十回 愛してる - 10 ways to say "I love you"

[yoru-no-hikaru.livejournal.com]

Pairing: KinKi Kids
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Don't own KinKi Kids, or anything JE-related
Warnings: All flully ^^


Note: This is something that hit me when I watched the Phi con birthday MC. There's this moment when Tsuoyshi says this line "Aho ka, omae?" and he sounds so affectionate and tender, I thought it totally sounded like a confession. ^^ Like saying "I love you", even when it's not the words. That's how I got this idea of saying "I love you" without using the words. So, this is a collection of possible scenes and situations. I hope you like them. I'd like to greet i_ate_a_panadol-chan, since one of the stories was written out of a train of thought we shared. I also dedicated the F1 part to yukitsubute and lilly0. A fangirl can always dream, right? ^^


Intro: Telling your partner "I love you" can be done in many ways. Here are a few.




Tsu-ways:


Tsuyoshi couldn’t help looking as Koichi returned from the bathroom. The older man was rubbing the towel madly through his hair in order to dry it as best he could. Well, that wouldn’t be a good reason for looking, but even after such a long time Tsuyoshi still marvelled at Koichi’s body every time he saw it. Which was even more surprising, if you considered that Koichi was the “showing” type. He slept naked for the main part, if he didn’t have to leave the apartment, he didn’t bother to get dressed for short trips to the fridge, or bathroom and sometimes he even sat in front of the TV in the nude. Naturally Koichi didn’t bother with a second towel for his waist after a shower. And naked Koichi was a huge appeal. Tsuyoshi got up from his position on the floor and pulled Koichi over to a small seat.
“Sit down here,” he ordered, leaving the scene for a moment, only to return with basic hair-styling equipment.
“Why?” Koichi asked.



Without another word Tsuyoshi began to thread lovingly through Koichi’s wet hair, arranging it neatly, before he gripped first the brush, then the hair dryer and started to work his lover’s fluffy hair into a nice shape. Koichi blinked a bit, but let himself be treated to this unexpected hair-do. He smiled softly. Tsuyoshi rarely did that for him, but he loved when his hair got nice treatment. Tsuyoshi made good work of it too, drying the hair properly, strand by strand, combing it and making it shine.
“How did I deserve that?” Koichi asked playfully once the task was finished.
“I guess you don’t,” Tsuyoshi shrugged. Then he buried his nose in Koichi’s hair, taking a deep breath and nuzzling the skin lightly. “I just really love your hair. It’s so soft and silky. So different from my own. I love your hair.”



____________________________________________________________________________________________



“Ne, Tsuyoshi,” Koichi mused silently. “For 20 years of knowing each other… should we create an album with 20 songs on it?”
“20 songs?” Tsuyoshi asked. “That’s a big lot.”
“I know,” Koichi said, starting to sound more excited. “But it would be cool.”
“Do we really want to celebrate our first encounter?” Tsuyoshi grinned teasingly. “Correct me if you feel differently, but it’s not really something I want to remember.”
“Whether it was a pleasant first meeting, or not, that’s how we started,” Koichi insisted. “Everything began on that day. The rest of our lives.”
“You should write that down and make it a song,” Tsuyoshi suggested. “Sounds like the perfect beginning of a confession.”
“I’m no good with lyrics,” Koichi opposed. “Neither with confessions. That’s your area of expertise.”
“Idiot,” Tsuyoshi said affectionately, stroking Koichi’s face with deft fingers before pecking his lips softly.




____________________________________________________________________________________________



Koichi eyed his lover warily as he sat down on the couch beside him. He started to shift uncomfortably, fumbling with the remote control. After a while he smiled in defeat.
“Ne, Tsu,” he said cheerfully. “Wanna go out instead of spending the day in front of the TV?”
Tsuyoshi blinked at him in surprise. “You want to go out? But… it’s F1 weekend.”
“I can’t believe you even know that,” Koichi chuckled merrily.
“Certainly I know,” Tsuyoshi defended himself. “I might not be an expert, but I follow the sports news too.”
“Eh?”
“What?! Don’t look at me like that,” Tsuyoshi demanded with a pout. “So… do you think that Austrian guy will make it? He’s starting front, after all.”



Koichi chuckled lightly at that.
“What again?” Tsuyoshi asked uneasily.
“He’s German,” Koichi explained with a sympathetic smile, “the guy at the pole position. He’s just driving in the Austrian team.”
Tsuyoshi blushed at that. “Oh…”
A little pause interrupted their conversation.
“Austria… where is that anyway?” Tsuyoshi finally mumbled, still feeling embarrassed.
Koichi chuckled lightly. “I checked, because their team is doing well. It’s somewhere in Central Europe. A rather small country…”



“Strange,” the other man mused. “I’ve heard about it, but never really bothered.”
Koichi merely nodded in agreement.
“Hey, do you think they know us over there?” Tsuyoshi asked thoughtfully.
At that Koichi shook his head, laughing lightly. “Hardly.”
“But really,” Tsuyoshi mused, “you know about their racing team. Maybe some of them know us too?”
“Maybe,” Koichi gave him.
“That would be cool.”
“Agreed.”



Turning his attention back to the TV-set, Tsuyoshi blinked. “What are those boxes for?” he asked, pointing at the screen.
“Why do you bother all of a sudden?” Koichi wanted to know.
“Well… I thought you’d like to… watch together,” Tsuyoshi mumbled.
Koichi chuckled lightly, pulling his lover closer and letting him rest against his side.
“I’d certainly enjoy it,” he agreed. “But are you sure that it won’t bore you?”
“I don’t understand what can possibly be interesting about a bunch of cars going round and round in circles.”
“There’s a lot of finesse in this sport,” Koichi explained.



“To even call it a sport,” Tsuyoshi nagged. “I mean, it might be interesting in a way, but really… it’s still just car driving.”
“Oh, you have no idea,” Koichi told him, sounding just a little bit bothered. “It’s nothing compared to driving a street car. They don’t have well-adjusted steering or engine-supported breaks. Those guys really have to work their cars. And considering the speed they’re going at. It’s probably really not a sport… it’s an art.”
Tsuyoshi blinked at that, then settled his head against his partner’s shoulder.



“And… who are you cheering for?”
Koichi laughed lightly. “The winning team.”
Tsuyoshi chuckled at that. “Very wise.”
“Isn’t it?” Koichi agreed with a smile, pecking his lips against his partner’s head lightly.
“Hey, if all of them want to take a turn,” Tsuyoshi suggested, “isn’t that bad and causes accidents?”
“Well, accidents happen,” Koichi explained, lazily playing with the other’s hair. “The cars are built to withstand great forces, though. As for taking turns… that is really something you have to consider. Like, if you go in at a higher speed, you have to take an inside route, or else the breaking will lose you a lot of precious time. But then, it can be better to moderate the speed more from the beginning and choose a wider route that’ll allow you to cut into a line someone lost when he had to break.”



“Hmmmm….” Tsuyoshi hummed. “Just why are there several people on the same team? I mean, if it were me, I’d race to win in person. Even if the winner is in my team, I’d still hate that I didn’t get in first.”
“The team is important,” Koichi told him. “Quite a lot of strategies can only be tackled in team work. There’s…”



______________________________________________________________________________________________



“Woah.”
Koichi stared at his lover, who was inspecting himself sceptically in the mirror, but jumped when he heard Koichi’s voice.
“Ah,” Tsuyoshi smiled shyly. “I thought… you always say you like it when I dress… well, in a fancier way. I just don’t know… is this okay?”
Koichi still inspected the other. Tsuyoshi had given his outfit quite some thought. The tight black jeans reminded Koichi why the other had been selected as best jeanist – his ass was close to irresistible. A midnight blue silk shirt could still be seen in parts over his chest and down his arms, the rest covered by a tapered black gilet that had a neat glittery decoration on one side, also black. The characteristical accessories like rings, an artistically shaped glove on his right hand and the stylish hat made the outfit look very… Tsuyoshi.



“What’s the occasion?” Koichi asked carefully.
“Do you like them now, or not?” Tsuyoshi asked bluntly.
“Quite honestly,” Koichi said, eyes glued to his partner, “when looking at you like this, I’d rather have them off…”
Tsuyoshi smirked at that, loosening the top button of his shirt. “That can be arranged.”
“You really don’t like to wear stuff like that, do you?” Koichi analysed, even if it was half-heartedly, maybe even just quarter-heartedly.
“I like taking it off for you,” Tsuyoshi offered, working the gilet open.
No further complaints or sharp remarks could be heard.



____________________________________________________________________________________________



Koichi bit his lip nervously. Tsuyoshi was returning home and while Koichi was happy that his partner was finally back, he also felt quite anxious. He had broken Tsuyoshi’s most beloved guitar earlier, when he had tripped over Pan’s little cloth which she had left in the hallway. He started to fidget with his fingers nervously as he waited for his lover to come in and yell at him about his broken guitar. Of course, Tsuyoshi had left the item outside, but then, he’d told Koichi he would store it there for a jam session he wanted to attend. Sure enough he heard Tsuyoshi halting outside the room, most likely inspecting the broken item. Koichi had left it on the floor, but had placed a pack of Indian Curry right next to it. He did that a lot as a silent apology for doing wrong. Koichi wasn’t good with words and didn’t know how to ease such situations. Even when everybody else said it was stupid, for him it was the best he could do. Of course, a bit of curry couldn’t make up for a guitar – especially this one – but yet again Koichi hadn’t found anything better. He took a deep breath when he heard Tsuyoshi finally approaching the living room.



Here it comes…



“Koichi.”
“Hm?” Koichi asked warily, shrinking back into the couch slightly.
“I’m too tired for going out,” Tsuyoshi sighed, flopping down next to Koichi, resting his head on his lover’s shoulder.
“Eh?” Koichi made in surprise.
“Mh,” Tsuyoshi hummed lazily against the other’s neck. “Kou, I’m so tense… give me a massage?”
Again Koichi blinked, but adjusted willingly, attending to the other’s shoulders.
“Ah,” Tsuyoshi sighed contently, leaning against Koichi pleasantly.



Wordlessly the older man continued his work, which did nothing for his own condition, though. Was Tsuyoshi tormenting him with his attitude?
“Kou,” Tsuyoshi finally said silently, eyes closed as he enjoyed the attention he received.
“Hm?”
“I think I want to get a new guitar,” Tsuyoshi told him.
Koichi blinked at that. “A new one?”
“Yes,” the other confirmed. “I think it’s time I got a new one.”
Koichi smiled, feeling immensely relieved. His fingers were kneading Tsuyoshi’s shoulders intensely.
“Okay.”



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Kou ways:



“Tadaima,” Koichi called out.
“Okaeri,” the answer came from the kitchen.
And then Koichi could smell it – curry. Fantastic. He’d just dropped by a yakiniku store with Nagase. He wasn’t exactly a good eater to begin with.
“Chicken curry,” Tsuyoshi announced, his head popping through the door frame into the hallway.
“Yeah,” Koichi muttered agitatedly.
Tsuyoshi frowned. “You… don’t wanna eat?” he asked warily.
“No,” Koichi burst out. Then he shook his head vehemently. “I mean, yes.” He forced a smile onto his face. “Chicken curry. Cool.”



Tsuyoshi smiled back at him. “I’ll be ready in a few minutes. Go, get dishes.”
“Okay,” Koichi chirped, preparing what they needed for their dinner.
His stomach was already revolting. He wasn’t used to excessive eating. But then, Tsuyoshi had cooked for him, waited up even – he couldn’t simply let his partner down. And so, a few minutes later they sat down together, having dinner. Koichi took a bite from the meal, chewing frantically. It tasted nice. Tsuyoshi had a very unique and pleasant way of flavouring his food. He just wished he could enjoy it more. But then… just having Tsuyoshi cook for him like that was an incredible gift.
“How is it?” Tsuyoshi asked, eyeing his lover.
“I love it,” Koichi answered with a bright smile.



_____________________________________________________________________________________________



Koichi bit his lip. It was now or never. Once the doors of the elevator opened Tsuyoshi and he would be separated for the rest of the day. It wasn’t that he minded a few hours of absence. But as they were standing together like that, Koichi thought he ought to appreciate his lover. Tsuyoshi had presented him with at least three “I love you”s, spoken affectionately and whole-heartedly. But as it often was the case, Koichi found himself stuck for words. It always made him feel uneasy to say it out loud and it wasn’t exactly a very good place or situation. But if he didn’t, there wouldn’t be another chance for the entire day. And messaging was not an option. He still didn’t know why, but it wasn’t, Tsuyoshi had made that much clear. Taking another wary look at his lover, Koichi saw that Tsuyoshi was just standing rather casually, seemingly nothing on his mind.



Finally, Koichi moved. He reached out, stepping closer and pinching his partner’s butt lightly. He checked for any kind of reaction. When none came, he kept stroking and teasing lightly. Throughout the situation not a word was spoken and no further reaction was shown. As the doors slid open on Tsuyoshi’s floor, he turned to look at Koichi quickly, shooting him a loving smile, showing him he’d understood the meaning of Koichi’s rather feeble attempt. The older man smiled in relief, waving his lover good-bye for the rest of the day, before the doors slid closed again to move him to his floor.



[“Tsuyoshi-kun,” the new guitarist called out, “you look very happy today.”
“Well,” Tsuyoshi chirped melodically, “my lover just told me he loves me.”]


_____________________________________________________________________________________________



“Hey, do you think dogs fall in love?” Tsuyoshi asked out of the blue.
Koichi blinked. “Eh? Why do you ask that all of a sudden?”
The other simply shrugged. “Well, I don’t know. I just thought… if Pan-kun would fall in love. And whether we would notice.”
“Hm,” Koichi mused, inspecting his little princess playing on the floor. “Well, I know that animals do fall in love.”
“Really?”
Koichi nodded. “Yes, penguins for instance. They’re quite amazing.”
“How so?” his partner wanted to know.



“Well,” Koichi said, a soft smile gracing his lips, “once they have found the mate of their choice they stay with that chosen one forever.”
Tsuyoshi blinked. “No… seriously?”
Koichi nodded. “It’s true. They’re also unexpectedly tender with each other, when they… well, when they’re doing it.”
“Wow,” Tsuyoshi gasped out. “I never would have thought.”
“Their shape is our representative symbol of love too,” Koichi explained.
“Huh?”



“Ah, you know… they put their heads together in a special way and that makes them look like the shape of a heart,” Koichi explained.
He got up from his seat and stood in front of his lover, who found himself blinking at the other. Next Koichi bent forward and rested his forehead against Tsuyoshi’s rubbing very carefully, noses touching lightly.
“Like that,” he whispered.
“Ah,” Tsuyoshi breathed out, then claimed his partner’s lips, engaging him in a sweet, but intense kiss.


_____________________________________________________________________________________________



“Tsuyoshi,” Koichi called out from the shower. “Get my leather jacket, please?”
He frowned slightly when there was no answer, but eventually he shrugged it off and finished quickly in order to prepare everything he still needed. As he stepped back into the bedroom, though, he blinked. His jacket was there, lying on the floor. His lover, however, was nowhere to be seen. Quickly putting on some random clothes, he checked the apartment and finally found Tsuyoshi standing on the balcony.
“Oh, hey,” he called out, stepping outside as well.
“Oh,” Tsuyoshi said dismissively, “still here?”
“Eh?” Koichi blinked, confused.



“Well, aren’t you going out?” Tsuyoshi asked daringly.
“Uhm, well, yes, I had planned on going out,” Koichi shrugged. “But if you’d rather…”
“Never bother,” Tsuyoshi interrupted him, stepping back and past him into the apartment again. “It’s not like I would have expected…”
He sighed, but then shook his head. When he looked back at Koichi again, a sad smile was on his face.
“Sorry, Kou,” he said, sounding slightly choked. “It seems that I’m being a bit sentimental today. I… would have liked to spend the day together. You know, just like that. Since we’re both free. But then, if you have plans…”



Koichi frowned slightly. “Woah, now just a second. I… Who said I wanted to go without you?”
“Huh?”
Koichi shook his head, smiling slightly. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I guess it’s only natural your imagination would run wild – since I never – well, close to never – make it a point to try and… well, put some effort in. But then, I thought…”
“What are you talking about now?” Tsuyoshi asked, sounding curious.
“Well, I thought we could make a trip,” Koichi explained.
“A trip?” Tsuyoshi repeated. “Where to?”



“Ah,” Koichi made, running off, returning a moment later and showing Tsuyoshi excitedly what he had thought of.
Tsuyoshi’s eyes grew wide as he accepted the tickets his partner offered to him.
“To Nara…”
“It’s Mantoro* , isn’t it?” Koichi smiled.
“But…” Tsuyoshi stuttered, totally taken aback, “you never care for religious rituals.”



“Mah,” Koichi mused, “I’ll admit I’m nowhere near your… spiritual state of mind. But then, the lights will be amazing and you always keep saying how much you’ve always liked it. And wanted to show me too. And I thought it would be… well… cool.”
“Cool?” Tsuyoshi laughed slightly.
“Hey, what are you laughing at?” Koichi demanded, sounding embarrassed.
“Oh, no, no, sorry. Please, never think I’m making fun of you. I really, really appreciate that you’ve put effort into this. It was merely… an interesting word.”
“I’m no good with words,” Koichi pouted.



“Fair enough for me,” Tsuyoshi told him, pulling him close and kissing him lightly. “And to organise something like this…”
“Well, for today,” Koichi mumbled, blushing.
“Mh,” Tsuyoshi hummed. “In the end, it’s just a totally random day, isn’t it?”
Koichi smiled, pecking his lover’s lips slightly. “But then, any random day can be special.”
“Agreed.”



*Mantoro: Special event at Kasuga Taisha Shrine, where 3000 lanterns are lit.
[Author’s note: I wonder whether the hint is too vague. I translated “nanigenai” as “random”, referring to lyrics from “Anniversary”. ]

_____________________________________________________________________________________________



“Why don’t you get a new one?”
“I can’t just get a new dog. First of all, it’s not the same, and for second, I can’t do that to him. I love him, after all, I can’t simply replace and forget about him…”



“Yoroshiku onegai shimasu,” Koichi called out as he arrived on set.
“Good morning, Koichi,” Takami greeted him. Then his eyes popped open. “What is that?”
Koichi smiled brightly. “This is my new most-beloved dog. Say hi to Pan.”
“Pan?” Takami asked sceptically, inspecting the little Chi-hua-hua.
“Yup, I just got her yesterday,” Koichi said merrily. “I happened to come by that pet shop and there I saw her and… well, I instantly fell in love. Isn’t she the cutest little bundle of love you’ve ever seen?” Koichi babbled, showering his new dog with love.
“Must be,” Takami answered, smiling politely.



“Ne?” Koichi grinned. “Ah, I’ll be ready in a few minutes. I’ll just place her in the dressing room. Come on, Pan.”
“Goodness,” Takami breathed out.
“What happened?” Tom wanted to know as he walked by.
“I’m not sure…” Takami mused, looking after Koichi, who just hopped around the corner.
As Koichi reached the dressing room, he looked sincerely at his dog.
“Listen, Pan. You will now meet the most important man in my life,” he explained. “Please be nice to him. He just lost a good friend and if you can, it’ll be great if you can love him as I do, okay?”



Pan merely looked at him with big eyes, wagging her tail excitedly.
“Aw, you’re too cute,” Koichi almost squealed.
Then he braced himself and opened the door.
“Good morning,” he said casually, putting his attire-bag on the floor.
“Morning,” Tsuyoshi mumbled, sounding a bit sleepy.
He was sitting in front of the mirror, listlessly trying to adjust his hair. Biting his lip, Koichi wondered how best he could approach the other without being too obvious. Luckily, his new little puppy helped him out. Pan barked out excitedly a few times, wiggling about in her bag. Sure enough, Tsuyoshi turned around curiously. As he spotted Pan, his eyes grew wide.



“What… what is this?” he gasped.
“Ah,” Koichi made, still feeling embarrassed. “Sorry, I guess she’s a little bit nervous. Well, this is Pan.”
“Pan?”
“My new dog,” Koichi announced, starting to gain ground again.
“You… got yourself a dog?” Tsuyoshi asked sceptically.
“I saw her by chance as I randomly walked by a pet shop,” Koichi explained with a shrug. “And I simply couldn’t resist. I mean, look at her, isn’t she gorgeous?”



“For you to randomly walk by a pet-shop, that would require you going out without any good reason, which didn’t happen in the past two years if I remember correctly. And then you go out and buy a dog?”
“Yup,” Koichi confirmed, smiling merrily as he set Pan’s bag onto the couch.
The little dog immediately hopped out and started inspecting the room. Koichi laughed lightly.
“Look at that, isn’t she too adorable?”
“I still don’t get it,” Tsuyoshi said, shaking his head. “You… I mean, you’ll be bringing her home, right? You could have told me…”



“Well, you were out yesterday,” Koichi shrugged. “And with a girl as cute as her I couldn’t risk waiting. Someone else might have gotten her.”
“Yeah, well…” Tsuyoshi mumbled, watching Pan as she explored the room. “Just… why would you buy a dog?”
“I told you,” Koichi shrugged. “I just fell in love with her.”



Finally Pan spotted Tsuyoshi and rushed over to where he was sitting, jumping excitedly, indicating she wanted to sit on his lap. Still warily, but carefully Tsuyoshi picked her up and placed her neatly on his lap. Once she found a good position, Pan placed her two front feet on Tsuyoshi’s chest, as though she wanted to climb up to take a close look at his face. A small smile came to Tsuyoshi’s lips as he started to pet the dog’s head softly. Pan wagged her tail and licked the fingers that gave her the tender treatment. Tsuyoshi chuckled lightly, but let her continue.



“Aw, she likes you,” Koichi said happily.
“So it would seem,” Tsuyoshi laughed lightly.
“Well, since she’ll be living with us, you can play with her,” Koichi told him. “Just don’t forget: She’s my dog.”
“Mh,” Tsuyoshi nodded, but he didn’t really hear his partner.
His eyes were fixed on the cute little bundle of fur on his lap. He knew he should thank Koichi and tell him he loved all of this – but that would have taken the entire point of it all. So he remained silent and merely enjoyed the presence of Koichi’s new little doggie.
“Hi, Pan,” he smiled.


______________________________________________________________________________________________


That's all for now. I hope you guys liked. A bit of fluff once in a while is good for your soul. *throws hearts* I also want to say, I'm so happy that people come here to read, even though my updating has grown so slow due to my working hours. Love you all! <3