Fandom: Antique Bakery (manga verse)
Title: A Lesson Learned
Pairings: Chikage/Ono
Rating: R (for language)
Word Count: 500
Summary: Ono tells Chikage of the events that took place many years ago - a painful lesson taught by Tachibana.
Notes: Forgive me! I took a few liberties with the section where Tachibana/Ono have their confrontation. I wish I had the manga with me, but I couldn't quote it verbatim. Ah well, hopefully you get the general gist of what took place. ^_^

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“Is there something on your mind, Ono…kun?”

“Not really…actually yes. Do you mind if I asked you a rather personal question, Chikage?”

“No, I don’t mind at all. Go ahead.”

“Well…it’s about Tachibana. I know you’ve lived with him since he was a little boy and I was just wondering…I mean I only get to see the cool and collected and sometimes dumb act he puts up while at the bakery but…what’s he really like when no one’s looking?”

“…….”

“Sorry, I guess I asked something I shouldn’t have.”

“Ono…kun.”

“Hmm?”

“Do you…do you still have feelings for my master?”

“Ah! No, no! After all, he shot me down back in high school and that was it. It’s all over now.”

“I ask because sometimes…at night…you call out his name instead of mine.”

“…oh…ah, well, like I said it’s nothing. Tachibana taught me a good lesson. One that made me what I am today.”

“How so?”

“Ah, didn’t I tell you? We were in the same high school together. I guess from the moment I laid eyes on him, I fell hard – so hard that sometimes it became impossible to breathe whenever he stood near me. Funny, huh?”

“I do not think it’s funny, Ono-kun. You are obviously in love with my master…”

“Was in love with him…I’m over it. Pass me that bottle.”

“You’re beginning to drink a bit too much…”

“Yes, it was all his fault. It had taken me years to work up the courage to finally confess. Years of watching, longing, dreaming about him…I knew I didn’t have a chance in hell of getting him to like me in return, but like a fool I still held a little hope that he’d like me too.”

“I…I like you!”

“You like me?”

“Ye…yes…”

“So you want to kiss me and stuff right? That’s what you’re thinking of right now, isn’t it?”

“Ah…well…”

“Well guess what? Go die, you homo!”

“It felt like the world came crashing down on me at that moment. I wanted to die, Chikage. I didn’t care what happened to me after that. I wandered around the streets for hours that night, went into a bar and allowed myself to be used. After all, I was a sick, twisted bastard who wasn’t good enough for Tachibana. I just didn’t give a fuck anymore.”

“Ono…”

“I grew to like the ‘devilish’ side of me. I could toy with people and dump them as I pleased, and all the time, I thought of him and imagined it was his face when I kissed them goodbye. I guess I ought to thank him for liberating me. You probably think I’m a horrible person, don’t you?”

“No, I don’t…”

“Hold me, Chikage. I feel dizzy. But… Fate brought us back together…don’t you think?”

“…I guess so, but I don’t think my master hates you, Ono-kun. If anything he…eh? He’s fallen asleep already.” He looks so cute…but sometimes I wonder if you’d rather be with my master…than with me.