[ficlet]: and when the morning comes (ryo/shige)
Title: And When The Morning Comes
Written: 251208
Summary: Shige gets hurt. Ryo is not around. Ryo/Shige. WC: 998.
Fandom: Johnny's Entertainment
Notes: It's probably inevitable that a fic like this manifested after the past 2 weeks, but consider it my contribution to the festive season :p Could be sorta related to ' Like This'.
Ryo only finds out about the accident two days after the event.
It's just slightly past midnight and the last Shinkansen train gone from the station before Shige deigns to call and inform him that he's been hospitalised.
Amidst the frantic questions, Shige manages to tell Ryo that, not long after Ryo had left for his Eito gathering at Hina's place in Osaka, he tripped and fell down an entire flight of stairs at home - smashing his entire right knee in the process.
Ryo gets a little too upset when surgery is mentioned, so Shige hangs up on him. All Ryo's subsequent agitated button-punching on the phone only gets him the flat drone of an engaged line.
He's ready to smash a couple of chairs and a table by the time Uchi, phone to his ear, pokes his head around the doorway. “Yes, alright, Shige. I'll let him know all the details.” Ryo's head whips around at the mention of Shige's name and he tries to make a grab for Uchi's phone, but Uchi just holds him away at arm's length. “Okay, I'll get him to call you back once he calms down... yeah, I reckon it shouldn't take more than an hour,” he remarks wryly. “Take care, goringo.”
Uchi snaps the phone shut and lets Ryo shake him for a bit. “What did he say, Uchi?! Why the fuck is he calling you instead of me--”
Ryo's mini-rant is abruptly cut off by a whack to his head as Hina, drawn by the commotion, also joins them along the corridor outside their bedrooms. “Because he obviously knew you were going to over-react this way! Let go of Uchi and get a grip.”
They lead him to the living room, where Ryo sinks down on the couch, heart still racing as a million possibilities flash through his mind. “Damnit, I never should have left!” He leans forward, burying his face in his hands.
“Nonsense, you were raring to get out of the house - Shige told me so himself when I swung by to pick you up.” Yoko sits down next to Ryo, throwing a reassuring arm across his shoulders.
Ryo looks up to see that the rest of Eito have trickled into the room, in varying states of alertness, since it's already close to one in the morning.
Gradually, the facts align themselves.
The night after Ryo's departure with Yoko (and Ryo remembers guiltily his sense of relief as they had pulled away from the porch where Shige was standing), Shige had tried to navigate the stairs without the light on and tripped spectacularly halfway through, rolling down and landing at the bottom of the flight, knee twisted at an abnormal angle but thankful that he hadn't seemed to hit his head (and Ryo can't help it, cursing Shige for his clumsiness in his mind and cursing himself for not being more insistent on Shige being careful).
Shige had managed to drag himself to the phone, called the ambulance and was at the hospital before daybreak, finally slipping off into exhausted slumber in a haze of drugs and pain as the sun peeked out over the horizon (while all Ryo can think of is that he should have been there).
Eventually, Ryo sits up, flips open his phone and presses the 'call' button once more.
This time, Shige picks up on the second ring.
“Hey.”
“Hey.”
“...So when's the surgery?” Ryo bites his lip, wishes he could have said something more comforting, but he's never been that good with words. He wants to say he's sorry but--
“Tomorrow evening... Ryo, don't apologise? If it's anyone's fault, it's my own. I should have been more careful. It's my own bad habits that got me into this.” Shige's voice is rueful and self-deprecating in Ryo's ear, calming him even though Shige should have been the more anxious one.
“I wasn't going to, baka,” Ryo retorts half-heartedly. “Why should I have to say sorry for your lack of coordination?”
At the other end of the line, Shige chuckles, and slowly, the knot in Ryo's stomach starts to dissolve.
“I'll take the first train home tomorrow. I want to see you before the operation,” he says it a little defiantly, as if Shige was going to overrule him on the grounds of being sensible.
But Shige merely replies, “I guessed as much,” and Ryo can imagine the crooked smile turning up the corners of his lips.
Around him, the room gets quieter as the rest of Eito make their way back to their rooms, giving Ryo his privacy with Shige. He remains silent for a few beats longer, just content to hear Shige's breathing.
“...I'm sorry for making you worry.”
“Shige.” Ryo's heart clenches, and his eyes are misting over a bit.
“I know it's only been two days but,” Ryo can hear the awkwardness in Shige's voice, the way he sounds when he's embarrassed at what he has to say, “I miss you.”
Ryo clutches the phone tighter, hating the miles between them. “I love you, Shige, and I'll be home tomorrow.”
They end the call reluctantly after a few more moments and Ryo trudges back to the room he's sharing with Uchi. He stops short at what is meant to be his futon, eyeing the lump under the covers. “Uchi, what are you doing on my futon?”
The covers rustle and Uchi peers out from the bundle of bedding. “Shige told me to make sure you slept properly.”
“And how is the two of us crowding on one tiny mattress going to help me sleep?” Ryo grumbles, but still crawls under the comforter Uchi is holding open for him anyway.
He drifts off into sleep, unable to toss and turn due to the weight of Uchi's warm arm across his stomach, and dreams of Shige, standing on the front porch of their home with a lopsided grin, saying, “I missed you, Ryo. I missed you.”
owari
A/N: thanks for reading, and comments are great x'mas gifts :p
Written: 251208
Summary: Shige gets hurt. Ryo is not around. Ryo/Shige. WC: 998.
Fandom: Johnny's Entertainment
Notes: It's probably inevitable that a fic like this manifested after the past 2 weeks, but consider it my contribution to the festive season :p Could be sorta related to ' Like This'.
Ryo only finds out about the accident two days after the event.
It's just slightly past midnight and the last Shinkansen train gone from the station before Shige deigns to call and inform him that he's been hospitalised.
Amidst the frantic questions, Shige manages to tell Ryo that, not long after Ryo had left for his Eito gathering at Hina's place in Osaka, he tripped and fell down an entire flight of stairs at home - smashing his entire right knee in the process.
Ryo gets a little too upset when surgery is mentioned, so Shige hangs up on him. All Ryo's subsequent agitated button-punching on the phone only gets him the flat drone of an engaged line.
He's ready to smash a couple of chairs and a table by the time Uchi, phone to his ear, pokes his head around the doorway. “Yes, alright, Shige. I'll let him know all the details.” Ryo's head whips around at the mention of Shige's name and he tries to make a grab for Uchi's phone, but Uchi just holds him away at arm's length. “Okay, I'll get him to call you back once he calms down... yeah, I reckon it shouldn't take more than an hour,” he remarks wryly. “Take care, goringo.”
Uchi snaps the phone shut and lets Ryo shake him for a bit. “What did he say, Uchi?! Why the fuck is he calling you instead of me--”
Ryo's mini-rant is abruptly cut off by a whack to his head as Hina, drawn by the commotion, also joins them along the corridor outside their bedrooms. “Because he obviously knew you were going to over-react this way! Let go of Uchi and get a grip.”
They lead him to the living room, where Ryo sinks down on the couch, heart still racing as a million possibilities flash through his mind. “Damnit, I never should have left!” He leans forward, burying his face in his hands.
“Nonsense, you were raring to get out of the house - Shige told me so himself when I swung by to pick you up.” Yoko sits down next to Ryo, throwing a reassuring arm across his shoulders.
Ryo looks up to see that the rest of Eito have trickled into the room, in varying states of alertness, since it's already close to one in the morning.
Gradually, the facts align themselves.
The night after Ryo's departure with Yoko (and Ryo remembers guiltily his sense of relief as they had pulled away from the porch where Shige was standing), Shige had tried to navigate the stairs without the light on and tripped spectacularly halfway through, rolling down and landing at the bottom of the flight, knee twisted at an abnormal angle but thankful that he hadn't seemed to hit his head (and Ryo can't help it, cursing Shige for his clumsiness in his mind and cursing himself for not being more insistent on Shige being careful).
Shige had managed to drag himself to the phone, called the ambulance and was at the hospital before daybreak, finally slipping off into exhausted slumber in a haze of drugs and pain as the sun peeked out over the horizon (while all Ryo can think of is that he should have been there).
Eventually, Ryo sits up, flips open his phone and presses the 'call' button once more.
This time, Shige picks up on the second ring.
“Hey.”
“Hey.”
“...So when's the surgery?” Ryo bites his lip, wishes he could have said something more comforting, but he's never been that good with words. He wants to say he's sorry but--
“Tomorrow evening... Ryo, don't apologise? If it's anyone's fault, it's my own. I should have been more careful. It's my own bad habits that got me into this.” Shige's voice is rueful and self-deprecating in Ryo's ear, calming him even though Shige should have been the more anxious one.
“I wasn't going to, baka,” Ryo retorts half-heartedly. “Why should I have to say sorry for your lack of coordination?”
At the other end of the line, Shige chuckles, and slowly, the knot in Ryo's stomach starts to dissolve.
“I'll take the first train home tomorrow. I want to see you before the operation,” he says it a little defiantly, as if Shige was going to overrule him on the grounds of being sensible.
But Shige merely replies, “I guessed as much,” and Ryo can imagine the crooked smile turning up the corners of his lips.
Around him, the room gets quieter as the rest of Eito make their way back to their rooms, giving Ryo his privacy with Shige. He remains silent for a few beats longer, just content to hear Shige's breathing.
“...I'm sorry for making you worry.”
“Shige.” Ryo's heart clenches, and his eyes are misting over a bit.
“I know it's only been two days but,” Ryo can hear the awkwardness in Shige's voice, the way he sounds when he's embarrassed at what he has to say, “I miss you.”
Ryo clutches the phone tighter, hating the miles between them. “I love you, Shige, and I'll be home tomorrow.”
They end the call reluctantly after a few more moments and Ryo trudges back to the room he's sharing with Uchi. He stops short at what is meant to be his futon, eyeing the lump under the covers. “Uchi, what are you doing on my futon?”
The covers rustle and Uchi peers out from the bundle of bedding. “Shige told me to make sure you slept properly.”
“And how is the two of us crowding on one tiny mattress going to help me sleep?” Ryo grumbles, but still crawls under the comforter Uchi is holding open for him anyway.
He drifts off into sleep, unable to toss and turn due to the weight of Uchi's warm arm across his stomach, and dreams of Shige, standing on the front porch of their home with a lopsided grin, saying, “I missed you, Ryo. I missed you.”
owari
A/N: thanks for reading, and comments are great x'mas gifts :p