gravitation (general), prompt #14
Title: Sleep
Fandom: Gravitation
Pairing/Characters: Eiri, Riku, dream!Yuki, brief appearance by Shuichi
Rating: PG
Prompt: 14-I’m awake and you’re breathing
Summary: They were the only things he could see, and they were tinted blue.
Disclaimer: Gravitation and its characters do not belong to me.
A/N: Compliant with the first volume of Gravitation Ex only.
Eiri still saw things in his sleep. A lousy deal, in his opinion. If given a choice, his dreams, his nightmares, would’ve been the one thing he’d have handed over without a fight.
Four nights after the accident, he dreamed about New York. He dreamed about going up the stairs that led to Yuki’s apartment, about the cicadas that had gotten in and sat buzzing on the steps and on the banister. He dreamed about the men, the men who paid ten bucks, and he dreamed about the red wine that spilled on the floor, only it was tinted blue. Everything was tinted blue. He dreamed about the gun, gleaming, and how heavy it was when he held it. He dreamed about Yuki’s eyes-cold, uncaring, unseeing, and green, only they were tinted blue (everything was, was). And he dreamed about the corner, the corner he was backed into, only it wasn’t him, it was another kid, smaller, with bigger eyes; it was Riku. It was Riku and he said “Daddy” instead of “Teacher”, but Yuki still looked at him the same way. And Yuki said, “I’m not your daddy and I don’t give a shit about you,” and a hand (tinted blue) grabbed him, and-
Eiri opened his eyes and saw nothing. There was panic inside of him and sweat on his brow. He heard, felt Shuichi beside him, breathing, sleeping, undisturbed even as Eiri moved slowly out of bed. His feet found the floor easily and he walked into the hall with confidence, although inside he felt like screaming for so many reasons, and for so many reasons he never would scream. He felt his way to the guest room, a steadying hand on the wall, partly expecting to brush up against a cicada resting there. He made it to the room, stumbling only once, and he slowed, forsaking confidence for carefulness, until his knees hit the bed and he sat down.
Riku was silent-save for his breathing-but that didn’t mean he was asleep. Eiri couldn’t tell. He thought about speaking, about saying, “I’m your daddy now and I do give a shit”, but he didn’t. Because giving a shit was one thing and actually telling someone about it was another thing entirely. But he reached his hand out and placed it where he guessed Riku’s head was, and he stroked the hair he felt there, and that was almost the same thing.
And he wondered briefly, before the moment passed and he went back to bed and woke up in the morning like nothing had happened-he wondered if he hadn’t saved Riku twice, if he hadn’t saved him before he even knew he existed, if he hadn’t saved him from something worse than any truck, something cold, uncaring, unseeing… And, really, he might’ve been those things before, but he wasn’t, not anymore. Because there was warmth inside of him when Riku stirred and took his hand and held it like something precious. And because he cared enough to sit and wait until Riku’s grip went lax before pulling his hand away and leaving. And because he still saw things in his sleep.
Fandom: Gravitation
Pairing/Characters: Eiri, Riku, dream!Yuki, brief appearance by Shuichi
Rating: PG
Prompt: 14-I’m awake and you’re breathing
Summary: They were the only things he could see, and they were tinted blue.
Disclaimer: Gravitation and its characters do not belong to me.
A/N: Compliant with the first volume of Gravitation Ex only.
Eiri still saw things in his sleep. A lousy deal, in his opinion. If given a choice, his dreams, his nightmares, would’ve been the one thing he’d have handed over without a fight.
Four nights after the accident, he dreamed about New York. He dreamed about going up the stairs that led to Yuki’s apartment, about the cicadas that had gotten in and sat buzzing on the steps and on the banister. He dreamed about the men, the men who paid ten bucks, and he dreamed about the red wine that spilled on the floor, only it was tinted blue. Everything was tinted blue. He dreamed about the gun, gleaming, and how heavy it was when he held it. He dreamed about Yuki’s eyes-cold, uncaring, unseeing, and green, only they were tinted blue (everything was, was). And he dreamed about the corner, the corner he was backed into, only it wasn’t him, it was another kid, smaller, with bigger eyes; it was Riku. It was Riku and he said “Daddy” instead of “Teacher”, but Yuki still looked at him the same way. And Yuki said, “I’m not your daddy and I don’t give a shit about you,” and a hand (tinted blue) grabbed him, and-
Eiri opened his eyes and saw nothing. There was panic inside of him and sweat on his brow. He heard, felt Shuichi beside him, breathing, sleeping, undisturbed even as Eiri moved slowly out of bed. His feet found the floor easily and he walked into the hall with confidence, although inside he felt like screaming for so many reasons, and for so many reasons he never would scream. He felt his way to the guest room, a steadying hand on the wall, partly expecting to brush up against a cicada resting there. He made it to the room, stumbling only once, and he slowed, forsaking confidence for carefulness, until his knees hit the bed and he sat down.
Riku was silent-save for his breathing-but that didn’t mean he was asleep. Eiri couldn’t tell. He thought about speaking, about saying, “I’m your daddy now and I do give a shit”, but he didn’t. Because giving a shit was one thing and actually telling someone about it was another thing entirely. But he reached his hand out and placed it where he guessed Riku’s head was, and he stroked the hair he felt there, and that was almost the same thing.
And he wondered briefly, before the moment passed and he went back to bed and woke up in the morning like nothing had happened-he wondered if he hadn’t saved Riku twice, if he hadn’t saved him before he even knew he existed, if he hadn’t saved him from something worse than any truck, something cold, uncaring, unseeing… And, really, he might’ve been those things before, but he wasn’t, not anymore. Because there was warmth inside of him when Riku stirred and took his hand and held it like something precious. And because he cared enough to sit and wait until Riku’s grip went lax before pulling his hand away and leaving. And because he still saw things in his sleep.