Title: Shared Tastes
Fandom: Soukyuu no Fafner
Pairing: SouKazu
Theme: 14. radio-cassette player
Notes: The new Geneon english Fafner site that was launched recently states in the character section that Soushi likes classical music. Instantly I remembered a fic request in a livejournal community, and combined with that bit of info, there was my instant inspiration. And then I remembered this theme, and was inspired even more.
Timeline: Set sometime after episode 17 and before episode 23, but there aren't any spoilers.
Shared Tastes
Soushi had just sat down when a buzzing noise informed him that someone was at his door. With a sign, he stood again and walked over to open it, but immediately brightened upon seeing Kazuki there.
"Hi, Soushi. Can I come in?"
Soushi stood to the side to let him pass, and closed the door behind him before following him further inside. "Is there something I can do for you, Kazuki?"
Kazuki seemed nervous, he reflected, watching the other boy closely as he first paced a little and then stood in place awkwardly. Soushi gestured to the small sofa in the room for him to sit down on, and Kazuki quickly did so.
"Ah, no, not really. Just wanted to see how you were doing."
"I see." Silence fell in the room. Soushi had never been one to talk much, and Kazuki seemed nervous about something and thus was being quiet as well. Soushi wondered how he should ask what was wrong without being too blunt.
Instead, he walked over to the closet and pulled something out of it. "Have you ever seen one of these before?" he asked, taking it over and placing it carefully on the low table in front of the sofa.
Kazuki leaned forward, looking at the object quizzically, before shaking his head. "No. What is it?"
"A radio-cassette player." Kazuki glanced up at him and gave him a still puzzled look. Kneeling down in front of it, Soushi pressed a button and a compartment in front opened. He pulled something out of it, holding it up for Kazuki to see. "Look. This is called a tape, or cassette." He put it back in and pressed another button, and gentle sound suddenly filled the room.
Kazuki had sat back, surprised. "It plays music? But we have things like that. Why is this one so weird?"
"It's very old. Even back when the Festum first appeared it was very outdated. I found it by chance when I traveled after leaving the island the first time. It's amazing that it still works at all, as long as you put batteries into it."
Smiling, Kazuki reached forward to carefully run a hand over the top. "It's great."
Silence fell again for a moment. Suddenly, Kazuki asked, "This is...classical music, isn't it?"
Soushi coughed into his fist. "Yes. It just happened to be the tape in the player when I found it, but I like the music anyway."
Kazuki didn't answer for a minute, just listening to the music. Finally, he said, "I don't think it's that bad either." He smiled at Soushi.
His expression didn't much change, but Soushi was pleased to hear that Kazuki didn't despise his taste in music, and possibly even shared it. Changing the subject though, he finally asked, "Kazuki, is something wrong?" He was still kneeling beside the table and Kazuki, and watched the other boy's expression carefully.
Having looked back down at the tape player already, Kazuki looked at him again with a surprised expression and blinked. "What?"
"You seemed nervous when you first came here."
"Oh. That. Yeah, I was. But I'm calmer now."
"Did you need something?"
"Not exactly, but I wanted to do this." He suddenly leaned forward and gave Soushi a quick kiss on the lips, before leaning back again, cheeks tinted with color and not meeting his eyes.
Surprised, Soushi didn't say anything for a minute. Then he turned back to the tape player and said casually, "Oh, is that all?"
Kazuki's head snapped up to look at him again. He opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it, seeming to think of something. Then he smiled and leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Soushi from behind. "Glad to hear we have this in common as well."