Under Different Skies
Hey, guys! My life has been quite busy for the past week, so I haven't been doing very much in terms of writing. :(
However, I finally wrote the follow up to my previous Hikanoo fic for the Romantic Fics Challenge after giving myself a break for getting sick! XD
Here's the sequel to Under the Same Umbrella and the sort-of prequel to Center Stage! ^^
Under Different Skies
“Just tell him.”
“I can’t. I just can’t hurt him, Hikaru-kun.”
“Inoo-chan -”
“I know.”
With a shake of the head, Inoo Kei brought himself abruptly back to the present, freeing himself from the confines of his memories. As he did so, he felt an arm snake around his waist and pull him towards a solid, almost burning warmth. A hand caressed Kei’s cheek, and he felt his chin being tipped involuntarily upward as his lips were enclosed in a kiss. He felts his eyelids flutter as he automatically accepted what was happening to him, and through the flickering of his eyelashes, he found himself looking up at his boyfriend, Yabu Kota.
It had been a month since the incident with Yaotome Hikaru, when they found themselves under the same umbrella, and when Kei realized how hopelessly in love he was with both of his best friends. It had been a month since Kei had started living his double life, being Kota’s boyfriend by day and sneaking off to spend time with Hikaru at strange hours of the night. Sometimes, Hikaru would take him out to see the city lights, and they would talk until the early morning dawn, hands entwined. Other times, Kei would find himself slipping into Hikaru’s room, where the jokester would be waiting expectantly for him on the bed. It had been a month since Kei had begun to feel that he was stretching himself too thin, that he really couldn’t take all the deception and the lies anymore. That was when Hikaru had advised him to tell Kota about everything that had happened.
That was when Kei decided that he wanted to be free.
As Kota pulled away from the kiss with a look of contentment on his face, Kei felt a wave of shame wash through him. Could he really find the strength in him to tell Kota what he felt? Could he really tell him about what had happened with Hikaru? As he sat there at the pier next to his boyfriend, his mind screaming with apprehension, the night air suddenly seemed frigid, malevolent, as it tugged at Kei’s purple cardigan. His legs, which were dangling over the edge, were thrashed about with more force than Kei deemed comfortable. He shivered. It seemed that everything wanted to tear him apart.
“Don’t you think it’s beautiful?”
Kei whipped his head up at Kota’s voice suddenly ringing out from within the darkness, hardly believing his ears. How could Kota find beauty at a time like this? His eyes drank in Kota’s features, enthralled by the look of serenity and bliss he found there.
“W-what?” Kei stuttered, unable to process Kota’s seemingly simple question.
A bemused smile rippled across Kota’s lips. “I was talking about the stars, Kei-chan! What else could it be?” Kota laughed, his laughter shaking his thin frame with mirth. The arm wrapped around Kei gave him a little squeeze, as Kota gazed at Kei, trying to catch his eye. “Don’t you think the sky looks beautiful tonight?”
Kei refused to meet Kota’s eyes. Instead, he looked up at the sky, his eyes meeting the many twinkling ones above. As he looked, Kei could have sworn that the stars were winking at him, dancing and beckoning for him to come with them to a heavenly world where there would be nothing more to worry about. But even so, Kei couldn’t find it in him to appreciate the beauty of the night sky, not when his heart was searing so painfully against his chest. He couldn’t hide the feeling that even though both he and Kota were looking up at what seemed to be the same sky, what they were looking at was completely different. Where Kota found wonderment, Kei could only find heartbreak.
Miserably, Kei replied, his voice nearly breaking with emotion, as he tried to hide the tears that were forming, “Yeah, Kota-kun. It’s absolutely beautiful.”
Kota must have heard Kei’s voice catch, because Kota instantly diverted his gaze from the sky to his boyfriend, his expression changing to one of worry. “Kei-chan, are you okay?” Kota caught Kei’s face in the palms of his hands. “Why are you crying? Is there something wrong?”
Kei looked up at Kota, the tears falling freely now, staining Kota’s hands. “I’m sorry, Kota-kun. I really am.”
“Why?” asked Kota incomprehensibly. “What can you possibly be feeling sorry about?”
Kei tried to look away, but Kota’s hands forced him to gaze upward at him. “I-it’s about Hikaru-kun. I think I love him.”
Kota let go of Kei as if the piano player’s pale skin had burned him. He turned away, and Kei could feel just how much pain he had inflicted on him with the simple uttering of five words. “Y-you can’t be serious,” said Kota when he finally collected himself. He turned around, and Kei saw an almost accusatory look in Kota’s eyes.
Kei shrank under the intensity of Kota’s glare. “I am serious, Kota-kun. I do love him.” When Kei saw disgust start to contort Kota’s facial expression, he desperately added, “But, I love you, too! I love both of you.”
Kota shook his head. “Kei-chan. Love isn’t a word that you can randomly throw around. You can’t have both of us. You have to choose.”
“I can’t. I tried last time, but I realized that I really can’t. Please, don’t do this to me, Kota-kun,” Kei implored, reaching out for his boyfriend.
Kota flinched when Kei’s fingers brushed against his skin. “No,” he said, shuddering as he drew away. “I can’t do this, Kei-chan. I’m sorry, but if you really do love Hikaru-kun, then he can have you. We’re over.”
As Kota’s footsteps faded away into the dark, Kei felt himself on the verge of collapse. He had finally admitted his true feelings to Kota. He was now free.
But somehow, Kei didn’t feel any better.
* * *
It was sometime later when Hikaru found a defeated Kei sitting slumped on the ground. Hikaru immediately ran over to where the piano player was, and draped a blanket that he had brought with him over the shivering frame.
“Inoo-chan! Are you okay? It’s so cold out here! Why didn’t you call me? I would have been here right away!” asked a flustered Hikaru, as he attempted to take care of the boy he loved.
Kei didn’t respond, but as Hikaru held the older boy close, he could detect a slight smile spreading across Kei’s beautiful face. Hikaru felt hands grabbing at him, as if making sure that he was there. Understanding, Hikaru just stayed where he was, allowing his presence to soothe the piano player.
They stayed in this state for some time, until finally, Kei spoke, his voice betraying his vulnerability, “You won’t leave me, right, Hikaru-kun?”
Hikaru smiled down at him. “No, of course not! I would never leave you. After all, I love you, Inoo-chan.”
Kei felt his eyelids grow heavy, but he managed a contented “I love you, too, Hikaru-kun” before he allowed sleep to take control. Hikaru shook his head slowly, a wry smile playing across his lips. Carefully, so as to not disturb the slumbering piano player, he picked Kei up princess-style and carried him back to the JUMP house, where Kei would later wake up to a morning kiss from his new boyfriend.
* * *
Kota arrived back at the JUMP house way before Hikaru or Kei did. When he got back, he wordlessly plopped himself down on the couch, his rage and revulsion too much for him to articulate anything, or at least articulate anything coherently. He was so shut up in his thoughts over his two best friends’ betrayal that he didn’t notice that another presence had joined him on the couch until that presence started offering him some tea.
“Takaki!” Kota barked. “Can’t you see that I’m not in the mood for tea right now?”
Yuya quailed under Kota’s temper. “I’m sorry, Kota-kun! But, you looked like you were in a bad mood, so I thought that the tea might actually help! I’m sorry to bother you!”
Just as Yuya was going to shuffle away with the teacup to go hide in a corner somewhere, Kota reached out and caught Yuya’s hand in his. “Wait, Yuyan. I’m sorry for yelling at you. Some tea would be wonderful…Could you please stay?”
Yuya’s face reddened as Kota spoke. He stared back at the older boy as if trying to gauge the possibility of Kota blowing up at him again. Finally, Yuya answered, his voice soft, “Okay, Kota-kun, I’ll stay with you.” Yuya held out the teacup to Kota, and he accepted it, bringing it to his lips. He felt the warm tea slip down his throat, calming him down considerably.
“Thank you, Yuyan, for being here for me,” Kota said, still holding Yuya’s hand in his. “I really needed it.”
Yuya laughed quietly, swinging their interlocked hands lightly in his attempts to amuse himself. “That’s alright, Kota-kun. It’s not like you forced me to stay or anything. I wanted to be here…with you.”
Kota glanced up from his tea, his eyes focusing in on Yuya, the boy that he had always considered an incurable “Bakaki”. Yuya felt his face flush again, and quickly tried to hide it by looking away. Well, up, to be precise.
Kota chuckled. “That must be one interesting ceiling, Yuyan,” he said, moving closer to the boy.
He laid his head on Yuya’s shoulder, as Yuya gulped. “Yeah, you wouldn’t believe how fascinating the white paint is, Kota-kun!”
Kota couldn’t suppress his laughter. He wrapped his arms around Yuya, pulling him close before murmuring, “I’m sure it is, Yuyan.”
Yuya looked down just in time to see Kota close his eyes as sleep overcame him. He smiled as he felt his heart stir in his chest. He couldn’t help wondering when the time would come when he’d be able to confess his feelings to his long-time crush. Somehow, Kota always seemed too good for him, too center stage for him to even consider letting his feelings be known.
Yuya sighed. “Oh, well,” he whispered to no one in particular. “I guess we’ll see about that.”
---
I hope you liked this follow up! ^^
However, I finally wrote the follow up to my previous Hikanoo fic for the Romantic Fics Challenge after giving myself a break for getting sick! XD
Here's the sequel to Under the Same Umbrella and the sort-of prequel to Center Stage! ^^
Under Different Skies
“Just tell him.”
“I can’t. I just can’t hurt him, Hikaru-kun.”
“Inoo-chan -”
“I know.”
With a shake of the head, Inoo Kei brought himself abruptly back to the present, freeing himself from the confines of his memories. As he did so, he felt an arm snake around his waist and pull him towards a solid, almost burning warmth. A hand caressed Kei’s cheek, and he felt his chin being tipped involuntarily upward as his lips were enclosed in a kiss. He felts his eyelids flutter as he automatically accepted what was happening to him, and through the flickering of his eyelashes, he found himself looking up at his boyfriend, Yabu Kota.
It had been a month since the incident with Yaotome Hikaru, when they found themselves under the same umbrella, and when Kei realized how hopelessly in love he was with both of his best friends. It had been a month since Kei had started living his double life, being Kota’s boyfriend by day and sneaking off to spend time with Hikaru at strange hours of the night. Sometimes, Hikaru would take him out to see the city lights, and they would talk until the early morning dawn, hands entwined. Other times, Kei would find himself slipping into Hikaru’s room, where the jokester would be waiting expectantly for him on the bed. It had been a month since Kei had begun to feel that he was stretching himself too thin, that he really couldn’t take all the deception and the lies anymore. That was when Hikaru had advised him to tell Kota about everything that had happened.
That was when Kei decided that he wanted to be free.
As Kota pulled away from the kiss with a look of contentment on his face, Kei felt a wave of shame wash through him. Could he really find the strength in him to tell Kota what he felt? Could he really tell him about what had happened with Hikaru? As he sat there at the pier next to his boyfriend, his mind screaming with apprehension, the night air suddenly seemed frigid, malevolent, as it tugged at Kei’s purple cardigan. His legs, which were dangling over the edge, were thrashed about with more force than Kei deemed comfortable. He shivered. It seemed that everything wanted to tear him apart.
“Don’t you think it’s beautiful?”
Kei whipped his head up at Kota’s voice suddenly ringing out from within the darkness, hardly believing his ears. How could Kota find beauty at a time like this? His eyes drank in Kota’s features, enthralled by the look of serenity and bliss he found there.
“W-what?” Kei stuttered, unable to process Kota’s seemingly simple question.
A bemused smile rippled across Kota’s lips. “I was talking about the stars, Kei-chan! What else could it be?” Kota laughed, his laughter shaking his thin frame with mirth. The arm wrapped around Kei gave him a little squeeze, as Kota gazed at Kei, trying to catch his eye. “Don’t you think the sky looks beautiful tonight?”
Kei refused to meet Kota’s eyes. Instead, he looked up at the sky, his eyes meeting the many twinkling ones above. As he looked, Kei could have sworn that the stars were winking at him, dancing and beckoning for him to come with them to a heavenly world where there would be nothing more to worry about. But even so, Kei couldn’t find it in him to appreciate the beauty of the night sky, not when his heart was searing so painfully against his chest. He couldn’t hide the feeling that even though both he and Kota were looking up at what seemed to be the same sky, what they were looking at was completely different. Where Kota found wonderment, Kei could only find heartbreak.
Miserably, Kei replied, his voice nearly breaking with emotion, as he tried to hide the tears that were forming, “Yeah, Kota-kun. It’s absolutely beautiful.”
Kota must have heard Kei’s voice catch, because Kota instantly diverted his gaze from the sky to his boyfriend, his expression changing to one of worry. “Kei-chan, are you okay?” Kota caught Kei’s face in the palms of his hands. “Why are you crying? Is there something wrong?”
Kei looked up at Kota, the tears falling freely now, staining Kota’s hands. “I’m sorry, Kota-kun. I really am.”
“Why?” asked Kota incomprehensibly. “What can you possibly be feeling sorry about?”
Kei tried to look away, but Kota’s hands forced him to gaze upward at him. “I-it’s about Hikaru-kun. I think I love him.”
Kota let go of Kei as if the piano player’s pale skin had burned him. He turned away, and Kei could feel just how much pain he had inflicted on him with the simple uttering of five words. “Y-you can’t be serious,” said Kota when he finally collected himself. He turned around, and Kei saw an almost accusatory look in Kota’s eyes.
Kei shrank under the intensity of Kota’s glare. “I am serious, Kota-kun. I do love him.” When Kei saw disgust start to contort Kota’s facial expression, he desperately added, “But, I love you, too! I love both of you.”
Kota shook his head. “Kei-chan. Love isn’t a word that you can randomly throw around. You can’t have both of us. You have to choose.”
“I can’t. I tried last time, but I realized that I really can’t. Please, don’t do this to me, Kota-kun,” Kei implored, reaching out for his boyfriend.
Kota flinched when Kei’s fingers brushed against his skin. “No,” he said, shuddering as he drew away. “I can’t do this, Kei-chan. I’m sorry, but if you really do love Hikaru-kun, then he can have you. We’re over.”
As Kota’s footsteps faded away into the dark, Kei felt himself on the verge of collapse. He had finally admitted his true feelings to Kota. He was now free.
But somehow, Kei didn’t feel any better.
* * *
It was sometime later when Hikaru found a defeated Kei sitting slumped on the ground. Hikaru immediately ran over to where the piano player was, and draped a blanket that he had brought with him over the shivering frame.
“Inoo-chan! Are you okay? It’s so cold out here! Why didn’t you call me? I would have been here right away!” asked a flustered Hikaru, as he attempted to take care of the boy he loved.
Kei didn’t respond, but as Hikaru held the older boy close, he could detect a slight smile spreading across Kei’s beautiful face. Hikaru felt hands grabbing at him, as if making sure that he was there. Understanding, Hikaru just stayed where he was, allowing his presence to soothe the piano player.
They stayed in this state for some time, until finally, Kei spoke, his voice betraying his vulnerability, “You won’t leave me, right, Hikaru-kun?”
Hikaru smiled down at him. “No, of course not! I would never leave you. After all, I love you, Inoo-chan.”
Kei felt his eyelids grow heavy, but he managed a contented “I love you, too, Hikaru-kun” before he allowed sleep to take control. Hikaru shook his head slowly, a wry smile playing across his lips. Carefully, so as to not disturb the slumbering piano player, he picked Kei up princess-style and carried him back to the JUMP house, where Kei would later wake up to a morning kiss from his new boyfriend.
* * *
Kota arrived back at the JUMP house way before Hikaru or Kei did. When he got back, he wordlessly plopped himself down on the couch, his rage and revulsion too much for him to articulate anything, or at least articulate anything coherently. He was so shut up in his thoughts over his two best friends’ betrayal that he didn’t notice that another presence had joined him on the couch until that presence started offering him some tea.
“Takaki!” Kota barked. “Can’t you see that I’m not in the mood for tea right now?”
Yuya quailed under Kota’s temper. “I’m sorry, Kota-kun! But, you looked like you were in a bad mood, so I thought that the tea might actually help! I’m sorry to bother you!”
Just as Yuya was going to shuffle away with the teacup to go hide in a corner somewhere, Kota reached out and caught Yuya’s hand in his. “Wait, Yuyan. I’m sorry for yelling at you. Some tea would be wonderful…Could you please stay?”
Yuya’s face reddened as Kota spoke. He stared back at the older boy as if trying to gauge the possibility of Kota blowing up at him again. Finally, Yuya answered, his voice soft, “Okay, Kota-kun, I’ll stay with you.” Yuya held out the teacup to Kota, and he accepted it, bringing it to his lips. He felt the warm tea slip down his throat, calming him down considerably.
“Thank you, Yuyan, for being here for me,” Kota said, still holding Yuya’s hand in his. “I really needed it.”
Yuya laughed quietly, swinging their interlocked hands lightly in his attempts to amuse himself. “That’s alright, Kota-kun. It’s not like you forced me to stay or anything. I wanted to be here…with you.”
Kota glanced up from his tea, his eyes focusing in on Yuya, the boy that he had always considered an incurable “Bakaki”. Yuya felt his face flush again, and quickly tried to hide it by looking away. Well, up, to be precise.
Kota chuckled. “That must be one interesting ceiling, Yuyan,” he said, moving closer to the boy.
He laid his head on Yuya’s shoulder, as Yuya gulped. “Yeah, you wouldn’t believe how fascinating the white paint is, Kota-kun!”
Kota couldn’t suppress his laughter. He wrapped his arms around Yuya, pulling him close before murmuring, “I’m sure it is, Yuyan.”
Yuya looked down just in time to see Kota close his eyes as sleep overcame him. He smiled as he felt his heart stir in his chest. He couldn’t help wondering when the time would come when he’d be able to confess his feelings to his long-time crush. Somehow, Kota always seemed too good for him, too center stage for him to even consider letting his feelings be known.
Yuya sighed. “Oh, well,” he whispered to no one in particular. “I guess we’ll see about that.”
---
I hope you liked this follow up! ^^