Paralyze resistance with persistence
Title: Paralyze resistance with persistence
Pairing: Tanaka Juri/Kyomoto Taiga
Rating: PG
Word count: 2808
A/N: Happy very late birthday, Annika! ♥ The title is a quote by Woody Hayes.
- - -
Why him?
It was the question Taiga had lately been pondering with a lot, in the words’ every meaning.
Yes, he had been dreaming of falling in love with someone ever since being something like five years old. Yes, he knew he wasn’t currently allowed to do so. (Well, no-one could forbid him from falling in love per se but he wasn’t allowed to approach the targets of his feelings so he could as well have been told not to fall in love at all.) And yes, he had unrequitedly liked many people. Too bad no-one had ever liked him back quite the same way.
And then there was this guy.
Juri was fooling around with Jesse and Hokuto, as usual. They joked and laughed in a loud voice, acting childishly in every possible way and Taiga sighed deeply, making a mental note of buying a packet of earplugs from the nearby konbini before the next workday. He had never thought anyone could be noisier than Fujigaya-senpai and Kawai-senpai together but he was already sure those three would be a match for them anytime.
Of course Juri had to turn around right then, making it impossible for Taiga to act like he hadn’t been looking towards him.
“Oi, Taiga!” Juri shouted across the room and Taiga closed his eyes for a second, wondering if there still was one half-deaf junior three floors higher who maybe hadn’t heard Juri’s voice. “Will you eat lunch with me?”
“No thank you. I already have company for lunch,” Taiga answered in his most dignified tone and turned his head disdainfully away.
In a way Taiga admired Juri’s persistence. The boy had not only asked him for lunch - and dinner - every day for three weeks; Juri had also offered to help him with anything he thought Taiga could ever need help for, he kept praising and complimenting Taiga in everything he did, and on top of everything he wasn’t shy at all of telling Taiga how much he liked him whenever he had a good opportunity to do so.
While Taiga was slightly flattered by such attention, he didn’t let it affect him too much because, seriously, it was Tanaka Juri, the most annoying childish moron among all juniors. Of all the people who could ever have laid their eyes on Taiga, why did it have to be Juri? Of course Taiga treasured him as a friend, sure, but as a boyfriend?
Never.
“Well then, may I reserve you beforehand for tomorrow’s lunch break?” Juri asked hopefully.
“I don’t think so,” Taiga chuckled. For a split second he thought he saw a flash of disappointment in Juri’s eyes but then Juri burst out into laughter and turned back to Jesse and Hokuto, and Taiga was sure he had just imagined it.
-
“…and since then he’s been acting like that. As if we were living in a ridiculous high school drama or something,” Taiga complained, “Doesn’t he have any shame or dignity at all? I mean, yelling such things aloud when everyone can hear and some people might think he really means all those stupid things he says! Why, when someone finally falls for me, is it him?”
Yasui shrugged and leaned his chin on his palm, frowning lightly.
“But, you know. He’s not joking about it. He really likes you. It’s just that he has, uh, a unique way of expressing himself.”
The answer wasn’t quite what Taiga had expected - or wanted - to hear and he scrunched his nose.
“If he’s so serious about it, then why doesn’t he do it the normal way? I mean, when you really like someone, won’t you feel shy and breathless rather than… loud and bouncy?”
“Some people do. Not everyone is like that. Remember the years in elementary school when the only way we knew to show our interest to girls was bullying them?” Yasui asked and finished his bento. Taiga sighed heavily and glared at his own food as if it was the reason for his suffering.
“Yeah, I remember. I was like that when I was twelve. Juri is almost eighteen,” he pointed out matter-of-factly.
“He might be on the same mental stage with twelve-year-olds but don’t let it confuse you. He really likes you. He’s just covering his nervousness with all the idiocy.”
Taiga raised his eyebrows, going mentally through everything he had seen Juri to do lately. He understood what Yasui meant with Juri acting like an elementary school student but what Taiga saw behind Juri’s playful smile was a bratty attitude with a hint of arrogance instead of insecurity or cluelessness.
“What makes you think he’s being nervous?” he asked in frustration and Yasui answered with a soft laugh.
“I thought they said you’re clever. It’s because he finds you absolutely dazzling.”
Taiga felt his eyes widen and suddenly there was an uncomfortable and embarrassing feeling of his cheeks getting warmer. He didn’t know if he could stop it with only sheer willpower but he tried with all his might. There was no way he was going to blush just because Juri apparently found him attractive.
“How d-do you know?” he demanded, hating the way his voice betrayed him in the middle.
“I’m a friend,” Yasui chuckled, “One could say knowing such a thing is a part of my job description. Believe me when I say Juri has been thinking of nothing but you lately. You should give him an opportunity.”
-
On the next day, without a word, Taiga sat down next to Juri to eat his lunch. At least the boy’s face was worth seeing, Taiga thought in mild amusement when he glanced at Juri who simply stared back at him in disbelieving awe.
“Eat. The break isn’t too long,” Taiga chuckled and Juri seemed to get a grip on himself.
“Are you finally starting to warm up towards me?” Juri asked with a wide grin and Taiga sighed.
“No,” he said and rolled his eyes but added a small hint of a smile into his expression. It seemed to make miracles, he noticed, considering the way Juri’s eyes started to shine when he smiled back at him. Taiga simply shook his head, willing himself to ignore the knowing smiles on his friends’ faces around the room. He was just eating his lunch with Juri, it was nothing special. He could as well have eaten with Shintaro or Yasui or anyone, and there would have been no difference.
Except that there was. The other people didn’t have a crush on him.
“Hey, are you free tonight?” Juri’s question interrupted Taiga’s thoughts and he winced in surprise.
“Eh? Yes, why?”
"My younger brother plays drums in his school's band club. They have a gig tonight and he asked me to come to listen to them."
"That's cool. But what does it have to do with me?" Taiga asked and Juri grinned sheepishly.
"Well, he gave me two tickets and told me to bring a friend along."
"Oh. Um."
"Please?" Juri tried, pressing his palms together and Taiga sighed.
"Fine. I'll come with you. But-" his answer was interrupted by Juri's loud "Yay!" and he snorted. "But it is not a date. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
The rest of the day continued on its own pace and when Taiga met Yasui on a break a few hours later, Yasui winked at him.
"Whatever it is, you're doing it right. It's been a while since I've seen him shining quite like that."
-
Taiga wasn't sure if he was doing things right or not but he sure could see the results when they met in the evening. It made him happy, in a way, to see how happy he could make someone just with his bare existence. It was easier to hang around with Juri like this, without all the others around. With just the two of them Juri didn't need to act cool or play any roles, Taiga supposed.
Juri lead them to a youth culture center where Taiga found out there were many bands from different groups performing.
"We don't need to stay till the end," Juri said, "My brother's band will be the fifth group and we can go somewhere else after that it you want to."
Taiga nodded and looked curiously around. In the small concert hall there was an empty floor for the audience to stand, and only a single row of chairs next to the walls.
"There are more chairs upstairs if you want to sit," Juri said, "let's go there! I think we'll see a bit better from there. The floor will be packed full with the band members' friends.”
"How old is your brother?" Taiga asked conversationally when they found a good place to sit and wait for the concert to begin.
"He turned fifteen last month," Juri said and smiled a bit twistedly, "you'll probably recognize him when it's their turn."
"But I've never met him," Taiga said.
"We look a lot alike," Juri simply stated, "oh, look! The first band!"
Having worked for Johnny's for years, Taiga was used to see talented kids and teenagers but he could easily admit he was impressed by the performers. They were really good and Taiga noticed he was happy Juri had asked him to come along. He had always enjoyed listening to good music but it was quite rare these days for him to drag himself out to see something after long hours of work. Before the second band's turn Taiga was jamming happily along and enjoying the music with his whole being, and when Juri glanced at him, he smiled genuinely back.
Each band played a few songs and when the fourth group finished Taiga leaned eagerly forward, waiting for the next one. When the members of the fifth group stepped on the stage his eyes widened.
"You look a lot alike you said?" he gasped, "You're identical!"
“I told you, didn’t I? Of course we’re not identical for real, just close enough. Guess how much fun we pulled out of it when we were younger," Juri grinned, "It was even better when we were children. I finally look a bit older now."
Taiga shook his head with an amused smile and turned to look at the band members who were waving at the audience and preparing for the show. At first it felt just weird to sit next to Juri and look at someone who could have been him but after a while he started to find differences in their features; Juri's eyes were bigger and the shape of their eyebrows was slightly different, and there was something in Juri's smile that was different to his brother's. Taiga liked the songs the band played and he happily noted Juri's brother played very well.
In the end they stayed until the last group finished. When leaving the place Juri messaged his brother, telling the concert had been very good and he got a widely-smiling emoticon for an answer.
"So," he said then, pushing his hands into his pockets along with his phone, "are you hungry? There's an awesome udon bar nearby and I could eat a cow."
"Isn't it a bit late already?" Taiga asked and Juri shook his head.
"Mum said it's okay for both me and my brother to come home an hour later today."
Taiga nodded and suddenly realized he wanted to go and from a whim he told it to Juri. It felt a bit awkward to say such things aloud but the surprised smile that spread on Juri's face made it worth it. At the same time he felt a weird yet familiar tickling in the bottom of his stomach and he had to swallow a couple times. He knew what he wanted to ask but he wasn't sure if he was ready to take the possible consequences of the question.
Why not, he thought when he glanced at Juri again and saw the look in his eyes. He should probably give it a try.
"Say," he started slowly, "why are you doing this? This all, I mean. At work, too."
Juri didn’t answer in a while and for a brief second Taiga regretted opening his mouth at all. Then Juri looked at him and smiled sheepishly.
“Isn’t it quite clear?”
“No, it’s not,” Taiga sighed and felt annoyed at Juri’s shameless amusement. He hated being a target for bad jokes and this was a really bad one. “Can’t you just take things seriously just this once?”
“But I am taking this seriously,” Juri said. The smile fell from his face but he was still looking at Taiga intensely enough that Taiga shifted uncomfortably. “I’m taking you seriously. I like you, you know.”
“Then why didn’t you ever say so?” Taiga insisted, feeling his cheeks starting to get warmer again.
“Never ever except approximately five times a day for the last few weeks,” Juri pointed out, raising his eyebrows.
“That’s not a proper way of telling anyone you like them!” Taiga hissed, feeling rather aghast.
“Then what is?” Juri demanded and indignantly stared back at Taiga, “This?” he asked and grabbed Taiga’s wrist, pulling him behind the corner and pressing him against the cold tile wall.
“I tried the cute way, you know,” Juri hissed, his lips barely an inch away from Taiga’s, “but I can show you everything this way too, if you’d rather like that.” His words hardly had time to sink into Taiga’s understanding before Juri closed the distance between them and kissed him.
Juri’s demanding lips on his were rough and soft at the same time, the kiss intense enough that it made Taiga feel dizzy in a few fleeting moments. It felt new and weird and so hot at the same time, to be tightly pressed in between Juri and the wall and it didn’t even come up to Taiga’s mind to push Juri away. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Juri’s waist and pulled him even closer, drunk with Juri’s scent and strength and warmth and his own raging hormones.
“Taiga,” Juri whimpered against Taiga’s lips and Taiga shuddered at his tone and the feeling of warm fingers fiddling the hem of his shirt, occasionally brushing across his bare skin. “Taiga.”
Something in Juri’s tone alarmed Taiga’s foggy senses back awake; Juri was still kissing him but the way he moved felt more desperate than horny. His hands were on Taiga’s waist, fingertips gripping tightly enough to make light bruises, and his breath was uneven, almost panicky.
“Ouch, Juri, no,” Taiga gasped and forced Juri to let his shoulders go and take half a step backwards, “Stop it!”
“I… I’m sorry,” Juri stammered and looked down. He was shaking and pressing his hands into fists, gasping for breath and looking so lost that Taiga actually felt bad for him.
“What was that,” he asked, trying to calm his racing heart.
“I’m sorry,” Juri repeated, “I… didn’t mean to attack you like that, I swear. It’s just… you were there, so close…”
Still catching his breath, Taiga swallowed a few times and looked at Juri from head to toe. His lips were tingling as if Juri’s lips had still been on them and his skin was burning, aching for getting touched. Juri closed his eyes and looked like he was actually shrinking of regret and fear, and a deep silence fell on them for a long while before Taiga dared to ask.
“Do you really like me that much?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you…” Taiga started but he couldn’t make himself finish the sentence.
“And I want you,” Juri said and finally looked up into Taiga’s eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Taiga said in a quiet voice. “I’m the one who should apologize. I haven’t been very nice to you.”
“It doesn’t give me the right to do things like that to you,” Juri opposed in a tight voice and Taiga shook his head.
“It doesn’t. You shouldn’t do things like that without asking first…”
“I’m s--”
“…but I think I’ll forgive you, if you promise to do it again.”
“What?” Juri asked, his head snapping up as he tried to process what he had just heard. Taiga smiled and scratched his neck in embarrassment.
“You want me, right? Just ask. And… remember to take good care of things that have been given to you.”
Taiga’s words took a few seconds to sink in but when they did, Juri’s smile was wider and brighter than ever.
- - -
On the next day at work Yasui lifted his thumbs up at Taiga when they met at the corridor. He didn’t say anything aloud but Taiga could read the silent words “good boy” on his lips.
- - -
Pairing: Tanaka Juri/Kyomoto Taiga
Rating: PG
Word count: 2808
A/N: Happy very late birthday, Annika! ♥ The title is a quote by Woody Hayes.
- - -
Why him?
It was the question Taiga had lately been pondering with a lot, in the words’ every meaning.
Yes, he had been dreaming of falling in love with someone ever since being something like five years old. Yes, he knew he wasn’t currently allowed to do so. (Well, no-one could forbid him from falling in love per se but he wasn’t allowed to approach the targets of his feelings so he could as well have been told not to fall in love at all.) And yes, he had unrequitedly liked many people. Too bad no-one had ever liked him back quite the same way.
And then there was this guy.
Juri was fooling around with Jesse and Hokuto, as usual. They joked and laughed in a loud voice, acting childishly in every possible way and Taiga sighed deeply, making a mental note of buying a packet of earplugs from the nearby konbini before the next workday. He had never thought anyone could be noisier than Fujigaya-senpai and Kawai-senpai together but he was already sure those three would be a match for them anytime.
Of course Juri had to turn around right then, making it impossible for Taiga to act like he hadn’t been looking towards him.
“Oi, Taiga!” Juri shouted across the room and Taiga closed his eyes for a second, wondering if there still was one half-deaf junior three floors higher who maybe hadn’t heard Juri’s voice. “Will you eat lunch with me?”
“No thank you. I already have company for lunch,” Taiga answered in his most dignified tone and turned his head disdainfully away.
In a way Taiga admired Juri’s persistence. The boy had not only asked him for lunch - and dinner - every day for three weeks; Juri had also offered to help him with anything he thought Taiga could ever need help for, he kept praising and complimenting Taiga in everything he did, and on top of everything he wasn’t shy at all of telling Taiga how much he liked him whenever he had a good opportunity to do so.
While Taiga was slightly flattered by such attention, he didn’t let it affect him too much because, seriously, it was Tanaka Juri, the most annoying childish moron among all juniors. Of all the people who could ever have laid their eyes on Taiga, why did it have to be Juri? Of course Taiga treasured him as a friend, sure, but as a boyfriend?
Never.
“Well then, may I reserve you beforehand for tomorrow’s lunch break?” Juri asked hopefully.
“I don’t think so,” Taiga chuckled. For a split second he thought he saw a flash of disappointment in Juri’s eyes but then Juri burst out into laughter and turned back to Jesse and Hokuto, and Taiga was sure he had just imagined it.
-
“…and since then he’s been acting like that. As if we were living in a ridiculous high school drama or something,” Taiga complained, “Doesn’t he have any shame or dignity at all? I mean, yelling such things aloud when everyone can hear and some people might think he really means all those stupid things he says! Why, when someone finally falls for me, is it him?”
Yasui shrugged and leaned his chin on his palm, frowning lightly.
“But, you know. He’s not joking about it. He really likes you. It’s just that he has, uh, a unique way of expressing himself.”
The answer wasn’t quite what Taiga had expected - or wanted - to hear and he scrunched his nose.
“If he’s so serious about it, then why doesn’t he do it the normal way? I mean, when you really like someone, won’t you feel shy and breathless rather than… loud and bouncy?”
“Some people do. Not everyone is like that. Remember the years in elementary school when the only way we knew to show our interest to girls was bullying them?” Yasui asked and finished his bento. Taiga sighed heavily and glared at his own food as if it was the reason for his suffering.
“Yeah, I remember. I was like that when I was twelve. Juri is almost eighteen,” he pointed out matter-of-factly.
“He might be on the same mental stage with twelve-year-olds but don’t let it confuse you. He really likes you. He’s just covering his nervousness with all the idiocy.”
Taiga raised his eyebrows, going mentally through everything he had seen Juri to do lately. He understood what Yasui meant with Juri acting like an elementary school student but what Taiga saw behind Juri’s playful smile was a bratty attitude with a hint of arrogance instead of insecurity or cluelessness.
“What makes you think he’s being nervous?” he asked in frustration and Yasui answered with a soft laugh.
“I thought they said you’re clever. It’s because he finds you absolutely dazzling.”
Taiga felt his eyes widen and suddenly there was an uncomfortable and embarrassing feeling of his cheeks getting warmer. He didn’t know if he could stop it with only sheer willpower but he tried with all his might. There was no way he was going to blush just because Juri apparently found him attractive.
“How d-do you know?” he demanded, hating the way his voice betrayed him in the middle.
“I’m a friend,” Yasui chuckled, “One could say knowing such a thing is a part of my job description. Believe me when I say Juri has been thinking of nothing but you lately. You should give him an opportunity.”
-
On the next day, without a word, Taiga sat down next to Juri to eat his lunch. At least the boy’s face was worth seeing, Taiga thought in mild amusement when he glanced at Juri who simply stared back at him in disbelieving awe.
“Eat. The break isn’t too long,” Taiga chuckled and Juri seemed to get a grip on himself.
“Are you finally starting to warm up towards me?” Juri asked with a wide grin and Taiga sighed.
“No,” he said and rolled his eyes but added a small hint of a smile into his expression. It seemed to make miracles, he noticed, considering the way Juri’s eyes started to shine when he smiled back at him. Taiga simply shook his head, willing himself to ignore the knowing smiles on his friends’ faces around the room. He was just eating his lunch with Juri, it was nothing special. He could as well have eaten with Shintaro or Yasui or anyone, and there would have been no difference.
Except that there was. The other people didn’t have a crush on him.
“Hey, are you free tonight?” Juri’s question interrupted Taiga’s thoughts and he winced in surprise.
“Eh? Yes, why?”
"My younger brother plays drums in his school's band club. They have a gig tonight and he asked me to come to listen to them."
"That's cool. But what does it have to do with me?" Taiga asked and Juri grinned sheepishly.
"Well, he gave me two tickets and told me to bring a friend along."
"Oh. Um."
"Please?" Juri tried, pressing his palms together and Taiga sighed.
"Fine. I'll come with you. But-" his answer was interrupted by Juri's loud "Yay!" and he snorted. "But it is not a date. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
The rest of the day continued on its own pace and when Taiga met Yasui on a break a few hours later, Yasui winked at him.
"Whatever it is, you're doing it right. It's been a while since I've seen him shining quite like that."
-
Taiga wasn't sure if he was doing things right or not but he sure could see the results when they met in the evening. It made him happy, in a way, to see how happy he could make someone just with his bare existence. It was easier to hang around with Juri like this, without all the others around. With just the two of them Juri didn't need to act cool or play any roles, Taiga supposed.
Juri lead them to a youth culture center where Taiga found out there were many bands from different groups performing.
"We don't need to stay till the end," Juri said, "My brother's band will be the fifth group and we can go somewhere else after that it you want to."
Taiga nodded and looked curiously around. In the small concert hall there was an empty floor for the audience to stand, and only a single row of chairs next to the walls.
"There are more chairs upstairs if you want to sit," Juri said, "let's go there! I think we'll see a bit better from there. The floor will be packed full with the band members' friends.”
"How old is your brother?" Taiga asked conversationally when they found a good place to sit and wait for the concert to begin.
"He turned fifteen last month," Juri said and smiled a bit twistedly, "you'll probably recognize him when it's their turn."
"But I've never met him," Taiga said.
"We look a lot alike," Juri simply stated, "oh, look! The first band!"
Having worked for Johnny's for years, Taiga was used to see talented kids and teenagers but he could easily admit he was impressed by the performers. They were really good and Taiga noticed he was happy Juri had asked him to come along. He had always enjoyed listening to good music but it was quite rare these days for him to drag himself out to see something after long hours of work. Before the second band's turn Taiga was jamming happily along and enjoying the music with his whole being, and when Juri glanced at him, he smiled genuinely back.
Each band played a few songs and when the fourth group finished Taiga leaned eagerly forward, waiting for the next one. When the members of the fifth group stepped on the stage his eyes widened.
"You look a lot alike you said?" he gasped, "You're identical!"
“I told you, didn’t I? Of course we’re not identical for real, just close enough. Guess how much fun we pulled out of it when we were younger," Juri grinned, "It was even better when we were children. I finally look a bit older now."
Taiga shook his head with an amused smile and turned to look at the band members who were waving at the audience and preparing for the show. At first it felt just weird to sit next to Juri and look at someone who could have been him but after a while he started to find differences in their features; Juri's eyes were bigger and the shape of their eyebrows was slightly different, and there was something in Juri's smile that was different to his brother's. Taiga liked the songs the band played and he happily noted Juri's brother played very well.
In the end they stayed until the last group finished. When leaving the place Juri messaged his brother, telling the concert had been very good and he got a widely-smiling emoticon for an answer.
"So," he said then, pushing his hands into his pockets along with his phone, "are you hungry? There's an awesome udon bar nearby and I could eat a cow."
"Isn't it a bit late already?" Taiga asked and Juri shook his head.
"Mum said it's okay for both me and my brother to come home an hour later today."
Taiga nodded and suddenly realized he wanted to go and from a whim he told it to Juri. It felt a bit awkward to say such things aloud but the surprised smile that spread on Juri's face made it worth it. At the same time he felt a weird yet familiar tickling in the bottom of his stomach and he had to swallow a couple times. He knew what he wanted to ask but he wasn't sure if he was ready to take the possible consequences of the question.
Why not, he thought when he glanced at Juri again and saw the look in his eyes. He should probably give it a try.
"Say," he started slowly, "why are you doing this? This all, I mean. At work, too."
Juri didn’t answer in a while and for a brief second Taiga regretted opening his mouth at all. Then Juri looked at him and smiled sheepishly.
“Isn’t it quite clear?”
“No, it’s not,” Taiga sighed and felt annoyed at Juri’s shameless amusement. He hated being a target for bad jokes and this was a really bad one. “Can’t you just take things seriously just this once?”
“But I am taking this seriously,” Juri said. The smile fell from his face but he was still looking at Taiga intensely enough that Taiga shifted uncomfortably. “I’m taking you seriously. I like you, you know.”
“Then why didn’t you ever say so?” Taiga insisted, feeling his cheeks starting to get warmer again.
“Never ever except approximately five times a day for the last few weeks,” Juri pointed out, raising his eyebrows.
“That’s not a proper way of telling anyone you like them!” Taiga hissed, feeling rather aghast.
“Then what is?” Juri demanded and indignantly stared back at Taiga, “This?” he asked and grabbed Taiga’s wrist, pulling him behind the corner and pressing him against the cold tile wall.
“I tried the cute way, you know,” Juri hissed, his lips barely an inch away from Taiga’s, “but I can show you everything this way too, if you’d rather like that.” His words hardly had time to sink into Taiga’s understanding before Juri closed the distance between them and kissed him.
Juri’s demanding lips on his were rough and soft at the same time, the kiss intense enough that it made Taiga feel dizzy in a few fleeting moments. It felt new and weird and so hot at the same time, to be tightly pressed in between Juri and the wall and it didn’t even come up to Taiga’s mind to push Juri away. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Juri’s waist and pulled him even closer, drunk with Juri’s scent and strength and warmth and his own raging hormones.
“Taiga,” Juri whimpered against Taiga’s lips and Taiga shuddered at his tone and the feeling of warm fingers fiddling the hem of his shirt, occasionally brushing across his bare skin. “Taiga.”
Something in Juri’s tone alarmed Taiga’s foggy senses back awake; Juri was still kissing him but the way he moved felt more desperate than horny. His hands were on Taiga’s waist, fingertips gripping tightly enough to make light bruises, and his breath was uneven, almost panicky.
“Ouch, Juri, no,” Taiga gasped and forced Juri to let his shoulders go and take half a step backwards, “Stop it!”
“I… I’m sorry,” Juri stammered and looked down. He was shaking and pressing his hands into fists, gasping for breath and looking so lost that Taiga actually felt bad for him.
“What was that,” he asked, trying to calm his racing heart.
“I’m sorry,” Juri repeated, “I… didn’t mean to attack you like that, I swear. It’s just… you were there, so close…”
Still catching his breath, Taiga swallowed a few times and looked at Juri from head to toe. His lips were tingling as if Juri’s lips had still been on them and his skin was burning, aching for getting touched. Juri closed his eyes and looked like he was actually shrinking of regret and fear, and a deep silence fell on them for a long while before Taiga dared to ask.
“Do you really like me that much?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you…” Taiga started but he couldn’t make himself finish the sentence.
“And I want you,” Juri said and finally looked up into Taiga’s eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Taiga said in a quiet voice. “I’m the one who should apologize. I haven’t been very nice to you.”
“It doesn’t give me the right to do things like that to you,” Juri opposed in a tight voice and Taiga shook his head.
“It doesn’t. You shouldn’t do things like that without asking first…”
“I’m s--”
“…but I think I’ll forgive you, if you promise to do it again.”
“What?” Juri asked, his head snapping up as he tried to process what he had just heard. Taiga smiled and scratched his neck in embarrassment.
“You want me, right? Just ask. And… remember to take good care of things that have been given to you.”
Taiga’s words took a few seconds to sink in but when they did, Juri’s smile was wider and brighter than ever.
- - -
On the next day at work Yasui lifted his thumbs up at Taiga when they met at the corridor. He didn’t say anything aloud but Taiga could read the silent words “good boy” on his lips.
- - -