{fic} defined
defined
g, nishikato
tell me what you think is right.
thomas baudinette if you see this you're a bitch.
"If you can tell me what love is," Shige says finally, crossing his arms, "then I'll consider it."
Ryo nods furiously, not trusting his voice. He is given a chance, has a chance and he will--try to--make the best of it.
"So I'll see you tomorrow, then?" Shige asks quietly. Ryo nods, waves, and then as they both leave runs back to his house.
The first thing Ryo does is pull out the little-used dictionary that sits on the bottom shelf of his small bookcase because it's too large to fit on any of the others. The fading sunlight pours through his window as he sits on the floor, frantically flipping through to the L-section.
"Local," he murmurs, "logic. Loll. Lone. Longship. Lord. Lose. Lotion. Lotus." He scans down the page until finally--why do dictionaries have so many words anyways?--he comes across the entry he needs.
He reads, frowns--and then, finally, smiles.
"Do you have an answer for me?" Shige asks him quietly, as they sit beside each other in the town's one-room schoolhouse. Ryo looks up from the math homework he's trying to finish before class, up at Shige's curious, soft eyes. Eyes that are waiting for--some type of--answer.
"Not today," Ryo says apologetically, scribbling down numbers as fast as he can think them up. (Shige peeks over and spots at least one wrong answer.)
"I'll wait, then," Shige says, as the bell rings and Ryo throws down his pencil in triumph.
And it repeats for the next four days.
"Let's go somewhere," Ryo says, on the sixth day, just as Shige opens his mouth to ask.
"Now?" Shige asks, confused. Class starts in all of two minutes, and unless Ryo plans to hang out by the doorway--
"If you wanna skip class, sure. We can do that," Ryo says easily, making to get up.
"I don't skip," Shige says disdainfully, making a face. "After school, then?"
Ryo nods, settling back down. "After school it is. It's a nice day out--let's go for a walk."
"Alright," Shige says. There's a pause. "Do you--"
The bell rings.
"I have an answer," Ryo says, as they walk side by side through a small street downtown. Shige stops for a short second and starts again, quickly catching back up with Ryo.
"You do?" he says, looking over at Ryo. Ryo turns, looking back at Shige who moves his gaze somewhere else, feeling embarassed to be caught staring.
"Yeah," Ryo says. "I'll...I'll tell you later, is that alright?"
Shige thinks for a bit. "Alright," he says. "As long as you give me one sometime." He smiles softly, and Ryo--Ryo feels something flutter in his chest.
The phone rings that evening. "Can you get it?" Shige's mother calls, and Shige sighs and picks it up.
"Hi, this is Kato," he answers, expecting yet another call from his neighbour about how her cat was stuck in a tree or something like that.
"Shige?" Ryo asks, and Shige makes a soft sound of surprise--Ryo rarely (if ever) calls. "I...I can tell you now."
"I'm listening," Shige answers. Everything outside of him, Ryo, and the phone line connecting them seems to fade; even that perpetual ringing sound that he hears in the main room seems to not be there anymore. He's conscious of his breathing; tries not to blow too harshly into the mouthpiece as Ryo tries to figure out what he wants to say.
"It's...," and here Ryo pauses again, finding the words he--needs--wants. "It's you."
"What do you mean?" Shige asks quietly. (Inside, his heart is starting to soar, elation spreading slowly.)
"You. You're love," Ryo says, and thinks better of it. "Well, no...rather, you're my love." He waits, hearing silence. "Is that...good enough?"
"It's perfect," Shige says. He feels happy enough to cry, and probably sounds like it too. "It's perfect." He takes a deep breath, breathing out again. "Thank you, Ryo."
Ryo smiles, even though he knows the other won't be able to see it. "Thanks."
g, nishikato
tell me what you think is right.
thomas baudinette if you see this you're a bitch.
"If you can tell me what love is," Shige says finally, crossing his arms, "then I'll consider it."
Ryo nods furiously, not trusting his voice. He is given a chance, has a chance and he will--try to--make the best of it.
"So I'll see you tomorrow, then?" Shige asks quietly. Ryo nods, waves, and then as they both leave runs back to his house.
The first thing Ryo does is pull out the little-used dictionary that sits on the bottom shelf of his small bookcase because it's too large to fit on any of the others. The fading sunlight pours through his window as he sits on the floor, frantically flipping through to the L-section.
"Local," he murmurs, "logic. Loll. Lone. Longship. Lord. Lose. Lotion. Lotus." He scans down the page until finally--why do dictionaries have so many words anyways?--he comes across the entry he needs.
He reads, frowns--and then, finally, smiles.
"Do you have an answer for me?" Shige asks him quietly, as they sit beside each other in the town's one-room schoolhouse. Ryo looks up from the math homework he's trying to finish before class, up at Shige's curious, soft eyes. Eyes that are waiting for--some type of--answer.
"Not today," Ryo says apologetically, scribbling down numbers as fast as he can think them up. (Shige peeks over and spots at least one wrong answer.)
"I'll wait, then," Shige says, as the bell rings and Ryo throws down his pencil in triumph.
And it repeats for the next four days.
"Let's go somewhere," Ryo says, on the sixth day, just as Shige opens his mouth to ask.
"Now?" Shige asks, confused. Class starts in all of two minutes, and unless Ryo plans to hang out by the doorway--
"If you wanna skip class, sure. We can do that," Ryo says easily, making to get up.
"I don't skip," Shige says disdainfully, making a face. "After school, then?"
Ryo nods, settling back down. "After school it is. It's a nice day out--let's go for a walk."
"Alright," Shige says. There's a pause. "Do you--"
The bell rings.
"I have an answer," Ryo says, as they walk side by side through a small street downtown. Shige stops for a short second and starts again, quickly catching back up with Ryo.
"You do?" he says, looking over at Ryo. Ryo turns, looking back at Shige who moves his gaze somewhere else, feeling embarassed to be caught staring.
"Yeah," Ryo says. "I'll...I'll tell you later, is that alright?"
Shige thinks for a bit. "Alright," he says. "As long as you give me one sometime." He smiles softly, and Ryo--Ryo feels something flutter in his chest.
The phone rings that evening. "Can you get it?" Shige's mother calls, and Shige sighs and picks it up.
"Hi, this is Kato," he answers, expecting yet another call from his neighbour about how her cat was stuck in a tree or something like that.
"Shige?" Ryo asks, and Shige makes a soft sound of surprise--Ryo rarely (if ever) calls. "I...I can tell you now."
"I'm listening," Shige answers. Everything outside of him, Ryo, and the phone line connecting them seems to fade; even that perpetual ringing sound that he hears in the main room seems to not be there anymore. He's conscious of his breathing; tries not to blow too harshly into the mouthpiece as Ryo tries to figure out what he wants to say.
"It's...," and here Ryo pauses again, finding the words he--needs--wants. "It's you."
"What do you mean?" Shige asks quietly. (Inside, his heart is starting to soar, elation spreading slowly.)
"You. You're love," Ryo says, and thinks better of it. "Well, no...rather, you're my love." He waits, hearing silence. "Is that...good enough?"
"It's perfect," Shige says. He feels happy enough to cry, and probably sounds like it too. "It's perfect." He takes a deep breath, breathing out again. "Thank you, Ryo."
Ryo smiles, even though he knows the other won't be able to see it. "Thanks."