Moral of the story: stay away from Hiroto when you're drunk! | 1/1 (oneshot) | ToraxShou
Title: Moral of the story: stay away from Hiroto when you're drunk!
Chapter: 1/1 (oneshot)
Author: アキ
Fandom: Alice Nine
Disclaimer: I don't own the guys. Just the story.
Pairings: ToraxShou
Genre: Drama, fluff
Rating: PG-13
Warning: None
Beta: None
Summary: Hiroto said too much, but then Tora should have known better than to get wasted in front of the other guitarist. Now Shou knew everything that Tora might have wanted to keep secret. Tora's words brought him a ton of questions, and that very night, Shou unexpectedly got his answers.
Moral of the story: stay away from Hiroto when you're drunk!
“Sorry.”
Shou let a chuckle slip past his throat. He didn’t mean to laugh at his bandmate’s lack of luck, and he specifically didn’t have the heart to keep reminding him of what had been exposed tonight at the studio during their regular show. But he thought the constant apology was, honestly, very amusing, especially if the man had been doing it nonstop for the past two hours-once every five minutes or so.
He turned to his side where the tall, black-haired guitarist was standing, propping his elbows on the railings. Those eyes were not staring at the superb view that was spread before them; the majestic night sky that seemed so close to their reach, and the ground that was littered with the shadows of countless buildings and the flicker of a million dots of light. But Tora was not looking at any of that; his eyes were cast down, as if there was something particularly interesting on the surface of the plain metal railing he was leaning on to. Shou nearly chuckled again, but decided against it. Tora seemed like he’d received enough embarrassment for one lifetime.
So, instead, he put on a smile-a nice one, he hoped, that didn’t look like he was trying to suppress his laughter. “For the tenth time already, Tora-yan,” he said. “It’s okay. It really is. But if you do say you’re sorry one more time, I’m going to push you off the balcony and take Chikin home with me.”
Shou wasn’t serious with his threat (of course not, or else he’d be a murderer), but nonetheless, it was quite effective enough to shut Tora’s mouth. He swore that, even though it was dark there on the balcony, he could see Tora pouting. It was quite unbecoming of the guitarist, but Shou couldn’t deny it made him look quite adorable too.
“Listen,” Shou spoke up. “I don’t mind what you said. You were drunk, right? You can’t even remember what happened. It’s not as if you had full control of what you were doing.”
Tora lowered his head even further. He was starting to look like a puppy being scolded by its’ master.
Shou sighed. What else should he say to ease Tora’s mind?
Personally, it was quite embarrassing for him, too. Hiroto had a big mouth, they all knew that. It was only a matter of time before everyone found out-although, for Shou, hearing about it for the first time in a live streaming show with thousands of people watching online was a rather daunting experience. He was blushing like he had never blushed before, and there was no way to hide his burning face when Hiroto impersonated what Tora had said.
But then it had happened, right? And really, he wasn’t angry at Tora… well, maybe at Hiroto a bit, for a very understandable reason. But he was definitely not angry at Tora. If he was to be honest, he was really happy that Tora would actually say something like that about him. It was really sweet. That was why he had blushed so insanely. Anyone would’ve blushed like he did if they heard someone else saying something like that about them.
He just wished Tora would stop moping like this. He had come along with Tora to his apartment with the intention to chat-he realized they hadn’t had the chance to talk too much lately-but so far Tora hadn’t been very talkative, which was a really sad sight to behold.
“Come on,” he finally said, putting his arm around Tora’s shoulder. “Let’s just get some rest. Sleep will fix your mood.”
He watched as Tora turned his eyes for a second at him before lowering them again. But the guitarist nodded, and together they walked into the apartment.
===
The drastic change that took place on Tora’s expression would’ve been comical to watch if only Shou hadn’t known what had been the cause of it. Tora was not gloomy anymore, but furious. His mouth was agape with disbelieve while his eyes were wide, staring at the mess in front of them.
“CHIKIN!” he bellowed. The grey fluffy creature scampered off the bed and ran off to the nearest closet. “I’ve cleaned up your litter box! And you peed here, on the guest’s bed, of all places!”
Shou cringed, standing leaning against the doorframe while Tora tried to pull Chikin out from behind the closet. The battle was definitely owned by Chikin, because Tora was obviously tired after shooting and everything, and Chikin… well, what else would a cat be doing at home except sleeping, eating, and yes, littering? After a few minutes, Tora gave up. Chikin was still safely hiding behind the closet.
“That stupid cat!” he said, seemingly out of breath. “Now the bed totally reeks of its’ piss!”
“Well, a cat does what a cat does,” Shou shrugged. He knew he wasn’t being very helpful, but chasing a cat throughout the house in the dead of the night wouldn’t be of much use either.
“But where are you going to sleep now?” Tora waved his arms, clearly irritated. “You can’t possibly be sleeping with Chikin’s piss all over the sheet.”
Shou laughed. “No, I surely hope I won’t be sleeping there,” he said, and then approaching the bed, he pulled the sheet off. “Come on, I’ll help you put this in the washing machine before it gets too hard to clean.”
===
And so the incident that was caused by Chikin had led them to this awkward moment. Both Tora and Shou were standing in Tora’s bedroom, debating on who should sleep on the bed and who should be on the sofa. Shou, naturally, because he was the guest in this place, insisted that he should take the sofa. He couldn’t possibly let his host suffer for him. Not that Tora’s sofa was uncomfortable, no. It was fluffy enough that sometimes he would actually fall asleep while sitting on it-yes, that had actually happened a couple of times during their band meetings that were held here in Tora’s apartment.
“No, you take the bed, Shou-kun,” Tora said stubbornly. “I can’t let you sleep out there on the sofa.”
Tora, always the gentleman, Shou muttered deep in his brain. If he carried on, the argument would never end and they wouldn’t get any sleep at all. Finally, he came up with an idea that he knew, even before saying it out loud, would receive an immediate rejection from Tora.
“Let’s just share the bed,” Shou said.
It took probably around 5 or 6 seconds in which Tora simply stood there, looking as if he had been struck by lightning. The look on his face made Shou felt as if he had just said the craziest thing in the world.
“I’m just suggesting we share the bed, Tora, it’s much more practical than to keep arguing about who should sleep on the bed or the sofa,” Shou explained. “And you have a king sized bed, so you don’t have to worry about me taking over the entire surface.”
“That’s not what I-” Tora didn’t finish his sentence. He was looking back and forth between the bed and Shou now, as if calculating whether they would both fit it or not. Which was ridiculous, Shou thought; the bed would fit five men and Chikin although they might have to squeeze themselves in.
“I don’t usually kick around when I sleep so don’t worry about getting my leg up your face,” Shou grinned as he walked past a still-gaping Tora. “I’m going to the bathroom, okay? In the mean time don’t let Chikin piss on this bed as well, or else we both will be sleeping on the sofa.”
===
Tora had changed into a loose t-shirt and a knee-length jersey pants. Pulling off his own tight-fitting t-shirt, Shou asked Tora for a change of clothes. “My jeans are too tight to sleep in,” he said.
It didn’t slip Shou’s attention how quickly Tora turned around, and how he seemed to take forever rummaging his closet for something Shou could wear. In the end he brought out a simple white t-shirt and a grey long jersey.
“Thanks,” Shou took the change of clothes and kicked off his jeans. Again, Tora swiftly avoided looking at him and began fussing pointlessly with the pillows on the bed. Shou put on Tora’s t-shirt and jersey pants, quietly wondering what had gotten into the guitarist’s head. That guy couldn’t possibly feel uncomfortable at watching Shou getting undressed, could he? How long had they known each other? Too long to remember, Shou thought. And how often had they been backstage changing clothes in the same room together?
And then the entire scene from tonight’s NICONICO show replayed inside his head (right when he was trying to fold his used clothes as neatly as possible and place them on a desk nearby). How Tora wouldn’t even look at him when Hiroto was telling them what had happened that night. How Tora apologized for making Shou feel embarrassed too. How Tora had acted so uncharacteristically awkward around him afterward, even to this minute.
No, he stopped himself. What the hell am I thinking? I can’t possibly be suggesting that Tora…
He shook his head, as if by doing so he would successfully get rid of the suddenly disturbing thought in his mind. However, it clung to him persistently as he approached the bed.
“Okay, so, umm…” Shou mumbled. “Which side do you usually sleep on?”
Tora visibly jumped on the spot, as if Shou had blown up a huge balloon right next to his ear. “Oh! The left side!” he answered, and clambered up the bed as if he was being chased.
Well, if that wasn’t awkward, Shou didn’t know what was. But he tried to ignore his escalating heartbeats and followed the guitarist climbing up the bed.
Tora’s bed was a bit cold, but it was comfortable. Considering that Tora could fall asleep on just about any surface, Shou thought it was a relief that the bed was also to his own liking. The sheet and covers smelled nice, too-well, actually, they smelled like Tora’s cologne. Probably that’s why Shou found it pleasant. He plunged into the covers and pulled them up to his nose, closing his eyes as he breathed deeply.
He could have easily fallen asleep if not for a certain guitarist lying a few inches beside him. It was nearly impossible to ignore the heat emanating from Tora’s body, and with that acting like a constantly clicking trigger, Shou was once again reminded of tonight’s happenings, but especially Tora’s words (in Hiroto’s voice).
“You don’t know anything about Shou! I’ve always believed in his abilities since 10 years ago!”
The words rang loud and clear in his ears as if Hiroto was still here beside him, repeating them over and over again. His face felt like they were burning again, even hotter than before.
He hadn’t had enough time to think too far beyond the statement tonight, because then Hiroto had focused on Saga’s drunken antics. But now that he was alone with the guitarist, he couldn’t help looking back-had it really been 10 years? Time passed by so fast, although sometimes Shou also felt as if it was dragging by too slowly for his liking. Who would have thought that he and Tora would still be around each other after all those years?
Well, they might have known each other for 10 years, but that didn’t mean Shou knew everything about Tora, or likewise, Tora about Shou. Even if they had been the best of friends, Shou hadn’t exactly told Tora everything, and he knew Tora had kept some secrets from him as well. That’s humane. What’s odd was that Tora was still awkward around him at some occasions-tonight was just one of many examples. Sometimes they would sit side by side in weird silence, Tora being uncomfortably quiet, and Shou struggling to guess what his friend was thinking.
And then, seemingly out of the blue, a scene from one of their old interviews slinked into his memory. They had been young back then. Was it during TSUBASA period? Shou believed it was. They had been situated on a stage, with the MC sitting right next to him. Odd, that interview was. Nothing had been written on the script, and they hadn’t planned anything before stepping up on the stage for the interview. But the atmosphere was somehow…
Shou face grew even hotter under the covers as he remembered one question that the MC asked them.
“If you were a girl, which of the member would you be willing to date?”
Tora had answered with his gaze lowered to the floor: “Shou-kun.”
And while Shou had been trying to get rid of the image of Tora turning into a girl, Tora had continued with the reason why he had picked Shou. “Because he’s cool.”
Shou supposed the MC had been joking when he implied that Tora’s answer had made him embarrassed, but the truth was he had felt surprised. He hadn’t expected Tora to pick him of all people-he had initially thought he’d pick Saga, since those two had been pretty close during those days. But Tora hadn’t hesitated before answering his name. And when Shou had answered Tora, too, (considering that he had known Tora longer than the rest of the band) Tora had acted nervous and bashful. Back then he had thought it had been an act, a little something to entertain the audience; a fanservice or some sort. But now…
He carefully opened one eye, taking a peek at the man by his side. At one look, Tora seemed to be sleeping. Shou opened both eyes. Tora was lying stiffly like a board. It wasn’t an odd sight; that was exactly how Tora’s sleeping posture looked like. Shou felt a little disappointed, though why he suddenly felt that way, he didn’t quite understand. Was it because he was hoping he could have a little talk with Tora about tonight? But then how was he supposed to ask him?
“Tora-yan, is it possible that you actually like me? That is, as in more than just a friend?”
He would freeze on the spot before he even managed to mutter one word.
But honestly speaking, yes, he was curious. Could it be that Tora had been hiding that kind of feeling for him? Could it be that he had been concealing it behind a cheeky grin, playful laughter and vague denial every time the topic popped up in public? When there were only the two of them, Tora had always been really gentle, but Shou had believed that was just his nature. For all he knew, Tora was naturally a sweet guy and he treated everyone just as nicely. What gave him the reason to think that he was any different than everyone else?
Drunken people speak the truth.
Shou bit his lip. Alcohol could make people expose what they kept hidden when they were sober. But if that was true, what Tora had blurted drunkenly in front of Hiroto…
Shou cringed. His head felt like it was going to explode thinking about this.
Deciding to forcefully end his mental battle, he closed his eyes. Tora’s bashfully grinning face was the last thing he could remember before he floated slowly into a restless slumber.
===
It wasn’t even morning yet when Shou was startled awake. The cause was either the weird dream he’d just had (where Hiroto was dressed-or barely dressed-as Cupid, and he was chasing Shou all over the place screaming, “Let me stab you with this!” while waving his love arrow around), or the touch he felt on his forehead. He looked around, still hazy from drowsiness, and turned to the side.
He found that Tora was awake, too. The guitarist’s eyes were as wide as a doe’s caught in the headlights.
He blinked, confused. “Tora? What-?”
“Sorry,” Tora mumbled. “I-I was just… umm… a bug…”
“… Huh?”
“There was a bug on your uh… hair,” he said. “I was just getting rid of it.”
Even in his sleepy state, Shou instantly knew that Tora was lying. Tora had never been a good liar, especially in front of him. And moreover, Tora hated bugs. He never wanted to get near them, let alone touch them. So it would have been a miracle if what he said had been true.
But Shou decided not to argue. “Yeah,” he said. “Thanks.”
“Sorry I woke you up,” Tora said sheepishly.
Shou smiled. “That’s okay. Thanks for saving me from the big bad bug.”
“Umm… yeah. Okay. You should go back to sleep.”
Tora was just turning around when something inside of Shou’s head whispered: Ask him! Ask him now or you’ll be sorry! Faint though it was, somehow it could kick away his doubts. And from within, his curiosity pushed through, quickly getting the best of him. He reached out to Tora, stopping him from facing away.
He planned to ask Tora all the questions that had filled his head. He planned to confirm his assumption. He planned to talk in a civilized manner about everything that had made him confused.
One thing’s for sure, he definitely didn’t plan to pull Tora’s face close and kiss him on the lips.
It was only several milliseconds later that he came to a realization of what he was doing, but by then it was too late. He couldn’t possibly make up reasons to convince Tora that this was an accident, because obviously it wasn’t. And even if he could come up with something, he couldn’t exactly pull back as well, because… well, because… Tora was actually kissing him back, and it felt oh, so, so good.
Oh, well. We’ll get to the talking later…
Or, then again, maybe they didn’t have to. Everything was pretty much obvious at this point anyway without Shou having to ask a single question. Tora’s eager lips gave him all the answers he needed to know. The kiss seemed to open up a gate inside of Shou’s mind, and the next thing he knew, he was flooded with an emotion that was both alien but also very familiar to him.
“Mmh…” Shou could feel Tora’s thin, sharp metal piercing grazing his lower lip, but instead of complaining because it was hurting him, he felt an extraordinary sensation that ran through his spine, all the way to the tips of his toes.
All those years, all the little jokes, everything faded into one bright, gigantic ball of realization and understanding that his best friend was-had always been in love with him. He had previously thought it would scare him, make him feel at least awkward, but as Tora kept pressing against him and as their lips kept connecting again and again, Shou figured out that it felt just fine. There’s nothing scary about this; in fact, Shou felt completely comfortable being inside Tora’s hold, as if it was normal… as if this was something he had been waiting for a long, long time.
“Why… didn’t you… ever tell me…?” Shou asked between kisses. It was difficult just to get those words out because all he could think of was how amazing Tora’s kisses were, and how electrifying Tora’s hands felt on his skin.
“Do you think it’s that easy?” Tora asked back, letting go of Shou’s lips just to steal nips and kisses on Shou’s neck. He had somehow moved himself on top of Shou, and Shou knew he’d be damned if he didn’t enjoy the feeling of Tora’s body against his.
Shou gasped when Tora kissed a specifically sensitive part under his left ear. Everything he had been thinking about for the past few hours suddenly vaporized from his head, and although he was desperately trying to pull them back in, Tora’s hot breath on his neck drove them away again. He ran his hands through Tora’s long hair, pulling the guitarist closer to him. And then he slowly took Tora’s earlobe between his lips and sucked gently. Tora practically growled-just like a tiger-and rose up again to meet his lips; open mouthed kisses blurring Shou’s thoughts even further.
It was with deepest regret that Shou had to push Tora away, promising himself that it would only take a minute to get some confirmation. He bit his lip when he saw the part-disappointment, part-apprehension on Tora’s face. He hoped the guitarist wasn’t thinking that he was going to turn him down.
“Just tell me one thing, Tora-yan,” Shou said. “Since when?”
Shou swore he could see a faint blush coloring Tora’s cheeks before he answered, “I can’t even remember. All I know is that I’ve always liked you… and still do.”
Previously Shou had wanted to ask a lot of things, but now that he had heard Tora’s answer, no matter how short it was, he realized that it was good enough for him. His best friend had been (and still was) in love with him, and although it should have been intimidating, it really wasn’t. It was normal. Best friends fell in love with each other every day. This happened to Tora and, quite possibly, him.
Yeah, Shou thought. Ten years and more… I might actually have fallen for Tora already. If not, what are these butterflies doing in my stomach?
“Tora-yan,” Shou smiled. He leaned forward and touched Tora’s cheek. It felt warm against his palm. “Can you do me a favor?”
Tora looked at him questioningly. “What is it?”
“Next time you’re planning to get wasted again, do you mind if I come along?” Shou’s smile grew into a cheeky grin. “You know, just in case you’re going to blurt out interesting things about me again…”
Or Shou could just ask him personally. Either way, he would love to hear what Tora thought about him, and from now on, he would make sure to hear it straight from Tora’s mouth.
=== THE END ===
A/N: It's my first time writing this pairing, so forgive me if there seems to be any awkwardness. Honestly speaking I haven't been interested in ToraxShou until very recently (thanks to a couple of girls from my Twitter timeline *stares at Noe & Arum*), but I do think they make a lovely pair. Of these two, I might actually write more, but we'll see about that (I've still got PSC to work on). Okay, critic, love, and generally any comment, please :3
Fanfic list here.
Chapter: 1/1 (oneshot)
Author: アキ
Fandom: Alice Nine
Disclaimer: I don't own the guys. Just the story.
Pairings: ToraxShou
Genre: Drama, fluff
Rating: PG-13
Warning: None
Beta: None
Summary: Hiroto said too much, but then Tora should have known better than to get wasted in front of the other guitarist. Now Shou knew everything that Tora might have wanted to keep secret. Tora's words brought him a ton of questions, and that very night, Shou unexpectedly got his answers.
Moral of the story: stay away from Hiroto when you're drunk!
“Sorry.”
Shou let a chuckle slip past his throat. He didn’t mean to laugh at his bandmate’s lack of luck, and he specifically didn’t have the heart to keep reminding him of what had been exposed tonight at the studio during their regular show. But he thought the constant apology was, honestly, very amusing, especially if the man had been doing it nonstop for the past two hours-once every five minutes or so.
He turned to his side where the tall, black-haired guitarist was standing, propping his elbows on the railings. Those eyes were not staring at the superb view that was spread before them; the majestic night sky that seemed so close to their reach, and the ground that was littered with the shadows of countless buildings and the flicker of a million dots of light. But Tora was not looking at any of that; his eyes were cast down, as if there was something particularly interesting on the surface of the plain metal railing he was leaning on to. Shou nearly chuckled again, but decided against it. Tora seemed like he’d received enough embarrassment for one lifetime.
So, instead, he put on a smile-a nice one, he hoped, that didn’t look like he was trying to suppress his laughter. “For the tenth time already, Tora-yan,” he said. “It’s okay. It really is. But if you do say you’re sorry one more time, I’m going to push you off the balcony and take Chikin home with me.”
Shou wasn’t serious with his threat (of course not, or else he’d be a murderer), but nonetheless, it was quite effective enough to shut Tora’s mouth. He swore that, even though it was dark there on the balcony, he could see Tora pouting. It was quite unbecoming of the guitarist, but Shou couldn’t deny it made him look quite adorable too.
“Listen,” Shou spoke up. “I don’t mind what you said. You were drunk, right? You can’t even remember what happened. It’s not as if you had full control of what you were doing.”
Tora lowered his head even further. He was starting to look like a puppy being scolded by its’ master.
Shou sighed. What else should he say to ease Tora’s mind?
Personally, it was quite embarrassing for him, too. Hiroto had a big mouth, they all knew that. It was only a matter of time before everyone found out-although, for Shou, hearing about it for the first time in a live streaming show with thousands of people watching online was a rather daunting experience. He was blushing like he had never blushed before, and there was no way to hide his burning face when Hiroto impersonated what Tora had said.
But then it had happened, right? And really, he wasn’t angry at Tora… well, maybe at Hiroto a bit, for a very understandable reason. But he was definitely not angry at Tora. If he was to be honest, he was really happy that Tora would actually say something like that about him. It was really sweet. That was why he had blushed so insanely. Anyone would’ve blushed like he did if they heard someone else saying something like that about them.
He just wished Tora would stop moping like this. He had come along with Tora to his apartment with the intention to chat-he realized they hadn’t had the chance to talk too much lately-but so far Tora hadn’t been very talkative, which was a really sad sight to behold.
“Come on,” he finally said, putting his arm around Tora’s shoulder. “Let’s just get some rest. Sleep will fix your mood.”
He watched as Tora turned his eyes for a second at him before lowering them again. But the guitarist nodded, and together they walked into the apartment.
===
The drastic change that took place on Tora’s expression would’ve been comical to watch if only Shou hadn’t known what had been the cause of it. Tora was not gloomy anymore, but furious. His mouth was agape with disbelieve while his eyes were wide, staring at the mess in front of them.
“CHIKIN!” he bellowed. The grey fluffy creature scampered off the bed and ran off to the nearest closet. “I’ve cleaned up your litter box! And you peed here, on the guest’s bed, of all places!”
Shou cringed, standing leaning against the doorframe while Tora tried to pull Chikin out from behind the closet. The battle was definitely owned by Chikin, because Tora was obviously tired after shooting and everything, and Chikin… well, what else would a cat be doing at home except sleeping, eating, and yes, littering? After a few minutes, Tora gave up. Chikin was still safely hiding behind the closet.
“That stupid cat!” he said, seemingly out of breath. “Now the bed totally reeks of its’ piss!”
“Well, a cat does what a cat does,” Shou shrugged. He knew he wasn’t being very helpful, but chasing a cat throughout the house in the dead of the night wouldn’t be of much use either.
“But where are you going to sleep now?” Tora waved his arms, clearly irritated. “You can’t possibly be sleeping with Chikin’s piss all over the sheet.”
Shou laughed. “No, I surely hope I won’t be sleeping there,” he said, and then approaching the bed, he pulled the sheet off. “Come on, I’ll help you put this in the washing machine before it gets too hard to clean.”
===
And so the incident that was caused by Chikin had led them to this awkward moment. Both Tora and Shou were standing in Tora’s bedroom, debating on who should sleep on the bed and who should be on the sofa. Shou, naturally, because he was the guest in this place, insisted that he should take the sofa. He couldn’t possibly let his host suffer for him. Not that Tora’s sofa was uncomfortable, no. It was fluffy enough that sometimes he would actually fall asleep while sitting on it-yes, that had actually happened a couple of times during their band meetings that were held here in Tora’s apartment.
“No, you take the bed, Shou-kun,” Tora said stubbornly. “I can’t let you sleep out there on the sofa.”
Tora, always the gentleman, Shou muttered deep in his brain. If he carried on, the argument would never end and they wouldn’t get any sleep at all. Finally, he came up with an idea that he knew, even before saying it out loud, would receive an immediate rejection from Tora.
“Let’s just share the bed,” Shou said.
It took probably around 5 or 6 seconds in which Tora simply stood there, looking as if he had been struck by lightning. The look on his face made Shou felt as if he had just said the craziest thing in the world.
“I’m just suggesting we share the bed, Tora, it’s much more practical than to keep arguing about who should sleep on the bed or the sofa,” Shou explained. “And you have a king sized bed, so you don’t have to worry about me taking over the entire surface.”
“That’s not what I-” Tora didn’t finish his sentence. He was looking back and forth between the bed and Shou now, as if calculating whether they would both fit it or not. Which was ridiculous, Shou thought; the bed would fit five men and Chikin although they might have to squeeze themselves in.
“I don’t usually kick around when I sleep so don’t worry about getting my leg up your face,” Shou grinned as he walked past a still-gaping Tora. “I’m going to the bathroom, okay? In the mean time don’t let Chikin piss on this bed as well, or else we both will be sleeping on the sofa.”
===
Tora had changed into a loose t-shirt and a knee-length jersey pants. Pulling off his own tight-fitting t-shirt, Shou asked Tora for a change of clothes. “My jeans are too tight to sleep in,” he said.
It didn’t slip Shou’s attention how quickly Tora turned around, and how he seemed to take forever rummaging his closet for something Shou could wear. In the end he brought out a simple white t-shirt and a grey long jersey.
“Thanks,” Shou took the change of clothes and kicked off his jeans. Again, Tora swiftly avoided looking at him and began fussing pointlessly with the pillows on the bed. Shou put on Tora’s t-shirt and jersey pants, quietly wondering what had gotten into the guitarist’s head. That guy couldn’t possibly feel uncomfortable at watching Shou getting undressed, could he? How long had they known each other? Too long to remember, Shou thought. And how often had they been backstage changing clothes in the same room together?
And then the entire scene from tonight’s NICONICO show replayed inside his head (right when he was trying to fold his used clothes as neatly as possible and place them on a desk nearby). How Tora wouldn’t even look at him when Hiroto was telling them what had happened that night. How Tora apologized for making Shou feel embarrassed too. How Tora had acted so uncharacteristically awkward around him afterward, even to this minute.
No, he stopped himself. What the hell am I thinking? I can’t possibly be suggesting that Tora…
He shook his head, as if by doing so he would successfully get rid of the suddenly disturbing thought in his mind. However, it clung to him persistently as he approached the bed.
“Okay, so, umm…” Shou mumbled. “Which side do you usually sleep on?”
Tora visibly jumped on the spot, as if Shou had blown up a huge balloon right next to his ear. “Oh! The left side!” he answered, and clambered up the bed as if he was being chased.
Well, if that wasn’t awkward, Shou didn’t know what was. But he tried to ignore his escalating heartbeats and followed the guitarist climbing up the bed.
Tora’s bed was a bit cold, but it was comfortable. Considering that Tora could fall asleep on just about any surface, Shou thought it was a relief that the bed was also to his own liking. The sheet and covers smelled nice, too-well, actually, they smelled like Tora’s cologne. Probably that’s why Shou found it pleasant. He plunged into the covers and pulled them up to his nose, closing his eyes as he breathed deeply.
He could have easily fallen asleep if not for a certain guitarist lying a few inches beside him. It was nearly impossible to ignore the heat emanating from Tora’s body, and with that acting like a constantly clicking trigger, Shou was once again reminded of tonight’s happenings, but especially Tora’s words (in Hiroto’s voice).
“You don’t know anything about Shou! I’ve always believed in his abilities since 10 years ago!”
The words rang loud and clear in his ears as if Hiroto was still here beside him, repeating them over and over again. His face felt like they were burning again, even hotter than before.
He hadn’t had enough time to think too far beyond the statement tonight, because then Hiroto had focused on Saga’s drunken antics. But now that he was alone with the guitarist, he couldn’t help looking back-had it really been 10 years? Time passed by so fast, although sometimes Shou also felt as if it was dragging by too slowly for his liking. Who would have thought that he and Tora would still be around each other after all those years?
Well, they might have known each other for 10 years, but that didn’t mean Shou knew everything about Tora, or likewise, Tora about Shou. Even if they had been the best of friends, Shou hadn’t exactly told Tora everything, and he knew Tora had kept some secrets from him as well. That’s humane. What’s odd was that Tora was still awkward around him at some occasions-tonight was just one of many examples. Sometimes they would sit side by side in weird silence, Tora being uncomfortably quiet, and Shou struggling to guess what his friend was thinking.
And then, seemingly out of the blue, a scene from one of their old interviews slinked into his memory. They had been young back then. Was it during TSUBASA period? Shou believed it was. They had been situated on a stage, with the MC sitting right next to him. Odd, that interview was. Nothing had been written on the script, and they hadn’t planned anything before stepping up on the stage for the interview. But the atmosphere was somehow…
Shou face grew even hotter under the covers as he remembered one question that the MC asked them.
“If you were a girl, which of the member would you be willing to date?”
Tora had answered with his gaze lowered to the floor: “Shou-kun.”
And while Shou had been trying to get rid of the image of Tora turning into a girl, Tora had continued with the reason why he had picked Shou. “Because he’s cool.”
Shou supposed the MC had been joking when he implied that Tora’s answer had made him embarrassed, but the truth was he had felt surprised. He hadn’t expected Tora to pick him of all people-he had initially thought he’d pick Saga, since those two had been pretty close during those days. But Tora hadn’t hesitated before answering his name. And when Shou had answered Tora, too, (considering that he had known Tora longer than the rest of the band) Tora had acted nervous and bashful. Back then he had thought it had been an act, a little something to entertain the audience; a fanservice or some sort. But now…
He carefully opened one eye, taking a peek at the man by his side. At one look, Tora seemed to be sleeping. Shou opened both eyes. Tora was lying stiffly like a board. It wasn’t an odd sight; that was exactly how Tora’s sleeping posture looked like. Shou felt a little disappointed, though why he suddenly felt that way, he didn’t quite understand. Was it because he was hoping he could have a little talk with Tora about tonight? But then how was he supposed to ask him?
“Tora-yan, is it possible that you actually like me? That is, as in more than just a friend?”
He would freeze on the spot before he even managed to mutter one word.
But honestly speaking, yes, he was curious. Could it be that Tora had been hiding that kind of feeling for him? Could it be that he had been concealing it behind a cheeky grin, playful laughter and vague denial every time the topic popped up in public? When there were only the two of them, Tora had always been really gentle, but Shou had believed that was just his nature. For all he knew, Tora was naturally a sweet guy and he treated everyone just as nicely. What gave him the reason to think that he was any different than everyone else?
Drunken people speak the truth.
Shou bit his lip. Alcohol could make people expose what they kept hidden when they were sober. But if that was true, what Tora had blurted drunkenly in front of Hiroto…
Shou cringed. His head felt like it was going to explode thinking about this.
Deciding to forcefully end his mental battle, he closed his eyes. Tora’s bashfully grinning face was the last thing he could remember before he floated slowly into a restless slumber.
===
It wasn’t even morning yet when Shou was startled awake. The cause was either the weird dream he’d just had (where Hiroto was dressed-or barely dressed-as Cupid, and he was chasing Shou all over the place screaming, “Let me stab you with this!” while waving his love arrow around), or the touch he felt on his forehead. He looked around, still hazy from drowsiness, and turned to the side.
He found that Tora was awake, too. The guitarist’s eyes were as wide as a doe’s caught in the headlights.
He blinked, confused. “Tora? What-?”
“Sorry,” Tora mumbled. “I-I was just… umm… a bug…”
“… Huh?”
“There was a bug on your uh… hair,” he said. “I was just getting rid of it.”
Even in his sleepy state, Shou instantly knew that Tora was lying. Tora had never been a good liar, especially in front of him. And moreover, Tora hated bugs. He never wanted to get near them, let alone touch them. So it would have been a miracle if what he said had been true.
But Shou decided not to argue. “Yeah,” he said. “Thanks.”
“Sorry I woke you up,” Tora said sheepishly.
Shou smiled. “That’s okay. Thanks for saving me from the big bad bug.”
“Umm… yeah. Okay. You should go back to sleep.”
Tora was just turning around when something inside of Shou’s head whispered: Ask him! Ask him now or you’ll be sorry! Faint though it was, somehow it could kick away his doubts. And from within, his curiosity pushed through, quickly getting the best of him. He reached out to Tora, stopping him from facing away.
He planned to ask Tora all the questions that had filled his head. He planned to confirm his assumption. He planned to talk in a civilized manner about everything that had made him confused.
One thing’s for sure, he definitely didn’t plan to pull Tora’s face close and kiss him on the lips.
It was only several milliseconds later that he came to a realization of what he was doing, but by then it was too late. He couldn’t possibly make up reasons to convince Tora that this was an accident, because obviously it wasn’t. And even if he could come up with something, he couldn’t exactly pull back as well, because… well, because… Tora was actually kissing him back, and it felt oh, so, so good.
Oh, well. We’ll get to the talking later…
Or, then again, maybe they didn’t have to. Everything was pretty much obvious at this point anyway without Shou having to ask a single question. Tora’s eager lips gave him all the answers he needed to know. The kiss seemed to open up a gate inside of Shou’s mind, and the next thing he knew, he was flooded with an emotion that was both alien but also very familiar to him.
“Mmh…” Shou could feel Tora’s thin, sharp metal piercing grazing his lower lip, but instead of complaining because it was hurting him, he felt an extraordinary sensation that ran through his spine, all the way to the tips of his toes.
All those years, all the little jokes, everything faded into one bright, gigantic ball of realization and understanding that his best friend was-had always been in love with him. He had previously thought it would scare him, make him feel at least awkward, but as Tora kept pressing against him and as their lips kept connecting again and again, Shou figured out that it felt just fine. There’s nothing scary about this; in fact, Shou felt completely comfortable being inside Tora’s hold, as if it was normal… as if this was something he had been waiting for a long, long time.
“Why… didn’t you… ever tell me…?” Shou asked between kisses. It was difficult just to get those words out because all he could think of was how amazing Tora’s kisses were, and how electrifying Tora’s hands felt on his skin.
“Do you think it’s that easy?” Tora asked back, letting go of Shou’s lips just to steal nips and kisses on Shou’s neck. He had somehow moved himself on top of Shou, and Shou knew he’d be damned if he didn’t enjoy the feeling of Tora’s body against his.
Shou gasped when Tora kissed a specifically sensitive part under his left ear. Everything he had been thinking about for the past few hours suddenly vaporized from his head, and although he was desperately trying to pull them back in, Tora’s hot breath on his neck drove them away again. He ran his hands through Tora’s long hair, pulling the guitarist closer to him. And then he slowly took Tora’s earlobe between his lips and sucked gently. Tora practically growled-just like a tiger-and rose up again to meet his lips; open mouthed kisses blurring Shou’s thoughts even further.
It was with deepest regret that Shou had to push Tora away, promising himself that it would only take a minute to get some confirmation. He bit his lip when he saw the part-disappointment, part-apprehension on Tora’s face. He hoped the guitarist wasn’t thinking that he was going to turn him down.
“Just tell me one thing, Tora-yan,” Shou said. “Since when?”
Shou swore he could see a faint blush coloring Tora’s cheeks before he answered, “I can’t even remember. All I know is that I’ve always liked you… and still do.”
Previously Shou had wanted to ask a lot of things, but now that he had heard Tora’s answer, no matter how short it was, he realized that it was good enough for him. His best friend had been (and still was) in love with him, and although it should have been intimidating, it really wasn’t. It was normal. Best friends fell in love with each other every day. This happened to Tora and, quite possibly, him.
Yeah, Shou thought. Ten years and more… I might actually have fallen for Tora already. If not, what are these butterflies doing in my stomach?
“Tora-yan,” Shou smiled. He leaned forward and touched Tora’s cheek. It felt warm against his palm. “Can you do me a favor?”
Tora looked at him questioningly. “What is it?”
“Next time you’re planning to get wasted again, do you mind if I come along?” Shou’s smile grew into a cheeky grin. “You know, just in case you’re going to blurt out interesting things about me again…”
Or Shou could just ask him personally. Either way, he would love to hear what Tora thought about him, and from now on, he would make sure to hear it straight from Tora’s mouth.
=== THE END ===
A/N: It's my first time writing this pairing, so forgive me if there seems to be any awkwardness. Honestly speaking I haven't been interested in ToraxShou until very recently (thanks to a couple of girls from my Twitter timeline *stares at Noe & Arum*), but I do think they make a lovely pair. Of these two, I might actually write more, but we'll see about that (I've still got PSC to work on). Okay, critic, love, and generally any comment, please :3
Fanfic list here.