Heart Shaped Clock - Chapter 14

[shou_ni]

Title: Heart Shaped Clock.
Author: shou_ni
Pairing: ToraxShou, some NaoxHiroto
Rating: NC-17
Genre: Romance, Angst, Fluff, Smut-ish
Disclaimer: I dont own anyone, just the story.
Summary: When a beautiful guy enters Tora's life, he's smitten. Unfortunately Shou has a secret and he doesn't want to share it


Sunlight shone delicately through the gap in the curtains, causing Shou to stir and awaken. Met with the sight of Tora hunched over his suitcase, folding clothes and shoving them in.

"What's the point in folding them nicely, if your just going to thrust them into your case like that?" He asked groggily, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

"what, you'd rather me thrust into something else?" The elder smirked, earning him a roll of the eyes.

"Not with cheesy lines like that" Shou chuckled, "What are you doing anyway?"

"Packing, we're going home soon"

"Yeah, tomorrow, we don't need to pack until tonight".

"I think it's best for both of us to just go home today, there's alot of tension in this house right now" Tora sighed, shoving another item of clothing in to the case. Shou nodded in agreement and snuggled back under the covers.

Unintentionally, Shou had fallen back asleep, so Tora took the liberty to pack his stuff up too, leaving and outfit and a towel on the desk chair for him. He had showered and changed by the time Shou had woken up for the second time.  He quickly jumped in the shower and got dressed. Tora had thoughtfully chosen a pair of harem pants, t shirt and a comfy hoodie so that he would be comfortable for the journey home.

They headed downstairs where they were met by Tora's mother who had made breakfast for them, refusing to let them leave until something was in their stomachs. Of course they were more than happy to chow down on her cooking.

"Right" Tora announced as they finished eating "I'll go and grab our stuff and then we'll hit the road."

"I wish you were staying longer, it's going to be quiet without the two of you here" Mrs Amano sighed.

"Don't worry, we'll come and visit soon, and you're welcome to stay with us any time" Shou smiled, patting her hand reassuringly. She returned the smile, slumping her shoulders a little at the sight of Tora getting up and going upstairs to get the suit cases.

Snow had continued to fall since the night before, blanketing the ground with a thick layer of white. Which meant the drive home would be more treacherous and long than it was getting there, Tora really wasn't looking forward to it.

"Promise me you'll call me the second you arrive home" Mrs Amano implored, Tora let out a chuckle, slamming the trunk door closed.

"Yes Mom, I'll call you once we close the front door"

"Good" She smirked before pulling him into a hug "Drive safe sweetheart"

He kissed her cheek and smiled "I will". She turned to Shou and hugged him as well.

"Take care sweetie"

"You too Mrs Amano" Shou replied "Thank you for your hospitality"

"Not at all" She laughed "do come back soon, both of you"

They nodded and got into the car, buckling up and waving at her, bidding her goodbye.

The thick snow had made driving at a normal speed impossible, looking at the speedometer he wasn't doing any more that 40 miles an hour, so he knew it was going to be a long day.

Shou had reclined his seat back slightly and propped his feet up on the dash in an attempt to banish leg cramp.

It was nearing one o'clock by the time Tora turned into a service station to fuel up and eat the lunch that his mother had prepared for them before hitting the road again.

Shou stared out of the window at the passing snow covered scenery. Everything seemed monochrome, even the sky was a light shade of grey, only a slither of sunlight shone through the misty clouds.

His mind was troubled, plagued with the memories of his emotional breakdown the night before. His defenses had crumbled and he had been left bare, more vulnerable than he had ever been in his life. He knew that even if he rebuilt the walls, Tora was already inside and he wouldn't be able to push him out like he had done previously. From that point on, he couldn't just shrug him off and tell him he was fine, Tora wasn't that dumb.

Regardless, deep down inside, he was almost glad that everything was out in the open now, he no longer felt so alone. He didn't feel as scared or as claustrophobic any more. It made him feel disturbingly optimistic and almost content.

He looked over at his lover, eyes glues to the road with concentration. He smiled.

"You can take a nap if you want?" Tora offered "I'll wake you up at the next service station"

"No it's fine, I wanna look at you a little more"

The other snorted and glanced at him "Since when were you a chronic creeper?"

"Oh shut up" Shou pouted playfully "You just look pretty"

"Pretty?"

"Handsome, whatever"

Tora chuckled, shaking his head "You're such a dork sometimes"

"Right back at you,pretty boy" The younger smirked.

Shou had unwillingly fallen asleep an hour later, not that Tora minded, he was actually quite relived as he knew how bored his boyfriend got while traveling.

True to his word, he shook him softly when they arrived at the service station.

They ate at a small restaurant and stopped of in the arcade to keep Tora's mind stimulated for the rest of the journey.

Shou wished that he had learned how to drive, feeling bad that Tora had been driving all day and they still had a few hours to go. He knew that Tora was getting tired, so tried his best to keep him entertained.

The last hours seemed to drag on forever. They finally pulled into the car park and sighed.

Travelling had drained all of their energy, making the walk to the lobby and standing in the lift almost painful.

Neither of  them had ever been so glad to flop down on the couch, sprawled out with limbs in all directions. Shou reminded the elder that it would be wise to call his mother to reassure her that they got home safe, he sighed and pulled his phone out, dialing her number.

It was almost half an hour before she finally let him hang up, he was practically asleep as he let the phone slip from his hand and land next to him.

He look over at Shou, who seemed fairly content looking through the photos on their camera. He glanced at Tora and smiled.

"Shall we go to bed?"

"That my darling, is the best idea ever right now" He yawned, slowly managing to drag himself to his feet.

One thing that Tora was thankful about being at home for was that he could finally sleep naked again, at his parents house he had to wear pajamas just in case one of them walked in and Shou had stolen the blanket again, resulting in a potentially awkward moment for everyone. Shou on the other hand was grateful that he could crank the heating up and throw some extra blankets on the bed and snuggle under them like a cookie in an oven. To Tora's dismay, Shou disliked sleeping nude in the winter, donning a pair of long pajama pants and long sleeve shirt. Which meant that Tora couldn't trace his fingers along soft skin like he did in the other seasons.

Tora landed heavily on the bed, letting his extremities lay where ever they wanted to, watching as his honey brown lover strip himself of his clothes before replacing them with pajamas. He went over to the closet and pulled out a bundle of blankets, waddling back to the bed with them.

He threw the blankets over Tora's naked form and playfully tucked him in, kissing him on the forehead.

"Hurry up and get in here" Tora mumbled childishly, making Shou chuckle.

He climbed into the bed next to him and  nestled into the pillows. As if by reflex, Tora's arms  snaked around him and pulled him close, hands slithering under his shirt to rest on the small of his back.  Sleep came over them almost instantly, letting them slip into a dream filled world.

The next morning Tora was awoken by the sound of a very disgruntled Shou.

"What!!"

He sleepily sat up and rubbed at his eyes. "What's up Shou?" he called. The other appeared in the en suite door way a few seconds later, hands on his hips and eyebrows furrowed.

"I've put on four pounds since we left to go to your parents house" He cried "I can see all the fat on my thighs"

"Don't be ridiculous, you still look skinny and sexy to me, and four pounds is nothing"

Shou threw his hands up in exasperation "It's not nothing Tora, I won't be able to fit in my jeans at this rate" he stomped over to the closet and flung the doors open.

"We've spent the entire time at your parents house doing nothing but eating, drinking and sitting on our asses"

He pulled out some jogging pants and a track jacket, throwing them at Tora, who at this point was wide awake.

"C'mon,  We need to exercise right now" He announced, pulling his pajama shirt over his head, replacing it with a t shirt. "We are going out running".

Shou had never regretted an idea more in his life. It became obvious that he wasn't cut out for running, he realized this as he trailed behind Tora, who seemed perfectly fine. He however was in hell, out of breath, sweaty and with stitches running up his sides.

"Wait"

Tora slowed to a stop and turned around, seeing Shou doubled over, clutching his knees and gasping for breath. He jogged over to him with a worried expression, concerned that something wrong, praying that he wouldn't have another attack.

"If I ever...come up...with..such a stupid idea... slap me" He panted heavily. "Oh god.. I think I'm dead"

Tora suddenly felt relived, normally when Shou was quiet when he was in serious pain, so he figured that his comical panting and whines meant that it wasn't anything that should be ringing alarm bells.

Shou felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. "Who's.." He didn't even finish his sentence as he pulled it out and answered it.

"H.hello?" he panted.

"Hey Shou, " It was Hiroto "How's it going?"

Shou shook his head and thrust the phone at Tora, who took it from him and held it to his ear.

"Hello?" he said airily.

"Tora? what happened, wasn't I just talking to Shou?" Hiroto asked in a puzzled tone.

"Yeah you were, he's currently trying to inhale enough oxygen to function"

"What the hell did you do to him?"

Tora chucked "He demanded that we went out for a run, turns out, he isn't much of a runner" Hearing Hiroto laugh on the other end. "Anyway, what's up?"

"Oh" the blonde said "Nao and I are having a party on new years eve, we couldn't get hold of you guys when you were away, so I'm just called to ask if you wanna come?"

Tora turned to Shou with a smirk, the younger fully leaning over, coughing.

"Hey babe, wanna go to Nao and Hiroto's for new years eve?"

"I don't know" He wheezed "Oh god I feel sick, why did I think this was a good idea"

"Hiroto, I'll give you a call back later and let you know, Shou's brain has gone into shut down mode right now" Tora laughed

"Alright, talk to you later" with that Hiroto hung up.

"Do you wanna go home now or shall we carry on running?" He asked.

Shou let out a mock cry, clutching his stitch ridden side. "Home, pleaaase, I can't even walk anymore"

The raven haired male walked over to him and crouched down a little.

"Hop on, I'll carry you home"

New years eve rolled around fairly quickly. Hiroto was already feeling excited as the apartment started to fill with people, friends of him and Nao.

He stood in the kitchen, drink in one hand and Mogu  bundled in his other arm. He'd gone into the kitchen to refill his beverage when the small dog pawed at his jeans, begging to be picked up and saved from the feet threatening to stand on him.

"Hey Pon" The blonde looked up to see his best friend walking over with a charming smile, Tora a few steps behind.

"Ah you guys made it" Hiroto grinned cheerfully.

"Of course" Tora piped up, grabbing a bottle of alcohol from the fridge "Like we'd miss the chance to drink your beer and sleep on your floor" The blonde simply chuckled and shook his head.

"I didn't have you two down as free loaders"

"We're not, we're just opportunists" The brunette injected, scooping Mogu from the others arms "Isn't that right Mogu, yes it is, yes it is. Awww you're such a good boy" he burbled in baby talk, making the other two raise an amused brow. As his boyfriend continued to coo at the small ball of fluff, Tora patted Hiroto on the shoulder and walked past them to find Nao.

"Tora!" Nao cried, jumping down from the coffee table and wrapping his arms around the tiger "About time you showed up"

"Sorry, we got caught up with something" He shrugged, taking a swig of his beer.

"You were having sex with Shou weren't you?"

"nailed it"Tora snorted "If you'll mind the pun"

Nao rolled his eyes and grabbed his friends arm, pulling him through to his bedroom before shutting the door.

"Tora, there's something I wanted to tell you" He looked nervous, which ultimately made Tora nervous. The shorter male walked over to the bed side table, kneeling down infront of it.

"It's something I've been thinking about for a long time, but I've never really had the guts to act on it"

"Nao" Tora frowned "Before you go on, please just tell you aren't going to drop some sort of illness bomb on me, I really don't think I could take it" he sighed, running his hands through his dark tresses.

"No no, nothing like that" Nao grimaced, he shook his head and turned back to the draws, carefully pulling one out, placing it on the floor next to him.

"It's about Hiroto, We've been together for a while now" His hand reached down from where he had removed the draw "We've been living together for months, and we got a dog together"

"I know" Tora chuckled "You two are like a married couple already" .

The red head suddenly tossed something to him, which he only just managed to catch. Studying it more carefully, the small box looked familiar, before it finally clicked.

"Funny you should mention that" Nao smiled sheepishly.

"What? you're gonna ask .." Nao quickly hushed him, desperately throwing a glace to the door.

"Yes, I'm gonna ask him to marry me" He whispered, releasing his hand from his friends mouth.  He sat down next to him and rested his head on his shoulder.

"When are you going to ask him then?" Tora asked, peering down at the shorter.

"Tonight, just before midnight"

"Wow, that'll be amazing" he laughed.

"I'm terrified though" Nao confessed, pouting a little "What if he says no? I'll just die on the spot"

"He won't reject you, he adores you" Tora said reassuringly, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and giving him a squeeze "And if he does you can move in with me and Shou" He joked. Nao sighed and rolled his eyes playfully. Shoving the ring box in his pocket and getting to his feet.

"C'mon, lets get back to the party, only 2 more hours until my defeat"

"No Aki! stop" Shou cried "Please, I surrender" Said male currently had the brunette pinned to the kitchen floor, holding Mogu to his face as the dog licked him senseless.

"Not until you say sorry" He smirked, sniggering as Shou wriggled beneath him.

"Aki"

Miyavi appeared above him, leaning over the two to get a better inspection. "What are you doing?"

Aki glanced up, still continuing his torture. "He put his straw in my drink and drank it all when I wasn't looking"

The tattooed male laughed loudly, clearly a bit tipsy already "Ninja! That's stealth at it's finest" he reached down and bundled Mogu into his arms, thus ending Aki's reign of terror, who's shoulders slumped dejectedly.

"Traitor" He muttered at Mogu. Who was more than happy to snuggle in Miyavi's thin arms.

"I'm gonna get you back for this" Shou  hissed darkly, managing to fidget his way out from under his friend before hopping to his feet and escaping.

The party was in full swing as it got closer to midnight. Music was blasting from the stereo, drinks were flowing and everybody was having a good time. Everybody except from Nao, Who was preoccupied with trying to keep his nerves in check. His hand slipped into his pocket every few minutes to make sure the ring was still there. His heart leaped out of hi chest when he felt two arms squeeze around his waist, drawing out a small squeal.

"Hey babe" He turned his head to see his lover smiling warmly at him "Have you seen Tora? Shou said he wants to kiss him at midnight"

"Ah, n..no I haven't" Nao stuttered, feeling himself going red "He was talking to Yusano last time I saw him"

The blonde breathed out softly , resting his head against Nao's. His hands slowly slid down the elders body and into the pocket where his hand was, and also where the ring was.

Nao jumped forward, away from the younger. He laughed nervously and shoved his hand a little further into his pocket, praying that Hiroto hadn't felt the box.

"Nao are you okay? You seem awfully jumpy tonight"

"Yeah I'm fine. Just a little warm" He beamed "I'll go find Tora"

Hiroto couldn't even blink as Nao shot off into the other room. leaving him scratching his head in confusion. What had gotten into him? He shrugged it off and returned back to the living room to join Shou again.

"Tora help me" Nao cried, grabbing hold of Tora's shirt, pulling their faces a bit too close for the youngers comfort "I can't do it! I can't ask him"

Tora grabbed Nao's arms and looked him in the eyes "Nao, calm the fuck down" He hushed "You are going to ask him, and he will say yes, alright? Seriously stop freaking out, you'll only end up freaking him out"

He shook his head and patted Nao's shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile.

"Look, we've got 3 minutes until midnight, let's go find the guys  and then you can pop the question, okay?"

Nao took a deep breath and nodded, swallowing his nerves.

With a grin, Tora threw an arm around his shoulder and walked with him to the living room.

Weaving through the party guests they spotted their lovers stood near the middle of the room with some of their friends.

2 minutes to midnight.

Shou had spotted Tora, and in his slightly buzzed state, glued himself to his side. He wasn't drunk in the slightest, he'd just had enough to warm his cheeks and lift his spirits.

Hiroto smiled at his boyfriend and put his drink on a nearby table.

"Nao, are you okay babe?" He asked looking a little concerned.

1 Minute and 30 seconds to midnight.

"Pon, There's something I need to say" With a deep breath, he took Hiroto's hand, getting down on one knee.

Shou let out an uncharacteristic squeal, gaining the attention of the people around them. Cleverly, somebody dimmed the music ever so slightly.

"Ogata Hiroto" Nao look up at him, caressing the back of his hand with his thumb "We've been together for a while now, at the start of our relationship we kept it a secret, just for us and nobody else." He realized he was rambling and shook his head, clearing his mind.

"Pon, I adore you, You make my heart beat faster and stronger than anyone  else in the world. To me you are the sun and the stars, you're the reason I wake up in the morning"

Hiroto could feel his eyes begin to water, was this what he though it was going to be?

"Without you I don't feel right, I need you by my side" He reached in his pocket, pulling out the ring box and opening it.

"What I'm trying to say is, I love you, and I wanna spend the rest of my life with you. Will you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?"

The countdown to midnight sounded out.

"Ten...nine..."

Hiroto looked at him through watery eyes, covering his mouth with his other hand.

"Eight...seven....six"

Tears  rolled down the blonde's cheeks.

"Five... four..."

Nao felt his heart thudding against his rib cage, he couldn't tell if it was fear or excitement.

"Three... two.."

Nao held his breath.

"One"

"Yes I will"

"HAPPY NEW YEAR" Everybody let out a cheer, throwing their hands up in the air in celebration. Nao lept to his feet and embraced his lover, now fiance,  Kissing him lovingly and passionately.

Tora wrapped his arms around his own lover and kissed him. Their first kiss of the new year.

"Happy new year sweetheart" He whispered, stroking his cheek before kissing him again.

Shou's head rested on his shoulder and sighed happily.

"Happy New year Tora"

Creeping into the early hours of the morning, most of the guests had gone home, or out to clubs to continue partying the night away.

Tora and Nao were in the kitchen, drunkly attempting to cook pizza whilst texting everyone they knew to wish them a slurred, nonsensical happy new year.

In the living room, Miyavi was passed out on the couch, Mogu curled up on his stomach peacefully.

In the center of the room, a circle of friends sat around, continuing their festivities.

Hiroto, Shou, Aki, Hitsugi, Yomi and Hiroto's newest friend Ruki had formed a circle, with a large mixing bow in the center, containing a cocktail of everybodys drinks and whatever other consumable liquid they could find in the kitchen, including a large dose of hot sauce courtesy of Hitsugi. Around the bowl was a circle of shot glasses, one for each of them. A bottle placed next to the bowl made it obvious what the game was.

"Ruki" Yomi called, pointing at said male "I dare you tooooo.... Tea bag Miyavi!"

"No way" The dirty blonde scoffed "He'd beat my ass if he caught me"

"You'll have to have a shot if you don't" Hitsugi piped up, jiggling a shot glass at him in jest.

Ruki pouted and snatched it from his hand.

"I don't care, I'd rather drink this entire bowl than slap my balls on someones face" He muttered, scooping his glass into the concoction. Holding his nose he downed the shot and stuck his tongue out in dissaproval.  He then leaned forward ans spun the bottle, which eventually stopped on Aki.

Ruki smirked darkly, crossing his legs to make himself more comfortable.

"I dare you to tell us... The story of how you lost your virginity. When, where, how and who to."

Aki snorted and took a swig of his beer.

"No problem, in high school when I was 17, behind an arcade in Akihabara, Up against the wall and to a guy called Mao" He sighed deeply, gazing into his bottle "Cutest fucking guy I ever met"

He suddenly perked up and gave Ruki a sly smirk.

"Since I told you, you have to take another shot" Reluctantly Ruki drank another grim tasting shot, wanting to spit it out rather than contaminate his poor stomach with it.

To Hiroto's unamusement, the bottle landed on him, causing Aki to laughed and tap his chin with his index finger. Great, The blonde thought, he was most likely going to have to strip and run around the apartment complex singing at the top of his voice.

"I dare you to spin the bottle and kiss the person it lands on" He leered "With tongues, not just a shitty peck"

Hiroto rolled his eyes, he wasn't as drunk as anybody else, so he knew whoever he did kiss would probably be sloppy. All of that aside, it would probably be better than drinking whatever was in the mixing bowl, so he gave the bottle a good spin and sat back.

It landed on Shou. The worst person on the planet he could kiss at that moment. He'd fought for years to keep his feelings for the elder hidden, trying so hard to force himself not to feel anything other than friendship. He remembered the time he'd kissed Shou while he slept. It was his first kiss. Looking beside him he felt his chest tighten as Shou faced him with a sheepish grin.

He took a deep breath and gathered all of his courage. Threading his fingers through Shou's soft brunette hair he leaned in and captured his lips with his own. To his surprise Shou's hand gently cupped his cheek as he parted his lips, granting the younger entrance.

The other guys cheered and wolf whistled with hilarity.

Hiroto hadn't expected Shou to taste so sweet, the taste of his apple sourz lingered on his tongue.

It was only when the need to air became too much that they pulled away. Shou let out a small giggle before falling against his side.

That's when it dawned on the blonde, granted, Shou was a fantastic kisser, even when severely intoxicated. But kissing him stirred up no romantic feelings, his heart didn't race like it used to. He realized that he was no longer in love with him, Shou's heart belong to Tora, and gazing down at the ring on his finger he knew that his finally belonged to Nao. At that moment, he had never been happier, he rubbed Shou's back and smiled.

"Drink up Aki" Hitsugi taunted patting him on the back.

4AM saw Aki and Hitsugi passed out on the floor, Nao and Hiroto had retired to their room, throwing themselves down on the bed, fully clothed. Ruki clung to the toilet bowl, emptying his stomach into it after being unfortunate enough to have drank not only a large quantity of beer but also several of the poison shots, which were really not agreeing with his insides.

Tora lay back on the other couch, Shou sprawled on top of him.  It wasn't entirely comfortable with the youngers elbow jabbing him in the ribs but he was too drunk to care, he was happy enough just being horizontal.

"I'm so hungry" Shou sighed lightly, snuggling his face in the crook of his lover's neck.

"I made you a pizza" Tora said, resting his hand on the other's hipbone "But it looked really nice and I was hungry, so I ate it"

He hadn't even finished his sentence before Shou's eyes drooped and he fell instantly asleep.

Tora wasn't exactly looking forward to the morning, as he would most likely have a killer hang over. What a lovely way to start the new year.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Authors Notes-  I'm back, Sorry for lack of updates. I moved into my student occomodation last week so I've been really busy with that. 
Anyway, poor Tora, driving for 11 hours in snow and ice and silly Shou, you can't run XD 
Please excuse my crude attempt at drunken humor. 
I'll try and update as soon as I possibly can, thank you for your patience and thank you to everyone who is still reading.