Line of Trust - Tora/Saga - 1/xx
Title: Line of Trust
Chapter(s): 1/xx
Author: sentimentalenvy
Genre: AU/Romance/little angst?
Rating: PG-13 - R
Warnings: language
Pairing/Characters: Tora/Saga, Shou/Hiroto, Shou/Saga, Tora/Nao (one sided)
Synopsis: Saga is thrilled when Tora accepts his feelings, and he is even more ecstatic to know that Tora is slowly building up the courage to try. But a man can only love, and wait for someone for so long. Shou's unrequited love for Saga just might take a different course if Tora continues to do nothing to change his old habits. Saga suddenly wonders if Tora is even trying. Unfortunately not everything is supposed to start off perfect, but will it end perfect? Saga was beginning to doubt it.
Comments: This is a multichapter fic which follows up right after Take a Chance. In this fic, the points of views are gonna vary o_o; (just a heads up). Writer's block can be such a bitch T.T.
Line of Trust
1
Out of all the jobs that was lined up and available for him, Tora just had to choose to work in a damn music store that was so far away from his house. Saga didn't mind so much, but the fact that they were in a small band of their own didn't mean they didn't need to worry about income. Tora had two jobs while Saga was more than good enough with just one. Tora had been offered jobs that paid more than working in a shop, but he had always been so stubborn. No matter what the pay was, as long as it was something he enjoyed doing, he would rather choose to do that than receive 25 million dollars like it was 25 cents.
Saga would have chosen to drive to Tora's work, but sadly, his car was at the repair shop which wasn't very close by either. Perhaps he would ask Tora for a ride after his shift. Saga had a night shift after all. The bus was cramped with so many people, Saga couldn't wait to lunge out when those double doors would crack open. He had given up his seat for an elderly woman, so he had been standing for a good 45 minutes with the different stops and what not.
He sighed in relief once the bus had made a squeaky stop and Saga nearly ran into the double doors when he threw himself out. The people behind him were just the same when they were pushing their way out of the bus. The shop was only a block away, and he certainly didn't mind the walk.
Tora's shift ended at 3, and he had hoped this time the man would be free for lunch this time. There were times when he had told Saga days were busy, and there were times he would spend the afternoon flirting with girls and teaching them how to play the guitar. Saga rolled his eyes in aggravation because those girls were so ditzy. Sitting there and watching Tora teach the girls the same chord over and over, and all she would say is 'Maaa I still don't get it Tolah-kuuun ~' . Then Tora would use those lines such as 'Well you're a cute girl...I'll stay and teach you as long as you want,' or 'Anything for you babe.'Saga cringed and snorted audibly at those nasty scenes forever burned into his mind. Babe? Was Tora kidding? How lame.
Was he jealous? Hell yes...and no. He was jealous of that girl for of course, catching 90% of Tora's attention. What he wasn't jealous of, was that those girls didn't have a chance. They could fantasize all they want, but they don't realize that Tora doesn't want to have anything to do with long term relationships. There was never a single girl Tora had taken seriously. And! When Tora taught him the guitar, it didn't take him 2 and a half hours to learn a couple of basic chords. And he didn't get to sit in between Tora's thighs or get to snuggle or any of that shit!
Saga sighed and shook his head back and forth. Obviously the reasons were...just so obvious. Back then Tora didn't even know of those feelings, but since he knows now, things have been nothing but awkward. But as time progressed, they seemed to be doing alright. It was never wise to rush things too quickly, and to Saga, this pace was perfect. Even if there were times when they acted sort of weird around one another, and they would still share a brief kiss here and there. Affection suddenly wasn't much of a problem, and Saga was glad to see that Tora wasn't uncomfortable with any of it.
The only thing that bothered Saga was that Tora still wasn't exactly too comfortable about showing his affection with Saga in public. It was understandable though, because Tora wasn't exactly gay nor did he like to be called bisexual. In the beginning of their new relationship it was like getting smacked in the face with a sack of bricks, but Saga was gradually getting used to it by now. He wasn't so sure if he should think of this as a horrible thing. It really wasn't Tora's fault if he shrugged off Saga's affection in public, but he was secretly hoping that one day Tora wouldn't be ashamed of Saga's feelings for him.
They weren't a couple. Tora even asked Saga if he wanted them to become a couple; to test the waters. But Saga refused, and explained that he didn't want Tora to feel rushed in any way. He could also sense that tone of uneasiness in the tone of Tora's voice. Saga was certain it was the right decision, because even if Tora knew of his feelings, it was obvious that he was still up to his old habits. As gentle as his personality is, that bad boy aura radiates shamelessly out of him and Saga couldn't help but feel jealous because that radiance was a friggin' chick magnet.
Soon finding himself in front of the entrance, he pushed the door in carefully and the bell on the doorframe jingled with a ring. Taking a quick scan around the shop, he was relieved to see that there were only a couple of people browing around. He greeted the manager with a little wave, and the middle aged man had told him Tora was working at the registration upstairs. Saga smiled and thanked him before he eagerly hopped his way upstairs. His smile grew even wider to see his best friend strumming away on an acoustic and he make another quick scan around to see that nobody was here. He briefly wondered why today was such a slow day for the shop, but he realized that the strumming stopped and the dark haired man cleared his throat. Saga snapped out of his thoughts and smiled sheepishly as he hesitantly walked up to Tora and lightly punched him on the shoulder.
"Hey, aren't you supposed to be working?" Saga asked, raising an eyebrow at Tora who was staring back at him with a blank expression on his face.
"Does it look like there's anyone to help? Besides, there's nobody up here. For some reason today's a slow day," He sighed. "That means...no monies," Tora said in cute childish whiney voice and threw Saga a depressing pout. Saga ended up snorting and roughly ruffled Tora's hair.
"You're just depressed there's no underaged girls to molest you old man pedophile," He muttered wearily, giving Tora a chaste kiss on the lips and a pointed look. "But shoving that disturbing thought aside, it's already 12. You up for a lunch break?"
"I don't see why not," Tora grinned, and set his acoustic aside beside him. "Where do you wanna go?"
"I unno...you always know I'm indecisive. Whatever's edible and good," Saga grinned cheekily as he grabbed Tora's hand and eagerly dragged him towards the stairs.
"You know, I wish I can call you a fatass because of your appetitite, but lucky for you you're as thin as a twig," Tora sighed and let himself get pulled along, and he almost ran into Saga's back when he came to a brief stop.
"Wait. Should we invite Shou too? He should be on a lunch break by now too right?" Saga asked, and put up a pondering expression.
"Why are you suddenly in such a Shou mood lately?" Tora asked with a frown. "If I remember correctly, you were the one that acted like you couldn't really stand him. Now you're mentioning him a little more than usual."
For a moment Saga felt his heart stop for a second slower than usual at Tora's comment. He never really realized until Tora suddenly mentioned the issue. Actually, it shouldn't be called an issue. It wasn't much of a problem because these past few weeks with Shou had been surprisingly pleasant. He still couldn't help himself from feeling horrible about leaving Shou in this sort of situation, but the blonde never complained once. Saga actually took a moment to think about everything he had put Shou through.
In high school, he practically ignored the man and walked past him like he was air. When they were first years in high school, Shou had already claimed Saga as soul mate. Apparently it had been love at first sight, and the only reason they still kept in touch to this day was all because of the effort and hard work of Shou's stalking skills.
He somehow felt thankful because he realized how good of a person Shou really was. Should Saga thank him for that? The least he could do is be there for Shou like the times Shou had been there for him. All those years he had to make up for being such a jerk. And being a jerk wasn't Saga's forte...prolly Tora's. Saga laughed.
"What're you chuckling about?" Tora asked, arching a perfectly shaped brow. "Is there something you're not telling me?"
"Nope nothing," Saga shrugged it off and pulled out his cell phone. "Let me make that call. You go sit back down," He said quickly before pushing both his hands at Tora's chest. Once Tora plopped unwillingly on the stool by the register, he speed dialed Shou's number and put the phone to his ear.
"I hope he doesn't come."
"Shut up." Saga shot Tora an irritated glare as he leaned against the registry table. Drumming his fingers against the desk, he waited patiently and almost subconciously smiled bigger at the sound of his friend's voice.
"Hello precious."
"Cut the crap," Saga responded as the traditional hello to every lame greeting Shou had ever pulled on him.
"You're so mean. You sure have a weird way of letting someone know you love him," Shou muttered with an evident pout in his voice. "So what's shakin'? And where are you anyway?"
"I'm at Tora's work. Tora's on his break right now, and we were wondering if you were up for lunch with us. I know your work is close by so...you wanna?" Saga asked, hearing Tora scoff at the use of we.
"With him? You do know that everytime you invite me with him around, the tension isn't awkward. What's another word that's worse than awkward? And don't think about giving me any excuses I heard that scoff snort in the background," Shou said ever so accusingly. "Uh...let's just put it this way. Tora.Wants.To Kill. He's not the terminator. He's the anti-Shou-hating-Shou-e-liminator."
"Ahaha hey he tries. And you'd do it for me," Saga laughed. "Just go to the Shiroi cafe 3 blocks from your work."
"Did I say I was coming?" Shou asked. "You can't just expect me to come anytime you ask me to." There was a moment of silence, and Saga said nothing because he knew what the answer was going to be. "........"
"...I don't have all day Shou."
"I'll be there in an hour. I'm not exactly allowed my break yet. But you guys grab a table and I'll get there as soon as I can," Shou grumbled in defeat. He pouted as he heard Saga chuckled in amusement.
"You are. I'll see you there," Saga shot back with a grin and a stern reply as he snapped his phone shut. "Come on let's go," He said, turning around as Tora picked up the acoustic again. Did he not see that Saga was done with his conversation? "What are you doing?"
"I'm not going," Tora replied, and he looked like he could care less. Saga frowned with disapproval.
One of the things that annoyed him about Tora was that he would be so stubborn - and confusing. Sometimes when he was angry, he wouldn't bother telling him at all. These kinds of moments were so out of the blue, and for the most part, Saga had no idea what to do but confront him. He would give him the sudden silent treatment or roughly shove Saga aside here and there, and it would piss him off to no end. What could possibly be wrong now?!
"What? Why not?" Saga asked, and he could feel his brows furrow in anger and confusion. "I took the time to catch a bus crammed with a bunch of smelly rude people just to spend some quality time with you, and you give me this attitude? Everytime I try to do something nice for you - I take care of you the best I can. I try not to make you angry, but I always do something wrong, don't I? Do you know I spend majority of my time worrying about you?! And you always suddenly treat me like this? What could I have possibly done to deserve this now? Why are you mad at me? What is it this time, Tora? Please tell me."
"I'm just not hungry anymore. That's it. Do I need to explain what's already been said? Is there a problem with that? You're not my mother, Saga. I don't need anyone checking up on me every half and hour or so telling me what's right for me and what's not. Or what I should eat and what I can't. If I'm not hungry, I'm not fucking hungry. What other reason is there?!" Tora shot back. And within each few sounds that had passed, Saga could feel Tora's voice raising an octave higher.
"What the hells wrong with you?" Saga asked, refusing to raise his voice any louder than he already was. He wanted to prevent an argument and he most definitely didn't want to yell at Tora. Tora was most scariest when he was pissed off, and Saga didn't want to say or do anything to provoke the animal in him any more than he already did. No matter how tired Saga was of Tora's sudden mood swings, he still had that self control inside him to prevent himself from saying anything stupid.
"I'm just sick of you trying to take care of me like you're my fucking wife or something! Like I can't take care of myself! There are times where I just wanna be left alone. Can't you understand that?" Tora clenched the neck of his guitar in the palm of his large hand as he refused to look at Saga in the eye. Saga winced as he watched the strings dig into Tora's clenching fingers. It almost pained him to see how white Tora's knuckles have turned.
That aching feeling in his heart was back again. How many times was Saga going to feel like this? Was this supposed to be healthy? Every single time - Tora just had to say something to kick him to the curb such as saying something so utterly painful and cruel. Tora had never really been so mean to him before - Saga felt confused. Ever since he found out about his sexual orientation he thought all was going alright. But it actually turned out to be the opposite. His outbursts were sudden especially when Shou was involved. Saga liked guys. Shou liked guys. Could that possibly be it? But, that couldn't be. Tora didn't feel that way for guys, so jealousy really isn't the problem is it? Saga inwardly shook his head. No, these thoughts were just making him even more confused.
All Saga knew right now was...well...he didn't really know much. All he knew - was that Tora was angry. Duh. He didn't know what to do or say, and Tora always knew the right words to crush his heart into a million pieces. His heart was as fragile like...like a crystal chandelier. In a chandelier, every branch is supported for a number of lights at each end. Each and every one of those lights is a representation of Saga's hopes, dreams and happiness. And within each careless mistake Tora made, one light shatters. Saga just didn't know how many lights Tora was going to break before he shattered the whole chandelier completely. How long was it going to take? How long was Tora going to keep on fucking hurting him like this?
Saga wanted to get out. He wanted to get out and leave Tora the way he said he wanted to be left alone. He wanted to leave before he ended up breaking down in front of Tora, or be called a pansy for crying. Men weren't supposed to cry and Saga would rather die than make him look unworthy of this man. He stayed silent and shocked for so long, Tora finally began to process those words - those words he had just spat out so cruelly.
"Saga...I didn't-" Tora set the guitar against the stool as he stood up, but Saga had immediately stiffened and backed away with a stiff smile to match his awkward posture. He couldn't move. As much as he wanted to scream at his legs and tell them to get going, they wouldn't budge, and he was still for a full second before he could even feel a little twitch in his legs. His mouth was slightly parted in shock and his mouth became dry as he thought of what he could say.
Tora looked like he was regretting the things he had said - Saga could tell. But it was too much. With Tora it was always too much. The feelings he felt for this man was too intense, and Saga sometimes damned his heart and will power for being so fucking weak. The room suddenly became stuffy, and he felt dizzy. He tried to smile; a fake smile was better than nothing. At least Tora wouldn't have to worry too much about him if he walked away with a neutral expression but he found it was nearly impossible. As soon as he felt the first hint of moisture in the corner of his eyes, he turned and headed for the stairs immediately. Half tripping down the stairs wasn't any help, but at least he was wearing decent shoes capable for running as fast as he could. He was surprised at how quickly he was descending down the stairs, and he didn't stop or turn around when he heard Tora call out his name.
Saga felt relieved and dissapointed all at the same time when he didn't hear any signs of Tora following him to stop him. Damn it - his vision was getting blurry again. For a moment Saga wondered if he should even wear colored contacts if he was going to keep on opening up the damn flood gates. It didn't seem to stop him when he shot both his arms out and pushed the door open. He could see and hear people gaping at him and murmuring but that was immediately blocked out of his concentration. Sighing in relief as the fresh air blew into his hair and face he found himself slouching against the wall of the music shop.
The first thing he did was shove his hands desperately into his pockets in search of something...anything to relieve the hyperventilating feeling that was building up in his chest. Both hands fumbled against the pack of opened cigarettes. He shoved the cancer stick into his mouth and his fingers trembled against the lighter as he lit his cigarette. Taking in a deep suck of the nicotine that was supposed to be his remedy of his current misery, he tilted his head back against the wall and blew out a stream of smoke.
After a couple of seconds, he found his cell phone in his hand against his ear, and he was calling the first person on his mind. He wanted to talk to the only person that could possibly make him feel at ease again.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Shou! Oi Shou!" A small brown headed boy exclaimed excitedly as he slapped at Shou across the face. He stared amusingly as Shou's face automatically flopped to the side.
"Argh! What the hell did you do that for?!" Shou shook his head vigorously as he snapped a glare at the boy who had slapped him. "Who told you to go around slapping people like you have the damn privillege?!"
"Well don't blame me for oh I don't know - doing your job." His co-worker matched his glare, not really feeling threatened by Shou's angry gaze. "Plus, I don't want you to get in trouble again," The boy simply said, turning away from Shou as he hopped off the stool in front of the register.
"I won't. You worry too much. Friggin' Hiroto," Shou said, rolling his eyes as he made his way around the register to organize the rack of used games.
"You almost got fired the other time when you were picking a fight in here with that Tora guy," The boy named Hiroto noted, flipping through the pages of the list of games that were to released for the following month. "I just don't want the boss to be thinking of you as a lazy dimwit when you're actually a good way to attract customers. You bring us good business," He laughed, and Shou made a fake move to throw a used game at him. Even if Shou didn't throw the game, Hiroto immediately dodged as a reflex.
"You make this store sound like a whore house," Shou frowned.
"With you working here? It just might be," Hiroto smirked, leaning against the glass counter. Shou tossed the used game on top of the row of other games and made his way towards the shorter man with a death glare. A little squeak flew past his lips as he ducked down and attempted the drop, duck and roll routine. "I'm just kidding senpai!"
"Hell yeah you better be!" Shou frowned as he bent over the glass counter to peer hopelessly at the boy. "You know, I don't find it surprising to know that you're still in high school," Shou said blankly with an eyebrow raised.
"Shut up old man," Hiroto said with a huff, his body suddenly shot up from the floor to look at him with a challenging stare.
"What did you call me? Stupid kiddo," Shou muttered darkly as he felt his eyebrow twitch twice. He was not an old man. He was only a year older than Saga and Tora, and still very well in his twenties. This little brat really had no manners for his elders. Damn. Elder...
"You heard me," Hiroto scoffed and humphed before he turned away to reorganized the PSP games on the far left wall of the store.
"Brat," Shou snorted and slightly jumped up with a startle before he felt his phone vibrate in his right pocket. Shou was never allowed to play around with his cell phone during work hours, but he was going to check the caller ID anyway. He checked the caller ID and immediately answered - no questions asked. "Saga," He breathed into the phone and mentally cursed himself for having such a breathy voice when he answered. "What's the matter? Whoa h-hey hey slow down," He said calmly in an attempt to calm Saga down.
Hiroto arched an eyebrow in curiosity as he slowly made his way next to Shou. He didn't mean to listen in on the conversation, it was just that Saga's voice sounded loud and frantic. As a natural reaction Hiroto would be nothing but concerned. Hopefully Shou didn't strangle him for eavesdropping. No he wouldn't. He seemed too wrapped up into whatever situation Saga was in right now.
"Alright but I-" Shou started to speak but he shook his head after a heavy pause. "No you know what...I'll come over right now. Stay right there." Shou snapped his phone shut and before Hiroto knew it, Shou had zipped past him and was already heading towards the door.
"H-Hey! Oi Shou! You're not supposed to be on break yet!" Hiroto called out wearily. Shou didn't seem to listen to him as he pushed his way out of the game store and headed directly for the parking lot.
Hiroto sighed and slammed the palms of his hands onto the glass counter. He was surprised the glass didn't break under the impact of his small hands. They were small but as small as his body frame looked, he wasn't weak. He was going to have to cover for Shou again. What kind of excuse would he have to come up with now?!
"Hiroto. I need you to work in the stock room for -"
Oh shit.
"Hey. Where's Shou?"
Hiroto stiffened slightly at the suspicious tone of his boss' voice. Damn it what to do what to do?! His brain processed quickly enough, and he turned around to shoot his boss a fake grin and shrug.
"Family emergency." Hiroto nodded in confirmation as his boss eyed him skeptically.
"Huh. Whatever. No matter how you look at it, that guy sure has a lot of drama in his life. He better not keep this up much longer," The plump man muttered, shaking his head. "Don't just stand there. Get to it!"
"Yes sir!" Hiroto nodded and immediately headed straight for the stock room. Shou owes him so damn much. But that didn't stop him from being worried about the older man either. Whatever the problem was, he had hoped that Shou would get things straightened out soon.
A/N: Oh my god this took me awhile T___T! But I'm finally finished with the first chapter of this sequel. Please tell me what you think >.< ! And yaah I know I've been writing a lot of Tora/Saga lately. Just wanted to try an write a different pairing other than Uruha/Aoi (as much as I love that pairing to teh death o: ...) I just think it's fun to experiment with different pairings o:
00 | 2
Chapter(s): 1/xx
Author: sentimentalenvy
Genre: AU/Romance/little angst?
Rating: PG-13 - R
Warnings: language
Pairing/Characters: Tora/Saga, Shou/Hiroto, Shou/Saga, Tora/Nao (one sided)
Synopsis: Saga is thrilled when Tora accepts his feelings, and he is even more ecstatic to know that Tora is slowly building up the courage to try. But a man can only love, and wait for someone for so long. Shou's unrequited love for Saga just might take a different course if Tora continues to do nothing to change his old habits. Saga suddenly wonders if Tora is even trying. Unfortunately not everything is supposed to start off perfect, but will it end perfect? Saga was beginning to doubt it.
Comments: This is a multichapter fic which follows up right after Take a Chance. In this fic, the points of views are gonna vary o_o; (just a heads up). Writer's block can be such a bitch T.T.
Line of Trust
1
Out of all the jobs that was lined up and available for him, Tora just had to choose to work in a damn music store that was so far away from his house. Saga didn't mind so much, but the fact that they were in a small band of their own didn't mean they didn't need to worry about income. Tora had two jobs while Saga was more than good enough with just one. Tora had been offered jobs that paid more than working in a shop, but he had always been so stubborn. No matter what the pay was, as long as it was something he enjoyed doing, he would rather choose to do that than receive 25 million dollars like it was 25 cents.
Saga would have chosen to drive to Tora's work, but sadly, his car was at the repair shop which wasn't very close by either. Perhaps he would ask Tora for a ride after his shift. Saga had a night shift after all. The bus was cramped with so many people, Saga couldn't wait to lunge out when those double doors would crack open. He had given up his seat for an elderly woman, so he had been standing for a good 45 minutes with the different stops and what not.
He sighed in relief once the bus had made a squeaky stop and Saga nearly ran into the double doors when he threw himself out. The people behind him were just the same when they were pushing their way out of the bus. The shop was only a block away, and he certainly didn't mind the walk.
Tora's shift ended at 3, and he had hoped this time the man would be free for lunch this time. There were times when he had told Saga days were busy, and there were times he would spend the afternoon flirting with girls and teaching them how to play the guitar. Saga rolled his eyes in aggravation because those girls were so ditzy. Sitting there and watching Tora teach the girls the same chord over and over, and all she would say is 'Maaa I still don't get it Tolah-kuuun ~' . Then Tora would use those lines such as 'Well you're a cute girl...I'll stay and teach you as long as you want,' or 'Anything for you babe.'Saga cringed and snorted audibly at those nasty scenes forever burned into his mind. Babe? Was Tora kidding? How lame.
Was he jealous? Hell yes...and no. He was jealous of that girl for of course, catching 90% of Tora's attention. What he wasn't jealous of, was that those girls didn't have a chance. They could fantasize all they want, but they don't realize that Tora doesn't want to have anything to do with long term relationships. There was never a single girl Tora had taken seriously. And! When Tora taught him the guitar, it didn't take him 2 and a half hours to learn a couple of basic chords. And he didn't get to sit in between Tora's thighs or get to snuggle or any of that shit!
Saga sighed and shook his head back and forth. Obviously the reasons were...just so obvious. Back then Tora didn't even know of those feelings, but since he knows now, things have been nothing but awkward. But as time progressed, they seemed to be doing alright. It was never wise to rush things too quickly, and to Saga, this pace was perfect. Even if there were times when they acted sort of weird around one another, and they would still share a brief kiss here and there. Affection suddenly wasn't much of a problem, and Saga was glad to see that Tora wasn't uncomfortable with any of it.
The only thing that bothered Saga was that Tora still wasn't exactly too comfortable about showing his affection with Saga in public. It was understandable though, because Tora wasn't exactly gay nor did he like to be called bisexual. In the beginning of their new relationship it was like getting smacked in the face with a sack of bricks, but Saga was gradually getting used to it by now. He wasn't so sure if he should think of this as a horrible thing. It really wasn't Tora's fault if he shrugged off Saga's affection in public, but he was secretly hoping that one day Tora wouldn't be ashamed of Saga's feelings for him.
They weren't a couple. Tora even asked Saga if he wanted them to become a couple; to test the waters. But Saga refused, and explained that he didn't want Tora to feel rushed in any way. He could also sense that tone of uneasiness in the tone of Tora's voice. Saga was certain it was the right decision, because even if Tora knew of his feelings, it was obvious that he was still up to his old habits. As gentle as his personality is, that bad boy aura radiates shamelessly out of him and Saga couldn't help but feel jealous because that radiance was a friggin' chick magnet.
Soon finding himself in front of the entrance, he pushed the door in carefully and the bell on the doorframe jingled with a ring. Taking a quick scan around the shop, he was relieved to see that there were only a couple of people browing around. He greeted the manager with a little wave, and the middle aged man had told him Tora was working at the registration upstairs. Saga smiled and thanked him before he eagerly hopped his way upstairs. His smile grew even wider to see his best friend strumming away on an acoustic and he make another quick scan around to see that nobody was here. He briefly wondered why today was such a slow day for the shop, but he realized that the strumming stopped and the dark haired man cleared his throat. Saga snapped out of his thoughts and smiled sheepishly as he hesitantly walked up to Tora and lightly punched him on the shoulder.
"Hey, aren't you supposed to be working?" Saga asked, raising an eyebrow at Tora who was staring back at him with a blank expression on his face.
"Does it look like there's anyone to help? Besides, there's nobody up here. For some reason today's a slow day," He sighed. "That means...no monies," Tora said in cute childish whiney voice and threw Saga a depressing pout. Saga ended up snorting and roughly ruffled Tora's hair.
"You're just depressed there's no underaged girls to molest you old man pedophile," He muttered wearily, giving Tora a chaste kiss on the lips and a pointed look. "But shoving that disturbing thought aside, it's already 12. You up for a lunch break?"
"I don't see why not," Tora grinned, and set his acoustic aside beside him. "Where do you wanna go?"
"I unno...you always know I'm indecisive. Whatever's edible and good," Saga grinned cheekily as he grabbed Tora's hand and eagerly dragged him towards the stairs.
"You know, I wish I can call you a fatass because of your appetitite, but lucky for you you're as thin as a twig," Tora sighed and let himself get pulled along, and he almost ran into Saga's back when he came to a brief stop.
"Wait. Should we invite Shou too? He should be on a lunch break by now too right?" Saga asked, and put up a pondering expression.
"Why are you suddenly in such a Shou mood lately?" Tora asked with a frown. "If I remember correctly, you were the one that acted like you couldn't really stand him. Now you're mentioning him a little more than usual."
For a moment Saga felt his heart stop for a second slower than usual at Tora's comment. He never really realized until Tora suddenly mentioned the issue. Actually, it shouldn't be called an issue. It wasn't much of a problem because these past few weeks with Shou had been surprisingly pleasant. He still couldn't help himself from feeling horrible about leaving Shou in this sort of situation, but the blonde never complained once. Saga actually took a moment to think about everything he had put Shou through.
In high school, he practically ignored the man and walked past him like he was air. When they were first years in high school, Shou had already claimed Saga as soul mate. Apparently it had been love at first sight, and the only reason they still kept in touch to this day was all because of the effort and hard work of Shou's stalking skills.
He somehow felt thankful because he realized how good of a person Shou really was. Should Saga thank him for that? The least he could do is be there for Shou like the times Shou had been there for him. All those years he had to make up for being such a jerk. And being a jerk wasn't Saga's forte...prolly Tora's. Saga laughed.
"What're you chuckling about?" Tora asked, arching a perfectly shaped brow. "Is there something you're not telling me?"
"Nope nothing," Saga shrugged it off and pulled out his cell phone. "Let me make that call. You go sit back down," He said quickly before pushing both his hands at Tora's chest. Once Tora plopped unwillingly on the stool by the register, he speed dialed Shou's number and put the phone to his ear.
"I hope he doesn't come."
"Shut up." Saga shot Tora an irritated glare as he leaned against the registry table. Drumming his fingers against the desk, he waited patiently and almost subconciously smiled bigger at the sound of his friend's voice.
"Hello precious."
"Cut the crap," Saga responded as the traditional hello to every lame greeting Shou had ever pulled on him.
"You're so mean. You sure have a weird way of letting someone know you love him," Shou muttered with an evident pout in his voice. "So what's shakin'? And where are you anyway?"
"I'm at Tora's work. Tora's on his break right now, and we were wondering if you were up for lunch with us. I know your work is close by so...you wanna?" Saga asked, hearing Tora scoff at the use of we.
"With him? You do know that everytime you invite me with him around, the tension isn't awkward. What's another word that's worse than awkward? And don't think about giving me any excuses I heard that scoff snort in the background," Shou said ever so accusingly. "Uh...let's just put it this way. Tora.Wants.To Kill. He's not the terminator. He's the anti-Shou-hating-Shou-e-liminator."
"Ahaha hey he tries. And you'd do it for me," Saga laughed. "Just go to the Shiroi cafe 3 blocks from your work."
"Did I say I was coming?" Shou asked. "You can't just expect me to come anytime you ask me to." There was a moment of silence, and Saga said nothing because he knew what the answer was going to be. "........"
"...I don't have all day Shou."
"I'll be there in an hour. I'm not exactly allowed my break yet. But you guys grab a table and I'll get there as soon as I can," Shou grumbled in defeat. He pouted as he heard Saga chuckled in amusement.
"You are. I'll see you there," Saga shot back with a grin and a stern reply as he snapped his phone shut. "Come on let's go," He said, turning around as Tora picked up the acoustic again. Did he not see that Saga was done with his conversation? "What are you doing?"
"I'm not going," Tora replied, and he looked like he could care less. Saga frowned with disapproval.
One of the things that annoyed him about Tora was that he would be so stubborn - and confusing. Sometimes when he was angry, he wouldn't bother telling him at all. These kinds of moments were so out of the blue, and for the most part, Saga had no idea what to do but confront him. He would give him the sudden silent treatment or roughly shove Saga aside here and there, and it would piss him off to no end. What could possibly be wrong now?!
"What? Why not?" Saga asked, and he could feel his brows furrow in anger and confusion. "I took the time to catch a bus crammed with a bunch of smelly rude people just to spend some quality time with you, and you give me this attitude? Everytime I try to do something nice for you - I take care of you the best I can. I try not to make you angry, but I always do something wrong, don't I? Do you know I spend majority of my time worrying about you?! And you always suddenly treat me like this? What could I have possibly done to deserve this now? Why are you mad at me? What is it this time, Tora? Please tell me."
"I'm just not hungry anymore. That's it. Do I need to explain what's already been said? Is there a problem with that? You're not my mother, Saga. I don't need anyone checking up on me every half and hour or so telling me what's right for me and what's not. Or what I should eat and what I can't. If I'm not hungry, I'm not fucking hungry. What other reason is there?!" Tora shot back. And within each few sounds that had passed, Saga could feel Tora's voice raising an octave higher.
"What the hells wrong with you?" Saga asked, refusing to raise his voice any louder than he already was. He wanted to prevent an argument and he most definitely didn't want to yell at Tora. Tora was most scariest when he was pissed off, and Saga didn't want to say or do anything to provoke the animal in him any more than he already did. No matter how tired Saga was of Tora's sudden mood swings, he still had that self control inside him to prevent himself from saying anything stupid.
"I'm just sick of you trying to take care of me like you're my fucking wife or something! Like I can't take care of myself! There are times where I just wanna be left alone. Can't you understand that?" Tora clenched the neck of his guitar in the palm of his large hand as he refused to look at Saga in the eye. Saga winced as he watched the strings dig into Tora's clenching fingers. It almost pained him to see how white Tora's knuckles have turned.
That aching feeling in his heart was back again. How many times was Saga going to feel like this? Was this supposed to be healthy? Every single time - Tora just had to say something to kick him to the curb such as saying something so utterly painful and cruel. Tora had never really been so mean to him before - Saga felt confused. Ever since he found out about his sexual orientation he thought all was going alright. But it actually turned out to be the opposite. His outbursts were sudden especially when Shou was involved. Saga liked guys. Shou liked guys. Could that possibly be it? But, that couldn't be. Tora didn't feel that way for guys, so jealousy really isn't the problem is it? Saga inwardly shook his head. No, these thoughts were just making him even more confused.
All Saga knew right now was...well...he didn't really know much. All he knew - was that Tora was angry. Duh. He didn't know what to do or say, and Tora always knew the right words to crush his heart into a million pieces. His heart was as fragile like...like a crystal chandelier. In a chandelier, every branch is supported for a number of lights at each end. Each and every one of those lights is a representation of Saga's hopes, dreams and happiness. And within each careless mistake Tora made, one light shatters. Saga just didn't know how many lights Tora was going to break before he shattered the whole chandelier completely. How long was it going to take? How long was Tora going to keep on fucking hurting him like this?
Saga wanted to get out. He wanted to get out and leave Tora the way he said he wanted to be left alone. He wanted to leave before he ended up breaking down in front of Tora, or be called a pansy for crying. Men weren't supposed to cry and Saga would rather die than make him look unworthy of this man. He stayed silent and shocked for so long, Tora finally began to process those words - those words he had just spat out so cruelly.
"Saga...I didn't-" Tora set the guitar against the stool as he stood up, but Saga had immediately stiffened and backed away with a stiff smile to match his awkward posture. He couldn't move. As much as he wanted to scream at his legs and tell them to get going, they wouldn't budge, and he was still for a full second before he could even feel a little twitch in his legs. His mouth was slightly parted in shock and his mouth became dry as he thought of what he could say.
Tora looked like he was regretting the things he had said - Saga could tell. But it was too much. With Tora it was always too much. The feelings he felt for this man was too intense, and Saga sometimes damned his heart and will power for being so fucking weak. The room suddenly became stuffy, and he felt dizzy. He tried to smile; a fake smile was better than nothing. At least Tora wouldn't have to worry too much about him if he walked away with a neutral expression but he found it was nearly impossible. As soon as he felt the first hint of moisture in the corner of his eyes, he turned and headed for the stairs immediately. Half tripping down the stairs wasn't any help, but at least he was wearing decent shoes capable for running as fast as he could. He was surprised at how quickly he was descending down the stairs, and he didn't stop or turn around when he heard Tora call out his name.
Saga felt relieved and dissapointed all at the same time when he didn't hear any signs of Tora following him to stop him. Damn it - his vision was getting blurry again. For a moment Saga wondered if he should even wear colored contacts if he was going to keep on opening up the damn flood gates. It didn't seem to stop him when he shot both his arms out and pushed the door open. He could see and hear people gaping at him and murmuring but that was immediately blocked out of his concentration. Sighing in relief as the fresh air blew into his hair and face he found himself slouching against the wall of the music shop.
The first thing he did was shove his hands desperately into his pockets in search of something...anything to relieve the hyperventilating feeling that was building up in his chest. Both hands fumbled against the pack of opened cigarettes. He shoved the cancer stick into his mouth and his fingers trembled against the lighter as he lit his cigarette. Taking in a deep suck of the nicotine that was supposed to be his remedy of his current misery, he tilted his head back against the wall and blew out a stream of smoke.
After a couple of seconds, he found his cell phone in his hand against his ear, and he was calling the first person on his mind. He wanted to talk to the only person that could possibly make him feel at ease again.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Shou! Oi Shou!" A small brown headed boy exclaimed excitedly as he slapped at Shou across the face. He stared amusingly as Shou's face automatically flopped to the side.
"Argh! What the hell did you do that for?!" Shou shook his head vigorously as he snapped a glare at the boy who had slapped him. "Who told you to go around slapping people like you have the damn privillege?!"
"Well don't blame me for oh I don't know - doing your job." His co-worker matched his glare, not really feeling threatened by Shou's angry gaze. "Plus, I don't want you to get in trouble again," The boy simply said, turning away from Shou as he hopped off the stool in front of the register.
"I won't. You worry too much. Friggin' Hiroto," Shou said, rolling his eyes as he made his way around the register to organize the rack of used games.
"You almost got fired the other time when you were picking a fight in here with that Tora guy," The boy named Hiroto noted, flipping through the pages of the list of games that were to released for the following month. "I just don't want the boss to be thinking of you as a lazy dimwit when you're actually a good way to attract customers. You bring us good business," He laughed, and Shou made a fake move to throw a used game at him. Even if Shou didn't throw the game, Hiroto immediately dodged as a reflex.
"You make this store sound like a whore house," Shou frowned.
"With you working here? It just might be," Hiroto smirked, leaning against the glass counter. Shou tossed the used game on top of the row of other games and made his way towards the shorter man with a death glare. A little squeak flew past his lips as he ducked down and attempted the drop, duck and roll routine. "I'm just kidding senpai!"
"Hell yeah you better be!" Shou frowned as he bent over the glass counter to peer hopelessly at the boy. "You know, I don't find it surprising to know that you're still in high school," Shou said blankly with an eyebrow raised.
"Shut up old man," Hiroto said with a huff, his body suddenly shot up from the floor to look at him with a challenging stare.
"What did you call me? Stupid kiddo," Shou muttered darkly as he felt his eyebrow twitch twice. He was not an old man. He was only a year older than Saga and Tora, and still very well in his twenties. This little brat really had no manners for his elders. Damn. Elder...
"You heard me," Hiroto scoffed and humphed before he turned away to reorganized the PSP games on the far left wall of the store.
"Brat," Shou snorted and slightly jumped up with a startle before he felt his phone vibrate in his right pocket. Shou was never allowed to play around with his cell phone during work hours, but he was going to check the caller ID anyway. He checked the caller ID and immediately answered - no questions asked. "Saga," He breathed into the phone and mentally cursed himself for having such a breathy voice when he answered. "What's the matter? Whoa h-hey hey slow down," He said calmly in an attempt to calm Saga down.
Hiroto arched an eyebrow in curiosity as he slowly made his way next to Shou. He didn't mean to listen in on the conversation, it was just that Saga's voice sounded loud and frantic. As a natural reaction Hiroto would be nothing but concerned. Hopefully Shou didn't strangle him for eavesdropping. No he wouldn't. He seemed too wrapped up into whatever situation Saga was in right now.
"Alright but I-" Shou started to speak but he shook his head after a heavy pause. "No you know what...I'll come over right now. Stay right there." Shou snapped his phone shut and before Hiroto knew it, Shou had zipped past him and was already heading towards the door.
"H-Hey! Oi Shou! You're not supposed to be on break yet!" Hiroto called out wearily. Shou didn't seem to listen to him as he pushed his way out of the game store and headed directly for the parking lot.
Hiroto sighed and slammed the palms of his hands onto the glass counter. He was surprised the glass didn't break under the impact of his small hands. They were small but as small as his body frame looked, he wasn't weak. He was going to have to cover for Shou again. What kind of excuse would he have to come up with now?!
"Hiroto. I need you to work in the stock room for -"
Oh shit.
"Hey. Where's Shou?"
Hiroto stiffened slightly at the suspicious tone of his boss' voice. Damn it what to do what to do?! His brain processed quickly enough, and he turned around to shoot his boss a fake grin and shrug.
"Family emergency." Hiroto nodded in confirmation as his boss eyed him skeptically.
"Huh. Whatever. No matter how you look at it, that guy sure has a lot of drama in his life. He better not keep this up much longer," The plump man muttered, shaking his head. "Don't just stand there. Get to it!"
"Yes sir!" Hiroto nodded and immediately headed straight for the stock room. Shou owes him so damn much. But that didn't stop him from being worried about the older man either. Whatever the problem was, he had hoped that Shou would get things straightened out soon.
A/N: Oh my god this took me awhile T___T! But I'm finally finished with the first chapter of this sequel. Please tell me what you think >.< ! And yaah I know I've been writing a lot of Tora/Saga lately. Just wanted to try an write a different pairing other than Uruha/Aoi (as much as I love that pairing to teh death o: ...) I just think it's fun to experiment with different pairings o:
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