave.
“Hello,” he smiled at Gackt. “My name is You. You must be my new neighbor.” He offered his hand.
Gackt gazed at him. He looked vaguely familiar; tall and slim, about the same age as himself, with a captivating smile. ... No! he’d spent so much time hating his unknown neighbor because of the noise interrupting his work these last few weeks he wasn’t going to be swayed that easily. “Hn,” he said and walked back into his apartment, shutting the door behind him.
You stared after him, then he shrugged and walked to the elevator as one of the workmen started to sing along with yet another AKB song on the radio.
“Sure, it’s alright with you,” Gackt grumbled to himself as he headed back to his office, “you don’t have to put up with all the noise.”
He picked up a yellow legal pad and pencil from his desk and turned in his chair to stare out the window of his office.
~~~~~~~
Kami unlocked the door and let himself into the apartment. The place looked deserted. He headed down the hall toward Gackt’s office where he found the writer frowning at his computer.
“What’s wrong, Gacchan?” he asked as he slipped into the quiet office.
“I can’t work with all this noise! And how’d you get in here?”
Kami walked across the large room and sat on the corner of Gackt’s desk, glancing down and flipping through the papers scattered about. “Well, I rang the bell for a good two minutes, and then, since I knew you’d be home for our meeting this morning, I let myself in with my key.”
“Well, of course I didn’t hear the doorbell with all that racket going on!” Gackt snapped.
“What racket?”
Gackt pushed back in his chair and glared at the man sitting on his desk. “Have you gone deaf? You can’t hear all that hammering and banging and loud music? If you want this damn book done, go make them stop! And get off my desk,” he grumbled as he fussed with straightening up the papers into neat piles.
“Gackt, come with me.” Kami grabbed him by the arm, pulled him up out of his chair, through the apartment, and opened the front door. Giving the writer a patronizing smile he said, “Now, listen. What do you hear?”
Gackt opened his mouth angrily, then shut it and frowned, listening to the silence. “Well, it was noisy before you got here.” Both men returned to the apartment, and Gackt threw himself huffily into a chair.
“Oh, I don’t think so,” Kami said cheerily. He made his way to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. “What’ve you got for lunch?” he called out, poking around through bottles and jars and containers half full with questionable contents.
“It was noisy,” Gackt insisted over the commotion.
Kami came back disappointedly munching on an apple. “Well, I saw Mori when I came in, and he said that the workmen were done Saturday, and that the tenant should be back today.”
“Hn, it’s been so noisy I’ve lost all track of time. People should be more considerate of their neighbors,” Gackt grumbled.
“Gackt, I’m your editor, not the noise police, so correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you have extensive work done in here before you moved in?”
“That was different.”
Kami raised an eyebrow. “Different how? Different because it was for you?”
Gackt glared and stuck his chin out defiantly. “Nobody else works from home.”
Kami snorted. “Really? I don’t know about that. But I suppose only about 1% of the population works from home,” he mused. “But when things are going well a bomb could go off right next to you, and you’d never know. So what’s really bothering you?”
“What are you eating?” Gackt asked, wanting to distract Kami from that line of questioning.
“It’s your last apple. When was the last time you ate or went shopping?”
Gackt frowned as Kami set the apple core on the coffee table. “I didn’t know I had an apple left,” he murmured to himself. Then to Kami, “I don’t know, what day is it?”
“Gackt, meals are not something to be measured by days. Grab your coat, I’m taking you out to lunch. When was the last time you were out of this house?”
Gackt shut the door behind them, and they walked to the elevator. “Four weeks ago, when I moved in.”
The elevator doors closed behind them. “Well, no wonder you’re so grouchy. We need to get you out and about and see what the neighborhood’s like. Get your mind off this project for a while. You’ll feel better once you get some food and give yourself some time to relax and recharge.”
They walked out of the building into the sunshine. Gackt winced and pulled his sunglasses from his pocket as they walked down the street. “Where are we going?”
“I don’t know, it’s your neighborhood.... Oh, how about there?” Kami pointed to an upscale restaurant.
Gackt looked at the place dubiously. He really wasn’t in the mood for French, so he said, “You made me come out without my wallet.”
“Oh.” They walked a little farther. “Ok, here,” Kami grinned and led the way inside a promising looking noodle shop.
Gackt snorted. “Oh, sure, spare no expense here, Kamimura.”
“I’m the editor, not the one with the big bucks here, Camui; so it’s noodles here, or we stop at a combini and pick up some instant ramen.”
Gackt looked around and sat down at the counter, ”This looks like an excellent choice.”
“So tell me,” Kami said said between mouthfuls of delicious udon, “what’s really got you so upset and tied to your house? You’re too organized for the book to be bothering you so much.”
Gackt stopped eating and looked up. “Well, I was having trouble with the construction noise.” Then he thought to himself, ’But I can’t hear it back in my office...,’ and his thoughts turned to his new neighbor. the one he’d seen several times now when he’d stuck his head out the door being nosy to watch the construction.
Kami took a drink of his beer, “But the construction has been winding down, and Mori says the owner is moving back in. Have you met him?”
Gackt’s eyes slid back to his noodles. “Yeeah,” he said evasively, “I’ve seen him around a few times.” He started eating to put an end to that line of conversation.
“I guess it’s mostly my mother and sister driving me crazy. They seem to think I’m throwing myself into my work because I’m lonely, and they’ve made it their mission in life to get me married off as quickly as possible. They come by almost every day to drag me out to meet some woman or other. And I just started using the noise and being behind in my work as an excuse to get rid of them without hurting their feelings.” He sighed deeply. “Now I guess I’m going to have to come up with something else.”
Kami smiled in sympathy. “Well,” he said, “maybe you should just let them have their way. Let them take you out, treat you to dinner and introduce you to some people.”
Gackt snorted. “It’s never a treat. It’s like being with you- I’m the big successful writer, so I’m the one who gets the bill. But I guess you’re right, I should let them have their way.”
“Of course I’m right. I’m always right,” Kami said smugly.
“Yeah,” Gackt sighed, “I hate when you’re right.” He got an evil gleam in his eye. “But don’t get too smug. They’ve already got someone picked out. All I have to do is say yes, and it’s a date. So what evening do you have free? I’m dragging you along, too, and I know if I don’t like her they’ll be thrilled to set her up with you.”
“Hey, no fair!”
“Yes, fair. I think it’s an excellent idea.” He grinned at Kami and pulled out his wallet as he stood up. “It’s so excellent I’ll even pay for lunch.”
Kami glared at him as they walked out the door. “I thought you said you didn’t have your wallet,” he grumbled.
Gackt just smiled up at the sun as he pulled on his sunglasses. “I lied. Ahh, what a beautiful day.”
~~~~~~~
Author: shyone
Genre: au; humor
Pairing: none
Rating: g
Summary: Gackt is trying to get some work done and can’t cope with all the- silence.
Characters: Gackt, Kami
Word count: 1625
Tokyo Times is a collection of short, interwoven stories, each complete in itself, in a universe where Gackt is a best-selling author; You, an award-winning photojournalist; & Chacha is chef/owner of one of the most popular upscale restaurants in town. Other band members and friends wander in and out as need be.
Chapter 3- Peace and Quiet
Gackt frowned and jabbed at the ‘delete’ key, erasing what little was on the screen. This last bit was not going well, not well at all.
He picked up his empty coffee cup and sauntered out to the kitchen, poured himself a fresh cup, opened the refrigerator and stared inside for a minute, then shut the door and headed back toward his office. In the living room he detoured to the front door and stepped out into the foyer.
The apartment across the foyer stood open. Music could be heard playing, along with hammering and laughter from the crew of workmen. “...probably by the end of the week,” the foreman said as he and the owner stepped out into the hall.
“Great! Perfect timing,” the apartment owner replied.
“Yeah, I’ll give you a call, and let Mori know, too, when you’ll be able to move back in,” the foreman said. “Sorry it’s taking so long.”
“That’s alright,” the owner said, “I’d rather have it done right than move back and have to leave again.” He shook the workman’s hand and turned to leave.
“Hello,” he smiled at Gackt. “My name is You. You must be my new neighbor.” He offered his hand.
Gackt gazed at him. He looked vaguely familiar; tall and slim, about the same age as himself, with a captivating smile. ... No! he’d spent so much time hating his unknown neighbor because of the noise interrupting his work these last few weeks he wasn’t going to be swayed that easily. “Hn,” he said and walked back into his apartment, shutting the door behind him.
You stared after him, then he shrugged and walked to the elevator as one of the workmen started to sing along with yet another AKB song on the radio.
“Sure, it’s alright with you,” Gackt grumbled to himself as he headed back to his office, “you don’t have to put up with all the noise.”
He picked up a yellow legal pad and pencil from his desk and turned in his chair to stare out the window of his office.
~~~~~~~
Kami unlocked the door and let himself into the apartment. The place looked deserted. He headed down the hall toward Gackt’s office where he found the writer frowning at his computer.
“What’s wrong, Gacchan?” he asked as he slipped into the quiet office.
“I can’t work with all this noise! And how’d you get in here?”
Kami walked across the large room and sat on the corner of Gackt’s desk, glancing down and flipping through the papers scattered about. “Well, I rang the bell for a good two minutes, and then, since I knew you’d be home for our meeting this morning, I let myself in with my key.”
“Well, of course I didn’t hear the doorbell with all that racket going on!” Gackt snapped.
“What racket?”
Gackt pushed back in his chair and glared at the man sitting on his desk. “Have you gone deaf? You can’t hear all that hammering and banging and loud music? If you want this damn book done, go make them stop! And get off my desk,” he grumbled as he fussed with straightening up the papers into neat piles.
“Gackt, come with me.” Kami grabbed him by the arm, pulled him up out of his chair, through the apartment, and opened the front door. Giving the writer a patronizing smile he said, “Now, listen. What do you hear?”
Gackt opened his mouth angrily, then shut it and frowned, listening to the silence. “Well, it was noisy before you got here.” Both men returned to the apartment, and Gackt threw himself huffily into a chair.
“Oh, I don’t think so,” Kami said cheerily. He made his way to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. “What’ve you got for lunch?” he called out, poking around through bottles and jars and containers half full with questionable contents.
“It was noisy,” Gackt insisted over the commotion.
Kami came back disappointedly munching on an apple. “Well, I saw Mori when I came in, and he said that the workmen were done Saturday, and that the tenant should be back today.”
“Hn, it’s been so noisy I’ve lost all track of time. People should be more considerate of their neighbors,” Gackt grumbled.
“Gackt, I’m your editor, not the noise police, so correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you have extensive work done in here before you moved in?”
“That was different.”
Kami raised an eyebrow. “Different how? Different because it was for you?”
Gackt glared and stuck his chin out defiantly. “Nobody else works from home.”
Kami snorted. “Really? I don’t know about that. But I suppose only about 1% of the population works from home,” he mused. “But when things are going well a bomb could go off right next to you, and you’d never know. So what’s really bothering you?”
“What are you eating?” Gackt asked, wanting to distract Kami from that line of questioning.
“It’s your last apple. When was the last time you ate or went shopping?”
Gackt frowned as Kami set the apple core on the coffee table. “I didn’t know I had an apple left,” he murmured to himself. Then to Kami, “I don’t know, what day is it?”
“Gackt, meals are not something to be measured by days. Grab your coat, I’m taking you out to lunch. When was the last time you were out of this house?”
Gackt shut the door behind them, and they walked to the elevator. “Four weeks ago, when I moved in.”
The elevator doors closed behind them. “Well, no wonder you’re so grouchy. We need to get you out and about and see what the neighborhood’s like. Get your mind off this project for a while. You’ll feel better once you get some food and give yourself some time to relax and recharge.”
They walked out of the building into the sunshine. Gackt winced and pulled his sunglasses from his pocket as they walked down the street. “Where are we going?”
“I don’t know, it’s your neighborhood.... Oh, how about there?” Kami pointed to an upscale restaurant.
Gackt looked at the place dubiously. He really wasn’t in the mood for French, so he said, “You made me come out without my wallet.”
“Oh.” They walked a little farther. “Ok, here,” Kami grinned and led the way inside a promising looking noodle shop.
Gackt snorted. “Oh, sure, spare no expense here, Kamimura.”
“I’m the editor, not the one with the big bucks here, Camui; so it’s noodles here, or we stop at a combini and pick up some instant ramen.”
Gackt looked around and sat down at the counter, ”This looks like an excellent choice.”
“So tell me,” Kami said said between mouthfuls of delicious udon, “what’s really got you so upset and tied to your house? You’re too organized for the book to be bothering you so much.”
Gackt stopped eating and looked up. “Well, I was having trouble with the construction noise.” Then he thought to himself, ’But I can’t hear it back in my office...,’ and his thoughts turned to his new neighbor. the one he’d seen several times now when he’d stuck his head out the door being nosy to watch the construction.
Kami took a drink of his beer, “But the construction has been winding down, and Mori says the owner is moving back in. Have you met him?”
Gackt’s eyes slid back to his noodles. “Yeeah,” he said evasively, “I’ve seen him around a few times.” He started eating to put an end to that line of conversation.
“I guess it’s mostly my mother and sister driving me crazy. They seem to think I’m throwing myself into my work because I’m lonely, and they’ve made it their mission in life to get me married off as quickly as possible. They come by almost every day to drag me out to meet some woman or other. And I just started using the noise and being behind in my work as an excuse to get rid of them without hurting their feelings.” He sighed deeply. “Now I guess I’m going to have to come up with something else.”
Kami smiled in sympathy. “Well,” he said, “maybe you should just let them have their way. Let them take you out, treat you to dinner and introduce you to some people.”
Gackt snorted. “It’s never a treat. It’s like being with you- I’m the big successful writer, so I’m the one who gets the bill. But I guess you’re right, I should let them have their way.”
“Of course I’m right. I’m always right,” Kami said smugly.
“Yeah,” Gackt sighed, “I hate when you’re right.” He got an evil gleam in his eye. “But don’t get too smug. They’ve already got someone picked out. All I have to do is say yes, and it’s a date. So what evening do you have free? I’m dragging you along, too, and I know if I don’t like her they’ll be thrilled to set her up with you.”
“Hey, no fair!”
“Yes, fair. I think it’s an excellent idea.” He grinned at Kami and pulled out his wallet as he stood up. “It’s so excellent I’ll even pay for lunch.”
Kami glared at him as they walked out the door. “I thought you said you didn’t have your wallet,” he grumbled.
Gackt just smiled up at the sun as he pulled on his sunglasses. “I lied. Ahh, what a beautiful day.”
~~~~~~~