#general gossip; sharing funny memes; and making plans to hang out with each other

[erthlyheavn]

You can also bet that the sin's secretaries have a group chat.

[sleepdeprivedheretic]

Price for Flight

Summary: Modern! Au! After a brief accident in bumping into him, reader and Taishiro became friends, then he left to his home country in Osaka, Japan, but not before they exchanged phone numbers and mailing addresses. Cue shared memories, laughs, and pining from an international distance from high school, to college, and after.

Notes: Guess who’s been listening to Sister Christian by NightRanger, and had the idea of international friendship/crushes with each sharing gifts, knowledge, and videos of events from each one’s respective country? Wanted to start off with a fluffy fic for Fluff November.  

Warnings in the fic: a little bit of blood in the beginning, curse words, and there will be a 2nd chapter, but it’ll have smut in it, so if you want just fluff, you can read this chapter as is.

Disclaimer: I have the Big Dumb, and so my writing is used to sculpt real life cities, countries, and traditions for pure fictional purposes. Everything isn't lined to a T with my limited knowledge.

“I’m so sorry!” You found yourself shouting out loud. It was an accident. You had a vase of reddish yellow rose buds that you’ve just recently cut within the school’s garden. Walking down the hallway to place them in your classroom’s window, you tripped. It wasn’t like you planned on tripping, who could have known that tiny rocks could do that?

What made matters worse, you tripped into somebody, spilling water and crushing rose petals onto the poor student who hastily caught you.

���Are you alright?!”

“I’m so sorry!”

Came out from the both of you at the same time. Your face was red with embarrassment, trying your best not to inwardly wail. It was the cute student from Japan, Taishiro Toyomitsu, you recalled. Although you had trouble with pronouncing his name, you tried your best to learn it out of respect.

He was pudgy, and had a Japanese accent mixed in with an odd southern accent, and all around, you couldn’t help but think that he was a little cute. Sure he was new, and your friends found him to be a little weird, but he was always nice and polite, and insisted on everybody call him “Tai-chan”. Now, you were leaning up against him, fingers bloody from the thorns cutting into you, and the both of you fussing over one another.

“You’re bleedin’!”

“There’s blood on your shirt! I’m so sorry!”

The two of you stared at each other, both embarrassed and apologetic.

“Please let me take you to the infirmary?” He broke the silence as the blood from your little cuts smeared into his uniform.

“Okay.” You gave in, tucking your hand into your shirt as you set the vase down out of the way. You’ll make sure to clean it up, later. ……

You honestly felt bad. He had a dirty and wet uniform on, because of your clumsiness. Luckily, the nurse patched up your hand, and he called his mother, speaking fluent Japanese while you stared, impressed. The nurse had the two of you wait while his mom dropped off his clothes, and she telling the janitor and teacher of what happened to you.  

“That’s super cool!” You blurted out truthfully when he was done. His face reddened a bit, as if embarrassed. Of course you knew why. Some of your classmates are jerks, and he stood out like a sitting duck, waiting to get bullied. You didn’t see him get picked on, but you knew that he was. Kids are mean, and gossip spreads.

“Ya think so?” He asked. You nodded without hesitation.

“I’m not the only one, though.” Passing the time, you told him that several students were impressed, and he shouldn’t listen to vulturous children. You were a kid, and unsure on how good your advice was, but he seemed to brighten up. It was too soon for you to leave and go to class, but you had too.

“Ya wanna hang out, after school?”

“Yeah!”

You replied quickly after his outburst, and he couldn’t help but smile sweetly, whilst you felt your heartbeat quicken. ………

      That was how the two of you had met, you remembered it so clearly, the feelings of your teenaged heart were confusing, but you wanted to find every excuse in the book to just be near him. It was a close, endearing friendship, and the two of you had taught each other a lot of things whenever you could.

Your friends began to like him, too, and the bullying lessened as the two of you were basically attached to the hip. They corrupted him, showing him memes, funny videos and such, and he would catch you off guard with outward, dirty jokes, causing the both of your ears and cheeks to flush into a dark shade of pink.  

Although, his stay in your country was only six months until the both of you graduated, the two of you had learned a lot. He taught you Japanese, and you began practicing writing it, you liking the feeling of his hand gripping yours, guiding you to write kanji. When he had to leave, your heart almost broke as you hugged him tightly, him shushing you as he promised that the two of you would share phone numbers and mailing addresses, so that you’ll always keep in touch.

Keep in touch, you did.

“Tai-chan! That’s so pretty!” You gushed. It’s been a year, since he left, and oddly enough, your feelings and thoughts did not waver as you entered your freshman year of college.

“I know, right?” He boomed, holding the phone towards him and the blooming Sakura trees underneath the Osaka castle. It was Hanami, a holiday for flower viewing, and it was so very pretty as the pink petals fluttered around within the wind. Taishiro was in his hometown, Osaka, wearing informal clothes as he popped a dumpling into his mouth as he sat on the blanket with his mom and her new husband. It was almost hard to hear him due to the crowd of people happily chattering among themselves.  

You were entranced, seeing such a vibrant and beautiful scene before your eyes as he grinned at you, smiling warmly whilst his mother waved at you, and you waved back.

“So, how do you like it?” Taishiro asked, diverting your attention, and you smiled.

“Dude, everything’s so pretty and vibrant! I wish I was there with you guys!” You admitted freely, and he grinned.

“Wish ya was here, too! Mom’ll force ya to wear a kimono, though. I got lucky ‘cause they dragged me here right after class!” He admitted.

“Formal dress isn’t so bad, Tai-chan! How’s college?” You changed the subject. He shrugged.

“Not too bad! Classes are pretty easy, I got my own apartment an’ job, now! Little small, but makes the bills easier to pay!” He spoke loud enough to drown out the crowd.

“I’ll talk to ya later, okay? Mom’s getting’ mad that I’m shoutin’.” He admitted sheepishly.

“Okay! Tell her that she looks pretty in her kimono!” You grinned. He nodded as the two of you eventually hung up. It was moments like these that made your day, you smiled to yourself, feeling your heart beating faster as you plopped down onto your comfy pillows. After graduating high school, you followed your dream in getting into college, and getting your own apartment and job. It was tough, but you made it, and as a bonus, Taishiro was pretty happy and proud for you.

  You wish that he didn’t have to leave, but his mother wanted to go back to their country after moving to yours to escape the grief of a rather nasty divorce. You can’t escape from everything, Tai had said to you, and shrugged, saying that he really didn’t care about his father, but he’d support his mother in anyway that he could.  

You felt warm at the memories, trying his mother’s cooking, tasting a different country’s cuisine had excited you, and your pleased face was evident as you slowly chewed the rice ball. Your face went red as Taishiro wiped some of the sticky rice off of your face, and when he noticed that you were staring, he’d blushed too as he wiped it on your shirt, leaving him to snort with laughter at your pathetic attempt at a glare.

Yeah, you missed him. ……..

“Happy Halloween!” You tilted the brim of your witch hat, grinning as you handed the little goblins and ghosts some candy from a bowl.

“We don’t really give out candy, but we do cosplayin’, zombie runs, n’ Disneyland has somethin’ special around this time of year.” Taishiro spoke to you from your phone, which rested neatly in your breast pocket, smiling softly at the kids who gave toothy smiles with thanks behind their masks. To your luck, he and you were always on camera when the two of you spoke, now, seeing how each other changed since last year.

To your surprise, he had two little piercings in his ear lobes, stating that he was a grown man, and that he got them as to treat himself for passing his first semester of college. He didn’t lose any weight, but he had been going to the gym, gaining muscle as he shot up about two feet in height. It didn’t help your increasing heartbeat, or confusing feelings that you thought were just a little girl’s crush in high school.    

You changed, too, and you’ve noticed that he obviously noticed, and pinned every little reaction into your brain, liking the way that you caused him that.

Right now, you had him listen to classic Halloween songs such as Monster Mash, Flying Purple People Eater, and Thriller. He knew the songs, but you liked playing them, anyway to fill in the Halloween spirit. You set the phone down on the kitchen table as the two of you talked while the music playing in the background. Although he didn’t really dress up, he admitted that he liked your costume, and might invest in something next year.

You smiled, basking in the moment. ………

“Time to open yours!” He put the chicken leg from KFC down on his plate, as he and his family gathered around his phone with you on camera, looking at the brightly colored wrapping paper. His family had adopted the more Western customs of gift wrapping and receiving during Christmas, and he was not disappointed when your gift had arrived in the mail. He had sent you one, as well, knowing that it would tickle you pink. He was right.

Although the both of you knew that Christmas Eve was the day to give and receive gifts, it was generally for couples, but you wanted to share the holiday joy with him, and find an excuse to give a gift, and although beet red, he thought that gift giving was a nice thing to do.  

   He wanted you to open yours, first, and so you did, grinning wickedly as you opened the paper slowly, drawing out the suspense on purpose.  

“Hurry up, already!” Taishiro huffed, then jumped when his mother hit him lightly with her shoe, shushing him. You couldn’t hide your smirk at the gesture, but quickened your pace at the playful glare that you were receiving.

You tore open the beautifully wrapped paper, regretting to waste it, but you were curious on what he had gotten you. Finally getting the box opened, you all but squealed with joy.

“What? This is amazing!” You winced on how loud your voice was, but his grin and his family’s warm smiles made it worth it. You pulled out the organized snacks from Japan, eyes twinkling with joy as you realized that you were smiling. Underneath the bags of konpeito, onigiri senbei rice crackers, jagariko, and among other snacks, you pulled out a very pretty snow-globe. It seemed simple, but the fake snow dancing around the dolled up log cabin and the smiling snowman, melted your heart.

“I like it! Thank you, Tai-chan!” You beamed, and he grinned sheepishly as blood rushed to his cheeks.

“I didn’ wanna get anythin’ that was too lame, ya know?”

“Nonsense! It’s very charming and thoughtful, thank you.” You grinned as you shook it gently, watching the glitter swish around the heartwarming scene.

“Alright! My turn!” He changed the subject as his eye twitched at the snickers of his step-dad. He huffed, then grinned as he all but tore open your gift, faster than your slow pace. You grinned wickedly, as to when he opened the box, it revealed another box. He gave you a look.

“Really?”

“It’s in there. Eventually.”

“Yer such a lil’ shit.”

“I know.” You admitted, him glaring at you until he had finally opened the last box, eyes twinkling as he reached inside, admiring the prize.

“Y/n…” He murmured, pulling out a crocheted scarf and hat. It took you a little longer to make them than you’d like to admit, but it was worth it as his face softened while he eyed the bright orange garb.

“I like it, too.” His eyes met yours as he felt something else within the box. You smiled.

“Oh! A new set of earrings?” He grinned, pulling up the small thick hoops, eyeing them as they shined within the light.

“Hypoallergenic, too!” You chirped, eating up his expressions as he began putting on the hat, scarf, and switching out his old jewelry for the new ones.

“Merry Christmas, Tai-chan.” You murmured, and he gave you that infamous toothy, sweet smile of his.

“You too, Y/n.”

………….

“See? It’s not so bad!” You giggled, holding the phone up high.

“Yer a devil, ya know that?” You could hear him grumble. It was spring, again, and the both of you were in your second years. He admittedly lost a tiny bit of weight, due to him going to the gym, and you remained the same, except your feelings for him had grew. Almost three years of friendship, and you felt as if you knew him, forever.

Right now, you were sitting neatly at the small Fair, in the highest seat in which belonged to the Ferris Wheel, holding your phone up high while Taishiro was taking a break from his work to watch you look over the whole Fair grounds.

“Yeah, but you’re best friends with me!” You chirped loudly, giggling at his disgruntled huff. You had to be more careful with your words, you thought, as certain words were on the tip of your tongue.  

 You didn’t know what or how he felt. His face did redden a lot, but your mother said that he was young, and pretty girls did that to young men. You knew her intentions weren’t to drown out your hope, but to let you get a perspective on the situation, and to be careful with your feelings.

 He and you had never dated, anyone. Him complaining that he was too fat, and you arguing that he was fine the way he is, genuinely caring about him as your lovable best friend. Of course your feelings had grown, and each time you went to reflect on them, you couldn’t help the passing negative thoughts.

He was in another country. He could actually have anybody he wanted to. If he was seeing somebody, you knew that you’d had to keep your distance from him, in respect of the relationship that he would be building with somebody else.

“Hey, you alright? You’re kinda silent.” His voice snapped your attention away from your thoughts.

“More than fine! Oh! They have a game in which you could win a live rabbit! It’s a little tough, but the bunnies look so cool!” You admitted, changing the subject, and he let out a bark of laughter.

“Bunnies, huh?”

“Yeah?”

“Nothin’. Hey, I gotta go back to work, see ya later!” He waved, and you waved back, smiling as you ended the call.

As your ride ended, you wondered around the grounds, just looking at the sights, and then something shiny had caught your eyes. It was a little stand selling trinkets, you thought as you walked closer. The shiny thing, were two little friendship bracelets with little clear plastic gummy bears hooked onto them, one orange, and the other was your favorite color. You felt yourself smiling, remembering the nickname that his mom had called him, thus leading to everybody else calling him that.

Of course, he was embarrassed, but the absolute flustered and adorable look that he’d given you as you tried out the name, was memorable. A thoughtful gift wouldn’t hurt, you grinned.

……………

You held up your wrist, grinning at his flustered look as the orange plastic bear twinkled in the sunlight.

“What are we, twelve?” He asked, but he held out the trinket, an evident smile was on his face. It was August the eighth, his birthday, and you’ve decided to surprise him with the thoughtful gift that you’d gotten in spring. Of course the look on his face was priceless, and you just ate it up with a grin as he seemed to think the same thing.

“Pft. Gummybear.” You broke the silence, and he bit his lip, looking away.

“That kinda sounds like a pet-name, when ya think about it.”

“What? It is a nickname.”

“Yeah. Between…well, never mind! Thank you for the gift, Chickadee!” He smiled warmly, tying the little bracelet onto his wrist. You gave him your own smile as he referred to your own nickname from school.   …………

 “Guess what?” You couldn’t help but grin wildly, the pure, cheerful energy was radiating off of you as you poured yourself a glass of tea.

“Hm? What is it, Chickadee?” He asked, smiling as if he could just feel your joy all the way from Osaka.

It’s December, now. The two of you had been friends for almost four years, and you had finally, finally-

“I’ll be graduating this spring!”

“Oh, Hon, that’s amazing!” He couldn’t help but mimic your wild grin.

“Yes!” You chuckled.

 To be honest, because of the both of you being in college and at work, living two separate lives, you hadn’t seen or heard from him in a while. It didn’t stop the two of you from trying to reach out, however. The longest time you remembered not really seeing his face, lasted about a week because the two of you were so busy.

 Imagine his surprise when you started crying with tears of joy, extremely happy to see him as he sent you a little gift in the mail. It was an ornament hair pin from the fair in Osaka, and oddly, it reminded you of him. Although humble, it had specks of amber and yellow, and you couldn’t help but feel touched that you had something significant that reminded you of him.

You wanted to hug him. You wanted to talk, face to face in a decent little cafe as he wore the hat and scarf that you’d made him, as you could hear his laughter that wasn’t sullied by the phone’s filter. Also, you wanted to know where the two of you were heading in life. You knew that you couldn’t hold in these feelings for him, forever, hell, you didn’t even know if you’ll ever see him face-to-face ever again, or when he’ll find a very accepting, lovely person and move on without you.

It did break your heart, a little, you couldn’t help but think as you sipped your tea, looking out from the window as he scribbled down notes in the background.

“Tai-chan.” You said, and something in your voice made his attention snap onto you with a look of worry as he read your face.      

       “Hey, Chickadee, what’s wrong?” He asked. You looked at him.

“When can we ever really see each other, again?” The weight must have been evident in your voice, and his expression furrowed with sympathy.

“That’s what’s gotten ya so upset?” He murmured softly.

“Yeah.”

“Fuuuuck, I wanna see ya, too!” He whined, suddenly, and you looked at him with surprise as he cursed.

“I’m telling your mom.”

“Because I said ‘Fuck’, or because I wanna see ya?”

“Both. She can arrive you in tow with a bar of soap in your mouth.” You felt yourself grinning, and he smiled warmly.

“Don’t be sad, Chickadee. When we’re rich and successful from such good jobs, we’ll go see each other every weekend. Hell, I might even get a soap dispenser so ya can wash out my mouth, yourself.”

“Oh, really?”

“Letcha tie me down.” He winked as you rolled your eyes.  

“Aaaaand that’s when our friendship ends.”

“Pft. Anyways. What if….ugh, never mind. Hey, I gotta go, Chicky. Class starts in an hour, kay?”

“Alright, Gummy. See ya later.”   …………………

 What if, what? Kept playing in your mind for months, now. You’ve landed a very good job, and you were great at balancing time with work, family, and your life, while you and Taishiro had kept your ritual of staying in touch. He was more muscular, but still round, and had his earrings that you’ve gotten him for Christmas, still in tact.

 He looked good, and the both of you knew it. You pushed down the little spike of jealousy and discouragement when he mentioned that he was getting more looks, now, but you were more mature, and you knew that he was an adult and could make his own decisions, despite your own feelings. You cared about him, and if you loved somebody truly, their happiness and growth should make you happy, you concluded.  

It didn’t help the fact that he had still a pink flush to his cheeks, rubbing his head awkwardly as he said that he wasn’t really interested in people that he didn’t know, taking little glances at you.

God, Kami, or what, help you, you bit the inside of your cheek. You were hopeless. …….

“Hey, Chicka-umph!” He couldn’t finish the words. Five years. It took the two of you five years to finally graduate, get jobs, save money, and finally, finally-

“It’s been way too long!” You hugged him, burying your face into his jacket as you couldn’t help but let out the most widest grin in years. You let out a yelp of surprise as he had the gall to pick you up and spun you around, him laughing at your stunned expression as he settled you down after the short spiel, and you let out a giggle.

He was smiling down at you, chuckling as he had hugged you back, swaying you a little side to side as his cheeks flushed.

The two of you were in Osaka, his mother and step-father weren’t there, and you traveled alone, bringing only a small amount of luggage with your passport. He sighed.

“You’re still short.”

“Shut it, you’re just a giraffe.” You playfully stuck out your tongue and he rolled his eyes.

“Damn, it’s so good to see ya. Just think, our friendship started ‘cause of yer clumsy ass.” He couldn’t help but joke with you as he grinned at your pitiful attempt of a glare. He chuckled.

“I’m glad, though.” He murmured, and you hummed in agreement.

 You’ve been waiting for this moment, learning Japanese and studying kanji as you walked alongside him, talking about everything and nothing, noticing that he had never really took out the earrings you’ve gave him, plus he and you opted to wear the gummy bear bracelets. Your smiled softly. It was as if the world spun on and the two of you slowly changed, yet like magnets, pulled closer together.

  Since the day that you’ve discovered your own feelings for him, you had decided that you didn’t want anybody else, for he was showing interest, and your heart had remained unbroken as he unconsciously had taken good care of it. He was worth the hours you’ve put into your work, and the extra savings that you’ve had put back. If you had him as just a close friend forever, you’d be happy, you’ve decided.

  It was a fun day. He had saved up to pay for reservations for the two of you to go to the aquarium, telling you that since you’ve made such an effort to see him, he was the one to treat you in Osaka, drinking in your expressions of wonderment and joy as he explained. He chuckled when you excitedly pointed out the whale shark, letting you rant on about how it was a filter feeder, and the biggest fish in the sea.

“Here. It’s my favorite, an’ I figured ya might like to try “the nation’s kitchen’s” street food.” He grinned, holding up a piece of takoyaki for you to try. After a long day of cooing and buying a bit of souvenirs, he led you outside, opting to let you try something that differed from his mother’s cooking from all those years back. You bit into it while he was still holding the toothpick, causing him to fluster, yet you paid no mind, letting the taste of octopus, onion, and sauce envelope your taste buds.

Your face heated up when you realized that it was actually pretty good.

“Good?” He gave a knowing grin. You nodded, and he chuckled.

“Ya got sauce on your cheek, ya messy thing.” He thumbed your cheek, wiping off the sauce. Much to your utter surprise, he had the gall to lick it, eyeing you with a smirk etched on his face.

“Did you just-”

“Tit for tat.” He winked, and you felt the blood rush up to your cheeks.

You couldn’t stay, long. Your boss had given you a limited amount of vacation days, and you could only stay until the night. He knew it, as well, and so the two of you had tried draw out the remaining day, him showing you all sorts of vending machines, helping you walk the ever busy streets as you felt so tiny compared to the skyscrapers, trying different foods, and briefly meeting his mom and step-dad.

She hugged you, rambling fast in Japanese, as you caught certain phrases. Taishiro let out a laugh.

“She misses ya. We all did.” He smiled, and you let out your own, deciding to comfort the fretting woman.

“She has to leave, ma.” He spoke in his native tongue, and she huffed.

“I haven’t seen her in years! Plus you spent all day with her, you heathen.” She then turned towards you.

“Ah, Honey, you look so tired and happy! Did you have a good day?” She cooed, squishing your cheeks playfully and you laughed a little.

“Of course!”

“I’m glad. Let my boy escort you to the airport, alright?” She hummed, and you nodded. ………

 “Today was the best day I’ve ever had in such a long time.” He told you gently, and your heart hammered as you waited on for your flight in the lobby.    

“Same for me. Makes me regret going back.” You gave out a little laugh, but it felt hallow.

“Yeah.” You focused on his solemn expression, eyebrows furrowed as he looked as if he didn’t really wanted you to go, either.

  “Hey.” He broke the silence with a heavy conviction, and you looked up at him with confusion. He said nothing as he took your hand and placed it on his chest, and you were surprised on how fast it was beating. With his other hand, he cupped your jaw, rather gently, and now it was your turn to feel your heart hammering through your rib cage. You didn’t have time to say anything, as he leaned down and gave a chaste kiss on your mouth.

Time seemed to still to a stop for you, but he broke away too soon, face reddened, but he didn’t look as if he regretted it, and you couldn’t find yourself too, either.

“Please, for the love of Kami, be mine. Doesn’t matter when we’ll see each other again, I’ll save up and move to your country, if I have to-”

You interrupted him with your own little kiss, and he hummed into it, gripping you tighter to him as he broke away, only to lean into your neck.

“I’ve been holding these feelings in for a long time.” You murmured, and he nodded.

“Yeah? Since high school?”

“Yeah.”

“Same for me. When I was away from ya, I kept thinkin’, she’s so lovely, in no time, somebody’s gonna snatch her up. Was she waitin’ for me? Took me a while to figure the last one out, but I did.” He hummed, opting to raise his face and kiss your cheek, smiling.

“So, when’s the wedding?” You broke the silence with a joke, and he huffed.

“Ya know what, ya lil’ shit? Maybe tomorrow.”

“Really? We’re just going to...get married?” You looked at him with wonder, and although blushing furiously, he shrugged.

“We’ve known each other for so long. Been pinin’ and sayin’ nothing. Ugh, we’re both dumbasses.” He sulked a little, and you let out a giggle.

“Alright. We’ll plan for a wedding.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“No dates, or anythin’, just jumpin’ right into it?”

“We’ve been low-key dating. As friends, though. Maybe we could give it another year? See how everything works out as a couple? If we save up, we could get married and one of us move to either Japan or my country.” You explained, his expression softening as he kissed you again, a little firmer, this time.

“Alright. I don’t mind either option, or even if ya wanted your own traditional wedding. Heh. This is happening.”

“Yeah.”

“You’re mine and I’m yours, an’ we’re gonna get married.”

“I’m still a little surprised, but I’d have it no other way.”

“Same here.”