Chapter Text
Ryo woke up to the warm, comforting sunlight on his face. Unfortunately, it was a Monday. Fortunately, that meant seeing his friends once more!
The memories of the conversation he had last night with his brother were still fresh in his mind… but Ryo tried his best not to pay any attention to them.
Mondays weren’t the worst for him, Ryo had always seen them as the stronger version of dawn. A new beginning of new beginnings. Over the weekend, most of Ryo’s conflicts are forgotten, whether internal or external. They rarely return by Monday's morrow
He shuffled out of bed, grabbing his phone to text his best friend, Sakuya. He rolled his eyes, when he saw the texts from Sakuya of him freaking out over their quiz in science.
‘Sakuya, you’ll be fine…’ Ryo texted his friend, rolling his eyes with an affectionate chuckle… of course Sakuya was worried, he always was anxious about science tests… he was as good at science as a fish was at climbing trees.
Sakuya instantly texted back ‘Yeah, and fish can climb trees!’
Ryo laughed, of course… Of course they were thinking the same thing, he quickly texted back ‘We can go over the test during lunch.’
Sakuya had spammed a bunch of little frowning kaomojis, then told Ryo to make sure he showers… he does that without fail every morning, because Ryo said he skipped ONE shower ONCE. Ryo probably wouldn’t have even remembered it if Sakuya didn’t constantly remind him, it’s sorta endearing, at this point.
Even if it irritates Ryo sometimes, he usually can’t help but laugh at Sakuya’s persistence. Sometimes Ryo wondered if it was for the joke, or just that Sakuya wanted to interact with Ryo… Maybe it was just wishful thinking
But why?
…
Later at lunch, Ryo and Sakuya sat at the outdoor lunch tables that the school offered. Together, the two went over Ryo’s flashcards.
“Okay… Sakuya… please, try to jog your memory before you answer… What sets a fungus apart from a plant?” Ryo sighed, trying to give Sakuya easier questions, even though Sakuya had gotten nearly everything horribly wrong…
“Uhmmm… They both have cell walls… but Fungi have different ones from plants in material. Also they don’t have the organelle that photosynthesizes…"
“Right… and what would that organelle be…?” Ryo prompted, with a smile.
“Vacuole…?” Sakuya smiled nervously.
Ryo sighed heavily, burying his head in his hands. “So close…”
“If only Riku was here… I study better with him…” Sakuya frowned. “Not that you’re bad at helping me study, just—” Sakuya blushed.
Ryo waved a hand, “No, I get it… Where even is Riku, anyways?” Ryo tilted his head slightly, offering a smile.
“He’s with Jaehee… again…” He scoffed, and rolled his eyes. “They’re ALWAYS together! It’s like they’re cursed to be always together or something—”
Ryo rested his chin in his open palm, glancing away. A flood of Deja Vu inundated his mind— or maybe like reading a book where you already know the plot. Together always? Ryo had heard of a ‘always together’ before… Somewhere far, far away, and long ago.
If someone asked Ryo why he’s so hung up on this… Ryo wouldn’t have even a fragment of a clue. Perhaps it’s the idea of the same thing happening to someone that has way more of an effect on someone held close to Ryo’s heart?
Right, that was surely it. Surely, completely, entirely, undoubtedly why Ryo was so hung up on this. Ryo would always feel a sinking sense of dread in his chest at the idea of Yuta being called a monster… So of course, it would absolutely crush Sakuya if Riku was a monster.
It didn’t take a detective to tell someone how much Riku actually meant to Sakuya. Sakuya would always recall the tiniest things, even when he was annoyed with Riku. Or, how Sakuya would always use Riku’s favorite sayings, and tries to get him to sit with them.
Ryo couldn’t even judge him— not that he wanted to, or would’ve—Yuta means a lot to Ryo, too. Even if it always seems one-sided…
Yuta was never in a great mood. Not anymore. Ryo sorta missed it. He could still recall the promises that Yuta made… to always protect and cheer up those he cared about, and that he’d keep Ryo safe.
But of course, Yuta still cares about him, right? He’s his brother, why wouldn’t he…?
Sakuya’s voice, and face etched with concern, dragged Ryo back to the present, like a lifeboat being sent. “Ryo?”
“Oh, sorry… I was just thinking about something…” Ryo’s eyes darted around…
“Tell me!” Sakuya leaned in closer… of course he did…
Ryo sighed, “I…” he hesitated, “When I heard of the ‘always together’ I couldn’t help but think of these boys from the old village, the one I grew up in… Their names were– or, err… Their names are Sungchan and Shotaro, they were always together. Then… one day they just… disappeared. Nobody spoke of them, they were nearly erased completely. The only time the adults would ever speak of them is to say that they were monsters… I stopped asking after that. I just— How? How did they just ERASE those boys? It wouldn’t be much different if they never even existed, at that point.”
Sakuya leaned back, resting his head on the back of his chair. “Hm…”
Ryo tilted his head, “What are you doing?”
“Thinking… Remember, I’m a better detective than you.”
Ryo furrowed his brow, then burst out laughing. “OH! That? Dude, that was so long ago, you’re STILL hung up on that?”
“Because I AM!”
“Whatever makes you happy, man… I mean, in case you forgot, I did that in 10 minutes, because I—”
“Shut up and let me think!” He paused, “sorry, that was rude…” then added in an overly chirpy, sing-songy tone, “I love you, Ryo!”
“That doesn’t sound like thinking…”
“Okay, I’m thinking…” Sakuya’s eyes darted around, hunching over.
Five seconds passed…
Ten seconds passed. Ryo could hear Sakuya muttering words like ‘Red herring’, and other similar words.
Ryo had never really had anyone so deeply analyze something he had said. It felt… weird, but in a good way?
His heart fluttered a bit, and it sorta felt like the odd period of time after spinning; Not exactly dizzy or dazed, but not steady nor stable. Something in between, something with no word to completely encapsulate it, or epitomize it as perfect as the word confusion to the scrunched up face, overwhelm, and disorientation.
“You said that they were erased… basically disappeared? Like they hadn’t existed in the first place… right?” Sakuya leaned in even closer.
“Yeah… uhm… Pretty much. Yeah, basically.” Ryo hesitantly leaned back.
Sakuya continued his muttered investigation… He was still way too close… Ryo’d probably be able to catch everything, if he wasn’t distracted by… other things.(proximity)
Well, could you really blame him? The tips of their noses were barely inches away.
Sakuya’s eyes sparkled, he abruptly jolted up. “OH! I get it now!”
Ryo leaned in closer, not even thinking of their proximity. “Tell me! Tell me!”
Sakuya took a deep breath “So, basically— Sungchan and Shotaro were in love— and they ran away!” he giggled. “Well, that’d probably be my conclusion… Sorry, I don’t really know…” The corners of Sakuya’s mouth turned ever-so-slightly downwards.
Ryo’s eyes darted to the lower corners of his eyes. “I wouldn’t blame them if they did run away.”
For whatever reason, when his eyes looked forward, Ryo swore he saw some sort of unrecognizable emotion glint in Sakuya’s eyes, head resting in his open palm, with what appeared to be a slanted smile. Ryo had never seen that sort of light in someone’s eyes… He’d seen hopeful, confident, joyous, excited, and determined glints of emotion.
Ryo took a deep breath… “Some stuff that happened there was crazy…” He maintained his gaze fixed to the same lower corner, not daring to move them even a hint of a millimeter. He bit his tongue, remembering the grotesque tales, and old video tapes that the kids would be shown… Ryo couldn’t even tell when it had started… They were one of his earliest memories.
Sakuya didn’t say anything.
Ryo dipped his head downwards, he didn’t want to say something and then regret it… “Sometimes I still see things almost the EXACT same as… back then.”
“Does it make you want to run away?” Sakuya asked. At the edge of his vision, Ryo could see Sakuya lowering his head too… Ryo could just barely see the bottom half of his face from his viewpoint, but could still see Sakuya’s lips move as he spoke his question.
“Yeah… I guess.” Ryo felt his teeth clench… and maybe… just maybe, even saw Sakuya’s lips tighten. Every muscle in his body felt stiff. “But… you’re… safe, in a way. If I ran away, I’d be sure to take you with me” Ryo smiled.
Regret instantly sank in, though the chatter all around them had continued, their little bubble of dreams had popped. Ryo didn’t want to look up, but his body forced himself to, either way.
Sakuya drew closer again, his eyes fixed onto Ryo’s.
It was like… two vessels of flesh staring straight into their heart and soul. It felt harsh, but in an intimate way? Even if their expressions were both completely blank, it felt completely entrapping. Excluding the trapped feeling, it was almost enjoyable.
The sound of the bell rang outwards, dragging the boys above the surface of their trance.
…
At the end of the day, like clockwork, Ryo made his way over to Yuta’s locker, and waited…
And waited…
And waited…
“Hey, Ryo, do you need someone to walk you home?” Doyoung appeared from the edge of the hall.
Ryo jumped up slightly, “Ack! No… just waiting for Yuta.”
“He’s at the library right now, catching up on homework that he didn’t do… You’re sure you don’t need someone to walk you home?” He asked.
“I’m sure, I can walk home by myself…” Ryo insisted.
“Wouldn’t you get bored?”
“It’s really not that long of a walk…”
“Well, you’re too young to walk on your own.”
“But you’re only a year older than me?”
“Okay… Then…”
“I mean… if you insist…” Ryo conceded.
…
“So uhm… how’s school been?” Doyoung asked out of the blue
“It’s been alright…”
“Nothing interesting has happened?”
“Nah, not really… Well, I have a test coming soon, if that counts…”
“Hm… Everything for me has been boring recently, too. Nothing’s been going on.”
“Well you probably have already gotten everything done, unlike Yuta…”
Doyoung chuckled. “Probably..”
“My house isn’t too far away, but you should probably head home…” Ryo suggested. “Thanks for walking with me…”
“Sounds good, see you around!” Doyoung smiled, parting ways with Ryo.
…
Nearly quarter to midnight, Ryo lay awake in his bed. Any other night, he would’ve been fast asleep, ready for the day to come when he opens his eyes again… God, only Yuta stays awake doing nothing…
Ryo couldn’t help but constantly think of what happened with Sakuya… He could still feel the ghost of the grip that the interaction had on him. It must’ve left a bruise on his soul.
This’d be sure to haunt him, especially his eyes. No matter how many times he closed his eyes, the images would still flash across his eyes.
Even the scent of the air when Ryo avoided his friend’s face was fresh in his memory, it smelled fresh… but with an undertone of an animalic musk.
The memories forced themselves back into Ryo’s mind; it was a breaking flood gate. He was effortless to stop the stream of thoughts that grew.
The events of the day peeled Ryo’s eyes open every time he dared to think of sleeping.
Then the cycle repeated, over, over, over, over, and over again…Ryo couldn’t tell you when sleep finally graced him…
No. Not quite. Ryo could never escape Sakuya. Even in his sleep, Sakuya would find his way into Ryo’s mind.
Ryo couldn’t stand it… He just wanted some peace of mind for a bit, not to be a zombie of limerence and longing.