Can we just fall in Love?
Title: Can we just fall in Love?
Pairing: Tora x Shou
Rating: NC-13
Genre: Romance, fluff
Warnings: Excessive fluff and some angst.
Summary: Tora hates Valentines day.
If there was one day that Tora hated more than anything, it was Valentines day.
It wasn't the red and pink decorations scatted everywhere the eye could see, or the senseless sentimentality of those wishing to express feeling that could be expressed on any other day of the year. Oh no, quite the opposite. He was fond of the commercial holiday in all of its tacky splendor.
It was something a little deeper than that. Tora hated Valentines day because every one of his relationships ended on February the 14th, and they never ended well. It was always a flurry of insults, screaming and airborne crockery. They were the kind of memories that haunted him every year when he should be feeling fuzzy.
That's what he hated the most.
Tora entered the office that morning to find his fellow bandmates practically buried under cards, candies, flowers and such all sent in by their adoring fans.
He couldn't help but smile slightly at how cheerful everyone was.
"Hey Tiger" Saga grinned "Impressive haul this year huh?"
"Quite." He replied, picking up one of the many stuffed tigers addressed to him, old traditions never died "Who's in the lead then?"
Nao chuckled "Unsurprisingly it's Shou again. Saga's done pretty well"
Tora looked at their vocalist, who blushed lightly, getting mildly flustered- another wonderful tradition.
"Well, m..most of these are congratulation gifts for becoming the new leader. There's no way that this many people would be so romantic" He stuttered in an attempt to brush it off. But Hiroto simply elbowed him in the ribs.
"Oh can it Loverboy. Stop being modest, it's sickening" He laughed, taking one of Shou's boxes of chocolates from the table and muttering "I'm having this"
Tora wasn't sure why any of them were even in the office that early. They only had a few hours rehearsal in the afternoon before a free schedule for the day. It was probably due to curiosity of their yearly 'Who has the most admirers' game that he himself came in so early.
Surely enough it was a distraction, and that was the most important thing to him. He could laugh and tease the others about what was written about them in cards and stuff himself full of chocolate so that he didn't have to muse over his horrible memories.
That morning was no exception, he'd skipped breakfast to make room of the copious amounts of candy that he shoveled down his throat, much to his bandmates amusement.
There was plenty of love floating around in the office, with Saga and Nao in a relation ship, and Hiroto texting his lover Manabu - who just so happened to be just a few doors down the corridor. That just left Tora and his other single comrade Shou. Who seemed happy enough.
In all honesty, he'd never known Shou to have a lover since his breakup with Ruki a few years prior. He found it strange but if he was content then it was all good.
"Hey" The blond said softly, breaking him away from his thoughts only to finish chewing the piece of chocolate had had forgotten was in his mouth.
"Are you okay? You look like something's troubling you" He said perching next to him on the edge of the table.
Tora would have lied and said that he was fine-and-dandy and given him a big grin, but he knew that Shou could read him better than any one, better than he could read himself sometimes. And of course, Shou knew all about his past. Hell.. He'd been there to pick up the pieces every single time. Giving him a place to sleep and a shoulder to cry on.
So instead of lying he let out a deep sigh and glanced at him.
"Just over thinking things I guess" He muttered "I'm just feeling a little bit down and lonely today, I'll be fine once I get my guitar in my hands"
He looked over his shoulder to see Nao and Saga cuddled up with a headphone i each ear and their backs to them, and Hiroto on the phone again.
"I just kinda wish I had someone to spend the day with. God I sound like such a girl don't I?" He laughed somewhat bitterly. Shou reached over and grabbed one of the large chocolate hearts from his side of the table and snapped it in half, holding it out to him with a small smile.
"Here, I can't eat all of this buy myself and I know it's your favorite kind of chocolate"
Gratefully, the raven haired took the offered half with a thank you.
That was when the other suddenly changed. Turning away as he chewed his lower lip.
"Tora..." He said faintly "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"Well, If you're not doing anything later, would you like to go out somewhere?"
Tora shrugged "Yeah okay. Where do you have in mind?"
Shou smiled sheepishly and got his feet. "It's kind of a surprise" He replied. With that he was waking out of the office without another word.
Band practice went well as per usual. They seemed to play better as there was no arguing between the rhythm team and Hiroto was playing to impress as Manabu had stopped by to watch.
Shou however seemed distracted. Singing in the wrong key, or singing the wrong lyrics. But he regained his composure and carried on, so nobody questioned it.
Tora watched him carefully, he really didn't seem like himself. Was something wrong?
Eventually they both settled down and got some good practice done.
"Alright guys, That's enough for today" Nao announced as he put his drum sticks away. Only to have Hiroto shake his head at him teasingly.
"That's not for you to decide any more Nao. Remember. It's Shou's call"
"Oh.. yeah" The elder laughed, turning to Shou "Can we go now Mr Leader?"
"Yeah of course. Thank you for your hard work today everybody" Shou bowed his head. "I hope you all have a nice Valentines day"
Saga grinned and practically threw his bass into it's case, Grabbing Nao's hand before quickly bidding their leave. Hiroto was next to follow, lacing his fingers with Manabu's happily.
"I'll see you guys tomorrow" He beamed before the two were out the door.
Which left just Tora and Shou, standing there somewhat awkwardly.
"Right then" Tora cleared his throat as he put his guitar away, "You ready to go?"
"Yeah. we can take my car" Shou nodded.
What exactly did he have in mind?
Shou was quieter than usual as the two of them sat in his car, driving through the busy streets of Tokyo. With each green light and each turn, it began getting less and less crowded. The pavements thinned out of people and the road almost void of traffic.
It was hard to pinpoint exactly where they were. It was familiar but it had been so long ago that Tora had been there that it was foggy in his mind.
With one more turn, they entered a derelict looking building. A multi-story car park. Old and forgotten in the neon world of Tokyo. It was a large construction for a simple parking lot. reaching over 20 levels. Of course, it was necessarily since there weren't many other places to park in the city.
Inside it was dark, dilapidated somewhat. An obvious hotspot for vandals as the walls were covered in graffitti, some works of urban art and some.. not so much.
"When you asked if I wanted to go somewhere with you, I figured you mean to see a movie or something" Tora scoffed playfully.
"I brought you here for a reason" Shou said, keeping hi eyes fixed on the route ahead. Climbing one level after another until suddenly the car was on the top of the roof. Then with a smile thrown in Tora's Direction, he got out.
The air was crisp and mild as he joined Shou. Not a single cloud in the warm tinted sky. If it were any other date on the calendar then he probably would've appreciated it more. All the same, he felt at ease. The building overlooked the city, allowing them to clearly see Tokyo Tower in the distance.
"I thought it'd be nice for us to watch the sunset from here." Shou smiled, tossing a cold can of beer to Tora and allowing him to join him on the boot of his car.
"Yeah, you're right, This does seem like a good place to view a sun set"
He cracked open his beer and took a healthy swig. "So Shou, How come you aren't out on a date? Don't you usually go out to dinner with one of your friends on Valentines?" he asked, leaning back on the car just a little.
Shou let out a small laugh, popping the straw into his carton of banana soy milk- he was driving after all. " I stopped doing that after I realized how much I dislike February 14th"
Tora quirked a brow "What, I thought you loved Valentines? Why do you hate it?"
The blond took a long sip of his milk, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees.
"Because it's the one day a year that makes you depressed"
What?
Was he serious?
"It's the one day a year that I have to wipe the tears from your eyes and watch as you torture yourself over others breaking your heart" He spoke so calmly, as if he was simply describing the weather. "I hate seeing you so fragile. You're my Tiger"
The sun began it's decent below the horizon, painting the world with the last orange hue before it dipped out of view.
Shou let out a small sigh, gazing over at the Tokyo skyline.
"Hey Tora, do you recognize this place?"
"To be honest" The younger mused "I can't be sure"
The blonde jumped down from the boot of his car and slowly walked to the edge of the roof, leaning against the ledge.
"Remember the night that my old band broke up?"
Of course.. It all came back to him. It was over a decade ago but it felt like only yesterday. Shou had phoned him, sobbing hysterically and drunk. His band had broken up only hours before and it had destroyed him. The poor guy had put all of him time and money into making it big, working night and day on new material but unfortunately his bandmates didn't share the same passion. They hated him and they hated each other. So inevitably it came to an end.
Shou had not taken it well, he'd gone home and gotten smashed on cheap vodka before calling Tora in tears, calming that he couldn't go on anymore and if he couldn't make music then he simply didn't want to live. Of course it was just the vodka taking over him, but the memory still hurt.
"You were at my apartment in a shot, You slapped me really hard that night" Shou chucked "But then you dragged me out onto the street. We must have been walking for hours until we found this place."
Tora came and stood next to him, looking out over the horizon.
"We stood in this exact spot when you told me to get a grip. Telling me that things seemed tough at that time but things would get better, that every light on this skyline should give me hope that something better would come along. I'd never heard anyone speak with such passion before, it was inspiring" He smiled softly, looking Tora dead in the eyes "You saved my life that night"
"Shou.."
"Look at me, I'm getting sidetracked". The blond ran a hand through his hair and laughed softly. "What I'm trying to say is that I've never forgotten what you did for me, I wanted to thank you properly but I struggled for find the words."
"You don't have to thank me. You're my best friend, it's my job to protect you"
They stayed silent for a moment, simply staring out at the city below them, watching as people went about their business.
Suddenly Shou turned to him, chewing on his bottom lip nervously.
"Tora. I need to tell you something." He blurted
"What is it?"
"You don't have to reciprocate or anything, but I just want you to know now" He took a deep breath and looked up at the raven haired "I think I love you, or rather, I know for certain that I love you. I have since the last time we were here."
Tora couldn't believe what he was hearing, was Shou just joking. It was a little too early for April fools jokes.
"I hurt seeing you so upset about all of those shitty relationships because I adored you. You mean so fucking much to me, I can't stand bottling it up anymore.... I love you Tora"
Those words echoed in his mind. It was as if a ray of light had melted away the thunderstorm that had plagued his heart for so long. He'd been so wrapped up in the past that he neglected to see what was infront of him all along.
Shou was the one person that had been there for him no matter what, he'd drop everything for Tora without having to think about it. The only person who knew Tora inside out and didn't push him away.
A feeling of happiness exploded within him, flooding him with so much emotion that he thought he might burst. Instead he chose to smile, the first sincere smile he'd managed in days.
Shou was all that he ever needed and more. Beautiful, talented and kind. He felt almost ridiculous that it had taken him so long to see it.
"How could I be so blind" He laughed albeit bitterly, gently taking the elders hand in his own and pressing his lips to the soft skin. "I've only just realized it but I love you too, and I'm sorry that I took you for granted"
Shou's eyes glittered with the reflection of a thousand city lights as he gazed into Tora's own.
The gap between them slowly closed as lips joined, molding together perfectly as if made to fit each other. Tora wrapped his arms around the slender male and drew their bodies closer, Shou's fingers threaded into dark hair, deepening the kiss. Their first kiss.
It was as if the entire universe came to a stand still, everyone else disappeared and it was just the two of them. Nothing else in the world mattered.
Eventually lips parted, fingers laced and hearts beat a rhythm filled with so much love and adoration.
The next morning, early spring sunshine streamed through the windows. Tora roused from the sweet realm of sleep with a yawn. He felt the bed shift ever so slightly as a delicate hand caressed his cheek.
A smile lingered on his lips, he hadn't been dreaming. Shou, with his milky complexion and big, beautiful sleepy eyes lay next to him, legs tangled with his own. He really was an angel.
"Good morning Valentine" He hummed pressing a sweet tasting hiss to the tigers lips.
Tora smiled.
Maybe Valentines Day wasn't so bad after all.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Authors Notes- Happy Valentines day everyone. It's still Valentines where I am for another 40 minutes so this is still acceptable. Sorry this is a million shades of crappy, I really wanted to write a V-day fic but I only managed to get back from the library 2 hours ago, so I quickly cracked this one out. Some ultra fluff with a dash of angst for you. I wanted to write some raging smut but my muses had a different idea, soo I hope this suffices.
I hope you all had a sexy day. Enjoy.
Pairing: Tora x Shou
Rating: NC-13
Genre: Romance, fluff
Warnings: Excessive fluff and some angst.
Summary: Tora hates Valentines day.
If there was one day that Tora hated more than anything, it was Valentines day.
It wasn't the red and pink decorations scatted everywhere the eye could see, or the senseless sentimentality of those wishing to express feeling that could be expressed on any other day of the year. Oh no, quite the opposite. He was fond of the commercial holiday in all of its tacky splendor.
It was something a little deeper than that. Tora hated Valentines day because every one of his relationships ended on February the 14th, and they never ended well. It was always a flurry of insults, screaming and airborne crockery. They were the kind of memories that haunted him every year when he should be feeling fuzzy.
That's what he hated the most.
Tora entered the office that morning to find his fellow bandmates practically buried under cards, candies, flowers and such all sent in by their adoring fans.
He couldn't help but smile slightly at how cheerful everyone was.
"Hey Tiger" Saga grinned "Impressive haul this year huh?"
"Quite." He replied, picking up one of the many stuffed tigers addressed to him, old traditions never died "Who's in the lead then?"
Nao chuckled "Unsurprisingly it's Shou again. Saga's done pretty well"
Tora looked at their vocalist, who blushed lightly, getting mildly flustered- another wonderful tradition.
"Well, m..most of these are congratulation gifts for becoming the new leader. There's no way that this many people would be so romantic" He stuttered in an attempt to brush it off. But Hiroto simply elbowed him in the ribs.
"Oh can it Loverboy. Stop being modest, it's sickening" He laughed, taking one of Shou's boxes of chocolates from the table and muttering "I'm having this"
Tora wasn't sure why any of them were even in the office that early. They only had a few hours rehearsal in the afternoon before a free schedule for the day. It was probably due to curiosity of their yearly 'Who has the most admirers' game that he himself came in so early.
Surely enough it was a distraction, and that was the most important thing to him. He could laugh and tease the others about what was written about them in cards and stuff himself full of chocolate so that he didn't have to muse over his horrible memories.
That morning was no exception, he'd skipped breakfast to make room of the copious amounts of candy that he shoveled down his throat, much to his bandmates amusement.
There was plenty of love floating around in the office, with Saga and Nao in a relation ship, and Hiroto texting his lover Manabu - who just so happened to be just a few doors down the corridor. That just left Tora and his other single comrade Shou. Who seemed happy enough.
In all honesty, he'd never known Shou to have a lover since his breakup with Ruki a few years prior. He found it strange but if he was content then it was all good.
"Hey" The blond said softly, breaking him away from his thoughts only to finish chewing the piece of chocolate had had forgotten was in his mouth.
"Are you okay? You look like something's troubling you" He said perching next to him on the edge of the table.
Tora would have lied and said that he was fine-and-dandy and given him a big grin, but he knew that Shou could read him better than any one, better than he could read himself sometimes. And of course, Shou knew all about his past. Hell.. He'd been there to pick up the pieces every single time. Giving him a place to sleep and a shoulder to cry on.
So instead of lying he let out a deep sigh and glanced at him.
"Just over thinking things I guess" He muttered "I'm just feeling a little bit down and lonely today, I'll be fine once I get my guitar in my hands"
He looked over his shoulder to see Nao and Saga cuddled up with a headphone i each ear and their backs to them, and Hiroto on the phone again.
"I just kinda wish I had someone to spend the day with. God I sound like such a girl don't I?" He laughed somewhat bitterly. Shou reached over and grabbed one of the large chocolate hearts from his side of the table and snapped it in half, holding it out to him with a small smile.
"Here, I can't eat all of this buy myself and I know it's your favorite kind of chocolate"
Gratefully, the raven haired took the offered half with a thank you.
That was when the other suddenly changed. Turning away as he chewed his lower lip.
"Tora..." He said faintly "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"Well, If you're not doing anything later, would you like to go out somewhere?"
Tora shrugged "Yeah okay. Where do you have in mind?"
Shou smiled sheepishly and got his feet. "It's kind of a surprise" He replied. With that he was waking out of the office without another word.
Band practice went well as per usual. They seemed to play better as there was no arguing between the rhythm team and Hiroto was playing to impress as Manabu had stopped by to watch.
Shou however seemed distracted. Singing in the wrong key, or singing the wrong lyrics. But he regained his composure and carried on, so nobody questioned it.
Tora watched him carefully, he really didn't seem like himself. Was something wrong?
Eventually they both settled down and got some good practice done.
"Alright guys, That's enough for today" Nao announced as he put his drum sticks away. Only to have Hiroto shake his head at him teasingly.
"That's not for you to decide any more Nao. Remember. It's Shou's call"
"Oh.. yeah" The elder laughed, turning to Shou "Can we go now Mr Leader?"
"Yeah of course. Thank you for your hard work today everybody" Shou bowed his head. "I hope you all have a nice Valentines day"
Saga grinned and practically threw his bass into it's case, Grabbing Nao's hand before quickly bidding their leave. Hiroto was next to follow, lacing his fingers with Manabu's happily.
"I'll see you guys tomorrow" He beamed before the two were out the door.
Which left just Tora and Shou, standing there somewhat awkwardly.
"Right then" Tora cleared his throat as he put his guitar away, "You ready to go?"
"Yeah. we can take my car" Shou nodded.
What exactly did he have in mind?
Shou was quieter than usual as the two of them sat in his car, driving through the busy streets of Tokyo. With each green light and each turn, it began getting less and less crowded. The pavements thinned out of people and the road almost void of traffic.
It was hard to pinpoint exactly where they were. It was familiar but it had been so long ago that Tora had been there that it was foggy in his mind.
With one more turn, they entered a derelict looking building. A multi-story car park. Old and forgotten in the neon world of Tokyo. It was a large construction for a simple parking lot. reaching over 20 levels. Of course, it was necessarily since there weren't many other places to park in the city.
Inside it was dark, dilapidated somewhat. An obvious hotspot for vandals as the walls were covered in graffitti, some works of urban art and some.. not so much.
"When you asked if I wanted to go somewhere with you, I figured you mean to see a movie or something" Tora scoffed playfully.
"I brought you here for a reason" Shou said, keeping hi eyes fixed on the route ahead. Climbing one level after another until suddenly the car was on the top of the roof. Then with a smile thrown in Tora's Direction, he got out.
The air was crisp and mild as he joined Shou. Not a single cloud in the warm tinted sky. If it were any other date on the calendar then he probably would've appreciated it more. All the same, he felt at ease. The building overlooked the city, allowing them to clearly see Tokyo Tower in the distance.
"I thought it'd be nice for us to watch the sunset from here." Shou smiled, tossing a cold can of beer to Tora and allowing him to join him on the boot of his car.
"Yeah, you're right, This does seem like a good place to view a sun set"
He cracked open his beer and took a healthy swig. "So Shou, How come you aren't out on a date? Don't you usually go out to dinner with one of your friends on Valentines?" he asked, leaning back on the car just a little.
Shou let out a small laugh, popping the straw into his carton of banana soy milk- he was driving after all. " I stopped doing that after I realized how much I dislike February 14th"
Tora quirked a brow "What, I thought you loved Valentines? Why do you hate it?"
The blond took a long sip of his milk, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees.
"Because it's the one day a year that makes you depressed"
What?
Was he serious?
"It's the one day a year that I have to wipe the tears from your eyes and watch as you torture yourself over others breaking your heart" He spoke so calmly, as if he was simply describing the weather. "I hate seeing you so fragile. You're my Tiger"
The sun began it's decent below the horizon, painting the world with the last orange hue before it dipped out of view.
Shou let out a small sigh, gazing over at the Tokyo skyline.
"Hey Tora, do you recognize this place?"
"To be honest" The younger mused "I can't be sure"
The blonde jumped down from the boot of his car and slowly walked to the edge of the roof, leaning against the ledge.
"Remember the night that my old band broke up?"
Of course.. It all came back to him. It was over a decade ago but it felt like only yesterday. Shou had phoned him, sobbing hysterically and drunk. His band had broken up only hours before and it had destroyed him. The poor guy had put all of him time and money into making it big, working night and day on new material but unfortunately his bandmates didn't share the same passion. They hated him and they hated each other. So inevitably it came to an end.
Shou had not taken it well, he'd gone home and gotten smashed on cheap vodka before calling Tora in tears, calming that he couldn't go on anymore and if he couldn't make music then he simply didn't want to live. Of course it was just the vodka taking over him, but the memory still hurt.
"You were at my apartment in a shot, You slapped me really hard that night" Shou chucked "But then you dragged me out onto the street. We must have been walking for hours until we found this place."
Tora came and stood next to him, looking out over the horizon.
"We stood in this exact spot when you told me to get a grip. Telling me that things seemed tough at that time but things would get better, that every light on this skyline should give me hope that something better would come along. I'd never heard anyone speak with such passion before, it was inspiring" He smiled softly, looking Tora dead in the eyes "You saved my life that night"
"Shou.."
"Look at me, I'm getting sidetracked". The blond ran a hand through his hair and laughed softly. "What I'm trying to say is that I've never forgotten what you did for me, I wanted to thank you properly but I struggled for find the words."
"You don't have to thank me. You're my best friend, it's my job to protect you"
They stayed silent for a moment, simply staring out at the city below them, watching as people went about their business.
Suddenly Shou turned to him, chewing on his bottom lip nervously.
"Tora. I need to tell you something." He blurted
"What is it?"
"You don't have to reciprocate or anything, but I just want you to know now" He took a deep breath and looked up at the raven haired "I think I love you, or rather, I know for certain that I love you. I have since the last time we were here."
Tora couldn't believe what he was hearing, was Shou just joking. It was a little too early for April fools jokes.
"I hurt seeing you so upset about all of those shitty relationships because I adored you. You mean so fucking much to me, I can't stand bottling it up anymore.... I love you Tora"
Those words echoed in his mind. It was as if a ray of light had melted away the thunderstorm that had plagued his heart for so long. He'd been so wrapped up in the past that he neglected to see what was infront of him all along.
Shou was the one person that had been there for him no matter what, he'd drop everything for Tora without having to think about it. The only person who knew Tora inside out and didn't push him away.
A feeling of happiness exploded within him, flooding him with so much emotion that he thought he might burst. Instead he chose to smile, the first sincere smile he'd managed in days.
Shou was all that he ever needed and more. Beautiful, talented and kind. He felt almost ridiculous that it had taken him so long to see it.
"How could I be so blind" He laughed albeit bitterly, gently taking the elders hand in his own and pressing his lips to the soft skin. "I've only just realized it but I love you too, and I'm sorry that I took you for granted"
Shou's eyes glittered with the reflection of a thousand city lights as he gazed into Tora's own.
The gap between them slowly closed as lips joined, molding together perfectly as if made to fit each other. Tora wrapped his arms around the slender male and drew their bodies closer, Shou's fingers threaded into dark hair, deepening the kiss. Their first kiss.
It was as if the entire universe came to a stand still, everyone else disappeared and it was just the two of them. Nothing else in the world mattered.
Eventually lips parted, fingers laced and hearts beat a rhythm filled with so much love and adoration.
The next morning, early spring sunshine streamed through the windows. Tora roused from the sweet realm of sleep with a yawn. He felt the bed shift ever so slightly as a delicate hand caressed his cheek.
A smile lingered on his lips, he hadn't been dreaming. Shou, with his milky complexion and big, beautiful sleepy eyes lay next to him, legs tangled with his own. He really was an angel.
"Good morning Valentine" He hummed pressing a sweet tasting hiss to the tigers lips.
Tora smiled.
Maybe Valentines Day wasn't so bad after all.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Authors Notes- Happy Valentines day everyone. It's still Valentines where I am for another 40 minutes so this is still acceptable. Sorry this is a million shades of crappy, I really wanted to write a V-day fic but I only managed to get back from the library 2 hours ago, so I quickly cracked this one out. Some ultra fluff with a dash of angst for you. I wanted to write some raging smut but my muses had a different idea, soo I hope this suffices.
I hope you all had a sexy day. Enjoy.