Inside and Out - #16, Denial - Chapter 6

Aug 06, 2008 10:25

Title: Inside and Out
Author: jibunnohana
Theme: #16, denial
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Ni~ya x Sakito
Band[s]: Nightmare
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Comments: Yuuji finally gets a stage name. Something of a silly chapter, and on the short side.

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3 (plus companion ficlet by josietries)
Chapter 4
Chapter 5


“It’s…bigger than I expected.” Yuuji could tell instantly his friend was only trying to be nice with that comment. Behind him, Sakito was taking in the sights curiously - the unmade bed, the cell charger sticking out of the wall and trailing across the floor, the half eaten take-out he had forgotten to throw away. At least he had stuffed the girly magazines under his mattress before leaving that day out of habit from hiding them from his family. It could definitely have been worse.

“Admit it, the place is a hole,” Yuuji chuckled in return. He pushed a blanket out of the way and sat with the bag of food they had stopped for, distributing the two boxes of sushi and condiments in front of him.

“Well, maybe a little bit…” Sakito admitted, trying vainly to hide his recoil from the fat spider making a home in the corner. Hastily, he crossed the room and joined Yuuji on the bed to eat. “You don’t even have a TV,” he noted, but without obvious surprise.

“Haven’t been able to afford it yet,” the bassist answered honestly. He didn’t feel the need to keep any secrets about his financial state from the other boy, who seemed less critical of his life and more interested in his freedom. Sakito sat with his legs sticking out partially on the floor and askew, hunched forward over his food and cramming a roll in his mouth. He hadn’t been kidding about being hungry; Yuuji was amused at the blatant disregard for manners that seemed so contrary to the quiet guitarist’s usual demeanor. Or maybe he was just comfortable enough to let his guard down.

Sakito nodded and swallowed. “There’s never anything worthwhile on anyway. Do you like living alone?”

Stopping in mid-bite, Yuuji put the roll down again and tapped his lips with his chopsticks. That was something he hadn’t exactly considered before. Living alone or with his family, which was better? Missing his siblings and mother and grandparents versus being out of reach of his father’s disapproving eye was more the question. “I guess so. It’s easier in some ways. My father can be…difficult.”

“Oh.” Sakito answered neutrally, barely disguising his curiosity by playing with his food. Yuuji could still see his dark eyes watching him sidelong, and he shrugged, but felt compelled to say something.

“He doesn’t like the idea of my being in a band.” Not nearly the whole truth, but all he was willing to tell Sakito. It seemed to be enough to appease him, and Yuuji decided to change the subject in hopes that he could get Sakito to talk about himself. “Hitsugi is lucky that his parents are so supportive.”

“Yeah.” Sakito stopped after a single word. Well, that didn’t work. Not that he had really been expecting it to cause him to relate his entire life story, but he hoped after such an upsetting night the other boy might open up at least a little. Now he was at a loss for how to continue. They finished eating in silence, still in their makeup and ridiculous clothes. Yuuji almost wanted to laugh to break the unnecessary tension that seemed to have found its way into the room.

“My parents…” Sakito’s voice was probably higher than he meant it to be when he suddenly decided to talk again, or at least that’s what it seemed to Yuuji, but his heart leapt a little at the idea that the other boy was going to say something of substance.

“My parents,” he began again quieter, “aren’t exactly thrilled either. But they’d be okay with it if I succeed in music.”

Sakito stopped, thoughtfully watching his toes flex up and down, and looking like he wanted to say more. Yuuji made a soft, noncommittal but hopefully encouraging noise. It seemed to help, he noticed. “You’ve met my sister, she’s perfect and mature and serious…. That’s what my parents want, not a son that won’t cut his hair and can’t get into college.” He laughed then, a short sound, more of a snort than real amusement.

“I like your long hair,” Yuuji blurted out before he knew what he was saying. Anything to comfort Sakito that he wasn’t as much of a failure as his family lead him to believe, slightly misguided though the comment was. He knew too well the feeling his friend was implying.

Now Sakito did laugh genuinely, eyes closed softly as he dropped sideways onto the mattress and curled around himself, a movement so easy and fluid that Yuuji realized it was the first time they had been completely relaxed with each other. He smiled to himself and leaned back on his hands.

“That’s…good to know.” Some of the coppery strands drifted over his face and he grabbed them to examine in the dim light of the single lamp. “I’m kind of surprised they haven’t snuck into my room at night with the scissors yet.”

“They would do that?” Yuuji’s brow furrow in surprise and skepticism.

“I wouldn’t put it past my mother.”

“That’s…frightening.”

Nodding, Sakito rolled onto his back, legs sticking out much to close to crossing the bassist’s to be comfortable anymore. And Yuuji realized just how much he liked the way Sakito’s hair was spread out behind him on the bed - his bed - and how the half-closed gaze the other was giving him had more unintentional allure than all the sultry girls in his magazines combined. No fucking way. The sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach couldn’t possibly be what he was guessing, and he pushed the unwanted thoughts into an unused corner of his mind for later examination.

Yuuji’s mouth opened and closed once, preparing to say something, anything to distract him before he did something stupid, but Sakito thankfully beat him to it. “You still need a stage name.”

“Nyuh?” Yuuji was so surprised at the swift change of subject that he momentarily lost coherence. Blinking with rounded eyes, he turned and busied himself with stacking the trash leftover form their meal. He swallowed the lump rising in his throat unsuccessfully and crammed the plastic boxes into the bag they came in.

“Nyuh? Is that your answer?” Sakito was obviously teasing, and he prodded Yuuji’s thigh with one foot. “That’s not very creative.”

“I’m not good at thinking up names. And no, that wasn’t an answer,” he protested.

“No no, I think we can work with this. ‘Nyan’, like a cat?” Sakito bent his hands in a weird imitation of cat paws, a mischievous light in his eyes. “Nyan-nyan...”

Yuuji groaned inwardly. If he didn’t think of something soon he was going to be stuck with Sakito’s joke.

“Nya~ N…ya. ni~ya? Ni~ya ni~ya. I like that way that sounds.” Perhaps it was already too late.

“Niya?” It could be worse, he thought glumly. The bassist was being entirely truthful when he said he was terrible at making up names.

“No, Ni~ya. With a long i. It’s elegant, don’t you think? Sounds are sometimes more interesting than meaning.” A glance at Sakito’s face told him that the boy was serious this time. “Do you like it?”

There was no way he could disagree. ‘Ni~ya’ wasn’t a terrible name, he could probably get used to it. “Er…sure. It’s fine.”

The pleased smile he received curled into something more devious. “And that way I can still call you Nyan.” Doomed, he was doomed. Ni~ya, née Yuuji, grabbed a pillow and hit Sakito solidly in the face.

nightmare::ni~yaxsakito, theme a16::denial

Previous post Next post
Up