so that's what it is
Title: So that’s what it is
Pairing: Ryo x Shige
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1400+
Notes: AU. Fluff? First fic in the comm wheeeeeeee. :)
Summary: Shige is the receptionist at Ryo’s apartment complex.
So that’s what it is
Shige looks up upon the whoosh of the sliding door and barely suppresses the smile that bubbles to his lips.
“Good evening, Nishikido-san,” he bows shyly, and nearly kicks himself as the shyness spreads from the tip of his parted hair to his thickly socked toes. He hates this feeling he gets around the tenant, this feeling that shouldn’t be, but should, all at the same time.
Nishikido nods and strides over to the counter. “Hey,” he lays his head on the cool marble counter and breathes hot air on Shige’s face. “Any mail for me today?”
Shige shakes his head and Nishikido sighs, “The porn’s late this month…” He glances at his watch (Rolex, fancy, nothing Shige could ever afford even with this job) before clucking his tongue. “I’ll see you later, Kato.”
Shige swallows. If he doesn’t say something now, then he’s never going to, and really, this is it. He swallows again, “Nishikido-san,” he calls, and the man turns in front of the elevator. “I passed my final exam.” He holds his breath, wishing those seemingly simple, innocuous words would hide the blush spotted bright on his cheeks.
There is a pause before Nishikido’s eyes widen in recognition and he ambles back to the counter. He laughs; the musicality of the noise itself makes Shige’s heart race. “So…are you free for dinner tomorrow night?”
Shige’s brilliant smile is all the response he needs.
It’s on a bitter wintery day months ago that Nishikido first stumbles into Shige’s life. He stamps his feet on the welcome mat, puffs out breaths that linger chilled in the air, and notices Shige’s wince as the heavy winds from outside rush through the open door.
“It must suck sitting right in front of the door all night.” The man smirks as he forcefully shuts the door. He gives Shige a once-over. “You’re new. You working the night shift from now on?”
A dumb nod.
“The name’s Nishikido,” he says. “I live here. Floor five.” Shige nods again, but he knows that already. One of the first things he had to do for the job was to memorize the faces of all who lived in the apartment complex.
At that time, to Shige, Nishikido was just one of many, many faces. One of many faces that Shige was forced to look at night after night.
Being a receptionist in this upper class apartment complex really isn’t that bad. The uniform is sort of uncomfortable and sometimes the tenants can be downright obnoxious but, overall, the nighttime shift is fairly uneventful. Shige is allowed to do his homework as he waits for the hours to waste away and the pay is good considering the shitty hours, enough for Shige to pay off a big chunk of his university loan with his salary if he works here until the end of his senior year.
So Shige grits his teeth and does his job, with his eye trained on the clock. Or sometimes on Nishikido.
He can’t really help but be fascinated by Nishikido-san. Anyone with eyes, which naturally includes Shige, can see that the man is much more handsome than, well, pretty much everyone Shige knows. Nishikido has an air about him, a graceful glide to his step, a soft crop of hair that wisps about his angular face, a deep gravelly voice, and the list would go on and on if Shige didn’t force himself to stop.
Therefore, it isn’t surprising for Shige to see Nishikido walk into the apartment complex late at night with different women attached to his arm. Some of them are tall stick-figure girls with too much makeup and too little clothing and others are busty babes with low cut dresses and pert peachy butts. All of them are attractive, and all of them look even more stunning standing next to Nishikido.
When he doesn’t walk in with women, he walks in with equally beautiful men. Men that are clearly his friends and seem to have been for ages. They talk about bra sizes and Gundam and guitar riffs as they wait anxiously for the elevator. Shige thinks it’s refreshing, seeing Nishikido around his friends. Nishikido smiles more when in their presences, wraps casual arms around them, talks openly about an array of topics.
Either way, Nishikido is clearly surrounded by beautiful people. So it sometimes surprises Shige that most often Nishikido walks into the complex alone. Those are the times when he lingers by the counter and talks to the sleepy receptionist. Their conversations aren’t anything fancy or deep but Shige likes to think that, when Nishikido talks to him, he means each and every word he says.
One night, Nishikido comes in quietly, drumming his fingers against the counter as Shige grabs his mail. “Hey, Kato,” Nishikido mumbles. If Shige tries he can smell the alcohol in Nishikido’s breath, but he ignores that as he hums in response. Nishikido continues, “If you could have anything in the world, what would it be?”
There’s an awkward pause as Shige stares at Nishikido in disbelief. “A unicorn” is on the tip of his sarcastic lips, but when Shige looks at Ryo’s glazed and troubled eyes, something compels him to tell the truth. “I guess…happiness?” Shige answers quietly. He scratches the back of his hand in embarrassment, “When I was little, I used to wish on stars for that.”
“Happiness,” Nishikido repeats. “How simple-minded,” he muses. “Did it ever work? All that wishing?”
Shige sort of wants to ask where this is all coming from, but instead he shrugs. “I’m doing okay,” is all that Shige manages to say. “Then again, who can really say what happiness is in the first place?”
Nishikido is quiet for a little while as he etches patterns thoughtfully into the marble countertop with his fingers.
“Isn’t happiness just that feeling,” he pauses as he bites his lip, “…where everything’s alright in the world? That warmth that spreads across your chest, that smile you can’t contain?”
Shige snorts, “That sounds more like a crush to me.”
Another pause. “So that’s what it is,” Nishikido says softly. Shige looks up in surprise and their eyes lock for an embarrassing amount of time. The only reason their shared eye contact breaks is because Nishikido’s cell phone rings and he shuffles away awkwardly, speaking in hushed tones to whoever interrupted the moment.
Shige tries to ignore the way his heart races as he goes back to his homework and struggles to find meaning behind Terizawa v. Sugihara. But Nishikido’s words play on repeat in Shige’s head like a broken record because, if Shige were honest, it’s the same thing for him as well.
So that’s what it is.
The next night, Nishikido walks into the building with extra bounce in his step and anticipation lighting his face, the way he does every first day of the month.
“Did my porn come in today?”
Shige sighs dramatically and hands him a stack of magazines. “You have no shame,” Shige laughs.
“You like me for it,” Nishikido grins, this time with shyness lacing that smile.
Shige laughs again. If only he knew.
A couple weeks later Nishikido makes a move. Maybe it wasn’t as much of a secret as Shige would’ve liked.
“We should hang out,” he suggests calmly, as he leans against the counter and fiddles with the telephone cord.
Shige just looks at him oddly, ignoring the thump thump thump taking over his chest. “We should?” Nishikido shrugs and Shige rolls his eyes. “You don’t even know my full name,” Shige deadpans.
“Kato Shigeaki,” Nishikido whispers slowly. Shige looks up in astonishment, and then catches him peering over the counter to glance at the name written clearly in the header of his essay. Nishikido grins, “Anything else before I can ask you out?”
Shige’s breath catches, and before he knows what he’s saying he thrusts his textbook in Nishikido’s face. “How about this?” he gasps, “If I pass my final exam, I’ll go out with you.” Nishikido raises a brow and Shige babbles on, “You’ve been listening to me rant about this exam for nights now. So I have no excuse not to pass it. Is that stupid? That’s probably stupid. I-“
“Sure,” Nishikido interrupts with a laugh. “Let me know when you ace that test,” he says with confidence clear in his voice.
Shige struggles to breath. “No one has ever aced the exam. They call it the exam of doom,” he calls out feebly after Nishikido’s back, but by then he’s already left.
Shige passes, and actually receives the second highest grade in the whole class. No one is really surprised at the score, but they are surprised at the way Shige yells with delight and clutches the results tightly to his chest.
When his classmates offer to treat him to dinner and have a fun night out, Shige declines. He has something very important he needs to do later that night.
AN: Forgive me, for it is almost 3 AM. Posted now because Gem and Lib are impatient XP.
Thoughts? ::celebrates first fic of the comm.::
Pairing: Ryo x Shige
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1400+
Notes: AU. Fluff? First fic in the comm wheeeeeeee. :)
Summary: Shige is the receptionist at Ryo’s apartment complex.
So that’s what it is
Shige looks up upon the whoosh of the sliding door and barely suppresses the smile that bubbles to his lips.
“Good evening, Nishikido-san,” he bows shyly, and nearly kicks himself as the shyness spreads from the tip of his parted hair to his thickly socked toes. He hates this feeling he gets around the tenant, this feeling that shouldn’t be, but should, all at the same time.
Nishikido nods and strides over to the counter. “Hey,” he lays his head on the cool marble counter and breathes hot air on Shige’s face. “Any mail for me today?”
Shige shakes his head and Nishikido sighs, “The porn’s late this month…” He glances at his watch (Rolex, fancy, nothing Shige could ever afford even with this job) before clucking his tongue. “I’ll see you later, Kato.”
Shige swallows. If he doesn’t say something now, then he’s never going to, and really, this is it. He swallows again, “Nishikido-san,” he calls, and the man turns in front of the elevator. “I passed my final exam.” He holds his breath, wishing those seemingly simple, innocuous words would hide the blush spotted bright on his cheeks.
There is a pause before Nishikido’s eyes widen in recognition and he ambles back to the counter. He laughs; the musicality of the noise itself makes Shige’s heart race. “So…are you free for dinner tomorrow night?”
Shige’s brilliant smile is all the response he needs.
It’s on a bitter wintery day months ago that Nishikido first stumbles into Shige’s life. He stamps his feet on the welcome mat, puffs out breaths that linger chilled in the air, and notices Shige’s wince as the heavy winds from outside rush through the open door.
“It must suck sitting right in front of the door all night.” The man smirks as he forcefully shuts the door. He gives Shige a once-over. “You’re new. You working the night shift from now on?”
A dumb nod.
“The name’s Nishikido,” he says. “I live here. Floor five.” Shige nods again, but he knows that already. One of the first things he had to do for the job was to memorize the faces of all who lived in the apartment complex.
At that time, to Shige, Nishikido was just one of many, many faces. One of many faces that Shige was forced to look at night after night.
Being a receptionist in this upper class apartment complex really isn’t that bad. The uniform is sort of uncomfortable and sometimes the tenants can be downright obnoxious but, overall, the nighttime shift is fairly uneventful. Shige is allowed to do his homework as he waits for the hours to waste away and the pay is good considering the shitty hours, enough for Shige to pay off a big chunk of his university loan with his salary if he works here until the end of his senior year.
So Shige grits his teeth and does his job, with his eye trained on the clock. Or sometimes on Nishikido.
He can’t really help but be fascinated by Nishikido-san. Anyone with eyes, which naturally includes Shige, can see that the man is much more handsome than, well, pretty much everyone Shige knows. Nishikido has an air about him, a graceful glide to his step, a soft crop of hair that wisps about his angular face, a deep gravelly voice, and the list would go on and on if Shige didn’t force himself to stop.
Therefore, it isn’t surprising for Shige to see Nishikido walk into the apartment complex late at night with different women attached to his arm. Some of them are tall stick-figure girls with too much makeup and too little clothing and others are busty babes with low cut dresses and pert peachy butts. All of them are attractive, and all of them look even more stunning standing next to Nishikido.
When he doesn’t walk in with women, he walks in with equally beautiful men. Men that are clearly his friends and seem to have been for ages. They talk about bra sizes and Gundam and guitar riffs as they wait anxiously for the elevator. Shige thinks it’s refreshing, seeing Nishikido around his friends. Nishikido smiles more when in their presences, wraps casual arms around them, talks openly about an array of topics.
Either way, Nishikido is clearly surrounded by beautiful people. So it sometimes surprises Shige that most often Nishikido walks into the complex alone. Those are the times when he lingers by the counter and talks to the sleepy receptionist. Their conversations aren’t anything fancy or deep but Shige likes to think that, when Nishikido talks to him, he means each and every word he says.
One night, Nishikido comes in quietly, drumming his fingers against the counter as Shige grabs his mail. “Hey, Kato,” Nishikido mumbles. If Shige tries he can smell the alcohol in Nishikido’s breath, but he ignores that as he hums in response. Nishikido continues, “If you could have anything in the world, what would it be?”
There’s an awkward pause as Shige stares at Nishikido in disbelief. “A unicorn” is on the tip of his sarcastic lips, but when Shige looks at Ryo’s glazed and troubled eyes, something compels him to tell the truth. “I guess…happiness?” Shige answers quietly. He scratches the back of his hand in embarrassment, “When I was little, I used to wish on stars for that.”
“Happiness,” Nishikido repeats. “How simple-minded,” he muses. “Did it ever work? All that wishing?”
Shige sort of wants to ask where this is all coming from, but instead he shrugs. “I’m doing okay,” is all that Shige manages to say. “Then again, who can really say what happiness is in the first place?”
Nishikido is quiet for a little while as he etches patterns thoughtfully into the marble countertop with his fingers.
“Isn’t happiness just that feeling,” he pauses as he bites his lip, “…where everything’s alright in the world? That warmth that spreads across your chest, that smile you can’t contain?”
Shige snorts, “That sounds more like a crush to me.”
Another pause. “So that’s what it is,” Nishikido says softly. Shige looks up in surprise and their eyes lock for an embarrassing amount of time. The only reason their shared eye contact breaks is because Nishikido’s cell phone rings and he shuffles away awkwardly, speaking in hushed tones to whoever interrupted the moment.
Shige tries to ignore the way his heart races as he goes back to his homework and struggles to find meaning behind Terizawa v. Sugihara. But Nishikido’s words play on repeat in Shige’s head like a broken record because, if Shige were honest, it’s the same thing for him as well.
So that’s what it is.
The next night, Nishikido walks into the building with extra bounce in his step and anticipation lighting his face, the way he does every first day of the month.
“Did my porn come in today?”
Shige sighs dramatically and hands him a stack of magazines. “You have no shame,” Shige laughs.
“You like me for it,” Nishikido grins, this time with shyness lacing that smile.
Shige laughs again. If only he knew.
A couple weeks later Nishikido makes a move. Maybe it wasn’t as much of a secret as Shige would’ve liked.
“We should hang out,” he suggests calmly, as he leans against the counter and fiddles with the telephone cord.
Shige just looks at him oddly, ignoring the thump thump thump taking over his chest. “We should?” Nishikido shrugs and Shige rolls his eyes. “You don’t even know my full name,” Shige deadpans.
“Kato Shigeaki,” Nishikido whispers slowly. Shige looks up in astonishment, and then catches him peering over the counter to glance at the name written clearly in the header of his essay. Nishikido grins, “Anything else before I can ask you out?”
Shige’s breath catches, and before he knows what he’s saying he thrusts his textbook in Nishikido’s face. “How about this?” he gasps, “If I pass my final exam, I’ll go out with you.” Nishikido raises a brow and Shige babbles on, “You’ve been listening to me rant about this exam for nights now. So I have no excuse not to pass it. Is that stupid? That’s probably stupid. I-“
“Sure,” Nishikido interrupts with a laugh. “Let me know when you ace that test,” he says with confidence clear in his voice.
Shige struggles to breath. “No one has ever aced the exam. They call it the exam of doom,” he calls out feebly after Nishikido’s back, but by then he’s already left.
Shige passes, and actually receives the second highest grade in the whole class. No one is really surprised at the score, but they are surprised at the way Shige yells with delight and clutches the results tightly to his chest.
When his classmates offer to treat him to dinner and have a fun night out, Shige declines. He has something very important he needs to do later that night.
AN: Forgive me, for it is almost 3 AM. Posted now because Gem and Lib are impatient XP.
Thoughts? ::celebrates first fic of the comm.::