Hey there! So unlike Tokiya's and Ren's stories that had some situational storyline to them, Otoya's is more…cute. And fluffy. And loosely defined. And somehow, this made the story huge. Longer than Tokiya's even, which impressed even me. So much so, that for your enjoyment and my sanity, this "oneshot" needs to be grown into a twoshot, two parts. So the lemon is written, and it will be in Part Two. But it's just…so much story, I don't know how this happened. Haha.
It's like Shojo Adventures with Otoya and Haruka really. Heehee.
Disclaimer: ::laughter::
Also, for clarification, this follows more of the game storyline, where the guy you end up with is who you end up partnering with, hence unlike the anime, everyone is not in love with her. And in Otoya's route, Shining lets them be together but it has to be secret. Aaaand they still live in the Master's building. Because.
"talking" thinking ((me/scene change))
So, enjoy.
Burned by the Heat of Winter
Part One
Haruka lazily rolled over in bed to face the clock, burying herself even deeper into her nest of blankets. Said clock cheerily gleamed '1:15', almost mocking her by daring to display the true time. Haruka never slept in this late; historically she had always been a morning person, and she was always her most productive in the early hours when mostly everyone still slept. However, today was the rare exception to the rule, and Haruka had zero desire to get out of bed. She had been struggling with a song the night before, and just when she was about to give up a wave of inspiration had struck her. She had ended up staying awake, working until nearly dawn. She glanced at the clock again, deciding that she had to start the day sooner or later. She pulled off the covers, shivering at the loss of heat as she sat up, slowly making her way out of bed and to the dresser. Maybe if she hurried there'd still be some lunch—
"Haruka! Haruka, you've got to see—" The door flew open just as Haruka was removing her pajama shirt; her arms were over her head, shirt in hand as she stared for a moment in surprise at her sudden guest: her debut partner and secret boyfriend Ittoki Otoya.
Otoya stared at her for a second in complete shock; a topless Haruka was definitely not what he was expecting to see when he entered her bedroom. All at once, the world started moving again and Haruka squealed, hurriedly covering her chest as Otoya immediately turned away, hands plastered over his eyes.
"Haruka I am so sorry!" he said in complete mortification, "I know I should've knocked, but I was just so excited and I never thought I would walk in on you changing I swear—"
"It's okay, Otoya," Haruka said, flustered as she quickly put on a bra and shirt, her face almost as crimson as Otoya's hair, "You couldn't have known that I'd sleep this late today." She walked over to him and gently pulled his hands from his eyes. She giggled. His face was the color of his hair.
"I'm sorry," he said again weakly, "I'll knock next time."
Haruka kept his hands tightly grasped in hers. "I believe you," she said, squeezing his hands for emphasis. "What were you so excited about?"
Otoya's eyes lit up as he resumed his original train of thought, tugging her across the room to her curtained window. She released on hand, and he pulled the curtain open, revealing a dazzlingly bright world blanketed in a beautiful covering of white. "It finally snowed yesterday!" he said eagerly, "And I have the day off today!" He gestured at the snowy wonderland outside. "Would you like to spend the day with me?" he asked, unable to keep the unbridled hope from tingeing his voice.
Haruka smiled, bringing her free hand up to touch the frosty glass. They'd been so busy lately; she hadn't been able to spend any real quality time with Otoya in weeks. I'll just rearrange my schedule and make it work, she decided. This was Otoya after all, and whatever she needed to do would still be there tomorrow. Besides, didn't I just make huge progress last night? "I'd love to," she said, and Otoya pulled her in for a tight, spontaneous hug.
"Great!" he said enthusiastically, tightening his grip before bringing his lips to the shell of her ear. "I can't wait," he whispered in sincere excitement, and Haruka shivered, her body tingling all over at his words. "It's been way too long." She pulled back just enough to kiss him chastely on the lips.
"I agree," she said with a wide smile. "Would it be okay if I got some lunch first?" she asked, "And finished changing?" She gestured at her pajama pants.
Suddenly remembering the circumstances he initially found her in, he leapt back from her immediately, blush returning to dust his cheeks. "Sure thing!" he said with a grin, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "Just let me know when you're ready!" Haruka giggled after the door shut behind him, returning to her dresser.
Today's going to be a great day.
-((A Couple Hours Later))-
"Can I open my eyes now?" Haruka asked for the third time, clutching Otoya's hands tightly as he led her through the snow to some unknown location.
"Not yet," he said with a smirk, leading her down a forest path while doing his best to make a path for her through the unbroken snow. "Be careful," he warned as they turned, "it's really icy here—"
"Woah!" Haruka exclaimed, her boot slipping on said ice. She let go of Otoya, hands flailing as she fell sideways, certain she was about to land face-first in a pile of snow…so she was unable to hold back a grunt of surprise when she instead landed against a warm chest. Her eyes fluttered open, and Otoya looked down at her, keeping his arms linked firmly around her waist.
"You okay?" he asked in concern. She nodded, and his face broke out into a warm smile. "Good," he said, and he tapped a finger playfully against her nose. "Now close your eyes." Haruka's eyes slid shut once again, and she waited for Otoya to release her waist and tug her forward. Instead, he only shifted to her side, snaking his one hand further around her waist as the other took hold of hers. "This should be easier," he said in an affectionate tone, and the two walked forward together in the snow, Otoya holding her close.
A few minutes later, Otoya halted their forward progress. "We're here!" he said with barely restrained glee, "Are you ready?" Haruka nodded. "Open your eyes."
Haruka opened her eyes, immediately captivated by the winter scene before her. A tiny frozen pond lay nestled amongst snow drifts that were piled sporadically under the immense pine trees. Snow delicately lined their branches as they draped downward, enhancing the secluded feel of the area. "It's beautiful," she said, and Otoya's smile widened.
"Isn't it? We found this place when I was growing up. The pond is much too small to swim in during the summer, but it freezes really easily in the winter! The older kids at the orphanage would lead secret trips here, and we'd skate for hours and hours until we were almost too cold to get back." He laughed softly at the memory as he continued, "It was a lot of fun…At any rate, I'm pretty sure all the younger kids have forgotten where this is by now," he surmised, "so we have the place to ourselves! We can skate as long as we want."
Haruka turned to him in confusion. "Skate? But I don't have any ice ska—" Otoya opened his messenger bag, revealing two pairs of ice skates with a mischievous grin.
"You were saying?" he inquired cheekily, and the two soon sat down on a nearby fallen log to change their shoes. Otoya took her hand and led her onto the ice, skating around in small circles on the pond.
Haruka gripped his hand tightly, and it wasn't to keep her balance as they drifted together around the ice, travelling in lazy circles and easily losing track of time in the peaceful silence. This is perfect, she thought contentedly, It's nice to spend time together outside without being afraid that someone might see us. The opportunity to do 'couple things' such as skate hand in hand was a rare thing for the secret pair, so Haruka made sure to cherish every opportunity whenever it presented itself.
Otoya seemed to read her mind as he broke the silence. "I love this," he said, spinning her suddenly around in front of him with one hand. She giggled, taking his other hand as she stopped spinning, gliding closer to him. "Being with you, spending time with you without having to worry about anything is the best feeling in the world." He pulled her even closer, staring deeply into her eyes as he seemed to decide something in that moment. He smiled warmly and rubbed his nose against hers. "I love you."
Haruka's heart skipped a beat as she stared up into Otoya's tender vermillion gaze. He'd never said that before, and Haruka wanted to memorize everything about this moment: every snowflake stuck to his hair, the way his mouth crinkled at the corners from his smile, the way he looked at her as if she was his entire world. She must've stayed quiet too long however, and a frown began to mar Otoya's features. "Haruka?" he asked tentatively.
"Yes!" she exclaimed a little too loudly. "Sorry. I love you too," she said with an embarrassed blush, and his smile returned before he reached up to caress her cheek.
"I'm going to kiss you now," Otoya murmured, his words brimming with compassion. Neither was certain why he felt the need to express this aloud, but nevertheless Haruka's heart rate quickened in anticipation as he dipped his face closer to hers, touching their lips together in a gentle kiss. After a moment, Otoya moved closer instead of pulling away, wrapping his arms around her waist as his kiss suddenly increased in intensity, moving his mouth urgently over hers. Haruka's hands found their way to his shoulders, clutching him tightly as he ran his tongue over her bottom lip. Haruka shivered from the contact, opening her mouth to his and sliding one hand into his soft hair. Otoya groaned against her lips, brushing her tongue with his as he involuntarily pressed his hips forward, grinding himself firmly into her stomach. Haruka's hand spasmed in his hair as she let out a noise of surprise against his lips, taken off-guard by his sudden advance. At that, Otoya seemed to come to his senses, and he pulled back, catching his breath.
"Sorry," he said as he met her gaze with his apologetic one, unable to keep himself from being distracted by the redness of her swollen lips and the flush in her cheeks.
"Don't be," Haruka said immediately, removing her hand from his hair to lightly trace his bottom lip before resting it on his other shoulder. "I didn't think you were going too fast; you just surprised me."
"Really?" Otoya asked, searching her eyes for any misgivings.
"Really," she said before squealing in further surprise as Otoya abruptly swept her into his arms and skated forward. "Otoya-!" she exclaimed, automatically linking her arms around his neck. "What are you—"
"Going back over there," he said, gesturing at the log where they had piled their stuff. "We should get off the ice. If we continue doing that here, there's a chance someone might woah!" His words cut off as he skated over a rough spot, causing his skate to wobble and Otoya to lose his balance. Haruka shrieked as they fell, and in a surprising feat of acrobatics Otoya maneuvered himself between her and the hazardous ice rushing up towards them. He let out an oof as she landed safely atop his chest, more startled than injured.
"There's a chance someone might what?" Haruka asked after confirming he was okay, unable to refrain from giggling as she looked down at him.
"…Fall," he finished with a smile, and the two burst into joyful laughter, breaking the stillness of the forest around them. After their giggles faded away, Otoya's gaze intensified, and he reached up, tenderly cupping her cheek with a gloved hand.
"Well since we're already here," he reasoned, smirking as he pulled her face closer to his.
"But Otoya, the ice! You'll catch a cold!" Haruka tried to protest, but she was incapable of resisting the inexorable tug of his hand as he guided her down, pressing a lingering kiss to her lips.
"I feel anything but cold," he assured her before pulling her lips down again. Haruka was unable to protest any further, settling herself on top of him as their lips moved together in a familiar dance. Otoya stroked her cheek gently as the kiss slowly became more passionate. His other hand tightened around her waist as Haruka took the initiative, playfully dominating the kiss and sweeping her tongue across his. One hand kept her balance on his chest, and the other crept back into his hair, unable to get enough of its soft feel even through the fabric of her gloves.
Otoya groaned, losing himself to her ministrations as his hand at her waist slipped downward to cup her bottom. Haruka squeaked against his mouth, but refused to let him pull away, demonstrating with her kisses that she was more than okay with this development. In another moment Otoya suddenly broke away from her lips, pulling her closer to press searing kisses to the corner of her mouth, then her jaw, working his way down her neckline.
"Otoya…" Haruka breathed, clutching his jacket in her fist as he squeezed her rear, pressing her hips tightly to his. She followed his lead, slowly moving over him and pressing her hips more confidently downward. Otoya nipped at her neck in response, moaning in approval and appreciation of her movements. Haruka tilted her head towards him, drawing his lips back to hers as they ground against each other, rapidly losing their grip on reality. Haruka felt as if she had entered a pleasant haze, unable to focus on anything else but Otoya: Otoya's hands, Otoya's lips, Otoya's—
At that moment, Otoya shifted his hips, and Haruka felt something hard and persistent press into her lower abdomen. Her eyes shot open, and she froze above him as Otoya pulled back, meeting her gaze with a deep blush. Before he could say anything, Haruka canted her hips upward, purposely grinding herself more completely against the source of his embarrassment. His eyes widened, a soft puff of breath escaping his lips as his hand involuntarily tightened against her bottom, holding her there. They paused like that for a moment, staring at each other, their breath visibly mingling in the cold winter air. In the next instant, the two moved towards each other at the same time, lips crashing together halfway between as everything became not enough, and they needed to move harder, faster—
"…Nee-chan?" Haruka thought she heard a voice cut through her lust-filled haze, but she quickly dismissed the notion, refocusing her attention on Otoya and only Otoya.
"Haruka-nee-chan!" Haruka definitely heard a voice that time, and her head snapped up, coming face to face with at least ten of the children from Otoya's orphanage. The children's curious gazes finally registered that it was Otoya below her, who was peering up at them upside down in completely surprise.
"Nii-chan? What are you doing?" one of the younger boys asked. An older one abruptly smacked him across the shoulder.
"Stupid! Isn't it obvious? Nii-chan's getting fresh with Haruka-nee-chan!" He nodded knowledgeably, and with those magic words the couple sprang to their feet in an instant, blushing profusely as they faced the group of children.
"What are you guys doing here?" Otoya asked abruptly, trying to distract the curious children from asking the questions he could practically see forming in their minds.
"We came to go ice skating!" A little girl said proudly, gesturing at the oldest boy who had spoken earlier, "Taka said you once showed him this cool place!"
"I did?" Otoya said, nonplussed, and the boy nodded vigorously. Otoya thought for a moment, but was unable to remember doing this. Smiling widely, he decided to play along anyway. "Of course I did!" he agreed, "It's only the best secret spot ever!"
This made the children even more excited, and they hurriedly shed their shoes, changing into their skates—effectively distracted from the circumstances of their initial arrival. As Otoya stepped forward to help the little ones, Haruka let out a small gasp.
"Otoya," she whispered, "your back!" Otoya shifted, feeling the wet and cold from lying on the ice seeping into his back and the backs of his legs.
"I'm fine," he said reassuringly, even as he felt a stab of cold shoot down his spine.
Haruka frowned. "No you're not," she disputed, "you need to change or you could get really sick!" She reached out, tugging him gently towards their things as she looked at the children regretfully. "I'm sorry, but we have to go now. If we stay, Otoya won't feel good tomorrow!"
Judging from the looks on their faces, she might have just told them that she was taking Otoya to another planet, never to return. One of the youngest girls made a heart-rending face. "Can't you just stay for a little while? Please?"
"Pleeeease?" the others chorused, each wearing a hopeful expression.
"Pleease Haruka?" Otoya echoed, meeting her eyes with the same expression as the children. Haruka closed her eyes for a moment, unable to play the tough guy for very long against such an onslaught.
She let out a long sigh. "Alright," she said, and everyone (including Otoya, the devil) let out a cheer. "But only for a little while!" she added, but anything else she would have said was effectively overruled by the children storming the ice with a playful shout. She glanced worriedly at Otoya, who flashed her a confident grin.
"Don't worry, Haruka," Otoya said sincerely, "We'll just stay for a little while longer." He turned away from her then, skating towards the children. Haruka hesitated for an unsure moment before sighing softly and hurrying after him.
-((The Next Day))-
Haruka was not surprised to find Otoya conspicuously absent from breakfast the next morning. "A little while longer" turned into several hours, and by the time the two had made it home, Otoya's clothes had dried stiffly, and his movements had seemed deliberate and measured. It'll be a miracle if he doesn't have pneumonia, she thought worriedly as she sat down to eat. After a moment, she saw another tray placed in front of hers, and she didn't dare to hope it was Otoya as she looked up.
Tokiya bid her a good morning as he sat down across from her, quietly tucking into his breakfast. After exchanging a few pleasantries and a bit of small talk, Haruka couldn't stop herself from asking the question at the forefront of her mind.
"How bad is he?" she asked after a moment of silence, staring down at her tray.
"He's not good, the idiot," Tokiya reported, and Haruka glanced up to see him staring intensely at a part of the table. "It's a miracle that he doesn't have pneumonia. He has a slight fever, so at the very least he has one hell of a cold."
"Is he awake?"
"Not anymore," Tokiya continued, looking up at her. "I woke him up long enough to make sure he wasn't seriously ill and he went right back to sleep." He sighed. "And with me leaving in a couple hours for a project out of town, the timing couldn't be better," he frowned, seriously worried for his roommate.
"Don't worry," Haruka said earnestly, reaching out to cover Tokiya's hand with hers. "I'll make sure he gets better. It's my fault; I should've insisted we come home earlier—"
"It's no one's fault but Otoya's," Tokiya said resolutely, shifting his hand so he could hold hers. "You're not to blame," he said, his sincere expression holding her gaze.
Haruka nodded, but she was still unable to completely squelch her feelings of guilt and regret. "…Even so," she said with conviction, "I'll take care of him."
Tokiya smiled at her determination, squeezing her hand gently. "I know you will," he said, and Haruka suddenly had the distinct impression that he was talking about more than Otoya's current sickness. He winked in a very un-Tokiya-like manner before taking his hand away, going back to finishing his breakfast. Haruka blushed, surprised at his implication. Before she could think of anything to say, Tokiya resumed the conversation. "I recommend checking in on him at lunch," he said as if nothing strange had just happened. "He'll probably sleep until then, but he has to eat sometime."
Haruka blinked before her lips formed a small, secret smile. "I'll be sure to do that," she agreed as she continued to eat her own breakfast.
-((Around Lunchtime))-
Haruka hesitantly knocked on the closed door of Otoya's room holding a bowl of soup. On the one hand, she was hesitant to disturb him from his rest; however, if he was as sick as Tokiya said he was then he needed to at least eat something, maybe take some medicine. At any rate, he could sleep no longer. When her knock received no reply, she steeled herself and opened the door. She left the door open to let some light into the dim room as she carefully made her way to Otoya's side, stopping next to his bed. She set the soup down on his nightstand, taking a moment to gaze down at his sleeping face. He looked so peaceful, and she really was loath to disturb him…she gently shook his shoulder, trying not to startle him. "Otoya," she said softly, bringing him into the world of the wakeful.
Otoya groaned and made a sleepy face of distress, turning away from the light shining in from the hallway. She shook him once more, but when he refused to budge she went to the window and opened the curtains, allowing the dazzling sunlight reflecting off the remaining snow to light up the room. Otoya made a noise of protest, shoving his face into the pillow before coughing violently into it with a deep, hacking cough.
Haruka returned to his side, putting a hand on his shoulder to turn him towards her. "Otoya?"
Otoya's eyes found hers and he smiled with a sniffle. "Hey Haruka," he greeted, and his voice sounded as if he'd been run over by a truck. She frowned, reaching out to press her hand to his forehead.
"Hmm," she contemplated, removing her hand before pulling his desk chair over to his bedside, "Tokiya's right; you do feel a little feverish…"
Otoya slowly sat up, giving her a valiant smile as he tried to clear his throat. It didn't work very well. "What, this?" he said nonchalantly, "It's just a little cold is all; nothing to worry about." As if on cue, he was suddenly overtaken by a severe coughing fit. Shaking it off after a moment, he smiled at Haruka as if nothing had happened. "Now, I've got a busy day ahead," he continued, starting to pull off the covers, "What time is it?"
"After lunch," Haruka replied, pushing on his chest to prevent him from getting out of bed. "President has already talked to your project managers to give you a few days off," she explained, reaching over to pick up the soup from the nightstand. "So you need to stay in bed, and I will do my best to help you get better." She carefully held the soup closer to him, ladling out a spoonful that she held out to him. He opened his mouth, unable to keep from blushing as she slowly fed him the soup.
He swallowed, asking her a question before she could continue. "What about you? You have work too, you know."
"I'll figure it out," she said vaguely, holding out another spoonful. Otoya took it, and for a while there was a comfortable silence as Haruka fed him the soup between bouts of coughing and sneezing. When he was done, she stood, intending to take the bowl back to the kitchen. "I'll be right back," she promised, "Please lay back down and rest."
"I'm sorry," Otoya said abruptly as Haruka turned to leave.
"What?"
"I'm sorry," he repeated, staring down at the covers. "This is my own stupid fault. I wouldn't have gotten sick if I had just listened to you in the first place. And now you're going through all this trouble to take care of me," he met her eyes, guilt written over his features. "I'm sorry Haruka."
Haruka returned to him, bending to lace a tender kiss to his brow. "Don't worry," she said with a gentle smile, "I know you had good intentions. I'm just relieved that you aren't sicker than you are." She reached out, lovingly caressing his cheek with a hand. "Do you want to rest some more? I can shut the curtains again…"
"No, that's okay," he said, smiling slightly, "I'll sit up with you for a while." He reached out for her as well, but sneezed instead, causing Haruka to reluctantly pull away. He grabbed a tissue, blowing his nose as Haruka turned to go.
"I'll go put this away," she said as she headed towards the doorway.
"Hurry back," Otoya called after her.
Haruka paused and turned to face him. "Always, Otoya," she said affectionately before she headed out the door. However, by the time she'd went to the kitchen and stopped at her room to pick up some of her sheet music, Otoya had already fallen back asleep. She smiled, shutting the curtain halfway as she settled into his desk chair, watching over him as she worked.
-((To Be Continued!))-
Jeez this story is…yeah. It's written, the problem is that it's just so long that it takes quite a bit to get it digital. Be sure to check for part two; it should be up relatively soon!
I had a bit of a bad day today; I would really appreciate some love and reviews!
Thanks for reading!
~freaky-hanyou
