La Corda d'Oro, "Mister Blue Sky" -- Happy birthday, Ryoutarou!
When Ryoutarou woke up to a phone call from Kahoko asking him if he wanted to go out tonight, he knew that something was horribly wrong.
“Am I dying?” he asked. “Do you know something I don’t? Give it to me straight; I can take it.”
She sighed sadly. “You’re right. I can’t keep this from you. Ryoutarou, I’m so sorry.”
“Oh my god.” He was dying.
“Gotcha!”
“That was wrong, woman.”
“Is it my fault you’re so gullible?” She laughed. “It’s your birthday, isn’t it?”
“Oh.” He glanced at his wall calendar. “Oh, yeah.”
She giggled, the sound like pure music. “So, I thought you might wanna do something tonight. Like go out to dinner?”
Dinner? Yes. Dinner was good.
Dinner out in a restaurant? That was even better.
Dinner out in a restaurant with Kahoko? The best.
“Sure,” he said, hoping he came off as casual and not sounding like he’d waited for this moment since the first time he looked into her big, pretty eyes.
“Then it’s a date,” she said, and he might’ve died a little.
It was his fuckin’ lucky day.
[-]
The morning just kept getting better.
He found a box of his favorite cereal hidden in the back of the cupboard. He didn’t spill and/or burn himself with his coffee. And it was a beautiful, beautiful, day outside.
Until around noon, when the blue sky turned a bit gray and it started to rain. Which, at first, seemed like a bad thing.
But as he stood at his window and looked outside, he reconsidered. Rain was a good thing, wasn’t it? Rain meant nourishment for flowers and trees and other plants. Rain meant practice would be canceled for the day. Rain meant sharing an umbrella with Kahoko Hino.
Ryoutarou loved the rain.
[-]
Sometime around three, there was a knock at the door. Ryoutarou groaned when he looked through the peephole; he knew this happiness wasn’t going to last too long.
“What do you want?” He asked, opening the door to let Len inside.
“I have something I want to go over with you,” the violinist said, brushing past him without sparing him even a glance.
Ryoutarou rolled his eyes and closed the door, turning to watch the other man head for his sofa as he shuffled sheet music in his hands. “I thought we weren’t talking after last night.”
He and Len were working together on composing the score for an upcoming movie. When they were first invited to take on the project, they’d both wanted to turn it down. But then they’d realized that would mean giving in, looking like a coward in front of the other. So they’d agreed. They barely got an hour’s work done before they were at each other’s throats-figuratively, for Len, at least; he was too “refined” for that sort of thing. If asked, Ryoutarou would say that the real reason was Len just knew that he’d get his ass kicked.
But, anyway, last night they’d quarreled over just where to stick the bridge of this one piece. Ryoutarou was ambivalent about the bridge section in general, and he thought the piece would be fine without it, but if it had to have it, he didn’t want it where Len wanted it. It messed with the rhythm and screwed up the cadence of the previous phrase. And Ryoutarou knew that Len knew that; he just didn’t want to admit that he was wrong, the stubborn bastard. And when Ryoutarou had pointed this out, Len had said he was calling it quits and made huffy exit.
“I changed my mind,” Len said absently, spreading out the sheet music on the coffee table as Ryoutarou came to sit beside him. “About that, and the bridge.”
Ryoutarou gaped. “Really?”
“Mm.” Len stared at the music to avoid looking at Ryoutarou. “I thought about it when I got home and played the piece through, and it does throw things off. I think we can do without it. You were right.”
“I’m sorry, I was what?”
“…You were right.”
“Can I get that in writing?” Ryoutarou smirked.
“Don’t push your luck.” Len cut his eyes at him for a moment. “Oh, here.” He pulled an envelope out from the bottom of the small stack of papers, offering it to Ryoutarou. “My mother sent you a birthday card.”
The envelope was out of Len’s hand before he could blink.
“MISA HAMAI REMEMBERED MY BIRTHDAY.” Ryoutarou let out a whoop and threw his arms around Len and giving him an enthusiastic squeeze. “THIS IS TOTALLY THE BEST DAY EVER.”
“Please stop touching me.”
[-]
“You look beautiful.”
Kahoko blushed and played with the straw of her drink embarrassedly. “You’ve said that three times already.”
“Is it my fault that it deserved to be said four times?” He shot her a teasing smile. “It’ll probably be six by the time the night’s over.”
Her hands covered her quickly reddening cheeks and she kicked at Ryoutarou’s legs under the table when he laughed.
He couldn’t remember ever feeling this happy. He was sitting under the awning of the restaurant’s outside deck with the girl of his dreams and they were completely alone. Other patrons of the fine dining establishment were eating indoors, but it turned Kahoko liked the rain.
“I think it’s kind of…romantic,” she said, sounding faintly shy. “Don’t you?”
Hells yes.
“Did you just say ‘hells yes’?”
“Maybe.” He hated when he accidentally thought aloud.
She giggled and reached her hand across the table and before he knew it, their fingers were touching. He didn’t move his hand until it was time to go; it hindered his eating slightly, but it was totally worth it.
They took a walk after dinner, sharing an umbrella, of course. They got ambushed in the park by Ryoutarou’s soccer teammates, who yelled and cheered and sang “Happy Birthday” off-key and sprayed them with champagne. Ryoutarou worried for a moment that Kahoko would be upset, but when he looked at her, she was grinning, laughing, soaked thoroughly, and loving it.
And he was grinning, laughing, soaked thoroughly, and loving her.
The umbrella had been lost somewhere during the impromptu park party, but they didn’t mind. When they reached her front door, she turned and looked at him expectantly. Ryoutarou’s heart started to pound.
“I, uh-” He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck, grateful it was too dark for her to see the flushness of his cheeks. “I had a really great-”
“Me too.” She shot him a teasing smile and he chuckled dryly. And then her smile softened into something sweet and her big, pretty eyes beckoned him closer.
It was finally happening.
Their lips were mere inches away when it happened. His wristwatch beeped. It was midnight.
“Wow, is it really that late?” Kahoko asked, taking a step back and speaking quickly. “We better say goodnight, then. Goodnight!” And she disappeared behind her front door.
It figured.
Ryoutarou sighed. “There’s always next year…”
As he started to turn around and head back home, he heard her door open. And he was pretty sure he missed a breath or two, as gentle hands grasped his shoulders first and then his head-fingers gripping his hair-and Kahoko Hino kissed him soundly on the mouth.
“Gotcha,” she whispered against his lips, and he made a dazed murmuring sound in reply as she smiled and took his hand, pulling him inside her house. They had wet clothes to get out of, after all.
“Am I dying?” he asked. “Do you know something I don’t? Give it to me straight; I can take it.”
She sighed sadly. “You’re right. I can’t keep this from you. Ryoutarou, I’m so sorry.”
“Oh my god.” He was dying.
“Gotcha!”
“That was wrong, woman.”
“Is it my fault you’re so gullible?” She laughed. “It’s your birthday, isn’t it?”
“Oh.” He glanced at his wall calendar. “Oh, yeah.”
She giggled, the sound like pure music. “So, I thought you might wanna do something tonight. Like go out to dinner?”
Dinner? Yes. Dinner was good.
Dinner out in a restaurant? That was even better.
Dinner out in a restaurant with Kahoko? The best.
“Sure,” he said, hoping he came off as casual and not sounding like he’d waited for this moment since the first time he looked into her big, pretty eyes.
“Then it’s a date,” she said, and he might’ve died a little.
It was his fuckin’ lucky day.
[-]
The morning just kept getting better.
He found a box of his favorite cereal hidden in the back of the cupboard. He didn’t spill and/or burn himself with his coffee. And it was a beautiful, beautiful, day outside.
Until around noon, when the blue sky turned a bit gray and it started to rain. Which, at first, seemed like a bad thing.
But as he stood at his window and looked outside, he reconsidered. Rain was a good thing, wasn’t it? Rain meant nourishment for flowers and trees and other plants. Rain meant practice would be canceled for the day. Rain meant sharing an umbrella with Kahoko Hino.
Ryoutarou loved the rain.
[-]
Sometime around three, there was a knock at the door. Ryoutarou groaned when he looked through the peephole; he knew this happiness wasn’t going to last too long.
“What do you want?” He asked, opening the door to let Len inside.
“I have something I want to go over with you,” the violinist said, brushing past him without sparing him even a glance.
Ryoutarou rolled his eyes and closed the door, turning to watch the other man head for his sofa as he shuffled sheet music in his hands. “I thought we weren’t talking after last night.”
He and Len were working together on composing the score for an upcoming movie. When they were first invited to take on the project, they’d both wanted to turn it down. But then they’d realized that would mean giving in, looking like a coward in front of the other. So they’d agreed. They barely got an hour’s work done before they were at each other’s throats-figuratively, for Len, at least; he was too “refined” for that sort of thing. If asked, Ryoutarou would say that the real reason was Len just knew that he’d get his ass kicked.
But, anyway, last night they’d quarreled over just where to stick the bridge of this one piece. Ryoutarou was ambivalent about the bridge section in general, and he thought the piece would be fine without it, but if it had to have it, he didn’t want it where Len wanted it. It messed with the rhythm and screwed up the cadence of the previous phrase. And Ryoutarou knew that Len knew that; he just didn’t want to admit that he was wrong, the stubborn bastard. And when Ryoutarou had pointed this out, Len had said he was calling it quits and made huffy exit.
“I changed my mind,” Len said absently, spreading out the sheet music on the coffee table as Ryoutarou came to sit beside him. “About that, and the bridge.”
Ryoutarou gaped. “Really?”
“Mm.” Len stared at the music to avoid looking at Ryoutarou. “I thought about it when I got home and played the piece through, and it does throw things off. I think we can do without it. You were right.”
“I’m sorry, I was what?”
“…You were right.”
“Can I get that in writing?” Ryoutarou smirked.
“Don’t push your luck.” Len cut his eyes at him for a moment. “Oh, here.” He pulled an envelope out from the bottom of the small stack of papers, offering it to Ryoutarou. “My mother sent you a birthday card.”
The envelope was out of Len’s hand before he could blink.
“MISA HAMAI REMEMBERED MY BIRTHDAY.” Ryoutarou let out a whoop and threw his arms around Len and giving him an enthusiastic squeeze. “THIS IS TOTALLY THE BEST DAY EVER.”
“Please stop touching me.”
[-]
“You look beautiful.”
Kahoko blushed and played with the straw of her drink embarrassedly. “You’ve said that three times already.”
“Is it my fault that it deserved to be said four times?” He shot her a teasing smile. “It’ll probably be six by the time the night’s over.”
Her hands covered her quickly reddening cheeks and she kicked at Ryoutarou’s legs under the table when he laughed.
He couldn’t remember ever feeling this happy. He was sitting under the awning of the restaurant’s outside deck with the girl of his dreams and they were completely alone. Other patrons of the fine dining establishment were eating indoors, but it turned Kahoko liked the rain.
“I think it’s kind of…romantic,” she said, sounding faintly shy. “Don’t you?”
Hells yes.
“Did you just say ‘hells yes’?”
“Maybe.” He hated when he accidentally thought aloud.
She giggled and reached her hand across the table and before he knew it, their fingers were touching. He didn’t move his hand until it was time to go; it hindered his eating slightly, but it was totally worth it.
They took a walk after dinner, sharing an umbrella, of course. They got ambushed in the park by Ryoutarou’s soccer teammates, who yelled and cheered and sang “Happy Birthday” off-key and sprayed them with champagne. Ryoutarou worried for a moment that Kahoko would be upset, but when he looked at her, she was grinning, laughing, soaked thoroughly, and loving it.
And he was grinning, laughing, soaked thoroughly, and loving her.
The umbrella had been lost somewhere during the impromptu park party, but they didn’t mind. When they reached her front door, she turned and looked at him expectantly. Ryoutarou’s heart started to pound.
“I, uh-” He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck, grateful it was too dark for her to see the flushness of his cheeks. “I had a really great-”
“Me too.” She shot him a teasing smile and he chuckled dryly. And then her smile softened into something sweet and her big, pretty eyes beckoned him closer.
It was finally happening.
Their lips were mere inches away when it happened. His wristwatch beeped. It was midnight.
“Wow, is it really that late?” Kahoko asked, taking a step back and speaking quickly. “We better say goodnight, then. Goodnight!” And she disappeared behind her front door.
It figured.
Ryoutarou sighed. “There’s always next year…”
As he started to turn around and head back home, he heard her door open. And he was pretty sure he missed a breath or two, as gentle hands grasped his shoulders first and then his head-fingers gripping his hair-and Kahoko Hino kissed him soundly on the mouth.
“Gotcha,” she whispered against his lips, and he made a dazed murmuring sound in reply as she smiled and took his hand, pulling him inside her house. They had wet clothes to get out of, after all.