As Fate Would Have It
Warnings: Yaoi, some violence. Most likely dub-con and in later chapters explicit sexual content between two teenage boys.
Pairings: HaruEru, SakiAdrei (mentioned)
Disclaimer: I don't own Valvrave the Liberator series nor its characters. If I did, there would have been a VERY DIFFERENT ENDING.
A/N: I wanted to do a coffeeshop AU with coffeeship and it turned into this. It has a bit of a cliche shojo-manga plot but I swear there is a plot in here somewhere. Please let me know what you think of it as this plot is strange even to me. I don't know what happened.
Please enjoy.
00
Tokishima Haruto pretends to read a line from his textbook but looks up through his chestnut fringe at the barista preparing a latte. The barista looks absolutely bored but he doesn't move carelessly. His long, slender hands hold the lever in one and the steel canister in the other. When the milk is done frothing, the silver haired male pours it into the awaiting cup of coffee. He swivels the canister a bit, probably creating a spiral, and hands it off to the side. A middle aged woman takes it and brings it to a seat by the window. The barista continues to fill another order. Haruto drops his gaze back to his book and sighs.
He'd been frequenting this small café for about a month now, twice a week. He'd go more, however, he didn't want to come alone. The first time he came was with his childhood and best friend Sashinami Shoko. They'd been looking for a nice place to study close to school and without the distractions of their homes. The library would have sufficed, but it had very strict rules about conversations, and with the way he and Shoko tried to complete their homework, they have gotten kicked out many times for being too loud. Haruto liked coffee, and as Shoko didn't much care so long as they had a table and two chairs, he decided on Café Valvrave.
At the time, he didn't know that there was silver haired beauty of a barista working there. Haruto wasn't really attracted to anyone at school, and although he thought he loved Shoko at one point, he discovered that it was only platonically. She is great and they get along well, but Haruto didn't want to try and force something that wasn't there. He didn't consider dating guys. He decided that he didn't like anyone and when he does find someone, it won't matter if they are a boy or a girl.
And of course, the person to get him romantically interested in another human being is a male, and a stranger no less. Haruto didn't care for the "love at first sight" drivel that is the motif of most literary works out there, but then it happened to him and he became a firm believer. They have never exchanged words. Haruto is pretty sure that the barista doesn't even know he exists. Sometimes, violet, bored eyes would wander in his direction, but then they'd drift off to another corner of the café. Haruto often wonders what a good looking person would be doing in a small place like this. He could make a fortune working at a host club.
"Hey, what did you get for number 2?" Shoko asks, breaking Haruto out of his reverie. Haruto blinks up at her.
"Hm?"
"The calculus homework, silly."
"Oh, I'm still on English."
Shoko leans over the table and looks at his textbook. "Are you almost done?"
"Y-yeah."
"Alright. I'll just skip that problem then." She bows over her work, her auburn locks spilling over her face. Haruto glances longingly at the employee behind the counter and forces himself to do some actual school work.
00
Maybe if the barista wears his nametag Haruto could play out their imaginary conversations with his name included. But it's not like Haruto obsesses over him. He just sometimes zones out during class and it's his teacher's fault for being so boring.
One day, Haruto gets a chance to hear it.
"Michael, can you take care of the delivery that just came in?"
Haruto is in the middle of ordering his coffee when the manager asks the silver haired teen of the favor. The girl behind the register, Hana, gazes at Haruto expectantly.
"Um, sir?"
Haruto looks at her and laughs nervously. "Just a small latte for me, please." He smiles and gives her his money. For some reason, he's happy just to have heard his name.
Michael, he thinks. The silver haired barista doesn't look much older than him. Is he in high school? What school does he go to? There are two other high schools in the area. Haruto hopes he doesn't go to their rival school, Dorssia High.
Shoko orders a tea after him, and they take their usual table by the wall.
"Are you ready for Kibukawa-sensei's test tomorrow?" she asks, pulling out her chemistry text. Haruto buries his head in his arms.
"No," he groans.
"Me neither! But we'll try our best. Now, do you get the whole concept of limiting reagents? I get confused…."
Haruto's best subject is math. Shoko's English. Between them, they have no hope for the test the next day.
00
The café is on his way home, so after a late day at school after finishing up his club activities, Haruto takes a right instead of a left to make a quick stop in the hopes of catching a glimpse of Michael. He passes by an alley and hears voices.
"- take 'no' for an answer."
"I already told you to get lost. Leave me alone."
Haruto hears scuffles and runs into the alley. It leads to the back of the café. Michael is pressed against the wall by a tall blonde man holding onto the collar of his jacket.
"Hey!" he calls, coming between the males and pushing the taller one away. The blonde looks like an adult, his blue eyes cold and calculating. Haruto swallows nervously but refuses to back down.
"Oh? Got yourself a new little boytoy?"
"'Boytoy'?" Haruto echoes angrily. For some reason, he hates the blonde standing in front of him.
"For a boy, he's more of a man in bed than you are," Michael sneers. Haruto watches as the blonde pulls back a fist and pushes Michael out of the way before he can even think of what he's doing. Pain overloads all his senses as he gets a left hook to his jaw. He falls to the ground and spits out the blood from where he cut his lip and tongue.
"Che. Don't waste your time, kid. This bastard is nothing but a pretty face and a decent fuck." The blonde storms off, his coat billowing behind him. Haruto feels his nose to see if it's still intact and laughs when it is. He winces.
"What did you do that for?" Michael says, kneeling beside him. He reaches out to touch him but Haruto knocks his hands away. He's never been punched in the face before in his life. It hurts!
But more than that is what the guy said about Michael. Is it true? Were they lovers? Did he just interrupt a lover's quarrel? It seemed like the guy still wanted to be with Michael, but Michael didn't want to have anything to do with him…. Just what kind of person is he?
"I don't know," Haruto grumbles, mumbling around the cuts in his mouth. He can't go home like this. His parents will freak out.
"Come wash up in the employee's bathroom," Michael says, standing. Haruto gingerly gets to his feet. He feels like he's going to pass out. Maybe he got a concussion. Warm hands gently cradle his face and turn it towards the florescent light. "Your pupils seem fine. I think you'll be alright. Now follow me."
Haruto allows himself to be half supported into the café and into a small bathroom. Its clean and smells like lemon. Haruto sits on the toilet as Michael rips off some paper towels and runs them under the cold tap.
" This will sting," Michael says and gently wipes at Haruto's mouth. It brushes against the cut on Haruto's lip and he hisses. Michael makes a soft humming noise but continues to wipe his jaw and chin.
Haruto swallows around the swelling at the tip of his tongue and works his jaw. "Who was that?" he asks softly. Michael meets his gaze steadily.
"Nobody."
Haruto tears his eyes away and takes the bloodied towel from Michael. For some reason, the ordeal leaves him feeling crushed. Not because he got punched for someone he thinks he likes, but because the person he likes is not the person he thought he was. It was naïve of Haruto to think that Michael was a perfect person. Haruto isn't perfect either, but he doesn't make it a habit to hook up with older men. Its none of his business anyway, and he's not to judge anyone on his or her vices, but he hoped that….
"I can manage. Thanks."
"Tokishima Haruto, right?" Michael asks, standing as well. Haruto looks at him in surprise. Michael smirks. "You come in here all the time and you order the same thing. You have your name written on all your notebooks."
Haruto hopes that his blush will look more like inflammation from being hit. "Y-yeah." He notices Michael's attire for the first time. He's wearing Dorssia High colors. The crest is embroidered on his right breast. "I didn't realize you noticed me. I mean, its okay that you did. That is to say, I don't mind, not because I wanted you to, or anything." Haruto gets the feeling that he's rambling and picks up his bag. When he straightens, he finds Michael standing too close to him.
"You like me, don't you?"
The question catches Haruto off guard. He doesn't know how to respond because he's horrible at lying and he doesn't want to admit that yes, he is very infatuated with him. Michael seems not to need a response as he crowds Haruto against the wall. His violet eyes are dark. Haruto looks away.
"I should thank you for interfering," Michael says, leaning in. He places a hand on the wall beside Haruto's head. Haruto closes his eyes. His heart is thundering in his chest and Michael's spicy scent is distracting, but he finds his resolve and places a hand on Michael's chest, effectively stopping the other teen from coming any closer.
"Don't," Haruto says firmly, opening his eyes and locking them with Michael's shocked ones. He shoves him away, opens the door, and leaves. He takes huge gulping breaths as he practically runs out the café and into the night. His head hurts but his heart keeps clenching painfully in his chest. Michael made fun of his feelings and tried to take advantage of him because of them.
Now he knows why the blonde called him a boytoy.
"I'm home!" he calls out when he enters his house. He runs into his room locks the door behind him. The last thing he needs is his parents to see the bruises on his face, which they will eventually.
"Haru-chan! What about dinner?" his mom says through the door. "How was school?"
"Fine! I ate with some friends," he lies, thankful for the barrier between them. Shoko always says that he's a terrible liar.
"Alright. Well, the leftovers will be in the fridge." Her footsteps fade away. Haruto takes a deep breath and falls onto his bed with a sigh. Why does the person he like have to be a jerk? One thing is for sure though, Haruto can't ever go back to that café.
00
His parents freaked out over his face, and they wanted to take him to the hospital for it despite all of Haruto's protests. He told them that he saved a friend from a bully, which was half true, and his mother lectured him about nothing in particular for an hour as his father nodded approvingly and continued to work on his laptop. Shoko wanted to hang out with him that day but he claimed being sick.
He skips school on Monday and Tuesday. Shoko, Inuzuka and Aina bring him his homework and photocopies of their notes. His mother takes them and offers them mochi as thanks. By Wednesday, Haruto's bruise has yellowed but the cut on his lip is still bright red. He will still attract too much attention but he has a test and he can't afford to miss it.
When lunch rolls around, Shoko and Inuzuka trap him at his desk and demand explanations.
"Did you get mugged?"
"Are you so clumsy that you fell down two flights of stairs or something?"
"Your parents didn't…?"
Haruto shakes his head. "No! I just helped someone."
Shoko sighs but she's smiling. "You're sure you didn't fall down the stairs?" she asks teasingly. Inuzuka grabs his shoulders.
"I didn't know you were tough! Wanna win me some money by fighting?"
"No!" Haruto laughs and shoves playfully at his money loving friend. Inuzuka ruffles his hair. "Argh! Sempai!"
"He's still sore!" Shoko scolds half -heartedly. She laughs and walks over to her other friends. Haruto pushes Inuzuka away and gets back to eating his lunch.
He takes the long way home now, and when he studies with Shoko they suffer in silence in the farthest corner of the library. She asked him why they stopped going to the coffee shop, but Haruto was running out of excuses to give her a straight answer.
00
Two weeks have passed since the incident with Michae,l and Haruto's face has healed, but he can still see a faint scar on his lip from where it split. When Haruto sees it, he thinks about the silver haired teen and a mixture of anger and longing grip his heart. He still hasn't managed to forget about him. Haruto wonders what he's doing – if he's getting into trouble or having problems with that man.
"Do you see that guy talking to Shoko? He's wearing a Dorssia High uniform!"
Haruto stops his trek through the hallway and stares at the group of girls talking by the window.
"Does she know him? He's so hot. Maybe that's her boyfriend?"
"Ahh, I'm so jealous! He looks so cool!"
Haruto runs over to the window and sees a silver haired boy talking to Shoko by the entrance gate. He's smiling, and she's laughing, and Haruto feels an emotion between horror and jealousy claw at his ribs.
He runs down a flight of stairs and out the school. "Shoko!" he calls, struggling with the bag on his shoulder. He sees another Dorssia High student talking to Rukino Saki off to the side. He's annoyingly good looking as well, and Haruto dislikes Sakimori's rival school even more.
Shoko turns to him and waves. "Hey Haruto! Ready to go?"
Haruto catches up to them and leans over, panting. He straightens and sees Michael looking at him intensely. Maybe he's upset that Haruto came to escort Shoko away? Is he trying to seduce Shoko?!
"Yeah! Of course. Sorry I'm late. Nanami-sensei wanted to ask me something." He completely ignores Michael and takes Shoko's hand. She yanks him back, causing him to almost lose his footing.
"Don't be rude, Haruto! This is Karlstein Michael. Don't you recognize him from the coffee shop?"
Haruto glances at him. "Hello."
"Good afternoon," Michael says charmingly. Haruto resists the urge to roll his eyes. Michael deserves an award for his superb acting!
"This is my good friend Tokishima Haruto. Sorry, he must have hit his head and forgotten his manners." She smiles at Michael but squeezes Haruto's hand. Haruto winces.
"Pleasure to meet you," Haruto murmurs, bowing slightly. Shoko lets go of his hand.
"The pleasure is all mine."
"Michael is here with his friend, Adrian. I didn't know Saki has a boyfriend attending Dorssia." Shoko glances at the couple off to the side. "Did you, Haruto?"
"She might have mentioned it," Haruto replies with a shrug. He glares at Michael over Shoko's head. Michael just smirks.
"I haven't seen you two at the café lately. Is my coffee no good?" Michael asks.
"I'd prefer to go back, but someone," she nudges Haruto in his side, "decided arbitrarily that we shouldn't go anymore."
"Why's that?" the silver haired teen intones innocently. Haruto wishes Shoko wasn't around so that he could punch Michael in his pretty face.
"Coffee was too bitter," Haruto says matter of factly. It isn't far from the truth. "Needs more milk."
"Milk ruins the flavor of the coffee. It's an unnecessary additive."
"It makes the coffee more enjoyable to drink and compliments the flavor."
Michael glares at Haruto. "Actually, - ."
"We should get going." The other Dorssia High student walks up to them. He has slightly darker and longer hair than Michael. Haruto can't say who's better looking, only that they are in a class of their own.
"Yeah." Michael turns to Shoko with a smile. "Thank you for speaking with me, Sashinami-san. Will I be seeing you at the café again?"
"You bet!" Shoko says brightly. Haruto tries to say something but his voice falters. Saki leans against Adrian's shoulder and the three of them leave the campus. Michael glances over his shoulder and waves. Shoko waves back.
"Do you like him or someth- ow!" She hit Haruto on the head.
"He's friendly. I don't know why you were being so rude."
"Don't trust him. He'll only end up hurting you."
"No one said I was interested, you great idiot. Besides, how do you know what he's like?"
"H-He just seems that way." Haruto answers lamely.
"Yeah, he is pretty cool so he might be a player. Anyway, let's hurry to the library before all the spots in the back are taken."
The next day Haruto sees Michael standing just outside the gate of his school. He is surrounded by a small group of girls who seem to be hanging on his every word. Haruto scoffs and ignores them as he passes through.
"Tokishima Haruto," Michael calls. He politely excuses himself and the girls giggle among themselves. Haruto pretends he didn't hear him. That is, until he says, "Do you know when Sashinami-san will be out?"
Haruto turns and glares at Michael. He tries to ignore the sinking feeling of disappointment. But more than that, he feels anger and protectiveness. "She has a student council meeting. Feel free to wait out here for a couple more hours."
"I'm sure I can find someone to keep me company in the meantime." Haruto bristles at the straightforward quip. He's never met anyone so arrogant and cruel.
"Don't you dare."
"Do you mind that someone like me is interested in your friend?"
"I'm not worried because she won't bother with you," Haruto rejoins confidently. "So you're welcome to try."
"Oh, you should be worried, Tokishima Haruto," Michael closes the space between them. Haruto won't give him the satisfaction of moving away. The silver haired teen notices this and smirks. "When I try, I get what I want."
For some reason, that threat isn't something Haruto is willing to take lightly. Michael can even trap adults in his web.
"So it doesn't matter what I think, then," Haruto says. The rays of the setting sun are reflecting off of Michael's hair and making it look like he has a halo. Haruto knows better, though. "Would you really do that to Shoko?"
"She's cute and seems pretty smart, a nice challenge."
"You bastard," Haruto growls, taking a swing at Michael. Michael easily catches his fist and pulls him close. There is a collective gasp around them. Haruto forgot that they are in a public place, in front of his school no less.
"You could take her place," Michael suggests easily. "I at least play with one toy at a time."
Haruto separates himself from Michael with a huff of disgust. What the hell is this guy's problem? What happened to him for him to end up this way? Is he bored? A sociopath? Shoko wouldn't fall for someone so vapid and heartless, but if he acts the part of a charming, caring person only to toss her aside after he was done with her…. Haruto could not imagine the consequences.
"Why me?" Haruto asks. "You said you could have anyone."
"I want to see how far you're willing to go for your friend."
Haruto would honestly do anything for Shoko, especially if it meant keeping her out of the lion's den. He nods. Michael looks both pleased and pissed.
"Give me your number."
The brunet pulls out his phone, and Michael takes it from him. He dials a number and the phone in his pocket rings. He smirks and closes Haruto's device. "I'll call you." The Dorssia student tosses his phone back to him and walks off. Haruto feels a cold sense of dread overcome him. What did he just agree to?
00000
A/N: As I said, pretty cliche right? lol. I need to stay away from the mangas...