[LONGFIC] SOME KIND OF MATES 02
Fandom: Tumbling
Characters: Mizusawa and Kiyama and sometimes other people
Rating: T
Genre: Slice-of-Life, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort
Summary: Post-series. "Live with me!" he said. It seemed like a good idea at the time. No, that's a lie. He really wasn't thinking at all. Mizusawa and Kiyama... centric.
( jyuken )
The Big Test
In the meantime, summer folded to autumn. The morning winter came knocking on the door was the morning Mizusawa left town to take his exam.
The train ride to the city was ten kinds of torture. He was all too nervous. Over the long trip he alternated between cramming his notes, stroking the good luck charm his mother had given before he left before he gave up on both and settled on staring out of the window. The sky was completely gray.
With the help some maps he printed off the school website, he eventually made it to the place he'd be tested at. He removed the crumpled printouts from his nose to see herds - maybe hundreds - of young people moving towards a Western-style building that looked every bit as impressive as it had looked in the pamphlets. Born and raised in a small town, seeing so many people bustling around was definitely something he wasn't used to. It didn't help his anxiety at all. But he managed to step off of the sidewalk long enough clap his hands together in a silent prayer to gods he wasn't sure existed.
He felt a bit more confident when he slipped back into the crowd and walked into the university gates.
If someone was up there listening, they'd hopefully give him the chance to get used to those crowds in the near future.
Some hours later, Mizusawa stumbled out of those gates feeling dazed and dumb. He felt like that test had drained his very soul.
But he was quickly snapped awake by the raindrops hitting his nose; a cold shower had begun soaking the area. Opening his bag, he was surprised to actually find that an umbrella under all his things. It was one of those personal, ridiculously tiny foldable ones that barely covered his head when it was open, but it was something. Leave it to his mom to pack his bag on a day like today.
The sparse drops quickly turned into a heavy rain, and Mizusawa found himself even more grateful for his mother's foresight. Eventually, he reached the bus stop that would take him to the train station home. Interestingly enough, there were only a couple of people there, a stark contrast to the crowds he'd been swept away in earlier. Was that because there was no shelter from the precipitation, and there was another one close by? Or had Mizusawa taken just that long to finish his exams? He checked his watch and frowned. Sure, he'd been one of the last people to leave his testing room...
Slightly disappointed with that revelation, he trudged towards the stop and hoped that he didn't have that long to wait for the bus. Maybe he'd just missed it? That would explain why there were only a few people, like that guy who looked just like...
Hey, wait-
Without thinking, he shuffled up to the bench, slowing his gait as he moved behind it. He quickly confirmed that the boy sitting there was indeed Ryuuichirou Kiyama, his usually wild hair soaked and sticking to his scalp. He was just sitting there, like it wasn't half a step from a downpour outside. Just sitting in the rain. It seemed oddly fitting, considering the boy's personality... but really?
Before he knew it, Mizusawa found his arm leaning forward. It was a bit weird; the bench the was high, the boy was tall and holding a heavy bag and trying to keep both of them dry had him holding the tiny umbrella at a strange angle.
Maybe that was presumptuous. Maybe he likes the rain. But maybe he'll catch cold-
"You."
The sound of that familiar voice got Mizusawa suddenly feeling a bit flustered... simply because he hadn't the chance to prepare for it, he told himself. Mizusawa bowed his head slightly. Kiyama wiped some of the water off his face and returned the gesture.
"Uh... you didn't come here for the entrance exam, did you?"
Kiyama nodded.
"Oh," Mizusawa almost muttered. He really hadn't expected that. It had been more or less agreed that the "normals" would avoid talking to the yankees about college. While their aspirations were unknown, their class standings weren't. None of the three yankee seniors had respectable grades. Again, how much of that had to do with aptitude or motivation was a mystery... but for the sake of keeping everyone on good terms, it was something they never discussed.
But there was something deep inside him that felt relieved hearing the news.
Then Mizusawa fidgeted, not so much from nervousness, but because his arm was quickly growing tired from that angle at which he was holding the umbrella. Keeping both of them dry like that was... awkward, to say the least. "How'd it go?"
"Okay, I guess."
Mizusawa couldn't help but think his classmate sounded pessimistic, but didn't he always sound that way?
"How did you do?" Kiyama continued, his voice sounding a tad less dismal. Was he genuinely interested, or just being polite? That was another thing that was hard to tell about the boy... ugh. Mizusawa still had such a hard time talking to him; he couldn't help second-guessing everything he said. There were days when trite five-minute conversations about the weather would leave his head hurting.
"I think I did okay, too." Mizusawa exhaled lightly; he really didn't think that at all.
His thoughts were interrupted again; a warm, wet hand was prying his off the umbrella's handle. He looked up to see Kiyama taking it from him. When the hell did he even get up, he mused, a little distressed he hadn't noticed something like that. He looked up again and noticed that the taller boy had done it to hold the umbrella over them both.
"I'm sure you did fine," Kiyama went. Mizusawa couldn't detect the change in his tone this time.
Sneaking a peek at the boy standing above him, Mizusawa noted that his classmate didn't look anything but tired. Had he been studying hard? Was he annoyed that he knew such a hopeless kid that couldn't even hold an umbrella the right way?
...Would he be going to the same school as he would?
A million other questions flooded his mind, like why he'd picked that university, and what program he was aiming for, but Mizusawa stayed silent. Kiyama made no move to speak either, making things terribly awkward since they had a two-hour commute back home.
So Mizusawa's thoughts were taken over by what he supposed where Kiyama's thoughts the entire time. The only moments he got a break were those changeovers from the bus to the train station and back again. Kiyama would hold out his hand, and with no questions, Mizusawa would relinquish his umbrella. It was a matter of logic, right? It made sense, there was only one between the two of them. They were going the same way, there was a cold, hard rain and Kiyama was the taller of the two.
It made sense.
Still, it must have looked very strange for two boys to be sharing such a tiny umbrella.
Such thoughts remained pervasive in Mizusawa's mind as the two walked the sidewalks and streets. Neither spoke much on the way home.
Eventually, they came to a corner that wasn't too far from Kamone and their usual hang-outs, and Kiyama brought the pair to a halt. He turned to Mizusawa and presented him with the umbrella handle for the third time that afternoon. "Thanks. See you Monday."
Eyes wide, Mizusawa turned to the handle and carefully accepted the umbrella, making special care not to have any of other those awkward moments where hands brushed together or anything like that. By that time, a mentally exhausted Mizusawa could only watch the yankee as he bowed off, jogging down to the streets in what presumably was the way to his house.
Mizusawa stayed rooted to his spot until he watched his friend turn the corner, and disappear behind the neighborhood bakery. He shivered once before he finally started to move towards his own home.
Much later that evening, after dinner and long talks with his parents what he thought about the test and college in general, Mizusawa lay in his bed and stared at the ceiling. He didn't know how long his eyes traced the patterns formed by the mottled paint job up there when he had finally settled on it.
Of course, he'd long given up on any chances of reciprocation, and he knew the other boy was too upstanding to knowingly toy with any lingering feelings he might've had at that point.
No, he had it!
Kiyama had been thinking, "this is convenient".
Nothing more and nothing less.
With a groan, Mizusawa turned over in his bed and wrapped himself in his blankets. He would fall asleep feeling very much like he'd failed two big tests that day.
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Characters: Mizusawa and Kiyama and sometimes other people
Rating: T
Genre: Slice-of-Life, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort
Summary: Post-series. "Live with me!" he said. It seemed like a good idea at the time. No, that's a lie. He really wasn't thinking at all. Mizusawa and Kiyama... centric.
( jyuken )
The Big Test
In the meantime, summer folded to autumn. The morning winter came knocking on the door was the morning Mizusawa left town to take his exam.
The train ride to the city was ten kinds of torture. He was all too nervous. Over the long trip he alternated between cramming his notes, stroking the good luck charm his mother had given before he left before he gave up on both and settled on staring out of the window. The sky was completely gray.
With the help some maps he printed off the school website, he eventually made it to the place he'd be tested at. He removed the crumpled printouts from his nose to see herds - maybe hundreds - of young people moving towards a Western-style building that looked every bit as impressive as it had looked in the pamphlets. Born and raised in a small town, seeing so many people bustling around was definitely something he wasn't used to. It didn't help his anxiety at all. But he managed to step off of the sidewalk long enough clap his hands together in a silent prayer to gods he wasn't sure existed.
He felt a bit more confident when he slipped back into the crowd and walked into the university gates.
If someone was up there listening, they'd hopefully give him the chance to get used to those crowds in the near future.
Some hours later, Mizusawa stumbled out of those gates feeling dazed and dumb. He felt like that test had drained his very soul.
But he was quickly snapped awake by the raindrops hitting his nose; a cold shower had begun soaking the area. Opening his bag, he was surprised to actually find that an umbrella under all his things. It was one of those personal, ridiculously tiny foldable ones that barely covered his head when it was open, but it was something. Leave it to his mom to pack his bag on a day like today.
The sparse drops quickly turned into a heavy rain, and Mizusawa found himself even more grateful for his mother's foresight. Eventually, he reached the bus stop that would take him to the train station home. Interestingly enough, there were only a couple of people there, a stark contrast to the crowds he'd been swept away in earlier. Was that because there was no shelter from the precipitation, and there was another one close by? Or had Mizusawa taken just that long to finish his exams? He checked his watch and frowned. Sure, he'd been one of the last people to leave his testing room...
Slightly disappointed with that revelation, he trudged towards the stop and hoped that he didn't have that long to wait for the bus. Maybe he'd just missed it? That would explain why there were only a few people, like that guy who looked just like...
Hey, wait-
Without thinking, he shuffled up to the bench, slowing his gait as he moved behind it. He quickly confirmed that the boy sitting there was indeed Ryuuichirou Kiyama, his usually wild hair soaked and sticking to his scalp. He was just sitting there, like it wasn't half a step from a downpour outside. Just sitting in the rain. It seemed oddly fitting, considering the boy's personality... but really?
Before he knew it, Mizusawa found his arm leaning forward. It was a bit weird; the bench the was high, the boy was tall and holding a heavy bag and trying to keep both of them dry had him holding the tiny umbrella at a strange angle.
Maybe that was presumptuous. Maybe he likes the rain. But maybe he'll catch cold-
"You."
The sound of that familiar voice got Mizusawa suddenly feeling a bit flustered... simply because he hadn't the chance to prepare for it, he told himself. Mizusawa bowed his head slightly. Kiyama wiped some of the water off his face and returned the gesture.
"Uh... you didn't come here for the entrance exam, did you?"
Kiyama nodded.
"Oh," Mizusawa almost muttered. He really hadn't expected that. It had been more or less agreed that the "normals" would avoid talking to the yankees about college. While their aspirations were unknown, their class standings weren't. None of the three yankee seniors had respectable grades. Again, how much of that had to do with aptitude or motivation was a mystery... but for the sake of keeping everyone on good terms, it was something they never discussed.
But there was something deep inside him that felt relieved hearing the news.
Then Mizusawa fidgeted, not so much from nervousness, but because his arm was quickly growing tired from that angle at which he was holding the umbrella. Keeping both of them dry like that was... awkward, to say the least. "How'd it go?"
"Okay, I guess."
Mizusawa couldn't help but think his classmate sounded pessimistic, but didn't he always sound that way?
"How did you do?" Kiyama continued, his voice sounding a tad less dismal. Was he genuinely interested, or just being polite? That was another thing that was hard to tell about the boy... ugh. Mizusawa still had such a hard time talking to him; he couldn't help second-guessing everything he said. There were days when trite five-minute conversations about the weather would leave his head hurting.
"I think I did okay, too." Mizusawa exhaled lightly; he really didn't think that at all.
His thoughts were interrupted again; a warm, wet hand was prying his off the umbrella's handle. He looked up to see Kiyama taking it from him. When the hell did he even get up, he mused, a little distressed he hadn't noticed something like that. He looked up again and noticed that the taller boy had done it to hold the umbrella over them both.
"I'm sure you did fine," Kiyama went. Mizusawa couldn't detect the change in his tone this time.
Sneaking a peek at the boy standing above him, Mizusawa noted that his classmate didn't look anything but tired. Had he been studying hard? Was he annoyed that he knew such a hopeless kid that couldn't even hold an umbrella the right way?
...Would he be going to the same school as he would?
A million other questions flooded his mind, like why he'd picked that university, and what program he was aiming for, but Mizusawa stayed silent. Kiyama made no move to speak either, making things terribly awkward since they had a two-hour commute back home.
So Mizusawa's thoughts were taken over by what he supposed where Kiyama's thoughts the entire time. The only moments he got a break were those changeovers from the bus to the train station and back again. Kiyama would hold out his hand, and with no questions, Mizusawa would relinquish his umbrella. It was a matter of logic, right? It made sense, there was only one between the two of them. They were going the same way, there was a cold, hard rain and Kiyama was the taller of the two.
It made sense.
Still, it must have looked very strange for two boys to be sharing such a tiny umbrella.
Such thoughts remained pervasive in Mizusawa's mind as the two walked the sidewalks and streets. Neither spoke much on the way home.
Eventually, they came to a corner that wasn't too far from Kamone and their usual hang-outs, and Kiyama brought the pair to a halt. He turned to Mizusawa and presented him with the umbrella handle for the third time that afternoon. "Thanks. See you Monday."
Eyes wide, Mizusawa turned to the handle and carefully accepted the umbrella, making special care not to have any of other those awkward moments where hands brushed together or anything like that. By that time, a mentally exhausted Mizusawa could only watch the yankee as he bowed off, jogging down to the streets in what presumably was the way to his house.
Mizusawa stayed rooted to his spot until he watched his friend turn the corner, and disappear behind the neighborhood bakery. He shivered once before he finally started to move towards his own home.
Much later that evening, after dinner and long talks with his parents what he thought about the test and college in general, Mizusawa lay in his bed and stared at the ceiling. He didn't know how long his eyes traced the patterns formed by the mottled paint job up there when he had finally settled on it.
Of course, he'd long given up on any chances of reciprocation, and he knew the other boy was too upstanding to knowingly toy with any lingering feelings he might've had at that point.
No, he had it!
Kiyama had been thinking, "this is convenient".
Nothing more and nothing less.
With a groan, Mizusawa turned over in his bed and wrapped himself in his blankets. He would fall asleep feeling very much like he'd failed two big tests that day.
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