Round Here
sho san.
“When’s he coming, Daddy?” The young boy looked over at his father, turning his attention away from the homework in his lap. “He said noon, right? And he said he’d bring me chocolate, right? Daddy, I just wanna meet him.”
Takanori smiled, and he let out a small chuckle. “He did say noon, hai, and he is bringing you chocolate.” He chuckled as the boy grinned, and he added, “But you have to be patient, hmm? It’s still twenty minutes until noon.” His voice was the epitome of patience, but his gaze had also flickered to the window more times than he could count.
And secretly, he was glad that Shin was excited to meet Akira, and even more so that Akira had so easily agreed to bring Shin his favorite candy. “He’s a nice man, right, Daddy?”
“He’s a very nice man, son. I promise. How about you go outside and wait for him, hmm? I’m sure he’ll be excited to meet you.” He smiled, and Shin nodded, leaping up, excited for an excuse to get away from his homework. For a second, he felt nervous, and he felt completely unsure about what Akira would think about his house, about his son, about him.
And then he heard a car in the driveway, and he smiled, and he went outside. He saw Akira in the driver’s seat, picking up a bag of candy, and he smiled as he walked over to Shin, touching his shoulder. And then the blond got out of his car, and Takanori let Shin run over to him, watching as Akira handed him the candy.
Shin let out an exclamation of appreciation, and he ran over to his father, grinning, giving him a one-armed hug before running inside, his hands already tearing the bag open.
“You made quite the impression on him.”
Akira grinned. “I thought he’d like more than just one bar of candy.” He shifted a little nervously, scratching at the back of his neck. “Especially from the man that’s stealing his father away for a day.” He smiled a little, letting his hand drop to his side. “So, um, you ready?”
“Yeah, almost. I just have to grab a couple things and say goodbye to my son.”
Akira smiled. “Yeah, okay. Do you want me to wait out here, or…?”
“No, you can come in if you want.” He smiled, and he waited for Akira to walk up to him, and then he led him into the house. “Make yourself at home on the chair, couch, whatever. I’ll be right back down.” He disappeared up the steps with a smile, and Akira settled onto the couch, smiling to himself as he heard Takanori’s soft laughter and Shin’s giggling and subsequent protesting as he was told to have his homework done before bed.
He looked around, and he observed the room about him, noticing the simple decorations, the drawings that Shin had most likely created, the small projects that Takanori, like any good father, had set about for visitors to see. There were clay bugs in the windows, a fortress from a recent project on the coffee table, and certificates of honors framed on the walls.
Akira smiled. Takanori was proud of his son.
“Hey...are you ready?”
Akira looked up, and he immediately rose, earning a chuckle from the dark-haired man. “Yeah, I’m ready.” Takanori walked to the door, holding it open for Akira, and he smiled at the girl that was apparently the babysitter as she trotted up the driveway to meet them. She gave Akira a quick smile, and then she accepted the payment that Takanori handed her before heading inside.
They walked to the car, getting in, and Takanori smiled at the blond next to him as the car was started down the street.
“Hey…I know I said anywhere you wanted to go was okay, but I was thinking.” He glanced over at the dark-haired man, and he gave a nervous laugh. “The bistro outside of town sound okay? I mean, we can go somewhere else if you want to.”
Takanori smiled. “No, the bistro sounds fine.” He smiled. “Thank you, by the way. For bringing Shin candy. You’re the first to bring him that much.” He bit his lip for a moment. “I think he likes you already.”
Akira smiled. “Well, that’s a start, isn’t it? Having your son’s approval? Not that I, um, expect anything, but…god, sorry, I’m rambling.”
The dark-haired man laughed, and the sound warmed up what could have felt like tension in the car. “He liked you when I told him you’d bring him candy, and yes. His approval is a huge factor in deciding if anything happens.” He paused for a second, and he glanced out the window, watching the houses as they passed by. “And it seems like his approval is really important to you, and I…really like that about you.”
Akira smiled. “You really love your son, yeah?”
“Yeah. I love him. I’m proud of him. He doesn’t even act like his mother left him behind. He’s more than I ever was as a boy.” He bit his lip, holding back what might have become a huff of indignation and slight frustration with the woman that had left him behind. “He’s truly a great kid. I hope you can get to know him.”
Akira looked over at him, raising an eyebrow, looking concerned. “You okay?” He smiled a little when the dark-haired man looked over at him, and the smile he was met by was positively brilliant; if there was anything wrong in Takanori’s world, he wasn’t going to show it.
“I just don’t know much about the man I’m out on a date with, is all.” He gave a truly flawless smile, and he gave a wink when Akira looked over at him. His quirks were shining through five minutes into their day out, and it made Akira chuckle at him. “Any ex-wives or ten-year-old sons I should know about?”
Akira laughed. “Never been married, no children that I know if. I play bass in my spare time, got a degree in music, and people tell me I have one hell of a sense of humor.” He grinned. “Sadly, there’s not much to me aside from that. I mean, I could go on about my parents and my siblings, but I’d hate to bore you to hell on the first date.” He laughed again, and when he glanced over at Takanori again, the dark-haired man’s countenance had brightened just slightly, and he seemed much more at ease.
“What kind of work do you do, if you’re a musician for fun?”
“I write. What about you?”
“I work in public relations.”
“So you do stuff that most sane people wouldn’t agree to do?”
Takanori laughed. “Yeah. But I’ve never been the sanest man on the planet.”
“Mm. Me either. But I suppose I’ve written myself into it. Apparently, according to my mother, I used to be normal.” He chuckled a little, and he rapped his fingers on the steering wheel as they waited for a red light to turn green.
“Good.” He grinned. “As long as there’s a ‘used to be’ in that sentence. I’ve never been a fan of normal.”
Akira laughed. “Eh, well. I’ve never been much for it, either, so it looks like you and I will get along just fine.”
Takanori smiled, and he let out a small chuckle. “He did say noon, hai, and he is bringing you chocolate.” He chuckled as the boy grinned, and he added, “But you have to be patient, hmm? It’s still twenty minutes until noon.” His voice was the epitome of patience, but his gaze had also flickered to the window more times than he could count.
And secretly, he was glad that Shin was excited to meet Akira, and even more so that Akira had so easily agreed to bring Shin his favorite candy. “He’s a nice man, right, Daddy?”
“He’s a very nice man, son. I promise. How about you go outside and wait for him, hmm? I’m sure he’ll be excited to meet you.” He smiled, and Shin nodded, leaping up, excited for an excuse to get away from his homework. For a second, he felt nervous, and he felt completely unsure about what Akira would think about his house, about his son, about him.
And then he heard a car in the driveway, and he smiled, and he went outside. He saw Akira in the driver’s seat, picking up a bag of candy, and he smiled as he walked over to Shin, touching his shoulder. And then the blond got out of his car, and Takanori let Shin run over to him, watching as Akira handed him the candy.
Shin let out an exclamation of appreciation, and he ran over to his father, grinning, giving him a one-armed hug before running inside, his hands already tearing the bag open.
“You made quite the impression on him.”
Akira grinned. “I thought he’d like more than just one bar of candy.” He shifted a little nervously, scratching at the back of his neck. “Especially from the man that’s stealing his father away for a day.” He smiled a little, letting his hand drop to his side. “So, um, you ready?”
“Yeah, almost. I just have to grab a couple things and say goodbye to my son.”
Akira smiled. “Yeah, okay. Do you want me to wait out here, or…?”
“No, you can come in if you want.” He smiled, and he waited for Akira to walk up to him, and then he led him into the house. “Make yourself at home on the chair, couch, whatever. I’ll be right back down.” He disappeared up the steps with a smile, and Akira settled onto the couch, smiling to himself as he heard Takanori’s soft laughter and Shin’s giggling and subsequent protesting as he was told to have his homework done before bed.
He looked around, and he observed the room about him, noticing the simple decorations, the drawings that Shin had most likely created, the small projects that Takanori, like any good father, had set about for visitors to see. There were clay bugs in the windows, a fortress from a recent project on the coffee table, and certificates of honors framed on the walls.
Akira smiled. Takanori was proud of his son.
“Hey...are you ready?”
Akira looked up, and he immediately rose, earning a chuckle from the dark-haired man. “Yeah, I’m ready.” Takanori walked to the door, holding it open for Akira, and he smiled at the girl that was apparently the babysitter as she trotted up the driveway to meet them. She gave Akira a quick smile, and then she accepted the payment that Takanori handed her before heading inside.
They walked to the car, getting in, and Takanori smiled at the blond next to him as the car was started down the street.
“Hey…I know I said anywhere you wanted to go was okay, but I was thinking.” He glanced over at the dark-haired man, and he gave a nervous laugh. “The bistro outside of town sound okay? I mean, we can go somewhere else if you want to.”
Takanori smiled. “No, the bistro sounds fine.” He smiled. “Thank you, by the way. For bringing Shin candy. You’re the first to bring him that much.” He bit his lip for a moment. “I think he likes you already.”
Akira smiled. “Well, that’s a start, isn’t it? Having your son’s approval? Not that I, um, expect anything, but…god, sorry, I’m rambling.”
The dark-haired man laughed, and the sound warmed up what could have felt like tension in the car. “He liked you when I told him you’d bring him candy, and yes. His approval is a huge factor in deciding if anything happens.” He paused for a second, and he glanced out the window, watching the houses as they passed by. “And it seems like his approval is really important to you, and I…really like that about you.”
Akira smiled. “You really love your son, yeah?”
“Yeah. I love him. I’m proud of him. He doesn’t even act like his mother left him behind. He’s more than I ever was as a boy.” He bit his lip, holding back what might have become a huff of indignation and slight frustration with the woman that had left him behind. “He’s truly a great kid. I hope you can get to know him.”
Akira looked over at him, raising an eyebrow, looking concerned. “You okay?” He smiled a little when the dark-haired man looked over at him, and the smile he was met by was positively brilliant; if there was anything wrong in Takanori’s world, he wasn’t going to show it.
“I just don’t know much about the man I’m out on a date with, is all.” He gave a truly flawless smile, and he gave a wink when Akira looked over at him. His quirks were shining through five minutes into their day out, and it made Akira chuckle at him. “Any ex-wives or ten-year-old sons I should know about?”
Akira laughed. “Never been married, no children that I know if. I play bass in my spare time, got a degree in music, and people tell me I have one hell of a sense of humor.” He grinned. “Sadly, there’s not much to me aside from that. I mean, I could go on about my parents and my siblings, but I’d hate to bore you to hell on the first date.” He laughed again, and when he glanced over at Takanori again, the dark-haired man’s countenance had brightened just slightly, and he seemed much more at ease.
“What kind of work do you do, if you’re a musician for fun?”
“I write. What about you?”
“I work in public relations.”
“So you do stuff that most sane people wouldn’t agree to do?”
Takanori laughed. “Yeah. But I’ve never been the sanest man on the planet.”
“Mm. Me either. But I suppose I’ve written myself into it. Apparently, according to my mother, I used to be normal.” He chuckled a little, and he rapped his fingers on the steering wheel as they waited for a red light to turn green.
“Good.” He grinned. “As long as there’s a ‘used to be’ in that sentence. I’ve never been a fan of normal.”
Akira laughed. “Eh, well. I’ve never been much for it, either, so it looks like you and I will get along just fine.”
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