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Post by Tohma Norstein on Jul 30, 2011 20:30:31 GMT -4
The grip on Tohma's wrist caught him by surprise and he immediately whipped around, shooting Masaru a look that said 'what the hell are you doing?' In the time that Masaru was gone, Tohma had gotten used to not being touched. In fact after his sister, Masaru was the person that touched him the most. His eyes lowered. "It's been years, Masaru! How do you know this isn't me now?" Tohma all but shouted back, mimicking the brunette's tone.
All the anger that Tohma had mananged to build up immediately faded away once he felt Masaru's hand in his, his features quickly softening. He sighed softly. "It wasn't that I didn't think you wouldn't understand, Masaru.. It's just.. I have to do it sooner or later, regardless of whether or not I want to," his voice became laced with guilt, "It wouldn't be fair for her." Surprisingly, Masaru's hand made him feel better, and that fact intrigued him. Even back when they were in DATS, no matter how much of a reckless jackass the boy was being, Tohma always felt just that little bit safer when he was around Masaru.
Tohma's expression changed from initial surprise to wariness. He didn't like the way Masaru was grinning. "..Perhaps.." he answered slowly. Part of him wondered if he kept at boxing just in spite of his father. "You're being serious?" he asked quietly. Tohma closed his eyes, and when they opened again, they held the same challenging spark that he had seen in Masaru's. "Why not?" he asked, smiling slightly before his expression returned serious. "After Maria though. I know I'll want to punch something after that.."
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Post by Masaru Daimon on Jul 31, 2011 4:09:48 GMT -4
Tohma had a point. How could he say that this was still the same boy he once knew? The circumstances had changed, after all. But he couldn't accept that. Masaru still knew which buttons to push to cause a reaction; they were still the same, only older. "Because I know!" he replied without hesitation. "You can say whatever you want, but you're still the same stubborn Mr. Perfect from back then," his voice became a little softer. "You only need to... open up again, that's all."
Listening to Tohma's words, the brunette frowned softly. Of course he would have understood. It might be important to talk to that girl, but he could understand that his friend wasn't looking forward to the upcoming conversation. "Yeah, I know," he nodded softly, for once agreeing with Tohma. Again, he gave the hand a gentle squeeze. It felt nice to hold it like that... "And it's probably for the better if she knows from you and not your... father, huh?" Masaru sighed, grimacing faintly at the thought of Franz. He really didn't want to think about it right now.
The brunette chuckled amused at Tohma's wary expression. Now, that was more a reaction he liked~! "Of course I'm serious!" he grinned. Ever since he got back, he hadn't really gotten the chance to pick a fight. Not that he really wanted to; he was certain that most people wouldn't be much of a challenge anyway. But Tohma was different, had always been. The blond was the only person with the skills to beat him up. Hearing the boy's answer, Masaru couldn't help but grin widely. He enjoyed the challenging look Tohma gave him. "Good, I wouldn't want you to hold back anyway," he laughed shortly before he pointed into the direction of Maria's room, his expression becoming serious again. "Wanna go then? You have something to look forward to now, after all."
jfalfa wow we're already on page 5! O:
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Post by Tohma Norstein on Aug 2, 2011 4:19:22 GMT -4
Tohma raised an eyebrow at the nickname. Stubborn was right; perfect not so much. For many years of his life, Tohma had been pressured into being perfect; the perfect son, the perfect heir, and over time, it had caused some of his personality to diminish, and he became dull and distant. Again..? He wondered if he really did close himself off again during Masaru's absence.
Tohma smiled softly when he felt the gentle pressure on his hand, but immediately began to visibly panic at the thought of his father being alone with Maria. He and his family had already caused the girl enough grief as it was. "Yes, I suppose you're right.." he murmured quietly.
Pushing out his laced fingers, Tohma stretched just enough for his joints to crack. He grimaced at the sound that had come about his many hours in front of a computer and keyboard. If he were to fight Masaru, despite everything, he wasn't going to go easy on the brunette. Tohma shrugged with exaggerated casualty. "I don't know Masaru. I wouldn't say the fight'll be that fair. After all, you've had all that fighting in the Digital World behind you. I've spent the last few years in a lab coat," he drawled, an amused smirk gracing his features.
Following the direction in which Masaru was pointing, Tohma sighed and nodded somberly. Standing by door of his sitting room was one of his butlers, who looked rather bored until he saw the blonde and quickly straightened out. He was one of the few butlers that had developed a crush on Tohma over the years, and flashed a smile that obviously more than polite to his master and stepped aside with a bow.
because we are the coolest :'D it would've been longer if i didn't have school </3..
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Post by Masaru Daimon on Aug 2, 2011 5:13:09 GMT -4
Masaru shook his head, still grinning at the blond. "Nah, don't worry so much," he shrugged as he chuckled softly, though it slowly turned into a soft sigh. "The last two years in the Digital World were uneventful and kinda...," he paused mid-sentence as he tried to find the right word. "boring. No one wanted to fight me and my follower anymore." It had been a matter of time, he figured. After having to fight over the span of the first two years to overcome the Digimon's distrust for humans, the brunette and his partner had achieved some kind of status among them. No one really wanted to mess with him by then; the challenge was gone and boredom had kicked in with full force. "Besides, you're different," he added, smiling earnestly.
Eyeing the butler standing by the closed door, the brunette tilted his head. At least this guy didn't look like he was picked up from the streets like the doorman earlier, though he had to admit that he didn't like how the man smiled at Tohma. There were emotions hidden inside. "Alright, let's go," taking the lead without asking, Masaru stepped forward and opened the door, completely forgetting to knock first. Once inside the room, he immediately spotted the girl who looked up in open surprise as she had sat on a chair. "Yo~," the boy repeated his greetings from before.
Maria hadn't expected anyone to enter the room without knocking. After the first shock had left her, she straightened up and gave a polite bow, before she looked at the two boys in confusion. Her brown eyes settled on her fiance. Something was different, she noticed. No, Tohma appeared different than before. "Is... something the matter?" she asked timidly and shy as she folded her hands in front of her, feeling insecure. "You've never came in without knocking before..."
yosh, that's true :'D naah, school's important. <3 i hope you don't mind that i took over maria :'D
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Post by Tohma Norstein on Aug 2, 2011 8:23:51 GMT -4
Tohma made a sound from his throat in acknowledgement. Masaru's words had surprised him slightly, as he had been half-expecting that the brunette and Agumon had been going around punching random Digimon. "Oh?" Tohma sounded genuinely curious. He hadn't been watching the other boy's expression and hence he didn't see Masaru's smile. He thinks I'm.. not normal? After all, there were a lot of meanings for 'different'. "How so?"
Tohma had just raised the back of his loosely-clenched first towards the door, posed to knock out of habitual courtesy when Masaru stepped in front of him. He opened his mouth to speak but the brunette had already entered. Tohma ducked his head in the butler's direction before following, stifling his urge to sigh and run his hand down his face.
Chuckling lightly, Tohma shot the girl a sheepish look and a small smile. "Sorry if we surprised you," he said politely, before smacking Masaru's arm with the back of his hand softly, "someone doesn't have many manners." Tohma shot the brunette a look that said that his words were specific to Masaru. Remembering that he no longer wore their engagement ring, Tohma quickly moved his left arm behind his back. "I hope we haven't kept you waiting too long."
yes, unfortunately D: hahas, not at all. you can keep being her if you want :'D since i'm getting lazy since school started, hahas.
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Post by Masaru Daimon on Aug 2, 2011 9:44:00 GMT -4
The brunette frowned, not entirely sure if he wanted to answer Tohma's question or not. "Ugh, you just had to ask, huh?" he groaned quietly and gave a short, but thoughtful sigh. With Tohma being curious, he was sure that the blond wouldn't be satisfied with a simple "because" as an explanation. "I guess," he started slowly and looked at the blond for a few seconds, before he changed his mind and shook his head. "Why should I explain? You're the genius, not me! Figure it out on your own," Masaru muttered, not really looking at the blond as he rolled his eyes. "But I guess it was some sort of compliment so don't worry..."
Having already wasted enough time, he didn't want to wait anymore. Of course he knew that entering the room without knocking was regarded as 'rude', but he honestly didn't care. His eyes widened in soft surprise when he felt the light smack on his arm. It was the first time since he got here that his friend had reacted in such a way. Immediately, he grinned as he noticed the look Tohma gave him. "I know, I know~," he chuckled thoroughly amused. "But you were taking so long that I had to do something, tch..."
Watching the scene in silence, the girl smiled faintly. "No, it's alright," she replied politely as she shook her head. "I've already expected that the conversation with your father would take a while..." Franz had told her about his mother's wedding plans during their flight to Japan. Thinking about it was enough to make her heart clench in a painful way. She wasn't happy with the prospect of getting married so soon, regardless of how much she liked Tohma as a friend. "I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you sooner," Maria apologized quietly as she averted her gaze, letting it drift to the wooden floor.
Alright~, then I'll keep her for now :'D
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Post by Tohma Norstein on Aug 3, 2011 5:08:12 GMT -4
Tohma looked surprised for a few moments at Masaru's reaction before his expression turned hesitant. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. The last thing that the blonde wanted was to make Masaru uncomfortable. He couldn't exactly see how different was a compliment, but hearing his friend put it that way, Tohma felt slightly better.
The way that Masaru responded wasn't something that Tohma had expected and he was left staring at the brunette boy. Realizing what he was doing, Tohma grimaced at his own obviousness in embarrassment before muttering a half-hearted "whatever" beneath his breath. Awkwardly clearing his throat, Tohma composed himself before giving Maria his full attention, along with a polite smile.
Tohma had to stop himself from visibly wincing. "Ah.." he drawled quietly, not being able to come up with a better response. Was it really that obvious that he and his father weren't on the best terms? "Actually, I.." Tohma began before cutting himself off.
He had actually thought things through properly and he wasn't sure of what to tell Maria. He didn't know whether or not he should lie to her and tell her that he and Masaru were dating or tell her the truth about their plan. If the latter, Tohma was moderately sure that Maria would understand and keep it to herself. After all, he knew she wasn't particularly too thrilled about their arrange marriage. "You don't want to marry me, do you?" he asked softly with no trace of any negativity in his voice.
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Post by Masaru Daimon on Aug 3, 2011 6:02:09 GMT -4
Listening to Maria's words, Masaru watched Tohma out of the corner of his eyes. Well, things were getting serious now. But the brunette meant his words when he had said that he would leave the explaining stuff to the blond. Tohma was better at it anyway, hands down. By now he was more or less able to admit that there were certain things he wasn't good at. Explaining belonged to that group. Turning his attention to the girl standing nervously in front of them, he was a little surprised that Tohma got straight to the point with his question.
Maria ducked her head out of habit when she heard the sudden question. She had already noticed that her fiance had something on his mind, but hearing him ask such a bold question was unusual. Hesitating, she clasped her hands and pressed her lips into a thin line. She wasn't sure if she was allowed to answer in the presence of her fiance's friend, even though Tohma didn't seem to mind it. "How... how about we sit down first?" she asked shyly, hoping to delay her answer for a few seconds.
"Sure," Masaru reacted intuitively and nodded as he grabbed Tohma by the wrist and tugged him along gently. Only after they had reached the small group of chairs, he let go again and sat down on one of them. "There you go." In his opinion the girl didn't need to answer. Her nervousness made it all too obvious even to him. But for now, he guessed that it would be better if he stayed silent, even though it was tough to keep his mouth shut.
Maria was thankful that she got the few seconds she needed to regain her composure. Locking eyes with Tohma, she gave a short nod. "I'm sorry," she apologized earnestly. She knew that the blond understood, though it didn't change that she felt guilty. It complicated their engagement after all. "My heart will always belong to Joshua, even if we can't be together," the girl answered after a short silence, sighing softly. She missed the young aristocrat, but she had to accept her duties as the oldest daughter of her family. "Why do you ask? I always thought you would know that already..."
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Post by Tohma Norstein on Aug 4, 2011 3:30:39 GMT -4
There was no point in beating around in the bush. Tohma hadn't even bothered about being euphemistic with his question. He had quickly decided that he would tell Maria the truth, about everything that had happened with Masaru. Okay, perhaps not everything. Some parts he was going leave out to spare both himself and Masaru embarrassment.
Before he could even nod, Tohma was being pulled along by Masaru. Although he didn't particularly being handled like that, the blonde didn't object in anyway. He ended up staring at Masaru sitting in one of his chairs before following suit rather rigidly. Remaining silent as his fiancee was speaking, Tohma wore an expression that could be passed off as sympathy.
"Yes.." he said finally, hushing his voice slightly. "You see, the thing is.. I may have told my father that I am.. in love with Masaru," he said hesitantly, clearing his throat afterwards in both embarrassment and discomfort and avoiding looking at the brunette in anyway by locking eyes with the girl before him.
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Post by Masaru Daimon on Aug 4, 2011 5:43:32 GMT -4
Maria's eyes widened in shock. Never had she expected to hear such a confession, especially not from Tohma. "Oh..." Covering her mouth with her hand, she didn't know what to say. This... was unexpected. She had always thought that the blond didn't have any interest in the people surrounding him. But to hear that he had feelings for someone... Maria couldn't help but feel... happy for him. "What... what did your father say?" She figured that Franz wouldn't be pleased with such a turn of event.
Masaru rolled his eyes. Secretly, he was glad that the girl had asked about Franz's reaction. That way he couldn't let the embarrassment take over him. Instead he simply muttered under his breath as he avoided looking at Tohma. He... wasn't ready to face him right now, but he wouldn't admit that. "Of course he wasn't happy and started saying nonsense about us not being acceptable, tch..." he forced himself to take in a deep breath. Thinking about it was enough to make his fists itch in mad anticipation. He wanted to punch something. "Well, sorry if I'm not exactly what he had expected," he added quietly, having somewhat calmed down. "Not that I really care about what he says, though..."
The raven-haired girl watched in awe. It had been a while since the last time she heard someone speak so boldly about the elder Norstein. Most people she knew were too afraid or too polite to voice their opinion, herself included. Smiling friendly, she faced her fiance again. "Is it true? So is he the reason why you don't want to marry me?" Maria's voice was soft without any hints of negative emotions. She was glad that Tohma really seemed to understand her feelings.
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Post by Tohma Norstein on Aug 5, 2011 21:03:22 GMT -4
Tohma's eyes lowered as he heard Masaru reciting his father's words. It was expected. But that didn't make the blonde any less irritated at his father. Partly he was relieved that his newly rising anger had begun to overpower any embarrassment he was feeling. Tohma let his eyes flash towards Masaru's direction for a single second as he quickly said, "Don't be sorry," before returning to Maria. For some reason, Tohma felt as if it he would rather face his father all over again then hear Masaru apologizing for just being himself, even if the brunette hadn't meant it.
"But, yes, basically that," Tohma said, his voice overly dismissive at his father's disapproval. He'd be lying if he said that Franz's opinion meant nothing to him, because if it didn't then Tohma probably would've tried going to the Digital World when the whole arranged marriage thing came up.
"A-ah.." Tohma stuttered as he began, willing himself not to blush. That made it sound like he was actually in love with Masaru. "Partly. It's not that I don't want to marry you in particular. I just.. don't want to marry anyone that I'm not in love with, and who's not in love with me." Tohma knew his excuse was pretty lame, but it was all he could come up with, knowing that Masaru was sitting just beside him.
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Post by Masaru Daimon on Aug 6, 2011 7:16:40 GMT -4
"Don't be sorry." Even though he hadn't meant his apology, hearing Tohma say those words felt nice. It was the same feeling as before when the blond had stood up for him in front of the elder Norstein. Masaru couldn't help but give a short nod in return, grinning lightly. Turning his attention back to the girl, the brunette looked somewhat lost. She made it sound so... real, he almost regretted that Tohma didn't tell her the complete truth. But at the same time though, he didn't really mind. It was weird...
Maria's expression was soft and gentle as she listened to her fiance's explanation. She felt so relieved after hearing it that she had trouble believing. "It's okay, Tohma," she smiled gently, though she looked at both, noticing how flustered they were. "I understand... I agree completely with you," Maria gave a short sigh and lowered her head. Even though they knew exactly what they wanted, it would be impossible to reach. "But what now? The wedding will take place in three month already..."
"It won't!" Slightlyraising his voice, Masaru slammed his hands on the table in front of them, fortunately using only a small portion of his strength. "I already told Tohma that I won't let it happen!" he said, his expression becoming serious. "And I'm fully prepared to keep my word," turning his head to face the blond, the brunette grinned encouragingly. "right, Tohma?"
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Post by Tohma Norstein on Aug 7, 2011 8:50:26 GMT -4
alsdkfjasdf. screw my history practice essay. i couldn't care less why colonial and economic rivalry didn't cause wwi.
Because Tohma had turned away from Masaru so quickly, he couldn't see the boy's nod or expression, only the brief movement from his peripheral vision. Nevertheless, the blonde refused to look back, knowing that he'd probably end up blushing like an idiotic schoolgirl if he saw Masaru smiling at that moment.
As Maria was speaking about their upcoming wedding, Tohma found himself reaching for his ring finger again. Quickly realizing that the ring no longer sat upon his skin, Tohma pulled it out from the pocket of his hands, turning and examining it in his fingertips before looking at the girl before him. "You don't.. have to wear it anymore if you don't want," he said with slight hesitancy, forcing a small smile to cover up his nervousness.
The abrupt sound coming from beside him startled Tohma, making him straighten out in his seat, eyes flashing and widening at Masaru as the brunette spoke. After a few seconds, he let out a sigh. "It's not your word I'm worried about; it's my fathers," he said dully. Tohma had believed in Masaru's dedication after the kiss. But that didn't change the fact that in the bigger picture, the brunette really had no power over his father or his grandmother.
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Post by Masaru Daimon on Aug 7, 2011 12:09:19 GMT -4
Maria didn't get the chance to react to her fiance's words as the sudden outburst of the brunette startled her too much. Brown eyes widened in surprise and wonder. Never before had she met such a person; but she could see that the boy was honest, meaning everything he said. Sadly, the girl had to agree with Tohma. "Maybe you should try talking to him when he has calmed down again," she sighed quietly as she lowered her eyes to the golden band resting on her ring finger. Even so Tohma had said that it was okay, she was hesitating. "Is it... really okay to take it off?"
Masaru cursed inwardly, knowing exactly that Tohma was right. Everything was up to the elder Norstein; as long as he wouldn't give his okay, nothing would change! He hated it. Sitting back down, the brunette took a deep breath as he tried to calm down. "You should have let me punch him earlier," he scowled only audible enough for Tohma to hear before he hid his hands under the table, clenching them both tightly. Being able to do nothing was frustrating, and Masaru started to wonder how Tohma had managed to stay sane over the last years. He was certain that he would have snapped rather sooner than later.
"I still don't really get the importance of your so-called engagement," Masaru admitted suddenly and looked up at the ceiling as he furrowed his brows. "Normally I'd say to just break it off, but in your case," he gave a short sigh. Thinking so much made his head hurt. "it would probably cause a huge scandal, huh? So what can we actually do in the first place?"
jlfajlfa your essay sounds complicated argh D:
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Post by Tohma Norstein on Aug 8, 2011 8:46:45 GMT -4
Tohma resisted the urge to scoff. All his life, Franz never paid much attention to what his son wanted, so why should it be any different then? Although, Tohma couldn't blame his father completely. After all, the elder blonde was raised with strict etiquette his entire life and never learnt to speak for himself, something Tohma had learnt from his mother. Tohma sighed again. "I doubt that'll do much good," he said dejectedly. Even though Tohma was usually the one that initiates arguments with his father, it wasn't something that he enjoyed, even in the slightest.
Smiling softly at Maria, Tohma nodded his head, murmuring a quiet "Yes". Turning his head to Masaru beside him, Tohma's shoulders raised slightly, shrugging at the brunette wanting to punch his father. Though of course, if his friend attempted anything like that with Tohma's knowledge, then it was something he wouldn't allow.
"It's.." Tohma began, before exhaling, "..complicated. Think of it like DATS. Only certain people are.. allowed to be associated with." His sapphire eyes lowered. Even though it had been years and they were obvious past it, Tohma still felt some guilt for treating Masaru like some street-rat when they had first met. He had behaved.. the way Franz would've. "I don't know," Tohma mumbled the words that seemed rare coming from the blonde. "It's not like either of us are void for marriage," Tohma drawled quietly, looking up at Maria.
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