[fic] answer key
title→ answer key
pairing(s)→ arioka daiki x asaka kodai.
summary→ 155 missed calls.
Before Arioka had realized it, it had become much worse than he had thought.
He could no longer take the look in Asaka's eyes or the way he moved tiredly, the way he danced with no energy at all, the way he never smiled anymore.
He sighed, walking up the stairs to the practice room, letting staff members and juniors rush around. He had just finished a Hyakushiki recording and was informed that he had to go to the practice sessions with the rest of J.J. - he didn't mind, but lately he'd mess up just worrying over Asaka, and as a result he had gotten scolded even more than the boy he had been watching over.
"Asaka--" He heard a voice exclaim in frustration as a door swung open beside him and Asaka rushed right into him -- for a few seconds, their eyes met as Asaka reached out and grabbed Arioka's arm and pulled him up before the smaller boy fell, but then Arioka blinked and Asaka had let go of his arm and turned away from him.
"Asaka-kun," Arioka said softly, watching Takaki come up at the doorframe behind Asaka and exchange looks with him. "You alright?"
"Why won't you guys understand that I am perfectly fine?" Asaka muttered, crossing his arms and refusing to face them. "Is this what you want to do? Bother me until I get tired from how much all of you bother me?!"
"That's not it and you know it," Takaki replied, frowning. "Why won't you just tell us what's wrong so we can help? You're tired without us bothering you!"
"What can you help me with?! Nothing at all, that's what, so leave me alone," Asaka snapped back, spinning to face them with a glare. "I'm leaving. Tell the dance instructor I had an emergency. Otsukare, Takaki-san, Arioka-san."
"Asaka!" Takaki exclaimed as the boy began to walk away, moving to follow him, but Arioka grabbed the older boy's arm and shook his head. "But, Dai-chan, Asaka's --"
"Let me handle it, alright?" Arioka said, watching Takaki's eyes for an agreement, and seeing the other boy hesitate but nod after a moment, he turned and rushed to follow Asaka.
But 10 minutes later, Arioka still hadn't been able to find him.
(10 calls later Asaka had turned off his cellphone and Arioka nearly threw his cellphone off the bridge when he was switched to voicemail.)
The next morning, Arioka trudged into the Johnny's building, exhausted from the 2-hour sleep he had gotten. Asaka had turned on his cellphone back on at 2am but had refused to answer the calls, until Arioka had fallen asleep pressing redial for the 156th time. (He had counted. Asaka had probably put his cellphone on silent mode or stuffed it so mewhere he couldn't hear it.)
"Call number 144." Asaka murmured to himself, watching Arioka's name (大ちゃん 大ちゃん 大ちゃん 大ちゃん 大ちゃん over and over until Asaka could feel himself close to pressing the answer button) flash over and over on the small screen. "When are you going to give up on me, Daiki?"
On call 156, at 4:30am, he pressed the answer key and raised the cellphone to his ear. "Hai."
There was no answer.
Asaka stared at his cellphone for a second before hanging up immediately, dropping his cellphone to the floor beside him and seeking shelter for himself and his tears in his blankets.
Arioka yawned, raising his hand immediately to cover his mouth. Dragging himself up the stairs, he saw Asaka standing in front of the J.J. dressing room, breathing deeply, and gaped at him. But before he could say anything, Asaka looked up at him with hurt eyes and turned to run away.
"Asaka! Asaka, wait!" Arioka ran to the door, flung his bag inside the room, caught a glimpse a guilty-looking Inoo standing with his arms at his sides, and glared at the older boy. "What? What did you say?!"
"Worrying us too much." Inoo said so softly Arioka could barely hear. "...probably just looking for attention."
Hearing Inoo's answer, he turned and rushed after Asaka, taking his cellphone out and pressing redial. When he had woken up, he had tried calling a few more times but with the same result as the previous night. He prayed silently, peeking into each room with his cellphone pressed to his ear, and sucked in a breath when he heard a click and a soft "hai?" on his phone. "Asaka, please, where are you?"
No answer.
"Asaka, where are you?" Arioka urged, peeking into Ya-Ya-yah's dressing room. Yabu was sleeping with a magazine on his face, Shoon was fixing his hair, Taiyou wasn't there but Arioka had seen him in the juniors' dressing room laughing with Yuuto & Yamada, Hikaru was loudly singing Gentles.
Arioka shook his head and continued on, going to the next room and pushing the door open, then stood silently as he spotted Asaka sitting with his legs up at a chair in the corner, his cellphone pressed to his ear, a reflection of how Arioka's cellphone was pressed to his own ear. "...Asaka-kun."
"...please leave me alone." Asaka whispered, still talking through the cellphone, even though his eyes were locked with Arioka's.
Arioka hung up on the call, slowly taking a step forward as he slipped his cellphone into his pocket. There was silence as Arioka continued walking to Asaka, taking the cellphone away from Asaka's hand, putting it aside and smiling gently at him.
A second later, Asaka had leaned forward into Arioka and circled his arms around Arioka's waist, reaching for comfort he had needed for too long.
"Give up on me, Daiki, give up on me, please, like everyone else has, why won't you give up on me? You've tired me out, why?" Asaka began asking, his words muffled as he pulled on the back of Arioka's shirt, his nails digging sharply into his skin. "I've given up on myself, Daiki, why won't you give up on me?"
"Is that what you want me to do?"
There was a long silence, both Arioka and Asaka not moving, breathing softly in harmony.
"Please don't."
Arioka smiled.
"You know I won't."
Asaka smiled for the first time in weeks, his smile hidden in the folds of Arioka's shirt.
pairing(s)→ arioka daiki x asaka kodai.
summary→ 155 missed calls.
Before Arioka had realized it, it had become much worse than he had thought.
He could no longer take the look in Asaka's eyes or the way he moved tiredly, the way he danced with no energy at all, the way he never smiled anymore.
He sighed, walking up the stairs to the practice room, letting staff members and juniors rush around. He had just finished a Hyakushiki recording and was informed that he had to go to the practice sessions with the rest of J.J. - he didn't mind, but lately he'd mess up just worrying over Asaka, and as a result he had gotten scolded even more than the boy he had been watching over.
"Asaka--" He heard a voice exclaim in frustration as a door swung open beside him and Asaka rushed right into him -- for a few seconds, their eyes met as Asaka reached out and grabbed Arioka's arm and pulled him up before the smaller boy fell, but then Arioka blinked and Asaka had let go of his arm and turned away from him.
"Asaka-kun," Arioka said softly, watching Takaki come up at the doorframe behind Asaka and exchange looks with him. "You alright?"
"Why won't you guys understand that I am perfectly fine?" Asaka muttered, crossing his arms and refusing to face them. "Is this what you want to do? Bother me until I get tired from how much all of you bother me?!"
"That's not it and you know it," Takaki replied, frowning. "Why won't you just tell us what's wrong so we can help? You're tired without us bothering you!"
"What can you help me with?! Nothing at all, that's what, so leave me alone," Asaka snapped back, spinning to face them with a glare. "I'm leaving. Tell the dance instructor I had an emergency. Otsukare, Takaki-san, Arioka-san."
"Asaka!" Takaki exclaimed as the boy began to walk away, moving to follow him, but Arioka grabbed the older boy's arm and shook his head. "But, Dai-chan, Asaka's --"
"Let me handle it, alright?" Arioka said, watching Takaki's eyes for an agreement, and seeing the other boy hesitate but nod after a moment, he turned and rushed to follow Asaka.
But 10 minutes later, Arioka still hadn't been able to find him.
(10 calls later Asaka had turned off his cellphone and Arioka nearly threw his cellphone off the bridge when he was switched to voicemail.)
The next morning, Arioka trudged into the Johnny's building, exhausted from the 2-hour sleep he had gotten. Asaka had turned on his cellphone back on at 2am but had refused to answer the calls, until Arioka had fallen asleep pressing redial for the 156th time. (He had counted. Asaka had probably put his cellphone on silent mode or stuffed it so mewhere he couldn't hear it.)
"Call number 144." Asaka murmured to himself, watching Arioka's name (大ちゃん 大ちゃん 大ちゃん 大ちゃん 大ちゃん over and over until Asaka could feel himself close to pressing the answer button) flash over and over on the small screen. "When are you going to give up on me, Daiki?"
On call 156, at 4:30am, he pressed the answer key and raised the cellphone to his ear. "Hai."
There was no answer.
Asaka stared at his cellphone for a second before hanging up immediately, dropping his cellphone to the floor beside him and seeking shelter for himself and his tears in his blankets.
Arioka yawned, raising his hand immediately to cover his mouth. Dragging himself up the stairs, he saw Asaka standing in front of the J.J. dressing room, breathing deeply, and gaped at him. But before he could say anything, Asaka looked up at him with hurt eyes and turned to run away.
"Asaka! Asaka, wait!" Arioka ran to the door, flung his bag inside the room, caught a glimpse a guilty-looking Inoo standing with his arms at his sides, and glared at the older boy. "What? What did you say?!"
"Worrying us too much." Inoo said so softly Arioka could barely hear. "...probably just looking for attention."
Hearing Inoo's answer, he turned and rushed after Asaka, taking his cellphone out and pressing redial. When he had woken up, he had tried calling a few more times but with the same result as the previous night. He prayed silently, peeking into each room with his cellphone pressed to his ear, and sucked in a breath when he heard a click and a soft "hai?" on his phone. "Asaka, please, where are you?"
No answer.
"Asaka, where are you?" Arioka urged, peeking into Ya-Ya-yah's dressing room. Yabu was sleeping with a magazine on his face, Shoon was fixing his hair, Taiyou wasn't there but Arioka had seen him in the juniors' dressing room laughing with Yuuto & Yamada, Hikaru was loudly singing Gentles.
Arioka shook his head and continued on, going to the next room and pushing the door open, then stood silently as he spotted Asaka sitting with his legs up at a chair in the corner, his cellphone pressed to his ear, a reflection of how Arioka's cellphone was pressed to his own ear. "...Asaka-kun."
"...please leave me alone." Asaka whispered, still talking through the cellphone, even though his eyes were locked with Arioka's.
Arioka hung up on the call, slowly taking a step forward as he slipped his cellphone into his pocket. There was silence as Arioka continued walking to Asaka, taking the cellphone away from Asaka's hand, putting it aside and smiling gently at him.
A second later, Asaka had leaned forward into Arioka and circled his arms around Arioka's waist, reaching for comfort he had needed for too long.
"Give up on me, Daiki, give up on me, please, like everyone else has, why won't you give up on me? You've tired me out, why?" Asaka began asking, his words muffled as he pulled on the back of Arioka's shirt, his nails digging sharply into his skin. "I've given up on myself, Daiki, why won't you give up on me?"
"Is that what you want me to do?"
There was a long silence, both Arioka and Asaka not moving, breathing softly in harmony.
"Please don't."
Arioka smiled.
"You know I won't."
Asaka smiled for the first time in weeks, his smile hidden in the folds of Arioka's shirt.