Fic for simourva (2/2)
Fic for simourva part 2/2
Title:Seishun Amor
Pairing:Shuji /Akira, Shuji/Natsu, Nobuta/OC
Word count: 11 400~
Rating:PG
Genre/Warnings:romance, NwP /Bandage crossover
Notes: Joo! I’m happy to write for you! A lot of hearts to sweet and lovely mod for patience! My eternal love to my betas and friends for handholding!
Summary: Shuji and Akira would always be together. In the future, they would make each other happy and sooner or later they will both realize it.
~Akira~
If you're alone, I'll be your shadow.
If you want to cry, I'll be your shoulder.
If you want a hug, I'll be your pillow.
If you need to be happy, I'll be your smile.
But anytime you need a friend, I'll just be me.
Akira sat on the floor, hiding his feet under the kotatsu, looking around at the not very big room crammed with two beds and a lot of things, that he found necessary to bring here and that Shuji said “cluttered up” the room. But Akira thought that if they were now adults they would need everything, even a blow up toy mallet and gigantic sunglasses with a moustache and the collection of photos from high school with Nobuta in them. He brought his little pig and glued it to the dormitory room door, writing in big letters: “Nobuta Power”. When Shuji took a duster to remove it, Akira hid the door behind his muscular chest and exclaimed that if Shuji wanted to be a producer he must believe in Nobuta Power.
That evening they met Nobuta on campus. She was in another department. She had decided to work in media, on TV, and Akira felt so proud for his friends. His father wanted Akira to major in advertising, but Akira sometimes visited Nobuta or Shuji's classes because he felt bored sitting alone. With Nobuta he played Battleship and with Shuji he played the “touchy-touchy” game that he invented. The rules were simple; he tried to tickles Shuji and Shuji had to keep a stone face. Shuji wasn’t aware of the rules, so when he hit Akira with his notebook later, Akira always laughed loudly and professor asked them both to leave the lecture hall. And they spent time walking in the park, or sitting in a very comfy café drinking hot chocolate with some dessert and talking about nonsense. But sometimes during this idiotic and absolutely not agreeable game for Shuji, Akira turned aside, with red cheeks or ran from the room. For Shuji it was impossible to understand what was going on in his friend's absurd mind. And Akira needed to find his room and take a cold shower. Sometimes his life was too hard.
Nobuta liked cooking and after a few days living in the dormitory, their little room filled with mini ovens and rice cookers and every day she made something and they went to a little park near the university for a picnic. Akira loved lying on the grass with a full stomach and listening to his friends laugh and he loved feeding Shuji, because later Shuji was always very busy with his books and classes and different friends to eat properly.
On rainy days, they preferred to stay in the room, sometimes with Nobuta, but she had friends and they went together to a café preparing for seminars, so Shuji and Akira were left alone in the room. Akira loved these moments the most. Shuji would pick up a guitar (Akira was sure they would need guitar in a little room, no matter how Shuji resist) and his fingers brushed the strings and he sang something in a soft, slightly hoarse voice. His eyes half closed, he licked his lips during the refrain and Akira heart sank for a moment, and he looked at the long neck and brown eyes and lips, that moved and hypnotized him. Akira felt happy.
In winter, on snowy, cold days they often fell asleep with their legs hidden under the kotatsu for warmth. Akira couldn’t sleep; he looked at his best friend's peaceful sleeping face and very gently embraced him. When they woke up Shuji's face was the first thing he saw. Later, he would rub his eyes and run to bathroom in a hurry, because they had just few minutes or they would be late.
Akira didn't like parties, he liked the comfort of their cluttered room and the smell of something tasty that Nobuta prepared. But Shuji thought that Nobuta needed more fun and love in her life and he would drag his friends to a party on campus, with scantily clad girls, something to drink, loud music and a very happy dancing crowd.
Akira found it interesting, but he preferred to stay with Shuji, feeling his cold legs under the kotatsu, Nobuta staying with them, sipping some lemonade and giving him chips and after they were all dancing and drinking, Shuji would give Akira a really wide, happy smile. Akira felt relaxed, Nobuta left to meet a few girls from her course and Shuji kept dancing, tipsy already.
When Akira brought Shuji home - home, he liked the sound of that - he helped his friend lay on a bed, sitting near him and looking at his sparkling brown orbs. He confessed his feelings in a low voice, because Akira was sure he wanted only Shuji and no one else. He took Shuji's wrist and gently caressed his palm, placing soft kisses on the sensitive skin.
“I love you.”
But Shuji had fallen asleep and Akira's words were left hanging in the silence. In the morning Shuji had a head ache and he dressed very fast, because he would be late. Akira hugged him, like always and they left the room like always. Nothing changed.
This feeling that had been for a long time in Akira's heart, but only recently he understood the meaning of it, was blooming with different colors, making his heart skip a beat feeling Shuji's closeness. Love. Akira was sure in it. He placed a hand on his chest, looking at Shuji's frown while he tried to find his socks under kotatsu, and it was pounding and it was so sweet. He was sure, that in this moment he felt butterflies flutter in his stomach and a lot of sparkling hearts appear around his head and music, looking at Shuji he always heard something very romantic and gentle.
Akira thought, that maybe they didn't need words and everything was clear, they were always together and he often kissed Shuji, when Shuji slept, but one day he understood, that maybe for Shuji everything was absolutely different.
Akira's lesson finished earlier and he walked near cafeteria when he wanted to drink something sweet and buy cute cookies for Shuji. He was already near, when he noticed two figures staying in the shadow, in a corner of the building. Something was too familiar, so he took a few steps closer and he recognized Shuji, his eyes closed and another guy kissing him.
Akira froze; he touched his chest and leaned on the nearest wall. The butterflies died inside and he could hear the heave and painful motions of a requiem inside his head. He didn't know how much time he spent there, Shuji already left with a smile on swollen lips and Akira couldn't move. Nobuta found him and they went to the park, just to play catch ball, without words, only with pain in Akira's heart and Nobuta's concerned face. Akira looked at Nobuta and smiled. He thought, that maybe for her it was painful too.
For Akira, Shuji's happiness was more important than his own. And Shuji was happy. He was smiling, his eyes shone with joy, and he often had a dreamy expression while lost in his thoughts. Akira didn't say anything, he wanted to hide this memory of someone else kissing his Shuji in the old stinky pot at his uncle's house.
After a few months, when Akira returned home one day, he found Shuji sitting alone on his bed without a light. He was looking at one spot, Akira sat near him, placing his chin on Shuji's shoulder.
“Love hurts” - Shuji voice was hoarse and he spoke like he was crying a lot and had so little strength to even talk. Akira nodded, placing a hand on Shuji's shoulder and embracing him.
That's true, thought Akira. Love hurts, he understood it too well.
In that moment sitting with Shuji and witnessing to his silent tears, he thought he could hear something crack, like something being shattered into a million pieces and after the dull pain subsided, he could feel his heart broken.
The next few weeks Akira spent sitting at his classes, looking at nothing and not hearing anything, his fist clenched, anger rising, boiling his blood. He hit the table with all his might, and all eyes in the lecture hall were on him. They asked him to leave the hall and he looked at the fissure that appeared on the surface.
He was sitting alone at the lonely bench looking at the sky, thinking about a faraway beach and the sea and Shuji's big smile. He slowly opened his hand at looked at his palm which held red traces of his nails. He remembered Shuji's hand, that squeezed his hand gently, when his father called and said that after graduating a place in his office was waiting for Akira.
He could be with Shuji always, laugh with him, live with him, talk about different things, smell the familiar fragrance, protect him and love him. He could do it, even if Shuji didn't love him and only accepted his affection out of habit. And he would, because Shuji was the most important person in his life.
He felt someone's presence, and saw that Nobuta was sitting nearby and looking at the sky with him.
~Nobuta~
A good friend is cheaper than therapy.
A long week at work and preparation for a wedding left Nobuta tired, but she would never forget about Shuji's birthday. She came to her friend’s apartment. After finishing university, they decided to live together or putting it more correctly, Akira decided to live wherever Shuji lived. Their lives became busy, after Akira started working with his father and Shuji found work in the same building, working with new talents. They took this apartment, because it was near and Shuji could afford it, so they paid together.
It was a nice place, she liked it, it looked like Shuji and Akira, cozy and little bit messy with a lot of things that reminded Akira about the most beautiful memories in his life, and all his memories are beautiful, so it was cluttered, like their room in university, with a clean kitchen and wooden chopsticks at the counter and souvenirs, that Shuji's mother sent to him every time.
They sat together with Akira at the couch, thinking about what to give Shuji as a present. Akira was silent, not paying attention to her suggestion, she had a feeling that something happened.
“Akira! What is wrong?”
She saw how he closed his eyes and tried to stand up, mumbling about something he forgot in his room. She caught him by his sleeve and said gently:
“Tell me.”
She noticed how he wrinkled up his nose, when he spoke, his voice sounded sad:
“Shuji is not happy.”
“Why?”
He told her, how the last few days Shuji was always sitting home alone, with stubble and messy hair and empty eyes in a dark room with his guitar in his hands; he was playing something and singing in a very low voice. Shuji suffered and Akira couldn't help. He couldn't do anything.
“You can,” - she said gently.
“I can’t!” -He insisted, “I can’t do anything with it and you? Do you love him?”
For a second, Nobuta feel lost because of the sudden change in conversation, but then she understood that Akira meant Shintaro.
“Yes, I think,“ she said calmly.
“Are you sure? Because if you still love Shuji, you would make the biggest mistake of your life.”
Nobuta couldn't believe her ears, but the pain in her friend's eyes, made words that were ready to slip from her mouth stop.
“Am I? Or maybe you?“ Her voice was calm and her eyes looked soft, sinking under Akira's skin. He had the same expression, like many years ago, when she hit him, and she started feeling guilty for being too harsh, but he had to understand it, she didn't want to see him looking hopeless and in despair like today.
“You can't hide and avoid your own feelings or you will make the biggest mistake of your life.” - she places her soft hand on his warm one.
She was right, he knew that. They forgot about Shuji's present, and Nobuta hugged her friend's broad shoulders, feeling his pain.
When Akira found the words in his heart again to tell Shuji everything, they both would have a lot of happy birthdays, wishing together and making their wishes come true. That was what Nobuta wanted to believe.
~Shuji~
True love is when you put someone on a pedestal,
And they fall - but you are there to catch them.
Or
No one is perfect... that's why pencils have erasers.
Shuji was staying in another room, looking through the thick glass at Natsu. He came after all. When their eyes meet, Natsu just nodded lightly. He was in a suit with a white shirt with the top buttons undone, hair in a low ponytail. Perfect, he looked exactly like Shuji wanted him to, exactly like a serious guy who wanted to be a star, a man who cared about his image and his future. And then he started singing.
The gentle, velvet voice with a heartbreaking melody and Shuji felt a lump appear in his throat. Behind his eyes was another picture. A little bar with a stage , a lonely figure with a guitar on the stage, messy brown hair, childish smile on his lips, and a song so beautiful, so touching sang with a gentle voice playing at your open nerves, sinking under your skin, making you feel so much that you wanted to cry. That day, Shuji decided to produce Natsu, to help him because he always believed in his talent. When Natsu was singing or playing his guitar he was in his element and it was amazing.
He looked at the man in front of him and he looked relaxed, lost in his music, open faced and half closed eyes. He had this special aura that make him an exception and shine. And Shuji felt how the room became smaller, the gentle voice wrapped him and a lot of other things. Things that Shuji had not noticed before suddenly became clear.
Shuji wanted to create another Natsu because he thought that with his talent he needed a little push to answer other people’s expectations and become popular. But maybe he was wrong, absolutely and horribly wrong. Natsu didn’t need anything. He mustn’t try to be someone else and he was good as he was. And all this month Shuji had been knocking in a closed door, never understanding Natsu who loved only music and maybe sometimes, little bit of Shuji.
“Don’t leave me. I need you.”
Natsu whispered these words to Shuji earlier and his eyes were looking straight at him with a plea. Natsu needed him, he wanted to have him around and care for his career, give him some warmth and just be near, but Shuji didn't need Natsu in his life. Maybe it sounded cruel, but Shuji knew this was true.
Shuji woke up from his thoughts and met with Natsu eyes, who was still singing. Shuji was wrong, Shuji made a mistake. He wanted to run away from those eyes that always looked with passion but never with reproach, from his guilt, from his wrongs, to loosen the tight necktie, to breath and to run. The last thing he noticed was Natsu surprised facial expression and his song ringing in Shuji’s ears. He opened the door with force and ran as fast as he can. He ran along the long corridors, he ran so fast without paying attention to his surroundings and the people who threw him surprised and curious looks. He pushed the last door and the elevator open with a silly melody as he swiped the thin card. Shuji’s heart was pounding.
Shuji thought about Akira. Shuji envied Akira’s ability to be free, to not care about any restriction, to be himself and feel comfortable in his own skin without any regard for other people's expectation. He was free, like Natsu was, before Shuji started making a star out of him.
Shuji never tried to change Akira, but with Akira he didn't need to respond to other people’s expectations. He could be himself, he didn’t need to act cool, say harsh words, or try to influence and reach his aim. He opened the door and almost ran to the veranda. He needed fresh air.
Suddenly he felt himself so silly, running from his own mistakes, from Natsu but when he noticed a man on the rooftop his back to Shuji and Shuji had the strangest desire to run and hug the broad shoulders and forget about everything. The latter turned his head, as if he felt something and their eyes met. Shuji didn't need to say a word, Akira always understood him.
~Nobuta~
…in sickness and health, until death do us part.
The little elegant bouquet with red and white roses in her hand, her fingers were trembling, touching velvet petals. The day finally came. Today was her wedding. She looked at the big mirror, at the beautiful wedding dress, at her hair and little crown that Akira bought in the end. Her hands were trembling slightly and she took a deep breath. Her mother kissed her gently and with tears in her eyes wishing her to be always happy, her father didn’t say a word, but she saw how touched he was looking at her.
She could count the minutes that separate her from her new beginning and this though filling her with joy and anticipation, and in the same time she feel how very slowly fear sneaking its way in her heart, now from the big mirror she saw the reflection of a lost girl who wandered in darkness and couldn’t find the right door. She clenched the bouquet in her hands.
The soft knock in the door disturbed her panicking thoughts and she heard the familiar voice:
“Can we come in?”
Shuji’s eyes smiling looking at her dress, her friends are beautiful and so elegant in their tuxedo staying near each other, and she bit her lower lip, feeling too sentimental.
“What is wrong?” Akira asked with a quizzical frown on his face. “You want to run already?”
They looked carefully at her expression and she felt like she would cry now, but Shuji in a hurry came near and said:
“No crying, you forgot about your mascara,” They heard Akira laughing and she smiled too. Shuji looked seriously into her eyes, taking her hand:
“Everything will be okay. If you want to run away, we will wait near the exit,” - Shuji said with a wink.
“Exactly!“ Akira nodded seriously few times.
It’s already time, she must go, Shuji left first and Akira gently poked her cheek.
“Nobuta power, remember? You will be happy!” He said those so confidently that she couldn’t hold her smile.
“I will,” Her voice trembled little bit, but she feel better. When Akira turned to leave, she touched his sleeve and said in a whisper, showing in the door where Shuji was waiting.
“Tell him. “
He nodded again.
When she repeated her vows and looked at the eyes of the man she loved so much, Nobuta thought that she definitely would be happy and in this day she has few wishes and they will definitely come true.
When the ceremony was over and all guests had taken a picture with the newlyweds, they have a party at the beautiful garden decorated especially for wedding, she was met with Shuji’s wet eyes. He can be so sentimental and after Akira whispered something in his ear and they left together. A little smile played on her lips.
~Shuji~
Tell the truth and then run.
The wedding was held in a very lovely place. It was on a garden with very green trees decorated with garlands of white flowers, the tables laden with food and the guests elegant. There were a lot of guests, most were Nobuta’s now husband’s friends. Shuji was still awed by the beautiful ceremony. When he heard Nobuta’s words, said in a calm voice he felt that being in love must be beautiful; to spend your whole life with only one person, sharing everything, loving each other, cherishing and protecting each other. He looked at Nobuta’s gentle profile and wished her happiness with all his heart. She deserved it, his brave best friend whom he met a long time ago near the old willow tree.
He started smiling remembering that day. He threw another look at Akira who was beside him, a bit tense, all emotions in his face. Shuji takes his hand and squeezed it which became a habit a long time ago. Sometimes, he sees his friend with a sad expression and he knew that something was bothering him. But with Akira, it was sometimes difficult to tell and Shuji respected Akira’s desire not to share. But he still wants to help. So he just held Akira’s hand and the latter’s looks surprised him. They sat together in silence and Shuji hoped that everything will be okay because not everything in life could be changed to be better.
But he noticed that lately something really strange was going on. Akira would throw him looks like he wanted to say something and sometimes even came closer but in the last minute turned around and pretended that he needed to talk with Nobuta’s mother which made Shuji even more suspicious. He was already tired with the cat-and-mouse play and decided to ask straight what was bothering his friend. Akira was suddenly so close and whispered his lips almost touching Shuji’s ear making him shiver that they needed to talk. After which he headed somewhere without looking back, while Shuji stood there stunned touching his ear. He followed his friend a bit later. Maybe something really did happen, maybe because of Nobuta or something else that is bothering Akira or maybe because of the wedding. A million of thoughts passed through Shuji’s head.
Akira stood in front of him, they were alone but they could hear the light music coming from the wedding party. Akira’s face was so serious and his eyebrows were furrowed. Shuji patiently waited for Akira to start and say whatever was bothering him.
“I want you to stop it.”
That was unexpected, Shuji thought not understanding what was this all about.
“Stop what?”
“Hurting yourself, wasting your life and suffering because of it.”
Shuji heard it very well, every word and the desperate expression on Akira’s face. He looked at his feet. Maybe Akira was right, his life was a mess and even if Akira never spoke with him about his relationships before, Akira must have remembered his breakdown and he must have worried. So Shuji just smiled and tried to reassure his friend:
“Don’t worry, I will be ok,” A soft smile at his lips.
What followed next came so fast that it was difficult for Shuji to process it. He felt a pair of lips kissing him and strong hands holding him. In this moment, he can only feel because the whole situation seemed surreal. Absolutely lost in the sensation and in the force of the tongue that explored his mouth with tenderness and something else so passionate, Shuji just closed his eyes and answered the kiss. And as sudden as it started, it ended and Shuji opened his eyes feeling dizzy.
He saw Akira’s glossy eyes and lips. Shuji slowly licked his own the memory of what just happened lingering in his hear. Then Akira said with the same desperate expression: «I love you.”
He turned around and left, leaving Shuji alone absolutely shocked.
~Akira~
Rome was not built in a day.
If a person does something very embarrassing, maybe he can just close his eyes and when he opens them, everything would be as it was before. Akira wanted to do just that, to go back to that point in time when he didn’t kiss Shuji yet and didn’t see his shocked eyes. Akira was sitting in his room trying to hide from the whole world and from one particular person, his best friend. The one whom he loves desperately for so many years and whom he just kissed and from whom he just ran away from. Akira touched his cheeks and he thought that if he wasn’t feeling so embarrassed and lost, he would leave the room and call an ambulance. His temperature was too high.
But he just can’t so he sat in his room listening to Shuji vacuuming his room. When Nobuta told him to confess and he thought about it. It seemed to be the best and a genius idea but when he finally did it and met with Shuji’s eyes, he felt how his heart fell somewhere in the vicinity of his feet and wished the ground would open and eat him whole.
Akira sat near the door and listened attentively on what Shuji was doing on the other side of the wall. He was afraid that Shuji would pack and leave the apartment with a loud bang. But what surprised Akira was Shuji was still inside the apartment and was even preparing something which suspiciously smelled like gyoza.
At the end of the day, Akira was so tired sitting near the door and was really hungry. He counted until 10 a few times, then he counted all the pigs that he glued to his wall, different shapes and forms but which reminded him of Nobuta nonetheless, before he was able to open the door. He tried to do it without being noticed and just run to the fridge and take something to eat and run back. But he used to much force opening the door that it hit the other wall with a bang.
Shuji was sitting at the couch with a journal. He looked so relaxed and fresh with hair still wet from his recent bath, which Akira also heard. Shuji raised his eyes and Akira froze on the spot, afraid to move.
“Are you hungry?” Shuji’s voice was so calm and Akira threw a look at his lips trying to fight the childish urge to close his eyes.
Maybe it was the first time in his life that he felt so stupid. And he just nodded, following Shuji to the kitchen. With unhurried movements, Shuji took a plate and took the gyoza that was already cold and heated it in the microwave.
Akira’s eyes was glued to Shuji’s back still not sure what to say or what to think. He even thought that what happened during Nobuta’s wedding was just his imagination. Then he gulped when he remembered the feel of Shuji’s lips on his, that was real. No doubt about it.
He was eating in silence, feeling Shuji’s eyes on him. Sometimes, their eyes met and Shuji smiled but Akira would just look at his plate like he was afraid that his gyoza would run away. He played catch with them with his chopsticks, sometimes the gyoza won and fell down from his plate and he would fell how his neck would become red hearing Shuji’s chuckles at his actions.
Shuji rose from his seat and Akira felt it again, the very bad feeling. Akira was so lost in his apocalyptical thoughts that he jumped when Shuji placed a cup of tea in front of him with a thud. Then their eyes met.
Akira rose from his chair and they stood very close with each other, so close that can smell Shuji’s shampoo. Shuji spoke first, his voice calm but Akira can see his stormy eyes, a myriad of emotions coursing through the depths of those brown orbs. Akira was not sure whether it was a good sign or not.
“Yesterday, what you said, you…” Shuji eyes were so deep and so familiar, Akira was lost again and he remembered now, all the insecurities went to the second plane and only Shuji big eyes left and this feeling that was in his heart so many years.
“I love you, always has.“ Now it was so easy to say it, feeling his own heartbeat and the warm waves that came over him, the waves of so sweet and sometimes bitter feelings, that filled his heart and he thought that he will explode because of all the feelings that he had for Shuji, all his love and all his desire.
He saw the smile, the same smile, that so many years ago looked at him at the beach in the little town, where they were alone. And then Shuji kissed him.
~Nobuta~
Friends are kisses blown to us by angels.
Nobuta looked at the blue sky, a soft smile gracing her lips, the wind blowing her blue silk dress. She looked at the beautiful cerulean ocean and felt very happy. Her honeymoon just started. A short message on her phone woke her early, but she was glad because she saw the sunrise that painted the horizon with warm colors. If she were a painter, she could take her watercolors and paint the beautiful sunrise to remember this day, this particular moment. She is very happy, her heart overflowing. No matter what happened tomorrow, she may be sad or feeling something else but that would be another day. Today, she is just very happy.
Years ago, when she was like a blind mole digging absolutely alone in the darkness, hopeless and scared until she met them. Her meeting them was nothing short of a miracle. A miracle that changed her life for forever, made her believe that things are never impossible.
She felt someone hug her from behind, suffusing her with warmth and safety, warm lips kissing her forehead. This is her miracle now.
Just a very short message: “Shuji and Akira together” and she knew they finally caught her drift.
~Shuji~
True love comes quietly, without banners or flashing lights.
If you hear bells, get your ears checked.
Erich Segal
Shuji was never one to seek for love. He has never experienced the feeling and in the end he reached to a conclusion that love is something that people invite into their lives to make it more interesting. The passion, the anticipation, the thrill that made you shiver, the waiting for something more. But love, he wasn’t sure what love is all about.
He met a lot of different people and they always needed something from him: affection, warmth, and understanding. Shuji had long ago come to terms that he was an absolute failure at relationships and really never had a need for it.
Understanding, comfort, shared interests, memories, laughing together about silly things or crying while watching a movie with a sad ending, a shoulder he can lean on during his most difficult moments and just cry his heart out; things that should be shared with your most precious one. Sure he did not have one but he had friends for this. He had Akira and he was satisfied with that.
But staying alone and still feeling Akira lips and Akira words open something new inside him, maybe he was wrong. Again. Kiritani Shuji doesn’t understand anything about love and he can be so blind sometimes. Other people’s souls were a mystery to him and Akira’s soul and Akira’s heart that the latter opened just few minutes ago made him think that he is an idiot for not noticing his friend’s feeling. Does he really need time to understand or maybe he’s just confused? Not at all, he just felt the fluttering of his heartbeat and the absence of warm hands embracing him few minutes ago.
The next day Akira behavior wasn’t strange for him, he knew that his friend needed some time and he could wait, he wasn’t sure how long Akira was waiting for him, witnessing his other relationships. It’s only fair.
When he kissed Akira on the lips, looking into his eyes, he wondered how could he have missed that expression, how blind he was and he whispered gently:
“This is our second kiss.”
“Not really our second,” Akira turned his head in embarrassment but when their eyes met he said with a disarming honest smile, “I kissed you million times, while you were sleeping.”
Shuji laughed and he felt a sudden urge to kiss Akira another million times and make him forget about everything that could make him sad or give him worry, to protect him, to feel his hands holding him gently, to feel those lips kissing him, to cherish him, to see his wide smiles and hear his loud laughs. And a sudden thought crossed his mind, maybe this is love.
True love stories never have endings.
Richard Bach
Title:Seishun Amor
Pairing:Shuji /Akira, Shuji/Natsu, Nobuta/OC
Word count: 11 400~
Rating:PG
Genre/Warnings:romance, NwP /Bandage crossover
Notes: Joo! I’m happy to write for you! A lot of hearts to sweet and lovely mod for patience! My eternal love to my betas and friends for handholding!
Summary: Shuji and Akira would always be together. In the future, they would make each other happy and sooner or later they will both realize it.
~Akira~
If you're alone, I'll be your shadow.
If you want to cry, I'll be your shoulder.
If you want a hug, I'll be your pillow.
If you need to be happy, I'll be your smile.
But anytime you need a friend, I'll just be me.
Akira sat on the floor, hiding his feet under the kotatsu, looking around at the not very big room crammed with two beds and a lot of things, that he found necessary to bring here and that Shuji said “cluttered up” the room. But Akira thought that if they were now adults they would need everything, even a blow up toy mallet and gigantic sunglasses with a moustache and the collection of photos from high school with Nobuta in them. He brought his little pig and glued it to the dormitory room door, writing in big letters: “Nobuta Power”. When Shuji took a duster to remove it, Akira hid the door behind his muscular chest and exclaimed that if Shuji wanted to be a producer he must believe in Nobuta Power.
That evening they met Nobuta on campus. She was in another department. She had decided to work in media, on TV, and Akira felt so proud for his friends. His father wanted Akira to major in advertising, but Akira sometimes visited Nobuta or Shuji's classes because he felt bored sitting alone. With Nobuta he played Battleship and with Shuji he played the “touchy-touchy” game that he invented. The rules were simple; he tried to tickles Shuji and Shuji had to keep a stone face. Shuji wasn’t aware of the rules, so when he hit Akira with his notebook later, Akira always laughed loudly and professor asked them both to leave the lecture hall. And they spent time walking in the park, or sitting in a very comfy café drinking hot chocolate with some dessert and talking about nonsense. But sometimes during this idiotic and absolutely not agreeable game for Shuji, Akira turned aside, with red cheeks or ran from the room. For Shuji it was impossible to understand what was going on in his friend's absurd mind. And Akira needed to find his room and take a cold shower. Sometimes his life was too hard.
Nobuta liked cooking and after a few days living in the dormitory, their little room filled with mini ovens and rice cookers and every day she made something and they went to a little park near the university for a picnic. Akira loved lying on the grass with a full stomach and listening to his friends laugh and he loved feeding Shuji, because later Shuji was always very busy with his books and classes and different friends to eat properly.
On rainy days, they preferred to stay in the room, sometimes with Nobuta, but she had friends and they went together to a café preparing for seminars, so Shuji and Akira were left alone in the room. Akira loved these moments the most. Shuji would pick up a guitar (Akira was sure they would need guitar in a little room, no matter how Shuji resist) and his fingers brushed the strings and he sang something in a soft, slightly hoarse voice. His eyes half closed, he licked his lips during the refrain and Akira heart sank for a moment, and he looked at the long neck and brown eyes and lips, that moved and hypnotized him. Akira felt happy.
In winter, on snowy, cold days they often fell asleep with their legs hidden under the kotatsu for warmth. Akira couldn’t sleep; he looked at his best friend's peaceful sleeping face and very gently embraced him. When they woke up Shuji's face was the first thing he saw. Later, he would rub his eyes and run to bathroom in a hurry, because they had just few minutes or they would be late.
Akira didn't like parties, he liked the comfort of their cluttered room and the smell of something tasty that Nobuta prepared. But Shuji thought that Nobuta needed more fun and love in her life and he would drag his friends to a party on campus, with scantily clad girls, something to drink, loud music and a very happy dancing crowd.
Akira found it interesting, but he preferred to stay with Shuji, feeling his cold legs under the kotatsu, Nobuta staying with them, sipping some lemonade and giving him chips and after they were all dancing and drinking, Shuji would give Akira a really wide, happy smile. Akira felt relaxed, Nobuta left to meet a few girls from her course and Shuji kept dancing, tipsy already.
When Akira brought Shuji home - home, he liked the sound of that - he helped his friend lay on a bed, sitting near him and looking at his sparkling brown orbs. He confessed his feelings in a low voice, because Akira was sure he wanted only Shuji and no one else. He took Shuji's wrist and gently caressed his palm, placing soft kisses on the sensitive skin.
“I love you.”
But Shuji had fallen asleep and Akira's words were left hanging in the silence. In the morning Shuji had a head ache and he dressed very fast, because he would be late. Akira hugged him, like always and they left the room like always. Nothing changed.
This feeling that had been for a long time in Akira's heart, but only recently he understood the meaning of it, was blooming with different colors, making his heart skip a beat feeling Shuji's closeness. Love. Akira was sure in it. He placed a hand on his chest, looking at Shuji's frown while he tried to find his socks under kotatsu, and it was pounding and it was so sweet. He was sure, that in this moment he felt butterflies flutter in his stomach and a lot of sparkling hearts appear around his head and music, looking at Shuji he always heard something very romantic and gentle.
Akira thought, that maybe they didn't need words and everything was clear, they were always together and he often kissed Shuji, when Shuji slept, but one day he understood, that maybe for Shuji everything was absolutely different.
Akira's lesson finished earlier and he walked near cafeteria when he wanted to drink something sweet and buy cute cookies for Shuji. He was already near, when he noticed two figures staying in the shadow, in a corner of the building. Something was too familiar, so he took a few steps closer and he recognized Shuji, his eyes closed and another guy kissing him.
Akira froze; he touched his chest and leaned on the nearest wall. The butterflies died inside and he could hear the heave and painful motions of a requiem inside his head. He didn't know how much time he spent there, Shuji already left with a smile on swollen lips and Akira couldn't move. Nobuta found him and they went to the park, just to play catch ball, without words, only with pain in Akira's heart and Nobuta's concerned face. Akira looked at Nobuta and smiled. He thought, that maybe for her it was painful too.
For Akira, Shuji's happiness was more important than his own. And Shuji was happy. He was smiling, his eyes shone with joy, and he often had a dreamy expression while lost in his thoughts. Akira didn't say anything, he wanted to hide this memory of someone else kissing his Shuji in the old stinky pot at his uncle's house.
After a few months, when Akira returned home one day, he found Shuji sitting alone on his bed without a light. He was looking at one spot, Akira sat near him, placing his chin on Shuji's shoulder.
“Love hurts” - Shuji voice was hoarse and he spoke like he was crying a lot and had so little strength to even talk. Akira nodded, placing a hand on Shuji's shoulder and embracing him.
That's true, thought Akira. Love hurts, he understood it too well.
In that moment sitting with Shuji and witnessing to his silent tears, he thought he could hear something crack, like something being shattered into a million pieces and after the dull pain subsided, he could feel his heart broken.
The next few weeks Akira spent sitting at his classes, looking at nothing and not hearing anything, his fist clenched, anger rising, boiling his blood. He hit the table with all his might, and all eyes in the lecture hall were on him. They asked him to leave the hall and he looked at the fissure that appeared on the surface.
He was sitting alone at the lonely bench looking at the sky, thinking about a faraway beach and the sea and Shuji's big smile. He slowly opened his hand at looked at his palm which held red traces of his nails. He remembered Shuji's hand, that squeezed his hand gently, when his father called and said that after graduating a place in his office was waiting for Akira.
He could be with Shuji always, laugh with him, live with him, talk about different things, smell the familiar fragrance, protect him and love him. He could do it, even if Shuji didn't love him and only accepted his affection out of habit. And he would, because Shuji was the most important person in his life.
He felt someone's presence, and saw that Nobuta was sitting nearby and looking at the sky with him.
~Nobuta~
A good friend is cheaper than therapy.
A long week at work and preparation for a wedding left Nobuta tired, but she would never forget about Shuji's birthday. She came to her friend’s apartment. After finishing university, they decided to live together or putting it more correctly, Akira decided to live wherever Shuji lived. Their lives became busy, after Akira started working with his father and Shuji found work in the same building, working with new talents. They took this apartment, because it was near and Shuji could afford it, so they paid together.
It was a nice place, she liked it, it looked like Shuji and Akira, cozy and little bit messy with a lot of things that reminded Akira about the most beautiful memories in his life, and all his memories are beautiful, so it was cluttered, like their room in university, with a clean kitchen and wooden chopsticks at the counter and souvenirs, that Shuji's mother sent to him every time.
They sat together with Akira at the couch, thinking about what to give Shuji as a present. Akira was silent, not paying attention to her suggestion, she had a feeling that something happened.
“Akira! What is wrong?”
She saw how he closed his eyes and tried to stand up, mumbling about something he forgot in his room. She caught him by his sleeve and said gently:
“Tell me.”
She noticed how he wrinkled up his nose, when he spoke, his voice sounded sad:
“Shuji is not happy.”
“Why?”
He told her, how the last few days Shuji was always sitting home alone, with stubble and messy hair and empty eyes in a dark room with his guitar in his hands; he was playing something and singing in a very low voice. Shuji suffered and Akira couldn't help. He couldn't do anything.
“You can,” - she said gently.
“I can’t!” -He insisted, “I can’t do anything with it and you? Do you love him?”
For a second, Nobuta feel lost because of the sudden change in conversation, but then she understood that Akira meant Shintaro.
“Yes, I think,“ she said calmly.
“Are you sure? Because if you still love Shuji, you would make the biggest mistake of your life.”
Nobuta couldn't believe her ears, but the pain in her friend's eyes, made words that were ready to slip from her mouth stop.
“Am I? Or maybe you?“ Her voice was calm and her eyes looked soft, sinking under Akira's skin. He had the same expression, like many years ago, when she hit him, and she started feeling guilty for being too harsh, but he had to understand it, she didn't want to see him looking hopeless and in despair like today.
“You can't hide and avoid your own feelings or you will make the biggest mistake of your life.” - she places her soft hand on his warm one.
She was right, he knew that. They forgot about Shuji's present, and Nobuta hugged her friend's broad shoulders, feeling his pain.
When Akira found the words in his heart again to tell Shuji everything, they both would have a lot of happy birthdays, wishing together and making their wishes come true. That was what Nobuta wanted to believe.
~Shuji~
True love is when you put someone on a pedestal,
And they fall - but you are there to catch them.
Or
No one is perfect... that's why pencils have erasers.
Shuji was staying in another room, looking through the thick glass at Natsu. He came after all. When their eyes meet, Natsu just nodded lightly. He was in a suit with a white shirt with the top buttons undone, hair in a low ponytail. Perfect, he looked exactly like Shuji wanted him to, exactly like a serious guy who wanted to be a star, a man who cared about his image and his future. And then he started singing.
The gentle, velvet voice with a heartbreaking melody and Shuji felt a lump appear in his throat. Behind his eyes was another picture. A little bar with a stage , a lonely figure with a guitar on the stage, messy brown hair, childish smile on his lips, and a song so beautiful, so touching sang with a gentle voice playing at your open nerves, sinking under your skin, making you feel so much that you wanted to cry. That day, Shuji decided to produce Natsu, to help him because he always believed in his talent. When Natsu was singing or playing his guitar he was in his element and it was amazing.
He looked at the man in front of him and he looked relaxed, lost in his music, open faced and half closed eyes. He had this special aura that make him an exception and shine. And Shuji felt how the room became smaller, the gentle voice wrapped him and a lot of other things. Things that Shuji had not noticed before suddenly became clear.
Shuji wanted to create another Natsu because he thought that with his talent he needed a little push to answer other people’s expectations and become popular. But maybe he was wrong, absolutely and horribly wrong. Natsu didn’t need anything. He mustn’t try to be someone else and he was good as he was. And all this month Shuji had been knocking in a closed door, never understanding Natsu who loved only music and maybe sometimes, little bit of Shuji.
“Don’t leave me. I need you.”
Natsu whispered these words to Shuji earlier and his eyes were looking straight at him with a plea. Natsu needed him, he wanted to have him around and care for his career, give him some warmth and just be near, but Shuji didn't need Natsu in his life. Maybe it sounded cruel, but Shuji knew this was true.
Shuji woke up from his thoughts and met with Natsu eyes, who was still singing. Shuji was wrong, Shuji made a mistake. He wanted to run away from those eyes that always looked with passion but never with reproach, from his guilt, from his wrongs, to loosen the tight necktie, to breath and to run. The last thing he noticed was Natsu surprised facial expression and his song ringing in Shuji’s ears. He opened the door with force and ran as fast as he can. He ran along the long corridors, he ran so fast without paying attention to his surroundings and the people who threw him surprised and curious looks. He pushed the last door and the elevator open with a silly melody as he swiped the thin card. Shuji’s heart was pounding.
Shuji thought about Akira. Shuji envied Akira’s ability to be free, to not care about any restriction, to be himself and feel comfortable in his own skin without any regard for other people's expectation. He was free, like Natsu was, before Shuji started making a star out of him.
Shuji never tried to change Akira, but with Akira he didn't need to respond to other people’s expectations. He could be himself, he didn’t need to act cool, say harsh words, or try to influence and reach his aim. He opened the door and almost ran to the veranda. He needed fresh air.
Suddenly he felt himself so silly, running from his own mistakes, from Natsu but when he noticed a man on the rooftop his back to Shuji and Shuji had the strangest desire to run and hug the broad shoulders and forget about everything. The latter turned his head, as if he felt something and their eyes met. Shuji didn't need to say a word, Akira always understood him.
~Nobuta~
…in sickness and health, until death do us part.
The little elegant bouquet with red and white roses in her hand, her fingers were trembling, touching velvet petals. The day finally came. Today was her wedding. She looked at the big mirror, at the beautiful wedding dress, at her hair and little crown that Akira bought in the end. Her hands were trembling slightly and she took a deep breath. Her mother kissed her gently and with tears in her eyes wishing her to be always happy, her father didn’t say a word, but she saw how touched he was looking at her.
She could count the minutes that separate her from her new beginning and this though filling her with joy and anticipation, and in the same time she feel how very slowly fear sneaking its way in her heart, now from the big mirror she saw the reflection of a lost girl who wandered in darkness and couldn’t find the right door. She clenched the bouquet in her hands.
The soft knock in the door disturbed her panicking thoughts and she heard the familiar voice:
“Can we come in?”
Shuji’s eyes smiling looking at her dress, her friends are beautiful and so elegant in their tuxedo staying near each other, and she bit her lower lip, feeling too sentimental.
“What is wrong?” Akira asked with a quizzical frown on his face. “You want to run already?”
They looked carefully at her expression and she felt like she would cry now, but Shuji in a hurry came near and said:
“No crying, you forgot about your mascara,” They heard Akira laughing and she smiled too. Shuji looked seriously into her eyes, taking her hand:
“Everything will be okay. If you want to run away, we will wait near the exit,” - Shuji said with a wink.
“Exactly!“ Akira nodded seriously few times.
It’s already time, she must go, Shuji left first and Akira gently poked her cheek.
“Nobuta power, remember? You will be happy!” He said those so confidently that she couldn’t hold her smile.
“I will,” Her voice trembled little bit, but she feel better. When Akira turned to leave, she touched his sleeve and said in a whisper, showing in the door where Shuji was waiting.
“Tell him. “
He nodded again.
When she repeated her vows and looked at the eyes of the man she loved so much, Nobuta thought that she definitely would be happy and in this day she has few wishes and they will definitely come true.
When the ceremony was over and all guests had taken a picture with the newlyweds, they have a party at the beautiful garden decorated especially for wedding, she was met with Shuji’s wet eyes. He can be so sentimental and after Akira whispered something in his ear and they left together. A little smile played on her lips.
~Shuji~
Tell the truth and then run.
The wedding was held in a very lovely place. It was on a garden with very green trees decorated with garlands of white flowers, the tables laden with food and the guests elegant. There were a lot of guests, most were Nobuta’s now husband’s friends. Shuji was still awed by the beautiful ceremony. When he heard Nobuta’s words, said in a calm voice he felt that being in love must be beautiful; to spend your whole life with only one person, sharing everything, loving each other, cherishing and protecting each other. He looked at Nobuta’s gentle profile and wished her happiness with all his heart. She deserved it, his brave best friend whom he met a long time ago near the old willow tree.
He started smiling remembering that day. He threw another look at Akira who was beside him, a bit tense, all emotions in his face. Shuji takes his hand and squeezed it which became a habit a long time ago. Sometimes, he sees his friend with a sad expression and he knew that something was bothering him. But with Akira, it was sometimes difficult to tell and Shuji respected Akira’s desire not to share. But he still wants to help. So he just held Akira’s hand and the latter’s looks surprised him. They sat together in silence and Shuji hoped that everything will be okay because not everything in life could be changed to be better.
But he noticed that lately something really strange was going on. Akira would throw him looks like he wanted to say something and sometimes even came closer but in the last minute turned around and pretended that he needed to talk with Nobuta’s mother which made Shuji even more suspicious. He was already tired with the cat-and-mouse play and decided to ask straight what was bothering his friend. Akira was suddenly so close and whispered his lips almost touching Shuji’s ear making him shiver that they needed to talk. After which he headed somewhere without looking back, while Shuji stood there stunned touching his ear. He followed his friend a bit later. Maybe something really did happen, maybe because of Nobuta or something else that is bothering Akira or maybe because of the wedding. A million of thoughts passed through Shuji’s head.
Akira stood in front of him, they were alone but they could hear the light music coming from the wedding party. Akira’s face was so serious and his eyebrows were furrowed. Shuji patiently waited for Akira to start and say whatever was bothering him.
“I want you to stop it.”
That was unexpected, Shuji thought not understanding what was this all about.
“Stop what?”
“Hurting yourself, wasting your life and suffering because of it.”
Shuji heard it very well, every word and the desperate expression on Akira’s face. He looked at his feet. Maybe Akira was right, his life was a mess and even if Akira never spoke with him about his relationships before, Akira must have remembered his breakdown and he must have worried. So Shuji just smiled and tried to reassure his friend:
“Don’t worry, I will be ok,” A soft smile at his lips.
What followed next came so fast that it was difficult for Shuji to process it. He felt a pair of lips kissing him and strong hands holding him. In this moment, he can only feel because the whole situation seemed surreal. Absolutely lost in the sensation and in the force of the tongue that explored his mouth with tenderness and something else so passionate, Shuji just closed his eyes and answered the kiss. And as sudden as it started, it ended and Shuji opened his eyes feeling dizzy.
He saw Akira’s glossy eyes and lips. Shuji slowly licked his own the memory of what just happened lingering in his hear. Then Akira said with the same desperate expression: «I love you.”
He turned around and left, leaving Shuji alone absolutely shocked.
~Akira~
Rome was not built in a day.
If a person does something very embarrassing, maybe he can just close his eyes and when he opens them, everything would be as it was before. Akira wanted to do just that, to go back to that point in time when he didn’t kiss Shuji yet and didn’t see his shocked eyes. Akira was sitting in his room trying to hide from the whole world and from one particular person, his best friend. The one whom he loves desperately for so many years and whom he just kissed and from whom he just ran away from. Akira touched his cheeks and he thought that if he wasn’t feeling so embarrassed and lost, he would leave the room and call an ambulance. His temperature was too high.
But he just can’t so he sat in his room listening to Shuji vacuuming his room. When Nobuta told him to confess and he thought about it. It seemed to be the best and a genius idea but when he finally did it and met with Shuji’s eyes, he felt how his heart fell somewhere in the vicinity of his feet and wished the ground would open and eat him whole.
Akira sat near the door and listened attentively on what Shuji was doing on the other side of the wall. He was afraid that Shuji would pack and leave the apartment with a loud bang. But what surprised Akira was Shuji was still inside the apartment and was even preparing something which suspiciously smelled like gyoza.
At the end of the day, Akira was so tired sitting near the door and was really hungry. He counted until 10 a few times, then he counted all the pigs that he glued to his wall, different shapes and forms but which reminded him of Nobuta nonetheless, before he was able to open the door. He tried to do it without being noticed and just run to the fridge and take something to eat and run back. But he used to much force opening the door that it hit the other wall with a bang.
Shuji was sitting at the couch with a journal. He looked so relaxed and fresh with hair still wet from his recent bath, which Akira also heard. Shuji raised his eyes and Akira froze on the spot, afraid to move.
“Are you hungry?” Shuji’s voice was so calm and Akira threw a look at his lips trying to fight the childish urge to close his eyes.
Maybe it was the first time in his life that he felt so stupid. And he just nodded, following Shuji to the kitchen. With unhurried movements, Shuji took a plate and took the gyoza that was already cold and heated it in the microwave.
Akira’s eyes was glued to Shuji’s back still not sure what to say or what to think. He even thought that what happened during Nobuta’s wedding was just his imagination. Then he gulped when he remembered the feel of Shuji’s lips on his, that was real. No doubt about it.
He was eating in silence, feeling Shuji’s eyes on him. Sometimes, their eyes met and Shuji smiled but Akira would just look at his plate like he was afraid that his gyoza would run away. He played catch with them with his chopsticks, sometimes the gyoza won and fell down from his plate and he would fell how his neck would become red hearing Shuji’s chuckles at his actions.
Shuji rose from his seat and Akira felt it again, the very bad feeling. Akira was so lost in his apocalyptical thoughts that he jumped when Shuji placed a cup of tea in front of him with a thud. Then their eyes met.
Akira rose from his chair and they stood very close with each other, so close that can smell Shuji’s shampoo. Shuji spoke first, his voice calm but Akira can see his stormy eyes, a myriad of emotions coursing through the depths of those brown orbs. Akira was not sure whether it was a good sign or not.
“Yesterday, what you said, you…” Shuji eyes were so deep and so familiar, Akira was lost again and he remembered now, all the insecurities went to the second plane and only Shuji big eyes left and this feeling that was in his heart so many years.
“I love you, always has.“ Now it was so easy to say it, feeling his own heartbeat and the warm waves that came over him, the waves of so sweet and sometimes bitter feelings, that filled his heart and he thought that he will explode because of all the feelings that he had for Shuji, all his love and all his desire.
He saw the smile, the same smile, that so many years ago looked at him at the beach in the little town, where they were alone. And then Shuji kissed him.
~Nobuta~
Friends are kisses blown to us by angels.
Nobuta looked at the blue sky, a soft smile gracing her lips, the wind blowing her blue silk dress. She looked at the beautiful cerulean ocean and felt very happy. Her honeymoon just started. A short message on her phone woke her early, but she was glad because she saw the sunrise that painted the horizon with warm colors. If she were a painter, she could take her watercolors and paint the beautiful sunrise to remember this day, this particular moment. She is very happy, her heart overflowing. No matter what happened tomorrow, she may be sad or feeling something else but that would be another day. Today, she is just very happy.
Years ago, when she was like a blind mole digging absolutely alone in the darkness, hopeless and scared until she met them. Her meeting them was nothing short of a miracle. A miracle that changed her life for forever, made her believe that things are never impossible.
She felt someone hug her from behind, suffusing her with warmth and safety, warm lips kissing her forehead. This is her miracle now.
Just a very short message: “Shuji and Akira together” and she knew they finally caught her drift.
~Shuji~
True love comes quietly, without banners or flashing lights.
If you hear bells, get your ears checked.
Erich Segal
Shuji was never one to seek for love. He has never experienced the feeling and in the end he reached to a conclusion that love is something that people invite into their lives to make it more interesting. The passion, the anticipation, the thrill that made you shiver, the waiting for something more. But love, he wasn’t sure what love is all about.
He met a lot of different people and they always needed something from him: affection, warmth, and understanding. Shuji had long ago come to terms that he was an absolute failure at relationships and really never had a need for it.
Understanding, comfort, shared interests, memories, laughing together about silly things or crying while watching a movie with a sad ending, a shoulder he can lean on during his most difficult moments and just cry his heart out; things that should be shared with your most precious one. Sure he did not have one but he had friends for this. He had Akira and he was satisfied with that.
But staying alone and still feeling Akira lips and Akira words open something new inside him, maybe he was wrong. Again. Kiritani Shuji doesn’t understand anything about love and he can be so blind sometimes. Other people’s souls were a mystery to him and Akira’s soul and Akira’s heart that the latter opened just few minutes ago made him think that he is an idiot for not noticing his friend’s feeling. Does he really need time to understand or maybe he’s just confused? Not at all, he just felt the fluttering of his heartbeat and the absence of warm hands embracing him few minutes ago.
The next day Akira behavior wasn’t strange for him, he knew that his friend needed some time and he could wait, he wasn’t sure how long Akira was waiting for him, witnessing his other relationships. It’s only fair.
When he kissed Akira on the lips, looking into his eyes, he wondered how could he have missed that expression, how blind he was and he whispered gently:
“This is our second kiss.”
“Not really our second,” Akira turned his head in embarrassment but when their eyes met he said with a disarming honest smile, “I kissed you million times, while you were sleeping.”
Shuji laughed and he felt a sudden urge to kiss Akira another million times and make him forget about everything that could make him sad or give him worry, to protect him, to feel his hands holding him gently, to feel those lips kissing him, to cherish him, to see his wide smiles and hear his loud laughs. And a sudden thought crossed his mind, maybe this is love.
True love stories never have endings.
Richard Bach