Hajime no Insho
sho kyu.
“You’re done with your food, right?”
“Yeah, I am. Why?”
“Well, um…would you dance with me?”
“Here?” Takanori nodded. “But Takanori-kun, there’s no music for us to dance to.”
She watched as he got up, raising an eyebrow a little, and then let a small smile spread across her lips as he turned the radio on that was wedged between the toaster and the microwave. Instantly, she heard soft music, and when he turned a dial just slightly, the music became just a little bit louder, and he returned to her, his hand extended. “There is now. So, will you dance with me?”
Midori blushed a little, and she nodded, taking his hand. He gently pulled her up to him, and his arm slipped around her waist until his hand was at the small of her back, lightly pressing her close to him. Her free hand found his shoulder, her head resting against his chest, and she bit her lip for a moment as the possibilities of what they could have if her parents hadn’t had the power to interfere crossed her mind.
And then she was distracted as he pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head, and she smiled as he hummed along with the music playing, and she allowed her eyes to close as he began to move them in small circles. It was effortless to follow his lead, stepping to the side as he did, stepping forward as he moved back, and it wasn’t long before tears were quietly dripping down her cheeks.
She knew exactly what her parents were forcing her to miss out on. She turned her face into his shirt, and his hand immediately lifted from her back to stroke her hair, and he was singing instead of humming as he kissed the top of her head and sighed, his hand releasing hers so that he could slide that arm around her, and he rested his head on hers as her arms slid around his waist and held on tight.
“I love you, Takanori,” she whispered. “I love you; I wanted you to know that.”
He smiled sadly, letting his hand run up and down her back, and he sighed. “I love you too, Midori.” His voice was quiet, and the tone was heavy and sad. “Don’t cry, hmm? You’re still here, I’m still here. We’re still together. Don’t cry; not until you have to leave.” He gently lifted her head from his chest, tilting her chin up, and he pressed the softest of kisses to her lips. “Please?”
Her eyes were watery as her gaze held on to his, and she shivered just slightly as his roughened fingertips brushed at the corners of her eyes, gently wiping away her tears. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, and she bit her lip as his forehead nudged against hers. “I’ve ruined the dance.”
He shook his head, smiling a little, tucking back her hair. “Don’t apologize.” He kissed her forehead, and then he let his gaze hold onto hers. “You’ve ruined nothing, so there’s nothing to be sorry for. It’s my fault; asking you to dance was a bad idea. Want to watch a movie instead, like we’d planned?”
She nodded, sniffling a little, bringing an arm up to wipe her tears on her sleeve. “I’d like that, hai. And, um.” She bit her lip, brushing her fingers over his chest. “I’ve cried a lovely wet spot into your shirt.” Her cheeks flushed a little, and she bit her lip. “Sorry about that.”
He shook his head. “It’s nothing. I’ll just go change. You can go ahead and choose the movie and get comfortable on the couch. I’ll be back in just a minute.” He gave her an encouraging smile, and then he claimed a quick kiss before gently disentangling from her hold and heading to his bedroom to change shirts.
She glanced around the apartment- at the table with their plates still on it, her bag near the couch, a picture of the two of them that Akira had taken on the side table, and a small selection of his movies on the coffee table. She walked over to the small living room area, sitting on the couch, and she smiled as her hand touched an afghan throw that just seemed to be begging for them to curl up under it. She reached out to brush her fingers over the movies he’d picked out, and she smiled at the titles.
Some of them were love stories, and some of them were simple comedies, and a couple of them were adventure dramas that he’d thought she might like. His thoughtfulness made her smile, and she felt a fluttering in her stomach, and she knew that she would miss all of the things that her parents’ forcefulness was making her give up.
She gave him a semi-bright smile as he returned with a fresh shirt, and as he smiled back at her and sat beside her on the couch, she could see the man behind the ‘filthy rock star’ label that her parents had seen fit to affix to him. He was a completely different person when he was away from his band and the stage, and it was a shame that only the people that knew him well could see that.
“I didn’t know you watched dramas like these, Takanori-kun,” she teased, and she grinned a bit as he shrugged. “They’re good, but I didn’t think that someone like you enjoyed them in private.”
“My brother’s girlfriend lent them to me.” He smiled, and he ruffled her hair just slightly as she raised an eyebrow at him. “I thought you might like them, so I set them out." Another pause. "Honestly.” Her eyebrow relaxed a little, and she laughed a little shakily at him, still recovering from crying into his shirt minutes before, and he kissed her cheek as she examined the choices laid out before her. “We can watch whatever you want. I won’t complain, I promise.”
“As long as you promised, then.” She reached for her bag, setting it on her lap, and she dug through it for a moment before removing a movie and holding it up for him to see. “I’ve actually been wanting to watch this one for a while. Is it okay?”
He nodded, smiling. “Anything you want.” He earned a smile in return, and he stretched out across the couch as she put the movie in, and he patted the space in front of him when she turned around to return to him. “I won’t try anything, I swear.”
A softer expression took over her features, and she walked over to him, setting her bag aside and picking up the remote. “I know you won’t.” Hesitantly, she laid down in front of him, settling slowly against him as though she wasn’t sure that he was comfortable, and then she relaxed as he draped the afghan over them and then slid an arm around her torso, gently pulling her against him. She turned her head to look back at him, and she was met by a smile and a soft kiss. “Thank you, Takanori-kun.”
“For what?”
“For still wanting to spend the night with me, even if my parents are forcing us apart.”
“As I said earlier,” he replied softly, “I’d never decline the chance to spend more time with you.” He brushed at her hair for a long moment, and then she settled back against him, her gaze focused on the television, her hand resting over his. After a moment, their fingers laced together, and for a second, she couldn’t understand why she’d cried or why her heart hurt so much.
He whispered something in her ear, something that sounded like a lyric, and he kissed her temple, and in that short second when her eyes were closed and her hand squeezed his, everything was okay.
“Yeah, I am. Why?”
“Well, um…would you dance with me?”
“Here?” Takanori nodded. “But Takanori-kun, there’s no music for us to dance to.”
She watched as he got up, raising an eyebrow a little, and then let a small smile spread across her lips as he turned the radio on that was wedged between the toaster and the microwave. Instantly, she heard soft music, and when he turned a dial just slightly, the music became just a little bit louder, and he returned to her, his hand extended. “There is now. So, will you dance with me?”
Midori blushed a little, and she nodded, taking his hand. He gently pulled her up to him, and his arm slipped around her waist until his hand was at the small of her back, lightly pressing her close to him. Her free hand found his shoulder, her head resting against his chest, and she bit her lip for a moment as the possibilities of what they could have if her parents hadn’t had the power to interfere crossed her mind.
And then she was distracted as he pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head, and she smiled as he hummed along with the music playing, and she allowed her eyes to close as he began to move them in small circles. It was effortless to follow his lead, stepping to the side as he did, stepping forward as he moved back, and it wasn’t long before tears were quietly dripping down her cheeks.
She knew exactly what her parents were forcing her to miss out on. She turned her face into his shirt, and his hand immediately lifted from her back to stroke her hair, and he was singing instead of humming as he kissed the top of her head and sighed, his hand releasing hers so that he could slide that arm around her, and he rested his head on hers as her arms slid around his waist and held on tight.
“I love you, Takanori,” she whispered. “I love you; I wanted you to know that.”
He smiled sadly, letting his hand run up and down her back, and he sighed. “I love you too, Midori.” His voice was quiet, and the tone was heavy and sad. “Don’t cry, hmm? You’re still here, I’m still here. We’re still together. Don’t cry; not until you have to leave.” He gently lifted her head from his chest, tilting her chin up, and he pressed the softest of kisses to her lips. “Please?”
Her eyes were watery as her gaze held on to his, and she shivered just slightly as his roughened fingertips brushed at the corners of her eyes, gently wiping away her tears. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, and she bit her lip as his forehead nudged against hers. “I’ve ruined the dance.”
He shook his head, smiling a little, tucking back her hair. “Don’t apologize.” He kissed her forehead, and then he let his gaze hold onto hers. “You’ve ruined nothing, so there’s nothing to be sorry for. It’s my fault; asking you to dance was a bad idea. Want to watch a movie instead, like we’d planned?”
She nodded, sniffling a little, bringing an arm up to wipe her tears on her sleeve. “I’d like that, hai. And, um.” She bit her lip, brushing her fingers over his chest. “I’ve cried a lovely wet spot into your shirt.” Her cheeks flushed a little, and she bit her lip. “Sorry about that.”
He shook his head. “It’s nothing. I’ll just go change. You can go ahead and choose the movie and get comfortable on the couch. I’ll be back in just a minute.” He gave her an encouraging smile, and then he claimed a quick kiss before gently disentangling from her hold and heading to his bedroom to change shirts.
She glanced around the apartment- at the table with their plates still on it, her bag near the couch, a picture of the two of them that Akira had taken on the side table, and a small selection of his movies on the coffee table. She walked over to the small living room area, sitting on the couch, and she smiled as her hand touched an afghan throw that just seemed to be begging for them to curl up under it. She reached out to brush her fingers over the movies he’d picked out, and she smiled at the titles.
Some of them were love stories, and some of them were simple comedies, and a couple of them were adventure dramas that he’d thought she might like. His thoughtfulness made her smile, and she felt a fluttering in her stomach, and she knew that she would miss all of the things that her parents’ forcefulness was making her give up.
She gave him a semi-bright smile as he returned with a fresh shirt, and as he smiled back at her and sat beside her on the couch, she could see the man behind the ‘filthy rock star’ label that her parents had seen fit to affix to him. He was a completely different person when he was away from his band and the stage, and it was a shame that only the people that knew him well could see that.
“I didn’t know you watched dramas like these, Takanori-kun,” she teased, and she grinned a bit as he shrugged. “They’re good, but I didn’t think that someone like you enjoyed them in private.”
“My brother’s girlfriend lent them to me.” He smiled, and he ruffled her hair just slightly as she raised an eyebrow at him. “I thought you might like them, so I set them out." Another pause. "Honestly.” Her eyebrow relaxed a little, and she laughed a little shakily at him, still recovering from crying into his shirt minutes before, and he kissed her cheek as she examined the choices laid out before her. “We can watch whatever you want. I won’t complain, I promise.”
“As long as you promised, then.” She reached for her bag, setting it on her lap, and she dug through it for a moment before removing a movie and holding it up for him to see. “I’ve actually been wanting to watch this one for a while. Is it okay?”
He nodded, smiling. “Anything you want.” He earned a smile in return, and he stretched out across the couch as she put the movie in, and he patted the space in front of him when she turned around to return to him. “I won’t try anything, I swear.”
A softer expression took over her features, and she walked over to him, setting her bag aside and picking up the remote. “I know you won’t.” Hesitantly, she laid down in front of him, settling slowly against him as though she wasn’t sure that he was comfortable, and then she relaxed as he draped the afghan over them and then slid an arm around her torso, gently pulling her against him. She turned her head to look back at him, and she was met by a smile and a soft kiss. “Thank you, Takanori-kun.”
“For what?”
“For still wanting to spend the night with me, even if my parents are forcing us apart.”
“As I said earlier,” he replied softly, “I’d never decline the chance to spend more time with you.” He brushed at her hair for a long moment, and then she settled back against him, her gaze focused on the television, her hand resting over his. After a moment, their fingers laced together, and for a second, she couldn’t understand why she’d cried or why her heart hurt so much.
He whispered something in her ear, something that sounded like a lyric, and he kissed her temple, and in that short second when her eyes were closed and her hand squeezed his, everything was okay.