Fic: Move Out, Move In, Move On
Title: Move Out, Move In, Move On
Author: fairymage
Rating: PG
Community: 10_passions
Theme: #7-Don't Be Afraid
Fandom: Card Captor Sakura
Pairing: Touya/Yukito
“Are you nervous?” Fujitaka asked his son as he appeared at the foot of the stairs, rubbing sleepy eyes and running a hand through mussed hair.
“Not really,” Touya replied with a yawn. Actually, he was too tired to really think about it. It happened when Yukito spent the night on a weekend.
Only this weekend was special. Last night they’d stayed up late packing the last few boxes of Touya’s things, sorting through what he wanted and what would stay here, remnants and memories of his life up until now. It had been a long, trying, stressful process.
Yukito had tried to help. “To-ya, you can always come back here if you need anything,” he reassured Touya, rubbing his back and peering worriedly into Touya’s eyes.
But Touya knew that. It wasn’t as if he was moving across the country; heck, he wasn’t even moving across the city. But he was moving out. This house would always welcome him, but would no longer be his. His father would not be there to cook breakfast on weekends. He would never tease his sister about being late again.
Here he was, eighteen and leaving home.
They’d all talked about it. The pros and cons, how feasible it was financially, if it was what he-they-really wanted. Fujitaka had been more than supportive. He knew his son was ready, mentally if not emotionally, for the challenge of living independent of his family, and that he and Yukito would take care of each other. Sakura knew that her onii-chan needed to be with Yukito, that the arrangement they had now wasn’t going to work forever. And Yukito… Well, of course Yukito wanted Touya to move in with him. Of course he wanted to spend every moment of life “together” with Touya.
But in the end it was Touya who was, not surprisingly, the most nervous, the most scared. He would never admit it as such, but Yukito could see it in his eyes.
“What are you scared of?” he asked.
“Nothing,” Touya replied, automatically.
That night, over dinner at Yukito’s house, he blurted out, “What will Sakura do if I’m not around?”
Yukito set down his fork and laid his hand over Touya’s, rubbing comfortingly. “Sakura-chan is growing up. Someday she was going to have to learn how to deal without her onii-chan always being there for her.”
“But I’m her older brother! It’s my job. I’m supposed to always be there for her! When she needs to go shopping, or if her boyfriend makes her angry, or if her car breaks down-“
“To-ya, calm down. You’ve done your job perfectly for years and years. Now it’s time to let Sakura-chan know what it’s like to be an adult. She’ll have to learn how to deal with car problems for a car she doesn’t have yet. She’ll have to learn what to do if she and Li-kun fight. She’ll learn, To-ya.”
Touya was silent until later that night, when they were curled up in bed, Yukito’s head pillowed on his chest. “It’s just… different.”
“Of course,” Yukito mumbled sleepily, snuggling against Touya’s cotton-covered body. “That’s what growing up is about.”
“I mean… it’s like going blind into uncharted territory.”
“Other people have done it before. And you won’t be blind. We’ll be here for each other.” Yukito was on the verge of unconsciousness, and with a final yawn he was gone, sighing contentedly.
“What if we do something wrong? Like, we can’t make the rent, or the phone bill?” he asked as they sorted through his clothes, setting some aside to go and others to stay in his closet at home.
“There is no rent, To-ya, I own the house. And if we miss the bill,” Yukito shrugged. “We learn, and we find a way to do it right the next time.”
“How do you know things will work out so nicely? This is the real world, Yuki, not our nice fairy tale life now.”
Yukito regarded him seriously, then sighed. “To-ya, everything will be fine. If your father thought we couldn’t make it, he wouldn’t be letting you even consider this. We have jobs, we’re going to school, I have money set aside. And if all else fails, I’m sure your father will help us.”
“But that’s not dad’s job-“
“It doesn’t matter, To-ya. He’ll be looking out for you-us-anyway. Now come on. Do you want this shirt, or not? And what about the blue suit and the black one?”
“I’m not sure I can do this,” Touya admitted softly to Yukito’s sleeping head the night before he was supposed to move the last of his things to Yukito’s house.
“Why not?” Yukito mumbled, rubbing his eyes and rolling over to face his lover.
“I’m scared.” Touya wasn’t surprised to find that Yukito had actually be conscious at some level.
Yukito knew how much it had taken for Touya to admit it. “Well, worrying about it isn’t going to make the transition any less frightening. We’ll just take it one step at a time.”
“Yuki?”
“Mmm?” the silver-haired boy murmured, settling against Touya’s warmth.
“Why are you being so reasonable about this? Why are you able to keep answering my questions? I never thought I’d be the one to get so worked up about this.”
He felt Yukito shrug. “I want this to work. But it won’t if you’re afraid. You have things to lose. I don’t.”
Touya contemplated it for long minutes, watching the moonlit sky through his window. When he next opened his mouth to thank Yukito, he found him already sound asleep again, breathing steady and even. It was comforting, and made him less worried.
And so it was that even as his senses began to awaken Saturday morning the nervousness he’d felt previously-the fear that his father had noticed and asked about-never came. Of course it was there, but it was dulled and came as a tingling-no longer a fearful nervous energy, but almost excitement.
Fujitaka and Sakura helped them unload the last of the boxes and set them in the living room. The pair hadn’t yet decided what they were keeping and what they were going to buy together, so for now the old couches and coffee table remained. Most of Touya’s things were still there, in boxes. The only boxes he’d unloaded were the first batch of clothes boxes, for which Yukito had made room in his closet. Like with the living room furniture, they hadn’t yet decided on bedroom furniture.
They ate lunch, all of them together, even Kero, in the sparse kitchen. This they’d already discussed-a new refrigerator was in order, as well as a dishwasher. They could probably go at least a year without a new stove or oven, though Touya would miss the better quality of the utilities he was leaving behind. They didn’t anticipate using the dining room often, so the set was sufficient. They were still debating a new kitchen table and chairs.
After lunch Sakura hugged them and smiled, wishing them well without words. Fujitaka merely smiled, hugged his son, and ruffled Yukito’s hair. “Take care now,” he reminded as he, Sakura, and Kero returned to the car, Touya and Yukito trailing after.
“And you!” Kero shouted, determined to get in the last word. “You take care of my brother, got it? Otherwise I’ll have to pummel you good!” he yelled as the car pulled away from the curb, Sakura madly trying to keep Kero in the car.
They stood at the street for a few more minutes, adjusting themselves to the new sensation. This was it. This was their life now.
“Do you want to unpack now?” Yukito asked as they turned and made their way back up the walk to the front door.
“Just a couple things. We have to decide about furniture and stuff before I really unpack.” Once inside, he dug through a box and pulled out several framed pictures, climbing upstairs to put them on the bedside table.
“You don’t mind, do you?” he asked, sitting down on the bed, studying his mother, his father and sister, and the two of them.
“Not at all.” Yukito sat down beside him.
After several long moments of silence, Touya decided they’d had enough of adjusting time. “Ne, Yukito?”
“Hmm?”
“Can we get new curtains for the bedroom?”
-----
They bought new curtains (thin white ones, with thicker blue ones to go over them), new tablecloths (they needed the plastic ones, and new cloth ones), linens (fresh, new sheets for their new size bed and a second matching towel set), and a queen-sized bed to replace Yukito’s twin (which, while cozy, wasn’t exactly practical). The mattress was being delivered the next day, so they didn’t need to worry about that. Tonight they would start setting up their new home, so by tomorrow they would have a better idea of the other sorts of things they’d need to buy.
They were walking home when they passed a pet store, and Yukito had an idea.
“I always wanted a pet,” he told Touya as he knelt down to smile at goldfishes and gerbils. “It just didn’t seem practical to have one when I lived with myself.” He didn’t mention that he’d once believed his grandparents were allergic to almost anything besides lizards and fish.
Touya didn’t object, but he wondered if they could really manage all this. Keeping a pet alive, for crying out loud… What if it died?!
“You’re worrying again,” Yukito informed him with a frown. Then, breaking into a broad smile, he held up a tiny white rabbit. “What do you think?”
Little red eyes blinked at him, tiny paws clinging to Yukito for safety. Touya wasn’t surprised the bunny felt comfortable with his silver-haired friend; after all, he was a snow bunny…
Yukito could convince him of anything with that smile.
“I think he’ll be lonely.”
And so it was that they returned home with curtains, sheets, tablecloths, towels, sawdust, pellets, a water bottle, a cage, and two baby rabbits.
As Yukito unlocked and pushed the front door open, they stood in the doorway, staring at the packed mess waiting to happen, standing on the brink of the next part of their lives beginning.
“It’s going to be different,” Touya murmured, more a matter of fact than anything else.
Yukito smiled and set his packages down, hugging Touya, who was holding the rabbits in their cage.
“Welcome home.”
There's still plenty of time to sign-up for my fanfiction challenge.
Author: fairymage
Rating: PG
Community: 10_passions
Theme: #7-Don't Be Afraid
Fandom: Card Captor Sakura
Pairing: Touya/Yukito
“Are you nervous?” Fujitaka asked his son as he appeared at the foot of the stairs, rubbing sleepy eyes and running a hand through mussed hair.
“Not really,” Touya replied with a yawn. Actually, he was too tired to really think about it. It happened when Yukito spent the night on a weekend.
Only this weekend was special. Last night they’d stayed up late packing the last few boxes of Touya’s things, sorting through what he wanted and what would stay here, remnants and memories of his life up until now. It had been a long, trying, stressful process.
Yukito had tried to help. “To-ya, you can always come back here if you need anything,” he reassured Touya, rubbing his back and peering worriedly into Touya’s eyes.
But Touya knew that. It wasn’t as if he was moving across the country; heck, he wasn’t even moving across the city. But he was moving out. This house would always welcome him, but would no longer be his. His father would not be there to cook breakfast on weekends. He would never tease his sister about being late again.
Here he was, eighteen and leaving home.
They’d all talked about it. The pros and cons, how feasible it was financially, if it was what he-they-really wanted. Fujitaka had been more than supportive. He knew his son was ready, mentally if not emotionally, for the challenge of living independent of his family, and that he and Yukito would take care of each other. Sakura knew that her onii-chan needed to be with Yukito, that the arrangement they had now wasn’t going to work forever. And Yukito… Well, of course Yukito wanted Touya to move in with him. Of course he wanted to spend every moment of life “together” with Touya.
But in the end it was Touya who was, not surprisingly, the most nervous, the most scared. He would never admit it as such, but Yukito could see it in his eyes.
“What are you scared of?” he asked.
“Nothing,” Touya replied, automatically.
That night, over dinner at Yukito’s house, he blurted out, “What will Sakura do if I’m not around?”
Yukito set down his fork and laid his hand over Touya’s, rubbing comfortingly. “Sakura-chan is growing up. Someday she was going to have to learn how to deal without her onii-chan always being there for her.”
“But I’m her older brother! It’s my job. I’m supposed to always be there for her! When she needs to go shopping, or if her boyfriend makes her angry, or if her car breaks down-“
“To-ya, calm down. You’ve done your job perfectly for years and years. Now it’s time to let Sakura-chan know what it’s like to be an adult. She’ll have to learn how to deal with car problems for a car she doesn’t have yet. She’ll have to learn what to do if she and Li-kun fight. She’ll learn, To-ya.”
Touya was silent until later that night, when they were curled up in bed, Yukito’s head pillowed on his chest. “It’s just… different.”
“Of course,” Yukito mumbled sleepily, snuggling against Touya’s cotton-covered body. “That’s what growing up is about.”
“I mean… it’s like going blind into uncharted territory.”
“Other people have done it before. And you won’t be blind. We’ll be here for each other.” Yukito was on the verge of unconsciousness, and with a final yawn he was gone, sighing contentedly.
“What if we do something wrong? Like, we can’t make the rent, or the phone bill?” he asked as they sorted through his clothes, setting some aside to go and others to stay in his closet at home.
“There is no rent, To-ya, I own the house. And if we miss the bill,” Yukito shrugged. “We learn, and we find a way to do it right the next time.”
“How do you know things will work out so nicely? This is the real world, Yuki, not our nice fairy tale life now.”
Yukito regarded him seriously, then sighed. “To-ya, everything will be fine. If your father thought we couldn’t make it, he wouldn’t be letting you even consider this. We have jobs, we’re going to school, I have money set aside. And if all else fails, I’m sure your father will help us.”
“But that’s not dad’s job-“
“It doesn’t matter, To-ya. He’ll be looking out for you-us-anyway. Now come on. Do you want this shirt, or not? And what about the blue suit and the black one?”
“I’m not sure I can do this,” Touya admitted softly to Yukito’s sleeping head the night before he was supposed to move the last of his things to Yukito’s house.
“Why not?” Yukito mumbled, rubbing his eyes and rolling over to face his lover.
“I’m scared.” Touya wasn’t surprised to find that Yukito had actually be conscious at some level.
Yukito knew how much it had taken for Touya to admit it. “Well, worrying about it isn’t going to make the transition any less frightening. We’ll just take it one step at a time.”
“Yuki?”
“Mmm?” the silver-haired boy murmured, settling against Touya’s warmth.
“Why are you being so reasonable about this? Why are you able to keep answering my questions? I never thought I’d be the one to get so worked up about this.”
He felt Yukito shrug. “I want this to work. But it won’t if you’re afraid. You have things to lose. I don’t.”
Touya contemplated it for long minutes, watching the moonlit sky through his window. When he next opened his mouth to thank Yukito, he found him already sound asleep again, breathing steady and even. It was comforting, and made him less worried.
And so it was that even as his senses began to awaken Saturday morning the nervousness he’d felt previously-the fear that his father had noticed and asked about-never came. Of course it was there, but it was dulled and came as a tingling-no longer a fearful nervous energy, but almost excitement.
Fujitaka and Sakura helped them unload the last of the boxes and set them in the living room. The pair hadn’t yet decided what they were keeping and what they were going to buy together, so for now the old couches and coffee table remained. Most of Touya’s things were still there, in boxes. The only boxes he’d unloaded were the first batch of clothes boxes, for which Yukito had made room in his closet. Like with the living room furniture, they hadn’t yet decided on bedroom furniture.
They ate lunch, all of them together, even Kero, in the sparse kitchen. This they’d already discussed-a new refrigerator was in order, as well as a dishwasher. They could probably go at least a year without a new stove or oven, though Touya would miss the better quality of the utilities he was leaving behind. They didn’t anticipate using the dining room often, so the set was sufficient. They were still debating a new kitchen table and chairs.
After lunch Sakura hugged them and smiled, wishing them well without words. Fujitaka merely smiled, hugged his son, and ruffled Yukito’s hair. “Take care now,” he reminded as he, Sakura, and Kero returned to the car, Touya and Yukito trailing after.
“And you!” Kero shouted, determined to get in the last word. “You take care of my brother, got it? Otherwise I’ll have to pummel you good!” he yelled as the car pulled away from the curb, Sakura madly trying to keep Kero in the car.
They stood at the street for a few more minutes, adjusting themselves to the new sensation. This was it. This was their life now.
“Do you want to unpack now?” Yukito asked as they turned and made their way back up the walk to the front door.
“Just a couple things. We have to decide about furniture and stuff before I really unpack.” Once inside, he dug through a box and pulled out several framed pictures, climbing upstairs to put them on the bedside table.
“You don’t mind, do you?” he asked, sitting down on the bed, studying his mother, his father and sister, and the two of them.
“Not at all.” Yukito sat down beside him.
After several long moments of silence, Touya decided they’d had enough of adjusting time. “Ne, Yukito?”
“Hmm?”
“Can we get new curtains for the bedroom?”
-----
They bought new curtains (thin white ones, with thicker blue ones to go over them), new tablecloths (they needed the plastic ones, and new cloth ones), linens (fresh, new sheets for their new size bed and a second matching towel set), and a queen-sized bed to replace Yukito’s twin (which, while cozy, wasn’t exactly practical). The mattress was being delivered the next day, so they didn’t need to worry about that. Tonight they would start setting up their new home, so by tomorrow they would have a better idea of the other sorts of things they’d need to buy.
They were walking home when they passed a pet store, and Yukito had an idea.
“I always wanted a pet,” he told Touya as he knelt down to smile at goldfishes and gerbils. “It just didn’t seem practical to have one when I lived with myself.” He didn’t mention that he’d once believed his grandparents were allergic to almost anything besides lizards and fish.
Touya didn’t object, but he wondered if they could really manage all this. Keeping a pet alive, for crying out loud… What if it died?!
“You’re worrying again,” Yukito informed him with a frown. Then, breaking into a broad smile, he held up a tiny white rabbit. “What do you think?”
Little red eyes blinked at him, tiny paws clinging to Yukito for safety. Touya wasn’t surprised the bunny felt comfortable with his silver-haired friend; after all, he was a snow bunny…
Yukito could convince him of anything with that smile.
“I think he’ll be lonely.”
And so it was that they returned home with curtains, sheets, tablecloths, towels, sawdust, pellets, a water bottle, a cage, and two baby rabbits.
As Yukito unlocked and pushed the front door open, they stood in the doorway, staring at the packed mess waiting to happen, standing on the brink of the next part of their lives beginning.
“It’s going to be different,” Touya murmured, more a matter of fact than anything else.
Yukito smiled and set his packages down, hugging Touya, who was holding the rabbits in their cage.
“Welcome home.”
There's still plenty of time to sign-up for my fanfiction challenge.