books! and some nakatsu
Back to classes! Hopefully not so intense as last semester. I'll sort of miss having Korean class, though I wish they had better teachers :/
So, at the beginning of the summer I decided I was going to read some books! Of the non-academic kind. Let's see how that went:
Sabriel - The first of a trilogy, though it stands by itself quite well. Fascinating world and magic system that left me wanting to see more, since the protagonist is still just figuring things out on her own.
Lirael - The second book, in which we have a completely different protagonist. I found her a lot more interesting than Sabriel, actually, and also who doesn't love a sarcastic talking dog? Also also, hey, a relationship between a female and male lead that isn't romantic!
Abhorsen - The epic finale. Much more epic than I was expecting! Ties up almost everything except one character who gets resolved in a short story. Also, judging by the map I think there may have been some England allegorical stuff going on but it sure went over my head if there was.
The City and The City - Mind-twistingly fascinating. Two cities which occupy much of the same space but remain separate through what each city's citizens choose to see and not see, and a murder mystery which leads us through them and eventually to someplace that both is and isn't somewhere else... Very satisfying, though I still wanted to know more about the history of the cities and how they got that way. Definitely need to read more stuff by this author!
The Fault in Our Stars - A YA book about teenagers dying of cancer. It's much much better than that makes it sound! But boy, I know the author intended them to be pretentious but these are some incredibly pretentious teenagers.
Ender's Game - Excellent. Painful and quietly disturbing in some ways, and thoroughly psychological in a way I'm really not how they're going to make a movie of. I'm happy enough with that conclusion, but I may check out more books in the series.
Not a whole lot, all in all :P I think The City and The City was my favorite, although Ender's Game will stick with me for different reasons.
Plus I have fic today! A slightly angsty little nakatsu thing I've been sitting on for a while.
Title: Futon
Pairing: Nakai/Tsuyoshi
Rating: G
Notes: Set in 2003.
"You're staying, right?"
Neither of them remembered exactly when, but sometime around the tour the previous year Nakai had started inviting Tsuyoshi over to drink at his place, and the habit had stuck.
"Yeah." Tsuyoshi stretched his legs out, lazily watching Nakai carry their empty glasses into the kitchen. "I don't have to sleep on the floor this time, do I?"
"That's 'cause you fell asleep there last time. I've got an extra futon." Nakai disappeared into his room for a minute and returned with an armful of bedding. He rolled it out on the living room floor, and then, with a glance at Tsuyoshi, flopped down onto it himself. "Or maybe I'll just sleep on it myself." He grinned, twisting around onto his back.
"Can I sleep in your bed then?"
"No."
Tsuyoshi gave Nakai a playful shove, stretching out on his stomach next to him. "Then move. Unless you really do want me to sleep in your bed."
Nakai made a show of getting comfortable, resting his head against Tsuyoshi's arm. "Maybe." Tsuyoshi chuckled, but somewhere in there it turned into a yawn.
After a moment, Nakai spoke up again, his voice low. "This okay?"
He might have been talking about the futon. "Yeah," Tsuyoshi replied, propping his head on one elbow. "It's comfortable."
He glanced down. His bandmate's eyes flicked away.
"If it isn't--" Nakai started, and then stopped, fidgeting.
"It's okay."
Nakai glanced up, and their eyes caught for an instant that turned into a moment that stretched beyond all limits of safety-- and then Tsuyoshi leaned over and kissed him, a quick, tiny brush of lips.
It felt like a mistake at first-- his bandmate was frozen and indecisive beneath him and for an instant Tsuyoshi was sure he'd just stepped off a cliff-- but then a hand slid into his hair and Nakai was pulling him back down and kissing him back and the tongue tentatively finding his own was definitely not a mistake.
Nakai curled towards him, one knee bumping the side of his leg, his other hand fumbling between them to grasp awkwardly at Tsuyoshi's shirt sleeve. Tsuyoshi broke away just long enough to shift onto his side, one arm lightly circling Nakai's shoulders as the older man pulled him close. They kissed again, slowly, curiously; then Nakai abruptly broke away and wrapped both arms around Tsuyoshi's neck and buried his face in the spot above his collar with a small, soft noise.
They stayed like that for a while, breathing slow and even. Tsuyoshi let the weight of his arm settle around Nakai and closed his eyes, trying to think of all the things Nakai might be thinking.
"This is probably--" he started, and Nakai nodded. They pulled apart slowly, not meeting each other's eyes.
Nakai gently brushed the hair out of Tsuyoshi's face. "Yeah," he murmured, smiling something that didn't quite resemble a smile, and sat up. "Good night." He stood unsteadily, and made his way to his own bed, bare footsteps on carpet fading into the distance.
Tsuyoshi curled up in the futon, his bandmate's warmth still lingering alongside him, and tried not to think of anything at all.
--not good for the group--just because we're drunk--something that won't last--something that can't last--
--and then Tsuyoshi heard soft footsteps on carpet again, and opened his eyes as the edge of the futon sank under Nakai's weight. His bandmate tugged at his shoulder, fingers warm through the shirt fabric, and Tsuyoshi pushed himself up. Nakai wordlessly slipped a hand into his, and led him through the darkness into his bedroom.
So, at the beginning of the summer I decided I was going to read some books! Of the non-academic kind. Let's see how that went:
Sabriel - The first of a trilogy, though it stands by itself quite well. Fascinating world and magic system that left me wanting to see more, since the protagonist is still just figuring things out on her own.
Lirael - The second book, in which we have a completely different protagonist. I found her a lot more interesting than Sabriel, actually, and also who doesn't love a sarcastic talking dog? Also also, hey, a relationship between a female and male lead that isn't romantic!
Abhorsen - The epic finale. Much more epic than I was expecting! Ties up almost everything except one character who gets resolved in a short story. Also, judging by the map I think there may have been some England allegorical stuff going on but it sure went over my head if there was.
The City and The City - Mind-twistingly fascinating. Two cities which occupy much of the same space but remain separate through what each city's citizens choose to see and not see, and a murder mystery which leads us through them and eventually to someplace that both is and isn't somewhere else... Very satisfying, though I still wanted to know more about the history of the cities and how they got that way. Definitely need to read more stuff by this author!
The Fault in Our Stars - A YA book about teenagers dying of cancer. It's much much better than that makes it sound! But boy, I know the author intended them to be pretentious but these are some incredibly pretentious teenagers.
Ender's Game - Excellent. Painful and quietly disturbing in some ways, and thoroughly psychological in a way I'm really not how they're going to make a movie of. I'm happy enough with that conclusion, but I may check out more books in the series.
Not a whole lot, all in all :P I think The City and The City was my favorite, although Ender's Game will stick with me for different reasons.
Plus I have fic today! A slightly angsty little nakatsu thing I've been sitting on for a while.
Title: Futon
Pairing: Nakai/Tsuyoshi
Rating: G
Notes: Set in 2003.
"You're staying, right?"
Neither of them remembered exactly when, but sometime around the tour the previous year Nakai had started inviting Tsuyoshi over to drink at his place, and the habit had stuck.
"Yeah." Tsuyoshi stretched his legs out, lazily watching Nakai carry their empty glasses into the kitchen. "I don't have to sleep on the floor this time, do I?"
"That's 'cause you fell asleep there last time. I've got an extra futon." Nakai disappeared into his room for a minute and returned with an armful of bedding. He rolled it out on the living room floor, and then, with a glance at Tsuyoshi, flopped down onto it himself. "Or maybe I'll just sleep on it myself." He grinned, twisting around onto his back.
"Can I sleep in your bed then?"
"No."
Tsuyoshi gave Nakai a playful shove, stretching out on his stomach next to him. "Then move. Unless you really do want me to sleep in your bed."
Nakai made a show of getting comfortable, resting his head against Tsuyoshi's arm. "Maybe." Tsuyoshi chuckled, but somewhere in there it turned into a yawn.
After a moment, Nakai spoke up again, his voice low. "This okay?"
He might have been talking about the futon. "Yeah," Tsuyoshi replied, propping his head on one elbow. "It's comfortable."
He glanced down. His bandmate's eyes flicked away.
"If it isn't--" Nakai started, and then stopped, fidgeting.
"It's okay."
Nakai glanced up, and their eyes caught for an instant that turned into a moment that stretched beyond all limits of safety-- and then Tsuyoshi leaned over and kissed him, a quick, tiny brush of lips.
It felt like a mistake at first-- his bandmate was frozen and indecisive beneath him and for an instant Tsuyoshi was sure he'd just stepped off a cliff-- but then a hand slid into his hair and Nakai was pulling him back down and kissing him back and the tongue tentatively finding his own was definitely not a mistake.
Nakai curled towards him, one knee bumping the side of his leg, his other hand fumbling between them to grasp awkwardly at Tsuyoshi's shirt sleeve. Tsuyoshi broke away just long enough to shift onto his side, one arm lightly circling Nakai's shoulders as the older man pulled him close. They kissed again, slowly, curiously; then Nakai abruptly broke away and wrapped both arms around Tsuyoshi's neck and buried his face in the spot above his collar with a small, soft noise.
They stayed like that for a while, breathing slow and even. Tsuyoshi let the weight of his arm settle around Nakai and closed his eyes, trying to think of all the things Nakai might be thinking.
"This is probably--" he started, and Nakai nodded. They pulled apart slowly, not meeting each other's eyes.
Nakai gently brushed the hair out of Tsuyoshi's face. "Yeah," he murmured, smiling something that didn't quite resemble a smile, and sat up. "Good night." He stood unsteadily, and made his way to his own bed, bare footsteps on carpet fading into the distance.
Tsuyoshi curled up in the futon, his bandmate's warmth still lingering alongside him, and tried not to think of anything at all.
--not good for the group--just because we're drunk--something that won't last--something that can't last--
--and then Tsuyoshi heard soft footsteps on carpet again, and opened his eyes as the edge of the futon sank under Nakai's weight. His bandmate tugged at his shoulder, fingers warm through the shirt fabric, and Tsuyoshi pushed himself up. Nakai wordlessly slipped a hand into his, and led him through the darkness into his bedroom.