canned soda 24 - Christmas Eve chapter!
Title: Canned Soda part 24/25
Author: yuaelt
Pairing: main: Ryoda, others mentioned (Ryotada, PiKame, Ouyasu, JinTego, past Akame mentioned lightly)
Genre: Romance, Comedy, light Drama
Rating: PG-15 (whole story)
Disclaimer: I don't own them. Although I'd love to.
Summary:
Before: Ryo was pushed by his friends to confess his feelings to Tatsuya, Tatsuya was being puzzled about his own, and Jin finally found a happy ending with Yuya.
Now: It seems Tatchan realizes something. And then comes the day of Christmas Eve... 'Ame wa yo fukesugi ni yuki e to kawaru darou'?..
Previous chapters:
part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8 | part 9 | part 10 | part 11 | part 12 | part 13 | part 14 | part 15 | part 16 | part 17 | part 18 | part 19 | part 20 | part 21 | part 22 | part 23
part 24
Theme song: Yamashita Tatsuro - Christmas Eve [could there be any other song to match this day and chapter? There's many new versions, remixes and such, and once in Shounen Club, it was even sung by Ryota, Jimmy and Toma together. Remember? It was the year when NEWS hosted Christmas episode. However, I think the very first, original version suits this chapter best. Because it's... THE song. How it was first invented, thought and done. Hope you'll like it, and the first part of Canned Soda ending that it comes with.]
download: here
It took Tatsuya two more days full of total confusion and uncertainty, before he finally reached his limits and simply stopped thinking about the matter at all. He wouldn't accept neither Ryota's nor Ryo's advances (only there were, naturally, none on Ryo's side, now really, how stupid of him to keep taking Ryo into account, that was all because of Kazuya's silly persistence) and he just got devoted to his work as never before. Too bad he wasn't such a star like Kame, or a band two-timer like Ryo who, by the way, was now flying all over Japan with concerts. Having less time on his hands would certainly do Tatsuya some good.
He knew perfectly that what he was doing was a pure cowardice, and that he'll had to face the matter sooner or later, but he chose to put it aside for a while. He wasn't hoping it'll disappear or solve by itself, no. But he hoped with some time passing things would get easier to understand for him.
Well, by far the only thing that was easy to understand was that there was no more free space in his fridge for all those damned soda cans he started to buy compulsively after Kame drank one of the set that Ryo brought on his birthday night. There was actually no more space for them in the cupboard too. The ones Ueda was buying were normal and held no meaning of course, but somehow he couldn't drink them too and they were just piling up in his kitchen. As if 'a can of soda' was no longer an utilitary item, but more like a good luck charm, or something along the lines.
One cold December morning shortly before Christmas, Ueda Tatsuya opened his fridge's door, looked inside and just like that, he realized something very, very important. Suddenly his last talk about Ryo with Kame appeared far more rational, and the last time he met Nishikido too...
He began to remove all the cans from the fridge, laughing silently to himself.
***
Ryo was repeating in his mind what Uchi told him to do. He found that all strange and stupid, but knew his own ways wouldn't lead him anywhere, and somehow, after that talk with his best friend, his hopes had risen up a little. Not exactly in the way Uchi meant them to rise though.
And when you make sure he knows it's about him, you may go slay the dragon. was what Uchi said. Ryo didn't plan on telling Tatsuya it was about him, because it was obvious. And very hard to admit at the same time. And it required him to meet with the princess, which he still avoided at all costs, afraid of what would he say or do and how it would end if they were to meet in front of other people, or even worse, alone.
Ryo focused on the dragon. That part he could understand and hope to succeed with.
In the end, it wasn't possible for Ueda to love him back. What he was going to do now was probably the only way he could let the princess know his feelings and avoid direct answer at the same time. Cause it seemed he had to do it somehow, when it got disturbing enough for Yasu-dolly to interfere.
He wasn't going to let the dragon devour his precious career when it just started to shine so brightly. So yeah, even if there was no princess to marry afterwards, there was still half a kingdom to get. Fight-o!
His spirit went down when he was informed of his schedule for the day no more than an hour later. Damned company left no space for private affairs at all, and it was Christmas Eve too! He expected they would let them go home earlier, since they were already kind enough not to force NEWS to spend whole Christmas in concert halls, but it was just the opposite. Managers with wicked smiles that could meet Shibutani's on the scale of insanity reminded Ryo that Christmas Eve is a normal working day in Japan where he happened to live. And one of the best days to make money of, just by the way. Willing or not, Ryo had to forget the dragon matter and concentrate on work. The day was impossibly long...
When it finally ended, Nishikido couldn't think of anything else than going home (home in Tokyo that is, no way he would be able to go to Osaka now) and sleeping two days straight. He kindly (yes, he was exhausted enough to actually act kind) refused taking part in a Christmas party thrown after work and went straight to the station. At first he was going together with Pi and Yuya who also skipped the fun, probably set to dates with their respective KAT-TUN boyfriends.
Ryo thought how cute would it be if he was going to see his own KAT-TUN boyfriend too. Too bad he had no KAT-TUN boyfriend of his own.
"Did we just leave the so-not-a-couple with a crazy yaoi cupid?" YamaPi's voice made him go back to reality.
"Don't worry." Yuya answered. "Shige has it all planned out perfectly till February, so if Massu's there tonight, it means he is to be there."
"February?" Ryo repeated the word, not sure what he found more amazing, Shige's genius mind or manipulative instincts. Yet even if it was the second option, he still envied him in a way. He'd give a lot for such a detailed plan... Pi and Tesshi soon left for different train platforms, leaving Nishikido Ryo alone in the crowd.
Riding a train that day wouldn't be a nice experience, but he was sure it was still better than trying to get anywhere by car. Plus he was way to tired to drive anyway.
However, the train was packed so heavily, that he hardly could breath. Plugging his ears with earphones in order to cut the crowd off at least a little, he drowned in the music. Was that the old song that he didn't even remember putting on his iPod, or the fact he was so tired and somehow sad he's spending Christmas Eve like a total loser? Or maybe the warmth and bore of the long ride... Whatever the reason was, crushed and perfectly immobilized by other passengers' bodies, Ryo fell standing asleep.
***
Jin's eyes widened a little when he saw Kame standing in a place he was supposed to meet with Yuya at. It wasn't a popular dating spot, just one of many squares with a nameless modern sculpture in the centre. In Ginza, cause it was friggin' Christmas and he friggin' could afford it. He approached the statue Kame was standing back to and stood beside him. The boy was probably waiting for his own date.
"Hi. You think they did it on puropose?" He said, not looking into his bandmate's eyes at all. He faked being interested in lamplights decorating trees at one of the sides. But with the corner of his eye, he managed to register Kame simply shrugged off the question. Jin didn't like the awkward silence between them, and was about to say something silly, when Kazuya spoke.
"Why are you helping Tatchan?" He looked at Jin, seriously interested. The latter smiled at that.
"Ryo is one of my best friends you know?"
Kazuya rolled his eyes.
"C'mon, Ryo would never realize there's anything to it were he not helped by... you. And you were working on Uesato since even I don't know when."
Never underestimate Kamenashi Kazuya's sixth sense. Jin started wondering if the boy actually knew who...
"I'd also like to know what kind of fetish do you have for photographs. And how you entered Uebo's flat, cause I already know how you got into mine."
...stole the pictures from him and Tatsuya. Right.
Feeling there's not much he could do but to tell him the truth, Jin smiled goofily, trying to hide his uneasiness that way. He knew Kame's immune to that smile of his, but it wasn't for Kame at all, it was for him to get a hold of himself.
"Pi is my best friend too, you know? He helped me with copying your keys to Ueda's place... As for reasons - With Pi, I knew he loved you but had no confidence about it. So I gave him these pics, and I was talking pretty stupid things too, hoping he'll get fired up, but he didn't want them at all. He said something high and mighty about winning your love fair and square. As we both know, he only did confess when he fell into YOUR own trap three months later." Jin laughed.
"Then why did you do it again?" But Kazuya wasn't even smiling.
"Firstly because Ueda is Ueda. Secondly, because Ryo is Ryo. Which means the first of them needs a push to realize his feelings can actually change, and the other is short-tempered enough to catch my bait, what he did. Only he ruined his chance to confess, with Ueda's big help of course."
Now Kame's expression finally softened slightly. He looked down at his hands, and said in an almost joking tone.
"Now you sound like someone who's been in love all his life, not a first-timer."
Akanishi winked playfully, hearing such words.
"I'm just a good observer." He blowed a stringe of hair that was constantly tickling his cheek due to strong wind. "And... no matter how much we fight, I actually like Ueda. I like all of KAT-TUN. I missed you all very much when I was in L.A., and I promised myself that if I'm really let to come back to you, I'll do my best for you. Help whenever I can."
At that point, Kazuya couldn't hold up his laughter anymore.
"That's so you!" He said when he finally stopped laughing, but he was still smiling. "Like Sailor Moon."
"You guys really COULD stop that Sailor Senshi thing... Yet I AM the same star sign as her." Jin joked. But then, his features got more serious. "My turn for questions, and I have two. First: Why did you help me and Yuya?"
"No reason." Kame stuffed his hands into his coat's pockets. "But you'd run away from it if anything happened before you were ready to accept it, right? Yuya was wiser than me and didn't chase you, but you're still the same. And if anybody told you too soon..."
"No reason, you say."
Kame shrugged.
"Take it as a gift of gratitude for doing a good job with Ryo, Tatchan and Ryota when I was screwing it up with Pi and Uchi, if you really need a reason. What's your second question?"
"As a first-timer, I'd like you to tell me, love-senpai... can one love replace another?"
"No way." Kame shook his head. "That's what is special about it. Love is love, it's irreplaceable."
"Then how..."
"Because it's different." Seeing Jin's confusion, he sighed and took up a pose of a real senpai who's trying to explain something obvious to a newcomer. "People are different. Your feelings for them differ too. That's why you can't simply change one person for another, when you're in love. And also why you can't expect that other person to give you litterally the same feeling. Wasn't that what you wanted to show me and Ueda when you stole our pictures? The fact that instead of looking for a refill that would live up our dying hopes, we should go out and look for something else?"
Jin blinked, apparently that kind of thoughts hadn't crossed his mind. Kame clapped his forehead.
"Never mind, I think I can see Pi and Yuya coming. Anyway, just remember that those feelings you have for Yuya now, are your feelings for Yuya alone. It will never be the same with anybody else and... actually it's okay. It's meant to be like that."
"You should tell that to Ueda too."
"I did. But I wonder if it got through his shell."
"Kame?"
"Hmm?..."
"Can we be... friends?"
***
When a faster song caused him to open eyes again, he didn't know where he was at all. He didn't know the name of the next stop displayed on the train, which meant he must have missed his own quite a time ago. Angry with himself, he left the machine hoping to hop on the one going back, only to find there were no more to come. It was too late for any more trains.
He switched off the music, now it was only making him lose whatever he had left of his patience. Leaving the station that was closed literally behind his back, he looked around without much hopes of recognizing his current surroundings. He was right on that.
As there was no police post in sight, resigned he entered the nearest convenience store, in order to ask for some directions for a bus stop, or see the maps. However, as soon as he reached the counter, he froze.
"Nishikido-kun?... What are you doing here?" It was Ueda standing there with a shopping basket, giving him a smile Ryo would happily catch, put in a jar and take home with him. Gods, it wasn't better seeing him after that long break. Only now, being few steps from him, Ryo realized how crazily he missed Tatsuya, and how big of an impact a random meeting in convini could have on him.
"Ueda, I..." He started, yet couldn't finish. He didn't really know what to say, after all. The radio was playing Christmas Eve for the upteenth time that day, only this time it was the original version. Tatsuya came closer to Ryo, still keeping that sweet smile on his face. Maybe he liked the song?.. Ryo clenched his fists and focused on not moving - either forward to hold his love and kiss him deeply, or to the door and further away.
------
Have a happy, warm Christmas Eve!
Author: yuaelt
Pairing: main: Ryoda, others mentioned (Ryotada, PiKame, Ouyasu, JinTego, past Akame mentioned lightly)
Genre: Romance, Comedy, light Drama
Rating: PG-15 (whole story)
Disclaimer: I don't own them. Although I'd love to.
Summary:
Before: Ryo was pushed by his friends to confess his feelings to Tatsuya, Tatsuya was being puzzled about his own, and Jin finally found a happy ending with Yuya.
Now: It seems Tatchan realizes something. And then comes the day of Christmas Eve... 'Ame wa yo fukesugi ni yuki e to kawaru darou'?..
Previous chapters:
part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8 | part 9 | part 10 | part 11 | part 12 | part 13 | part 14 | part 15 | part 16 | part 17 | part 18 | part 19 | part 20 | part 21 | part 22 | part 23
part 24
Theme song: Yamashita Tatsuro - Christmas Eve [could there be any other song to match this day and chapter? There's many new versions, remixes and such, and once in Shounen Club, it was even sung by Ryota, Jimmy and Toma together. Remember? It was the year when NEWS hosted Christmas episode. However, I think the very first, original version suits this chapter best. Because it's... THE song. How it was first invented, thought and done. Hope you'll like it, and the first part of Canned Soda ending that it comes with.]
download: here
It took Tatsuya two more days full of total confusion and uncertainty, before he finally reached his limits and simply stopped thinking about the matter at all. He wouldn't accept neither Ryota's nor Ryo's advances (only there were, naturally, none on Ryo's side, now really, how stupid of him to keep taking Ryo into account, that was all because of Kazuya's silly persistence) and he just got devoted to his work as never before. Too bad he wasn't such a star like Kame, or a band two-timer like Ryo who, by the way, was now flying all over Japan with concerts. Having less time on his hands would certainly do Tatsuya some good.
He knew perfectly that what he was doing was a pure cowardice, and that he'll had to face the matter sooner or later, but he chose to put it aside for a while. He wasn't hoping it'll disappear or solve by itself, no. But he hoped with some time passing things would get easier to understand for him.
Well, by far the only thing that was easy to understand was that there was no more free space in his fridge for all those damned soda cans he started to buy compulsively after Kame drank one of the set that Ryo brought on his birthday night. There was actually no more space for them in the cupboard too. The ones Ueda was buying were normal and held no meaning of course, but somehow he couldn't drink them too and they were just piling up in his kitchen. As if 'a can of soda' was no longer an utilitary item, but more like a good luck charm, or something along the lines.
One cold December morning shortly before Christmas, Ueda Tatsuya opened his fridge's door, looked inside and just like that, he realized something very, very important. Suddenly his last talk about Ryo with Kame appeared far more rational, and the last time he met Nishikido too...
He began to remove all the cans from the fridge, laughing silently to himself.
***
Ryo was repeating in his mind what Uchi told him to do. He found that all strange and stupid, but knew his own ways wouldn't lead him anywhere, and somehow, after that talk with his best friend, his hopes had risen up a little. Not exactly in the way Uchi meant them to rise though.
And when you make sure he knows it's about him, you may go slay the dragon. was what Uchi said. Ryo didn't plan on telling Tatsuya it was about him, because it was obvious. And very hard to admit at the same time. And it required him to meet with the princess, which he still avoided at all costs, afraid of what would he say or do and how it would end if they were to meet in front of other people, or even worse, alone.
Ryo focused on the dragon. That part he could understand and hope to succeed with.
In the end, it wasn't possible for Ueda to love him back. What he was going to do now was probably the only way he could let the princess know his feelings and avoid direct answer at the same time. Cause it seemed he had to do it somehow, when it got disturbing enough for Yasu-dolly to interfere.
He wasn't going to let the dragon devour his precious career when it just started to shine so brightly. So yeah, even if there was no princess to marry afterwards, there was still half a kingdom to get. Fight-o!
His spirit went down when he was informed of his schedule for the day no more than an hour later. Damned company left no space for private affairs at all, and it was Christmas Eve too! He expected they would let them go home earlier, since they were already kind enough not to force NEWS to spend whole Christmas in concert halls, but it was just the opposite. Managers with wicked smiles that could meet Shibutani's on the scale of insanity reminded Ryo that Christmas Eve is a normal working day in Japan where he happened to live. And one of the best days to make money of, just by the way. Willing or not, Ryo had to forget the dragon matter and concentrate on work. The day was impossibly long...
When it finally ended, Nishikido couldn't think of anything else than going home (home in Tokyo that is, no way he would be able to go to Osaka now) and sleeping two days straight. He kindly (yes, he was exhausted enough to actually act kind) refused taking part in a Christmas party thrown after work and went straight to the station. At first he was going together with Pi and Yuya who also skipped the fun, probably set to dates with their respective KAT-TUN boyfriends.
Ryo thought how cute would it be if he was going to see his own KAT-TUN boyfriend too. Too bad he had no KAT-TUN boyfriend of his own.
"Did we just leave the so-not-a-couple with a crazy yaoi cupid?" YamaPi's voice made him go back to reality.
"Don't worry." Yuya answered. "Shige has it all planned out perfectly till February, so if Massu's there tonight, it means he is to be there."
"February?" Ryo repeated the word, not sure what he found more amazing, Shige's genius mind or manipulative instincts. Yet even if it was the second option, he still envied him in a way. He'd give a lot for such a detailed plan... Pi and Tesshi soon left for different train platforms, leaving Nishikido Ryo alone in the crowd.
Riding a train that day wouldn't be a nice experience, but he was sure it was still better than trying to get anywhere by car. Plus he was way to tired to drive anyway.
However, the train was packed so heavily, that he hardly could breath. Plugging his ears with earphones in order to cut the crowd off at least a little, he drowned in the music. Was that the old song that he didn't even remember putting on his iPod, or the fact he was so tired and somehow sad he's spending Christmas Eve like a total loser? Or maybe the warmth and bore of the long ride... Whatever the reason was, crushed and perfectly immobilized by other passengers' bodies, Ryo fell standing asleep.
***
Jin's eyes widened a little when he saw Kame standing in a place he was supposed to meet with Yuya at. It wasn't a popular dating spot, just one of many squares with a nameless modern sculpture in the centre. In Ginza, cause it was friggin' Christmas and he friggin' could afford it. He approached the statue Kame was standing back to and stood beside him. The boy was probably waiting for his own date.
"Hi. You think they did it on puropose?" He said, not looking into his bandmate's eyes at all. He faked being interested in lamplights decorating trees at one of the sides. But with the corner of his eye, he managed to register Kame simply shrugged off the question. Jin didn't like the awkward silence between them, and was about to say something silly, when Kazuya spoke.
"Why are you helping Tatchan?" He looked at Jin, seriously interested. The latter smiled at that.
"Ryo is one of my best friends you know?"
Kazuya rolled his eyes.
"C'mon, Ryo would never realize there's anything to it were he not helped by... you. And you were working on Uesato since even I don't know when."
Never underestimate Kamenashi Kazuya's sixth sense. Jin started wondering if the boy actually knew who...
"I'd also like to know what kind of fetish do you have for photographs. And how you entered Uebo's flat, cause I already know how you got into mine."
...stole the pictures from him and Tatsuya. Right.
Feeling there's not much he could do but to tell him the truth, Jin smiled goofily, trying to hide his uneasiness that way. He knew Kame's immune to that smile of his, but it wasn't for Kame at all, it was for him to get a hold of himself.
"Pi is my best friend too, you know? He helped me with copying your keys to Ueda's place... As for reasons - With Pi, I knew he loved you but had no confidence about it. So I gave him these pics, and I was talking pretty stupid things too, hoping he'll get fired up, but he didn't want them at all. He said something high and mighty about winning your love fair and square. As we both know, he only did confess when he fell into YOUR own trap three months later." Jin laughed.
"Then why did you do it again?" But Kazuya wasn't even smiling.
"Firstly because Ueda is Ueda. Secondly, because Ryo is Ryo. Which means the first of them needs a push to realize his feelings can actually change, and the other is short-tempered enough to catch my bait, what he did. Only he ruined his chance to confess, with Ueda's big help of course."
Now Kame's expression finally softened slightly. He looked down at his hands, and said in an almost joking tone.
"Now you sound like someone who's been in love all his life, not a first-timer."
Akanishi winked playfully, hearing such words.
"I'm just a good observer." He blowed a stringe of hair that was constantly tickling his cheek due to strong wind. "And... no matter how much we fight, I actually like Ueda. I like all of KAT-TUN. I missed you all very much when I was in L.A., and I promised myself that if I'm really let to come back to you, I'll do my best for you. Help whenever I can."
At that point, Kazuya couldn't hold up his laughter anymore.
"That's so you!" He said when he finally stopped laughing, but he was still smiling. "Like Sailor Moon."
"You guys really COULD stop that Sailor Senshi thing... Yet I AM the same star sign as her." Jin joked. But then, his features got more serious. "My turn for questions, and I have two. First: Why did you help me and Yuya?"
"No reason." Kame stuffed his hands into his coat's pockets. "But you'd run away from it if anything happened before you were ready to accept it, right? Yuya was wiser than me and didn't chase you, but you're still the same. And if anybody told you too soon..."
"No reason, you say."
Kame shrugged.
"Take it as a gift of gratitude for doing a good job with Ryo, Tatchan and Ryota when I was screwing it up with Pi and Uchi, if you really need a reason. What's your second question?"
"As a first-timer, I'd like you to tell me, love-senpai... can one love replace another?"
"No way." Kame shook his head. "That's what is special about it. Love is love, it's irreplaceable."
"Then how..."
"Because it's different." Seeing Jin's confusion, he sighed and took up a pose of a real senpai who's trying to explain something obvious to a newcomer. "People are different. Your feelings for them differ too. That's why you can't simply change one person for another, when you're in love. And also why you can't expect that other person to give you litterally the same feeling. Wasn't that what you wanted to show me and Ueda when you stole our pictures? The fact that instead of looking for a refill that would live up our dying hopes, we should go out and look for something else?"
Jin blinked, apparently that kind of thoughts hadn't crossed his mind. Kame clapped his forehead.
"Never mind, I think I can see Pi and Yuya coming. Anyway, just remember that those feelings you have for Yuya now, are your feelings for Yuya alone. It will never be the same with anybody else and... actually it's okay. It's meant to be like that."
"You should tell that to Ueda too."
"I did. But I wonder if it got through his shell."
"Kame?"
"Hmm?..."
"Can we be... friends?"
***
When a faster song caused him to open eyes again, he didn't know where he was at all. He didn't know the name of the next stop displayed on the train, which meant he must have missed his own quite a time ago. Angry with himself, he left the machine hoping to hop on the one going back, only to find there were no more to come. It was too late for any more trains.
He switched off the music, now it was only making him lose whatever he had left of his patience. Leaving the station that was closed literally behind his back, he looked around without much hopes of recognizing his current surroundings. He was right on that.
As there was no police post in sight, resigned he entered the nearest convenience store, in order to ask for some directions for a bus stop, or see the maps. However, as soon as he reached the counter, he froze.
"Nishikido-kun?... What are you doing here?" It was Ueda standing there with a shopping basket, giving him a smile Ryo would happily catch, put in a jar and take home with him. Gods, it wasn't better seeing him after that long break. Only now, being few steps from him, Ryo realized how crazily he missed Tatsuya, and how big of an impact a random meeting in convini could have on him.
"Ueda, I..." He started, yet couldn't finish. He didn't really know what to say, after all. The radio was playing Christmas Eve for the upteenth time that day, only this time it was the original version. Tatsuya came closer to Ryo, still keeping that sweet smile on his face. Maybe he liked the song?.. Ryo clenched his fists and focused on not moving - either forward to hold his love and kiss him deeply, or to the door and further away.
------
Have a happy, warm Christmas Eve!