Fic: From Crayons to Perfume
Title: From Crayons to Perfume
Pairing: Hayato-Ryu
Genre: Started crackish and ended angsty; teacher!Ryu
Rating: G
Word Count: 1,200+
Disclaimer: Yabuki Hayato and Odagiri Ryu are characters in the television drama Gokusen 2. Neither the characters are nor the drama is mine.
Summary: Short Haya-Ryu fic, first part that took place long before Gokusen 2 and the next part long after.
A/N: Dedicated to sheenalinh because her insights made me re-write it.
From Crayons to Perfume
“So,” Yabuki Hayato started, looking over his classmate's work. “Food is very important to you, huh?”
Odagiri Ryu, a few inches shorter and a few pounds lighter but equally menacing as Hayato, lifted his head. His brows were furrowed. “What do you mean?”
The two 7-year-old boys sat by their desks littered with crayons. Their teacher just asked them to draw something towards the theme - which she had written on the blackboard - “Important to me is...”
Hayato leaned out and looked at the work of his classmate again. “Well, you drew food. That's cheese and three lollipops, right?”
Ryu, whose face portended of elegance in a few years, scowled. “That's not a cheese. That's a school bus.”
Hayato stifled a laughter. He knew should he blurt out, he and his best friend would soon be embroiled in a scuffle and they would once again end up staying after class. “Oh, sorry,” he said. “And what are those?” he asked, pointing at the three circles with cross-tails drawn on Ryu's paper.
“That's a bus stop,” Ryu answered in a tone that attempted to be indignant rather than embarrassed, which was how he actually felt.
“So why are there three bus stops?” Hayato asked again. He studied Ryu's drawings again and, for the life of him, could still not figure out how a yellow lump with circles could ever be a school bus. It really did look more like a cheese with black round molds on the bottom.
Ryu made a sound in his throat, indicating how he was trying to reel in his growing irritation. “That's a bus stop,” he said pointing at a yellow “lollipop.” “And those -” pointing at the other “lollipops” (probably chocolate-flavored ones, Hayato thought) - “are us.”
Ryu harrumphed, bent down on his desk and steadfastly continued in the task of completing his drawing. He made sure to cover his paper with his forearms.
Hayato went back to his drawing and allowed his best friend time to simmer down. But it was just not like him to keep still for too long. Not a minute passed and he was nudging the smaller boy again.
Ryu looked up, irritation at Hayato long forgotten. His dark-haired, dark-eyed friend, who at such a tender age, was already a head-turner, held up his paper. Ryu studied his friend's drawing. He should be envious of his friend's artistic talent. But he never was envious of anything Hayato could do better than him. He was just always proud of his best friend but he would not be caught dead admitting that.
But when the smaller boy studied Hayato's drawing, he felt hurt. There was no mistaking Hayato drew himself. But he was holding hands with another kid. “Who's that?” Ryu asked, probing the yellow crayon in his hand on the drawing of the kid with Hayato.
Hayato tilted his head to get a look at his paper. “That's you, baka!”
Ryu was unconvinced. “I don't have red hair, baka.”
Hayato frowned at his drawing. “That's not red, baka baka! That's copper.” He flashed Ryu the brown, red and yellow crayons he used for the copper color.
“Whatever. That's not my hair.”
“I think you'll look good with copper hair.” Hayato turned towards his best friend and smiled. Ryu smiled back. Hayato raised his left pinky finger and Ryu crossed his right pinky finger with it. They needed no words between them.
~♥~
“Hey, there, sensei!”
Odagiri Ryu paused. He had been lost in thought while walking. He didn't notice the man sitting on the bench. A smiled erupted on his face. “Hey,” he greeted back.
Yabuki Hayato patted the space beside him on the bench, indicating for his long-time friend to sit down. Ryu did. “How's school?”
“Same as, same as,” Ryu replied and placed the books he was holding beside him.
“Hell, huh?”
Ryu laughed. “Must be my comeuppance for my Kurogin High stint.” He turned to look at Hayato who had not changed position - sitting on the bench's edge and leaning back, arms crossed on his chest, legs extended and crossed at the ankles. It spoke so much of Hayato's laid-back attitude. “And possibly, am bearing the cross for your high school sins as well.”
“Mou...” Hayato said. All of sudden, he leaned towards Ryu and planted a kiss on his friend's hair. He really preferred a redhead Ryu and was glad his friend dyed it the way it when they were in high school. “You smell good, Odagiri,” he said as he leaned back.
“It's perfume, baka,” Ryu said.
Hayato smiled. It's not the perfume. It was never the perfume. Ryu just always smelled good to him. “So...you broke any hearts lately?”
Ryu faked a frown. “I don't break hearts.”
“Oh, yeah?”
Ryu knew Hayato was teasing. But something pinched in his heart. He went silent, his smile dimmed and his brown eyes turned melancholy. And barely audibly, he said, “You did.”
Hayato was taken aback. The glint in his eyes disappeared. He did not expect those words from Ryu. It was, by far, the most either one has ever said about...about what never was and never will be between the two of them.
Ryu was the first to look away. He had said too much and it wasn't even the entire truth. Hayato wasn't the only one who broke a heart. He did, too. They both did with each other.
It had been two decades since they made the pinky promise. So much had happened since. They thought the fight between them during high school was the worst to come between their friendship. But it wasn't. The words that remained unspoken between them, the line neither dared to cross - remained the heaviest burden they bore.
Ryu looked up once again and they stared at each other, eyes conveying what their lips could not form turn into words. The way they had always done. The way it had always been. They both knew. They both understood. But they were not to acknowledge it with words because they had made a choice and they will remain just friends despite what had been throbbing in their hearts for years.
The tension that hung in the air got heavier with every silent second. Then Hayato started humming, breaking the silence. Breaking the tension. Ryu broke into a smile.
“Sensei!” a young boy called out.
Both men looked and saw a boy in school uniform running towards them. The boy lunged himself at Ryu and consequently hit Hayato with his lunch box.
Ryu chuckled and hugged the boy while Hayato groaned. “Such a brat.”
“Just like you,” Ryu said.
They heard a bus coming. Hayato stood up and took the boy's hand. “Here comes our cheese.” Ryu laughed at the old joke.
As father and son stepped on the bus, Ryu heard Hayato humming again.
When the bus pulled away, Ryu saw from across the street a young lady with a toddler in tow. She waved at Ryu. Ryu waved back and stood up. As he crossed the street, it suddenly struck him. To Sir, With Love, the song Hayato was humming.
He smiled while his eyes misted.
The End
[A/N1: For some reason I was cruising the net the other day looking for gay songs - don't ask me why - and found that the song “To Sir, With Love” is considered a gay song by some. So I looked it up. Originally, it was a theme song for a movie that is not, in anyway, gay. But apparently, because it was sung by Natalie Merchant featuring Michael Stipe of REM - who is so cool about his sexuality and describes himself as “equal opportunity letch). So anyway, because he is that and he beautifully sang the lyrics “To sir with love...” the song was taken as a gay love song. And who better to dedicate the song than teacher!Ryu, right? Just click here if you want to hear.]
[A/N2: I wrote this, including the A/N1, September last year around the time Gokusen The Movie came out. Didn't get around to posting it because I don't like unhappy endings. So why I wrote it is beyond me. Why I'm posting it now is because I just want to. And it so happens the comm icon contest theme is HayaRyu. Jeez, I note too much. Will stop now.]
Title: From Crayons to Perfume
Pairing: Hayato-Ryu
Genre: Started crackish and ended angsty; teacher!Ryu
Rating: G
Word Count: 1,200+
Disclaimer: Yabuki Hayato and Odagiri Ryu are characters in the television drama Gokusen 2. Neither the characters are nor the drama is mine.
Summary: Short Haya-Ryu fic, first part that took place long before Gokusen 2 and the next part long after.
A/N: Dedicated to sheenalinh because her insights made me re-write it.
From Crayons to Perfume
“So,” Yabuki Hayato started, looking over his classmate's work. “Food is very important to you, huh?”
Odagiri Ryu, a few inches shorter and a few pounds lighter but equally menacing as Hayato, lifted his head. His brows were furrowed. “What do you mean?”
The two 7-year-old boys sat by their desks littered with crayons. Their teacher just asked them to draw something towards the theme - which she had written on the blackboard - “Important to me is...”
Hayato leaned out and looked at the work of his classmate again. “Well, you drew food. That's cheese and three lollipops, right?”
Ryu, whose face portended of elegance in a few years, scowled. “That's not a cheese. That's a school bus.”
Hayato stifled a laughter. He knew should he blurt out, he and his best friend would soon be embroiled in a scuffle and they would once again end up staying after class. “Oh, sorry,” he said. “And what are those?” he asked, pointing at the three circles with cross-tails drawn on Ryu's paper.
“That's a bus stop,” Ryu answered in a tone that attempted to be indignant rather than embarrassed, which was how he actually felt.
“So why are there three bus stops?” Hayato asked again. He studied Ryu's drawings again and, for the life of him, could still not figure out how a yellow lump with circles could ever be a school bus. It really did look more like a cheese with black round molds on the bottom.
Ryu made a sound in his throat, indicating how he was trying to reel in his growing irritation. “That's a bus stop,” he said pointing at a yellow “lollipop.” “And those -” pointing at the other “lollipops” (probably chocolate-flavored ones, Hayato thought) - “are us.”
Ryu harrumphed, bent down on his desk and steadfastly continued in the task of completing his drawing. He made sure to cover his paper with his forearms.
Hayato went back to his drawing and allowed his best friend time to simmer down. But it was just not like him to keep still for too long. Not a minute passed and he was nudging the smaller boy again.
Ryu looked up, irritation at Hayato long forgotten. His dark-haired, dark-eyed friend, who at such a tender age, was already a head-turner, held up his paper. Ryu studied his friend's drawing. He should be envious of his friend's artistic talent. But he never was envious of anything Hayato could do better than him. He was just always proud of his best friend but he would not be caught dead admitting that.
But when the smaller boy studied Hayato's drawing, he felt hurt. There was no mistaking Hayato drew himself. But he was holding hands with another kid. “Who's that?” Ryu asked, probing the yellow crayon in his hand on the drawing of the kid with Hayato.
Hayato tilted his head to get a look at his paper. “That's you, baka!”
Ryu was unconvinced. “I don't have red hair, baka.”
Hayato frowned at his drawing. “That's not red, baka baka! That's copper.” He flashed Ryu the brown, red and yellow crayons he used for the copper color.
“Whatever. That's not my hair.”
“I think you'll look good with copper hair.” Hayato turned towards his best friend and smiled. Ryu smiled back. Hayato raised his left pinky finger and Ryu crossed his right pinky finger with it. They needed no words between them.
~♥~
“Hey, there, sensei!”
Odagiri Ryu paused. He had been lost in thought while walking. He didn't notice the man sitting on the bench. A smiled erupted on his face. “Hey,” he greeted back.
Yabuki Hayato patted the space beside him on the bench, indicating for his long-time friend to sit down. Ryu did. “How's school?”
“Same as, same as,” Ryu replied and placed the books he was holding beside him.
“Hell, huh?”
Ryu laughed. “Must be my comeuppance for my Kurogin High stint.” He turned to look at Hayato who had not changed position - sitting on the bench's edge and leaning back, arms crossed on his chest, legs extended and crossed at the ankles. It spoke so much of Hayato's laid-back attitude. “And possibly, am bearing the cross for your high school sins as well.”
“Mou...” Hayato said. All of sudden, he leaned towards Ryu and planted a kiss on his friend's hair. He really preferred a redhead Ryu and was glad his friend dyed it the way it when they were in high school. “You smell good, Odagiri,” he said as he leaned back.
“It's perfume, baka,” Ryu said.
Hayato smiled. It's not the perfume. It was never the perfume. Ryu just always smelled good to him. “So...you broke any hearts lately?”
Ryu faked a frown. “I don't break hearts.”
“Oh, yeah?”
Ryu knew Hayato was teasing. But something pinched in his heart. He went silent, his smile dimmed and his brown eyes turned melancholy. And barely audibly, he said, “You did.”
Hayato was taken aback. The glint in his eyes disappeared. He did not expect those words from Ryu. It was, by far, the most either one has ever said about...about what never was and never will be between the two of them.
Ryu was the first to look away. He had said too much and it wasn't even the entire truth. Hayato wasn't the only one who broke a heart. He did, too. They both did with each other.
It had been two decades since they made the pinky promise. So much had happened since. They thought the fight between them during high school was the worst to come between their friendship. But it wasn't. The words that remained unspoken between them, the line neither dared to cross - remained the heaviest burden they bore.
Ryu looked up once again and they stared at each other, eyes conveying what their lips could not form turn into words. The way they had always done. The way it had always been. They both knew. They both understood. But they were not to acknowledge it with words because they had made a choice and they will remain just friends despite what had been throbbing in their hearts for years.
The tension that hung in the air got heavier with every silent second. Then Hayato started humming, breaking the silence. Breaking the tension. Ryu broke into a smile.
“Sensei!” a young boy called out.
Both men looked and saw a boy in school uniform running towards them. The boy lunged himself at Ryu and consequently hit Hayato with his lunch box.
Ryu chuckled and hugged the boy while Hayato groaned. “Such a brat.”
“Just like you,” Ryu said.
They heard a bus coming. Hayato stood up and took the boy's hand. “Here comes our cheese.” Ryu laughed at the old joke.
As father and son stepped on the bus, Ryu heard Hayato humming again.
When the bus pulled away, Ryu saw from across the street a young lady with a toddler in tow. She waved at Ryu. Ryu waved back and stood up. As he crossed the street, it suddenly struck him. To Sir, With Love, the song Hayato was humming.
He smiled while his eyes misted.
The End
[A/N1: For some reason I was cruising the net the other day looking for gay songs - don't ask me why - and found that the song “To Sir, With Love” is considered a gay song by some. So I looked it up. Originally, it was a theme song for a movie that is not, in anyway, gay. But apparently, because it was sung by Natalie Merchant featuring Michael Stipe of REM - who is so cool about his sexuality and describes himself as “equal opportunity letch). So anyway, because he is that and he beautifully sang the lyrics “To sir with love...” the song was taken as a gay love song. And who better to dedicate the song than teacher!Ryu, right? Just click here if you want to hear.]
[A/N2: I wrote this, including the A/N1, September last year around the time Gokusen The Movie came out. Didn't get around to posting it because I don't like unhappy endings. So why I wrote it is beyond me. Why I'm posting it now is because I just want to. And it so happens the comm icon contest theme is HayaRyu. Jeez, I note too much. Will stop now.]