If I Could Turn Back Time - Oneshot
Title: If I Could Turn Back Time
Author: Kavikalphawolf
Band/Pairing: Tora/Hiroto (Main), Saga/Shou [alice nine.], implied Nao/Kai [alice nine./GazettE]
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Angst/Romance
Prompt: 5. Forgotten (For 10_hurt_comfort)
Warnings: Unbeta'd.
Disclaimer: Do not own these guys.
Comment(s): I got inspiration for this out of nowhere, so I just had to write it. XD
Summary: Tora forgets something supremely important to Hiroto.
Hiroto sung a quiet song to himself as he made his way back to the apartment he shared with his lover, his hands full with grocery bags and his face all smiles due to what day it was and the plans he had for it. The moment he had woken up this morning curled against Tora's body and had heard that familiar ringtone on his phone that alerted him to today being a special day, he'd been an overly good mood. Tora had noticed it, Shou had noticed it, the entire band had noticed it. He didn't care of course because it was a good thing. Tora had laughed at his happy antics all day long because more than once he had been clumsy due to it. Not that he minded, of course.
The only thing that had bugged him was that not once had Tora said anything about the special day. Not once congratulated him or anything. For what, you ask? Well, they're One-Year Anniversary together of course. The very first milestone was achieved in their relationship and was certainly something to be celebrated.
However, Hiroto just shrugged it off as Tora had something planned for them during the course of the day, or was waiting for the right moment to say it. Hiroto himself had said nothing because of what he had planned for tonight. A wonderful dinner that Hiroto would cook, then followed by a blissful evening of watching stars or just sitting out on the balcony enjoying one another's company. And after that, when they went to bed, Hiroto had something even more special planned than all of that. He would finally give himself to his lover. Allow Tora to take his virginity. There would be candles lit in the room and everything. It was all so perfect in his mind that the mere thought of it made him smile from ear to ear.
"I can't wait." He smiled, finally reaching the apartment building and heading up to their apartment. He had sent Tora away for the day to spend it with Shou and Saga-he’d discussed with the singer and bassist beforehand about it and they had been told specifically not to say anything to Tora about his plans or about Tora and Hiroto's anniversary if Tora didn't bring it up first.
After he had done that he had told Nao about it so the bandleader would cut practice short and allow him the time to make the dinner. He felt so very lucky that Nao agreed, even if he knew that doing such a thing would give the drummer some quality time with his own lover, Kai, which he without a doubt liked. Hiroto didn't doubt that Nao would have done it anyway, though, since he thought Hiroto's relationship with Tora was something both of the guitarists were benefiting greatly from.
Unlocking the door to their apartment, Hiroto eagerly stepped inside and toed off his shoes. Within seconds he was rushing to the kitchen to begin preparing the food. He had a special menu in mind for what he was going to fix. It was a menu of all the stuff he had learned Tora loved, not caring for a second that he himself didn't like any of the stuff. When it came to a lot of things the two were polar opposites and food was no different. They shared some tastes and preferences, but not a lot.
Hiroto set the bags of uncooked food and stuff onto the counter in the kitchen and set to putting them all away before starting on anything. The song he had been singing turned to him humming the tune as he threw away all the plastic bags he had been carrying his stuff in. He was smiling still as he started to grab what he would need for the main dish, both ingredients and the stuff to make it in and on.
"He's going to love it, I know it." The young guitarist smiled with glee, reaching over to put on an apron to keep his clothes from getting messy. "I've really got to thank Saga and Shou for keeping Tora occupied for all this time. If they didn't I wouldn't be able to do this."
Once he had the apron secure around his small body, he set to work preparing the first dish. It wasn't anything too fancy, but he knew Tora would just love it. Plus, Tora never really had a liking for expensive, fancy dishes. He was more in tune with food that was simplistic in nature and taste, though he did occasionally like to venture out and try new stuff.
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It was around six in the evening that Hiroto finished up making the dinner, so he went and started setting up stuff in the bedroom. He put candles on top of the dresser and even put a deep red one, that smelled of cinnamon, on the end table beside the bed. When the lights were out and they were all lit he knew it would be a beautiful and breath-taking scene all its own. Even without what else he had planned.
Since it didn't take that long to set up, Hiroto was heading back into the living room within minutes, discarding the apron back onto the small hook outside the kitchen. "I think I'll call Shou-kun to see where they're at and to tell them to bring Tora back here." He smiled, reaching for his cell phone within his pants pocket and dialing the singer's number not even a moment later.
Shou answered after three rings, his voice sounding hesitant and nervous for some reason. "Hello?"
"Hey, Shou-kun." Hiroto replied, "Where are you guys at? I'm finished with my preparations. You can release Tora-shi from your shopping clutches now." He laughed a little as he spoke, clearly meaning it as a joke. However, Shou didn't seem in the mood to joke. The vocalist let out a nervous laugh that had Hiroto looking oddly to nowhere in particular. "Shou-kun, you alright? You and Saga-kun didn't have a fight did you?" Sometimes the pair did that when they were out on the town. It was always a small fight, though, and never anything too serious. More like two children bickering over who was going to get the television remote.
"No, no, we're fine." Shou replied back a moment later, "But it's just Tora-shi-" Hiroto noticed he was getting a call from said person and thus cut Shou off.
"Oh! Wait, he's calling me. Be right back." It didn't even register to the small guitarist that it was odd Tora was calling him right as he was talking to Shou, who should be with him. He just clicked over and greeted his lover.
"...is not with us." Shou finished just as Hiroto beeped over.
"What's up, Tora-shi? You heading back home?" Hiroto asked the man on the other line after Tora had greeted him back. His tone was hopeful and so were his emotions, happiness engulfing his mind.
Tora smiled on the other end of the line. "Ah, actually when I was out shopping with Saga-kun and Shou-kun, I met up with an old friend of mine. We chatted for awhile and decided we'd go out to eat to catch up. It's been awhile since we last talked."
Hiroto could feel his happiness fading away quickly, only to be replaced by disappointment. "But..."
"But what, love?" Tora asked when Hiroto did not continue his sentence. "I'll be home later on tonight, I promise."
Even though he felt so utterly upset that his perfect evening had most definitely been ruined, Hiroto realized how selfish he was being to keep Tora from hanging out with one of his old friends that he hadn't seen in a long time. "Alright. Talk to you later then?" His voice was meek and small, the smile on his face disappearing in favor of a sad frown.
"Yeah." Tora replied, smiling softly even though he had a nagging feeling something was up with his lover. "Love you, Hiroto-kun. See you tonight."
"Love you too, Tora-shi." Not even waiting for Tora to hang up, Hiroto shut his phone, forgetting Shou was on the other line. The moment his phone was closed the shrill ringtone cut through the silence and, almost mechanically, he answered it.
"Back." He murmured softly, feeling tears pricking behind the edges of his eyes. "Sorry about that...Forgot you were on the other line."
It didn't take a second for Shou to hear how upset Hiroto was, even through the phone. "No, it's fine, Hiroto-kun. We're so sorry that Tora-san met up with that guy. We tried to persuade him to go elsewhere with us, but he wouldn't. You going to be okay? I know you had a big night planned for the two of you..."
Hiroto nodded even though he knew Shou couldn't see him, tears slowly but surely dripping from his eyes. "I'll be fine." He sniffled softly, hoping Shou couldn't hear him. "Hopefully he'll be back soon and I can at least do part of what I had planned."
Shou most assuredly did hear him and felt so bad for the younger man. "Oh, Pon...Is there anything Sagacchi and I can do? Maybe come over and stay with you until Tora-san comes back?"
"No, I'm just going to wait for him. Perhaps eat some of the food I cooked." Even though I don't like it. His mind added a heartbeat later, subconsciously reminding him of how much selflessness he actually had when it came to the older guitarist. "I can't believe...he forgot, Shou-kun. He forgot about our Anniversary..." The tears were steady now, flowing down his cheeks and making him seem younger than he already looked.
Shou cast a look across the restaurant table and to Saga, who was watching him with concern. Not for the singer, but for Hiroto. "I know, Hiroto-kun. I know...Just let it all out." He knew how cheesy the last line sounded, but despite that he could hear the small guitarist complying and that both relieved him and made him sad. As Hiroto continued to cry, Shou pulled the mouth of the phone away from his lips and whispered across the table to Saga. "I can't believe Tora!" He near-mouthed in an effort not for Hiroto to hear him. "Hiroto-kun's so upset..." Saga's gaze turned sad as well while his shifted his eyes to the phone. It was evident he felt bad for the small guitarist just the same as Shou.
"I wish he'd come home..." Hiroto cried softly, burying his face in his free hand. He felt so ashamed that he was getting this emotional over something he now deemed so miniscule. Of course it wasn't miniscule, but he told that to himself anyway. Using the excuse that it was as such because Tora had forgotten it.
"Shh, Hiroto-kun. He will." Shou put the phone back to his lips to start speaking again. His voice was soft and tender, hopefully calming the distraught man on the other line.
Nodding again at this, Hiroto responded between choked sobs. "I know he will. It's just a matter of...when." He paused for a few seconds, but didn't give Shou time to reply to his words. "Listen, I'm going to go and eat a bit...Talk to you tomorrow at practice." He hung up before Shou could say his good-byes and then threw the phone at the wall as he stood up and walked back into the kitchen. Tears were still dripping off his chin, even more when he took notice of the dinner he had worked for hours on.
He didn't sit down at first, instead choosing to go ahead and do the dishes he had dirtied while fixing the food. Everytime he even took a glance at the set table, however, more tears would spill down his cheeks. He still couldn't believe Tora had forgotten. For some reason he kept thinking--hoping--Tora would come home and surprise him, saying him going out with someone was just a ruse. An excuse to surprise him. But as the minutes ticked by, Hiroto's faith in that became less and less.
After he finished with the dishes and dried his hands, he walked over and sat himself down at the table, eyes scanning over the food. That's when he saw something sitting right in the middle of the table next to the expensive wine. The card. The "Happy Anniversary" card he had made for the other man. Yes, made, not bought. He had worked hard on it, drawing small pictures on it and writing sweet words on it, proclaiming his love and devotion for Tora. Sure, it sounded cheesy, but to Hiroto, who meant everything he wrote in the card, it wasn't.
Not a moment later Hiroto grabbed the item from its spot and looked over it. He saw the two guitars drawn on the front-his and Tora's. He had spent a long while perfecting the picture while trying to keep Tora from seeing what he had been doing. It wasn't perfect, he knew that, but it still meant something. It meant a lot. His thoughts were no help as he didn't feel his tears slacking up any.
Flipping the card open, Hiroto couldn't suppress a sad smile as he re-read all the words he had written. He pushed his plate back a bit and that allowed him to rest one of his arms on the table, followed by his head resting on that arm. The other arm bent at the elbow so he could still look at the card he held. It too rested on the table as he gazed at the card, not minding or caring that his tears were soaking his shirt sleeve.
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Tora arrived home late and when he did, he was surprised that lights were still on in the apartment. He knew it had to be approaching midnight and that Hiroto should probably be in the bed. He was never one to stay up late unless Tora kept him up with a movie or with playing a video game.
Without hesitation the taller man walked into the living room to look for Hiroto, only to see him not there. Furrowing his brows, he turned and walked into the kitchen. "Hiroto-kun?" He questioned right before entering the kitchen. The sight he was greeted with, however, sunk his heart until he was sure it was the coldness he felt in his stomach. Hiroto was asleep at the table, his arms crossed to pad the side of his face against the otherwise wooden surface.
"Did he...make all this?" Tora asked himself, eyeing all the food on the beautifully decorated table. "Why?" He took notice of Hiroto's tear-lined face since he was facing the doorway in which the taller man had entered through. Had he done that? Had he made Hiroto cry? Hiroto had sounded cheerful on the phone earlier until he'd said he was staying out with a friend...
Suddenly Tora's eyes widened in realization. Hiroto had been upset because he hadn't come home. Because he hadn't been here to enjoy what the other had fixed for the two of them. No, for Tora. The tall guitarist saw how all the food on the table was stuff he liked and stuff Hiroto did not. Still, that didn't explain why Hiroto had done all this in the first place. Was it just a spur of the moment thing? Somehow Tora doubted that. It was possible, but he wasn't even remotely sure of it.
Before he even thought to wake the smaller man up, Tora walked over and saw something was lying on the ground next to the table. It looked like a regular sheet of paper, but when he bent down to pick it up he noticed it was a card lying on its front so he couldn't see what it was.
Upon turning it over, Tora felt a shock of immense guilt go straight to his heart at seeing the words written at the very top: Happy One-Year Anniversary, Tora-shi! He had forgotten one of the most important days in his relationship with Hiroto, if not the most important day. "Oh my god..." He looked with sadness and guilt at Hiroto who still slept against the table. "He made this all for our One-Year Anniversary, but I didn't come home to accept it. That's why Saga-kun and Shou-kun were keeping me out all day and didn't want me to go with my friend. I'm so stupid..." His gaze shifted to his watch as he noticed it was ten minutes to midnight. Maybe he could still at least say something to Hiroto.
Confidently, he shook the smaller man's shoulder until he jolted awake, sitting upright in his seat immediately. He normally would have at least chuckled at the movement and seeing that Hiroto's eyes were wide open in shock as if he hadn't meant to fall asleep, but he felt too bad to do so now.
"Tora-shi." He spoke, eyes going back to normal as he looked up at his lover. Before he had the chance to say anything further, Tora was pressing his lips to Hiroto's and kissing him with so much emotion. Small stabs of guilt continued going to Tora's heart when he tasted the salty moisture of tears on his lover's lips. He had continued to cry even in his sleep.
Hiroto was surprised by the sudden movement, but soon found himself returning the kiss, eyes slipping closed delicately.
The kiss lasted for a short while before Tora pulled away, his guilt-ridden eyes boring into Hiroto's teary ones. "I'm so sorry, Hiroto-kun. I didn't mean to forget. I promise I didn't." He knelt beside the chair, hands coming up to brush the tears away from underneath his lover's eyes.
Hiroto watched him through a half-lidded gaze, feeling more tears starting to drip out the edges of his eyes. Tora could see them fall and didn't know what else to say. What else could he say? How was one supposed to apologize for forgetting such an important day? He didn't get an answer in his mind and didn't get a chance to get one either as Hiroto practically threw himself at Tora in desperation for a hug, the taller man falling back on his rear out of surprise. Hiroto's arms wrapped around Tora's neck and his face buried against his collarbone, body pressed closely to Tora's for the comfort he wanted and needed.
"I'm sorry, Hiroto-kun...I'll make it up to you, I promise."
Hiroto shook his head and continued to cry softly into Tora's shirt, his body and words saying two very different things. "It's alright, Tora-shi...It's alright. You're here now. That's all that matters."
Yeah. Five minutes to midnight. Tora thought bitterly, glancing at the clock on the wall, wishing so much that the day wasn't about to be over. That he could somehow salvage this situation and make everything alright again.
"Why don't you just head on to bed, Hiroto-kun and I'll clean up all this stuff. We can heat it up and eat it tomorrow, alright?" He tried, seeing Hiroto sniffle a bit and then nod, pulling away from his embrace and starting for their bedroom. Tora knew his eyes had to be hurting with all the crying he figured he had been doing.
Just as soon as Hiroto had disappeared into their bedroom, Tora set the card aside and started to clean up the food. He put all of it in containers into the fridge and then placed the unused plates and silverware where they were supposed to be. He put the wine in the fridge as well, so they could enjoy it tomorrow, hopefully.
Once everything was put up, Tora headed to their bedroom, watching quietly as Hiroto grabbed some candles that were on the dresser and put them in one of the drawers. It made his heart ache to see his lover so upset. He had obviously been planning something special further than just a dinner for the two of them. And I just had to go and fuck it up. He must be so disappointed in me. Tora didn't like that thought, but knew it had to be true.
While Hiroto was putting up the rest of the candles, Tora went and changed into his pajamas, his eyes casting a look over at his lover now and again. Hiroto had already changed, so when he was finished putting the candles away he just went and crawled into the bed.
Tora followed not too long after him, curling against the smaller man and pulling him against his chest. Hiroto willingly laid against Tora, his face pressing into his neck, one arm slung lovingly over Tora's side. He could hear Tora murmuring apologies every now and again, but he didn't respond. If he thought anymore on it he knew he would just start crying again. True, he forgave Tora for forgetting, but that didn't mean he wasn't still upset over it.
"I love you, Hiroto-kun. You know I do, right?"
A small, barely there smile came onto Hiroto's lips then. "I love you too, Tora-shi."
"And Happy Anniversary. I'll do something special for you tomorrow, I promise." Tora then spoke up, wrapping his arms protectively around the smaller man. Hiroto was about to protest this when Tora pressed a finger to his lips gently. "I don't care what you say. I'm going to do it." Hiroto could only smile a bit more at hearing that, nodding his head until Tora pulled his finger away.
"Happy Anniversary to you too, Tora-shi." Despite the fact he should have been mad at his lover for forgetting and shouldn't be snuggling into him, Hiroto couldn't help it. Tora obviously was bothered by what he had done-well, not done-so why should he keep reminding him of his mistake? It seemed cruel to do such a thing. "It really is alright that you forgot, Tora-shi." He murmured drowsily, the feel of Tora's warm body against his making him sleepy.
Tora smiled softly at Hiroto's attempt to make him feel better. "No, Hiroto-kun, it's not and I know that. Don't lie to me." He was still smiling a bit and his words were soft, yet serious and convincing. Apparently Hiroto was too sleepy to protest again, so his reply came out mumbled and incomprehensible. It made Tora chuckle and hold the other man a bit closer. He was surely going to make up for this. Hiroto shouldn't have had to feel so upset on what was supposed to be such a happy day.
"You'll see, Hiroto-kun." He whispered, though he knew that Hiroto was most assuredly asleep by now. "I'll make this up to you ten-fold and I won't forget anything this special again."
Tora let the room drift into silence after that and before he knew it he was asleep as well, dreaming about just what could be done to give Hiroto back the wonderful Anniversary day he had been robbed of today.
Author: Kavikalphawolf
Band/Pairing: Tora/Hiroto (Main), Saga/Shou [alice nine.], implied Nao/Kai [alice nine./GazettE]
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Angst/Romance
Prompt: 5. Forgotten (For 10_hurt_comfort)
Warnings: Unbeta'd.
Disclaimer: Do not own these guys.
Comment(s): I got inspiration for this out of nowhere, so I just had to write it. XD
Summary: Tora forgets something supremely important to Hiroto.
Hiroto sung a quiet song to himself as he made his way back to the apartment he shared with his lover, his hands full with grocery bags and his face all smiles due to what day it was and the plans he had for it. The moment he had woken up this morning curled against Tora's body and had heard that familiar ringtone on his phone that alerted him to today being a special day, he'd been an overly good mood. Tora had noticed it, Shou had noticed it, the entire band had noticed it. He didn't care of course because it was a good thing. Tora had laughed at his happy antics all day long because more than once he had been clumsy due to it. Not that he minded, of course.
The only thing that had bugged him was that not once had Tora said anything about the special day. Not once congratulated him or anything. For what, you ask? Well, they're One-Year Anniversary together of course. The very first milestone was achieved in their relationship and was certainly something to be celebrated.
However, Hiroto just shrugged it off as Tora had something planned for them during the course of the day, or was waiting for the right moment to say it. Hiroto himself had said nothing because of what he had planned for tonight. A wonderful dinner that Hiroto would cook, then followed by a blissful evening of watching stars or just sitting out on the balcony enjoying one another's company. And after that, when they went to bed, Hiroto had something even more special planned than all of that. He would finally give himself to his lover. Allow Tora to take his virginity. There would be candles lit in the room and everything. It was all so perfect in his mind that the mere thought of it made him smile from ear to ear.
"I can't wait." He smiled, finally reaching the apartment building and heading up to their apartment. He had sent Tora away for the day to spend it with Shou and Saga-he’d discussed with the singer and bassist beforehand about it and they had been told specifically not to say anything to Tora about his plans or about Tora and Hiroto's anniversary if Tora didn't bring it up first.
After he had done that he had told Nao about it so the bandleader would cut practice short and allow him the time to make the dinner. He felt so very lucky that Nao agreed, even if he knew that doing such a thing would give the drummer some quality time with his own lover, Kai, which he without a doubt liked. Hiroto didn't doubt that Nao would have done it anyway, though, since he thought Hiroto's relationship with Tora was something both of the guitarists were benefiting greatly from.
Unlocking the door to their apartment, Hiroto eagerly stepped inside and toed off his shoes. Within seconds he was rushing to the kitchen to begin preparing the food. He had a special menu in mind for what he was going to fix. It was a menu of all the stuff he had learned Tora loved, not caring for a second that he himself didn't like any of the stuff. When it came to a lot of things the two were polar opposites and food was no different. They shared some tastes and preferences, but not a lot.
Hiroto set the bags of uncooked food and stuff onto the counter in the kitchen and set to putting them all away before starting on anything. The song he had been singing turned to him humming the tune as he threw away all the plastic bags he had been carrying his stuff in. He was smiling still as he started to grab what he would need for the main dish, both ingredients and the stuff to make it in and on.
"He's going to love it, I know it." The young guitarist smiled with glee, reaching over to put on an apron to keep his clothes from getting messy. "I've really got to thank Saga and Shou for keeping Tora occupied for all this time. If they didn't I wouldn't be able to do this."
Once he had the apron secure around his small body, he set to work preparing the first dish. It wasn't anything too fancy, but he knew Tora would just love it. Plus, Tora never really had a liking for expensive, fancy dishes. He was more in tune with food that was simplistic in nature and taste, though he did occasionally like to venture out and try new stuff.
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It was around six in the evening that Hiroto finished up making the dinner, so he went and started setting up stuff in the bedroom. He put candles on top of the dresser and even put a deep red one, that smelled of cinnamon, on the end table beside the bed. When the lights were out and they were all lit he knew it would be a beautiful and breath-taking scene all its own. Even without what else he had planned.
Since it didn't take that long to set up, Hiroto was heading back into the living room within minutes, discarding the apron back onto the small hook outside the kitchen. "I think I'll call Shou-kun to see where they're at and to tell them to bring Tora back here." He smiled, reaching for his cell phone within his pants pocket and dialing the singer's number not even a moment later.
Shou answered after three rings, his voice sounding hesitant and nervous for some reason. "Hello?"
"Hey, Shou-kun." Hiroto replied, "Where are you guys at? I'm finished with my preparations. You can release Tora-shi from your shopping clutches now." He laughed a little as he spoke, clearly meaning it as a joke. However, Shou didn't seem in the mood to joke. The vocalist let out a nervous laugh that had Hiroto looking oddly to nowhere in particular. "Shou-kun, you alright? You and Saga-kun didn't have a fight did you?" Sometimes the pair did that when they were out on the town. It was always a small fight, though, and never anything too serious. More like two children bickering over who was going to get the television remote.
"No, no, we're fine." Shou replied back a moment later, "But it's just Tora-shi-" Hiroto noticed he was getting a call from said person and thus cut Shou off.
"Oh! Wait, he's calling me. Be right back." It didn't even register to the small guitarist that it was odd Tora was calling him right as he was talking to Shou, who should be with him. He just clicked over and greeted his lover.
"...is not with us." Shou finished just as Hiroto beeped over.
"What's up, Tora-shi? You heading back home?" Hiroto asked the man on the other line after Tora had greeted him back. His tone was hopeful and so were his emotions, happiness engulfing his mind.
Tora smiled on the other end of the line. "Ah, actually when I was out shopping with Saga-kun and Shou-kun, I met up with an old friend of mine. We chatted for awhile and decided we'd go out to eat to catch up. It's been awhile since we last talked."
Hiroto could feel his happiness fading away quickly, only to be replaced by disappointment. "But..."
"But what, love?" Tora asked when Hiroto did not continue his sentence. "I'll be home later on tonight, I promise."
Even though he felt so utterly upset that his perfect evening had most definitely been ruined, Hiroto realized how selfish he was being to keep Tora from hanging out with one of his old friends that he hadn't seen in a long time. "Alright. Talk to you later then?" His voice was meek and small, the smile on his face disappearing in favor of a sad frown.
"Yeah." Tora replied, smiling softly even though he had a nagging feeling something was up with his lover. "Love you, Hiroto-kun. See you tonight."
"Love you too, Tora-shi." Not even waiting for Tora to hang up, Hiroto shut his phone, forgetting Shou was on the other line. The moment his phone was closed the shrill ringtone cut through the silence and, almost mechanically, he answered it.
"Back." He murmured softly, feeling tears pricking behind the edges of his eyes. "Sorry about that...Forgot you were on the other line."
It didn't take a second for Shou to hear how upset Hiroto was, even through the phone. "No, it's fine, Hiroto-kun. We're so sorry that Tora-san met up with that guy. We tried to persuade him to go elsewhere with us, but he wouldn't. You going to be okay? I know you had a big night planned for the two of you..."
Hiroto nodded even though he knew Shou couldn't see him, tears slowly but surely dripping from his eyes. "I'll be fine." He sniffled softly, hoping Shou couldn't hear him. "Hopefully he'll be back soon and I can at least do part of what I had planned."
Shou most assuredly did hear him and felt so bad for the younger man. "Oh, Pon...Is there anything Sagacchi and I can do? Maybe come over and stay with you until Tora-san comes back?"
"No, I'm just going to wait for him. Perhaps eat some of the food I cooked." Even though I don't like it. His mind added a heartbeat later, subconsciously reminding him of how much selflessness he actually had when it came to the older guitarist. "I can't believe...he forgot, Shou-kun. He forgot about our Anniversary..." The tears were steady now, flowing down his cheeks and making him seem younger than he already looked.
Shou cast a look across the restaurant table and to Saga, who was watching him with concern. Not for the singer, but for Hiroto. "I know, Hiroto-kun. I know...Just let it all out." He knew how cheesy the last line sounded, but despite that he could hear the small guitarist complying and that both relieved him and made him sad. As Hiroto continued to cry, Shou pulled the mouth of the phone away from his lips and whispered across the table to Saga. "I can't believe Tora!" He near-mouthed in an effort not for Hiroto to hear him. "Hiroto-kun's so upset..." Saga's gaze turned sad as well while his shifted his eyes to the phone. It was evident he felt bad for the small guitarist just the same as Shou.
"I wish he'd come home..." Hiroto cried softly, burying his face in his free hand. He felt so ashamed that he was getting this emotional over something he now deemed so miniscule. Of course it wasn't miniscule, but he told that to himself anyway. Using the excuse that it was as such because Tora had forgotten it.
"Shh, Hiroto-kun. He will." Shou put the phone back to his lips to start speaking again. His voice was soft and tender, hopefully calming the distraught man on the other line.
Nodding again at this, Hiroto responded between choked sobs. "I know he will. It's just a matter of...when." He paused for a few seconds, but didn't give Shou time to reply to his words. "Listen, I'm going to go and eat a bit...Talk to you tomorrow at practice." He hung up before Shou could say his good-byes and then threw the phone at the wall as he stood up and walked back into the kitchen. Tears were still dripping off his chin, even more when he took notice of the dinner he had worked for hours on.
He didn't sit down at first, instead choosing to go ahead and do the dishes he had dirtied while fixing the food. Everytime he even took a glance at the set table, however, more tears would spill down his cheeks. He still couldn't believe Tora had forgotten. For some reason he kept thinking--hoping--Tora would come home and surprise him, saying him going out with someone was just a ruse. An excuse to surprise him. But as the minutes ticked by, Hiroto's faith in that became less and less.
After he finished with the dishes and dried his hands, he walked over and sat himself down at the table, eyes scanning over the food. That's when he saw something sitting right in the middle of the table next to the expensive wine. The card. The "Happy Anniversary" card he had made for the other man. Yes, made, not bought. He had worked hard on it, drawing small pictures on it and writing sweet words on it, proclaiming his love and devotion for Tora. Sure, it sounded cheesy, but to Hiroto, who meant everything he wrote in the card, it wasn't.
Not a moment later Hiroto grabbed the item from its spot and looked over it. He saw the two guitars drawn on the front-his and Tora's. He had spent a long while perfecting the picture while trying to keep Tora from seeing what he had been doing. It wasn't perfect, he knew that, but it still meant something. It meant a lot. His thoughts were no help as he didn't feel his tears slacking up any.
Flipping the card open, Hiroto couldn't suppress a sad smile as he re-read all the words he had written. He pushed his plate back a bit and that allowed him to rest one of his arms on the table, followed by his head resting on that arm. The other arm bent at the elbow so he could still look at the card he held. It too rested on the table as he gazed at the card, not minding or caring that his tears were soaking his shirt sleeve.
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Tora arrived home late and when he did, he was surprised that lights were still on in the apartment. He knew it had to be approaching midnight and that Hiroto should probably be in the bed. He was never one to stay up late unless Tora kept him up with a movie or with playing a video game.
Without hesitation the taller man walked into the living room to look for Hiroto, only to see him not there. Furrowing his brows, he turned and walked into the kitchen. "Hiroto-kun?" He questioned right before entering the kitchen. The sight he was greeted with, however, sunk his heart until he was sure it was the coldness he felt in his stomach. Hiroto was asleep at the table, his arms crossed to pad the side of his face against the otherwise wooden surface.
"Did he...make all this?" Tora asked himself, eyeing all the food on the beautifully decorated table. "Why?" He took notice of Hiroto's tear-lined face since he was facing the doorway in which the taller man had entered through. Had he done that? Had he made Hiroto cry? Hiroto had sounded cheerful on the phone earlier until he'd said he was staying out with a friend...
Suddenly Tora's eyes widened in realization. Hiroto had been upset because he hadn't come home. Because he hadn't been here to enjoy what the other had fixed for the two of them. No, for Tora. The tall guitarist saw how all the food on the table was stuff he liked and stuff Hiroto did not. Still, that didn't explain why Hiroto had done all this in the first place. Was it just a spur of the moment thing? Somehow Tora doubted that. It was possible, but he wasn't even remotely sure of it.
Before he even thought to wake the smaller man up, Tora walked over and saw something was lying on the ground next to the table. It looked like a regular sheet of paper, but when he bent down to pick it up he noticed it was a card lying on its front so he couldn't see what it was.
Upon turning it over, Tora felt a shock of immense guilt go straight to his heart at seeing the words written at the very top: Happy One-Year Anniversary, Tora-shi! He had forgotten one of the most important days in his relationship with Hiroto, if not the most important day. "Oh my god..." He looked with sadness and guilt at Hiroto who still slept against the table. "He made this all for our One-Year Anniversary, but I didn't come home to accept it. That's why Saga-kun and Shou-kun were keeping me out all day and didn't want me to go with my friend. I'm so stupid..." His gaze shifted to his watch as he noticed it was ten minutes to midnight. Maybe he could still at least say something to Hiroto.
Confidently, he shook the smaller man's shoulder until he jolted awake, sitting upright in his seat immediately. He normally would have at least chuckled at the movement and seeing that Hiroto's eyes were wide open in shock as if he hadn't meant to fall asleep, but he felt too bad to do so now.
"Tora-shi." He spoke, eyes going back to normal as he looked up at his lover. Before he had the chance to say anything further, Tora was pressing his lips to Hiroto's and kissing him with so much emotion. Small stabs of guilt continued going to Tora's heart when he tasted the salty moisture of tears on his lover's lips. He had continued to cry even in his sleep.
Hiroto was surprised by the sudden movement, but soon found himself returning the kiss, eyes slipping closed delicately.
The kiss lasted for a short while before Tora pulled away, his guilt-ridden eyes boring into Hiroto's teary ones. "I'm so sorry, Hiroto-kun. I didn't mean to forget. I promise I didn't." He knelt beside the chair, hands coming up to brush the tears away from underneath his lover's eyes.
Hiroto watched him through a half-lidded gaze, feeling more tears starting to drip out the edges of his eyes. Tora could see them fall and didn't know what else to say. What else could he say? How was one supposed to apologize for forgetting such an important day? He didn't get an answer in his mind and didn't get a chance to get one either as Hiroto practically threw himself at Tora in desperation for a hug, the taller man falling back on his rear out of surprise. Hiroto's arms wrapped around Tora's neck and his face buried against his collarbone, body pressed closely to Tora's for the comfort he wanted and needed.
"I'm sorry, Hiroto-kun...I'll make it up to you, I promise."
Hiroto shook his head and continued to cry softly into Tora's shirt, his body and words saying two very different things. "It's alright, Tora-shi...It's alright. You're here now. That's all that matters."
Yeah. Five minutes to midnight. Tora thought bitterly, glancing at the clock on the wall, wishing so much that the day wasn't about to be over. That he could somehow salvage this situation and make everything alright again.
"Why don't you just head on to bed, Hiroto-kun and I'll clean up all this stuff. We can heat it up and eat it tomorrow, alright?" He tried, seeing Hiroto sniffle a bit and then nod, pulling away from his embrace and starting for their bedroom. Tora knew his eyes had to be hurting with all the crying he figured he had been doing.
Just as soon as Hiroto had disappeared into their bedroom, Tora set the card aside and started to clean up the food. He put all of it in containers into the fridge and then placed the unused plates and silverware where they were supposed to be. He put the wine in the fridge as well, so they could enjoy it tomorrow, hopefully.
Once everything was put up, Tora headed to their bedroom, watching quietly as Hiroto grabbed some candles that were on the dresser and put them in one of the drawers. It made his heart ache to see his lover so upset. He had obviously been planning something special further than just a dinner for the two of them. And I just had to go and fuck it up. He must be so disappointed in me. Tora didn't like that thought, but knew it had to be true.
While Hiroto was putting up the rest of the candles, Tora went and changed into his pajamas, his eyes casting a look over at his lover now and again. Hiroto had already changed, so when he was finished putting the candles away he just went and crawled into the bed.
Tora followed not too long after him, curling against the smaller man and pulling him against his chest. Hiroto willingly laid against Tora, his face pressing into his neck, one arm slung lovingly over Tora's side. He could hear Tora murmuring apologies every now and again, but he didn't respond. If he thought anymore on it he knew he would just start crying again. True, he forgave Tora for forgetting, but that didn't mean he wasn't still upset over it.
"I love you, Hiroto-kun. You know I do, right?"
A small, barely there smile came onto Hiroto's lips then. "I love you too, Tora-shi."
"And Happy Anniversary. I'll do something special for you tomorrow, I promise." Tora then spoke up, wrapping his arms protectively around the smaller man. Hiroto was about to protest this when Tora pressed a finger to his lips gently. "I don't care what you say. I'm going to do it." Hiroto could only smile a bit more at hearing that, nodding his head until Tora pulled his finger away.
"Happy Anniversary to you too, Tora-shi." Despite the fact he should have been mad at his lover for forgetting and shouldn't be snuggling into him, Hiroto couldn't help it. Tora obviously was bothered by what he had done-well, not done-so why should he keep reminding him of his mistake? It seemed cruel to do such a thing. "It really is alright that you forgot, Tora-shi." He murmured drowsily, the feel of Tora's warm body against his making him sleepy.
Tora smiled softly at Hiroto's attempt to make him feel better. "No, Hiroto-kun, it's not and I know that. Don't lie to me." He was still smiling a bit and his words were soft, yet serious and convincing. Apparently Hiroto was too sleepy to protest again, so his reply came out mumbled and incomprehensible. It made Tora chuckle and hold the other man a bit closer. He was surely going to make up for this. Hiroto shouldn't have had to feel so upset on what was supposed to be such a happy day.
"You'll see, Hiroto-kun." He whispered, though he knew that Hiroto was most assuredly asleep by now. "I'll make this up to you ten-fold and I won't forget anything this special again."
Tora let the room drift into silence after that and before he knew it he was asleep as well, dreaming about just what could be done to give Hiroto back the wonderful Anniversary day he had been robbed of today.