Coming and Going and Failing and Falling
OOC: Takes place over several weeks where Shuichi travels back and forth from Japan to Paraguay. Caught back up to present day.
The key missed the lock three times and it took him far too long to open the front door. Shuichi practically oozed through the front door, stepping out of his shoes and kicking them aside before ascending the steps into the main part of the house.
So tired. It was his third time making the Japan-Paraguay trip in just over two weeks and he had long since passed his limit.
Three unsteady steps to the right, a handful more wobbled to the left…and he collapsed.
And that was exactly where Taiki found him over forty-five minutes later; cuddled up with his duffle bag on the hardwood floor that separated the kitchen from the living room.
Shuichi groaned and stirred, rolling over and propping himself up on one elbow. Blinking away the bleariness, he watched the prone figure beside him sleep. It was strange for Taiki to be lying on his back, Shuichi thought; usually he was curled up on his side or something. The brunet’s lips were parted and moved minutely with each breath...
Taiki’s breathing was speeding up…It progressed from even, quiet draws to rapid panicking gasps…Like he was hyperventilating. In one motion the blond sat up and reached over, grabbing one of Taiki’s hands and gently shaking him. Black eyes snapped open and there was one last sharp intake and then silence…For several heartbeats Taiki was frozen, staring up at the ceiling with a mixture of shock and astonishment.
Then he blinked once…Twice…and spoke, voice barely a whisper.
“What was I doing?”
“You were breathing real funny, like you couldn’t catch yer breath or something. Was it a nightmare? Are ya okay?” Something about the way Taiki just stared...It kept Shuichi from grabbing the small brunet up in a hug. He wanted to touch the man, to reassure and comfort him. It wasn’t the first time Shuichi had been forced to wake up in the middle of the night and it always made him uneasy…
“It was…odd.” Taiki closed his eyes and brought the back of one hand up to rest against his forehead. Shuichi held his breath, waiting for the rest of the explanation…
It, of course, never came. Without another word the brunet rolled over onto his side and softly sighed, settling back into sleep. Shuichi looked down for a moment before tossing his covers aside and rolling out of bed. He didn’t even really know why he was so angry…It was like something inside him finally snapped and these feelings he didn’t know he had just bubbled up and out.
The black and white ball was bobbled between his hands as Shuichi made his way towards the park. Taiki had been on the phone for nearly an hour and after their earlier exchange Shuichi needed to get away for a little while; he needed to sort things out and clear his mind. He felt bad for the things he’d said to his partner; the shouted curses and unreasonable demands. If Taiki wanted to keep certain things to himself, well…that was perfectly within his rights.
He sighed, tossing the ball out in front of him as he stepped onto the grassy park. At the far end was the community soccer field and he idly kicked the ball with each couple of strides. It had been a long time since he’d played around out here…Even when he’d spent more time at home playing for FC Tokyo…Ah, soccer was getting to be more of a job than a passion these days. What a depressing thought.
When had everything become skewed? It was just a few months ago that he had been living the perfect life; he was moving forward with his dream, he had a home to come to, a partner whom he adored and had a great relationship with… Everything was the same, but…not.
Now Shuichi dreaded each time he had to step out onto the field because it meant harassment and disdain from his South American teammates; he could do nothing right down there. No matter how many times he had tried to fix things, the Paraguayans seemed determined to ostracize him at every opportunity. He’d even had the ball stolen by a teammate during their last game. He wasn’t sure exactly what’d happened to make everyone hate him.
He still had his home here in Japan, even though it took him nearly forty hours of travel to get to it. But Shuichi needed to be here right now, it wasn’t even an option at this point. Just a couple weeks ago his partner had been in the hospital…Taiki had nearly died. It scared Shuichi so badly to think about it, to remember that he could have lost the most precious person so easily. He still had the letter of resignation he had drawn up in his bag. It was getting harder and harder not to hand it over…
Actually, the more he thought about it, the more it sense it made. Soccer was still important to him but Taiki had to come first. Recently it seemed like he was living with a complete stranger; Taiki moved around as if he was a million miles away…That in itself was not unusual but before that world his partner resided in had always included him. But now the distance between them just seemed to grow and now it was like this giant canyon gaping between them. It had gotten so bad that now Taiki couldn’t even tell him about a stupid fucking dream.
He should never have gone to Paraguay. That was when everything had taken a turn for the worse. Right now he would give anything to be able to fix this…
…He would even give up soccer.
Arcing a leg back, he launched a perfect shot from the right corner of the penalty box. The ball hit the net and fell to grass, rolling aside. Taking in a breath of crisp evening air, Shuichi slowly collected and repositioned the checkered ball for another round of practice. It was nice tonight...Peaceful and quiet in the mostly residential neighbourhood. He should really do this more often; just come out and fiddle around. There was a certain cleansing aspect to it. Good for the soul.
If Taiki were here he would make some comment about his aura being good. That thought made him smile a little and he nearly went back just to hear it.
Dribbling the ball a few meters, he spun and launched the ball towards the goal once more. The orb hit the net and this time Shuichi saw him...The boy couldn’t be more than twelve or so and he was rooted just behind the goal post, watching silently. How long had he been there? Oh...maybe he wanted to join?
“Do you wanna play?” He gestured to the ball still inside the goal, standing back a little so the kid could grab it if he wanted to. “Go ahead, kick it.” A few more steps back and he smiled, hoping to put the boy at ease. When the kid didn’t move he tried another tactic. “What’s your name?”
“Namura Shoji.” Two steps...then three...and the ball was tapped with a toe.
An hour and a half later and Shuichi was down by two goals. The ball was brought back to center spot and the two squared off. Namura feinted to the right and kicked the soccer ball between Shuichi’s legs, taking off down field. The kid was fast!
And down by three goals, now.
“Nee, Oji-san...I thought you said you played.” Shuichi choked.
“O-Oji-san?! Ah...I’m gunna cry.” He sat heavily on the ground as the kid watched on, unfazed. “I’m not that old.” Though he was a little out of breath from just horsing around with a twelve year old... He was just about to give Namura Shoji a what’s-what when something caught his eye. It was dark now but the lights had come on sometime while they’d been playing and there was one figure seated on the bleachers.
Taiki...Ah, he should have been home a while ago. He hopped up and shouted a few words of parting to the kid, sprinting towards the edge of the grass.
“Oi! Oji-san, what about your ball?” Shuichi gritted his teeth and turned; the little brat.
“Don’t call me ‘oji’!” Namura just rolled his eyes, toeing the black and white orb to the side. “Kick it here if you can!” He waved one arm and the kid huffed, pulling a leg back and sending the ball arcing over the blond’s head. Shuichi growled and spun, stalking off the field; stupid disrespectful brat!
But then there was Taiki. He wasn’t exactly smiling but there was a little glimmer in those big black eyes and Shuichi couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed at having been shown up by a kid in front of his partner. Though, there was something a little nostalgic about the scene; it was just like in high school when Taiki would come and watch him practice and then they’d walk back to their dorm together.
“I like your friend.” Poorly concealed mirth practically oozed from every word but the statement was mollified by an offering of water and a jacket. Shuichi mumbled his thanks, sliding into the coat and gratefully downing half of the bottle. He hadn’t noticed it earlier but it was actually quite chilly...All of the running around must have kept him nice and warm. The little brunet beside him was bundled up in a heavy wool coat, scarf, and a knitted hat...Just how long had he been out there watching? Shuichi glanced down at his partner just as black eyes dodged away.
“...What?” Memories of things he’d said earlier trickled back and he grimaced inwardly; he needed to make things right. He shouldn’t have gone so far, especially now...He should be grateful that Taiki was safe and healthy. Well, healthy-ish.
“Nothing, really. Your aura was nice...is nice.” The words were muffled by the blue scarf and Taiki was staring at the ground as they made their way towards the wayward soccer ball. A bright grin instantly appeared on the blond and he snagged Taiki’s hand (which was absolutely freezing), weaving their fingers together. ...It was dark; no one should be able to see. Besides, right at that moment he didn’t really care...That was the phrase he’d wanted to hear for a while.
He wasn’t expecting it when Taiki bumped their shoulders together...It was just something they always did! -Or, well...Shuichi usually did it to Taiki...But still. The affectionate little bump startled him out of his thoughts and caused the blond to misstep, ankle twisting as his foot stumbled off the sidewalk and into the gutter.
Down Nakatsu Shuichi went.
...Oooooowwwwww!
The key missed the lock three times and it took him far too long to open the front door. Shuichi practically oozed through the front door, stepping out of his shoes and kicking them aside before ascending the steps into the main part of the house.
So tired. It was his third time making the Japan-Paraguay trip in just over two weeks and he had long since passed his limit.
Three unsteady steps to the right, a handful more wobbled to the left…and he collapsed.
And that was exactly where Taiki found him over forty-five minutes later; cuddled up with his duffle bag on the hardwood floor that separated the kitchen from the living room.
Shuichi groaned and stirred, rolling over and propping himself up on one elbow. Blinking away the bleariness, he watched the prone figure beside him sleep. It was strange for Taiki to be lying on his back, Shuichi thought; usually he was curled up on his side or something. The brunet’s lips were parted and moved minutely with each breath...
Taiki’s breathing was speeding up…It progressed from even, quiet draws to rapid panicking gasps…Like he was hyperventilating. In one motion the blond sat up and reached over, grabbing one of Taiki’s hands and gently shaking him. Black eyes snapped open and there was one last sharp intake and then silence…For several heartbeats Taiki was frozen, staring up at the ceiling with a mixture of shock and astonishment.
Then he blinked once…Twice…and spoke, voice barely a whisper.
“What was I doing?”
“You were breathing real funny, like you couldn’t catch yer breath or something. Was it a nightmare? Are ya okay?” Something about the way Taiki just stared...It kept Shuichi from grabbing the small brunet up in a hug. He wanted to touch the man, to reassure and comfort him. It wasn’t the first time Shuichi had been forced to wake up in the middle of the night and it always made him uneasy…
“It was…odd.” Taiki closed his eyes and brought the back of one hand up to rest against his forehead. Shuichi held his breath, waiting for the rest of the explanation…
It, of course, never came. Without another word the brunet rolled over onto his side and softly sighed, settling back into sleep. Shuichi looked down for a moment before tossing his covers aside and rolling out of bed. He didn’t even really know why he was so angry…It was like something inside him finally snapped and these feelings he didn’t know he had just bubbled up and out.
The black and white ball was bobbled between his hands as Shuichi made his way towards the park. Taiki had been on the phone for nearly an hour and after their earlier exchange Shuichi needed to get away for a little while; he needed to sort things out and clear his mind. He felt bad for the things he’d said to his partner; the shouted curses and unreasonable demands. If Taiki wanted to keep certain things to himself, well…that was perfectly within his rights.
He sighed, tossing the ball out in front of him as he stepped onto the grassy park. At the far end was the community soccer field and he idly kicked the ball with each couple of strides. It had been a long time since he’d played around out here…Even when he’d spent more time at home playing for FC Tokyo…Ah, soccer was getting to be more of a job than a passion these days. What a depressing thought.
When had everything become skewed? It was just a few months ago that he had been living the perfect life; he was moving forward with his dream, he had a home to come to, a partner whom he adored and had a great relationship with… Everything was the same, but…not.
Now Shuichi dreaded each time he had to step out onto the field because it meant harassment and disdain from his South American teammates; he could do nothing right down there. No matter how many times he had tried to fix things, the Paraguayans seemed determined to ostracize him at every opportunity. He’d even had the ball stolen by a teammate during their last game. He wasn’t sure exactly what’d happened to make everyone hate him.
He still had his home here in Japan, even though it took him nearly forty hours of travel to get to it. But Shuichi needed to be here right now, it wasn’t even an option at this point. Just a couple weeks ago his partner had been in the hospital…Taiki had nearly died. It scared Shuichi so badly to think about it, to remember that he could have lost the most precious person so easily. He still had the letter of resignation he had drawn up in his bag. It was getting harder and harder not to hand it over…
Actually, the more he thought about it, the more it sense it made. Soccer was still important to him but Taiki had to come first. Recently it seemed like he was living with a complete stranger; Taiki moved around as if he was a million miles away…That in itself was not unusual but before that world his partner resided in had always included him. But now the distance between them just seemed to grow and now it was like this giant canyon gaping between them. It had gotten so bad that now Taiki couldn’t even tell him about a stupid fucking dream.
He should never have gone to Paraguay. That was when everything had taken a turn for the worse. Right now he would give anything to be able to fix this…
…He would even give up soccer.
Arcing a leg back, he launched a perfect shot from the right corner of the penalty box. The ball hit the net and fell to grass, rolling aside. Taking in a breath of crisp evening air, Shuichi slowly collected and repositioned the checkered ball for another round of practice. It was nice tonight...Peaceful and quiet in the mostly residential neighbourhood. He should really do this more often; just come out and fiddle around. There was a certain cleansing aspect to it. Good for the soul.
If Taiki were here he would make some comment about his aura being good. That thought made him smile a little and he nearly went back just to hear it.
Dribbling the ball a few meters, he spun and launched the ball towards the goal once more. The orb hit the net and this time Shuichi saw him...The boy couldn’t be more than twelve or so and he was rooted just behind the goal post, watching silently. How long had he been there? Oh...maybe he wanted to join?
“Do you wanna play?” He gestured to the ball still inside the goal, standing back a little so the kid could grab it if he wanted to. “Go ahead, kick it.” A few more steps back and he smiled, hoping to put the boy at ease. When the kid didn’t move he tried another tactic. “What’s your name?”
“Namura Shoji.” Two steps...then three...and the ball was tapped with a toe.
An hour and a half later and Shuichi was down by two goals. The ball was brought back to center spot and the two squared off. Namura feinted to the right and kicked the soccer ball between Shuichi’s legs, taking off down field. The kid was fast!
And down by three goals, now.
“Nee, Oji-san...I thought you said you played.” Shuichi choked.
“O-Oji-san?! Ah...I’m gunna cry.” He sat heavily on the ground as the kid watched on, unfazed. “I’m not that old.” Though he was a little out of breath from just horsing around with a twelve year old... He was just about to give Namura Shoji a what’s-what when something caught his eye. It was dark now but the lights had come on sometime while they’d been playing and there was one figure seated on the bleachers.
Taiki...Ah, he should have been home a while ago. He hopped up and shouted a few words of parting to the kid, sprinting towards the edge of the grass.
“Oi! Oji-san, what about your ball?” Shuichi gritted his teeth and turned; the little brat.
“Don’t call me ‘oji’!” Namura just rolled his eyes, toeing the black and white orb to the side. “Kick it here if you can!” He waved one arm and the kid huffed, pulling a leg back and sending the ball arcing over the blond’s head. Shuichi growled and spun, stalking off the field; stupid disrespectful brat!
But then there was Taiki. He wasn’t exactly smiling but there was a little glimmer in those big black eyes and Shuichi couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed at having been shown up by a kid in front of his partner. Though, there was something a little nostalgic about the scene; it was just like in high school when Taiki would come and watch him practice and then they’d walk back to their dorm together.
“I like your friend.” Poorly concealed mirth practically oozed from every word but the statement was mollified by an offering of water and a jacket. Shuichi mumbled his thanks, sliding into the coat and gratefully downing half of the bottle. He hadn’t noticed it earlier but it was actually quite chilly...All of the running around must have kept him nice and warm. The little brunet beside him was bundled up in a heavy wool coat, scarf, and a knitted hat...Just how long had he been out there watching? Shuichi glanced down at his partner just as black eyes dodged away.
“...What?” Memories of things he’d said earlier trickled back and he grimaced inwardly; he needed to make things right. He shouldn’t have gone so far, especially now...He should be grateful that Taiki was safe and healthy. Well, healthy-ish.
“Nothing, really. Your aura was nice...is nice.” The words were muffled by the blue scarf and Taiki was staring at the ground as they made their way towards the wayward soccer ball. A bright grin instantly appeared on the blond and he snagged Taiki’s hand (which was absolutely freezing), weaving their fingers together. ...It was dark; no one should be able to see. Besides, right at that moment he didn’t really care...That was the phrase he’d wanted to hear for a while.
He wasn’t expecting it when Taiki bumped their shoulders together...It was just something they always did! -Or, well...Shuichi usually did it to Taiki...But still. The affectionate little bump startled him out of his thoughts and caused the blond to misstep, ankle twisting as his foot stumbled off the sidewalk and into the gutter.
Down Nakatsu Shuichi went.
...Oooooowwwwww!