you're running scared, i'm chasing a shadow [2/?]
title: you're running scared, i'm chasing a shadow
author: hika_nishi
pairing: masuda/tegoshi
rating: pg-13
disclaimer: I own the computer I typed this on. That's it.
summary: Tonight he was running away. Away from school and the soccer club, away from mother and warm meals, away from a comfortable room and fancy designer clothes, away from flashing red and blue and sirens and blood.
note: I guess there are none... Thanks for the comments last chapter, it actually motivated me to finish this one XD
Previous: chapter 01
“So, who is he?”
“I don’t know. Said his name was Yuya, but he wouldn’t give a last name.”
Masuda and Kato stood against the back wall of the café, sneaking an occasional glance at the boy now seated alone at the one windowless booth in the room. He had practically begged for that spot, after Masuda spent the last half hour coaxing him out of the men’s room. He had offered Yuya something to eat. He refused, Masuda brought him something anyway.
“What do you think,” Kato said, trying to appear that he was busy by occupying his hands with some empty plates. “Teenage runaway?”
“Could be.” Masuda recalled several times when Yuya evaded the question of where he’d come from. “Definitely not a local.” He peeked at Yuya again then leaned in closer to Kato. “I think there was some kind of abuse. He seemed really, I don’t know, messed up.”
Kato followed his gaze. Yuya was eating now - devouring more accurately - the lunch Masuda had given him. They both though he looked like he hadn’t had decent food in a while. “Poor kid,” Kato mumbled.
++++
The food was actually good, Yuya was surprised. A hamburger, probably not terribly good for him, but it was good and Yuya was hungry. He hadn’t eaten since - when was it? - dinner with Ryo and Yamashita last night. Back when the world was still okay.
His phone vibrated, almost as if it sensed his train of thought, making a loud buzzing sound against the wooden table. Against his better instinct, Yuya answered it. No hello?, no greeting of any kind, he just put the phone up to his ear.
“Tegoshi?” the same voice from this morning. This time calmer, almost frighteningly in control.
It took a moment for Yuya to find his voice and form the name with his voice. “Ryo…”
“Are you alright?” Yuya tried to find a hint in Ryo’s voice as to how he felt. Angry. Worried. Upset. He couldn’t hear any of those. There was nothing in his voice.
“I…I’m fine.” It was only half true.
“Where are you?”
“I can’t…”
“Tegoshi.” Ryo’s voice sent a shiver down his spine. That had never happened before. “Just tell me you didn’t…Please tell me you didn’t.” The last sentence was the only hint of emotion in his voice. Ryo wasn’t mad. He wasn’t sad. He was scared. And it frightened Yuya that he could understand why.
“Ryo...” his mind began racing, trying to come up with some excuse, something reassuring he could say. There was nothing there. “I’m sorry,” was all he could muster before quickly closing the phone. He thought of shutting it off, maybe ditching it in one of the café’s trash cans, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
He didn’t eat anymore after that.
++++
Despite protesting from Kato and a thousand other reasons why it was probably a bad idea, Masuda offered that Yuya stay at their house until he found his own place to stay - or decided to take off and leave for some other destination. He was silent for a while, but he eventually accepted.
Yuya was picturing something like his apartment in Tokyo. Not an upscale penthouse or something out of the projects, a place with no frills, but comfortable enough for everyday living.
He wasn’t anticipating this.
Masuda’s house - which he shared with Kato and a mutual friend - was a two-story beach house, windows dominating most of the walls on the first floor. It was so open, so bright. Yuya couldn’t said he’d ever say he’d ever been in a place that place that felt so light and comforting, let alone lived in one. Through the back window, he could see the beach and ocean. As he stood, palms and forehead pressed against the window, Masuda saw a smile spread across his face. What a beautiful boy.
++++
When the last time he’d watched a sunset was, he didn’t know. Maybe it was that trip to the beach they’d taken last summer? It didn’t really matter, but as he sat backwards on the sofa, knees digging into the gap in the cushions, chin resting on the back, Yuya thought it was so beautiful, so peaceful. It made him happy, if only for a moment.
It was then that their house-mate came home, a tall, cheerful, occasionally dimwitted lifeguard named Koyama. Masuda hadn’t really considered asking Koyama about taking in Yuya, not because he didn’t care how Koyama felt about, but because he knew Koyama well enough to know he would never object.
That didn’t mean he wouldn’t be surprised by the presence of a stranger in their normally familiar home.
Between a series of incoherent words, Masuda and Kato pulled Koyama into the kitchen, Yuya turned towards them on the couch looking wide-eyed, slightly confused. Masuda explained it to him. The boys demeanor when he entered the café, the state Masuda had found him in the restroom, their speculation about his situation. Koyama was, as he expected, sympathetic.
“So,” Koyama finally said, “you just offered him our house?”
“Well…yeah. I mean look at him.” Masuda opened the door a crack. Yuya was sitting curled on the couch, staring almost blankly at the television.
Kato snickered a bit, stood beside Koyama with a hand on his shoulder and whispered in his ear, “It seems Massu has a bit of a crush,” just low enough so Masuda wouldn’t hear.
Koyama sighed, glanced out the small gap in the door at the boy on the sofa. He was so small, so pretty, so vulnerable - in a word: harmless. “I guess…there’s no harm in it, right?”
His agreement was answered by a large smile and tap on the shoulder from Masuda. “Koyama! I knew you’d be fine with it. I told he’d be fine Shige.”
Another sigh, this time from Kato. “You’re going to give him my room, aren’t you.”
++++
He ran a towel back and forth over his head. It felt nice, Yuya thought, to feel clean again. It had been about two days since he last had a shower, back home in that tiny bathroom with the blue towels with little ducks stitched on them. Masuda’s bathroom had the same kind of feel to it, except there were no ducks on the towels. There were however, little soaps shaped like pigs.
The reflection in the mirror didn’t look the same as it did yesterday. He looked older today, his skin looked pale, his eyes looked dark. Desperately, he hoped a good night’s sleep would help. He threw the towel over the edge of the tub, grabbed the soft plaid pants and tee shirt Masuda gave him to wear. They were comfortable, but oversized, the shirt revealing far more collar bone than Yuya was used to. It was at that moment that he wished he’s had the mind to run home and grab some of his own clothes…
The television was on in the living room, he could hear it when he opened the door, releasing the left over steam into the hallway. Some kind of news program. From the hallway, he could see the three of them sitting, laughing, drinking, just like the three of them used to do. He smiled - for a moment.
Before he really listened to the lady reporter on the TV. A dead 24 year-old in Tokyo. An investigation.
It seemed so loud now, Yuya pressed his hands to his ears, rested his back against the wall. Koyama was the first to notice him, ask what was wrong, but Yuya wasn’t listening, just muttering things - names, apologies. He saw Masuda stand up, hurry in his direction. Masuda’s kind, concerned eyes are the last thing that Yuya sees before his legs give out and vision goes black.
author: hika_nishi
pairing: masuda/tegoshi
rating: pg-13
disclaimer: I own the computer I typed this on. That's it.
summary: Tonight he was running away. Away from school and the soccer club, away from mother and warm meals, away from a comfortable room and fancy designer clothes, away from flashing red and blue and sirens and blood.
note: I guess there are none... Thanks for the comments last chapter, it actually motivated me to finish this one XD
Previous: chapter 01
“So, who is he?”
“I don’t know. Said his name was Yuya, but he wouldn’t give a last name.”
Masuda and Kato stood against the back wall of the café, sneaking an occasional glance at the boy now seated alone at the one windowless booth in the room. He had practically begged for that spot, after Masuda spent the last half hour coaxing him out of the men’s room. He had offered Yuya something to eat. He refused, Masuda brought him something anyway.
“What do you think,” Kato said, trying to appear that he was busy by occupying his hands with some empty plates. “Teenage runaway?”
“Could be.” Masuda recalled several times when Yuya evaded the question of where he’d come from. “Definitely not a local.” He peeked at Yuya again then leaned in closer to Kato. “I think there was some kind of abuse. He seemed really, I don’t know, messed up.”
Kato followed his gaze. Yuya was eating now - devouring more accurately - the lunch Masuda had given him. They both though he looked like he hadn’t had decent food in a while. “Poor kid,” Kato mumbled.
++++
The food was actually good, Yuya was surprised. A hamburger, probably not terribly good for him, but it was good and Yuya was hungry. He hadn’t eaten since - when was it? - dinner with Ryo and Yamashita last night. Back when the world was still okay.
His phone vibrated, almost as if it sensed his train of thought, making a loud buzzing sound against the wooden table. Against his better instinct, Yuya answered it. No hello?, no greeting of any kind, he just put the phone up to his ear.
“Tegoshi?” the same voice from this morning. This time calmer, almost frighteningly in control.
It took a moment for Yuya to find his voice and form the name with his voice. “Ryo…”
“Are you alright?” Yuya tried to find a hint in Ryo’s voice as to how he felt. Angry. Worried. Upset. He couldn’t hear any of those. There was nothing in his voice.
“I…I’m fine.” It was only half true.
“Where are you?”
“I can’t…”
“Tegoshi.” Ryo’s voice sent a shiver down his spine. That had never happened before. “Just tell me you didn’t…Please tell me you didn’t.” The last sentence was the only hint of emotion in his voice. Ryo wasn’t mad. He wasn’t sad. He was scared. And it frightened Yuya that he could understand why.
“Ryo...” his mind began racing, trying to come up with some excuse, something reassuring he could say. There was nothing there. “I’m sorry,” was all he could muster before quickly closing the phone. He thought of shutting it off, maybe ditching it in one of the café’s trash cans, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
He didn’t eat anymore after that.
++++
Despite protesting from Kato and a thousand other reasons why it was probably a bad idea, Masuda offered that Yuya stay at their house until he found his own place to stay - or decided to take off and leave for some other destination. He was silent for a while, but he eventually accepted.
Yuya was picturing something like his apartment in Tokyo. Not an upscale penthouse or something out of the projects, a place with no frills, but comfortable enough for everyday living.
He wasn’t anticipating this.
Masuda’s house - which he shared with Kato and a mutual friend - was a two-story beach house, windows dominating most of the walls on the first floor. It was so open, so bright. Yuya couldn’t said he’d ever say he’d ever been in a place that place that felt so light and comforting, let alone lived in one. Through the back window, he could see the beach and ocean. As he stood, palms and forehead pressed against the window, Masuda saw a smile spread across his face. What a beautiful boy.
++++
When the last time he’d watched a sunset was, he didn’t know. Maybe it was that trip to the beach they’d taken last summer? It didn’t really matter, but as he sat backwards on the sofa, knees digging into the gap in the cushions, chin resting on the back, Yuya thought it was so beautiful, so peaceful. It made him happy, if only for a moment.
It was then that their house-mate came home, a tall, cheerful, occasionally dimwitted lifeguard named Koyama. Masuda hadn’t really considered asking Koyama about taking in Yuya, not because he didn’t care how Koyama felt about, but because he knew Koyama well enough to know he would never object.
That didn’t mean he wouldn’t be surprised by the presence of a stranger in their normally familiar home.
Between a series of incoherent words, Masuda and Kato pulled Koyama into the kitchen, Yuya turned towards them on the couch looking wide-eyed, slightly confused. Masuda explained it to him. The boys demeanor when he entered the café, the state Masuda had found him in the restroom, their speculation about his situation. Koyama was, as he expected, sympathetic.
“So,” Koyama finally said, “you just offered him our house?”
“Well…yeah. I mean look at him.” Masuda opened the door a crack. Yuya was sitting curled on the couch, staring almost blankly at the television.
Kato snickered a bit, stood beside Koyama with a hand on his shoulder and whispered in his ear, “It seems Massu has a bit of a crush,” just low enough so Masuda wouldn’t hear.
Koyama sighed, glanced out the small gap in the door at the boy on the sofa. He was so small, so pretty, so vulnerable - in a word: harmless. “I guess…there’s no harm in it, right?”
His agreement was answered by a large smile and tap on the shoulder from Masuda. “Koyama! I knew you’d be fine with it. I told he’d be fine Shige.”
Another sigh, this time from Kato. “You’re going to give him my room, aren’t you.”
++++
He ran a towel back and forth over his head. It felt nice, Yuya thought, to feel clean again. It had been about two days since he last had a shower, back home in that tiny bathroom with the blue towels with little ducks stitched on them. Masuda’s bathroom had the same kind of feel to it, except there were no ducks on the towels. There were however, little soaps shaped like pigs.
The reflection in the mirror didn’t look the same as it did yesterday. He looked older today, his skin looked pale, his eyes looked dark. Desperately, he hoped a good night’s sleep would help. He threw the towel over the edge of the tub, grabbed the soft plaid pants and tee shirt Masuda gave him to wear. They were comfortable, but oversized, the shirt revealing far more collar bone than Yuya was used to. It was at that moment that he wished he’s had the mind to run home and grab some of his own clothes…
The television was on in the living room, he could hear it when he opened the door, releasing the left over steam into the hallway. Some kind of news program. From the hallway, he could see the three of them sitting, laughing, drinking, just like the three of them used to do. He smiled - for a moment.
Before he really listened to the lady reporter on the TV. A dead 24 year-old in Tokyo. An investigation.
It seemed so loud now, Yuya pressed his hands to his ears, rested his back against the wall. Koyama was the first to notice him, ask what was wrong, but Yuya wasn’t listening, just muttering things - names, apologies. He saw Masuda stand up, hurry in his direction. Masuda’s kind, concerned eyes are the last thing that Yuya sees before his legs give out and vision goes black.