Hurting and healing in a shallower sense (if you want to look at it that way).
For paranoiascreams.
Inspiration from one of my own RPs.

✖

Nothing really changed after he and Saga got together, Tora mused, and he wasn’t unhappy about it. There was a sense of normalcy and security in how things remained as they are and it was good. There wasn’t even anything special with how they actually got together – it was just another story of two friends finding themselves a little bit too compatible and trying out to see if things would work out. No cheesy declarations of love or anything like that, just the simple question of ‘do you wanna go out some time?’ because of course everybody knew what those seven words really meant especially if coupled with a binding eye contact. After that there weren’t even any exchange of clandestine looks because of course that only happened in fiction.

Nothing was different. At least, nothing was drastically different.

A romantic relationship ought to change something in the behavior of the two parties involved in it, regardless how small, and usually for the better. Of course in a more laid back setting there would be unwarranted sweetness, a need to impress their partner, at least a minor change in a person’s attitude, a developing closeness and so on. They weren’t in a laid back setting, of course, but certainly their budding closeness did not go unnoticed to the people around them, not that it was a bad thing as friendships usually grow stronger in time.

In closeness comes the change in attitude. When you’re comfortable enough with a person, there are things you do that you wouldn’t normally do around somebody who’s just an acquaintance. Maybe you’d be comfortable enough to belch or fart in their presence without feeling the least bit guilty.

Not that Tora remembered Saga doing any of those, and if he did, it didn’t bother him at all; anyway it was a part of human life. Though he did chuckle at the thought of Saga belching and farting, that would definitely be a sight (or sound, for that matter).

He did remember Saga hitting him a little bit too often when he made jokes, or even if he didn’t – if the bassist found something funny he’d slap Tora on the back or at the shoulders – but that didn’t bother Tora at all. Not until he noticed a couple of discolorations on his skin, but anyway the spots would usually be covered by his shirt.

Not to mention being the butt of Saga’s meaner pranks like having pizzas or prostitutes delivered at his doorstep at 2 in the morning, with the bassist bragging about his accomplishment during band meetings. It was still all in good spirit of course, and it wasn’t as if Tora really minded, what with being the one being usually bullied, maybe after Saga. Revenge would be a possible motivator, but it happened too often that one would think Saga was having his sadistic fun at his expense. Of course Tora didn’t think that, but it happened a little too often for his liking.

What really led him to think that Saga was getting a little too comfortable with him was when the bassist wrote songs that were a bit too hard or made him practice pieces of the like. Not that Tora would complain since it was actually good for practice, but most of the songs had his fretting hand bleed a couple of times. Admittedly he hadn’t been practicing a lot of advanced technical pieces, but as a fellow guitarist Saga already knew that blood would certainly be shed, not only in the figurative sense.

Saga wasn’t really a sadist in the true sense of the word, but he certainly was getting ruthless as their relationship progressed.

The thought would always be short-lived in Tora’s mind though, he was usually much more immersed with how caring and sweet and loving Saga usually was, at least when people’s backs are turned around from them. After all, if anybody catches onto the two of them, who knows what kind of hell would break loose. Tora could only shudder at the thought. It was just another hidden relationship, of course.

Still the thought would persist especially when he’s currently faced with the situation. He pulled the sleeve of his shirt up to find his shoulder still red from Saga’s little but consistent punches earlier as he was telling Nao and the rest about how he stole Tora’s car keys so he’d be forced to take the train to work. He sighed as Saga so happily pranced (that’s what it looked to Tora) next to him while he on the other hand dreaded stepping inside the studio. There were only two of them left, aside from a couple of staff who really wouldn’t pay attention to them, and that meant they would practice together. This mainly translated to Saga simply watching and not at all practicing himself as he’d be busy waiting until Tora’s fingers bled.

Another sigh escaped him as Saga pushed the door open, patiently waiting until he also stepped inside and took a seat on the nearby chair. He leaned back on the backrest and closed his eyes, covering his face with his arm as an expression of dread, but Saga didn’t seem to care – the keyword being seem, of course.

A few minutes later and his guitar was already being held up by Saga in front of him, and he groaned. The bassist only gave him a dismissive roll of the eyes and placed the instrument at his lap and of course he had to take it. Obviously there was no escape, except for getting all of this over with. Anyway, it was for the best, and Tora was always one to look at the brighter side.

Saga took pulled two chairs in front of Tora, one where he seated at and one where he dropped his bag. The bag tipped sideways and some of its contents were revealed.

When Tora saw the bandaids, somehow things just happened to make more sense.