Drabble Batch 15 - Celebration drabbles!
And 50th fic celebration drabbles are done. :D Thank you, again, to all of my readers, and I hope the winners like their drabbles. <3 (I'm still shocked NO one of the 12 people asked for Pi at all. XD Poor Pi.) (ETA: Okay, okay. One person asked. <3 CJ, you are in my heart. <3)
For holly_berri
Characters/Pairings: ryo/jin
Prompt (word/phrase, picture, song): "I'm your number one (creepy, stalkerish, psychotic) fan!"
Jin was really pleased when Ryo came to the first of his solo shows. They went out for drinks after. A great time. He was happy but confused when he came to the second and third. They still went out for drinks after. Ryo insisted. Rather possessively. Jin was a bit disgruntled by the fifth.
"Not that I don't appreciate you being here and all, Ryo, but don't you have other things to do? I mean…" he looked away, drumming his fingers against his thigh and biting his lip. "I mean, thank you for showing your support, but I'd like to go out with some of the guys tonight. I keep putting them off and they're starting to get irritated."
"One more," is all Ryo said, eyes burning into Jin's, and Jin says, 'okay' and lets Ryo drag him off to whatever bar he's got in mind.
Only it wasn't a bar. It was Ryo's apartment, and Ryo was on him the moment they get in the door, fusing their mouths together in a hungry kiss and pushing a knee up between Jin's thighs as he grinded against him. Jin was confused but not unhappy about the change in plans, opening his lips under Ryo's attack, sliding their tongues together with an electric tingle, pressing down against Ryo's knees and shivering at the friction. He pulled away, gasping for breath, but Ryo wasn't ready to stop, oh no. Lips trailing down the side of Jin's neck, sharp kittenish bites and teasing licks, his voice a whispered rasp.
"I like watching them watch you. I know they all want you."
That was a sentiment Jin could get behind.
"They all want you, but I get to have you." Ryo pulled back to look up at Jin with dark eyes and reddened lips, and Jin felt his cock twitch at the sight. "I do get to have you, right?"
Jin entertained the thought of telling him no, pushing him away, just because he hated when Ryo got so uppity and demanding. For about three seconds. Because, while he usually hated giving in when Ryo was like that, Ryo also didn't usually have his hands in Jin's pants. So he did what anyone in his situation would do. He said yes.
For imifumei
Characters/Pairings: Koyama/Massu
Prompt (word/phrase, picture, song): "You may already be a millionaire!!"
Massu sat smiling happily between Koyama and Nakamaru. He wasn't often a guest on Shokura, not by himself, anyway, but he felt comfortable enough. It always brought back memories of his days as a junior.
"Massu?" Koyama prompted gently, and Massu snapped out of his thoughts.
"I'm sorry, what?"
Nakamaru whacked him over the head with the letter he'd just finished reading. "Pay attention!"
Laughing, Massu waved at Nakamaru and apologized. "I'm sorry. I'll listen this time."
Nakamaru just sighed and reread. "This is from Aki-chan in Niigata. 'In my family, there is always mail for my mother and father, but never any for me. When I complained about it one day, my father just nodded but didn't say anything. The next day, he handed out the mail to my mother and put his pile on the counter, and then gave me a small pile. It was all junk mail! None of it had a name on so he said they must have meant me to have it. He thought he was very funny. But just the other day I got a letter saying, "You may already be a millionaire!!" and it made me wonder what I would do with a million dollars. I thought I might take my family on a really nice vacation. And of course I'd come see NewS and TegoMasu live! What would you do with a million dollars?'"
"Hmmm." Massu tapped his lips thoughtfully. That was a lot of money. What would he do with it?
Koyama nudged him playfully. "Massu would probably finally buy an air con for his room, right?"
Nakamaru just snorted. "Probably. He certainly won't move out of his family's house."
They said that like it was a bad thing. "I think…" he finally said, "that I would go shopping with friends and then go home and have gyoza."
His bandmate and friend turned to look at him with identical confused looks. "But you do that all the time."
Massu just smiled. "Yeah."
For haruka21
Characters/Pairings: Koyashige
Prompt (word/phrase, picture, song): Iitaidake
Koyama had blushed when Shige told him the theme of their new song. Flashed back to a few years earlier when they'd been standing together in the night at the edge of the sea, watching the waves wash away their names written in the sand. So temporary, he'd thought, their lives. His and Shige's. He and Shige. Shige. And suddenly he couldn't stand to wait any longer, wishing for the right time, hoping Shige would return the sentiment. Turning his head, he'd watched Shige peacefully watching the waves, in and out, in and out, matching his breathing to it and he'd blurted it out.
"I love you."
Slow motion as Shige turned to face him with an incredulous look, mouth wide open, eyes wide, breath stopped.
Biting his lip, he looked down at the sand, where their names had been written side-by-side. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I just wanted to say it."
When Shige's fingers wrapped warm around his own, he found he'd stopped breathing, too.
Their new song is fun, funny; Koyama knows that it's more than just that, though. Shige's made it to match them beautifully, showcasing Koyama's charisma and his own wit - it's entirely them. And entirely theirs. KoyaShige, he says quietly, and smiles. Iitai dake.
For lastingdreams8
Characters/Pairings: RyoKei
Prompt (word/phrase, picture, song): endless summer (song and phrase) ;)
Awkward, fumbling kisses and more - hot fingers slipping over sweat-slicked skin, sweetly whispered words, and sleepy morning kisses. Unplanned trips, Koyama grinning widely and dragging him along like an excited puppy, and he can never refuse. Words to make him blush and prickly retorts rolling right off - nothing can break the first love bliss. Summer sunsets on the beach, licking sticky trails of ice cream, laughing, off each other's hands. Endless legs twining with his own and dark chocolate hair in his face and Ryo's never been so happy. Young and in love and these things never last, they say, too happy and burning yourself out, but what else is summer for but burning up?
For fangirlism_era
Characters/Pairings: Ryo/Shige
Prompt (word/phrase, picture, song): sakura
Nothing is infinite. Nothing lasts. All life is fleeting and you have to reach out and grasp it, experience it to the fullest before it passes. Rising up from bed to lean on one elbow, he can see the sakura through the window, fluffy clouds of pink and white, still in full bloom, not ready to fall yet and he feels his stomach tighten with the need to capture this moment, savor it to its fullest before he has to let it go. Because nothing is infinite, and nothing lasts.
He looks down, reaches out a hand and traces it down Shige's face, starts at his temple, over his cheeks, under his chin. He sits up, uses both hands, his lips, to map Shige's body, memorize it, flicks out his tongue to taste it. When Shige stirs under him, moan all breathy and morning-hoarse, he smiles. Nothing is infinite, and nothing lasts, but he'll hold on as long as he can.
For dw9lives
Characters/Pairings: Koyama and Toda Erika
Prompt (word/phrase, picture, song): tutor
It's easy to forget his crush while they're rehearsing for the stage play, getting so into his role that he forgets that he's Koyama. It's easy to ignore the way his heart beats a little faster when she brushes a bit of sawdust from his shoulder, laughing at his clumsiness. It's easy to disregard the breathless feeling he gets whenever he catches her at just the right angle, head tilted forward as she talks with a cast mate, dark hair tucked behind her ear and spilling over one shoulder.
It's much harder to forget when they're rehearsing at her place, going over and over their lines because it's her first stage play and she's nervous, and Koyama's old hat, right? It's harder to ignore his racing heart when it's the only noise in the quiet apartment other than her light breathing and whispered lines as she gets ready. Harder to disregard the way her breath catches in her throat mid-line as he reaches out to tuck her hair behind her ear and leans in slowly for a kiss.
For carmine_pink
Characters/Pairings: Any combination of Koyama, Shige, Pi and Massu. Take your pick! (Koyama/Massu!)
Prompt (word/phrase, picture, song): "I don't know what this is but you got me good, just like you knew you would. I don't know what you do but you do it well, I'm under your spell." (from Duffy's "Mercy")
They've been staring at each other for probably ten minutes. Koyama started it and Massu doesn't know why, but he's always happy to join in. He does wonder what Koyama is thinking about, staring at him, hand cupping his own chin, lips pouting, brow furrowed… concentrating. It looks a bit painful. He wonders if he should move on because he doesn't like when Koyama hurts.
He taps his fingers on his thigh. "Koyama?"
"I'm thinking."
"Heh. I thought it looked like it hurt."
Sitting up straight, Koyama glares at him. "I was trying to figure out why, if we're complete opposites in so many ways, I'm completely and madly in love with you."
"Oh." Massu gets to his feet, crosses over to him, and plops himself down in Koyama's lap, wrapping his arms around Koyama's neck and smiling, a mischievous glint in his eye. "I can give you one good reason off the top of my head."
When Koyama chuckles against his lips before kissing back, he figures Koyama thinks it's a good one, too.
For sheichan18
Characters/Pairings: ryoshige
Prompt (word/phrase, picture, song): ryo's "half down" i'd love to have a school au. or an office au. doesn't matter. :D
'That Shige, he's going to go places.' That's what everyone said when they first met Shige. And he never proved them wrong. Ryo never cared where Shige was going, as long as it was home with him, in the end. He didn't care if Shige became top dog at their law firm, or became a politician. He couldn't give two shits if Shige became prime minister. What he did care about was that Shige was spending nearly every hour of the day at the office, working himself to the bone to 'be a better man' when all Ryo wanted was the man himself. Mostly, he was afraid that Shige would, indeed, 'go places,' but that he would be left behind, casualty of Shige's ambition. But despite himself, he couldn't stop cheering him on.
For: merii_hydeist
Characters/Pairings: ShigeMassu. hehe
Prompt (word/phrase, picture, song): anything goes. XD
Warning: implied S&M
"Shige…" Massu shifts uncomfortably and frowns. "That's not… I can't… No safe word?"
Shige nods vigorously, face coloring, but he wants it so bad.
"That's not…" Massu flounders about for a word that's not so redundant but fails. "Safe."
"That's the point," Shige says, biting his lip and keeping his eyes glued to Massu's. "Massu, please. I want this."
It's true that Shige has never once used the safe word, Massu thinks, but it's always been there, the cushion in the back of his mind that let him know that everything really was okay. He'd been a regular, feel-good, simple sex sort of guy before Shige had come along. He still was, but he had to admit that sometimes it felt damn good to have that sort of power over someone else. But ultimately, Shige had still been in control, able to say no when he needed to. Pulling the last stop-gap… that was… He shivered. Swallowed hard.
"Anything goes?" he asked Shige, voice suddenly hoarse, and Shige smiled, wide and toothy and maybe a bit nervous.
"Anything."
For: 0_konayuki_0
Characters/Pairings: Ryo/Shige
Prompt (word/phrase, picture, song): a song if that's ok. "Hana" by Orange Range.
Ryo's lips are strangely gentle against his own and Shige shivers at the sense of déjà vu, that this has happened before and before and before and he feels a little lost in the sensation as they move together, heads tilting, lips moving, tongues brushing gently against each other. He'd known that Ryo had a gentle side underneath his gruff exterior but he'd never quite expected it to be like this, and when they pull away he is gasping with more than just lack of breath, the look in Ryo's eyes more than he'd ever expected. Shige bites his lip and searches Ryo's face. He can't understand the depth of the feelings, but, he decides as he leans in to kiss Ryo back, he hopes to find it again and again and again.
For: shingung
Characters/Pairings: Tegoshi/Massu
Prompt (word/phrase, picture, song): ring
Tegoshi knows it's silly. Massu has bought him plenty of accessories, all diligently thought on, examined from several angles before purchase, making sure they're something 'perfect' for Tegoshi. And Tegoshi appreciates it, really, the way they show just how much time Massu spends thinking about him. They make him smile any time he wears one of them. But there's one thing Massu hasn't bought him - maybe he hasn't wanted to push that invisible boundary between them, that line between more than friends and forever. But then Massu smiles at him, heart-melting and sincere and loving, and pulls him close and Tegoshi tells himself to forget it. A promise is a promise, with or without physical representation.
For freedomtrain
Characters/Pairing: Ryo/Massu
Prompt: Winter festival, something with snow and lights.
Massu had been talking non-stop about the stupid Sapporo snow festival. Enough so that Ryo took a day out of his busy schedule to surprise him with the trip. He expected Massu to be appropriately grateful, and Massu didn't disappoint - eyes wide with delight as he waddled around, trying not to slip, in his puffy jacket that made him look about twelve again, chubby cheeks and sparkling eyes and Massu didn't have to say anything at all. But he did, pointing at sculptures and laughing in awe, and Ryo couldn't help but be a little impressed, himself, with the sometimes gigantically imposing, sometimes terribly delicate sculptures. They wandered around all afternoon and then again once the colored lights came on, throwing shadows and bringing to notice little details the sun hadn't shown. A steaming bowl of noodles had never tasted so good, he thought, as when he was so happy and so bitterly cold and sitting next to a sleepily beaming Massu. Even better was the way Massu snuggled up against his shoulder, oblivious in his sleep, on the train home, and Ryo decided that maybe they'd have to do it again next year. And the next, and the next, and the next.
For holly_berri
Characters/Pairings: ryo/jin
Prompt (word/phrase, picture, song): "I'm your number one (creepy, stalkerish, psychotic) fan!"
Jin was really pleased when Ryo came to the first of his solo shows. They went out for drinks after. A great time. He was happy but confused when he came to the second and third. They still went out for drinks after. Ryo insisted. Rather possessively. Jin was a bit disgruntled by the fifth.
"Not that I don't appreciate you being here and all, Ryo, but don't you have other things to do? I mean…" he looked away, drumming his fingers against his thigh and biting his lip. "I mean, thank you for showing your support, but I'd like to go out with some of the guys tonight. I keep putting them off and they're starting to get irritated."
"One more," is all Ryo said, eyes burning into Jin's, and Jin says, 'okay' and lets Ryo drag him off to whatever bar he's got in mind.
Only it wasn't a bar. It was Ryo's apartment, and Ryo was on him the moment they get in the door, fusing their mouths together in a hungry kiss and pushing a knee up between Jin's thighs as he grinded against him. Jin was confused but not unhappy about the change in plans, opening his lips under Ryo's attack, sliding their tongues together with an electric tingle, pressing down against Ryo's knees and shivering at the friction. He pulled away, gasping for breath, but Ryo wasn't ready to stop, oh no. Lips trailing down the side of Jin's neck, sharp kittenish bites and teasing licks, his voice a whispered rasp.
"I like watching them watch you. I know they all want you."
That was a sentiment Jin could get behind.
"They all want you, but I get to have you." Ryo pulled back to look up at Jin with dark eyes and reddened lips, and Jin felt his cock twitch at the sight. "I do get to have you, right?"
Jin entertained the thought of telling him no, pushing him away, just because he hated when Ryo got so uppity and demanding. For about three seconds. Because, while he usually hated giving in when Ryo was like that, Ryo also didn't usually have his hands in Jin's pants. So he did what anyone in his situation would do. He said yes.
For imifumei
Characters/Pairings: Koyama/Massu
Prompt (word/phrase, picture, song): "You may already be a millionaire!!"
Massu sat smiling happily between Koyama and Nakamaru. He wasn't often a guest on Shokura, not by himself, anyway, but he felt comfortable enough. It always brought back memories of his days as a junior.
"Massu?" Koyama prompted gently, and Massu snapped out of his thoughts.
"I'm sorry, what?"
Nakamaru whacked him over the head with the letter he'd just finished reading. "Pay attention!"
Laughing, Massu waved at Nakamaru and apologized. "I'm sorry. I'll listen this time."
Nakamaru just sighed and reread. "This is from Aki-chan in Niigata. 'In my family, there is always mail for my mother and father, but never any for me. When I complained about it one day, my father just nodded but didn't say anything. The next day, he handed out the mail to my mother and put his pile on the counter, and then gave me a small pile. It was all junk mail! None of it had a name on so he said they must have meant me to have it. He thought he was very funny. But just the other day I got a letter saying, "You may already be a millionaire!!" and it made me wonder what I would do with a million dollars. I thought I might take my family on a really nice vacation. And of course I'd come see NewS and TegoMasu live! What would you do with a million dollars?'"
"Hmmm." Massu tapped his lips thoughtfully. That was a lot of money. What would he do with it?
Koyama nudged him playfully. "Massu would probably finally buy an air con for his room, right?"
Nakamaru just snorted. "Probably. He certainly won't move out of his family's house."
They said that like it was a bad thing. "I think…" he finally said, "that I would go shopping with friends and then go home and have gyoza."
His bandmate and friend turned to look at him with identical confused looks. "But you do that all the time."
Massu just smiled. "Yeah."
For haruka21
Characters/Pairings: Koyashige
Prompt (word/phrase, picture, song): Iitaidake
Koyama had blushed when Shige told him the theme of their new song. Flashed back to a few years earlier when they'd been standing together in the night at the edge of the sea, watching the waves wash away their names written in the sand. So temporary, he'd thought, their lives. His and Shige's. He and Shige. Shige. And suddenly he couldn't stand to wait any longer, wishing for the right time, hoping Shige would return the sentiment. Turning his head, he'd watched Shige peacefully watching the waves, in and out, in and out, matching his breathing to it and he'd blurted it out.
"I love you."
Slow motion as Shige turned to face him with an incredulous look, mouth wide open, eyes wide, breath stopped.
Biting his lip, he looked down at the sand, where their names had been written side-by-side. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I just wanted to say it."
When Shige's fingers wrapped warm around his own, he found he'd stopped breathing, too.
Their new song is fun, funny; Koyama knows that it's more than just that, though. Shige's made it to match them beautifully, showcasing Koyama's charisma and his own wit - it's entirely them. And entirely theirs. KoyaShige, he says quietly, and smiles. Iitai dake.
For lastingdreams8
Characters/Pairings: RyoKei
Prompt (word/phrase, picture, song): endless summer (song and phrase) ;)
Awkward, fumbling kisses and more - hot fingers slipping over sweat-slicked skin, sweetly whispered words, and sleepy morning kisses. Unplanned trips, Koyama grinning widely and dragging him along like an excited puppy, and he can never refuse. Words to make him blush and prickly retorts rolling right off - nothing can break the first love bliss. Summer sunsets on the beach, licking sticky trails of ice cream, laughing, off each other's hands. Endless legs twining with his own and dark chocolate hair in his face and Ryo's never been so happy. Young and in love and these things never last, they say, too happy and burning yourself out, but what else is summer for but burning up?
For fangirlism_era
Characters/Pairings: Ryo/Shige
Prompt (word/phrase, picture, song): sakura
Nothing is infinite. Nothing lasts. All life is fleeting and you have to reach out and grasp it, experience it to the fullest before it passes. Rising up from bed to lean on one elbow, he can see the sakura through the window, fluffy clouds of pink and white, still in full bloom, not ready to fall yet and he feels his stomach tighten with the need to capture this moment, savor it to its fullest before he has to let it go. Because nothing is infinite, and nothing lasts.
He looks down, reaches out a hand and traces it down Shige's face, starts at his temple, over his cheeks, under his chin. He sits up, uses both hands, his lips, to map Shige's body, memorize it, flicks out his tongue to taste it. When Shige stirs under him, moan all breathy and morning-hoarse, he smiles. Nothing is infinite, and nothing lasts, but he'll hold on as long as he can.
For dw9lives
Characters/Pairings: Koyama and Toda Erika
Prompt (word/phrase, picture, song): tutor
It's easy to forget his crush while they're rehearsing for the stage play, getting so into his role that he forgets that he's Koyama. It's easy to ignore the way his heart beats a little faster when she brushes a bit of sawdust from his shoulder, laughing at his clumsiness. It's easy to disregard the breathless feeling he gets whenever he catches her at just the right angle, head tilted forward as she talks with a cast mate, dark hair tucked behind her ear and spilling over one shoulder.
It's much harder to forget when they're rehearsing at her place, going over and over their lines because it's her first stage play and she's nervous, and Koyama's old hat, right? It's harder to ignore his racing heart when it's the only noise in the quiet apartment other than her light breathing and whispered lines as she gets ready. Harder to disregard the way her breath catches in her throat mid-line as he reaches out to tuck her hair behind her ear and leans in slowly for a kiss.
For carmine_pink
Characters/Pairings: Any combination of Koyama, Shige, Pi and Massu. Take your pick! (Koyama/Massu!)
Prompt (word/phrase, picture, song): "I don't know what this is but you got me good, just like you knew you would. I don't know what you do but you do it well, I'm under your spell." (from Duffy's "Mercy")
They've been staring at each other for probably ten minutes. Koyama started it and Massu doesn't know why, but he's always happy to join in. He does wonder what Koyama is thinking about, staring at him, hand cupping his own chin, lips pouting, brow furrowed… concentrating. It looks a bit painful. He wonders if he should move on because he doesn't like when Koyama hurts.
He taps his fingers on his thigh. "Koyama?"
"I'm thinking."
"Heh. I thought it looked like it hurt."
Sitting up straight, Koyama glares at him. "I was trying to figure out why, if we're complete opposites in so many ways, I'm completely and madly in love with you."
"Oh." Massu gets to his feet, crosses over to him, and plops himself down in Koyama's lap, wrapping his arms around Koyama's neck and smiling, a mischievous glint in his eye. "I can give you one good reason off the top of my head."
When Koyama chuckles against his lips before kissing back, he figures Koyama thinks it's a good one, too.
For sheichan18
Characters/Pairings: ryoshige
Prompt (word/phrase, picture, song): ryo's "half down" i'd love to have a school au. or an office au. doesn't matter. :D
'That Shige, he's going to go places.' That's what everyone said when they first met Shige. And he never proved them wrong. Ryo never cared where Shige was going, as long as it was home with him, in the end. He didn't care if Shige became top dog at their law firm, or became a politician. He couldn't give two shits if Shige became prime minister. What he did care about was that Shige was spending nearly every hour of the day at the office, working himself to the bone to 'be a better man' when all Ryo wanted was the man himself. Mostly, he was afraid that Shige would, indeed, 'go places,' but that he would be left behind, casualty of Shige's ambition. But despite himself, he couldn't stop cheering him on.
For: merii_hydeist
Characters/Pairings: ShigeMassu. hehe
Prompt (word/phrase, picture, song): anything goes. XD
Warning: implied S&M
"Shige…" Massu shifts uncomfortably and frowns. "That's not… I can't… No safe word?"
Shige nods vigorously, face coloring, but he wants it so bad.
"That's not…" Massu flounders about for a word that's not so redundant but fails. "Safe."
"That's the point," Shige says, biting his lip and keeping his eyes glued to Massu's. "Massu, please. I want this."
It's true that Shige has never once used the safe word, Massu thinks, but it's always been there, the cushion in the back of his mind that let him know that everything really was okay. He'd been a regular, feel-good, simple sex sort of guy before Shige had come along. He still was, but he had to admit that sometimes it felt damn good to have that sort of power over someone else. But ultimately, Shige had still been in control, able to say no when he needed to. Pulling the last stop-gap… that was… He shivered. Swallowed hard.
"Anything goes?" he asked Shige, voice suddenly hoarse, and Shige smiled, wide and toothy and maybe a bit nervous.
"Anything."
For: 0_konayuki_0
Characters/Pairings: Ryo/Shige
Prompt (word/phrase, picture, song): a song if that's ok. "Hana" by Orange Range.
Ryo's lips are strangely gentle against his own and Shige shivers at the sense of déjà vu, that this has happened before and before and before and he feels a little lost in the sensation as they move together, heads tilting, lips moving, tongues brushing gently against each other. He'd known that Ryo had a gentle side underneath his gruff exterior but he'd never quite expected it to be like this, and when they pull away he is gasping with more than just lack of breath, the look in Ryo's eyes more than he'd ever expected. Shige bites his lip and searches Ryo's face. He can't understand the depth of the feelings, but, he decides as he leans in to kiss Ryo back, he hopes to find it again and again and again.
For: shingung
Characters/Pairings: Tegoshi/Massu
Prompt (word/phrase, picture, song): ring
Tegoshi knows it's silly. Massu has bought him plenty of accessories, all diligently thought on, examined from several angles before purchase, making sure they're something 'perfect' for Tegoshi. And Tegoshi appreciates it, really, the way they show just how much time Massu spends thinking about him. They make him smile any time he wears one of them. But there's one thing Massu hasn't bought him - maybe he hasn't wanted to push that invisible boundary between them, that line between more than friends and forever. But then Massu smiles at him, heart-melting and sincere and loving, and pulls him close and Tegoshi tells himself to forget it. A promise is a promise, with or without physical representation.
For freedomtrain
Characters/Pairing: Ryo/Massu
Prompt: Winter festival, something with snow and lights.
Massu had been talking non-stop about the stupid Sapporo snow festival. Enough so that Ryo took a day out of his busy schedule to surprise him with the trip. He expected Massu to be appropriately grateful, and Massu didn't disappoint - eyes wide with delight as he waddled around, trying not to slip, in his puffy jacket that made him look about twelve again, chubby cheeks and sparkling eyes and Massu didn't have to say anything at all. But he did, pointing at sculptures and laughing in awe, and Ryo couldn't help but be a little impressed, himself, with the sometimes gigantically imposing, sometimes terribly delicate sculptures. They wandered around all afternoon and then again once the colored lights came on, throwing shadows and bringing to notice little details the sun hadn't shown. A steaming bowl of noodles had never tasted so good, he thought, as when he was so happy and so bitterly cold and sitting next to a sleepily beaming Massu. Even better was the way Massu snuggled up against his shoulder, oblivious in his sleep, on the train home, and Ryo decided that maybe they'd have to do it again next year. And the next, and the next, and the next.