Written for iu_fanfiction #16, with the prompt 'Pendulum'.

All disclaimers apply.

SHIFT

I.

People have begun to wonder when it began.

The subtle signs that surround them have suddenly become apparent; the small glances, the knowing smiles, the hushed, comfortable voices, the light touches on the shoulder, and even the air about them – all old yet new to those who could see.

II.

Perhaps it was when they first met: two young boys, awkward and in the limbo of childhood and adulthood. They were opposites – Touya was fierce-looking yet calm, cool and approachable, with an air of dignified mischief about him. Yukito, on the other hand, was frail yet warm and smiling, who emanated an aura of comfort and distance.

They were an unlikely pair, everyone thought.

But they, for some reason, managed to be friends. At first, everyone guessed that it was their houses' proximity to each other, or probably the fact that they had adjacent seats. Then, doubts began to appear – surely, Touya would get tired of such a boring person, wouldn't he? Hadn't he always preferred to be alone?

The friendship went on. They went to each others' sports games. They went to each others' class booths. They went to school together. They went home together. Sometimes, they would even go to school with the same bentou.

After three years, they've seen enough of them together, and no one was surprised when they ended up going to the same high school.

III.

Probably it began much later, in high school.

By this time, there wasn't just Touya, or just Yukito. It was Touya and Yukito (or just plain them) to those who were used to seeing the unlikely pair. By this time, also, people have begun to get doubts and to wonder if something really went on.

They had quite their share of confessions, and all were turned down – a few of which had bitter results, and demanding to know who the other party was. They still kept walking to and from school (most of the time with Touya's little sister in between, but still--). They still ate lunch together, and pretty much the same things since junior high. Now, Yukito sometimes applied to the same jobs Touya does, only most of the time, Touya forces him to quit because of his health.

Most people would ask them both in a teasing tone if they have gone further than friendship, but Yukito would reply with a gentle smile, and Touya with an annoyed growl.

"Touya likes girls. He went out with Kaho Mizuki-san once," Yukito would offer as-a-matter-of-factly. "And I think girls are nice."

"You don't have to tell them that," Touya would reprimand, irritation in his voice, as he pulls Yukito out of the conversation.

Sometimes, they would wonder what irritated Touya so much. Was it the fact that no one really truly believed Yukito, or that Yukito actually liked girls?

IV.

Then, there was that point in time when Touya wasn't Touya anymore.

He felt like another person. The once very perceptive young man suddenly clammed up, as if his keenness disappeared into thin air. He was often seen in the rooftop, brooding or mumbling to himself. He always wore a slightly troubled look on his face, as if there was something he couldn't figure out.

Nobody knew what happened, although they linked it to Yukito's long absence right after the high school festival. Although no one had an idea why, they were sure about the same thing – everything between Touya and Yukito had changed.

The girls, of course, took this as a signal. Maybe they got into a fight, and maybe, just maybe, their Touya would finally see all the girls who were willing to be his crying shoulder. One by one, the confessions resurfaced.

This time, though, the rejection was different from the initial ones.

Touya would simply shake his head and smile (smile!), saying, "There's someone." And he'd tap the girl's shoulder and walk away. They would stand there wondering who it was… his previous girlfriend who just recently came back? Or was it the one they suspected all along?

The first time they were rejected, they were irked and their curiousities were piqued. This rejection gave them a feeling of understanding – from where that came from, no one was really sure.

V.

Maybe it was when things went back to normal.

Or at least, sort of normal.

When Touya and Yukito went to school together hand in hand for the first time, nobody who knew them both wondered anymore. For those who didn't know them that well, there were whispers and gasps of surprise, to which Touya responded with a quick glare, and Yukito with a nervous laugh.

"Am I being a bother?" Yukito would whisper after Touya scared them off.

Touya would blush and shake his head fiercely and hold Yukito's hand tighter.

"No way," they would hear him say out loud. "I'm fine with the way things are."

Everyone was (sort of), too.

VI.

Or perhaps it always had been there.

Only, like a pendulum, it had to swing back and forth, back and forth, with little, fleeting moments when their feelings could both reach the center. And now, the clock had just started to grow old, until the pendulum didn't swing as much as it used to.

Eventually, everyone knew, it would settle down and become still.

Or maybe it already has.

FIN

So right. I will probably self-check this sooner or later (most probably later). Thank you for reading.