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A Morenatsu Fanfic I wrote a while back. My idea being what would happen to Torahiko if you, the player, had picked someone else as the love interest (I’m using the Tatsuki route here). Those who have read it in the Morenatsu thread MIGHT see some slight changes here, which was the result of me making this whole fic in Torahiko’s POV. And special thanks to for proofreading this fic. :) Anyways, please enjoy!

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Four hours. Four hours of overtime, three irate parties demanding why the inn had no available rooms (I’m sorry, sirs, but we really have no more vacancies), two asshole customers complaining about their food (which was bullshit, since his dad was the one who cooked it), one massive drama bomb as a woman from the city stormed in their inn after following her cheating husband (who was sleeping with another male, to boot) and nearly attacked the guy on the spot, and a long lecture from his dad about bombing his math test last Friday. As if he expected Torahiko to have time for math while making him work at the inn all the time!

Torahiko dragged his sneakers up the half-lit road towards the riverbank, head down, and wondered if he should invest in ear plugs because seriously, who needed hearing when all he heard these days was compla –

Thud!

“Gah!” The tiger fell back on his butt, cursing his luck and wondering who the hell would put a wall on the –

“Tora? What’re you doing?”

Looking up, Torahiko saw Juuichi was looking at him with a puzzled scowl. The bear was offering his hand to help him up, and Torahiko gratefully accepted it while using his other hand to try and get the dust off his shorts. “I could ask the same thing, Juuichi-san. Geez, you’re like an iron wall, you know that?” He would’ve remarked that it was Juuichi’s fault that he planted himself on the road like that in the first place, but he didn’t feel like getting sent to the hospital at the moment so he kept quiet.

Juuichi snorted and flicked a finger at the tiger’s forehead. “No apologies? You’re being rude again, Tora. I was out for a walk.” He said in explanation and looked back at the night sky and added, “I was just watching the stars when you just bumped into me like that.”

“Ah, really? Sorry about that.” Torahiko rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment and looked up at the starry night. It reminded him of that night back in summer when Hiroyuki was about to go back to the city, and he felt a pang of sadness that he quickly squashed down. I am so not thinking about that right now.

He was brought out of his musings by Juuichi’s words. “C’mon, let’s go for a walk.” Torahiko didn’t know if Juuichi noticed his feelings or whatever, but he felt grateful when the bear gave his shoulder an encouraging pat and led him down the road. Torahiko had to wonder though, why did the bear hastily put his hands in his jacket’s pockets?

Deciding that it wasn’t his business anyway, Torahiko mentally shrugged and put it out of his minds. The two continued their walk, stepping off the road and following the river back to the place where they saw the fireworks with everyone last summer. Torahiko had his head down as he walked, grumbling under his breath and tail lashing in agitation, grateful that at least he had Juuichi as company. He didn’t know if he had the energy for Kounosuke’s pestering and optimism right now, and Shun and Soutaro’s wide-eyed innocence and concern would probably make him feel worse. Kouya would’ve tried to piss him off to get him out of his funk, while Shin’s bluntness would’ve made him flinch in shame. He wasn’t sure if he was up to listening to Kyoji’s insight and advice, and as for Tatsu-onii…well, it would’ve been awkward at the very least. At least, with Juuichi he was sure what to expect. A scolding for some rude remark here or a judo move for some stupid thing there, both things he could handle at the moment.

Juuichi waited a few more seconds before asking, “What’s wrong, Tora?”

Flinching at the bear’s concerned tone, Torahiko tried to give Juuichi the cheeriest smile he could muster, but he stuttered, “W-wrong? N-nothing’s wrong! I’m perfectly fine, Juuichi-senpai!” He gave a boisterous laugh but saw Juuichi’s scowl, one that clearly said ‘I know perfectly well you’re lying, so tell me the truth’. Torahiko had to admit that he was impressed with how many different things the bear could express with just a simple frown. Not even Shin was able to do that.

Juuichi began ticking off points with his finger. “One, you just called me ‘senpai’, something you always say when you’re up to something. Two, you stuttered in your answer, and no, don’t give me your ‘it’s just the chill of the night’ because I’ve heard it before. Three, you’ve been looking down ever since we saw each other. Four, your body language tells me you’ve got something in your mind. And finally,” Juuichi looked away from Torahiko, blushing and speaking softly, “you’ve been too quiet. You can never go five minutes without talking about something.”

Torahiko almost felt like blushing himself. He’d never admit it, but Juuichi had been right on all points. Sighing, he rubbed the back of his head and grumbled, “It’s nothing. Just some stuff at the inn, you know? You and Kouya heard it all before.” He knew that most people would’ve been surprised to know it, but he and Kouya were actually good friends. For all the arguments they got into, they were both there for one another and ready to listen to each others’ problems.

Reaching their destination, Torahiko stopped and looked around. No one else was in the area aside from him and Juuichi. The moon was shining brightly in the sky, its light reflected in the river’s surface. Everything was quiet, save for the buzz of insects in the woods. “Ah, is that so?” Torahiko looked up at the bear’s words, not missing the worry in his voice. “I just thought it was because…” Juuichi trailed off, looking up at the starry night, and from the look on the bear’s face, Torahiko had the sinking feeling that the bear also remembered that this was just like the night back in summer with Hiroyuki.

Any other time, Torahiko would’ve been able to shrug it off with a grin and a joke, but he was tired, stressed out, and the bear’s words managed to ignite something in him. Juuichi was the last person he’d expect to bring up that topic – and to see the pity in his eyes, it made him snap.

“Because of what?” Torahiko demanded, fists clenched at his sides. “Thought I was feeling bad because I was thinking of Hiroyuki or something?” Seeing the guilt in Juuichi’s eyes made him angrier and he began to pace, trying to resist the urge to punch the bear. “Dammit! Why the hell does everyone think that?”

“Tora, I – “ Juuichi began, but Torahiko cut him off.

“Don’t say you’re sorry or something,” Torahiko snarled. “I’m sick and tired of everyone’s pity and you’re the only person who never gave me that!” It wasn’t exactly the best-kept secret in their group that he loved Hiroyuki, but everyone was just too polite to say anything about how Torahiko was cast in the ‘Friends Zone’. When Hiroyuki left, Torahiko had to deal with the sympathy from his friends. They never said anything, but the pity in their eyes and their actions spoke volumes.

Shun kept inviting him to play video games more often, gushing about the latest games like ‘Moogleman Legends 3’ or ‘Fantastic Fantasy Tactics A3’. Kounosuke had begun treating him to ice cream constantly, something he never did before. Soutaro constantly invited him for morning jogs, smiling as he explained how they needed to train their legs more for their respective sports. Shin never said anything, which was unexpected from the blunt cat, but he was also smoothly steering the conversation away whenever it got too close to Hiroyuki. Torahiko had been expecting some snide remarks from Kouya, but it never came. Kouya had kept quiet about the whole thing, and that was worse in Torahiko’s opinion. Kyoji was the same as always, but Torahiko noticed the upperclassman looking at him with concern in his eyes from time to time. And Tatsu-onii…well, it had taken Torahiko weeks just to convince the dragon that he didn’t hate him.

“I’m fine, okay?” he snapped. “So Hiroyuki chose someone else, that’s fine, that’s just the way things go. What bugs me is that everyone treats me like I’m some glass doll or something, expecting I’d break down anytime he’s mentioned!” True, he was hurt that Hiroyuki never returned his feelings (never even noticed it in the first place), but Torahiko prided himself over not crying about it. “I’m just tired at everyone feeling sorry for me just because I screwed up,” he finished softly.

Torahiko noticed that Juuichi looked like he wanted to comfort him, but thankfully Torahiko had made it very clear he would not appreciate anything he'd think of as a sign of sympathy, so the bear kept his distance. He felt a little vindicated in seeing the bear’s face twist in shame and pain though. Good. At least he realizes how shitty I’ve been feeling now. However, Torahiko felt his breath hitch at the bear’s next question. “Screwed up? Why would you think that?”

Torahiko felt his anger returning. “What else would I think?! I kept pushing and prodding Hiroyuki, kept hinting and dropping innuendos, so he must have been turned off at some point! He must’ve thought I was trying too hard, or thought I was being creepy or something!” Oh shit – he could feel himself crying now, unable to stop the tears from flowing. He turned away, ashamed Juuichi could see him break down like this.

Torahiko heard the bear stepping closer to him, but still refused to turn around. Bad enough that Juuichi was hearing him sniffing and crying like a little child, Torahiko didn’t want the bear to see the tears streaking his cheeks. Juuichi’s voice was soft, almost cautious. “Where’d you get that idea?”

“I-I’m sure Hiroyuki must’ve thought about it a-at some point,” Torahiko choked out, his shoulders shaking. “I-I mean, he and Tatsu-onii made their choices, and I-I respect it, but it’s just so damn h-hard not to wonder where things went wrong, you know? A-and I kept thinking and thinking about it and I can’t come up with anything else besides me s-screwing it up somehow!”

“Tora, is that what you really think?” Torahiko felt Juuichi place a hand on his shoulder and turn him around so that he was looking straight into the bear’s dark eyes. From the look on Juuichi's face, one would think the bear’s stomach had contracted into a ball of ice.
Torahiko nodded tremulously, unsure what the bear wanted.

“That’s bullshit!” Juuichi shouted, and Torahiko jumped, shocked at what he heard just come out of the bear’s mouth. Looking satisfied, Juuichi continued. “Nishimura is a good person, and he would never think those things about you. The same goes for Tatsu-san.” He stepped closer, keeping his eyes locked onto Torahiko’s. “It’s no one’s fault…it’s just how these things go, as you said.” Torahiko stiffened when Juuichi pulled him into his arms, the bear gripping him tightly yet gently (not like when he was performing judo moves on Torahiko), easily stopping Torahiko’s attempts to free himself.

For his part, Torahiko was still confused. He was very much tempted to believe the bear and think that it wasn’t anyone’s fault. He could feel that part of him, the part that looked for something to blame and pointed fingers and howled in a child’s voice ‘My fault! My fault!!’ slowly becoming silent. Torahiko stopped struggling and cried in the bear’s arms, his hands clutching on the bear’s back like a lifeline. The bear’s presence was warm and comforting and made him feel safe. He placed his head on Juuichi’s shoulder and sobbed, “S-so, why do I feel like this?”

“Because you’re a kindhearted idiot,” Juuichi replied softly. “Tora, believe me, nothing’s wrong with you.” The corners of his mouth twisted into a small smile and he looked at the tiger. “Well, except that you’re a loudmouth, you do the most annoying things sometimes, you’re horrible at studying, and your handwriting’s a complete mess.”

That got a watery chuckle out of Torahiko. “I’m glad you still put up with me then.”

They stayed that way for a few more minutes, Juuichi rubbing a hand on Torahiko’s back in comfort, while Torahiko’s sobs slowly stopped. Rubbing his eyes, Torahiko stepped away from the bear and managed a weak smile. “Thanks for listening to me, senpai. Who’d have thought you were a really nice guy under that scary-looking face?”

Juuichi frowned and Torahiko knew the bear was resisting the urge to throw him over his shoulder. “Rude as always. Now I know you’re feeling better again.” Looking away, he added, “The Tora I know is always cheerful and smiling. I don’t like to see you sad like that, so tell me when you feel down and I’ll listen, all right?”

Blinking, Torahiko noticed the blush on the bear’s cheeks and ears. No way, he couldn’t be – “Senpai, do you – “ Before he could finish that sentence, he was silenced by the bear’s glare and frown, one that said ‘Shut up and listen to me’.

Juuichi looked Tora in the eye, his voice even. “Tora, don’t think about it for now. You’re confused, vulnerable, and you’ll probably have a lot to think about tonight.” He took one of the tiger’s hands and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You deal with whatever you have to deal with; I can wait for whenever you’re ready to talk about…this.”

Smiling, Torahiko nodded. He knew that Juuichi was right, but he couldn’t resist teasing the bear a little. Before Juuichi could react, Torahiko leaned in and gave him a small kiss to the lips. He chuckled at the bear’s stunned expression. “Thanks for everything, Juuichi-senpai.”

Recovering from his shock, Juuichi shook his head at Torahiko. “I knew you only called me senpai when you’re up to something.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t see you complaining about it,” Torahiko countered in a smug tone. He sat on the grass, gesturing for Juuichi to join his side.

Grumbling, Juuichi sat next to Torahiko but didn’t dispute his words.

The two stayed there for quite some time talking, looking at the starry night with only each other for company.