[fic] Cue cards. (10 encounters)
Title: Cue Cards
Pairing: one-sided Maru/Maki plus Jin
Theme: For 10_encounters random phrases #8: Nervous Fiction.
Rating: pg
Summary: Nakamaru has a not-so-secret crush on Horikita Maki. Luckily, he has Jin to help him confess. He doesn’t really see the lucky part, though.
Cue Cards.
Maru hovered closely behind Kame on their way to the set, poking his shoulder repeatedly.
‘Introduce me to her,’ he urged, whispering so only Kame could hear him.
Kame snorted, brushing his hand away. ‘Calm down, will you? It’s just Maki-chan.’
Maru tried to swallow the indignant squeak at “just Maki-chan” and only half succeeded. He continued, in hushed tones, ‘It’s Horikita Maki-san. She’s. She’s-,’
‘Your celebrity crush?’ Kame finished for him, chuckling.
Maru denied in a sort of blushing and stuttering way that even he himself supposed wasn’t very convincing.
And then he had to sit next to her. Not that he minded sitting next to her. He quite liked sitting next to her. He would prefer a lack of cameras and bandmates when sitting next to her, though.
He would like to keep sitting close to her and not be teased into moving away.
During the lunch break, Jin joined Maru at a table. He stalled out three bento boxes in front of him, rubbing his hands in anticipation. He carefully started to pick the shrimp out.
‘So ask her out,’ he suggested, after replacing the shrimps from the first box with kappa maki from the second.
Maru choked on his lunch. ‘Ask who out?’ he tried weakly.
Jin rolled his eyes, brushing some forgotten rice off Maru’s cheek. ‘You weren’t that subtle, you know.’
‘Oh.’ He looked down glumly at his half eaten onigiri, poking at it a bit.
‘Just ask her!’
Maru whined. ‘No, it’s scary.’
Jin sighed dramatically. ‘If you don’t ask her yourself, I’ll drag you to her and tell it for you,’ he threatened.
Maru blanched.
‘Come on.’ Jin grabbed his arm, dragging him to his feet. ‘We’ll find Maki-chan and have all of this over with straight away.’ He gave the bento boxes a final sad look and marched Maru to where he supposed Maki would be.
‘She’s already gone, you know,’ Ueda informed them when they passed him in their search for the actress. He was lazily leafing through a magazine.
Maru sagged in relief.
‘Don’t worry, Nakamaru.’ Jin patted his shoulder gently. ‘Kame had her phone number.’ He pushed a slip of paper in Maru’s hands and skipped off.
‘Okay,’ Jin announced when he invaded Maru’s apartment the following Saturday. ‘I’ve brought cue cards and I’ve brought Yamapi to cheer you up.’
Maru grimaced and tried to persuade Jin in taking off his shoes before he barged through the rest of his home.
‘Why should Yamashita-kun cheer me up?’ he asked suspiciously.
Jin grinned brightly. ‘You can be constantly reminded of the fact that, whatever happens, at least you didn’t molest her on TV.’
Maru snorted and Jin flashed him a peace sign.
‘… Hey Jin?’ Maru asked, surveying the empty hallway.
‘Yeah?’ He’d made himself comfortable on the couch already, sorting through his cue cards.
‘Where is Yamapi exactly?’
He sat up, blinking rapidly and looking around. ‘Crap. I must have lost him somewhere along the way.’
Suddenly his eyes got very wide and he scrambled up. ‘Oh shi- If he’s eating my frozen yoghurt again!’ he screeched in full panic.
Maru tilted his head questioningly.
‘I’ll be back, Nakamaru. Real soon,’ he promised, before dashing out the door again to save his frozen yoghurt.
Maru sighed. He closed the door behind Jin and picked up the pink sneakers that were lying haphazardly in the middle of the hall. He shook his head, put the shoes neatly against the wall and went to make himself some tea.
‘Okay, so, cue cards,’ Jin prompted when he came back the next morning. He toed off a pair of pink sneakers identical to the ones already there (he and Yamapi liked to shop together) in the middle of the hallway.
Maru frowned. ‘I don’t want to. Really.’
Jin pursed his lips in thought. ‘No, that won’t do.’ He nodded seriously to himself. ‘Nakamaru, we need to make a man out of you.’
Maru thought that was pretty rich coming from the freaking drag queen himself.
He was, however, quickly wedged between a couch cushion and Jin’s arm on one side, and the rest of Jin on the other side.
‘Stop pushing that phone in my face!’ He flailed.
‘I would if you’d just take it from me!’
Maru tried to glare.
Jin smiled sweetly. ‘I dialled already.’
Crap.
The first cue card that Jin pushed in his face indicated, he supposed, that an introduction was required. Jin had scribbled ‘HELLO’ all over it in big, wiggly English letters.
‘Hello?’ A sweet soft voice on the other end of the line.
He felt his stomach twist in a tighter knot, and the only thing he managed in return was something stuttered and unintelligible.
Jin looked at Maru for a few moments, properly horrified at the lack of speech. Taking his card back, he started scribbling.
‘Just read,’ he hissed, holding the card in front of Maru again.
‘I-it’s Nakamaru Yuichi,’ he stammered.
It was quiet at the other end for a moment. ‘… Who?’
The second cue card (promptly shoved at him) was, thankfully, in Japanese. Though the letters were still big and wiggly (and purple, this time).
‘We met the other day.’ He read.
‘Oh. Right.’ And Maru thought that no matter how cute and polite, that didn’t even sound convincing over the phone. Jin rolled his eyes and made a grab for a new card.
The third card (Maru had accepted the fact he would die from a prompt heart attack any minute by now) was written in glitter marker. He was dizzy and he simply read it aloud right away.
‘I saved you from a train,’ he blurted.
Jin screeched as a ball of pure rage in the form of a tiny Japanese idol flew at his throat.
(After three days Jin thought it safe to show up again. He did his best to look properly apologetic, though. ‘I have more ideas!’ he announced cheerfully.
‘I’m never, ever going to listen to your ideas again.’
‘But-!’
Maru narrowed his eyes.
‘But we could double date!’ Jin gushed.
Maru frowned. ‘Double date?’
‘Yeah! I’ll bring Pi and I’ll have Pi bring Maki… And I’ll bring you too then.’ Jin grinned brightly.
Maru huffed, but agreed. It was Horikita Maki after all.
But when Jin turned up at his apartment in a wig and a miniskirt that Friday, Maru screamed and threw all the pink shoes that had accumulated in his hallway at Jin’s head, for as long as it took to make Jin leave.
The next time he saw Kame he bribed him for a picture of Maki in her underwear, and decided that That Would Have To Do.)
Pairing: one-sided Maru/Maki plus Jin
Theme: For 10_encounters random phrases #8: Nervous Fiction.
Rating: pg
Summary: Nakamaru has a not-so-secret crush on Horikita Maki. Luckily, he has Jin to help him confess. He doesn’t really see the lucky part, though.
Cue Cards.
Maru hovered closely behind Kame on their way to the set, poking his shoulder repeatedly.
‘Introduce me to her,’ he urged, whispering so only Kame could hear him.
Kame snorted, brushing his hand away. ‘Calm down, will you? It’s just Maki-chan.’
Maru tried to swallow the indignant squeak at “just Maki-chan” and only half succeeded. He continued, in hushed tones, ‘It’s Horikita Maki-san. She’s. She’s-,’
‘Your celebrity crush?’ Kame finished for him, chuckling.
Maru denied in a sort of blushing and stuttering way that even he himself supposed wasn’t very convincing.
And then he had to sit next to her. Not that he minded sitting next to her. He quite liked sitting next to her. He would prefer a lack of cameras and bandmates when sitting next to her, though.
He would like to keep sitting close to her and not be teased into moving away.
During the lunch break, Jin joined Maru at a table. He stalled out three bento boxes in front of him, rubbing his hands in anticipation. He carefully started to pick the shrimp out.
‘So ask her out,’ he suggested, after replacing the shrimps from the first box with kappa maki from the second.
Maru choked on his lunch. ‘Ask who out?’ he tried weakly.
Jin rolled his eyes, brushing some forgotten rice off Maru’s cheek. ‘You weren’t that subtle, you know.’
‘Oh.’ He looked down glumly at his half eaten onigiri, poking at it a bit.
‘Just ask her!’
Maru whined. ‘No, it’s scary.’
Jin sighed dramatically. ‘If you don’t ask her yourself, I’ll drag you to her and tell it for you,’ he threatened.
Maru blanched.
‘Come on.’ Jin grabbed his arm, dragging him to his feet. ‘We’ll find Maki-chan and have all of this over with straight away.’ He gave the bento boxes a final sad look and marched Maru to where he supposed Maki would be.
‘She’s already gone, you know,’ Ueda informed them when they passed him in their search for the actress. He was lazily leafing through a magazine.
Maru sagged in relief.
‘Don’t worry, Nakamaru.’ Jin patted his shoulder gently. ‘Kame had her phone number.’ He pushed a slip of paper in Maru’s hands and skipped off.
‘Okay,’ Jin announced when he invaded Maru’s apartment the following Saturday. ‘I’ve brought cue cards and I’ve brought Yamapi to cheer you up.’
Maru grimaced and tried to persuade Jin in taking off his shoes before he barged through the rest of his home.
‘Why should Yamashita-kun cheer me up?’ he asked suspiciously.
Jin grinned brightly. ‘You can be constantly reminded of the fact that, whatever happens, at least you didn’t molest her on TV.’
Maru snorted and Jin flashed him a peace sign.
‘… Hey Jin?’ Maru asked, surveying the empty hallway.
‘Yeah?’ He’d made himself comfortable on the couch already, sorting through his cue cards.
‘Where is Yamapi exactly?’
He sat up, blinking rapidly and looking around. ‘Crap. I must have lost him somewhere along the way.’
Suddenly his eyes got very wide and he scrambled up. ‘Oh shi- If he’s eating my frozen yoghurt again!’ he screeched in full panic.
Maru tilted his head questioningly.
‘I’ll be back, Nakamaru. Real soon,’ he promised, before dashing out the door again to save his frozen yoghurt.
Maru sighed. He closed the door behind Jin and picked up the pink sneakers that were lying haphazardly in the middle of the hall. He shook his head, put the shoes neatly against the wall and went to make himself some tea.
‘Okay, so, cue cards,’ Jin prompted when he came back the next morning. He toed off a pair of pink sneakers identical to the ones already there (he and Yamapi liked to shop together) in the middle of the hallway.
Maru frowned. ‘I don’t want to. Really.’
Jin pursed his lips in thought. ‘No, that won’t do.’ He nodded seriously to himself. ‘Nakamaru, we need to make a man out of you.’
Maru thought that was pretty rich coming from the freaking drag queen himself.
He was, however, quickly wedged between a couch cushion and Jin’s arm on one side, and the rest of Jin on the other side.
‘Stop pushing that phone in my face!’ He flailed.
‘I would if you’d just take it from me!’
Maru tried to glare.
Jin smiled sweetly. ‘I dialled already.’
Crap.
The first cue card that Jin pushed in his face indicated, he supposed, that an introduction was required. Jin had scribbled ‘HELLO’ all over it in big, wiggly English letters.
‘Hello?’ A sweet soft voice on the other end of the line.
He felt his stomach twist in a tighter knot, and the only thing he managed in return was something stuttered and unintelligible.
Jin looked at Maru for a few moments, properly horrified at the lack of speech. Taking his card back, he started scribbling.
‘Just read,’ he hissed, holding the card in front of Maru again.
‘I-it’s Nakamaru Yuichi,’ he stammered.
It was quiet at the other end for a moment. ‘… Who?’
The second cue card (promptly shoved at him) was, thankfully, in Japanese. Though the letters were still big and wiggly (and purple, this time).
‘We met the other day.’ He read.
‘Oh. Right.’ And Maru thought that no matter how cute and polite, that didn’t even sound convincing over the phone. Jin rolled his eyes and made a grab for a new card.
The third card (Maru had accepted the fact he would die from a prompt heart attack any minute by now) was written in glitter marker. He was dizzy and he simply read it aloud right away.
‘I saved you from a train,’ he blurted.
Jin screeched as a ball of pure rage in the form of a tiny Japanese idol flew at his throat.
(After three days Jin thought it safe to show up again. He did his best to look properly apologetic, though. ‘I have more ideas!’ he announced cheerfully.
‘I’m never, ever going to listen to your ideas again.’
‘But-!’
Maru narrowed his eyes.
‘But we could double date!’ Jin gushed.
Maru frowned. ‘Double date?’
‘Yeah! I’ll bring Pi and I’ll have Pi bring Maki… And I’ll bring you too then.’ Jin grinned brightly.
Maru huffed, but agreed. It was Horikita Maki after all.
But when Jin turned up at his apartment in a wig and a miniskirt that Friday, Maru screamed and threw all the pink shoes that had accumulated in his hallway at Jin’s head, for as long as it took to make Jin leave.
The next time he saw Kame he bribed him for a picture of Maki in her underwear, and decided that That Would Have To Do.)