Gaining Your Love: a Heisei Kumi fanfic (13/14)
Author: ryosukekoibito
Pairing: Ariyama
Rating: PG-13
Genre:Romance
Disclaimer: I do not own anyone, c'mon guys.
Summary:Long before the Heisei Kumi knew Keito Daiki makes it his mission to make the stunning Yamada Ryosuke fall in love with him, and it's going to be much harder than Daiki expected. So! For anyone who read my Heisei Kumi fic, this is the Ariyama spinoff I said I'd write! And if you didn't read it, please go check it out. The first chapter can be found here.
A/N: I'm sorry this took so long...life just got crazy. Hope this chapter finds you well. :) Enjoy!
Previous Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
Daiki woke to a little finger jabbing him in the cheek. He opened his eyes to find Chinen staring down at him, the Kumi-cho retracting his hand and announcing
"Phone call." Before sauntering away. Daiki's eyes found the clock. It was six in the morning. The house was still quiet, and it was very likely that everyone else was still asleep. Who the hell could be calling him? He pulled himself up off of the couch, shaking Inoo awake as he did so. Inoo just groaned, blearily opening his eyes.
"Go get in bed with Takaki or something. Cuddle for a while." Daiki murmured, and Inoo, obviously still half asleep, nodded, just rolling over. He sighed, shuffling over to the kitchen and picking up the old cord phone they kept there as the Kumi's main phone and placing it to his ear.
"Yeah?"
"Arioka-san, I have the items you wanted embroidered completed." What was this voice talking about?
"Hah?"
"The-the two jackets you had dropped off-I have completed the embroidery you had asked for. When would you like to come and pick them up?" Oh, the jackets from the tailors.
"I'll be there in an hour or so." He decided, barely giving the man time to acknowledge this information before hanging the phone back up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Without further ado he went through the mechanical tasks of preparing for his day: taking a shower, brushing his teeth, and changing into clean clothes before slipping out the door, dawn just beginning to show in the sky as he slipped out. He immediately felt the chill of the air seep through his now too-thin feeling clothes. He thanked God he was going to go and pick up his new leather jacket. He wandered briskly through the fluorescent lit streets, making his way to the tailors and flitting inside immediately sighing at the relief of the heat despite himself. He stood in the entry for a few moments, just until he stopped shivering, before making his way to the counter. The man looked up from a catalog depicting various silk ties, his face going slightly paler than previously at the sight of Daiki.
"A-arioka-san, how can I...?" The man trailed off, question fading away, and he simply reached under the counter, placing two clothing boxes on top of the desk. Daiki reached for them, tucking them under his arm and retreating to a corner, where a group of mirrors stood, allowing one to examine ones figure. He set the boxes down, slipping off the lid of the first to find his own jacket folded nicely and wrapped in paper. He pulled it out, flipping it over to examine the new stitching. It was beautiful, the Kitagawa clan's crest in the center, circled by a fierce dragon, the dragons colors and design similar to the tattoo on his back. He slipped it on, immediately happy with the results, and examined his reflection in the mirror. With a satisfied nod he closed the now empty box and set it aside, reaching for the second box. He opened it to find the other jacket wrapped similarly, and he carefully pulled the jean jacket out, unfolding it. It had a small version of the crest hidden under one of the lapels, and the back was depicting a dragon wrapped around a piece of paper, the phrase 'Let me be the one you turn to.' written there. It was just right. He tucked it back into the box, slipping the lid on tightly before exiting the shop, immediately noting just how much warmer he was in his new jacket. The second thing brought to his attention was just how hungry he was, a gurgled growl emitting from his stomach. He crossed the street to the doughnut shop, getting himself half a dozen and sitting down in one of the bright plastic chairs by the window, the piping hot sugary dough filling his mouth. He looked out the window at the huge building around the corner, eyes catching on the sign by the front entrance. Keiichi Koukou. The school was usually bustling with students, but the past month it had been empty, closed for a complete renovation. Daiki had swindled quite a few naïve girls that had attended that high school. The lack of them was putting a lull in their Kumi's swindling operations. He watched the sky lighten, and it suddenly occurred to him that the sun would set from behind that building. A plan began forming in his mind. After everything, now that he had the jacket, it was all perfect. He was finally going to tell Yamada how he felt.
Almost two weeks of preparation flew by, and in those weeks Daiki gradually found himself returning to a state of normalcy. He talked more, relaxing when he was with his housemates. All except for Takaki, whom he could now barely look in the eye. Aside from that awkward situation he was feeling much better, his awful nightmares becoming more sparse as time passed. He had stopped carrying the gun, Hikaru had cleaned it for him, and it was hidden in the bottom drawer of his bedside table in a box. He had spent almost all of his daylight hours searching for the perfect props for his confession, coming back for dinner every night and finding himself comfortable once more when he sat down in his spot at the table, before going back out at night, secretly watching (to his horror) ‘chick flicks’, fancying it as research. The highlights of his days were the fleeting moments when he would catch Yamada watching him, a little light in his eye, and a small smile on his lips. He looked so stunning like that, and Daiki could feel his heart soaring, pumping endorphins to his brain and pulling an uncontainable grin to his own face. And finally, after hours of brainstorming and careful preparation, he was all ready. Now to just get Yamada out of the house...without his coat. He was returning home, and there was a slight twinge of anticipated nervousness in his stomach as he broke out in a run, trying to act frantic as he burst through the door, immediately scanning the room for Yamada. The younger boy was flopped on the couch, he had been playing mahjong with Takaki, Ryutaro, and Yabu, but now they were all looking at Daiki, surprise pasted on all of their faces. He didn't stop to take a breath.
"Ryosuke―" Oops! He never called Yamada 'Ryosuke' to his face. Only in his dreams, or when he was talking to Inoo about the younger boy. He mentally winced, but he barreled on. "―come, hurry! There's no time!" He grabbed Yamada's wrist, pulling him up and out the door, Yamada just barely grabbing the knob and pulling it shut behind them as they left, his whole body jerking with slight resistance, and Daiki slowed for a millisecond before picking the speed back up, the cold wind whipping at his face and hands, and he nearly regretted not giving Yamada time to grab a coat, but the other boy picked up his pace, matching his stride side by side with Daiki's, the warm tones of the sun shining between the building in blocks, painting them in gold as they ran.
"Why are we running?!" Yamada asked, immediately followed by the question
"Where are we going?!" Luckily the abandoned school building was In sight, so he pointed.
"There!" They reached it within the minute, and he propelled himself over the fence, Yamada tentatively following him, questions falling from his lips that Daiki pretended he couldn't hear, instead he just dragged the younger boy up the exterior fire escape to the roof of the building, clambering noisily up the metal stairs and sighing in relief at the sight of the magnificent swathes of red and gold strewn across the sky. The picnic blanket was all set, basket full of hopefully still warm food on one side, and the candles, still unlit, were all still standing in their various perches. Perfect. He stepped forward into the scene, reaching down to pick up the clothes box containing Yamada's new jacket. As he did so Yamada let out a meek and confused
"What's going on?" Daiki stood back up, and smiled.
"I wanted to apologize for you having to see me the way I've been the past few weeks. And...so...this is for you. All of it. But first...you must be cold, so...here." He held out the box, Yamada gingerly taking it and pulling off the lid. He pulled out the jacket, eyes wandering over the detailing with that still star-struck look, and he broke out into a huge smile, swinging it over his own shoulders and zipping himself into it. He wrapped his arms around Daiki, enveloping him in a hug, his cold nose burying into his collar bone.
"It's wonderful. Thank you." Yamada assured him, and Daiki felt the rush of happiness again. Everything was continuing to plan.
"Are you hungry? I think the food is still hot..." They sat down on the blanket, Daiki pulling out the dishes of hayashi rice and two spoons, offering one of each to Yamada. He took them, digging in with a bashful grin. He hummed contentedly, a grin at the taste blossoming on his lips. Daiki handed him a carry mug full of tea, adjusting himself so that they sat shoulder to shoulder, looking out at the town, and they ate, watching the sun set below the skyline, small talk and gentle supposedly-accidental brushes of skin filling the time, and once they had finished the meal Daiki took his lighter from his pocket, flicking it open and standing back up, crouching over each candle, lighting them carefully before returning to Yamada's side, the beautiful boy slipping one of Daiki's arms over his shoulders, entwining their cold fingers and leaning into his side as he looked up at the sky, stars beginning to peak out of the blanket of deep blue covering them.
"Daiki...this is amazing. You're the most stunning person I've ever met." Yamada told him, snuggling a bit closer. Daiki let his eyes travel over the beautiful, perfect face, and he reveled in the satisfaction and pure joy he got from just sitting like this, and the words slipped out.
"I love you."
The change was immediate. Yamada's body stiffened, his gaze falling from the stars to the dark concrete of the roof, and he shifted, letting Daiki's arm slide off of his shoulders, shifting his weight so that he was no longer leaning against Daiki's side.
"Don't say that. Please Daiki...don't." Daiki was already feeling a sting between his lungs, the implied rejection not quite sinking in. One thing caught his attention though. The tone Yamada used relayed nothing but fear. They sat in an awkward, fidgety, terrible silence for a moment, before he asked
"But why? Why don't you want me to say I love you?" His question brought a shiver spiraling down Yamada's frame, and the younger boy swallowed, pulling his knees up to his chest as if to block out the cold, and it looked as if he was just going to clam up.
"Please tell me. Did something happen?" Yamada exhaled, his cheeks puffing out as he sighed, and began his explanation with a question.
"Because...Daiki, do you remember how I came to the Kumi?"
"Yeah...we took you." Yamada blinked in surprise at the wording, but continued.
"Kind of. I had already been taken. When I was little, before the Kumi, I had a friend that stuck by me all of the time; Kamiki Ryunosuke. We'd share our toys and have sleepovers, and we went to the same school, so we would see each other every day. We were inseparable. Then, halfway through our first year of middle school Kamiki's family moved away. It was as if he had dropped off the face of the earth. I didn't hear from him for months...until I took the train into town by myself one day, and by coincidence ran into him at the mall. At first I was excited, but he had changed. He had a large group of intimidating companions, and he was loud and rude to strangers. But he seemed happy to see me, and so when he asked me to get lunch with him I accepted immediately. He...he told me all about his new life. He had run away from home, and had a new group of friends that he lived with. Kamiki had joined the Wakaba clan. He asked me to join him, and when I refused he got angry. It scared me so I ran away, but by that point he had already gotten my contact information. He bombarded me with emails, and texts, and at first it was easy to ignore him but, over time he wore me down." Yamada sighed, shutting his eyes and frowning. Daiki wanted to rub comforting circles on his back, but he decided against it, not wanting to push Yamada into any physical contact when he was already upset.
"It was when he found me at home that I broke. It was night, and I snuck out to confront him. At first it was much the same as our lunch meeting, but when I asked him why he wanted me to join him in his yakuza group so badly he told me...he told me that it was because he loved me." Yamada's voice choked and his breathing became ragged as emotion threatened to overwhelm him, but he continued. "He said he loved me more than anything in the world, and that he needed me. He had to have me. It scared me, I didn't love him, and I ran away, hoping that if I just got far enough he couldn't catch me. But he did. After only a few minutes of running he caught me in an alley and pulled out a knife, putting it to my throat. He told me that he'd kill me if I didn't do what he said..." Yamada sniffed, a single sob falling from his lips, and Daiki was numb, his mind reeling from the information.
"Kamiki took me back to the Wakaba house and locked me in a single room, not allowing me out for any reason. I stayed there for almost a year before I was finally freed by you guys." He took in a big, shaky breath, exhaling slowly.
"But...Kamiki was the only other person that ever told me he loves me, and...I'm scared. I'm so afraid that something will happen again...I don't want to go through something like that ever again. I'd die first. "
As Daiki had been listening he had felt the indignance and anger churning and growing inside of him, and it wasn't until Yamada looked his way, concern immediately furrowing his brow, that he realized his hands had furled into fists, and he was shaking, his whole body quaking with emotion. Yamada laid a tentative hand on his bicep, and he heard himself murmur
"I have to go."
"No. No you don't."
"Yes I do. I need to go find this guy." He was already strategizing, figuring out just how he could get his gun without arousing suspicion.
"What're going to do to him?" Daiki's silence spoke for itself. Yamada's words became a bit more frantic.
"Listen Daiki, no. Look at me." He strengthened his grip, forcing Daiki to focus on his face. He had tears in his eyes.
"You can't. You're just starting to get better, and no matter how angry you are now, if you do that, once you calm down it will destroy you." He took a shaky breath. "I don't want to see someone else I care about wither away because of me. Especially not you." The sincerity and the meaning behind the last sentence put a snuff to most of his anger, and he gave up his thoughts of murder for the night, instead opening his arms tentatively for a hug. Yamada slips up to him, wrapping his arms around Daiki's back, his head nestled against Daiki's chest. Daiki buried his nose in Yamada's hair, smelling the amazing smell of roses, and takes deep breaths, the scent intoxicating, flushing out the remnants of his anger, and they sat there like that for what felt like almost an hour, just holding each other. Eventually, Daiki had to ask.
"Do you truly think I would do something like he did?" His question made Yamada shift, sitting up properly and facing Daiki, his hands relaxing on Daiki's chest. He was so close. It would be so easy to lean forward and kiss him. Daiki drove the notion from his mind, just Yamada mumbled
"No-I mean...I don't want to. My rational side says you wouldn't, but...I'm still afraid."
"Yama-chan...are you too afraid of something that I can promise will never happen to give me a chance?" He was nearly begging, hoping against hope that the younger boy would find it in his heart to let him in. After an antagonizing, long, pause Yamada said
"Let....let me think about it." Daiki nodded, saying
"Take all the time you need.”
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