Work Text:
‘Father of Mine’
April 30, 20XX
To say their evening had gone well so far would have been an understatement. For the first time since they started dating, Makoto Niijima invited her boyfriend Ryuji Sakamoto over to her apartment to spend some time alone together. Her sister Sae was currently working overtime at the courthouse that night, leaving the house to themselves. Having free reign of the kitchen, the couple gathered ingredients for a special beef ramen recipe that Ryuji had wanted to try for a while. Presently, the pair sat at the kitchen table, finishing the result of their cooking session.
“I think that turned out absolutely wonderful,” Makoto happily sighed as she put a hand to her chest and finished swallowing the last of her broth.
“I gotta agree,” Ryuji replied as he leaned his head back in content; Ramen always put the athlete in a good mood, but cooking it with his loving girlfriend made it all the more special.
“We definitely have to make it again sometime,” the brunette offered. “Where did you say you found this recipe again?”
“I got it from some shop back when we were in Osaka,” the faux-blonde explained, “I didn’t have time to eat there, but they were giving out recipes for one of their signature ramen bowls. I’ve kept it in my closet ever since but never got around to making it myself.”
Makoto was surprised. “Not even in college yet?”
“I always thought it was just easier to make instant ramen when I needed it.” The two broke out into a fit of laughter. Ryuji collected the empty bowls and brought them to the kitchen, wasting no time filling the sink with water; Makoto stood next to her boyfriend to dry the clean dishes.
The two then made their way to the couch in the adjacent room, deciding to spend the rest of the night watching a movie.
“You can pick whatever you want,” the honors student offered to her guest. “Just make sure it’s nothing…too scary.” Makoto blushed and darted her eyes towards the ceiling.
“Hey don’t worry babe, I know,” Ryuji assured his girlfriend, planting a quick kiss on her cheek. The athlete then reached out for the remote control sitting on the coffee table, and was about to turn the TV on when something on the surrounding shelves caught his eye.
“Oh,” he said as he stood up and approached one of the picture frames sitting next to the TV - it was an old photograph of Makoto with her sister and late father. “This is your dad, right?”
Makoto nodded. “That particular picture was from when he took me and sis to Dome Town years and years ago. Being a police officer and all…he never had a lot of time to spend with us. That day in particular always stood out to me.” She looked down at the floor. “I miss him every single day.”
Ryuji turned around and walked back to his previous spot on the couch, sensing his girlfriend was in need of comforting. He placed his arm around Makoto’s shoulders, pulling her into a hug. “Makoto, I’m sure that your dad is proud of both you and Sae, even if he’s not here with you.”
“Thanks Ryuji,” the brunette softly spoke. “We never had the best relationship with him, but he definitely cared about us.” The two broke their hug.
“I’m sure he was way better than my shitty old man,” the athlete muttered as he stared at the floor, not intending for his partner to hear him.
Makoto naturally got curious. “Wait, you mean your dad?”
“What?” Ryuji lifted his head back up, then he sighed. “I guess you heard that, huh.”
“It’s okay, Ryuji. You don’t have to talk about it if…you don’t want to.” The former student council president felt she made a mistake for bringing attention to her boyfriend’s comment.
“Nah, it’s fine,” the fake-blonde assured. “Ya know, come to think of it I don’t think I’ve ever told anyone besides Ren the whole story about my dad, and even then I left out details.”
“I mean I know you’ve told me before that he left you when you were young, but I always assumed there were some things you didn’t want to share,” Makoto inferred.
“Well I think it’s time I told you the whole truth about my piece of shit dad,” Ryuji replied, having felt his bottled-up thoughts finally wanting out. He took a deep breath. “My dad left me and my mom when I was six years old. He worked at a convenience store, and every day when he came home he would do nothing but drink until he passed out on the couch or somethin’; we barely even got to spend quality time together.”
Makoto listened intently, relating to not being able to spend time with her own father.
“And even when we did spend time together,” Ryuji continued, “he’d just let me watch TV with him and he’d barely even pay attention to what was going on.” He sighed. “But that’s not even the thing he would do the most with me.” He paused. “Every night or so he would beat me.”
Makoto audibly gasped, as she had heard the rumor of Ryuji’s abuse through Kamoshida, but was not inclined to believe it until now.
“Every time he would come home, start drinking like a madman, and whenever I tried to join him on the couch he would constantly throw punches at me.” The athlete’s voice was noticeably shaky. “Me being a dumbass kid I…I thought it was an effin’ game - I thought my dad was trying to have fun with me, so I would do it over and over again. I’d always end up with bruises every single morning. And my poor mom, she would always look so scared around him; she didn’t even try to stop him. She’d always have some of the same bruises that I had, and she’d always lie to anyone that met her saying she got them from her job.”
“That’s so horrible,” Makoto quietly spoke with tears welling up in her eyes. “I can’t believe anyone could do that to their own family.”
“One day…someone finally ended up callin’ the cops on him,'' Ryuji said.
Makoto was puzzled. “But I thought you said your dad abandoned you?”
“Well that’s only half true,” Ryuji clarified. “He had basically abandoned us at this point, only coming back to the house when he ‘needed something’, and when he did come home he’d just go back to his usual routine because he knew mom wouldn’t say anything. He wanted to leave us while still taking advantage of us. Our next door neighbors heard my mom scream at the top of her lungs one night when he was home. They didn’t realize she was being abused, but they knew something was wrong so they immediately called for help when she didn’t answer the door. My dad was out of the house getting more alcohol when they called, but when he came back that’s when the cops removed him from the house on suspicion of domestic abuse. My mom told them everything.” Like his girlfriend, the other college student was trying his best to hold back tears - only his tears were of anger. He remembered the night that happened all too well.
“Mom, where is daddy going? Who are those people who took daddy away?”
“I’m afraid your father isn’t coming back for a long, long time.”
“W-what? But he’ll be back, right?? He always comes back…”
“I spent the rest of the night in my room crying my eyes out. The next day my mom tried to explain to me that my dad didn’t really love either of us. I just screamed and called her a liar - I didn’t speak to her for an entire week. Even when I finally stopped refusing to talk to her, I still couldn’t accept the truth.” Ryuji trailed off, “I was such an ignorant lil’ shit…”
“Please don’t say that, Ryuji,” pleaded Makoto whilst grabbing hold of her boyfriend’s hand. “You were so young; you didn’t know anything was wrong.”
“That’s not even the whole reason why I said that,” the fake-blonde explained. “I was living in denial for so long, even after mom told me everything. All I wanted was to see dad again, even for just a little bit thinking just maybe he would be different if I saw him again. It was hard for me to accept I was living a lie.” Ryuji was turning red in the face by this point. Makoto then wrapped her arms around her partner’s shoulders, aiming to soothe his mind. Then, the older student asked a question.
“So, what happened to your father after that night?”
“After he was taken away, charges were formally filed against him for domestic abuse,” Ryuji answered. “My mom also put a restraining order on him in the event he was found not guilty or some shit, but luckily he spent a number of years in prison for the bullshit he did. Unfortunately I heard that son of a bitch finished his sentence.”
Makoto’s eyes widened. “You…haven’t seen him since, have you?”
“No,” Ryuji replied in a noticeably raised voice, “and I hope I never have to see that shithead ever again in my life.” The young man was now shaking in anger; it’s as if all of the pent up anger he had was about to burst from him, and Makoto could tell.
“When I finally admitted I was lying to myself, I wanted to forget about him for so many years after it happened,” the athlete carried on, “but then that effin Kamoshida had to find out and then start telling the whole DAMN school about it over a frickin’ volleyball team!” He buried his face in his hands. “No matter what I do…I’m never going to escape my piece of shit old man.” For what seemed like the first time in years, Ryuji violently sobbed.
As Makoto allowed her boyfriend to let his emotions pour from him, she could only stare in equal parts fascination and sorrow. On one hand she had never seen Ryuji act the way he was before, and yet she knew the younger student needed her right now more than ever. She wrapped her arms around the fake-blonde and let her partner cry into her shoulder.
“It’s okay, Ryuji,” the brunette said quietly as tears began to form in her own eyes, “I’m here for you. He can’t hurt you anymore.” The couple sat there for a good while, allowing Ryuji to let his tears flow. As the sobs were reduced to sniffles, Ryuji lifted his head from Makoto’s shoulder and stared right into his girlfriend’s eyes - Makoto then closed the distance between their lips, placing her hands on Ryuji’s cheeks as her boyfriend returned the kiss, feeling a deep sense of comfort for what felt like the first time in years. After what felt like an eternity, their mouths were separated once more.
“I promise I’ll be here for you whenever you need me,” Makoto declared as tears fell from her eyes. Ryuji nodded, deeply feeling Makoto’s protection and, more importantly, her trust.
“I just want you to know Makoto,” Ryuji said in a shaky voice. “Ever since those days after I found out the truth, I’ve always had a deep fear that I…I would end up like him someday. It’s…it’s something that’s been in the back of my mind ever since I started high school.” He paused, and more tears dripped from his eyes. “I don’t ever want to hurt you Makoto…I swear I’ll never be like him.”
“Ryuji, you are absolutely not like your father,” Makoto cried as she pulled her boyfriend in for another hug. “I know you; you’re brave, you’re selfless, you’d do anything to help your friends when they need you the most. I know for a fact you would never hurt me or anyone the way he did.” Ryuji pulled back from the warm embrace to look at his girlfriend once more.
“I love you, Makoto,” the athlete said in his noticeably tired voice from his sobbing.
“I love you too, Ryuji,” Makoto replied as she brought Ryuji in for a second, shorter kiss. The pair separated once more and took a few moments for their emotions to simmer. A smile formed on the scruffy-haired young man.
“I know I just said it a minute ago, but I promise that I will never be like my dad ever was. I don’t know what our futures hold Makoto, but if I ever become a father someday I’ll make sure my kid never has to go through the same pain that I went through.”
A blush formed on Makoto’s face from Ryuji’s off-handed comment. She deeply loved Ryuji but neither one of them had considered the possibility of having a child - they hadn’t even thought of marriage yet in their five months of dating. And yet, she trusted his words - the very thought of Ryuji being a father put a smile on her face. She reached out and grabbed Ryuji’s right hand with both of hers.
“And I’m sure you’ll keep your promise,” the brunette simply said, leaning her head towards Ryuji’s cheek for one more quick kiss. She then glanced at the clock on the wall, not realizing how late it already was. She then made an offer, knowing her boyfriend was emotionally exhausted and still needed his girlfriend’s comfort.
“You know, it’s pretty late already so,” she paused, the blush from before reappearing, “how about you stay with me tonight?”
“For real?” Ryuji had a surprised look on his face. “A-are you sure?”
Makoto nodded and a broad smile formed on her face. “I’m sure Sae won’t mind if there’s an extra guest in our home for just one night.”
Ryuji smiled and nodded back. The two were no longer interested in ending their night with a movie, basking in each other’s comfort as they held each other tightly on the couch.