[drabble] Playground Discovery
Title: Playground Discovery
Author: Luna (dreamweavernyx )
Pairing: Okayamajima
Genre: Friendship
Notes: Happy birthday to Eri (littlemelonblue )! Because I kind of guessed that you wanted to read this pairing.
Disclaimer: Whether the Pokemon thing is true or not, I have absolutely no idea. Please do not take it seriously.
~
It’s the crying that first alerts Yuto.
The cries aren’t the loud bawls of a little boy whose favourite toy car just got broken or drowned in the pond by accident. They’re soft, more like whimpers rather than actual crying, and Yuto wouldn’t have heard it if Keito hadn’t stopped chasing the Frisbee to cock his head and listen.
“Hey!” he yells, “catch the Frisbee, Keito!”
Keito shakes his head.
“Listen,” he says, “can you hear something?”
Yuto’s tempted to make a sarcastic reply, but shuts up upon a glare from Keito, and listens instead. Faintly, he can make out the quiet sobbing coming from behind the bushes of the park.
Keito picks up the Frisbee on the ground, and begins to walk towards the source of the crying, Yuto following close behind.
Peeking past the multitude of leaves reveals a boy with chubby cheeks sitting at the side of the sandpit, silent tears rolling down his cheeks.
“Hey,” says Keito tentatively, “you okay?”
The boy sniffles, and looks up blearily with tear-filled eyes.
“They took my Pocky,” he mumbles, “my strawberry pocky. And then they called my fat and pinched me so hard.”
“…They?” asks Yuto, nonplussed.
“Chinen,” clarifies the boy, “that guy who looks like a chipmunk. His arm strength is freaky, and his pinches hurt. And his friend, that Yuma guy.”
Keito nods, recognizing the names of the regular playground bullies.
“They’re gone now,” he says, “I’m Keito, and he’s Yuto.”
The boy nods, rubbing furiously at his red eyes to clear the tears.
“My name’s Ryosuke,” he says in a tiny voice.
“Well, Ryosuke,” says Yuto, “cheer up!”
Ryosuke pouts adorably, mouth scrunching up.
“But they took my strawberry Pocky. It was my only packet. And I love strawberries.”
“What about ice cream?” asks Keito.
Ryosuke’s head snaps up.
“Ice cream?”
“Yeah. Strawberry ice cream. You want some? I was going to buy some ice cream for both of us anyway, after Frisbee.”
With tremulous eyes, Ryosuke looks at Keito.
“You…don’t mind?”
“You look like you’ll need some ice cream, anyway. It always cheers people up.”
Yuto nods emphatically in agreement, and Ryosuke smiles beatifically.
“It’s just that…people always don’t want to hang out with me because I’m fat.”
“You’re not fat,” says Yuto, patting Ryosuke’s fluffy hair, “unless you’re comparing to a toothpick or something. Come on, let’s go get some ice cream.”
Keito pulls Ryosuke to his feet, and they begin to walk to the ice cream stand.
“You know what, Ryosuke? I think we’re gonna be awesome friends.”
“Really?”
“Do you like Pokemon?”
“Love it.”
Yuto laughs.
“Pokemon is awesome. We all like Pokemon. Thus, this friendship is definitely going to rock.”
Ryosuke laughs.
“That doesn’t make sense at all.”
“Who cares?” grins Keito.
“Friendship’s inexplainable. It doesn’t have to make sense.”