Bella Figura (pt. 4 of 4)
Title: Bella Figura
Translation: [Italian] Fine Appearance/ Impression
Series: Digimon Frontier/ Savers (crossover)
Character(s): Masaru D., Takuya K.
Genre: Romance, Angst
Rating: M
Warning: MasaruxTakuya, KoujixTakuya, ToumaxMasaru, hint of JunpeixIzumi
Summary: Admiration. That’s what Takuya thought when he saw Masaru for the first time. But as time moves forward and the familiar face appears more frequently in his life, his heartbeat skips… just as it would when feeling love for the first time (AU)
Kouji’s face was a deep red when Takuya explained how he found out about Massaru and Touma as a couple. What a horrible way to find out, he thought.
After running into Takuya in his neighborhood, they both of them went over Takuya’s house to eat. Despite how he was feeling, Takuya tried his best to keep a smile on his face, even though his father was angry at him for coming home late. Afterward, to make Takuya feel better, he had asked if the brunette could spend the night, since they haven’t done that in awhile. At first his father was against the idea, but his mother went ahead and let him go anyways.
“No harm in letting Takuya stay with you for a night, right?” she had said as she ushered the two, now holding bags for the night and for school, out the door. “It… looks like you two have some talking to do anyways.” She turned to Takuya, giving him a kiss on the forehead. “Feel better, okay Takuya?”
Kouji assumed it was a mother’s instinct, so the two made the walk to Kouji’s place. As the two continued their walk, Takuya explained to Kouji about the run-in with Kouki, and how Masaru came in and fought.
“Sounds like Masaru, if anything, gave you a good impression.”
Hearing Kouji say that made Takuya stop in his tracks.
It just seems like with this drawing and Tomoki’s constant talk about him… it sounds like this Masaru guy made a good first impression on you two.
“Im… pression?” Takuya recalled.
“Mmm? Something wrong?” Kouji asked, turning to Takuya. The brunette sighed and scratched his head.
“I…”
Kouji frowned and put his hands on Takuya’s shoulders for comfort. “Takuya, listen to me. In some cases, people tend to have a crush on people they admire. But remember this-sometimes… the person you’ve been looking for… has been standing there for you the whole time.”
In the darkness, Kouji’s face was in view, thanks to the streetlight right above their heads. Takuya stared into his eyes, his face a light shade of red. “K-Kouji…”
Realizing what Kouji had just said made him blush a deeper red and slightly turn away in embarrassment.
“Kouji?”
“… Mmm?”
“I feel bad.” Takuya answered. His head down, he tried to find the right words before slowly looking up to the boy again. “I… gave up on falling in love with you.”
--
Telling that to Kouji made Takuya want to run away. However, after hanging out with Masaru so much, he realized that problems weren’t going to solve themselves.
So why? When he saw Touma there, when Masaru was backing him up, why did he run away?
And why haven’t his legs moved when he told Kouji what he said. Or even Kouji for that matter? He was sure he was going to be hated for even telling Kouji that.
But instead, they continued their walk to Kouji’s house, and now this.
It was surreal.
Why?
I never have been in a relationship before, let alone publicly mention that I’m in love with someone.
“… Kouji.”
The boy looked down at his lap, where Takuya lay quietly, bunched together in a blanket.
“… yes, Takuya?”
“Back there… did you… just confess to me?”
Kouji was quiet as his eyes lowered. He didn’t know the right words; this whole time Takuya was in love with Masaru, and now that he was rejected, he almost regretted confessing to him right then and there.
“What if… I still had mixed feelings?” Takuya asked, bundling up closer.
“I’ll wait.” Was Kouji’s answer. “Just for you.”
“What if somehow, Masaru and I-“
“You’d be happy, right?” Kouji asked. “All I ask for is your happiness. And… if it’s even with Masaru, then I’d be fine with it. Just as long as I can see your smile again. I don’t want you to lose that smile of yours.”
“… Kouji?”
“… yes?”
“I’m sorry.”
Kouji was right, but Takuya wasn’t able to accept that until now. Feeling horrible, he looked up to Kouji once again, a saddened look on his face.
“I… didn’t want to ruin the friendship we already had because of my selfishness. If I confessed and you freaked out… I wouldn’t know what to do. So I gave up.”
Kouji blinked a few times in utter confusion as Takuya’s red face darkened. It felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders after the confession. Just like Masaru, Kouji cared a lot for him too.
Perhaps… this is why I was so attached to Masaru in the first place, Takuya thought. Maybe…I had a good impression of Kouji as well.
Wrapping his hand around the back of Kouji’s head, Takuya leaned forward and gave him a small kiss on the lips. It was a start, he thought, as he gently pulled away.
“Kouji-chan, I love you.”
“I know.” Kouji smirked, caressing Takuya’s cheek. “I love you too.”
--
The knock on the door was louder this time.
Takuya wanted to ignore it, but now that he wasn’t asleep anymore, he didn’t have the luxury of doing so. Instead, he turned to Kouji, who was still sleeping, and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“I’ll be back… ‘kay, Kouji-chan?”
The brunette got off the bed and fished for his clothes on the floor, throwing them on as the knocks continued. Finally downstairs at the door, he looked out the peephole on the door. His mouth open, he was startled to see Masaru standing at the door, pacing back and forth.
Takuya opened the door and walked out of the house, slowly closing the door shut. “Masaru, what are-“
“I…” Masaru gave Takuya a deep bow, making the younger boy feel a bit nervous. “I’m sorry, Takuya.” He lifted his head a bit and sighed. “Touma-chan… he told me everything. I just… feel stupid for not realizing it.”
“…” Takuya frowned and leaned on the door, his eyes glued to his shoes. It was a little awkward, the both of them finally realizing what was going on.
“…Masaru?”
“Yeah?”
“You and Touma don’t seem that… affectionate around other people.”
“WHAT?!” Masaru slightly pulled back, his face a deep red. “No way, you saw?”
“Uuh? Ahh…” Takuya blushed as well and turned away, trying to avoid Masaru’s eyes. “I left… my bag there…”
Takuya heard Masaru mumble something inaudible (but was sure he was saying something to himself about “Touma-chan always being right”) But sighed and crossed his arms. “It’s his father. That’s why Touma’s reluctant to the whole ‘public display of affection’ crap.” He answered. “Touma-chan is a member of an aristocratic family … or at least, he… kinda is? I guess since his mother is originally Japanese, or something like that. He likes to complicate things about the Norstein family tree. Anyways, his father has him tied to an arrange marriage; it’s been that way since he was a child.”
“Oh, I see…”
“But he met me.” Masaru said, a bit of sadness in his voice. “His father is disgusted, but Touma says that… he’s happy with me. And if he’s happy then I am, too. If… that answers your question.”
“I’m sorry, Masaru.” Takuya mumbled.
Masaru looked up, his hands on his hips. “Che. No use fussing over the past now, right? And besides…” he then leans closer, only a few inches away from Takuya. “I see you’re happy with someone else, too.”
“Uuh?” Takuya blinked.
“Call it instinct, as your mother calls it.” Masaru answered, a grin on his face.
“Wait, mom knows?” Takuya almost yelled, hugging his chest. At least that answered how Masaru got here, Takuya thought. Thanks mom, for telling him everything…
“Apparently so.” Masaru replied. “She mentioned something about how she was like that with your father when she was young…” he stopped and smiled, ruffling Takuya’s hair. “I was-No. I am gonna apologize. I’m sorry about the confusion. I honestly wasn’t sure about what to say if you haven’t seen this Kouji kid by now!” Masaru laughed off his mistake and walked away from the house. He stopped and turned to Takuya, giving him a warm smile.
“It’s a man’s duty to make your boyfriend happy. Remember that, Takuya Kanbara.”
“I… I will.” Takuya gave Masaru a wide grin as the street fighter walked off. “And tell Touma I said ‘good luck with his father’!”
Masaru, walking away as Takuya let himself in the house again, waved his right hand up in assurance.
--
“Ah, he was there last night?”
“Yeah, I guess... he knew that I knew what happened?”
Kouji smiled and shook his head as he took the bag full of pastries. He handed the money to the boy, assuring that he didn’t need the change, and left the shop along with Takuya, who fished inside the bag for a specialty bread and took a huge bite.
“This is great!” Takuya exclaimed. “Although… I wonder how they came up with the name ‘Guilmon Bread’? I don’t recognize that name in the show…”
“According to Juri…” Kouji explained. “He’s a huge fan of the show Digimon, and this was a character he drew up. So he started making bread of Guilmon.”
“Oh, wow…” Takuya took another bite, enjoying the sweetened bread. “I wish I was that creative…”
As they made their way towards a bridge to go to the park (no use coming all this way just to get some bread, Kouji pointed out. My friend Juri told me about this park, we should go there before we head home… besides, I heard it’s a perfect view for sunsets), Kouji took out a smaller piece of melon bread and took a bite.
“So you mean that Masaru knows now?”
“Uhh…” Takuya finished the last of his bread and wiped the crumbs off his face. “Well, Touma hinted at it, so… well, that’s beside the point!” he replied, trying his best to change the subject. “He came by… to apologize.”
Kouji nodded and took another bite of his bread, staring off into the sunset. The brunette couldn’t help but smile (he’s too cute, Takuya thought) and link his pinky finger to Kouji’s.
“You worry yourself too much.” Takuya pointed out, a grin stretching his face. “I’m not going anywhere. Besides…” he pulls his phone from out of his pocket, the little Yamato jingling from the motion. “Masaru texted me.”
“How?”
“From mom. I dunno why she bothers doing all of that…” he murmurs. He then flipped the phone open and presses a few buttons, searching for Masaru’s passage. He then shows it to Kouji.
“’Takuya, remember what I told you last night’? What does that mean?”
“It means…” Takuya replied, taking the phone back from Kouji. “… I’m keeping Masaru’s promise and sticking to a man’s word.” The two stop at the park’s entrance, where Takuya gave the boy a wider grin, which only made him more confused.
“Besides…” Takuya assured, leaning in closer. “Masaru-sama has Touma-kun.” He wrapped his arms around Kouji’s neck and gave him a soft kiss on the lips, reminding Kouji that everything was going to be okay.
“And I have you.”
--
A/N:: This. Story. Took. For. Freakin’. EVER!!!! (orz)
And WUT THE HECK this was RIDICULOUSLY AU, hahaaa~
Adventure/02: Teenage Wolves’ Yamato
Tamers: Takato, Juri, Guilmon Bread
Frontier: Takuya, Kouji, Junpei, Tomoki, Izumi, Chiaki, Teruo, Katsuharu, Teppei, Kouichi, Mr./Mrs. Kanbara
Savers: Masaru, Touma, Mr. Noirstein, Kouki
Xros Wars: Nene, Kiriha
But yeah. I had to pull teeth in order to get this story done. At first, I really wanted to get it done, but I was stumped (I stopped on the scene with Kouji and Takuya talking about the goggle-head’s dreams about Masaru), and then I was just like “Ah screw it, I’m just gonna improvise”.
And this was hot it turned out.
I’m kinda afraid I made Takuya too OCC making him such a crybaby, but when I remember episode 21 and how much Flamon cried, I was like “Ehhh, we’ll roll with that~” He’s just an emotional kiiiiidddddd *shot*
Word count: 8470 words
PART I
PART II
PART III