[multichpater] baby blue: part 5: chapter 20
Title: Baby Blue: Part 5: Chapter 20
Pairing: JunDa
Rating: G
Word Count: 1185
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, and only the words are mine.
Summary: They knew that moving forward would be hard, but with each hurdle the happiness they deserve seems further and further away.
October 16th 2015
“I got my schedule today.” Ueda announced with a grin. “Did you get yours?”
After a whole week off away in Hawaii with his new husband, it seemed a miracle to Ueda that he had another 4 days holiday before his first work meeting.
“I’m back on Wednesday.” Taguchi said with a pleased nod. “First meeting is about the script for our movie.”
Ueda’s smile dropped a little. “I have variety show meetings on Tuesday, it’s only for a few hours though and then the same as you Wednesday. Did you get the note about discussions for a second single?”
Taguchi nodded. “It must be a tie in with the movie…I can’t believe our life is movie worthy.”
“It will be.” Ueda agreed. “When we find a place. We should use these few days to go out and look at houses.”
They’d looked. Between the two of them they’d been scanning the listings in the newspapers for weeks but they had yet to actually go out and look at anything.
“You know there was an open house advertised in the local paper.” Taguchi said with a smile. “The new flats opening across from the combini just down from Gokokuji station. Since we have no plans for the rest of the day…we could go check it out.”
Ueda nodded happily and pulled the stack of newspapers on the table just a little closer. “I circled a few that would be worth looking at. I could make some calls and we could make a day of it?”
“Sounds like fun.” Taguchi answered, his bright grin making Ueda’s face light up as well. “I’ll take a shower?”
Less than an hour later, the two of them set off in Taguchi’s mini, three apartments to look at over four hours and then the open house.
The first of the apartments was too small. The living area was less than 6 tatamis and the bedroom was smaller even than that, and so with polite bows and promises to think on it, they took their leave.
The second place they looked at was more a cottage than an apartment and was much bigger, but the location wasn’t as good. It was just over an hour drive from Tokyo and fifteen to the nearest station. Ueda had fallen in love with it from the pictures and had wanted to see it despite it’s shortcomings but even the walk in wardrobes and the heated basement Jacuzzi couldn’t sway him from reality.
The third place they looked at was a happy medium between the two, the size decent and the location brilliant but they’d spent no more than five minutes in the ground floor apartment before realising it wasn’t for them. The noise was horrific, busy traffic and people constantly walking by, the dogs would be mental within a week.
“So an hour until the open house starts…” Taguchi mused as they made their way back to the car.
“We could go for lunch?” Ueda suggested. “Disappointment sure makes me hungry.”
“I’m holding out hope for this last place.” Taguchi assured him. “We already know that the price and the location are good and it’s central enough that driving to work won’t be a problem.”
Ueda hummed as he closed the passenger side door behind him. “We’ll see when we get there.”
They headed back into Tokyo for lunch, walking closely side by side through the early afternnoon rush, their hands brushing occasionally.
“You fancy sushi?” Taguchi asked, pointing to a small sushi restaurant that seemed quiet enough.
“I was thinking something more hearty, curry maybe?” Ueda answered and Taguchi smiled as he daringly took Ueda's hand and darted across the road.
“I heard about this really good place just opposite the play park.”
Ueda nodded, and followed along with him but something made him halt abruptly as they reached the play park in question and it wasn't until a figure just up ahead of them turned to the side that he realised why.
“Akanishi” Taguchi said before Ueda's mind had fully wrapped around the situation and sure enough their ex-member turned to face them, his mouth a comical circle of surprise.
“Taguchi.” Akanishi answered, and then his eyes slipped to Ueda standing beside him. “Ueda…guys…really.” And his hand ruffled his hair in that lazy affection that Akanishi always seemed to manage. “Congratulations…I heard about…well of course I heard…you know…”
“Thank you.” Ueda answered, and Taguchi nodded.
“It’s been a while, how are you doing?” Taguchi added when the seconds of silence stretched on.
“Getting by.” Akanishi answered, his tone almost sheepish. “I wanted to send a gift…flowers or a card or something, anything really but I didn’t know what to say so that you wouldn’t think I was being sarcastic or condescending. You can’t just send flowers after years of nothing…”
“It’s alright, we wouldn’t have expected anything from you.” Taguchi said, and Ueda was sure that he meant it to be reassuring but Akanishi’s expression dropped into something sober.
“No, of course you wouldn’t.” Akanishi replied and he swallowed heavily before turning away.
Taguchi reached out for his arm on impulse, halting him. “Wait. I didn’t mean it like that…I didn’t mean that…”
“He didn’t mean that we think you’re selfish or useless…sure we used to think those things, I’m sure you know that, but Kame told us…” Ueda said slowly, casting a furtive glance around. “About why you went away. We owe you an apology for the way we treated you.”
Akanishi looked momentarily shocked but then his expression slipped into something embarrassed as his hand ruffled his hair again, it was longer than Ueda remembered it. “No you don’t. You guys don’t owe me anything because no matter why I left, I left…I ran away.” He looked around as though checking on the child that was running back and forth between the climbing frame and the slide.
“We'd like to apologise anyway...” Ueda aswered. “Anyway we never got you a wedding gift or anything...so we're even”
“I think he’s still in love with you…” Taguchi said suddenly.
Akanishi snorted out something like laughter only it sounded cracked and painful. “You don’t need to do this…we talked about it properly and I know how he feels about me. The thing is that I’m not the same person that I was and Kame couldn’t accept that. It doesn’t matter either, because I have something else now, something more important to me than Kame ever was, as horrible as that sounds” and he turned to the side and called out for Theia.
“Hello.” Theia greeted politely with a small bow before clutching Akanishi's leg and shuffling behind it.
Akanishi pulled her up into his arms and kissed her cheek. “This is my daughter Theia, and she’s everything I could need.”
Ueda still wasn’t quite sure how they ended up in a family restaurant, having lunch with Akanishi and his daughter. Akanishi seemed just as bamboozled about it as they did but Ueda just smiled at the small child that was staring at him. Theia giggled and turned in Akanishi’s hold.
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I'm really sorry to those of you that are still following this fic, I've been kind of AWOL for the last few weeks and I wish I had a good excuse reason. In reality, it's just that life has been rather like a rollercoaster for me lately and with so many fandom + RL feelings piling up, I just kind of imploded - I'm sorry. Still, I refuse to let go of Baby Blue since this is one piece of fandom that can't be affected by everything else that's falling away, and I sincerely apologise to those of you that may have been waiting for this. That being said, I want to thank tat_fan_luv, originally, I didn't intend to have any further mention of Akanishi, but after this question, I started to think about how he would feel, and something clicked...the original plan will still go ahead, but the introduction of it will be altered in favour of this slightly feelsy? chapter instead.
Pairing: JunDa
Rating: G
Word Count: 1185
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, and only the words are mine.
Summary: They knew that moving forward would be hard, but with each hurdle the happiness they deserve seems further and further away.
October 16th 2015
“I got my schedule today.” Ueda announced with a grin. “Did you get yours?”
After a whole week off away in Hawaii with his new husband, it seemed a miracle to Ueda that he had another 4 days holiday before his first work meeting.
“I’m back on Wednesday.” Taguchi said with a pleased nod. “First meeting is about the script for our movie.”
Ueda’s smile dropped a little. “I have variety show meetings on Tuesday, it’s only for a few hours though and then the same as you Wednesday. Did you get the note about discussions for a second single?”
Taguchi nodded. “It must be a tie in with the movie…I can’t believe our life is movie worthy.”
“It will be.” Ueda agreed. “When we find a place. We should use these few days to go out and look at houses.”
They’d looked. Between the two of them they’d been scanning the listings in the newspapers for weeks but they had yet to actually go out and look at anything.
“You know there was an open house advertised in the local paper.” Taguchi said with a smile. “The new flats opening across from the combini just down from Gokokuji station. Since we have no plans for the rest of the day…we could go check it out.”
Ueda nodded happily and pulled the stack of newspapers on the table just a little closer. “I circled a few that would be worth looking at. I could make some calls and we could make a day of it?”
“Sounds like fun.” Taguchi answered, his bright grin making Ueda’s face light up as well. “I’ll take a shower?”
Less than an hour later, the two of them set off in Taguchi’s mini, three apartments to look at over four hours and then the open house.
The first of the apartments was too small. The living area was less than 6 tatamis and the bedroom was smaller even than that, and so with polite bows and promises to think on it, they took their leave.
The second place they looked at was more a cottage than an apartment and was much bigger, but the location wasn’t as good. It was just over an hour drive from Tokyo and fifteen to the nearest station. Ueda had fallen in love with it from the pictures and had wanted to see it despite it’s shortcomings but even the walk in wardrobes and the heated basement Jacuzzi couldn’t sway him from reality.
The third place they looked at was a happy medium between the two, the size decent and the location brilliant but they’d spent no more than five minutes in the ground floor apartment before realising it wasn’t for them. The noise was horrific, busy traffic and people constantly walking by, the dogs would be mental within a week.
“So an hour until the open house starts…” Taguchi mused as they made their way back to the car.
“We could go for lunch?” Ueda suggested. “Disappointment sure makes me hungry.”
“I’m holding out hope for this last place.” Taguchi assured him. “We already know that the price and the location are good and it’s central enough that driving to work won’t be a problem.”
Ueda hummed as he closed the passenger side door behind him. “We’ll see when we get there.”
They headed back into Tokyo for lunch, walking closely side by side through the early afternnoon rush, their hands brushing occasionally.
“You fancy sushi?” Taguchi asked, pointing to a small sushi restaurant that seemed quiet enough.
“I was thinking something more hearty, curry maybe?” Ueda answered and Taguchi smiled as he daringly took Ueda's hand and darted across the road.
“I heard about this really good place just opposite the play park.”
Ueda nodded, and followed along with him but something made him halt abruptly as they reached the play park in question and it wasn't until a figure just up ahead of them turned to the side that he realised why.
“Akanishi” Taguchi said before Ueda's mind had fully wrapped around the situation and sure enough their ex-member turned to face them, his mouth a comical circle of surprise.
“Taguchi.” Akanishi answered, and then his eyes slipped to Ueda standing beside him. “Ueda…guys…really.” And his hand ruffled his hair in that lazy affection that Akanishi always seemed to manage. “Congratulations…I heard about…well of course I heard…you know…”
“Thank you.” Ueda answered, and Taguchi nodded.
“It’s been a while, how are you doing?” Taguchi added when the seconds of silence stretched on.
“Getting by.” Akanishi answered, his tone almost sheepish. “I wanted to send a gift…flowers or a card or something, anything really but I didn’t know what to say so that you wouldn’t think I was being sarcastic or condescending. You can’t just send flowers after years of nothing…”
“It’s alright, we wouldn’t have expected anything from you.” Taguchi said, and Ueda was sure that he meant it to be reassuring but Akanishi’s expression dropped into something sober.
“No, of course you wouldn’t.” Akanishi replied and he swallowed heavily before turning away.
Taguchi reached out for his arm on impulse, halting him. “Wait. I didn’t mean it like that…I didn’t mean that…”
“He didn’t mean that we think you’re selfish or useless…sure we used to think those things, I’m sure you know that, but Kame told us…” Ueda said slowly, casting a furtive glance around. “About why you went away. We owe you an apology for the way we treated you.”
Akanishi looked momentarily shocked but then his expression slipped into something embarrassed as his hand ruffled his hair again, it was longer than Ueda remembered it. “No you don’t. You guys don’t owe me anything because no matter why I left, I left…I ran away.” He looked around as though checking on the child that was running back and forth between the climbing frame and the slide.
“We'd like to apologise anyway...” Ueda aswered. “Anyway we never got you a wedding gift or anything...so we're even”
“I think he’s still in love with you…” Taguchi said suddenly.
Akanishi snorted out something like laughter only it sounded cracked and painful. “You don’t need to do this…we talked about it properly and I know how he feels about me. The thing is that I’m not the same person that I was and Kame couldn’t accept that. It doesn’t matter either, because I have something else now, something more important to me than Kame ever was, as horrible as that sounds” and he turned to the side and called out for Theia.
“Hello.” Theia greeted politely with a small bow before clutching Akanishi's leg and shuffling behind it.
Akanishi pulled her up into his arms and kissed her cheek. “This is my daughter Theia, and she’s everything I could need.”
Ueda still wasn’t quite sure how they ended up in a family restaurant, having lunch with Akanishi and his daughter. Akanishi seemed just as bamboozled about it as they did but Ueda just smiled at the small child that was staring at him. Theia giggled and turned in Akanishi’s hold.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm really sorry to those of you that are still following this fic, I've been kind of AWOL for the last few weeks and I wish I had a good excuse reason. In reality, it's just that life has been rather like a rollercoaster for me lately and with so many fandom + RL feelings piling up, I just kind of imploded - I'm sorry. Still, I refuse to let go of Baby Blue since this is one piece of fandom that can't be affected by everything else that's falling away, and I sincerely apologise to those of you that may have been waiting for this. That being said, I want to thank tat_fan_luv, originally, I didn't intend to have any further mention of Akanishi, but after this question, I started to think about how he would feel, and something clicked...the original plan will still go ahead, but the introduction of it will be altered in favour of this slightly feelsy? chapter instead.