Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story they belong respectfully to Kouji Ouji, Hiroko Utsumi, Kyoto Animation.
Warning: Themes of shounen-ai/yaoi/homosexual relationships and whatever, you know all that good stuff, fluffy and also some mild OOC-ness… and timeskip's… If any of this bothers you then you have the option of not reading.
Music: "Finally there is the free end" by Goatbed
A/N: I felt the call of SouHaru shippers and answered them with a part two to Tick Tock. Think of it as a series of drabbles starting from the beginning, so before the first story I wrote. That's really all that it is and all I can really describe. Fu, fu, fu, anyways, enjoy!
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o1) Haruka Always Finds a Way
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Sousuke sometimes couldn't tell if whether or not he appreciated Haruka's bluntness every time the other teen opened his mouth to say something. He supposed it depended on the situation but suddenly being asked to move into the free style swimmer's house out of the blue was a bit stranger than he could ever expect coming from a person like Haruka. But then again, this was Haruka and he defied common sense itself. Still, Sousuke had a right mind to refuse right then and there based on their already rocky relationship but Haruka was stubbornly persistent in a reckless but also enduring manner that left Sousuke feeling somewhat awed yet troubled by his actions.
Did Haruka not have any shame? Sousuke wondered sometimes.
"You'll be closer to the college." Haruka explained. "I also have a spare room and aside from shopping for groceries, it'll be like free room and board."
"And what about your parents?" Sousuke crossed his arms, frowning considerably. "I don't think they'd appreciate a stranger suddenly living with their son."
And that's when he watched with mortification as Haruka went the extra mile right in front of him and did the unthinkable. He called up his parents. Sousuke was aware that Haruka's phone usage was close to zero, seeing as how Rin complained about it on occasion, so to see it happening right in front of him was both amazing and frightening. Haruka was defying the very logic everyone had accumulated about him thus far.
The phone conversation was surprisingly short and to the point. When Haruka hung up, his expression looked satisfying. Sousuke knew instantly that he got what he wanted and when Haruka turned to him, looking expectantly, Sousuke didn't know what to say other than to concede to the other's wishes, strangely enough. And that was how he found himself living in the Nanase household the next week.
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o2. It's a Start
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Having Haruka as a housemate was out of this world compared to sharing a room with Rin back at Samezuka Academy.
It wasn't like Sousuke had disliked living in the same space as Rin. On the contrary, it was vastly different in comparison to Haruka. Whereas Rin was lively, Haruka was laidback. It wasn't that the living space lacked life either; in fact, Sousuke felt a soothing warmth within each and every room of the house. Maybe it was due to the readymade meals set at the table during the morning and evenings or the bento lunchboxes that were made before leaving for school and work. That or the fact that it always seemed to be spotless and clean in the house and don't get him started on the amount of care Haruka seemed to put into making his stay comfortable. Yeah, he noticed, as much as he found it hard to believe.
With time, Sousuke actually couldn't remember the last time he'd been hostile towards Haruka now that he thought about it and although he played off being oblivious of what the other was doing, it was tiresome to keep up the façade for much longer after a month had gone by.
Eventually, not at all surprising since he figured it was bound to happen, Sousuke came back to the house from class one day with a box of cake—a thank you cake adorned with strawberries and white creamy frosting spread all around it (but he wasn't going to admit that). The moment Haruka spotted it; Sousuke's eyes adverted shyly as he held up the carefully boxed dessert in silence. Understanding came rather quickly to Haruka and in no time, he gathered two plates and two forks, placed them on the kotatsu in the living room before shuffling back to the kitchen to start heating up a pot of tea.
When they finally sat down together, face to face and eating in silence, Sousuke found himself thinking again… This was his life now, he thought and looking up at Haruka, observing the way the other's lips curled just the slightest into that of a gentle smile as he forked up a piece of the cake into his mouth, Sousuke accepted then and there that it was alright. Haruka was alright, he thought, chuckling to himself.
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o3. And so it begins…
It was just one drink.
Okay, it was more like five, Sousuke remembered later but waking up on the living room floor with Haruka pressed up closely against him on Saturday morning reminded him that their so called 'friendship' (if he could even call it that at this point) was always one surprise after another.
Turning his head slightly to peek down at Haruka, the temptation to push the other male away from his personal space became strong, given how close he was. Sousuke was almost happy to do it too, just so he could see the look of surprise and humiliation on Haruka's face. Although it would certainly be a rude awakening, the notion seemed all the more amusing to Sousuke. Unfortunately, one long glance after the first one allowed Sousuke to take in the content expression Haruka wore and that alone, much to his chagrin was enough for Sousuke to reconsider his previous thoughts of action, to utter his dismay. The guy looked way too relaxed and yet, dare Sousuke say it, adorable... For a lack of a better word...
Gone was the poker face he knew all too well and in its place was something he'd never seen before. The longer Sousuke continued to stare, the more intrigued he became and as he leaned down to inspect Haruka's smooth features closely, his hand reached out to graze his cheek, just a little. One touch, just one, Sousuke thought as his fingertips glided across the other's skin. But that, it seemed, was the trigger as Haruka made a soft noise and scrunched up his nose in response to the others touch. Before long, his brilliant blue eyes fluttered opened, blinking several times in order to chase away the tiredness from his mind. When Haruka finally looked up, vision somewhat distant, Sousuke observed, the reality finally settle on his features and in no time, Sousuke watched in amusement as those same deep blue eyes began to widen in shock.
"M-morning." Sousuke said shakily, voice slightly hoarse and deeper than usual but that was expected.
The greeting, sadly, was processed rather slowly in Haruka's mind. Or at least Sousuke was assuming so since the other male didn't give him a reply back after the first minute passed. Figures, he groaned inwardly.
Watching the way Haruka's eyes began to soften though, Sousuke realized then that this was the first time they'd ever been so physically close enough for him to take notice of how much life passed through Haruka's eyes. With the opportunity presenting itself, Sousuke was almost tempted to take the other's face into his hands if only to inspect him even further. If his sleeping face was one indication, then there had to be more expressions that Haruka was hiding from him. He wanted to see them…
But eventually, the thought was scrapped just the same like his prank as Haruka released a drained sigh before closing his eyes again and pressing himself back against Sousuke's side as if he belonged there. The other's actions left Sousuke down right speechless and he stared, wide eyed and shocked as his cheeks began to burn from embarrassment now.
How could this be happening? Sousuke's mind screamed, his brain running laps and Haruka had the audacity to inch himself closer, mumbling a quiet but well heard good morning (finally) and yet Sousuke could hardly find the strength to push him away either. Damn him, he thought, nearly gritting his teeth but instead he settled for groaning in protest, defeated once again as Haruka hid his smile against Sousuke's chest.
A/N: So there you go! Clearly I've really set myself up to write a part 3 but at the moment I'm turning up blank right now, sadly, so it may be while before I come back to this again with something else. I'd rather not force it too much if I can help it. Also, if you guys have any ideas or suggestions, don't be afraid to shoot them my way :') it might be the motivation I need, who knows. Until next time!