Changing Lives - Tora/Hiroto - Oneshot - PG
Title: Changing Lives
Author: Kavikalphawolf
Beta: k_laker
Band/Pairing: Tora/Hiroto [alice nine./implied]
Prompt: [7] Start Again (For tragic_ennui)
Rating: PG
Genre: AU/Romance? (Not quite sure. XD;)
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Do not own these guys.
Summary: Changing someone's life is as simple as talking to them. Hiroto, a young waiter, thought he knew that well enough, until one businessman shows him just how blind to the idea he really was.
Comment(s): Not quite sure where this one came from....but I rather like it. XD Hope you guys do too.
Hiroto couldn't remember the exact day the tall, dark-haired businessman started coming into the diner late at night, a mere couple hours before they closed. The man would always order the same thing--a mug of coffee and a small raspberry pastry--and Hiroto would always bring it to him. He was polite, always thanking Hiroto for his service and tipping him well when he left later on into the night, and Hiroto enjoyed him being around, even if he never spoke more than he needed to.
Being the kind of waiter he was, Hiroto would talk to anyone that would indulge him. Whenever someone came in, he'd seek to strike up a conversation when he gathered their order and when he brought it back to the table. Most people would spill their troubles to him, and he'd listen, only leaving the table if he had to fill another order, or if someone needed his assistance.
He was the only waiter on the evening shift, but he loved it. Not for the extra tips, or pay he received; but for the talk. It was like he needed that socializing to function, and in some ways he did. He lived alone and his family were far away, having moved to another country when he'd left the house. It was lonely coming home to nothing every night, so he filled himself with as much interaction as he could before leaving.
Contrary to how it sounds, he was never in it for himself. Hiroto had seen early on how talking and being nice to people could actually change lives. He remembered vividly from back in high school, how someone he had helped pick up their books after a bully attack--someone who had later become one of his most treasured friends--thanked him their graduation day, and had told him, as well as the entire group of people at the ceremony, that he had been about to commit suicide that evening because he believed no one cared enough to be his friend, and because of Hiroto he had changed his mind. Hiroto remembered crying and hugging his friend like there was no tomorrow when it was over. That in itself had changed Hiroto's own life. He had decided to help as many people as he could, and that's how he got to where he was today.
"Here you go, Miss." Hiroto said with a light smile as he gave a young woman her order. She smiled in return and thanked him, already pushing a dollar into the pocket of his apron as a tip. It made him laugh sheepishly and thank her in return, before he walked away to give her peace for eating her small meal--they had been talking earlier when she had given him her order.
Happily, Hiroto checked around the dining area, making sure everyone was enjoying their food and drink. He filled one person's coffee mug and then went to go fix some more fresh coffee. He hated to think anyone would get cold or reheated coffee, so he always made sure it was the freshest it could possibly be.
He hummed a light tune to himself as he fixed it, looking over at the small amount of people dining this late at night. That's when his gaze got fixed upon that ever-familiar businessman. The man was staring out the window, idly drinking his coffee as he always did.
Sometimes Hiroto caught the man watching him, but everytime he turned to catch gazes, the man looked away, trying to seem as if he hadn't been looking in his direction at all. At first Hiroto had merely been amused, but as he had been getting these gazes more and more, he had realized a pattern. The man would only watch him when he was talking with someone else.
How odd, was what most people would think, but not Hiroto. He could pinpoint the reason why the moment the pattern had caught up in his head. The man wanted to talk, wanted Hiroto to indulge him the way that he indulged all the other customers. It was as plain as day, as if it was written in sharpie across his finely sculpted forehead.
However, whenever Hiroto tried to spark up conversation the man never responded. He'd just stare at him, as if he was the oddest creature he had ever seen. Hiroto wasn't fooled, never had been. The man was just not used to it, or Hiroto hadn't hit on the right topic yet, or a mixture of both perhaps. Whatever it was, Hiroto tried again and again to start some form of conversation with the other, because he seemed to so deeply need it that it was almost painful to see, but again and again he got rejected with that quiet stare.
As time wore on it disheartened him, made Hiroto believe he'd never get this man to talk, and the man would not return the next night, but the man was there every night as always. Even always around the same time. Hiroto had unknowingly become dependent upon it. If he was a few minutes late, Hiroto would worry, only for it to ease when he saw the man walk through those doors. Why he worried about it, Hiroto wasn't sure, but nothing stopped that creeping feeling of concern when the man was late. It seemed almost stupid when he didn't even know the man's name, but Hiroto never thought about it like that for more than a moment at a time.
Once Hiroto was sure the coffee of both machines was bubbling down into the separate pots, he glanced back up to the businessman who was still staring out the window. The young waiter often found himself wondering what was going on in that brain of his. Not speaking or betraying much emotion at all meant he could be thinking anything, and while that would unnerve most, or cause them to be disinterested, to Hiroto it was just cause for curiosity.
Smiling softly to himself, Hiroto headed across the room and slid into the seat across from the man, knowing the other was used to him doing this. It was his way of making people here feel at ease and more like he was a friend rather than just a person who brought them something to eat and drink.
"I have some more coffee in the works, so I'll bring some to you when it's done." Hiroto spoke up, watching as the man ignored him as he always did. "I'm surprised you're up for the caffeinated coffee this late. It must keep you up when you try to go to bed. Keeps me up when I drink it by accident." Still no response, but Hiroto had been expecting this, so he continued on talking as if he was actually holding up a conversation.
"Nice evening, isn't it? Not too cold and not too hot. Perfect for a nice walk out." He leaned his elbows on the table and crossed one arm over the other. His gaze drifted across to the man for only a moment longer before following the man's eyesight to out the window. "I love being outside on nights like this. Whenever I have the chance I take a walk in the park, or sit down on a bench and just enjoy it. No use putting it to waste being cooped up somewhere."
As Hiroto had expected the man still wasn't trying to respond. His gaze was devoid of emotion as he stared out the window. It was times like these that Hiroto could just stare and take in the man's facial features. He never seemed to mind, or notice Hiroto looking at him, and the waiter usually preferred it that way. It made it seem like he wasn't getting caught staring, even though he was fairly sure the man was aware of him doing it.
"You look really tired...I don't know why you just don't go home and rest." Hiroto murmured softly, taking note of the dark circles under the man's eyes. "I would." It was pointless to say since the man probably assumed that of him.
Silence took over after his words and soon Hiroto heard the small bell on the entrance doors that signaled more people had come in to enjoy the diner--this time it was a young, newlywed couple whose wedding story Hiroto had heard many times, though still enjoyed hearing about.
Smiling empathetically to the man once more, Hiroto got up from his seat, not even noticing how the man turned to look at him the moment his back was turned.
Hiroto greeted the couple graciously, and told them to sit wherever they liked. They were regulars, so it wasn't that they didn't know the routine, but Hiroto was ever the polite one. He watched as they sat down at their usual table and smiled as they told them they just wanted the regular.
While they got situated, Hiroto scuttled behind the counter and prepared what they wanted. The young man always asked for a couple eggs, a piece of toast, and a bagel along with a mug of decaffeinated coffee, while the young woman always simply got a glass of ice water and a cream cheese bagel.
Since the decaf coffee was still bubbling into the pot--same as the one with caffeine--he merely brought out the food and the young lady's ice water. "The coffee's still fixing, but the moment it stops I'll get you a mug, okay?" Hiroto spoke with a light, happy smile, watching as the man smiled back and nodded, thanking him before delving neatly into his food just as his wife was.
With one last glance to the pot of coffee being fixed, Hiroto crossed the room again to seat himself across from the businessman. "Would you like anything else? There's still some coffee left to be made, so it'll be a few minutes." He smiled, taking a glance at the man's empty mug. As expected the man just shook his head, no verbal response needed, Hiroto assumed the man thought.
Suppressing a light sigh of disappointment, Hiroto just settled for gazing at the man across from him again. He could tell in some regard that this man wanted to talk; that he was just bottling up his words for whatever reason. Hiroto didn't know what else to say to get him to speak. He'd tried every topic he knew; the weather, coffee, the man's work, the diner, the time, and even random stuff like flowers, or celebrities, but not one ever yielded a response. It was confusing, and frustrating, and very dampening on Hiroto's mood. Not that he would ever blame the man. No, never. He enjoyed the man being around, almost as much as he enjoyed his job as a whole.
"You know...it's okay to talk to people sometimes...when you're feeling down." He tried softly, his mouth speaking before his mind could catch up and shut him up. "It's better to lean on people when something's wrong, when something is eating at you inside." A light pause and Hiroto was almost shocked that the man turned and looked at him, regarding him calmly. "I know you may think this is stupid, me talking like this when I don't know a thing about you, but...in some ways I don't think I need to know you in order to see something is wrong." Despite his surprise, Hiroto gave the man a warm, genial smile.
"If you really need someone to talk to, you can open up to me, you know. Odd hearing that from a stranger, I know, and I'm sure you probably just want to shrug it off, but I'm being honest. You can open up to me. There's nothing worse than bottling up your feelings, because feelings are like carbonation in a soda bottle." The confusion that flitted through the man's eyes was almost comical. "When events shake you up the carbonation builds, and the slightest move to make the top come off makes everything shoot out at once, and not necessarily in the best manner."
Out of the corner of his eye Hiroto saw the coffee makers shut off, signaling the pots were full. "I'll be right back." He murmured, pulling himself up from the table and leaving a very thoughtful businessman staring after him.
Hiroto smiled happily and poured the young man a cup of decaf, setting it beside him on the table without a word since he was chatting with his wife. Then he went about filling up other mugs of people still sitting around idling their time away in this small diner.
When everyone else had their fill of coffee, Hiroto set the decaffeinated pot of coffee back where it belonged and then grabbed the one with caffeine in it. He headed over to the man's table and poured him a fresh mug, setting the rest to the side as he seated himself across from the businessman again. His smile was still in place and he was glad the man hadn't retreated to looking out the window again, and instead was still looking at him thoughtfully.
Just as he opened his mouth to speak, however, the man spoke instead. "You should take your own advice." Startled, Hiroto stared at the man, his eyes wide.
"What?"
"You shouldn't bottle up your feelings." The man explained, the barest hint of a smile showing on the corner of his lips. Perhaps he was amused by Hiroto's confusion.
"I'm not bottling up my feelings..." Hiroto trailed off, brows furrowed as he tried to understand the man's words.
A light chuckle passed through the man's lips as he finally decided to elaborate. "Just because you're social doesn't mean you express your feelings anymore than I do." He spoke up, looking Hiroto dead in the eyes. "I know you talk with everyone here about their lives, but I've never once heard you talk about yours." Hiroto was at a loss, realizing the man's words were true. He hadn't told a soul about his personal life.
"So you really were paying attention." Once he regained his composure Hiroto gave a sheepish smile and laugh as he looked at the man. "I guess I really don't talk about my life."
The man's gaze seemed to soften, and he nodded ever so slightly. "You look like you want to, though. Sometimes it even appears to be right on the tip of your tongue, but you don't say it." Hiroto just continued to stare at the businessman, listening to every word he had to say. That was one thing about quiet people: whenever they did speak you were sure to listen. "If you want me to take your advice, then you have to take your advice as well."
And just like that both of them spent the rest of the evening chatting about their personal lives, their feelings, anything they could think of, and when closing time rolled around, neither wanted to part from the other's company.
"Why don't you come to my place?" The man, who Hiroto had come to know as Tora, offered, smiling genuinely at the small waiter while they both stepped out into the coolness of the evening air surrounding them.
Grateful for the offer, Hiroto nodded and locked the doors of the diner behind them, giving a sort of finality to the night at the diner. Then the two started down the sidewalk for Tora's place.
Hiroto had spent so many countless nights at that diner, changing people's lives and performing what could almost be described as small miracles, but tonight it hadn't just been someone else's life he had changed. No, he had changed the most important life of all. His own.
Author: Kavikalphawolf
Beta: k_laker
Band/Pairing: Tora/Hiroto [alice nine./implied]
Prompt: [7] Start Again (For tragic_ennui)
Rating: PG
Genre: AU/Romance? (Not quite sure. XD;)
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Do not own these guys.
Summary: Changing someone's life is as simple as talking to them. Hiroto, a young waiter, thought he knew that well enough, until one businessman shows him just how blind to the idea he really was.
Comment(s): Not quite sure where this one came from....but I rather like it. XD Hope you guys do too.
Hiroto couldn't remember the exact day the tall, dark-haired businessman started coming into the diner late at night, a mere couple hours before they closed. The man would always order the same thing--a mug of coffee and a small raspberry pastry--and Hiroto would always bring it to him. He was polite, always thanking Hiroto for his service and tipping him well when he left later on into the night, and Hiroto enjoyed him being around, even if he never spoke more than he needed to.
Being the kind of waiter he was, Hiroto would talk to anyone that would indulge him. Whenever someone came in, he'd seek to strike up a conversation when he gathered their order and when he brought it back to the table. Most people would spill their troubles to him, and he'd listen, only leaving the table if he had to fill another order, or if someone needed his assistance.
He was the only waiter on the evening shift, but he loved it. Not for the extra tips, or pay he received; but for the talk. It was like he needed that socializing to function, and in some ways he did. He lived alone and his family were far away, having moved to another country when he'd left the house. It was lonely coming home to nothing every night, so he filled himself with as much interaction as he could before leaving.
Contrary to how it sounds, he was never in it for himself. Hiroto had seen early on how talking and being nice to people could actually change lives. He remembered vividly from back in high school, how someone he had helped pick up their books after a bully attack--someone who had later become one of his most treasured friends--thanked him their graduation day, and had told him, as well as the entire group of people at the ceremony, that he had been about to commit suicide that evening because he believed no one cared enough to be his friend, and because of Hiroto he had changed his mind. Hiroto remembered crying and hugging his friend like there was no tomorrow when it was over. That in itself had changed Hiroto's own life. He had decided to help as many people as he could, and that's how he got to where he was today.
"Here you go, Miss." Hiroto said with a light smile as he gave a young woman her order. She smiled in return and thanked him, already pushing a dollar into the pocket of his apron as a tip. It made him laugh sheepishly and thank her in return, before he walked away to give her peace for eating her small meal--they had been talking earlier when she had given him her order.
Happily, Hiroto checked around the dining area, making sure everyone was enjoying their food and drink. He filled one person's coffee mug and then went to go fix some more fresh coffee. He hated to think anyone would get cold or reheated coffee, so he always made sure it was the freshest it could possibly be.
He hummed a light tune to himself as he fixed it, looking over at the small amount of people dining this late at night. That's when his gaze got fixed upon that ever-familiar businessman. The man was staring out the window, idly drinking his coffee as he always did.
Sometimes Hiroto caught the man watching him, but everytime he turned to catch gazes, the man looked away, trying to seem as if he hadn't been looking in his direction at all. At first Hiroto had merely been amused, but as he had been getting these gazes more and more, he had realized a pattern. The man would only watch him when he was talking with someone else.
How odd, was what most people would think, but not Hiroto. He could pinpoint the reason why the moment the pattern had caught up in his head. The man wanted to talk, wanted Hiroto to indulge him the way that he indulged all the other customers. It was as plain as day, as if it was written in sharpie across his finely sculpted forehead.
However, whenever Hiroto tried to spark up conversation the man never responded. He'd just stare at him, as if he was the oddest creature he had ever seen. Hiroto wasn't fooled, never had been. The man was just not used to it, or Hiroto hadn't hit on the right topic yet, or a mixture of both perhaps. Whatever it was, Hiroto tried again and again to start some form of conversation with the other, because he seemed to so deeply need it that it was almost painful to see, but again and again he got rejected with that quiet stare.
As time wore on it disheartened him, made Hiroto believe he'd never get this man to talk, and the man would not return the next night, but the man was there every night as always. Even always around the same time. Hiroto had unknowingly become dependent upon it. If he was a few minutes late, Hiroto would worry, only for it to ease when he saw the man walk through those doors. Why he worried about it, Hiroto wasn't sure, but nothing stopped that creeping feeling of concern when the man was late. It seemed almost stupid when he didn't even know the man's name, but Hiroto never thought about it like that for more than a moment at a time.
Once Hiroto was sure the coffee of both machines was bubbling down into the separate pots, he glanced back up to the businessman who was still staring out the window. The young waiter often found himself wondering what was going on in that brain of his. Not speaking or betraying much emotion at all meant he could be thinking anything, and while that would unnerve most, or cause them to be disinterested, to Hiroto it was just cause for curiosity.
Smiling softly to himself, Hiroto headed across the room and slid into the seat across from the man, knowing the other was used to him doing this. It was his way of making people here feel at ease and more like he was a friend rather than just a person who brought them something to eat and drink.
"I have some more coffee in the works, so I'll bring some to you when it's done." Hiroto spoke up, watching as the man ignored him as he always did. "I'm surprised you're up for the caffeinated coffee this late. It must keep you up when you try to go to bed. Keeps me up when I drink it by accident." Still no response, but Hiroto had been expecting this, so he continued on talking as if he was actually holding up a conversation.
"Nice evening, isn't it? Not too cold and not too hot. Perfect for a nice walk out." He leaned his elbows on the table and crossed one arm over the other. His gaze drifted across to the man for only a moment longer before following the man's eyesight to out the window. "I love being outside on nights like this. Whenever I have the chance I take a walk in the park, or sit down on a bench and just enjoy it. No use putting it to waste being cooped up somewhere."
As Hiroto had expected the man still wasn't trying to respond. His gaze was devoid of emotion as he stared out the window. It was times like these that Hiroto could just stare and take in the man's facial features. He never seemed to mind, or notice Hiroto looking at him, and the waiter usually preferred it that way. It made it seem like he wasn't getting caught staring, even though he was fairly sure the man was aware of him doing it.
"You look really tired...I don't know why you just don't go home and rest." Hiroto murmured softly, taking note of the dark circles under the man's eyes. "I would." It was pointless to say since the man probably assumed that of him.
Silence took over after his words and soon Hiroto heard the small bell on the entrance doors that signaled more people had come in to enjoy the diner--this time it was a young, newlywed couple whose wedding story Hiroto had heard many times, though still enjoyed hearing about.
Smiling empathetically to the man once more, Hiroto got up from his seat, not even noticing how the man turned to look at him the moment his back was turned.
Hiroto greeted the couple graciously, and told them to sit wherever they liked. They were regulars, so it wasn't that they didn't know the routine, but Hiroto was ever the polite one. He watched as they sat down at their usual table and smiled as they told them they just wanted the regular.
While they got situated, Hiroto scuttled behind the counter and prepared what they wanted. The young man always asked for a couple eggs, a piece of toast, and a bagel along with a mug of decaffeinated coffee, while the young woman always simply got a glass of ice water and a cream cheese bagel.
Since the decaf coffee was still bubbling into the pot--same as the one with caffeine--he merely brought out the food and the young lady's ice water. "The coffee's still fixing, but the moment it stops I'll get you a mug, okay?" Hiroto spoke with a light, happy smile, watching as the man smiled back and nodded, thanking him before delving neatly into his food just as his wife was.
With one last glance to the pot of coffee being fixed, Hiroto crossed the room again to seat himself across from the businessman. "Would you like anything else? There's still some coffee left to be made, so it'll be a few minutes." He smiled, taking a glance at the man's empty mug. As expected the man just shook his head, no verbal response needed, Hiroto assumed the man thought.
Suppressing a light sigh of disappointment, Hiroto just settled for gazing at the man across from him again. He could tell in some regard that this man wanted to talk; that he was just bottling up his words for whatever reason. Hiroto didn't know what else to say to get him to speak. He'd tried every topic he knew; the weather, coffee, the man's work, the diner, the time, and even random stuff like flowers, or celebrities, but not one ever yielded a response. It was confusing, and frustrating, and very dampening on Hiroto's mood. Not that he would ever blame the man. No, never. He enjoyed the man being around, almost as much as he enjoyed his job as a whole.
"You know...it's okay to talk to people sometimes...when you're feeling down." He tried softly, his mouth speaking before his mind could catch up and shut him up. "It's better to lean on people when something's wrong, when something is eating at you inside." A light pause and Hiroto was almost shocked that the man turned and looked at him, regarding him calmly. "I know you may think this is stupid, me talking like this when I don't know a thing about you, but...in some ways I don't think I need to know you in order to see something is wrong." Despite his surprise, Hiroto gave the man a warm, genial smile.
"If you really need someone to talk to, you can open up to me, you know. Odd hearing that from a stranger, I know, and I'm sure you probably just want to shrug it off, but I'm being honest. You can open up to me. There's nothing worse than bottling up your feelings, because feelings are like carbonation in a soda bottle." The confusion that flitted through the man's eyes was almost comical. "When events shake you up the carbonation builds, and the slightest move to make the top come off makes everything shoot out at once, and not necessarily in the best manner."
Out of the corner of his eye Hiroto saw the coffee makers shut off, signaling the pots were full. "I'll be right back." He murmured, pulling himself up from the table and leaving a very thoughtful businessman staring after him.
Hiroto smiled happily and poured the young man a cup of decaf, setting it beside him on the table without a word since he was chatting with his wife. Then he went about filling up other mugs of people still sitting around idling their time away in this small diner.
When everyone else had their fill of coffee, Hiroto set the decaffeinated pot of coffee back where it belonged and then grabbed the one with caffeine in it. He headed over to the man's table and poured him a fresh mug, setting the rest to the side as he seated himself across from the businessman again. His smile was still in place and he was glad the man hadn't retreated to looking out the window again, and instead was still looking at him thoughtfully.
Just as he opened his mouth to speak, however, the man spoke instead. "You should take your own advice." Startled, Hiroto stared at the man, his eyes wide.
"What?"
"You shouldn't bottle up your feelings." The man explained, the barest hint of a smile showing on the corner of his lips. Perhaps he was amused by Hiroto's confusion.
"I'm not bottling up my feelings..." Hiroto trailed off, brows furrowed as he tried to understand the man's words.
A light chuckle passed through the man's lips as he finally decided to elaborate. "Just because you're social doesn't mean you express your feelings anymore than I do." He spoke up, looking Hiroto dead in the eyes. "I know you talk with everyone here about their lives, but I've never once heard you talk about yours." Hiroto was at a loss, realizing the man's words were true. He hadn't told a soul about his personal life.
"So you really were paying attention." Once he regained his composure Hiroto gave a sheepish smile and laugh as he looked at the man. "I guess I really don't talk about my life."
The man's gaze seemed to soften, and he nodded ever so slightly. "You look like you want to, though. Sometimes it even appears to be right on the tip of your tongue, but you don't say it." Hiroto just continued to stare at the businessman, listening to every word he had to say. That was one thing about quiet people: whenever they did speak you were sure to listen. "If you want me to take your advice, then you have to take your advice as well."
And just like that both of them spent the rest of the evening chatting about their personal lives, their feelings, anything they could think of, and when closing time rolled around, neither wanted to part from the other's company.
"Why don't you come to my place?" The man, who Hiroto had come to know as Tora, offered, smiling genuinely at the small waiter while they both stepped out into the coolness of the evening air surrounding them.
Grateful for the offer, Hiroto nodded and locked the doors of the diner behind them, giving a sort of finality to the night at the diner. Then the two started down the sidewalk for Tora's place.
Hiroto had spent so many countless nights at that diner, changing people's lives and performing what could almost be described as small miracles, but tonight it hadn't just been someone else's life he had changed. No, he had changed the most important life of all. His own.