ToriShishi fiction
Finally, I finished my rendition of the classic ToriShishi Valentine's fic. No, it's not a week late or anything...<.< >.> Sorry about that. ^^;
Title: Bells and Chocolate
Pairing: Ohtori x Shishido
Genre: Romance
Rating: PG-13 (language, boys kissing)
Words: approx. 1820
Warnings/Notes: Semi-AU, set after Shishido graduates from high school. I wanted to write something a bit more serious/deeper than normal, but it seems I can't escape the fluff monster no matter how hard I try. Oh well. I still like the way this one turned out.
Disclaimer: No matter how much caffeine I give them, the pretty tennis boys are still not mine. *le sigh*
Dedicated to my friend and part-time beta
mystikphantom
The inspiration for this story came from the quote on a little angel teddy bear I have in my room: "Every time a bell rings, another angel earns his wings." Shishido isn't exactly an angel, but I took some creative liberties in the interpretation while writing this story. I think it fits well enough. ^_^ I'll stand back and see what y'all think.
Darien, I'm sorry this took so long. Please forgive me. *bows*
Bells and Chocolate
The tinkling of the bell in the heart-adorned doorway ruined the teenager’s hopes for an inconspicuous arrival. With an exasperated sigh, he quickly stuffed the plastic grocery bag he was carrying into his pocket and waited for the explosion.
“Shishido, you’re later than usual,” the weasel-like middle-aged man behind the counter said curtly, not looking up from the mocha he was stirring.
Shishido swallowed his tongue and darted behind the counter, avoiding eye contact. He hung his blue baseball cap on the coat rack, pulled his shoulder-length brown hair into a ponytail and grabbed a damp, soapy rag from the sink. Making sure his boss was preoccupied with more customers, the teen made a rude gesture and angrily began to scrub tables. Come closing time, he knew he would receive one hell of a lecture, as was the case every other time he ran into work late. If a place nearer to home had been hiring, he would have applied there in a heartbeat. In the meantime, he was stuck working the night shift at a hole-in-the-wall coffee shop on the other end of town. Really, it was a miracle he had managed to keep his job for six months.
He couldn’t complain, though. He needed the money, even if it meant working long hours for Satan’s bastard offspring. After graduating from high school, the rest of the former Hyotei regulars had gone off to college together, but the lone “poor kid” chose to stay behind. He could have taken (and passed) the college entrance exams, but there was no way his family could afford to send both him and his older to brother to college at the same time. Therefore, Shishido was determined to spend the year working his ass off cleaning tables until he earned enough to join his friends.
Of course, the naturally stubborn teenager had other, simpler motives for staying as well. His doubles partner of four years (and boyfriend of three and a half) was a year behind him in school. He had hoped to continue their relationship until they both went to college together, but it was a farsighted dream. Work quickly took over Shishido’s life and school Ohtori’s. The two made the most out of every sporadic late-night IM conversation, since seeing eachother face to face was completely out of the question. Shishido was never one to give up, however; he still bought Choutarou his annual box of birthday chocolates, even though he knew it was a waste of time and money.
Breathing a sigh of relief as he scrubbed the same coffee stain for the fifth time, the teen was glad his boss had been busy with customers when he arrived. He did not want to explain that he was late because he had been battling crowds of tittering schoolgirls at a convenience store. He winced, recalling the embarrassment.
“Waitress! Excuse me, waitress!” Shishido jumped and glared, realizing that someone was speaking to him. Tact and dignity aside, the longhaired teen threw the soapy rag down onto the table.
“What’s your problem?” he snarled in a very un-feminine voice. “Not what you were expecting, huh?”
“Shishi- I mean, Ryou-san?”
Now it was Shishido’s turn to be completely taken aback. Sitting in a small corner booth and blinking bemusedly as if he had just seen a ghost, was Ohtori. The younger boy smiled and waved nervously, his chocolate eyes sparkling despite the dim light.
“What the hell are you doing in this dump?” Shishido exploded, forgetting that there were other people in the restaurant. He pulled up a chair and sat quickly, his elbow barely missing his boyfriend’s mocha latte.
Choutarou chuckled and patted the instrument case occupying the seat next to him. “I’m playing tonight, since it’s a holiday.”
“But why here of all places? You’re good enough to get hired somewhere better…Mind if I have some of this, Choutarou?” Shishido asked, taking a sip from the steaming beverage.
The younger boy nodded and pointed at the man behind the counter. “He’s my uncle. I thought I told you that, Ryou-san.”
Shishido spewed, drenching his boyfriend in lukewarm coffee. In the back of his mind, the information sounded vaguely familiar, but he could not see any resemblance between his demonic boss and his blushing (and dripping) boyfriend. Handing Ohtori a napkin, Shishido exclaimed, “That bastard’s your uncle?”
Ohtori nodded, wiping the coffee off his face. “Hard to believe, I know. He’s not the most agreeable person.”
“Damn right he isn’t.” Shishido snorted.
“But he is a really nice man underneath it all,” Ohtori added, nodding.
For some reason, Shishido found this hard to believe. Uncomfortable, he shifted his weight in his chair. He jumped to his feet, the large bulge in his back pocket reminding him of his earlier purchase. The chair clattered to the floor.
“Ryou-san?”
Shishido pulled the rather squished heart-shaped box of chocolates out of his pocket and tossed it to the younger boy. “Happy birthday,” he said tersely.
Ohtori gasped, surprised. “You didn’t have to!”
The older boy rolled his eyes. “It’s your birthday. I can do whatever the hell I want for it. Besides, I’ve done this for the past four years now, so why should I stop?”
“But you’re so busy and we never see eachother…”
“Shut up, Choutarou. Just take them. I hate having to go into that store every year. The cashier gives me weird looks.”
“Thank you, Ryou-san,” Ohtori said with a smile, that soon changed into a mischievous smirk. “Although, you look enough like a girl now that she probably wouldn’t be able to tell. You even had me fooled.”
Shishido grumbled. “C’mon, let’s finish this outside. The boss’ll be over here in a minute wondering why the tables aren’t clean.” He grabbed Ohtori’s arm and proceeded to drag him out the door. The little bell chimed as the pair exited, but neither boy noticed. Ohtori’s uncle’s gaze momentarily flickered towards the retreating teens. Coughing, the older man shook his head and resumed polishing a coffee mug with a ratty dishtowel.
***
“Ryou-san, why are we going back here?” Ohtori asked as he was pulled behind the shop, away from the crowded street.
“Privacy,” Shishido replied simply.
“But we’re standing in front of a dumpster.”
“And your point is?”
“It’s not exactly romantic.”
“Since when have I been ‘romantic,’ Choutarou? This is our first time alone together in months and I don’t want someone interrupting us.”
“If someone did interrupt us, though, they probably wouldn’t see two guys together,” Ohtori said with a wink.
“Oh well, that spares YOU the embarrassment, then,” Shishido muttered angrily.
The glint back in his chocolate eyes, Ohtori reached forward and untied Shishido’s ponytail. Smiling, he ran his fingers through the sweaty brown strands in an attempt to comb out the crease. “I like your hair long, Ryou-san.”
Shishido withdrew, struck by a sudden thought. “Wait a minute. If you knew I was working here, then why haven’t you stopped by before?”
Ohtori smiled and resumed playing with the shorter boy’s hair. “I’ve been busy, but…I also wanted to wait until Valentine’s Day…so I could surprise you with a present too. I could have waited until White Day, but I decided not to.”
The older teen scowled. “From now on, you’re coming here every time you can, got it? No more waiting. I mean it. The last six months killed me.”
“Yes, Shishido-san,” Ohtori whispered cutely, reverting to his junior high nickname for his boyfriend. He leaned in and captured the shorter boy’s lips with his.
“I missed this,” Shishido whispered breathily into the kiss as he felt one of Ohtori’s arms snake around him. Making up for lost time, Shishido eagerly deepened the kiss. While their tongues tangled feverishly, he chuckled to himself; Ohtori still smelled like coffee. The spicy-sweet smell attacked the older teen’s nose as his boyfriend’s hand clutched the back of head, desperately pulling him even closer. With six months of pent up frustration threatening to overflow, Shishido quickly found himself beyond the limits of self-control. One hand trailed up Ohtori’s sculpted chest, brushing briefly against the cross necklace that he still wore dutifully. The other fumbled clumsily with his belt buckle.
“Ryou-” Ohtori panted, abruptly pulling back, his glazed brown eyes opened wide in shock.
“Hn?” Shishido mumbled, his lust-fogged brain trying to comprehend the situation.
“T-turn around.”
Behind him, he heard the reedy sound of someone clearing his throat. “Oh. Shit.”
“Hello, Uncle!” Ohtori said, feigning cheerfulness.
The older man cleared his throat again. “Shishido. You were supposed to take out the trash. First you’re late, and now this. Don’t expect me to keep paying you if you keep slacking off. Now get to work,” he said gruffly, then turned his body towards his nephew. “You too, Choutarou. You’re supposed to play tonight, remember? Honestly.” Without another word, the manager threw the trash bags into the dumpster and walked inside. The little bell told the pair that the coast was clear.
Turning to his boyfriend, Shishido flared. “The bastard always ruins everything. I don’t care if he’s your uncle. I hate him.”
Ohtori stroked the shorter boy’s head. “If you were anyone else, you would have been fired on the spot.”
“Tch. I’m amazed I haven’t been- Wait. What do you mean by ‘anyone else?’”
Pulling Shishido into a tight hug, Ohtori replied, “Believe it or not, he and I are family. If someone I care about is in trouble, it’s only right for us to help, right? You’re part of the family too, in a way.”
“But I don’t even know the guy! Ugh, God…Choutarou-” Shishido’s voice broke. “You know I could have asked Atobe for help, right?”
“Atobe-san would have helped you, but you would’ve had to get on your knees and beg for it. This is a bit less humiliating, don’t you think?”
Shishido shuddered, knowing his boyfriend spoke the truth. He had been in that demeaning position before and was not willing to go there again if he could help it. His breath caught in his chest as he fought the urge to start weeping like a girl. Shishido balled his boyfriend’s shirt in his fists. “Thanks, Choutarou. Really. You gotta come here more often.”
“I promise I will. Happy Valentine’s day,” the younger boy said soothingly. He kissed Shishido’s lips gently.
“And you better not tease me next time.”
“Hai, hai. Now let’s go inside before we get in trouble.” Clutching Shishido’s hand, the taller boy steered them through the doorway. The little bell chimed as they entered, the thin sound echoing in the nearly vacant shop. The scrawny man at the counter glanced up, as if expecting customers. However, he only saw the two teenagers, holding hands and smiling as they returned to work. The man simply shook his head and ducked behind a rusty espresso machine, the dim light reflecting in his deep chocolate eyes.
Title: Bells and Chocolate
Pairing: Ohtori x Shishido
Genre: Romance
Rating: PG-13 (language, boys kissing)
Words: approx. 1820
Warnings/Notes: Semi-AU, set after Shishido graduates from high school. I wanted to write something a bit more serious/deeper than normal, but it seems I can't escape the fluff monster no matter how hard I try. Oh well. I still like the way this one turned out.
Disclaimer: No matter how much caffeine I give them, the pretty tennis boys are still not mine. *le sigh*
Dedicated to my friend and part-time beta
mystikphantom
The inspiration for this story came from the quote on a little angel teddy bear I have in my room: "Every time a bell rings, another angel earns his wings." Shishido isn't exactly an angel, but I took some creative liberties in the interpretation while writing this story. I think it fits well enough. ^_^ I'll stand back and see what y'all think.
Darien, I'm sorry this took so long. Please forgive me. *bows*
Bells and Chocolate
The tinkling of the bell in the heart-adorned doorway ruined the teenager’s hopes for an inconspicuous arrival. With an exasperated sigh, he quickly stuffed the plastic grocery bag he was carrying into his pocket and waited for the explosion.
“Shishido, you’re later than usual,” the weasel-like middle-aged man behind the counter said curtly, not looking up from the mocha he was stirring.
Shishido swallowed his tongue and darted behind the counter, avoiding eye contact. He hung his blue baseball cap on the coat rack, pulled his shoulder-length brown hair into a ponytail and grabbed a damp, soapy rag from the sink. Making sure his boss was preoccupied with more customers, the teen made a rude gesture and angrily began to scrub tables. Come closing time, he knew he would receive one hell of a lecture, as was the case every other time he ran into work late. If a place nearer to home had been hiring, he would have applied there in a heartbeat. In the meantime, he was stuck working the night shift at a hole-in-the-wall coffee shop on the other end of town. Really, it was a miracle he had managed to keep his job for six months.
He couldn’t complain, though. He needed the money, even if it meant working long hours for Satan’s bastard offspring. After graduating from high school, the rest of the former Hyotei regulars had gone off to college together, but the lone “poor kid” chose to stay behind. He could have taken (and passed) the college entrance exams, but there was no way his family could afford to send both him and his older to brother to college at the same time. Therefore, Shishido was determined to spend the year working his ass off cleaning tables until he earned enough to join his friends.
Of course, the naturally stubborn teenager had other, simpler motives for staying as well. His doubles partner of four years (and boyfriend of three and a half) was a year behind him in school. He had hoped to continue their relationship until they both went to college together, but it was a farsighted dream. Work quickly took over Shishido’s life and school Ohtori’s. The two made the most out of every sporadic late-night IM conversation, since seeing eachother face to face was completely out of the question. Shishido was never one to give up, however; he still bought Choutarou his annual box of birthday chocolates, even though he knew it was a waste of time and money.
Breathing a sigh of relief as he scrubbed the same coffee stain for the fifth time, the teen was glad his boss had been busy with customers when he arrived. He did not want to explain that he was late because he had been battling crowds of tittering schoolgirls at a convenience store. He winced, recalling the embarrassment.
“Waitress! Excuse me, waitress!” Shishido jumped and glared, realizing that someone was speaking to him. Tact and dignity aside, the longhaired teen threw the soapy rag down onto the table.
“What’s your problem?” he snarled in a very un-feminine voice. “Not what you were expecting, huh?”
“Shishi- I mean, Ryou-san?”
Now it was Shishido’s turn to be completely taken aback. Sitting in a small corner booth and blinking bemusedly as if he had just seen a ghost, was Ohtori. The younger boy smiled and waved nervously, his chocolate eyes sparkling despite the dim light.
“What the hell are you doing in this dump?” Shishido exploded, forgetting that there were other people in the restaurant. He pulled up a chair and sat quickly, his elbow barely missing his boyfriend’s mocha latte.
Choutarou chuckled and patted the instrument case occupying the seat next to him. “I’m playing tonight, since it’s a holiday.”
“But why here of all places? You’re good enough to get hired somewhere better…Mind if I have some of this, Choutarou?” Shishido asked, taking a sip from the steaming beverage.
The younger boy nodded and pointed at the man behind the counter. “He’s my uncle. I thought I told you that, Ryou-san.”
Shishido spewed, drenching his boyfriend in lukewarm coffee. In the back of his mind, the information sounded vaguely familiar, but he could not see any resemblance between his demonic boss and his blushing (and dripping) boyfriend. Handing Ohtori a napkin, Shishido exclaimed, “That bastard’s your uncle?”
Ohtori nodded, wiping the coffee off his face. “Hard to believe, I know. He’s not the most agreeable person.”
“Damn right he isn’t.” Shishido snorted.
“But he is a really nice man underneath it all,” Ohtori added, nodding.
For some reason, Shishido found this hard to believe. Uncomfortable, he shifted his weight in his chair. He jumped to his feet, the large bulge in his back pocket reminding him of his earlier purchase. The chair clattered to the floor.
“Ryou-san?”
Shishido pulled the rather squished heart-shaped box of chocolates out of his pocket and tossed it to the younger boy. “Happy birthday,” he said tersely.
Ohtori gasped, surprised. “You didn’t have to!”
The older boy rolled his eyes. “It’s your birthday. I can do whatever the hell I want for it. Besides, I’ve done this for the past four years now, so why should I stop?”
“But you’re so busy and we never see eachother…”
“Shut up, Choutarou. Just take them. I hate having to go into that store every year. The cashier gives me weird looks.”
“Thank you, Ryou-san,” Ohtori said with a smile, that soon changed into a mischievous smirk. “Although, you look enough like a girl now that she probably wouldn’t be able to tell. You even had me fooled.”
Shishido grumbled. “C’mon, let’s finish this outside. The boss’ll be over here in a minute wondering why the tables aren’t clean.” He grabbed Ohtori’s arm and proceeded to drag him out the door. The little bell chimed as the pair exited, but neither boy noticed. Ohtori’s uncle’s gaze momentarily flickered towards the retreating teens. Coughing, the older man shook his head and resumed polishing a coffee mug with a ratty dishtowel.
***
“Ryou-san, why are we going back here?” Ohtori asked as he was pulled behind the shop, away from the crowded street.
“Privacy,” Shishido replied simply.
“But we’re standing in front of a dumpster.”
“And your point is?”
“It’s not exactly romantic.”
“Since when have I been ‘romantic,’ Choutarou? This is our first time alone together in months and I don’t want someone interrupting us.”
“If someone did interrupt us, though, they probably wouldn’t see two guys together,” Ohtori said with a wink.
“Oh well, that spares YOU the embarrassment, then,” Shishido muttered angrily.
The glint back in his chocolate eyes, Ohtori reached forward and untied Shishido’s ponytail. Smiling, he ran his fingers through the sweaty brown strands in an attempt to comb out the crease. “I like your hair long, Ryou-san.”
Shishido withdrew, struck by a sudden thought. “Wait a minute. If you knew I was working here, then why haven’t you stopped by before?”
Ohtori smiled and resumed playing with the shorter boy’s hair. “I’ve been busy, but…I also wanted to wait until Valentine’s Day…so I could surprise you with a present too. I could have waited until White Day, but I decided not to.”
The older teen scowled. “From now on, you’re coming here every time you can, got it? No more waiting. I mean it. The last six months killed me.”
“Yes, Shishido-san,” Ohtori whispered cutely, reverting to his junior high nickname for his boyfriend. He leaned in and captured the shorter boy’s lips with his.
“I missed this,” Shishido whispered breathily into the kiss as he felt one of Ohtori’s arms snake around him. Making up for lost time, Shishido eagerly deepened the kiss. While their tongues tangled feverishly, he chuckled to himself; Ohtori still smelled like coffee. The spicy-sweet smell attacked the older teen’s nose as his boyfriend’s hand clutched the back of head, desperately pulling him even closer. With six months of pent up frustration threatening to overflow, Shishido quickly found himself beyond the limits of self-control. One hand trailed up Ohtori’s sculpted chest, brushing briefly against the cross necklace that he still wore dutifully. The other fumbled clumsily with his belt buckle.
“Ryou-” Ohtori panted, abruptly pulling back, his glazed brown eyes opened wide in shock.
“Hn?” Shishido mumbled, his lust-fogged brain trying to comprehend the situation.
“T-turn around.”
Behind him, he heard the reedy sound of someone clearing his throat. “Oh. Shit.”
“Hello, Uncle!” Ohtori said, feigning cheerfulness.
The older man cleared his throat again. “Shishido. You were supposed to take out the trash. First you’re late, and now this. Don’t expect me to keep paying you if you keep slacking off. Now get to work,” he said gruffly, then turned his body towards his nephew. “You too, Choutarou. You’re supposed to play tonight, remember? Honestly.” Without another word, the manager threw the trash bags into the dumpster and walked inside. The little bell told the pair that the coast was clear.
Turning to his boyfriend, Shishido flared. “The bastard always ruins everything. I don’t care if he’s your uncle. I hate him.”
Ohtori stroked the shorter boy’s head. “If you were anyone else, you would have been fired on the spot.”
“Tch. I’m amazed I haven’t been- Wait. What do you mean by ‘anyone else?’”
Pulling Shishido into a tight hug, Ohtori replied, “Believe it or not, he and I are family. If someone I care about is in trouble, it’s only right for us to help, right? You’re part of the family too, in a way.”
“But I don’t even know the guy! Ugh, God…Choutarou-” Shishido’s voice broke. “You know I could have asked Atobe for help, right?”
“Atobe-san would have helped you, but you would’ve had to get on your knees and beg for it. This is a bit less humiliating, don’t you think?”
Shishido shuddered, knowing his boyfriend spoke the truth. He had been in that demeaning position before and was not willing to go there again if he could help it. His breath caught in his chest as he fought the urge to start weeping like a girl. Shishido balled his boyfriend’s shirt in his fists. “Thanks, Choutarou. Really. You gotta come here more often.”
“I promise I will. Happy Valentine’s day,” the younger boy said soothingly. He kissed Shishido’s lips gently.
“And you better not tease me next time.”
“Hai, hai. Now let’s go inside before we get in trouble.” Clutching Shishido’s hand, the taller boy steered them through the doorway. The little bell chimed as they entered, the thin sound echoing in the nearly vacant shop. The scrawny man at the counter glanced up, as if expecting customers. However, he only saw the two teenagers, holding hands and smiling as they returned to work. The man simply shook his head and ducked behind a rusty espresso machine, the dim light reflecting in his deep chocolate eyes.