[Chaptered] keeping secrets - chapter two
Title: keeping secrets
Author: Annie
Pairing: Juri x Taiga, Yasui x Juri
Genre: Fluff, Romance, Drama
Rating: PG
Summary: Even though Juri doesn't know the secret behind why the entire school seems to be against Taiga, he can't help but feel himself falling in love with him. Hidden crushes lead to painful misunderstandings, and before long, it begins to seem as if everyone is fated to suffer heartbreak.
Chapter Two: Rumors About You
“To be honest, what could possibly be so bad about him?” Juri questioned, receiving sighs from both of his friends. He just didn’t understand. Their walks from school together were usually so filled with laughter and jokes, but today, only silence prevailed.
“Can you not keep talking about Taiga?” Yasui pleaded, his eyes filled with concern. He turned to Hagiya for support, but his friend merely shook his head.
“Just tell me what’s so bad about him!” Juri insisted, stopping Hagiya before he could walk another step.
“Juri…” Yasui breathed, scared to hear his friend’s voice raised.
“You really want to know?” Hagiya scoffed.
Juri nodded firmly.
The silence lingered painfully until Hagiya finally gave in.
“He’s just such a flirt. He’s terrible.”
He’s terrible, isn’t he?
The memory of the voices returned to Juri’s mind.
“What happened?” Juri asked softly, fearing what Hagiya could say.
His friend’s gaze only turned downcast, realizing he was being forced to speak.
“Last year… I was in the same class as Taiga… and all this stuff happened…” Looking up to meet Juri’s unconvinced gaze, he continued. “For months, Taiga had been going out with Hokuto, you know the Hokuto Matsumura who’s in our class this year?”
Juri nodded, his chest tightening as he remembered the way Taiga had been gazing at Hokuto, rather than at him, as he had first assumed.
“But then a huge rumor was revealed that Taiga was cheating on him…” Hagiya paused, sighing. “And sure enough, as soon as Hokuto broke up with him, Taiga started going out with Ryo. Ryo Masuda? You might know him; he doesn’t go to our school anymore…”
Juri shook his head wordlessly, still trying to process everything Hagiya was telling him.
“But then…” Hagiya continued, his voice strained. “Soon after he and Ryo began dating… it was obvious that Taiga was bored again. He isn’t satisfied with only breaking one person’s heart, you see? So he confessed to Casey Anderson just for fun, even though he knew Casey really did have a crush on him, so would of course agree to go out with him… You probably don’t know Casey either, because he stopped coming to our school, too.
“So then Taiga broke up with Ryo like it was nothing, because he was done toying around with him, and he even crushed Casey, telling him something stupid like he couldn’t actually date him, because he and Ryo still hadn’t fully broken up… After that, Casey and Ryo both transferred to different schools because it was too embarrassing to even be seen around him…”
Hagiya rolled his eyes, as if exasperated by Taiga’s story just by telling it.
“If you don’t call that terrible, I don’t know what you would,” Hagiya finished with another sigh, looking over at Juri, he pushed him gently. “Are you still going to stick up for him now?”
Juri couldn’t answer. It was too much.
“Is that really all true?” Yasui asked softly.
Hagiya shrugged. “Just ask anybody else in our grade; I’m sure they’ll tell you the same story.”
Yasui grimaced and looked worriedly over at Juri, who remained speechless.
Following Yasui’s gaze, Hagiya frowned.
The silence hovered as they resumed their steps, and when they finally reached the crossroads at which they always parted ways, Juri merely waved goodbye without a word. From a distance, Hagiya and Yasui only watched Juri’s figure fade from view.
“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” Yasui sighed. “Juri’s fallen for someone else… again.”
Hagiya bit his lip. “Let me guess… you still like Juri?” he lifted his troubled gaze to meet Yasui’s.
His friend’s eyes drifted downward are he murmured, “Do you even have to ask?”
“Yasui…”
“He’s never going to like me,” Yasui laughed hollowly. “Even though you even tried to help me win him over last year… He just didn’t notice… It’s my fault for loving someone so dense…”
Hagiya merely shook his head. “Even if he guessed you like him, he wouldn’t believe it anyway… we’re just too close as friends, so… it’s tough…” he reasoned gently, trying to get his friend to realize the truth.
But it was a painful truth that he himself couldn’t bear to face.
Even when Hagiya thought he was being as obvious as possible about the pain, Yasui never noticed.
“Like what if I…” Hagiya breathed in deeply to suppress the tightness in his chest. “What if I told you I’ve fallen in love with you?”
His supposedly hypothetical question lingered in the air for a second longer than he had meant for it to.
But Yasui merely laughed once more, failing to notice Hagiya’s disheartened gaze. “Yeah, I wouldn’t take you seriously either… but it’s just so hard, being by Juri’s side every day, knowing he will never realize I love him.”
“It’s hard, isn’t it?” Hagiya muttered, lowering his eyes.
~~
Juri stuffed his hands into his pockets.
He’s just such a flirt… He isn’t satisfied with only breaking one person’s heart… If you don’t call that terrible, I don’t know what you would…
Yasui’s words replayed in his ears, over and over, but he still couldn’t get himself to believe them. He had felt bad for Taiga, leading him to the roof for refuge, inviting him to lunch. The older boy’s gentle smile, the warmth of his hand in his grasp, the softness of his voice, the darkness of his eyes.
Juri couldn’t get Taiga off his mind.
Turning the final block down the street that led to his house, Juri tried to clear his thoughts once more.
It was only then that he realized. Taiga was standing right across the street.
“H-Hey!” Juri called out, trying to catch his attention.
Taiga turned around, but upon seeing Juri, a look of fear reflected in his eyes.
Juri frowned slightly, noticing this, but quickly changed to a grin in order to cover it up, waving cheerfully at Taiga. Or at least, as cheerfully as he could. He decided not to judge Taiga before giving him a chance to tell his side of the story, but still… It was hard to forget everything Hagiya had said.
With a shy smile, Taiga waved back, and Juri took the chance to run over to him.
“I’m sorry for leaving at lunch today,” Taiga spoke first.
Juri shook his head hastily. “No, I’m sorry for making you come. The last thing I would’ve wanted was for you to feel lonely… But I guess I only made things worse.”
Taiga merely lowered his eyes.
“Let me walk you home to make up for it,” Juri insisted.
To his surprise, Taiga laughed lightly in response, the sound of which triggered another flutter in Juri’s heart.
“You already have,” Taiga answered amusedly, pointing toward the building in front of them. “But thanks for offering,” he smiled softly.
Juri’s cheeks tinged red with warmth. “O-Oh.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow at school?” Taiga waved, as he walked up the front steps.
Juri nodded, his lips unable to form words.
“Don’t worry about today, Juri,” Taiga added quietly, his gaze turning away. “I know people don’t like me…” his voice wavered as he spoke. “I just… I don’t know what I’ve done wrong.”
Juri could hear Taiga heaving a deep breath as he unlocked his front door.
“I wish I could have close friends like you,” Taiga mumbled, turning around one last time, his smile barely hiding the sadness in his voice and the redness in his eyes.
Juri tried to get himself to say something, anything, to comfort him. But before he could think of a reply, Taiga had closed the door behind him.
Author: Annie
Pairing: Juri x Taiga, Yasui x Juri
Genre: Fluff, Romance, Drama
Rating: PG
Summary: Even though Juri doesn't know the secret behind why the entire school seems to be against Taiga, he can't help but feel himself falling in love with him. Hidden crushes lead to painful misunderstandings, and before long, it begins to seem as if everyone is fated to suffer heartbreak.
Chapter Two: Rumors About You
“To be honest, what could possibly be so bad about him?” Juri questioned, receiving sighs from both of his friends. He just didn’t understand. Their walks from school together were usually so filled with laughter and jokes, but today, only silence prevailed.
“Can you not keep talking about Taiga?” Yasui pleaded, his eyes filled with concern. He turned to Hagiya for support, but his friend merely shook his head.
“Just tell me what’s so bad about him!” Juri insisted, stopping Hagiya before he could walk another step.
“Juri…” Yasui breathed, scared to hear his friend’s voice raised.
“You really want to know?” Hagiya scoffed.
Juri nodded firmly.
The silence lingered painfully until Hagiya finally gave in.
“He’s just such a flirt. He’s terrible.”
He’s terrible, isn’t he?
The memory of the voices returned to Juri’s mind.
“What happened?” Juri asked softly, fearing what Hagiya could say.
His friend’s gaze only turned downcast, realizing he was being forced to speak.
“Last year… I was in the same class as Taiga… and all this stuff happened…” Looking up to meet Juri’s unconvinced gaze, he continued. “For months, Taiga had been going out with Hokuto, you know the Hokuto Matsumura who’s in our class this year?”
Juri nodded, his chest tightening as he remembered the way Taiga had been gazing at Hokuto, rather than at him, as he had first assumed.
“But then a huge rumor was revealed that Taiga was cheating on him…” Hagiya paused, sighing. “And sure enough, as soon as Hokuto broke up with him, Taiga started going out with Ryo. Ryo Masuda? You might know him; he doesn’t go to our school anymore…”
Juri shook his head wordlessly, still trying to process everything Hagiya was telling him.
“But then…” Hagiya continued, his voice strained. “Soon after he and Ryo began dating… it was obvious that Taiga was bored again. He isn’t satisfied with only breaking one person’s heart, you see? So he confessed to Casey Anderson just for fun, even though he knew Casey really did have a crush on him, so would of course agree to go out with him… You probably don’t know Casey either, because he stopped coming to our school, too.
“So then Taiga broke up with Ryo like it was nothing, because he was done toying around with him, and he even crushed Casey, telling him something stupid like he couldn’t actually date him, because he and Ryo still hadn’t fully broken up… After that, Casey and Ryo both transferred to different schools because it was too embarrassing to even be seen around him…”
Hagiya rolled his eyes, as if exasperated by Taiga’s story just by telling it.
“If you don’t call that terrible, I don’t know what you would,” Hagiya finished with another sigh, looking over at Juri, he pushed him gently. “Are you still going to stick up for him now?”
Juri couldn’t answer. It was too much.
“Is that really all true?” Yasui asked softly.
Hagiya shrugged. “Just ask anybody else in our grade; I’m sure they’ll tell you the same story.”
Yasui grimaced and looked worriedly over at Juri, who remained speechless.
Following Yasui’s gaze, Hagiya frowned.
The silence hovered as they resumed their steps, and when they finally reached the crossroads at which they always parted ways, Juri merely waved goodbye without a word. From a distance, Hagiya and Yasui only watched Juri’s figure fade from view.
“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” Yasui sighed. “Juri’s fallen for someone else… again.”
Hagiya bit his lip. “Let me guess… you still like Juri?” he lifted his troubled gaze to meet Yasui’s.
His friend’s eyes drifted downward are he murmured, “Do you even have to ask?”
“Yasui…”
“He’s never going to like me,” Yasui laughed hollowly. “Even though you even tried to help me win him over last year… He just didn’t notice… It’s my fault for loving someone so dense…”
Hagiya merely shook his head. “Even if he guessed you like him, he wouldn’t believe it anyway… we’re just too close as friends, so… it’s tough…” he reasoned gently, trying to get his friend to realize the truth.
But it was a painful truth that he himself couldn’t bear to face.
Even when Hagiya thought he was being as obvious as possible about the pain, Yasui never noticed.
“Like what if I…” Hagiya breathed in deeply to suppress the tightness in his chest. “What if I told you I’ve fallen in love with you?”
His supposedly hypothetical question lingered in the air for a second longer than he had meant for it to.
But Yasui merely laughed once more, failing to notice Hagiya’s disheartened gaze. “Yeah, I wouldn’t take you seriously either… but it’s just so hard, being by Juri’s side every day, knowing he will never realize I love him.”
“It’s hard, isn’t it?” Hagiya muttered, lowering his eyes.
~~
Juri stuffed his hands into his pockets.
He’s just such a flirt… He isn’t satisfied with only breaking one person’s heart… If you don’t call that terrible, I don’t know what you would…
Yasui’s words replayed in his ears, over and over, but he still couldn’t get himself to believe them. He had felt bad for Taiga, leading him to the roof for refuge, inviting him to lunch. The older boy’s gentle smile, the warmth of his hand in his grasp, the softness of his voice, the darkness of his eyes.
Juri couldn’t get Taiga off his mind.
Turning the final block down the street that led to his house, Juri tried to clear his thoughts once more.
It was only then that he realized. Taiga was standing right across the street.
“H-Hey!” Juri called out, trying to catch his attention.
Taiga turned around, but upon seeing Juri, a look of fear reflected in his eyes.
Juri frowned slightly, noticing this, but quickly changed to a grin in order to cover it up, waving cheerfully at Taiga. Or at least, as cheerfully as he could. He decided not to judge Taiga before giving him a chance to tell his side of the story, but still… It was hard to forget everything Hagiya had said.
With a shy smile, Taiga waved back, and Juri took the chance to run over to him.
“I’m sorry for leaving at lunch today,” Taiga spoke first.
Juri shook his head hastily. “No, I’m sorry for making you come. The last thing I would’ve wanted was for you to feel lonely… But I guess I only made things worse.”
Taiga merely lowered his eyes.
“Let me walk you home to make up for it,” Juri insisted.
To his surprise, Taiga laughed lightly in response, the sound of which triggered another flutter in Juri’s heart.
“You already have,” Taiga answered amusedly, pointing toward the building in front of them. “But thanks for offering,” he smiled softly.
Juri’s cheeks tinged red with warmth. “O-Oh.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow at school?” Taiga waved, as he walked up the front steps.
Juri nodded, his lips unable to form words.
“Don’t worry about today, Juri,” Taiga added quietly, his gaze turning away. “I know people don’t like me…” his voice wavered as he spoke. “I just… I don’t know what I’ve done wrong.”
Juri could hear Taiga heaving a deep breath as he unlocked his front door.
“I wish I could have close friends like you,” Taiga mumbled, turning around one last time, his smile barely hiding the sadness in his voice and the redness in his eyes.
Juri tried to get himself to say something, anything, to comfort him. But before he could think of a reply, Taiga had closed the door behind him.