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notanerrandboy · 1 year

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Smiling out loud - Chapter 16

Chapter title: 5 + 1 times (T part I)

Summary: Five times Tanaka cries in front of Endô, and one time he doesn't.

Characters: Tanaka, Endô

Word count: 531

Disclaimer: I’m only doing this for fun!

(Crossposted on AO3)

---

The first time Tanaka cried in front of Endô he was sitting in front of the latter’s house, the sight of scraped knees making the other boy rush over and shout: “Are you okay?!”

Tanaka looked up in surprise, forgetting to be shy of his tear-streaked cheeks in the process, but the boy didn’t seem to notice as he immediately crouched and pulled Tanaka’s fingers away from the wound with such care that the already big lump in his throat grew tenfold.

“I’ll go inside to get band-aids, so stay here, okay? Don’t move!” The boy stood up and ran into the house, leaving Tanaka alone again. Now he was able to think a little clearer; he didn’t recognise the boy, but judging by the school uniform they attended the same school, which of course could mean anything but so far the boy had only been nice to him and it caused Tanaka to let out a relieved sigh.

He heard a door slam shut, and the boy was once again by his side, cotton and band-aid in his hands. He carefully cleaned the wound, making small talk as he did so as if situations like these weren’t anything unusual to him.

“How did this happen?”

“I- I just tripped on the curb, I wasn’t looking-“

“For how long have you been sitting here?”

“Only a couple of minutes, if you hadn’t come by I probably would’ve tried to get home…” Tears still trickled down his cheeks, if just a little slower. He was touched by the thoughtfulness this boy was showing him, despite not knowing him, and a smile found it’s way to his lips even as he clenched his teeth in pain.

“There!” The boy gave the band-aid he just put over the wound a light pat and stood up to wipe his brow with the sleeve of his uniform jacket. “My little brother trips a lot so I’d like to think I’ve gotten pretty good at doing this. Do you live far from here? Will you be alright on your own?”

Tanaka couldn’t help but giggle. “Uh, I live here. Just a little further down the road.” The giggle soon turned into laughter as he saw the confused expression forming on the boy’s face.

“Are you serious?”

“I’m serious.”

“But how could I have missed that? I’ve lived here for years!”

“So have I, maybe we leave for school at different times or something?” That had the boy rubbing his chin in thought.

“Now that you mention it, I tend to run late a lot…” The admission had them laughing together again, and then the boy reached out his hand to pull Tanaka up.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Endô Shôzô.”

“Tanaka Naoki, and it’s nice to meet you too.”

“So what do you say? Wanna go to school together tomorrow?” Tanaka smiled, the pain in his knee completely forgotten.

“Sure! See you tomorrow - and Endô?” His new friend had turned to leave, but stopped in his tracks to give him a curious look. “Thank you.”

A wide, toothy grin appeared on Endô’s face, one that Tanaka suddenly felt very happy about being able to see more often from now on.

“Don’t mention it.”

---

#owarai #gaki no tsukai #gaki no tsukai fanfiction #Mii writes gaki #cocorico #Endo Shozo #Tanaka Naoki #EndoTana #ガキの使いやあらへんで #ガキの使い #ガキ使 #ココリコ #遠藤章造 #田中直樹 #遠藤x田中 #It's been forever honestly #but I'm back!!#and I wrote something and I hope you like it~#(>o<)💗

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notanerrandboy · 2 years

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Smiling out loud - Chapter 15

Chapter title: Like a kombi

Summary: Cocorico takes on a challenge as a duo and surprises many as they do so.

Characters: Tanaka, Endô, Hamada, Matsumoto

Character count: 391

Disclaimer: I’m only doing this for fun!

(Crossposted on AO3)

---

“Next contestant!”

The music started blasting, the light shone in our eyes, and right before the smoke appeared Endô begun walking. I’m quick to reach his side and together we go down the stairs to join the other comedians on the stage.

“Ah, a kombi,” Hamada points out. It’s true, we’re the first and only kombi of the night and ever since we began doing these Grand Prix episodes for Gaki we’ve been among the very few duos to compete. It hasn’t caused any problems this far though, as only one of us usually takes part in the challenge, but that was about to change.

Matsumoto turns to ask us the big question. “Well, who’s going to do the challenge?”

We’re silent for a fraction of a second, then we speak as one. Like a kombi.

“We’re both doing it.”

Surprise flickers past our senpai’s faces but it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared - still, it’s enough for me to start worrying about causing a scene, but when Downtown simply nods in understanding I realise that there wasn’t anything to worry about here either and I let out a small sigh of relief.

“Let’s watch the movie then!”

As our entry is shown me and Endô goes to sit on the chairs by the side, and soon our recorded counterparts are completely in focus. This time around we did really well, I think to myself as the audience and our coworkers laugh. Next to me Endô is fidgeting and suddenly I feel his hand slip into mine. I look at him in surprise, but he puts a finger to the grin on his lips before I can utter a word.

“Hey,” he whispers to me. “Don’t you think we actually have a chance now?”

The pride and happiness in his eyes pulls the corners of my lips upwards, and I’m full on smiling when the movie ends and we get our best score yet. Sadly it’s not enough to make us win, but I can’t bring myself to care, and by the look on Endô’s face I’m pretty sure he feels the same way.

“Good job,” we say and smile in unison before we part.

Like a kombi, I think with glee.

#owarai #gaki no tsukai #gaki no tsukai fanfiction #Mii writes gaki #cocorico #Endo Shozo #Tanaka Naoki #EndoTana #ガキの使いやあらへんで #ガキの使い #ガキ使 #ココリコ #遠藤章造 #遠藤x田中 #田中直樹 #this is inspired by episode 1092!#I hope it turned out alright hahah #(>w<)💕

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notanerrandboy · 2 years

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Smiling out loud - Chapter 14

Chapter title: Dawn of sorrow

Summary: While spending the night outdoors, Endô tries to mend Tanaka's broken heart.

Characters: Tanaka, Endô

Character count: 245

Disclaimer: I’m only doing this for fun!

(Crossposted on AO3)

---

“Are you okay?”

Tanaka drew his gaze away from the slowly fading stars to look at Endô, who had an expectant yet worried look in his eyes.

“I don’t know. But it’s better than before.”

Thanks to you. But that he didn’t say out loud.

Together they turned to take in the view of their hometown once more, where small points of lights fought the lingering darkness.

“Thank you for making me come up here, for bringing me out of my misery.”

The lanky boy sensed the sad smile thrown at him more than he saw it. “Don’t mention it. I know what it’s like to have your heart broken, so I’m simply doing what I would have done myself.”

Suddenly the sun showed up by the horizon, swiftly painting the sky in various nuances of orange and pink, and the two boys could only stare at it in awe for a long while.

Then, Endô drew closer to Tanaka to put an arm around his shoulder. “At least we have each other, right?”

He smiled a true smile when he received a nod, and so he started singing - quietly, softly and not entirely in tune, but it touched Tanaka’s heart all the same.

“Shinjiru koto kara, hajimaru koi wa…”

Endô put his head on Tanaka’s shoulder, and Tanaka put his head on top of his.

Yes, they had each other, and a new day was approaching.

#owarai #gaki no tsukai #gaki no tsukai fanfiction #Mii writes gaki #cocorico #Endo Shozo #Tanaka Naoki #EndoTana #ガキの使い #ガキ使 #ココリコ #遠藤章造 #田中直樹 #遠藤x田中 #I couldn't stop myself from translating another small story #since it worked so well with New Years approaching and all #(>w<)💕#I hope you like it!#(also it's inspired by Cocorico's song Kanashimi no yoake - in case you were wondering about what Endô's singing~)

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notanerrandboy · 2 years

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Smiling out loud - Chapter 13

Chapter title: Regain composure

Summary: The work regarding the Ashita ga arusa movie isn't limited to the movie, and a tired Cocorico end up in a peculiar situation as they deal with a late recording of a commercial.

Characters: Tanaka, Endô

Character count: 291

Disclaimer: I’m only doing this for fun!

(Crossposted on AO3)

---

It’s day four, and the filming never seems to end.

“Okay, cut! Maybe it’s time for a break.”

Endô let out a big yawn and rubbed his eyes, dragging me along in the process. It’s frustrating, I think to myself, that we need to get a bus scene done for a commercial after having worked on material for the actual movie the entire day. Even something as simple as this can go wrong when you’re tired.

Thankfully, the director seems to understand our situation.

“Five minutes, one more take and then we call it a day.” We nod in unison, then Endô stands up and walks past me to get some fresh air. I on the other hand take the seat by the window and look out into the night.

It’s raining a little, I might have to take a cab home.

The cool glass feels nice agains my forehead, and my eyes fall shut as I surrender to sleep.

Only moments must have passed when something startles me from my slumber, and when I turn to see what it is I see Endô's stiff hair. Slowly the realisation dawns on me - he has fallen asleep. Against my shoulder. And we’re sitting in the wrong places.

“Endô…” I whisper. “Endô, this is wrong, we have to… we’re supposed to sit in the opposite seats..!”

“Mhmm..”

It doesn’t make sense, but my partner’s sleepy mumbling somehow makes my racing heart calm down.

It’s still break time.

The thought hits me and I smile a little as I give in.

To be fair, I quite like us sitting like this.

And so I close my eyes and let sleep catch me once more.

#owarai #gaki no tsukai #gaki no tsukai fanfiction #Mii writes gaki #cocorico #Endo Shozo #Tanaka Naoki #EndoTana #ガキの使い #ガキ使 #ココリコ #遠藤章造 #田中直樹 #遠藤x田中 #just a little something for Christmas~#(>v<)💕

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notanerrandboy · 3 years

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Smiling out loud - Chapter 12

Chapter title: Accidental part II

Summary: Hamada was prepared to deal with whatever the Police Batsu Game was going to give him, but is shaken to his core when a car crash makes Endô lose consciousness.

Characters: Hamada, Hôsei, Endô, Tanaka, Matsumoto

Character count: 1359

Disclaimer: I’m only doing this for fun!

(Crossposted on AO3)

---

"BOOOOM!"

The loud noises that came with the car flipping over felt like they went on for so much longer than a couple of seconds, and Endô’s frightened scream disappeared along with them. We were standing by the side of the race tracks, holding our hands to our ears, squeezing our eyes shut.

What had just happened?

I sensed Yama-chan’s panic before he started shouting.

“Oi! Oi - Waahhh!”

I let out a small laugh hearing it, the slight terror of the situation making it somewhat funny and too unreal to fully take in. There was something very wrong about this, about all of this, and the image of Cocorico’s tsukkomi being thrown around like a rag doll inside the police vehicle once again played behind my eyelids.

When Fujiwara’s recorded voice announced that Endô was OUT, we all sighed in relief. If he was to be punished, then it meant he was alive and well, right? My legs were shaking a little as we started walking towards the car where they were trying to drag Endô out, but then I stopped in my tracks. The man they held didn’t look like he could stand on his own - in fact, he didn’t even seem to be conscious.

I ran as fast as I could, throwing my helmet down to the ground. “Endô! Endô, are you okay?!” Our youngest member stayed silent, a stream of blood dripping down onto his closed eyes the only answer I received. I felt something hot pool in my stomach and I turned to my partner’s former manager, hitting his forearm before I could stop myself. “You idiots! How could you let this happen? This is supposed to be a batsu game, not a death trap!”

Fujiwara and some of the staff members began to cry and Yama-chan came closer, eyes filled to the brim with unshed tears.

“Endô,” he said in a shaky voice as he knelt down by our friend, “Endô, it’s me, Yamasaki… please open your eyes…” A violent sob made his entire body tremble and I put a hand to his shoulder, steadying myself as much as I tried to steady him.

“Can someone carry him to the shed? And Fujiwara, will you please call the headquarters? We have to inform Matsumoto and Tanaka and also get a doctor here as fast as possible.”

Fujiwara nodded, determination taking over his features as he dried his tears and pulled up his cellphone to make the call.

It was picked up almost immediately.

“Stop recording, there’s been an accident!”

“What?!”

Even I could hear the surprised shout from the other side of the line and I grabbed the phone from Fujiwara, putting it on speaker. “Is Matsumoto there?”

“He’s here.” There was some shuffling and then I heard my partner’s voice.

“Hamada, what’s going on?”

“We were out driving stunt cars on a racing track, and Endô wasn’t secured to his seat… I think he hit his head on the roof or something… this is unacceptable, it’s supposed to be safe!” I was aware that my voice had become louder, but I honestly didn’t care about who heard me or how angry I sounded or even the fact that I usually didn’t show this much emotion when talking to Matsumoto - I was only worried about our kôhai, and screaming about it to my oldest friend helped me feel a bit better.

Matsumoto took a deep breath once I finished my rant. “You have a first aid kit at the set, right? Get a doctor there, me and Tanaka will be over shortly.”

“Yes, okay. Try to calm Tanaka down, will you?”

“Of course.”

I ended the call and watched Yama-chan wring his hands in worry - he had been ushered out of the house while I spoke with Matsumoto and now the both of us simply stood there, waiting.

“Did the doctor arrive yet?”

“Yes, he’s in there now.” I could breathe a little easier after hearing that, and I thanked the staff internally for being so fast when it mattered. Another part of me ached as I saw my usually happy kôhai in this state, and I put my hands atop his to still them.

“Hey, it’s okay, I’m sure he’ll be fine. Let’s sit down and wait for the others to arrive.”

Yama-chan took a deep breath, clinging to me as he nodded.

It didn’t take long until a car came onto the driveway. The staff members waved for them to park by the shed, and as soon as they saw who was inside they pointed to where we were sitting.

“We came as fast as we could,” Matsumoto said, pushing a teary-eyed Tanaka down to sit next to me. “How is he?”

“I haven’t heard anything new since we talked,” I said, shrugging my shoulders, joining in on the deep sigh he emitted as he also sat down.

Yama-chan turned to Tanaka, tears welling up again as he saw his kôhai’s face. “It happened so quickly. There was a crash and Endô was screaming, then it went quiet and when they were about to hit him they couldn’t get him to respond. I don’t know how badly he hurt himself, but I’m sure he’s okay…” He spoke hoarsely, a hopeful nuance to his voice, but his eyes betrayed him and no-one was surprised when it didn’t make Tanaka stop crying.

We waited for a while longer, and then the doctor finally emerged from the shed, making us all jump to our feet. The doctor smiled as he noticed us. “I’m sorry for the wait. He’s fine, I think the shock made him lose consciousness as much as the pain did, and he seems to be regaining it now so you can go inside if you want to.” We looked at each other, moving as one person as we turned towards the door; me and Matsumoto letting Yama-chan and Tanaka go inside first, nodding our thanks to the doctor before following them.

Judging by the looks on the other ’s faces they felt as overwhelmed as I did seeing Endô sitting up straight on the bench, but relief soon took over and I felt myself beginning to smile.

“Hey guys,” Endô said as he lifted a hand to his now bandaged head, squinting and managing a small replica of his trademark grin. “I’m sorry for the mess I made…”

That’s as far as he came before Tanaka let out a loud sob and pretty much threw himself at him, Endô’s expression growing soft as he returned the hug his partner and soon also Yama-chan gave him.

“Don’t apologise, Endô.” Matsumoto came forward. “This wasn’t your fault, and we were worried about you because we care.”

I agreed, the sudden thickness in my throat making it a bit difficult to speak. “We’re just glad you’re okay.”

Endô gave us a shy smile before burying his head in Tanaka’s shoulder. “Thank you for worrying about me.”

And so the recording continued after roughly an hour’s break (with 23 hours of material the editors were certain that they’d be able to edit the accident out), and so the bandage was taken off Endô’s head as the bleeding had stopped, and so Tanaka and Matsumoto had to return to the headquarters - but not before checking on their friend one last time.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Tanaka asked and Endô beamed.

“I’m sure!”

My partner nudged his head playfully. “I guess there wasn’t anything in here that could be damaged, so I believe you!” Endô laughed at that, the insult allowing us to return to how things were before, and as soon as we had sent Matsumoto and Tanaka off Endô turned to us; cheerful as ever.

“Let’s do our best!”

And we smiled at each other as the game started again.

---

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notanerrandboy · 3 years

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Smiling out loud - Chapter 11

Chapter title: Dream a little dream

Summary: A sudden experience changes Matsumoto’s perspective of things.

Characters: Matsumoto, Hamada, Hôsei, Endô, Tanaka

Character count: 2545

Disclaimer: I’m only doing this for fun!

(Crossposted on AO3)

~~~

Matsumoto Hitoshi wasn’t what you’d call a dreamer, or at least he himself didn’t think so. I don’t have time for dreams, he liked to say when someone asked him about it, I sleep to get sleep. He didn’t even remember dreaming at night - sure, he could talk about a dream he’d had as a child in front of lots of people or mention something briefly when he was out drinking with his closest friends, but when it came down to it he hadn’t had a dream that had felt even close to real for a very, very long time.

Maybe that was why he was so persistent on making his waking dreams be fulfilled. He had always aspired to be famous, but the sad truth was that reality wasn’t perfect, even if he was one of Japan’s most famous comedians now. It was paperwork, lots of planning and thinking, social events - pure work. It definitely got on Matsumoto’s nerves sometimes.

So the days floated by, one after another. Matsumoto let out a big yawn where he was sitting in the company’s minivan - driving around like this could make anyone tired but he felt exhausted… for over thirty years he’d fought everything and everyone to get to where he was now, but it happened more and more often these days that he’d nod off where he was sitting, despite not even being physically tired - perhaps he was bored, maybe it was as simple as that.

So when Matsumoto got out of the car this particular day to enter Nittere’s building and record Gaki no Tsukai he was pleasantly surprised when he saw that his partner Hamada actually met him by the door.

At least he was in the beginning.

~~~

Matsumoto knew he was dreaming.

The Hamada standing in front of him looked like he usually did, but at the same time there was something about his childhood friend that was totally different and he felt frustration build up inside him as he couldn’t put his finger on what it was.

“What’s with that look, I just said “Welcome home”. Aren’t you gonna answer me?” Matsumoto had been staring at his partner’s mouth as it moved, but the sharpness of the words made him sober up. Like always. At least there was no difference there.

“…I’m home?”

Hamada nodded, hands on his hips as he grinned cheekily. “Good. Welcome home.”

While his partner turned around to walk into a nearby room Matsumoto looked around. No, this definitely wasn’t the recording studio of Gaki, neither was it a room that he recognised even in the slightest. It was bright and sparsely filled with furniture, and in the big windows to his right curtains were floating back and forth in the slight summer breeze. This is a nice room, Matsumoto decided, and he sat down in one of the creamy white sofas facing the windows.

“You’re early today, was something cancelled?” Two long glasses filled with some sort of colourful drink were placed on the table in front of him, making it easy for Matsumoto to imagine him being a guest on one of their own shows. So this is how it feels, huh.

He touched the glass, trying to evade the question.

“Not really. Just got off early. Why do you ask?”

Hamada sat down next to him, one leg over the other. “No reason. It’s always nice when you get home earlier, gives us more time to spend together.”

Matsumoto looked at Hamada while a lump of worry grew in his stomach. Nice? Since when did we ever spend time together outside of recording our shows? And he tensed as he noticed his partner had scooted closer to him.

“When it’s just the two of us… I guess it feels kind of relaxing in a way.” He took Matsumoto’s hand. “We haven’t really been able to just sit down in a while, and I can hardly remember us reminiscing about the past…”

Matsumoto let out a relieved breath. Hamada seemed content with leaning against his shoulder and holding his hand, and he could live with that. It actually made him feel nice - a part of him had probably missed this part of Hamada, the part that he’d lost sight of somewhere on the way to becoming celebrities… and now he somehow appeared in a very realistic dream…

They sat together in silence as the wind blew gently through the curtains and the sunlight peeked through the trees in the garden. Somewhere in the distance children laughed, and suddenly Hamada got up, smiling widely.

“It’s about time!” He disappeared into what Matsumoto could only assume was the kitchen before he even got the chance to ask what was going on. A “help me out?” made him get up as well and he followed his partner.

“What’s going on?”

Hamada gave him an incredulous look, pushing a kettle of tea into his hands. “What do you mean, what’s going on? The kids come home around this time on tuesdays! Put the tea on the table now!” Matsumoto couldn’t make sense of what his partner was saying but he did what he was told, wondering to himself what kids Hamada were talking about until the door flew open and three small boys came running in - one older boy and two younger, all three of them carrying the same kind of red backpack. They took off their shoes and hats as they continued to laugh and make lots of noise.

“We’re home!”

Hamada emerged from the kitchen, carrying some fruits and cookies to the table. “Welcome home, kiddos. Want some snacks?”

“Yup!”

Then the children noticed Matsumoto standing frozen in the middle of the room, and they started shouting loudly.

“You’re home!”

And if Matsumoto hadn’t realised it before he sure did now, as the three children threw themselves into his arms, making them all fall to the floor.

“Why are you here?” the oldest asked, the one with squishy cheeks that resembled Hôsei. The taller of the other two younger boys who, quite literally, was a miniature Tanaka answered him before Matsumoto could do it himself.

“Maybe he got home earlier, and I think that’s good!”

“I think so too!” the youngest shouted, sporting a trademark Endô-grin, before hugging Matsumoto tightly.

“Hey, be careful not to hurt him.” Hamada pulled Endô from Matsumoto, and Matsumoto couldn’t help muttering “you’re one to talk” which earned him a light slap to the back of his head - but when he looked up he found his partner smiling, and he took his outstretched hand to get up. “Now, let’s eat.”

The meal went by very quietly, except for when Hamada asked the boys about school, and Matsumoto thought about the peculiar feeling of calmness that he was feeling as he sipped on his tea. It almost felt like one of their Gaki-meetings, but still… this was much more familiar. Everyone laughed and spoke kindly to one another, no-one pointed out mistakes or joked too much, and this much time didn’t usually pass before someone raised their voice or hit someone. Matsumoto felt like… he almost didn’t dare to even think it out loud… he felt like he was home.

“There was a quiz today,” Tanaka said and carefully gave Endô, who was squirming in the couch next to him, a look. “And En-chan didn’t do that well…”

Endô sighed as all eyes turned to him. “I’m not good with kanji, and this is the fourth test I barely passed…”

“Why don’t you ask Tanaka for help?” Hamada suggested, but to this Endô shook his head violently.

“Nao-chan already helped me study and it still doesn’t work so I can’t ask for more now..!”

Tanaka quickly grabbed his hand. ”It’s okay, I’ll definitely help you more if you want to. You help me with other things, right?” And the cute nicknames and the way the two of them looked so small and vulnerable became too much for Matsumoto’s heart to deal with, so he opened his mouth to speak to the children for the first time in this dream.

“Accept the offer, Endô. I believe in you - if you just continue to study well I’m sure you’ll ace the next test.” The smiles he got from the future members of Cocorico made his throat thicken, but thankfully Hôsei chose this moment to interrupt.

“I wrote a song in school today and everybody loved it!” He got up to play on the piano that just happened to stand by the wall, and soon he was singing to his heart’s content.

“Yamasaki ichiban~ Yamasaki ichiban~”

It wouldn’t surprise me if he actually had composed this in school, Matsumoto thought as he playfully held his hands to his ears and laughed with the others, Hamada getting up to stop him from playing.”That’s enough, we’ve heard it now, Yama-chan. I’m glad everybody appreciated it at school but it doesn’t mean that we love it to death, okay?”

“We liked it a lot,” Endô said and smiled as he held Tanaka’s hand in a firm grip.

Hôsei got down and returned the smile. “Thanks! I’m off to study with Komu now, see you later!”

“Be home before nine!” Hamada called after him, receiving a quick “yes!” before the door slammed shut and Hôsei was gone.

Hamada turned to ruffle Endôs hair.

“Baseball practice in an hour and homework done before that, okay?” Endô laughed and nodded, pulling Tanaka with him into the house and shutting a door belonging to a room at the far end of a corridor. And suddenly Downtown was on their own again.

“They’re so energetic, all three of them,” Hamada sighed and started to carry the dishes away. “Time sure did fly… They were so small a moment ago and look at them now…”

Matsumoto listened carefully, eager to get some more information on how things were in this dream, but he soon realised that Hamada had left him so he stood up to look for clues instead. Photos, perhaps? Yes, he saw a couple of frames standing on a shelf by the piano, and he felt a smile tug at his lips as he took a closer look at the one on the far right.

He saw a younger Hamada, with Endô and Tanaka hugging him and laughing. Cocorico couldn’t be more than five years old, maybe six… a photo from a shrine stood next to it, and he guessed that he himself looked about 15 in it. When seeing this he unconsciously touched his hairline with his hand, and he felt cold for a split second. Of course, if the age difference was anything to go by he still had hair! But he decided not to think too much about it and instead moved his focus to the next photo, which made his mouth open in surprise.

“You remember that one, right?” Hamada stood next to him and looked over his shoulder, smiling warmly at the picture. It was similar to the first picture he’d seen, but this time Cocorico had their hands around his neck as they pressed their lips to his cheeks. “It was Endô’s idea, and I couldn’t stop him. I think it turned out pretty cute, you’re even blushing a little~” He snickered and put the pictures back on the shelf. “We’re very lucky to be big brothers to such cute and amazing boys.” he said and he took Matsumoto’s hand again, and Matsumoto could only agree. Even if this dream had frightened him in the beginning he had to admit that he was happy about it now. That he was comfortable here, that he’d had a nice time. That he’d gladly return if he could.

But it was time to wake up now.

—

“Matsumoto-san! We’re here!”

The comedian slowly opened his eyes and was shocked to find himself still sitting in the minivan. Had he not even left it before falling asleep? He got out of the car and allowed himself to be led inside Nittere's building, only this time for real. He walked up the stairs with tired steps, still with the dream fresh in his mind - clear and more vivid than he’d like it to be - and startled when he heard someone screaming.

“Oi, Matsumoto!” And there he was, his partner, alive and real and just as expressive as he always was, but at the same time he felt different. Hamada scolded him for being late, but he was only listening with one ear. In front of him dream-Hamada and the real Hamada merged together, and maybe there was some truth to what people said about feelings changing after dreaming about people after all?

He got to learn the answer as soon as he rounded the corner and met the three younger members of Gaki.

“Good evening, Matsumoto-san!” Cocorico and Hôsei were all smiles when greeting him, which didn’t make things any easier for Matsumoto.

“Good evening.” he muttered awkwardly and sat down on a chair, next to Hamada. He wondered if the others had noticed it, that he was seeing them differently now? Again he tuned out from the conversation and was only brought back to reality when Hamada nudged his shoulder. He nodded absentmindedly and tried to listen in on what they were talking about.

“…so Suga pays for everything?” The producers nodded from their seats at the end of the table.

“Yes. Just don’t do anything extreme and it’ll be fine. It’s the least we can do after thirty years.”

“You mean when Downtown started this? And Hôsei-san?” Endô gave Suga a questioning look. “Me and Tanaka hasn’t been part of this show for that long.”

“But it feels like that.” Everyone was now looking at Matsumoto, who cursed himself for saying something so sentimental, but the damage was already done so he looked straight at his younger colleagues.

“Gaki felt complete only after you joined. We’ve been five since then, and we always will be. And what are we talking about, dinner?” His attempt to change the subject wasn’t that successful, and he still caught a glimpse of Cocorico’s faces as he turned away (they were so similar to the ones in his dream it wasn’t even funny) but thankfully the others catched on and started talking about something else, and while they did that he came to a realisation.

Maybe he’d felt all this before today, maybe it was a lasting effect from his dream, but one thing was certain - from today and onwards he’d put in some effort into being kinder towards the others. Kind, strong, safe, warm.

Like a big brother to his younger brothers.

He smiled to himself.

They’d truly become a family.

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notanerrandboy · 3 years

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Smiling out loud - Chapter 10

Chapter title: Perfect date

Summary: It’s a sunny winter day and Cocorico spends it by a lake.

Characters: Tanaka, Endô, mentions of their families

Character count: 492

Disclaimer: I’m only doing this for fun!

(Crossposted on AO3)

~~~

“Ow!”

“Again?” Endô skated closer and held out his hand. “I don’t understand the point in going here if you’re this bad at skating.”

Tanaka accepted the help and got back up again. “When I was younger I loved it,” he gasped, “but it must have been at least 20 years since then…”

A nostalgic look appeared in Endô's eyes. “I remember those days… it’s a shame we didn’t do this after leaving for Tokyo. My athletic side must have saved me from losing my touch completely, but your balance isn’t something we can count on anymore I guess.” Tanaka looked down, his cheeks red from both the cold temperature and embarrassment, but Endô just laughed and took his hand again.

“Stop worrying! I’ll help you~”

It had been Endô’s idea to do these play dates, these meetings where their respective families could spend time together and enjoy the outdoors, and this time around Tanaka had asked to go here - to a lake that had frozen over and glittered beautifully in the sunlight as people skated back and forth. If only his bad balance hadn’t acted up everything would’ve been perfect… but Endô was happier than he’d been in a long time and Tanaka could take a small defeat like this if his friend kept smiling.

“There, hold on to me now, okay? Take a long step with your right foot - that’s right! And now with your left foot!” Tanaka took some wobbly steps as Endô held his arm in a secure grip. “You're getting there! Now let’s try to go faster!” Tanaka nodded nervously but did as he was told.

Faster… Right, left, right, left…

“Yes! You’re doing great!” Tanaka noticed that Endô had let go of him and that he actually managed to skate quite well on his own now, and though he felt a sudden wave of joy at this discovery it quickly turned into overconfidence as he straightened up and let out a triumphant laugh - a little too soon. He fell onto the ice with a thud, and he could hear his children laugh at him in the distance.

Endô was once again by his side only moments later.

“You looked like you had it down, at least in the beginning. Should we try again?” Tanaka took his hand and shook his head.

“I’m good, but thank you for helping me. Want to get back to the others and eat something?” And with their arms around each other they skated towards land, to the benches where their families waited for them, and as they parted ways to go home an hour later he found himself grinning from ear to ear.

Things hadn’t gone exactly as he'd planned, but to him it had still turned out to be a perfect date, and he already looked forward to the next meet up.

#gaki no tsukai #gaki no tsukai fanfiction #Mii writes gaki #cocorico #Endo Shozo #Tanaka Naoki #EndoTana #ガキの使い #ガキ使 #ココリコ #遠藤章造 #田中直樹 #遠藤x田中 #I'm so happy we got snow over here so I wanted to write something wintry~#(>v<)💕

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notanerrandboy · 3 years

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There are times when even a simple thing like getting by is difficult, and this is the story about when the Gaki family has to leave their youngest behind to survive. (Hansel and Gretel crossover)

length: oneshot

pairings: Endô & Tanaka, OT5

rating: G

genre: Fluff~

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notanerrandboy · 4 years

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Smiling out loud - Chapter 9

Chapter title: Time well spent

Summary: When waiting for the others in episode #677, Endô comes up with a way to surprise Matsumoto.

Characters: Matsumoto, Endô

Character count: 464

Disclaimer: I’m only doing this for fun!

(Crossposted on AO3)

~~~

“Hurry up!!” Matsumoto’s voice seemed to echo throughout the entire building, yet somehow the two comedians at the top of the water slide still didn't show any sign that they had heard him.

Unbelievable.

Endô let out a short laugh. “They really are slow, huh? It’s been 10 minutes already.” Matsumoto snorted, easily imagining their partners fighting over who should go down first, but he was shaken out of his thoughts when Endô suddenly got up from the water to get a towel and holding one out to his senpai. Matsumoto shrugged and took it, getting up to dry himself off whilst looking around.

The amusement park was bustling with people making noise and splashing water everywhere, and the staff looked as awkward as he felt. How long could they wait before forcing either Hamada or Tanaka to come down? Yamasaki was probably waiting for them somewhere too and honestly, there wasn't much he and Endô could do without the others...

Speaking of Endô, where did he go?

Matsumoto sat down at a nearby table, squinting to see if he could catch a glimpse of the younger man through the ever present mist of moisture that came with being at a water park. Luckily he didn’t have to search for long, because a moment later Endô put a bowl of ice cream on the table and sat down on the chair next to his.

For a few seconds they were both silent, but then Endô - wet hair and toothy grin and everything - offered him a spoon and asked: “wanna share?”, not even waiting for an answer before digging in himself. Matsumoto’s confusion stopped him from uttering a single word, but ever so slowly a grin found it’s place on his lips.

Why not?

However, he hadn’t more than touched the cold dessert before he heard a cracking sound and and a surprised shout. The tsukkomi of Cocorico looked at him with a guilty expression on his face. “Eh, Matsumoto-san… my spoon’s broken… I’m sorry, can I use yours?” Matsumoto could only stare at him for a while - is he being serious right now? - before having to turn away to try and force the fluttering feeling in his stomach away.

“Fine,” he muttered, making the other smile brightly.

“Thank you, Matsumoto-san!” And with a happy “aah~” he opened his mouth. Once again Matsumoto became too shocked to talk, both frustrated and impressed by his kôhai’s cheekiness, yet strangely enough he found himself mirroring Endô's smile as he brought a spoonful of ice cream towards his parted lips.

It sure was a weird scene the partners of the two men got to see when they finally came down from the water slide.

#gaki no tsukai #Gaki no tsukai fanfiction #Mii writes gaki #downtown #cocorico #matsumoto hitoshi #endo shozo #MatsuEndo #ガキの使い #ガキ使 #ダウンタウン #ココリコ #松本人志 #遠藤章造 #松本x遠藤 #a small fluffy thing to read while I translate something bigger~#(>w<)💕

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notanerrandboy · 4 years

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Smiling out loud - Chapter 8

Chapter title: Accidental part I

Summary: Hôsei knows how things work when recording Gaki, but when a thai kick leads to Tanaka hurting he finds himself at loss for words.

Characters: Hôsei, Tanaka, Endô, Matsumoto, Hamada

Character count: 916

Disclaimer: I don’t own anything, I’m only doing this for fun!

(Crossposted on AO3)

~~~

It wasn’t like we thought that Tanaka had gotten used to the thai kicks - well, yes, maybe a little. After almost ten years you’d think that something should have happened, at least with your mindset so that you don’t get that surprised anymore. Tanaka is a good actor, and I know that Downtown pointed out multiple times already that he might be pretending, that it doesn’t hurt that much. I know it does hurt that much and so do they, but it’s the kind of teasing that the two of them likes to do and I’m always prepared to join in whenever I get the chance.

It’s how we work, call me cheesy but I know we tease and get teased because we are fond of each other and that this wasn’t going to be any different.

Only this time I was wrong.

After the impact he started whining like usual, but instead of rolling on the floor or wobbling back and forth on legs that are bound to give up on him he went head first into the shelf by the dvd player. It happened so fast no-one had time to react, I myself was ready to laugh but instead felt my entire body freeze up.

“Tanaka? Oi, Tanaka!” Though they’re always harsh with us younger members it was Downtown who was by our fallen friend’s side first. Endô trailed behind them, slowly, as if he couldn’t believe what had happened. Kind of like me, with the difference that I had hurried over without knowing what I did.

“Stop recording, we need a doctor!” Matsumoto’s nervousness showed even if he tried to stay cool, and by now Endô had gone down to his knees and carefully started looking for… a bruise, a bump or whatever. Not a single word had passed his lips, but his hands were shaking so hard I knew he was scared.

When seeing blood oozing out from a wound by Tanaka’s hairline we both felt sick - not out of disgust but fear, and the sudden compassion I held for my kôhai at that moment frightened me just as much.

I literally had no idea what to do.

Luckily there were people all around us now, the members of the staff may trick us a lot but when it mattered they were always fast and this I knew and was very grateful for. “Can someone try to make him breathe normally?” Forced calmness, flickering eyes, shaking hands - Endô’s had found it’s place on his partner’s back, not really doing anything useful but I knew that both parts of Cocorico needed it and I put my hand next to his.

Maybe it had only been minutes of listening to and feeling Tanaka’s quivering sobs but it felt like an eternity, and Inomoto’s words came like a gift from above. “The doctor’s here.” A man hastily walked into the room, squatted down to inspect Tanaka’s bloody forehead and got up again.

“There’s probably no need for stitches but I need space to look closer and clean the wound. Please let me take him somewhere private.”

Our friend was led out of the room and without his back to hold on to Endô’s hand found mine. The staff cleaned up the mess whilst Downtown stood nearby, muttering something every now and then, but the heavy silence killed all tries to talk so in the end we just quietly waited.

He’s awake, so couldn’t have hurt himself too badly, right?

“Hôsei-san…” Endô’s whisper made me look up, and seeing his face made the lump in my throat thicken. He had gotten more emotional lately, my kôhai, and even though I know it’s good to let your feelings out I didn’t want him to cry now because I knew it would make me cry as well. Thankfully he doesn’t, he just looks at me with those frightened eyes and when I squeeze his hand he returns it.

No words are needed because I know he’s grateful for my support.

A moment passes, maybe many, and then Tanaka returns. His face is pale, tears still falling as he holds a bloodstained towel to his head - but he’s no longer hyperventilating and when sitting down on his chair he finally looks us in the eye.

“I’m sorry,” he says, his voice sounding weak and tired. My hand feels like it’s going to be crushed but still I manage to smile.

“Don’t be sorry, it was an accident and we’re glad you’re okay.” Downtown agrees, Hamada patting his hand as he goes back to his seat. I see Endô nodding in the corner of my eye and I help him get up on his feet, purposely making him take a detour to my end of the desk before reaching his own seat. We all see the exchanged glances and his hand touching Tanaka’s shoulder, but we say nothing about it.

I know how this show works and I know how the five of us work - alone and together. But dealing with something like this tells me that I don’t know much at all.

Still, seeing Tanaka return to normal and eventually hearing him laugh again as we pick up recording once more makes me think that it doesn’t really matter.

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notanerrandboy · 4 years

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Smiling out loud - Chapter 7

Chapter title: Blow me away

Summary: When agreeing to model with Tanaka for a magazine cover, Endô really doesn't expect things to go this bad. (Inspired by this~)

Characters: Endô, Tanaka

Character count: 602

Disclaimer: I don’t own anything, I’m only doing this for fun!

(Crossposted on AO3)

~~~

“…and then I want Tanaka-san to blow air into Endô-san’s ear. Is that alright with you?” It wasn’t a question, as the photographer immediately turned to talk with his assistants and gave them tasks to finish. The two models gave each other an exasperated look, looking equally confused only ten minutes away from starting the photoshoot.

“Blow into Endô’s ear?” Tanaka shook his head lightly as to rid himself of the conflicting emotions that suddenly surfaced. If he was lucky, it might just look like a shrug to the others - Endô on the other hand had a harder time dealing with the command. The always so cheerful tsukkomi of Cocorico had replaced his ever present smile with wide eyes and an open mouth and couldn’t seem to break out of it. Blow into Endô’s ear? Said comedian could only shut his eyes tight and hope for the best.

Please, don’t let anything happen here…

“Well, can we get our models to the front?” The photographer called and waved the two men forward. “Endô-san? Tanaka-san? Could you please stand by the markings over there… a bit to the left, there! Don’t move! Okay, let me just zoom in a little… there we go. Can Tanaka-san lean over Endô-san’s shoulder? But please continue to look into the camera! That’s right, and now you can pretend to blow into Endô-san’s ear. Are we ready?” The camera clicked before they knew it, and the photographer gave them an apologetic look.

“I’m sorry, I can see on the picture that we were too fast… Tanaka-san, would it be easier if you blew some actual air?” Endô heard his partner swallow loudly and closed his eyes as he waited for the impact… “No, no, Endô-san, please open your eyes!” Endô slowly opened his right eye, and before he had time to prepare himself Tanaka’s warm breath made contact with his skin.

“Ah!”

His hand flew to his mouth in a second, as if to stop that embarrassing sound that had already slipped out. Tanaka looked at him in surprise, as did everyone else, and he could feel his face burn as he bowed. “I’m so sorry, can we re-do it?”

The photographer was startled out of his daze and looked at the camera. “Ah, no, that’s not necessary… I managed to take a great picture, it’s absolutely perfect.”

“But we can do it again-“

“Nonono, it’s fine! See for yourself!” He got closer and showed the picture, nodding and smiling comfortably as Cocorico couldn’t find anything to complain on. “It’s perfect, as I said. I thank you both on behalf of Monthly Yoshimoto for helping us today.”

They parted ways whilst bowing and exchanging pleasantries and finally got out of the room and the tense atmosphere. Endô and Tanaka walked side by side after that, not saying a word, taking the stairs down to the reception. They left the building in silence. Then Tanaka opened his mouth.

“Is it always like that? You could have said something, I’m sure they would have tried a different setting if we wanted them to.” The shorter of the two shook his head and stopped in his tracks, making Tanaka turn to look at him.

“Tanaka, I didn’t react like that because of what we had to do.” He looked up, meeting his partner’s eyes for the first time since the photoshoot started. “It was because you had to do it.”

#gaki no tsukai #gaki no tsukai fanfiction #Mii writes gaki #cocorico #endo shozo #tanaka naoki #EndoTana #ガキの使い #ガキ使 #ココリコ #遠藤章造 #田中直樹 #遠藤x田中

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notanerrandboy · 4 years

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Smiling out loud - Chapter 6

Chapter title: Touchy subject

Summary: Endô gets a question that is more difficult to answer than he thought (and Downtown is not helping). Based on this dream~

Characters: Endô, Tanaka, Matsumoto, Hamada, Hôsei

Character count: 688

Disclaimer: I don’t own anything, I’m only doing this for fun!

(Crossposted on AO3)

~~~

"MEEEERU~"

Hamada turned around to grab the folded paper from the mailbox, rubbing his neck as he glanced at the people around him. Right now they were recording Downtown DX; Matsumoto by his side, celebrities to both his left and right and an audience in front of him. Scanning the letter briefly he saw that it had to do with a guest - more precicely Cocorico's Endô - and he let out a small chuckle.

"Is it true that Endô-san doesn't allow his partner to touch his hair?"

Whilst the audience let out a loud eeeeh the tsukkomi of Cocorico waved his hands in a denying gesture. "Of course not, that's just a myth."

Hamada continued to smile as he wasn’t satisfied with that answer. Not at all.

"What did you do now, Shôzô? You must have done something to give off that image."

“Right,” Matsumoto added. “I’ve seen you avoid being touched on the head before so I can understand the question.” Yamasaki added a “Me too” and Hamada nodded.

“Well, aren’t you going to tell us why?”

Endô squirmed a little in his seat. “Well, I think it’s mostly because I have so many products in it and I don’t want to ruin the hairdo… Matsumoto-san, you know how that feels right?” He realised how cheeky he was a second too late and ducked for Hamada’s hand, making Matsumoto laugh.

“Yes, I guess I do. I wouldn’t have allowed Hamada to touch my hair had he not been my tsukkomi and having a need to hit me.” Endô snickered as he rubbed his head and Matsumoto switched his focus to the other member of Cocorico. “But have you ever touched his hair, Tanaka?” The tall man shook his head.

“Maybe a long time ago, but honestly I can’t really remember doing it. I don’t think anyone has…”

A faint eeeh was heard from the audience, and Hamada put a hand to his chin in thought.

“Why not have someone do it now?” He pointed with the letter at another guest. “Let Shoji touch your hair, Shôzô, so we can see what it looks like.” He ignored the surprised faces he got from them both and motioned for Shoji to get closer to Endô. The younger comedian obeyed and shyly met his senpai's eyes.

“If it’s alright with you..?” he mumbled, Endô nodding encouragingly before closing his eyes. Shoji lifted a hand to his hair, touching the stiff bangs and carefully pushing down to the scalp. Endô opened his eyes and smiled at him, making him stutter and retreat to his seat as the audience squealed.

“As expected from close friends,” Matsumoto said in a finishing tone, expecting to move on from the subject. But Hamada wasn’t finished.

“Let Tanaka do it too, then we can leave the question.”

To Downtown’s trained eyes it wasn’t difficult to see the twitch in Endô’s demeanour, everyone else being too charmed by the toothy grin to notice how his body was shaking as he turned towards his partner.

“Sure. Do it, Tanaka,” he said as he closed his eyes again.

Everyone had expected the same kind of silence that had taken over the room as Shoji had touched his hair, but as Tanaka’s hand sank down on his head they all saw his body stiffen. Tanaka froze, but automatically continued to touch his best friend’s scalp, even though the shaking of Endô’s body had now reached his.

After a couple of seconds the entire studio was buzzing with murmurs and whispers, but they stopped abruptly when Endô let out a sigh. Hamada was quick to ask about it as Tanaka’s hand fell down into his lap and Endô coughed uncomfortably.

“Ah, well… something got stuck in my throat, sorry…” Downtown looked at each other, nodding almost imperceptibly. Better stop before something serious happens…

“Now we know the answer to the question, at least. Should we move on?” And despite Cocorico’s embarrassed stutters and the audience shrill shrieks another letter came out of the mailbox - and when Hamada took it they realised they had to let it pass.

For now.

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notanerrandboy · 4 years

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Smiling out loud - Chapter 5

Chapter title: Us now

Summary: In the aftermath of episode #358, Endô comforts Tanaka.

Characters: Endô, Tanaka

Character count: 729

Disclaimer: I don’t own anything, I’m only doing this for fun!

(Crossposted on AO3)

~~~

It was only when they were left alone in the dressing room that Cocorico looked up from their magazines to catch each other’s gaze. Downtown was doing their manzai now, and the staff had sensed that they should leave so they did and with a quick goodbye from Yamasaki the door closed.

A second went by, then two and three. They had been waiting for this moment the entire time, Tanaka since the prank ended and Endô even longer, but now that it was here they found that they could neither say nor do anything.

Finally Endô got up, approaching Tanaka slowly.

“Tanaka.” The taller of the two was still sitting down so Endô had to lean down a little to put a hand on his shoulder. “We went too far with the prank, and I’m really sorry for making you go through something like this.”

Tanaka was already shaking his head rather vigorously. “It’s alright!” he said, leaving his chair and making Endôs hand fall down since their heights were now switched. Tanaka kept talking without taking any notice of it. “I know I started crying, but I promise that it’s fine. I realised that it wasn’t for real - and the prank succeeding is good for the show, right?”

His forced smile faltered as Endô’s expression grew sterner.

“Let’s go for a walk.”

Endô took the lead as they left the Yoshimoto building, choosing a road that neither of them usually took. They both knew that none of their houses was along the way, but not a single word was said about it as they just continued to walk in silence.

“Tanaka,” Endô spoke up at last. “We’ve been through a lot together and I know it’s still a bit weird to think that we’ve actually come this far - we’re official members of Gaki now! - but you’re my best friend, and I don’t want you to cry if I can help it. I don’t want anything we do to be at your expense.”

A car went past them.

Step. Skip.

“You hurt your leg too, huh?”

Step. Skip.

Step.

Skip.

Tanaka’s limping steps slowed down to a stop, and he drew a deep sigh. Endô turned towards him, worry evident in his face, but halted when his partner looked him straight in the eye.

“Here’s the truth: I was terrified. I didn’t understand much as it happened, but I noticed you trying to protect me. When he shot you I thought that he had killed you-“

“They would never do that on tv-“

“I know, but I was still scared.” His voice had grown thicker but he forced himself to continue. “I continued to hear your shouts when he turned to shoot at me, and then Downtown-san and Zaki-san came in… I guess it kind of hit me then.” Although he was crying again he still smiled at the confused face his partner was making.

“It wasn’t just tears of fear, they were tears of relief too. That we both survived.”

At those words Endô pulled them towards a nearby bench to sit them down. “Forgive me, Tanaka. I never intended for this to happen, you know that right? And you’re doing an amazing job! Without you I wouldn’t have managed a second here, and that’s the truth. Please don’t think that this is the only way for us to do good, okay? We’ve barely been regulars for a month so we have loads of time to show what we can do and that they did the right decision to keep us!”

During this speech Tanaka had only nodded, the lump in his throat making it hard for him to speak, but when Endô put an arm on his back he leaned into him and after he had collected himself he managed a hoarse “Thank you.”

Endô simply smiled.

“No, thank you for coming with me and staying with me until now.” He got up and extended his hand. “Things will probably continue to be tough for a while, but I’ll try my best to protect you, and that starts with me helping you home.”

Tanaka laughed and took his hand, his heart now lighter and the night no longer so dark.

#gaki no tsukai #gaki no tsukai fanfiction #Mii writes gaki #cocorico #endo shozo #tanaka naoki #EndoTana #ガキの使い #ガキ使 #ココリコ #遠藤章造 #田中直樹 #遠藤x田中

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notanerrandboy · 4 years

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Smiling out loud - Chapter 4

Chapter title: Moments in time (slightly inspired by their verses in Re:Japan’s “Ashita ga arusa” 🎶)

Summary: Hamada gets a shock, Cocorico shares an umbrella, Matsumoto gets hit pretty hard, Downtown talks about everything and nothing.

Characters: Matsumoto, Hamada, Endô, Tanaka

Character count: 295 + 307 + 376 + 238

Disclaimer: I’m only doing this for fun!

(Crossposted on AO3)

~~~

1. Hamada gets a shock

“Hello!”

The two girls at the table looked up on the intruder, YOU letting out a big sigh.

Dokuro-san again.

“It’s been a while, huh? Ryoko-chan, you up for something fun this weekend?”

“Cut it out, Dokuro-san, you’re way too intense!” Ryoko giggled at the bickering couple and turned her attention back to the tv.

“They are here, Dokuro-san.” YOU said darkly but Dokuro-san just laughed.

“And still you say I’m the intense one? But alright!” And he started molesting her, making her scream for help.

The door to the closet opened. “Akarenjai!” In the kitchen, behind the sofa, inside a locker-

“Kiirenjai!” “Aorenjai!” “Momorenjai!”

And through the window… Hamada gulped.

“Midorenjai!”

“What on earth are you doing??” Hamada looked at the five “rangers” and snorted. “Are you supposed to be my enemies? We agreed last week to not joke around anymore!” He kicked the two women out from the room and put a finger to Imada’s chest. “Who are you?”

“Akarenjai!”

“Akarenjai definitely doesn’t look like this!” Some giggles were heard and Hamada turned towards the most strangely clothed out of the five. Matsumoto smiled under his fringe, green dress covering his thin body and two braids and a tray keeping his hands busy. Truth to be told, Hamada had seen his partner try this costume out a couple of weeks ago, but never had he thought that it might appear on Gottsu ee Kanji… But it did, and now he had to close his eyes to remain in character. It was difficult, since he was just so cute, but no way he could say that out loud..!

“You’re the worst one here!” And Matsumoto laughed, winking as he offered him his tray.

~~~

2. Cocorico shares an umbrella

“Nao-chan!”

Endô called out into the light drizzle, but his best friend was nowhere to be found. Did he leave already? He was supposed to wait here so we could share his umbrella! But when Endô looked inside he found that it was still in the stand, folded and dry. He took it and went outside.

The school was pretty much empty now. Endô had forgotten a book and had asked for Tanaka to wait while he got it. What in the world had made him go outside - without his umbrella? No-one was at the playground, so Endô had to take a wild guess. The grass made his shoes wet, but he was too preoccupied looking for his tall friend to notice it.

“Nao-chan? Nao-chan~”

There! Two big leaves stuck out a bit ahead of him, one in each of Tanaka’s hands as he squatted on the ground. It kept his head from getting wet, his head and also… Endô got closer. Something crossed the road? It was..!

He started smiling. Of course! Tanaka always did care about the animals around here, including the row of ducks that walked before him. The little ones made lots of noise, and their mom answered them from a bit ahead. Endô held the umbrella out so that it protected them both from the increasing rainfall, and Tanaka looked up and started blushing at the warm look Endô was giving him.

“I’m sorry, En-chan…” he mumbled, but Endô shook his head and put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. Now that there was no need for them Tanaka let the leaves fall to the ground and stood up, and together the two boys looked at the baby ducklings finding their way to the lake and their mom, swimming away in the rain.

~~~

3. Matsumoto gets hit quite hard

It was a lovely day - the sun was shining, the birds were singing and the wind was cool - for everyone except Matsumoto Hitoshi. That soothing wind threatened to make the stack of paper he held in his arms fall over at any second, resulting in his mood getting worse and worse.

“Living as a comedian sure isn’t easy,” he muttered to himself. “All the paperwork, it never ends, and - no you don’t!” He got hold of a paper that was about to fly away and he stopped in his tracks as the scent of newly mowed grass reached his nostrils.

He noticed that he was standing by a big baseball field, where a couple of young men were playing around. Matsumoto sighed longingly at the sight. It definitely would be nice to enjoy this beautiful summer day by playing baseball…

Someone let out a shout and a sharp whacking sound was heard. The man throwing the ball was now running quickly, catching it and tagging his fellow player. He laughed loudly as he received the wooden bat, and Matsumoto felt a smile tug at his lips. With him on my team we would have scored quite a lot of points… He thought about the bets he did with his partner Hamada on Gaki no Tsukai, but was interrupted abruptly.

The ball was headed straight towards him - the man had missed! - and to protect himself he had to let go of the stack of papers. It hit him square in the chest and he staggered a bit.

“I’m sorry!” The man with the bat was by his side in seconds and supported him. “I’m so sorry, I don’t usually miss like that… are you okay?”

Matsumoto rubbed his chest, smiling a little. “It’s okay, it doesn’t hurt that much. I’m sure you would have thrown it harder…” The man looked embarrassed and started to collect papers.

“Ah, well, maybe… But are you sure you’re okay, Matsumoto-san?” Matsumoto gave him a surprised look, but only received a smile and a finger pointing to the top paper where his name was written.

Matsumoto returned the smile. “Sure..?” The man rushed back to the field, calling over his shoulder.

“Endô!”

~~~

4. Downtown talks about everything and nothing

Matsumoto sipped on his drink. Then he rubbed the back of his head in awkwardness - what was he supposed to do now?

Today he had been courageous enough to invite his partner out to drink at a good bar nearby. Hamada had reluctantly accepted, and now they were here. Sitting next to each other. Close, but still it felt like there was a wall between them, and it made Matsumoto quite frustrated. Now that I’m finally alone with him I can’t say a single word… How pathetic.

He noticed Hamada giving him weird looks. Was he unsure? Scared? Angry? He watched him wet his lips with his drink and fiddling with it as he put it down again.

To others, they sure must look ridiculous…

Then Hamada sighed loudly, turning towards Matsumoto.

“Matsumoto-“

“Hamada-“

They both became silent, daring each other to talk first.

“Hamada, you know I, uh… I mean, I just want you to know…”

“No, Matsumoto, you don’t have to say anything…”

“But, the reason I brought you here was…”

“Ah, yes, this is quite nice, huh?”

They stared at each other, cheeks slightly red - both from the alcohol and from embarrassment - and despite saying this much they hadn’t actually said anything at all… Everything got quiet and they started drinking again. Cursing themselves for being cowards. Promising that they would speak their mind one day.

One day, you’ll understand…

~~~

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