Gift Fic for yukitsubute

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GIFT FIC for yukitsubute



Title: Darling, Darling, This Bond Won’t Disappear
Pairing/Group/Members: Takeshi “Momo” Goda/Ryu Odagiri
Rating/Warnings: PG-13 for one kissing scene and a few curse words
Summary: Ryu, tired of being under the thumb of his father and uncertain about his future, runs away from home and ends up in a rural town far away from everything and everyone he knows. While searching for a job and a place to stay, he gets lucky and discovers a gardening job where the homeowner is willing to let him live on the premises. Momo is just happy that he’s finally found someone who will come all the way out to his isolated little house. Love is the last thing on either of their minds.
Note: I was really happy to get this assignment because MatsuKame is one of my favorite rarepairs. I hope that you like this drama cross-over; I know it’s kind of random, but Momo and Ryu seem like they would make a cute couple ^^. Title is a combination of “Darling,” the theme song of Kimi wa Pet, and “Kizuna,” the theme song of Gokusen 2.




The untamed nature of the surrounding area overwhelms the little house that sits, uneasily, in the center. At any moment one of the flowering maples or towering pines might snatch it up and reincorporate it back into the woods from which it came. It is a wonderful, wild place, full of life shrouded in shadows despite it being nearly midday: the sun struggles to shine through the imperious canopy cast by all the tall, old trees, and once it gets by those, it still has to contend with the shorter ones. With all the competition, it’s no wonder that the grass, somewhat managed around the house but otherwise left to grow weedy, is spindly and coarse in many places. And the flowers that the owner put in, perennials that look ugly and common (though they’d surely be pretty by the standards of anywhere else), never stood a chance.

Momo is incredibly embarrassed by the state of his land. That says a lot, because he’s by no means the sort to be easily shamed. He willingly spent the majority of his young adulthood living as a woman’s pet for crying out loud: he doesn’t blush of over anything, ordinarily. But looking around, taking everything in through the perspective of the stranger, he feels horrible for letting it get so out of hand, and tries to explain.

“You see, there weren’t any landscaping companies that were willing to come out this far. And I don’t live here full time, so I didn’t notice it getting progressively worse. It was like, BAM, suddenly plants were everywhere that they shouldn’t be, and I couldn’t do anything about it. I work, and I’m terrible at gardening…. It’s too much, isn’t it?”

Mortification tints Momo’s cheeks the exact shade of the ghastly perennials. With his head bowed, dark chocolate eyes peering anxiously at Ryu from beneath his floppy bangs, his resemblance to a contrite puppy is uncanny. Ryu almost wants to pet him.

“It’s not too much. I’ve never lost a fight in my life, I can definitely handle this, Mr. Goda.” He says firmly, rolling up his sleeves.

It’s odd to be addressed by his surname. In the dance studio he’s always referred to as “Takeru,” and he thinks of himself mainly as “Momo” though nobody has called him that for a long time.

“Good. Great, actually. Thank you. I know this place is probably a pretty far commute from wherever you live. You can definitely include gas prices or whatever on the bill. Unless you wanted to stay here? Like I said before, I’m not around most of the time so it wouldn’t be a bother.”

“That would be best, if it’s really alright with you.” His employer doesn’t need to find out that Ryu doesn’t technically have a home anymore. A home that he wants to be in, at any rate; his father is probably sitting at his desk, smirking, waiting for him to come crawling back. Thinking about it makes his hands ball into fists instinctively.

“—giri, Mr. Odagiri?”

Shaking his head briskly, as though that’ll send the old man flying from his mind (if only), Ryu offered Goda a tiny smile. “Sorry, I was just thinking about what has to be done,” he lies effortlessly and well. “I can start today, if you’d like.”

“Sure,” Momo agreed. “I’ve actually got to run, but I’ll show you where the toolshed is before I go. Everything in there is ancient. Hopefully it’ll work.” Laughing, he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “I probably should have prepared a little better. I didn't expect someone to respond to my flier so soon.”

The flier, tacked up in the nearby town’s little mom-and-pop supermarket, had attracted Ryu’s attention because, in addition to being bright pink, it was the only one that looked like it hadn’t been hanging there for the better park of a decade. He’d used some of the precious minutes on his prepaid cellphone to call the number listed and find out if the position (“yard laborer wanted, no references necessary”) was still available. After ascertaining that it was, he hitchhiked most of the way to Mr. Goda’s isolated house, traversing the last few miles on foot because no one was making any stops out that far.

Finding the flier and getting the job was nothing short of a miracle for Ryu. He was starting to run low on funds and probably couldn’t have made it much farther without swallowing his pride and doing something that would wound his dignity while assuring his survival. Ryu never wanted to work for another host club again, or worse, be a burden on his friends (or worse than that, his family). And, thanks to this job, he wouldn’t have to.

Ryu still isn’t sure if he’s ever going to go back. There’s a university waiting for him to make his decision, they won’t allow him to defer enrollment forever, and he already misses Hayato and the others like crazy. But he needs this. He needs to prove that he can survive independently, not just to his overbearing father, but to himself as well.

It’s a good thing he’s never been afraid of getting dirty, because is definitely going to be a hands-on job. Inside the shed Ryu finds a decrepit lawn mower, a rusty collection of gardening tools, and an old hose amidst piles of junk. Tying a handkerchief around his mouth and nose to keep the dust out, he begins the tedious process of organizing everything.

Meanwhile, at a dance theater several hundred miles away, Momo has his makeup and hair done before getting whisked into his costume. He won’t return home for several weeks, until the show he’s currently performing in has finished its run.

When he does get home, he finds Ryu cursing at a pair of clippers that look like they honestly could have come from the Stone Age.

“Well, now I know what the number one item on my shopping list is going to be,” he quips, startling Ryu into dropping the useless tool.

“Mr. Goda! When did you get here?”

“About a minute ago. You’ve made a ton of progress, Mr. Odagiri.”

He truly has, despite the defective clippers. Having decided to start with the smaller problems, the first thing Ryu did was dig up the perennials. It would have been a travesty to kill them: their only transgression was unsuitability to the environment. Instead he repotted them in some cute window boxes made with the scrap wood from the shed. After that he aerated, watered, and mowed the grass, cleaned out the gutters, and took care of all the little things that were ordinarily done to keep a yard in good shape.

Despite this being his first time doing work like this, Ryu doesn’t find it too difficult, though the various processes are arduous in the sense that they’re physically demanding. He read a couple of books about gardening and landscaping at the local library, but mostly he just used his common sense and did what seemed right, and it worked.

Now, if the viewer’s frame is restricted to the immediate surroundings of the cabin, it looks rustically charming and well manicured. Only the intrusion of the as-of-yet-untamed forest into the viewer’s peripheral vision mars what was otherwise perfect. There is a pronounced asymmetry to the property: the wild glade of trees gives way abruptly to neatly trimmed grass, the paved stepping stones that Ryu placed dead-ending abruptly. The dichotomy is glaring evidence that Ryu’s job is far from finished, and quite probably hints at the fact that no matter how much work is put into it, the wilderness is probably going to remain. Momo is genuinely pleased anyways.

“Seriously, everything you’ve done looks awesome. I bet you’re tired. Why don’t we have lunch together?”

Mr. Goda’s inviting smile and warm, bright eyes once again remind Ryu of a puppy (to say nothing of his fluffy hair). Though he’d like to get a little more work done before taking a break, he can’t bring himself to say no. Something in his employer’s demeanor suggests that he’s a little bit lonely. Ryu doesn’t know how he can tell, he’s barely exchanged more than a handful of words with the man, but somehow, he just knows.

Maybe it’s because Ryu is a little bit lonely too. It’s not just his first time really working for a living: it’s his first time being separated from his friends and family for an extended period of time, and dealing with that is far more difficult than the labor. Though he’d never admit it, he’s really glad that Mr. Goda is home so that he won’t be all alone anymore. There’s something inherently likable about his employer, and Ryu is looking forward to enjoying his company and getting to know him better.

Neither of them are particularly accomplished cooks, however, through combined effort and a fair amount of ambivalence towards the aesthetics of their completed dishes, they manage to cobble together something palatable.

“One of the things I miss the most about my ex was that she would always cook for me. I helped of course, or tried to, but really, it was all her. It was nice to be taken care of like that.”

“What made you break up?” The moment the question leaves his mouth Ryu regrets it. Even if he wants to learn more about Mr. Goda, that’s way too personal.

Surprisingly, Mr. Goda answers, in a quiet voice while refusing to meet Ryu’s eyes: “it was an unhealthy relationship. I depended on her way, way too much. We met at a time when I was trying to distance myself from my family and escape my own reputation to try and make it on my own. But I fell on some hard times and ended up on her doorstep; she literally took me in, and I gave up on the independence that I’d been seeking to be hers. Looking back on it now, I feel like, fuck, how could I do that, just when I was beginning to be able to rely on myself instead of others? But it was easier than trying to make it on my own two feet, and I was weak. Still am weak.”

The similarity between the slightly older man’s past and his own present stuns Ryu into silence, which Momo interprets as him wanting to know more.

“She’s happier now, I think. She found someone to be her equal partner in love instead of her pet. It’s definitely better for us not to be together. And I don’t really miss it. Standing on my own two feet is hard, but it’s better than being on my hands and knees for somebody else.”

It affected Momo more than he lets on, the whole situation with Sumire-chan. There’s no greater evidence of that than the fact that he still thinks of himself by the name she gave him. But he’s definitely not ready to share with Ryu, or anyone else, how he’s not sure if he trusts himself to fall in love again because he doesn’t know what healthy boundaries are.

“That's, I mean…” Ryu clearly has no idea what to say, and Momo magnanimously decides to rescue him from the awkward by switching the topic to what his plans are for the forest.

“Well, I don’t really have a concrete plan. Honestly, there’s no much that can be done, unless you want to get a crew in there to chop down all the trees…”

Momo shook his head vigorously. The last thing he wants to do is destroy the wild magic of his home’s surroundings.

“Yeah, I thought not. The best I can manage is to get in there and start trimming and clearing out any of the deadwood. I’ve walked back there a few times; did you know that there used to be a trail? I can definitely uncover it, and just clean things up a little. It’ll probably still look odd, to have a neat yard that leads right into a mostly untamed forest, but, well, you probably knew what you were getting into when you bought the place.”

Amused by the last bit of Ryu’s proposal, Momo snickers. “Can’t argue with that. I’m going to head into town to pick up a new pair of clippers and a couple other things. Are there any other tools that you need to get the job done?”

Pulling a crumpled sheet of paper from his back pocket, Ryu attempts to flatten it out before handing it to Momo. “I’ve been keeping a running list. Sorry, it got a little bit messy. Do you want me to handle the washing up? I know it takes a while to get into town.”

Though Momo appreciates the offer, he’s reluctant to accept. Dependence is a slippery slope (he knows from experience). Still, the stores close early, and it might take some time to find everything. After a moment of thought, he agrees, promising that he’ll handle cleaning up after dinner in return.

Dinner? Ryu thinks as Mr. Goda exits. That means they’ll be eating together again. Forcing himself not to think about how happy that makes him, Ryu gets started on the dishes.

Over the next few days, Ryu and Momo fall into a routine. Ryu wakes up early, fortifies himself with tea, and takes care of the tasks that don’t make a lot of noise while Momo rises several hours later to make brunch for both of them along for a snack for Ryu to have when he gets hungry later in the afternoon. Once Momo is up, it’s safe for Ryu to start the jobs that do make noise; with the music turned all the way up in his little dance studio, Momo can barely hear it. In the evening, Ryu and Momo prepare dinner together and then Ryu washes the dishes while Momo cleans the counters and sweeps the floor.

It’s the picture of domestic bliss, except when something goes horribly wrong because neither of them are very good at cooking. But at the end of the day, mistakes lead to laughter and joint efforts to salvage the meal, and that’s not so bad.

Momo likes when Ryu works close to the house. If he’s lucky, sometimes when he looks at the window, he catches a glimpse of him laboring tirelessly under the sun to make Momo’s home a more beautiful place. When he comes in, for lunch and at the end of the day, he’s sweaty and disheveled and very, very sexy and… But Momo won’t let his mind go down that path. It’s too dangerous. So he just waves a hand in front of his nose, forces himself to laugh, and tells Ryu to go grab a shower because he’s gross.

When he asks Ryu if the work is too hard, if he needs help, the answer is always in the negative. Ryu is fiercely proud and determined to do anything on his own; Momo is inclined to believe that he can, since he never shows any sign of strain or injury. Ryu was invincible, until one evening, when Momo notices him wincing slightly as he tries to sit down, and immediately asks what’s wrong.

“Sunburn,” Ryu growls through gritted teeth, furious at himself and at the fact that he has to admit this weakness. “It was so fucking hot that I had to take my shirt off, but I didn’t have any suntan lotion on. I’m such an idiot!”

“You’re not an idiot. Sit tight, ok? I think I have something that’ll make you feel better.”

“I don’t need it, I’m fine, seriously.”

The words don’t reach Momo’s ears as he’s already in the bathroom, rooting under the sink for the bottle of aloe that, though old, will definitely help relieve some of Ryu’s pain. By the time he brings it back, the sunburn hurts so much that Ryu isn’t inclined protest the helping hands that gently rub the soothing coolant into his reddened skin.

At first they’re both solely focused on the medicinal aspect of Momo’s actions: Ryu gratefully reflects on how much the gel is helping already, while Momo concentrates on distributing it equally.

Then, simultaneously, they become aware of the intimacy of the act. Suddenly Ryu is hyper-aware of the subtle heat of Momo’s hands beneath the cold aloe and the warmth of his breath in his ear; all Momo can think about is the firmness of Ryu’s muscles and how he must look when he’s at work, sweaty and shirtless under the sun.

“Mr. Odagiri.” His voice comes out in a husky murmur. “I think we might be a little bit too close right now.”

“I think we could get closer,” Ryu whispers back. “Mr. Goda.”

It’s an uncomfortable angle, with Momo rising on his tiptoes slightly to lean all the way over Ryu’s chair and Ryu tilting his head up sharply, but neither of them care as they share a kiss that starts out hesitant and steadily grows more passionate.

It takes Momo’s heart a while to slow down after they finally separate. The idea of falling in love again scares him, a lot. That’s why he chose this house, to isolate himself from everyone except for those with whom he had to interact in a professional setting. But how can he deny what he feels for Ryu, and what Ryu feels for him?

Ryu is almost equally nervous. He’s never been in a serious relationship before, and furthermore the man that he’s fallen for knows nothing about his past (not to mention the fact that he’s still undecided about his future).

“I guess for starters,” he begins hesitantly. “You can call me ‘Ryu’. And I can call you ‘Takeru.’ Unless you have a nickname that you’d like better?”

Turning Ryu’s chair so that they’re facing each other, Momo frowns a little as he considers the question. It carries more weight than Ryu could know. He looks so adorably serious that Ryu can’t resist reaching out to stroke his fluffy hair reassuringly.

His obvious compassion, the way the gesture is one of comfort, not dominance, makes the choice clear. Momo can trust Ryu.

“Call me anything you like. I love pet names.”

He smiles that sweet, puppyish grin, and Ryu grins back.

The diametrical opposition never gets resolved no matter how much work Ryu and Momo put into it: the tamed and the untamed of their home and the wilderness surrounding it continue to clash. But they don’t mind. If anything, the harmonious discord is an accurate manifestation of them both. Ryu is fierce, stoic, proud, and caring; Momo is controlled, demonstrative, eager-to-please, and temperamental. And it works.

Comments

[stormymood.livejournal.com]

A sparkling Spot for yukitsubute

[yukitsubute]

Yeah MatsuKame!!! I already love you anon-san!!
I will come back to read asap. <3 I promise!!!

OMG this was so sweet and just great. <3 I can totally imagine Momo living in wild nature. I think he will be at home more often from now on. :P

The pictures you created were so great. I totally loved to imagine living at this place, even though it was wild and somehow "messy", but it also sounded romantic and relaxing. ^^

Ryu really found the perfect place for him to work. <3 And Ryu without shirt in the sun, sweating...oh, I want to see this. ^^

The scene were they get closer to each other is so cute. I love the way you described Momo's hand on Ryu's back.

Ryu is hyper-aware of the subtle heat of Momo’s hands beneath the cold aloe and the warmth of his breath in his ear; all Momo can think about is the firmness of Ryu’s muscles and how he must look when he’s at work, sweaty and shirtless under the sun.
This scene was so instense for me, I totally loved reading it. <3

I love the end where you describe how different they both are, but it works, no matter how different their characters are. <3 They will have a lot of ... hot ... *smirks* moments together from now on I think. ^^

Thanks soooo much for writing MatsuKame for me, anon-san. I totally enjoyed it, even though I haven't seen Gokusen 2. ^___^
I didn't count with that pairing, but I was totally chipper when I saw it. <3

Thanks again, whoever you are. <3

*hugs*