A Piece of Cake - RukixUruha - Oneshot ~
Title: A Piece of Cake
Chapters: 1/1 - Oneshot
Author: shii_tan
Beta: lestatanil
Genre: AU, slice of life
Warnings: minor swearing
Rating: PG
Pairing / Characters: RukixUruha
Summary: Ruki's coming home after a bad day...
Disclamer: I don't own the characters... unfortunately :(
Comment: My first fanfic : slightly nervous : For a more interactive experience, a few songs are suggested below. Let me know what you think.
[ fiction.archive ]
A Piece of Cake
I zipped my thin jacket up to my chin, wishing for the hundredth time today that I had brought my umbrella with me. I should have seen it coming - I always, always had the damned thing in my backpack and it never rained, no matter what the weather guy said on the radio... Well, until today.
Maybe he knew what he was talking about, I concluded as I stepped onto the sidewalk. I had just given my last oral expression class of the week. Those idiots... Instead of participating in the goofy excercises that were supposed to make them talk - which was the point of oral expression classes to begin with - they would spend the whole hour staring at the window or doing their stupid crosswords in front of my face. When they actually showed up, that is. The upcoming finals kind of had that effect on people.
Yeah, you could tell summer was just around the corner... if you didn't pay attention to this fucking rain. Thankfully, the heavy drops of water were not that cold and I didn't live very far from the campus. In fifteen, twenty minutes at the most, I would be back home, sipping on a nice, hot cup of tea or something. A car rushed by in front of me, splashing water behind it. I jumped to the side to avoid getting more soaked than I already was but it was too late. Shit.
April was never going to go away.
By the time I got to the alley, the rain had stopped, of course. I searched my pockets for the keys and checked the mailbox with a frown - bills, more bills and a leaflet announcing the opening of a new pizzeria. Uh oh. I was the one cooking tonight but completely forgot - too many papers to correct for school this week to think of anything. I would have to make it up to him somehow... As soon as I walked through the doorway, I was greeted by the unexpected smell of vanilla. Then came the soft sound of his footsteps - I closed my eyes when he slid his arms around my waist, and smiled as he laid his head on my shoulder. Welcome home.
"Hey." I was probably grinning like an idiot by now - I knew I was.
"You're right on time."
"On time for what?"
He paused before answering, slightly embarrassed.
"I baked an apple cake."
I raised an eyebrow in surprise. Since when did he know how to bake a cake? I had always supposed he did a lot of weird things behind my back - things of the dirty, kinky kind - but never thought that they would involve reading cookbooks. Or separating eggs. For some obscure reason, I found it vaguely appealing but snorted anyway.
Uruha shrugged. "You're completely drenched," he noted. But that didn't keep him from holding me and I silently thanked him for it. He smelled almost as good as his cake - I almost said it out loud but caught myself before the words left my lips. Thank god... Well, it wasn't like I didn't want to say it... It was just a little early for that kind of fluffy bullshit.
"I'm fine," I said instead. "I'll just put some dry clothes on before trying that... pastry of yours."
He chuckled as he slid my jacket off my shoulders. I walked to the bedroom, threw my backpack carelessly into a corner and collapsed on the bed. At last, the moment I had been waiting for... I tried not to think about the enormous amount of work I had to get done by Monday but sort of did and groaned. Why the hell did I even get out of bed for those ungrateful bitches anyway? I wondered, covering my head with a pillow. Then the magic words came back to me.
Paid vacations. Right.
"Ruki?" he asked from the kitchen.
I shifted my gaze in the direction of the door I had left open. "Yeah?" He couldn't see me from there, now, could he?
"I hope you're not laying on those clean sheets we changed this morning."
"Nope."
One... Two...
"Don't make me get your ass off there myself."
Giggling, I finally got up and unbuttoned my shirt. "How was your day?"
"Good." It sounded like Uruha was going through the cupboards - I could hear the rattle of plates and pans. "The weather was so bad that I decided to come home early."
I quickly took off my jeans, and put on the first pair of sweat pants I laid my eyes on. "I thought you were supposed to take care of the inventory this afternoon", I said joining him in the kitchen. He had been busy in there, alright - there was a ridiculously high pile of dirty dishes in the sink.
"Well I was... but I got bored and asked Suzuki to fill in for me." He emerged from behind the counter, looking a little bit confused. "Where's the tea again?"
"The cupboard on the left. No... the other one. Suzuki? I suppose he didn't do it out of the goodness of his heart."
"I promised not to fire him", he said with a devilish grin. "He still thinks I don't know about him slipping his phone number in the books of all of the shaggable chicks who come into the damned store."
I tried to picture the scene. Uruha (cautiously) attempting to impose all his authority on the defiant young man and the guy in question (literaly) telling him to go fuck himself - which was usually how it went. 'There's something about him', he had told me once, 'that makes me think twice before saying something I know he's not going to like.' I had sneaked into the bookstore quite a few times to take a look at him and man - the guy looked fierce indeed.
"Way to go, boss!" I raised a victorious fist in the air with my best winner attitude. "Gotta show 'em fuckers who rules the fucking place, alright!"
He placed our two steaming mugs on the table and sat - or rather slouched - next to me with a sigh.
"In fact, the 'fucker' needed an afternoon off next week for god knows what - some thug get-together without a doubt." He distractedly moved away a strand of hair that kept falling in front of his eyes. "You've got to admit, though - the book trick is very clever."
The cake turned out to be delicious, but I wasn't going to tell him that either, so I helped myself a second serving that I devoured in less than a minute. A knowing half-smile appeared on his lips: he obviously got the message. There was no real reason for being this quiet - it was just something we did whenever we were alone together. I couldn't remember how it all began, but it was a little before we had our thing going on. Before I started thinking his laughter was more 'interestingly funny' than ridiculous and caught myself trying to get a better look at his ass every now and then.
"What's that smile for?"
I blinked. Was I smiling again? I shook my head, almost in apology. "Nothing. It's just... It's good to see you like this."
"That's the cake talking" he said matter-of-factly.
"Shut up. You know what I mean."
Uruha laughed softly and finished his cup of tea. Damn him - just when I was trying to be all serious and considerate or whatever. He was not helping. I frowned, looking for a not too cheesy way to express what I felt. Which wasn't easy - my brain would turn into mush or simply stop working whenever I tried and I'd only end up feeling really stupid. But it was true, though. No matter how I looked at it, there was no real other way to say it.
Lately, a few things had made me realize how important his presence was to me. Stupid, everyday things that didn't make any sense. Like watching him absent-mindedly brush his teeth in the morning, or coming home to find one of his books laying on the coffee table. Even the batter stains on his t-shirt as he was sitting there at this very instant, because they meant that he was comfortable here. With me.
For now.
I closed my eyes. Stop it, I thought. I don't need this shit right now.
"Ruki."
Something in the way he said my name - was it worry? - startled me a little. Hesitantly, I laid my eyes back on his face. His smile had become a little stiff; his fingers were now wrapped around his mug a little too tightly. I froze. This soon? He opened his mouth and I held my breath, wishing he would at least look at me to tell me what I dreaded to hear.
"If you ever have second thoughts... It's okay, you know."
"Uruha - "
"I won't mind at all," he interrupted. "Really. I mean it."
Those words were my own. Those fears were my own. Once these past few days would have turned into months; once I would finally see him for who he really was... Would things still be the same? He buried his face in his hands. Will I live up to your expectations? But what was I to say? I had rehearsed this conversation so many times in my head but I was always the one letting go, the one who needed to be held.
Carefully, I reached out and ran my fingers through his hair. His shoulders tensed a little at the touch, and he released a shaky sigh when I finally pulled him close to me. It was strange how we were alike sometimes... We stood like this for a moment before I dared to speak again. "You know... there was a time when the only idea of being with you - really being with you - scared the shit out of me so much that I couldn't sleep at all."
"It was that bad, huh?"
Leaning back on my chair, I weighed the pros and cons of telling the whole truth, then decided against it. Telling the one you loved that his face made you want to puke your guts out whenever you saw it was probably not the right thing to say to boost his self-confidence.
"I didn't know if I would be... manageable enough for someone like you - I can be a real pain in the ass, sometimes. But I would never know unless I gave it a try, which turned out to be a good thing, after all. So... yeah. You moving in was a good thing." I nodded slowly. "A very good thing."
Uruha shifted on his seat. "What if... it doesn't work out?"
"Well... we still have a long way to go before having to worry about that... hopefully." Should I tell him everything? His soft eyes were on me, waiting for a satisfying answer I was unsure I could give. I clenched my fists on my lap and swallowed - if these things needed to be said, now would probably be the best time. "But if you ever feel I can't give you what you're looking for anymore... I will accept your decision. Whatever happens, I will never regret meeting you. It wouldn't be right..." I would still love him. Even if we grew apart. Even if you left me for someone else.
But I didn't tell him that either.
A smile made its way onto Uruha's lips and before I knew it, it was on my own. "I guess you're right," he said. "Thank you." He got up and walked over to the other side of the kitchen. Whatever he saw in me, I would never know. I still had a hard time to believe I had met someone who had made me realize that I deserved to be cared for, to be loved.
I don't know what did it - maybe the way he flicked his hair out of his face before grabbing the sponge, the sound of his voice as he enthusiastically spoke of the upcoming booksigning session at the store or the simple sight of him standing in front of that sink - but I felt the urge to run to him and tell him that I had lied, that I would kick and scream if he ever left, that I would simply want to die. But until then...
He turned around, and watched me with a blend of amusement and slight irritation. "Yo, are you even listening? I'm talking to you!"
I rolled my eyes and impersonated him, reciting whatever line he had just said. He sighed and went back to telling me how this new delivery guy had completely messed up his orders, and that he wouldn't be able to organize that exhibition he had been planning for months.
Yeah, it was definitely good to see him like this.
I took another piece of cake and secretly wished, as a chunk of apple melted on my tongue, that April would never go away.
[ the.end ]
: wipes sweat off brow :
I chose the title because Ruki is struggling to convince himself living with Uruha could be a piece of cake. Heh. Originally, I wanted to finish with an open ending but I wasn't sure it would translate well. So, in order to read this in ShiiVision (lol), you can re-read the fic with a different ending theme, depending on how you would like it to end. They should float around YouTube. ahmtal, get your iTunes ready :P
For a nice, satisfying ending: Echo, by Incubus.
For a little uncertain but hopeful ending: Everybody Here Wants You, by Jeff Buckley.
Ruki takes the decision to let go of his insecurities and fully immerse himself in the relationship.
For anxiety: The New, by Interpol (you absolutely need to check out the lyrics)
No matter how hard he tries, Ruki's convinced that his future with Uruha doesn't look bright... at all. : personally, I like this one better XD :
The final notes can be found here. Thanks for reading!
ps: to all the guys reading - learn to bake. You'll score BIG TIME.
Chapters: 1/1 - Oneshot
Author: shii_tan
Beta: lestatanil
Genre: AU, slice of life
Warnings: minor swearing
Rating: PG
Pairing / Characters: RukixUruha
Summary: Ruki's coming home after a bad day...
Disclamer: I don't own the characters... unfortunately :(
Comment: My first fanfic : slightly nervous : For a more interactive experience, a few songs are suggested below. Let me know what you think.
[ fiction.archive ]
A Piece of Cake
I zipped my thin jacket up to my chin, wishing for the hundredth time today that I had brought my umbrella with me. I should have seen it coming - I always, always had the damned thing in my backpack and it never rained, no matter what the weather guy said on the radio... Well, until today.
Maybe he knew what he was talking about, I concluded as I stepped onto the sidewalk. I had just given my last oral expression class of the week. Those idiots... Instead of participating in the goofy excercises that were supposed to make them talk - which was the point of oral expression classes to begin with - they would spend the whole hour staring at the window or doing their stupid crosswords in front of my face. When they actually showed up, that is. The upcoming finals kind of had that effect on people.
Yeah, you could tell summer was just around the corner... if you didn't pay attention to this fucking rain. Thankfully, the heavy drops of water were not that cold and I didn't live very far from the campus. In fifteen, twenty minutes at the most, I would be back home, sipping on a nice, hot cup of tea or something. A car rushed by in front of me, splashing water behind it. I jumped to the side to avoid getting more soaked than I already was but it was too late. Shit.
April was never going to go away.
By the time I got to the alley, the rain had stopped, of course. I searched my pockets for the keys and checked the mailbox with a frown - bills, more bills and a leaflet announcing the opening of a new pizzeria. Uh oh. I was the one cooking tonight but completely forgot - too many papers to correct for school this week to think of anything. I would have to make it up to him somehow... As soon as I walked through the doorway, I was greeted by the unexpected smell of vanilla. Then came the soft sound of his footsteps - I closed my eyes when he slid his arms around my waist, and smiled as he laid his head on my shoulder. Welcome home.
"Hey." I was probably grinning like an idiot by now - I knew I was.
"You're right on time."
"On time for what?"
He paused before answering, slightly embarrassed.
"I baked an apple cake."
I raised an eyebrow in surprise. Since when did he know how to bake a cake? I had always supposed he did a lot of weird things behind my back - things of the dirty, kinky kind - but never thought that they would involve reading cookbooks. Or separating eggs. For some obscure reason, I found it vaguely appealing but snorted anyway.
Uruha shrugged. "You're completely drenched," he noted. But that didn't keep him from holding me and I silently thanked him for it. He smelled almost as good as his cake - I almost said it out loud but caught myself before the words left my lips. Thank god... Well, it wasn't like I didn't want to say it... It was just a little early for that kind of fluffy bullshit.
"I'm fine," I said instead. "I'll just put some dry clothes on before trying that... pastry of yours."
He chuckled as he slid my jacket off my shoulders. I walked to the bedroom, threw my backpack carelessly into a corner and collapsed on the bed. At last, the moment I had been waiting for... I tried not to think about the enormous amount of work I had to get done by Monday but sort of did and groaned. Why the hell did I even get out of bed for those ungrateful bitches anyway? I wondered, covering my head with a pillow. Then the magic words came back to me.
Paid vacations. Right.
"Ruki?" he asked from the kitchen.
I shifted my gaze in the direction of the door I had left open. "Yeah?" He couldn't see me from there, now, could he?
"I hope you're not laying on those clean sheets we changed this morning."
"Nope."
One... Two...
"Don't make me get your ass off there myself."
Giggling, I finally got up and unbuttoned my shirt. "How was your day?"
"Good." It sounded like Uruha was going through the cupboards - I could hear the rattle of plates and pans. "The weather was so bad that I decided to come home early."
I quickly took off my jeans, and put on the first pair of sweat pants I laid my eyes on. "I thought you were supposed to take care of the inventory this afternoon", I said joining him in the kitchen. He had been busy in there, alright - there was a ridiculously high pile of dirty dishes in the sink.
"Well I was... but I got bored and asked Suzuki to fill in for me." He emerged from behind the counter, looking a little bit confused. "Where's the tea again?"
"The cupboard on the left. No... the other one. Suzuki? I suppose he didn't do it out of the goodness of his heart."
"I promised not to fire him", he said with a devilish grin. "He still thinks I don't know about him slipping his phone number in the books of all of the shaggable chicks who come into the damned store."
I tried to picture the scene. Uruha (cautiously) attempting to impose all his authority on the defiant young man and the guy in question (literaly) telling him to go fuck himself - which was usually how it went. 'There's something about him', he had told me once, 'that makes me think twice before saying something I know he's not going to like.' I had sneaked into the bookstore quite a few times to take a look at him and man - the guy looked fierce indeed.
"Way to go, boss!" I raised a victorious fist in the air with my best winner attitude. "Gotta show 'em fuckers who rules the fucking place, alright!"
He placed our two steaming mugs on the table and sat - or rather slouched - next to me with a sigh.
"In fact, the 'fucker' needed an afternoon off next week for god knows what - some thug get-together without a doubt." He distractedly moved away a strand of hair that kept falling in front of his eyes. "You've got to admit, though - the book trick is very clever."
The cake turned out to be delicious, but I wasn't going to tell him that either, so I helped myself a second serving that I devoured in less than a minute. A knowing half-smile appeared on his lips: he obviously got the message. There was no real reason for being this quiet - it was just something we did whenever we were alone together. I couldn't remember how it all began, but it was a little before we had our thing going on. Before I started thinking his laughter was more 'interestingly funny' than ridiculous and caught myself trying to get a better look at his ass every now and then.
"What's that smile for?"
I blinked. Was I smiling again? I shook my head, almost in apology. "Nothing. It's just... It's good to see you like this."
"That's the cake talking" he said matter-of-factly.
"Shut up. You know what I mean."
Uruha laughed softly and finished his cup of tea. Damn him - just when I was trying to be all serious and considerate or whatever. He was not helping. I frowned, looking for a not too cheesy way to express what I felt. Which wasn't easy - my brain would turn into mush or simply stop working whenever I tried and I'd only end up feeling really stupid. But it was true, though. No matter how I looked at it, there was no real other way to say it.
Lately, a few things had made me realize how important his presence was to me. Stupid, everyday things that didn't make any sense. Like watching him absent-mindedly brush his teeth in the morning, or coming home to find one of his books laying on the coffee table. Even the batter stains on his t-shirt as he was sitting there at this very instant, because they meant that he was comfortable here. With me.
For now.
I closed my eyes. Stop it, I thought. I don't need this shit right now.
"Ruki."
Something in the way he said my name - was it worry? - startled me a little. Hesitantly, I laid my eyes back on his face. His smile had become a little stiff; his fingers were now wrapped around his mug a little too tightly. I froze. This soon? He opened his mouth and I held my breath, wishing he would at least look at me to tell me what I dreaded to hear.
"If you ever have second thoughts... It's okay, you know."
"Uruha - "
"I won't mind at all," he interrupted. "Really. I mean it."
Those words were my own. Those fears were my own. Once these past few days would have turned into months; once I would finally see him for who he really was... Would things still be the same? He buried his face in his hands. Will I live up to your expectations? But what was I to say? I had rehearsed this conversation so many times in my head but I was always the one letting go, the one who needed to be held.
Carefully, I reached out and ran my fingers through his hair. His shoulders tensed a little at the touch, and he released a shaky sigh when I finally pulled him close to me. It was strange how we were alike sometimes... We stood like this for a moment before I dared to speak again. "You know... there was a time when the only idea of being with you - really being with you - scared the shit out of me so much that I couldn't sleep at all."
"It was that bad, huh?"
Leaning back on my chair, I weighed the pros and cons of telling the whole truth, then decided against it. Telling the one you loved that his face made you want to puke your guts out whenever you saw it was probably not the right thing to say to boost his self-confidence.
"I didn't know if I would be... manageable enough for someone like you - I can be a real pain in the ass, sometimes. But I would never know unless I gave it a try, which turned out to be a good thing, after all. So... yeah. You moving in was a good thing." I nodded slowly. "A very good thing."
Uruha shifted on his seat. "What if... it doesn't work out?"
"Well... we still have a long way to go before having to worry about that... hopefully." Should I tell him everything? His soft eyes were on me, waiting for a satisfying answer I was unsure I could give. I clenched my fists on my lap and swallowed - if these things needed to be said, now would probably be the best time. "But if you ever feel I can't give you what you're looking for anymore... I will accept your decision. Whatever happens, I will never regret meeting you. It wouldn't be right..." I would still love him. Even if we grew apart. Even if you left me for someone else.
But I didn't tell him that either.
A smile made its way onto Uruha's lips and before I knew it, it was on my own. "I guess you're right," he said. "Thank you." He got up and walked over to the other side of the kitchen. Whatever he saw in me, I would never know. I still had a hard time to believe I had met someone who had made me realize that I deserved to be cared for, to be loved.
I don't know what did it - maybe the way he flicked his hair out of his face before grabbing the sponge, the sound of his voice as he enthusiastically spoke of the upcoming booksigning session at the store or the simple sight of him standing in front of that sink - but I felt the urge to run to him and tell him that I had lied, that I would kick and scream if he ever left, that I would simply want to die. But until then...
He turned around, and watched me with a blend of amusement and slight irritation. "Yo, are you even listening? I'm talking to you!"
I rolled my eyes and impersonated him, reciting whatever line he had just said. He sighed and went back to telling me how this new delivery guy had completely messed up his orders, and that he wouldn't be able to organize that exhibition he had been planning for months.
Yeah, it was definitely good to see him like this.
I took another piece of cake and secretly wished, as a chunk of apple melted on my tongue, that April would never go away.
[ the.end ]
: wipes sweat off brow :
I chose the title because Ruki is struggling to convince himself living with Uruha could be a piece of cake. Heh. Originally, I wanted to finish with an open ending but I wasn't sure it would translate well. So, in order to read this in ShiiVision (lol), you can re-read the fic with a different ending theme, depending on how you would like it to end. They should float around YouTube. ahmtal, get your iTunes ready :P
For a nice, satisfying ending: Echo, by Incubus.
For a little uncertain but hopeful ending: Everybody Here Wants You, by Jeff Buckley.
Ruki takes the decision to let go of his insecurities and fully immerse himself in the relationship.
For anxiety: The New, by Interpol (you absolutely need to check out the lyrics)
No matter how hard he tries, Ruki's convinced that his future with Uruha doesn't look bright... at all. : personally, I like this one better XD :
The final notes can be found here. Thanks for reading!
ps: to all the guys reading - learn to bake. You'll score BIG TIME.