Painfully Obvious [1/1]
Title: Painfully Obvious
Pairing: Tora/Nao (Like, whaddya expect? Klaine? *scoffs* Soon, dahling, soon. *wink*)
Genre: AU. Pure FLUFF. >_<
Rating: PG-13
Summary: From the moment he stole from the cookie jar just for him, Tora knew he was in love.
A/N: *headdesk* For my Master. XD She encouraged me to write this whole thing down. And I’m afraid I’ll go to hiatus mode after this. :p July is a pretty busy month. Prelims are on August. :D ENJOY.
---x---
“Ne, Shinji-kun”, shyly, a seven-year old Nao peeked in from the hallway and found the eight year old boy sitting on the floor, his robot, truck, and plastic soldier toys were all scattered. Pausing, he curiously stared at the younger, clad only in his matching bunny printed pajamas.
“Would you like to play with me and my cat doll?” Nao grinned adorably as he produced from behind a soft, cat shaped plushie.
Despite the fact that he could have rejected the request, or asked the other to come and play with him instead, silently, Shinji extended his hand and nodded.
---x---
What? It wasn’t his fault.
It wasn’t his fault that Nao, his bestest friend in the whole wide world, just approached him with those adorable tear-stricken rosy hued baby cheeks, matched with the most pitiable puppy dog eyes that Shinji ever saw.
“Shinji! If you ever wanted one, you could’ve asked me!” His mother chastised him. And from the corner of his eye, he saw Nao peeking in from the door way. “There’s no need for you to actually steal from the cookie jar you know?”
When she left, Nao instantly attacked him head-on with one of his famous warm hugs. “Sorry”, he mumbled. And what did Shinji think? That all the trouble he went through-from stealing from the cookie jar.
It was worth it.
---x---
“Give it back Takashi! Give it back!” an eleven year old kid was desperately jumping, as another figure, taller than him, was waving something quite valuable from out of his reach.
“Seriously, Naoyuki?” Takashi sneered. “An eleven-year old like you-and you still sleep with a plushie? A cat plushie? Really?” He snorted.
“What do you care about it? It’s important to me!” The younger cried, jumping in vain, seeing that he was seriously outgrown by the bully. “Give it back! Give it back Takashi!” Tears started to form in his eyes.
“What? You can’t sleep without this?” He laughed. “BABY! That’s what you-“
“Sakamoto”, a cold voice cut in, “Give it back to him.”
Takashi turned and saw a pale, black haired kid who was almost the same age as him (as tall as him too), but with a dead-serious expression. Wordlessly, he gave the cat plushie back to Nao and ran off.
---x---
It was about ten o’clock that night, and it was way past his bedtime but Shinji couldn’t seem to sleep. And so, he turned on his lamp and began to read himself a good bedtime story-something about two kids leaving bread crumbs in the forest.
That until, he heard his door creaked open. And he wasn’t surprised in the least.
There stood Nao, grinning shyly at him, in his matching Pokémon pajamas, and carrying along his cat plushie.
Both knowing that words weren’t needed, Shinji just smiled at him and patted the space next to him in his warm, fluffy bed.
---x---
A few years later, and Tora (he didn’t prefer being called Shinji anymore) found himself walking on the hallways of his high school building-their hallway, rather. He was unsurprisingly attending the same prestigious school as his childhood friend was.
Scratch that, childhood friend?
He was honest to himself, that just by looking at Nao-looking at his fluffy light brown (he dyed it) hair, his sparkling eyes, and those small lips which was always curved into an adorable smile or pout whenever he was with him…Yep, he so wanted to be more-than-friends.
Eight years ago, he damn well knew that ever since that he decided to steal from the cookie jar just for Nao well…He fell in love.
And damn, he did fall hard.
---x---
“Shinji?” Tora’s door creaked open slowly-it was none other than Nao. The elder smiled. He remembered how things used to be when they were little. It was as if nothing had ever changed at all.
He glanced at his clock. Ten o’clock. Right on the dot.
And when Nao entered, Tora knew there had been a change. No matter how small or slight or tiny it was.
There stood by his door, was a very awkward, yet absolutely adorable, nevertheless awkward shy shorten-than-him Nao, who was sporting nothing else but an oversized Star Wars shirt and his Winnie the Pooh boxers.
Holy hell…He really wasn’t sure why his best friend was so adamant about getting into a strict diet. From the looks of his thighs, which was shapelier and smoother than a woman’s (and no, it wasn’t his gay cells talking), he was 110% perfect in every single aspect.
“Can I sleep with you tonight?”
Dammit. The other felt all his blood creep into his face. Keep it together. Keep it together. Keep it-
Puberty.
Damn puberty to the deepest pits of hell.
---x---
“And here I thought that you were all grown up”, Tora snorted, “Then you go and ask me if you could-could sleep with me.”
Not fully understanding the fact as to why his best friend would carelessly stammer over something as trivial as that. “What’s wrong? I am a grown up, and I could still sleep with you. Don’t they kind of do that all the time?” Nao smirked at the other’s obvious discomfort.
“Then go sleep in the guest room”, Tora mumbled.
“Don’t want to. Saga made me watch a horror film with him again”, he yawned as he climbed Tora’s bed, clutching his old and faded plushie.
“Why do you still have that thing?”
“Because you gave it to me on my 3rd birthday.”
---x---
Neither of them knew, out of the total sixteen years they had spent together, as to how come they couldn’t sleep at all that particularly that night. The weather seemed to be fine, not at all too extreme for their taste. The bed was something not to be complained of at all either. There was lots of space.
But that was just it.
Tora was facing the wall, while Nao was facing the opposite side-leaving a somewhat ridiculous gap in between them. Frowning, the younger whispered. “Shinji, cuddle with me.”
And Tora hated how innocent Nao sounded. Sighing, he obediently followed his request and then placed his arm on the other’s waist as Nao’s back met his chest. Warmth oozed from their intimate contact and soon, they were getting sleepy.
“Goodnight”, Nao breathed a bit nervously. He didn’t know why. But his stomach were filled with butterflies as he breathed in Tora’s scent, felt Tora’s heartbeat, and most of all-relished the fact that Tora himself was just lying down next to him.
“Goodnight.”
Was Tora working out? Nao wondered as could feel the slight muscles on his arm. Wait…Why was he thinking about his best friend that way? Sure, Tora was popular to the majority of the girls in their school. And come to think of it…Despite the fact that he was almost confessed to every single day, Tora had no girlfriend yet.
Despite the fact that he was uneasy about the reason as to why Tora was still girlfriend-less, the very thought of his best friend with another person made him somewhat…uncomfortable.
He pondered about this most of the night, depriving himself of sleep.
---x---
Did he do something wrong? Did he freak out that morning? Or did he mumble something strange when he was sleeping? What on earth did he do last night?
Why wasn’t Nao talking to him?
Okay, so maybe the whole thing started with that weird yet normal sleepover. A week later, and his best friend was still giving him the silent treatment. He tried talking to him through their parents, or visiting him at an unexpected hour (because Nao would usually be the one to go to him)-but all in vain.
Tora frowned. He did not like this at all.
Did he find out that he was actually head over heels for him? That was it, wasn’t it? And in return, Nao…most certainly did not reciprocate the same feelings. Pain bubbling in his chest, Tora came to that conclusion.
After all, how else would he explain the unusual behavior the other was acting?
---x---
“Hey.” Nao smiled at him, for the first time that week.
“Hey”, Tora breathed. “I’m currently dating Tomomi-chan.”
Shit, the taller thought. Nao talked to him for what seemed like the longest time and that’s what he first says to him? Tora felt like banging his head on the wall at that precise moment.
And he fails to notice that Nao’s smile falters.
Just the slightest bit.
---x---
The bell rang, indicating that classes were over. Today was the showing of the Star Wars rerun on TV, and Nao was practically hyperventilating by the time that he ran to his locker. And the great thing was Tora was his locker neighbor.
Really, what were the odds of that?
“Shinji!” He beamed at the other. “You want to come over tonight? They’re showing the reruns of Star Wars!” He squealed dorkily as he could. “I’ll go make the popcorn and stuff and you’ll-“
Biting his lip anxiously, Tora sighed. “Sorry, Pooh. I…I have to go meet with Tomomi later.”
Nao suddenly found it hard to smile. But he struggled. “Oh…Well, tomorrow I guess?”
“I have…a study-date with her.”
“Study date? Like really, Shinji?” Nao scoffed. “Both of us know that you and she would just make-out or something.” He rolled his eyes as he all but slammed his locker door, making the taller wince.
“Hey! Don’t speak to her that way. You don’t know her.” Tora felt a bit guilty at how down Nao looked. Of course, it had to hurt for him when he was choosing a girl he just met for a couple of days, over the guy he practically spent every waking second of his life with.
“Hey…I’ll make it up to you…”, he grinned. “Friday?”
Instead of the happy response he was expecting, Nao stormed away from him. “Damn it Amano! You know well that Friday’s are a family-night thing! How could you possibly forget that?!”
Okay, Nao was calling him by his last name…And that particularly didn’t mean anything good. If anything, Nao was beyond pissed.
“Well, I’m sorry! How could I possibly make plans with you when I’m stuck with the whole week and possibly the next with her?! She’s my freaking girlfriend, for fuck’s sake!”
“Well, I just wish that you would go back in caring only about me, Shinji! Just me! Then we wouldn’t have any problem at all!”
---x---
They both froze. Clearly, neither of them was expecting that at all.
Flushed and clearly embarrassed by his little outburst, Nao ran away.
“Shit”, Tora cursed under his breath. “Nao, wait!”
And he ran after him.
---x---
“What did you say a while ago?” Tora smirked as he removed Nao’s hands from his adorable, blushing face.
Stubbornly pouting, Nao shook his head. “I won’t repeat myself twice, dummy.” He sniffed. “Plus, you’re…You’re already taken.”
Chuckling, Tora embraced the younger. “I may or may not be taken a few minutes later if you just repeat to me what you said a few minutes ago Nao. So help me.”
Taking a deep breath, Nao directly gazed into the other’s sharp eyes.
“I…I like you Shinji…For a long time now.”
Smiling like an idiot, Tora leaned down and pressed his lips against Nao’s lightly. And he grinned at the dazed expression the other had when he pulled away.
“Took you long enough to realize that”, he chuckled again, “believe me. I realized that I was in love with you the moment I stole a cookie from the cookie jar for you.”
---x---
A/N: DONE. Finally. Since no one’s practically updating anymore…*le sigh* I think I’ll go back writing at fanfiction.net. Well…It was fun while it lasted. Thanks guys! Review if you want. :p
You know, it's quite funny. We spend our whole lives searching for our significant other, and then we're too blind to see that they were just right there sitting next to us, silently hoping if we were ever going to consider them in our list. Don't you think?
Pairing: Tora/Nao (Like, whaddya expect? Klaine? *scoffs* Soon, dahling, soon. *wink*)
Genre: AU. Pure FLUFF. >_<
Rating: PG-13
Summary: From the moment he stole from the cookie jar just for him, Tora knew he was in love.
A/N: *headdesk* For my Master. XD She encouraged me to write this whole thing down. And I’m afraid I’ll go to hiatus mode after this. :p July is a pretty busy month. Prelims are on August. :D ENJOY.
---x---
“Ne, Shinji-kun”, shyly, a seven-year old Nao peeked in from the hallway and found the eight year old boy sitting on the floor, his robot, truck, and plastic soldier toys were all scattered. Pausing, he curiously stared at the younger, clad only in his matching bunny printed pajamas.
“Would you like to play with me and my cat doll?” Nao grinned adorably as he produced from behind a soft, cat shaped plushie.
Despite the fact that he could have rejected the request, or asked the other to come and play with him instead, silently, Shinji extended his hand and nodded.
---x---
What? It wasn’t his fault.
It wasn’t his fault that Nao, his bestest friend in the whole wide world, just approached him with those adorable tear-stricken rosy hued baby cheeks, matched with the most pitiable puppy dog eyes that Shinji ever saw.
“Shinji! If you ever wanted one, you could’ve asked me!” His mother chastised him. And from the corner of his eye, he saw Nao peeking in from the door way. “There’s no need for you to actually steal from the cookie jar you know?”
When she left, Nao instantly attacked him head-on with one of his famous warm hugs. “Sorry”, he mumbled. And what did Shinji think? That all the trouble he went through-from stealing from the cookie jar.
It was worth it.
---x---
“Give it back Takashi! Give it back!” an eleven year old kid was desperately jumping, as another figure, taller than him, was waving something quite valuable from out of his reach.
“Seriously, Naoyuki?” Takashi sneered. “An eleven-year old like you-and you still sleep with a plushie? A cat plushie? Really?” He snorted.
“What do you care about it? It’s important to me!” The younger cried, jumping in vain, seeing that he was seriously outgrown by the bully. “Give it back! Give it back Takashi!” Tears started to form in his eyes.
“What? You can’t sleep without this?” He laughed. “BABY! That’s what you-“
“Sakamoto”, a cold voice cut in, “Give it back to him.”
Takashi turned and saw a pale, black haired kid who was almost the same age as him (as tall as him too), but with a dead-serious expression. Wordlessly, he gave the cat plushie back to Nao and ran off.
---x---
It was about ten o’clock that night, and it was way past his bedtime but Shinji couldn’t seem to sleep. And so, he turned on his lamp and began to read himself a good bedtime story-something about two kids leaving bread crumbs in the forest.
That until, he heard his door creaked open. And he wasn’t surprised in the least.
There stood Nao, grinning shyly at him, in his matching Pokémon pajamas, and carrying along his cat plushie.
Both knowing that words weren’t needed, Shinji just smiled at him and patted the space next to him in his warm, fluffy bed.
---x---
A few years later, and Tora (he didn’t prefer being called Shinji anymore) found himself walking on the hallways of his high school building-their hallway, rather. He was unsurprisingly attending the same prestigious school as his childhood friend was.
Scratch that, childhood friend?
He was honest to himself, that just by looking at Nao-looking at his fluffy light brown (he dyed it) hair, his sparkling eyes, and those small lips which was always curved into an adorable smile or pout whenever he was with him…Yep, he so wanted to be more-than-friends.
Eight years ago, he damn well knew that ever since that he decided to steal from the cookie jar just for Nao well…He fell in love.
And damn, he did fall hard.
---x---
“Shinji?” Tora’s door creaked open slowly-it was none other than Nao. The elder smiled. He remembered how things used to be when they were little. It was as if nothing had ever changed at all.
He glanced at his clock. Ten o’clock. Right on the dot.
And when Nao entered, Tora knew there had been a change. No matter how small or slight or tiny it was.
There stood by his door, was a very awkward, yet absolutely adorable, nevertheless awkward shy shorten-than-him Nao, who was sporting nothing else but an oversized Star Wars shirt and his Winnie the Pooh boxers.
Holy hell…He really wasn’t sure why his best friend was so adamant about getting into a strict diet. From the looks of his thighs, which was shapelier and smoother than a woman’s (and no, it wasn’t his gay cells talking), he was 110% perfect in every single aspect.
“Can I sleep with you tonight?”
Dammit. The other felt all his blood creep into his face. Keep it together. Keep it together. Keep it-
Puberty.
Damn puberty to the deepest pits of hell.
---x---
“And here I thought that you were all grown up”, Tora snorted, “Then you go and ask me if you could-could sleep with me.”
Not fully understanding the fact as to why his best friend would carelessly stammer over something as trivial as that. “What’s wrong? I am a grown up, and I could still sleep with you. Don’t they kind of do that all the time?” Nao smirked at the other’s obvious discomfort.
“Then go sleep in the guest room”, Tora mumbled.
“Don’t want to. Saga made me watch a horror film with him again”, he yawned as he climbed Tora’s bed, clutching his old and faded plushie.
“Why do you still have that thing?”
“Because you gave it to me on my 3rd birthday.”
---x---
Neither of them knew, out of the total sixteen years they had spent together, as to how come they couldn’t sleep at all that particularly that night. The weather seemed to be fine, not at all too extreme for their taste. The bed was something not to be complained of at all either. There was lots of space.
But that was just it.
Tora was facing the wall, while Nao was facing the opposite side-leaving a somewhat ridiculous gap in between them. Frowning, the younger whispered. “Shinji, cuddle with me.”
And Tora hated how innocent Nao sounded. Sighing, he obediently followed his request and then placed his arm on the other’s waist as Nao’s back met his chest. Warmth oozed from their intimate contact and soon, they were getting sleepy.
“Goodnight”, Nao breathed a bit nervously. He didn’t know why. But his stomach were filled with butterflies as he breathed in Tora’s scent, felt Tora’s heartbeat, and most of all-relished the fact that Tora himself was just lying down next to him.
“Goodnight.”
Was Tora working out? Nao wondered as could feel the slight muscles on his arm. Wait…Why was he thinking about his best friend that way? Sure, Tora was popular to the majority of the girls in their school. And come to think of it…Despite the fact that he was almost confessed to every single day, Tora had no girlfriend yet.
Despite the fact that he was uneasy about the reason as to why Tora was still girlfriend-less, the very thought of his best friend with another person made him somewhat…uncomfortable.
He pondered about this most of the night, depriving himself of sleep.
---x---
Did he do something wrong? Did he freak out that morning? Or did he mumble something strange when he was sleeping? What on earth did he do last night?
Why wasn’t Nao talking to him?
Okay, so maybe the whole thing started with that weird yet normal sleepover. A week later, and his best friend was still giving him the silent treatment. He tried talking to him through their parents, or visiting him at an unexpected hour (because Nao would usually be the one to go to him)-but all in vain.
Tora frowned. He did not like this at all.
Did he find out that he was actually head over heels for him? That was it, wasn’t it? And in return, Nao…most certainly did not reciprocate the same feelings. Pain bubbling in his chest, Tora came to that conclusion.
After all, how else would he explain the unusual behavior the other was acting?
---x---
“Hey.” Nao smiled at him, for the first time that week.
“Hey”, Tora breathed. “I’m currently dating Tomomi-chan.”
Shit, the taller thought. Nao talked to him for what seemed like the longest time and that’s what he first says to him? Tora felt like banging his head on the wall at that precise moment.
And he fails to notice that Nao’s smile falters.
Just the slightest bit.
---x---
The bell rang, indicating that classes were over. Today was the showing of the Star Wars rerun on TV, and Nao was practically hyperventilating by the time that he ran to his locker. And the great thing was Tora was his locker neighbor.
Really, what were the odds of that?
“Shinji!” He beamed at the other. “You want to come over tonight? They’re showing the reruns of Star Wars!” He squealed dorkily as he could. “I’ll go make the popcorn and stuff and you’ll-“
Biting his lip anxiously, Tora sighed. “Sorry, Pooh. I…I have to go meet with Tomomi later.”
Nao suddenly found it hard to smile. But he struggled. “Oh…Well, tomorrow I guess?”
“I have…a study-date with her.”
“Study date? Like really, Shinji?” Nao scoffed. “Both of us know that you and she would just make-out or something.” He rolled his eyes as he all but slammed his locker door, making the taller wince.
“Hey! Don’t speak to her that way. You don’t know her.” Tora felt a bit guilty at how down Nao looked. Of course, it had to hurt for him when he was choosing a girl he just met for a couple of days, over the guy he practically spent every waking second of his life with.
“Hey…I’ll make it up to you…”, he grinned. “Friday?”
Instead of the happy response he was expecting, Nao stormed away from him. “Damn it Amano! You know well that Friday’s are a family-night thing! How could you possibly forget that?!”
Okay, Nao was calling him by his last name…And that particularly didn’t mean anything good. If anything, Nao was beyond pissed.
“Well, I’m sorry! How could I possibly make plans with you when I’m stuck with the whole week and possibly the next with her?! She’s my freaking girlfriend, for fuck’s sake!”
“Well, I just wish that you would go back in caring only about me, Shinji! Just me! Then we wouldn’t have any problem at all!”
---x---
They both froze. Clearly, neither of them was expecting that at all.
Flushed and clearly embarrassed by his little outburst, Nao ran away.
“Shit”, Tora cursed under his breath. “Nao, wait!”
And he ran after him.
---x---
“What did you say a while ago?” Tora smirked as he removed Nao’s hands from his adorable, blushing face.
Stubbornly pouting, Nao shook his head. “I won’t repeat myself twice, dummy.” He sniffed. “Plus, you’re…You’re already taken.”
Chuckling, Tora embraced the younger. “I may or may not be taken a few minutes later if you just repeat to me what you said a few minutes ago Nao. So help me.”
Taking a deep breath, Nao directly gazed into the other’s sharp eyes.
“I…I like you Shinji…For a long time now.”
Smiling like an idiot, Tora leaned down and pressed his lips against Nao’s lightly. And he grinned at the dazed expression the other had when he pulled away.
“Took you long enough to realize that”, he chuckled again, “believe me. I realized that I was in love with you the moment I stole a cookie from the cookie jar for you.”
---x---
A/N: DONE. Finally. Since no one’s practically updating anymore…*le sigh* I think I’ll go back writing at fanfiction.net. Well…It was fun while it lasted. Thanks guys! Review if you want. :p
You know, it's quite funny. We spend our whole lives searching for our significant other, and then we're too blind to see that they were just right there sitting next to us, silently hoping if we were ever going to consider them in our list. Don't you think?