[Fanfiction] On the choosing of oranges + Vid and bonus crack
Title: On the choosing of oranges
Pairings/Characters: JapanEngland
Rating: PG for slight, very slight suggestions.
Warnings: Self-indulgence on my part, mixture of human and country names.
Summary: Very late Valentine's day + lunar new year fic. Japan teaches England how to choose the best oranges.
Arthur looked away from the television as a basket of oranges was placed next to him, shifting slightly to make way for Kiku to kneel and slip his own legs under the blanket covering the table.
"Red or white?" His host asked, picking up an orange. Arthur glanced back at the television. "White, I think. It's hard to tell with so many people though. What DO they need all those back-up dancers for anyway?"
"They add presence to the stage," Kiku said simply. "Arthur-san."
"Ah, thanks." The other nation held out his hands to receive the peeled orange, individual segments arranged into the petals of an open flower upon the peel. Arthur took a moment to silently admire the fruit, shaking his head in wonder at the effort the Asian took to beautify even the most mundane of tasks. It must be a Japanese thing, he thought.
He realized something else too as he watched Kiku select another orange from the basket on the table.
"The oranges are different, aren't they?"
The Japanese man looked up as Arthur turned and indicated with his chin the bowl of fruit set in the alcove behind him. The oranges in that particular bowl were large and plump and smooth, their color much lighter and brighter than the ones on the table and in his hands. The fruit Kiku had just picked was small in comparison, its skin rough and wrinkled and bumpy with black spots and brown lines pockmarking its surface as if it had been left out in the sun for too long.
"Ah." He hummed in understanding. "Those are purely for decoration purposes, Arthur-san. These are for consumption."
Arthur stared at him, and he laughed softly at the look on the other man's face.
"Have you never heard," he asked, deft fingers digging and pulling apart the fruit. "That the uglier the exterior, the sweeter the inside?"
A second flower blossomed under his hands. Sitting up on his knees, Kiku delicately picked up a segmented petal between thumb and finger and leaned forward to press it lightly against Arthur's lips. The blond man caught Kiku's hand in his, lips parting to take in both the orange and the tips of the fingers holding it. He swallowed, and bared his teeth in a smirk as his tongue swiped droplets of juice from Kiku's fingers.
"You must be quite sour then."
His fingers closed tightly over Kiku's wrist and pulled suddenly, bringing the other man over the table and towards him with a sudden jerk. His own lips parted slightly as Arthur drew him forward.
"I could say the same for Arthur-san as well."
"Would you like to find out?"
His free hand cupped Arthur's cheek, the fingers curving and languorously trailing down the other man's neck. They continued south down to where the bare skin of his chest met the first button of his shirt and paused, fingertips tracing the edges of the button tantalizingly.
"If you do not mind."
-They're watching Kouhaku. The white team won this year. The only thing I remember from previous shows was the sheer number of people covering the stage for the group numbers. XD
A small side-story:
This happened many centuries ago, when a little boy no older than a drop of water in the seas surrounding his land looked up at an orange tree and pondered. A small hand reached up and tugged on the sleeve of the older, taller man next to him. Dark eyes looked down to meet black, and a question was asked.
"Why are they different?"
"The oranges?" Bending down, the elder picked the boy up and lifted him high enough to lean out and pick an orange from the tree they were standing under. "The ones here are sweet. We'll have them for dessert tonight. Those growing on the trees behind are not, so we will wait for them to ripen before picking them to give to others."
The little boy frowned and squeezed the wrinkled fruit in his hands as if to test it.
"How do you know?" he persisted. The older man laughed. "Haven't I told you this before? The uglier the outside, the sweeter the inside."
"Why?"
"Because heaven is fair to all, little brother." Brushing his ponytail back from his shoulder with his free hand, he ruffled the child's hair and smiled. "Come, pick a few more for your siblings and we'll go home for dinner."
Behind them the setting sun sank, as round and full and smooth as the ripest orange.
BONUS!
I happened to come upon the below video on V-day itself, and couldn't help but cheer and throw up my hands at the end of it while shouting "FINALLY!" XD
Original Vocaloid video and English translation of lyrics for those who can't view the video.
The real fun starts at 1:26. Oh, Arthur. <3
And I couldn't help banging out two other possible endings after watching it.
MISUNDERSTANDING ENDING 1:
Kiku was terribly distressed. Arthur had called him out to talk to him about something, but the man in question didn't seem to be himself at all, and was at the moment stammering horribly and going on in a strange tongue, his face flushed as if with fever. What seemed to be a very long string of curses and spells streamed from the man's mouth as sweat ran down his face and his eyes darted all over the place, looking everywhere but at the increasingly anxious man he was supposed to be talking to.
It was when he started screaming in frustration at apparently nothing at all that Kiku hit upon a realization: Arthur must be possessed by one of his invisible friends! Kiku had earlier taken the initiative to read up on some of the creatures his friend talked about often, and most literature pointed out that not all of the beasts were friendly and were prone to play tricks on humans. Yes, that must be it. That would explain Arthur's current behavior.
But how did one go about exorcising spirits from a western country? Kiku wasn't sure if his methods would work, seeing as how the demons were from another country and not necessary to obey the rules of his land. Just as he reached into his jacket for his cell phone to call Francis for advice, a pair of hands landed heavily and suddenly on his shoulders. Kiku looked up and found himself staring into Arthur's bloodshot and crazed eyes.
"KIKU! I-I-I-I LI-LI-LI-LI--"
"EVIL SPIRITS, BEGONE!"
Not caring to think where he had gotten them from, Kiku panicked and begun hurling handfuls of beans and salt into Arthur's face while shouting every single incantation he could remember. "EVIL OUT, FORTUNE IN! AMITABHA!" Whipping out a talisman from his sleeve, he swiftly slapped it onto the stunned man's forehead, followed by a good dosing of holy water from a bottle drawn out of his coat. "LEAVE ARTHUR-SAN ALONE PLEASE! DEMONS BEGONE FROM HERE!"
*
An hour later:
"M-M-My pure feelings for you... Banished... Just like that..."
Kiku rubbed Arthur's back soothingly as the man bawled into his shoulder.
"My apologies, Arthur-san. I did not realize."
"Do you know how long it took me to-to decide to tell you? And you called them demons! My honest feelings for you! And now I'm soaked and my head hurts and my suit's completely ruined..."
"I really am very sorry. Please stop crying."
"I'm not crying! It's raining!"
Raising an eyebrow at the cloudless sky above them, Kiku sighed and vaguely wondered how much it would cost to launder his jacket as Arthur continued to sob wetly into it.
"Please excuse my mistake. I must have read the weather forecast wrongly."
"Damn right you did. It's all the weather-man's fault... DON'T CHANGE THE SUBJECT."
"I'm very sorry."
There was a brief silence, broken only by the occasional hiccup from Arthur.
"...Kiku?"
"Yes?"
"Iloveyou."
"Ah. Thank you very much."
Another pause.
"Well? Is that it? After all you put me through?"
"Arthur-san..."
Firm hands pushed Arthur away. This time it was Arthur's time to wonder if Kiku had been possessed by either Yoong Soo or Francis, because he could have sworn that the other man did not look this... this suave or handsome before. He was quite sure he hadn't sparkled either, and the last thing he thought before being pulled down was if those were really flowers blooming behind him or if the fairies were playing another one of their pranks.
Five minutes later, Arthur found himself wondering absent-mindedly if Kiku had always been such a good kisser and thinking that he really should have tried confessing much earlier if he had known.
When they finally came up for air, Arthur looked down at Kiku and found he had to advert his eyes, partly out of embarrassment, but mostly because the other man was suddenly radiating pheromones like no tomorrow. And bloody hell, those really were rose petals floating in the air around them.
"Y-You..."
"I am a man too, Arthur-san."
-I call it the Johnny Effect. orz
MISUNDERSTANDING ENDING 2:
"SU-SU-SU-SU-SU-SUKI DAISUKI!"
"T'nks, but I'm alr'dy mar'ied."
"...Sweden? What are you--"
"I'm very sorry, England-san! I thought you were asking for Sweden-san so I brought him over... I had no idea you felt that way towards him! But if Finland-san would not mind--"
"I'm f'thful to m' w'fe. S'ry."
"Oh. My condolences, Eng-- ENGLAND-SAN! THAT'S THE WINDOW, THE WINDOW! PLEASE DO NOT ACT RASHLY!"
"I don't care anymore. Miss Fairy! I'm coming to see you right now!"
"ENGLAND-SAAAANNN--!"
Pairings/Characters: JapanEngland
Rating: PG for slight, very slight suggestions.
Warnings: Self-indulgence on my part, mixture of human and country names.
Summary: Very late Valentine's day + lunar new year fic. Japan teaches England how to choose the best oranges.
Arthur looked away from the television as a basket of oranges was placed next to him, shifting slightly to make way for Kiku to kneel and slip his own legs under the blanket covering the table.
"Red or white?" His host asked, picking up an orange. Arthur glanced back at the television. "White, I think. It's hard to tell with so many people though. What DO they need all those back-up dancers for anyway?"
"They add presence to the stage," Kiku said simply. "Arthur-san."
"Ah, thanks." The other nation held out his hands to receive the peeled orange, individual segments arranged into the petals of an open flower upon the peel. Arthur took a moment to silently admire the fruit, shaking his head in wonder at the effort the Asian took to beautify even the most mundane of tasks. It must be a Japanese thing, he thought.
He realized something else too as he watched Kiku select another orange from the basket on the table.
"The oranges are different, aren't they?"
The Japanese man looked up as Arthur turned and indicated with his chin the bowl of fruit set in the alcove behind him. The oranges in that particular bowl were large and plump and smooth, their color much lighter and brighter than the ones on the table and in his hands. The fruit Kiku had just picked was small in comparison, its skin rough and wrinkled and bumpy with black spots and brown lines pockmarking its surface as if it had been left out in the sun for too long.
"Ah." He hummed in understanding. "Those are purely for decoration purposes, Arthur-san. These are for consumption."
Arthur stared at him, and he laughed softly at the look on the other man's face.
"Have you never heard," he asked, deft fingers digging and pulling apart the fruit. "That the uglier the exterior, the sweeter the inside?"
A second flower blossomed under his hands. Sitting up on his knees, Kiku delicately picked up a segmented petal between thumb and finger and leaned forward to press it lightly against Arthur's lips. The blond man caught Kiku's hand in his, lips parting to take in both the orange and the tips of the fingers holding it. He swallowed, and bared his teeth in a smirk as his tongue swiped droplets of juice from Kiku's fingers.
"You must be quite sour then."
His fingers closed tightly over Kiku's wrist and pulled suddenly, bringing the other man over the table and towards him with a sudden jerk. His own lips parted slightly as Arthur drew him forward.
"I could say the same for Arthur-san as well."
"Would you like to find out?"
His free hand cupped Arthur's cheek, the fingers curving and languorously trailing down the other man's neck. They continued south down to where the bare skin of his chest met the first button of his shirt and paused, fingertips tracing the edges of the button tantalizingly.
"If you do not mind."
-They're watching Kouhaku. The white team won this year. The only thing I remember from previous shows was the sheer number of people covering the stage for the group numbers. XD
A small side-story:
This happened many centuries ago, when a little boy no older than a drop of water in the seas surrounding his land looked up at an orange tree and pondered. A small hand reached up and tugged on the sleeve of the older, taller man next to him. Dark eyes looked down to meet black, and a question was asked.
"Why are they different?"
"The oranges?" Bending down, the elder picked the boy up and lifted him high enough to lean out and pick an orange from the tree they were standing under. "The ones here are sweet. We'll have them for dessert tonight. Those growing on the trees behind are not, so we will wait for them to ripen before picking them to give to others."
The little boy frowned and squeezed the wrinkled fruit in his hands as if to test it.
"How do you know?" he persisted. The older man laughed. "Haven't I told you this before? The uglier the outside, the sweeter the inside."
"Why?"
"Because heaven is fair to all, little brother." Brushing his ponytail back from his shoulder with his free hand, he ruffled the child's hair and smiled. "Come, pick a few more for your siblings and we'll go home for dinner."
Behind them the setting sun sank, as round and full and smooth as the ripest orange.
BONUS!
I happened to come upon the below video on V-day itself, and couldn't help but cheer and throw up my hands at the end of it while shouting "FINALLY!" XD
Click to viewOriginal Vocaloid video and English translation of lyrics for those who can't view the video.
The real fun starts at 1:26. Oh, Arthur. <3
And I couldn't help banging out two other possible endings after watching it.
MISUNDERSTANDING ENDING 1:
Kiku was terribly distressed. Arthur had called him out to talk to him about something, but the man in question didn't seem to be himself at all, and was at the moment stammering horribly and going on in a strange tongue, his face flushed as if with fever. What seemed to be a very long string of curses and spells streamed from the man's mouth as sweat ran down his face and his eyes darted all over the place, looking everywhere but at the increasingly anxious man he was supposed to be talking to.
It was when he started screaming in frustration at apparently nothing at all that Kiku hit upon a realization: Arthur must be possessed by one of his invisible friends! Kiku had earlier taken the initiative to read up on some of the creatures his friend talked about often, and most literature pointed out that not all of the beasts were friendly and were prone to play tricks on humans. Yes, that must be it. That would explain Arthur's current behavior.
But how did one go about exorcising spirits from a western country? Kiku wasn't sure if his methods would work, seeing as how the demons were from another country and not necessary to obey the rules of his land. Just as he reached into his jacket for his cell phone to call Francis for advice, a pair of hands landed heavily and suddenly on his shoulders. Kiku looked up and found himself staring into Arthur's bloodshot and crazed eyes.
"KIKU! I-I-I-I LI-LI-LI-LI--"
"EVIL SPIRITS, BEGONE!"
Not caring to think where he had gotten them from, Kiku panicked and begun hurling handfuls of beans and salt into Arthur's face while shouting every single incantation he could remember. "EVIL OUT, FORTUNE IN! AMITABHA!" Whipping out a talisman from his sleeve, he swiftly slapped it onto the stunned man's forehead, followed by a good dosing of holy water from a bottle drawn out of his coat. "LEAVE ARTHUR-SAN ALONE PLEASE! DEMONS BEGONE FROM HERE!"
*
An hour later:
"M-M-My pure feelings for you... Banished... Just like that..."
Kiku rubbed Arthur's back soothingly as the man bawled into his shoulder.
"My apologies, Arthur-san. I did not realize."
"Do you know how long it took me to-to decide to tell you? And you called them demons! My honest feelings for you! And now I'm soaked and my head hurts and my suit's completely ruined..."
"I really am very sorry. Please stop crying."
"I'm not crying! It's raining!"
Raising an eyebrow at the cloudless sky above them, Kiku sighed and vaguely wondered how much it would cost to launder his jacket as Arthur continued to sob wetly into it.
"Please excuse my mistake. I must have read the weather forecast wrongly."
"Damn right you did. It's all the weather-man's fault... DON'T CHANGE THE SUBJECT."
"I'm very sorry."
There was a brief silence, broken only by the occasional hiccup from Arthur.
"...Kiku?"
"Yes?"
"Iloveyou."
"Ah. Thank you very much."
Another pause.
"Well? Is that it? After all you put me through?"
"Arthur-san..."
Firm hands pushed Arthur away. This time it was Arthur's time to wonder if Kiku had been possessed by either Yoong Soo or Francis, because he could have sworn that the other man did not look this... this suave or handsome before. He was quite sure he hadn't sparkled either, and the last thing he thought before being pulled down was if those were really flowers blooming behind him or if the fairies were playing another one of their pranks.
Five minutes later, Arthur found himself wondering absent-mindedly if Kiku had always been such a good kisser and thinking that he really should have tried confessing much earlier if he had known.
When they finally came up for air, Arthur looked down at Kiku and found he had to advert his eyes, partly out of embarrassment, but mostly because the other man was suddenly radiating pheromones like no tomorrow. And bloody hell, those really were rose petals floating in the air around them.
"Y-You..."
"I am a man too, Arthur-san."
-I call it the Johnny Effect. orz
MISUNDERSTANDING ENDING 2:
"SU-SU-SU-SU-SU-SUKI DAISUKI!"
"T'nks, but I'm alr'dy mar'ied."
"...Sweden? What are you--"
"I'm very sorry, England-san! I thought you were asking for Sweden-san so I brought him over... I had no idea you felt that way towards him! But if Finland-san would not mind--"
"I'm f'thful to m' w'fe. S'ry."
"Oh. My condolences, Eng-- ENGLAND-SAN! THAT'S THE WINDOW, THE WINDOW! PLEASE DO NOT ACT RASHLY!"
"I don't care anymore. Miss Fairy! I'm coming to see you right now!"
"ENGLAND-SAAAANNN--!"