The Hardest Part of Staying Still (4/6)
Title: The Hardest Part of Staying Still (4/6)
Group/pairing: NEWS / Massu x OC
Word Count: 2,230
Rating: G
Summary: Massu met an intriguing girl at the airport…will anything come of it? In this chapter, we deal with Massu’s temper. We’ll also see Tegoshi, Koyama, and Yamapi meddle around, while Shige and Ryo watch on the sidelines. But really, they have a plan of their own.
Disclaimer: I don’t own anything, except perhaps the plot:P
Author’s Note: Thank you for waiting, if you’re still interested in this story ^^
Ah, things are moving along. But I realized that I’ve kind of neglected Ryo and Yamapi, but they will get their time soon enough:)
Dedicated to tokidoki_sama :D
Previous Chapters: Part 1: Rush | Part 2: Busy | Part 3: Trip
Frances drowned herself in work the whole week after her fight with Massu, if you could call it a fight. It was more like a ‘I-never-want-to-see-you-again’ goodbye. The more she thought about it, the more disappointed she became, and she didn’t know how to make it right. She had just finished setting up the Internet that week, and was planning on catching up with her best friend, but this whole fiasco had left her drained, and surely, she would have to explain herself to Summer sometime. She couldn’t even get herself go on the usual sites she liked, because she felt guilty for lying to the person she saw on her computer screen.
That Friday night, she got a surprising text from Koyama asking to meet with her the next day. Although she was hesitant and totally unprepared to face the emotional backlash, she replied with a yes, and a quick sorry. His reply was instant, and said that they would talk about it tomorrow. Either he was the forecaster of doom or the godsend that she’d been waiting for.
Frances arrived at the food place before Koyama, and waited by the entrance. She didn’t know how long she had been waiting, but jumped when someone tapped her on the shoulder.
“Wow, didn’t mean to scare you.” Koyama greeted her with a slight grin.
“Ah, sorry. I must have been in a daze; didn’t get much sleep.” She mustered a grin as well.
Koyama’s smile faded a little, “I can imagine.”
His tone was hard to read, and Frances feared for the worse. They stepped inside, Koyama helped her order, and then the dreaded conversation would start. Frances’s eyes stayed no higher than her hands, and she could hardly muster the courage to start the apology she had been practicing.
Koyama, being the wonderful man that he was, knew how to begin.
“Look, I’m not here to judge you, I’m just here to help.”
Frances glanced up for a moment and saw that Koyama’s expression was one of kindness and sympathy.
She breathed a little sigh of relief and said, “I am truly sorry that I lied to you all, and I am really grateful that you decided to talk to me after that.”
“Well, not to add salt to the wound or anything, but truthfully speaking, Massu hasn’t been eating or being his genki self lately; you are kind of responsible for that, and I am responsible for being a good friend in helping resolve this.”
She had never seen him like this before, but then again, there were so many things that she didn’t really know about him, or the rest of NEWS.
“I want to make this better too, I just wish I knew how. I wanted to apologize to him, but I was too afraid. When he said goodbye, it felt like I could never have a second chance. I mean, I’m still a stranger to you guys, how am I supposed to just call him or you up and ask for forgiveness? I have no right…but I am selfish and want to fix this.”
She was verging on the brink of tears, and all Koyama could do was reach out and rub her shoulders a little.
“Trust me when I say this, but it’ll be okay. It might seem rough now, but you’ll get that chance.”
“Thank you. I know you’re doing this for Masuda-san, but thank you.”
The food arrived and they ate in silence for a little bit. Frances was feeling a little bit better having actually let out her emotions and tell someone who could actually understand the situation.
“Ano…I know what I did was wrong, but normally…um, may I ask why Masuda-san took it so hard?”
Apparently Frances had asked the billion dollar question, because Koyama set his chopsticks down, and started getting into his talking mode. His voice was low, but passionate.
“Massu’s probably the most genuine out of all of us, as you may know. He knows who he is best, and he never ‘lies’ to portray a different character to our fans. That may be why he doesn’t talk as much and come off as aloof and all those random things, but that’s who he is. And he doesn’t hate us for ‘lying’ either, because he understands it’s what you have to do in this industry. To be portrayed as idols, we put off an image. But…lying of another kind is definitely something he can’t take.”
He pauses to get a sip of his drink. “Now, I’m only telling you this, because it’s an important point in understanding how to make this right. Otherwise, we never talk about it.”
Frances nodded signaling for him to go on.
“Massu lived with his grandmother a lot of the time, but it wasn’t because his parents were busy or because the jimusho was closer. It was because his dad left him there. One day, Massu was dropped off, and was told that his dad would pick him up later. He never came back. The lie, so easily said, but was worse than the most terrible of lies. Aitsu honto ni saite da!”
Frances noted the harsh way Koyama said ‘aitsu,’ without even addressing Massu’s dad by his sir name, and she understood.
She let it sink in for a moment, and then realized that she was comparable to his dad. She felt nauseous, and was about to burst into tears.
And then Koyama asked, “Do you think you know us pretty well?”
Frances was caught off guard by this question and didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know whether to take it as an insult, or if he was genuinely curious. She simply just looked at Kei and blinked, a tear nearly escaping. He saw this and handed her a tissue.
“Thanks. I really don’t deserve to be here.” She said in a quiet tone. And then she answered in between sniffles, “I know you guys have to put off an idol image, and I know you aren’t perfect, but I still believe that all of you are amazing, caring people, capable of making millions of fans incredibly happy. I won’t say I know you personally, because I don’t, but I feel really connected to NEWS.”
“Thank you. I’ve never heard anyone say it up close, especially not a foreigner. We're really grateful for our fans to say that least.” Koyama tried to lighten the atmosphere, tried to bring a new aspect into the conversation.
“Ne, what do you think you’re going to do about Massu? What exactly happened?”
Frances laughed for the first time in days. “It’s because I accidentally called him Massu, and I ironically do not lie well, and he found out I was a fan.” And then she rushed to explain. “But I really wanted to get to know you guys. I’m not some crazed fan who planned any of this, I swear.”
Koyama laughed at this as well. “I believe you.”
Frances picked up a piece of her gyoza and examined it. “I think I know a way of getting a chance to see Massu again.”
Koyama looked at her and smiled, “No offense, but do you even know how to make that?”
“No, but I’ll die trying if it gets him to see me again. I have to properly apologize. Zettai ni!”
“You suddenly became so enthusiastic.” He laughed.
“Well, it’s true. I can’t stay like this forever, and neither can he. For the sake of NEWS, for the sake of all the fans. “
At the very pinnacle of Frances's declaration, Koyama's phone interrupts them with "Taiyou no Namida."
“Ah, excuse me. I’ve got a phone call.” Koyama looked a little embarrassed, got up, and walked outside.
"I can tell." Frances muttered to herself, and then smiled, relieved that someone was on her side. She wanted to report back to Summer now, to tell her what happened and that she had hope, and that Koyama was all that he was made out to be.
He came back a few minutes later and beamed.
Frances raised her eyebrows. “Something good happen?”
“We’ve come up with a plan!”
“Really? What? Who are ‘we,’ and what?”
“Dai-jou-bu. Are you free today?”
“Um…what do you have planned exactly?”
“Gyoza making?” He was excitedly pumping his fists.
“Ok, I’m scared. What else are you planning?”
“Hey, it was your idea.” He then added, “I’m giving you the opportunity to make it right, are you going to take it or not?”
“I’ll do it!”
“Alright, let’s head home.”
“Huh? My home?”
“No silly. Mine.”
Frances stared at him in disbelief, and he couldn’t help but double over laughing.
“This is every fangirl’s dream, right? I won't mind if you admit it." Koyama said with glee. "My mom will teach you well."
“Aw, your mom is so sweet…just like you…” Frances caught his eye at that moment and they both looked away, blushing.
“Flattery works, but save that for Massu.”
“Oh trust me, Massu has my-” she stopped herself.
“Eh??” Koyama giggled like he wasn't a man. “Nani nani?”
“I am not saying anymore. I’m gonna go pay, and after that, yoroshiku onegaishimasu!” Frances bowed as low as she could.
“Hai hai, come on, let’s go.”
-----------------------------
“Ok, so you pinch it about four times, like this.” Koyama-san demonstrated and let Frances try it.
“Arigatougozaimasu.”
Koya-mama giggled the sweetest little laugh Frances could ever imagine, and couldn’t help but think that this was a peaceful place to grow up. She also thought that the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.
"You don't have to thank me every time, dear."
The momentary silence was broken by Kei's yell to the back room. “Shige, bring me more flour!"
“Come get it yourself!” Came the reply.
After a moment, Kei didn't even put up a fight, and exasperatedly complied. “Fine”
Frances smiled while asking Kei’s mom, “Are they always like this?”
She smiled back. “Very much so.”
Koyama and company made a good amount of gyoza, and by late afternoon, they were tired and ready to call it quits. Unfortunately, Koyama-san still needed to open the shop for business at night, so Frances offered to help around the kitchen, with dishes or something. After all, she was the reason why everything was a mess. Koyama-san gracefully declined, and said that Frances was welcome there any time. She was saying how the boys didn’t bring enough girls home, and then winked at Kei.
He immediately turned into a million shades of red, while Shige burst out laughing.
“Mooom. It’s not like that. How many times do I have to explain this to you?”
Koyama-san laughed and gave Frances’s shoulder a quick squeeze. “You drop by so I can feed you, ok? Send Masuda-kun my love.”
Frances nodded and bowed one last time. She walked out with the two boys from the back, and thanked them for their help. She texted Massu a few minutes later with an apology, and hoped he wouldn’t mind meeting with her again.
She was so caught up in rereading the message to check if it made sense, that she didn’t see the man walking right in front of her. She ended up bumping into him and dropping her bag of gyoza to the ground. Thankfully, the other person stopped her from falling to the floor in time. When she opened her eyes to see she hadn’t crash landed, she was met with the most surprising gaze ever.
It was Masuda Takahisa, in the flesh.
She quickly scrambled to grab the fallen bag, and bowed in front of him. “Hontoni gomenasai! For both things.”
He managed a little smile and put his phone away. “I just got your message. I guess we were both not looking at where we were going, huh?”
“Yea…so um, I actually want to give you this,” Frances lifted up the bag a little, “but it kind of fell, and I think I should properly apologize.” She made almost no sense, but he understood her.
“Before you say anything, let me apologize.” Massu said. “I may have acted too harshly, and after all, I don’t think you had ill intentions.”
Frances was taken aback. “And I really really really am sorry for not telling you sooner. I might be making up excuses, but I really didn’t know how to tell you without sounding like I had planned it. And I didn’t.” And then she didn’t even know she was going to admit until it came out of her mouth. “Given that chance meeting, I just wanted to know you better, Masuda-san. Because I’m your fan, and I truly like you.”
Oh god, that was so cheesy, Frances! she screamed at herself, but then she saw Massu perk up, and knew that it was going to be okay. She rummaged in the bag to check the contents and sighed relief. The gyoza were still intact, if not a little tossed up in the container.
With the contents still edible, Frances extended the bag out to Massu.
“A peace offering?”
Massu took the bag and looked inside. “My forgiveness is not so easily bought, yo.” His face remained stoic, but the corners of his lips gave him away.
And then he did break out into the familiar, calming, warm smile, and said, “But it’s a start.”
-----------------
Author’s Note:I hope you feel that both sides were justified. Of course, none of what I say about the boys are fact, so please don’t quote me on that. Also, I'm sure Koyama-san's shop, being that it is a ramen ya, and sells assorted Asian foods, probably has gyoza back-stocked, but I made up the story the way it happened anyways. It was Frances's effort in making the gyoza just for Massu that counted:)
Group/pairing: NEWS / Massu x OC
Word Count: 2,230
Rating: G
Summary: Massu met an intriguing girl at the airport…will anything come of it? In this chapter, we deal with Massu’s temper. We’ll also see Tegoshi, Koyama, and Yamapi meddle around, while Shige and Ryo watch on the sidelines. But really, they have a plan of their own.
Disclaimer: I don’t own anything, except perhaps the plot:P
Author’s Note: Thank you for waiting, if you’re still interested in this story ^^
Ah, things are moving along. But I realized that I’ve kind of neglected Ryo and Yamapi, but they will get their time soon enough:)
Dedicated to tokidoki_sama :D
Previous Chapters: Part 1: Rush | Part 2: Busy | Part 3: Trip
Frances drowned herself in work the whole week after her fight with Massu, if you could call it a fight. It was more like a ‘I-never-want-to-see-you-again’ goodbye. The more she thought about it, the more disappointed she became, and she didn’t know how to make it right. She had just finished setting up the Internet that week, and was planning on catching up with her best friend, but this whole fiasco had left her drained, and surely, she would have to explain herself to Summer sometime. She couldn’t even get herself go on the usual sites she liked, because she felt guilty for lying to the person she saw on her computer screen.
That Friday night, she got a surprising text from Koyama asking to meet with her the next day. Although she was hesitant and totally unprepared to face the emotional backlash, she replied with a yes, and a quick sorry. His reply was instant, and said that they would talk about it tomorrow. Either he was the forecaster of doom or the godsend that she’d been waiting for.
Frances arrived at the food place before Koyama, and waited by the entrance. She didn’t know how long she had been waiting, but jumped when someone tapped her on the shoulder.
“Wow, didn’t mean to scare you.” Koyama greeted her with a slight grin.
“Ah, sorry. I must have been in a daze; didn’t get much sleep.” She mustered a grin as well.
Koyama’s smile faded a little, “I can imagine.”
His tone was hard to read, and Frances feared for the worse. They stepped inside, Koyama helped her order, and then the dreaded conversation would start. Frances’s eyes stayed no higher than her hands, and she could hardly muster the courage to start the apology she had been practicing.
Koyama, being the wonderful man that he was, knew how to begin.
“Look, I’m not here to judge you, I’m just here to help.”
Frances glanced up for a moment and saw that Koyama’s expression was one of kindness and sympathy.
She breathed a little sigh of relief and said, “I am truly sorry that I lied to you all, and I am really grateful that you decided to talk to me after that.”
“Well, not to add salt to the wound or anything, but truthfully speaking, Massu hasn’t been eating or being his genki self lately; you are kind of responsible for that, and I am responsible for being a good friend in helping resolve this.”
She had never seen him like this before, but then again, there were so many things that she didn’t really know about him, or the rest of NEWS.
“I want to make this better too, I just wish I knew how. I wanted to apologize to him, but I was too afraid. When he said goodbye, it felt like I could never have a second chance. I mean, I’m still a stranger to you guys, how am I supposed to just call him or you up and ask for forgiveness? I have no right…but I am selfish and want to fix this.”
She was verging on the brink of tears, and all Koyama could do was reach out and rub her shoulders a little.
“Trust me when I say this, but it’ll be okay. It might seem rough now, but you’ll get that chance.”
“Thank you. I know you’re doing this for Masuda-san, but thank you.”
The food arrived and they ate in silence for a little bit. Frances was feeling a little bit better having actually let out her emotions and tell someone who could actually understand the situation.
“Ano…I know what I did was wrong, but normally…um, may I ask why Masuda-san took it so hard?”
Apparently Frances had asked the billion dollar question, because Koyama set his chopsticks down, and started getting into his talking mode. His voice was low, but passionate.
“Massu’s probably the most genuine out of all of us, as you may know. He knows who he is best, and he never ‘lies’ to portray a different character to our fans. That may be why he doesn’t talk as much and come off as aloof and all those random things, but that’s who he is. And he doesn’t hate us for ‘lying’ either, because he understands it’s what you have to do in this industry. To be portrayed as idols, we put off an image. But…lying of another kind is definitely something he can’t take.”
He pauses to get a sip of his drink. “Now, I’m only telling you this, because it’s an important point in understanding how to make this right. Otherwise, we never talk about it.”
Frances nodded signaling for him to go on.
“Massu lived with his grandmother a lot of the time, but it wasn’t because his parents were busy or because the jimusho was closer. It was because his dad left him there. One day, Massu was dropped off, and was told that his dad would pick him up later. He never came back. The lie, so easily said, but was worse than the most terrible of lies. Aitsu honto ni saite da!”
Frances noted the harsh way Koyama said ‘aitsu,’ without even addressing Massu’s dad by his sir name, and she understood.
She let it sink in for a moment, and then realized that she was comparable to his dad. She felt nauseous, and was about to burst into tears.
And then Koyama asked, “Do you think you know us pretty well?”
Frances was caught off guard by this question and didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know whether to take it as an insult, or if he was genuinely curious. She simply just looked at Kei and blinked, a tear nearly escaping. He saw this and handed her a tissue.
“Thanks. I really don’t deserve to be here.” She said in a quiet tone. And then she answered in between sniffles, “I know you guys have to put off an idol image, and I know you aren’t perfect, but I still believe that all of you are amazing, caring people, capable of making millions of fans incredibly happy. I won’t say I know you personally, because I don’t, but I feel really connected to NEWS.”
“Thank you. I’ve never heard anyone say it up close, especially not a foreigner. We're really grateful for our fans to say that least.” Koyama tried to lighten the atmosphere, tried to bring a new aspect into the conversation.
“Ne, what do you think you’re going to do about Massu? What exactly happened?”
Frances laughed for the first time in days. “It’s because I accidentally called him Massu, and I ironically do not lie well, and he found out I was a fan.” And then she rushed to explain. “But I really wanted to get to know you guys. I’m not some crazed fan who planned any of this, I swear.”
Koyama laughed at this as well. “I believe you.”
Frances picked up a piece of her gyoza and examined it. “I think I know a way of getting a chance to see Massu again.”
Koyama looked at her and smiled, “No offense, but do you even know how to make that?”
“No, but I’ll die trying if it gets him to see me again. I have to properly apologize. Zettai ni!”
“You suddenly became so enthusiastic.” He laughed.
“Well, it’s true. I can’t stay like this forever, and neither can he. For the sake of NEWS, for the sake of all the fans. “
At the very pinnacle of Frances's declaration, Koyama's phone interrupts them with "Taiyou no Namida."
“Ah, excuse me. I’ve got a phone call.” Koyama looked a little embarrassed, got up, and walked outside.
"I can tell." Frances muttered to herself, and then smiled, relieved that someone was on her side. She wanted to report back to Summer now, to tell her what happened and that she had hope, and that Koyama was all that he was made out to be.
He came back a few minutes later and beamed.
Frances raised her eyebrows. “Something good happen?”
“We’ve come up with a plan!”
“Really? What? Who are ‘we,’ and what?”
“Dai-jou-bu. Are you free today?”
“Um…what do you have planned exactly?”
“Gyoza making?” He was excitedly pumping his fists.
“Ok, I’m scared. What else are you planning?”
“Hey, it was your idea.” He then added, “I’m giving you the opportunity to make it right, are you going to take it or not?”
“I’ll do it!”
“Alright, let’s head home.”
“Huh? My home?”
“No silly. Mine.”
Frances stared at him in disbelief, and he couldn’t help but double over laughing.
“This is every fangirl’s dream, right? I won't mind if you admit it." Koyama said with glee. "My mom will teach you well."
“Aw, your mom is so sweet…just like you…” Frances caught his eye at that moment and they both looked away, blushing.
“Flattery works, but save that for Massu.”
“Oh trust me, Massu has my-” she stopped herself.
“Eh??” Koyama giggled like he wasn't a man. “Nani nani?”
“I am not saying anymore. I’m gonna go pay, and after that, yoroshiku onegaishimasu!” Frances bowed as low as she could.
“Hai hai, come on, let’s go.”
-----------------------------
“Ok, so you pinch it about four times, like this.” Koyama-san demonstrated and let Frances try it.
“Arigatougozaimasu.”
Koya-mama giggled the sweetest little laugh Frances could ever imagine, and couldn’t help but think that this was a peaceful place to grow up. She also thought that the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.
"You don't have to thank me every time, dear."
The momentary silence was broken by Kei's yell to the back room. “Shige, bring me more flour!"
“Come get it yourself!” Came the reply.
After a moment, Kei didn't even put up a fight, and exasperatedly complied. “Fine”
Frances smiled while asking Kei’s mom, “Are they always like this?”
She smiled back. “Very much so.”
Koyama and company made a good amount of gyoza, and by late afternoon, they were tired and ready to call it quits. Unfortunately, Koyama-san still needed to open the shop for business at night, so Frances offered to help around the kitchen, with dishes or something. After all, she was the reason why everything was a mess. Koyama-san gracefully declined, and said that Frances was welcome there any time. She was saying how the boys didn’t bring enough girls home, and then winked at Kei.
He immediately turned into a million shades of red, while Shige burst out laughing.
“Mooom. It’s not like that. How many times do I have to explain this to you?”
Koyama-san laughed and gave Frances’s shoulder a quick squeeze. “You drop by so I can feed you, ok? Send Masuda-kun my love.”
Frances nodded and bowed one last time. She walked out with the two boys from the back, and thanked them for their help. She texted Massu a few minutes later with an apology, and hoped he wouldn’t mind meeting with her again.
She was so caught up in rereading the message to check if it made sense, that she didn’t see the man walking right in front of her. She ended up bumping into him and dropping her bag of gyoza to the ground. Thankfully, the other person stopped her from falling to the floor in time. When she opened her eyes to see she hadn’t crash landed, she was met with the most surprising gaze ever.
It was Masuda Takahisa, in the flesh.
She quickly scrambled to grab the fallen bag, and bowed in front of him. “Hontoni gomenasai! For both things.”
He managed a little smile and put his phone away. “I just got your message. I guess we were both not looking at where we were going, huh?”
“Yea…so um, I actually want to give you this,” Frances lifted up the bag a little, “but it kind of fell, and I think I should properly apologize.” She made almost no sense, but he understood her.
“Before you say anything, let me apologize.” Massu said. “I may have acted too harshly, and after all, I don’t think you had ill intentions.”
Frances was taken aback. “And I really really really am sorry for not telling you sooner. I might be making up excuses, but I really didn’t know how to tell you without sounding like I had planned it. And I didn’t.” And then she didn’t even know she was going to admit until it came out of her mouth. “Given that chance meeting, I just wanted to know you better, Masuda-san. Because I’m your fan, and I truly like you.”
Oh god, that was so cheesy, Frances! she screamed at herself, but then she saw Massu perk up, and knew that it was going to be okay. She rummaged in the bag to check the contents and sighed relief. The gyoza were still intact, if not a little tossed up in the container.
With the contents still edible, Frances extended the bag out to Massu.
“A peace offering?”
Massu took the bag and looked inside. “My forgiveness is not so easily bought, yo.” His face remained stoic, but the corners of his lips gave him away.
And then he did break out into the familiar, calming, warm smile, and said, “But it’s a start.”
-----------------
Author’s Note:I hope you feel that both sides were justified. Of course, none of what I say about the boys are fact, so please don’t quote me on that. Also, I'm sure Koyama-san's shop, being that it is a ramen ya, and sells assorted Asian foods, probably has gyoza back-stocked, but I made up the story the way it happened anyways. It was Frances's effort in making the gyoza just for Massu that counted:)