The better fish
Title: The better fish
Pairing: Yara Tomoyuki/Yamamoto Ryoko
Rating: PG
Word count: 2026
A/N: This fic was Emma’s Christmas present! It’s AU, written for Mousapelli’s nano 2012; Lunatic Sunshine. And I guess I should warn about Ryota being a girl here. :’3
- - -
Yara leaned against the wall, glancing between his wristwatch and the electronic doorbell that had shown him a red light for a while already. President Domoto was probably very busy at the moment. Yara would definitely had already left and come back later if he hadn’t had such an important matter to discuss with the company president. Suddenly Yara heard a faint moan from behind the door.
Oh. So that was what kept Domoto so busy. It was a badly kept secret in the company that Domoto-san had a weak spot for pretty girls and that he was skillful at getting things he wanted to have.
Yara would have wanted to leave but he really needed to talk with the president, and there was something else too that kept him right there.
After about half a minute the door opened and closed when the president’s assistant, Yamamoto Ryoko, rushed out of the room. She tried to smooth away the wrinkles of her short skirt, brush her shoulder lenght black hair into some kind of an order, and keep the lapful of papers and clearfiles in balance with the other hand; all at the same time.
Yamamoto was always pretty, Yara thought, and even more so the way he was at the moment; flushed and a bit breathless, and the kind of a look in her eyes that made Yara’s skin burn with only one glance from her.
“Oh, Yara-san,” she said and winced a bit as she noticed him but then instantly switched on her professional work mode, skillfully hiding her shaken expression behind a polite smile, “the president is just finishing some important paperwork but I guess you can go in anyway.”
“Sure,” Yara said, shivering at the sudden change into the girl’s appearance, “I’ll go in.”
“Excuse me,” she said with a small bow and a smile, and turned around, her heels knocking against the floor as she went.
“Wait,” Yara called after her before he had time to reconsider his words.
“Hmm?” Yamamoto let out a questioning noise as she glanced at him over her shoulder.
“You wouldn’t need to do that,” he said and continued when she raised her eyebrows, “I mean, for him. You’re in no way obliged to give him the things he asks you. He’s not forcing you, right?”
“Thank you for your consideration Yara-san,” she said in an overly polite tone and smiled nonchalantly, “but I think I can take care of myself fairly well. No-one is forcing me into anything. Now, if there’s nothing else, I really have some work to do.”
“Yeah, um. Excuse me,” Yara said and opened the door to the president’s office. It was fine to him if Yamamoto didn’t want to discuss with him in the corridor next to the president’s office but it didn’t mean he was going to leave the matter alone.
- - -
The meeting about Sunshine’s upcoming Christmas concert with the president, Sunshine members, their staff, and some other important company people had taken almost two hours and Yara was sincerely thankful when they finally decided everything was done for that time. He would have preferred to already go back to the dance hall to give the finishing touch for the choreography of the Christmas spectacle instead of just talking about planning things with these people.
“Everyone, thank you for your hard work,” the president said, stood up and collected his papers into a neat pile, ready to leave the room. Everyone waited until he was at the door before following him and going to continue their own work. The president stayed in the corridor for a while, exchanging a few words with Sunshine’s manager. Yara almost turned to leave but then Yokoo finished his chat with the president and walked past him with a polite nod, and Yara heard the president’s voice.
“I still have some minor things for you to finish today,” he said to Yamamoto.
“Yes, sir.”
“You won’t mind staying a moment on overtime will you? I’ll have to stay here a bit longer and I think I might need your help.”
The company president’s words rang in Yara’s ears and he felt annoyance boil inside him. There was nothing wrong with Domoto’s actual words but everyone in their company knew their boss and anyone would have been able to read his true meaning between the lines.
“I’m afraid she can’t stay,” Yara found himself saying. He turned around to look at the president who answered his gaze questioningly.
“Excuse me?”
“She’s having a date with me right after work tonight,” Yara said. Behind Domoto’s back Yamamoto’s eyes widened in surprise.
“But-” she started and Yara rushed to interrupt her before her behavior would reveal the president Yara was just making up the whole thing.
“I’m really sorry,” he said, “but I have already reserved a table for us in a restaurant. Would it be possible for her to get to leave in time today?”
Domoto liked him and appreciated him as a worker, Yara knew, and that was the only reason he dared to talk to him like that. The president was a businessman but he was neither cruel nor deaf to his underlings’ wishes.
“What is it that I hear?” Domoto asked, smiling when he glanced at Yamamoto, “Have you gotten yourself a boyfriend, Ryoko?”
“I’m n-”
“It’s not like that,” Yara said quickly. Too quickly that it could have sounded natural, and from the president’s face Yara knew he had swallowed the bait and really thought they were dating.
“Well well, it seems I’ll have to ask someone else to help me with the rest of the work this evening,” Domoto said and shook his head, winking at Yara goodheartedly, “Just go and have a nice date, you two.”
“But-” Yamamoto still tried to object in vain but no-one was really listening to her. The president bowed with a polite (and still a bit amused) smile and turned away, eyeing at the papers he had taken from the counseling room.
“So…” Yara said, feeling rather awkward when Yamamoto turned to look at him with her eyes narrowed and her mouth pressed into a thin line.
“What are you doing?” she hissed when Domoto stepped into the stairs and the sound of his steps slowly faded.
“Showing you there are more - and better - fish in the sea than just the one you’re used to. I’ll be waiting for you at the main doors of the Ueno Station at eight. Excuse me,” he said quickly and left before Yamamoto would have time to refuse right away.
- - -
Yara sat down on a bench next to the main building of the Ueno Station exactly at quarter to eight. He didn’t really think Yamamoto would come but he had promised to wait. He was still there half an hour later, being sure he was waiting in vain, when he saw her.
Yamamoto walked slowly on her ridiculously high heels, glancing around as if she was looking for something, and Yara felt a flash of excitement inside when he realized Yamamoto was searching for him. When their eyes met, Yara got up and went to her, very aware of how disbelieving his smile must be at the moment.
“You’re here,” he said and Yamamoto flashed an amused smile at him.
“Why wouldn’t I? Sorry I’m late.”
“I never thought you’d really come,” Yara admitted, and Yamamoto shook her head.
“As far as I remember, you talked something about dinner in a restaurant,” she said and tilted her head, “I wasn’t sure if you really meant it but I wanted to find out.”
“Well I obviously haven’t reserved any restaurant tables beforehand,” Yara chuckled, fighting to calm down his racing heartbeat, “But, um. If you don’t mind spending the evening with an old man like me then I won’t mind offering you a dinner.”
"An old man, you?" Yamamoto asked. Her laughter was bright and beautiful.
Yamamoto, as Yara soon found out, didn’t mind spending the evening with him. They ate in a nice restaurant, talked and laughed, and overall had very good time together. Yara was surprised to find out Yamamoto wasn’t such a nervous little girl she often made herself look like at work. She was a bit of an airhead, true, and also very carefree, slightly clumsy, and maybe not the absolutely sharpest pencil in a box. But she wasn’t stupid either and she was very honest about her feelings. Not to mention how pretty she was, and how her shining smile made Yara feel warm in various places around his body.
“It’s not a big deal,” she explained with a nonchalant shrug when they walked around the streets after the dinner, watching the pretty Christmas lights, and Yara finally dared to ask about her relationship with the company president, “It’s not like I actually want to make out with him but I don’t really mind doing so, either. He’s okay enough and giving him such favors every now and then makes it way easier for me to coax him to give me a day off every now and then. I guess that makes it a two-sided profit.”
“But it’s not right!” Yara let out, shocked of the way she didn’t seem to care about the matter more, “you should value yourself higher!”
“Why?” she asked, a playful glimmer in her eyes, but Yara didn’t fall to the smile this time. This was something he really needed to get through to Yamamoto.
“Because you are a valuable worker in the company,” he said and frowned, “I’ve been working at Domoto’s for years and you’re hands down the best assistant he has ever had.”
“Even if I keep tripping from my feet all the time, and forgetting things, and sometimes saying weird things when the bosses are listening? Since, you know, it’s their presence that always makes me so nervous. I really need this job and I’m afraid the president might get rid of me if he thinks I’m not of use.”
She looked away with a small sad smile, and Yara’s heart swelled of all the emotions she made him feel at once.
“You are important to the office and the boss,” he repeated and took a deep breath, “and, you know, even though you might not notice it, there are others around you who treasure you as well.”
“What do you mean?” she asked slowly, even though the way she looked at him seemed like she was starting to have a rather good clue of what he meant.
It felt so easy. 'Show me what you mean,' her eyes said, and Yara accepted the challenge. There, under the bright blue Christmas lights, he grabbed her arm, pulled her closer, and pressed their lips together. Yamamoto was probably more than a bit surprised but she didn’t resist at all, letting out a faint pleased whine instead. Soon she shifted even closer to him, and Yara couldn’t have felt more relieved.
“You don’t have a boyfriend do you?” he gasped after a while, when they had to breathe again. Neither one stepped back, however, and she just leaned her chin against his shoulder. When she shook her head a bit Yara happily took it as a "no." They couldn’t quite see each other that way but Yara felt like feeling was even better than seeing anyway. He had been watching Yamamoto for a long time enough already and he wanted to touch her now that he was finally allowed to. She willingly accepted the touch and there was no reason for him to let her go.
“Since we’ve been talking a lot about things that I do or don’t mind,” she said after a long while and let out a soft laugh, “I have to say I wouldn’t mind having you as a boyfriend someday.”
“Feel like you could give it a try?” Yara asked and it was as if the whole world had fallen silent for a moment, waiting for her answer.
“Yeah,” she said and squeezed her arms around Yara’s neck just a bit tighter, “I’d love to.”
Pairing: Yara Tomoyuki/Yamamoto Ryoko
Rating: PG
Word count: 2026
A/N: This fic was Emma’s Christmas present! It’s AU, written for Mousapelli’s nano 2012; Lunatic Sunshine. And I guess I should warn about Ryota being a girl here. :’3
- - -
Yara leaned against the wall, glancing between his wristwatch and the electronic doorbell that had shown him a red light for a while already. President Domoto was probably very busy at the moment. Yara would definitely had already left and come back later if he hadn’t had such an important matter to discuss with the company president. Suddenly Yara heard a faint moan from behind the door.
Oh. So that was what kept Domoto so busy. It was a badly kept secret in the company that Domoto-san had a weak spot for pretty girls and that he was skillful at getting things he wanted to have.
Yara would have wanted to leave but he really needed to talk with the president, and there was something else too that kept him right there.
After about half a minute the door opened and closed when the president’s assistant, Yamamoto Ryoko, rushed out of the room. She tried to smooth away the wrinkles of her short skirt, brush her shoulder lenght black hair into some kind of an order, and keep the lapful of papers and clearfiles in balance with the other hand; all at the same time.
Yamamoto was always pretty, Yara thought, and even more so the way he was at the moment; flushed and a bit breathless, and the kind of a look in her eyes that made Yara’s skin burn with only one glance from her.
“Oh, Yara-san,” she said and winced a bit as she noticed him but then instantly switched on her professional work mode, skillfully hiding her shaken expression behind a polite smile, “the president is just finishing some important paperwork but I guess you can go in anyway.”
“Sure,” Yara said, shivering at the sudden change into the girl’s appearance, “I’ll go in.”
“Excuse me,” she said with a small bow and a smile, and turned around, her heels knocking against the floor as she went.
“Wait,” Yara called after her before he had time to reconsider his words.
“Hmm?” Yamamoto let out a questioning noise as she glanced at him over her shoulder.
“You wouldn’t need to do that,” he said and continued when she raised her eyebrows, “I mean, for him. You’re in no way obliged to give him the things he asks you. He’s not forcing you, right?”
“Thank you for your consideration Yara-san,” she said in an overly polite tone and smiled nonchalantly, “but I think I can take care of myself fairly well. No-one is forcing me into anything. Now, if there’s nothing else, I really have some work to do.”
“Yeah, um. Excuse me,” Yara said and opened the door to the president’s office. It was fine to him if Yamamoto didn’t want to discuss with him in the corridor next to the president’s office but it didn’t mean he was going to leave the matter alone.
- - -
The meeting about Sunshine’s upcoming Christmas concert with the president, Sunshine members, their staff, and some other important company people had taken almost two hours and Yara was sincerely thankful when they finally decided everything was done for that time. He would have preferred to already go back to the dance hall to give the finishing touch for the choreography of the Christmas spectacle instead of just talking about planning things with these people.
“Everyone, thank you for your hard work,” the president said, stood up and collected his papers into a neat pile, ready to leave the room. Everyone waited until he was at the door before following him and going to continue their own work. The president stayed in the corridor for a while, exchanging a few words with Sunshine’s manager. Yara almost turned to leave but then Yokoo finished his chat with the president and walked past him with a polite nod, and Yara heard the president’s voice.
“I still have some minor things for you to finish today,” he said to Yamamoto.
“Yes, sir.”
“You won’t mind staying a moment on overtime will you? I’ll have to stay here a bit longer and I think I might need your help.”
The company president’s words rang in Yara’s ears and he felt annoyance boil inside him. There was nothing wrong with Domoto’s actual words but everyone in their company knew their boss and anyone would have been able to read his true meaning between the lines.
“I’m afraid she can’t stay,” Yara found himself saying. He turned around to look at the president who answered his gaze questioningly.
“Excuse me?”
“She’s having a date with me right after work tonight,” Yara said. Behind Domoto’s back Yamamoto’s eyes widened in surprise.
“But-” she started and Yara rushed to interrupt her before her behavior would reveal the president Yara was just making up the whole thing.
“I’m really sorry,” he said, “but I have already reserved a table for us in a restaurant. Would it be possible for her to get to leave in time today?”
Domoto liked him and appreciated him as a worker, Yara knew, and that was the only reason he dared to talk to him like that. The president was a businessman but he was neither cruel nor deaf to his underlings’ wishes.
“What is it that I hear?” Domoto asked, smiling when he glanced at Yamamoto, “Have you gotten yourself a boyfriend, Ryoko?”
“I’m n-”
“It’s not like that,” Yara said quickly. Too quickly that it could have sounded natural, and from the president’s face Yara knew he had swallowed the bait and really thought they were dating.
“Well well, it seems I’ll have to ask someone else to help me with the rest of the work this evening,” Domoto said and shook his head, winking at Yara goodheartedly, “Just go and have a nice date, you two.”
“But-” Yamamoto still tried to object in vain but no-one was really listening to her. The president bowed with a polite (and still a bit amused) smile and turned away, eyeing at the papers he had taken from the counseling room.
“So…” Yara said, feeling rather awkward when Yamamoto turned to look at him with her eyes narrowed and her mouth pressed into a thin line.
“What are you doing?” she hissed when Domoto stepped into the stairs and the sound of his steps slowly faded.
“Showing you there are more - and better - fish in the sea than just the one you’re used to. I’ll be waiting for you at the main doors of the Ueno Station at eight. Excuse me,” he said quickly and left before Yamamoto would have time to refuse right away.
- - -
Yara sat down on a bench next to the main building of the Ueno Station exactly at quarter to eight. He didn’t really think Yamamoto would come but he had promised to wait. He was still there half an hour later, being sure he was waiting in vain, when he saw her.
Yamamoto walked slowly on her ridiculously high heels, glancing around as if she was looking for something, and Yara felt a flash of excitement inside when he realized Yamamoto was searching for him. When their eyes met, Yara got up and went to her, very aware of how disbelieving his smile must be at the moment.
“You’re here,” he said and Yamamoto flashed an amused smile at him.
“Why wouldn’t I? Sorry I’m late.”
“I never thought you’d really come,” Yara admitted, and Yamamoto shook her head.
“As far as I remember, you talked something about dinner in a restaurant,” she said and tilted her head, “I wasn’t sure if you really meant it but I wanted to find out.”
“Well I obviously haven’t reserved any restaurant tables beforehand,” Yara chuckled, fighting to calm down his racing heartbeat, “But, um. If you don’t mind spending the evening with an old man like me then I won’t mind offering you a dinner.”
"An old man, you?" Yamamoto asked. Her laughter was bright and beautiful.
Yamamoto, as Yara soon found out, didn’t mind spending the evening with him. They ate in a nice restaurant, talked and laughed, and overall had very good time together. Yara was surprised to find out Yamamoto wasn’t such a nervous little girl she often made herself look like at work. She was a bit of an airhead, true, and also very carefree, slightly clumsy, and maybe not the absolutely sharpest pencil in a box. But she wasn’t stupid either and she was very honest about her feelings. Not to mention how pretty she was, and how her shining smile made Yara feel warm in various places around his body.
“It’s not a big deal,” she explained with a nonchalant shrug when they walked around the streets after the dinner, watching the pretty Christmas lights, and Yara finally dared to ask about her relationship with the company president, “It’s not like I actually want to make out with him but I don’t really mind doing so, either. He’s okay enough and giving him such favors every now and then makes it way easier for me to coax him to give me a day off every now and then. I guess that makes it a two-sided profit.”
“But it’s not right!” Yara let out, shocked of the way she didn’t seem to care about the matter more, “you should value yourself higher!”
“Why?” she asked, a playful glimmer in her eyes, but Yara didn’t fall to the smile this time. This was something he really needed to get through to Yamamoto.
“Because you are a valuable worker in the company,” he said and frowned, “I’ve been working at Domoto’s for years and you’re hands down the best assistant he has ever had.”
“Even if I keep tripping from my feet all the time, and forgetting things, and sometimes saying weird things when the bosses are listening? Since, you know, it’s their presence that always makes me so nervous. I really need this job and I’m afraid the president might get rid of me if he thinks I’m not of use.”
She looked away with a small sad smile, and Yara’s heart swelled of all the emotions she made him feel at once.
“You are important to the office and the boss,” he repeated and took a deep breath, “and, you know, even though you might not notice it, there are others around you who treasure you as well.”
“What do you mean?” she asked slowly, even though the way she looked at him seemed like she was starting to have a rather good clue of what he meant.
It felt so easy. 'Show me what you mean,' her eyes said, and Yara accepted the challenge. There, under the bright blue Christmas lights, he grabbed her arm, pulled her closer, and pressed their lips together. Yamamoto was probably more than a bit surprised but she didn’t resist at all, letting out a faint pleased whine instead. Soon she shifted even closer to him, and Yara couldn’t have felt more relieved.
“You don’t have a boyfriend do you?” he gasped after a while, when they had to breathe again. Neither one stepped back, however, and she just leaned her chin against his shoulder. When she shook her head a bit Yara happily took it as a "no." They couldn’t quite see each other that way but Yara felt like feeling was even better than seeing anyway. He had been watching Yamamoto for a long time enough already and he wanted to touch her now that he was finally allowed to. She willingly accepted the touch and there was no reason for him to let her go.
“Since we’ve been talking a lot about things that I do or don’t mind,” she said after a long while and let out a soft laugh, “I have to say I wouldn’t mind having you as a boyfriend someday.”
“Feel like you could give it a try?” Yara asked and it was as if the whole world had fallen silent for a moment, waiting for her answer.
“Yeah,” she said and squeezed her arms around Yara’s neck just a bit tighter, “I’d love to.”