Title: As long as I care Pairing: Ariyama Genre: fluff, little bit angsty maybe? Rating: PG Author: Mi A/N sorry, this is just too long. 3766 words in total > < please don’t hate me
[It was him who had everything he wanted]It was him who had everything he wanted, endless amounts of money, cars, girls - everything. He who was invited to parties as VIP guest, always getting the best of the best although for most of his friends it still wasn’t good enough. This young man who was thrown out by his father because he hated all these rich snobs, his supposed-to-be friends, and who used the money to found a successful charity organization. It was his dream to help the ones who had nothing. He has realized that it mostly wasn’t their fault that they were in their situation. It was because of accidents, strokes of fate, which threw them into a vicious circle of poverty, left alone in their misery by the others and their state that should support them. Yes, Yamada Ryosuke just couldn’t stand to see the homeless sitting under bridges, shivering and starving, anymore. That’s why he bought a big house with rooms to sleep in and a big canteen to give some of them a home and everyone a warm meal - once a day at least. Ryosuke was quite lucky. He had many sponsors, even his father, but the latter only wanted to pimp his company’s name with it, not that he cared for his only son. With the money he collected, Ryosuke was able to buy a second house, quite in the center of Tokyo. It was only a small one, but for the homeless living there it’s a great help. So soon after it was opened, Ryosuke visited his new house. The staff greeted him friendly, the few protection seeking people that where already there were shy, some were grumpy, but Ryosuke could feel their gratitude. He knew his protégés wouldn’t trust him at first - who would, Ryosuke was still young with constantly changing ideas - but with time passing there will be confidence, that’s what he experienced a lot. It was evening when Ryosuke came, so when he left it was already night and pitch black outside. The air was chilly, but not too cold and the moon was bright. ‘A nice night to walk home’ Ryosuke thought while walking down the streets to his home. No people were around. Or at least he thought so. Because on his way to his apartment when he passed a dark small alley not far from his organization’s building, he was suddenly run over. Ryosuke felt himself falling and an incredible pain ran down his spine when his head hit the cold hard ground. Then someone fell onto him, pressing the last bit of air out of his lungs. The person already was about to stand up and run away again, but Ryosuke’s fast reflexes allowed him to grab the stranger’s jacket and stop him. Furiously the other turned around, trying to free himself from Ryosuke’s tight grip. “Let go of me!” he shouted with a voice full of fear and anger - still, for Ryosuke it sounded somehow beautiful. But there was something going on, the stranger continued to seek the dark from which he came from, nearly desperately trying to escape when they heard steps. The boy panicked when two big men appeared. Ryosuke could see they were fuming and obviously they followed the other who was now filled with fear. Ryosuke shoved him behind his back which was ridiculous because Ryosuke was smaller than the other, but he didn’t care and only thought of protecting the ones in trouble. “What do you want?” Ryosuke asked, cursing his voice for sounding so shaky, but Ryosuke was frightened himself. “The guy behind you keeps on stealing bread every day before closing time. For 3 months now we tried to catch him!” Now Ryosuke noticed the bag that the boy had dropped when crashing into him. Without letting go of the jacket in his hand he lifted it up and found a piece of hard bread in it. “But it’s only the hard old bread from this morning. You’re not going to sell it anyway!” Yamada mentioned dumbfounded, not understanding at all why the men - who were obviously bakers - were so upset. Apparently Ryosuke’s statement confused the bakers, unsure what to do they looked at each other, their gazes admitted that somehow they agreed with the young boy in front of them. Suddenly Ryosuke had an idea. He let go of the other’s jacket knowing that he wouldn’t run away because he still wanted the bag in Ryosuke’s hand and his pursuers didn’t seem to be upset anymore too. Ryosuke searched his pocket for his purse and counted the money inside. He smiled and gave it to the bakers that were even more confused now. “It’s for the bread he took from you and the rest is compensation. I want you to give the old bread you would toss away otherwise to the poor and hungry for free. It might be useless for you, but to them it might mean their life” Ryosuke explained. Satisfied the bakers left, although one complained that they couldn’t take so much money from a stranger, but in the end they took it. “Thank you” the boy with the beautiful voice whispered. “Can I have my bag back?” Ryosuke turned and looked at the other. He was surprised by how handsome the boy was. He wasn’t tall, only a little bit taller than he was and although he was really skinny and had almost no weight anymore, his face looked incredibly pretty. Especially his deep brown eyes that were nearly black were breathtaking. It was hard to tell his age, but he was maybe only 1 or 2 years older. “What’s your name?” Ryosuke wanted to know, totally forgetting about the other’s request. “Why do you want to know?” he answered. It was quite obvious that he didn’t trust Ryosuke at all even though he saved him. “I want to be able to address you in a proper way. Since we’re equal, you know” They weren’t equal at all. Ryosuke was rich while the other had nothing. Ryosuke was the head of a successful charity foundation while the other had nothing. But Ryosuke sure was equal with him since he too didn’t have the most important thing in life. A true friend that loves you from the bottom of his heart and without conditions. Ryosuke could see the loneliness in the other’s eyes and felt like looking into a mirror. The boy thought about what he was told and eyes Ryosuke shyly. Although he was a boss of a big company he only wore casual clothing and glasses and his hair always looked a bit messy. “Arioka” the boy said hesitantly and was quite surprised when Ryosuke flashed a big smile to him. “Arioka-kun? Nice to meet you! I’m Yamada Ryosuke” Ryosuke said and bowed. He was happy he knew the other’s name now and it was just as beautiful as the whole guy himself. Then there was silence. No one knew what to say to the other. Arioka shivered a bit with the cold night breezes. His dirty fringed clothes covered his body, but they couldn’t keep him warm. “Are you cold, Arioka-kun? Here!” Ryosuke said while giving his jacket to the boy. Arioka hesitated to take it, but with the owner’s serious look he grabbed it and put it on quickly. It was still warm from Ryosuke’s body and Arioka snuggled gratefully into the warmth, making the other smile again. Then Ryosuke remembered the bag with the bread in his hand. “Ah, sorry, I totally forgot that this is yours” He handed Arioka the bag which he gladly took. But against Ryosuke’s expectations he didn’t run away now. ‘Maybe he does trust me?’ he thought. Again no one talked. They just looked at each other. There was a small bond between them which both of them could feel but neither could explain it. Suddenly Ryosuke’s stomach growled which startled Arioka. “Seems like I’m hungry. Well, I haven’t eating anything but this banana and a bread this morning” Ryosuke complained and patted his stomach slightly. As soon as the words left his mouth he wanted to slap himself. How stupid to say something like that in front of someone who probably hasn’t eaten anything proper for days, maybe weeks. But his thoughts were disturbed by some rustling noises that caught his attention. He searched for the source, when suddenly something was held in front of his face. Without thinking he took it and looked at the thing he was offered. It was a small piece of the hard bread from Arioka’s bag. He looked surprised at the other. Arioka too held bread in his hand. He walked to the wall of the house behind them and sat down with his back leaning against the cold bricks. Ryosuke smiled when he realized that this was a test for him. Arioka started munching his bread meanwhile, his eyes looked from time to time at Ryosuke to check what he would do. This “test” was very simple. Arioka sure saw the brand on the jacket he borrowed. It was an expensive one. So he found out that they aren’t equal as he was told. He gave a bit of the less things he had to Ryosuke and then he lowered himself in front of Ryosuke by sitting on the ground, just like he had a lower status in society. With this, Arioka wanted to find out if Ryosuke appreciated his gift and was ready to go down to the same level with him. ‘Arioka-kun sure is smart’ Ryosuke thought while sitting down next to the older and started eating too. From the corner of his eyes he could see that Arioka had stopped, which made Ryosuke wonder if he actually didn’t want him to really sit down. Or if he simply didn’t expect him to do so. Tears formed in Arioka’s eyes. Ryosuke worriedly turned his head “Ne, Arioka-kun, are you ok?” he asked, shifted closer and put an arm around the other’s shoulder. He felt the boy quiver under his touch, so Yamada quickly removed it. “I’m sorry, Arioka-kun, I didn’t want to..” he apologized, but then he was cut. “It’s Daiki” “Eh?” “Yamada-san should call me Dai-“ “It’s Ryosuke, Daiki” Daiki looked at Ryosuke when he was interrupted too. His surprised look made Ryosuke laugh and then the older started laughing too. Their conversation didn’t make any sense. Neither of them let the other finish their sentences. Quickly they finished eating, but then both, Ryosuke’s and Daiki’s stomachs growled again. They weren’t satisfied with the small meal yet. “Ne, Daiki, are you still hungry?” Ryosuke asked while standing up. Daiki nodded and followed the younger’s example. Ryosuke thought of going to his charity’s house, but the staff sure would be sleeping already. “Come, we’ll get you some nice clothes and then we’ll eat something nice. Sounds good?” Patiently he watched Daiki who thought of Ryosuke’s plan and then he nodded. He smiled at the other when suddenly his hand was taken and he was forced to run after the younger. “We better hurry or all the shops will be closed” Ryosuke said while running to his small apartment. Luckily it wasn’t that far so they reached their goal quickly. Together they quickly jumped up the stairs to the 3rd floor. “Ta-dah, this is my home! Come in” Ryosuke said when he entered his apartment. Silently Daiki closed the door behind him and was stunned by the nice furniture and the space in the apartment. Ryosuke was already gone, he went into one of the rooms, so Daiki just took of his shoes and stood in the floor, waiting for the other to come back. ‘Living here must be really nice’ he thought. Because Ryosuke was living alone, it was so quiet in the apartment that Daiki could only hear his own breath. But he wasn’t scared at all. Ryosuke with his open and friendly character seemed to really want to help him. Somehow he had to tell him how grateful he was. Then he saw how Ryosuke sticked his head out of one of the rooms and waved him to come. His head disappeared again and Daiki increased his pace when he suddenly heard a loud noise. Carefully he looked into the room. Apparently it was the younger’s bedroom and except for the big bed and the other nice furniture he couldn’t find anything. He took a closer look, wondering where Ryosuke went and found the other laying on the floor, the chair that actually belonged to the space in front of Ryosuke’s desk was next and partly under his legs. “Itai” he mumbled and got on his feet again. He took the chair and placed it right again, then he tugged at his clothes to make it look like he never fell over it. When he turned the chuckling Daiki surprised him. “Ah, you… you’re here. Ano.. just now… that..” Ryosuke scratched his head in embarrassment. Actually he didn’t want to show his clumsy side like he did now. “Kawaii” Daiki whispered without thinking and only realized that he thought loud when a small shade of pink managed to creep on the other’s cheeks. Quickly Ryosuke changed the topic. “Look, these clothes are the biggest I have. Take what you like, I think the size is right for you” he pointed to the bed and was about to leave Daiki alone in his room. “Oh, and you can take a bath if you want too since it was really cold outside. It will warm you up! I’ll be in the living room then” Ryosuke pointed to the door that led into his bathroom and then he left his guest alone. After the door was closed, Daiki finally moved again. He went to Ryosuke’s bed where he had put the neatly folded clothes. He took a yellow sweater and looked at it. They were all so beautiful clothes. Then he went to the bathroom. It was small but very clean. He looked at the mirror and was shocked by his appearance. He spent time with the handsome Ryosuke like this? His face was dirty, so was the rest of his body, while his hair hang in filthy strands into his face. A bath would really help. After drying his body and his hair a bit with a towel he too found on the bed he went out of the bathroom and looked at the clothes again. It was really hard to decide what to wear. In the end he took the yellow sweater from the beginning and a pair of black jeans. He looked at his reflection in the mirror. He was so different from before. He had to admit that his face was quite pretty. Daiki wondered if Ryosuke saw this side of him from the first time they looked at each other. Quickly he took his own clothes and put them into his bag with the old bread and put it next to Ryosuke’s bed. There were a lot of valuable things in his room and he just left Daiki all alone in it although they just met an hour before. Where does all his trust come from? Should he trust him too? There’s nothing against it actually. Believing that he was ready he left Ryosuke’s bedroom and headed to where he thought the living room was. There he found the younger sitting on the sofa reading. Just as if he sensed his presence, Ryosuke turned his head and his eyes widened. He closed his book and stood up. “Wow, you look completely different now! I’m so glad the size fits you!” Ryosuke flashed a lovely smile to Daiki and placed the book in the shelf and walked towards his guest. Taking a closer look, he noticed that the boy’s hair was still wet. “Ano.. I think we have to dry your hair or you’ll get a cold outside” Ryosuke said and pushed Daiki slightly back into his bathroom. He placed the older in front of the mirror and took his hair-dryer. But since Ryosuke was smaller than Daiki he couldn’t really reach up so he took the small stool on the ground to stand on it. Now he could easily dry the other’s hair. Ryosuke loved the soft feeling between his fingers and it was funny to watch how the hair got more and more curly. Lovingly he caressed Daiki’s hair withouth thinking too much. When he realized what he did he quickly turned his head to not let the other see that he was blushing again. “So, finished! Feels much better now, doesn’t it?” Ryosuke said after he finished combing Daiki’s hair. Now he really looked like a normal person and he never felt so good before. Daiki followed Ryosuke who left the room and put on his shoes. When they were outside again, they walked around without knowing where to go. It was a bit colder now and Ryosuke forgot to wear a jacket. Hesitantly he pressed his side to Daiki’s a little while walking. “Ne, what do you want to eat, Dai-chan?” Ryosuke asked the other, but Daiki suddenly stopped. Was he just called ‘Dai-chan’? No one ever did, but somehow he liked it. The way Ryosuke said it was cute and he loved how he started his questions with ‘ne’. When Ryosuke stopped walking too and looked at him with a questioning expression on his face, Daiki’s heart skipped a beat. “You can have everything you want!” Daiki shook his head slightly to think clearly again and it didn’t take him too long to decide. “Sushi?” he said. It was more like a question he asked to no one on particular. But Ryosuke was ok with his suggestion and started walking again after nodding. Daiki hurried to keep up with him. “I know the perfect place to go. Their sushi is delicious. I’m sure you’ll like it” he was told and somehow he didn’t doubt that. And Ryosuke remained right. Daiki ate quite a lot, feeling bad for causing such a high bill for Ryosuke to pay, but he had never been so full and happy like now. Outside again, they decided to rest at a little bench after walking for a while. It was quiet and still no people were around. But this time the silence was broken by Daiki’s question. “Why do you do all this for me? You don’t know me at all. What if I use your kindness and kill you now to get all your money and your apartment? Why do you trust me?” The question wasn’t surprising for Ryosuke. He looked at his hands on his lap and played with his fingers. “Why? Yeah, that’s a good question. I don’t know myself. I just have the feeling that… that we are actually the same. As you might know by now, I’m not poor. You might wonder why I don’t live in a bigger house or why I care for others that much unlike other rich people. I don’t know at all. I’d really like to though. You might think I have everything I want and even more. It must seem like a fairytale to you. But the truth is that I’m lonely. I don’t have the most important thing in life. I don’t have a true friend. So when I saw you.. I.. somehow saw myself. You’re lonely, too. You suffer this loneliness just the way I do. I realized by first sight that we are more similar than we think. That’s how I can trust you the way I do” With the last sentence he looked at Daiki’s stunned face, but only a short time because he fought hard not to let a tear escape. He never talked to someone about his feelings. But Daiki believed it all. Everything Ryosuke said seemed so clear to him. But Ryosuke still continued. “You might wonder why I didn’t ask for your story yet. Where you’re from or why you are in this situation. The truth is I don’t care about that. Because it tells nothing about who you are and who you’ll be in the future. Everyone should believe more in these sayings that are written everywhere. ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’, things like that. It’s incredibly true, ne. When telling you all this I think why I can care for others so good is because of my motto. You just have to ask yourself why there is a future or why the past is over. It’s because we have the here and now. And every day is a gift, so they called it present. Everyone should get a nice present, ne?” Slowly Ryosuke stood up and walked a bit. Daiki couldn’t help but sit and watch him. Somehow he shared his feelings. Now, with Ryosuke standing alone in the dark, with his back facing him, he could see the loneliness. It was the same as his. “Ne, Dai-chan, do you know where you’ll sleep today?” Ryosuke asked, turning halfway. This question confused Daiki. How can he change topics so fast? Daiki hadn’t really thought about sleeping yet. Slowly he shook his head. “Wanna sleep at my place? I have a nice guest room for you if you want” Ryosuke suggested. And there it was again. His lovely smile that makes his face so pretty and unique. How could Daiki say no? A huge grin appeared on his face when he jumped up and nodded. He approached Ryosuke and wrapped his arms around the younger’s waist. Just as he expected the cute pink shade colored the latter’s face as he did so. Daiki pinched Ryosuke’s nose with his finger, then he took his hand and started running, making the other run, too. Daiki remembered the way which surprised Ryosuke, but finally they reached the building and jumped up the stairs like they did earlier. Inside they just threw off their shoes and fell onto the sofa. They laughed and panted hard from the running. “Ne, Ryosuke, can I consider you a friend?” Daiki asked, copying Ryosuke’s way to speak which made the latter pout adorably. “Oi baka, don’t make fun of me!” he complained jokingly and slapped Daiki’s head slightly. “Of couse you can. And you can stay here if you want to. I promise you don’t have to worry about anything anymore as long as I car for you” Daiki smiled widely “Thank you so much, Ryosuke!” He hugged the younger tightly and was surprise when Ryosuke too wrapped his arms around him.