Author's note: Chapter four. Izzy/Sora. I'm not really certain how it's written. I think that they make a good couple. This is the second time I've put them together in a fic. I think that the words to this song can fit Izzy really well, especially the way some people write him as being really...wordy?
Warning: Soshiro/Koura. Straight coupling.
//song lyrics//
~email~
________________
Title: Break the cycle-EPIPHANY
//Your words to me just a whisper
Your Faces so unclear
I try to pay attention
Your words just disappear//
"Izzy?" Sora walked up to him from behind, cutting him off midsentence. He had been speaking to Cody and Joe, but as soon as he heard her voice, he forgot what he was saying. She had always had that effect on him.
With a look of understanding, Joe turned to Cody and suggested getting something to drink. Izzy looked at the woman before him, feeling his heart beating faster just for being near her. "How can I help you, Sora?" He hated sounding so cold, but he couldn't muster the courage to be warmer, lest she know what he felt, and feel uncomfortable for it.
She looked away quickly, then back up. He had grown quite a bit taller, and, along with Joe, was one of the tallest of the group. His red hair was short and spike, as it had been in his teens. "Not really. I just wanted to know if I could talk to you for a little bit."
Despite his stiff stance, she could read the warmth in his dark eyes. He nodded, looking around for a place to sit. "Let's go back to the table, shall we?" He didn't really want to join the others, but asking her to walk off alone with him would be too suggestive.
"I kind of wanted to talk to you privately." She blushed slightly, brown eyes drawn down to his collar. "How about that bench over there?" She pointed to a bench on the opposite side of the picnic area from their friends.
//'Cause it's always raining in my head
forget all the things I should have said//
"Of course." He took her arm out of deference to the high heels she was wearing, and guided her to the bench that she had located. He waited for her to sit first, then joined her, angling his body so that he could face her. "Let me assist you."
So formal, so polite.
//So I speak to you in riddles 'cause
My words get in my way.//
When she didn't start right away, he angled his head to get a better look at her eyes. She looked thoughtful, and so beautiful to him, that he wanted to take her in his arms and hold her. Instead, he tapped her nose gently, and smiled softly, wanting to offer her what comfort he felt she would accept.
"Want to talk about it?" He offered, overlooking the fact that she had asked if she could talk to him. His effort earned him a genuine smile, her eyes crinkling at the corners. It caused his heart to do a cartwheel.
"Matt and I just broke our engagement." She spoke so simply that it took him a moment to understand the implications behind that statement. She was free.
Not wanting to trod on hurt toes, uncertain of how exactly it had affected her emotionally, he offered a quiet apology, silenting cheering in his head. "I apologize for the loss of your relationship." That didn't sound as sympathetic as he had hoped.
"We parted on good terms, and that's important. We can be what we were always meant to be to each other. Friends, and nothing more." There was a light in her eyes that hadn't been there for a long time. It was aimed directly at him, but he couldn't discern it's meaning.
//I smoke the Whole thing to my head and feel it
Wash away//
He heard the way she said that, listened to her emphasis on 'friends'. She spoke with a sincerity that told volumes. She hadn't been in love with her fiancee. She was glad that they had broken it off. She felt relief, a little satisfaction, and an uncertainty, but not of her relationship with Matt.
"Friends are always good to have." Izzy experimented slowly. They had drawn closer since she went back to college. He had helped her with her homework, and she had set him up on dates with her friends until he flat out told her that he didn't want to date.
At least, he didn't want to date someone that wasn't her, but he couldn't tell her that. He wanted her in his life in whatever capacity that he could have her. If they were only friends, then he'd handle that, no matter what it cost him to watch her eventually marry another and have his children.
//'cause I can't take anymore
Of this, I want to come apart,
or dig myself A little hole inside
your precious heart//
"Yes, they are." She agreed with a nod. He looked at the ground, turning to face forward. He felt her gaze slide to him, and search his face. With a tilt of her head, she changed the subject. "How's work?"
The happy way in which she said it made him turn his head sharply, but she was looking away from him, her elbows on the back of the bench. "Work's good, actually. We made a lot of progress on the program I was telling you about."
"Voice-automation?"
"Yes!" He wanted to hug her for remembering. She was one of the few who made the attempt to understand. His work was dull to those who didn't care for computers, or who couldn't keep up with the words he used. Sora, at one time, had made a point of carrying a dictionary wherever they went. He had been slightly insulted at first, but she hadn't meant it meanly, she just knew that he had a difficult problem 'speaking down' as she called it.
"You know, we could really use a program like that at the corporation. We could use it when we measure the models, and when we fit them. That way we wouldn't waste time trying to write everything in shorthand, and I wouldn't have to worry about retraining a new assistant when Biyo takes the newest promotion they offered."
"That's excellent. You'll both do well, I'm sure. You deserve much of life." He smiled at her, black eyes glinting in the sun light.
//'Cause it's always raining in my head
Forget all the things I should have said//
"Thanks, Izzy. I appreciate your support." With her left hand, she pushed her bangs out of her eyes, and his gaze caught the white band of skin around her finger. She put her hand down nervously. She didn't want him to be reminded of the fact that she had belonged to another just minutes before.
"My aid is at your disposal when needed. To refute a friend would be the ultimate in betrayal, and unworthy of me." His voice held less warmth that it had moments before. She felt slightly hurt, and he was groaning inwardly.
Not only did he feel the emotional distance between them, he kept widening the gap. He knew that his chance was slowly slipping away. He had felt so hopeful moments before when she spoke of her broken engagement, but that had quickly soured. He was a friend, and friends were good to have.
//I am nothing more that a little boy inside
That cries out for attention,
Yet I always try to hide//
She licked her lips, glancing at Izzy, who had gone back to staring at his feet. She wished that he'd turn to face her again. She wanted him to look at her like he had for the last six years. She wanted his love, and she wanted him to know that he had hers.
He cut into her thoughts as he stood up. He turned to face her, running a hand through his hair, making it stand on end even more. She watched the way it curled around his fingers before he let his arm fall back to his side. "You know that I'm available whenever, should you need me. My door is always open for you, Sora." He said her name with such affection, before starting to walk away.
She blinked, watching his back as he moved back towards the others. With a desperate knoweledge that she had to move quickly, she acted on impulse and pulled out her cellphone. (a/n: This could happen!) It was a new one that Izzy had bought her for Christmas. The company he worked for had made it, and programmed an instant email service into it.
She punched the keys, then hit send. ~Have you ever been in love?~
Even as he walked away, she heard his beep and saw him pause long enough to pull it out of his pocket. He hit a button, and looked at the screen, coming to a complete standstill. She swallowed, licking her lips, as he stood there, unmoving, for several moments.
Her phone beeped suddenly, and she looked down. She hit the recieve button, and looked at the screen closely. She tapped her finger on the plastic, trying to think of a response. ~Have you?~
//'Cause I talk to you like children.
Though I don't know
How I feel but I know
I'll do the right thing
If the right thing is revealed.//
Following her own advice, she swallowed her pride, and took her courage by the tail. ~Yes. Once. But he's been my best friend for six years, and I don't know how to tell him.~
The response was almost immediate. ~I know many words that describe the human emotion love, but, in this case, I think that there are three that you should use, in this order. I. Love. You. Trust me, there isn't a soul on earth that wouldn't like those words coming from your lips.~
She stood up as he turned around, waiting for her response. There was no pretense anymore, they both knew what was coming. Yet, she held back, her fingers pausing over the send key after she typed in those eight little letters. If she sent it, and misunderstood, it would break her heart, but if she was right, and he loved her, and she didn't send it, it would break his.
Without a second thought, she hit the button, and then waited for his phone to beep.
//But it's always raining in my head
-forget all the thing things
I should have said//
He looked at his phone in amazement, his face a mask of shock and pleasure. He looked up, prepared to tell her how much he loved her, how much she meant. He had the words, lined up in his head, ready to let them pour out.
He approached her determined to tell her everything that was in his heart, but she licked her lips, and with a sudden urge, he dropped his eloquence, letting it slip away as his lips met hers in a soul-searing kiss.
From the picnic table, Matt caught the kiss, and let out a whoop, causing the others to look up. They looked at the happy couple, blushing in each other's arms, and followed Matt's lead, applauding them on finally getting together. Nobody seemed to notice that it was her ex of thirty minutes that started the cheering.
_______________________
That was...okay...I think. It was something, anyway. Hope you enjoyed. FYI/WARNING: Yaoi only beyond this point.
Warning: Soshiro/Koura. Straight coupling.
//song lyrics//
~email~
________________
Title: Break the cycle-EPIPHANY
//Your words to me just a whisper
Your Faces so unclear
I try to pay attention
Your words just disappear//
"Izzy?" Sora walked up to him from behind, cutting him off midsentence. He had been speaking to Cody and Joe, but as soon as he heard her voice, he forgot what he was saying. She had always had that effect on him.
With a look of understanding, Joe turned to Cody and suggested getting something to drink. Izzy looked at the woman before him, feeling his heart beating faster just for being near her. "How can I help you, Sora?" He hated sounding so cold, but he couldn't muster the courage to be warmer, lest she know what he felt, and feel uncomfortable for it.
She looked away quickly, then back up. He had grown quite a bit taller, and, along with Joe, was one of the tallest of the group. His red hair was short and spike, as it had been in his teens. "Not really. I just wanted to know if I could talk to you for a little bit."
Despite his stiff stance, she could read the warmth in his dark eyes. He nodded, looking around for a place to sit. "Let's go back to the table, shall we?" He didn't really want to join the others, but asking her to walk off alone with him would be too suggestive.
"I kind of wanted to talk to you privately." She blushed slightly, brown eyes drawn down to his collar. "How about that bench over there?" She pointed to a bench on the opposite side of the picnic area from their friends.
//'Cause it's always raining in my head
forget all the things I should have said//
"Of course." He took her arm out of deference to the high heels she was wearing, and guided her to the bench that she had located. He waited for her to sit first, then joined her, angling his body so that he could face her. "Let me assist you."
So formal, so polite.
//So I speak to you in riddles 'cause
My words get in my way.//
When she didn't start right away, he angled his head to get a better look at her eyes. She looked thoughtful, and so beautiful to him, that he wanted to take her in his arms and hold her. Instead, he tapped her nose gently, and smiled softly, wanting to offer her what comfort he felt she would accept.
"Want to talk about it?" He offered, overlooking the fact that she had asked if she could talk to him. His effort earned him a genuine smile, her eyes crinkling at the corners. It caused his heart to do a cartwheel.
"Matt and I just broke our engagement." She spoke so simply that it took him a moment to understand the implications behind that statement. She was free.
Not wanting to trod on hurt toes, uncertain of how exactly it had affected her emotionally, he offered a quiet apology, silenting cheering in his head. "I apologize for the loss of your relationship." That didn't sound as sympathetic as he had hoped.
"We parted on good terms, and that's important. We can be what we were always meant to be to each other. Friends, and nothing more." There was a light in her eyes that hadn't been there for a long time. It was aimed directly at him, but he couldn't discern it's meaning.
//I smoke the Whole thing to my head and feel it
Wash away//
He heard the way she said that, listened to her emphasis on 'friends'. She spoke with a sincerity that told volumes. She hadn't been in love with her fiancee. She was glad that they had broken it off. She felt relief, a little satisfaction, and an uncertainty, but not of her relationship with Matt.
"Friends are always good to have." Izzy experimented slowly. They had drawn closer since she went back to college. He had helped her with her homework, and she had set him up on dates with her friends until he flat out told her that he didn't want to date.
At least, he didn't want to date someone that wasn't her, but he couldn't tell her that. He wanted her in his life in whatever capacity that he could have her. If they were only friends, then he'd handle that, no matter what it cost him to watch her eventually marry another and have his children.
//'cause I can't take anymore
Of this, I want to come apart,
or dig myself A little hole inside
your precious heart//
"Yes, they are." She agreed with a nod. He looked at the ground, turning to face forward. He felt her gaze slide to him, and search his face. With a tilt of her head, she changed the subject. "How's work?"
The happy way in which she said it made him turn his head sharply, but she was looking away from him, her elbows on the back of the bench. "Work's good, actually. We made a lot of progress on the program I was telling you about."
"Voice-automation?"
"Yes!" He wanted to hug her for remembering. She was one of the few who made the attempt to understand. His work was dull to those who didn't care for computers, or who couldn't keep up with the words he used. Sora, at one time, had made a point of carrying a dictionary wherever they went. He had been slightly insulted at first, but she hadn't meant it meanly, she just knew that he had a difficult problem 'speaking down' as she called it.
"You know, we could really use a program like that at the corporation. We could use it when we measure the models, and when we fit them. That way we wouldn't waste time trying to write everything in shorthand, and I wouldn't have to worry about retraining a new assistant when Biyo takes the newest promotion they offered."
"That's excellent. You'll both do well, I'm sure. You deserve much of life." He smiled at her, black eyes glinting in the sun light.
//'Cause it's always raining in my head
Forget all the things I should have said//
"Thanks, Izzy. I appreciate your support." With her left hand, she pushed her bangs out of her eyes, and his gaze caught the white band of skin around her finger. She put her hand down nervously. She didn't want him to be reminded of the fact that she had belonged to another just minutes before.
"My aid is at your disposal when needed. To refute a friend would be the ultimate in betrayal, and unworthy of me." His voice held less warmth that it had moments before. She felt slightly hurt, and he was groaning inwardly.
Not only did he feel the emotional distance between them, he kept widening the gap. He knew that his chance was slowly slipping away. He had felt so hopeful moments before when she spoke of her broken engagement, but that had quickly soured. He was a friend, and friends were good to have.
//I am nothing more that a little boy inside
That cries out for attention,
Yet I always try to hide//
She licked her lips, glancing at Izzy, who had gone back to staring at his feet. She wished that he'd turn to face her again. She wanted him to look at her like he had for the last six years. She wanted his love, and she wanted him to know that he had hers.
He cut into her thoughts as he stood up. He turned to face her, running a hand through his hair, making it stand on end even more. She watched the way it curled around his fingers before he let his arm fall back to his side. "You know that I'm available whenever, should you need me. My door is always open for you, Sora." He said her name with such affection, before starting to walk away.
She blinked, watching his back as he moved back towards the others. With a desperate knoweledge that she had to move quickly, she acted on impulse and pulled out her cellphone. (a/n: This could happen!) It was a new one that Izzy had bought her for Christmas. The company he worked for had made it, and programmed an instant email service into it.
She punched the keys, then hit send. ~Have you ever been in love?~
Even as he walked away, she heard his beep and saw him pause long enough to pull it out of his pocket. He hit a button, and looked at the screen, coming to a complete standstill. She swallowed, licking her lips, as he stood there, unmoving, for several moments.
Her phone beeped suddenly, and she looked down. She hit the recieve button, and looked at the screen closely. She tapped her finger on the plastic, trying to think of a response. ~Have you?~
//'Cause I talk to you like children.
Though I don't know
How I feel but I know
I'll do the right thing
If the right thing is revealed.//
Following her own advice, she swallowed her pride, and took her courage by the tail. ~Yes. Once. But he's been my best friend for six years, and I don't know how to tell him.~
The response was almost immediate. ~I know many words that describe the human emotion love, but, in this case, I think that there are three that you should use, in this order. I. Love. You. Trust me, there isn't a soul on earth that wouldn't like those words coming from your lips.~
She stood up as he turned around, waiting for her response. There was no pretense anymore, they both knew what was coming. Yet, she held back, her fingers pausing over the send key after she typed in those eight little letters. If she sent it, and misunderstood, it would break her heart, but if she was right, and he loved her, and she didn't send it, it would break his.
Without a second thought, she hit the button, and then waited for his phone to beep.
//But it's always raining in my head
-forget all the thing things
I should have said//
He looked at his phone in amazement, his face a mask of shock and pleasure. He looked up, prepared to tell her how much he loved her, how much she meant. He had the words, lined up in his head, ready to let them pour out.
He approached her determined to tell her everything that was in his heart, but she licked her lips, and with a sudden urge, he dropped his eloquence, letting it slip away as his lips met hers in a soul-searing kiss.
From the picnic table, Matt caught the kiss, and let out a whoop, causing the others to look up. They looked at the happy couple, blushing in each other's arms, and followed Matt's lead, applauding them on finally getting together. Nobody seemed to notice that it was her ex of thirty minutes that started the cheering.
_______________________
That was...okay...I think. It was something, anyway. Hope you enjoyed. FYI/WARNING: Yaoi only beyond this point.