Rain of Comfort, Tears of Anger
Title: Rain of Comfort, Tears of Anger
Author: quietprofanity
Fandom: Gravitation
Pairing: Hiro/Ayaka
Warnings: A few sexual references
Disclaimer: Characters belong to Maki Murakami. Story takes place after the anime/manga.
Summary: Hiro and Ayaka watch the rain and talk. This is yet another entry for Aja’s “Rain and Tears” challenge, in which the writer must create a non-sucky, non-angsty fanfic containing rain and/or tears.
~*~*~
It was nice not to have anywhere to go.
Nakano Hiroshi closed his eyes for a moment and listened to the rain as it pounded on the shoji screen and roof. It was a dark day, a day when a person didn’t want to get up because the sun would not be there to greet him. The clock struck three in the afternoon, and Hiro still didn’t know if he wanted to be awake.
His girlfriend seemed to echo the sentiment. Usami Ayaka leaned against Hiro, her chest slowly rising and falling with long, deep breaths. They were sitting on the floor of her room, both exhausted after being pounded with rain while running from the taxi cab to her family’s home beside the temple. Hiro was happy to be dry.
He pushed a stray lock of brown hair away from Ayaka’s face. Her eyes fluttered open.
“Sleepy, Ayaka-chan?” Hiro asked.
“Mmm, no …” Ayaka shifted her body upright and laid her head on Hiro’s shoulder. She grabbed a bit of his yukata and closed her eyes.
“Hey, don’t fall asleep on me.”
Ayaka let out a light snore, and then sucked air back into her nose. A short moan issued from her mouth. She looked up at Hiro. “I’m sorry, Nakano-san … what did you say?”
Hiro laughed. Ayaka blinked in surprise, and then moaned.
“Ohhh … I apologize,” she rubbed her eyes.
“It’s all right. Days like this always make me sleepy too.”
“It’s so hot …” Ayaka complained. She shifted against Hiro again.
Like Hiro, Ayaka wore a yukata for the muggy, rainy month of June. However, hers was a bright magenta with a sunflower pattern while his was a royal blue with white palm leaves. Despite the thin fabric, Hiro could understand why she was still hot. The rain outside not only darkened the sky, but turned the summer air sticky and damp. Sweat caused the underside of the sleeves and some parts of the chest fabric to stick to him. He hoped he didn’t smell bad.
Hiro smiled and pulled Ayaka close to him. Her body made his even warmer, but he didn’t mind. “You want me to get you something?”
Ayaka’s arms clamped around him. “Mmm … don’t get up.”
Hiro laughed softly. “I’ll be right back. You can sleep on the floor a bit.”
Ayaka shook her head and grabbed Hiro tighter. “The futon isn’t rolled out.”
“Come on, I’m about as comfortable as the floor.”
Ayaka made a disgusted noise. Hiro sighed and petted Ayaka on the head.
“I want some cold tea, anyway. I’ll be right back.”
“Mmm …” Ayaka pushed herself away from Hiro. She wobbled as she stood up. “Don’t bother … I know where it is.” She yawned and walked out of the room.
Hiro shook his head. Ayaka was unpredictable, sometimes. Well, not unpredictable like Shuichi or K-san, but unpredictable in more subtle ways. Usually she was very normal. Ayaka had the calm, charming temperament of the ideal Japanese woman. Yet there would be times where her anger could stop someone in his tracks, like when she slapped Shuichi that day in the studio. Or, in contrast, she could be submissive to the point of fear. She was getting over that a bit. Little by little Hiro could see Ayaka coming out of her shell, her naïveté of the world around her giving way to a confident, refined young woman. It made Hiro happy.
A telltale yawn alerted Hiro to her return. Ayaka walked into the room carrying two cans of Pokka green tea. She popped a can open and gave one to Hiro, and then sat down and opened a can for herself. Hiro took a large gulp, delighting in the strong, cool taste. He sighed; that felt much better. Actually, even the cold aluminum in his hand felt better. He moved the can to his other hand and wiped his forehead with his now-cooled one. Ayaka settled next to Hiro again.
It felt so nice to be here. Ayaka’s parents had gone to a wedding, leaving her behind. So Hiro had immediately rushed down to Kyoto for the weekend. He was glad. Work had been tough lately. Hiro hadn’t been able to tear himself away long enough to see Ayaka. He certainly wanted to - Ayaka’s disappointed voice on the other end of the phone line always killed him. Oh well. He was here now.
Hiro ran his fingers through Ayaka’s thick hair, letting them tangle there. He felt really bad he couldn’t be here for her more often. He suggested the idea of Ayaka moving in with him, but both of them agreed they weren’t ready for that yet. Well … maybe what Hiro hoped to do tonight would bring them a step closer.
If he found the nerve, of course. Hiro’s heart beat a bit quicker.
“Nakano-san?”
Did she hear that? Hiro smiled. “Don’t worry. It’s nothing.”
“Ah.” Seemingly tired of lying against him, Ayaka moved so she could lie across Hiro’s lap. She held the green tea can to her forehead. “I wish I wasn’t so tired. You’re not here very often. I don’t want to spend the short time we have together sleeping.”
“You’ll have more energy tomorrow.”
Ayaka made a noise somewhere between a grunt and a sigh. “I don’t think so. Tomorrow it’ll still be raining.”
Hiro kissed the edge of his fingertips and tapped Ayaka’s forehead. “We’ll just have to stay in then.”
“I don’t mind …” Ayaka sighed softly and sat up. Her yukata slipped off her left shoulder. She placed the can of tea on the floor and made a move to pull it up, but Hiro leaned down and kissed her shoulder before she could.
“N-Nakano-san …!” Ayaka blustered, her face turning red.
Hiro smiled at her and rested his hands against her cheeks. He gave her a quick kiss on the lips, making Ayaka turn even redder. Hiro felt uneasy. “I’m sorry … does that really bother you?”
“Huh?” Ayaka shook her head. “Oh, no. I was just … you surprised me.”
“Well, I meant to do that a little …”
Ayaka shook her head, but grinned. She wrapped her arms around Hiro’s neck and the two pressed their lips together. Hers parted and Hiro let himself in …
She smelled, well … not much better than he did. Lavender perfume mixed with sweat. Her mouth tasted like the tea had turned warm. Nevertheless, he held her closer.
Ayaka adjusted herself so that she was sitting on Hiro’s lap, her legs straddling over his. Hiro pulled her close to him. They fell back on the ground with a thump.
Ayaka kneeled over him. “Are you hurt?”
Hiro shook his head and pulled Ayaka down so that she was lying on top of him. They kissed again, but Ayaka did not kiss back. Her body felt stiff. Hiro stopped. “Is everything all right? You seem nervous.”
“I’m just … Well, if you want me to …”
“I don’t want anything if you don’t, Ayaka-chan.” Hiro stroked her hair. “The thought didn’t cross my mind until you said something, actually.”
Ayaka blushed. She didn’t feel as stiff now, but still …
“Ayaka-chan?”
“Yes?”
“If something was bothering you, you would tell me, wouldn’t you?”
Ayaka blinked. “Um, sure ... Wh-Why would you think I wouldn’t?”
“I just don’t want you to do something for me you’d regret.”
Ayaka bit her lip. “I … I wish I wasn’t so nervous. I see all these girls on television saying what they want to do with you. It doesn’t make me feel good.”
“Do you think I’m cheating on you?”
Ayaka shook her head violently. “No, no. I trust you. I just want to make sure I’m … well, you must want it, don’t you?”
“I want a personal jet, too. That doesn’t mean I’m going to buy one.”
“That’s different,” Ayaka said bitterly.
“Not really …” Hiro wrapped his arms around Ayaka, pulling her down to him again. When Ayaka hugged him back, Hiro spoke. “I’m here with you, aren’t I? Don’t think about what the other girls want. If I make you do something you’re not ready for, it won’t be satisfying to me.”
“Mmm …” Ayaka nuzzled Hiro’s neck. “I just worry …”
Hiro shrugged. “Well, I guess I can understand that. I worry about how you feel about Yuki-san, sometimes.”
Ayaka sat up and turned away.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Hiro suddenly blenched and sat up. “Ayaka-chan, I didn’t mean to criticize you.”
“I know. That’s not it. I …” Ayaka sniffled, then closed her eyes. She tried to stifle a sob.
“Ayaka-chan?” Hiro wrapped his arms around her. “What’s wrong?”
“Someone found out the other day …”
“Found out what?”
Ayaka sniffled again. She wiped tears out of her eye with her left hand and looked into Hiro’s eyes. “This magazine … I don’t read those types of magazines. But someone told Mother.”
Hiro blinked. “Told her what? Your parents know we’re dating. Is this the class thing again? I know they had a problem with me in the beginning, but …”
Ayaka shook her head. “They don’t like that, but they’re learning to live with it. This article, though …” Ayaka’s face scrunched up. “They found out I was engaged to Eiri-san. And the writer of the article … the writer …” She looked up at Hiro, the tears now reformed in her eyes. “The writer said I was just dating you to spite Shindou-san. They said I was doing it to break up the band!”
Hiro sighed internally. He trusted Ayaka, but for a moment he had thought she would say something a lot worse. Shuichi used to go into screaming fits whenever a tabloid said he or Yuki was having an affair. After all that talk about those girls, Hiro feared for a moment Ayaka started believing them instead of him. Still … “You just said that you would tell me if something was bothering you. Why didn’t you tell me about that?”
“I didn’t want to ruin our time together … I did plan to tell you at one point. But Nakano-san, how could that writer say such things? He didn’t even talk to me!”
“It’s just a tabloid, Ayaka-chan.” Hiro kissed her on the forehead. “If you want, we could make a public appearance together. Or Mr. K can send out a press release for you.”
“I suppose …” Ayaka pulled her yukata closed.
Hiro hugged her again. “It will be fine. We can solve this.”
“But it’ll keep happening, won’t it?”
“Huh?”
Ayaka sighed. “This won’t be the last time, will it? What if they say something really nasty? Something that will pull us apart.”
“That won’t happen,” Hiro said firmly.
“Really? We already have so much against us … we’re not from the same classes, my parents aren’t happy with us, there are those girls and I … I …”
Hiro hung his head. He’d learned to deal with his girlfriend’s lingering feelings for her old fiancée, but he’d never quite become used to it. Hiro knew he had to give it time, but … Well, he told himself, he had no qualms about waiting for sex but other things were far more difficult. He wanted this relationship to be about Ayaka and himself, not Ayaka and not-Yuki. Hiro tried to put a lid on his jealousy and doubt. It would be hypocritical to harvest those feelings in himself while attempting to expel his girlfriend’s.
“Whatever comes for us, we can deal with it if we’re strong enough.” Hiro smiled as best he could. “If we’re meant to be together, we’ll make it through. This is solvable. Most people don’t pay attention to the really hysterical tabloids, anyway. If this was going to be a big deal, I think K probably would know about it, already. He’s good that way.”
Ayaka sighed softly. Hiro could tell that she wasn’t totally convinced. He wrapped his arm around her and Ayaka fell back into it. She felt oddly cold now. Maybe it was the tea. Hiro rubbed his hand up and down her back.
“I’m sorry,” Ayaka whispered. “I didn’t want to bring this up.”
“It was important. I said you should tell me if something is bothering you.” He lifted up her cheek and gave her another quick kiss on the lips.
Ayaka smiled and hugged Hiro more tightly. He could feel her heart beat against his chest. Her long hair tickled his face. Her hand, cold from the can but warming, felt clammy as it brushed against his neck.
She rested her head against his shoulder. “You know … as sleepy as it makes me, I like the rain. When I was young I would make origami and just watch the rain fall down the shoji screens. If it rained just right, it would look like you were beneath a waterfall.”
“Oh … Shuichi and I used to make mud-pies.”
Ayaka looked up at Hiro in surprise. Then she started to laugh. After a minute, Hiro laughed too.
She laid her head back on Hiro’s shoulder. Earlier, Hiro thought tonight would be the night he told Ayaka that he loved her. But now, no … It was too soon. They needed more days in the rain to share. More dinners with family. More tabloid rumors to kill.
Hiro looked out at the shoji screen. Ayaka was just about to doze off when Hiro tapped her shoulder.
“Ayaka-chan, look! Here comes the waterfall.”
The End.
Author: quietprofanity
Fandom: Gravitation
Pairing: Hiro/Ayaka
Warnings: A few sexual references
Disclaimer: Characters belong to Maki Murakami. Story takes place after the anime/manga.
Summary: Hiro and Ayaka watch the rain and talk. This is yet another entry for Aja’s “Rain and Tears” challenge, in which the writer must create a non-sucky, non-angsty fanfic containing rain and/or tears.
~*~*~
It was nice not to have anywhere to go.
Nakano Hiroshi closed his eyes for a moment and listened to the rain as it pounded on the shoji screen and roof. It was a dark day, a day when a person didn’t want to get up because the sun would not be there to greet him. The clock struck three in the afternoon, and Hiro still didn’t know if he wanted to be awake.
His girlfriend seemed to echo the sentiment. Usami Ayaka leaned against Hiro, her chest slowly rising and falling with long, deep breaths. They were sitting on the floor of her room, both exhausted after being pounded with rain while running from the taxi cab to her family’s home beside the temple. Hiro was happy to be dry.
He pushed a stray lock of brown hair away from Ayaka’s face. Her eyes fluttered open.
“Sleepy, Ayaka-chan?” Hiro asked.
“Mmm, no …” Ayaka shifted her body upright and laid her head on Hiro’s shoulder. She grabbed a bit of his yukata and closed her eyes.
“Hey, don’t fall asleep on me.”
Ayaka let out a light snore, and then sucked air back into her nose. A short moan issued from her mouth. She looked up at Hiro. “I’m sorry, Nakano-san … what did you say?”
Hiro laughed. Ayaka blinked in surprise, and then moaned.
“Ohhh … I apologize,” she rubbed her eyes.
“It’s all right. Days like this always make me sleepy too.”
“It’s so hot …” Ayaka complained. She shifted against Hiro again.
Like Hiro, Ayaka wore a yukata for the muggy, rainy month of June. However, hers was a bright magenta with a sunflower pattern while his was a royal blue with white palm leaves. Despite the thin fabric, Hiro could understand why she was still hot. The rain outside not only darkened the sky, but turned the summer air sticky and damp. Sweat caused the underside of the sleeves and some parts of the chest fabric to stick to him. He hoped he didn’t smell bad.
Hiro smiled and pulled Ayaka close to him. Her body made his even warmer, but he didn’t mind. “You want me to get you something?”
Ayaka’s arms clamped around him. “Mmm … don’t get up.”
Hiro laughed softly. “I’ll be right back. You can sleep on the floor a bit.”
Ayaka shook her head and grabbed Hiro tighter. “The futon isn’t rolled out.”
“Come on, I’m about as comfortable as the floor.”
Ayaka made a disgusted noise. Hiro sighed and petted Ayaka on the head.
“I want some cold tea, anyway. I’ll be right back.”
“Mmm …” Ayaka pushed herself away from Hiro. She wobbled as she stood up. “Don’t bother … I know where it is.” She yawned and walked out of the room.
Hiro shook his head. Ayaka was unpredictable, sometimes. Well, not unpredictable like Shuichi or K-san, but unpredictable in more subtle ways. Usually she was very normal. Ayaka had the calm, charming temperament of the ideal Japanese woman. Yet there would be times where her anger could stop someone in his tracks, like when she slapped Shuichi that day in the studio. Or, in contrast, she could be submissive to the point of fear. She was getting over that a bit. Little by little Hiro could see Ayaka coming out of her shell, her naïveté of the world around her giving way to a confident, refined young woman. It made Hiro happy.
A telltale yawn alerted Hiro to her return. Ayaka walked into the room carrying two cans of Pokka green tea. She popped a can open and gave one to Hiro, and then sat down and opened a can for herself. Hiro took a large gulp, delighting in the strong, cool taste. He sighed; that felt much better. Actually, even the cold aluminum in his hand felt better. He moved the can to his other hand and wiped his forehead with his now-cooled one. Ayaka settled next to Hiro again.
It felt so nice to be here. Ayaka’s parents had gone to a wedding, leaving her behind. So Hiro had immediately rushed down to Kyoto for the weekend. He was glad. Work had been tough lately. Hiro hadn’t been able to tear himself away long enough to see Ayaka. He certainly wanted to - Ayaka’s disappointed voice on the other end of the phone line always killed him. Oh well. He was here now.
Hiro ran his fingers through Ayaka’s thick hair, letting them tangle there. He felt really bad he couldn’t be here for her more often. He suggested the idea of Ayaka moving in with him, but both of them agreed they weren’t ready for that yet. Well … maybe what Hiro hoped to do tonight would bring them a step closer.
If he found the nerve, of course. Hiro’s heart beat a bit quicker.
“Nakano-san?”
Did she hear that? Hiro smiled. “Don’t worry. It’s nothing.”
“Ah.” Seemingly tired of lying against him, Ayaka moved so she could lie across Hiro’s lap. She held the green tea can to her forehead. “I wish I wasn’t so tired. You’re not here very often. I don’t want to spend the short time we have together sleeping.”
“You’ll have more energy tomorrow.”
Ayaka made a noise somewhere between a grunt and a sigh. “I don’t think so. Tomorrow it’ll still be raining.”
Hiro kissed the edge of his fingertips and tapped Ayaka’s forehead. “We’ll just have to stay in then.”
“I don’t mind …” Ayaka sighed softly and sat up. Her yukata slipped off her left shoulder. She placed the can of tea on the floor and made a move to pull it up, but Hiro leaned down and kissed her shoulder before she could.
“N-Nakano-san …!” Ayaka blustered, her face turning red.
Hiro smiled at her and rested his hands against her cheeks. He gave her a quick kiss on the lips, making Ayaka turn even redder. Hiro felt uneasy. “I’m sorry … does that really bother you?”
“Huh?” Ayaka shook her head. “Oh, no. I was just … you surprised me.”
“Well, I meant to do that a little …”
Ayaka shook her head, but grinned. She wrapped her arms around Hiro’s neck and the two pressed their lips together. Hers parted and Hiro let himself in …
She smelled, well … not much better than he did. Lavender perfume mixed with sweat. Her mouth tasted like the tea had turned warm. Nevertheless, he held her closer.
Ayaka adjusted herself so that she was sitting on Hiro’s lap, her legs straddling over his. Hiro pulled her close to him. They fell back on the ground with a thump.
Ayaka kneeled over him. “Are you hurt?”
Hiro shook his head and pulled Ayaka down so that she was lying on top of him. They kissed again, but Ayaka did not kiss back. Her body felt stiff. Hiro stopped. “Is everything all right? You seem nervous.”
“I’m just … Well, if you want me to …”
“I don’t want anything if you don’t, Ayaka-chan.” Hiro stroked her hair. “The thought didn’t cross my mind until you said something, actually.”
Ayaka blushed. She didn’t feel as stiff now, but still …
“Ayaka-chan?”
“Yes?”
“If something was bothering you, you would tell me, wouldn’t you?”
Ayaka blinked. “Um, sure ... Wh-Why would you think I wouldn’t?”
“I just don’t want you to do something for me you’d regret.”
Ayaka bit her lip. “I … I wish I wasn’t so nervous. I see all these girls on television saying what they want to do with you. It doesn’t make me feel good.”
“Do you think I’m cheating on you?”
Ayaka shook her head violently. “No, no. I trust you. I just want to make sure I’m … well, you must want it, don’t you?”
“I want a personal jet, too. That doesn’t mean I’m going to buy one.”
“That’s different,” Ayaka said bitterly.
“Not really …” Hiro wrapped his arms around Ayaka, pulling her down to him again. When Ayaka hugged him back, Hiro spoke. “I’m here with you, aren’t I? Don’t think about what the other girls want. If I make you do something you’re not ready for, it won’t be satisfying to me.”
“Mmm …” Ayaka nuzzled Hiro’s neck. “I just worry …”
Hiro shrugged. “Well, I guess I can understand that. I worry about how you feel about Yuki-san, sometimes.”
Ayaka sat up and turned away.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Hiro suddenly blenched and sat up. “Ayaka-chan, I didn’t mean to criticize you.”
“I know. That’s not it. I …” Ayaka sniffled, then closed her eyes. She tried to stifle a sob.
“Ayaka-chan?” Hiro wrapped his arms around her. “What’s wrong?”
“Someone found out the other day …”
“Found out what?”
Ayaka sniffled again. She wiped tears out of her eye with her left hand and looked into Hiro’s eyes. “This magazine … I don’t read those types of magazines. But someone told Mother.”
Hiro blinked. “Told her what? Your parents know we’re dating. Is this the class thing again? I know they had a problem with me in the beginning, but …”
Ayaka shook her head. “They don’t like that, but they’re learning to live with it. This article, though …” Ayaka’s face scrunched up. “They found out I was engaged to Eiri-san. And the writer of the article … the writer …” She looked up at Hiro, the tears now reformed in her eyes. “The writer said I was just dating you to spite Shindou-san. They said I was doing it to break up the band!”
Hiro sighed internally. He trusted Ayaka, but for a moment he had thought she would say something a lot worse. Shuichi used to go into screaming fits whenever a tabloid said he or Yuki was having an affair. After all that talk about those girls, Hiro feared for a moment Ayaka started believing them instead of him. Still … “You just said that you would tell me if something was bothering you. Why didn’t you tell me about that?”
“I didn’t want to ruin our time together … I did plan to tell you at one point. But Nakano-san, how could that writer say such things? He didn’t even talk to me!”
“It’s just a tabloid, Ayaka-chan.” Hiro kissed her on the forehead. “If you want, we could make a public appearance together. Or Mr. K can send out a press release for you.”
“I suppose …” Ayaka pulled her yukata closed.
Hiro hugged her again. “It will be fine. We can solve this.”
“But it’ll keep happening, won’t it?”
“Huh?”
Ayaka sighed. “This won’t be the last time, will it? What if they say something really nasty? Something that will pull us apart.”
“That won’t happen,” Hiro said firmly.
“Really? We already have so much against us … we’re not from the same classes, my parents aren’t happy with us, there are those girls and I … I …”
Hiro hung his head. He’d learned to deal with his girlfriend’s lingering feelings for her old fiancée, but he’d never quite become used to it. Hiro knew he had to give it time, but … Well, he told himself, he had no qualms about waiting for sex but other things were far more difficult. He wanted this relationship to be about Ayaka and himself, not Ayaka and not-Yuki. Hiro tried to put a lid on his jealousy and doubt. It would be hypocritical to harvest those feelings in himself while attempting to expel his girlfriend’s.
“Whatever comes for us, we can deal with it if we’re strong enough.” Hiro smiled as best he could. “If we’re meant to be together, we’ll make it through. This is solvable. Most people don’t pay attention to the really hysterical tabloids, anyway. If this was going to be a big deal, I think K probably would know about it, already. He’s good that way.”
Ayaka sighed softly. Hiro could tell that she wasn’t totally convinced. He wrapped his arm around her and Ayaka fell back into it. She felt oddly cold now. Maybe it was the tea. Hiro rubbed his hand up and down her back.
“I’m sorry,” Ayaka whispered. “I didn’t want to bring this up.”
“It was important. I said you should tell me if something is bothering you.” He lifted up her cheek and gave her another quick kiss on the lips.
Ayaka smiled and hugged Hiro more tightly. He could feel her heart beat against his chest. Her long hair tickled his face. Her hand, cold from the can but warming, felt clammy as it brushed against his neck.
She rested her head against his shoulder. “You know … as sleepy as it makes me, I like the rain. When I was young I would make origami and just watch the rain fall down the shoji screens. If it rained just right, it would look like you were beneath a waterfall.”
“Oh … Shuichi and I used to make mud-pies.”
Ayaka looked up at Hiro in surprise. Then she started to laugh. After a minute, Hiro laughed too.
She laid her head back on Hiro’s shoulder. Earlier, Hiro thought tonight would be the night he told Ayaka that he loved her. But now, no … It was too soon. They needed more days in the rain to share. More dinners with family. More tabloid rumors to kill.
Hiro looked out at the shoji screen. Ayaka was just about to doze off when Hiro tapped her shoulder.
“Ayaka-chan, look! Here comes the waterfall.”
The End.