The Road to Getting Along
Title: The Road to Getting Along (Or, Five Times Ryo and Ueda were together and something didn't break)
Characters/Group: Ueda Tatsuya, Nishikido Ryo [KAT-TUN, Kanjani8]
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: They ain't mine.
Word Count: 2,284
Summary: Five scenes where Ryo and Ueda got along. Or were on the way to getting along.
Warning: Clichéd settings :X
Notes: This...was supposed to be another contribution to the Tatsuya-thon but it grew into something that didn't fit any of the prompts ;__;
I.
“Why do they have to film us backstage as well?” Tatsuya wonders out loud quietly, more weary than he is glum. He is still blinking away flashes from the photoshoot earlier. His limbs are tired from dance practice in the morning. “Isn’t it enough that we perform?”
Next to him, Ryo snorts. Obviously the older Junior has no idea of what idols do even after being in that overrated group KAT-TUN for so long. “Fans wouldn’t be happy to see us just on stage all the time. They want to see how we’re like outside of dramas and music shows too. Or, at least my fans do. I’m not sure if you have fans.” Tatsuya thought the younger boy had some gall to give him such a condescending look.
In what Ryo considers an absolutely prissy manner, the older boy sniffs and promptly turns his back on him. Here he is, patiently explaining the ways of idols and the antisocial kid just goes to nap. Not that it matters to him that much anyway - they’ll see who becomes Japan’s biggest heartthrob soon enough.
Fifteen minutes later, when the camera crew rolls into their dressing room, Ryo jabs Tatsuya non-too-gently to wake him up. Not surprisingly, Jin immediately takes up all the attention as soon as the questions start flowing.
Bored and out of camera shot, Ryo slumps a little more into his seat. Next to him, Tatsuya looks at Jin’s profile with carefully concealed wistfulness. Never in a million years would he be so natural in front of the camera, and sometimes he envies Jin because the younger boy seems to fill the acts of an idol much more skillfully and naturally than he ever could. He himself feels awkward and uncomfortable in the focus of cameras, and prefers to let the others talk, while he stands in a quiet corner. Even though he is the appointed leader of KAT-TUN, he knows it is the younger ones who pick up on areas he lacks in.
Ryo kicks the leg of Tatsuya’s chair and whispers when the older boy turns to glare at him. “If you’re thinking of becoming the next camera whore, then I’m not lending you money for lunch anymore.”
Tatsuya blinks in surprise; he had almost forgotten about the younger boy sitting next to him, then-“hey, it’s me who lends you lunch money!” But his protest is swallowed by the others’ laughter as Ryo steals Jin’s juice as soon as the cameras stop rolling and causes a complete ruckus.
II.
Tatsuya takes his time cleaning off his makeup and putting his things into his bag. He even goes around picking up empty cups and snack bags to throw away and takes the time to listen to Junno’s extremely long and complicated pun which revolves around a melon pan, a tanuki, and a ginkgo tree. When he figures enough time has passed for Jin to have chewed Ryo’s ear off, he makes his way to Kanjani8’s dressing room.
“Tat-chan!” Jin runs over as soon as he enters the room.
“Ah, it’s Ueda-kun. Hi, Ueda-kun!” Yasuda waves from where he’s sitting on the couch playing a game on his phone. “Your lips are normal now!” Murakami winks and grins good-naturedly. Ueda gives them polite smiles and nods but doesn’t get much further than that.
“Oh, good. Now that you’re done crying your eyes out in an empty toilet stall and finally dragged your ass over here, you can take this idiot away with you.” Ryo glares as he pulls a pair of earplugs out of his ears and throws them carelessly.
“Don’t be mean to him, Ryo! It was really cruel for you to put him down like that! Even though I’m not a fan of Gackt-san and I think the spiky jewelry Tat-chan wears looks kind of scary sometimes but I still love him very much!”
“Great. That was more than I ever needed to know about your secret undying love for Gackt-wannabe here but whatever. Now scram before I strangle both you and Ueda to death and make KAT-TUN a four member group.” Ryo makes the scary face he uses to chase the younger Juniors away, not that it really works since Jin is busy trying to explain that you can’t take the vowels away!
Tatsuya can feel a migraine coming and wants to go home already. “I don’t know about that, Ryo-chan. I think you’d need to grow a couple more inches for you to strangle us. Don’t worry, though. I’m sure if you drink milk every day you can grow to reach our height one day.” He deadpans as he pushes Jin out of the room ahead of him.
“You talentless, stupid, wimpy, emo poser-” Ryo screams out, his only prevention to being physically violent being Uchi and Subaru holding him back and trying to appease him unsuccessfully.
“Careful now, my jewelry can be used for more than accessorizing, you know?” Ueda’s words are accompanied by the slam of the door, which takes the brunt of the empty tea can that Ryo kicks.
“Don’t you dare run away, you freak!”
III.
03:26
Can you pick us up?
From his spot on the floor, he reads the time as 3:30 in the morning on the clock on Kame’s living room wall. He stands a little unsteadily, rubbing his eyes tiredly and surveys the empty boxes of takeout sushi and beer cans scattered around the room. He makes his way to the couch where Kame and Maru are half-sprawled over each other and carefully drapes the quilt that had fallen off over them.
The streets near clubs and bars are still filled with people who are enjoying their fun until the first trains start up again. He stops the car where two distinctively undistinguishable figures are standing at a street corner. Yamashita is definitely gone for the night - he can see from the way Nishikido is practically carrying his entire weight on his shoulder. As he starts driving again, he glimpses Nishikido’s worn face and bloodshot eyes that he hasn’t seen in nearly a year and thinks being completely smashed is probably the better option in this case. He follows Nishikido’s directions to Yamashita’s apartment silently for the rest of the trip.
At Yamashita’s bedroom, he takes off the younger man’s shoes and covers him with a blanket while Nishikido goes to fetch a glass of water from the kitchen.
Somehow, when he realizes it, he’s sitting on the bench outside, staring at the street light’s reflection on the front window of his car. Nishikido lights a cigarette and takes a deep inhale like it’s his saving grace. From the way that the backrest of the bench creaks a little, he guesses that the younger man is leaning back now, maybe closing his eyes against the night for a moment, maybe looking up at the sky. Maybe wondering how the view would look from an airplane flying over the Pacific ocean.
“Take good care of him.” Ueda coughs, wonders if he should go, but he would feel bad leaving Nishikido here. Not that the younger idol couldn’t just crash at Yamashita’s place, but he doesn’t feel like it’s his place to assume. He doesn’t want to rush Nishikido into going home because he would probably look like he was impatient that way, and he’s not, he has all the time in the world now, it seems-
“Don’t tell me what to do with my friends. I know them better that you ever will.” Ryo scuffs out the end of the cigarette with the heel of his shoe. His words fall flat, don’t take the sharpness and accuracy that they usually have, don’t have the same bitter poison that Ueda used to think they had.
“That’s what…he said, before he left.” Ueda has this sudden longing to go to Okinawa. Or maybe Hokkaido. Anywhere that is far from bright city lights which prevent from stargazing at night. He remembers learning about the constellations with his sister when he was young. He has a sudden urge to return there, to their childhood home.
“That idiot left okay?”
“Yeah.” When it’s a decent hour in the day, he decides to call his sister. He hasn’t seen her since New Years.
“He’ll be back.”
“Yeah.”
IV.
“What is that?” Ryo’s voice is mixed with incredulity and ridicule as he falls back on the couch laughing. Sitting on the floor at the coffee table, Ueda scowls and snatches the paper back.
But of course Ryo wouldn’t stop there. “Do mice have eyebrows to begin with? And what is wrong with its ear?! Did it get it ripped off at a boxing tournament? A mouse boxing tournament?” Ueda doesn’t think that Ryo’s ridiculousness deserves an answer so he keeps his mouth closed, lips in a very thin line. Meanwhile, the younger man is having too much fun with his own cleverness to stop.
Finally Ryo relents because he doesn’t really want Ueda to get mad - he still needs to submit the completed version of his solo for Kanjani8’s next album and he doesn’t have the melody line down quite yet. And having an angry Ueda would be completely useless to finishing that task.
“Okay, okay I’ll stop. Yosh! Let’s get to work, shall we?” But Ryo’s winning smile is useless against Ueda, who ignores him in favor of crossing out a line of lyrics and writing new ones underneath. Ryo sighs, but not loud enough for Ueda to hear. Spoiled, insufferable princess.
“I helped you fix the lyrics to that flower song, and you said you’d return the favor.” Ryo tries to look wide-eyed and accusing to sway Ueda (he doesn’t mind acting idiotic if it’s in the privacy of his own home, and there is no one around to witness it anyway). But Ueda is no fangirl. Or fanboy. “It’s ai no hana, not ‘that flower song’. And anyway, all you told me was that it made no sense and to rewrite the, quote, parts underlined in yellow highlighter, unquote.”
“And look what happened - the song will be another beautiful ballad to your repertoire that will make your audience swoon, all because of my sound advice.” Ryo argues. Ueda mentally preens at the compliment, but doesn’t change his expression. Which doesn’t fool Ryo - after all, Ueda has no experience with acting outside of Shounen Club skits from back in the day.
“I’ll help you write that shamisen melody line.” Ueda falters - he’s been having problems with that piece.
“Deal.”
By the time they’re finished, the sun has set. And then risen, peeked over the horizon through Ryo’s living room windows. By the time Ryo comes back after driving Ueda home (Ueda had rehearsal later in the day for KAT-TUN’s upcoming tour, and it was the least Ryo could do) the sun is halfway on its journey to the middle of the sky. Amidst the pile of crumpled paper balls, he sees the weird doodle of the crazy mouse and tapes it to the wall.
A year later, he sees the logo for Ueda’s live, and falls off the couch in NEWS’ dressing room laughing.
16:48
Your live is definitely going to be a mess if that is your mascot!
You better give me a free ticket.
V.
Tatsuya remembers dinner at home as a formal and stiff affair. His parents tried their best to have dinner together as a family, but one of his parents was always away or late because of work. Dinner was at seven, but Tatsuya and his older sister were expected to be seated five minutes before that, Tatsuya was expected to change into a shirt and tie, and his sister a blouse. Depending on the day, the menu would change from Western style to Japanese style, but either way the quiet and cool atmosphere never did.
His parents would talk about grades, cram schools, classical music, nothing that really mattered or interested Tatsuya. They were expected to answer politely, succinctly. Anything short of impeccable table manners was frowned upon, corrected. Tatsuya didn’t like the way maids would bustle in and out of the dining room, taking away plates, replacing them with new ones for the next course. It was at this time that he felt the most distanced from his parents, while peeking at them across the table which he had always felt was unnecessarily large.
*
The first time he has dinner with Ryo, it’s in a tiny, crowded ramen shop located at a tiny alley in a part of Tokyo that Tatsuya doesn’t frequent often. He fights the urge to turn around and walk back out because he would never be able to live it down if Ryo goes around calling him a spoiled princess for the rest of his life, but he can’t completely hide his discomfort in a place so overwhelmingly loud and filled with people - mostly salarymen who don’t bother giving Tatsuya or Ryo a second glance.
They’re crammed into a tiny table at the back, and Tatsuya almost makes a vow to never to go anywhere with Ryo again but then the food is there, and they’re both slurping up ramen noisily and talking about the best lunch menu that the Johnny’s cafeteria has to offer and trying to remember the lyrics to that one opening theme song in that anime series a couple years ago and debating over which music store has the best deals. At one point, Ryo says something funny and Tatsuya laughs with his mouth full, sprays ramen soup over the table. Ryo yells at him for having no table manners.
It’s the best dinner of Tatsuya’s life.
Characters/Group: Ueda Tatsuya, Nishikido Ryo [KAT-TUN, Kanjani8]
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: They ain't mine.
Word Count: 2,284
Summary: Five scenes where Ryo and Ueda got along. Or were on the way to getting along.
Warning: Clichéd settings :X
Notes: This...was supposed to be another contribution to the Tatsuya-thon but it grew into something that didn't fit any of the prompts ;__;
I.
“Why do they have to film us backstage as well?” Tatsuya wonders out loud quietly, more weary than he is glum. He is still blinking away flashes from the photoshoot earlier. His limbs are tired from dance practice in the morning. “Isn’t it enough that we perform?”
Next to him, Ryo snorts. Obviously the older Junior has no idea of what idols do even after being in that overrated group KAT-TUN for so long. “Fans wouldn’t be happy to see us just on stage all the time. They want to see how we’re like outside of dramas and music shows too. Or, at least my fans do. I’m not sure if you have fans.” Tatsuya thought the younger boy had some gall to give him such a condescending look.
In what Ryo considers an absolutely prissy manner, the older boy sniffs and promptly turns his back on him. Here he is, patiently explaining the ways of idols and the antisocial kid just goes to nap. Not that it matters to him that much anyway - they’ll see who becomes Japan’s biggest heartthrob soon enough.
Fifteen minutes later, when the camera crew rolls into their dressing room, Ryo jabs Tatsuya non-too-gently to wake him up. Not surprisingly, Jin immediately takes up all the attention as soon as the questions start flowing.
Bored and out of camera shot, Ryo slumps a little more into his seat. Next to him, Tatsuya looks at Jin’s profile with carefully concealed wistfulness. Never in a million years would he be so natural in front of the camera, and sometimes he envies Jin because the younger boy seems to fill the acts of an idol much more skillfully and naturally than he ever could. He himself feels awkward and uncomfortable in the focus of cameras, and prefers to let the others talk, while he stands in a quiet corner. Even though he is the appointed leader of KAT-TUN, he knows it is the younger ones who pick up on areas he lacks in.
Ryo kicks the leg of Tatsuya’s chair and whispers when the older boy turns to glare at him. “If you’re thinking of becoming the next camera whore, then I’m not lending you money for lunch anymore.”
Tatsuya blinks in surprise; he had almost forgotten about the younger boy sitting next to him, then-“hey, it’s me who lends you lunch money!” But his protest is swallowed by the others’ laughter as Ryo steals Jin’s juice as soon as the cameras stop rolling and causes a complete ruckus.
II.
Tatsuya takes his time cleaning off his makeup and putting his things into his bag. He even goes around picking up empty cups and snack bags to throw away and takes the time to listen to Junno’s extremely long and complicated pun which revolves around a melon pan, a tanuki, and a ginkgo tree. When he figures enough time has passed for Jin to have chewed Ryo’s ear off, he makes his way to Kanjani8’s dressing room.
“Tat-chan!” Jin runs over as soon as he enters the room.
“Ah, it’s Ueda-kun. Hi, Ueda-kun!” Yasuda waves from where he’s sitting on the couch playing a game on his phone. “Your lips are normal now!” Murakami winks and grins good-naturedly. Ueda gives them polite smiles and nods but doesn’t get much further than that.
“Oh, good. Now that you’re done crying your eyes out in an empty toilet stall and finally dragged your ass over here, you can take this idiot away with you.” Ryo glares as he pulls a pair of earplugs out of his ears and throws them carelessly.
“Don’t be mean to him, Ryo! It was really cruel for you to put him down like that! Even though I’m not a fan of Gackt-san and I think the spiky jewelry Tat-chan wears looks kind of scary sometimes but I still love him very much!”
“Great. That was more than I ever needed to know about your secret undying love for Gackt-wannabe here but whatever. Now scram before I strangle both you and Ueda to death and make KAT-TUN a four member group.” Ryo makes the scary face he uses to chase the younger Juniors away, not that it really works since Jin is busy trying to explain that you can’t take the vowels away!
Tatsuya can feel a migraine coming and wants to go home already. “I don’t know about that, Ryo-chan. I think you’d need to grow a couple more inches for you to strangle us. Don’t worry, though. I’m sure if you drink milk every day you can grow to reach our height one day.” He deadpans as he pushes Jin out of the room ahead of him.
“You talentless, stupid, wimpy, emo poser-” Ryo screams out, his only prevention to being physically violent being Uchi and Subaru holding him back and trying to appease him unsuccessfully.
“Careful now, my jewelry can be used for more than accessorizing, you know?” Ueda’s words are accompanied by the slam of the door, which takes the brunt of the empty tea can that Ryo kicks.
“Don’t you dare run away, you freak!”
III.
03:26
Can you pick us up?
From his spot on the floor, he reads the time as 3:30 in the morning on the clock on Kame’s living room wall. He stands a little unsteadily, rubbing his eyes tiredly and surveys the empty boxes of takeout sushi and beer cans scattered around the room. He makes his way to the couch where Kame and Maru are half-sprawled over each other and carefully drapes the quilt that had fallen off over them.
The streets near clubs and bars are still filled with people who are enjoying their fun until the first trains start up again. He stops the car where two distinctively undistinguishable figures are standing at a street corner. Yamashita is definitely gone for the night - he can see from the way Nishikido is practically carrying his entire weight on his shoulder. As he starts driving again, he glimpses Nishikido’s worn face and bloodshot eyes that he hasn’t seen in nearly a year and thinks being completely smashed is probably the better option in this case. He follows Nishikido’s directions to Yamashita’s apartment silently for the rest of the trip.
At Yamashita’s bedroom, he takes off the younger man’s shoes and covers him with a blanket while Nishikido goes to fetch a glass of water from the kitchen.
Somehow, when he realizes it, he’s sitting on the bench outside, staring at the street light’s reflection on the front window of his car. Nishikido lights a cigarette and takes a deep inhale like it’s his saving grace. From the way that the backrest of the bench creaks a little, he guesses that the younger man is leaning back now, maybe closing his eyes against the night for a moment, maybe looking up at the sky. Maybe wondering how the view would look from an airplane flying over the Pacific ocean.
“Take good care of him.” Ueda coughs, wonders if he should go, but he would feel bad leaving Nishikido here. Not that the younger idol couldn’t just crash at Yamashita’s place, but he doesn’t feel like it’s his place to assume. He doesn’t want to rush Nishikido into going home because he would probably look like he was impatient that way, and he’s not, he has all the time in the world now, it seems-
“Don’t tell me what to do with my friends. I know them better that you ever will.” Ryo scuffs out the end of the cigarette with the heel of his shoe. His words fall flat, don’t take the sharpness and accuracy that they usually have, don’t have the same bitter poison that Ueda used to think they had.
“That’s what…he said, before he left.” Ueda has this sudden longing to go to Okinawa. Or maybe Hokkaido. Anywhere that is far from bright city lights which prevent from stargazing at night. He remembers learning about the constellations with his sister when he was young. He has a sudden urge to return there, to their childhood home.
“That idiot left okay?”
“Yeah.” When it’s a decent hour in the day, he decides to call his sister. He hasn’t seen her since New Years.
“He’ll be back.”
“Yeah.”
IV.
“What is that?” Ryo’s voice is mixed with incredulity and ridicule as he falls back on the couch laughing. Sitting on the floor at the coffee table, Ueda scowls and snatches the paper back.
But of course Ryo wouldn’t stop there. “Do mice have eyebrows to begin with? And what is wrong with its ear?! Did it get it ripped off at a boxing tournament? A mouse boxing tournament?” Ueda doesn’t think that Ryo’s ridiculousness deserves an answer so he keeps his mouth closed, lips in a very thin line. Meanwhile, the younger man is having too much fun with his own cleverness to stop.
Finally Ryo relents because he doesn’t really want Ueda to get mad - he still needs to submit the completed version of his solo for Kanjani8’s next album and he doesn’t have the melody line down quite yet. And having an angry Ueda would be completely useless to finishing that task.
“Okay, okay I’ll stop. Yosh! Let’s get to work, shall we?” But Ryo’s winning smile is useless against Ueda, who ignores him in favor of crossing out a line of lyrics and writing new ones underneath. Ryo sighs, but not loud enough for Ueda to hear. Spoiled, insufferable princess.
“I helped you fix the lyrics to that flower song, and you said you’d return the favor.” Ryo tries to look wide-eyed and accusing to sway Ueda (he doesn’t mind acting idiotic if it’s in the privacy of his own home, and there is no one around to witness it anyway). But Ueda is no fangirl. Or fanboy. “It’s ai no hana, not ‘that flower song’. And anyway, all you told me was that it made no sense and to rewrite the, quote, parts underlined in yellow highlighter, unquote.”
“And look what happened - the song will be another beautiful ballad to your repertoire that will make your audience swoon, all because of my sound advice.” Ryo argues. Ueda mentally preens at the compliment, but doesn’t change his expression. Which doesn’t fool Ryo - after all, Ueda has no experience with acting outside of Shounen Club skits from back in the day.
“I’ll help you write that shamisen melody line.” Ueda falters - he’s been having problems with that piece.
“Deal.”
By the time they’re finished, the sun has set. And then risen, peeked over the horizon through Ryo’s living room windows. By the time Ryo comes back after driving Ueda home (Ueda had rehearsal later in the day for KAT-TUN’s upcoming tour, and it was the least Ryo could do) the sun is halfway on its journey to the middle of the sky. Amidst the pile of crumpled paper balls, he sees the weird doodle of the crazy mouse and tapes it to the wall.
A year later, he sees the logo for Ueda’s live, and falls off the couch in NEWS’ dressing room laughing.
16:48
Your live is definitely going to be a mess if that is your mascot!
You better give me a free ticket.
V.
Tatsuya remembers dinner at home as a formal and stiff affair. His parents tried their best to have dinner together as a family, but one of his parents was always away or late because of work. Dinner was at seven, but Tatsuya and his older sister were expected to be seated five minutes before that, Tatsuya was expected to change into a shirt and tie, and his sister a blouse. Depending on the day, the menu would change from Western style to Japanese style, but either way the quiet and cool atmosphere never did.
His parents would talk about grades, cram schools, classical music, nothing that really mattered or interested Tatsuya. They were expected to answer politely, succinctly. Anything short of impeccable table manners was frowned upon, corrected. Tatsuya didn’t like the way maids would bustle in and out of the dining room, taking away plates, replacing them with new ones for the next course. It was at this time that he felt the most distanced from his parents, while peeking at them across the table which he had always felt was unnecessarily large.
*
The first time he has dinner with Ryo, it’s in a tiny, crowded ramen shop located at a tiny alley in a part of Tokyo that Tatsuya doesn’t frequent often. He fights the urge to turn around and walk back out because he would never be able to live it down if Ryo goes around calling him a spoiled princess for the rest of his life, but he can’t completely hide his discomfort in a place so overwhelmingly loud and filled with people - mostly salarymen who don’t bother giving Tatsuya or Ryo a second glance.
They’re crammed into a tiny table at the back, and Tatsuya almost makes a vow to never to go anywhere with Ryo again but then the food is there, and they’re both slurping up ramen noisily and talking about the best lunch menu that the Johnny’s cafeteria has to offer and trying to remember the lyrics to that one opening theme song in that anime series a couple years ago and debating over which music store has the best deals. At one point, Ryo says something funny and Tatsuya laughs with his mouth full, sprays ramen soup over the table. Ryo yells at him for having no table manners.
It’s the best dinner of Tatsuya’s life.