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[ junkyard ]

takeru/hikari: you & me

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"What the hell, Hikari?! What is wrong with you?"

She stares at him, lips pursed and quite mystified by her best friend's sudden rise in temper. It's not common for Takeru to throw curses at her, nor was it common for his ears to turn pink. Takeru rarely got embarrassed by anything, therefore watching the pinkness radiate from his ears to sides of his neck clearly meant he was either angry or...well...angry?

"I thought she was pretty." Hikari attempts to mediate the situation.

It doesn't work.

Takeru slams the pint of beer onto the table and growls, "That's besides the point!"

Some of the beer splashes onto Hikari's arm. She dabs the liquid away with the end of her peach scarf, gaze rising to question whatever Takeru is ranting on about this time. Whenever he gets started, there is no going back.

"You know this is the point," Hikari remarks. "There is nothing wrong with hitting on a girl at a bar."

"I did not need you to set me up!"

Hikari shrugs. "Why are you making a big deal about this?"

"Why aren't you?"

She narrows her eyes, not comprehending what he's trying to say to her.

Hikari had thought what Takeru really needed was a drink, time to relax or to get back into the dating scene. Therefore she thought a new love interest would help him out. The past weeks (or had it been months?), Takeru seemed exasperated, irritable and - overall - difficult to hang out with.

"You just want me to hook up with somebody so you can chat up a guy."

"Possibly," Hikari laughs, although she's lying through her teeth. She sips on her gin and tonic because she doesn't know what else to do.

All she wants is for Takeru to get out of his rut. Being around him while he was like this was getting tiring for her. And if this meant finding him a new girlfriend - Hikari would happily lend a helping hand.

Takeru swears. "Fuck, you aren't getting it."

"Getting what?"

He takes a step forward. His face is so close to hers that their noses are almost touching. His exhales, breath warm and scenting of beer. Takeru's had more than one drink, Hikari gathers. After all, he had gotten to the bar earlier than she had.

When Hikari tries to move away, Takeru grasps onto her wrist. His eyes are cool and serious - again, something that Hikari's not used to. She's used to them sparkling with mischievous and charisma...but that night it's almost like he's pretending to be his older brother.

"I don't want to be set up because…God, Hikari!" Takeru exclaims, exasperatedly. "What do you want from me?"

Hikari blinks. "What?"

"Don't what me!" Takeru snaps. "Why are you scared?"

"I'm not scared of you."

"No, that's not what I mean." Takeru's lips are set in a firm line. He takes her other hand into his, gently holding her hands with his. "Why are you scared of us?"

Her stare drops down to their holding hands. Her throat is dry. "Us?"

"Us. You and me. It's always been you and me...why can't you see it?"

It dawns over Hikari that Takeru is blurting out lines he would never say if he's sober. He's penting out his frustrations on alcohol - and it's this...this was what had been bothering him and why he had been acting up around her lately.

She stares at him from under her eyelashes. He's looking back at her with a pained expression, like he's expecting for her to downright reject him, to leave him. Yet, he hasn't found the courage to actually ask her out with words - like she had been doing for most of her life.

Perhaps she failed to acknowledge what they had because it had always been about timing for them. He'd be dating somebody, then she'd break up. She'd find somebody, then he'd break up. That, or they'd both be dating people at the same time. And then they'd have periods when they wouldn't want to see anybody and happily enjoy their dry spell. Whereas, other times, they'd both be hooking up with randoms. Each to their own, as he would always tease her.

He sighs. "Why can't you see it, Hikari? Of what we can be…"

A flood of emotion tumbles over her. Tears claiming her vision. Of course he had to be off his face to admit something like this. Of course he'd probably forget when she replies to him, "But I've always seen us, Takeru. You're the one I've been waiting on."

"Really?"

She doesn't reply, but Takeru reads her. He knows that she isn't lying; that she isn't putting a front. His left hand caresses her cheek, drawing her chin upwards. His eyes are dancing in anger, and lust, pulling her into a frustrated kiss. Her tongue easily slides into his mouth and maybe because they've been waiting on each other too long, he uses his teeth to lightly bite on her tongue. He lets go of his grip, only to find her biting him back.

Hikari groans, "Why are we doing this?"

"Do you even need to ask anymore?"

Takeru chuckles when her arms circle around his neck. He drags her closer, arm resting on the small of her back as he dives in for another kiss.

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(a/n) lol.