Hajime no Insho

“Akira, are you sure you want to meet them? I mean, they’re not horrible, but it’s not like we’re the Brady family every time we’re around each other.”

Akira smiled a little, brushing his thumb over the back of Takanori’s hand. “You wanted to tell them about the band, ne?” He raised an eyebrow, and he waited until Takanori met his gaze, and when he received a small nod, he smiled again. “Then yes. I’m positive I want to meet them. And if it all goes wrong, you won’t be facing them alone.” He gave the singer’s hand a small squeeze, and then he kissed his temple, brushing back his hair.

“Thank you.” Takanori’s voice was quiet, and he seemed distant for a moment, staring off at the home that he hadn’t been to since he’d been kicked out. And he thought back on all the times his parents had practically huffed at him and told him to meet them at a café, and how he’d really only had his brother to help him out. But after that moment was over, he looked over at Akira, and despite the tears that the old memories threatened to bring up, he smiled, and he gave the blond a gentle kiss. “Thank you for not letting me do this alone.”

Akira chuckled, and he spent a moment playing with Takanori’s hair, and then he pressed a kiss to the singer’s forehead, smiling against his skin. “Takanori, you will never have to be alone ever again.” He drew back, and he smiled a little, and then he watched the anxiety flood Takanori’s features. “You’ll be fine, love. Are you ready?”

Takanori nodded, and they got out of the car after a final kiss, and then Akira was at Takanori’s side, holding his hand, and Takanori led him up the walkway to his parents’ gate, opening it, leading Akira forward, and biting his lip as the gate swung shut and memories of his childhood came flooding back. His heart was racing by the time they reached the front step, and he gave Akira’s hand a squeeze as he rang the doorbell and waited, the bassist close by his side.

The seconds that passed until his mother was at the door felt like hours, and he gave a small bow of his head and a tiny smile as she invited them in, closing the door behind them. He felt Akira’s thumb brushing over his skin, and he felt the anxiety return as his hand was freed so that they could remove their shoes and set them aside. He couldn’t actually feel the anxiety disappear until Akira’s hand was holding his once more, and he gave a nervous squeeze as his mother led them over to the couch.

His mother disappeared for a moment, and then she returned with his father in tow, and his father didn’t look incredibly excited about him holding another man’s hand, but other than that, he didn’t look incredibly displeased to see him. In Takanori’s eyes, this was a start. He gave a smile, sat when his parents did, and he was incredibly thankful that Akira was right at his side, stroking his hand and keeping him as calm as possible.

The room was quiet, and Takanori let his gaze fall to his lap, and he closed his eyes, ready to hear all about his father’s disappointment. Akira’s hand was holding tightly onto his, and after a moment, he looked up, and whether or not there were tears in his eyes, he glanced up, and he smiled at his father, and the smile felt somewhat sincere for the first time in years.

And his father seemed to think for a moment, and then he said, “So I hear you’re in a fairly successful band.”

Takanori nodded. “Hai. I am. We’ve released singles, done a solo tour, and we released an album last year.” He paused, bit his lip, and took a moment to focus on the hand holding his, the warmth flowing from Akira right to him, helping to keep his emotions in check. “It took a few tries, but…I think we’ve gotten it right this time.”

His father cocked an eyebrow, and it seemed as if his focus was centered on Akira and their linked hands. A short “Hmm” was his only response, and then he was quiet, and the silence was doing nothing for Takanori’s nerves. “And who’s this…charming…young man with you?”

Takanori smiled a little, looking over at the blond, and Akira saw a faint sparkle in his eyes, something that resembled a mix of love and gratitude. “This is Akira. He’s the bassist in the band, and he’s also my boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend?”

Takanori nodded, looking back over at his parents. “Hai. Boyfriend. He makes me happy, and I love him.” He smiled over at Akira once more, and one small weight disappeared from his shoulders, though his father’s probable disapproval weighed him down more than anything else. “And I know you expect a wife and children, but…I’m happier with him than I could ever be with any woman I could ever meet.” Akira’s hand squeezed his once more, and he bit his lip and let his gaze hold onto the blond’s as he waited for his father’s response.

“It always seemed that your rock and roll dream would become a dead end,” his father said. “But now I can see that it isn’t true.” His voice was quiet, as though he hadn’t expected his words to be heard, and he was attempting a smile when Takanori could look back at his father, his eyes widening slightly in surprise. “I never thought that you would be able to make something of it, and I’d expected you to be coming back to us to ask for help.”

Takanori’s gaze flickered from his father to his mother, who was sitting silently, as though she and his father thought the same thing, and there were almost tears in his eyes as he began to realize that what his father was saying meant that he no longer had to estrange himself from his family. “All these years,” he whispered. “I spent all these years fighting for my dream, and I never thought that my dream could make you proud.” He bit his lip, and he shook his head just slightly. “If only I’d known that telling you what I’d accomplished would be what it took to do that.”

The unspoken ‘Would you have?’ weighed on his mind, and when his gaze returned to his father, there were a few tears at the corners of his eyes. His father was silent, and his mother had gently laid her hand over his, and Takanori could feel his heart hurt as the last of his childhood memories returned to the front of his mind.

“Have I finally managed to make you proud, otosan?”

His father paused, and instead of a direct answer, he replied, “You have proven me wrong, Takanori-kun.”

Takanori looked up, and he grinned, and a couple of the overwhelming tears slipped down his cheeks, and his grip on Akira’s hand tightened for just a moment as he realized exactly what his father’s words meant. He knew that it was his father’s way of apologizing to him for the years that he’d been alone, and finally, he felt as though his relationship with his parents could finally improve.

And he was sure that if he hadn’t had Akira at his side, he wouldn’t have been able to come back home to find that out.