No Surprises (7/15)
Author: ryosukekoibito
Pairing: Okajima, with some side Ariyama, Chiitaro, Takachii, Hikabu, and Inoo/Saya
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Genre: Romance
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from J&A.
Summary: Yuto's life has been planned out from the moment he was born, decisions most of the world got to make all predetermined by his parents. Now as an adult he has to decide if he's going to continue along the path they've lain out for him, or if he's going to abandon it all, risking leaving his family behind in the process.
Previous Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
Yuto and Keito bounced from store to store, looking at clothes and accessories, pointing out things that they liked and chatting with the store clerks. It was a lot of fun, and Keito particularly enjoyed the graphic t-shirts, often telling Yuto that the English phrases printed across the fabric either made no sense, or were sexual or offensive in some manner, translating them to Yuto's great amusement. It wasn't until they had been through a couple of stores that Keito pulled a shirt from the rack, saying
"You should try this one on. I think it would suit you." It was light blue, with bright red lettering, and Yuto didn't have a clue what the English words said, but he agreed in a heartbeat, taking the shirt from Keito's hands and saying
"Okay, but we'll have to find something for you to try on!" Yuto browsed the store, looking for the most ridiculous piece of clothing he could find, eventually settling on a hot pink monstrosity with a rainbow and a unicorn on it. It said follow your dreams across the back, up on the shoulders, and he giggled for five minutes before declaring to Keito that he definitely had to try it on. Keito looked at the article of clothing in disbelief, before setting his shoulders, as if steeling himself for a fight, and nodding, taking the shirt from Yuto's hands. They get separate dressing rooms, and once Yuto had changed he called out "Are you ready?" There was a small pause.
"Um...sure." Yuto opened the door to his dressing room, peeking out. Keito caught his eye, the older man stepping out of his completely. He paused, letting Yuto take in the sight. The shirt was a bit too small, stretched tightly across his broad chest, warping the unicorn slightly. He took a deep breath, his cheeks pink, before asking in a jokingly high pitched voice "Am I cute?" He made a peace sign with his fingers, before blushing a brilliant red and hiding his face in his hands. Yuto laughed, howling and falling to his knees, tears streaming down his face.
"Keito, that was amazing." He wiped at his eyes, looking up at Keito from his place on the floor, and beaming. Keito was still very red, and he peeled off the shirt, revealing creamy skin stretched over pronounced muscles, and suddenly Yuto wasn't laughing anymore, too caught up in the sudden display of skin, and he blushed, feeling stupid for being affected by something so silly. Luckily for him, Keito didn't notice, just leaning into his dressing room to grab his black shirt as Yuto pulled himself to his feet. Yuto turned away, making an effort not to stare as Keito pulled his own shirt back on, instead looking at his own reflection in the mirror. The shirt Keito had picked for him fit him nicely, and it was very soft, the material it was made out of felt amazing on his skin.
"I like this." Yuto declared, running his hands along his front and adjusting the bottom edge of the shirt. Keito smiled, nodding
"Just like I thought, it suits you."
"It feels amazing, see?" Yuto rubbed at the fabric, leaning in towards Keito, and Keito tentatively reached out, rubbing his hand over Yuto's side. He smiled, nodding. "I'm buying it!" Yuto declared. It wasn't until he'd paid for the shirt and they had left the store that he had the presence of mind to ask "What do the words say?" Keito broke out into a smile, chuckling lowly.
"It says 'I'm too sexy for this shirt' on it." He paused, as Yuto blinked at him in surprise, looking down at the shopping bag slung over his wrist. "See, it told you it suits you." Keito said, giggling. Yuto smiled, shaking his head bemusedly, trying to take the compliment in stride. Trying to brush it off as if it wasn't a big deal. They walked around going from shop to shop for a few hours, and it wasn't until mid afternoon that Keito pointed to an ice cream shop a few doors down, asking "Want to go there?"
He had been letting Yuto lead him the whole day, and Yuto was eager to do anything Keito suggested, the two entering the place, quickly placing their orders and taking seats, sighing in relief as they sat, their shopping bags resting by their rather sore feet. They'd been doing a lot of walking, Yuto hadn't realized how much his feet hurt until he'd taken his weight off of them, stretching his long legs out underneath the table. They tangled with Keito's, and Keito apologized, moving to get his limbs out of Yuto's way, but Yuto clasped his shins shut around one of Keito's ankles, holding it.
"I've got you!" He declared teasingly, and Keito giggled, struggling to free himself, using his other foot to push at Yuto's in an attempt to unlock the bind he'd put around Keito's ankle. Instead of freeing himself, he just got more stuck when Yuto managed to pull that foot in, securing it with the first. Keito sighed dramatically, scrunching his face up in mock distress, and Yuto giggled, comforting him as their ice cream arrived. Yuto had gotten a large chocolate and vanilla swirl cone, while Keito had gone for a deluxe sundae, the older man's bowl an extravaganza of fruit, whipped cream, and what looked like at least three flavors of ice cream.
They dug into their treats, Yuto still keeping Keito's ankles clasped firmly between his own, and occasionally Keito would pull, twist, and give a half hearted attempt to free himself from Yuto's grasp, but each attempt ended in failure. Whenever this would happen, they would both end up giggling into their ice creams, like children. They had been light heartedly exclaiming over how good the food was, when Keito took his spoon and leaned in, over the small table, saying
"Try it." He'd gotten a strawberry and some ice cream on his spoon, and Yuto felt himself blushing a bit as he leaned forward, taking it into his mouth. It was spectacular, the fruit perfectly ripe, the flavors crisp and fresh.
"That's delicious." He announced, Keito smiling.
"Want more? I got a lot. I mostly wanted the fruit." He was already digging back into his bowl, this time offering Yuto a slice of pineapple and a mountain of whipped cream. Yuto leaned in, meeting the spoon halfway, and Keito giggled when he couldn't fit all of the whipped cream into his mouth, some of it getting onto the end of his nose. Yuto tried to get at it with his tongue before giving up, Keito already leaning in and brushing it away with a finger, licking it off of his hand. Both of them were blushing now, and Yuto glanced down at his hands to find that his own ice cream was melting all down his knuckles.
He yelped in surprise, frantically stuffing it into his mouth and trying to clean himself up. Keito burst into laughter, and it was the first time that Yuto saw him laugh really hard, his nose scrunching up cutely, one hand coming up to cover his face as his shoulders shook. Eventually, between the giggles and light words of conversation they finished their ice cream, Keito even managing to free his ankles from Yuto's grasp, although the struggle resulted in him crashing out of his chair and onto the floor. Yuto had leapt up in surprise, skirting around the edge of the table and leaning in to help Keito up, asking if he was hurt. Keito assured him that he was fine, telling him that he was actually rather clumsy, and to not blame himself.
By the time they had left the ice cream parlor it was time for them to part ways, and it was only reluctantly that Yuto bid Keito farewell. Keito surprised him by grabbing him and pulling him in for a hug, squeezing him tightly. Yuto hugged him back, breathing in the scent of the older man's cologne, relishing the way Keito's big arms seemed to envelop him, warm and comforting. When they broke apart, Keito said
"Thank you for today, Yuto. I had a lot of fun." Yuto knew he was smiling, beaming.
"Me too! I'll call you tonight, yeah? The usual time." Keito nodded, smiling back at him.
"I look forward to it." And with that, the two parted ways, Yuto practically skipping, swinging his shopping bags from his wrist as he made his way back home. As he'd promised, that evening he dialed Keito's familiar number, anticipation buzzing in his chest. His time out with Keito had been better than he'd anticipated. Their interactions had been so natural, so comfortable. Yuto had felt right when he was by Keito's side, and he knew that this bond they were creating was something special.
He'd always been good at making friends, but with Keito it felt like they'd known each other for years. It felt like they just fit. Like they belonged together. Being with Keito had made Yuto more happy than he had been in longer than he could remember, and perhaps he should have felt more guilty, more anxious about it, about what consequences these feelings-this pure, wholly enveloping happiness-could bring, but honestly, at the moment he really didn't care. And so he didn't try to fight the smile that blossomed on his lips when through the receiver of his phone he heard Keito's deep voice say fondly
"Yuto, hi."
From that point on Yuto saw Keito in person at least twice a week. They met up at cafes and restaurants, they'd go out for movies and go shopping and go to events. Some days when the weather was nice Yuto would stage a photo shoot, taking Keito to iconic or beautiful places with a picnic basket, and have the older man pose for him. He loved taking pictures of Keito, he came to find, and Keito would sometimes get behind the lens himself, Yuto explaining the camera settings to him enthusiastically, before handing the camera over. There were only a few people Yuto trusted with his cameras, but he barely had to think about it before passing the machines over into Keito's gentle hands.
Yuto loved spending time with Keito, and Keito in turn showered Yuto in affection, frequently showing up at their designated meeting place with small gifts that he'd seen and had made him think of Yuto. He greeted and said goodbye to Yuto with warm hugs, and he was very physical in his affection, touching Yuto lightly on the arm or shoulder during their conversations, and even on occasion, holding Yuto's hand. Yuto sometimes felt guilty about the physical closeness, especially the hand holding. It would strike him out of the blue, when they'd feed each other, or Keito would take his hand and give it a little squeeze, and he'd remember the fiancé his parents had waiting for him, and he'd feel nauseous with his guilt. Yet, he usually couldn't find it in himself to pull away from Keito, and it wasn’t enough to keep him from changing the contact name for Keito’s number in his phone to a heart, the symbol ensuring that Keito was at the top of his contact list.
Yuto remembered vividly the first time Keito had held his hand. They'd stayed out late, Keito having taken him to a pool hall to teach him how to play billiards. Keito was spectacular, Yuto thought, he himself rather clumsy with the cue stick, despite Keito's assurances that he was doing great for his first time. They had been walking back into more familiar territory, and had taken a wrong turn, ending up in a back alley. Yuto wasn't too concerned, it wasn't like they were in a bad neighborhood, and he figured that the alley could even be considered a bit of a shortcut. But Keito had obviously been anxious, his eyes wide and his jaw clenched. Up ahead, there had been a loud crash, and he'd latched onto Yuto's arm, letting out a yelp, his hand grabbing tightly to Yuto's own and squeezing. Even after he'd calmed down he hadn't let go of Yuto's hand, and Yuto hadn't tried to pull away.
Yuto's extensive time spent with Keito didn't go unnoticed. Both Yamada and Chinen had commented on the fact that Yuto was spending a lot less time at home, and while Yamada was still anxious and disapproving of Yuto spending any time at all with Keito, Chinen seemed to be much more supportive, asking Yuto about his time spent with the older man, and being much more willing to listen to Yuto's descriptions of his friend. Yuto knew that both of his roommates could tell that he was falling in love-falling hard-and he tried to ignore it, tried not to make a big deal out of the situation, and they both followed his lead. It was just quietly understood that Yuto was digging himself deeper and deeper into a pit, the more in love he fell. But no one, not even Yamada, seemed to have the heart to confront him about it.
Yuto knew that one way or another, his relationship with Keito was bound to end in heartbreak, and sometimes he found himself thinking about the consequences of his actions, of his feelings. The thought of what was going to happen when he graduated from school, and his responsibilities to his family could no longer be avoided, and he'd have to throw his feelings for Keito away and marry some unknown, unwelcome fiancé, or worse, cut Keito out of his life completely. These thoughts kept him up for hours some nights, his stomach churning in dread, and he'd tell himself that he really should start creating some distance now, before it all got worse. But when he'd wake up the following morning to find that Keito had sent him a picture, the older man smiling and lying in bed, thick hair shining brightly in the morning sun, all thoughts of pushing him away would dissipate. It was just so easy to ignore the impending regret and heartbreak when he was so blissfully happy.
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