[Chaptered] just vanilla (Chapter Eight)
Title: just vanilla
Author: Annie
Pairing: Juri x Taiga, Yasui x Taiga, Keigo x Juri (friendship), Hokuto x Taiga (friendship)
Genre: Fluff, Romance
Rating: PG
Summary: When Taiga finds himself falling in love with the boy behind the counter of an ice cream store, he can't help but feel his heart being torn in hesitancy as another boy steps in between them, intent on claiming Taiga's heart for his own. Taiga must then choose whether to follow his heart or to give in to the other boy, whose confession he just can't bring himself to reject.
A/N: Partially inspired by the juniors' Baskin Robbins CM! :) It sort of explains the cast, being Taiga, Juri, Yasui, Keigo, and Hokuto (hahaha but not the last one, sorry Jesse! xD) I am actually done writing this fic already, so I can tell you it will be 12 chapters long :D (some shorter and some longer than others.. xD) I'm still in the process of editing it, but I will hopefully post the entirety of this fic very soon! ^_^ (because I want to finish it before school starts again and my life becomes crazily busy ^^;;)
Chapter Eight: Unfinished words
“He kissed... Taiga…”
Keigo’s condemning words echoed endlessly in Juri’s mind, torturing him as he tried to shut out the world through sleep. Burying his face into his pillow, he writhed under his bedcovers, in a vain attempt to silence his memories.
The image of Taiga and Kentaro, flashed in his mind, their lips pressing, bodies touching, it was too much for Juri. He imagined Taiga’s soft smile, his shy laughter, all directed towards Kentaro and away from him.
He wanted to cry, to forget he had ever met Taiga, but he couldn’t find the strength. He could only lie there, hiding in his bed, his breathing ragged, his shirt drenched in a cold sweat.
He just couldn’t erase Taiga from his mind. He imagined Taiga smiling as his lips met Kentaro’s; he saw them laughing as they pulled apart, mocking him and his pathetic naivety for wrongly believing he had already won Taiga’s heart.
To think he had even believed that just yesterday. But today, Juri’s heart was falling to pieces. He didn’t understand what he had done wrong. What Kentaro had that he didn’t. What Taiga wanted that he couldn’t provide.
He knew he was already willing to give Taiga his heart. To give him anything he asked for. But it wasn’t enough?
He imagined Kentaro’s hands resting on Taiga’s waist, as Taiga wrapping his arms around Kentaro’s neck, pulling the older boy close as their lips met.
Juri just couldn’t take it. The jealousy boiled within him. There was no doubt in his mind that he was in love with Taiga. His love was just rendered all the more agonizing, knowing it was unrequited.
~*~
And so, Juri waited. After a sleepless, tortured night, he waited at the park during his entire day off, waiting for Taiga to possibly pass by.
He needed to see him; he needed to hear Taiga say, in his own voice, in his own words, that he didn’t love him. Otherwise, his heart would never accept the truth. He was willing to face the shame of outright rejection. But he needed to hear it from Taiga.
Hours passed, as numerous strangers walked by the bench where Juri sat waiting. For once, he wasn’t interested in meeting new people.
His mind just couldn’t focus.
Sighing wearily, his thoughts in blurred disarray, Juri waited patiently for the arrival of the one person he longed so desperately to see.
He knew Taiga would have to walk past him in order to get home, but he could only hope he hadn’t missed him already.
Two more hours, then four. The warm orange glow of dusk shrouded the park in a peaceful stillness; the sky dyed blended hues of pink.
Still, Juri waited.
Until finally, Taiga came.
Taiga’s eyes were lowered, as if deep in thought, when Juri approached him, unnoticed from behind. He filled his lungs with one last breath of tense air before reaching out to grasp Taiga’s hand, the older boy freezing at his touch.
“It’s me,” Juri murmured softly, realizing Taiga hadn’t lifted his gaze to see who had grabbed him.
“Juri...” He didn’t need to see to recognize the feeling of his friend’s fingers, wrapped gently around his own. Under any other circumstances, Taiga would have smiled happily, seeing Juri. But after what had just happened between him and Kentaro, Taiga’s heart felt conflicted and lost in confusion. Beyond the mere light kiss on his cheek, Kentaro’s heart-felt confession triggered Taiga’s hesitance.
Taiga had yet to make clear to himself to whom his heart truly belonged. To the kindness of someone who had so directly offered him his love, or to the ambiguity of a friend that had only made his heart flutter in nebulous, unanswered longing. He wished he could love Juri. He wished desperately with all his heart to love Juri. But he had been given so little indication of Juri’s possible affection for him. It was torturing, heart-wrenching, to stay by his side.
Would the comfort and security of Kentaro’s guaranteed love not be enough to make Taiga happy?
Taiga needed time to think.
But Juri couldn’t wait.
He was tired of waiting.
“I have to tell you, before it’s too late,” Juri insisted, his breath shallow and uneven. “I have to tell you… I… I-I think I…”
The pause was unbearable. Taiga could feel Juri’s grasp tightening around his hand, nervously, almost shyly. His breath hitched… he was so close.
“J-Juri...” Taiga breathed, encouraging him to go on.
But before any more words could be said, a jerking pull at Taiga’s arm broke them apart. Juri felt his heart ripping as Taiga’s hand slipped away from his fingers.
“Taiga?” Kentaro asked, worry lining his troubled gaze. “What are you doing here... with Juri?”
Juri grimaced, seeing his old friend as nothing but a bitter enemy. He wanted to hold Taiga back, but Kentaro had pulled him out of his reach. He was standing right before him, so close, but yet so far away.
“K-Kentaro?” Taiga stammered, his cheeks on fire. His heart was thundering so fervently in his ears, he could barely hear himself voice a complaint, before Kentaro led him off, away from the park. Leaving behind the Juri that had waited all day to see him, heart-broken and alone.
Author: Annie
Pairing: Juri x Taiga, Yasui x Taiga, Keigo x Juri (friendship), Hokuto x Taiga (friendship)
Genre: Fluff, Romance
Rating: PG
Summary: When Taiga finds himself falling in love with the boy behind the counter of an ice cream store, he can't help but feel his heart being torn in hesitancy as another boy steps in between them, intent on claiming Taiga's heart for his own. Taiga must then choose whether to follow his heart or to give in to the other boy, whose confession he just can't bring himself to reject.
A/N: Partially inspired by the juniors' Baskin Robbins CM! :) It sort of explains the cast, being Taiga, Juri, Yasui, Keigo, and Hokuto (hahaha but not the last one, sorry Jesse! xD) I am actually done writing this fic already, so I can tell you it will be 12 chapters long :D (some shorter and some longer than others.. xD) I'm still in the process of editing it, but I will hopefully post the entirety of this fic very soon! ^_^ (because I want to finish it before school starts again and my life becomes crazily busy ^^;;)
Chapter Eight: Unfinished words
“He kissed... Taiga…”
Keigo’s condemning words echoed endlessly in Juri’s mind, torturing him as he tried to shut out the world through sleep. Burying his face into his pillow, he writhed under his bedcovers, in a vain attempt to silence his memories.
The image of Taiga and Kentaro, flashed in his mind, their lips pressing, bodies touching, it was too much for Juri. He imagined Taiga’s soft smile, his shy laughter, all directed towards Kentaro and away from him.
He wanted to cry, to forget he had ever met Taiga, but he couldn’t find the strength. He could only lie there, hiding in his bed, his breathing ragged, his shirt drenched in a cold sweat.
He just couldn’t erase Taiga from his mind. He imagined Taiga smiling as his lips met Kentaro’s; he saw them laughing as they pulled apart, mocking him and his pathetic naivety for wrongly believing he had already won Taiga’s heart.
To think he had even believed that just yesterday. But today, Juri’s heart was falling to pieces. He didn’t understand what he had done wrong. What Kentaro had that he didn’t. What Taiga wanted that he couldn’t provide.
He knew he was already willing to give Taiga his heart. To give him anything he asked for. But it wasn’t enough?
He imagined Kentaro’s hands resting on Taiga’s waist, as Taiga wrapping his arms around Kentaro’s neck, pulling the older boy close as their lips met.
Juri just couldn’t take it. The jealousy boiled within him. There was no doubt in his mind that he was in love with Taiga. His love was just rendered all the more agonizing, knowing it was unrequited.
~*~
And so, Juri waited. After a sleepless, tortured night, he waited at the park during his entire day off, waiting for Taiga to possibly pass by.
He needed to see him; he needed to hear Taiga say, in his own voice, in his own words, that he didn’t love him. Otherwise, his heart would never accept the truth. He was willing to face the shame of outright rejection. But he needed to hear it from Taiga.
Hours passed, as numerous strangers walked by the bench where Juri sat waiting. For once, he wasn’t interested in meeting new people.
His mind just couldn’t focus.
Sighing wearily, his thoughts in blurred disarray, Juri waited patiently for the arrival of the one person he longed so desperately to see.
He knew Taiga would have to walk past him in order to get home, but he could only hope he hadn’t missed him already.
Two more hours, then four. The warm orange glow of dusk shrouded the park in a peaceful stillness; the sky dyed blended hues of pink.
Still, Juri waited.
Until finally, Taiga came.
Taiga’s eyes were lowered, as if deep in thought, when Juri approached him, unnoticed from behind. He filled his lungs with one last breath of tense air before reaching out to grasp Taiga’s hand, the older boy freezing at his touch.
“It’s me,” Juri murmured softly, realizing Taiga hadn’t lifted his gaze to see who had grabbed him.
“Juri...” He didn’t need to see to recognize the feeling of his friend’s fingers, wrapped gently around his own. Under any other circumstances, Taiga would have smiled happily, seeing Juri. But after what had just happened between him and Kentaro, Taiga’s heart felt conflicted and lost in confusion. Beyond the mere light kiss on his cheek, Kentaro’s heart-felt confession triggered Taiga’s hesitance.
Taiga had yet to make clear to himself to whom his heart truly belonged. To the kindness of someone who had so directly offered him his love, or to the ambiguity of a friend that had only made his heart flutter in nebulous, unanswered longing. He wished he could love Juri. He wished desperately with all his heart to love Juri. But he had been given so little indication of Juri’s possible affection for him. It was torturing, heart-wrenching, to stay by his side.
Would the comfort and security of Kentaro’s guaranteed love not be enough to make Taiga happy?
Taiga needed time to think.
But Juri couldn’t wait.
He was tired of waiting.
“I have to tell you, before it’s too late,” Juri insisted, his breath shallow and uneven. “I have to tell you… I… I-I think I…”
The pause was unbearable. Taiga could feel Juri’s grasp tightening around his hand, nervously, almost shyly. His breath hitched… he was so close.
“J-Juri...” Taiga breathed, encouraging him to go on.
But before any more words could be said, a jerking pull at Taiga’s arm broke them apart. Juri felt his heart ripping as Taiga’s hand slipped away from his fingers.
“Taiga?” Kentaro asked, worry lining his troubled gaze. “What are you doing here... with Juri?”
Juri grimaced, seeing his old friend as nothing but a bitter enemy. He wanted to hold Taiga back, but Kentaro had pulled him out of his reach. He was standing right before him, so close, but yet so far away.
“K-Kentaro?” Taiga stammered, his cheeks on fire. His heart was thundering so fervently in his ears, he could barely hear himself voice a complaint, before Kentaro led him off, away from the park. Leaving behind the Juri that had waited all day to see him, heart-broken and alone.