(camp) vacation, part one
Had two other ones planned, not sure if I will follow through.
As his fingers slide through the barrier, Takanari panicks. The thought that had always sank deeper and deeper into him flew up. He was dead. He didn't belong. Takanari tightened his grip around Haine's hand, careful not to squeeze too hard, and let the thick matter (like water, like jelly-warm) pull him in.
There was no light, no vacuum, no pull somewhere behind his navel. He was simply awake in his room as the clock counted a second after midnight. A minute later, Takanari was sitting up, confused. He was sleeping on a bed, not on the floor, not with a thread count below a thousand. There were no paintings or books left carelessly around. He couldn't help looking down and finding nothing there. The whole room was empty. Vertigo hit him, and he couldn't help pulling his sheets with a sweat.
He didn't belong here anymore.
Five minutes later, he was wordlessly climbing into Touya's bed. The stammering, now awake protests from his companion were stopped as soon as Takanari let his head hit the pillow. Instead of counting the hours, minutes, seconds to midnight... Takanari counted how many hours before school. How many hours he had to wrap himself in this warmth, comfort, and peace.
Takanari chuckled to himself; Touya still talked in his sleep. How many years had it been since Takanari allowed himself this much?
It was quiet. -It was unfamiliar. The sensation of his throat constricting around his words and breath was all that he could remember as familiar. It was the same feeling he got whenever he was allowed "outside". It was hard to keep his head down, concentrated on his coffee and toast, instead of glancing across to where Shizumasa sat. To not look around as the gate opened for him, and let the discomfort show of knowing that eyes were bearing into his back. That the hands moving to cover mouths, talking in not-so-hushed tones, were whispering about him.
"The entire time..." "...The hospital pronounced him dead." "Who is he?" "His name... Oh, I think it's Takanari." "Are you sure it's him?" "Could be Shizumasa." "Never could tell the difference." "Is there one?"
Touya hovered. In as much as he could, that is. He kept one step to the left, two steps back as usual, but Takanari could tell that the foot cut short by an inch meant Touya was hovering. Takanari wondered if he should have yelled by now; he would have before.
"Touya."
"Y-Yes!"
"It's fine. Don't worry. You don't need to think about them." We don't need to think about them.
Touya fell an inch back.
After the morning address, Takanari smiled. He didn't comment on how many people talked during the assembly, but Maguri still stared down the offenders. A second later, he cancelled the meeting for the council after school. No reason given, no intent to touch the small mountains of paperwork. Ushio, Maguri, and Maora shot curious looks behind Takanari and Haine's backs as they went to class.
Unplural. Takanari made it through his first class before excusing himself, citing graduation preparations to the teacher.
During second period, Takanari read aloft a branch while Touya sat, uncomfortable, at the base of the tree. After the twenty-sixth shuffle from Touya, Takanari dropped a thick, pollen-covered flower on his attendant's head with a laugh.
By third period, Maguri turned up, hands slung in his pockets. He shrugged off Touya's insistence that Takanari was acting strangely. ("Takanari-sama must be sick. He has a summer cold!" "Takaka doesn't get sick." "Only idiots don't get sick, Maguri." "H-Hey, what's that mean?!")
And fourth period brought Haine, Maora, and Ushio. Rather, Maora had summoned the council's bodyguard, since Takanari had been stolen by no good ruffians who planned to do horrible and naughty things to their beloved Emperor~♥ Ushio followed the trail of dust Haine left in her wake. As Haine skidded to a stop, Takanari leapt down from the tree immediately.
One, two, three bells... But they never left. Touya brought lunch, Maguri shouted again and again, Ushio firmly seated herself by Haine, Maora clung to any and everyone, and Takanari leaned against the tree, quiet.
Haine need hours and hours to visit her family. Families. Takanari needed less than an hour. The beauty of a family raised without speaking to each other meant they never knew what to say. In ten minutes, he left Kyouka and Kasuga. It was a touch of normalcy when visiting with no reason at all had confused them. After that, he kneeled at his mother's grave...
Then, Takanari packed. Or he tried to pack. Touya kept peeking in, worried, but leaving with unsaid questions. Takanari knew too well what they were. He couldn't say the truth, even when Touya knew it without knowing the reason. Eventually, Takanari called Maguri, quietly asking him to come over.
An hour later, Maguri was shown to Takanari's room. He asked how the packing for the trip was going. Takanari replied that it was fine, never losing his touch with lies. Maguri watched Touya excuse himself before staring at Takanari. He knew better than to ask questions he knew the answer to. So, he asked everything else, "How is everything back there? You're eating, right? Is he behaving?"
"It's... It's fine. Well, you know how it is. So, it's good and bad, but I don't mind," replied Takanari, artlessly. "And I am eating, and Shizumasa is behaving. ... Mm, you know, I'm going to miss you. Well, I already did and do, but-"
Takanari noted that the now unfolded shirt would have to be ironed. Then, he remembered that camp didn't have irons. Slowly, Takanari returned the bear hug from Maguri, exhaling and relaxing just enough. He didn't hide his soft laughter, even when he swallowed the rest of that thought.
But I'm still not sure if I belong here.
As he watched the stars, Takanari wrapped his arms around Haine's waist. He could only murmur his monosyballic replies as Haine talked excitedly. She needed to go on and on about Komaki, Kusame, Tachibana, Kazuhito, Itsuki, Ryouka, and Maika, because he knew that she didn't want to go back. That in a small place in her heart, she hated herself for not wanting to go back for Shizumasa and Gokudera and the countless others.
He pressed his cheek against hers as the ticking of his watch grew louder. Two minutes. Even if Takanari hoped to spend the few hours before midnight alone with Haine, he was thankful that it had been interrupted.
Since morning, Ushio wouldn't leave Haine's side. Takanari wondered if she silently knew that they would be separated again, even if it would only be a few hours to her. Then, Maguri and Maora appeared. Maora innocently acted as if it was a coincidence. However, Maguri glanced at Takanari's jacket, and Takanari knew that he would have to have all his clothing combed for trackers. Again. Komaki and Kusame were on a date, but couldn't quite separate from the group, from Haine. Kasuga mentioned something about another gang in the area, and no one asked anything more about it.
One minute. Takanari kept trying to burn the image into his eyes-Of his friends, of the night sky, of this place...
"Haine..."
Twenty, nineteen seconds.
"Yes, Takanari-sama?"
He pressed a kiss to her cheek as a sudden chill swept through his summer clothes. "We belong wherever our friends are. We'll be back."
As his fingers slide through the barrier, Takanari panicks. The thought that had always sank deeper and deeper into him flew up. He was dead. He didn't belong. Takanari tightened his grip around Haine's hand, careful not to squeeze too hard, and let the thick matter (like water, like jelly-warm) pull him in.
There was no light, no vacuum, no pull somewhere behind his navel. He was simply awake in his room as the clock counted a second after midnight. A minute later, Takanari was sitting up, confused. He was sleeping on a bed, not on the floor, not with a thread count below a thousand. There were no paintings or books left carelessly around. He couldn't help looking down and finding nothing there. The whole room was empty. Vertigo hit him, and he couldn't help pulling his sheets with a sweat.
He didn't belong here anymore.
Five minutes later, he was wordlessly climbing into Touya's bed. The stammering, now awake protests from his companion were stopped as soon as Takanari let his head hit the pillow. Instead of counting the hours, minutes, seconds to midnight... Takanari counted how many hours before school. How many hours he had to wrap himself in this warmth, comfort, and peace.
Takanari chuckled to himself; Touya still talked in his sleep. How many years had it been since Takanari allowed himself this much?
It was quiet. -It was unfamiliar. The sensation of his throat constricting around his words and breath was all that he could remember as familiar. It was the same feeling he got whenever he was allowed "outside". It was hard to keep his head down, concentrated on his coffee and toast, instead of glancing across to where Shizumasa sat. To not look around as the gate opened for him, and let the discomfort show of knowing that eyes were bearing into his back. That the hands moving to cover mouths, talking in not-so-hushed tones, were whispering about him.
"The entire time..." "...The hospital pronounced him dead." "Who is he?" "His name... Oh, I think it's Takanari." "Are you sure it's him?" "Could be Shizumasa." "Never could tell the difference." "Is there one?"
Touya hovered. In as much as he could, that is. He kept one step to the left, two steps back as usual, but Takanari could tell that the foot cut short by an inch meant Touya was hovering. Takanari wondered if he should have yelled by now; he would have before.
"Touya."
"Y-Yes!"
"It's fine. Don't worry. You don't need to think about them." We don't need to think about them.
Touya fell an inch back.
After the morning address, Takanari smiled. He didn't comment on how many people talked during the assembly, but Maguri still stared down the offenders. A second later, he cancelled the meeting for the council after school. No reason given, no intent to touch the small mountains of paperwork. Ushio, Maguri, and Maora shot curious looks behind Takanari and Haine's backs as they went to class.
Unplural. Takanari made it through his first class before excusing himself, citing graduation preparations to the teacher.
During second period, Takanari read aloft a branch while Touya sat, uncomfortable, at the base of the tree. After the twenty-sixth shuffle from Touya, Takanari dropped a thick, pollen-covered flower on his attendant's head with a laugh.
By third period, Maguri turned up, hands slung in his pockets. He shrugged off Touya's insistence that Takanari was acting strangely. ("Takanari-sama must be sick. He has a summer cold!" "Takaka doesn't get sick." "Only idiots don't get sick, Maguri." "H-Hey, what's that mean?!")
And fourth period brought Haine, Maora, and Ushio. Rather, Maora had summoned the council's bodyguard, since Takanari had been stolen by no good ruffians who planned to do horrible and naughty things to their beloved Emperor~♥ Ushio followed the trail of dust Haine left in her wake. As Haine skidded to a stop, Takanari leapt down from the tree immediately.
One, two, three bells... But they never left. Touya brought lunch, Maguri shouted again and again, Ushio firmly seated herself by Haine, Maora clung to any and everyone, and Takanari leaned against the tree, quiet.
Haine need hours and hours to visit her family. Families. Takanari needed less than an hour. The beauty of a family raised without speaking to each other meant they never knew what to say. In ten minutes, he left Kyouka and Kasuga. It was a touch of normalcy when visiting with no reason at all had confused them. After that, he kneeled at his mother's grave...
Then, Takanari packed. Or he tried to pack. Touya kept peeking in, worried, but leaving with unsaid questions. Takanari knew too well what they were. He couldn't say the truth, even when Touya knew it without knowing the reason. Eventually, Takanari called Maguri, quietly asking him to come over.
An hour later, Maguri was shown to Takanari's room. He asked how the packing for the trip was going. Takanari replied that it was fine, never losing his touch with lies. Maguri watched Touya excuse himself before staring at Takanari. He knew better than to ask questions he knew the answer to. So, he asked everything else, "How is everything back there? You're eating, right? Is he behaving?"
"It's... It's fine. Well, you know how it is. So, it's good and bad, but I don't mind," replied Takanari, artlessly. "And I am eating, and Shizumasa is behaving. ... Mm, you know, I'm going to miss you. Well, I already did and do, but-"
Takanari noted that the now unfolded shirt would have to be ironed. Then, he remembered that camp didn't have irons. Slowly, Takanari returned the bear hug from Maguri, exhaling and relaxing just enough. He didn't hide his soft laughter, even when he swallowed the rest of that thought.
But I'm still not sure if I belong here.
As he watched the stars, Takanari wrapped his arms around Haine's waist. He could only murmur his monosyballic replies as Haine talked excitedly. She needed to go on and on about Komaki, Kusame, Tachibana, Kazuhito, Itsuki, Ryouka, and Maika, because he knew that she didn't want to go back. That in a small place in her heart, she hated herself for not wanting to go back for Shizumasa and Gokudera and the countless others.
He pressed his cheek against hers as the ticking of his watch grew louder. Two minutes. Even if Takanari hoped to spend the few hours before midnight alone with Haine, he was thankful that it had been interrupted.
Since morning, Ushio wouldn't leave Haine's side. Takanari wondered if she silently knew that they would be separated again, even if it would only be a few hours to her. Then, Maguri and Maora appeared. Maora innocently acted as if it was a coincidence. However, Maguri glanced at Takanari's jacket, and Takanari knew that he would have to have all his clothing combed for trackers. Again. Komaki and Kusame were on a date, but couldn't quite separate from the group, from Haine. Kasuga mentioned something about another gang in the area, and no one asked anything more about it.
One minute. Takanari kept trying to burn the image into his eyes-Of his friends, of the night sky, of this place...
"Haine..."
Twenty, nineteen seconds.
"Yes, Takanari-sama?"
He pressed a kiss to her cheek as a sudden chill swept through his summer clothes. "We belong wherever our friends are. We'll be back."