Fanfiction: Puppy Love (Chapter 2/5: From Like to Hate)
Pairing: Takizawa Hideaki x Imai Tsubasa
Genre: Fluff
Rating: G
Disclaimer: I own TxT, until someone stops me, that is.
Summary: Love comes in unexpected packaging.
Chapter One: Like at First Sight
Unlike how he started liking Puppy Love Ranger, fate had other plans. And Tsubasa had a change of heart.
While Puppy Love may have Tsubasa’s good opinion for now, it was nothing compared to what Tsubasa thought of his girlfriend, Gabrielle. He was devoted to her and practically worshiped the ground that she walked on. He had long waited for a girl like that to strut into his life. But she was worth the wait. An absolute headturner, she was his trophy, his pride and he secretly hoped, his bride as well.
They say love is blind and it most certainly was for Tsubasa. Despite Gabrielle’s possessiveness, neediness and control-freak of a nature, she was his undisputed God’s gift to men. So it came as no surprise that he gave in to her every demand, whim and fancy. And what did he get out of it? An unflattering moustache. She, of course, even had the nerve of nicknaming it Mao-chan. She had hoped that Mao-chan would turn potential competitors away. And like she predicted, it worked like a charm. He was avoided like a plague.
But fate loves trouble and quiet peaceful days faded like unsuspecting spring giving in to the summer heat. Things were about to heat up and get complicated.
…….
With Puppy Love Ranger’s growing popularity, customers, neighbouring tenants and even the female dogs in the vicinity were speculating about the identity, the real face behind the playful mascot with the most irresistible puppy eyes.
It wasn’t long before a rumour to begin circulating that Tsubasa was the man behind the mask. Although it was beyond him how he could be at two places at the same time, his ‘fangirls’ bothered little about details like that. To them, he was looking more adorable by the minute. And somehow the issue of the moustache also disappear, along with any sense and logic.
And it didn’t help that Takki aka the bona fide Puppy Love Ranger had left Tokyo for Nagoya and Osaka to watch a series of summer concerts by his idol, Takisama, who coincidentally shared his name.
And so the rumour spread like wildfire, spiralling out of control that Tsubasa was Puppy Love.
Tsubasa would have loved to get the staff at Puppy Love to clear up this misunderstanding. But he shuttered every time he thought of how they smiled a little too warmly at him, especially Pi’s attention which came in the standard package deal of a wink, an air-kisses and touches that linger a little too long for comfort on his forearm.
He felt Mao-chan twitch as if telling him that it was a bad idea. And Tsubasa agreed with it. Besides, getting too close to them would only deepen the misunderstanding. But of course anyone in the right frame of mind would know that letting your moustache tell you want to do was in itself a very bad idea.
Unfortunately, Tsubasa found that out too late.
In the meantime, he tried his best to dodge any unwanted attention. But still, girls were all over him asking him what it felt like inside, questioning him if it was as smoking hot inside as he looked.
*Gulp.*
Quite a few of them even offered to make good the sexual advances they offered Puppy Love Ranger.
*Double gulp.*
He was nervous, very nervous. What would his girlfriend think?
As expected, she was livid. Before long, Tsubasa found himself a newly minted unwilling but very eligible singleton.
Nursing a broken heart, he had taken to sitting lonely by the park, near the café, reminiscing of the good old times. It didn’t help that he had stopped patronizing Puppy Love out of spite. Now not only was he brokenhearted, he was thirsty, and experiencing serious coffee withdrawal symptoms. Yes, it never rains but pours.
…………
That park coincidentally happened to be a favourite hangout of Puppy Love Ranger aka Takki too.
One fateful evening, the twain met - the jilted lover and the confused dog.
Standing at one end of a long bench, Tsubasa was in a stare-down mode with eyes on fire. On the other end of the bench, Puppy Love Ranger was frozen in a paw-scratching-crouch position.
A gentle breeze glazed over the two statues. Falling leaves caressed their motionless faces. Scattered leaves danced in circles around their feet.
After what seemed like an eternity. Tsubssa decided that he had to make a decision. Should he go over and kick the itching member? Or should he just bend over and laugh?
………..
To say that Puppy Love Ranger was confused was an understatement. It did not know how to react. For the umpteenth time that day, it was ‘molested’, again. This time, by a guy, a rather odd guy that was growing scarier by the minute.
Apparently, Tsubasa did not just drop to the ground laughing, he hugged Puppy Love Ranger.
‘So this is what it feels like,’ Tsubasa muttered blissfully, as he wrapped his arms snuggly around Puppy Love Ranger’s, head on its shoulder.
Tsubasa had been wondering for some time what it felt like for the girls to touch Puppy Love Ranger. Now he knew, and he liked it.
Enjoying it maybe a little too much, Tsubasa allowed himself a tighter hug. Lingering a little longer, he finally, reluctantly withdrew himself from the ‘abused’ furball.
Suddenly snapping out of the warm and fuzzy feel-good mode, he felt embarrassed.
Slightly confused by his earlier affection, Tsubasa attributed the hug to his current deprived state. His girlfriend had only broken up with him for only a couple of days but he was already feeling all needy and vulnerable.
For the past few days, he had practically been living in flashback, replaying all the ‘sweet’ memonts they had together. They predominantly revolved around him burning his plastic getting her the latest designer brand name, sitting around lamely waiting for her to finish shopping before chauffering her off to the next shopping destination.
‘All because of this stupid dog, all these 'priceless' moments are but memories.’
Momentarily deserting his melancholic state, Tsubasa was back with his death stare.
What was a dog to do? Pity the dog suit didn’t come with instructions on how to deal with melodramatic humans that were overly friendly one minute, embarrassed the next, depressed another and was now about the make ‘hot dogs’ out of it.
Bravely, Puppy Love Ranger did what any nice dog would do. It tried to be friendly. Stretching out its paw as a gesture of goodwill, it looked at Tsubasa with pleading, wounded-puppy-looking eyes… whimpering softly.
Note: If I whimper, do I get comments? Whimpering...
Chapter 3/5: Strange Blossoming 'Like'