How Old Are You, Exactly? | 1/1 | AoixRuki, RukixAoi
Title: How Old Are You, Exactly?
Chapter: 1/1 (one-shot)
Author: akichuu
Fandom: the GazettE
Pairing: AoixRuki
Theme: 018: First Kiss - Aa @ 50stories
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Fluff
Warning: Not beta-ed. Yaoi, or hints of it.
Disclaimer: the GazettE belongs to themselves and, yes, the Almighty PSC. I, well I own this story. It's fiction, meaning IT'S NOT REAL and I'm making no profit from it (except my 15 minutes of fame). Yes, mind that.
Summary: … But that was Aoi that the world out there knew. Aoi, the GazettE’s guitarist. In Ruki’s opinion, Aoi was nowhere near the image he presented in front of public’s eyes.
Comment: Nothing from me but I do hope you contribute yours :)
How Old Are You, Exactly?
Ruki often wondered if his bandmate really was a cool, tough and handsome 31 year old guy like his physiques showed, or a snotty little 6 year old brat who liked to cause grown ups major headaches with everything that he did.
Maybe in others’ eyes Aoi looked just like a normal kind of guy. He was rather tall, well-built if not a bit slender. His face was a sculpture of masculine features, constructed from square jaws, sharp cheek bones and full lips. When he was doing what he was best at, which was playing his guitar, he looked quite professional and very into what he was doing, be it in the studio or live on stage. He also knew very well how to act in front of the camera. He memorized all kinds of poses that could possibly draw all eyes towards him. He had perfect knowledge of which body parts he should emphasize in order to make his fans scream out his name hysterically. And off course, his gaze-he knew damn well what sort of emotion he needed to put forth through his eyes to hypnotize whomever he wanted.
But that was Aoi that the world out there knew. Aoi, the GazettE’s guitarist. In Ruki’s opinion, Aoi was nowhere near the image he presented in front of public’s eyes.
Ruki had spent so many times wondering how a man could transform from one character to another, a wholly different kind, in a blink of an eye. At one moment Aoi could be so serious, super-serious even and act like a total perfectionist which made him pretty scary at times. But in the next moment he turned into a ridiculous kind of person who would continuously blurt out silly, childish jokes and make Ruki want to hit him on the back of his head and tell him to stand on the corner of a room with one of his legs lifted. Admittedly his jokes had never failed to make people laugh, but mostly, his behavior was too bizarre for a man with reasonable mind to comprehend.
One clear example was this moment right here and now, somewhere in downtown Chiba, in the middle of a pouring rain.
“Aoi! Stop fooling around in the rain and get back here now!”
Ruki could hardly remember how many times he had called out to Aoi, trying to ask him to get off the road and join him where he was standing, under a roof of a café, safe from the drizzle. It wouldn’t be too long now until Sakai showed up with the van, so Ruki believed. But did Aoi listen to him? No, not even for one short moment. Whatever Ruki said, Aoi ignored him and kept on hopping around like a beach ball, from one puddle of water to the next. It wasn’t hard to compare him to a kindergarten kid who got so excited by how big of a splash he could create with his feet.
So now all that Ruki could do was to stare at Aoi, his feeling was a gruesome mixture of frustration, desperation and a slight hint of amusement. He was running out of ideas on how to stop Aoi from humiliating himself. To be honest, he was just worried about Aoi’s health; if Aoi drenched himself in the rain he most likely would get sick. Why couldn’t he understand Ruki’s intention? Giving no second thought to how others feel, he just kept on playing around splashing water on the street as if that was the most normal thing a grown up man would do during a rainy day.
Nothing could be compared to the shame Ruki felt as he looked around and found people’s eyes on them. Old and young, everyone swiftly turned their attention to Aoi, stopped to stare at this seemingly mature man who was actually busy hopping around, splashing water like a little kid. Some of them even laughed, shaking their heads in disbelieve as a reaction to what they were seeing.
Ruki felt more and more like a failed babysitter who couldn’t even stop the kid he was supposed to be watching from going out into the rain and risking himself the flu. He thought he was playing the idiot; he was standing here, waiting on the sidewalk, hiding under a roof while Aoi was having the fun of his life there under the rain. What was so exciting about getting drenched like that? Ruki honestly couldn’t see the point. He didn’t think it was that interesting to be standing under the rain, letting himself be soaked wet, especially when he was wearing expensive clothes like the ones he had on his body at the moment. Thinking of how much he had to spend for the laundry already gave him a horrible headache. Not to mention his hair. Without a doubt, as one of his most precious assets, Ruki did not like it when his hairstyle was ruined. And rain was well known for ruining people’s hairstyles, thus explaining Ruki’s animosity towards it.
But obviously, Aoi didn’t share his anxiety.
“Aoi!” Ruki shouted one more time, not certain if Aoi would even listen.
Surpassing his expectation though, Aoi turned around. He had gotten his hair completely wet; wild, untamed streaks were stuck to his cheeks and forehead. A wide, uninhibited smile stretched on his lips.
“Ruki, come here!” Aoi waved his hand cheerfully.
Instantly, Ruki gaped in shock. He shook his head quickly as a reflex. Had Aoi lost his mind? Couldn’t Aoi see this glamorous, highly expensive coat Ruki was currently wearing? Ruki would be utterly, terribly upset if this coat ever got damaged. No, if Aoi expected Ruki to join him and dance around like an idiot under the rain, he could swallow his own hopes and forget the thought of Ruki ever saying yes to his invitation.
Despite Ruki’s objection, Aoi didn’t stop waving his hand. In the mean time, some people around them began to turn their attention toward Ruki. Panic started to creep along Ruki’s spine. He shook his head even harder. “No,” he mumbled meekly, lurking nervously to his sides. “Please, leave me alone…”
It was as if Aoi could read the fear welling up inside Ruki, the man laughed. His voice was clear, even through the sound of the rain falling around them. “RUKI!! COME OVER HERE OR I’LL GET YOU MYSELF!” Aoi shouted loudly. Ruki could feel the blood in his head throbbing in an instant along with the anxiety that was growing bigger and more uncontainable by the second. The look on Aoi’s face made him want to run as fast as his legs could carry him away from this spot, but where could he possibly go? There was no way he could leave this place without getting wet.
Where the hell was Sakai, that damned guy? Where did he park the van, Africa? How could he let Ruki wait for so long here, in the rain nonetheless? He would better show up right now with that cursed van otherwise Ruki swore he would kill him, slowly and in the most painful way he could ever think of.
In the mean time, Aoi’s smile had grown even wider, nearly splitting his face into two halves. Inside Ruki’s chest, his heart was beating faster and faster as he watched the man before him starting to walk towards his direction, slowly but certainly shortening the distance between them. He felt so much like a hunted prey that had almost zero chance to survive its attacker. One step at a time he backed away, but before long he was met with a solid wall that stopped him from moving any further.
There was nowhere to run to.
“Aoi, what are you up to?” Ruki asked, sliding against the wall behind his back. This was useless; he was only a few steps away from getting drenched by the rain. “Aoi! Stay away from me! Don’t even think about touching me; you’re soaking wet!”
But Aoi just kept on moving, kept on advancing towards Ruki despite the warnings Ruki had uttered out loud. The smile Aoi was supporting in Ruki’s opinion looked like the smile of a psychopath in the face of his victim just before he ripped the victim’s body apart, or in this case, before Aoi grabbed Ruki and dragged him all the way to the street where the rain would soak him thoroughly.
“Damn it, Sakai, where are you when I need you the most?” Ruki cursed. “Get the hell away from me, Aoi!”
There were absolutely no signs of Sakai. There wasn’t even a glimpse of the van’s headlight showing up at the corner. Helplessly, Ruki’s mind was gradually becoming a chaotic, incomprehensible mess. He tried looking around for a possible way to escape Aoi’s clutch and keep himself dry in the same time, or maybe a police officer who could help him with restraining Aoi if Ruki felt his safety was truly jeopardized. Unfortunately, he couldn’t find anywhere that was safe enough to run to. And worse, there was not a single policeman sighted. They were all most likely taking refuge inside their warm, comfortable offices or other places that were drier than this spot. This left Ruki with his final desperate choice: to threaten Aoi.
“Aoi, if you dare laying one finger on me, I swear I will never, ever speak to you again for the rest of my life!”
Okay, so that was a rather childish threat. But if Ruki had to be honest, he was completely out of ideas now. Aoi was only a few steps away and the expression on his face only showed how useless Ruki’s efforts had been.
“Oh yeah? I doubt you can stand two days without talking to me, Ruki,” Aoi laughed. “Anyways, will you just look at how pleasant tonight’s rain is?”
“Pleasant? What’s so pleasant about this? It’s just going to get me sick!”
“No, it won’t! We’ll just ask Sakai to make a quick stop at the local bath house so we can freshen up and change clothes.”
“But the rain is going to ruin my coat, Aoi!” Ruki insisted. Aoi was very, very close now. All he needed to do was reach out his hand and he would be able to grab Ruki, if that was really his intention in the first place.
“You have another one that looks just like that! And what is it made of anyway? How can the rain ruin it so easily? Come on, Ruki…”
“The other one is red and this kind of fabric needs special chemical treatment during laundry-Aoi! Don’t touch me!” Ruki smacked Aoi’s hand that was reaching out to him just like a snake, ready to bite. But the more Ruki struggled to get rid of Aoi’s hand, the more fervent Aoi tried to grab Ruki.
An undignified yelp escaped from Ruki’s throat before he could hold it down when Aoi’s hand caught his arm. His eyes shot wide open, focused on the sleeve of his coat that instantly changed color, water seeping into its pores from Aoi’s hand. “Aoi, let go of me!” he screamed while trying to pull his arm free, out of Aoi’s clutch, but unfortunately the taller man was stronger than him. And suddenly, before Ruki could go any further, Aoi pulled him hard until he stumbled from his position and wobbled forward before bumping against Aoi’s body.
It didn’t take too long for Ruki’s coat to be soaked wet, absorbing water from Aoi’s clothes since they were practically chest to chest now. And sadly, all that Ruki could do was gape at the unsalvageable condition of his coat.
“Aww… it’s soaked,” Aoi mumbled, mocking the act of remorse when in fact, his face was practically radiating with amusement. “What about going all the way now that you’re already wet?”
Ruki only had enough time to see the glimpse of light in Aoi’s eyes before he felt himself being dragged away from the spot where he had been standing towards the sidewalk where there was no roof to protect him from the pouring rain. He gasped when he felt the first drops of water hitting him, wetting him thoroughly starting from his hair to his shoes-which, sadly, were no less expensive compared to his coat. Everything was becoming helplessly wet. His hair was withering like flowers that hadn’t seen sunlight in weeks, sticking onto his forehead and face. He was reminded about the amount of time he needed to style his hair this morning. It was enough to trigger tons of curse words threatening to explode from his throat.
The first syllable managed to slip from his mouth, but it went unfinished because then he felt a wet and soft sensation pressing on his lips, stopping them from moving another muscle. Spontaneously his brain tried to figure out what was going on, but as fast as it came, the sensation was gone. Aoi’s face drifted away while all Ruki could do was stare, feeling dumbfounded. All the words that he wanted to say vanished without leaving so much as a trace in his brain, almost like a flame of a candle being blown by the wind.
Ruki couldn’t find the will to move or speak, even as Aoi took one step backward and grinned as wide as his mouth could possibly stretch. When the confusion slightly wore out, Ruki could hear the faint sounds of laughter from around them, from the people watching them. The sounds spontaneously made his cheek hot, in contrast with the flush of water against his skin.
Ruki’s logics told him he should be angry-he should at least give Aoi a lesson in the form of a slap on the cheek for his insolent action. Someone had just kissed him on the lips without giving him the slightest bit of warning, and even worse, in public! What if people got inspired to document what had just happened and then spread it out on the net? What would become of the GazettE’s public image if the world witnessed its vocalist and guitarist kissing in the middle of the sidewalk, just like what they had just done?
But although his head was filled with these highly tempting suggestions-suggestions to make donut dough out of Aoi’s head-Ruki found that all of his body parts were being not very cooperative and refused to be moved. Aoi, who was standing right before him, was giggling while tilting his head, just like a man who was staring at an object that fascinated him so much. The man lifted his hand and placed it on Ruki’s head, ruffling his hair.
For the first time in his life Ruki thought he knew how Koron felt.
“Come on, Sakai’s here,” Aoi said, still with the wide grin splayed on his face. There was no explanation made about what had just happened. He didn’t even show any sign of a man who had just attacked-it was the only word Ruki found fitting enough to name what Aoi had just done to him-his bandmate.
Ruki opened his mouth; to be honest he had a lot of questions to ask Aoi, including the question about Aoi’s sanity and if it was still there inside his head. But just like Aoi had informed him, the van showed up on the corner of the street, their manager driving it. The headlights were beaming right towards Ruki’s direction. For a very logical reason, it made Ruki feel like a guy who was dragged and put under the spotlight, forced to become the center of many people’s attention. On stage this wouldn’t have been a big deal, not for him. But here on the street, in such a preposterous way nonetheless… it made him feel like he had shrunken to the size of a lab rat, while everyone stood around him, staring at him with vicious eyes.
And then, without a warning, Ruki’s hand was being grabbed and pulled forward. The next thing he knew, Ruki was jogging slightly, following Aoi heading toward the van.
“Damn it,” Ruki cursed lowly, unsure if anyone else could hear him beside himself. His cheeks still felt hot. Now his hand, which Aoi was holding, also felt hot. “Damn it…” With his free hand, Ruki rubbed his cheek. It was hot. It was how the skin of a person with fever felt like. Probably that was the case; Ruki had just caught the flu. That should explain why his body felt so weird and his mind so fuzzy.
And it was all because of Aoi.
Aoi. It would take a lifetime to understand just what kind of a person this man really was, and Ruki wasn’t sure he had enough patience to do that. But Aoi was Aoi, and Ruki believed it would be pointless to try to comprehend every single thing that Aoi did or say. Aoi, the grown up man who was supposed to be acting according to his age, apparently still liked hopping around and splashing water under the rain, doing things based on impulse without considering the consequences. Just like a little kid. It just didn’t make sense.
The beam coming from the van’s headlights was reflected on Aoi’s face, making that grin he supported seem sparkly.
He was undoubtedly a walking contradiction, this man named Aoi. No, Ruki could never, ever fully understand him.
Ruki stared at Aoi’s hair that swayed from side to side while he was jogging, and the sight somehow made him laugh. “Damn you, Aoi!” he shouted, laughing out loud. “Damn yooouuu!!!”
=== THE END ===
A/N: Yay fluff~ This story was inspired by Aoi's tweet about going to Chiba with Ruki for a radio airing. He reported it was rainy in Chiba that night (and seemed pretty happy about it too). I honestly think Aoi's childishness inspired a lot of stories, but for now this is what I have to offer you guys.
I hope you enjoy that, and as always, comments are always loved! ( *｀ω´) ゞ
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Chapter: 1/1 (one-shot)
Author: akichuu
Fandom: the GazettE
Pairing: AoixRuki
Theme: 018: First Kiss - Aa @ 50stories
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Fluff
Warning: Not beta-ed. Yaoi, or hints of it.
Disclaimer: the GazettE belongs to themselves and, yes, the Almighty PSC. I, well I own this story. It's fiction, meaning IT'S NOT REAL and I'm making no profit from it (except my 15 minutes of fame). Yes, mind that.
Summary: … But that was Aoi that the world out there knew. Aoi, the GazettE’s guitarist. In Ruki’s opinion, Aoi was nowhere near the image he presented in front of public’s eyes.
Comment: Nothing from me but I do hope you contribute yours :)
How Old Are You, Exactly?
Ruki often wondered if his bandmate really was a cool, tough and handsome 31 year old guy like his physiques showed, or a snotty little 6 year old brat who liked to cause grown ups major headaches with everything that he did.
Maybe in others’ eyes Aoi looked just like a normal kind of guy. He was rather tall, well-built if not a bit slender. His face was a sculpture of masculine features, constructed from square jaws, sharp cheek bones and full lips. When he was doing what he was best at, which was playing his guitar, he looked quite professional and very into what he was doing, be it in the studio or live on stage. He also knew very well how to act in front of the camera. He memorized all kinds of poses that could possibly draw all eyes towards him. He had perfect knowledge of which body parts he should emphasize in order to make his fans scream out his name hysterically. And off course, his gaze-he knew damn well what sort of emotion he needed to put forth through his eyes to hypnotize whomever he wanted.
But that was Aoi that the world out there knew. Aoi, the GazettE’s guitarist. In Ruki’s opinion, Aoi was nowhere near the image he presented in front of public’s eyes.
Ruki had spent so many times wondering how a man could transform from one character to another, a wholly different kind, in a blink of an eye. At one moment Aoi could be so serious, super-serious even and act like a total perfectionist which made him pretty scary at times. But in the next moment he turned into a ridiculous kind of person who would continuously blurt out silly, childish jokes and make Ruki want to hit him on the back of his head and tell him to stand on the corner of a room with one of his legs lifted. Admittedly his jokes had never failed to make people laugh, but mostly, his behavior was too bizarre for a man with reasonable mind to comprehend.
One clear example was this moment right here and now, somewhere in downtown Chiba, in the middle of a pouring rain.
“Aoi! Stop fooling around in the rain and get back here now!”
Ruki could hardly remember how many times he had called out to Aoi, trying to ask him to get off the road and join him where he was standing, under a roof of a café, safe from the drizzle. It wouldn’t be too long now until Sakai showed up with the van, so Ruki believed. But did Aoi listen to him? No, not even for one short moment. Whatever Ruki said, Aoi ignored him and kept on hopping around like a beach ball, from one puddle of water to the next. It wasn’t hard to compare him to a kindergarten kid who got so excited by how big of a splash he could create with his feet.
So now all that Ruki could do was to stare at Aoi, his feeling was a gruesome mixture of frustration, desperation and a slight hint of amusement. He was running out of ideas on how to stop Aoi from humiliating himself. To be honest, he was just worried about Aoi’s health; if Aoi drenched himself in the rain he most likely would get sick. Why couldn’t he understand Ruki’s intention? Giving no second thought to how others feel, he just kept on playing around splashing water on the street as if that was the most normal thing a grown up man would do during a rainy day.
Nothing could be compared to the shame Ruki felt as he looked around and found people’s eyes on them. Old and young, everyone swiftly turned their attention to Aoi, stopped to stare at this seemingly mature man who was actually busy hopping around, splashing water like a little kid. Some of them even laughed, shaking their heads in disbelieve as a reaction to what they were seeing.
Ruki felt more and more like a failed babysitter who couldn’t even stop the kid he was supposed to be watching from going out into the rain and risking himself the flu. He thought he was playing the idiot; he was standing here, waiting on the sidewalk, hiding under a roof while Aoi was having the fun of his life there under the rain. What was so exciting about getting drenched like that? Ruki honestly couldn’t see the point. He didn’t think it was that interesting to be standing under the rain, letting himself be soaked wet, especially when he was wearing expensive clothes like the ones he had on his body at the moment. Thinking of how much he had to spend for the laundry already gave him a horrible headache. Not to mention his hair. Without a doubt, as one of his most precious assets, Ruki did not like it when his hairstyle was ruined. And rain was well known for ruining people’s hairstyles, thus explaining Ruki’s animosity towards it.
But obviously, Aoi didn’t share his anxiety.
“Aoi!” Ruki shouted one more time, not certain if Aoi would even listen.
Surpassing his expectation though, Aoi turned around. He had gotten his hair completely wet; wild, untamed streaks were stuck to his cheeks and forehead. A wide, uninhibited smile stretched on his lips.
“Ruki, come here!” Aoi waved his hand cheerfully.
Instantly, Ruki gaped in shock. He shook his head quickly as a reflex. Had Aoi lost his mind? Couldn’t Aoi see this glamorous, highly expensive coat Ruki was currently wearing? Ruki would be utterly, terribly upset if this coat ever got damaged. No, if Aoi expected Ruki to join him and dance around like an idiot under the rain, he could swallow his own hopes and forget the thought of Ruki ever saying yes to his invitation.
Despite Ruki’s objection, Aoi didn’t stop waving his hand. In the mean time, some people around them began to turn their attention toward Ruki. Panic started to creep along Ruki’s spine. He shook his head even harder. “No,” he mumbled meekly, lurking nervously to his sides. “Please, leave me alone…”
It was as if Aoi could read the fear welling up inside Ruki, the man laughed. His voice was clear, even through the sound of the rain falling around them. “RUKI!! COME OVER HERE OR I’LL GET YOU MYSELF!” Aoi shouted loudly. Ruki could feel the blood in his head throbbing in an instant along with the anxiety that was growing bigger and more uncontainable by the second. The look on Aoi’s face made him want to run as fast as his legs could carry him away from this spot, but where could he possibly go? There was no way he could leave this place without getting wet.
Where the hell was Sakai, that damned guy? Where did he park the van, Africa? How could he let Ruki wait for so long here, in the rain nonetheless? He would better show up right now with that cursed van otherwise Ruki swore he would kill him, slowly and in the most painful way he could ever think of.
In the mean time, Aoi’s smile had grown even wider, nearly splitting his face into two halves. Inside Ruki’s chest, his heart was beating faster and faster as he watched the man before him starting to walk towards his direction, slowly but certainly shortening the distance between them. He felt so much like a hunted prey that had almost zero chance to survive its attacker. One step at a time he backed away, but before long he was met with a solid wall that stopped him from moving any further.
There was nowhere to run to.
“Aoi, what are you up to?” Ruki asked, sliding against the wall behind his back. This was useless; he was only a few steps away from getting drenched by the rain. “Aoi! Stay away from me! Don’t even think about touching me; you’re soaking wet!”
But Aoi just kept on moving, kept on advancing towards Ruki despite the warnings Ruki had uttered out loud. The smile Aoi was supporting in Ruki’s opinion looked like the smile of a psychopath in the face of his victim just before he ripped the victim’s body apart, or in this case, before Aoi grabbed Ruki and dragged him all the way to the street where the rain would soak him thoroughly.
“Damn it, Sakai, where are you when I need you the most?” Ruki cursed. “Get the hell away from me, Aoi!”
There were absolutely no signs of Sakai. There wasn’t even a glimpse of the van’s headlight showing up at the corner. Helplessly, Ruki’s mind was gradually becoming a chaotic, incomprehensible mess. He tried looking around for a possible way to escape Aoi’s clutch and keep himself dry in the same time, or maybe a police officer who could help him with restraining Aoi if Ruki felt his safety was truly jeopardized. Unfortunately, he couldn’t find anywhere that was safe enough to run to. And worse, there was not a single policeman sighted. They were all most likely taking refuge inside their warm, comfortable offices or other places that were drier than this spot. This left Ruki with his final desperate choice: to threaten Aoi.
“Aoi, if you dare laying one finger on me, I swear I will never, ever speak to you again for the rest of my life!”
Okay, so that was a rather childish threat. But if Ruki had to be honest, he was completely out of ideas now. Aoi was only a few steps away and the expression on his face only showed how useless Ruki’s efforts had been.
“Oh yeah? I doubt you can stand two days without talking to me, Ruki,” Aoi laughed. “Anyways, will you just look at how pleasant tonight’s rain is?”
“Pleasant? What’s so pleasant about this? It’s just going to get me sick!”
“No, it won’t! We’ll just ask Sakai to make a quick stop at the local bath house so we can freshen up and change clothes.”
“But the rain is going to ruin my coat, Aoi!” Ruki insisted. Aoi was very, very close now. All he needed to do was reach out his hand and he would be able to grab Ruki, if that was really his intention in the first place.
“You have another one that looks just like that! And what is it made of anyway? How can the rain ruin it so easily? Come on, Ruki…”
“The other one is red and this kind of fabric needs special chemical treatment during laundry-Aoi! Don’t touch me!” Ruki smacked Aoi’s hand that was reaching out to him just like a snake, ready to bite. But the more Ruki struggled to get rid of Aoi’s hand, the more fervent Aoi tried to grab Ruki.
An undignified yelp escaped from Ruki’s throat before he could hold it down when Aoi’s hand caught his arm. His eyes shot wide open, focused on the sleeve of his coat that instantly changed color, water seeping into its pores from Aoi’s hand. “Aoi, let go of me!” he screamed while trying to pull his arm free, out of Aoi’s clutch, but unfortunately the taller man was stronger than him. And suddenly, before Ruki could go any further, Aoi pulled him hard until he stumbled from his position and wobbled forward before bumping against Aoi’s body.
It didn’t take too long for Ruki’s coat to be soaked wet, absorbing water from Aoi’s clothes since they were practically chest to chest now. And sadly, all that Ruki could do was gape at the unsalvageable condition of his coat.
“Aww… it’s soaked,” Aoi mumbled, mocking the act of remorse when in fact, his face was practically radiating with amusement. “What about going all the way now that you’re already wet?”
Ruki only had enough time to see the glimpse of light in Aoi’s eyes before he felt himself being dragged away from the spot where he had been standing towards the sidewalk where there was no roof to protect him from the pouring rain. He gasped when he felt the first drops of water hitting him, wetting him thoroughly starting from his hair to his shoes-which, sadly, were no less expensive compared to his coat. Everything was becoming helplessly wet. His hair was withering like flowers that hadn’t seen sunlight in weeks, sticking onto his forehead and face. He was reminded about the amount of time he needed to style his hair this morning. It was enough to trigger tons of curse words threatening to explode from his throat.
The first syllable managed to slip from his mouth, but it went unfinished because then he felt a wet and soft sensation pressing on his lips, stopping them from moving another muscle. Spontaneously his brain tried to figure out what was going on, but as fast as it came, the sensation was gone. Aoi’s face drifted away while all Ruki could do was stare, feeling dumbfounded. All the words that he wanted to say vanished without leaving so much as a trace in his brain, almost like a flame of a candle being blown by the wind.
Ruki couldn’t find the will to move or speak, even as Aoi took one step backward and grinned as wide as his mouth could possibly stretch. When the confusion slightly wore out, Ruki could hear the faint sounds of laughter from around them, from the people watching them. The sounds spontaneously made his cheek hot, in contrast with the flush of water against his skin.
Ruki’s logics told him he should be angry-he should at least give Aoi a lesson in the form of a slap on the cheek for his insolent action. Someone had just kissed him on the lips without giving him the slightest bit of warning, and even worse, in public! What if people got inspired to document what had just happened and then spread it out on the net? What would become of the GazettE’s public image if the world witnessed its vocalist and guitarist kissing in the middle of the sidewalk, just like what they had just done?
But although his head was filled with these highly tempting suggestions-suggestions to make donut dough out of Aoi’s head-Ruki found that all of his body parts were being not very cooperative and refused to be moved. Aoi, who was standing right before him, was giggling while tilting his head, just like a man who was staring at an object that fascinated him so much. The man lifted his hand and placed it on Ruki’s head, ruffling his hair.
For the first time in his life Ruki thought he knew how Koron felt.
“Come on, Sakai’s here,” Aoi said, still with the wide grin splayed on his face. There was no explanation made about what had just happened. He didn’t even show any sign of a man who had just attacked-it was the only word Ruki found fitting enough to name what Aoi had just done to him-his bandmate.
Ruki opened his mouth; to be honest he had a lot of questions to ask Aoi, including the question about Aoi’s sanity and if it was still there inside his head. But just like Aoi had informed him, the van showed up on the corner of the street, their manager driving it. The headlights were beaming right towards Ruki’s direction. For a very logical reason, it made Ruki feel like a guy who was dragged and put under the spotlight, forced to become the center of many people’s attention. On stage this wouldn’t have been a big deal, not for him. But here on the street, in such a preposterous way nonetheless… it made him feel like he had shrunken to the size of a lab rat, while everyone stood around him, staring at him with vicious eyes.
And then, without a warning, Ruki’s hand was being grabbed and pulled forward. The next thing he knew, Ruki was jogging slightly, following Aoi heading toward the van.
“Damn it,” Ruki cursed lowly, unsure if anyone else could hear him beside himself. His cheeks still felt hot. Now his hand, which Aoi was holding, also felt hot. “Damn it…” With his free hand, Ruki rubbed his cheek. It was hot. It was how the skin of a person with fever felt like. Probably that was the case; Ruki had just caught the flu. That should explain why his body felt so weird and his mind so fuzzy.
And it was all because of Aoi.
Aoi. It would take a lifetime to understand just what kind of a person this man really was, and Ruki wasn’t sure he had enough patience to do that. But Aoi was Aoi, and Ruki believed it would be pointless to try to comprehend every single thing that Aoi did or say. Aoi, the grown up man who was supposed to be acting according to his age, apparently still liked hopping around and splashing water under the rain, doing things based on impulse without considering the consequences. Just like a little kid. It just didn’t make sense.
The beam coming from the van’s headlights was reflected on Aoi’s face, making that grin he supported seem sparkly.
He was undoubtedly a walking contradiction, this man named Aoi. No, Ruki could never, ever fully understand him.
Ruki stared at Aoi’s hair that swayed from side to side while he was jogging, and the sight somehow made him laugh. “Damn you, Aoi!” he shouted, laughing out loud. “Damn yooouuu!!!”
=== THE END ===
A/N: Yay fluff~ This story was inspired by Aoi's tweet about going to Chiba with Ruki for a radio airing. He reported it was rainy in Chiba that night (and seemed pretty happy about it too). I honestly think Aoi's childishness inspired a lot of stories, but for now this is what I have to offer you guys.
I hope you enjoy that, and as always, comments are always loved! ( *｀ω´) ゞ
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