[fanfic] Boys Will Be Boys - Prologue
Look who's back from the dead! A lot has happened recently (i.e. I'm out of school YAY but out of work BOO) but I have more time and less stress. I decided to stretch the writing muscles with a fanfic, albeit from an obscure fandom. Hopefully this'll get me confident enough to start back on my original fiction.
On Japanese television this past season was a wonderful drama called "Tumbling". Though a bit cliched and definitely having its flaws, I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I really fell in love with the characters and just couldn't let them go. I do have that issue with attachment...
This started as an experiment in exploring relationships hinted at the show (and some not), and quickly got out of hand. It's friendship-centric though there may be hints (gasp!) and probably a female OC here or there. I have to set the scene with this first part; a lot more will be coming, I promise!
So, here we go!
Title: Boys Will Be Boys
Rating: PG ~ PG-13
Genre: drama, friendship and a touch of crack!fic
Summary: The boys have survived many threats to their participation at the regionals, but internal discord might be the one to finally bring them down.
Notes: Takes place between episodes 09 and 10. Just imagine they have a lot more time before the regionals. It's better that way.
(The Boy With the Bat)'>Prologue. In Which He Sees Something He Doesn't Want To
(The Boy With the Bat)
Yuuta Takenaka assured himself that there was a distinct difference between being paranoid and being prepared. He just wasn't quite sure which applied to him at the moment.
He twirled his flashlight around. It was one of those industrial-powered, could-light-the-depths-of-hell models his dad had bought him for a camping trip back in middle school. He didn’t need it then, and he hoped that he wouldn't need it now.
It was approaching ten o'clock at night and he was sitting on the steps outside the Karasumori sophomore hall; it gave him a perfect view of all the places he cared about. There was school’s front gate, the entrance to the main hall, and of course, the gymnastic team’s current meeting place: the clubhouse.
About a week ago, Kashiwagi-sensei had mentioned something about seeing someone walking around the clubhouse late at night. The teacher had dismissed it for a team member's private practice session. However, when Yuuta mentioned to the team during afternoon practice, not a single boy admitted to any late-night visits to campus.
That worried Yuuta.
He sighed, leaning against the railing of the stairwell. It had been a painfully uneventful night; the anxiety that had driven him out of his house earlier this evening was beginning to give way to boredom. But in the back of his mind, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was just wrong.
About three months ago, Wataru Azuma had showed up, with his foul mouth and dyed hair and forced his way into Yuuta's club. Yuuta's life. On the one hand... even now he had a hard time articulating how grateful he was to the delinquent. There was no doubt that Wataru had transformed the dying team, had pushed him closer to achieving his dreams than had ever been.
But on the other hand, the yankee and his friends did have a way of attracting trouble. Yuuta had gained more than a few offbeat teammates. He wondered if he should whip up t-shirts for "Emotional Baggage", "Unwanted Attention" and "Bad Luck"... They seemed to be as much members of the team as Wataru and his friends.
Particularly as of late. Nearly two weeks after they'd happened, Yuuta still found he couldn't get over the last chain of events. The one that could've ended up with the school being burnt down. It was getting to be too much.
He was tired of it. He was just tired.
But maybe he was wrong this time. Perhaps it had nothing to do with the gymnastics club. There were a few materials for another club stored there, he remembered. Or maybe one of his teammates was simply really embarrassed about needing extra practice.
"Maybe I should go home..." he mumbled to himself. And he did start down the staircase. After a few paces, he noticed sound of footsteps that weren't his. The boy felt his heart beat faster as he switched on his flashlight, spun around, and began inspecting the schoolyard.
And he saw it coming from the end of campus he hadn't been watching. Traversing the schoolyard was a strangely Wataru-shaped figure. As it neared him, "strangely" changed to "suspiciously", then "suspiciously" turned to "definitely". For some reason, recognizing the intruder did nothing to set him at ease.
Though it was Sunday night, he was dressed in his school uniform. Over his shoulders rested an aluminum baseball bat, dented and caked with... mud, Yuuta decided. That's what it had to be.
That's when their eyes met. Yuuta could feel the blood drain from his face as he stared on, but Wataru... his expression brightened, for just a moment, and he waved a hand in greeting.
"Yo."
And he walked away.
As if nothing about the situation was strange.
As if nighttime strolls around campus with possible weapons in hand were part of his normal routine.
Yuuta Takenaka was a sensible boy, the type who usually kept his head on straight no matter the circumstances. Yet, for some reason, he did not know what to do with the data his brain was processing. He wasn't quite sure how long he stood there, but by the time he'd regained his senses, there was no trace of Wataru. He decided to check the clubhouse.
Although it took him a bit more time to scrape up the courage to even open the door, he quickly found that everything was in order. Nothing suspicious at all.
He then decided that he should go check the gymnasium, just in case. It looked every bit as normal as the clubhouse.
Not a body in sight.
Yuuta mentally kicked himself for thinking that. Maybe he wasn't being fair. There was probably some kind of off-the-wall explanation for all that was going on.
There always was.
The gymnastics team captain exhaled sharply, and decided to go back home. Because there had to be a perfectly innocuous explanation for everything. The only mystery was just how he was going to bring this up to his friend on the next day.
Next ->
On Japanese television this past season was a wonderful drama called "Tumbling". Though a bit cliched and definitely having its flaws, I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I really fell in love with the characters and just couldn't let them go. I do have that issue with attachment...
This started as an experiment in exploring relationships hinted at the show (and some not), and quickly got out of hand. It's friendship-centric though there may be hints (gasp!) and probably a female OC here or there. I have to set the scene with this first part; a lot more will be coming, I promise!
So, here we go!
Title: Boys Will Be Boys
Rating: PG ~ PG-13
Genre: drama, friendship and a touch of crack!fic
Summary: The boys have survived many threats to their participation at the regionals, but internal discord might be the one to finally bring them down.
Notes: Takes place between episodes 09 and 10. Just imagine they have a lot more time before the regionals. It's better that way.
(The Boy With the Bat)'>Prologue. In Which He Sees Something He Doesn't Want To
(The Boy With the Bat)
Yuuta Takenaka assured himself that there was a distinct difference between being paranoid and being prepared. He just wasn't quite sure which applied to him at the moment.
He twirled his flashlight around. It was one of those industrial-powered, could-light-the-depths-of-hell models his dad had bought him for a camping trip back in middle school. He didn’t need it then, and he hoped that he wouldn't need it now.
It was approaching ten o'clock at night and he was sitting on the steps outside the Karasumori sophomore hall; it gave him a perfect view of all the places he cared about. There was school’s front gate, the entrance to the main hall, and of course, the gymnastic team’s current meeting place: the clubhouse.
About a week ago, Kashiwagi-sensei had mentioned something about seeing someone walking around the clubhouse late at night. The teacher had dismissed it for a team member's private practice session. However, when Yuuta mentioned to the team during afternoon practice, not a single boy admitted to any late-night visits to campus.
That worried Yuuta.
He sighed, leaning against the railing of the stairwell. It had been a painfully uneventful night; the anxiety that had driven him out of his house earlier this evening was beginning to give way to boredom. But in the back of his mind, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was just wrong.
About three months ago, Wataru Azuma had showed up, with his foul mouth and dyed hair and forced his way into Yuuta's club. Yuuta's life. On the one hand... even now he had a hard time articulating how grateful he was to the delinquent. There was no doubt that Wataru had transformed the dying team, had pushed him closer to achieving his dreams than had ever been.
But on the other hand, the yankee and his friends did have a way of attracting trouble. Yuuta had gained more than a few offbeat teammates. He wondered if he should whip up t-shirts for "Emotional Baggage", "Unwanted Attention" and "Bad Luck"... They seemed to be as much members of the team as Wataru and his friends.
Particularly as of late. Nearly two weeks after they'd happened, Yuuta still found he couldn't get over the last chain of events. The one that could've ended up with the school being burnt down. It was getting to be too much.
He was tired of it. He was just tired.
But maybe he was wrong this time. Perhaps it had nothing to do with the gymnastics club. There were a few materials for another club stored there, he remembered. Or maybe one of his teammates was simply really embarrassed about needing extra practice.
"Maybe I should go home..." he mumbled to himself. And he did start down the staircase. After a few paces, he noticed sound of footsteps that weren't his. The boy felt his heart beat faster as he switched on his flashlight, spun around, and began inspecting the schoolyard.
And he saw it coming from the end of campus he hadn't been watching. Traversing the schoolyard was a strangely Wataru-shaped figure. As it neared him, "strangely" changed to "suspiciously", then "suspiciously" turned to "definitely". For some reason, recognizing the intruder did nothing to set him at ease.
Though it was Sunday night, he was dressed in his school uniform. Over his shoulders rested an aluminum baseball bat, dented and caked with... mud, Yuuta decided. That's what it had to be.
That's when their eyes met. Yuuta could feel the blood drain from his face as he stared on, but Wataru... his expression brightened, for just a moment, and he waved a hand in greeting.
"Yo."
And he walked away.
As if nothing about the situation was strange.
As if nighttime strolls around campus with possible weapons in hand were part of his normal routine.
Yuuta Takenaka was a sensible boy, the type who usually kept his head on straight no matter the circumstances. Yet, for some reason, he did not know what to do with the data his brain was processing. He wasn't quite sure how long he stood there, but by the time he'd regained his senses, there was no trace of Wataru. He decided to check the clubhouse.
Although it took him a bit more time to scrape up the courage to even open the door, he quickly found that everything was in order. Nothing suspicious at all.
He then decided that he should go check the gymnasium, just in case. It looked every bit as normal as the clubhouse.
Not a body in sight.
Yuuta mentally kicked himself for thinking that. Maybe he wasn't being fair. There was probably some kind of off-the-wall explanation for all that was going on.
There always was.
The gymnastics team captain exhaled sharply, and decided to go back home. Because there had to be a perfectly innocuous explanation for everything. The only mystery was just how he was going to bring this up to his friend on the next day.
Next ->