Best Rivals ~Chapter 10~
Author: Ani
Genre: AU/romance
Rating: PG
Pairing(s): Chiitaro, Takayama
Summary: Yamada and Ryutaro are old friends who always fought over everything.
Word Count: 2087
Disclaimer: Does not belong to me D:
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9
Ryutaro rolled on his bed, feeling pricks of irritation all over. He'd been in a weird mood a lot lately. It all started the day Chinen walked home with him talking about Yamada- no, it was earlier actually. Probably from the time he saw Chinen sitting on Yamada's lap. After that, it seemed easy for any little thing to get on his nerves.
Especially anything that came to Chinen. Ryutaro felt like he couldn't act like himself around Chinen. He would zone out sometimes and when he came to, he'd find himself just staring at the boy or else his thoughts had turned to him for some odd reason. What the hell was wrong with him?
Even worse was the fact that he knew Chinen liked Yamada. He could just tell from the way the older boy acted around his friend. At first, he'd been more timid, but now he was getting bolder and moving closer.
Damn it, what was so great about Yamada?! Sure, he gets good grades (so does Ryutaro), he's popular (Ryutaro received a lot of chocolate on Valentine's Day as well), and...and...apparently Chinen liked Yamada more. The last thought made Ryutaro sigh and sink like a deflated little balloon into his blankets.
He closed his eyes, and just as he was finally drifting off to deep sleep, he was rudely awakened by loud knocking on his door and his mother's voice scolding him about staying indoors on such a fine weathered day.
Grumbling, Ryutaro rolled off his bed and reluctantly changed into regular clothes. "Fine, fine, I'll go out for a walk." He dragged his feet out the door, squinting his eyes against the bright sun shining outdoors. It almost felt like the day was mocking him.
He wandered the neighborhood for a bit without a goal in mind, other than trying to forget all his worries. He became so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't pay close enough attention to where he was going and felt a sudden bump against his shoulder before landing heavily on the ground.
"Ow, ow, ow..." Wincing, he got back up, feeling pissed off at the other person. "Watch where you're going, will you?!"
"Why don't you- R-ryutaro?" The younger boy blinked, seeing his own surprise reflected in Chinen's eyes. "What are you doing here?"
"What are you doing here?" Ryutaro heard himself repeat automatically.
"I asked first!"
"Well...I'm taller!" No, he didn't know what that had anything to do with this.
"...shut up! I'm older, I'm smarter, plus I'm cuter!" The conversation was definitely getting out of hand now. Plus, he couldn't really deny those last three points.
"I live around here," he finally answered, turning to look away. Ryutaro hated to admit losing to anything.
"I...live around here, too." Oh yeah, he'd almost forgot Chinen only recently moved into the area. No wonder he wouldn't know where the older boy's house was. "A-and I was trying to find Yamada-kun's house."
The clouds hanging above Ryutaro's head darkened. "What for?" he asked gloomily.
Chinen held out the bag that Ryutaro barely noticed he was holding. "I grabbed the wrong one when I left his house last night..." he told him. The rest of his words came out in one, big rush. "We were studying there! Like, me, Yuuto, and Yamada. For a test on Monday. And then suddenly Yamada-kun asked us to leave and I wasn't paying attention, I thought it was my bag but when I got home I realized it was actually someone else's and called Yuuto but he had his own bag which meant I left mine at Yamada-kun's house though I tried to call him, Yamada-kun I mean, but no one picked up so-"
"Breathe~" Ryutaro grabbed Chinen's shoulders to get him to stop his jittery jumping. "You don't have to explain so much." For some reason, Chinen's body felt tense beneath his hands. "So...if you're going to Yamada's house, why are you here?"
Chinen shifted his eyes away, biting his lips as though he didn't want to answer.
A light bulb went off in Ryutaro's head. "...don't tell me you're lost?"
"I just have some difficulty finding my way around here!" Chinen instantly protested furiously.
"Yeah, you're lost." Ryutaro had to hide a smile. Chinen looked cute when he got mad.
"I'm not!" Chinen insisted.
"Which way to Yamada's house then?" Ryutaro let go and folded his arms across his chest, waiting.
Chinen frowned, looking from side to side like a cornered rabbit. "That...way?" He pointed uncertainly in one direction.
Shaking his head, Ryutaro took Chinen's hand and pulled him towards the opposite direction. "Come on, I'll take you there."
"Thanks, Ryutaro." The younger boy paused in his steps, wondering if something was wrong with his hearing. "Ryutaro?" Chinen poked his head up, obviously wanting to know why he'd stopped.
"It's nothing." Ryutaro kept walking, unable to stop feeling happy over the fact that Chinen had dropped the -kun in his name. He sighed, finding himself attracted to the other boy by some unknown force. He never expected to actually fall for someone like Chinen. How it happened, he had no idea, but now he was stuck with the consequences, which included a heart beating too fast for its own good and sweaty palms that he kept trying to wipe discreetly against the side of his shirt.
"Hey." Chinen's small hands suddenly grabbed his sleeve for attention. "Isn't that Yamada-kun?"
Ryutaro looked in the direction Chinen was pointing at and saw it was indeed Yamada, walking with an older guy he'd never seen before. He couldn't help frowning; the older boy looked like bad news to Ryutaro, and he wondered why Yamada was hanging out with someone like him.
They turned towards them, and Ryutaro felt Chinen's grip tighten considerably on his arm. Yamada and the older boy were holding hands together like a couple. On a closer inspection, Yamada was looking happier than Ryutaro had seen for a long, long time. His suspicions were confirmed when Yamada got turned around to face the older boy, who pulled him forward to kiss him openly but briefly.
He heard Chinen release an audible gasp. "Chinen-"
"Chinen? Ryutaro?" Apparently, Yamada had noticed them and was walking over. "What are you two...doing?"
Ryutaro looked to where Yamada was staring and realized he was still holding Chinen's hand, plus the older boy was also clinging to his arm. Quickly, he released his hold at the same time that Chinen let go and stepped away from him. Both of them were feeling flustered for the same reason.
"N-nothing." They said simultaneously.
Yamada raised his eyebrows, obviously not satisfied with that answer. He opened his mouth to say more but Ryutaro beat him to it. "What about you?" Ryutaro turned his eyes to the older boy who'd come to stand behind Yamada. "Who's this?"
"Oh him?" Yamada didn't seem to mind the older boy slinging his arm around his shoulder and looked like he rather enjoyed the contact. "He's-"
"Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Takaki Yuya." The taller boy held out his hand, which Ryutaro reluctantly took and shook. As if reading Ryutaro's mind, he continued, saying, "Yamada's boyfriend."
"Oh..." Ryutaro looked between Yamada and Takaki, not sure what to make of the situation. He was sort of hoping Yamada would deny it and say it was some kind of joke, but from the way his friend was blushing and smiling, he didn't think he would do so anytime. "Yamada never said he had a...boyfriend."
Yamada shrugged. "You guys never asked. Besides, you never told me you were dating Chinen."
"We're not dating!" Chinen and Ryutaro protested concurrently.
"Oh? So tell me, what are you two doing together?"
Ryutaro could feel his insides grow warm at the word 'together' and tried to push it down. "I just ran into Chinen by accident. He got lost trying to find your house."
"Yeah, what Ryutaro said." Chinen shoved the bag he'd been holding into Yamada's hands. "This one's yours. I left mine's at your house."
"Oh, really?" Yamada sounded surprised as he inspected the bag. "Hey, it really is mine. My house is right around the corner. You want to come over and pick it up?"
"Ummm..." Ryutaro noticed Chinen shifting his eyes from Yamada to Takaki before turning away from them. "It's fine Yamada-kun. I-I don't really need it. Bye!" With that, Chinen began to shuffle backwards before running off.
Worried, Ryutaro went after him, forgetting to say 'good-bye' to Yamada and Takaki. Luckily, he knew the neighborhood pretty well and quickly found Chinen huddled under a tree in a nearby park. "Chinen?"
He made his way over to the older boy and crouched down next to him, reaching out a hand to pat his back. To his surprise, Chinen swatted his hand away. "L-leave me alone. Please. I just want to be alone."
From Ryutaro position, he could see Chinen's lips quivering as his eyes shone wet with tears. Before he could stop himself, Ryutaro had his arms wrapped around Chinen's small body and was holding him tightly. "If it makes you feel better, you can cry," he told him, half expecting to be pushed away. "Just don't do it alone."
To his relief, he felt Chinen's hands slowly hug him back as the older boy's buried his face against Ryutaro. The younger boy's shirt was getting damp but he didn't really care.
"Ryutaro?" Chinen's voice was shaking and uncertain. "Am I stupid?"
"Eh?" It was such a ridiculous question Ryutaro might've thought it was a joke if Chinen's shoulders weren't shaking so hard against his arms. "What are you talking about? Of course you're not stupid."
"But...I...all this time...I thought...Y-yamada-kun...liked me..." Chinen blinked, and more tears streamed out of his eyes. "Aren't I stupid for thinking that?"
Ryutaro was shaking his head even before Chinen had finished speaking. "Just because you like someone doesn't mean you're stupid," he told him firmly.
"But-"
"No more 'buts'." Ryutaro released one of his hands and pressed his fingers against Chinen's lips. They were unexpectedly warm to the touch. Surprisingly, Chinen fell silent, staring back at him with a red face. "If you call yourself 'stupid' again, I'll-"
"You'll what?" Without even noticing it, Ryutaro had moved his face close enough to Chinen's to feel the older boy breath brush against his skin. Chinen's eyes slid nervously from side to side as Ryutaro gently pressed the palm of his hands against the older boy's cheeks, which were burning beneath his fingertips. "W-what are you doing, Ryutaro?"
It was hard to think straight with Chinen's blushing face right in front of him. It was easier to just go along with his instincts, which was to pull him in and cover his mouth with his own. Chinen gasped quietly, but didn't try to fight back. After a moment, Ryutaro felt the tension gradually leave Chinen's body and closed his eyes, pressing a bit harder.
This time, Chinen returned the kiss, his hands clutching the front of Ryutaro's shirt as he did so. He turned his head to try out a different angle as the adrenaline rushed through his blood. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so excited and exhilarated.
"C-can't b-breathe..." Reluctantly it seemed, Chinen tried to push himself away. Ryutaro frowned on the inside. He didn't want to let Chinen go just yet but his lungs were also screaming for some air.
Slowly, they pulled apart, both breathing heavily and looking dazedly at one another. In Chinen's eyes, Ryutaro could see he wanted more and would've continued if his phone hadn't started vibrating right at the moment.
Startled, Chinen began squirming to get out of his arms and turned around, hiding his face away. Muttering curses to himself, Ryutaro pulled his phone out to turn it off, but the damage had already been done. The atmosphere crackled with awkwardness and confusion.
"Umm..." Ryutaro started at the same Chinen said, "I..."
They both took care to avoid looking at each other's eyes. Ryutaro's heart was jumping crazily like there was no tomorrow. "You go first," he muttered without looking at Chinen.
"I...I need to go home." The older boy stood up and quickly ran off, leaving Ryutaro behind. For a moment, he debated going after him again, but decided he didn't even know what to say to Chinen anyways.
He sighed, running frustrated hand through his hair. "Guess I was the stupid one in the end."
A/N: Tell me...why didn't anyone notify me that I wrote 'Okamoto' as one of the pairings in the previous chapter?
Genre: AU/romance
Rating: PG
Pairing(s): Chiitaro, Takayama
Summary: Yamada and Ryutaro are old friends who always fought over everything.
Word Count: 2087
Disclaimer: Does not belong to me D:
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9
Ryutaro rolled on his bed, feeling pricks of irritation all over. He'd been in a weird mood a lot lately. It all started the day Chinen walked home with him talking about Yamada- no, it was earlier actually. Probably from the time he saw Chinen sitting on Yamada's lap. After that, it seemed easy for any little thing to get on his nerves.
Especially anything that came to Chinen. Ryutaro felt like he couldn't act like himself around Chinen. He would zone out sometimes and when he came to, he'd find himself just staring at the boy or else his thoughts had turned to him for some odd reason. What the hell was wrong with him?
Even worse was the fact that he knew Chinen liked Yamada. He could just tell from the way the older boy acted around his friend. At first, he'd been more timid, but now he was getting bolder and moving closer.
Damn it, what was so great about Yamada?! Sure, he gets good grades (so does Ryutaro), he's popular (Ryutaro received a lot of chocolate on Valentine's Day as well), and...and...apparently Chinen liked Yamada more. The last thought made Ryutaro sigh and sink like a deflated little balloon into his blankets.
He closed his eyes, and just as he was finally drifting off to deep sleep, he was rudely awakened by loud knocking on his door and his mother's voice scolding him about staying indoors on such a fine weathered day.
Grumbling, Ryutaro rolled off his bed and reluctantly changed into regular clothes. "Fine, fine, I'll go out for a walk." He dragged his feet out the door, squinting his eyes against the bright sun shining outdoors. It almost felt like the day was mocking him.
He wandered the neighborhood for a bit without a goal in mind, other than trying to forget all his worries. He became so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't pay close enough attention to where he was going and felt a sudden bump against his shoulder before landing heavily on the ground.
"Ow, ow, ow..." Wincing, he got back up, feeling pissed off at the other person. "Watch where you're going, will you?!"
"Why don't you- R-ryutaro?" The younger boy blinked, seeing his own surprise reflected in Chinen's eyes. "What are you doing here?"
"What are you doing here?" Ryutaro heard himself repeat automatically.
"I asked first!"
"Well...I'm taller!" No, he didn't know what that had anything to do with this.
"...shut up! I'm older, I'm smarter, plus I'm cuter!" The conversation was definitely getting out of hand now. Plus, he couldn't really deny those last three points.
"I live around here," he finally answered, turning to look away. Ryutaro hated to admit losing to anything.
"I...live around here, too." Oh yeah, he'd almost forgot Chinen only recently moved into the area. No wonder he wouldn't know where the older boy's house was. "A-and I was trying to find Yamada-kun's house."
The clouds hanging above Ryutaro's head darkened. "What for?" he asked gloomily.
Chinen held out the bag that Ryutaro barely noticed he was holding. "I grabbed the wrong one when I left his house last night..." he told him. The rest of his words came out in one, big rush. "We were studying there! Like, me, Yuuto, and Yamada. For a test on Monday. And then suddenly Yamada-kun asked us to leave and I wasn't paying attention, I thought it was my bag but when I got home I realized it was actually someone else's and called Yuuto but he had his own bag which meant I left mine at Yamada-kun's house though I tried to call him, Yamada-kun I mean, but no one picked up so-"
"Breathe~" Ryutaro grabbed Chinen's shoulders to get him to stop his jittery jumping. "You don't have to explain so much." For some reason, Chinen's body felt tense beneath his hands. "So...if you're going to Yamada's house, why are you here?"
Chinen shifted his eyes away, biting his lips as though he didn't want to answer.
A light bulb went off in Ryutaro's head. "...don't tell me you're lost?"
"I just have some difficulty finding my way around here!" Chinen instantly protested furiously.
"Yeah, you're lost." Ryutaro had to hide a smile. Chinen looked cute when he got mad.
"I'm not!" Chinen insisted.
"Which way to Yamada's house then?" Ryutaro let go and folded his arms across his chest, waiting.
Chinen frowned, looking from side to side like a cornered rabbit. "That...way?" He pointed uncertainly in one direction.
Shaking his head, Ryutaro took Chinen's hand and pulled him towards the opposite direction. "Come on, I'll take you there."
"Thanks, Ryutaro." The younger boy paused in his steps, wondering if something was wrong with his hearing. "Ryutaro?" Chinen poked his head up, obviously wanting to know why he'd stopped.
"It's nothing." Ryutaro kept walking, unable to stop feeling happy over the fact that Chinen had dropped the -kun in his name. He sighed, finding himself attracted to the other boy by some unknown force. He never expected to actually fall for someone like Chinen. How it happened, he had no idea, but now he was stuck with the consequences, which included a heart beating too fast for its own good and sweaty palms that he kept trying to wipe discreetly against the side of his shirt.
"Hey." Chinen's small hands suddenly grabbed his sleeve for attention. "Isn't that Yamada-kun?"
Ryutaro looked in the direction Chinen was pointing at and saw it was indeed Yamada, walking with an older guy he'd never seen before. He couldn't help frowning; the older boy looked like bad news to Ryutaro, and he wondered why Yamada was hanging out with someone like him.
They turned towards them, and Ryutaro felt Chinen's grip tighten considerably on his arm. Yamada and the older boy were holding hands together like a couple. On a closer inspection, Yamada was looking happier than Ryutaro had seen for a long, long time. His suspicions were confirmed when Yamada got turned around to face the older boy, who pulled him forward to kiss him openly but briefly.
He heard Chinen release an audible gasp. "Chinen-"
"Chinen? Ryutaro?" Apparently, Yamada had noticed them and was walking over. "What are you two...doing?"
Ryutaro looked to where Yamada was staring and realized he was still holding Chinen's hand, plus the older boy was also clinging to his arm. Quickly, he released his hold at the same time that Chinen let go and stepped away from him. Both of them were feeling flustered for the same reason.
"N-nothing." They said simultaneously.
Yamada raised his eyebrows, obviously not satisfied with that answer. He opened his mouth to say more but Ryutaro beat him to it. "What about you?" Ryutaro turned his eyes to the older boy who'd come to stand behind Yamada. "Who's this?"
"Oh him?" Yamada didn't seem to mind the older boy slinging his arm around his shoulder and looked like he rather enjoyed the contact. "He's-"
"Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Takaki Yuya." The taller boy held out his hand, which Ryutaro reluctantly took and shook. As if reading Ryutaro's mind, he continued, saying, "Yamada's boyfriend."
"Oh..." Ryutaro looked between Yamada and Takaki, not sure what to make of the situation. He was sort of hoping Yamada would deny it and say it was some kind of joke, but from the way his friend was blushing and smiling, he didn't think he would do so anytime. "Yamada never said he had a...boyfriend."
Yamada shrugged. "You guys never asked. Besides, you never told me you were dating Chinen."
"We're not dating!" Chinen and Ryutaro protested concurrently.
"Oh? So tell me, what are you two doing together?"
Ryutaro could feel his insides grow warm at the word 'together' and tried to push it down. "I just ran into Chinen by accident. He got lost trying to find your house."
"Yeah, what Ryutaro said." Chinen shoved the bag he'd been holding into Yamada's hands. "This one's yours. I left mine's at your house."
"Oh, really?" Yamada sounded surprised as he inspected the bag. "Hey, it really is mine. My house is right around the corner. You want to come over and pick it up?"
"Ummm..." Ryutaro noticed Chinen shifting his eyes from Yamada to Takaki before turning away from them. "It's fine Yamada-kun. I-I don't really need it. Bye!" With that, Chinen began to shuffle backwards before running off.
Worried, Ryutaro went after him, forgetting to say 'good-bye' to Yamada and Takaki. Luckily, he knew the neighborhood pretty well and quickly found Chinen huddled under a tree in a nearby park. "Chinen?"
He made his way over to the older boy and crouched down next to him, reaching out a hand to pat his back. To his surprise, Chinen swatted his hand away. "L-leave me alone. Please. I just want to be alone."
From Ryutaro position, he could see Chinen's lips quivering as his eyes shone wet with tears. Before he could stop himself, Ryutaro had his arms wrapped around Chinen's small body and was holding him tightly. "If it makes you feel better, you can cry," he told him, half expecting to be pushed away. "Just don't do it alone."
To his relief, he felt Chinen's hands slowly hug him back as the older boy's buried his face against Ryutaro. The younger boy's shirt was getting damp but he didn't really care.
"Ryutaro?" Chinen's voice was shaking and uncertain. "Am I stupid?"
"Eh?" It was such a ridiculous question Ryutaro might've thought it was a joke if Chinen's shoulders weren't shaking so hard against his arms. "What are you talking about? Of course you're not stupid."
"But...I...all this time...I thought...Y-yamada-kun...liked me..." Chinen blinked, and more tears streamed out of his eyes. "Aren't I stupid for thinking that?"
Ryutaro was shaking his head even before Chinen had finished speaking. "Just because you like someone doesn't mean you're stupid," he told him firmly.
"But-"
"No more 'buts'." Ryutaro released one of his hands and pressed his fingers against Chinen's lips. They were unexpectedly warm to the touch. Surprisingly, Chinen fell silent, staring back at him with a red face. "If you call yourself 'stupid' again, I'll-"
"You'll what?" Without even noticing it, Ryutaro had moved his face close enough to Chinen's to feel the older boy breath brush against his skin. Chinen's eyes slid nervously from side to side as Ryutaro gently pressed the palm of his hands against the older boy's cheeks, which were burning beneath his fingertips. "W-what are you doing, Ryutaro?"
It was hard to think straight with Chinen's blushing face right in front of him. It was easier to just go along with his instincts, which was to pull him in and cover his mouth with his own. Chinen gasped quietly, but didn't try to fight back. After a moment, Ryutaro felt the tension gradually leave Chinen's body and closed his eyes, pressing a bit harder.
This time, Chinen returned the kiss, his hands clutching the front of Ryutaro's shirt as he did so. He turned his head to try out a different angle as the adrenaline rushed through his blood. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so excited and exhilarated.
"C-can't b-breathe..." Reluctantly it seemed, Chinen tried to push himself away. Ryutaro frowned on the inside. He didn't want to let Chinen go just yet but his lungs were also screaming for some air.
Slowly, they pulled apart, both breathing heavily and looking dazedly at one another. In Chinen's eyes, Ryutaro could see he wanted more and would've continued if his phone hadn't started vibrating right at the moment.
Startled, Chinen began squirming to get out of his arms and turned around, hiding his face away. Muttering curses to himself, Ryutaro pulled his phone out to turn it off, but the damage had already been done. The atmosphere crackled with awkwardness and confusion.
"Umm..." Ryutaro started at the same Chinen said, "I..."
They both took care to avoid looking at each other's eyes. Ryutaro's heart was jumping crazily like there was no tomorrow. "You go first," he muttered without looking at Chinen.
"I...I need to go home." The older boy stood up and quickly ran off, leaving Ryutaro behind. For a moment, he debated going after him again, but decided he didn't even know what to say to Chinen anyways.
He sighed, running frustrated hand through his hair. "Guess I was the stupid one in the end."
A/N: Tell me...why didn't anyone notify me that I wrote 'Okamoto' as one of the pairings in the previous chapter?