A/N I never had in plan to write this yaoi without the main sex scene but what do you know, miracles can happen. I love this pairing and althought the manga is anywhere near the end, it already had enough moments between these two boys.
Love at first sight and dance
When Tatara entered the stage, most people didn't know what to think. Some of them didn't know who he was and some of them just didn't pay him the attention he deserved. The only thing that caught everyone's attention was that the girl in his arms which was the star of the stage. Yes, Shizuku was shadowing all the couples with her elegance and beauty , giving the judges an easy choice in selecting the winner. Still, that didn't give Tatara any encouragement. He knew the boy who was injured will be mad at him, probably beat him up after seeing his first but also last performance with the girl he admired. Before he entered the stage, he took a mental note of what he was going to do first thing on the floor but unfortunately, it didn't go as planned once he was there. His legs were wobbly and shaky and the moral was -40 degrees. But that didn't stop his determination. He had to win. NOW.
A small blush crept on his cheeks when recalling the previous meeting with the redhead. The latter was bandaging his aching leg in one of the bathroom's cabins . When he saw Tatara enter the cabin, shock was an understatement. He didn't realize he forgot to lock the bathroom door. The brunet just looked at him with his big brown eyes, shock and realization hitting him at full force. Sacrifices are being made in order to be successful. That was the law of life. A law he never before had to encounter.
Stopping any movement he wanted to make, the brunet stood still, silently listening to the 2 guys who were gossiping rather loudly. Badmouthing the boy that currently looked aside, sadness and anger visible on his beautiful face. Tatara had to resist the urge to open the door and yell at those two to shut up. The sight in front of him was no good, Hiyoharu slowly fueling his anger. Without a thought he quickly opened the door not sparing the other another glance and eyed the men who were now startled by his presence.
'How dare they! Nobody knows anything at all about this guy' Tatara thought. Yes, the redhead sure was antisocial but he danced and forced himself even though he was injured. The years he worked with Shizuku paid off, both of them being excellent dancers. And that thought only made him more nervous.
He was now on the stage with all eyes on him. This was not part of the plan. The pressure was almost too much to bear. Still, with all these burdens on his shoulder, he still bared the determination he had in the studio. Now it was the time to shine.
Watching Tatara move his partner like a pro on stage made Kiyoharu's blood freeze. An amateur like that guy, doing a complex routine such as his? Indeed, it looked rather forced and unstable but the movement itself was beautiful. The change in pace and switching from basic to the original choreography gave the redhead a different feeling than anger. Amazement. He truly felt amazed but how a guy with little to none experience managed to lead his partner with such skill. It was impressive to say the least.
The boy couldn't stop staring at the other on stage. He felt a thug on the strings of his heart. What could possibly mean? He barely knew that boy at all but he felt like the other was pulling him closer without actually doing anything. 'This guy is something' thought Kiyoharu while he watched the pair perform the waltz.
After he was introduced to the new boy at the studio, Kiyoharu thought of him as very shy and funny. The boy lost all the skill and grace he had on the stage and was replaced with a moron that barely managed to do a few steps. It irked the redhead how could the other change so much in only a few days. It was really funny to watch the poor boy get shouted at by both Sengoku and Bamba.
Shizuku told him a few weeks ago that a new boy joined the studio and was being taught by Sengoku Kaname himself. At first Kiyoharu thought it was a mistake but after witnessing the blond lecturing and guiding the other, his opinion of the brunette changed. If someone like Sengoku who was rumored to be quite eccentric in both terms of lifestyle and dance took a student, a novice off all, under his wing, the boy surely did something to amaze the older. Since he was little, both he and Gaju had the same desire to be thought by that guy, the first one being able to obtain the other's attention after some time. After all the years of practicing with mother as well, the harsh training paid off and the pair won several first prices.
Now, seeing the brunette dancing with Shizuku the choreography they worked so hard on, made Kiyoharu have twisted feelings about the said boy. Was it anger? A little. Annoyance? Most likely. Sympathy? Realizing what he thought, Kiyoharu made a face. There could be no way he felt that way for the boy. But the moves the other made on the floor, the silly smile on his face and even the trembling his body made trying to follow the rhythm, all of them made the redhead feel fuzzy and warm inside.
At some point during the performance, Kiyoharu thought how would it feel to dance with Tatara, to feel his unstable steps and guide them, to have the body near him adjusting to his leading…wait, what? Since when was he even capable of thinking this things? The boy wanted to slap himself. From the place he stood, he could see Sengoku's and the other's faces. All had the same look of shock on their faces.
The boy on the floor took their breath away.
When the pair tripped at the end of the waltz, everyone froze. What just happened? Tatara tripped on his cuff, dragging Shizuku along with him. The hit itself wasn't such a big deal but the judges look at them quizzically. As for Kiyoharu, his heart probably skipped a beat. He almost laughed at them. It was funny to watch how the girl was acting so childish in front of the other. And Tatara looked like a 10-year old smiling like an idiot. Till, after all of this, a ghost of a smile was visible on the redhead's lips.
"Hyodo-kun" the name was uttered by a wide-eyed brunette as he looked at the original leading of the pair 20 with a fearful expression. He already knew how frightening the man was from the first time he saw him on stage and didn't want to face his wrath.
Kiyoharu made his way to the brunette as the latter tried in vain to apologize. No words were said as the taller boy slowly got to the group. Before Tatara noticed, Kiyoharu grabbed him by the sleeve of the tailcoat bringing his close to the other.
Time stopped for a second. The trembling boy's breath tickled his cheeks while their eyes were locked. Shocked brown eyes met angered gold for a few moments but enough to have Hiyoharu stop his anger. The boy thought he could be of help. No doubt Sengoku-san told the boy to enter in his place in order to save them from disqualification. But the look on his face was slowly replaced by confusion. Not shock. Confusion of why did Hyodo grab him and not say anything.
"Give it back" was all he said to Tatara.
(Tatara P0V)
The dancer's high was something he never heard of. It was a feeling he never experienced nor want to. The boy that caught everyone's attention was feeling this high during the tango. Even injured, the motion he set was fast and energetic despite the pain he must be feeling.
Tatara wanted to cry. Hyodo was pushing himself too hard for one dance. Even Sengoku was concerned. It was only a dance after all.
"You light the fire below him" was what Sengoku told him. Taking his choreo and partner so fast was not something one could accept easily. And Hyodo was REALLY NOT the one to take things lightly.
With his injured leg it looked like most of the dance has been perfect but to Tatara it was a battle. A struggle for domination. Hyodo had to be the better partner than Tatara. It was not something to hope, it was a must. And the guy showed it on the dance floor.
When the tango was finished, Tatara saw how the redhead leaned onto Shizuku for balance. At least that's what he thought. The boy slowly fell to the ground, finally collapsing with a small *thud*. After that, all went wild. The group raced to Hyodo, the judges called an ambulance while most spectators watched in shock as everything was falling apart.
The face Tatara made when arriving home was priceless. Kiyoharu was sitting with his parents at the table they had in the main room. Not only that, he was also commenting with his grandmother about the sumo tournament. If he didn't know better he would say that Kiyoharu was part of the family.
When the said redhead saw the brunette, nothing changed.
' No response' thought Tatara.
Quickly grabbing the Kiyoharu, Tatara managed to get the other to his room without making him trip. When they reached their destination, Kiyoharu saw just how hard the other worked in order to become someone of equal standing as he. The floor was covered in scrapes and the the glass windows were proof enough that Tatara was trying his best.
The stone face Kiyoharu usually wore was close to breaking, he really, really wanted to make this boy his but even now when he was at his house it was not the right time. Too little they had spent together for Kiyoharu to earn the other's complete trust. Although he was harsh with the boy, he had his reasons.
Seeing Hyodo-kun look at the window gave Tatara mixed feelings. The boy was scary to say the least. His yawn scared the shit out of him the first time he saw it. But then, he realized that was part of the other's personality. The boy was tough on the outside. But Tatara wanted to see the other on the inside as well. He could be honest with himself and say that Hyodo-kun was his crush after Hanaoka-san. Although the girl was infatuated with the redhead, it seemed to the brunette that the other had other thoughts.
Now the redhead was in his room, casually dressed and almost weakened by his hurting leg. It had to be expected, Hyodo danced all these days and probably weeks with his leg in a very bad shape. No wonder now he couldn't move. It made Tatara cry.
"I-I'm sorry" Bowed the brunette in front the redhead. He felt embarrassed but he had to show the other how bad he felt for disqualifying him.
Hyodo turned to look at Tatara. In that moment, time stopped for both of them: For Hyodo to hold himself from jumping the other and for Tatara to confess.
Closing his eyes, Kiyoharu allowed himself a small smile.
"There is nothing for you to be sorry for. I imagine Sengoku-san is behind this."
"That's not true, I-" he quickly shut up when he saw the surprised look the other gave him. "I-I mean, I really enjoyed the dance, it was more that I could have asked for"
'He is too cute for his own good' thought the redhead. Smiling a little, he added"I too enjoyed that tango although I don't really remember much of it"
Seeing Tatara falter a little after the comment he turned around. That boy really made him lose his composture.
"You should get back on the dance floor too" Saying that, he realized he didn't look at Tatara like a competitor, he saw him as a friend. Someone who was his equal.
True, the boy had a long way to go, but he will most likely reach his level someday.
Tatara managed once again to amaze him. Disregarding his status as lead, he became a 'frame' for Mako. This was a sight not many saw.
'The leaders are proud men, not wanting to lower themselves so they could show the beauty of the woman they dance with' thought Kiyoharu while looking at the pairs on the dancefloor.
His mother was judging them and apparently she was happy.
"Really strange" muttered the boy under his breath.
Then again, Tatara did shine on the floor. While Gaju had the advantage of being tall, the brunette had the advantage of being fast. And with Mako as his partner, they could easily be the fastest couple on the floor.
"Tatara is really strange" said Hyodo more to himself than to the others around him.
"Indeed he is" was the reply he received from Sengoku. The man stood near him watching the floor carefully. "He adapts easily to everything that comes and makes everything seem light even though he is feeling sad."
'Sengoku really cares for Fujita' thought Kiyoharu turning again at the dance floor.
Mako was shining in the arms of Tatara. Even though Shizuku was more experienced than all of them, Tatara managed to make the blonde girl a radiant flower.
"Fujita-kun" muttered Shizuku loud enough for Kiyoharu to hear. He creped his eyes open to look at the scene. Tatara was amazed by Shizuku's looks while the girl had caught him by surprise in the garden.
Again, Kiyoharu felt his heart beat hard in his chest. The other boy looked even better with that wet shirt from his sweat clinging onto his form. The hat he wore was enough to cover half his face while the rest of his body was a little tanned from the sun. Just the perfect combination.
He remained seated, not to startle the couple that were enjoying themselves.
Dinner was a mess. It was fully of laughter, jokes and talk about dancing. Even Marisa-sensei was enjoying herself. It felt like a camp.
When they all finished dinner, the girls went to their bedrooms leaving the boys alone in the living room.
"I saw you got top score on both tango and waltz" said Kiyoharu matter of factly. At that, Tatara almost dropped the plate he was holding.
"What are you talking about?"
Of course he didn't know. After the end of the tournament, he and Chinatsu went straight home without seeing the results. Even Kugimya was shocked when he saw the boy's results.
Kiyoharu smiled at the thought. Although that man was good at dancing, he was hideous and his attitude gave even him the creeps. Tatara must be terrified of this guy.
Gaju that was currently sitting beside him on the couch but the other way around looked at Tatara from upside down. He already knew about the boy's struggle with Chinatsu but the constant training with the boy made him compassionate. He now wanted to support Tatara and be on the same floor as he.
Throughout these past months, the boy's trust increased to the point where both Kiyoharu and Gaju looked ( even if it was barely visible) after Tatara. The boy tried his best to reach their level and both boys were willing to help him.
Even when Gaju lost in front of Kiyoharu right after the latter entered once again the dancefloor after 6 months of penalty, he didn't look very sad, more like angry. After leaving the floor, he quickly phoned Tatara to tell him about the competition. Hyodo found out when Shizuku and Mako talked on the phone the next day. The redhead wanted to laugh. Those two became friends rather fast.
Still, a pang of jealousy washed over him. Those two were too close. He wanted Tatara to be close with him as well, even closer if possible. The boy clearly didn't see him that way and that angered him. His patience was running low.
Tatara blushed. Tatara blushed seeing him naked.
This was an even embarrassing moment as Gaju was present as well and clearly saw how the brunette went red. It was clear that the boy didn't think the others two looked so good naked but nonetheless. Tatara was blushing like a tomato.
Kiyoharu felt getting embarrassed himself seeing the other boy's face. Unfortunately for him , his embarrassment was down on his body, right under the towel. How could he hide it?
"Excuse me, I'll go to the bathroom" the redhead excused himself and went to the said room.
Inside, he could finally relax. All this stress was slowly killing him. He knew he could no longer stay focused on just dancing. Shizuku could never understand him. She just looked at him like a brother and friend but never more. He could see why. His distant attitude drew everyone away.
Tatara was the first guy to ever be deemed worthy of being called his opponent. No one knew about this. Obviously. His ego would never allow it.
He could tell Tatara he was his enemy on the floor, one of the few he trusted, hell, he could even tell he was his friend.
But deep down Kiyoharu knew, he fell in love with Tatara. And he could never say it.
A/N I really hope you enjoy it! The ending is kind of sharp but I ran out of ideas. Please forgive meee .
