J/K! fic for crazy_otaku911
Title: collide
Groups/Pairings: Big Bang, Hey! Say! Jump!; Takaki Yuya and T.O.P.
Rating: G
Genre: gen
Warnings: nothing comes to mind :x
Summary: Two individuals, three meetings, one destination.
Notes: for crazy_otaku911 , I hope you like this! Infinite gratitude goes to S for being such an awesomesauce beta even though I am so bad to her. T.T
The Yamanote is a train route on the JR East Railways Line. It runs on a circular track stopping at major neighborhoods in Tokyo such as Shinjuku, Akihabara, Harajuku, and Shibuya. The Chuo is another major route, with three separate lines. Of them all, its Express Line (Otsuki to Tokyo) coincides with the Yamanote the most, crossing at three stations: Shinjuku, Kanda and Tokyo.
This story takes place where the Yamanote and the Chuo Express lines meet.
1.
The train station chimes and snowflakes transformed Shinjuku into a scene right out of a postcard. Takaki wove his way through the post-rush hour crowd between huddled students and rushed salarymen. He felt like he was in a post-modern Hiroshige print as he walked across the platforms. It was warm inside, and he liked being surrounded by people and the glow of lights coming from shops. He took the longest possible route out of the train station.
Shinjuku wasn't a normal stop for Takaki. The day's filming in Shibuya required him to take the Yamanote, then transfer to the Chuo line to his off-Nakano apartment. He strolled through the wide concourse, slowing down whenever he passed a vendor of interest. The trains weren't so crowded at this hour, and Takaki had a few minutes before his arrived.
He stopped at a small store. Only one girl stood behind the counter, wiping the surface with a threadbare rag.
"Oh!" She bowed low when she noticed Takaki standing in front of her. "Welcome to Beard Papa's! How may I help you?"
Her bright energy was contagious, and Takaki couldn't help but return her smile. "Do you still have any cream puffs?"
"Yes," the girl nodded, gesturing to the glass display case. There were only two cream puff shells sitting inside. "That's the last of it. They're only half-price, because it's almost closing time."
Takaki nodded. He pulled out his wallet while the girl carefully pumped cream into the baked shells. He passed her the bills as she slid the bag over the counter.
"Enjoy!"
He didn't bother to wait until he was out of the store to dig through the bag. The dense treat was heavy between his fingers, sprinkling powdered sugar all over his fingers. It was the perfect way to end a long day of work. He decided the best course of action was to devour the first one with no shame, then slowly savor the second one.
The shop girl's shrill voice caught his attention.
"I'm so sorry, sir!"
Takaki turned around. The shop girl bowed so low, her head practically touched her knees. At first, he wondered why she apologized to him, but then he noticed a taller gentleman at the store's entrance.
"You open?" The word was broken by a thick accent.
"No, sir," the girl replied, biting her lip. She briefly glanced at Takaki. "We've just sold our last cream puffs."
The man struggled to comprehend at first, but when the girl gestured to the empty pastry display and shook her head 'no,' his shoulders drooped, and his hand went to his lips to cover a frown.
"I travelled so far!" He laughed, but there was a sigh in his voice. "My friend told me. Try this cream puff. I came from Korea!"
The shop girl's face was pink. Takaki wasn't sure if it was from embarrassment or from the constant bowing.
"I'm so sorry," she repeated, "please come back again!"
"It's okay. My fault for coming so late." His lips pulled into a tight smile, one that didn't quite spread anywhere else on his face. The man's face was far too expressive, Takaki thought, to hide his disappointment. It reminded him of Keito's forlorn pouts, or Chinen's pleading, even though Takaki guessed the other man to be older than him.
The shop girl kept glancing back at Takaki. What did she want him to do? Come forward as the lucky guy who bought the last two cream puffs? Rub his victory in this poor foreigner's face? His hand felt sore; he forgot he had been holding the cream puff. It was heavy between his fingers, sagging with the weight of dense cream.
A bell chimed overhead. Takaki snapped out of his thoughts and looked around. The store was closing, and he was still hiding behind the garbage can and napkin dispensers.
"Excuse me, sir." The shop girl approached Takaki with a broom and dustpan in her arms. "You'll have to leave."
She looked up at him with guilt in her eyes, as if she was his unwilling accomplice in depriving a man of cream puffs. Takaki nodded, quickly walking out of the store. He considered that he didn't need two cream puffs to satisfy his appetite, and that he would probably have to practice four times as long to justify the calorie intake. He thought he was lucky for catching such a good deal on the sweets, but now he wasn't sure if he could enjoy them.
He waited until he was home before indulging. Takaki wasn't even hungry, but he forced himself to eat both of the sugary desserts. He ate the first one slowly, spending each bite dwelling on how his eager greed affected a total stranger. He inhaled the second one to smother the guilt sitting heavy in his stomach.
2.
Takaki's heart raced as he fumbled through his bag for his wallet.
"The train is now arriving."
He found his wallet, but not without spilling some of his papers and gloves on the train station floor.
"The train is now arriving. Please stay behind the yellow line."
After gathering his scattered belongings, he tapped his wallet against the turnstile. He moved too soon, and ran into the unyielding metal bar. The beep permitting him to pass came after he already recoiled in pain.
"We have arrived at Kanda."
He leapt down the stairs three steps at a time.
"This is the Yamanote line, headed towards Tokyo."
He weaved his way around the exit crowd. His jacket and bag snagged on various briefcases and limbs moving in the opposite direction.
"Please step away from the closing doors."
He heard the warning signals and surged forward. A rush of air filled his ears, and he felt the doors against his chest and back as he leapt into the train.
"The next and final stop is Tokyo."
Takaki grunted as he tried to push against the doors, but his efforts yielded nothing. He was caught like a mouse in a trap. The other passengers only looked at him with disapproval or pity. The warning chimes sounded again, but the doors didn't budge.
The passengers standing in front of him shuffled aside, and a tall man stepped in front of Takaki. Reaching over Takaki's head, he slipped his hands between the doors and wrenched them apart. He only gained an inch or two, but it was enough for Takaki slip into the train. The doors sputtered for a moment before opening, then reclosing.
"Thank you so much!" Takaki said, slightly out of breath.
"You're welcome." The voice was familiar, slow with a forced enunciation.
The train lurched forward.
Takaki stood still, staring with wide eyes. "It's you!"
He looked the same as he did a few days ago at Shinjuku: bangs swept over his forehead, skinny jeans with clunky high-tops. He even wore the same black jacket, filling it out with broad shoulders and long arms.
"You- you tried to buy cream puffs! At Shinjuku!"
Takaki felt a blush rising in his face when the other man's eyes widened. He looked around to make sure no one was watching. He spoke without thinking and hadn't considered that the man might not have even remembered him.
"How do you-?" The man struggled with words. He wrinkled his brows, and his lips moved as to speak, though no sound came forth.
Takaki noticed that the distance between them had increased. He gripped the handrail next to the door. He wanted to apologize, but he hesitated. It wasn't as if he bought the last cream puff with the explicit desire to make this man miserable. His life wasn't some comic or drama. There was no reason for him to feel so guilty that he couldn't rest until he made amends with this stranger, but he couldn't erase the man's disappointed face from his memory.
The train slowed, and the man shifted on his feet. He looked around, avoiding Takaki's eyes.
Takaki tried to come up with the right words, a casual yet sincere apology appropriate for someone he might never meet again. "It was me-"
The train doors opened.
"This is my stop." The man bowed in a jerky motion. "Sorry."
He disappeared into the crowd of alighting passengers before Takaki could say, "I'm the one who owes you an apology."
3.
Takaki glanced at his watch. He winced as he lifted his arm up; he was sore from the day's filming. Even pushing the call button for the elevator hurt. While he was glad that one of his life goals had been accomplished (#72: Score at least 50 points on the wall jump at Tokyo Friends Park II), he wished he prepared himself better. It didn't help that Yabu ignored Takaki's whines of pain, drowning them out with a lecture on physical fitness. The younger ones called Takaki an old man, and even Inoo looked at him with pity.
Takaki let his arm drop to his side. It was almost seven. Filming had ended about half an hour ago, and everyone else had rushed home. He lingered behind, sluggish from sore muscles. He had been tempted to crawl his way to the train station.
He couldn't even summon the strength to walk two feet from the entrance to the escalators. He would have tried to catch the Chuo from Shinjuku, but his best chances for a seat was to take the train from Tokyo. He leaned next to the elevator button, feeling like his body was filled with lead. A soft bell chimed, announcing the elevator's arrival. The doors slid open, and Takaki dragged his corpse forward.
He stopped at the threshold. There were a couple of guys in the elevator. One of them wore a black Comme des Garcons pleather jacket, dark blue skinny jeans, and high-top Air Forces. His bangs were brushed across his forehead in a deep part. He wore large aviator sunglasses, but they didn't hide the way his lips parted, or his eyebrows knitting themselves in thought. Takaki didn't have to see the man's eyes to read his mind.
A harsh beep sounded around them, urging Takaki to enter the elevator.
"It's you!" The other man spoke first this time. "The train boy!"
"What- what are you doing here?" Takaki was too tired to remember his manners. He just stood with wide, staring eyes and an open mouth.
"We were filming!" The man grinned, looking to the others in the elevator. Two of them returned the smile, the other two seemed amused at his energy. "Please watch out for our debut!" His words were choppy, but Takaki was already familiar with the accent.
"Debut?"
He nodded. "We're Big Bang!"
His words were met with a slap on his arm and a push from the other side.
"Don't do the introduction by yourself!"
"Put more energy into it! We won't get any respect if you do it weakly!"
A high-pitched beep signalled their arrival at ground level. The doors slid open, and visions of their last, abrupt meeting came back to Takaki.
"Wait!"
The elevator had surprising acoustics, and Takaki wished his voice didn't carry so well over the closed space. He shrank back when everyone turned their attention to him. He bowed low, hiding his embarrassment.
"I'm sorry for taking the last cream puffs!" he blurted, allowing his mouth to work on autopilot. "If I hadn't been so greedy, your efforts wouldn't have been wasted!"
Takaki slowly straightened himself up. The others in the elevator began murmuring to each other.
"Is that it?" The man laughed, shoving his hands in his pocket and ducking his head down. "I forgot about that!"
Somehow, Takaki expected to feel unburdened after apologizing. He only felt silly, like a bad punchline.
"I- it's weird, isn't it? Meeting so many times like this?" He wasn't sure what he wanted to say. He just didn't want the conversation to end so soon.
The man's face lit up, and he held a finger up in the air. "How do you say- fate? Maybe it's fate!"
"Maybe," Takaki chuckled. "Maybe we'll run into each other again."
"On the train?"
"On television?" Takaki bit his lip when the other cocked his head in question. "I'm an idol too. I'm a member of Hey! Say! Jump!"
There was a collective 'eh?' around Takaki. He even saw one of the other guys pull out a cell phone, only to be slapped in the arm by another.
"I'm Takaki Yuya." Takaki bowed again, this time with more composure than before. "Nice to officially meet you!"
"Oh! My name is Top-"
"That's your stage name!" A voice called out from the side. The other guys had already exited the elevator and were waiting in the lobby.
"- Choi Seunghyun. Call me Seunghyun."
Takaki rolled the name around in his head before pronouncing it slowly. "San-gu-hyoon."
"That's right!" Seunghyun nodded. "I'm sorry to be rude, but my friends-"
"Oh, it's my fault!" Takaki shook his head, waving off Seunghyun's apologies. "Please, don't let me hold you back!"
Seunghyun bowed his head again. "Hopefully, we'll meet again!"
"No doubt!" Takaki grinned. "It's fate, isn't it?"
*
The Chuo Express' begins in Otsuki, approximately 80 miles from the Yamanote's origin at Shinjuku, but they will always meet at their final destinations in Tokyo.
Groups/Pairings: Big Bang, Hey! Say! Jump!; Takaki Yuya and T.O.P.
Rating: G
Genre: gen
Warnings: nothing comes to mind :x
Summary: Two individuals, three meetings, one destination.
Notes: for crazy_otaku911 , I hope you like this! Infinite gratitude goes to S for being such an awesomesauce beta even though I am so bad to her. T.T
The Yamanote is a train route on the JR East Railways Line. It runs on a circular track stopping at major neighborhoods in Tokyo such as Shinjuku, Akihabara, Harajuku, and Shibuya. The Chuo is another major route, with three separate lines. Of them all, its Express Line (Otsuki to Tokyo) coincides with the Yamanote the most, crossing at three stations: Shinjuku, Kanda and Tokyo.
This story takes place where the Yamanote and the Chuo Express lines meet.
1.
The train station chimes and snowflakes transformed Shinjuku into a scene right out of a postcard. Takaki wove his way through the post-rush hour crowd between huddled students and rushed salarymen. He felt like he was in a post-modern Hiroshige print as he walked across the platforms. It was warm inside, and he liked being surrounded by people and the glow of lights coming from shops. He took the longest possible route out of the train station.
Shinjuku wasn't a normal stop for Takaki. The day's filming in Shibuya required him to take the Yamanote, then transfer to the Chuo line to his off-Nakano apartment. He strolled through the wide concourse, slowing down whenever he passed a vendor of interest. The trains weren't so crowded at this hour, and Takaki had a few minutes before his arrived.
He stopped at a small store. Only one girl stood behind the counter, wiping the surface with a threadbare rag.
"Oh!" She bowed low when she noticed Takaki standing in front of her. "Welcome to Beard Papa's! How may I help you?"
Her bright energy was contagious, and Takaki couldn't help but return her smile. "Do you still have any cream puffs?"
"Yes," the girl nodded, gesturing to the glass display case. There were only two cream puff shells sitting inside. "That's the last of it. They're only half-price, because it's almost closing time."
Takaki nodded. He pulled out his wallet while the girl carefully pumped cream into the baked shells. He passed her the bills as she slid the bag over the counter.
"Enjoy!"
He didn't bother to wait until he was out of the store to dig through the bag. The dense treat was heavy between his fingers, sprinkling powdered sugar all over his fingers. It was the perfect way to end a long day of work. He decided the best course of action was to devour the first one with no shame, then slowly savor the second one.
The shop girl's shrill voice caught his attention.
"I'm so sorry, sir!"
Takaki turned around. The shop girl bowed so low, her head practically touched her knees. At first, he wondered why she apologized to him, but then he noticed a taller gentleman at the store's entrance.
"You open?" The word was broken by a thick accent.
"No, sir," the girl replied, biting her lip. She briefly glanced at Takaki. "We've just sold our last cream puffs."
The man struggled to comprehend at first, but when the girl gestured to the empty pastry display and shook her head 'no,' his shoulders drooped, and his hand went to his lips to cover a frown.
"I travelled so far!" He laughed, but there was a sigh in his voice. "My friend told me. Try this cream puff. I came from Korea!"
The shop girl's face was pink. Takaki wasn't sure if it was from embarrassment or from the constant bowing.
"I'm so sorry," she repeated, "please come back again!"
"It's okay. My fault for coming so late." His lips pulled into a tight smile, one that didn't quite spread anywhere else on his face. The man's face was far too expressive, Takaki thought, to hide his disappointment. It reminded him of Keito's forlorn pouts, or Chinen's pleading, even though Takaki guessed the other man to be older than him.
The shop girl kept glancing back at Takaki. What did she want him to do? Come forward as the lucky guy who bought the last two cream puffs? Rub his victory in this poor foreigner's face? His hand felt sore; he forgot he had been holding the cream puff. It was heavy between his fingers, sagging with the weight of dense cream.
A bell chimed overhead. Takaki snapped out of his thoughts and looked around. The store was closing, and he was still hiding behind the garbage can and napkin dispensers.
"Excuse me, sir." The shop girl approached Takaki with a broom and dustpan in her arms. "You'll have to leave."
She looked up at him with guilt in her eyes, as if she was his unwilling accomplice in depriving a man of cream puffs. Takaki nodded, quickly walking out of the store. He considered that he didn't need two cream puffs to satisfy his appetite, and that he would probably have to practice four times as long to justify the calorie intake. He thought he was lucky for catching such a good deal on the sweets, but now he wasn't sure if he could enjoy them.
He waited until he was home before indulging. Takaki wasn't even hungry, but he forced himself to eat both of the sugary desserts. He ate the first one slowly, spending each bite dwelling on how his eager greed affected a total stranger. He inhaled the second one to smother the guilt sitting heavy in his stomach.
2.
Takaki's heart raced as he fumbled through his bag for his wallet.
"The train is now arriving."
He found his wallet, but not without spilling some of his papers and gloves on the train station floor.
"The train is now arriving. Please stay behind the yellow line."
After gathering his scattered belongings, he tapped his wallet against the turnstile. He moved too soon, and ran into the unyielding metal bar. The beep permitting him to pass came after he already recoiled in pain.
"We have arrived at Kanda."
He leapt down the stairs three steps at a time.
"This is the Yamanote line, headed towards Tokyo."
He weaved his way around the exit crowd. His jacket and bag snagged on various briefcases and limbs moving in the opposite direction.
"Please step away from the closing doors."
He heard the warning signals and surged forward. A rush of air filled his ears, and he felt the doors against his chest and back as he leapt into the train.
"The next and final stop is Tokyo."
Takaki grunted as he tried to push against the doors, but his efforts yielded nothing. He was caught like a mouse in a trap. The other passengers only looked at him with disapproval or pity. The warning chimes sounded again, but the doors didn't budge.
The passengers standing in front of him shuffled aside, and a tall man stepped in front of Takaki. Reaching over Takaki's head, he slipped his hands between the doors and wrenched them apart. He only gained an inch or two, but it was enough for Takaki slip into the train. The doors sputtered for a moment before opening, then reclosing.
"Thank you so much!" Takaki said, slightly out of breath.
"You're welcome." The voice was familiar, slow with a forced enunciation.
The train lurched forward.
Takaki stood still, staring with wide eyes. "It's you!"
He looked the same as he did a few days ago at Shinjuku: bangs swept over his forehead, skinny jeans with clunky high-tops. He even wore the same black jacket, filling it out with broad shoulders and long arms.
"You- you tried to buy cream puffs! At Shinjuku!"
Takaki felt a blush rising in his face when the other man's eyes widened. He looked around to make sure no one was watching. He spoke without thinking and hadn't considered that the man might not have even remembered him.
"How do you-?" The man struggled with words. He wrinkled his brows, and his lips moved as to speak, though no sound came forth.
Takaki noticed that the distance between them had increased. He gripped the handrail next to the door. He wanted to apologize, but he hesitated. It wasn't as if he bought the last cream puff with the explicit desire to make this man miserable. His life wasn't some comic or drama. There was no reason for him to feel so guilty that he couldn't rest until he made amends with this stranger, but he couldn't erase the man's disappointed face from his memory.
The train slowed, and the man shifted on his feet. He looked around, avoiding Takaki's eyes.
Takaki tried to come up with the right words, a casual yet sincere apology appropriate for someone he might never meet again. "It was me-"
The train doors opened.
"This is my stop." The man bowed in a jerky motion. "Sorry."
He disappeared into the crowd of alighting passengers before Takaki could say, "I'm the one who owes you an apology."
3.
Takaki glanced at his watch. He winced as he lifted his arm up; he was sore from the day's filming. Even pushing the call button for the elevator hurt. While he was glad that one of his life goals had been accomplished (#72: Score at least 50 points on the wall jump at Tokyo Friends Park II), he wished he prepared himself better. It didn't help that Yabu ignored Takaki's whines of pain, drowning them out with a lecture on physical fitness. The younger ones called Takaki an old man, and even Inoo looked at him with pity.
Takaki let his arm drop to his side. It was almost seven. Filming had ended about half an hour ago, and everyone else had rushed home. He lingered behind, sluggish from sore muscles. He had been tempted to crawl his way to the train station.
He couldn't even summon the strength to walk two feet from the entrance to the escalators. He would have tried to catch the Chuo from Shinjuku, but his best chances for a seat was to take the train from Tokyo. He leaned next to the elevator button, feeling like his body was filled with lead. A soft bell chimed, announcing the elevator's arrival. The doors slid open, and Takaki dragged his corpse forward.
He stopped at the threshold. There were a couple of guys in the elevator. One of them wore a black Comme des Garcons pleather jacket, dark blue skinny jeans, and high-top Air Forces. His bangs were brushed across his forehead in a deep part. He wore large aviator sunglasses, but they didn't hide the way his lips parted, or his eyebrows knitting themselves in thought. Takaki didn't have to see the man's eyes to read his mind.
A harsh beep sounded around them, urging Takaki to enter the elevator.
"It's you!" The other man spoke first this time. "The train boy!"
"What- what are you doing here?" Takaki was too tired to remember his manners. He just stood with wide, staring eyes and an open mouth.
"We were filming!" The man grinned, looking to the others in the elevator. Two of them returned the smile, the other two seemed amused at his energy. "Please watch out for our debut!" His words were choppy, but Takaki was already familiar with the accent.
"Debut?"
He nodded. "We're Big Bang!"
His words were met with a slap on his arm and a push from the other side.
"Don't do the introduction by yourself!"
"Put more energy into it! We won't get any respect if you do it weakly!"
A high-pitched beep signalled their arrival at ground level. The doors slid open, and visions of their last, abrupt meeting came back to Takaki.
"Wait!"
The elevator had surprising acoustics, and Takaki wished his voice didn't carry so well over the closed space. He shrank back when everyone turned their attention to him. He bowed low, hiding his embarrassment.
"I'm sorry for taking the last cream puffs!" he blurted, allowing his mouth to work on autopilot. "If I hadn't been so greedy, your efforts wouldn't have been wasted!"
Takaki slowly straightened himself up. The others in the elevator began murmuring to each other.
"Is that it?" The man laughed, shoving his hands in his pocket and ducking his head down. "I forgot about that!"
Somehow, Takaki expected to feel unburdened after apologizing. He only felt silly, like a bad punchline.
"I- it's weird, isn't it? Meeting so many times like this?" He wasn't sure what he wanted to say. He just didn't want the conversation to end so soon.
The man's face lit up, and he held a finger up in the air. "How do you say- fate? Maybe it's fate!"
"Maybe," Takaki chuckled. "Maybe we'll run into each other again."
"On the train?"
"On television?" Takaki bit his lip when the other cocked his head in question. "I'm an idol too. I'm a member of Hey! Say! Jump!"
There was a collective 'eh?' around Takaki. He even saw one of the other guys pull out a cell phone, only to be slapped in the arm by another.
"I'm Takaki Yuya." Takaki bowed again, this time with more composure than before. "Nice to officially meet you!"
"Oh! My name is Top-"
"That's your stage name!" A voice called out from the side. The other guys had already exited the elevator and were waiting in the lobby.
"- Choi Seunghyun. Call me Seunghyun."
Takaki rolled the name around in his head before pronouncing it slowly. "San-gu-hyoon."
"That's right!" Seunghyun nodded. "I'm sorry to be rude, but my friends-"
"Oh, it's my fault!" Takaki shook his head, waving off Seunghyun's apologies. "Please, don't let me hold you back!"
Seunghyun bowed his head again. "Hopefully, we'll meet again!"
"No doubt!" Takaki grinned. "It's fate, isn't it?"
*
The Chuo Express' begins in Otsuki, approximately 80 miles from the Yamanote's origin at Shinjuku, but they will always meet at their final destinations in Tokyo.