Destiny in a Picture - Chapter 3 [Aoi/Uruha]
Title: Destiny in a Picture
Chapters: 3 / 3
Author: venomousliberty
Genre: Romance and fluff
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Cheese. Lots of cheese.
Pairings: Aoi/Uruha or Yuu/Kouyou
Summary: The most beautiful being happens to walk in the restaurant Yuu is working for. He flashes his most captivating smile to catch her attention, only to find out that she's actually a man.
Comments: Yay! Final chapter. I apologize once again for the long wait. I’ve been busy with work and I’m sick and I’m also writing a lot of other fics so it took me time to whip up this last chapter. Please read on and enjoy~! ^^
Requested by: sweetmegami
Dedication: For deadlyscarlet. Happy birthday, my beloved BB~
Chapter Two
Chapter Three:
Yuu thought he was going to die... probably in the next ten seconds, which was not so far off since his heart was palpitating like a full-powered jackhammer inside his chest and was currently destroying every blood vessel connected to it and was crushing every piece of bone in his ribcage. He couldn’t hear anything but its rapid movement and the sound of his own breathing. But Yuu couldn’t die yet, not when he hadn’t even talked to Kouyou.
With dark worried eyes he gazed anxiously at the beige-colored door of the mens’ room. He was only a few steps away from Kouyou. All he needed to do was push the door open, get in and face the brunet. But what would he say? How would he strike a conversation with him? Surely, he couldn’t just say ‘hi’ and say ‘I like you’, right? He should have a good reason to talk to Kouyou, but what would his reasons be? As far as reasons go, the only purpose he had was that he liked the beautiful brunet, which was probably enough reason to man up and strike a conversation with the gorgeous being.
Rushing air into his lungs and gathering all his courage, he took a step forward and gently pushed the door open. He had no idea what he would say once he sees the brunet, but he was determined to say a word to him, even a short and lame ‘hi’. He felt his heart pound harder against his ribcage as he entered the comfort room and in a split second, his deep dark orbs had caught the sight of the gorgeous brunet.
Kouyou was standing in front of the sink, his eyes hooded and fixated on the slim piece of device he was holding in his hand as the raven had seen from his reflection in the mirror before him, his thin, perfectly-shaped brows creased in confusion. Obviously, the brunet was still unaware of his presence and would probably gasp in shock once he sees him there. Slowly approaching the beautiful creature, he forced a small smile on his lips and tried his best not to look away or melt like a puddle of goo when Kouyou finally gazed up at him.
-----
In Kouyou’s own world, it seemed that everything had suddenly stopped. He just couldn’t believe what he was seeing in the mirror. There, on the other side of the mens’ room was the handsome raven, his statuesque reflection staring right back at him.
With a startled gasp, he tore his eyes away from the mirror and directed his vision to where the real Shiroyama Yuu was standing. At first, he thought the reflection was just a pigment of his imagination, but Shiroyama Yuu was really there, in the mens’ room and he was alone with him. His mind suddenly blacked out. He didn’t know what to think, had no idea how to react nor what he should do, His heart was playing an extremely fast rhythm inside him, causing his blood to ring loudly in his ears.
So, Shiroyama Yuu was really there and the gorgeous raven was gazing back at him with an unreadable expression in his obsidian orbs and a megawatt smile on his impeccable face and he had no idea if he should smile back or continue gawking like a fish.
“Hi.” The charismatic waiter softly uttered and Kouyou’s heart went into overdrive.
Did he just... Did he just say hi to me?
He blinked at him, his mouth slightly opened in shock.
Damn! Shiroyama Yuu did just greet him!
-----
Meanwhile, Aoi’s facial muscles were starting to hurt. He was trying his best to keep his smile, especially because he was not coaxing a positive reaction from the brunet. Kouyou was just staring at him with a dumbfounded expression, as if he was a ghost who had decided to scare the living shit out of him in the comfort room. He started to worry. Maybe Kouyou was probably thinking that he was a psychopath because he suddenly went inside the mens’ room and was smiling at him like a lunatic. No. He didn’t want to scare Kouyou. That was the last thing he wanted. He had to do something to keep the brunet from running away from him, but how and what should he do?
Swallowing hard and thinking quickly, he decided to speak again. “Are you alright? I... I’m sorry if I scared you.” He sincerely apologized.
Kouyou released a deep, shaky sigh and clutched his heart to show that he did feel shocked and nervous. “Y-yes. I’m okay. I was just surprised.“ He replied in a deep trembling voice and looked away from him. He started fidgeting and tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear. “I... I think I should go.” He stammered and hastily made his way to the exit, leaving Yuu alone and gaping at the closed door.
-----
Kouyou was confused as hell when he got out of the mens’ room. He didn’t know what just happened. All he knew was just he was face to face with the current object of his attraction and in the next second he was walking away from Shiroyama Yuu who had just said hi to him. What the fuck was wrong with him? The man he thought he could never have finally approached him and what did he do? He ran away like a blushing virgin! He almost ran back to the table where Kai was waiting for him and desperately dragged his friend out of there, as if all of a sudden, Ristorante Hamasaki had abused him.
Kai looked weirdly at him, but nonetheless, adhered to his imposing actions and placed a hand over his trembling ones once they got out of the restaurant. “What’s wrong, Kou? You looked like you saw a ghost.” The cute brunet inquired with worry and confusion etched deep in his eyes.
The other brunet fought a blush to appear on his cheeks and hesitantly met his friend’s curious gaze. “Nothing. I... I just saw him in the comfort room.” He stuttered as he attempted to calm his out of control nerves.
“You saw him in there?” Kai instantly stopped in his tracks and asked him incredulously. “What did you do?”
Kouyou just stayed silent. He slowly evaded his former lover’s gaze and looked at the ground instead, ignoring the other presence around them, as if they weren’t in the middle of the sidewalk, as if no one existed, no people were walking and bustling around them, as if the world didn’t exist and it was just him and Kai and his stupid feelings which seemed to have grown stronger now that Shiroyama Yuu actually uttered a word to him.
Kai just stared back at him, sympathy and amusement gleaming in his eyes. “Kou...” He uttered lowly as he raised one hand and brought it to his friend’s crimson cheek. “It was your chance. Why did you runaway?”
A deep growl erupted from Kouyou’s throat. “I don’t know! I have no fucking idea! I just panicked and I couldn’t think so I left!” He replied with an equally bitter tone in his voice and shoved his hand inside his pants pocket, looking for his cellphone. God, he seriously needed to call Akira and vent, let his feelings out, scream, drink like there was no tomorrow, anything. Now that he had somehow regained his sanity, he realized that he had just blown his chance to be friends with the person that he liked. How could he be such a fool? He was so frustrated and disappointed with himself.
He continued to search for his phone as Kai rolled his eyes at him. His ex was probably disappointed at him as well and he couldn’t really blame him because he just let his chance slip through his fingers. Letting out another irritated groan, he shoved his other hand in his other remaining pocket and still didn’t find his cellphone. Where the hell was his phone? He was just holding it a while ago. Where did it go? Then all of a sudden, his heart was filled with dread and worry when he remembered where he had last used it.
-----
Aoi didn’t know how long he stared like a fool at the closed door of the restroom. He had not expected the brunet to react that way, to walk away and avoid him so eagerly as if he had an infectious disease. He had his one and only chance to talk to Kouyou, but it seemed that the brunet was scared of him or didn’t want to get close to him.
He slowly shook his head and took a deep breath. “Well, that didn’t go well.” He grumbled to himself and released the air he breathed into a long sigh, ignoring the painful ache in his chest. He had finally received the answer to the sole question which had been torturing his mind and heart these past few days and obviously, it was a sign that he had to give up on his feelings and forget about the beautiful creature who had shaken up his entire existence and turned him into gay the moment he laid eyes on him.
Letting out another defeated sigh, he placed his hands on his waist and straightened up. He had wanted to be alone for a while, accept the pain of his rejection and heartbreak, but he knew he had to go back to work and he couldn’t let his co-workers, especially Ruki, see or know how he truly felt. Thank goodness he only had an hour left till his shift ends. Maybe after his work was done, he could go back home, drink a few cans of beer and give himself a few hours... or days to wallow in his sadness. It was weird because this wasn’t the first time that he got heartbroken. He had been dump a few times by some of his ex-girlfriends but it was strange how a man he barely knew could cause him so much pain. He brushed his fingers through his hair and threw those thoughts to the deepest recesses of his mind. It was not the time to think about that. He should go back to work and busy himself with the remaining duties he had to do.
He slowly spun on his heels and was about to leave when a familiar song suddenly echoed through the entire comfort room. If he wasn’t mistaken, the song that was currently playing was Proudia by Born and he remembered how he often listened to it when he was trying to get over a breakup a few months ago. Curious, he momentarily ditched his initial plan of going back to work and delved further once more into the mens’ room, searching for the location where the loud sound was coming from.
The familiar track brought him to where Kouyou was standing from a while ago and there, on the marbled countertop near the sink, was a phone which was currently blinking and ringing. He approached the piece of device and saw the brunet’s mystery friend’s face flashing on the screen, indicating that Kouyou had accidentally left his phone in his hurry to leave. His heart began to beat erratically once again, hundreds of different emotions swirling inside him as he deeply contemplated on answering the phone or letting it ring.
-----
“It’s just ringing.” Kai informed Kouyou as they stood in front of a flower shop, only a few blocks away from Ristorante Hamasaki. When the brunet realized that he had forgotten his phone in the restaurant, Kai had suggested that they go back to retrieve it, but he refused because he didn’t want to see Yuu again. Although his heart immensely desired to see him one last time, he knew he shouldn’t. It was better for him to kill these feelings before they become too deep... to unbearable. Thus, Kai tried to call his phone, hoping that someone had found it and would pick up his call. “Maybe it’s still in the mens’ room. We should go back for it, Kou.” The other brunet suggested.
Kouyou sighed and thought that maybe he had no choice but to go back. He just had to hope that he wouldn’t see Shiroyama Yuu again or else he might do something embarrassing, like passing out in the restaurant in front of the enigmatic raven. Just when he was about to agree to his friend’s proposition, Kai’s face immediately lit up and quickly shoved the phone towards him. He looked panickingly at his friend first and immediately brought the phone to his ear when Kai mouthed that someone had answered.
Tentatively and with a shaky voice, he spoke. “H-hello?”
He expected someone to respond to him, but silence was the only thing he heard. He returned Kai’s questioning eyes with a bewildered look. Did someone really answer the phone?
“Hello?” He uttered once more, hoping to coax a reply from the person on the other line.
He heard someone taking a deep breath, then, “Hello?”
His heart instantly skipped a beat, then began beating like crazy, its pace quickly increasing, becoming faster and faster as he recognized that voice.
“Y-you... left your phone here.” Shiroyama’s deep, hypnotizing voice flowed in his ear, making his entire body shiver in mixed glee and distress.
He felt his cheeks burned and for a second, he considered hanging up, but why would he hang up? Why the hell was he even acting like a shy, lovestruck fool in the first place? Why would he feel so scared and so shy of talking to Shiroyama Yuu when there was a possibility that the other man wasn’t probably straight as he had thought and was probably interested in him as well?
Swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat, he gathered his wits and tried to calm himself and not look like a flustered cretin in front of Kai, who was now flashing a shit-eating grin on his charming face. “I... know. I’ll go back there to get it. T-thanks.” He replied, slightly amazed that he didn’t stutter that much despite the rapid beating of his heart.
“Okay.” The waiter replied and hung up.
Kouyou was then left staring at Kai’s cellphone with a stupefied expression on his face. He just talked to Shiroyama Yuu again and the handsome god had his phone.
Shiroyama Yuu... had... his... phone.
My phone...
He has it.
…
…
…
Oh shit! He’ll see my screensaver!
-----
Yuu was pretty much in a state of shock when he ended the call. He had just talked to Kouyou, again, and he felt like he had just won a million bucks in the lottery and felt as if his heart was ripped out of his chest at the same time. He would meet the brunet once again and he wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing since the last time they met, which was only a few minutes ago, the aloof beauty was all too eager to avoid him. Discomfort was also apparent in his voice when they talked on the phone which made him feel more anxious. He hoped Kouyou wouldn’t act like that towards him again, or rather, he hoped he wouldn’t do something to scare the other man away.
But this was his last chance, if things still didn’t progressed or if Kouyou still acted awkwardly towards him, he swore to himself that he would finally give up on his feelings and accept that in one point of his life, he fell in love with a guy. After this, he would go back to his normal self and would find a new girlfriend that would shower him with love and affection.
I fucking swear I’d do that.
He looked at the phone in his hand again and pressed the home button for no specific reason. He had no intention to play with the brunet’s phone, he just pushed it for the need to fumble with something since he was feeling anxious, but when the screen flashed to life once more, he saw something that made him almost have a heart attack and saw the beacon of light shining down upon him.
-----
Kouyou was silently fuming as he walked back to the restaurant alone. Kai had suddenly spout some senseless excuse about having to come home early and told him that he had to face the handsome raven, stop acting like a pathetic fool and start doing something about his feelings.
Do something about his feelings? How could he when he was just scared to do just that. He wasn’t sure if Yuu was really interested in him, but if he really wanted to find out, the only way was to see him again, right? If ever he was hanging on false hopes again, he should just move on, just like he did when he was rejected by his previous love interests. Yes, that’s right. That was the right thing to do.
He tried to concentrate on walking back to the establishment, he was hoping that the raven didn’t try to do anything in his phone or else he would be seeing that picture of them which he had used as his screensaver. If ever, he had no idea what he’d do if Shiroyama Yuu had seen it and would confront him about it.
He felt a little relieved and let out a small sigh when he saw the huge sign that hung on the restaurant’s roof, but his relief was short-lived, however, when he saw the perfect visage of Shiroyama Yuu standing in front of the eating place. The handsome waiter was still wearing his uniform and he looked calm, albeit a little... nervous?
Agitation washed over him once again and just like what happened to him in the mens’ room a while ago, he felt as if his knees had turned to jelly and he didn’t have enough strength to keep himself upright, scared of approaching the handsome man not a few feet away from him. Still, he kept walking and tried to put on a calm, composed expression on his face.
Surprise was evident in Yuu’s face when he saw him. Then, the raven flashed a dazzling, yet shy smile that instantly took his breath away and destroyed the calm facade he had worked so hard to establish.
-----
Yuu felt surprisingly confident, not to mention happy when he saw Kouyou again. Of course, fear was still dwelling somewhere inside his chest but he definitely felt calmer now and more composed, especially after looking at the special feature the brunet had in his cellphone.
A wide smile quickly curved up on his lips as the gorgeous brunet approached him. As always, his heart almost leaped out of his chest when the mesmerizing creature meekly smiled back at him. Kouyou looked so beautiful and he was still avoiding his gaze, but he also looked as if he was trying not to look away.
“Uh... hi.” Kouyou greeted apprehensively.
“Hello.” Yuu answered, thankful that his voice didn’t come out shaky or whatever. He carefully held out his hand, offering the other man’s cellphone. “Here’s your phone.”
Kouyou hesitantly reached for it, a gasp almost escaping his throat when their hands touched and a delicious jolt of electricity ran through his skin. “Thank you.” He softly said and looked up, smiling at the handsome waiter and finally meeting his deep dusky orbs.
Yuu stared back and held the beautiful brunet’s gaze. He didn’t know how long they looked at each other but he felt that it was the right time to say something... anything to catch Kouyou’s attention and keep him from running away again. “I saw your screensaver.” He blurted, causing Kouyou’s eyes to widen in surprise and fear.
Kouyou gasped and suddenly wanted to die. He felt as if he was on the verge of pulling his hair out of his scalp and bashing his head on the nearest wall so he could die a slow, painful death and escape whatever hateful words Shiroyama Yuu would hurl at him. Much to his horror, the other man had seen his screensaver and there was no use denying his feelings. He knew that whatever lies or excuses he spouted, Yuu wouldn’t believe him because he was already caught. “Oh...” He only managed to utter as he tried to think of something to say, but failed because his mind was too messed up to even think properly. He slowly averted his gaze and focused his eyes on the ground, feeling his entire face burn in disgrace.
Yuu on the other hand, began to feel worried upon seeing the distressed look on Kouyou’s face. The brunet was obviously ashamed and he didn’t intend to make him feel that way. Suddenly panicking, he just allowed his mouth to move and began blurting incoherent things. “I’m straight!”
Another gasp escaped Kouyou, hurt plainly reflecting in his beautiful features. Of course, Yuu was straight. He was straight and he knew that. He had no chance to be liked by this attractive human being. He was already aware of that fact since day one. He bit his lip hard and tried his best not to look up and see what expression Yuu had on his face.
“I mean I was straight!” Yuu blurted again, trepidation evident in his voice. “I was straight and then I met you and I just... I just felt weird. I mean, not weird in a bad way it’s just that I couldn’t stop thinking of you!”
This time, the brunet couldn’t help but look up and stare back at Yuu, whose face was as flushed and red as his. His beautiful obsidian orbs, though gleaming with overwhelming edginess, were also conveying sincerity. He blinked and gawked at the rambling male before him. Did he just hear that right? Yuu couldn’t stop thinking of him? How? Why? Fuck.
“And... and there was also a time when I dreamed of you and well, I thought it was strange because it wasn’t... I mean, it was an innocent dream, of course. I didn’t have any wet dreams of you, whatsoever. I just find it strange that I dreamed of you when I barely know you and...” Yuu kept on blathering. Wait, what the fuck was he saying? He should seriously be careful of the words he was spouting, but he couldn’t stop himself from talking. It was as if his mouth suddenly had a mind of its own and it wouldn’t listen to him. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that I probably like you, haha! Hahahaha!” He finally confessed as he scratched the back of his head and began laughing stupidly as he eagerly yet fearfully waited for any reaction from the gorgeous being in front of him.
Kouyou just looked back at Yuu, still shocked, dumbfounded and probably unable to speak forever. Yuu liked him? Did he seriously just hear him say that? Did he really just hear Yuu say that he liked him? He was probably dreaming.
They just looked at each other. Yuu was still laughing like a hyena, as if chuckling like mad would save him from all the embarrassing shit he had just confessed while Kouyou just stared back at him. Damn it! Maybe Kouyou was thinking that he was really a lunatic and he was thinking of ways to get away from him. But if Kouyou didn’t really like him, how come he had used that picture as his screensaver on his phone? There must be a reason why the brunet had done that.
Trying to get a grip of himself, he ran his fingers through his now messy mop of hair and chuckled awkwardly. “Of... of course, I’m... I’m not sure yet of my feelings! I mean, I’m straight and maybe I’m just confused but maybe if we kissed or something, I’d know the answer! Of course, I’m not asking you to kiss me since we’re in the middle of the street and I’m still on duty and I have to go back to work real soon and you probably don’t want to kiss me because I’m acting like an outlandish idiot right now! Argh! What the fuck am I saying? Just... just forget about what I said and--”
-----
It was sudden, so sudden, even Kouyou had no idea what just happened. His body just automatically moved on its own, commanded and nagged by his heart when he heard the raven said something like wanting to kiss him to prove if he really had feelings for him and in the spur of the moment, he just did. He took a step forward, grabbed Yuu’s face and smashed their lips together. He didn’t care if they were in public, if other people would see them, if Yuu was still on duty or would be seen by his boss or his co-workers, he just needed to do this and felt the entire universe exhaled once he felt the raven’s soft lips against his own, when he felt that seductive lip ring press against his bottom lip, when he finally had a taste of Shiroyama Yuu.
As for Yuu, it took him a good three seconds to actually make out what was happening and when he did, he had no choice but to close his eyes and revel on the wonderful sensation of Kouyou’s lips pressed against his own, allowing himself a sweet taste of the brunet’s plush cherry lips. Kouyou tasted better than in his dreams or his fantasies and he couldn’t believe that the gorgeous brunet, the beautiful being which suddenly became the center of his universe was kissing him. Of course he didn’t intend to ask a kiss from Kouyou to sort out his feelings. He already knew what they were, but since he had a smart mouth, he couldn’t stop himself from blurting out such words. But if someone were to ask him if he regretted suddenly rambling like a crazy mental patient and suggesting a kiss in front of Kouyou, his answer would be no. He didn’t regret anything. In fact, he was thankful for his dumb actions because if it hadn’t been for it, Kouyou wouldn’t have kissed him.
They probably stayed like that for minutes, maybe hours, none of them really cared. They probably got weird or amused looks from passersby, Yuu might’ve been seen by his boss or his co-workers or Ruki, but they didn’t give a damn. In that special moment, their life revolved around that one sweet kiss.
Eventually, they had to stop and peel themselves away from each other. With a heavy heart, Kouyou carefully tore his lips away from Yuu and slowly opened his eyes, his auburn saucers looking hopefully at the raven’s face. Yuu also slid his eyes open, Kouyou’s beautiful face instantly greeting him.
A small smile languidly appeared on Kouyou’s swollen lips. “Did that confirm your feelings?” He whispered. He was amazed at how his fear had suddenly disappeared and was replaced with excitement, exhilaration for what was going to happen to him in his life in the future.
Yuu grinned back and tried to catch his breath, his chest overwhelming with too many emotions. Now that he had confirmed that Kouyou had mutual feelings for him, it was the perfect time to do his next move. “I’ll get off from work in twenty minutes.” He began. “Would you like to... go out for coffee with me?” He asked, his voice full of hope and anticipation as he panted. He felt weird having the kiss first than the date, but well, what happened has already happened. He couldn’t take it back and neither did he want to.
Kouyou’s smile became wider upon hearing the invitation. Right now, that was the only thing he wanted. “I’d love to.”
Thus, they went out for coffee and things went well for them after that. It was astonishing how both of them first felt as if they had no chance with each other, how they crushed their own hopes and desires because of unneeded doubts and because they were too blind and scared to act on their feelings and how a single mistake and a single picture suddenly changed everything.
------
A/N: Cheesy. That was so fucking cheesy. I am high on cold medicine while writing this so forgive me if you didn’t like the cheese. This ending was different from what I originally planned, but I am somehow satisfied with it. A desperate, blabbering Yuu and a flushed Uruha never fails to amuse me. Now, you can all kill me because of the huge amount of cheese I forced down your throats. *sweatdrops* Anyways, thank you so much for reading. I hope you liked it and if you do, please tell me what you think because comments are love. *^^*
I also want to thank my fanfic twin, ringo_suki_desu for writing an Aoi/Uruha fic for me. I didn’t expect her to do such a thing, but alas, she had surprised me with it today and it was made of pure, fucking win. And since it is epic, I’ll share the link to anyone who would like to read it: CLICK ME! Read it! I suggest you to try it out ‘coz it’s awesome. Let’s motivate her to post it in a Gazette fanfic community. XD
Chapters: 3 / 3
Author: venomousliberty
Genre: Romance and fluff
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Cheese. Lots of cheese.
Pairings: Aoi/Uruha or Yuu/Kouyou
Summary: The most beautiful being happens to walk in the restaurant Yuu is working for. He flashes his most captivating smile to catch her attention, only to find out that she's actually a man.
Comments: Yay! Final chapter. I apologize once again for the long wait. I’ve been busy with work and I’m sick and I’m also writing a lot of other fics so it took me time to whip up this last chapter. Please read on and enjoy~! ^^
Requested by: sweetmegami
Dedication: For deadlyscarlet. Happy birthday, my beloved BB~
Chapter Two
Chapter Three:
Yuu thought he was going to die... probably in the next ten seconds, which was not so far off since his heart was palpitating like a full-powered jackhammer inside his chest and was currently destroying every blood vessel connected to it and was crushing every piece of bone in his ribcage. He couldn’t hear anything but its rapid movement and the sound of his own breathing. But Yuu couldn’t die yet, not when he hadn’t even talked to Kouyou.
With dark worried eyes he gazed anxiously at the beige-colored door of the mens’ room. He was only a few steps away from Kouyou. All he needed to do was push the door open, get in and face the brunet. But what would he say? How would he strike a conversation with him? Surely, he couldn’t just say ‘hi’ and say ‘I like you’, right? He should have a good reason to talk to Kouyou, but what would his reasons be? As far as reasons go, the only purpose he had was that he liked the beautiful brunet, which was probably enough reason to man up and strike a conversation with the gorgeous being.
Rushing air into his lungs and gathering all his courage, he took a step forward and gently pushed the door open. He had no idea what he would say once he sees the brunet, but he was determined to say a word to him, even a short and lame ‘hi’. He felt his heart pound harder against his ribcage as he entered the comfort room and in a split second, his deep dark orbs had caught the sight of the gorgeous brunet.
Kouyou was standing in front of the sink, his eyes hooded and fixated on the slim piece of device he was holding in his hand as the raven had seen from his reflection in the mirror before him, his thin, perfectly-shaped brows creased in confusion. Obviously, the brunet was still unaware of his presence and would probably gasp in shock once he sees him there. Slowly approaching the beautiful creature, he forced a small smile on his lips and tried his best not to look away or melt like a puddle of goo when Kouyou finally gazed up at him.
-----
In Kouyou’s own world, it seemed that everything had suddenly stopped. He just couldn’t believe what he was seeing in the mirror. There, on the other side of the mens’ room was the handsome raven, his statuesque reflection staring right back at him.
With a startled gasp, he tore his eyes away from the mirror and directed his vision to where the real Shiroyama Yuu was standing. At first, he thought the reflection was just a pigment of his imagination, but Shiroyama Yuu was really there, in the mens’ room and he was alone with him. His mind suddenly blacked out. He didn’t know what to think, had no idea how to react nor what he should do, His heart was playing an extremely fast rhythm inside him, causing his blood to ring loudly in his ears.
So, Shiroyama Yuu was really there and the gorgeous raven was gazing back at him with an unreadable expression in his obsidian orbs and a megawatt smile on his impeccable face and he had no idea if he should smile back or continue gawking like a fish.
“Hi.” The charismatic waiter softly uttered and Kouyou’s heart went into overdrive.
Did he just... Did he just say hi to me?
He blinked at him, his mouth slightly opened in shock.
Damn! Shiroyama Yuu did just greet him!
-----
Meanwhile, Aoi’s facial muscles were starting to hurt. He was trying his best to keep his smile, especially because he was not coaxing a positive reaction from the brunet. Kouyou was just staring at him with a dumbfounded expression, as if he was a ghost who had decided to scare the living shit out of him in the comfort room. He started to worry. Maybe Kouyou was probably thinking that he was a psychopath because he suddenly went inside the mens’ room and was smiling at him like a lunatic. No. He didn’t want to scare Kouyou. That was the last thing he wanted. He had to do something to keep the brunet from running away from him, but how and what should he do?
Swallowing hard and thinking quickly, he decided to speak again. “Are you alright? I... I’m sorry if I scared you.” He sincerely apologized.
Kouyou released a deep, shaky sigh and clutched his heart to show that he did feel shocked and nervous. “Y-yes. I’m okay. I was just surprised.“ He replied in a deep trembling voice and looked away from him. He started fidgeting and tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear. “I... I think I should go.” He stammered and hastily made his way to the exit, leaving Yuu alone and gaping at the closed door.
-----
Kouyou was confused as hell when he got out of the mens’ room. He didn’t know what just happened. All he knew was just he was face to face with the current object of his attraction and in the next second he was walking away from Shiroyama Yuu who had just said hi to him. What the fuck was wrong with him? The man he thought he could never have finally approached him and what did he do? He ran away like a blushing virgin! He almost ran back to the table where Kai was waiting for him and desperately dragged his friend out of there, as if all of a sudden, Ristorante Hamasaki had abused him.
Kai looked weirdly at him, but nonetheless, adhered to his imposing actions and placed a hand over his trembling ones once they got out of the restaurant. “What’s wrong, Kou? You looked like you saw a ghost.” The cute brunet inquired with worry and confusion etched deep in his eyes.
The other brunet fought a blush to appear on his cheeks and hesitantly met his friend’s curious gaze. “Nothing. I... I just saw him in the comfort room.” He stuttered as he attempted to calm his out of control nerves.
“You saw him in there?” Kai instantly stopped in his tracks and asked him incredulously. “What did you do?”
Kouyou just stayed silent. He slowly evaded his former lover’s gaze and looked at the ground instead, ignoring the other presence around them, as if they weren’t in the middle of the sidewalk, as if no one existed, no people were walking and bustling around them, as if the world didn’t exist and it was just him and Kai and his stupid feelings which seemed to have grown stronger now that Shiroyama Yuu actually uttered a word to him.
Kai just stared back at him, sympathy and amusement gleaming in his eyes. “Kou...” He uttered lowly as he raised one hand and brought it to his friend’s crimson cheek. “It was your chance. Why did you runaway?”
A deep growl erupted from Kouyou’s throat. “I don’t know! I have no fucking idea! I just panicked and I couldn’t think so I left!” He replied with an equally bitter tone in his voice and shoved his hand inside his pants pocket, looking for his cellphone. God, he seriously needed to call Akira and vent, let his feelings out, scream, drink like there was no tomorrow, anything. Now that he had somehow regained his sanity, he realized that he had just blown his chance to be friends with the person that he liked. How could he be such a fool? He was so frustrated and disappointed with himself.
He continued to search for his phone as Kai rolled his eyes at him. His ex was probably disappointed at him as well and he couldn’t really blame him because he just let his chance slip through his fingers. Letting out another irritated groan, he shoved his other hand in his other remaining pocket and still didn’t find his cellphone. Where the hell was his phone? He was just holding it a while ago. Where did it go? Then all of a sudden, his heart was filled with dread and worry when he remembered where he had last used it.
-----
Aoi didn’t know how long he stared like a fool at the closed door of the restroom. He had not expected the brunet to react that way, to walk away and avoid him so eagerly as if he had an infectious disease. He had his one and only chance to talk to Kouyou, but it seemed that the brunet was scared of him or didn’t want to get close to him.
He slowly shook his head and took a deep breath. “Well, that didn’t go well.” He grumbled to himself and released the air he breathed into a long sigh, ignoring the painful ache in his chest. He had finally received the answer to the sole question which had been torturing his mind and heart these past few days and obviously, it was a sign that he had to give up on his feelings and forget about the beautiful creature who had shaken up his entire existence and turned him into gay the moment he laid eyes on him.
Letting out another defeated sigh, he placed his hands on his waist and straightened up. He had wanted to be alone for a while, accept the pain of his rejection and heartbreak, but he knew he had to go back to work and he couldn’t let his co-workers, especially Ruki, see or know how he truly felt. Thank goodness he only had an hour left till his shift ends. Maybe after his work was done, he could go back home, drink a few cans of beer and give himself a few hours... or days to wallow in his sadness. It was weird because this wasn’t the first time that he got heartbroken. He had been dump a few times by some of his ex-girlfriends but it was strange how a man he barely knew could cause him so much pain. He brushed his fingers through his hair and threw those thoughts to the deepest recesses of his mind. It was not the time to think about that. He should go back to work and busy himself with the remaining duties he had to do.
He slowly spun on his heels and was about to leave when a familiar song suddenly echoed through the entire comfort room. If he wasn’t mistaken, the song that was currently playing was Proudia by Born and he remembered how he often listened to it when he was trying to get over a breakup a few months ago. Curious, he momentarily ditched his initial plan of going back to work and delved further once more into the mens’ room, searching for the location where the loud sound was coming from.
The familiar track brought him to where Kouyou was standing from a while ago and there, on the marbled countertop near the sink, was a phone which was currently blinking and ringing. He approached the piece of device and saw the brunet’s mystery friend’s face flashing on the screen, indicating that Kouyou had accidentally left his phone in his hurry to leave. His heart began to beat erratically once again, hundreds of different emotions swirling inside him as he deeply contemplated on answering the phone or letting it ring.
-----
“It’s just ringing.” Kai informed Kouyou as they stood in front of a flower shop, only a few blocks away from Ristorante Hamasaki. When the brunet realized that he had forgotten his phone in the restaurant, Kai had suggested that they go back to retrieve it, but he refused because he didn’t want to see Yuu again. Although his heart immensely desired to see him one last time, he knew he shouldn’t. It was better for him to kill these feelings before they become too deep... to unbearable. Thus, Kai tried to call his phone, hoping that someone had found it and would pick up his call. “Maybe it’s still in the mens’ room. We should go back for it, Kou.” The other brunet suggested.
Kouyou sighed and thought that maybe he had no choice but to go back. He just had to hope that he wouldn’t see Shiroyama Yuu again or else he might do something embarrassing, like passing out in the restaurant in front of the enigmatic raven. Just when he was about to agree to his friend’s proposition, Kai’s face immediately lit up and quickly shoved the phone towards him. He looked panickingly at his friend first and immediately brought the phone to his ear when Kai mouthed that someone had answered.
Tentatively and with a shaky voice, he spoke. “H-hello?”
He expected someone to respond to him, but silence was the only thing he heard. He returned Kai’s questioning eyes with a bewildered look. Did someone really answer the phone?
“Hello?” He uttered once more, hoping to coax a reply from the person on the other line.
He heard someone taking a deep breath, then, “Hello?”
His heart instantly skipped a beat, then began beating like crazy, its pace quickly increasing, becoming faster and faster as he recognized that voice.
“Y-you... left your phone here.” Shiroyama’s deep, hypnotizing voice flowed in his ear, making his entire body shiver in mixed glee and distress.
He felt his cheeks burned and for a second, he considered hanging up, but why would he hang up? Why the hell was he even acting like a shy, lovestruck fool in the first place? Why would he feel so scared and so shy of talking to Shiroyama Yuu when there was a possibility that the other man wasn’t probably straight as he had thought and was probably interested in him as well?
Swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat, he gathered his wits and tried to calm himself and not look like a flustered cretin in front of Kai, who was now flashing a shit-eating grin on his charming face. “I... know. I’ll go back there to get it. T-thanks.” He replied, slightly amazed that he didn’t stutter that much despite the rapid beating of his heart.
“Okay.” The waiter replied and hung up.
Kouyou was then left staring at Kai’s cellphone with a stupefied expression on his face. He just talked to Shiroyama Yuu again and the handsome god had his phone.
Shiroyama Yuu... had... his... phone.
My phone...
He has it.
…
…
…
Oh shit! He’ll see my screensaver!
-----
Yuu was pretty much in a state of shock when he ended the call. He had just talked to Kouyou, again, and he felt like he had just won a million bucks in the lottery and felt as if his heart was ripped out of his chest at the same time. He would meet the brunet once again and he wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing since the last time they met, which was only a few minutes ago, the aloof beauty was all too eager to avoid him. Discomfort was also apparent in his voice when they talked on the phone which made him feel more anxious. He hoped Kouyou wouldn’t act like that towards him again, or rather, he hoped he wouldn’t do something to scare the other man away.
But this was his last chance, if things still didn’t progressed or if Kouyou still acted awkwardly towards him, he swore to himself that he would finally give up on his feelings and accept that in one point of his life, he fell in love with a guy. After this, he would go back to his normal self and would find a new girlfriend that would shower him with love and affection.
I fucking swear I’d do that.
He looked at the phone in his hand again and pressed the home button for no specific reason. He had no intention to play with the brunet’s phone, he just pushed it for the need to fumble with something since he was feeling anxious, but when the screen flashed to life once more, he saw something that made him almost have a heart attack and saw the beacon of light shining down upon him.
-----
Kouyou was silently fuming as he walked back to the restaurant alone. Kai had suddenly spout some senseless excuse about having to come home early and told him that he had to face the handsome raven, stop acting like a pathetic fool and start doing something about his feelings.
Do something about his feelings? How could he when he was just scared to do just that. He wasn’t sure if Yuu was really interested in him, but if he really wanted to find out, the only way was to see him again, right? If ever he was hanging on false hopes again, he should just move on, just like he did when he was rejected by his previous love interests. Yes, that’s right. That was the right thing to do.
He tried to concentrate on walking back to the establishment, he was hoping that the raven didn’t try to do anything in his phone or else he would be seeing that picture of them which he had used as his screensaver. If ever, he had no idea what he’d do if Shiroyama Yuu had seen it and would confront him about it.
He felt a little relieved and let out a small sigh when he saw the huge sign that hung on the restaurant’s roof, but his relief was short-lived, however, when he saw the perfect visage of Shiroyama Yuu standing in front of the eating place. The handsome waiter was still wearing his uniform and he looked calm, albeit a little... nervous?
Agitation washed over him once again and just like what happened to him in the mens’ room a while ago, he felt as if his knees had turned to jelly and he didn’t have enough strength to keep himself upright, scared of approaching the handsome man not a few feet away from him. Still, he kept walking and tried to put on a calm, composed expression on his face.
Surprise was evident in Yuu’s face when he saw him. Then, the raven flashed a dazzling, yet shy smile that instantly took his breath away and destroyed the calm facade he had worked so hard to establish.
-----
Yuu felt surprisingly confident, not to mention happy when he saw Kouyou again. Of course, fear was still dwelling somewhere inside his chest but he definitely felt calmer now and more composed, especially after looking at the special feature the brunet had in his cellphone.
A wide smile quickly curved up on his lips as the gorgeous brunet approached him. As always, his heart almost leaped out of his chest when the mesmerizing creature meekly smiled back at him. Kouyou looked so beautiful and he was still avoiding his gaze, but he also looked as if he was trying not to look away.
“Uh... hi.” Kouyou greeted apprehensively.
“Hello.” Yuu answered, thankful that his voice didn’t come out shaky or whatever. He carefully held out his hand, offering the other man’s cellphone. “Here’s your phone.”
Kouyou hesitantly reached for it, a gasp almost escaping his throat when their hands touched and a delicious jolt of electricity ran through his skin. “Thank you.” He softly said and looked up, smiling at the handsome waiter and finally meeting his deep dusky orbs.
Yuu stared back and held the beautiful brunet’s gaze. He didn’t know how long they looked at each other but he felt that it was the right time to say something... anything to catch Kouyou’s attention and keep him from running away again. “I saw your screensaver.” He blurted, causing Kouyou’s eyes to widen in surprise and fear.
Kouyou gasped and suddenly wanted to die. He felt as if he was on the verge of pulling his hair out of his scalp and bashing his head on the nearest wall so he could die a slow, painful death and escape whatever hateful words Shiroyama Yuu would hurl at him. Much to his horror, the other man had seen his screensaver and there was no use denying his feelings. He knew that whatever lies or excuses he spouted, Yuu wouldn’t believe him because he was already caught. “Oh...” He only managed to utter as he tried to think of something to say, but failed because his mind was too messed up to even think properly. He slowly averted his gaze and focused his eyes on the ground, feeling his entire face burn in disgrace.
Yuu on the other hand, began to feel worried upon seeing the distressed look on Kouyou’s face. The brunet was obviously ashamed and he didn’t intend to make him feel that way. Suddenly panicking, he just allowed his mouth to move and began blurting incoherent things. “I’m straight!”
Another gasp escaped Kouyou, hurt plainly reflecting in his beautiful features. Of course, Yuu was straight. He was straight and he knew that. He had no chance to be liked by this attractive human being. He was already aware of that fact since day one. He bit his lip hard and tried his best not to look up and see what expression Yuu had on his face.
“I mean I was straight!” Yuu blurted again, trepidation evident in his voice. “I was straight and then I met you and I just... I just felt weird. I mean, not weird in a bad way it’s just that I couldn’t stop thinking of you!”
This time, the brunet couldn’t help but look up and stare back at Yuu, whose face was as flushed and red as his. His beautiful obsidian orbs, though gleaming with overwhelming edginess, were also conveying sincerity. He blinked and gawked at the rambling male before him. Did he just hear that right? Yuu couldn’t stop thinking of him? How? Why? Fuck.
“And... and there was also a time when I dreamed of you and well, I thought it was strange because it wasn’t... I mean, it was an innocent dream, of course. I didn’t have any wet dreams of you, whatsoever. I just find it strange that I dreamed of you when I barely know you and...” Yuu kept on blathering. Wait, what the fuck was he saying? He should seriously be careful of the words he was spouting, but he couldn’t stop himself from talking. It was as if his mouth suddenly had a mind of its own and it wouldn’t listen to him. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that I probably like you, haha! Hahahaha!” He finally confessed as he scratched the back of his head and began laughing stupidly as he eagerly yet fearfully waited for any reaction from the gorgeous being in front of him.
Kouyou just looked back at Yuu, still shocked, dumbfounded and probably unable to speak forever. Yuu liked him? Did he seriously just hear him say that? Did he really just hear Yuu say that he liked him? He was probably dreaming.
They just looked at each other. Yuu was still laughing like a hyena, as if chuckling like mad would save him from all the embarrassing shit he had just confessed while Kouyou just stared back at him. Damn it! Maybe Kouyou was thinking that he was really a lunatic and he was thinking of ways to get away from him. But if Kouyou didn’t really like him, how come he had used that picture as his screensaver on his phone? There must be a reason why the brunet had done that.
Trying to get a grip of himself, he ran his fingers through his now messy mop of hair and chuckled awkwardly. “Of... of course, I’m... I’m not sure yet of my feelings! I mean, I’m straight and maybe I’m just confused but maybe if we kissed or something, I’d know the answer! Of course, I’m not asking you to kiss me since we’re in the middle of the street and I’m still on duty and I have to go back to work real soon and you probably don’t want to kiss me because I’m acting like an outlandish idiot right now! Argh! What the fuck am I saying? Just... just forget about what I said and--”
-----
It was sudden, so sudden, even Kouyou had no idea what just happened. His body just automatically moved on its own, commanded and nagged by his heart when he heard the raven said something like wanting to kiss him to prove if he really had feelings for him and in the spur of the moment, he just did. He took a step forward, grabbed Yuu’s face and smashed their lips together. He didn’t care if they were in public, if other people would see them, if Yuu was still on duty or would be seen by his boss or his co-workers, he just needed to do this and felt the entire universe exhaled once he felt the raven’s soft lips against his own, when he felt that seductive lip ring press against his bottom lip, when he finally had a taste of Shiroyama Yuu.
As for Yuu, it took him a good three seconds to actually make out what was happening and when he did, he had no choice but to close his eyes and revel on the wonderful sensation of Kouyou’s lips pressed against his own, allowing himself a sweet taste of the brunet’s plush cherry lips. Kouyou tasted better than in his dreams or his fantasies and he couldn’t believe that the gorgeous brunet, the beautiful being which suddenly became the center of his universe was kissing him. Of course he didn’t intend to ask a kiss from Kouyou to sort out his feelings. He already knew what they were, but since he had a smart mouth, he couldn’t stop himself from blurting out such words. But if someone were to ask him if he regretted suddenly rambling like a crazy mental patient and suggesting a kiss in front of Kouyou, his answer would be no. He didn’t regret anything. In fact, he was thankful for his dumb actions because if it hadn’t been for it, Kouyou wouldn’t have kissed him.
They probably stayed like that for minutes, maybe hours, none of them really cared. They probably got weird or amused looks from passersby, Yuu might’ve been seen by his boss or his co-workers or Ruki, but they didn’t give a damn. In that special moment, their life revolved around that one sweet kiss.
Eventually, they had to stop and peel themselves away from each other. With a heavy heart, Kouyou carefully tore his lips away from Yuu and slowly opened his eyes, his auburn saucers looking hopefully at the raven’s face. Yuu also slid his eyes open, Kouyou’s beautiful face instantly greeting him.
A small smile languidly appeared on Kouyou’s swollen lips. “Did that confirm your feelings?” He whispered. He was amazed at how his fear had suddenly disappeared and was replaced with excitement, exhilaration for what was going to happen to him in his life in the future.
Yuu grinned back and tried to catch his breath, his chest overwhelming with too many emotions. Now that he had confirmed that Kouyou had mutual feelings for him, it was the perfect time to do his next move. “I’ll get off from work in twenty minutes.” He began. “Would you like to... go out for coffee with me?” He asked, his voice full of hope and anticipation as he panted. He felt weird having the kiss first than the date, but well, what happened has already happened. He couldn’t take it back and neither did he want to.
Kouyou’s smile became wider upon hearing the invitation. Right now, that was the only thing he wanted. “I’d love to.”
Thus, they went out for coffee and things went well for them after that. It was astonishing how both of them first felt as if they had no chance with each other, how they crushed their own hopes and desires because of unneeded doubts and because they were too blind and scared to act on their feelings and how a single mistake and a single picture suddenly changed everything.
------
A/N: Cheesy. That was so fucking cheesy. I am high on cold medicine while writing this so forgive me if you didn’t like the cheese. This ending was different from what I originally planned, but I am somehow satisfied with it. A desperate, blabbering Yuu and a flushed Uruha never fails to amuse me. Now, you can all kill me because of the huge amount of cheese I forced down your throats. *sweatdrops* Anyways, thank you so much for reading. I hope you liked it and if you do, please tell me what you think because comments are love. *^^*
I also want to thank my fanfic twin, ringo_suki_desu for writing an Aoi/Uruha fic for me. I didn’t expect her to do such a thing, but alas, she had surprised me with it today and it was made of pure, fucking win. And since it is epic, I’ll share the link to anyone who would like to read it: CLICK ME! Read it! I suggest you to try it out ‘coz it’s awesome. Let’s motivate her to post it in a Gazette fanfic community. XD