nip take#2
Maki's not sure what to expect just beyond the door. She's twenty and freshly out of college, an early graduate even, and she vaguely wonders if she's in over her head with this job, that she's underqualified and overwhelmed as she looks through the stack of pristine papers tacked onto her clipboard. But she takes a deep breath and steels herself. Down the rabbit hole.
Observation room. Recreation room. Prison. The terms are all kind of interchangable in her mind, really. But she doesn't have much more time to think about it as the great white doors swing open and she's met with the glare of sunlight from the tall paneled windows mounted high on the opposite wall. Maki blinks, takes a moment to adjust her vision, and suddenly her arm is being tugged upon.
"Ne, ne, are you the new person that's supposed to play with us?" someone says, and it takes another moment for Maki to become able to make out the figure tugging impatiently on her arm. It's a boy, around her own age, with large almond shaped eyes and an excited grin on his lips.
Play? Maki wants to ask, but instead replies, "Uhm, yes. I suppose so."
The boy cheers, and it's an almost endearing sight, but then Maki remembers just then where she really is and the bitter reality takes a hold of her once more. Just like the boy takes a hold of her arm and starts to drag her across the room, where several other figures glance curiously towards them.
"I'm Tegoshi," the boy bubbles brightly, arms wrapped around hers in a way so comfortable and friendly that Maki almost can't help joining his enthusiasm, "Tegoshi Yuya. But you can call me Yuya-chan. I'll introduce you to the rest of the crew, mmkay?"
"Y-Yuya-chan?" Maki repeats in a strange sort of awe, quickly trying to rifle through her clipboard, but then "Yuya-chan" jerks her left and the clipboard remains forgotten as they make their way towards another young man, possibly a few years older than herself. He's sitting in a circular table by the wall, right underneath one of the high paneled windows so that shafts of sunlight fall onto it, eyes closed and head tilted up towards the warmth.
"Ma~ssu!" Tegoshi chirps, immediately letting go of Maki's arm and coming around behind the other boy, who blinks his eyes open at the noise. Tegoshi drapes himself around the other boy's neck, arms settling themselves over his chest with practiced ease.
"This is Masuda Takahisa, or Massu, but only I can call him that," Tegoshi says lightly, leaning down so that his chin is resting comfortably on the crook of Massu's neck, one hand winding into his hair, almost possesively. Massu merely blinks at the close contact and tilts his head closer towards Tegoshi, lips curving into a smile.
"Ah, n-nice to meet you, Masuda-kun," Maki replies, quickly trying to rifle through her clipboard again. Tegoshi stretches his neck out a little to press his cheek into Massu's, "He doesn't talk."
Maki blinks, "P-Pardon? He can't--"
"Won't," Tegoshi emphasizes, then pauses, eyes downcast. "He hasn't been able to speak for a long time. That's why he's here."
Maki places the clipboard onto the table, and places one hand over her mouth, the other over her heart, "Oh." She's not prepared for these kinds of revelations, all the charts and graphs and information she's given hasn't done a thing to help her deal with this all. She idly realizes that Massu is still smiling, though his eyes are a little glazed, as if in another world, and can't help but think that she would never know there was anything wrong with the boy just by looking at him. Tegoshi nods and sighs, turns his cheek a little so that his lips nearly brush against Massu's skin.
"It's a shame, ne?" Tegoshi asks solemnly, looking at Massu with such sorrowful eyes that even he seems to realize something is wrong, and the vague smile slips from his lips.
"I wish I could hear you talk, Massu," Tegoshi whispers softly, fingers alighting gently on his lips, "I know you would have such a beautiful voice." Massu blinks in reply, lips curved into a frown against Tegoshi's fingertips, and Maki closes her eyes and feels like her heart is breaking and wonders how she could possibly continue in this line of work, when Tegoshi suddenly snaps back into focus and releases Massu from his crooked embrace.
"Come on Massu, let's introduce Maki-chan to the rest of our friends!" Tegoshi says, all bright smiles again, as he tugs the older boy onto his feet by the hand, and back towards Maki. Maki would protest about the sudden, intimate nickname, but finds herself suddenly more relieved by the impossibly warm and bright smile on Massu's lips again, and allows the boys to drag her along without another word.
-
"This is Nishikido-Ryo. Ryo-tan, this is Maki-chan." Tegoshi exclaims, gesturing towards a small figure, sitting curled up in a corner of the room with a scowl on his face.
"What do you idiots want?" he snaps. Massu's eyebrows knit together into a pout and Tegoshi laughs as he feels Massu's hand in his tighten just a little. He turns towards Maki with a grin.
"Don't listen too much to Ryo-tan," he says brightly, "I think he's just sore about getting beaten up again today."
Ryo wrinkles his nose and adjusts the icepack covering his eye. Maki gapes, "Who--"
"Ueda Tatsuya--probably," Tegoshi supplies helpfully as Ryo scowls and turns away, muttering obscenities and what distinctly sounds like "stupid fairy boy" under his breath.
"Why--" Maki is about to ask, when soft, almost inaudible voice cuts her off as easily as the wind.
"I didn't hit him." Maki turns around and sees another young man standing in front of her, tall and thin, with a mysterious and almost effeminate air about him.
"Tat-chan!" Tegoshi says cheerfully. Ueda ignores him and lets his eyes sweep over Ryo, who is busy scowling and trying not to look back, an eerie smile gracing his lips.
"The fairies did," he continues, before wandering--almost fluttering--off. If he had even noticed Maki's presence at all, he hadn't shown it. Ryo lets out an irritated growl and stomps off, crushing the icepack so tightly in his hands that it begins to drip all over the floor.
"He's just like that, don't worry about it," Tegoshi says, and Maki is left to wonder which of the two he's actually talking about, as Tegoshi tugs Massu and her along further into the room.
-
In the end, they come up to another door at the far end of the large room. It's smaller than the first but painted an immaculate white, carved with exquisite details of flowers and swirls.
"This leads to the roof, Yamashita-kun is usually up there, uhm--" Tegoshi cuts off and looks a little troubled. Massu squeezes his hand again, and he smiles back gratefully. "I don't know if you should meet him..."
"Why?" Maki asks, furrowing her eyebrows in concern. Tegoshi coughs into his freehand and averts his gaze, concentrating on the tips of Massu's hair.
"He made the previous person leave."
Maki pauses, startled. She had heard a few stories about why the person before her had left, but she hadn't been given any details--especially that the cause of resignation had been a particular patient.
"I...should be fine," Maki says, nodding to herself. Tegoshi opens his mouth to protest but Massu shakes his head and offers her a half smile.
"We'll stay down here--if you don't mind," Tegoshi says, inching away from the door. Maki nods again, "R-right."
Without the company she hadn't asked for but had certainly become accustomed to, Maki feels a little awkward traversing the stairs beyond the door alone. She finally reaches the top and has to squint again, this time adjusting her eyes to the sudden onslaught of darkness--had she been in that room for so long? When her vision finally adjusts once more, Maki blinks at the figure leaning against the magestic fencing near the edges of the building, illuminated in the pale moonlight.
"Yama...shita-kun?" she asks hesitantly, coming closer. She finds his focus on the granite wall, digging patterns and shapes into it with a dulled plastic knife. He slowly lifts his head and gazes at her impassively with dark, shadowed eyes. He smiles, and Maki feels herself shiver. This must be the white rabbit.
Koyama spends his mornings playing with Tegoshi and Masuda. He gives Tegoshi piggyback rides and lets Masuda have the last piece of his toast for breakfast. Afterwards he lets Ryo pick on him for however long his bad mood stays, brings Yamashita tea even when he doesn't ask for it, even when Koyama knows he probably won't drink it. In the late afternoons, after he's basically spent the entire day helping or doing something for someone else, Koyama finally lets himself slide onto the floor of wall furthest away from everyone and everything, brings his knees to his chest and places his head onto his arms and finally takes a breath.
"Stop it," Shigeaki tells him one day, coming up to him. No one ever really comes up to him, not Koyama, and certainly not during these times. But Koyama likes cats so he doesn't mind.
"Stop what?" he asks pleasantly. Shigeaki frowns.
"Stop trying so hard. Stop doing everything for everyone."
"But I have to," Koyama hums lightly, softly, looking past Shigeaki as if into another world, eyes glazing just a bit.
"Why?"
"Because otherwise no one will like me."
Koyama doesn't want to meet Shigeaki's eyes, knows they will be narrowed and unhappy looking and Koyama hates seeing Shigeaki unhappy. So he closes his eyes and stretches his legs out in front of him. He waits to hear Shigeaki leave, but he doesn't. Instead, Koyama feels something drop into his lap.
"The cat doesn't think so," Shigeaki mutters turning his head just enough to look up into Koyama's now open eyes. "Kato Shigeaki likes you."
Koyama smiles a little at that, lets his hands instinctively weave into Shigeaki's hair as he lays curled up on his lap. It's not weird, not in the least bit, really. Because Koyama likes cats. And Koyama likes Kato Shigeaki too.
---
let's see, i think the reason i wrote ANY of this was that touching scene between tegomass where tego is wrapped around massu like a boa constrictor. also the thing with yamapi and the other doctor was that she/he(i don't remember who it was supposed to be?) promised not to leave and never left and yamapi has issues with people leaving. also, kusano and uchi used to be there but they were "cured" and left. i think koyashige's problem partly had to do with kusano's leaving, so they just imagine he's still there with them...actually--i forgot, tego IS sane here. ish. he's pretending not to be so he can stay with massu. eventually he wants to become a doctor like maki...LOl um. speaking as objectively as i can, i was SUCH a tegomass nut. it's a little creepy. XD