[KinKi Fic] Conversations with Other Men
This draft has outlived its relevance, but anyway...
Title is deviated from the Eckhart/Bonham Carter movie, also the source for quotations that make up the subtitles.
Disclaimer: This writing is fictional and has no commercial purpose. Characters are real persons belonging to themselves.
Pairing: KinKi Kids
Genre: Drama, mild fluff, mild angst
Rating: G
Summary: Tsuyoshi and Tsubasa talked about Kouichi; Kouichi and Nagase talked about Tsuyoshi.
---
Conversations with Other Men
:::::::: The illusion of effortlessness requires a great effort indeed. ::::::::
"Why don't we go together?" Tsubasa suggested, hopeful for a few different reasons. "Kouichi-kun will definitely be happy to have you coming to watch."
Tsuyoshi picked a string on the guitar and listened carefully to the resulting pitch. "Nah. That kind of publicity is not as desirable as it used to be."
"Then this..." Tsubasa touched the folded piece of paper gingerly, as if afraid of glimpsing anything he shouldn't.
"No need to be so nervous." Tsuyoshi chuckled as he loosened a tuning peg on the guitar. "The content is entirely neutral. I don't want people making meaningless fuss over it, that's all. If you can't get a chance to pass it to him privately, just keep it with you."
"But you've taken the trouble to write it."
Tsuyoshi tried out the same string, which now sounded to his satisfaction. "Sometimes there are things you simply want to express in writing, no matter if they will reach the intended person."
Tsubasa slipped the paper into his pocket carefully. "The ticket I got is not for the 14th [*], but I can always drop by the dressing room--"
Tsuyoshi's hand left the instrument awhile to plop his new hat onto Tsubasa's face. "Why would I want to have anything to do with that date?"
Tsubasa grinned and adjusted the hat on his head before picking up his own guitar. "Some version of the obligation chocolate, I suppose."
Tsuyoshi shook his head as he started a familiar tune. "All the more reason. It's the rare time of the year when we can get him to pay attention to women."
Tsubasa's attempt at catching up with the music delayed his verbal response. "If Kouichi-kun is really not interested, then the cast torments him enough. Sometimes I wonder if all the teasing will make him even more averse to the subject."
"Oh, but there is one woman I'm sure he will be thinking of."
"Eh?" Tsubasa's accompaniment stopped abruptly. A look at Tsuyoshi's calmly averted eyes soon soothed his bewilderment, and he resumed playing. " Mori Mitsuko-san doesn't count."
"She is a formidable lady," Tsuyoshi remarked cheerfully, a contrast to the guitar's heightening blues.
"That I agree. And I'll be happy for you both if she is the only one."
Tsuyoshi's fingers slowed down, and he smiled. "You need to be more subtle than that, Tsuba-chan."
Tsubasa pouted mildly. "I'm interfering only because you asked this favour of me..."
"Yes, yes... And you can keep that hat."
Tsubasa heaved a silent sigh. "Could you teach me again the ending progression just now?"
Tsubasa meant well, Tsuyoshi knew, but the sort of connection Tsuyoshi had with Kouichi wasn't one that would improve through exclusivity, tangled as it was -- one whose durability balanced on Kouichi never expecting any special treatment and Tsuyoshi never showing extra concern where it would be deemed necessary to requite.
Tsubasa might think they were holding back too much. Tsuyoshi believed this was exactly how it would ever work out between them.
:::::::: When it gets too serious, it's over. ::::::::
"Say something sweet back to him once in a while," Nagase teased, half hopeful. "Else people will think you're cold."
Kouichi continued setting up the game console, unperturbed. "People already think so."
"Does Tsuyoshi?"
Kouichi turned from the TV set to throw one of the controllers onto Nagase's lap. "It's more convenient for him if I don't say anything along those lines."
Nagase put the magazine down and picked the controller up. "What, as if he would run out of fresh romantic speeches?"
Kouichi laughed as he plopped into the couch beside Nagase. "That he won't. But he knows it's amusing only so long as I cannot smooth-talk in return. Otherwise we would just be two cliched, perverted old men."
"How cynical!" Nagase smacked Kouichi's thigh. "Sometimes there are things you just want to say because you strongly feel them, you know?"
"I'm not saying he doesn't mean his words," Kouichi replied absently, paging through the game options. "I'm saying he can choose not to say them. It's a different issue."
Nagase blinked passively at the monitor. "Well, since he does say them, I just think it will be nice to return the gesture from time to time."
"He doesn't expect me to be 'nice'. It will be creepy more than anything else."
Colourful avatars popped into view.
Nagase took his time deciding on a player character. "It's just a situation you two have gotten used to and never tried to change."
Kouichi scrolled to his favourite character and confirmed the choice without any further contemplation. "It works well. We shouldn't change."
Nagase grinned. "Wouldn't he like surprises once in a while, though?"
Kouichi pressed the button to start the game. "Nah. The ones coming from me would be more troubling than pleasant."
"I don't mean job-related ones," Nagase argued, his impatient tone at odds with the cheerful opening tune.
"But that's what they are," Kouichi said distractedly, more occupied with virtual enemies drifting into territory. "To me, everything that concerns him concerns work. I'm sure he thinks the same."
Nagase expressed his disapproval by jostling Kouichi's character off the cliff, earning his supposed-comrade's protesting yelp. "You are cold."
Kouichi vengefully bumped Nagase's character with his revived warrior. "What's so bad about that? That's saying he is a very important part of my life."
Nagase took it in stride and swiftly steered back on track. "Then you should've just phrased it so from the beginning."
"Well, you're not a journalist, are you?"
Nagase snorted, then obligingly turned his attention to the onscreen violence.
Nagase gave good advices, Kouichi knew, but the sort of connection Kouichi had with Tsuyoshi wasn't one that would be within Nagase's range of experience, deranged as it was -- one whose stability balanced on Tsuyoshi not making clear the nature of the affection he prettily worded and Kouichi not making known the extent to which he really understood.
Nagase would've said they were running away. Kouichi believed this was exactly so that neither of them would run away.
---
[*] The first show of Endless SHOCK 2010 was held on 14 Feb.
Title is deviated from the Eckhart/Bonham Carter movie, also the source for quotations that make up the subtitles.
Disclaimer: This writing is fictional and has no commercial purpose. Characters are real persons belonging to themselves.
Pairing: KinKi Kids
Genre: Drama, mild fluff, mild angst
Rating: G
Summary: Tsuyoshi and Tsubasa talked about Kouichi; Kouichi and Nagase talked about Tsuyoshi.
---
Conversations with Other Men
:::::::: The illusion of effortlessness requires a great effort indeed. ::::::::
"Why don't we go together?" Tsubasa suggested, hopeful for a few different reasons. "Kouichi-kun will definitely be happy to have you coming to watch."
Tsuyoshi picked a string on the guitar and listened carefully to the resulting pitch. "Nah. That kind of publicity is not as desirable as it used to be."
"Then this..." Tsubasa touched the folded piece of paper gingerly, as if afraid of glimpsing anything he shouldn't.
"No need to be so nervous." Tsuyoshi chuckled as he loosened a tuning peg on the guitar. "The content is entirely neutral. I don't want people making meaningless fuss over it, that's all. If you can't get a chance to pass it to him privately, just keep it with you."
"But you've taken the trouble to write it."
Tsuyoshi tried out the same string, which now sounded to his satisfaction. "Sometimes there are things you simply want to express in writing, no matter if they will reach the intended person."
Tsubasa slipped the paper into his pocket carefully. "The ticket I got is not for the 14th [*], but I can always drop by the dressing room--"
Tsuyoshi's hand left the instrument awhile to plop his new hat onto Tsubasa's face. "Why would I want to have anything to do with that date?"
Tsubasa grinned and adjusted the hat on his head before picking up his own guitar. "Some version of the obligation chocolate, I suppose."
Tsuyoshi shook his head as he started a familiar tune. "All the more reason. It's the rare time of the year when we can get him to pay attention to women."
Tsubasa's attempt at catching up with the music delayed his verbal response. "If Kouichi-kun is really not interested, then the cast torments him enough. Sometimes I wonder if all the teasing will make him even more averse to the subject."
"Oh, but there is one woman I'm sure he will be thinking of."
"Eh?" Tsubasa's accompaniment stopped abruptly. A look at Tsuyoshi's calmly averted eyes soon soothed his bewilderment, and he resumed playing. " Mori Mitsuko-san doesn't count."
"She is a formidable lady," Tsuyoshi remarked cheerfully, a contrast to the guitar's heightening blues.
"That I agree. And I'll be happy for you both if she is the only one."
Tsuyoshi's fingers slowed down, and he smiled. "You need to be more subtle than that, Tsuba-chan."
Tsubasa pouted mildly. "I'm interfering only because you asked this favour of me..."
"Yes, yes... And you can keep that hat."
Tsubasa heaved a silent sigh. "Could you teach me again the ending progression just now?"
Tsubasa meant well, Tsuyoshi knew, but the sort of connection Tsuyoshi had with Kouichi wasn't one that would improve through exclusivity, tangled as it was -- one whose durability balanced on Kouichi never expecting any special treatment and Tsuyoshi never showing extra concern where it would be deemed necessary to requite.
Tsubasa might think they were holding back too much. Tsuyoshi believed this was exactly how it would ever work out between them.
:::::::: When it gets too serious, it's over. ::::::::
"Say something sweet back to him once in a while," Nagase teased, half hopeful. "Else people will think you're cold."
Kouichi continued setting up the game console, unperturbed. "People already think so."
"Does Tsuyoshi?"
Kouichi turned from the TV set to throw one of the controllers onto Nagase's lap. "It's more convenient for him if I don't say anything along those lines."
Nagase put the magazine down and picked the controller up. "What, as if he would run out of fresh romantic speeches?"
Kouichi laughed as he plopped into the couch beside Nagase. "That he won't. But he knows it's amusing only so long as I cannot smooth-talk in return. Otherwise we would just be two cliched, perverted old men."
"How cynical!" Nagase smacked Kouichi's thigh. "Sometimes there are things you just want to say because you strongly feel them, you know?"
"I'm not saying he doesn't mean his words," Kouichi replied absently, paging through the game options. "I'm saying he can choose not to say them. It's a different issue."
Nagase blinked passively at the monitor. "Well, since he does say them, I just think it will be nice to return the gesture from time to time."
"He doesn't expect me to be 'nice'. It will be creepy more than anything else."
Colourful avatars popped into view.
Nagase took his time deciding on a player character. "It's just a situation you two have gotten used to and never tried to change."
Kouichi scrolled to his favourite character and confirmed the choice without any further contemplation. "It works well. We shouldn't change."
Nagase grinned. "Wouldn't he like surprises once in a while, though?"
Kouichi pressed the button to start the game. "Nah. The ones coming from me would be more troubling than pleasant."
"I don't mean job-related ones," Nagase argued, his impatient tone at odds with the cheerful opening tune.
"But that's what they are," Kouichi said distractedly, more occupied with virtual enemies drifting into territory. "To me, everything that concerns him concerns work. I'm sure he thinks the same."
Nagase expressed his disapproval by jostling Kouichi's character off the cliff, earning his supposed-comrade's protesting yelp. "You are cold."
Kouichi vengefully bumped Nagase's character with his revived warrior. "What's so bad about that? That's saying he is a very important part of my life."
Nagase took it in stride and swiftly steered back on track. "Then you should've just phrased it so from the beginning."
"Well, you're not a journalist, are you?"
Nagase snorted, then obligingly turned his attention to the onscreen violence.
Nagase gave good advices, Kouichi knew, but the sort of connection Kouichi had with Tsuyoshi wasn't one that would be within Nagase's range of experience, deranged as it was -- one whose stability balanced on Tsuyoshi not making clear the nature of the affection he prettily worded and Kouichi not making known the extent to which he really understood.
Nagase would've said they were running away. Kouichi believed this was exactly so that neither of them would run away.
---
[*] The first show of Endless SHOCK 2010 was held on 14 Feb.