Disclaimer: I do not own Hana Yori Dango.
Chapter 26: Thank God This Isn't a Baseball Game
It didn't have to take anyone with half a brain to figure out that something was afoot. Akira and Soujiro, the double D of the band (double D standing for either 'dynamic duo' or 'dumb and dumber,' take your pick) were up to something.
First there was the brownie incident.
Tsukasa came in to rehearsals one day with a box of brownies. As it was still early, only Akira and Soujiro were already there. "Guys," Tsukasa excitedly said, "you have got to try these. Remember that sweet old lady who moved into the unit next to mine?" At their nod, he continued, "Well, earlier today she knocked on my door and gave me these brownies she'd baked to thank me for helping to carry her boxes last weekend. The poor thing even apologized because she had run out of cashew nuts, so she had to use peanuts instead to top them. But hell, I don't care, 'cause they taste soooo great! Try 'em so you'll know what I mean!"
The two eagerly got a brownie square each, and shortly after were agreeing with Tsukasa. These were really good brownies.
"Eh, what'd I tell you? I'm going up to make some coffee to go with these," Tsukasa decided. "Hey," he said before disappearing behind the door, "don't be greedy. Leave some for me, Tsukushi and Rui, okay?"
The two merely nodded, their mouths still full.
While Tsukasa was busy brewing a pot of coffee at the kitchen upstairs, Tsukushi arrived. Seeing the box on the table and her two bandmates chomping away merrily, she asked, "Hey, what have you got there?"
"Oh man, Tsukushi, you have got to try one of these!" Soujiro said as he took another brownie square from the box.
"Wha---" Jiro popped the whole thing into Tsukushi's mouth before she could say anything else. "Oh my," she said in between chomps. "This (chew) is really (chew) good! Where'd you get this?"
"You like it?" Akira asked, an idea suddenly forming in his head.
Tsukushi nodded, her eyes closed as she savored the taste of the heavenly brownie. "Really (chomp) good. Where'd you get this?" she asked again.
"Tsukasa baked them," Akira lied glibly as he winked at Soujiro, who instantly got his drift.
"Yeah," Jiro seconded. "Those brownies are his specialty."
Tsukushi opened her eyes. "Tsukasa baked these?" The two nodded readily. "Wow, I didn't know he baked. He must be really good! These taste heavenly!" she remarked as she reached into the box for a second piece.
"Oh yeah," Akira was now on a roll. "Shizuka taught all four of us how to bake last year, but it was only Tsukasa who really learned. You should see him in the kitchen." Yeah right. Tsukasa couldn't even flip a pancake properly even if his life depended on it.
"And he's very particular about the ingredients he uses," Jiro rode on. This was getting to be fun, and they were earning Tsukasa some 'brownie points,' you could say. "For these brownies, he uses only the choicest peanuts and..."
"Peanuts?" Tsukushi blanched upon hearing the word. "Did you just say peanuts?" Already she could feel her airways blocking up.
"Uh-huh," Jiro continued, oblivious to the sudden pallor in Tsukushi's complexion. "He uses..."
"Knapsack," Tsukushi pointed a shaky finger at the couch where her knapsack lay. "Get me (gasp) my knapsack (gasp) please..." she requested Akira, who was closest to the couch.
"Tsukushi?" Jiro finally noticed that the girl beside him was gasping for breath. "Tsukushi, what's wrong?"
By this time, Akira had hurriedly handed her the knapsack she was asking for. Tsukushi quickly opened it and got a blister pack of tablets from within. It was her emergency pack of antihistamines which she always kept close at hand for her peanut allergy. She hastily popped a tablet into her mouth and gulped it down with some water from Akira's mineral water bottle on the table. Having done so, she staggered to the couch and plopped down, leaning her back and taking deep, measured breaths as she waited for the medicine to take effect.
The door opened with the arrival of Rui, and Tsukasa was right behind him carrying a pot of coffee.
"What's happening?" Rui asked concernedly when he caught sight of a very pale Tsukushi slumped at the couch, taking deep gulps of air. Tsukasa set down the pot he was holding onto the table and walked briskly over.
"What happened?" he asked Soujiro and Akira, but the two were confused too.
"She just tried one of your brownies, and the next thing we knew, she was already white as a sheet and was having difficulty breathing."
"I'm taking her to the hospital," Tsukasa said decisively as he bent down and tried to scoop Tsukushi in his arms.
"Tsukasa," Tsukushi panted. "No need. I'll be alright in a few minutes 'cause I already took my anti-allergy meds," she assured him as she wiggled away from his hold. True enough, several tense minutes later, Tsukushi's breathing steadied, and the color returned to her cheeks.
"Tsukushi," Rui spoke calmly. "Are you okay now?" At her nod, he asked, "What just happened here?"
"I ate one of Tsukasa's brownies. It was a good thing Jiro mentioned at once that it had peanuts in it." She looked at all four men sheepishly. "I guess I forgot to mention I'm allergic to peanuts."
Tsukasa immediately felt guilty. Somehow, he felt responsible for her allergy attack. He knew how some people had died because of a sudden allergic reaction to peanuts. "Oh god, Tsukushi, I'm so sorry. If only I'd known, I wouldn't have brought those brownies." He walked over to a chair and slumped dejectedly against its back.
Tsukushi, who had recovered by now from the sudden attack, walked over immediately to Tsukasa. She laid a gentle hand on his shoulder as she stood beside him. "Hey, it was an accident. It wasn't anyone's fault. So don't feel like you're responsible for this, okay?"
He looked up and saw her looking at him with such sincerity. It helped ease the guilt that was gnawing at him. He gave her a grateful nod.
"Besides, I'm okay now. And," she laughed lightly, "at least now you know I'm allergic to peanuts. I was able to taste one of your brownies though. It was sooo good. Too bad I can't have any more."
Strike 1.
==================
Then there was that incident with Soujiro's cologne and Tsukasa's jacket.
One Friday during rehearsals, Tsukushi caught a whiff of Soujiro's new cologne. "Hey, you smell good. New cologne?" she asked just as they were getting ready to start practice.
"Yup. Hugo for Men," he replied.
"Nice. I like it."
Nothing more was said about it as they turned their attention to rehearsing the new song. Later that night at Frenzy, Tsukushi was at the bar chatting with Kazuya and helping him out with the drinks in between sets. Soujiro joined them as he ordered some drinks for the rest of the guys, who were seated at a table nearby.
Tsukushi was wearing a sleeveless shirt that night, and she was regretting not bringing along her jacket. Soujiro noticed as she shivered slightly due to the cold AC. "Hey, you cold?" he asked, although it was already pretty obvious from the way she was rubbing her hands against the sides of her bare arms. "Don't you have a jacket or something?"
"I left it at Akira's house. I didn't know it was gonna be this cold."
An imaginary lightbulb went on inside Soujiro's head as he saw another opportunity to make Tsukasa look good in Tsukushi's eyes. Or maybe not look good so much as smell good.
"Geez, too bad I don't have my jacket with me," he said regretfully. "Oh, but wait! I think I remember Tsukasa leaving his jacket in my car. Want me to go get it for you?" he asked nonchalantly.
"Um, if it's not too much trouble, sure," Tsukushi answered.
Jiro got the drinks he ordered and laid them down at the table where the rest of the guys were. "Hey Tsukasa, Tsukushi wants to borrow your jacket. I'll go get it from the car for her, okay?"
"Sure."
Soujiro made a quick dash outside to where he had parked his car. Sure enough, Tsukasa's jacket was draped over the back of the passenger seat. He quickly retrieved it to bring it back to the club, but not before spraying it with a generous amount of his cologne, which he conveniently kept in the glove compartment.
"Here you go," he said as he handed the jacket to Tsukushi.
"Thanks," she called out to him as he made his way back to the table.
Ten minutes later, Tsukushi came to them and handed the jacket back to Tsukasa. "Thanks for the jacket, Tsukasa. Um, I don't think I'll be needing it anymore tonight. I'm not so cold anymore." She turned around to walk back to the bar to continue helping Kazuya out. Wondering what was the matter, Soujiro immediately followed her on the pretext of ordering a refill for his drink. Tsukasa meanwhile, was left at the table with Akira and Rui, and he was wondering why suddenly his jacket smelled strongly of Hugo Boss after Tsukushi had used it.
"Hey," Soujiro leaned over the counter top to get Tsukushi's attention. "Why'd you return his jacket? I thought you were feeling cold?"
"Oh... umm... I'm not so cold anymore," she fibbed. She was really a poor liar because Jiro could see her shivering as she spoke.
"You're still shivering," he pointed out. "I'll go get the jacket back."
"No, don't!" she protested. She leaned over the bar and motioned Jiro to come closer to her. "I don't want it."
"Huh?"
"I didn't like how it smelled."
"But... but... I thought you liked that cologne?"
"Well, yeah, but Tsukasa's jacket was practically reeking of the stuff. What'd he do, soak it in cologne? Geez, the scent was so overpowering, it was causing me to sneeze every ten seconds. I'd rather be cold. Oh, but don't tell Tsukasa that, okay? I don't want to hurt his feelings. You might want to advise him not to use too much next time."
Strike 2.
When Soujiro returned to the table, Tsukasa eyed him suspiciously. He held up the jacket and asked, "Jiro, why does my jacket suddenly smell like you spilled a whole bottle of your cologne on it?"
Jiro gulped nervously. "Oh, that... um..." his voice trailed off as he shrugged his shoulders.
"Shit. It's gonna take several washings to get the scent out."
"Oh, hey, look at the time. I think we better start getting ready for our next set." Soujiro was grateful when the others agreed and started to make their way up to the stage.
==================
Several days later, the double D decided to take a more direct approach. When Tsukasa arrived for band practice, Akira shoved a bunch of red tulips tied together with a nice ribbon to Tsukasa's face.
"Gee Akira, thanks, but how many times should I tell you, you're not my type," Tsukasa smirked.
"Harhar, very funny. This is the thanks I get for trying to help you?"
"Huh?"
It was Soujiro who answered him this time. "Akira and I are tired of waiting for you to make your move, man. So we decided to give you a little push. What better way to start making your intentions known to Tsukushi than by giving her flowers, huh?" he grinned.
Tsukasa looked at his two friends dumbfoundedly. "You bought these flowers so I could give them to Tsukushi?"
"Don't worry. You can pay us later." Soujiro slung an arm around him.
"And no need to thank us. That's what friends are for," Akira piped in.
Tsukasa transferred his gaze to Rui, who was lazily strumming his guitar as he listened disinterestedly to his friends.
"What?" he deadpanned. "Don't look at me, I had no hand in that. It was all their idea," he said as he gestured to Akira and Soujiro.
Before anyone could say anything else, the door burst open and Tsukushi sauntered in. Noticing the unusual silence, she looked around and her gaze landed on the flowers in Tsukasa's hand. She shot them all a questioning look.
Akira and Soujiro literally pushed Tsukasa towards Tsukushi.
"I... um... we... um... these are for you," Tsukasa stammered as he held out the bunch of tulips to her.
"For me?" Tsukushi was genuinely surprised. "Gee thanks." She took the flowers from Tsukasa and admired them. "They're beautiful." As she spoke, the men couldn't help but notice the melancholy look in her face.
"What's the matter?" Jiro asked. "Don't you like them?"
"Oh no, don't get me wrong," Tsukushi replied. "I like them, really. They're beautiful."
"So why do you look so sad?" Tsukasa had to ask.
Tsukushi looked at the flowers for several seconds, her eyes misting as she did. "Tulips were my mom's favorite. I could still remember everyone throwing red tulips at her casket as it was being lowered into the ground."
Strike 3.
"Oh man, I'm so sorry, Tsukushi. I didn't know. Really, I didn't," Tsukasa apologized. He shot a reproachful glare at Soujiro and Akira.
"Pssh, don't be sorry. Of course you didn't know," Tsukushi sought to assure him. "Hey," she said as she made a show of glancing at her watch, "it's time for practice. Let's get to work, okay?" She tried to put up a cheery front.
That was enough to spur everyone into taking their places. They were all grateful that the awkward moment had passed.
But every now and then, Tsukasa saw the sad look in her eyes whenever she happened to glance at the bunch of tulips she had lain at the table.
=================
All these, of course, didn't escape the ever perceptive Hanazawa Rui. Anyone could've seen through Soujiro's and Akira's ploy. Anyone, that is, except someone as dense as both Tsukushi and Tsukasa. Rui knew that Akira and Soujiro meant well, but they were doing more bad than good in trying to help put Tsukasa in a good light in Tsukushi's eyes. Before more damage could be done, Rui decided to take action and step in.
The first thing he did was to take the two aside during one of their breaks.
"I know what you guys have been up to," he informed them. "And believe me, it ain't working."
"What ain't working?" Akira asked cluelessly.
"This... this ploy you have of building Tsukasa up in Tsukushi's eyes."
"Aww, Rui, you know we were just trying to help," Soujiro defended.
"Yeah, but all you've managed to do so far is risk getting Tsukushi killed with an allergy attack, make her sad because of those tulips, and make her think that Tsukasa is some kind of cologne freak."
The two hung their heads low in shame. "We're sorry," Akira squeaked.
Rui looked at them sternly, the way a parent would a wayward child. "It's Tsukasa you have to apologize to. Good thing he's too preoccupied to know you've been trying to 'help' him. If you really want to get those two together, you should've enlisted my help in the first place."
"You've thought of something?" Akira and Soujiro's faces lit up.
"Don't I always?" Rui rolled his eyes.
"So what's the plan?" they asked him eagerly.
"Simple. We all invite Tsukushi out to dinner at some fancy restaurant, then at the last minute, the three of us find one reason or another to back out. That'll leave the two of them together on a romantic date."
The two playboys looked at each other, then at Rui. "Now why the hell didn't we think of that?"
'Cause you're idiots, that's why, Rui thought wryly.
"Oh, but wouldn't Tsukushi be suspicious if we just invited her to a fancy dinner out of the blue? With no special occasion or anything?" asked Akira.
"Ah, but there is a special occasion this coming Sunday." At their questioning look, he continued. "It's Tsukushi's birthday."
"It is?" Soujiro asked. "Now how the hell did you find that out?"
"Have you forgotten that she's our employee at the record store? I saw it on her personnel file."
The two men looked at Rui with new respect in their eyes. Their quiet friend didn't talk much, but when he did, he really talked sense. "You are a genius, man!" Akira exclaimed.
"I know," Rui replied with a smug smile. "Oh, and one more thing," he spoke again before turning away. "Once we leave them on their own, I trust Tsukasa to do what he thinks is best for them both. If he finally tells her how he feels, well and good. But if he doesn't, then that means he's decided not to pursue her. We should leave it at that, and stop sticking our noses into his lovelife. Is that clear?"
Soujiro and Akira both shrugged their shoulders resignedly. "Fine."
Later that night after Soujiro took Tsukushi home, Akira and Rui told Tsukasa their plan of treating Tsukushi out to a special dinner on her birthday that coming Sunday. Tsukasa too, knew it was Tsukushi's birthday, and he was hoping to invite her out for dinner, with just the two of them, but apparently his friends had other plans. So he had no choice but to agree.
The following day, as they were having a break, Rui asked Tsukushi casually, "So Tsukushi, what do you have planned this Sunday? We know it's your birthday."
Tsukushi was surprised the guys knew. "Oh, um, actually I didn't have anything special planned. I was thinking I'd spend the whole day vegging out in front of the TV. You guys wanna come over? I could order in a pizza and maybe we could buy some beer."
"No need, my dear birthday girl," Akira said. "All four of us are taking you someplace special on Sunday. Er, that is, if it's okay with you?"
Tsukushi was truly touched that they had planned something special for her on her birthday. Words escaped her as she was overcome with emotion, so all she could do was nod her head.
"Great!" Soujiro exclaimed. "We'll pick you up at your house on Sunday, say around 7? Make sure you wear something dressy, okay?"
She smiled and said, "Okay! It's a date!"
A/N: Cuppajava's lame attempt at a humorous chapter. For a filler chapter, this turned out to be longer than I'd planned. It wasn't originally included in my story outline, but from the comments I received both here and at Winglin, some readers were expecting to read a few funny takes on how the F3 will 'help' Tsukasa in wooing Tsukushi. So maybe it wasn't that funny. But at least I tried, lol. Let me know what you think, good or bad. You all know by now what a review slut I am, hahaha.
chaRm007: Here's the update. Are you the same charm who's left me comments at Winglin?
xib: You're welcome. And thanks to you too for telling me what you think. Glad you like the story.
cherub girl: Here's an even longer chappie than the last one. I think this is my longest to date. Hope you like it.
Sailor Angie: Hi Angie! There you go again, flattering the heck out of me. LOL. But I ain't complaining! Recommendations? Hmm, my favorite TxT authors are Jennifer Wand and jade. You can find their stories at the back pages of the HYD section. It's really sad that they're no longer writing HYD fics. It's really hard to find HYD fics at Winglin, 'cause most stories there use the MG names. Here on ff.net, I also like Skyla1 and curdled milk, though I don't think either have come up yet with a completed TxT fic. But their stories are still really good, especially if you're into angst. As for the title of the last chapter, I just got the idea from one of jade's fics, so maybe that's what you were referring to. Okay, I've rambled on long enough. I hope you liked this chapter. Hope to hear from you again soon.
XxSwtDreamerxX1: Really, you think it was one of my best chaps? Thanks. I was a bit unsure 'cause there were so many things I wanted to get across, so there were some flow problems there. Glad you liked it anyway.
abyss: Yeah, I'm pretty excited about the guys singing together too. Wish me luck writing it.
Syvonair: The wedding will be about 2-3 chaps from now. Thanks for reading!
ToinKs: Oo nga, wouldn't that be cool if the real F4 sang a capella? Haay...
Tinhamodic: Hey, you're back! Thanks for the reviews you left. Very much appreciated. Oh, about the title of the last chapter, I just got the idea from another fic here on ff.net. So it's not really very original, lol. Hey, I'm glad you updated Meteor Destiny 2 on Winglin. Am also looking forward to the new thriller you're cooking up. Jia you!
kamiangel: Hi there! Nope, Tsukushi won't be singing the new song with them. This time I want it to be only the guys, lol. Just like the real F4.
'Til the next update, take care! Oh, and please leave me a comment if you have time.