Anything plain can be lovely.... Chapter 12 [TEGOPI FANFIC ]
A/N: どうもみんなさま！Doumo Minnasama! Riina です！
I'm fixing my fics, working hard on them and bringing you a new update.
I worked a lot on this chapter and put a lot of thought into it, hoping I can somehow make up for the wait and if you
haven't already forgotten about the fic, I hope you'll be still liking it.. xDDD
Chapter 1 || Chapter 2 || Chapter 3 || Chapter 4 ||
Chapter 5 || Chapter 6 || Chapter 7 || Chapter 8 ||
Chapter 9 || Chapter 10 || Chapter 11 ||
[[ What happened so far? ]]
“I’m gonna read you a story!”
Tegoshi’s eyes widened when he saw that Yamapi had picked out a very old Japanese storybook from his childhood. He thought it was kinda silly but somehow cute that Yamapi seemed to remember that it was a very important book his mom used to read it to him when he was sick. The blonde smiled and crawled up to sit closer to Yamapi, leaning his head against the older man’s shoulder he listened to elder’s beautiful reading voice.
Before he finished the book Tegoshi already passed out, drifting off to a peaceful sleep. Yamapi couldn’t help but notice the boy’s delicate features, with his light hair and soft skin he looked so breakable. The older man watched him for a little while, his chest moving slowly in rhythm with his breathing was so calming, and being able to spend some peaceful minutes with Tegoshi made his day complete - he didn’t want to ever leave again. Eventually Yamapi fell asleep as well and unconsciously snuggled up to the sleeping boy.
[ Chapter 12 ]
When Tegoshi opened his heavy eyes he looked straight into a smaller pair of almost equally deep brown and mysterious orbs. The young singer blinked hesitantly unsure if this isn’t a dream because he didn’t remember it been there before he fell asleep, nevertheless once he realized who these eyes belonged to, he threw his arms around the little fur ball squirming happily in his lap.
“Hey baby girl~” Tegoshi let out a low squeal as he picked up his little dog to press it tightly against his chest. Apropos falling asleep, he didn’t even remember how and when he fell asleep, the past days actually seemed kind of blurry and strange and for a moment he wondered if he hadn’t been asleep for weeks. He shook his head, that seemed quite impossible but yet it felt as if he slept forever.
The little brown and white fur ball jumped around his lap excitedly licking the tips of Tegoshi’s fingers. The boy let out happy giggles as he watched and literally enjoyed his little dog having a wonderful time jumping around madly.
When Teeny started to bark softly in a playful manner Tegoshi realized that he wasn’t alone, as he recognized a familiar voice humming outside the bedroom. At the tone of the voice coming from the kitchen he remembered something, Yamapi. Hadn’t he been there last night?! The moment Tegoshi put together the pieces of the obvious; Yamapi stepped into the room wearing a bright smile.
“Hey you are awake!?”
The boy returned the smile, looking excited to find the older man there.
“Un,” he nodded, “How come Teeny is here?!”
Yamapi walked over to join Tegoshi who was curled up on his bed, “Your mom dropped her off earlier.”
The moment Yamapi wanted to sit down on the edge of the bed the little fur ball jumped at him, barking protectively. “Woah~” The older man flinched, and happily took a safe step backwards.
“Don’t think she likes me much.”
Yamapi chuckled at the sight of the little Papillion fletching his teeth at him.
Tegoshi reached out to pick her up and put her next to him, motioning her to stay and be quiet, which the little dog responded in an unexpected well behaved manner, sitting down and closing her eyes as she let her head sink down to rest on her paws crossed in front of her tiny body.
“I’m sorry, I don’t think that’s because she doesn’t like you... She’s like this to everyone who comes near me, even my family.”
Yamapi smiled, “Don’t worry; she’ll learn to love me too.”
The older singer couldn’t believe how it came to this, that he was suddenly standing in Tegoshi’s bedroom again after cooking and cleaning and… he shook his head, yet it still felt like it was the most normal thing for him to do and he enjoyed it. He cared for that boy more than anything and even though things had become strange and so different yet it didn’t feel wrong the slightest. He thought, maybe that’s how it should have been from the beginning, he knew that there were things he had done wrong in the past and he always should have put his worries aside and fully care for the boy he truly loved all along.
The older man made his way back into the kitchen, followed by Tegoshi light-footed leaving the napping dog on his bed.
“You didn’t call my mom by any chance, did you?”
Tegoshi stood in the doorframe, watching Yamapi clean up the rest of used dishes and utensils.
“I did.” Yamapi glanced over his shoulder giving the boy a warm smile, “Had to tell her that you are doing better and when she said she wanted to come by to cook for you I told her I already made you enough food to last for a week.”
The older singer winked at the surprised boy behind him.
“You did?”
Tegoshi crossed his arms over his chest, he couldn’t believe he started calling his mother again.
“Un.” Yamapi switched off the radio that played earlier but now was on mute. “Don’t worry I won’t chit chat with her, we just talked about important things.”
The younger boy sighed, of course the thought of Yamapi chatting with his mom about … well many things actually freaked him out. He loved his mom and she was more than just a mother to him and even though he could talk freely with her he didn’t want Yamapi to do so, at least not right now since after all they were in this weird situation. Maybe it wasn’t that weird but to him it was still complicated and somehow frightening.
“Err…ok,..well,....but how come she visited in the end?”
“Ah, I just asked her to drop off Teeny for you, said that would help more than her coming to check on you since you were sleeping for like ever again. Hope it’s ok, I mean if you call her she will be happily driving by again but we didn’t wanted to wake you...”
“Oh no no it’s fine, really.” The boy’s lips curled into a soft smile, appreciating how much he cared for him lately. “Thank you.”
“Sorry but I have to go out for a while now, ‘cause work won’t do itself after all.”
Yamapi sighed, placing a few zip lock bags with veggies and fruits into the fridge. “There is lots of food in the freezer as well if you are looking for something special. Once you have eaten there are also a lot of fruit and veggie drinks, make sure to eat and drink plenty, you hear me?”
“Uh, thank you. You shouldn’t have neglected your work you know, it’s more important than cooking for me.” Tegoshi nervously pulled at the hem of his loose lavender shirt that was big enough to fit around the lithe body twice if not thrice.
“Don’t worry I have got everything under control here, “The older man winked at the boy still standing within the doorframe, ruffling his messy bed-hair before he was let pass him. “Just rest some more, play with your dog and get better soon. I’ll come by whenever you want, just give me a call you hear me.”
The boy nodded as he watched Yamapi put on his shoes, “And don’t forget to take your medicine!” he gave the boy a warm smile over his shoulder before leaving in silent.
Tegoshi shook his head in disbelief, seriously wondering how things could have come to this; it was just too much to take in. He decided to have a bowl of rice and go back to bed for a little while, cuddling with Teeny before doing anything else, and he really planned on doing “a lot” for he had been lazing around for too long that he felt it was time to be active again.
-------
Tegoshi twisted and turned underneath the blanket that lay heavy on his tired body, yawning and growling loudly. Teeny’s barking mixed with the shrill sound of his mobile phone woke him up again almost 6 hours later. Turning around lazily to reach for his phone, which lay on top of his bedside drawer, Teeny jumped up and about, licking the boy’s arm eagerly. Tegoshi almost freaked out when he saw the time in bright green letters blinking on the display that he almost dropped it onto the floor, 9.55 PM.
The caller already dropped the line but he could see that Yamapi tried to reach him three times the past hour, including now. The boy sighed; he had been sleeping all day and night again. Pressing the re-dial button on his phone he waited patiently for the other to pick up, which he did after 3 rings later.
“Hey, “ Was Tegoshi’s simple choice of words once Yamapi picked up who sighed into the speaker loud enough for Tegoshi to register and he replied without a greeting and went straight to the topic of his concern.
“You didn’t call me so I wondered if everything is going well there, is it?”
Tegoshi nodded, knowing the other couldn’t see it though.
“Ah Yeah, sorry about that.. but I’m fine, everything is fine don’t worry!”
The older man seemed relieved and asked more cheerfully, “Did you eat yet?” knowing Tegoshi would love the food he had prepared, although he wasn’t really into food he believed what he made would taste delicious to him. Yamapi wasn’t that good of a cook but certain things he had picked up recently and tested at home frequently; messing with the recipe he got from his grandma just to get a taste he liked most.
“Um, .. a little.”
Tegoshi mumbled playing with the bed sheets in his free hand, afraid of the other’s reaction but it wasn’t his fault he just had to bring that across somehow.
“What do you mean, a little? There is plenty to eat, ne so go stuff yourself! You really need it, you know that.” When Tegoshi didn’t respond he kept on speaking, raising his voice slightly. “Do you need me to come by to feed you or will you manage yourself now?”
The younger singer wasn’t sure how to say it but guessed it would be easiest to just say the truth to not further upset Yamapi.
“I..I ..well the truth is, I fell asleep after a small bowl of rice. . So I didn’t even have time to eat more.”
“Slept again? The whole time? Geeez…Yuya can you really be that tired?”
Yamapi spoke firmly but couldn’t suppress a chuckle at the end of his sentence.
“Gomen ne, I’ll go eat right away. I promise.”
“Yeah please go, it’s fine that you sleep plenty too but you know just don’t make me worry so much.”
Tegoshi nodded, holding his phone close to his ear as he slipped out of bed and walked into the kitchen. “I will. Feel like I’m getting better already.”
He wanted to make sure Yamapi didn’t worry about him and nevertheless it was the truth, he finally felt like getting better, maybe the sleeping marathon actually helped.
“That’s good.”
Yamapi replied with a smile on his lips, leaving both in silence for a few moments before the older man said he would check on him tomorrow before work, telling him to go back to bed right after he ate so he’ll be awake in the morning.
Tegoshi complied, made himself a big and healthy meal before sneaking back into bed to have some quality time with his dog, which he enjoyed a lot.
-------
The next morning Tegoshi woke up feeling more alive than he had in weeks and he jumped into the shower to welcome Yamapi freshly dressed and with a bright smile on his lips around an hour later. The boy’s outfit was well chosen, stylish but comfortable grey elastic jeans, a white tank top tugged into said pants and a light blue short sleeved button shirt on top which he left unbuttoned, just the way he preferred it to be.
“Woah, you look good today. My super food has done better than I expected.”
Yamapi chuckled, smiling brightly at the other’s fresh expression and he slipped out of his shoes before letting himself into the kitchen, dropping a brown paper bag onto the table. Tegoshi jumped after him, squealing excited at the sight of the other picking out two lemon anpan and two cups of hot coffee.
“Sit down, breakfast is served.”
Yamapi motioned for the boy to take seat across himself. Tegoshi plopped his light body down onto the metal chair, smiling happily. The sight of the boy’s cheerfulness that was brought back so suddenly made the older man feel relieved and filled him with high spirits.
They talked about this and that before the older man had to leave for work an hour later.
“Just call me if there is anything you need, ok?“
Standing in the door frame Yamapi prepared himself to leave, making sure everything would go well with Tegoshi, he was still a little worried since the Doctor said he should seriously rest and take his time to prevent anything else from happening.
“Sure I will, but I already contacted my Manager and the others so I will get back to my own work and soccer pretty soon-“ Tegoshi was interrupted by the older man’s concerned words as he leaned forward, placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder.
“Don’t overdo it right now, Yuya.” Yamapi looked into the boy’s eyes firmly, “I will give you a hard time if anything bad happens just because you’re going to be careless now, do you understand?”
And Yamapi wasn’t lying when he threatened Tegoshi, he definitely wouldn’t be happy about it and he’d make sure to bring that across.
Tegoshi had to swallow hard at the other’s words but understood and nodded, waving goodbye once Yamapi left through the door for good.
He sighed and made his way back into the kitchen to get himself a load of veggie juice, he didn’t really understand what caused all of this but the way Yamapi treated him made him feel special again even though he figured it was mostly because of his health and he couldn’t be possibly let down NEWS in anyway so he gave his best to comply and work hard on getting well, and staying healthy.
He made a mental note to call his friends to reschedule their made plans for the first practice tomorrow, in what seemed like ages. It sure was making him feel a little depressed, not being able to kick that beloved ball of his but he figured it would be for the better to wait another week or so.
-------
The next three days Yamapi didn’t have much time to spare but he knew Tegoshi was in good hands; having Teeny there would definitely do the trick and he knew his mother would check on him as well. Nevertheless the small dog never failed to lift the boy’s mood and right now she was probably the best medicine after all.
Yamapi though called to check on him every day, twice, and they spent almost an hour this morning talking on the phone again, about everything and nothing while Tegoshi was making breakfast and Yamapi prepared himself for an early interview with some random magazine.
After talking to Tegoshi he felt energetic and looked forward to break time to call again and before Yamapi noticed that night he was done with work for the day and quickly decided to drop by Tegoshi’s for dinner, which of course he provided, picking up Pasta from the infamous favorite Pasta place around.
-------
Since Tegoshi wasn’t expecting anyone to visit him tonight he didn’t bother to get dressed in the first place, making Yamapi smirk at the view he was given as a sleepy looking, lazily dressed Tegoshi open the door. A thin silver headband held back his slightly curled red-ish hair; a short grey shirt with pink writing across chest height clung tight to his slim upper body, short enough to reveal his blue plaid boxer shorts he wore as “pants.”
“Oh,…. Pi!? W-what are you doing here?”
Yamapi’s stomach twisted a little every time he heard Tegoshi call him Pi, and he couldn’t help but stare at the boy for a moment, said boy instantly blushed as he realized he wasn’t even dressed, or rather that he was dressed like that.
“Surprising you with a surprise dinner Italian style, and don’t worry I like that style of yours.”
Yamapi pointed out as he entered the apartment freely; roaming the kitchen right away like he owned it. Tegoshi followed silently, fighting the urge to get dressed properly but feeling too lazy to be bothered, instead he watched the older man set the table humming cheerfully as he poured themselves apple juice into tall glasses.
“Sorry, no wine tonight you’re still on your meds.”
Yamapi smirked at the blush creeping back up on the other’s cheeks.
“Urm, let me get dressed quickly-“
The older man stopped Tegoshi’s action of running away by grabbing his wrist firmly, pulling him towards himself. “Just sit down, it’s not like I haven’t seen you like this before and you like running around in your undies, so just let it be.”
Tegoshi gulped down hardly, “K..” was all he could manage at the sudden action that caught him by surprise. He felt his stomach explode with butterflies when Yamapi held him so dangerously close to his body, at least that’s what people would call it he guessed, butterflies.
Although it felt more like he ate something expired, nevertheless it felt awkward and yet so good, it made him fight against wanting to throw his arms around Yamapi’s neck and just cling to him for hours. It wasn’t like he forgot how amazing it felt to be held close by Yamapi, he just tried hard to forget but whenever he would touch him every little bit of crazy emotion he hid inside got stirred up instantly, overflowing his body and mind with these incredible sensations.
Oh how much he hated this, not being able to be close to the other like they used to be, it literally ate him up inside and moments like this made him think it would have been probably better if Yamapi wasn’t so caring no matter how good it felt most of the time.
“Are you .. Ok? Yuya?”
Yamapi shook Tegoshi softly, slightly scared at the frozen look on the younger boy’s face, his lips slightly ajar and eyes shut tight.
“Yes. Yes?. Fine, I’m fine.”
Tegoshi shook his head, almost forgetting where he was, he walked toward his chair and cracked a smile to convince Yamapi that everything was fine, just fine.
-------
After a huge and delicious Italian dinner the two ended up watching one DVD after the other, just relaxing on the large sofa. By the end of the 4th DVD, which was just as boring as the previous but luckily just a strange foreign ‘short movie’ Shige had lent him, Tegoshi lay sprawled across half the sofa, his legs somewhere on Yamapi’s lap and a thick blanket covering most of his delicate body with Teeny curled up underneath it resting on the boy’s stomach.
Yamapi sighed at the relaxing sight of Tegoshi half asleep next to him, enjoying the low and soft noises he gave from him every now and then. He was worried though, since their dinner Tegoshi hadn’t been the same and hadn’t really said anything besides ‘thanks for dinner’ and the singer started wondering what caused that change but hoped it would be better tomorrow.
Yamapi thought about leaving and waking up Tegoshi so he could go have a good night sleep in his more comfortable bed but he was slightly scared to lift the blanket Tegoshi was under - scared of Teeny to wake up furious and jump at him, waking Tegoshi or even bite him.
Once he touched the blanket the little dog underneath sleepily crawled out and jumped off the sofa without further hesitation, running off to the bedroom to jump into Tegoshi’s bed like she knew he’d join her every minute. Yamapi sighed in relief and looking at the sleeping boy he didn’t have the heart to wake him and instead picked Tegoshi up from the sofa, carrying him into his bed.
Yamapi observed the sleeping boy for a few minutes, amazed by the fact he didn’t even make any sound of discomfort as he carried him into the bedroom. After considering what to do next he went back into the living room, closing the bedroom door behind him and let Tegoshi sleep peacefully until the morning came.
-------
Said next morning Yamapi woke the boy by gently shaking the smaller into the sheets curled up body and whispering his name. Tegoshi smiled softly as he realized who woke him up out of the blue, asking what he was doing there, earning him the explanation that Yamapi had decided to sleep over, on the living room sofa.
A moment later Tegoshi joined Yamapi in the kitchen, appreciatively accepting the offered cup of coffee before sitting down at the table. He yawned and stretched lazily before sipping on the hot beverage. Exchanging looks with Yamapi he whispered a low “Thanks.” Which the older man replied by nodding before he pointed out that he’d leave in a second cause he needed to get things from home before going to work.
Standing in the hallway Yamapi smiled questioningly at the younger boy, “Are you really feeling alright?”
Tegoshi smiled and just nodded, “Don’t worry I’m fine.”
“Ok. Then…”
Yamapi swore to himself he wouldn’t ask again, because he felt like he was totally overdoing it with his caring for the boy who kept insisting he was fine, when he knew he wasn’t. But there wasn’t much he could do right now he thought, although asking never hurt anyone.
“Ne, Pi, if you don’t have any plans after work…why don’t you come by again?”
Yamapi was caught by surprise, and suddenly felt a rush of hot blood run through his veins, leaving him almost with a dizzy feeling for a split second before he casually replied, “Sure, I think I can arrange that.” He smirked at the happy looking boy in front of him “What do you want to eat?”
“Ah,- well… may I ask what do you want?” Tegoshi bit his lip uncomfortable and bent down to pick up Teeny from the floor once he noticed her running towards the open door. “For a change I can make us some dinner?” he then suggested, stroking the little dog gently as he pressed her against his chest.
Yamapi nodded, “How about,..” he hesitated, thinking through all options he knew the boy was able to cook safely. “..how about…”
He was cut off suddenly by the younger, “Let me surprise you with something good, ok?”
Yamapi smiled cheekily, “You sure you can handle cooking already?”
“Of course! Now leave or you’ll be late~” the boy almost shouted watching Yamapi walk out the door with a grin on his face.
---
Doumo!
Ah, *sigh ~ It has been a while since I last updated and to be honest I am not sure where this is going or rather say how it came to this. I’m still struggling with the story somehow but I do want to keep going and so I put much effort in this chapter, I hope it was still worth reading until now and that I didn’t mess it up.
xxxx
I'm fixing my fics, working hard on them and bringing you a new update.
I worked a lot on this chapter and put a lot of thought into it, hoping I can somehow make up for the wait and if you
haven't already forgotten about the fic, I hope you'll be still liking it.. xDDD
Chapter 1 || Chapter 2 || Chapter 3 || Chapter 4 ||
Chapter 5 || Chapter 6 || Chapter 7 || Chapter 8 ||
Chapter 9 || Chapter 10 || Chapter 11 ||
[[ What happened so far? ]]
“I’m gonna read you a story!”
Tegoshi’s eyes widened when he saw that Yamapi had picked out a very old Japanese storybook from his childhood. He thought it was kinda silly but somehow cute that Yamapi seemed to remember that it was a very important book his mom used to read it to him when he was sick. The blonde smiled and crawled up to sit closer to Yamapi, leaning his head against the older man’s shoulder he listened to elder’s beautiful reading voice.
Before he finished the book Tegoshi already passed out, drifting off to a peaceful sleep. Yamapi couldn’t help but notice the boy’s delicate features, with his light hair and soft skin he looked so breakable. The older man watched him for a little while, his chest moving slowly in rhythm with his breathing was so calming, and being able to spend some peaceful minutes with Tegoshi made his day complete - he didn’t want to ever leave again. Eventually Yamapi fell asleep as well and unconsciously snuggled up to the sleeping boy.
[ Chapter 12 ]
When Tegoshi opened his heavy eyes he looked straight into a smaller pair of almost equally deep brown and mysterious orbs. The young singer blinked hesitantly unsure if this isn’t a dream because he didn’t remember it been there before he fell asleep, nevertheless once he realized who these eyes belonged to, he threw his arms around the little fur ball squirming happily in his lap.
“Hey baby girl~” Tegoshi let out a low squeal as he picked up his little dog to press it tightly against his chest. Apropos falling asleep, he didn’t even remember how and when he fell asleep, the past days actually seemed kind of blurry and strange and for a moment he wondered if he hadn’t been asleep for weeks. He shook his head, that seemed quite impossible but yet it felt as if he slept forever.
The little brown and white fur ball jumped around his lap excitedly licking the tips of Tegoshi’s fingers. The boy let out happy giggles as he watched and literally enjoyed his little dog having a wonderful time jumping around madly.
When Teeny started to bark softly in a playful manner Tegoshi realized that he wasn’t alone, as he recognized a familiar voice humming outside the bedroom. At the tone of the voice coming from the kitchen he remembered something, Yamapi. Hadn’t he been there last night?! The moment Tegoshi put together the pieces of the obvious; Yamapi stepped into the room wearing a bright smile.
“Hey you are awake!?”
The boy returned the smile, looking excited to find the older man there.
“Un,” he nodded, “How come Teeny is here?!”
Yamapi walked over to join Tegoshi who was curled up on his bed, “Your mom dropped her off earlier.”
The moment Yamapi wanted to sit down on the edge of the bed the little fur ball jumped at him, barking protectively. “Woah~” The older man flinched, and happily took a safe step backwards.
“Don’t think she likes me much.”
Yamapi chuckled at the sight of the little Papillion fletching his teeth at him.
Tegoshi reached out to pick her up and put her next to him, motioning her to stay and be quiet, which the little dog responded in an unexpected well behaved manner, sitting down and closing her eyes as she let her head sink down to rest on her paws crossed in front of her tiny body.
“I’m sorry, I don’t think that’s because she doesn’t like you... She’s like this to everyone who comes near me, even my family.”
Yamapi smiled, “Don’t worry; she’ll learn to love me too.”
The older singer couldn’t believe how it came to this, that he was suddenly standing in Tegoshi’s bedroom again after cooking and cleaning and… he shook his head, yet it still felt like it was the most normal thing for him to do and he enjoyed it. He cared for that boy more than anything and even though things had become strange and so different yet it didn’t feel wrong the slightest. He thought, maybe that’s how it should have been from the beginning, he knew that there were things he had done wrong in the past and he always should have put his worries aside and fully care for the boy he truly loved all along.
The older man made his way back into the kitchen, followed by Tegoshi light-footed leaving the napping dog on his bed.
“You didn’t call my mom by any chance, did you?”
Tegoshi stood in the doorframe, watching Yamapi clean up the rest of used dishes and utensils.
“I did.” Yamapi glanced over his shoulder giving the boy a warm smile, “Had to tell her that you are doing better and when she said she wanted to come by to cook for you I told her I already made you enough food to last for a week.”
The older singer winked at the surprised boy behind him.
“You did?”
Tegoshi crossed his arms over his chest, he couldn’t believe he started calling his mother again.
“Un.” Yamapi switched off the radio that played earlier but now was on mute. “Don’t worry I won’t chit chat with her, we just talked about important things.”
The younger boy sighed, of course the thought of Yamapi chatting with his mom about … well many things actually freaked him out. He loved his mom and she was more than just a mother to him and even though he could talk freely with her he didn’t want Yamapi to do so, at least not right now since after all they were in this weird situation. Maybe it wasn’t that weird but to him it was still complicated and somehow frightening.
“Err…ok,..well,....but how come she visited in the end?”
“Ah, I just asked her to drop off Teeny for you, said that would help more than her coming to check on you since you were sleeping for like ever again. Hope it’s ok, I mean if you call her she will be happily driving by again but we didn’t wanted to wake you...”
“Oh no no it’s fine, really.” The boy’s lips curled into a soft smile, appreciating how much he cared for him lately. “Thank you.”
“Sorry but I have to go out for a while now, ‘cause work won’t do itself after all.”
Yamapi sighed, placing a few zip lock bags with veggies and fruits into the fridge. “There is lots of food in the freezer as well if you are looking for something special. Once you have eaten there are also a lot of fruit and veggie drinks, make sure to eat and drink plenty, you hear me?”
“Uh, thank you. You shouldn’t have neglected your work you know, it’s more important than cooking for me.” Tegoshi nervously pulled at the hem of his loose lavender shirt that was big enough to fit around the lithe body twice if not thrice.
“Don’t worry I have got everything under control here, “The older man winked at the boy still standing within the doorframe, ruffling his messy bed-hair before he was let pass him. “Just rest some more, play with your dog and get better soon. I’ll come by whenever you want, just give me a call you hear me.”
The boy nodded as he watched Yamapi put on his shoes, “And don’t forget to take your medicine!” he gave the boy a warm smile over his shoulder before leaving in silent.
Tegoshi shook his head in disbelief, seriously wondering how things could have come to this; it was just too much to take in. He decided to have a bowl of rice and go back to bed for a little while, cuddling with Teeny before doing anything else, and he really planned on doing “a lot” for he had been lazing around for too long that he felt it was time to be active again.
-------
Tegoshi twisted and turned underneath the blanket that lay heavy on his tired body, yawning and growling loudly. Teeny’s barking mixed with the shrill sound of his mobile phone woke him up again almost 6 hours later. Turning around lazily to reach for his phone, which lay on top of his bedside drawer, Teeny jumped up and about, licking the boy’s arm eagerly. Tegoshi almost freaked out when he saw the time in bright green letters blinking on the display that he almost dropped it onto the floor, 9.55 PM.
The caller already dropped the line but he could see that Yamapi tried to reach him three times the past hour, including now. The boy sighed; he had been sleeping all day and night again. Pressing the re-dial button on his phone he waited patiently for the other to pick up, which he did after 3 rings later.
“Hey, “ Was Tegoshi’s simple choice of words once Yamapi picked up who sighed into the speaker loud enough for Tegoshi to register and he replied without a greeting and went straight to the topic of his concern.
“You didn’t call me so I wondered if everything is going well there, is it?”
Tegoshi nodded, knowing the other couldn’t see it though.
“Ah Yeah, sorry about that.. but I’m fine, everything is fine don’t worry!”
The older man seemed relieved and asked more cheerfully, “Did you eat yet?” knowing Tegoshi would love the food he had prepared, although he wasn’t really into food he believed what he made would taste delicious to him. Yamapi wasn’t that good of a cook but certain things he had picked up recently and tested at home frequently; messing with the recipe he got from his grandma just to get a taste he liked most.
“Um, .. a little.”
Tegoshi mumbled playing with the bed sheets in his free hand, afraid of the other’s reaction but it wasn’t his fault he just had to bring that across somehow.
“What do you mean, a little? There is plenty to eat, ne so go stuff yourself! You really need it, you know that.” When Tegoshi didn’t respond he kept on speaking, raising his voice slightly. “Do you need me to come by to feed you or will you manage yourself now?”
The younger singer wasn’t sure how to say it but guessed it would be easiest to just say the truth to not further upset Yamapi.
“I..I ..well the truth is, I fell asleep after a small bowl of rice. . So I didn’t even have time to eat more.”
“Slept again? The whole time? Geeez…Yuya can you really be that tired?”
Yamapi spoke firmly but couldn’t suppress a chuckle at the end of his sentence.
“Gomen ne, I’ll go eat right away. I promise.”
“Yeah please go, it’s fine that you sleep plenty too but you know just don’t make me worry so much.”
Tegoshi nodded, holding his phone close to his ear as he slipped out of bed and walked into the kitchen. “I will. Feel like I’m getting better already.”
He wanted to make sure Yamapi didn’t worry about him and nevertheless it was the truth, he finally felt like getting better, maybe the sleeping marathon actually helped.
“That’s good.”
Yamapi replied with a smile on his lips, leaving both in silence for a few moments before the older man said he would check on him tomorrow before work, telling him to go back to bed right after he ate so he’ll be awake in the morning.
Tegoshi complied, made himself a big and healthy meal before sneaking back into bed to have some quality time with his dog, which he enjoyed a lot.
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The next morning Tegoshi woke up feeling more alive than he had in weeks and he jumped into the shower to welcome Yamapi freshly dressed and with a bright smile on his lips around an hour later. The boy’s outfit was well chosen, stylish but comfortable grey elastic jeans, a white tank top tugged into said pants and a light blue short sleeved button shirt on top which he left unbuttoned, just the way he preferred it to be.
“Woah, you look good today. My super food has done better than I expected.”
Yamapi chuckled, smiling brightly at the other’s fresh expression and he slipped out of his shoes before letting himself into the kitchen, dropping a brown paper bag onto the table. Tegoshi jumped after him, squealing excited at the sight of the other picking out two lemon anpan and two cups of hot coffee.
“Sit down, breakfast is served.”
Yamapi motioned for the boy to take seat across himself. Tegoshi plopped his light body down onto the metal chair, smiling happily. The sight of the boy’s cheerfulness that was brought back so suddenly made the older man feel relieved and filled him with high spirits.
They talked about this and that before the older man had to leave for work an hour later.
“Just call me if there is anything you need, ok?“
Standing in the door frame Yamapi prepared himself to leave, making sure everything would go well with Tegoshi, he was still a little worried since the Doctor said he should seriously rest and take his time to prevent anything else from happening.
“Sure I will, but I already contacted my Manager and the others so I will get back to my own work and soccer pretty soon-“ Tegoshi was interrupted by the older man’s concerned words as he leaned forward, placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder.
“Don’t overdo it right now, Yuya.” Yamapi looked into the boy’s eyes firmly, “I will give you a hard time if anything bad happens just because you’re going to be careless now, do you understand?”
And Yamapi wasn’t lying when he threatened Tegoshi, he definitely wouldn’t be happy about it and he’d make sure to bring that across.
Tegoshi had to swallow hard at the other’s words but understood and nodded, waving goodbye once Yamapi left through the door for good.
He sighed and made his way back into the kitchen to get himself a load of veggie juice, he didn’t really understand what caused all of this but the way Yamapi treated him made him feel special again even though he figured it was mostly because of his health and he couldn’t be possibly let down NEWS in anyway so he gave his best to comply and work hard on getting well, and staying healthy.
He made a mental note to call his friends to reschedule their made plans for the first practice tomorrow, in what seemed like ages. It sure was making him feel a little depressed, not being able to kick that beloved ball of his but he figured it would be for the better to wait another week or so.
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The next three days Yamapi didn’t have much time to spare but he knew Tegoshi was in good hands; having Teeny there would definitely do the trick and he knew his mother would check on him as well. Nevertheless the small dog never failed to lift the boy’s mood and right now she was probably the best medicine after all.
Yamapi though called to check on him every day, twice, and they spent almost an hour this morning talking on the phone again, about everything and nothing while Tegoshi was making breakfast and Yamapi prepared himself for an early interview with some random magazine.
After talking to Tegoshi he felt energetic and looked forward to break time to call again and before Yamapi noticed that night he was done with work for the day and quickly decided to drop by Tegoshi’s for dinner, which of course he provided, picking up Pasta from the infamous favorite Pasta place around.
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Since Tegoshi wasn’t expecting anyone to visit him tonight he didn’t bother to get dressed in the first place, making Yamapi smirk at the view he was given as a sleepy looking, lazily dressed Tegoshi open the door. A thin silver headband held back his slightly curled red-ish hair; a short grey shirt with pink writing across chest height clung tight to his slim upper body, short enough to reveal his blue plaid boxer shorts he wore as “pants.”
“Oh,…. Pi!? W-what are you doing here?”
Yamapi’s stomach twisted a little every time he heard Tegoshi call him Pi, and he couldn’t help but stare at the boy for a moment, said boy instantly blushed as he realized he wasn’t even dressed, or rather that he was dressed like that.
“Surprising you with a surprise dinner Italian style, and don’t worry I like that style of yours.”
Yamapi pointed out as he entered the apartment freely; roaming the kitchen right away like he owned it. Tegoshi followed silently, fighting the urge to get dressed properly but feeling too lazy to be bothered, instead he watched the older man set the table humming cheerfully as he poured themselves apple juice into tall glasses.
“Sorry, no wine tonight you’re still on your meds.”
Yamapi smirked at the blush creeping back up on the other’s cheeks.
“Urm, let me get dressed quickly-“
The older man stopped Tegoshi’s action of running away by grabbing his wrist firmly, pulling him towards himself. “Just sit down, it’s not like I haven’t seen you like this before and you like running around in your undies, so just let it be.”
Tegoshi gulped down hardly, “K..” was all he could manage at the sudden action that caught him by surprise. He felt his stomach explode with butterflies when Yamapi held him so dangerously close to his body, at least that’s what people would call it he guessed, butterflies.
Although it felt more like he ate something expired, nevertheless it felt awkward and yet so good, it made him fight against wanting to throw his arms around Yamapi’s neck and just cling to him for hours. It wasn’t like he forgot how amazing it felt to be held close by Yamapi, he just tried hard to forget but whenever he would touch him every little bit of crazy emotion he hid inside got stirred up instantly, overflowing his body and mind with these incredible sensations.
Oh how much he hated this, not being able to be close to the other like they used to be, it literally ate him up inside and moments like this made him think it would have been probably better if Yamapi wasn’t so caring no matter how good it felt most of the time.
“Are you .. Ok? Yuya?”
Yamapi shook Tegoshi softly, slightly scared at the frozen look on the younger boy’s face, his lips slightly ajar and eyes shut tight.
“Yes. Yes?. Fine, I’m fine.”
Tegoshi shook his head, almost forgetting where he was, he walked toward his chair and cracked a smile to convince Yamapi that everything was fine, just fine.
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After a huge and delicious Italian dinner the two ended up watching one DVD after the other, just relaxing on the large sofa. By the end of the 4th DVD, which was just as boring as the previous but luckily just a strange foreign ‘short movie’ Shige had lent him, Tegoshi lay sprawled across half the sofa, his legs somewhere on Yamapi’s lap and a thick blanket covering most of his delicate body with Teeny curled up underneath it resting on the boy’s stomach.
Yamapi sighed at the relaxing sight of Tegoshi half asleep next to him, enjoying the low and soft noises he gave from him every now and then. He was worried though, since their dinner Tegoshi hadn’t been the same and hadn’t really said anything besides ‘thanks for dinner’ and the singer started wondering what caused that change but hoped it would be better tomorrow.
Yamapi thought about leaving and waking up Tegoshi so he could go have a good night sleep in his more comfortable bed but he was slightly scared to lift the blanket Tegoshi was under - scared of Teeny to wake up furious and jump at him, waking Tegoshi or even bite him.
Once he touched the blanket the little dog underneath sleepily crawled out and jumped off the sofa without further hesitation, running off to the bedroom to jump into Tegoshi’s bed like she knew he’d join her every minute. Yamapi sighed in relief and looking at the sleeping boy he didn’t have the heart to wake him and instead picked Tegoshi up from the sofa, carrying him into his bed.
Yamapi observed the sleeping boy for a few minutes, amazed by the fact he didn’t even make any sound of discomfort as he carried him into the bedroom. After considering what to do next he went back into the living room, closing the bedroom door behind him and let Tegoshi sleep peacefully until the morning came.
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Said next morning Yamapi woke the boy by gently shaking the smaller into the sheets curled up body and whispering his name. Tegoshi smiled softly as he realized who woke him up out of the blue, asking what he was doing there, earning him the explanation that Yamapi had decided to sleep over, on the living room sofa.
A moment later Tegoshi joined Yamapi in the kitchen, appreciatively accepting the offered cup of coffee before sitting down at the table. He yawned and stretched lazily before sipping on the hot beverage. Exchanging looks with Yamapi he whispered a low “Thanks.” Which the older man replied by nodding before he pointed out that he’d leave in a second cause he needed to get things from home before going to work.
Standing in the hallway Yamapi smiled questioningly at the younger boy, “Are you really feeling alright?”
Tegoshi smiled and just nodded, “Don’t worry I’m fine.”
“Ok. Then…”
Yamapi swore to himself he wouldn’t ask again, because he felt like he was totally overdoing it with his caring for the boy who kept insisting he was fine, when he knew he wasn’t. But there wasn’t much he could do right now he thought, although asking never hurt anyone.
“Ne, Pi, if you don’t have any plans after work…why don’t you come by again?”
Yamapi was caught by surprise, and suddenly felt a rush of hot blood run through his veins, leaving him almost with a dizzy feeling for a split second before he casually replied, “Sure, I think I can arrange that.” He smirked at the happy looking boy in front of him “What do you want to eat?”
“Ah,- well… may I ask what do you want?” Tegoshi bit his lip uncomfortable and bent down to pick up Teeny from the floor once he noticed her running towards the open door. “For a change I can make us some dinner?” he then suggested, stroking the little dog gently as he pressed her against his chest.
Yamapi nodded, “How about,..” he hesitated, thinking through all options he knew the boy was able to cook safely. “..how about…”
He was cut off suddenly by the younger, “Let me surprise you with something good, ok?”
Yamapi smiled cheekily, “You sure you can handle cooking already?”
“Of course! Now leave or you’ll be late~” the boy almost shouted watching Yamapi walk out the door with a grin on his face.
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Doumo!
Ah, *sigh ~ It has been a while since I last updated and to be honest I am not sure where this is going or rather say how it came to this. I’m still struggling with the story somehow but I do want to keep going and so I put much effort in this chapter, I hope it was still worth reading until now and that I didn’t mess it up.
xxxx