思い出 ||Memories|| Three
Title: 思い出 ||Memories||
Chapter: Three
Genre: Romance, Angst
Main Pairing: Reita x Ruki
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Slight alcohol and boys being forward
Disclaimer: I don't own the boys, just the idea of the story
Summary: A young Takanori is left heart-broken and alone until he mets a cold-hearted stranger who helps him many times. While the two bond together and seem to fall in love, Takanori continuously forgets things and gets lost in his own neighborhood and is finally diagnosed with Alzheimer's. The two work hard to overcome the disease and stay together as they hope for a miracle.
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| Chapter One.| Chapter Two.| Chapter Three.|
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Three.
Autumn turned into winter and the nights grew longer and colder as Takanori found himself waking up with Kouyou more and more often. Nothing ever happened between them; no one tried the experimental kiss, no one touched anywhere inappropriate, no one said anything suggesting anything, but deep in the back of Takanori’s mind, he felt off. He felt like he was cheating on someone- that him and Kouyou sleeping together was taboo, but he didn’t know for whom or why he felt like that. Never had he said a word to Kouyou, instead the friends did what they always did and tried new things, places, and games. Classes were on a short weeklong winter break, long enough for Christmas and New Years in one week, short enough for time to fly.
Snow had fallen the previous night and Takanori woke up alone for the first time in a while and he remembered Kouyou was home because it was Christmas Eve. Rubbing tired eyes, the brunette sat up in bed and dropped his legs over the side and instantly slid his cold feet into his Rilakkuma slippers before starting his daily routine of getting ready. After a nice warm breakfast, the young man found himself venturing off outside of his house and walking through the fresh snow on the ground in nothing but designer boots, winter printed leggings, and a thick green long sleeve shirt, over-sized like many of his clothes, without a second thought as he headed out into the city.
The light brunette found himself, when alone, walking aimlessly around Kyoto with nothing on his mind; just him and his open mind wondering through the crowds of people, or in this case, layers of snow. His leather bag lay loyally strapped around his shoulder as small cold fingers held onto it tightly before the teen came to a stop, reached into the bag, and pulled out a camera. His sister gave him a small digital camera just a few short weeks ago, not for the usual pictures of family and friends to be placed onto the Internet, but to take pictures of his scenery. Takanori once called his sister from somewhere in the city because he had no clue where he was or how he had gotten there and needed her to take him home. He wasn’t worried one bit when that happened, wasn’t afraid of being kidnapped or raped, not that that idea came to his mind a lot either, but he was flustered because he recognized the area, the shops, the street, but for the life of him, Takanori could just not place his finger on where he was. Only his elder sister, near and dear to his heart she is, knows and with her kind soul, has yet to tell their parents of Takanori’s odd behavior that one day. The small man hasn’t even told his best friend, Kouyou, of his mishap, but he also found it irrelevant t their friendship and would suspect that the only thing that could come from his telling his friend about such an action would be to be made fun of which was something he hadn’t felt like dealing with at the time being.
Sighing to himself, Takanori turned the camera over in his hand as he studied it, licking dry and chapped lips before sucking on his lower lip, and took a picture of the streetlight that barely illuminated the street corner because of the slight fog and causal snowfall. No sooner had he looked up and taken the photo, it was saved into the camera’s memory and the teen brought the camera down to take a look at the image. What he wasn’t expecting was for a larger, gloved, hand to take the camera, hold it up to a hidden face, have it point at the cold teen, and see the flash go off, blinding him.
Dazed, Takanori stood flabbergasted and still momentarily blinded as the stranger took a small numb hand and placed the small electronic back in the equally small palm. “What are you doing in the cold with no jacket?” The familiar voice asked dully, more like attempting to state a fact without sounding concerned.
Russet eyes looked down at the device in his hand before quickly shoving it back into his leather bag until beautiful eyes glared at the hidden blonde, “Why did you take something that wasn’t yours?” a quick retort before a large huff left a small chest and two arms crossed in front of said chest.
An ‘tsk’ noise was heard as the elder man shifted his weight before studying the small teen who was trying to stand proud and annoyed; however, Akira’s keen eyes picked up quickly on the shivers that wracked the small body. “You’re going to freeze to death,” he stated holding his hand out, “Want to go somewhere warm?” Hesitant, the teen took the offered hand before he was lead to the familiar motorcycle and experienced a whole different style of riding through the snow and icy roads.
When the roaring engine came to a slow stop, the teen hopped off the motorcycle, effortlessly and more gracefully than the previous experience, as he tugged on the large, thick jacket his small arms freely moved around in. Following Akira into the building and small stairs, the teen didn’t care where he was being lead to as he smiled briefly and mentally made a note to thank Akira for giving the smaller his jacket for the cold ride outside from one point of the city to where ever they were now. Takanori followed Akira as they walked past an elevator with yellow caution tape blocking its doors and to a hallway that held the stories of stairs that the two hiked up only three flights.
Russet eyes waited with patience as the elder blonde’s cold fingers pulled out keys from cargo pants and unlocked the apartment door, “Don’t break anything,” was the only thing that the elder said after walking in, removing his shoes, and shutting the door after the smaller male.
A soft nod was given as a reply while a small body became visible from underneath the jacket that the teen was removing and hanging up on a hook near the door. “Is this your place?” A soft voice spoke up as feet pulled themselves out of boots that still had snow on the rims and stepped into the apartment.
A grunt was given in response; much like Takanori’s own non-voiced reply, as the elder male walked down the hall further into the warm abode. Curious russet eyes scanned every nook and cranny of the hallway, living room, and kitchen, and a smile grew on plush lips as he saw bits and pieces of car parts and tools lying about the floor, littering it with an odd mechanical art that Takanori found fascinating. “Coffee or tea?” Akira’s deep voice broke Takanori’s train of thought while observing everything and the small man walked into the kitchen where he was met with a strong back hidden behind a black tank-top and still mohawked blonde hair.
“Tea if you don’t mind…” He said more audibly than before, looking around the kitchen, picking up an orange that was in a bowl full of fruit. “Do you like natural foods?” he inquired, noting how fresh the fruit seemed to be.
“It’s better for you, ain’t it?” Fawn eyes peered to his left, seeing the teen lost in a world unknown to the elder man who was making tea at the young man’s request.
Plush lips remained closed after that while Takanori continued to examine the blonde’s kitchen with some odd fascination of how modern everything was compared to his own home which was more traditional mixed with a few newer days items from his sister’s and his own influence. It was a while of silence between the two, nothing awkward, just each own to their own mind, before Takanori spoke up, a reply to Akira’s earlier statement, “I suppose…”
The blonde nodded as he turned around and leaned his lower back on the edge of the counter, which not far from his hips were his hands that lightly held onto the edge, “How old are you?” he asked sternly, fawn eyes narrowed as he continued to watch the young brunette.
“Eighteen,” the shorter replied, now on the other side of the small kitchen, picking up some odd metal part he guessed was for a car, “What’s this?”
“A muffler,” Akira responded, now crossing his arms and ankles, waiting for the tea, “Know what it’s used for?”
Takanori stood up right from poking around the pile, his eyes resting back on the muffler, as he thought with a blank expression, “No.”
“It quiets the sound cars, trucks, and motorcycles give off. Otherwise you’ll hear nothing but the engine blowing smoke everywhere,” he explained, watching as Takanori moved towards the fridge and looking at the images taped to the front of its metal frame.
“What’s your favorite car?” Plush lips spoke as russet eyes scanned the many images of bikes and shiny cars the teen could not name.
“2011 Synergy Camaro,” a quick reply as the blonde turned around and stirred the teacups, “What do you draw?”
The teen remained quiet for a few moments as he opened the fridge and scrunched his nose seeing it was near empty before shutting it, “Stuff.”
The blonde waited for another question from the small man as he handed Takanori the warm tea, which the teen cautiously sipped before sighing in joy, but after no question, Akira set his cup on the counter behind him and crossed his arms again, “What do you like to do?”
Content eyes looked over to Akira and a soft blush spread on pale cheeks once Takanori noticed how strikingly handsome the blonde looked in the dim kitchen light in his tank top and tan cargo pants that were shoved into thick black boots at the bottom, “I uh… I like to walk around the- the…” Lush lips closed and twisted to the side as eyebrows furrowed and the hand that wasn’t holding the tea cup spun about in the air as the teen attempted to recall the word his mind was searching to find, “The, outside… Um… With streets and buildings.” Russet eyes looked to Akira for an answer.
Puzzled for a brief moment as Takanori lost his words, Akira guessed from the few clues given, “The city?”
“Yes! I walk around the city and draw stuff I find.” He smiled and nodded to himself, pleased he remembered the word, even if he had help.
“How often do you forget stuff?” Akira inquired out of curiosity from what he had previously heard from the small brunette about losing pens and now this word.
The teen just shrugged as he turned around and looked about, “Is it okay if I walk around?”
“Just don’t touch anything.”
Before the two knew it, the sun had set and warm colored city lights reflected off of the snow, giving the outside world a warm, sepia-like hue. They had talked, asked and answered questions, even stood outside on the balcony for a while in silence, Takanori soaking in the beauty of the city from a new angle, Akira observing the younger brunette with calculative fawn eyes. Takanori hadn't learned much about Akira himself, but the teen did find any questions about cars or motorcycles would be answered without a second thought. Even so, the teen found the elder blonde fascinating.
Russet eyes glanced from one Christmas light strand to another, still not caring about his family or wishing to return to them so soon. Instead, continuing his lean onto the railing of the balcony by his elbows that his hands held onto, the teen glanced to Akira who seemed deep in thought while sitting in a metal chair that belonged to a patio set with one leg crossed over the other while his ankle on his knee, “Can I stay the night?”
The question seemed to shake the blonde out of his stupor, and he scratched near his eye and shrugged, “Sure, I only have one bed though-
“I can sleep on the couch,” the teen interjected before blushing and looking down, “I mean, its big enough for me, its comfortable, and that way you won’t have to loose a goodnight’s sleep over me.”
Akira seemed to think about it for a few moments as hopeful large russet eyes watched patiently, “If you’re fine with it. Do you need to tell your parents?”
“No, they’ll be fine. I’m hardly home anyways…”
When the elder stood up abruptly, it startled the teen who followed Akira back into the apartment, closing and locking the sliding glass door behind them, and back into the kitchen where the blonde was pouring something in a small glass. Takanori waited until Akira spun around, holding a shot glass over flowing with something amber colored and held one out while his other hand remained on the bottle, “Take this.”
Russet eyes narrowed suspiciously after reading the English letters on the bottle that said ‘Whiskey’. “Why should I?”
“Just one, and you can do whatever you want, ask whatever you want.” Akira said monotone, watching the teen contemplate his choice. “I didn't do anything to it if that’s bothering you, you were right behind me when I poured it.” Russet eyes looked up and locked with fawn, “Try it.”
Hesitantly, Takanori stepped forward and grabbed the small glass, “Is it bitter?”
“If you need to forget something,” he replied quietly, fawn eyes widening in amazement as the teen quickly put it to plush lips and tossed his head back. A faint smirk appeared on Akira’s lips when Takanori slowly brought his head back down with a sour look on his face, roughly pushing his plush lips with the back of his sleeve. “Is there something you want to forget?”
Plush lips vanished into a small mouth before being pushed back out with a sigh, “There is a lot I want to forget.”
Takanori woke up to bright sunlight beaming through windows with no blinds, welcoming him to the new day with its’ warmth that also came from the thick blanket covering his small body. The brunette slowly sat up, allowing the blanket to naturally slide down his shoulder as he ran a small hand through messy hair. Russet eyes looked left, then right, and then forward, but Akira was nowhere to be found. Only then noticing a clock on the wall, the teen figured that the elder apartment owner was still asleep in the bedroom and smiled softly. His smile quickly vanished when he looked down to the table in between himself and the one-seater chair that matched the sofa, just about how everything matched in its’ plain, but modern tone, and saw a wrapped red box with a big green bow on top. A small tag hung off the side of the box and almond eyes narrowed to read it until small fingers grabbed it to hold it closer, “Merry Christmas -Akira”
Still in a daze, the teen timidly picked up the box and pulled it close to his ear where he shook it, trying to figure out what was inside by the mere sound, but was unsuccessful. “You’re supposed to open it,” a deep voice startled Takanori who nearly dropped the box in fright before turning around and glaring at the elder, “You scared me!”
Akira chuckled and unwrapped his arm and pushed off the doorway and made his way into the kitchen as russet eyes watched the elder, bare foot, baggy navy blue sweatpants, shirtless, and messy blonde hair. A blush crept onto the young man’s cheeks and he looked away, fighting away his wish to compliment the blonde. To keep his mind off of the elder, Takanori’s fingers slowly slipped in one of the folds of the present and ripped it effortlessly and carefully. Once able to open the wrapped cardboard box, Takanori slipped his small hands in and grabbed the thick items before pulling it out. Wonderous russet eyes looked at his new sketch book, bound in black leather with a thick fold and a magnet to clasp it shut and keep papers from flying out. Setting the sketch book to the side, Takanori’s pushed the blanket off, crossed his legs, and sat the box in his lap as he reached in again and pulled out a 150-pack of Prismacolor colored pencils and a gasp left his lips as he stared in shock. He felt his heart start to flutter by just glancing at the metal tin in his hands. How much had this cost? He knows for his 24pack his mother bought it was nearly 3,200 yen, and this set was more than triple what his mother bought. For a second, he looked like a fish gaping for air while stranded on a dry surface, far away from his watery home, until rough fingers pushed a chin up and the small jaw automatically closed when Takanori looked up at Akira, who was now sitting to his right, with large eyes that seemed so thankful, and very much confused. He wanted to ask why, how, and when, but he couldn’t even muster words to come to his brain while looking into Akira’s amused fawn eyes.
The elder smirked, his thumb and index finger still holding the small frail chin of Takanori, forcing himself to not pull that beautiful face closer and kiss those delicious looking lips, but he didn’t have to fight it anymore because Takanori pushed forward and connected their lips. Fawn eyes widened when the young man did this and moved his hand from Takanori’s chin to cupping his soft cheek. It lasted a few shocked and silent moments until Takanori slowly pulled back, his eyes fluttering open as his face turned scarlet and he looked down before looking back up, “Sorry… I- I shouldn’t have incited that, I mean, I don’t even know if you-
And he was cut off as lips collided with his once more as Akira grabbed the present box off of the smaller man’s lap and tossed it aside and slowly pushed Takanori down on the couch, allowing the smaller’s hands to softly hold his cheeks as they deepened the kiss. Lips forcing themselves against lips, air barely being able to past the quick movements, deep breaths as they strained to stay connected; Takanori had never felt so light in his life as Akira kissed him and a soft moan passed his plush lips which caused Akira to slow down until their kissing became long, hard presses of lips together until the blonde slowly lifted himself up and started at the flushed face of the young man under him. “Merry Christmas,” and this was the best Christmas Takanori could ever consider having.
The teen slowly pulled his hands back and slowly began to push himself up when a toned arm went under his back and pulled him up and Akira pressed his lips to the teen’s plush pair once more before pulling away and helping the teen stand on shaky legs, “How about some breakfast?” And the only thing Takanori could intelligently do was nod and be lead into the kitchen, rough worker’s hand held tightly onto a soft artist’s hand. Once in the kitchen, Akira stopped and turned around, pulling the young brunette close and kissing him once more, arm wrapped tightly around the smaller man’s thin waist as the teen’s hands went to his bare chest, slowly pushing up and wrapping around the blonde’s neck. The kiss continued as Akira wrapped both hands around the teen’s waist and pulled him up, Takanori’s legs automatically wrapped around Akira’s hips as he was set onto the marble countertop as lips disconnected and reconnected more passionately. The teen moaned into the kiss as Akira pressed a hand against Takanori’s cheek once more and slowly pulled away, and the brunette leaned his head back onto the cabinet and let his legs uncross so Akira could slowly step back.
Dilated russet eyes watched the elder turn into the refrigerator and open it before the teen hopped off the counter, turned Akira around, and shut the fridge as he pushed the elder against it and stood on his toes to kiss him, small palms pushed against the elder’s bare chest until larger hands grabbed thin shoulders and pushed the teen back, “Takanori, no more,” the elder stated breathing deep from their kiss and cussing under his breath as he saw Takanori’s dejected face, “I don’t want to do anything you’ll regret. Not now…” Not now didn’t mean not ever, the teen thought as he looked back up and stood on his toes to kiss Akira’s cheek.
“Thanks,” he smiled gratefully before stepping back a few steps and hopping back onto the counter, “So how about that breakfast?”
It was barely a week later and the teen found himself back at Akira’s apartment for New Year’s Eve, sitting on the couch with his leg’s on the elder’s lap, sketch book in his own as he drew with his Christmas gift, and Akira was reading a book about car repair. After breakfast Christmas morning, Takanori’s parents had called and kindly requested his presence at the Matsumoto household for a family day and the teen got another opportunity to ride on Akira’s motorcycle as he was taken home. The following day, he received a text message from a contact already saved, but not one he remembered saving, and happily replied to Akira. They asked more questions, more personal to get to know each other a bit more, more Akira learning about Takanori and Takanori learning little about Akira. Takanori found out that the blonde has been working on cars his whole life and that he would be turning twenty-six on the upcoming May 27th while he himself would be turning nineteen in February. At first the teen was worried what Akira would think about the age gap, but the blonde said it didn’t matter to him.
Kouyou had also been texting Takanori on and off, trying to nose his way into his friend’s business and succeeding. Even so, Takanori had not seen his honey blonde friend since before Christmas, but that didn’t bother him, he knew how the taller’s parents were about vacation time and it didn’t bother him when it took his friend hours to respond to a text. Instead, the teen found himself outside in the snow a few more times, but not wondering aimlessly but wondering towards a meeting point where he would see Akira waiting for his delayed self. The two had gone on a motorcycle ride out of the city, through the rolling mountains covered in snow, and spent the night in Kobe, a place so close, but also a place the teen had never visited. Akira had taken the teen to the Sorakuen Garden, and although it was small, it was peaceful and the snow covered everything making a different scene than what they would have seen in the summer. Takanori had brought his leather bag and new sketchbook with them and began sketching the beautiful winter scenery as Akira just sat down next to him and remained quiet until the teen was done with his sketches. They then spent about two hours in the Kobe City Museum, staring at art for minutes on end, both guessing what was created and comparing ideas, Akira’s ideas always more peculiar and always brought a smile to Takanori’s face and a laugh to sing in the air. The second day, Akira drove them up to Mount Rokko and the two spent hours quietly viewing the snow-covered scenery and the lights of the city below flickering on and off throughout the day and that night Akira dropped Takanori off at his house.
The teen had been scolded for taking off without saying he was spending the night in another city with someone the family had no idea who, because Takanori’s elder sister had called Kouyou and his friend hadn’t even known the brunette’s whereabouts. After his scolding, Takanori’s sister was hot on his heels to learn about where Takanori had been and why, and he told her the truth as they sat on his bed. He told he about Akira, Christmas and their first “meeting”, only leaving out the couple make-out sessions he had with the blonde Christmas Day. Hitomi was always there for him to keep his secrets, which is why Takanori loved his elder sister who hugged him and congratulated him or Akira. Then, sitting beside the younger teen on his bed, she asked him seriously, “Have you told Akira about Yuu?” to which her answer was silence, giving it away that he hasn’t and doesn’t even want the name brought up because the younger’s face paled and his demeanor seemed melancholy. However, a text a few seconds later by the fawn eyed man brought his spirits back and the teen ran down the stairs to ask to be gone New Years Eve, to which his father reluctantly agreed.
The teen sighed deeply, earning a glance from fawn eyes and a raised eyebrow, “I’m bored…” Takanori earnestly said, “Drawing… I’m not feeling it.” He continued closing the black sketch book and setting it on the glass table beside the tin holding his colored pencils, which he had never gotten an answer from the blonde as to when, where, why, and how much they cost, instead, every time he asked, the teen was silenced with a kiss followed by a smirk after they pulled apart.
“What are you feeling then?” Akira asked after closing his book after folding the corner of the page to mark where he stopped, looking over at the teen to his right with a soft smirk.
“I don’t know,” the brunette said softly, removing his legs off of Akira’s lap before sitting on them, index finger tapping on plush lips a she looked away from the elder, “I mean, it is New Years Eve, the last day of the year… The last New Years Eve I will ever be eighteen… The last time I will ever get to be with you until next year…”
Now, Akira was laughing softly as the teen turned back to the blonde, palms no longer pushing on his thighs but instead rested on the cushions of the couch, leaning towards the older man in a suggestive manner. “So what are you thinking in that devious mind?” the blonde asked as plush lips ghosted his own before, barely touching his skin, moving to his ear where warm breath sent an unnoticeable shiver down his spine, “How about another shot of that whiskey?”
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| Chapter One.| Chapter Two.| Chapter Three.|
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A/N:
So I have found some images to help you see what my mind sees for their apartments and rooms...This is Akira's room which we'll see in the next chapter, and the master bath (Here) which will also be seen in the next chapter. ALSO! They have kissed! More than once! haha How did you all feel about that? Too soon? Well, what's done is done and I like this... We'll learn more about Akira in the next chapter (maybe) and watch their relationship deepen with the New Year that has passed...
On a side note, this would have been up sooner but my main inspiration for this fiction passed away two weeks ago (my Grandmother) and I had to take a mental vacation from writing this since the Alzhimers fiction reminded me too much of her... No need to say sorry, unless you killed her, but seeing as that you can read, you are not a liver haha.
Honestly I am fine now, I got to meet cousins I never knew I had and got to see my cousins from Alaska which is awesome!
Anyways, please be patient for the next chapter, it should be up sooner since finals in college are- NEXT WEEK! I will no longer be a Freshmen ever again after next week! haha that's awesome. Please comment to let me know you are reading, even a smiley face ":)" or a frowny face ":(" will make my heart soar~~~ Thank you for reading and I really do hope you enjoyed this chapter!
P.S.-- It seems oversized clothes are Takanori's thing in the fic huh? I think its adorable, mostly since the Dim Scene Finale DVD, the Encore when he comes out in that red shirt... So cute! I guess that's what I see when I write this Takanori
P.S.S.-- I got a new layout~~ Like it?
P.S.S.S.
As always...
.alexaTaylor.