contest entry: Surface Tension by Elvis

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entry #15, Surface Tension by Elvis

synopsis: Inspired by episode #25 of Kagrra no Su.
ratings/warnings: PG-13
entered in: category 1 (open)
dartboard: yes
concrit: 2







Practice had been normal up until the end, though Saga had seemed to be in an irritable mood throughout. Thinking nothing of it, Tora had made some comment about having plans later on, and the next thing he knew, Saga stormed off in a huff, slamming the door. Tora blinked and stared at the door Saga had just exited through, a confused look on his face. "What's gotten into him?" he asked to no one in particular.


Hiroto shared a look with Nao, and edged closer to Tora reluctantly as the drummer made a 'you handle it' motion. "Tora..." he started, and then faltered, biting his lip as he fidgeted.


"What?" Tora turned to look at Hiroto, still confused. "Was it something I said?"


"Well, no, not exactly..."


"I think he's jealous!" Three sets of eyes focused on Shou, and the vocalist froze on the couch, food halfway to his mouth. "What? It's possible, you know," he mumbled, suddenly finding the food he was eating quite interesting.


Tora looked more confused than ever. "Can someone please explain to me what happened?"


"Well, I think it started when you did that date thing with Akiya..." Hiroto said slowly, glancing to Nao with a pleading look. Nao just rolled his eyes and shook his head, busying himself with his drum set.


"With Akiya?" Tora looked blank for a moment before realization dawned. "Oh. Oh. But--but that was just for show."


"We know that, Tora, but--"


"But Saga doesn't see it that way, clearly," Nao finally chimed in, punctuating his statement with a clatter as he dropped a drumstick. Muttering a curse, he bent to retrieve it and hit his head on his snare drum with another grumbled expletive.


Tora pressed his lips into a frown as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "How did I know I'd regret doing that?" he muttered with a sigh as he walked toward the couch and sat next to Shou.


"So instead of telling you like any normal person, he expected you to just know how he felt," Nao said, rubbing his head as he emerged from beneath his drum set.


Tora eyed Nao with a raised eyebrow as he slouched, stretching his legs out in front of him. "Oh, really?"


"Maybe he's just tired?" Hiroto asked quietly, studying the floor as he shrugged with a jerky movement.


"Saga never glared at me for goofing off with you, Pon," Tora said with a small smirk.


"Yeah, well, that's just different," Hiroto mumbled, turning away abruptly to hide his sudden blush.


"Different how? We get just as suggestive, if not more--"


"I dunno, it just is! Different, I mean," Hiroto said, flailing his arms as he pretended to fuss with his equipment.


"Nao, you know Saga pretty well--" Shou started, his tone playful.


"We're just friends, Shou," Nao cut him off with a pointed look.


"Right, and you're a better liar than Hiropon," Shou said with a grin.


"I'm not lying!" Hiroto protested, and then glared at Shou as the vocalist cracked up laughing. "Stop tricking me, jerk."


Tora struggled to keep a straight face, but a chuckle escaped anyway. "What aren't you lying about, Pon?"


Hiroto turned his glare on Tora and added a pout for effect. "Well, unlike Saga, I don't expect anything!" he said, and then blushed beet red.


"Oh, Tora, you're holding out on us!" Shou snickered, poking the guitarist in the arm playfully.


"Since none of you are going after Saga, I suppose I will," Nao said with another roll of his eyes as he headed for the studio door to follow the bassist.


"Good luck!" Shou said with a grin.


"This is hardly the way I expected to discover two bandmates have a crush on me," Tora grumbled, and then gestured emphatically, nearly smacking Shou with one arm. "I'm straight! You all know that, or I thought you did."


"I do not have a crush on you!" Hiroto protested, though every possible physical cue in his stance said otherwise. He really hated being a terrible liar.


"Pon, even I noticed before now, but... well, I figured you and Shou--"


"Hah, right. That is just fanservice, Tora," Shou pronounced, poking Tora again.


"I'm going, to--to get, uh, a drink," Hiroto said with a scowl, fumbling a bit as he hurried out.


"Good job there, Shou. At least it wasn't me this time."


"Aww, hell." Finishing his food, Shou set it aside with a sigh and slouched, mirroring Tora.


"I thought Saga and Nao were... you know."


"Hell if I know," Shou said with a shrug, eyeing Tora. "I thought so, but lately..." He shrugged again. "Maybe they had an argument?"


"If Saga's mad at me about fanservice, he's gonna have to just deal, because that's all it was."


"Well, you've never really done fanservice with any of us before... except Hiroto, but--"


"Even that doesn't really count... does it?"


"You did go on a date with Akiya, and to an amusement park, no less. I dunno if any of us would be that obvious in public."


"But it was on camera, so naturally it was going to be pretty blatant. I mean, it was all scripted beforehand and intentional."


"Yes, but--"


"It's not like we kissed or snuggled."


"Well, no, but the pictures..."


"So? We followed the instructions we were given, that's all."


"Would you be comfortable doing that sort of thing with Hiropon, or one of us, on camera?"


Tora paused and blinked, and then sighed as he rubbed his eyes. "Point taken. So what should I do, apologize? I didn't even know, and even if I did, it wouldn't have changed anything."


"He'll get over it, I'm sure," Shou said, slapping Tora's shoulder lightly. "And if not, he and Hiropon can bitch about you over ice cream or something," Shou said with a snicker as he playfully jumped up and darted out of range before the guitarist could retaliate.


"Gee, thanks," Tora muttered with a mock scowl, crossing his arms over his chest.


"You calling me girly, Shou?"


Shou started and turned to find Saga in the doorway, leaning on the frame in a pose that would have been nonchalant if not for the scowl on the bassist's face. "Er, no, not seriously..."


"Tora and I need to talk," Saga said flatly, stepping into the room.


"And that'd be my cue to leave, right. Okay, see ya both around then," Shou said as he edged around Saga. Picking up his bag, he shouldered it and gave the other two a wave as he headed out. "Don't kill him, Saga, unless you wanna find us a new guitarist!"


Saga rolled his eyes and shut the door firmly after the vocalist, then fixed his glare onto Tora who was looking rather nervous by then.


"Look, Saga, if it's about Akiya--"


"It's not what you think," Saga snapped, crossing his arms as he leaned against the closed door.


"I didn't mean to make you--it isn't?" Tora blinked, caught off guard and just managing to save himself before blurting out what he'd been in the process of saying.


"No, and I'm not jealous," Saga said with a snort.


"Then why are you mad at me?"


In answer, Saga reached into his pocket, took out his phone and flipped it open, then fiddled with it for a few moments. Once he'd found what he was looking for, he walked over and presented the screen to Tora. "This look familiar to you?" he asked casually, a small smirk playing on his lips.


Tora peered at the picture, squinted, and then blinked, eyes widening. "You were stalking me?"


"No, but I happened to be at the same club, and saw you two walk in."


"So you saw--"


"Yep." Saga flipped to another picture, and then scrolled through a half dozen more, still holding the phone for Tora to see.


"But if you're not jealous, why is it any of your business?" Tora asked, pushing Saga's hand away and giving the bassist an irritated glare.


"Maybe because you're in denial if you keep telling us you're straight, and you're hurting Hiropon," Saga said through clenched teeth as he snapped his phone shut and pocketed it again.


"Well, I figured out the last part while you were off sulking, or whatever you were doing," Tora muttered, leaning back and crossing his arms. "Still, it's not any of your business who I go out with."


"You're leading Hiroto on and you know it, and you're lying to all of us as well." Saga mimicked Tora's pose and expression.


"Well gee, I didn't know I was supposed to make an announcement about it," Tora said dryly, though he scowled up at Saga. "I'm not leading Pon on, he knows I don't feel that way about him. And what you saw was me and Akiya getting way too drunk together--"


"But you just said you were seeing him."


"I didn't--that's not what I meant--"


"Oh, please, Tora. Quit lying about it. It's not like we're going to care if you're bisexual, or even gay. The point is don't pretend to be straight to us when you're not. The fans will believe whatever they want anyway, but don't lie to your friends."


Tora sighed, sagging down a few more inches into the couch. "Look, fine, so maybe I am sorta bi... but that night, we just got a bit too drunk, okay? Nothing happened after, and if you must know, nothing's happened since, either."


Saga just raised an eyebrow at the guitarist, his expression clearly disbelieving. "So if I call Akiya, he'll back you up on that?"


Tora shifted uncomfortably. "It's really none of your business, Saga. I don't go prying into your life like this, so I don't see why I'm being interrogated here."


"I don't lie and make a big fuss about being straight, Tora. Nor do I mess around with my band mate and then go make out with Akiya in some club--"


"So now I'm to blame because Pon and I are close friends, and he wanted more than I can give?"


Saga sighed, shifting on his feet. "The point is, you're hurting Hiroto's feelings by doing what you're doing, Tora. And if I didn't decide to talk to you about it, Nao would have eventually."


"You're lecturing me on my private life, not talking. There's a difference."


"Your private life could affect the band in this case, so yes, it is my business. It's Nao's business, and Shou's too."


"If I'm hurting his feelings, why doesn't he talk to me? And if it hasn't affected the band before now, nothing's changed to make it affect things now," Tora said stubbornly, glowering up at Saga. "From what I saw, Pon was more hurt by Shou saying the antics onstage were just fanservice than by anything I did or didn't do."


Saga faltered at that, but seemed to shake himself and regain his lecturing manner from before. "Look, all of us get to hear too many details about what goes on between you two, and what doesn't for that matter."


Tora sighed, rubbing his face as he sat up a bit. "When you left in a huff, even Pon was saying it was because of Akiya, and Nao seemed sure it was because you... well, now I'm just confused about everything," he said with a frown.


"Don't flatter yourself, Tora. If I wanted in your pants, I'd have just borrowed a pair." Saga snorted, rolling his eyes as he turned away with a shake of his head.


"Fine, whatever. I'll talk to Pon later if that'll get you off my back about it, though I think you're making a big deal out of nothing."


Saga turned around to reply, but at that moment Hiroto opened the door to peek inside, and his expression clearly said he was surprised to find the other two still in the room. "What, did you think you'd find us screwing like rabbits by now?" Saga asked with a raised eyebrow, arms crossed over his chest.


"I... uh, well, no," Hiroto stammered, blinking as he opened the door wider and just stood there looking flustered. "I just thought you--well, um, never mind. I'll see you later, I guess." Retreating hurriedly, Hiroto all but fled back down the hall.


"See? That hardly looked like jealousy to me," Tora said with a hint of smugness.


Saga frowned at the closed door for a long moment before he turned back to Tora. "Just be honest with us. If you're dating Akiya, don't hide it. We're not gonna judge you, just don't lie, okay?"


"Okay, fine, you win. I'll be sure to update all of you on my private life from now on. Happy now?" Tora scowled and stood to his full height, topping Saga by a couple inches.


"Good," Saga snapped, stepping back and turning away to gather his equipment.


With a quiet sigh, Tora finished packing up and hefted his bags. He let Saga exit before him, and waited a few minutes before heading out himself. He'd barely arrived home some time later when his cell phone rang, and he fished it out of his coat pocket. Setting down his bag, he shut the door and smiled at the number before raising the phone to his ear.


"Hey, Akiya."


"Hey, you still wanna go see that movie?"


"Sure, meet you there. I just got in."


"Okay, sounds good." There was a pause and muffled background noise, and a click of a door closing, cutting off the sound. "Um, just one thing... remember that night at the club?"


Tora's stomach flip-flopped and he swallowed before answering. "Yeah... what about it?"


"Did you--I mean, well, I guess it's better if we talk in person, but... uh, I guess it's a good sign you haven't ignored me, right?"


Tora forced a laugh, releasing the breath he'd been unconsciously holding. "Well, to be honest, I wasn't as drunk as you were that night."


"Oh?" Akiya laughed after a brief pause. "Well, that's good, I think--"


"Listen, we can get some coffee at that café near the theater, and talk a bit. I have a sort of confession to make."


"Uh oh, should I be worried?" Akiya laughed again, the sound a bit nervous.


"No, I don't think so," Tora said with a chuckle. "I don't think it'll surprise you at all, but we'll see how it works out."


"Okay then, see you soon."


"Yeah, I'll be there in... say, half an hour?"


"Right, see ya."


"Bye."

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I'm afraid that if I had read it more closely, I might have quit entirely. ^^;; I'm sorry, but the dialogue wasn't interesting, the actions weren't interesting, and so there was nothing to hold my attention and motivate me to continue reading. If you tighten it up to about half the length, and/or give the dialogue a good shot of wit, then it could be good, or at least not dull.

[(Anonymous)]

If it was so dull to you, you didn't need to review. :/ In any case, I'll do my best to make it "interesting" in the next draft, though I suppose people will read it just for the eventual pairing more than the rest.

[(Anonymous)]

I had forgotten that the concrit level was 2. >.<;; I apologize, no insult was intended but I get the feeling it was received. I'm sure it will be fine when you've had more time to spend on it.

[(Anonymous)]

It's okay. ^^; It's useful to know that some people completely missed the underlying things in the fic, and I'll work on that. The one thing that kinda bothered me was that you said you just skimmed it because it was so boring to you. :/ But I'd rather know what really didn't work in the fic than just get praise, so I appreciate your opinions. ^^;