endless_scrolls (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
endless_scrolls) wrote2013-06-03 10:01 pm
endless_scrolls) wrote2013-06-03 10:01 pm
Now or Never Time
Title: Now or Never Time
Type: RP Thread
Fandom: AU!Naruto
Character(s): Tenten, Aburame Shino; brief mention of Uzumaki Naruto
Pairing(s): Shino/Tenten
Warning(s): None
Disclaimer: I own only the part that I played in this.
Note: Thread taken from the ROMANTIC GESTURE MEME over at![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
memebells.
Dedicated to: Their Geek.
[ It was logical. Practical. Subtle. And it would take a lot for him to understand the message. But subtleties were how their relationship tended to work. He was an understated hero. And she was an overlooked heroine. This was their game. And for that moment, the stage was their world. She, at the very least, needed nothing else.
Fingers wrapped lightly around his wrist, she gently pulled him towards the center, where the piano was kept. And with a small gesture of her hand, the young woman ushered him to seat himself at the bench. ]
Thanks for helping me. It's been a long time since RENT and the school play with Naruto and the others way back when. But my pitch's been a bit off and I wanna get this right for the audition.
[ The subtlety of being asked there in the first place had already been lost on him, likely. But it was an ever moving, ever shifting landscape.
Hopefully the way his lips were curved into the faintest bit of a smile as he moved to sit was a subtlety not missed. There was no reason for her to thank him--of course he was there. ]
[ She knew he had little interest in things like this. Little knowledge as well, the last time she had ever asked. And maybe that should have been his first clue that this... was not exactly any little request made from a friend. That it was something more. But then, they had been separated for years, and their renewed friendship was only a few months into it's recovery. She couldn't have expected him... to understand immediately. If at all.
Still, there was something to be said of hope. And the amount she possessed...
Sitting down next to him on the bench, she started on the opening chords, playing slower and softer so that he could hear over the music. ] I know this isn't exactly your forte, but I couldn't think of anyone else better for an honest opinion.
[ Sitting together made him sit just a hair straighter. It was almost entirely unconscious, one of the few body his movements ever made without absolute deliberation. They tended to be related to her. ]
...it's a play to different strengths.
[ He knew very little about music--but a lot about blunt, honest communication. And a lot about Tenten. He saw the logic of her choice easily. Without prompt, his head tilted slightly away; out of listening and into Listening. ]
Or something like that. [ Giving a small little grin and a chuckle, she continued on and move the music towards the beginning of the first verse of words, feeling the emotion as they came to her through the song... as if they were real... ]
There's on~ly us... there's on~ly thi~s... Forget, re~gret... - [ Very carefully, between the beats and breath, she glanced over in his direction before reverting her eyes back onto the keys. Muscle memory was one thing, but perfection was something she was striving for in that moment. Everything needed to be perfect... ] - or life is yours to miss...
[ It was beautiful.
Shino couldn't explain beautiful. It couldn't be quantified, expressed in numbers, deduced on a rubric of standards. It was something that had to be felt. It had taken him a long time to understand.
She had taught him about it.
She was beautiful.
So it was not without the barest quirk of his lips toward what passed as an Aburame smile that he tilted back his head. The concentration on understanding the beauty took precedence over her easily explicable glances in his direction. ]
[ Seeing him immerse himself into the music and the atmosphere... it was the equivalent of a teacher watching a student find that ever elusive answer to an equation. The satisfaction, the pride in seeing their eyes light up at the revelation of factions... she could not admire this man any more than she did in that moment. Could not...
...But then, that was the reason why she had brought them here, wasn't it? To let him know how much. ]
- No other road... no other wa~y. No day but toda~y~
[ The words were not quite hitting, not quite sinking in. There was something too far away about actually appreciating the content when the form took so much of his attention. But a glance at her face, a habitual little check in, brought a certain stillness to his features beyond their usual calm.
She wanted him to listen. How was unclear, but something in her face said that simply listening instead of listening was unacceptable.
His attention redoubled. ]
I can't con~trol~ My dest~iny~
[ Part of her had expected it not to get through. But while she had been known to be blunt and practical... all of those notions and expectations tended to go out the window when it came to Aburame Shino.
Tenten turned into a oblivious and unaware schoolgirl around the young man. ]
I trust my soul~ My only goal~ Is just to be~e~
[ He's trying so hard to properly understand. There's a meta-narrative he's tugging at the threads of but can't quite latch tight enough to hold firmly in his hand.
Unconsciously, one of his actual hands moves to shift slightly closer to her. He wants to catch at whatever it is she's offering him.
Physical proximity might help. ]
Wi~thout yo~~u, the hand gro~~pes -
[ And at that point, she figures, the music's pretty soft by then, the voices raised over the instruments. So she'll abandon the piano for now to... lightly place her hand on top of his. And since she's not concentrating on playing the right keys anymore, her eyes... have no other place to look but... him... ]
- the ear he~ars, the pulse be~ats
[ It startles him. Aburames don't startle, but having the piano fade away into nothingness, having her suddenly touching his hand, having her attention suddenly entirely on him...
...he startles slightly. And flushes with a faint pink blush.
This was what he was supposed to be hearing. This was why he was here. She wanted him to hear the real tremor in her voice, feel the real heat of her hand, know the real... whatever it was that was in her heart. His pulse quickened a hair. Impulsively, he leaned a little closer again, breath caught in the back of his throat, hoping against hope that he wasn't wrong.
That he'd truly heard correctly. ]
Life goes o~~n, but I'm go~ne -
[ It's true, her voice is a bit shaky - a little real - but it was all in the song. And all in the feeling that went behind it. And ultimately, it all boiled down to the reason and the purpose of bringing him there to listen.
Shino needed to hear. Shino needed to understand what was in her heart. ]
- Cause I'd Di~e with~out yo~u~
[ Feeling the notes catch in her throat at the last line, the young woman carefully curled her fingers around his and looked deep into his shielded gaze. Beyond the glass and frames. And ended it all in a mere whisper of truth. If anything, he would appreciate the truth... ]
I'd di~e... with out... you...
[ Even Shino couldn't miss her meaning like this. His words were caught in his throat, his fingers a little too tight on hers, but complete understanding somewhere deep in his eyes.
Somewhere things really clicked.
How to respond was another issue. What was a person supposed to do in this sort of situation? ]
...Tenten...
[ It was a lot to ask - a lot to tell - for someone she knew would be returning to his studies all too soon. He would go back to Brazil, that much, Tenten knew. Within a year's time or more, he'd be halfway across the world from her again. And she would be back to finding ways to fill up her time once more and... forget the void his presence would leave.
But he couldn't go without knowing. She couldn't let him go without telling...
Exhaling quietly, she sandwiched his hand between hers and focused at the smooth surface of his glasses. And smiled at the familiar reflections staring back. She could find her strength in that at least... ] ...It's been a few months since that night at the movies...
...and things have gone well.
[ It was a normal piece of conversation to latch onto, something he really understood for just a second before they delved into what they were surely about to delve into. He needed the normalcy to keep breathing.
And to find the quiet strength to bring his free hand up to cover one of hers. ]
[ She smiled at that and nodded in agreement. He always knew - always understood - the way her mind worked. There was very little need to talk about most things, he always managed to read her thoughts and assume correctly what was unsaid. ] Better than well. The best I could ever hoped for.
And maybe that's worked too well... depending... [ But just because understood, didn't mean he shared it. Which was the big risk in all of this. She was putting her heart out there and hoping beyond hope that it would come back whole. ] ...Depending on how... you feel about it.
Type: RP Thread
Fandom: AU!Naruto
Character(s): Tenten, Aburame Shino; brief mention of Uzumaki Naruto
Pairing(s): Shino/Tenten
Warning(s): None
Disclaimer: I own only the part that I played in this.
Note: Thread taken from the ROMANTIC GESTURE MEME over at
memebells.Dedicated to: Their Geek.
[ It was logical. Practical. Subtle. And it would take a lot for him to understand the message. But subtleties were how their relationship tended to work. He was an understated hero. And she was an overlooked heroine. This was their game. And for that moment, the stage was their world. She, at the very least, needed nothing else.
Fingers wrapped lightly around his wrist, she gently pulled him towards the center, where the piano was kept. And with a small gesture of her hand, the young woman ushered him to seat himself at the bench. ]
Thanks for helping me. It's been a long time since RENT and the school play with Naruto and the others way back when. But my pitch's been a bit off and I wanna get this right for the audition.
[ The subtlety of being asked there in the first place had already been lost on him, likely. But it was an ever moving, ever shifting landscape.
Hopefully the way his lips were curved into the faintest bit of a smile as he moved to sit was a subtlety not missed. There was no reason for her to thank him--of course he was there. ]
[ She knew he had little interest in things like this. Little knowledge as well, the last time she had ever asked. And maybe that should have been his first clue that this... was not exactly any little request made from a friend. That it was something more. But then, they had been separated for years, and their renewed friendship was only a few months into it's recovery. She couldn't have expected him... to understand immediately. If at all.
Still, there was something to be said of hope. And the amount she possessed...
Sitting down next to him on the bench, she started on the opening chords, playing slower and softer so that he could hear over the music. ] I know this isn't exactly your forte, but I couldn't think of anyone else better for an honest opinion.
[ Sitting together made him sit just a hair straighter. It was almost entirely unconscious, one of the few body his movements ever made without absolute deliberation. They tended to be related to her. ]
...it's a play to different strengths.
[ He knew very little about music--but a lot about blunt, honest communication. And a lot about Tenten. He saw the logic of her choice easily. Without prompt, his head tilted slightly away; out of listening and into Listening. ]
Or something like that. [ Giving a small little grin and a chuckle, she continued on and move the music towards the beginning of the first verse of words, feeling the emotion as they came to her through the song... as if they were real... ]
There's on~ly us... there's on~ly thi~s... Forget, re~gret... - [ Very carefully, between the beats and breath, she glanced over in his direction before reverting her eyes back onto the keys. Muscle memory was one thing, but perfection was something she was striving for in that moment. Everything needed to be perfect... ] - or life is yours to miss...
[ It was beautiful.
Shino couldn't explain beautiful. It couldn't be quantified, expressed in numbers, deduced on a rubric of standards. It was something that had to be felt. It had taken him a long time to understand.
She had taught him about it.
She was beautiful.
So it was not without the barest quirk of his lips toward what passed as an Aburame smile that he tilted back his head. The concentration on understanding the beauty took precedence over her easily explicable glances in his direction. ]
[ Seeing him immerse himself into the music and the atmosphere... it was the equivalent of a teacher watching a student find that ever elusive answer to an equation. The satisfaction, the pride in seeing their eyes light up at the revelation of factions... she could not admire this man any more than she did in that moment. Could not...
...But then, that was the reason why she had brought them here, wasn't it? To let him know how much. ]
- No other road... no other wa~y. No day but toda~y~
[ The words were not quite hitting, not quite sinking in. There was something too far away about actually appreciating the content when the form took so much of his attention. But a glance at her face, a habitual little check in, brought a certain stillness to his features beyond their usual calm.
She wanted him to listen. How was unclear, but something in her face said that simply listening instead of listening was unacceptable.
His attention redoubled. ]
I can't con~trol~ My dest~iny~
[ Part of her had expected it not to get through. But while she had been known to be blunt and practical... all of those notions and expectations tended to go out the window when it came to Aburame Shino.
Tenten turned into a oblivious and unaware schoolgirl around the young man. ]
I trust my soul~ My only goal~ Is just to be~e~
[ He's trying so hard to properly understand. There's a meta-narrative he's tugging at the threads of but can't quite latch tight enough to hold firmly in his hand.
Unconsciously, one of his actual hands moves to shift slightly closer to her. He wants to catch at whatever it is she's offering him.
Physical proximity might help. ]
Wi~thout yo~~u, the hand gro~~pes -
[ And at that point, she figures, the music's pretty soft by then, the voices raised over the instruments. So she'll abandon the piano for now to... lightly place her hand on top of his. And since she's not concentrating on playing the right keys anymore, her eyes... have no other place to look but... him... ]
- the ear he~ars, the pulse be~ats
[ It startles him. Aburames don't startle, but having the piano fade away into nothingness, having her suddenly touching his hand, having her attention suddenly entirely on him...
...he startles slightly. And flushes with a faint pink blush.
This was what he was supposed to be hearing. This was why he was here. She wanted him to hear the real tremor in her voice, feel the real heat of her hand, know the real... whatever it was that was in her heart. His pulse quickened a hair. Impulsively, he leaned a little closer again, breath caught in the back of his throat, hoping against hope that he wasn't wrong.
That he'd truly heard correctly. ]
Life goes o~~n, but I'm go~ne -
[ It's true, her voice is a bit shaky - a little real - but it was all in the song. And all in the feeling that went behind it. And ultimately, it all boiled down to the reason and the purpose of bringing him there to listen.
Shino needed to hear. Shino needed to understand what was in her heart. ]
- Cause I'd Di~e with~out yo~u~
[ Feeling the notes catch in her throat at the last line, the young woman carefully curled her fingers around his and looked deep into his shielded gaze. Beyond the glass and frames. And ended it all in a mere whisper of truth. If anything, he would appreciate the truth... ]
I'd di~e... with out... you...
[ Even Shino couldn't miss her meaning like this. His words were caught in his throat, his fingers a little too tight on hers, but complete understanding somewhere deep in his eyes.
Somewhere things really clicked.
How to respond was another issue. What was a person supposed to do in this sort of situation? ]
...Tenten...
[ It was a lot to ask - a lot to tell - for someone she knew would be returning to his studies all too soon. He would go back to Brazil, that much, Tenten knew. Within a year's time or more, he'd be halfway across the world from her again. And she would be back to finding ways to fill up her time once more and... forget the void his presence would leave.
But he couldn't go without knowing. She couldn't let him go without telling...
Exhaling quietly, she sandwiched his hand between hers and focused at the smooth surface of his glasses. And smiled at the familiar reflections staring back. She could find her strength in that at least... ] ...It's been a few months since that night at the movies...
...and things have gone well.
[ It was a normal piece of conversation to latch onto, something he really understood for just a second before they delved into what they were surely about to delve into. He needed the normalcy to keep breathing.
And to find the quiet strength to bring his free hand up to cover one of hers. ]
[ She smiled at that and nodded in agreement. He always knew - always understood - the way her mind worked. There was very little need to talk about most things, he always managed to read her thoughts and assume correctly what was unsaid. ] Better than well. The best I could ever hoped for.
And maybe that's worked too well... depending... [ But just because understood, didn't mean he shared it. Which was the big risk in all of this. She was putting her heart out there and hoping beyond hope that it would come back whole. ] ...Depending on how... you feel about it.