December Challenge 13 - Balance
December Challenge 13
Title - Balance
Author - unwritten_ideas
Rating - PG
Word Count - 1,438
Pairing - hinted Gackt x You
Characters - Gackt, You
Disclaimer - don’t own squat and if I did, I’d be posting this with pictures
Summary - maintaining a perfect relationship as all about balance
Notes - set during the YFC tour
It had been a good night in Osaka, You had thought. The live had gone well with no mistakes or collapses and You was looking forward to an enjoyable after show party full of good food and drink. Gackt had spent the day teasing whichever poor unfortunate member of the crew was nearest to him and had stated to You earlier that he was looking forward to a wild night and a lazy, work free morning to recover.
Gackt had been in remarkably high spirits… until the phone call.
You had been close enough to Gackt to hear him answer the phone with a cheerful greeting to Kaori, Gackt’s girlfriend of the last five months, but he hadn’t been close enough to hear why Gackt’s smile had quickly turned into a frown and an angry slam of the door as Gackt had left the bar. You may not have noticed when Chacha placed the first drink of the evening in front of him, but he had noticed when Gackt had quickly snatched the keys of their manager’s rented car from the table before he’d left.
The phone call had upset Gackt, for some reason, and an upset Gackt tended to do crazy, self destructive things. It took a few minutes but You finally find the band’s driver amongst the crowd and after reminding the driver of the favours he was owed, You had the keys to the band’s mini van in hand and drove into the night.
He had no idea where Gackt had gone. The rented Mercedes was missing from the parking lot so he knew Gackt had taken it, but in which direction and for what destination he didn’t know. He tried Gackt’s phone a few times but it simply rang out and after a quick phone call to Chacha, he knew that Gackt had not returned to the hotel.
You kept on driving until he lost track of time and his direction but eventually found himself on a road that seemed familiar. He trawled through his mind and finally, the answer came to him. This was one of the roads they used to take, many years ago, whenever they made the long trip from Kyoto to Osaka.
It hadn’t changed much, really. It was still just kilometre after kilometre of dull grey road and empty Japanese countryside with the occasional landmark along the way. How many times had they driven down this road? Ren in the driver’s seat, Nao drumming away on the dashboard in the passenger’s seat and You and Gackt, Satoru, cramped in the back next to all of the bags that wouldn’t fit in the trunk as Gackt either talked endlessly or fell asleep on You’s shoulder.
The further You travelled down that road and the closer he got to Kyoto, the more certain he became that Gackt was probably travelling down this exact same road. Even now, while he was surrounded by a beautiful house and the best things money could buy, there was a part of Gackt that longed for the anonymous life he’d lived in Kyoto. You could remember those first few years of Gackt’s professional music career when Gackt would just jump in his car and start the long drive from Tokyo to Kyoto whenever the pressure became too much. He’d never made the whole journey but sometimes You had thought that was never Gackt’s intention anyway. He didn’t need to go to Kyoto or to walk those once familiar streets - Gackt just needed to know it still existed.
As You continued driving, more and more of those road trip memories came flooding back. The blown tyres, the fifteen times Ren had forgotten to check his gas tank before leaving Osaka and they’d ran out of gas halfway home, the many arguments between Gackt and Nao on drumming techniques and the nights spent at that roadside ramen store just outside of a little town that marked the halfway spot.
It was at this ramen shop, just outside that little town, that You spotted a parked Mercedes Benz.
He pulled up alongside it and was in no way surprised to find Gackt, delicately perched upon the hood of the car, staring out into the endless black of the surrounding night. You sat on the hood just behind Gackt, the car’s suspension jostling slightly underneath the added weight but Gackt made no movement or sign that he’d recognised You’s appearance. They sat in silence, both staring into the star filled sky.
“It looks like it’s been closed for a long time,” Gackt finally said, his voice quiet as if the silence of the night was too beautiful to be interrupted by speech. “It’s a shame. I remember their noodles being really good.”
“What’s happened, Gaku?”
“I wanted some ramen.”
“You didn’t come all of the way out here and leave a tour party just for some cheap ramen,” You sighed. “I heard the phone call.”
Gackt paused for a few seconds. “If you heard, then why are you asking?”
“I know Kaori called you, but I don’t know what she said,” You explained. “Do you want to tell me?”
Gackt closed his eyes although the gesture was pretty pointless. The town was far enough away for the few lights there to not pollute their little parking space so it wasn’t really much darker with his eyes closed than it was with them open, street lights always had been a rarity in this part of Japan. “She said the same thing that they all say.”
“And that is?” You prompted, although he knew the answer. They’d been through this dance before.
“I’m never there. If I loved her, I’d make time for her. I flirt too much with other women. She can’t trust me. It’s her or my career. Same old shit,” Gackt spat, his voice both defeated and angry. “We’ve both heard it before.”
You nodded in agreement although he knew Gackt wouldn’t see the gesture. It was a speech that You was all too familiar with, having lost his own share of girlfriends to the demands of the road and the trappings of fame.
“Things were so much simpler back when this ramen store was still open,” You stated.
“Hmm,” Gackt agreed. “Ha, I remember a girl ditching me back then because I was too clingy.”
You laughed. “Too clingy… too distant…. You can’t get the balance right can you?”
“Apparently not,” Gackt agreed. “But that’s me, I guess. I always have to go to the extreme.”
“And I always follow you.”
Gackt turned to face You, the guitarist’s face barely illuminated by the faint rays of the moon. “I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have left the party to chase after me again. Go back.”
“I’m fine here,” You replied and truly, he was.
“Do you remember when we found this stall for the first time?” Gackt asked. “We couldn’t believe that there would be a ramen stand here on the edge of this little town.”
“I remember you getting us lost,” You replied.
“I remember you giving me the wrong map,” Gackt shot back. You looked rather sheepish at the comment. “It worked out though, in the end. We ate good ramen and then stayed here all night just talking until the sun rose.”
“We used to do that a lot,” You said. “You were always having girl trouble, even then.”
Gackt smiled. “I don’t think Kaori was the right person for me.”
“I never thought she was either,” You agreed.
“Fifteen years ago we were sat here, talking like this,” Gackt said, “and part of me thinks that in fifteen years time, we’ll still be sat here, talking like this.”
“We’ll be fifty-two then Gaku, I doubt we’ll be climbing onto the hoods of any cars,” You said, raising his hand to silence Gackt’s protest, “but I know what you mean. Girlfriends and boyfriends come and go but there’s still always us.”
“If we are here in fifteen years time, unable to climb onto the hoods of cars or run from wrinkles any longer, then I think that’d be okay,” Gackt said. “Besides, maybe a new ramen shop will have opened.”
You shuffled closer to the body in front of him and loosely draped his arm around Gackt’s neck, his hand coming to rest not too far from Gackt’s heart. His head fitted nicely on Gackt’s broad shoulder so he rested his head there, his eyes directly in line with Gackt’s throat. “Maybe you’ll find someone you can get that balance with - not too clingy and not too distant,” You said softly.
Gackt smiled. “Maybe I already have.”
~owari
Title - Balance
Author - unwritten_ideas
Rating - PG
Word Count - 1,438
Pairing - hinted Gackt x You
Characters - Gackt, You
Disclaimer - don’t own squat and if I did, I’d be posting this with pictures
Summary - maintaining a perfect relationship as all about balance
Notes - set during the YFC tour
It had been a good night in Osaka, You had thought. The live had gone well with no mistakes or collapses and You was looking forward to an enjoyable after show party full of good food and drink. Gackt had spent the day teasing whichever poor unfortunate member of the crew was nearest to him and had stated to You earlier that he was looking forward to a wild night and a lazy, work free morning to recover.
Gackt had been in remarkably high spirits… until the phone call.
You had been close enough to Gackt to hear him answer the phone with a cheerful greeting to Kaori, Gackt’s girlfriend of the last five months, but he hadn’t been close enough to hear why Gackt’s smile had quickly turned into a frown and an angry slam of the door as Gackt had left the bar. You may not have noticed when Chacha placed the first drink of the evening in front of him, but he had noticed when Gackt had quickly snatched the keys of their manager’s rented car from the table before he’d left.
The phone call had upset Gackt, for some reason, and an upset Gackt tended to do crazy, self destructive things. It took a few minutes but You finally find the band’s driver amongst the crowd and after reminding the driver of the favours he was owed, You had the keys to the band’s mini van in hand and drove into the night.
He had no idea where Gackt had gone. The rented Mercedes was missing from the parking lot so he knew Gackt had taken it, but in which direction and for what destination he didn’t know. He tried Gackt’s phone a few times but it simply rang out and after a quick phone call to Chacha, he knew that Gackt had not returned to the hotel.
You kept on driving until he lost track of time and his direction but eventually found himself on a road that seemed familiar. He trawled through his mind and finally, the answer came to him. This was one of the roads they used to take, many years ago, whenever they made the long trip from Kyoto to Osaka.
It hadn’t changed much, really. It was still just kilometre after kilometre of dull grey road and empty Japanese countryside with the occasional landmark along the way. How many times had they driven down this road? Ren in the driver’s seat, Nao drumming away on the dashboard in the passenger’s seat and You and Gackt, Satoru, cramped in the back next to all of the bags that wouldn’t fit in the trunk as Gackt either talked endlessly or fell asleep on You’s shoulder.
The further You travelled down that road and the closer he got to Kyoto, the more certain he became that Gackt was probably travelling down this exact same road. Even now, while he was surrounded by a beautiful house and the best things money could buy, there was a part of Gackt that longed for the anonymous life he’d lived in Kyoto. You could remember those first few years of Gackt’s professional music career when Gackt would just jump in his car and start the long drive from Tokyo to Kyoto whenever the pressure became too much. He’d never made the whole journey but sometimes You had thought that was never Gackt’s intention anyway. He didn’t need to go to Kyoto or to walk those once familiar streets - Gackt just needed to know it still existed.
As You continued driving, more and more of those road trip memories came flooding back. The blown tyres, the fifteen times Ren had forgotten to check his gas tank before leaving Osaka and they’d ran out of gas halfway home, the many arguments between Gackt and Nao on drumming techniques and the nights spent at that roadside ramen store just outside of a little town that marked the halfway spot.
It was at this ramen shop, just outside that little town, that You spotted a parked Mercedes Benz.
He pulled up alongside it and was in no way surprised to find Gackt, delicately perched upon the hood of the car, staring out into the endless black of the surrounding night. You sat on the hood just behind Gackt, the car’s suspension jostling slightly underneath the added weight but Gackt made no movement or sign that he’d recognised You’s appearance. They sat in silence, both staring into the star filled sky.
“It looks like it’s been closed for a long time,” Gackt finally said, his voice quiet as if the silence of the night was too beautiful to be interrupted by speech. “It’s a shame. I remember their noodles being really good.”
“What’s happened, Gaku?”
“I wanted some ramen.”
“You didn’t come all of the way out here and leave a tour party just for some cheap ramen,” You sighed. “I heard the phone call.”
Gackt paused for a few seconds. “If you heard, then why are you asking?”
“I know Kaori called you, but I don’t know what she said,” You explained. “Do you want to tell me?”
Gackt closed his eyes although the gesture was pretty pointless. The town was far enough away for the few lights there to not pollute their little parking space so it wasn’t really much darker with his eyes closed than it was with them open, street lights always had been a rarity in this part of Japan. “She said the same thing that they all say.”
“And that is?” You prompted, although he knew the answer. They’d been through this dance before.
“I’m never there. If I loved her, I’d make time for her. I flirt too much with other women. She can’t trust me. It’s her or my career. Same old shit,” Gackt spat, his voice both defeated and angry. “We’ve both heard it before.”
You nodded in agreement although he knew Gackt wouldn’t see the gesture. It was a speech that You was all too familiar with, having lost his own share of girlfriends to the demands of the road and the trappings of fame.
“Things were so much simpler back when this ramen store was still open,” You stated.
“Hmm,” Gackt agreed. “Ha, I remember a girl ditching me back then because I was too clingy.”
You laughed. “Too clingy… too distant…. You can’t get the balance right can you?”
“Apparently not,” Gackt agreed. “But that’s me, I guess. I always have to go to the extreme.”
“And I always follow you.”
Gackt turned to face You, the guitarist’s face barely illuminated by the faint rays of the moon. “I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have left the party to chase after me again. Go back.”
“I’m fine here,” You replied and truly, he was.
“Do you remember when we found this stall for the first time?” Gackt asked. “We couldn’t believe that there would be a ramen stand here on the edge of this little town.”
“I remember you getting us lost,” You replied.
“I remember you giving me the wrong map,” Gackt shot back. You looked rather sheepish at the comment. “It worked out though, in the end. We ate good ramen and then stayed here all night just talking until the sun rose.”
“We used to do that a lot,” You said. “You were always having girl trouble, even then.”
Gackt smiled. “I don’t think Kaori was the right person for me.”
“I never thought she was either,” You agreed.
“Fifteen years ago we were sat here, talking like this,” Gackt said, “and part of me thinks that in fifteen years time, we’ll still be sat here, talking like this.”
“We’ll be fifty-two then Gaku, I doubt we’ll be climbing onto the hoods of any cars,” You said, raising his hand to silence Gackt’s protest, “but I know what you mean. Girlfriends and boyfriends come and go but there’s still always us.”
“If we are here in fifteen years time, unable to climb onto the hoods of cars or run from wrinkles any longer, then I think that’d be okay,” Gackt said. “Besides, maybe a new ramen shop will have opened.”
You shuffled closer to the body in front of him and loosely draped his arm around Gackt’s neck, his hand coming to rest not too far from Gackt’s heart. His head fitted nicely on Gackt’s broad shoulder so he rested his head there, his eyes directly in line with Gackt’s throat. “Maybe you’ll find someone you can get that balance with - not too clingy and not too distant,” You said softly.
Gackt smiled. “Maybe I already have.”
~owari