[✐ fanfic challenge] 13fears: between generations
Title: Between Generations
Series: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Claim: Ryou Bakura
Theme: 05. Sociophobia; Fear of People {why can’t we be friends?}
Rating: G
Word Count: 589
Disclaimer: I don’t own Yugioh. Those only familiar with DM may not “get” this one fully.
Ryou almost doesn’t see the boy at first, buried as they both are behind stacks of archaeology textbooks. And really, who’d expect to see a skinny little kid in a university library...? But there he is, and his presence - heralded first by a light cough behind a dusty stack of old volumes - makes Ryou jump clean near out of his skin.
“Oh, s-sorry,” he stammers when he realizes he’s not alone - when he further realizes he may have just squeaked like a teenage girl in someone else’s presence. “Didn’t mean to disturb you...”
The volumes part, reveal a small boy curled up on a chair with his nose dusty from coming too close to a book. Something seems off about him - the forlorn expression on his face? The way his eyes stare right through Ryou? - but the years since his high school days have made Ryou more outgoing, more willing to meet new people and try new things. He retains a fondness for children, too. The adult world is just too complicated. Kids are lucky.
The boy blinks nervously, shifts: he can’t be much older than middle school, Ryou thinks with a pang of sympathy, and someone’s left him all alone in the library. At least he seems the bookish type, but even so....
A thought occurs to Ryou. Rummaging in his pockets - first in his khakis, then in his too-large sweater vest - he finally finds a handful of candies and offers one to the boy. “Sorry,” he says automatically. “I know you shouldn’t take candy from strangers, but I’m nobody suspicious, haha...”
The boy, staring at Ryou with unblinking, slanted eyes - Ryou tries not to feel unnerved and even almost succeeds - accepts the gift and pops it in his mouth, crumpling the wrapper nervously between his fingers and sliding it into his own pocket. “Thank you,” he finally manages to say, his voice wavering with what Ryou recognizes well as an attempt not to stutter. “Very kind.”
Ryou smiles, looks over the pile of books spread before the small, skinny boy with the stringy haircut. “Ah, ancient magic!” he exclaims in delight. “That’s what I’m studying, you know, at the university. My father’s an archaeologist but I think I might like being a professor or a writer better....I really don’t know yet...what about you?”
“Duelist,” says the boy, hunching in his chair, looking almost afraid. Ryou beams. “Really?” he asks excitedly. “So are a lot of my friends! I sometimes feel like the only person who didn’t continue....but ah, well, I wasn’t that good anyway.”
He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly; the alarm on his watch chimes, and Ryou starts in surprise. “Oh, dear, I’m going to be late for my lecture,” he comments, scooping his pile of books back up. “I’m here all the time! Come talk to me whenever!”
“Really?” The boy’s eyes grow, if possible, even more intense. Violet, thinks Ryou. Violet eyes have always unsettled him. “You won’t forget?”
“Of course not,” laughs Ryou, now growing jittery: he has to get going, and these books are heavy, but the kid, this poor strange kid....”But just to be sure, can I have your name?”
The boy shuts his book, looks up at Ryou, and to Ryou’s disappointment still looks unsure, afraid. “Yuusuke,” he declares, and Ryou nods but is cut short by the look in those violet eyes - they’ve seen too much already, much like Ryou’s own. “Fujiwara Yuusuke.”
Series: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Claim: Ryou Bakura
Theme: 05. Sociophobia; Fear of People {why can’t we be friends?}
Rating: G
Word Count: 589
Disclaimer: I don’t own Yugioh. Those only familiar with DM may not “get” this one fully.
Ryou almost doesn’t see the boy at first, buried as they both are behind stacks of archaeology textbooks. And really, who’d expect to see a skinny little kid in a university library...? But there he is, and his presence - heralded first by a light cough behind a dusty stack of old volumes - makes Ryou jump clean near out of his skin.
“Oh, s-sorry,” he stammers when he realizes he’s not alone - when he further realizes he may have just squeaked like a teenage girl in someone else’s presence. “Didn’t mean to disturb you...”
The volumes part, reveal a small boy curled up on a chair with his nose dusty from coming too close to a book. Something seems off about him - the forlorn expression on his face? The way his eyes stare right through Ryou? - but the years since his high school days have made Ryou more outgoing, more willing to meet new people and try new things. He retains a fondness for children, too. The adult world is just too complicated. Kids are lucky.
The boy blinks nervously, shifts: he can’t be much older than middle school, Ryou thinks with a pang of sympathy, and someone’s left him all alone in the library. At least he seems the bookish type, but even so....
A thought occurs to Ryou. Rummaging in his pockets - first in his khakis, then in his too-large sweater vest - he finally finds a handful of candies and offers one to the boy. “Sorry,” he says automatically. “I know you shouldn’t take candy from strangers, but I’m nobody suspicious, haha...”
The boy, staring at Ryou with unblinking, slanted eyes - Ryou tries not to feel unnerved and even almost succeeds - accepts the gift and pops it in his mouth, crumpling the wrapper nervously between his fingers and sliding it into his own pocket. “Thank you,” he finally manages to say, his voice wavering with what Ryou recognizes well as an attempt not to stutter. “Very kind.”
Ryou smiles, looks over the pile of books spread before the small, skinny boy with the stringy haircut. “Ah, ancient magic!” he exclaims in delight. “That’s what I’m studying, you know, at the university. My father’s an archaeologist but I think I might like being a professor or a writer better....I really don’t know yet...what about you?”
“Duelist,” says the boy, hunching in his chair, looking almost afraid. Ryou beams. “Really?” he asks excitedly. “So are a lot of my friends! I sometimes feel like the only person who didn’t continue....but ah, well, I wasn’t that good anyway.”
He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly; the alarm on his watch chimes, and Ryou starts in surprise. “Oh, dear, I’m going to be late for my lecture,” he comments, scooping his pile of books back up. “I’m here all the time! Come talk to me whenever!”
“Really?” The boy’s eyes grow, if possible, even more intense. Violet, thinks Ryou. Violet eyes have always unsettled him. “You won’t forget?”
“Of course not,” laughs Ryou, now growing jittery: he has to get going, and these books are heavy, but the kid, this poor strange kid....”But just to be sure, can I have your name?”
The boy shuts his book, looks up at Ryou, and to Ryou’s disappointment still looks unsure, afraid. “Yuusuke,” he declares, and Ryou nods but is cut short by the look in those violet eyes - they’ve seen too much already, much like Ryou’s own. “Fujiwara Yuusuke.”