[Chaptered] keeping secrets - chapter six (FINAL)
Title: keeping secrets
Author: Annie
Pairing: Juri x Taiga, Hagiya x Yasui, Hokuto x Taiga (mentioned), Yasui x Juri (additional jrs. will also be mentioned xD)
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.
A/N: Finally finished the last chapter!! xD this fic... really shouldn't have taken me that long to write. lol! but school is like =__= Taiga's back story was kinda.. long. but to be honest, this fic was really based on a true story, so I didn't want to make it any shorter >< I have a kyomojuri oneshot in the works next, so I'll hopefully be back soon! ^_^ (and yes, i made 6 chapters because of bakaleya6. don't judge. xD)
Chapter Six: Loving You
Juri pushed the door to the roof open with a shove, and the orange glow of the bright afternoon sun flooded his body with warmth. A gentle sigh of relief escaped his lips when he saw Taiga’s lone figure leaning against the railing, his pale features illuminated so gently by the sun’s rays.
The older boy turned slowly at the hollow thudding of Juri’s approaching footsteps. His heart pounded with Juri’s every step.
“Why?” he breathed almost inaudibly.
“Taiga…” Juri murmured when he finally stood before him, tracing his finger along Taiga’s cheek so that he would lift his eyes to meet Juri’s gaze. “Do you hate me?”
Juri’s words echoed in Taiga’s mind, his voice sounded so hurt, so weak.
Taiga quickly shook his head.
“Do you… like me?” Juri whispered softly.
At this, Taiga’s eyes widened and he turned away from Juri, unable to form a proper answer.
Behind him, he heard Juri sigh.
Taiga squeezed his eyes shut. He didn’t want to lose Juri… but this was the best way. The only way for Juri not to get hurt.
“Reject me, then,” Juri demanded, his voice emotionless. “Tell me there’s no hope.”
Taiga’s heart clenched, he shook his head again. He couldn’t even bear to look at Juri now, much less lie to him.
Suddenly, the sensation of Juri’s warmth embracing him made Taiga blink open his eyes. Juri’s arms had wrapped around him from behind. Taiga could feel the warmth of Juri’s breath against the back of his neck.
“Taiga… I think I… I love you.”
Taiga still didn’t answer. He couldn’t. For a brief moment, Taiga breathed in deeply, cherishing the feeling of melting into Juri’s arms. But his moment was brought to an abrupt end when Juri ultimately had to let go.
Turning his back to Taiga, Juri murmured, “I’m sorry.” And with one last sigh, Juri gave up.
“D-Don’t go,” Taiga finally spoke, the words forming on his lips before he had a chance to stop himself. “Don’t be sorry,” he insisted, grasping onto Juri’s hand from behind.
But Juri didn’t turn around, his eyes remained downcast.
“I want to love you, I really do,” Taiga mumbled, almost ashamed of his confession. “I just…” he lowered his eyes, as if searching the ground for an answer.
“Can we just skip class today…? Just stay here…” Juri whispered softly. “I’ll stay here with you…” his voice sounded strained; he was gripping onto his last strand of hope.
Taiga merely nodded weakly, letting go of Juri’s hand.
With one sharp intake of breath, Juri ran to the middle of the landing and sprawled across the floor, stretching out his limbs.
Taiga laughed amusedly. “What are you doing?” he asked curiously as he walked over to where Juri was now lying.
Juri only smiled back and shrugged.
Taiga laughed lightly at Juri’s silliness once more, but gently lay down beside him nevertheless.
A peaceful stillness fell between them.
Class had resumed, the school gradually quieted down, the subdued sounds of lunches being thrown away, shuffling footsteps to hurry back into the classrooms could no longer be heard.
A whispering breeze ruffled their hair as the warmth of the sunlight enveloped their bodies.
“It started with a misunderstanding…” Taiga murmured, answering Juri’s unasked question. His voice penetrated the stillness. “I’m not even sure what happened… but it all started when… when Casey confessed to me while I was still dating Hokuto. I had to reject him… but… I’m not blaming him for all of this… It wasn’t his fault. Everything would’ve been okay if… if I hadn’t tried to comfort him after that.
“Hokuto saw me. Or rather, he saw us, together, and from there, it seemed as if Hokuto had been talked into believing that I was cheating on him… I tried to explain to him that the rumors were all wrong, but he wouldn’t listen…
“He asked me if I ever truly loved him, and he didn’t believe me when I said I always had. He had been convinced by all the rumors, he was convinced I was lying… And then… then he just walked away from me.
“I couldn’t help myself from crying, even at school, I started to seclude myself from everyone else… and at the time, the only person who reached out to me was Ryo. He… he told me that he would protect me, take care of me… and I believed him.
“I just wanted a friend, someone who would listen to me and not treat me like a liar. And for a while, the two of us had our own little world… It was as if no one else mattered. But when Ryo told me he had f-fallen for me… that world was shattered. I couldn’t love him back… I still… I couldn’t forget Hokuto. It didn’t matter how much time had passed. But I… I didn’t want to take advantage of Ryo… so I broke away from him as well. And I didn’t even have the courage to say goodbye to him before he moved away…
“Even Casey moved back to America to live with his father. And with no one left who knew what truly happened… the lies kept spreading… and I lost everything…
“But you shouldn’t feel bad for me; I’m not just saying this so you’ll pity me…” Taiga’s voice broke off, his eyes lifting upward to search Juri’s gaze for any hint of a reply.
But Juri remained quiet. Taiga’s words swirling in his mind.
“I-I… I just wanted to tell… tell someone… the truth… for once.” Taiga bit his lip, his gaze drifting back downward in defeat. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have just pushed this all onto you like this… I didn’t mean to make myself sound so… pathetic.”
Juri’s expression was unreadable. Through his entire story, Juri hadn’t said a word.
“I just… I don’t deserve to have you love me,” Taiga mumbled, his voice heavy with tears. “Everyone hates me… you wouldn’t want to be seen with me.” He breathed in sharply, wishing desperately he wouldn’t cry. “But I can’t help myself from loving you… you’re the only person that sees me as… as a person… a person with feelings…” Taiga’s body was trembling now, he was giving in to his tears. “I feel scared… I feel hurt… but no one cares…”
“But me,” Juri murmured, answering Taiga at last.
Without a warning, he leaned over Taiga’s body, straddling his legs and trapping Taiga between his arms. Juri gazed straight down into Taiga’s widened eyes. “I care,” he answered firmly.
“J-Juri…”
“Don’t feel scared… I’m here for you. I’ll protect you,” Juri smiled softly, his gaze resolute. “I love you for everything that you are. And I promise you, I don’t care what anyone else thinks. As long as you love me, I’ll be happy. Can’t you promise me the same thing?” he asked gently. “Please?”
Taiga couldn’t force himself to refuse, not when Juri was asking him like this.
This time, when Juri leaned in and brushed his lips against Taiga’s, Taiga returned his kiss, arching his back to reach Juri’s lips and cupping the younger boy’s cheek in his hands. Smiling into the softness of his lips, Juri lifted ever so slightly away from Taiga to whisper, “I promise I’ll make you let go of the past… Just promise me you’ll love me back…”
Taiga giggled. “I promise,” he whispered softly, melting at the touch of Juri’s fingers at his waist.
With one last smile, Juri gently touched his forehead to Taiga’s, as they both closed his eyes.
Author: Annie
Pairing: Juri x Taiga, Hagiya x Yasui, Hokuto x Taiga (mentioned), Yasui x Juri (additional jrs. will also be mentioned xD)
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.
A/N: Finally finished the last chapter!! xD this fic... really shouldn't have taken me that long to write. lol! but school is like =__= Taiga's back story was kinda.. long. but to be honest, this fic was really based on a true story, so I didn't want to make it any shorter >< I have a kyomojuri oneshot in the works next, so I'll hopefully be back soon! ^_^ (and yes, i made 6 chapters because of bakaleya6. don't judge. xD)
Chapter Six: Loving You
Juri pushed the door to the roof open with a shove, and the orange glow of the bright afternoon sun flooded his body with warmth. A gentle sigh of relief escaped his lips when he saw Taiga’s lone figure leaning against the railing, his pale features illuminated so gently by the sun’s rays.
The older boy turned slowly at the hollow thudding of Juri’s approaching footsteps. His heart pounded with Juri’s every step.
“Why?” he breathed almost inaudibly.
“Taiga…” Juri murmured when he finally stood before him, tracing his finger along Taiga’s cheek so that he would lift his eyes to meet Juri’s gaze. “Do you hate me?”
Juri’s words echoed in Taiga’s mind, his voice sounded so hurt, so weak.
Taiga quickly shook his head.
“Do you… like me?” Juri whispered softly.
At this, Taiga’s eyes widened and he turned away from Juri, unable to form a proper answer.
Behind him, he heard Juri sigh.
Taiga squeezed his eyes shut. He didn’t want to lose Juri… but this was the best way. The only way for Juri not to get hurt.
“Reject me, then,” Juri demanded, his voice emotionless. “Tell me there’s no hope.”
Taiga’s heart clenched, he shook his head again. He couldn’t even bear to look at Juri now, much less lie to him.
Suddenly, the sensation of Juri’s warmth embracing him made Taiga blink open his eyes. Juri’s arms had wrapped around him from behind. Taiga could feel the warmth of Juri’s breath against the back of his neck.
“Taiga… I think I… I love you.”
Taiga still didn’t answer. He couldn’t. For a brief moment, Taiga breathed in deeply, cherishing the feeling of melting into Juri’s arms. But his moment was brought to an abrupt end when Juri ultimately had to let go.
Turning his back to Taiga, Juri murmured, “I’m sorry.” And with one last sigh, Juri gave up.
“D-Don’t go,” Taiga finally spoke, the words forming on his lips before he had a chance to stop himself. “Don’t be sorry,” he insisted, grasping onto Juri’s hand from behind.
But Juri didn’t turn around, his eyes remained downcast.
“I want to love you, I really do,” Taiga mumbled, almost ashamed of his confession. “I just…” he lowered his eyes, as if searching the ground for an answer.
“Can we just skip class today…? Just stay here…” Juri whispered softly. “I’ll stay here with you…” his voice sounded strained; he was gripping onto his last strand of hope.
Taiga merely nodded weakly, letting go of Juri’s hand.
With one sharp intake of breath, Juri ran to the middle of the landing and sprawled across the floor, stretching out his limbs.
Taiga laughed amusedly. “What are you doing?” he asked curiously as he walked over to where Juri was now lying.
Juri only smiled back and shrugged.
Taiga laughed lightly at Juri’s silliness once more, but gently lay down beside him nevertheless.
A peaceful stillness fell between them.
Class had resumed, the school gradually quieted down, the subdued sounds of lunches being thrown away, shuffling footsteps to hurry back into the classrooms could no longer be heard.
A whispering breeze ruffled their hair as the warmth of the sunlight enveloped their bodies.
“It started with a misunderstanding…” Taiga murmured, answering Juri’s unasked question. His voice penetrated the stillness. “I’m not even sure what happened… but it all started when… when Casey confessed to me while I was still dating Hokuto. I had to reject him… but… I’m not blaming him for all of this… It wasn’t his fault. Everything would’ve been okay if… if I hadn’t tried to comfort him after that.
“Hokuto saw me. Or rather, he saw us, together, and from there, it seemed as if Hokuto had been talked into believing that I was cheating on him… I tried to explain to him that the rumors were all wrong, but he wouldn’t listen…
“He asked me if I ever truly loved him, and he didn’t believe me when I said I always had. He had been convinced by all the rumors, he was convinced I was lying… And then… then he just walked away from me.
“I couldn’t help myself from crying, even at school, I started to seclude myself from everyone else… and at the time, the only person who reached out to me was Ryo. He… he told me that he would protect me, take care of me… and I believed him.
“I just wanted a friend, someone who would listen to me and not treat me like a liar. And for a while, the two of us had our own little world… It was as if no one else mattered. But when Ryo told me he had f-fallen for me… that world was shattered. I couldn’t love him back… I still… I couldn’t forget Hokuto. It didn’t matter how much time had passed. But I… I didn’t want to take advantage of Ryo… so I broke away from him as well. And I didn’t even have the courage to say goodbye to him before he moved away…
“Even Casey moved back to America to live with his father. And with no one left who knew what truly happened… the lies kept spreading… and I lost everything…
“But you shouldn’t feel bad for me; I’m not just saying this so you’ll pity me…” Taiga’s voice broke off, his eyes lifting upward to search Juri’s gaze for any hint of a reply.
But Juri remained quiet. Taiga’s words swirling in his mind.
“I-I… I just wanted to tell… tell someone… the truth… for once.” Taiga bit his lip, his gaze drifting back downward in defeat. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have just pushed this all onto you like this… I didn’t mean to make myself sound so… pathetic.”
Juri’s expression was unreadable. Through his entire story, Juri hadn’t said a word.
“I just… I don’t deserve to have you love me,” Taiga mumbled, his voice heavy with tears. “Everyone hates me… you wouldn’t want to be seen with me.” He breathed in sharply, wishing desperately he wouldn’t cry. “But I can’t help myself from loving you… you’re the only person that sees me as… as a person… a person with feelings…” Taiga’s body was trembling now, he was giving in to his tears. “I feel scared… I feel hurt… but no one cares…”
“But me,” Juri murmured, answering Taiga at last.
Without a warning, he leaned over Taiga’s body, straddling his legs and trapping Taiga between his arms. Juri gazed straight down into Taiga’s widened eyes. “I care,” he answered firmly.
“J-Juri…”
“Don’t feel scared… I’m here for you. I’ll protect you,” Juri smiled softly, his gaze resolute. “I love you for everything that you are. And I promise you, I don’t care what anyone else thinks. As long as you love me, I’ll be happy. Can’t you promise me the same thing?” he asked gently. “Please?”
Taiga couldn’t force himself to refuse, not when Juri was asking him like this.
This time, when Juri leaned in and brushed his lips against Taiga’s, Taiga returned his kiss, arching his back to reach Juri’s lips and cupping the younger boy’s cheek in his hands. Smiling into the softness of his lips, Juri lifted ever so slightly away from Taiga to whisper, “I promise I’ll make you let go of the past… Just promise me you’ll love me back…”
Taiga giggled. “I promise,” he whispered softly, melting at the touch of Juri’s fingers at his waist.
With one last smile, Juri gently touched his forehead to Taiga’s, as they both closed his eyes.