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Even though it's slow at first...
Cold wind blew at Toboe's face, turning his cheeks a bright pink. He clung onto Tsume as if his life depended, his earlier attempt to fall asleep a big failure. Kee snuggled up against his stomach, tranquil and purring softly, tickling him a bit. He didn't know where they were heading, or what he'd have to do in order to repay the one he was in debt to. But a strange feeling of trust swelled inside him as he rested his head on Tsume's back.
He had never felt such a trust toward someone before...
His grandma was family so of course he trusted her. Even so, Toboe was introverted, having no real friends, just acquaintances. Acquaintances he couldn't really trust. "Tsume...?"
"What?" Toboe flinched, not used to the icy attitude.
"Do... do you have any friends?"
"Why would you want to know that? The only thing you should worry about is your debt." Tsume glared at the red light in front of him, beckoning it to turn green. The sooner the boy was gone, the sooner he could stop answering the foolish, naïve questions.
The traffic light finally turned green and he took off, pushing the motorcycle to its limit. He didn't want to be around the other any longer. It was starting to... affect him in an unfamiliar way and he wasn't going to sit around doing nothing, allowing the strange sensation to pass through his defenses.
"Oh... I was just wondering..."
"No."
"Huh?"
"I don't have any friends."
The black motorcycle came to an abrupt stop and Toboe glanced up, curious as to why they suddenly stopped.
He mentally slapped himself for asking a question that had an answer which anyone could figure out, if one was paying attention. But he had been too busy occupying himself with Tsume's words to notice. Toboe smiled sadly, the low self esteem from many years of isolation causing him to feel less confident about himself. It was obvious that they had reached their destination. Why else would they stop?
Tsume got up, quickly slipping out of the grasp of the thoughtful boy and turned around to meet his gaze. "We're here, kid," he muttered, displeasure clearly written all over his words.
Toboe frowned, due to the harsh tone thrown at him and also because he had no clue as to where 'here' is. "Where is... here?"
"My place," was the simple reply. There was no hesitation, no fear, unlike his own way of speaking, which was shy and quiet-like.
Toboe sighed dejectedly and got off the bike, carrying his new pet kitten, Kee, with one arm, his other trying desperately to warm himself up. It was cold. Kee mewled, clawing at the insides of his sweater in order to gain his attention. "Shh... quiet, Kee."
"You're going to have to get rid of that."
"What? Why?"
"Because I don't like pets."
"B-but--"
"No!" Tsume snarled, causing Toboe to recoil.
"Kee won't do anything..." the young one reasoned. "She's a good girl..."
A sigh of irritation passed Tsume's lips and he gave up. Nothing that he'd say was going to stop the boy from bringing his cat with him. Why was he giving up anyway? He should just tell the idiot brat to scram, leave him alone, and forget about the whole 'repaying' deal. Why was he giving him a chance to repay him when there was nothing to be repaid?
Oh, the heck with it. Tsume thought.
"Fine. Follow me."
Toboe immediately brightened up. "Okay!"
They parted from the motorcycle, Tsume leading the way to an apartment building and Toboe trailing behind, happily petting Kee every once in a while. They walked in comfortable silence, quite amazingly. When they reached the front of the apartment building, Tsume made a left turn, his apartment on the highest floor. There was no elevator so the pair had to walk up the stairs, accompanied with Toboe's whining about how his legs ached every few minutes.
Finally, they reached the top, and began to walk down a long hallway, one that led to a certain room.
314, it read. Toboe marveled at the black numbers pinned onto the door, metal in substance and cool to the touch. He'd have to remember those numbers if he wanted to see Tsume again. He had no idea as to why he would but he felt a strange urge to be closer to the older male, an odd feeling he couldn't recognize but felt strangely familiar. It made him feel giddy and happy inside, a peculiar sense of 'like' pointed at his white haired friend. As if that would ever happen, Toboe thought bitterly. I don't have any friends...
"Get in."
"Huh?"
"Get in!"
"O-oh! I'm sorry!" Toboe apologized, quickly entering the room. His cheeks burned with embarrassment. He hadn't meant to space out like that. It just... happened.
"Well, this is your task," Tsume stated impassively. He quickly walked away from the baffled boy, assuming that he completely understood his orders, and plainly sat down on his couch. Toboe titled his head to the side, confused by what was being handed to him.
"Er... what... am I supposed to do?" he asked timidly, afraid of being yelled at, or even worse, thrown out into the cold with no ways of going home.
"Clean the apartment. What else?"
"Oh..."
Toboe nodded and began to work. The whole time he was busy putting Tsume's place back into proper order, he didn't notice the pair of gold eyes following his every move, watching him from afar. But if he did, he might have been frightened out of his wits. Tsume was watching him, carefully memorizing every single detail he displayed in front of the male unintentionally.
Tsume didn't really know why himself, but he needed something to do while the other cleaned. So he watched him, stared at him even after he was done and was brushing imaginary dirt off his clothes.
"Tsume, I'm finished!"
Gold eyes snapped back to reality, its owner disgruntled after being wretched out of his subtle scrutiny of Toboe. "Oh, good. You can leave now," he muttered, pretending to sound disinterested and bored.
Toboe lowered his eyes, hiding the disappointment that was washing over him. "Oh... I was kind of hoping that you could..."
"Take you home?"
"Um... yea..."
"Fine," Tsume said through gritted teeth, showing the false coldness that everyone who knew him often feared. He stood up from his resting position and grabbed the keys to his bike. "Lock the door for me," he said, already out the door.
"Um... o-okay! W-wait for me, Ts-sume!"
The tanned male halted in his steps and leaned against a wall, his expression unenthusiastic and in the slightest form of distaste. "Hurry up," he commanded gruffly. Toboe quickly grabbed Kee from the ground and ran out the apartment room, shutting it gently to not disturb the neighbors.
"Did you lock it?" Tsume asked.
"Um... y-yes."
"Good, let's get going. I don't want to waste any more time on you." Toboe shook his head and simply smiled. At least he was getting a ride home, even if he was going to be out in the rain, clinging onto someone he hardly knew and without an umbrella, too. But he had to admit it was fun.
They rode into the night, both too engaged in thoughts of the other to start even a small conversation. Toboe watched the road and streets pass by, his mind starting to wander back to the earlier events. He wanted to see Tsume again, hoped to see him again in the future. The chances of it happening was slim but he really wished to be around the elder more.
Tsume unknowingly felt the same, his heart unmistakably aware of what he wanted, his mind too stubborn to admit it. Due to that little fact, he dismissed it off as a minor attraction, a small crush, if you could call it that. He couldn't deny himself that Toboe was the most adorable thing he had ever laid eyes on, but he had never really looked at anyone, not like how he stared at Toboe.
"Where's your home?" Tsume asked, pushing the rousing thoughts back into the farthest regions of his mind.
"It's... just over the other district. You can drop me off at the park. I can walk home from there..."
"Whatever."
After a few minutes, the bike stopped and Toboe refused to move, head downcast and eyes lowered, body not wanting to depart from the warmth Tsume's body emitted. "We're here, kiddo."
"I know..."
"That means you get off. Now."
"I know... but--"
Tsume sighed exasperatedly, patience something he wasn't used to showing. The kid sure knew how to get on his nerves. "Look, you're off the hook, okay? You're free."
I know, Tsume but... I don't want to be off the hook. Toboe thought dispiritedly.
"Okay..." Toboe whispered, voice empty and disheartened. "I'll go."
Tsume raised a slender eyebrow. The kid had a knack for bringing up his curiosity level. It was beginning to bother him, more than he'd like to and would ever admit. Not to another person, anyway. "Look..."
Toboe's head rose up expectantly, eyes wide with anticipation. "Hmm?"
Tsume shifted nervously for the first time in a long while. He tried to think of the quickest and most plausible excuse, but there was none. "I..."
"Um... hmm?"
"You know..."
"Yes?"
"Argh... just forget it. Pretend I never said anything." Toboe lost his hopeful expression, returning to his old forlorn one.
"Oh... well, see you sometime... maybe?"
"Yea, sure."
Without another second's waste, Toboe began to walk down the street, arms wrapped around Kee in hopes of the little kitten's presence would cheer him up. It wasn't that he liked Tsume or anything. He just didn't want to get separated from him. That was all, or so he believed.
"Toboe!"
"Huh?" A head of brown spun around, golden eyes peering at Tsume with a look of awe.
"Meet me here tomorrow."
"W-when!?"
"Three. If you're not here by then, I'm gone."
Before Toboe could utter a reply or even a small goodbye, Tsume hopped onto his bike and rode off, his figure a mere dot in the distance. Three was absolutely perfect, right when he got out from school. Now all that was left to do was to persuade his grandmother to allow him to go meet someone he hardly knew, and just barely met. I'm sure grandmamma will allow it. He reassured himself.
Toboe clutched Kee closer to him, eyes softening and shining with pure contentment. "Tsume..."
And wishes seem to go unnoticed...
To be continued...
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Review Replies
Yume Lynne : I like your mom! It's an interesting way to pronounce 'very'. Perhaps I should try that one. Anyway, thank you very much for the review! XP I'll go dunk my head into a bucket of cold water now, just to make sure this is for real. Wish me luck!
Loyaltohanyo : I think so too! There should be more Tsume x Toboe fics out there! Gosh dang it! Where the heck are they!? /rants/ Anyway, I'm glad you like this. I did write it for my own er... purposes and for all the TxT fans out there!
shady gurl : It does indeed take place at the end. I think I said that in the first chapter. Anyway, you've seen all thirty episodes. I have all thirty on my CDs and the last one ends with them in the future, as you described in the review. I'm sorry to say but you've already seen the 4 OVAs. The ending of the 26 episodes was when the building city thing (I forgot the name) collapsed. The OVAs were released to explain it more clearly (fans didn't understand the ending - episode 26). Eh... anyway, hope you liked this chapter!
Eriol's Anui : I know! I adore the cat scene! XD I hope this fic satisfies your thirst too! And yes, I checked the fic out. I'm sure you've received my review by now, have you not?
Midnyte Wolf : Ah, another person who doesn't think there enough TxT fics out there. I totally agree with you there! XP Opposites do attract! I hope there was more to this chapter, at least. Eh. /shrugs/
Ghani-Chan : Thank you. /bows/ And I did write more. Heeh. I thought the idea was a tad bit unoriginal but eh...
RyuichisLUV : Yep, and like my friend says, "Tsume's going to rape him!". Thank you. I feel really loved now. Hehehe... though... I'm sure there's a word to describe it. "Okay" is what I'd use. Meh.
Gundamwinggirl : I cried too! /sniffles/ It was so sad. And I'm glad TxT is your favorite pairing! Of course, it's mine too. I wouldn't be writing it if it weren't...
Thunder-Goddess-905 : Heh, thanks. I wouldn't call it a 'great' story. XP It's not that good...
Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec : Hehe... I'm glad you're happy! Oh yes, totally! They were so in love! You can't ignore episode 4! Heeh. They do deserve a second chance... XP
FortySeventhLight : Thank you. Um... I guess it just went that way. The not letting them remember thing... hehe. And I hope you keep reading! XD
New York Vanilla : Ah... please read the reply I gave to shady gurl. It'll explain everything and I do not wish to waste a chapter space rewriting the same thing. As for your comment on my fic, thanks!
rekka : /stares blankly/ How is it suspense? Eh... I write stuff without knowing. Meh.
MDfan : Aw... don't say that. I'm just a wannabe writer who's trying to keep people entertained. XD Oh, you read my others? Thank you! I'm glad you liked them. Hopefully this one will turn out good. XP
:-:-:-:
Thank you everyone who reviewed and thanks to those who read this! XD
Well, there's the update. Don't expect more updates any time soon. Maybe in a year or so. Just kidding! But really, don't expect any. I have school, other stories to work on, tests, school, friends, reading, school, food, etc. I will try with the best of my abilities to update this, hopefully in at least two months.
You might get lucky and I'll quite possibly update in two weeks. XP But don't get your hopes up too high. I do not wish to disappoint anyone. So, see you all sometime later this er... lifetime! Bye!
-Miso
Psst, if you get bored of waiting for me to update after a while, go check out my other two TxT fics. XP I'm shamelessly advertising! Bleh.