[KinKi AU] Butai verse, scene 7
Full of angst and Tsukada...
Disclaimer: This is fictional.
Pairing: As-yet inconclusive KinKi, Tsuyoshi/Okada
Genre: AU, drama, angst
Rating: G so far, will be PG later
Summary: Tsuyoshi joined the musical directed by Kouichi, with questionable motivation and a defensively guarded past.
Continued from: First | Second | Third | Fourth | Fifth | Sixth
[Edited 17 July 2012]
-- Long Time No See --
"Good work!"
Tsuyoshi's responding smile was bright. "Good work."
The dance steps had gotten familiar by now, and he had started to enjoy the moments on stage, moving to the rhythm, exploring emotions in the storyline, in the colorized world.
"Tsuyoshi-san," a staff called above the noise. "Someone is here for you."
"Ah, yes!" He maneuvered his way through the packed backstage. Sawaki had told him that their boss might be coming to watch one of these days, so perhaps--
"Long time no see."
As the guest's smile lifted up, Tsuyoshi's disappeared.
"I watched the show." Okada Junichi offered his hand. "It was really good."
Tsuyoshi merely stared at the hand, and his reply was stiff. "Thank you."
Junichi brought down his hand along with the smile. There was no point in continuing with pleasantries. "Could we go somewhere for a talk?"
Tsuyoshi lifted his gaze. "What about?"
Junichi froze a little at the piercing look. He shoved his hands into his pocket. "I want to know how you're doing."
"I'm doing fine."
A brief silence. "Have you decided to go with this line of work? Permanently?"
Tsuyoshi replied wearily, "I wonder."
Junichi fixed a look on him, before straightening with a sigh. "So... you really do hate me now."
Tsuyoshi didn't reply straight away. "What else do you think I can feel?" he murmured. What else could he have turned those feelings to?
Junichi's face turned a little pale.
The sight hurt, and Tsuyoshi conceded slightly. "Did Sawaki-san tell you about the show?"
And in the meantime, he allowed himself to observe Junichi discreetly, making sure that those eyes had not lost their shine and that torso had not thinned too much.
"I haven't talked to him in a long time," Junichi said. "I heard of this show from a co-actress I'm working with, and I saw your name on the pamphlet, so..."
Ah, of course. He was a full-time actor now. And Sawaki wouldn't have approved this reunion. Nothing good could come from this...
Tsuyoshi averted his eyes to the post-show bustle around them. No one seemed to be paying attention. "Anyway, thank you for coming," he said. You should not have come.
Junichi caught the unspoken hint. He stopped himself from saying 'see you', and instead offered his hand once more. "Then..."
After a brief hesitation, Tsuyoshi took it. They were not going to meet again; one handshake should be fine. Satisfy him. Move on.
Junichi gripped the hand, shook it, then shocked Tsuyoshi by pulling it and bumping his right shoulder onto Tsuyoshi's.
Stepping back, he braved himself against Tsuyoshi's glare.
That had been their good-luck gesture before going on stage, one that was completely inappropriate now that they were no longer sharing the same stage. But he had had more to say than just a good luck, and if Tsuyoshi wouldn't let him speak, then at least...
"Good luck." Junichi smiled awkwardly as he turned away and walked off.
Tsuyoshi averted his line of sight, refusing to watch Junichi's back disappear. More emotions than mere anger had seeped into his gaze, and he'd be damned should Junichi look back and discover them.
Dancers streamed out of the dressing room behind him, reminding him that he'd been in the middle of packing up.
Instead of returning inside, however, Tsuyoshi took long strides to the restroom, needing urgently to wash the warmth off his trembling hand, feeling so insecure with his now-short hair that couldn't conceal the messed-up expression on his face.
--
"Anything the matter?" He sat down beside Junichi in the dressing room. "You look awful."
Junichi massaged his eyebrows. "Not enough sleep. Some reporters were around my place last night."
"For goodness' sake," Tsuyoshi murmured.
"I answered a few questions then asked them to leave," Junichi said. "And they did. But I still heard some noises long past midnight."
"Isn't that getting overboard? What kinds of questions were they asking you?"
"Nothing unusual. Where I just went, what I do in private, and so on."
Tsuyoshi looked at him with concern. "Maybe we should ask Sawaki-san to do something about it. Is it legal for them to stalk you like that?"
Junichi frowned. "But what do they think I'd do? Sneak out late at night to join my yankee friends or something?"
"Well, you just got the role for a respected historical character, so..."
Junichi sighed. "I guess that warrants it alright."
Tsuyoshi turned thoughtful. "All that attention is a good thing, in a way."
Junichi glanced at the subdued expression, and tapped Tsuyoshi's knee. "You can't really be thinking that."
Tsuyoshi stared at the spot Junichi's hand had been. "I'm not the one under scrutiny..." He paused.
Turning to his partner, he found the same half-fear in the usually calm expression.
"It can't be about us, right?" Tsuyoshi lowered his voice. "We're a combi and all..."
"Y-yeah." Junichi shifted slightly. "There's nothing like that."
Tsuyoshi was still for a moment.
Junichi looked down at his own hands. "I mean... even if they are digging for a scandal, the fact is nothing has happened. We don't need to be--"
Tsuyoshi managed a small smile. "Your phone," he said quietly. "It's better to erase those photos."
Junichi turned. "But that's just..."
"Proof of the trip, that anyone can interpret as they like," Tsuyoshi replied. "You know facts matter little. Rumors are enough to hurt you."
Junichi touched his pocket, where the device was. "...Later," he murmured.
Tsuyoshi's tone softened. "Don't forget."
He stood up and headed to the mirror to get prepared.
Junichi watched his back silently, before following suit.
--
The digital image blurred in his sight.
Tsuyoshi squeezed his weary eyes shut, and forced them to focus when he opened them again.
It was no longer just a matter of letting go. Now that another unwanted point of contact had been created, he couldn't afford to carry on with this hypocritical sentimentality.
He pressed a button, and the image disappeared.
---
Disclaimer: This is fictional.
Pairing: As-yet inconclusive KinKi, Tsuyoshi/Okada
Genre: AU, drama, angst
Rating: G so far, will be PG later
Summary: Tsuyoshi joined the musical directed by Kouichi, with questionable motivation and a defensively guarded past.
Continued from: First | Second | Third | Fourth | Fifth | Sixth
[Edited 17 July 2012]
-- Long Time No See --
"Good work!"
Tsuyoshi's responding smile was bright. "Good work."
The dance steps had gotten familiar by now, and he had started to enjoy the moments on stage, moving to the rhythm, exploring emotions in the storyline, in the colorized world.
"Tsuyoshi-san," a staff called above the noise. "Someone is here for you."
"Ah, yes!" He maneuvered his way through the packed backstage. Sawaki had told him that their boss might be coming to watch one of these days, so perhaps--
"Long time no see."
As the guest's smile lifted up, Tsuyoshi's disappeared.
"I watched the show." Okada Junichi offered his hand. "It was really good."
Tsuyoshi merely stared at the hand, and his reply was stiff. "Thank you."
Junichi brought down his hand along with the smile. There was no point in continuing with pleasantries. "Could we go somewhere for a talk?"
Tsuyoshi lifted his gaze. "What about?"
Junichi froze a little at the piercing look. He shoved his hands into his pocket. "I want to know how you're doing."
"I'm doing fine."
A brief silence. "Have you decided to go with this line of work? Permanently?"
Tsuyoshi replied wearily, "I wonder."
Junichi fixed a look on him, before straightening with a sigh. "So... you really do hate me now."
Tsuyoshi didn't reply straight away. "What else do you think I can feel?" he murmured. What else could he have turned those feelings to?
Junichi's face turned a little pale.
The sight hurt, and Tsuyoshi conceded slightly. "Did Sawaki-san tell you about the show?"
And in the meantime, he allowed himself to observe Junichi discreetly, making sure that those eyes had not lost their shine and that torso had not thinned too much.
"I haven't talked to him in a long time," Junichi said. "I heard of this show from a co-actress I'm working with, and I saw your name on the pamphlet, so..."
Ah, of course. He was a full-time actor now. And Sawaki wouldn't have approved this reunion. Nothing good could come from this...
Tsuyoshi averted his eyes to the post-show bustle around them. No one seemed to be paying attention. "Anyway, thank you for coming," he said. You should not have come.
Junichi caught the unspoken hint. He stopped himself from saying 'see you', and instead offered his hand once more. "Then..."
After a brief hesitation, Tsuyoshi took it. They were not going to meet again; one handshake should be fine. Satisfy him. Move on.
Junichi gripped the hand, shook it, then shocked Tsuyoshi by pulling it and bumping his right shoulder onto Tsuyoshi's.
Stepping back, he braved himself against Tsuyoshi's glare.
That had been their good-luck gesture before going on stage, one that was completely inappropriate now that they were no longer sharing the same stage. But he had had more to say than just a good luck, and if Tsuyoshi wouldn't let him speak, then at least...
"Good luck." Junichi smiled awkwardly as he turned away and walked off.
Tsuyoshi averted his line of sight, refusing to watch Junichi's back disappear. More emotions than mere anger had seeped into his gaze, and he'd be damned should Junichi look back and discover them.
Dancers streamed out of the dressing room behind him, reminding him that he'd been in the middle of packing up.
Instead of returning inside, however, Tsuyoshi took long strides to the restroom, needing urgently to wash the warmth off his trembling hand, feeling so insecure with his now-short hair that couldn't conceal the messed-up expression on his face.
--
"Anything the matter?" He sat down beside Junichi in the dressing room. "You look awful."
Junichi massaged his eyebrows. "Not enough sleep. Some reporters were around my place last night."
"For goodness' sake," Tsuyoshi murmured.
"I answered a few questions then asked them to leave," Junichi said. "And they did. But I still heard some noises long past midnight."
"Isn't that getting overboard? What kinds of questions were they asking you?"
"Nothing unusual. Where I just went, what I do in private, and so on."
Tsuyoshi looked at him with concern. "Maybe we should ask Sawaki-san to do something about it. Is it legal for them to stalk you like that?"
Junichi frowned. "But what do they think I'd do? Sneak out late at night to join my yankee friends or something?"
"Well, you just got the role for a respected historical character, so..."
Junichi sighed. "I guess that warrants it alright."
Tsuyoshi turned thoughtful. "All that attention is a good thing, in a way."
Junichi glanced at the subdued expression, and tapped Tsuyoshi's knee. "You can't really be thinking that."
Tsuyoshi stared at the spot Junichi's hand had been. "I'm not the one under scrutiny..." He paused.
Turning to his partner, he found the same half-fear in the usually calm expression.
"It can't be about us, right?" Tsuyoshi lowered his voice. "We're a combi and all..."
"Y-yeah." Junichi shifted slightly. "There's nothing like that."
Tsuyoshi was still for a moment.
Junichi looked down at his own hands. "I mean... even if they are digging for a scandal, the fact is nothing has happened. We don't need to be--"
Tsuyoshi managed a small smile. "Your phone," he said quietly. "It's better to erase those photos."
Junichi turned. "But that's just..."
"Proof of the trip, that anyone can interpret as they like," Tsuyoshi replied. "You know facts matter little. Rumors are enough to hurt you."
Junichi touched his pocket, where the device was. "...Later," he murmured.
Tsuyoshi's tone softened. "Don't forget."
He stood up and headed to the mirror to get prepared.
Junichi watched his back silently, before following suit.
--
The digital image blurred in his sight.
Tsuyoshi squeezed his weary eyes shut, and forced them to focus when he opened them again.
It was no longer just a matter of letting go. Now that another unwanted point of contact had been created, he couldn't afford to carry on with this hypocritical sentimentality.
He pressed a button, and the image disappeared.
---