Team AU, prompt 4: I love you like a fat kid likes cake.
Title: Greed is but a word
Pairing/Group: Nishikido Ryo/Nakamaru Yuichi, (very)minor Nishikido Ryo/Ueda Tatsuya
Rating: R
Warnings: minor character death, AU, psychological
Summary: And hunger is but a need. Ryo will soon learn in time that it’s not good to ignore a hungry person.
Notes: A big thank you to the mods for giving me extra time for this. A big thank you too to my awesome beta. I hope you guys like it!
Ryo blinked at the red spots littered on his hand. Little red dots decorated with smudges, looking as though someone had tried to rub it off.
“Huh.” Ryo muttered quietly, still staring at his right hand and then his left. There were red spots there too, how queer. “What’s this?”
Blood of course, a voice in his head supplied.
“Of course...” Ryo repeated, turning around to smile at his boyfriend lying down on the couch spread-eagled “Tatsuya, this is turning out to be one weird night isn’t it?”
Ryo pouted a little when only silence answered his question.
Tatsuya was being unusually quiet tonight and it was only on closer inspection could Ryo see why.
Tatsuya could not answer of course; not when there was a huge bloody mess right where his neck should be.
*
That night, Ryo packed his bag and ran.
It was best not to look back, best not to ask too many questions. Not when the better part of the night was just one big blank with questions of its own waiting to be answered.
*
Ryo huffed a little as he studied the hostel in front of him - or at least that’s what the sign in front of it called it. If it were any other day, Ryo would sniff at the drab décor and peeling paint, but today was not that day.
When he ran, he had taken the necessities - clothes to last him for at least a day or two, mineral water and some cash but for the past few days, he had been so preoccupied with putting more distance between the apartment he shared with Tatsuya and he that he had forgotten to eat.
With the grumbling of his stomach egging him on, Ryo leaned on the heavy glass door of the hostel and pushed it in. The hostel did not look much different from the outside but Ryo expected that much. Making his way to the counter, he booked a room under a different name, in case the police had already found Tatsuya’s body and was searching for him, and after collecting his keys slowly made his way to his room.
He did not need to rush; he had all the time in the world. For now at least.
*
With his grumbling stomach whining the entire time he spent trying to unpack his bag, Ryo finally made his way back down to the lobby after he was done unpacking to look for something to eat.
He strolled down the hallway, taking in the different smells of the many bakeries and confectioneries, but Ryo wasn’t looking for a small snack or sweets to settle his hunger. So he just passed them by, making little mental notes on which [stores] to check out the next time he walked past here, and which ones Tatsuya would like.
Just then the smell of stew caught Ryo’s attention and he followed the smell, sniffing appreciatively every now and then; it led him to a small cafeteria hidden in a small corner. It was nondescript and there was only a small menu by the door advertising today’s special.
Ryo raised an eyebrow, wondering why one would hide their shop in such a corner. The question was once again left unanswered when the door to the cafeteria opened and a tall, lanky man stepped out with a menu in his hand. The man shuffled his feet and could not seem to look Ryo in the eye; it was as if he still was not used to approaching other customers and Ryo kept quiet, waiting to see what this man would do.
“H-Hi, would you like to try today’s special?” the man stuttered and his face cringed a little before he raised the menu to Ryo’s face, his eyes urging him to take it to save them both from more pain than was necessary.
Ryo smirked and took the menu from the man’s hand. Without another word, he was led into the cafeteria where he was shown to his seat and almost immediately, he ordered the Special despite not knowing just what the Special was. Never mind, he’ll know soon enough.
The Special for today, it turned out, was a simple cream of pumpkin stew and a bowl of bread. After saying his thanks to the waiter, he wolfed everything down and ordered seconds. It was while waiting for his stew again that he saw the man who had served him by the entrance.
The man was staring at him and while Ryo was not one to discourage people staring at him, the intensity with which the man was using to stare at him was sufficed to say, disconcerting.
The man slowly ambled towards Ryo, his head tilting left and right with every few steps as if trying to study him from all angles. Ryo coughed a little and looked away; he’ll entertain him after his food arrives.
“Hey?” the man suddenly asked. Ryo turned back and raised an eyebrow. “Are you by any chance Nishikido Ryo?”
Oh, a fan? Ryo never knew bring a retail shop assistant could get him fans but he was not going to complain.
“It’s me, Nakamaru Yuichi.” The man said while waving a hand. The name seemed to ring a bell. Maybe he was a customer he served once? “We were from the same high school.”
“Ah,” Ryo answered even though he still had no idea who Nakamaru was, it just seemed like the correct thing to do. “I think I remember you.”
“You were in the class behind mine,” Nakamaru continued enthusiastically. “I remember how you always hung out with Yamashita and Akanishi.”
Oh, he even remembered Yamapi and Jin, two of Ryo’s best friends since elementary school and till now they often hung out. Only this time, instead of playgrounds and arcade centers, they'd meet at bars, where they'd spend the night catching up and drinking.
Ryo hummed a little as he propped his chin on his finger and tried to think of a Nakamaru Yuichi in his high school.
Nakamaru looked like he could have been the president of the Science Club but the president during his years of high school was Kato Shigeaki.
Out of the corner of his eye, Ryo could see Nakamaru’s smile starting to dim before he gave an airy laugh and waved his hand as if to say it was okay that Ryo could not remember him.
“It’s okay Nishikido,” Nakamaru chuckled a little, “No need to rack your brains just to remember me. I was a pretty insignificant presence in high school after all.”
Ryo felt a twinge in his chest at Nakamaru’s words but before he could apologize, the waiter came with his stew and Nakamaru only bowed and scampered away before Ryo could even open his mouth to speak.
Shrugging his shoulders, Ryo went back to his stew and happily gobbled the rest of it down before making his way back to his room. He would try to remember Nakamaru another day.
For now, he was tired and his stomach was finally sated. Bed was the only thing his mind could think of, and he fell asleep the minute he collapsed onto his soft bed, dreaming of red paint splattered all over his face and a somebody with his mouth open into a scream, only nothing came out.
*
For the next few days, Ryo would often visit the cafeteria with the excuse of trying out the different Specials they offered, but the truth was that he was trying to remember Nakamaru Yuichi. He never liked leaving strands hanging just like that. Since Nakamaru even remembered Yamapi and Jin, he had to be the real deal.
It turned out that Nakamaru worked as a baker in the cafeteria and was mostly in charge of most of their desserts. Ryo tried his pastries a few times and it was ,truth be told, simply heavenly.
Nakamaru said that he could cook an awesome plate of curry rice too and if Ryo wanted, Nakamaru would not mind cooking it for him. Ryo, being the genius that he is, immediately asked for a plate of curry rice.
It too was delicious and Ryo wondered why Nakamaru would waste such godly skills on a place like this. When he asked, Nakamaru had told him that he too came not long before Ryo entered the hostel. He had found the stress from working in a hotel too much to take, and said that this cafeteria was much better suited for him.
Ryo did not ask much after that, simply finishing up the curry rice Nakamaru had cooked for him and waited for his daily cake, a different one every day, to come.
On some days, it was Strawberry Shortcake, on others, it could be a Meringue or an Apple Crumble. All in all, as long as it was tasty, Ryo had nothing much to complain about.
*
The police took some time but they finally discovered Tatsuya’s body, courtesy of a distressed neighbor calling in to complain about the horrible stench coming from their apartment.
There was now a nationwide search for Ryo, him being the number one suspect having disappeared mysteriously from the scene.
Ryo turned the television off and tucked his feet closer to his body, rocking back and forth while he thought of what he should do now.
This hostel, while a distance from his apartment, was not that far in truth and would be one of the first few places the police searched.
In short, he needed to run.
*
Ryo was packing his clothes back into his bag when a sudden knock sounded on his door, making him jump a little. It was Nakamaru, and he was looking more than a little green as he meekly made his way into Ryo’s room and quietly sat down on the bed.
“Yes?” Ryo asked, when it seemed like Nakamaru was not going to say anything anytime soon.
“I saw the news,” Nakamaru whispered, as if afraid of getting overheard. “Did you really do it?”
Ryo paused a little before zipping up his bag and moving to sit beside Nakamaru. Both of them were staring at nowhere in particular and Ryo sighed.
“To tell you the truth, I’ve no idea. I could have done, I could have killed my own boyfriend but I don’t know. I rea-“ Ryo coughed as feelings he tried to push down from seeing his boyfriend’s dead body rose up all of a sudden and threatened to overtake him.
He rested his head in his hands as he, like on many other nights, revisited the scene from that night. Tatsuya’s glassy eyes staring right back at him in shock and distress, his neck a mess of blood and gore.
A hand suddenly came up to pat him on the back and it shook him out of his nightmarish day dream. Ryo had not realized how sweaty his palms had become or that he was taking his breaths in short pants.
“Hey,” Nakamaru’s voice soothed as his hand rubbed up and down Ryo’s back. It was calming, Ryo had to admit and before he knew it, he found himself relaxing and lying back against Nakamaru’s hand.
“I’ve an idea actually,” Nakamaru said after a while and Ryo perked up, open to anything that could help his situation.
“I live not far from here, a few blocks down actually. If you don’t mind, you could stay over there. The police would not think of searching civilians houses to look for you.”
Ryo considered the offer - it was definitely better than staying here while waiting for his capture or being on the run. He would be stuck in Nakamaru’s house, unable to go out lest someone recognizes him and reports him but that was better than being in a prison cell.
“So, do you accept the offer?” Nakamaru asked again and Ryo nodded, slinging his bag over his shoulder, and stood up. Nakamaru laughed a little at that, “Eager to go aren’t we?”
Ryo scoffed and said nothing but he was a little bit excited to see what Nakamaru’s house would be like. Maybe he had an album of high school pictures that would jog his memory.
*
The house was just like how Ryo had pictured Nakamaru’s house to be like - simple yet it was not plain. It was just so Nakamaru.
Taking a seat by the window, Ryo waited as Nakamaru went around preparing a room for him to sleep in.
Dinner came right after, and it seemed that the excitement of moving places seemed to increase his appetite for some reason.
Ryo smiled when Nakamaru disappeared without a word and appeared with two slices of cheese cake in hand.
They talked over dinner; they talked about their life after high school, they talked about their relationships(or Nakamaru’s lack thereof), they talked about everything and nothing at all.
Ryo had never enjoyed a conversation so much in quite some time. With Tatsuya, the both of them had been so preoccupied with paying off the mortgage for their shared apartment that they both worked overtime, and the only time they spent with each other was when one came home from work and the other was about to leave. Hence why a proper conversation had become sparse between them. They still talked though, but it was only the usual asking about each other’s day and if the other had already eaten.
Ryo thought that since he could not remember about the Nakamaru from his past, he could try to know the Nakamaru in front of him now.
Or so he thought.
*
That night after dinner, Ryo felt exceptionally sleepy and attributed it to the nice meal Nakamaru had cooked for the both of them. Taking a deep yawn, he asked if it was okay if he went to sleep. Nakamaru agreed and said that he’ll take care of the empty dishes, Ryo should just go take a much needed rest.
In his room, Ryo unpacked his bag, putting his clothes in the cupboard and the rest of his stuff on the study table beside his bed. At the bottom of his bag, a small glint caught his eye and Ryo scooped it out of his bag only to realize it was the couple ring his Tatsuya and he got on their fifth anniversary.
He always wore his on his finger but for the past few days, he had chosen to stop wearing it every time he looked at it, Tatsuya was all that came to mind and right next to that image would be the image of that night stained a bright red in his memory.
Tatsuya on the other hand, wore it around his neck with a thin metal chain and now that he thought about it, he did not remember seeing Tatsuya’s necklace anywhere that night before he ran. Maybe it dropped underneath the sofa.
Well, too late to check now.
It was only when he was too tired to fight it off that Ryo gently placed the ring back into his bag and went to bed.
The dreams came back, they were always the same few dreams but Ryo would learn to live with that till he dreamed enough to fill up the blank spaces in his head.
*
Nakamaru silently studied Ryo’s sleeping face under the soft light the moon offered. It was best not to turn on any light or Ryo might wake up and he have some difficulty explaining the metal chains in his hand.
He had waited for this day for so long. Ryo was someone everyone in the school knew, whether they liked him or not was a different story. Nakamaru however, was a wallflower, quietly observing life as it went by without him.
Nakamaru loves Ryo. He loved him ever since he stood up for him when that bully Jin tried to make fun of his nose and Yamapi was just laughing along to whatever Jin said. Nakamaru had never stopped noticing him after that.
He remembered how happy Ryo looked once, when he was eating a brownie a girl had baked for him, a valentine gift apparently. The girl was found a week or two later, a half-eaten cake in hand and white froth coming out from her mouth. It was a case of severe food poisoning, nothing to worry about, the teachers said. It was murder, the students whispered.
Nakamaru knew actually, what Ryo did after he left high school - Ryo did not need to tell him which college he went to or which jobs turned him down. Nakamaru knew every last detail for he was there too. Ryo just never noticed.
He also remembered the day Ueda came into the picture, he remembered how he seethed at how happy Ryo looked standing next to the guy. Ryo never looked that happy with him, that just was not fair.
So Nakamaru spent more time hanging around Ryo’s shadow, never coming into the light.
That was partially the reason why his boss from his previous job fired him; he was never around when they needed him and Nakamaru figured it was for the best, now he had time to properly follow Ryo.
He thought back to the silver necklace in his drawer, the one with a ring attached to it and he thought back to the knife he kept right beside it. He smiled at that and wondered just what would Ryo say if he found out about the bottle of sleeping pills he kept there too.
Maybe one day he’ll let Ryo know about this and Ryo would accept his love. He would, Nakamaru just knew he would.
Even so, if Nakamaru can’t have him, nobody will.
Poll Team AU Prompt 4
Pairing/Group: Nishikido Ryo/Nakamaru Yuichi, (very)minor Nishikido Ryo/Ueda Tatsuya
Rating: R
Warnings: minor character death, AU, psychological
Summary: And hunger is but a need. Ryo will soon learn in time that it’s not good to ignore a hungry person.
Notes: A big thank you to the mods for giving me extra time for this. A big thank you too to my awesome beta. I hope you guys like it!
Ryo blinked at the red spots littered on his hand. Little red dots decorated with smudges, looking as though someone had tried to rub it off.
“Huh.” Ryo muttered quietly, still staring at his right hand and then his left. There were red spots there too, how queer. “What’s this?”
Blood of course, a voice in his head supplied.
“Of course...” Ryo repeated, turning around to smile at his boyfriend lying down on the couch spread-eagled “Tatsuya, this is turning out to be one weird night isn’t it?”
Ryo pouted a little when only silence answered his question.
Tatsuya was being unusually quiet tonight and it was only on closer inspection could Ryo see why.
Tatsuya could not answer of course; not when there was a huge bloody mess right where his neck should be.
*
That night, Ryo packed his bag and ran.
It was best not to look back, best not to ask too many questions. Not when the better part of the night was just one big blank with questions of its own waiting to be answered.
*
Ryo huffed a little as he studied the hostel in front of him - or at least that’s what the sign in front of it called it. If it were any other day, Ryo would sniff at the drab décor and peeling paint, but today was not that day.
When he ran, he had taken the necessities - clothes to last him for at least a day or two, mineral water and some cash but for the past few days, he had been so preoccupied with putting more distance between the apartment he shared with Tatsuya and he that he had forgotten to eat.
With the grumbling of his stomach egging him on, Ryo leaned on the heavy glass door of the hostel and pushed it in. The hostel did not look much different from the outside but Ryo expected that much. Making his way to the counter, he booked a room under a different name, in case the police had already found Tatsuya’s body and was searching for him, and after collecting his keys slowly made his way to his room.
He did not need to rush; he had all the time in the world. For now at least.
*
With his grumbling stomach whining the entire time he spent trying to unpack his bag, Ryo finally made his way back down to the lobby after he was done unpacking to look for something to eat.
He strolled down the hallway, taking in the different smells of the many bakeries and confectioneries, but Ryo wasn’t looking for a small snack or sweets to settle his hunger. So he just passed them by, making little mental notes on which [stores] to check out the next time he walked past here, and which ones Tatsuya would like.
Just then the smell of stew caught Ryo’s attention and he followed the smell, sniffing appreciatively every now and then; it led him to a small cafeteria hidden in a small corner. It was nondescript and there was only a small menu by the door advertising today’s special.
Ryo raised an eyebrow, wondering why one would hide their shop in such a corner. The question was once again left unanswered when the door to the cafeteria opened and a tall, lanky man stepped out with a menu in his hand. The man shuffled his feet and could not seem to look Ryo in the eye; it was as if he still was not used to approaching other customers and Ryo kept quiet, waiting to see what this man would do.
“H-Hi, would you like to try today’s special?” the man stuttered and his face cringed a little before he raised the menu to Ryo’s face, his eyes urging him to take it to save them both from more pain than was necessary.
Ryo smirked and took the menu from the man’s hand. Without another word, he was led into the cafeteria where he was shown to his seat and almost immediately, he ordered the Special despite not knowing just what the Special was. Never mind, he’ll know soon enough.
The Special for today, it turned out, was a simple cream of pumpkin stew and a bowl of bread. After saying his thanks to the waiter, he wolfed everything down and ordered seconds. It was while waiting for his stew again that he saw the man who had served him by the entrance.
The man was staring at him and while Ryo was not one to discourage people staring at him, the intensity with which the man was using to stare at him was sufficed to say, disconcerting.
The man slowly ambled towards Ryo, his head tilting left and right with every few steps as if trying to study him from all angles. Ryo coughed a little and looked away; he’ll entertain him after his food arrives.
“Hey?” the man suddenly asked. Ryo turned back and raised an eyebrow. “Are you by any chance Nishikido Ryo?”
Oh, a fan? Ryo never knew bring a retail shop assistant could get him fans but he was not going to complain.
“It’s me, Nakamaru Yuichi.” The man said while waving a hand. The name seemed to ring a bell. Maybe he was a customer he served once? “We were from the same high school.”
“Ah,” Ryo answered even though he still had no idea who Nakamaru was, it just seemed like the correct thing to do. “I think I remember you.”
“You were in the class behind mine,” Nakamaru continued enthusiastically. “I remember how you always hung out with Yamashita and Akanishi.”
Oh, he even remembered Yamapi and Jin, two of Ryo’s best friends since elementary school and till now they often hung out. Only this time, instead of playgrounds and arcade centers, they'd meet at bars, where they'd spend the night catching up and drinking.
Ryo hummed a little as he propped his chin on his finger and tried to think of a Nakamaru Yuichi in his high school.
Nakamaru looked like he could have been the president of the Science Club but the president during his years of high school was Kato Shigeaki.
Out of the corner of his eye, Ryo could see Nakamaru’s smile starting to dim before he gave an airy laugh and waved his hand as if to say it was okay that Ryo could not remember him.
“It’s okay Nishikido,” Nakamaru chuckled a little, “No need to rack your brains just to remember me. I was a pretty insignificant presence in high school after all.”
Ryo felt a twinge in his chest at Nakamaru’s words but before he could apologize, the waiter came with his stew and Nakamaru only bowed and scampered away before Ryo could even open his mouth to speak.
Shrugging his shoulders, Ryo went back to his stew and happily gobbled the rest of it down before making his way back to his room. He would try to remember Nakamaru another day.
For now, he was tired and his stomach was finally sated. Bed was the only thing his mind could think of, and he fell asleep the minute he collapsed onto his soft bed, dreaming of red paint splattered all over his face and a somebody with his mouth open into a scream, only nothing came out.
*
For the next few days, Ryo would often visit the cafeteria with the excuse of trying out the different Specials they offered, but the truth was that he was trying to remember Nakamaru Yuichi. He never liked leaving strands hanging just like that. Since Nakamaru even remembered Yamapi and Jin, he had to be the real deal.
It turned out that Nakamaru worked as a baker in the cafeteria and was mostly in charge of most of their desserts. Ryo tried his pastries a few times and it was ,truth be told, simply heavenly.
Nakamaru said that he could cook an awesome plate of curry rice too and if Ryo wanted, Nakamaru would not mind cooking it for him. Ryo, being the genius that he is, immediately asked for a plate of curry rice.
It too was delicious and Ryo wondered why Nakamaru would waste such godly skills on a place like this. When he asked, Nakamaru had told him that he too came not long before Ryo entered the hostel. He had found the stress from working in a hotel too much to take, and said that this cafeteria was much better suited for him.
Ryo did not ask much after that, simply finishing up the curry rice Nakamaru had cooked for him and waited for his daily cake, a different one every day, to come.
On some days, it was Strawberry Shortcake, on others, it could be a Meringue or an Apple Crumble. All in all, as long as it was tasty, Ryo had nothing much to complain about.
*
The police took some time but they finally discovered Tatsuya’s body, courtesy of a distressed neighbor calling in to complain about the horrible stench coming from their apartment.
There was now a nationwide search for Ryo, him being the number one suspect having disappeared mysteriously from the scene.
Ryo turned the television off and tucked his feet closer to his body, rocking back and forth while he thought of what he should do now.
This hostel, while a distance from his apartment, was not that far in truth and would be one of the first few places the police searched.
In short, he needed to run.
*
Ryo was packing his clothes back into his bag when a sudden knock sounded on his door, making him jump a little. It was Nakamaru, and he was looking more than a little green as he meekly made his way into Ryo’s room and quietly sat down on the bed.
“Yes?” Ryo asked, when it seemed like Nakamaru was not going to say anything anytime soon.
“I saw the news,” Nakamaru whispered, as if afraid of getting overheard. “Did you really do it?”
Ryo paused a little before zipping up his bag and moving to sit beside Nakamaru. Both of them were staring at nowhere in particular and Ryo sighed.
“To tell you the truth, I’ve no idea. I could have done, I could have killed my own boyfriend but I don’t know. I rea-“ Ryo coughed as feelings he tried to push down from seeing his boyfriend’s dead body rose up all of a sudden and threatened to overtake him.
He rested his head in his hands as he, like on many other nights, revisited the scene from that night. Tatsuya’s glassy eyes staring right back at him in shock and distress, his neck a mess of blood and gore.
A hand suddenly came up to pat him on the back and it shook him out of his nightmarish day dream. Ryo had not realized how sweaty his palms had become or that he was taking his breaths in short pants.
“Hey,” Nakamaru’s voice soothed as his hand rubbed up and down Ryo’s back. It was calming, Ryo had to admit and before he knew it, he found himself relaxing and lying back against Nakamaru’s hand.
“I’ve an idea actually,” Nakamaru said after a while and Ryo perked up, open to anything that could help his situation.
“I live not far from here, a few blocks down actually. If you don’t mind, you could stay over there. The police would not think of searching civilians houses to look for you.”
Ryo considered the offer - it was definitely better than staying here while waiting for his capture or being on the run. He would be stuck in Nakamaru’s house, unable to go out lest someone recognizes him and reports him but that was better than being in a prison cell.
“So, do you accept the offer?” Nakamaru asked again and Ryo nodded, slinging his bag over his shoulder, and stood up. Nakamaru laughed a little at that, “Eager to go aren’t we?”
Ryo scoffed and said nothing but he was a little bit excited to see what Nakamaru’s house would be like. Maybe he had an album of high school pictures that would jog his memory.
*
The house was just like how Ryo had pictured Nakamaru’s house to be like - simple yet it was not plain. It was just so Nakamaru.
Taking a seat by the window, Ryo waited as Nakamaru went around preparing a room for him to sleep in.
Dinner came right after, and it seemed that the excitement of moving places seemed to increase his appetite for some reason.
Ryo smiled when Nakamaru disappeared without a word and appeared with two slices of cheese cake in hand.
They talked over dinner; they talked about their life after high school, they talked about their relationships(or Nakamaru’s lack thereof), they talked about everything and nothing at all.
Ryo had never enjoyed a conversation so much in quite some time. With Tatsuya, the both of them had been so preoccupied with paying off the mortgage for their shared apartment that they both worked overtime, and the only time they spent with each other was when one came home from work and the other was about to leave. Hence why a proper conversation had become sparse between them. They still talked though, but it was only the usual asking about each other’s day and if the other had already eaten.
Ryo thought that since he could not remember about the Nakamaru from his past, he could try to know the Nakamaru in front of him now.
Or so he thought.
*
That night after dinner, Ryo felt exceptionally sleepy and attributed it to the nice meal Nakamaru had cooked for the both of them. Taking a deep yawn, he asked if it was okay if he went to sleep. Nakamaru agreed and said that he’ll take care of the empty dishes, Ryo should just go take a much needed rest.
In his room, Ryo unpacked his bag, putting his clothes in the cupboard and the rest of his stuff on the study table beside his bed. At the bottom of his bag, a small glint caught his eye and Ryo scooped it out of his bag only to realize it was the couple ring his Tatsuya and he got on their fifth anniversary.
He always wore his on his finger but for the past few days, he had chosen to stop wearing it every time he looked at it, Tatsuya was all that came to mind and right next to that image would be the image of that night stained a bright red in his memory.
Tatsuya on the other hand, wore it around his neck with a thin metal chain and now that he thought about it, he did not remember seeing Tatsuya’s necklace anywhere that night before he ran. Maybe it dropped underneath the sofa.
Well, too late to check now.
It was only when he was too tired to fight it off that Ryo gently placed the ring back into his bag and went to bed.
The dreams came back, they were always the same few dreams but Ryo would learn to live with that till he dreamed enough to fill up the blank spaces in his head.
*
Nakamaru silently studied Ryo’s sleeping face under the soft light the moon offered. It was best not to turn on any light or Ryo might wake up and he have some difficulty explaining the metal chains in his hand.
He had waited for this day for so long. Ryo was someone everyone in the school knew, whether they liked him or not was a different story. Nakamaru however, was a wallflower, quietly observing life as it went by without him.
Nakamaru loves Ryo. He loved him ever since he stood up for him when that bully Jin tried to make fun of his nose and Yamapi was just laughing along to whatever Jin said. Nakamaru had never stopped noticing him after that.
He remembered how happy Ryo looked once, when he was eating a brownie a girl had baked for him, a valentine gift apparently. The girl was found a week or two later, a half-eaten cake in hand and white froth coming out from her mouth. It was a case of severe food poisoning, nothing to worry about, the teachers said. It was murder, the students whispered.
Nakamaru knew actually, what Ryo did after he left high school - Ryo did not need to tell him which college he went to or which jobs turned him down. Nakamaru knew every last detail for he was there too. Ryo just never noticed.
He also remembered the day Ueda came into the picture, he remembered how he seethed at how happy Ryo looked standing next to the guy. Ryo never looked that happy with him, that just was not fair.
So Nakamaru spent more time hanging around Ryo’s shadow, never coming into the light.
That was partially the reason why his boss from his previous job fired him; he was never around when they needed him and Nakamaru figured it was for the best, now he had time to properly follow Ryo.
He thought back to the silver necklace in his drawer, the one with a ring attached to it and he thought back to the knife he kept right beside it. He smiled at that and wondered just what would Ryo say if he found out about the bottle of sleeping pills he kept there too.
Maybe one day he’ll let Ryo know about this and Ryo would accept his love. He would, Nakamaru just knew he would.
Even so, if Nakamaru can’t have him, nobody will.
Poll Team AU Prompt 4