[Oneshot] aFFiniTY
Title: aFFiniTY
Author: Annie
Pairing: Juri x Taiga
Genre: Fluff, Romance
Rating: PG
Summary: Juri has always found himself admiring Taiga's onstage persona from afar, but only after he realizes the real Taiga is so much more... does he finally realize why he had never been able to take his eyes off of his friend.
A/N: I actually wrote this a little while ago and kind of forgot about it ^_^;; BUT, I will say, I have good reason, as I am currently writing my next Taiga/Juri multichap fic (in addition to the collab one we're still working on), which I'm about halfway done with :) YAY! :D (But then I realized I haven't posted anything in a while... so... here you goes~ ^^) and btw, yes, I did indeed steal the title from the title of the magazine shoot where the picture is from xD (but no one needs to know Kishi Yuta was there too.. hahahaa just kidding, Kishi's one of the *younger* jrs. I've been watching out for recently, so the translation for their 3-way crosstalk was really fun to read! ^_^)
His playful smirk drew feverish screams from the enthralled audience, his alluring gaze, his beautiful, indescribably soothing voice. Juri could only smile on in the background, watching Taiga shining onstage.
He had known Taiga for so many years now, but the unexpected gap between his onstage persona, so daring, so captivating, and his normal, silly, girly self only became more and more intriguing as the years went on. It was strange, seeing the cute, little, high-voiced kid he once knew grow up to be so beautiful as a performer. But he knew he himself had changed as well. Not only had he been working tediously to improve his rap, but he'd also been working on his stage presence, although it seemed Taiga would always be able to surpass him in that aspect.
Juri smiled once more, a little more wistfully this time.
“Ne Juri,” a familiar voice called him from behind. “Are you having fun grinning off into space?”
They had just finished recording the last episode of Shounen Club for that month, and all the juniors had packed up their belongings backstage, ready to head home. Juri elbowed Taiga jokingly in the stomach as the older boy, failing to suppress his laughter, walked over to him from behind. Taiga slung an arm around Juri's shoulders, smiling, “You look rather silly, you know? Just standing there, grinning like that.”
Juri sighed melodramatically and shook Taiga's arm away, trying his best to hide the red flush tingeing his cheeks at their sudden closeness. “Well you look rather silly, coming over here and disrupting my grinning.”
“I didn't have to come over to talk to you...” Taiga pouted.
“But you just did anyway, because I'm just too attractive, aren't I?” Juri joked, before giving his best imitation of the seductive smirk Taiga liked to wear onstage.
Taiga stifled another giggle, patting Juri comfortingly. “Yes, you're just that attractive, Juri,” he rolled his eyes. Picking up bag from the floor, he slung it over his shoulder before smiling, “So is the amazingly attractive Tanaka Juri willing to buy me dinner tonight?”
“Hey, don't use me as your wallet!” Juri scoffed, “You should use your own money for once,” he stuck out his tongue at his mischievous friend.
“Maybe one day...” Taiga replied nonchalantly. “But as for right now...” He smiled slightly, his eyes glancing over at Juri.
“Fine.” Juri sighed, rolling his eyes.
A wide grin spread across Taiga's gentle features. “Thank you, Juri,” he said softly, hugging his friend's arm in delight.
“Yeah, yeah, let's just go already,” Juri grumbled, ignoring the fact that his heart had inexplicably skipped a beat. With a suppressed smile, he jerked his arm out of Taiga's grasp. “But since I'm paying, I get to choose where,” he added.
“Go ahead,” Taiga nodded his agreement, using his hands to gesture for Juri to lead the way.
Juri nodded back curtly before walking forward, with Taiga following not far behind.
“So are you willing to tell me where we're going yet?” Taiga inquired curiously as they sat down at the bus stop, waiting.
“Nope,” Juri grinned. “It's a surprise,” he persisted, nudging Taiga playfully with his elbow.
“You're acting rather suspicious...”
“I know,” Juri answered proudly.
Taiga laughed, “That's not supposed to be a good thing!”
“Says you,” Juri retorted. But just as Taiga was about to reply, the bus rolled into the stop and he was forced to follow Juri, rather unwillingly, as he climbed on.
“So what's the surprise?” Taiga began questioning again, once they had sat down in the last of the remaining empty seats.
Without replying, Juri merely stood up as the bus started traveling down the street, Taiga tried to pull him back, thinking he was just trying to avoid the question. But he soon stopped, realizing Juri was gently offering his seat to an elderly lady who had just got on the bus after them. Taiga smiled softly, getting up to offer his seat as well, before making his way over to Juri, now leaning against a nearby pole.
“Let me guess, after you helped her sit down, you told the lady that your name was Tanaka Juri?” Taiga grinned, knowing of his friend's silly habit.
“Well, yes,” Juri smiled sheepishly. “You never know, one of these days, someone out there will recognize me and remember my name.”
“You're so weird...” Taiga laughed lightly, poking his friend in the side.
“But that's the best thing about me,” Juri insisted, his cheeks glowing a warm pink; he was obviously satisfied by his friend's words.
Taiga rolled his eyes, “So tell me, where exactly are we going?”
“It's a secret.”
Taiga sighed, realizing that Juri was really going to be stubborn about this. Giving up, he diverted his attention to the scenery passing by outside the window, completely unaware of Juri's gaze, admiring him from behind.
Before Juri's lips could form the words to speak, the bus suddenly rolled over a bump, causing the floor to jerk under their feet; Juri struggled to keep his balance, but he couldn't stop himself from stumbling into Taiga, accidentally burying his face into his friend's chest.
“You okay?” He heard Taiga murmur gently. Was that concern in his voice? Or amusement?
Nodding softly, Juri hurriedly lifted his gaze to meet Taiga's, his arms now pulling down on Taiga's sleeves in a means to steady himself.
Another bump, and Juri felt Taiga's arms envelope his body, his friend similarly grasping onto him for support.
“S-Sorry,” Juri laughed lightly, quickly straightening himself and helping Taiga up as well.
“Shouldn't I be the one apologizing?” Taiga smiled shyly, poking Juri's side again.
Juri shrugged, turning his gaze away. He prayed his friend wouldn't notice his heart thundering, his cheeks flushing dark red. “We'll be getting off soon.”
“Oh, okay,” Taiga nodded his understanding, realizing Juri's smile had faded.
Over the last few blocks, Juri remained quiet, the memory of that last moment of their closeness replaying over and over in his mind, blurring his thoughts.
“Are you all right, Juri?”
“Yeah, I'm fine. H-Here, we're getting off now,” he mumbled, quickly leading the way off the bus.
Taiga followed wordlessly as they walked down one block, then two. He realized something was wrong. Juri wasn't usually this quiet around him.
“Juri...” he pulled onto his friend's sleeve, holding him back. “You...”
“Hmm?” Juri turned around to face Taiga, wondering why his friend had suddenly stopped. Loosening Taiga’s grip on his sleeve, Juri sighed, “I'm still not going to tell you where-”
“You don't have to lie to me.”
Juri raised an eyebrow. “What? I'm not lying; I'm really not going to tell you-”
Taiga shook his head hastily. “No, not about that, I just mean...”
Juri tilted his head slightly in questioning, unable to understand.
“I mean... you... you're not okay, are you?” Taiga asked slowly. “Something's bothering you.”
“Me?” Juri blinked. He himself could hardly comprehend what was going wrong with himself; how could Taiga even begin to understand?
“You're not still thinking about what happened back there on the bus, are you?”
Juri's eyes widened. He can't... He can't be right, can he? “W-What? why?”
“I-I... I am really sorry about falling into you. You don't have to get all mad at me just for that,” Taiga bowed slightly; his eyes shone with worry.
“I-I'm not mad,” Juri immediately insisted, shaking his head fervently. He was beginning to feel the familiar warmth creeping back to his cheeks.
Taiga furrowed his brow. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Juri answered, a little too eagerly; his eyes turned downcast.
“You're lying.”
Taiga sighed. He lifted his hand to touch Juri's cheek, causing the younger boy to look up to meet his gaze. His heartbeat echoed, reverberating emptily in his ears.
“T-Taiga?”
His friend didn't reply. Instead, Juri only felt the warmth of Taiga's embrace surround his body once more. This time, his hold steady and unwavering.
Softly, Taiga mumbled, “If it's about dinner, I can pay, really. I'm sorry for-”
Juri forced himself to push Taiga away. “No, it's not about dinner.”
“What is it then? You're really scaring me!” Taiga tried his best to keep him voice calm.
Juri frowned, biting his lip, “I-I don't know...” His gaze wavered, his eyes fleeting from left to right, searching for an answer. “I just... I-”
“You can tell me,” Taiga encouraged gently.
“I can't stop thinking... thinking about... about...” Juri hesitated, returning his gaze to Taiga's shining eyes. “...you.”
Taiga froze, his expression unreadable.
Juri winced, realizing he had gone too far. With one last deep breath, he pulled Taiga's hand into his grasp and murmured, “Never mind, let's just go.”
Taiga nodded silently, his lips unable to form words. Without protest, he allowed Juri to lead him forward, a quiet stillness hanging in the air surrounding them, their fingers intertwined.
Before long, Taiga finally recognized where they were going. “Your house?”
Juri smiled slightly, “You finally realized?”
Taiga smirked, “Are you trying to be cheap or something?”
“Possibly,” Juri's grin widened.
Taiga made a face at him, “I'm surprised at you.”
“I just thought maybe I could try cooking something for you, but maybe just this once,” Juri laughed. “It’ll probably just be ramen or something, but if it actually ends up terrible, we can go out instead.”
“You? Cook?” Taiga smiled back, “Something really must be wrong with you today.” Without warning, he pressed his palm against Juri’s forehead, jokingly taking his temperature, but only then did he realize, “Juri, you feel so warm!”
Juri’s eyes widened. He hadn’t even noticed the warmth invade his cheeks this time, but now it had spread to his forehead? His mind immediately panicked, not knowing what excuse he could conjure up as an explanation.
As Taiga's fingers brushed against his burning cheek, Juri's breath hitched. He was losing himself in Taiga's dark brown eyes, staring straight into his own. Seeing the worry lining his friend's gaze was making Juri's heart flutter, a strange and unfamiliar feeling. But he couldn't find the voice to speak.
“You must be coming down with some sort of sickness...” Taiga murmured gently. “See, I told you not to lie to me; there is something wrong with you... If you weren't feeling well and just wanted to go home, you could've just told me... We're best friends; shouldn't you know I would understand? You didn't have to lie to me...” By this time Taiga had slung Juri's arm around his own shoulders to help support his weight, unwilling to hear any words of objection from his friend, as they made their way down the final block to get to Juri's house.
Juri didn't know how to respond. His heart pounded when he realized how close their bodies were once more. One of Taiga's hands was supporting him from behind, the other holding onto Juri's arm that was laid across Taiga's shoulders.
“I wasn't lying...” Juri tried to protest, but Taiga wouldn't listen. “I’m just…” Lovesick.
“Don't try to stop me; I'm going to help you.” Taiga's voice firmed with resolution.
And you always say I’m the stubborn one... Juri smiled feebly. He really hadn't been feeling ill earlier, but his body weakened in Taiga's arms. “Thank you,” was all he could answer.
Taiga nodded, not taking his eyes away from the path ahead. Before long, the two arrived at Juri's front door, the younger boy still leaning heavily onto Taiga's body for support.
“You okay, Juri?” Taiga asked gently.
Juri mumbled an indiscernible answer before scraping together the strength to reach into his pocket to take out his keys.
Taiga bit his lip, wishing he really could help Juri, in any way, even if he didn't know how.
Opening the door, Juri sighed, What's gotten into me? I shouldn't take advantage of Taiga's kindness. He tried standing himself up straight, loosening himself from Taiga's support, but Taiga wouldn't let go.
“I think I'm okay, Taiga,” Juri reassured.
But Taiga merely smiled and shook his head. “It's all right, I won't let you make dinner for me like this. I'll try looking around to see if I can put something together.” Not giving Juri the chance to protest, Taiga gently led Juri to his living room couch, helping him sit down before heading to the kitchen.
“Taiga...” Juri whispered, only after his friend had hurried off. I can't just sit here like a helpless child. Without another thought, Juri stood up at once, but his vision immediately blurred. Everything turned black; it felt as if he was falling through darkness. He had lost control of himself; he couldn't move. He merely waited for the crash of his body, crumbling to the floor.
But in the darkness, a pair of arms reached out and caught him, just before the crash.
His limbs paralyzed, his thoughts tangled, Juri couldn't summon the strength to open his eyes. What is... happening... to... me...?
~~
One blink. Two. A deep sigh escaped from Juri's lips.
Slowly, he rubbed his eyes, wincing at the strain of having to lift his arm. Only one arm. Only one arm had responded. The other had refused to obey his control.
It was then, he realized, his other hand had been taken captive.
A soft smile, seeing Taiga had fallen asleep in a chair by his bedside. His hands held tightly onto Juri's, not letting go, not even in his sleep.
Juri fondled his friend's fingers in his hand, slender and soft to his touch. For precious seconds, he merely admired his friend as he snoozed peacefully beside him, his eyelashes fluttering ever so slightly as his chest slowly lifted up and down with each gentle breath.
Juri found himself blushing, a soft, pink warmth rising in his cheeks. His friend was beautiful, even when he wasn't onstage. Taiga didn't need act or pretend; he didn’t need to be a performer. The real Taiga was beautiful, inside and out. Right then, Juri realized that the Taiga before him, the Taiga sleeping soundly beside his bed, the Taiga who cared for him with all his heart, this was Taiga. This was the real Taiga he loved.
He realized, he loved Taiga.
Reaching out, Juri brushed the tips of his fingers against Taiga's soft, smooth cheek.
“Ne Juri...” a soft murmur slipped into the stillness.
Juri immediately pulled back his hand, his heart beat racing as he realized Taiga had been awake. He could only hope Taiga hadn't noticed his cheeks had flushed a dark red.
“H-Hai?” he stammered, averting his friend's gaze as Taiga slowly blinked open his eyes, yawning slightly as his vision gradually came into focus.
Juri could feel his chest tighten seeing Taiga so... adorable.
“You're awake?” Taiga mumbled, his mind still half-asleep.
Juri merely nodded, his cheeks glowing red.
“Sorry for falling asleep on you...”
Juri shook his head fervently at this, but Taiga ignored it and continued, “Are you... feeling better?”
“I think so...” Juri answered quietly. “I really don't know what came over me... I'm sorry for making you stay here for so long...” He bowed slightly to his friend; even the small movement brought soreness to his body.
Taiga smiled gently, the look of weariness undeniably present in his eyes. “It's nothing...” He shrugged his shoulders lightly before standing up, turning his back to his friend. A deep breath filled his lungs. “Well, since you're awake, I think I'll... go make some soup for y-”
“Wait,” Juri grabbed onto his hand, cutting him off mid-sentence.
Taiga froze, his heart clenched, his hand trapped in Juri's warmth.
“I...” Juri's voice trailed off into silence, only to be interrupted by Taiga's soft giggle.
“It's all right, you don't have to thank me,” he smiled, leaning forward to gently touch his lips to Juri's forehead. He prayed his friend wouldn't notice his cheeks had colored a pale pink. “You just have to get well soon, and I'll be happy,” he added, shrugging once more.
“N-No, that wasn't what I was going to say,” Juri blurted out, his cheeks burning, his heart pulsing madly.
Taiga blinked, confused by Juri's sudden outburst. “What did you want to say, then?”
“I...”
Hesitance.
He couldn't decide how to answer. “It's nothing.” Juri shook his head, losing his will to speak. “Never mind.”
For a brief second, Taiga allowed a worried frown to mar his features, before giving up. He wouldn't force Juri to tell him. “If you're sure it was nothing...” He turned again, only to be pulled back once more.
“P-Please,” Juri stammered. “Just don't leave,” he insisted, an unmistakable sense of pleading in his request. “Stay here, please, with me.”
Taiga's eyes widened, keeping his back turned to Juri. “W-What are you saying?” he tried to smile sheepishly. “I'll just go to get you some soup, medicine, anything... I just want to help you...”
Juri only tightened his grip on Taiga's hand. “Then help me. Don't leave,” he reiterated, his voice low. “It's all I need from you. I need you. I want you... here, with me.”
Taiga closed his eyes, not willing to believe his ears. Juri's voice had softened to a whisper, his words echoing in Taiga's ears, burning in his heart, pounding in his chest. His cheeks flooded with warmth. “Y-You can't just say that!”
Confused by Taiga’s sudden outburst, Juri lifted his gaze to look up at his friend, still standing by his bedside.
Taiga sighed heavily, struggling to find the words to explain. “You can't just say these things to me. You can't do this to me... You can't torture me like this...”
Juri was rendered speechless; he couldn't understand what Taiga was trying to say.
“You don't get it, do you?” Taiga murmured, his voice practically unheard. With one last deep breath, he turned around to face his friend, their gazes locked.
“I love you.”
A stifled silence.
“Taiga...”
The older boy closed his eyes, recognizing the hesitance in his friend's voice. “I'm sorry,” Taiga breathed, stopping Juri from having to say anything more.
“For what?” Juri mumbled softly.
Taiga bit his lip, opening his eyes to meet his friend's gaze once more. “For loving y-”
“Don't be.”
This time, there was no hesitation; Juri knew what he had to say.
Taiga's breath hitched, hearing Juri finally answer, “Because I... I-I think I... I love you, too.”
Time suspended. Hand in hand, they gazed into each other's eyes, the pale morning light shining through the sheer curtains in Juri’s room, casting a soft glow on Taiga's beautiful features.
Without realizing, Taiga's arms wrapped around Juri's neck, pulling the younger boy into a gentle embrace. He breathed in deeply, burying his face softly into Juri’s shoulder.
Juri enveloped Taiga in his arms, using the last reserves of his strength to pull Taiga down to sit opposite him on the bed. “I love you,” he repeated, reaching his hand out to touch Taiga's cheek, warm with blush.
Taiga could barely breathe, his lips quivered as Juri brushed a loose strand of hair away from his eyes, their gazes unbreakable. Trembling, Juri's finger traced over his pink lips, so soft, so delicate.
“I love you,” he whispered once more, the echo of his words seemingly endless.
Slowly, Juri leaned forward, his lips brushing upon Taiga's, grazing ever so softly.
“Taiga...” Juri murmured into the older boy’s smile. He lifted his hand to the Taiga’s cheek, rubbing circles in his friend's smooth skin. The sensation of Taiga's slender fingers running through his hair sent shivers down his spine.
Blissfully, he smiled back.
Author: Annie
Pairing: Juri x Taiga
Genre: Fluff, Romance
Rating: PG
Summary: Juri has always found himself admiring Taiga's onstage persona from afar, but only after he realizes the real Taiga is so much more... does he finally realize why he had never been able to take his eyes off of his friend.
A/N: I actually wrote this a little while ago and kind of forgot about it ^_^;; BUT, I will say, I have good reason, as I am currently writing my next Taiga/Juri multichap fic (in addition to the collab one we're still working on), which I'm about halfway done with :) YAY! :D (But then I realized I haven't posted anything in a while... so... here you goes~ ^^) and btw, yes, I did indeed steal the title from the title of the magazine shoot where the picture is from xD (but no one needs to know Kishi Yuta was there too.. hahahaa just kidding, Kishi's one of the *younger* jrs. I've been watching out for recently, so the translation for their 3-way crosstalk was really fun to read! ^_^)
His playful smirk drew feverish screams from the enthralled audience, his alluring gaze, his beautiful, indescribably soothing voice. Juri could only smile on in the background, watching Taiga shining onstage.
He had known Taiga for so many years now, but the unexpected gap between his onstage persona, so daring, so captivating, and his normal, silly, girly self only became more and more intriguing as the years went on. It was strange, seeing the cute, little, high-voiced kid he once knew grow up to be so beautiful as a performer. But he knew he himself had changed as well. Not only had he been working tediously to improve his rap, but he'd also been working on his stage presence, although it seemed Taiga would always be able to surpass him in that aspect.
Juri smiled once more, a little more wistfully this time.
“Ne Juri,” a familiar voice called him from behind. “Are you having fun grinning off into space?”
They had just finished recording the last episode of Shounen Club for that month, and all the juniors had packed up their belongings backstage, ready to head home. Juri elbowed Taiga jokingly in the stomach as the older boy, failing to suppress his laughter, walked over to him from behind. Taiga slung an arm around Juri's shoulders, smiling, “You look rather silly, you know? Just standing there, grinning like that.”
Juri sighed melodramatically and shook Taiga's arm away, trying his best to hide the red flush tingeing his cheeks at their sudden closeness. “Well you look rather silly, coming over here and disrupting my grinning.”
“I didn't have to come over to talk to you...” Taiga pouted.
“But you just did anyway, because I'm just too attractive, aren't I?” Juri joked, before giving his best imitation of the seductive smirk Taiga liked to wear onstage.
Taiga stifled another giggle, patting Juri comfortingly. “Yes, you're just that attractive, Juri,” he rolled his eyes. Picking up bag from the floor, he slung it over his shoulder before smiling, “So is the amazingly attractive Tanaka Juri willing to buy me dinner tonight?”
“Hey, don't use me as your wallet!” Juri scoffed, “You should use your own money for once,” he stuck out his tongue at his mischievous friend.
“Maybe one day...” Taiga replied nonchalantly. “But as for right now...” He smiled slightly, his eyes glancing over at Juri.
“Fine.” Juri sighed, rolling his eyes.
A wide grin spread across Taiga's gentle features. “Thank you, Juri,” he said softly, hugging his friend's arm in delight.
“Yeah, yeah, let's just go already,” Juri grumbled, ignoring the fact that his heart had inexplicably skipped a beat. With a suppressed smile, he jerked his arm out of Taiga's grasp. “But since I'm paying, I get to choose where,” he added.
“Go ahead,” Taiga nodded his agreement, using his hands to gesture for Juri to lead the way.
Juri nodded back curtly before walking forward, with Taiga following not far behind.
“So are you willing to tell me where we're going yet?” Taiga inquired curiously as they sat down at the bus stop, waiting.
“Nope,” Juri grinned. “It's a surprise,” he persisted, nudging Taiga playfully with his elbow.
“You're acting rather suspicious...”
“I know,” Juri answered proudly.
Taiga laughed, “That's not supposed to be a good thing!”
“Says you,” Juri retorted. But just as Taiga was about to reply, the bus rolled into the stop and he was forced to follow Juri, rather unwillingly, as he climbed on.
“So what's the surprise?” Taiga began questioning again, once they had sat down in the last of the remaining empty seats.
Without replying, Juri merely stood up as the bus started traveling down the street, Taiga tried to pull him back, thinking he was just trying to avoid the question. But he soon stopped, realizing Juri was gently offering his seat to an elderly lady who had just got on the bus after them. Taiga smiled softly, getting up to offer his seat as well, before making his way over to Juri, now leaning against a nearby pole.
“Let me guess, after you helped her sit down, you told the lady that your name was Tanaka Juri?” Taiga grinned, knowing of his friend's silly habit.
“Well, yes,” Juri smiled sheepishly. “You never know, one of these days, someone out there will recognize me and remember my name.”
“You're so weird...” Taiga laughed lightly, poking his friend in the side.
“But that's the best thing about me,” Juri insisted, his cheeks glowing a warm pink; he was obviously satisfied by his friend's words.
Taiga rolled his eyes, “So tell me, where exactly are we going?”
“It's a secret.”
Taiga sighed, realizing that Juri was really going to be stubborn about this. Giving up, he diverted his attention to the scenery passing by outside the window, completely unaware of Juri's gaze, admiring him from behind.
Before Juri's lips could form the words to speak, the bus suddenly rolled over a bump, causing the floor to jerk under their feet; Juri struggled to keep his balance, but he couldn't stop himself from stumbling into Taiga, accidentally burying his face into his friend's chest.
“You okay?” He heard Taiga murmur gently. Was that concern in his voice? Or amusement?
Nodding softly, Juri hurriedly lifted his gaze to meet Taiga's, his arms now pulling down on Taiga's sleeves in a means to steady himself.
Another bump, and Juri felt Taiga's arms envelope his body, his friend similarly grasping onto him for support.
“S-Sorry,” Juri laughed lightly, quickly straightening himself and helping Taiga up as well.
“Shouldn't I be the one apologizing?” Taiga smiled shyly, poking Juri's side again.
Juri shrugged, turning his gaze away. He prayed his friend wouldn't notice his heart thundering, his cheeks flushing dark red. “We'll be getting off soon.”
“Oh, okay,” Taiga nodded his understanding, realizing Juri's smile had faded.
Over the last few blocks, Juri remained quiet, the memory of that last moment of their closeness replaying over and over in his mind, blurring his thoughts.
“Are you all right, Juri?”
“Yeah, I'm fine. H-Here, we're getting off now,” he mumbled, quickly leading the way off the bus.
Taiga followed wordlessly as they walked down one block, then two. He realized something was wrong. Juri wasn't usually this quiet around him.
“Juri...” he pulled onto his friend's sleeve, holding him back. “You...”
“Hmm?” Juri turned around to face Taiga, wondering why his friend had suddenly stopped. Loosening Taiga’s grip on his sleeve, Juri sighed, “I'm still not going to tell you where-”
“You don't have to lie to me.”
Juri raised an eyebrow. “What? I'm not lying; I'm really not going to tell you-”
Taiga shook his head hastily. “No, not about that, I just mean...”
Juri tilted his head slightly in questioning, unable to understand.
“I mean... you... you're not okay, are you?” Taiga asked slowly. “Something's bothering you.”
“Me?” Juri blinked. He himself could hardly comprehend what was going wrong with himself; how could Taiga even begin to understand?
“You're not still thinking about what happened back there on the bus, are you?”
Juri's eyes widened. He can't... He can't be right, can he? “W-What? why?”
“I-I... I am really sorry about falling into you. You don't have to get all mad at me just for that,” Taiga bowed slightly; his eyes shone with worry.
“I-I'm not mad,” Juri immediately insisted, shaking his head fervently. He was beginning to feel the familiar warmth creeping back to his cheeks.
Taiga furrowed his brow. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Juri answered, a little too eagerly; his eyes turned downcast.
“You're lying.”
Taiga sighed. He lifted his hand to touch Juri's cheek, causing the younger boy to look up to meet his gaze. His heartbeat echoed, reverberating emptily in his ears.
“T-Taiga?”
His friend didn't reply. Instead, Juri only felt the warmth of Taiga's embrace surround his body once more. This time, his hold steady and unwavering.
Softly, Taiga mumbled, “If it's about dinner, I can pay, really. I'm sorry for-”
Juri forced himself to push Taiga away. “No, it's not about dinner.”
“What is it then? You're really scaring me!” Taiga tried his best to keep him voice calm.
Juri frowned, biting his lip, “I-I don't know...” His gaze wavered, his eyes fleeting from left to right, searching for an answer. “I just... I-”
“You can tell me,” Taiga encouraged gently.
“I can't stop thinking... thinking about... about...” Juri hesitated, returning his gaze to Taiga's shining eyes. “...you.”
Taiga froze, his expression unreadable.
Juri winced, realizing he had gone too far. With one last deep breath, he pulled Taiga's hand into his grasp and murmured, “Never mind, let's just go.”
Taiga nodded silently, his lips unable to form words. Without protest, he allowed Juri to lead him forward, a quiet stillness hanging in the air surrounding them, their fingers intertwined.
Before long, Taiga finally recognized where they were going. “Your house?”
Juri smiled slightly, “You finally realized?”
Taiga smirked, “Are you trying to be cheap or something?”
“Possibly,” Juri's grin widened.
Taiga made a face at him, “I'm surprised at you.”
“I just thought maybe I could try cooking something for you, but maybe just this once,” Juri laughed. “It’ll probably just be ramen or something, but if it actually ends up terrible, we can go out instead.”
“You? Cook?” Taiga smiled back, “Something really must be wrong with you today.” Without warning, he pressed his palm against Juri’s forehead, jokingly taking his temperature, but only then did he realize, “Juri, you feel so warm!”
Juri’s eyes widened. He hadn’t even noticed the warmth invade his cheeks this time, but now it had spread to his forehead? His mind immediately panicked, not knowing what excuse he could conjure up as an explanation.
As Taiga's fingers brushed against his burning cheek, Juri's breath hitched. He was losing himself in Taiga's dark brown eyes, staring straight into his own. Seeing the worry lining his friend's gaze was making Juri's heart flutter, a strange and unfamiliar feeling. But he couldn't find the voice to speak.
“You must be coming down with some sort of sickness...” Taiga murmured gently. “See, I told you not to lie to me; there is something wrong with you... If you weren't feeling well and just wanted to go home, you could've just told me... We're best friends; shouldn't you know I would understand? You didn't have to lie to me...” By this time Taiga had slung Juri's arm around his own shoulders to help support his weight, unwilling to hear any words of objection from his friend, as they made their way down the final block to get to Juri's house.
Juri didn't know how to respond. His heart pounded when he realized how close their bodies were once more. One of Taiga's hands was supporting him from behind, the other holding onto Juri's arm that was laid across Taiga's shoulders.
“I wasn't lying...” Juri tried to protest, but Taiga wouldn't listen. “I’m just…” Lovesick.
“Don't try to stop me; I'm going to help you.” Taiga's voice firmed with resolution.
And you always say I’m the stubborn one... Juri smiled feebly. He really hadn't been feeling ill earlier, but his body weakened in Taiga's arms. “Thank you,” was all he could answer.
Taiga nodded, not taking his eyes away from the path ahead. Before long, the two arrived at Juri's front door, the younger boy still leaning heavily onto Taiga's body for support.
“You okay, Juri?” Taiga asked gently.
Juri mumbled an indiscernible answer before scraping together the strength to reach into his pocket to take out his keys.
Taiga bit his lip, wishing he really could help Juri, in any way, even if he didn't know how.
Opening the door, Juri sighed, What's gotten into me? I shouldn't take advantage of Taiga's kindness. He tried standing himself up straight, loosening himself from Taiga's support, but Taiga wouldn't let go.
“I think I'm okay, Taiga,” Juri reassured.
But Taiga merely smiled and shook his head. “It's all right, I won't let you make dinner for me like this. I'll try looking around to see if I can put something together.” Not giving Juri the chance to protest, Taiga gently led Juri to his living room couch, helping him sit down before heading to the kitchen.
“Taiga...” Juri whispered, only after his friend had hurried off. I can't just sit here like a helpless child. Without another thought, Juri stood up at once, but his vision immediately blurred. Everything turned black; it felt as if he was falling through darkness. He had lost control of himself; he couldn't move. He merely waited for the crash of his body, crumbling to the floor.
But in the darkness, a pair of arms reached out and caught him, just before the crash.
His limbs paralyzed, his thoughts tangled, Juri couldn't summon the strength to open his eyes. What is... happening... to... me...?
~~
One blink. Two. A deep sigh escaped from Juri's lips.
Slowly, he rubbed his eyes, wincing at the strain of having to lift his arm. Only one arm. Only one arm had responded. The other had refused to obey his control.
It was then, he realized, his other hand had been taken captive.
A soft smile, seeing Taiga had fallen asleep in a chair by his bedside. His hands held tightly onto Juri's, not letting go, not even in his sleep.
Juri fondled his friend's fingers in his hand, slender and soft to his touch. For precious seconds, he merely admired his friend as he snoozed peacefully beside him, his eyelashes fluttering ever so slightly as his chest slowly lifted up and down with each gentle breath.
Juri found himself blushing, a soft, pink warmth rising in his cheeks. His friend was beautiful, even when he wasn't onstage. Taiga didn't need act or pretend; he didn’t need to be a performer. The real Taiga was beautiful, inside and out. Right then, Juri realized that the Taiga before him, the Taiga sleeping soundly beside his bed, the Taiga who cared for him with all his heart, this was Taiga. This was the real Taiga he loved.
He realized, he loved Taiga.
Reaching out, Juri brushed the tips of his fingers against Taiga's soft, smooth cheek.
“Ne Juri...” a soft murmur slipped into the stillness.
Juri immediately pulled back his hand, his heart beat racing as he realized Taiga had been awake. He could only hope Taiga hadn't noticed his cheeks had flushed a dark red.
“H-Hai?” he stammered, averting his friend's gaze as Taiga slowly blinked open his eyes, yawning slightly as his vision gradually came into focus.
Juri could feel his chest tighten seeing Taiga so... adorable.
“You're awake?” Taiga mumbled, his mind still half-asleep.
Juri merely nodded, his cheeks glowing red.
“Sorry for falling asleep on you...”
Juri shook his head fervently at this, but Taiga ignored it and continued, “Are you... feeling better?”
“I think so...” Juri answered quietly. “I really don't know what came over me... I'm sorry for making you stay here for so long...” He bowed slightly to his friend; even the small movement brought soreness to his body.
Taiga smiled gently, the look of weariness undeniably present in his eyes. “It's nothing...” He shrugged his shoulders lightly before standing up, turning his back to his friend. A deep breath filled his lungs. “Well, since you're awake, I think I'll... go make some soup for y-”
“Wait,” Juri grabbed onto his hand, cutting him off mid-sentence.
Taiga froze, his heart clenched, his hand trapped in Juri's warmth.
“I...” Juri's voice trailed off into silence, only to be interrupted by Taiga's soft giggle.
“It's all right, you don't have to thank me,” he smiled, leaning forward to gently touch his lips to Juri's forehead. He prayed his friend wouldn't notice his cheeks had colored a pale pink. “You just have to get well soon, and I'll be happy,” he added, shrugging once more.
“N-No, that wasn't what I was going to say,” Juri blurted out, his cheeks burning, his heart pulsing madly.
Taiga blinked, confused by Juri's sudden outburst. “What did you want to say, then?”
“I...”
Hesitance.
He couldn't decide how to answer. “It's nothing.” Juri shook his head, losing his will to speak. “Never mind.”
For a brief second, Taiga allowed a worried frown to mar his features, before giving up. He wouldn't force Juri to tell him. “If you're sure it was nothing...” He turned again, only to be pulled back once more.
“P-Please,” Juri stammered. “Just don't leave,” he insisted, an unmistakable sense of pleading in his request. “Stay here, please, with me.”
Taiga's eyes widened, keeping his back turned to Juri. “W-What are you saying?” he tried to smile sheepishly. “I'll just go to get you some soup, medicine, anything... I just want to help you...”
Juri only tightened his grip on Taiga's hand. “Then help me. Don't leave,” he reiterated, his voice low. “It's all I need from you. I need you. I want you... here, with me.”
Taiga closed his eyes, not willing to believe his ears. Juri's voice had softened to a whisper, his words echoing in Taiga's ears, burning in his heart, pounding in his chest. His cheeks flooded with warmth. “Y-You can't just say that!”
Confused by Taiga’s sudden outburst, Juri lifted his gaze to look up at his friend, still standing by his bedside.
Taiga sighed heavily, struggling to find the words to explain. “You can't just say these things to me. You can't do this to me... You can't torture me like this...”
Juri was rendered speechless; he couldn't understand what Taiga was trying to say.
“You don't get it, do you?” Taiga murmured, his voice practically unheard. With one last deep breath, he turned around to face his friend, their gazes locked.
“I love you.”
A stifled silence.
“Taiga...”
The older boy closed his eyes, recognizing the hesitance in his friend's voice. “I'm sorry,” Taiga breathed, stopping Juri from having to say anything more.
“For what?” Juri mumbled softly.
Taiga bit his lip, opening his eyes to meet his friend's gaze once more. “For loving y-”
“Don't be.”
This time, there was no hesitation; Juri knew what he had to say.
Taiga's breath hitched, hearing Juri finally answer, “Because I... I-I think I... I love you, too.”
Time suspended. Hand in hand, they gazed into each other's eyes, the pale morning light shining through the sheer curtains in Juri’s room, casting a soft glow on Taiga's beautiful features.
Without realizing, Taiga's arms wrapped around Juri's neck, pulling the younger boy into a gentle embrace. He breathed in deeply, burying his face softly into Juri’s shoulder.
Juri enveloped Taiga in his arms, using the last reserves of his strength to pull Taiga down to sit opposite him on the bed. “I love you,” he repeated, reaching his hand out to touch Taiga's cheek, warm with blush.
Taiga could barely breathe, his lips quivered as Juri brushed a loose strand of hair away from his eyes, their gazes unbreakable. Trembling, Juri's finger traced over his pink lips, so soft, so delicate.
“I love you,” he whispered once more, the echo of his words seemingly endless.
Slowly, Juri leaned forward, his lips brushing upon Taiga's, grazing ever so softly.
“Taiga...” Juri murmured into the older boy’s smile. He lifted his hand to the Taiga’s cheek, rubbing circles in his friend's smooth skin. The sensation of Taiga's slender fingers running through his hair sent shivers down his spine.
Blissfully, he smiled back.