[fic] Balconies and Fairytales: 01
Title: Balconies and Fairytales
Pairings: Ryu/Hayato. Implied Hayato/random woman. Past Ryu/Ichirou (Koki's character in Tokkyu Tanaka San Go ). And a bunch of random cameos of people who have nothing to do with Gokusen.
Rating: NC-17 if I continue the fic. This part is lightly R.
Warnings: Sex.
Prompt: “Five, maybe ten years in the future, the gang meets up again. What have they been up to?”
Notes: A couple months ago, I asked for fic prompts. This is the result of that. Sort of. This is currently unfinished. One chapter of possibly several. I don't know where to go from here. But. I tend to be able to write better (or at all) when I have encouraging comments to read. And since I won't get comments unless I post fic... *sigh* Also, for some stupid reason, I decided to write this in present tense, which isn’t my forte. Please forgive for any wonkiness.
Balconies and Fairytales
After graduation, at his father’s insistence, Ryu had gone traveling around Canada and the States and though he had been able to keep in touch with most of his high school friends, one day, Hayato stopped calling. No one would tell Ryu what happened; even Take was rather nervously tight-lipped about it. So Ryu stopped trying, figuring that if Hayato wanted to stop being a jerk, he’d take the initiative and contact Ryu.
But that never happens.
It’s been nine years since high school graduation and Ryu hasn’t seen or spoken to Hayato for the last seven.
Ryu’s job brings him back to Tokyo in late January, when the winter wind is biting against his skin and his breath freezes as it escapes his lungs. His conference tonight lasts until just after midnight and, much to his chagrin, he’s dragged out to a local bar with his colleagues to celebrate a long awaited company merger. Ryu just wants to go back to his apartment and sleep.
When Hayato drops and breaks the second shot glass of the evening, Tsucchi decides it’s time to speak up. “Okay, Hayato, it’s time to go home.”
Hayato ignores his friend and signals to the bartender for another drink - to which Tsucchi counters with a discrete shake of his head to the man behind the bar - and mumbles, “That stupid bitch! I can’t believe she just left! What the fuck am I supposed to do now?”
Tsucchi lifts Hayato from the bar stool to his feet and starts leading him toward the exit. “Come on,” he says as they stumble through the crowd. “We’ll figure it out tomorrow.” When they reach the door and walk out into the cold January night, Hayato trips on a crack in the sidewalk, slips out of Tsucchi’s grasp, and falls into a group of businessmen, knocking one of them to the ground. The man lying under him groans faintly and Hayato pushes himself up so he’s hovering above the man. Their eyes meet and Hayato feels like he can’t breathe.
“Ryu,” he whispers.
“Hayato, get the hell off of him!” Tsucchi grabs Hayato and pushes him out of the way. He helps the businessman up from the ground and bows. “I’m so sorry! Are you ok? Let me buy you a drink or something to make up for it!” he says frantically. Tsucchi doesn’t raise his head until one of the other men speaks.
“Hey, Odagiri, you coming in or what?”
“In a little bit,” Ryu answers quietly. Both Hayato and Tsucchi are staring at him as his colleagues enter the bar, leaving him outside. An awkward silence settles between them for a few moments until Tsucchi gets over his initial shock and moves to hug Ryu, surrounding him with his long arms.
“Ryu, how the hell have you been?” he asks excitedly. Ryu is limp in his embrace, not knowing how to respond. “I barely even recognized you!” Tsucchi pulls back and holds Ryu at arms length to examine his old friend. Ryu is dressed in a crisp, dark gray suit under a hooded, black, wool coat. His hair is shorter and darker - almost black - than it had been when they’d last seen each other and the ends curl out slightly by his ears. Ryu looks tired, but healthy.
Ryu desperately tries to ignore Hayato’s gaze boring into him and he gives Tsucchi a small, awkward smile. “It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?” he says conversationally.
“Are you busy? We could grab something to eat and catch up or…”
Hayato suddenly pushes Tsucchi out of the way and wraps his arms around Ryu, enveloping him in a tight, almost suffocating hug. “Ryu…” he chokes out. His voice sounds strained and tired to Ryu’s ears and Ryu wants to push away from him, but Hayato’s hold is strong and warm and Ryu is scared that if Hayato lets go, he might have to actually face him after all these years.
Hayato is heavy against Ryu and he smells of smoke and alcohol. His breath tickles Ryu’s ear, deafening, and the ringing of Tsucchi’s cell phone comes as a welcome distraction. Ryu briefly tries to push Hayato away, but it only results in Hayato’s arms tightening around him. It isn’t until Tsucchi ends his call and pries Hayato off of him that Ryu is able to breathe again.
Tsucchi smiles apologetically and hands Ryu a slip of paper and a little money. “Sorry, Ryu, but could you take him home?” He gestures toward Hayato. “His address is on that paper and that should be enough cash for the taxi ride there and back. My girlfriend just called and she wants me to come home right away, so I gotta run.” Tsucchi turns to Hayato and smiles. “I’ll call you later, Hayato. And don’t worry. Everything’ll work out. Tell Yuya-kun I said hello!” He starts walking off, but then turns back to Ryu. “Let’s hang out this weekend, Ryu!”
Before Ryu can say anything, Tsucchi rushes off. Hayato stands before him, frowning.
“So…” Ryu starts, hoping to fill the awkward silence with something, but Hayato abruptly grips Ryu’s arm and bends over, vomiting as the alcohol in his system finally catches up with him. Ryu sighs and takes out his phone, calling for a taxi as Hayato empties the contents of his stomach onto the sidewalk.
Neither man speaks on the ride to Hayato’s apartment. Ryu’s hopes that he can just leave Hayato at his door and escape are dashed as soon as they arrive. Hayato can barely pull himself out of the car.
“Ryu,” Hayato finally speaks in the elevator, leaning heavily against Ryu. “Ryu, I missed you.”
Ryu wants to scream, “If you missed me, you shouldn’t have stopped returning my calls!” but bites his lip and responds with a quiet “me, too,” instead, which he’s not sure Hayato even hears as the elevator doors open for them.
Hayato’s apartment is small and messy, which doesn’t surprise Ryu. In the dim light from the hallway, a form moves on the nearby couch, catching Ryu’s attention.
It’s a man, tall and muscular, wearing a black t-shirt tucked into gray sweatpants. His hair is black and straight and Ryu wonders if this is the “Yuya-kun” that Tsucchi had mentioned. A feeling that Ryu has ignored for the last decade starts to well up in the pit of his stomach. The man is asleep, clutching a small pillow close to his chest, looking as if lost in a pleasant dream.
Hayato doesn’t seem to notice the man, too engrossed in trying to extract his key from the door’s lock. It’s not until the man mumbles a slurred “mnhm… Shuuji-kun…” that Hayato looks up. He groans, annoyed, and leaves the key in the lock, making his way to the couch where he pulls roughly on the man’s arm.
“Kusano,” he says loudly, “go home.”
With another rough tug, Kusano is awake and on his feet. Hayato pushes him toward the door. Still halfway between sleep and waking, Kusano pauses in front of Ryu and cocks his head to the side. He brings his right hand up and pinches the tips of his middle and ring fingers against the tip of his thumb and tweaks Ryu’s nose, murmuring a quiet “kon” before Hayato shoves him out into the hallway and shuts the door.
Ryu doesn’t know what to make of the man, nor can he stop the question of “Who was that?” from passing his lips. But Hayato doesn’t answer and instead stares at Ryu with sad, wide eyes.
“I really missed you, Ryu,” he whispers, advancing on Ryu and wrapping strong arms around him again. This time, Ryu does push Hayato away.
“I have to go,” he says hurriedly, making for the door. Hayato grabs his wrist just as his hand reaches the knob.
“Don’t leave.” Hayato embraces Ryu and backs him against the door. His face is buried in the crook of Ryu’s neck and his breath warms Ryu’s shirt collar. “Don’t leave me again.” He sounds broken and for a brief moment, Ryu doesn’t have the heart to push him away. But Hayato shifts and Ryu feels hot, moist lips against the side of his neck and it’s then that Ryu notices the slight hardness against his hip.
Ryu has always known his own preferences lean toward men. It is mostly the reason he so often refused to join his friends when they managed to get some girls to go on group dates with them in high school. He has never really been interested in girls. But Ryu never tells this to any of his friends, though he’s pretty sure Take figured it out on his own. He’s too worried they’ll treat him differently. He trusts them, but not with this.
His father hadn’t given him much of a choice when he was shipped off to North America, but Ryu also hadn’t put up much of a fight. Against his will, he had started seeing Hayato as more than a friend. Every time Hayato smiled at him, his heart skipped a beat. He knew that Hayato would never, could never return his feelings, so it was easier to put some distance between them. He figured it was for the best.
Now, with Hayato flush against him, lips and tongue exploring Ryu’s long, slender neck, Ryu frowns. He doesn’t know what to do, doesn’t know what he wants to do. His silly high school crush on his best friend never really went away and he’d be lying to himself if he said he doesn’t enjoy what Hayato is doing to him, but as Hayato nips at his ear with a quiet moan, Ryu finally shoves Hayato away.
“What the fuck are you doing?” he hisses, wiping his neck.
Hayato stares at him like his heart has been broken into a million pieces. Before Ryu can say anything else, Hayato rushes through the living room and down a short hallway, stumbling over his own feet on the way. Moments later, Ryu can hear Hayato retching and coughing, no doubt throwing up again. Ryu’s head leans back against the door and he closes his eyes. He wants to leave. He knows he should leave. Hayato’s drunk and if he manages to remember his actions in the morning, he’ll regret it and Ryu doesn’t really want to be around to witness that, but still, Ryu finds his legs following Hayato’s path back to the small bathroom at the end of the hallway.
Hayato is on his knees, hunched over the toilet bowl, seemingly waiting for another round of nausea to hit. It never does though, and Hayato soon gets to his feet and stumbles to the sink, leaning heavily against the counter. Ryu watches from the doorway as Hayato’s shaking hands splash cool water onto his face and when Hayato straightens his back, their eyes meet in the mirror.
Ryu thinks Hayato looks tired. It’s an exhaustion that runs deeper than the effects of the alcohol and Ryu sighs, entering the room and handing Hayato a towel to dry his face.
“You look like shit, Hayato,” he says softly. “Go to bed.” Ryu turns to leave and Hayato quickly grabs his hand.
“Stay.”
Ryu doesn’t respond, but lowers his gaze to the floor and nestles his bottom lip between his teeth.
“There’s… the couch folds out into a bed, so I’ll sleep there and you can sleep in my bed. It’s been…” Too long, Ryu thinks. “It’s been awhile, so… you should stay.” Hayato releases Ryu’s hand and hurries out of the room, steadier on his feet than he had been all night. “I’ll go get some blankets,” he calls out.
Ryu sighs. He shouldn’t stay. He knows he shouldn’t, but he also knows that eventually he’ll have to talk to Hayato, if only to found out why he stopped calling. After a few minutes, he wanders to the bedroom which he saw Hayato enter. To his dismay, Hayato is sprawled out on the large bed, already asleep. Ryu rolls his eyes, flicks off the light switch and leaves the room.
On the couch in the living room is a small fleece blanket, light blue with baseball bats and mitts and baseballs on it in bright colors. It’s not something a grown man would normally own, especially one who has never shown much interest in baseball, but Ryu shrugs, taking it as one of Hayato’s many oddities.
It’s much too late for him to go to his own apartment. By the time he gets home, there wouldn’t be much time for him to sleep before work the next morning, so he decides to stay, taking off his jacket and dress shirt and climbing onto the couch, pulling the small blanket over him. He sets the alarm on his cell phone to wake him up at 6:00 and then closes his eyes, hoping that sleep takes him soon so he doesn’t have to think about the night’s events.
He doesn’t know what exactly shakes him out of his sleep, but when he cracks his eyes open, the room is dark except for the dim light coming from another room. Ryu rubs the sleep out of his eyes and in that light, he finally notices a small figure standing before him. The child is thin, with wavy brown hair falling down almost to the shoulders. Wide eyes stare at Ryu and Ryu is sure he’s still dreaming, but he has no recollection of who this child is and why the child would appear in his dream.
Ryu is about to speak, but when he shifts a little, the child scurries away with fearful eyes. He shrugs and leans back against the couch, closing his own eyes.
A few minutes later, the lights are turned on, forcing Ryu’s eyes open. He turns to find Hayato standing in the room’s entrance, hand poised over the light switch. The child is behind Hayato, grasping at the man’s pants and peaking out at Ryu cautiously.
“Not a thief, Yuya,” Hayato mumbles sleepily. “Just Ryu.” He turns to go back to his bedroom with the child, but he stops in his tracks, suddenly remembering who he had met the night before. “Go to your room, Yuya,” he says sternly. Yuya obeys, sneaking one last glance at the stranger in the living room before heading back down the hallway.
Hayato turns around slowly and makes his way toward the couch. He sits cautiously on the side furthest from Ryu.
“That’s Yuya,” he announces quietly, not looking at Ryu, “my son.”
Ryu doesn’t know how to respond. There are so many things he wants to say, to ask, but the only thing he can get past his lips is a whispered, “oh.”
Several minutes of tense silence pass. Neither man can think of an appropriate thing to say. Ryu’s cell phone alarm finally goes off and he’s grateful for the interruption and for the chance to escape.
“I have to go to work,” he says, fumbling with his phone to turn the alarm off. He rushes to grab his things and put his shoes back on, not bothering to tie the laces properly, and he’s at the door with his hand on the knob, when Hayato puts a hand on his shoulder.
“Ryu…” he whispers.
Ryu shrugs Hayato’s hand away. “I have to go,” he says again. He opens the door and hurries out, hoping Hayato won’t follow him.
He doesn’t.
To be continued?
Notes: This was written before the announcement of the upcoming Gokusen movie and I'm too lazy to change Ryu's occupation in this from Business Man From Unidentified Company to Yankumi: Part Deux. So... AU!
I don't know if I'll finish this. I don't know if I can finish it. And yet, I'm still posting it.
I have a feeling I'll regret this in the morning.
Pairings: Ryu/Hayato. Implied Hayato/random woman. Past Ryu/Ichirou (Koki's character in Tokkyu Tanaka San Go ). And a bunch of random cameos of people who have nothing to do with Gokusen.
Rating: NC-17 if I continue the fic. This part is lightly R.
Warnings: Sex.
Prompt: “Five, maybe ten years in the future, the gang meets up again. What have they been up to?”
Notes: A couple months ago, I asked for fic prompts. This is the result of that. Sort of. This is currently unfinished. One chapter of possibly several. I don't know where to go from here. But. I tend to be able to write better (or at all) when I have encouraging comments to read. And since I won't get comments unless I post fic... *sigh* Also, for some stupid reason, I decided to write this in present tense, which isn’t my forte. Please forgive for any wonkiness.
Balconies and Fairytales
After graduation, at his father’s insistence, Ryu had gone traveling around Canada and the States and though he had been able to keep in touch with most of his high school friends, one day, Hayato stopped calling. No one would tell Ryu what happened; even Take was rather nervously tight-lipped about it. So Ryu stopped trying, figuring that if Hayato wanted to stop being a jerk, he’d take the initiative and contact Ryu.
But that never happens.
It’s been nine years since high school graduation and Ryu hasn’t seen or spoken to Hayato for the last seven.
Ryu’s job brings him back to Tokyo in late January, when the winter wind is biting against his skin and his breath freezes as it escapes his lungs. His conference tonight lasts until just after midnight and, much to his chagrin, he’s dragged out to a local bar with his colleagues to celebrate a long awaited company merger. Ryu just wants to go back to his apartment and sleep.
When Hayato drops and breaks the second shot glass of the evening, Tsucchi decides it’s time to speak up. “Okay, Hayato, it’s time to go home.”
Hayato ignores his friend and signals to the bartender for another drink - to which Tsucchi counters with a discrete shake of his head to the man behind the bar - and mumbles, “That stupid bitch! I can’t believe she just left! What the fuck am I supposed to do now?”
Tsucchi lifts Hayato from the bar stool to his feet and starts leading him toward the exit. “Come on,” he says as they stumble through the crowd. “We’ll figure it out tomorrow.” When they reach the door and walk out into the cold January night, Hayato trips on a crack in the sidewalk, slips out of Tsucchi’s grasp, and falls into a group of businessmen, knocking one of them to the ground. The man lying under him groans faintly and Hayato pushes himself up so he’s hovering above the man. Their eyes meet and Hayato feels like he can’t breathe.
“Ryu,” he whispers.
“Hayato, get the hell off of him!” Tsucchi grabs Hayato and pushes him out of the way. He helps the businessman up from the ground and bows. “I’m so sorry! Are you ok? Let me buy you a drink or something to make up for it!” he says frantically. Tsucchi doesn’t raise his head until one of the other men speaks.
“Hey, Odagiri, you coming in or what?”
“In a little bit,” Ryu answers quietly. Both Hayato and Tsucchi are staring at him as his colleagues enter the bar, leaving him outside. An awkward silence settles between them for a few moments until Tsucchi gets over his initial shock and moves to hug Ryu, surrounding him with his long arms.
“Ryu, how the hell have you been?” he asks excitedly. Ryu is limp in his embrace, not knowing how to respond. “I barely even recognized you!” Tsucchi pulls back and holds Ryu at arms length to examine his old friend. Ryu is dressed in a crisp, dark gray suit under a hooded, black, wool coat. His hair is shorter and darker - almost black - than it had been when they’d last seen each other and the ends curl out slightly by his ears. Ryu looks tired, but healthy.
Ryu desperately tries to ignore Hayato’s gaze boring into him and he gives Tsucchi a small, awkward smile. “It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?” he says conversationally.
“Are you busy? We could grab something to eat and catch up or…”
Hayato suddenly pushes Tsucchi out of the way and wraps his arms around Ryu, enveloping him in a tight, almost suffocating hug. “Ryu…” he chokes out. His voice sounds strained and tired to Ryu’s ears and Ryu wants to push away from him, but Hayato’s hold is strong and warm and Ryu is scared that if Hayato lets go, he might have to actually face him after all these years.
Hayato is heavy against Ryu and he smells of smoke and alcohol. His breath tickles Ryu’s ear, deafening, and the ringing of Tsucchi’s cell phone comes as a welcome distraction. Ryu briefly tries to push Hayato away, but it only results in Hayato’s arms tightening around him. It isn’t until Tsucchi ends his call and pries Hayato off of him that Ryu is able to breathe again.
Tsucchi smiles apologetically and hands Ryu a slip of paper and a little money. “Sorry, Ryu, but could you take him home?” He gestures toward Hayato. “His address is on that paper and that should be enough cash for the taxi ride there and back. My girlfriend just called and she wants me to come home right away, so I gotta run.” Tsucchi turns to Hayato and smiles. “I’ll call you later, Hayato. And don’t worry. Everything’ll work out. Tell Yuya-kun I said hello!” He starts walking off, but then turns back to Ryu. “Let’s hang out this weekend, Ryu!”
Before Ryu can say anything, Tsucchi rushes off. Hayato stands before him, frowning.
“So…” Ryu starts, hoping to fill the awkward silence with something, but Hayato abruptly grips Ryu’s arm and bends over, vomiting as the alcohol in his system finally catches up with him. Ryu sighs and takes out his phone, calling for a taxi as Hayato empties the contents of his stomach onto the sidewalk.
Neither man speaks on the ride to Hayato’s apartment. Ryu’s hopes that he can just leave Hayato at his door and escape are dashed as soon as they arrive. Hayato can barely pull himself out of the car.
“Ryu,” Hayato finally speaks in the elevator, leaning heavily against Ryu. “Ryu, I missed you.”
Ryu wants to scream, “If you missed me, you shouldn’t have stopped returning my calls!” but bites his lip and responds with a quiet “me, too,” instead, which he’s not sure Hayato even hears as the elevator doors open for them.
Hayato’s apartment is small and messy, which doesn’t surprise Ryu. In the dim light from the hallway, a form moves on the nearby couch, catching Ryu’s attention.
It’s a man, tall and muscular, wearing a black t-shirt tucked into gray sweatpants. His hair is black and straight and Ryu wonders if this is the “Yuya-kun” that Tsucchi had mentioned. A feeling that Ryu has ignored for the last decade starts to well up in the pit of his stomach. The man is asleep, clutching a small pillow close to his chest, looking as if lost in a pleasant dream.
Hayato doesn’t seem to notice the man, too engrossed in trying to extract his key from the door’s lock. It’s not until the man mumbles a slurred “mnhm… Shuuji-kun…” that Hayato looks up. He groans, annoyed, and leaves the key in the lock, making his way to the couch where he pulls roughly on the man’s arm.
“Kusano,” he says loudly, “go home.”
With another rough tug, Kusano is awake and on his feet. Hayato pushes him toward the door. Still halfway between sleep and waking, Kusano pauses in front of Ryu and cocks his head to the side. He brings his right hand up and pinches the tips of his middle and ring fingers against the tip of his thumb and tweaks Ryu’s nose, murmuring a quiet “kon” before Hayato shoves him out into the hallway and shuts the door.
Ryu doesn’t know what to make of the man, nor can he stop the question of “Who was that?” from passing his lips. But Hayato doesn’t answer and instead stares at Ryu with sad, wide eyes.
“I really missed you, Ryu,” he whispers, advancing on Ryu and wrapping strong arms around him again. This time, Ryu does push Hayato away.
“I have to go,” he says hurriedly, making for the door. Hayato grabs his wrist just as his hand reaches the knob.
“Don’t leave.” Hayato embraces Ryu and backs him against the door. His face is buried in the crook of Ryu’s neck and his breath warms Ryu’s shirt collar. “Don’t leave me again.” He sounds broken and for a brief moment, Ryu doesn’t have the heart to push him away. But Hayato shifts and Ryu feels hot, moist lips against the side of his neck and it’s then that Ryu notices the slight hardness against his hip.
Ryu has always known his own preferences lean toward men. It is mostly the reason he so often refused to join his friends when they managed to get some girls to go on group dates with them in high school. He has never really been interested in girls. But Ryu never tells this to any of his friends, though he’s pretty sure Take figured it out on his own. He’s too worried they’ll treat him differently. He trusts them, but not with this.
His father hadn’t given him much of a choice when he was shipped off to North America, but Ryu also hadn’t put up much of a fight. Against his will, he had started seeing Hayato as more than a friend. Every time Hayato smiled at him, his heart skipped a beat. He knew that Hayato would never, could never return his feelings, so it was easier to put some distance between them. He figured it was for the best.
Now, with Hayato flush against him, lips and tongue exploring Ryu’s long, slender neck, Ryu frowns. He doesn’t know what to do, doesn’t know what he wants to do. His silly high school crush on his best friend never really went away and he’d be lying to himself if he said he doesn’t enjoy what Hayato is doing to him, but as Hayato nips at his ear with a quiet moan, Ryu finally shoves Hayato away.
“What the fuck are you doing?” he hisses, wiping his neck.
Hayato stares at him like his heart has been broken into a million pieces. Before Ryu can say anything else, Hayato rushes through the living room and down a short hallway, stumbling over his own feet on the way. Moments later, Ryu can hear Hayato retching and coughing, no doubt throwing up again. Ryu’s head leans back against the door and he closes his eyes. He wants to leave. He knows he should leave. Hayato’s drunk and if he manages to remember his actions in the morning, he’ll regret it and Ryu doesn’t really want to be around to witness that, but still, Ryu finds his legs following Hayato’s path back to the small bathroom at the end of the hallway.
Hayato is on his knees, hunched over the toilet bowl, seemingly waiting for another round of nausea to hit. It never does though, and Hayato soon gets to his feet and stumbles to the sink, leaning heavily against the counter. Ryu watches from the doorway as Hayato’s shaking hands splash cool water onto his face and when Hayato straightens his back, their eyes meet in the mirror.
Ryu thinks Hayato looks tired. It’s an exhaustion that runs deeper than the effects of the alcohol and Ryu sighs, entering the room and handing Hayato a towel to dry his face.
“You look like shit, Hayato,” he says softly. “Go to bed.” Ryu turns to leave and Hayato quickly grabs his hand.
“Stay.”
Ryu doesn’t respond, but lowers his gaze to the floor and nestles his bottom lip between his teeth.
“There’s… the couch folds out into a bed, so I’ll sleep there and you can sleep in my bed. It’s been…” Too long, Ryu thinks. “It’s been awhile, so… you should stay.” Hayato releases Ryu’s hand and hurries out of the room, steadier on his feet than he had been all night. “I’ll go get some blankets,” he calls out.
Ryu sighs. He shouldn’t stay. He knows he shouldn’t, but he also knows that eventually he’ll have to talk to Hayato, if only to found out why he stopped calling. After a few minutes, he wanders to the bedroom which he saw Hayato enter. To his dismay, Hayato is sprawled out on the large bed, already asleep. Ryu rolls his eyes, flicks off the light switch and leaves the room.
On the couch in the living room is a small fleece blanket, light blue with baseball bats and mitts and baseballs on it in bright colors. It’s not something a grown man would normally own, especially one who has never shown much interest in baseball, but Ryu shrugs, taking it as one of Hayato’s many oddities.
It’s much too late for him to go to his own apartment. By the time he gets home, there wouldn’t be much time for him to sleep before work the next morning, so he decides to stay, taking off his jacket and dress shirt and climbing onto the couch, pulling the small blanket over him. He sets the alarm on his cell phone to wake him up at 6:00 and then closes his eyes, hoping that sleep takes him soon so he doesn’t have to think about the night’s events.
He doesn’t know what exactly shakes him out of his sleep, but when he cracks his eyes open, the room is dark except for the dim light coming from another room. Ryu rubs the sleep out of his eyes and in that light, he finally notices a small figure standing before him. The child is thin, with wavy brown hair falling down almost to the shoulders. Wide eyes stare at Ryu and Ryu is sure he’s still dreaming, but he has no recollection of who this child is and why the child would appear in his dream.
Ryu is about to speak, but when he shifts a little, the child scurries away with fearful eyes. He shrugs and leans back against the couch, closing his own eyes.
A few minutes later, the lights are turned on, forcing Ryu’s eyes open. He turns to find Hayato standing in the room’s entrance, hand poised over the light switch. The child is behind Hayato, grasping at the man’s pants and peaking out at Ryu cautiously.
“Not a thief, Yuya,” Hayato mumbles sleepily. “Just Ryu.” He turns to go back to his bedroom with the child, but he stops in his tracks, suddenly remembering who he had met the night before. “Go to your room, Yuya,” he says sternly. Yuya obeys, sneaking one last glance at the stranger in the living room before heading back down the hallway.
Hayato turns around slowly and makes his way toward the couch. He sits cautiously on the side furthest from Ryu.
“That’s Yuya,” he announces quietly, not looking at Ryu, “my son.”
Ryu doesn’t know how to respond. There are so many things he wants to say, to ask, but the only thing he can get past his lips is a whispered, “oh.”
Several minutes of tense silence pass. Neither man can think of an appropriate thing to say. Ryu’s cell phone alarm finally goes off and he’s grateful for the interruption and for the chance to escape.
“I have to go to work,” he says, fumbling with his phone to turn the alarm off. He rushes to grab his things and put his shoes back on, not bothering to tie the laces properly, and he’s at the door with his hand on the knob, when Hayato puts a hand on his shoulder.
“Ryu…” he whispers.
Ryu shrugs Hayato’s hand away. “I have to go,” he says again. He opens the door and hurries out, hoping Hayato won’t follow him.
He doesn’t.
To be continued?
Notes: This was written before the announcement of the upcoming Gokusen movie and I'm too lazy to change Ryu's occupation in this from Business Man From Unidentified Company to Yankumi: Part Deux. So... AU!
I don't know if I'll finish this. I don't know if I can finish it. And yet, I'm still posting it.
I have a feeling I'll regret this in the morning.