[Yami no Matsuei] "Village Romance" (PG-13)
Author's Note: Written for any, any, forbidden love Pre-canon, Tsuzuki/OMC
Maths class: Tsuzuki's worst subject, and he could bear it only if he peered sidewise at Aoki at the next desk. The bespectacled boy was an ace at maths, and Tsuzuki often asked him for his notes and practice equations. Read begged and pleaded and pested Aoki for them till the other caved in and let him look at them.
On top of that, he found himself drawn to the other young man: he had looks to go with his smarts, and as Tsuzuki had gotten to an age when his heart started to warm toward pretty girls, he found that his heart had started to warm toward handsome young men as well. Something that he had to keep hidden from his father and from most everyone else.
But today, Aoki paid no mind to Tsuzuki's pleading looks. At length, the teacher noted Tsuzuki's inattention. "Tsuzuki-kun, if you would turn your gaze to your own page instead of Aoki's, you might find your test scores improving dramatically," the teacher said. A few other kids in the class giggled at this remark, but the teacher regarded them patiently, which proved enough to encourage them to quickly return their own attention to their own test pages.
After class Tsuzuki caught up with Aoki. "Hey, what was up with that?" he asked.
Aoki paused on the path. "I can't keep letting you look at my papers, Tsuzuki, you're getting too dependent on me and you're not learning how to work the equations on your own."
Tsuzuki stopped short, nearly colliding with Aoki, who stepped away from him. "But, we're friends: you've done a lot to help me and... well, I wish it could be more than that."
Aoki regarded him oddly, not disgusted, but not entirely approving nor accepting. "I've seen how you look at me, and I can't allow it."
"But... I care about you, as more than a schoolmate," Tsuzuki replied artlessly, trying to reach out and trying to take the other young man's hand.
Aoki set down his satchel and took Tsuzuki;s hand in his, covering it with his free one warmly, caressing the back with one thumb. Then after a long moment, he gently let it go, lowering it back to Tsuzuki's side with the other hand.
Then he raised his right hand and slapped Tsuzuki across the face, sending him staggering.
Tsuzuki clutched his face, looking up. "What the hell did you do that for?!" he demanded.
"I did that because I care about you," Aoki said. "This can't work: we would both be put to shame and cast out."
"But why did you have to hit me over that?!" Tsuzuki said, trying not to cry.
"Because I don't want to encourage you: If I had said yes, it would bring shame on us. And if I told you no, that would just make you want me all the more," Aoki said, calmly, but Tsuzuki could see pain in his eyes. "Don't think of me as what could have been, think of me as the one who slapped you, it's better this way."
"Aoki," he pleaded, as the boy turned away and walked quickly away, losing himself in the village....
Maths class: Tsuzuki's worst subject, and he could bear it only if he peered sidewise at Aoki at the next desk. The bespectacled boy was an ace at maths, and Tsuzuki often asked him for his notes and practice equations. Read begged and pleaded and pested Aoki for them till the other caved in and let him look at them.
On top of that, he found himself drawn to the other young man: he had looks to go with his smarts, and as Tsuzuki had gotten to an age when his heart started to warm toward pretty girls, he found that his heart had started to warm toward handsome young men as well. Something that he had to keep hidden from his father and from most everyone else.
But today, Aoki paid no mind to Tsuzuki's pleading looks. At length, the teacher noted Tsuzuki's inattention. "Tsuzuki-kun, if you would turn your gaze to your own page instead of Aoki's, you might find your test scores improving dramatically," the teacher said. A few other kids in the class giggled at this remark, but the teacher regarded them patiently, which proved enough to encourage them to quickly return their own attention to their own test pages.
After class Tsuzuki caught up with Aoki. "Hey, what was up with that?" he asked.
Aoki paused on the path. "I can't keep letting you look at my papers, Tsuzuki, you're getting too dependent on me and you're not learning how to work the equations on your own."
Tsuzuki stopped short, nearly colliding with Aoki, who stepped away from him. "But, we're friends: you've done a lot to help me and... well, I wish it could be more than that."
Aoki regarded him oddly, not disgusted, but not entirely approving nor accepting. "I've seen how you look at me, and I can't allow it."
"But... I care about you, as more than a schoolmate," Tsuzuki replied artlessly, trying to reach out and trying to take the other young man's hand.
Aoki set down his satchel and took Tsuzuki;s hand in his, covering it with his free one warmly, caressing the back with one thumb. Then after a long moment, he gently let it go, lowering it back to Tsuzuki's side with the other hand.
Then he raised his right hand and slapped Tsuzuki across the face, sending him staggering.
Tsuzuki clutched his face, looking up. "What the hell did you do that for?!" he demanded.
"I did that because I care about you," Aoki said. "This can't work: we would both be put to shame and cast out."
"But why did you have to hit me over that?!" Tsuzuki said, trying not to cry.
"Because I don't want to encourage you: If I had said yes, it would bring shame on us. And if I told you no, that would just make you want me all the more," Aoki said, calmly, but Tsuzuki could see pain in his eyes. "Don't think of me as what could have been, think of me as the one who slapped you, it's better this way."
"Aoki," he pleaded, as the boy turned away and walked quickly away, losing himself in the village....