![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
FIC: Forgiveness
Title: Forgiveness
Rating: PG
Fandom: Haru wo Daiteita (Embracing Love)
Pairing: Iwaki/Katou
Word count: ~2,080
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Summary: This is a companion piece to Comeback Part 1 and Part 2, which explains how Iwaki came to recommend Kikuchi to the Inside Report director.
Author's note: As far as I can tell, the director of Inside Report is never named in the manga. I didn't feel comfortable making up a name for him, so I figured it would be all right for Iwaki to address him by title, since that seems to be a common practice in Japanese show business. However, "Director-san" sounded a little awkward, so I stuck with the Japanese term, "Kantoku-san".
***
Filming for Iwaki's latest series had taken a short break for lunch, so he headed over to the studio's cafeteria. He wasn't that hungry, but he knew that he should eat something since he would be working late tonight and might not be able to eat again for several more hours. In his mind he could hear Katou saying sternly, "Iwaki-san must keep up his strength and not skip meals!"
Iwaki chuckled fondly at that thought, and picked up a sandwich and a can of iced tea. He looked around for somewhere to sit, then spotted the director of his old series, Inside Report, sitting alone at a nearby table. He had a brooding look on his face, and was pushing his food around his plate with his chopsticks without actually eating anything.
Iwaki hesitated. Perhaps he shouldn't intrude...but on the other hand, he felt like he owed the director a debt for guiding him through a successful series (not to mention having to deal with the scandal that Asano's innocent sleepover had caused). Maybe there was something that Iwaki could do to help with his troubles.
"Hello, Kantoku-san," Iwaki said pleasantly. "Is this seat taken?"
The director glanced up, looking startled but not displeased. "Oh, Iwaki-san! How nice to see you again--please, have a seat."
"Thank you," Iwaki said, and sat down across from him. They made polite small talk for a few minutes as they ate, then Iwaki hesitantly asked, "Is something troubling you, Kantoku-san? You seemed a little down earlier..."
"Oh, it's just that my latest project is proving a little troublesome," the director said with a rueful smile. "It's a TV drama based on the novel 'Yakuza Love Story'."
"By Mizutani Miwako, right?" Iwaki asked, and the director nodded. "Congratulations! It was a bestseller, and it's a very moving story, so I'm sure it will be very popular."
"Have you read it, then, Iwaki-san?" the director asked, looking amused. "I didn't know that you liked those kinds of books."
Iwaki smiled. "Because men don't usually read romances?"
"Oh, I didn't mean--" the director said hastily, but Iwaki waved off his apology.
"It's all right; perhaps I'm just a romantic at heart," Iwaki laughed. "But seriously, it's more than just a love story; it's also a serious commentary on the difficulties that lovers can face when their social standings are very far apart." Maybe that was why he had liked the book so much, because his relationship with Katou was--at least to some people--just as taboo as that of the young yakuza and the daughter of a wealthy and powerful businessman.
"Yes, that's true," the director agreed.
"But I don't understand," Iwaki said. "This is good news, so why are you troubled?"
"It's a problem with the casting," the director sighed. "Mizutani-sensei wants Kikuchi Katsuya to play Toki, the gang leader. It seems that she's a big fan of his, and says that she had him in mind when she was writing the character. Strictly speaking, her contract doesn't give her the right of casting approval, but the producers would like to keep her happy, if possible. On the other hand, they're uneasy about hiring Kikuchi-san after that controversy where he dropped out of Katou-san's film. There's a lot of money riding on this series, and it would be disastrous if one of the stars walked off the set in the middle of filming." He smiled wryly. "The studio has left the decision up to me, which means that I'll get the credit for brilliant casting if the series is a hit, but if anything goes wrong, I'll be the one who gets the blame." The director hesitated, then continued, "Rumor has it that Kikuchi-san was fired for causing trouble with Katou-san. Forgive me if I am out of line to ask this, Iwaki-san, but do you know the real reason why Kikuchi-san left the film?"
Now it was Iwaki's turn to hesitate. To get his revenge on Kikuchi, he need only confirm the rumors that Kikuchi was undependable. In fact, he didn't even have to do that--he could refuse comment or plead ignorance, and the director would probably take the safer route and cast someone else in the role.
But the truth was that Iwaki didn't really hate Kikuchi. He had certainly been frightened and angry when Kikuchi had attacked him at the restaurant, but in hindsight, he believed that rape hadn't been Kikuchi's intent. He'd had the advantage over Iwaki in strength, but he'd allowed Iwaki to push him away after kissing and pawing at him for a few minutes. Kikuchi's real intention had been to provoke Katou into doing something stupid, and Katou had fallen right into his trap.
Iwaki was able to look back at the incident objectively now, but at the time he'd felt dirty and violated, which was why he had been too upset to discuss it with Katou, and Katou, imagining the worst, had attacked Kikuchi at the studio the next day.
But strangely, rather than feeling angry at Kikuchi, Iwaki felt a sense of pity for the older actor. He and Katou had been lucky--the public had accepted their love, but ten years ago, that same public had turned against Kikuchi for the sin of loving men. It was no wonder that Kikuchi was bitter. Since neither Iwaki nor Katou had ever been involved with another man before they met each other, Kikuchi probably saw them as a couple of straight guys playing at a gay relationship for the sake of publicity. He was utterly wrong, of course, but Iwaki could see how it would look that way to an outsider.
He couldn't imagine how difficult it must have been for Kikuchi to be a star one moment and a pariah the next, to be driven out of the business and even out of the country, to have to start over again in a foreign land where the language, the people, and even the food were all unfamiliar. And yet he had done it and built a successful career in the U.S. By contrast, it must seem to Kikuchi like everything had come to Iwaki and Katou easily, without any struggles or hardship. In actuality, they had fought very hard for their careers, toiling in the ghetto of the AV world before their big break, but the public had accepted their romantic relationship fairly easily--certainly with much more ease than Iwaki had himself. He remembered how it had felt, to be torn with doubt and shame over his attraction to Katou, and he wondered if Kikuchi had ever felt that way...surely he must have, at least at first, and it would have been even harder having to keep those feelings hidden from the public. Maybe that was why he had finally slipped and allowed the tabloids to catch him in a rendezvous with his male lover.
"Iwaki-san?" the director was asking, and Iwaki blinked and snapped back to reality.
"Ah, excuse me," Iwaki apologized. "I got lost in my thoughts for a moment."
"I've put you on the spot," the director said apologetically. "Please, forget that I asked."
Iwaki made his decision. It wasn't really in his nature to be vengeful, and if he could forgive Miyasaka for what he had done, surely he could also forgive Kikuchi. "Please ignore the rumors, Kantoku-san," he said firmly. "Kikuchi-san is a dedicated professional, and I believe that he would make a valuable addition to your cast."
"Then the parting really was over creative differences?" the director asked, looking very surprised. "I had assumed that the studio was was merely trying to put a good face on things..."
"I cannot reveal the exact circumstances, as they are a confidential matter," Iwaki replied. "However, I can assure you that Kikuchi-san stepped down because he knew it would be best for the film, even if it hurt his own career." He left out the part about Kikuchi being blackmailed into bowing out of the film, of course, but Iwaki didn't feel too guilty about his white lie. Kikuchi had been subdued at that meeting, and had given in without a struggle, not so much because he was worried about the photographs being made public, but because he was ashamed and remorseful of what he had done--or at least, that was Iwaki's perception, though Katou's would no doubt differ. Kikuchi was too proud to actually admit that he was wrong, but Iwaki thought that there had been an indirect apology in his statement, "Maybe I didn't have to run away ten years ago."
"Thank you, Iwaki-san; I feel very much assured," the director said gratefully, looking relieved. "I'll go ahead and contact Kikuchi-san's agency about the role."
"I'm a big fan of Kikuchi-san's works, so I'll be looking forward to seeing him play Toki on your series," Iwaki said with a smile.
"Well, first we have to see if he accepts the role," the director laughed. He thanked Iwaki again, then hurried away from the table, leaving his uneaten lunch behind.
***
"Why are we watching this show?" Katou complained. "I thought you'd never want to see that perverted old man again after what he did to you!"
"Be quiet, Katou," Iwaki scolded. "It's all in the past now, and I told you that I forgave Kikuchi because I understood his bitterness. Besides, it's not like we went all the way, remember."
"If Kikuchi had gone 'all the way' with you, then I'd have killed him!" Katou shouted. "And I will never forgive him for laying hands on my precious Iwaki-san!"
"Oh, will you pipe down!" Iwaki said irritably. He should have taped the damned show instead, so he could watch the video alone later in peace and quiet. "Even if you still hold a grudge against Kikuchi, I thought you'd want to watch the show since Miyasaka-kun is in it, too."
"Why is it that the two men who molested Iwaki-san are starring in the same show?!" Katou ranted. "Just watching the two of them together pisses me off!"
"But you made up with Miyasaka-kun," Iwaki reminded him impatiently. "He apologized to both of us and we forgave him."
"Yeah, I forgave him," Katou replied sulkily. "But I haven't forgotten. And seeing him with Kikuchi reminds me of all the bad things they've done."
"Then don't watch it, if it bothers you so much," Iwaki sighed.
Katou immediately cheered up. "Good idea!" he said, nuzzling Iwaki's neck as his hands began caressing Iwaki's body. "Let's turn off this stupid show and do something much more entertaining..."
Iwaki snatched up a throw pillow from the couch (an old housewarming gift from Shimizu-san) and whacked Katou over the head with it. "Enough!" he barked. "Keep your hands to yourself and be quiet until the show is over!"
Katou could be annoyingly persistent with his amorous advances, but he seemed to sense that Iwaki was serious this time. He tried giving Iwaki a hurt, wide-eyed look, but when the puppy eyes didn't work, he said "Fine," in a miffed voice and retreated to the other end of the couch. He crossed his arms over his chest and fell into a silent sulk, his lower lip thrusting out in a pout that should look absurd in a twenty-something man, but was somehow childishly adorable.
Iwaki smiled and leaned back against the couch to enjoy the TV show. After it was over, he would make it up to Katou and give him all the "entertainment" he wanted. Katou was angry at him now, but one of his lover's good points was that while he angered easily, he also forgave easily and didn't hold a grudge (well, except for men who expressed sexual interest in Iwaki). Iwaki knew that Katou's resentment and jealousy would instantly melt away as soon as he began kissing those lovely pouting lips.
Iwaki's smile grew wider and Katou muttered to himself plaintively, "Iwaki-san is so mean! He is smiling at those two perverts and completely ignoring me, who cherishes him above all others." Iwaki just chuckled to himself and kept his attention focused on the TV screen; there would be time enough later to correct Katou's misperception and show him just how much Iwaki cherished him.
THE END.
Next story in the series: Firsts
no subject
no subject
no subject
aww.. and the ending is so cute! reading a sulking Katou and Amuse Iwaki is the best way to start a day!
Thanks for sharing! ^^
no subject
no subject
no subject
This was nice.
Re: This was nice.
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject