Chapter Text
It’s the early AM’s on the backstreets of Yokohama. A gentle breeze makes the trees shiver in the cold. A long, drawn out inhale is all it takes for the late autumn to announce its presence. The starts sparkled overhead, like holes poked into the top of a box, peering down at the encapsulated creatures within. As the trees turn varying shades of fiery orange, the children coming home with leaves tangled in their hair like a bug in a spider’s web, the Gytama Street Skating season begins.
With a multitude of modded boards, deep bass echoing throughout the streets, rattling the brains of passerby’s as they sit in their bone cage-home, streetlight casting down their rays to illuminate the faces of drunk teenagers and young adults, Retsu is in his prime. Retsu Nakamura is no stranger to these roads, having joined the program when he was only a rip eighteen. His bright red hair and piercing blue eyes were everything but an anomaly to Gytama, he was one of their images; their prince.
And Retsu wore that title with pride. He was the prince of Gytama, and he always would be.
He strode through the dark streets, his hands shoved int ot he shallow pockets of his red leather jacket. It was only muscle me try to take a deep breath inhale of that crisp, cool autumn air. He could barely get sixty feet without being stoped to sign an autograph, someone’s cast, maybe even their t-shirt. He was one of Gytama’s idols, and he knew it. He’d bask in the glory of everyone’s eyes trained on him like a pivot point. Breathed it. Did it make him cocky? Yes, yes it did.
There weren’t going to be any races tonight, not any of note. Mostly rookies that think they’re the to dog training and racing their own peers, but none of the big skaters to beat tonight. What a disappointment. Retsu only showed up tonight so he could scan for fresh meat, potential opponents, though he knew in the back of his head there never really was. New competitors, good, new competitors were rare nowadays. It was always the same few, but there was no harm in scouting. Though, Retsu knew deep down that in reality? He was just here to get drunk on cheap bear and full on street food.
Retsu picked up some beef kebabs with the change he had in his pocket and- is that… it is! Apricot daikufu, he can afford to splurge just a little, right? Of course he could. His sweet tooth always seemed to outweigh his rationality. So with his newly acquired reward, he sat on one of the hills overlooking the tacks, his splurge beside him on the grass. It was different, watching the races instead of participating. He didn’t get that same thrill from watching it. He’s always loved the way his board woild saw when he tipped ohone side, like teetering on the edge of life and death. It was exhilarating, and Retsu lived for it.
Screams and cheers brought Retsu back out of his daze, brought him back to the moment, which he so often missed. Illuminated piles on the big screen used to display events in Gytama, or replays of wins and collisions - this wasn’t a particularly safe hobby - lit up the streets ad hills like a child’s eyes on Christmas morning. Retsu grimaces as one of the newcomers succumbs o the other’s board as they crash. He assumes that the blond-y dragging behind was only focused on speed and getting to the finish line while the other racer came to an abrupt stop, their wheel having caught on a rock on the pavement. Their board flipped forward taking the with it as they dug their noses into the dark ro a, the blond further cementing their freckled face in the asphalt.
Retsu knows how it feels. When he was new to Gytama he too crashed many-a-time. He sprained his name once several years ago. He’d miscalculated a turn angle - which was insane because he’d raced that tracks million times over -and rammed his board right into the concrete walls boarding the course. He wasn’t even that mad about his ankle. Sure it hurt worse than wasp string, but it would heal just fine, it ddid heal just fine. But honestly? He still didn’t forgive himself for snapping his board. In the moment he didn’t eve register the screams and gasps of the audience as he stared at the wooden chips that had broken free from their colorful home. Sure it was a cheap starter, but it still meant a lot to him; it was his first.
He shook his head, closing his eyes a little more forcefully than required, forcing that memory back down. It was years ago, he should be over it by now, he is over it by now. It’s getting late Retsu has classes tomorrow…
What’s a few more hours gonna hurt? He’s done it before, he’ll do it again. It’s not like he has super solid academic standing anyway. He takes a swig of his beer, letting the glass roll in his fingers as the amber liquid coasts his mouth. He inhales the crsp autumn air, and lays back on the grassy hill. He closes his eyes to just soak in the atmosphere, marinate in it. And then he feels it. He opened his eyes to the bottom wins of a moth. It’s too dark to tell what kind had landed on his forehead but it kind of fascinates him. He was still for just a. Moment and nature is already having its way with him
What if society slowed down for a minute to let nature back in?
Everybody’s so caught up in school and making sure they’re financially stable in this prison humans have Ane for themselves. What if everything just stopped for a moment? Does anybody truly know what it feels like to havee al your stress sucked out fo you dissipate? Would the concrete jungle of Yokohama become overgrown with thick, lively green vines if everyone were to just stop and think?
It’s late. Retsu has classes tomorrow. He has classes tomorrow. I have classes tomorrow