Threadverse drabbles (various)
All in threadverse, see the index here.
The beginning of Yasu’s internship (gen), before Threads
Yasu’s internship begins on a Monday morning, 9 o’clock. He is not usually a morning person but he has no problem waking up that morning. He’s so excited about the whole thing that he barely gets any sleep at all anyway.
It’s not the first time he walks into the psychiatric department of the hospital. He came a few months ago for an interview and then a few times after that for meetings. This time is different, though. Excitement and nervousness twine together in his stomach and Yasu’s fingers tighten around the ID card he’s been given. He’s a staff member now.
At the front desk, he meets Kato Shigeaki, the other intern from Yasu’s school. Yasu greets him as cheerfully as the circumstances allow and Shige bows back and offers him a nervous smile. Yasu doesn’t know him that well ― they hang out in different circles of friends ― but he knows that Kato is a brilliant student, hardworking and dedicated, and a good person. Yasu is looking forward to working along his side. They probably have a lot to learn from each other.
Subaru before Threads (gen)
After a while, people stop calling. At first, Subaru is relieved because he doesn't have to make up excuses anymore. But then loneliness, the real and cold one, creeps up on him and he realises that he's alone now. He's succeeded in completely isolating himself from everyone he cares about, everything that's ever cared for him. There is no turning back, and knowing that makes him feel numb and empty.
This is what he wanted, is it not? And it's the only thing he's ever accomplished on his own. But he wishes he hadn't, wishes he could have had the courage to stop, that his so called friends could have stopped him somehow. And he blames them, accuses them of lies, and curses what was clearly half hearted feelings... But, in the end, he knows he's really the only one to blame. And his whole being collapses under the weight of remorses and fear.
Dance (Subaru/Yasu), before Threads.
During sessions, Subaru's eyes never leave Yasu for more than a few seconds. He doesn't look at his hands, or the way he doesn't ball them so tightly inside his sleeves anymore, and he doesn't look at the clock, ticking cruelly his time away. He looks at Yasu, at his smile, at his lips, at his hands on the guitar, at the tiny bit of forgotten red polish on the corner of his thumb nail.
"You know that one, right?" Yasu asks as he strums the first chords of an overly cheerful song.
"You're weird," Subaru replies, and Yasu laughs, light and unashamed.
"Wait 'til next session," he winks playfully, "I'm planning on making you dance."
Koyama’s POV (gen), during Threads
They’re told the very minimum: Shibutani-san is to continue his therapy with Kato-sensei rather than Yasuda-sensei. Any other information is kept confidential. But it only makes it so much easier to speculate. Koyama isn’t oblivious to the situation. He isn’t deaf either and he can hear people talking. It makes him sad in a way because Yasuda is a good guy and Koyama has no doubt that he’s a very good therapist too. He gives off that kind of warm vibes, ones that make people want to trust him. And it seems to be a rare quality among young doctors nowadays, which is a bit unfortunate because most of those patients could really do with more humanity. But Koyama isn’t too worried for Yasu’s career. People are talking now but the murmurs will die down eventually.
Nurse Uchi and Subaru (gen, hints of Ryo/Uchi), during Threads
"So..." Subaru trails off as Uchi hands him his cup of pills.
Uchi looks at him with curious eyes. They still don't talk much but Uchi doesn't act as nervous around Subaru as he used to. Subaru wonders if he's the one who's changed or if Uchi's simply grown more confident over the months. Objectively, he knows it's probably both, but it's still a little hard to take some of the credit and accept that things, and even himself, can change for the better.
"Is there a rule against fraternization at work in this establishment?" He asks, and he has to fight back a smirk when Uchi stumbles back, looking very much like a deer caught in the headlights.
"What?" Uchi shifts uneasily. "What do you mean, Shibutani-san?"
To Subaru, this question is only an opening for more teasing. "Well, clearly it doesn't set a very good example for us patients if all the nurses keep hooking up with the doctors."
Uchi blinks once, twice, and a third time, before bursting out laughing. Subaru gives him a slightly confused look - this is not exactly the reaction he was expecting.
"Wait, I thought..." Uchi gasps through fits of laughter. "But me? And Ryo-chan?" The idea seems incredibly hilarious to him. "No, no. It's definitely not what you think." Uchi finally sobers down and catches a tear at the corner of his eye.
Subaru pouts. "Funny how you knew exactly who I was referring to, though."
Uchi chuckles and Subaru is a bit disappointed to see he doesn't as much as blush. "Ryo... Nishikido-sensei and I have known each other since forever. We're very close, yes, but not that close," he clarifies. "No, definitely not like that," he then adds, as if to himself, and the distant look on his face makes Subaru wonder if maybe, just maybe, he has not been right to see something there after all.
Subaru, Yoko and Hina, after Threads (gen)
It takes Subaru a while to put his uneasiness aside and realise that nothing has changed - Yoko and Hina are exactly the same as they were years ago, only a bit more mature (well, in Hina’s case anyway). It’s reassuring in a way.
They go on a road trip together. Just like all those years ago, it’s Yoko’s idea but it’s Hina who ends up taking care of everything.
The beach where they end up is grainy and kind of lame but it smells like life and freedom. Next to him, Yoko tells another dirty story and Hina extends an arm to hit him in between two fits of laughter. Subaru looks down at the can of cheap beer in his hands and smiles. It’s hard to remember why he ever wanted to distance himself from them.
“So who’s in for a skinny dip?” Yoko offers. He’s got that lopsided kind of smile on his face and a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
“Are you crazy? Water must be freezing,” Hina protests.
Subaru grins. Hina’s right, of course, but... “I’m in,” he says, and he throws Yoko a look.
Stealing Hina's clothes is going to be a dangerous business, Subaru thinks, but some things in life are worth it.
One (Subaru/Yasu), after Threads
“What are your patients like, now?” Subaru asks one night. He is lying on his stomach, head propped on his arms, as Yasu draws lazy patterns over his back and shoulders with his fingers.
“That’s confidential information,” Yasu replies, pausing in the middle of a circle and flattening his palm against Subaru’s shoulder blade.
“Are any of them sexy?” Subaru asks again, glancing over his shoulder.
Yasu giggles. “Con-fi-den-tial.”
Subaru raises an eyebrow, then frowns. “That Maruyama guy, from group therapy, he said you were his therapist...”
“Oi!” Yasu pokes him in the cheek. “I’m not talking about work.”
Subaru pouts, Yasu sticks his tongue. Subaru glares, Yasu laughs. And Subaru rolls them around and kisses him.
“What if a handsome crazy person tries to seduce you?” Subaru starts trailing kisses down Yasu’s neck and chest, stopping to play with Yasu’s navel pin with his tongue and teeth. Yasu makes a nice sound and writhes a bit under him.
“I’ve got one of those already,” he says, his voice attractively breathless already. He slips his fingers in Subaru’s hair and rakes his nails on his nape.
Subaru looks up and grins at him. “If he’s handsome enough, I’d let him join.”
Yasu laughs and hits him over the head.
Meeting Maru (gen, hints of Subaru/Yasu), after Threads
"Oh. Subaru!"
Subaru looks up from the row of CDs he's been browsing through and his eyes widen as he comes face to face with Maruyama Ryuhei from group therapy.
"I didn't know you lived in this area," Maru says.
Subaru doesn't live in the area at all, Yasu does, but he's not going to say that. "Aah... I didn't know you lived in this area either," Subaru replies, glancing nervously at Yasu who's standing with his back to them a few rows away.
"I don't," Maru grins. "But this is one of the best music store in all Osaka."
Subaru nods. Maru's a nice guy, one of the first people in group therapy that Subaru's been comfortable enough with to actually hold a conversation. But meeting him like this, away from the hospital, is a bit awkward. Is it okay for Maru to see him with Yasu? Is Subaru supposed to pretend that they didn't come together? Somehow, the mere idea makes Subaru want to reach out for Yasu's hand.
"This is a bit weird, isn't it?" Maru looks down and smiles almost sheepishly.
Subaru nods again. He wants to say something to make things less weird but he doesn't know what.
The beginning of Yasu’s internship (gen), before Threads
Yasu’s internship begins on a Monday morning, 9 o’clock. He is not usually a morning person but he has no problem waking up that morning. He’s so excited about the whole thing that he barely gets any sleep at all anyway.
It’s not the first time he walks into the psychiatric department of the hospital. He came a few months ago for an interview and then a few times after that for meetings. This time is different, though. Excitement and nervousness twine together in his stomach and Yasu’s fingers tighten around the ID card he’s been given. He’s a staff member now.
At the front desk, he meets Kato Shigeaki, the other intern from Yasu’s school. Yasu greets him as cheerfully as the circumstances allow and Shige bows back and offers him a nervous smile. Yasu doesn’t know him that well ― they hang out in different circles of friends ― but he knows that Kato is a brilliant student, hardworking and dedicated, and a good person. Yasu is looking forward to working along his side. They probably have a lot to learn from each other.
Subaru before Threads (gen)
After a while, people stop calling. At first, Subaru is relieved because he doesn't have to make up excuses anymore. But then loneliness, the real and cold one, creeps up on him and he realises that he's alone now. He's succeeded in completely isolating himself from everyone he cares about, everything that's ever cared for him. There is no turning back, and knowing that makes him feel numb and empty.
This is what he wanted, is it not? And it's the only thing he's ever accomplished on his own. But he wishes he hadn't, wishes he could have had the courage to stop, that his so called friends could have stopped him somehow. And he blames them, accuses them of lies, and curses what was clearly half hearted feelings... But, in the end, he knows he's really the only one to blame. And his whole being collapses under the weight of remorses and fear.
Dance (Subaru/Yasu), before Threads.
During sessions, Subaru's eyes never leave Yasu for more than a few seconds. He doesn't look at his hands, or the way he doesn't ball them so tightly inside his sleeves anymore, and he doesn't look at the clock, ticking cruelly his time away. He looks at Yasu, at his smile, at his lips, at his hands on the guitar, at the tiny bit of forgotten red polish on the corner of his thumb nail.
"You know that one, right?" Yasu asks as he strums the first chords of an overly cheerful song.
"You're weird," Subaru replies, and Yasu laughs, light and unashamed.
"Wait 'til next session," he winks playfully, "I'm planning on making you dance."
Koyama’s POV (gen), during Threads
They’re told the very minimum: Shibutani-san is to continue his therapy with Kato-sensei rather than Yasuda-sensei. Any other information is kept confidential. But it only makes it so much easier to speculate. Koyama isn’t oblivious to the situation. He isn’t deaf either and he can hear people talking. It makes him sad in a way because Yasuda is a good guy and Koyama has no doubt that he’s a very good therapist too. He gives off that kind of warm vibes, ones that make people want to trust him. And it seems to be a rare quality among young doctors nowadays, which is a bit unfortunate because most of those patients could really do with more humanity. But Koyama isn’t too worried for Yasu’s career. People are talking now but the murmurs will die down eventually.
Nurse Uchi and Subaru (gen, hints of Ryo/Uchi), during Threads
"So..." Subaru trails off as Uchi hands him his cup of pills.
Uchi looks at him with curious eyes. They still don't talk much but Uchi doesn't act as nervous around Subaru as he used to. Subaru wonders if he's the one who's changed or if Uchi's simply grown more confident over the months. Objectively, he knows it's probably both, but it's still a little hard to take some of the credit and accept that things, and even himself, can change for the better.
"Is there a rule against fraternization at work in this establishment?" He asks, and he has to fight back a smirk when Uchi stumbles back, looking very much like a deer caught in the headlights.
"What?" Uchi shifts uneasily. "What do you mean, Shibutani-san?"
To Subaru, this question is only an opening for more teasing. "Well, clearly it doesn't set a very good example for us patients if all the nurses keep hooking up with the doctors."
Uchi blinks once, twice, and a third time, before bursting out laughing. Subaru gives him a slightly confused look - this is not exactly the reaction he was expecting.
"Wait, I thought..." Uchi gasps through fits of laughter. "But me? And Ryo-chan?" The idea seems incredibly hilarious to him. "No, no. It's definitely not what you think." Uchi finally sobers down and catches a tear at the corner of his eye.
Subaru pouts. "Funny how you knew exactly who I was referring to, though."
Uchi chuckles and Subaru is a bit disappointed to see he doesn't as much as blush. "Ryo... Nishikido-sensei and I have known each other since forever. We're very close, yes, but not that close," he clarifies. "No, definitely not like that," he then adds, as if to himself, and the distant look on his face makes Subaru wonder if maybe, just maybe, he has not been right to see something there after all.
Subaru, Yoko and Hina, after Threads (gen)
It takes Subaru a while to put his uneasiness aside and realise that nothing has changed - Yoko and Hina are exactly the same as they were years ago, only a bit more mature (well, in Hina’s case anyway). It’s reassuring in a way.
They go on a road trip together. Just like all those years ago, it’s Yoko’s idea but it’s Hina who ends up taking care of everything.
The beach where they end up is grainy and kind of lame but it smells like life and freedom. Next to him, Yoko tells another dirty story and Hina extends an arm to hit him in between two fits of laughter. Subaru looks down at the can of cheap beer in his hands and smiles. It’s hard to remember why he ever wanted to distance himself from them.
“So who’s in for a skinny dip?” Yoko offers. He’s got that lopsided kind of smile on his face and a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
“Are you crazy? Water must be freezing,” Hina protests.
Subaru grins. Hina’s right, of course, but... “I’m in,” he says, and he throws Yoko a look.
Stealing Hina's clothes is going to be a dangerous business, Subaru thinks, but some things in life are worth it.
One (Subaru/Yasu), after Threads
“What are your patients like, now?” Subaru asks one night. He is lying on his stomach, head propped on his arms, as Yasu draws lazy patterns over his back and shoulders with his fingers.
“That’s confidential information,” Yasu replies, pausing in the middle of a circle and flattening his palm against Subaru’s shoulder blade.
“Are any of them sexy?” Subaru asks again, glancing over his shoulder.
Yasu giggles. “Con-fi-den-tial.”
Subaru raises an eyebrow, then frowns. “That Maruyama guy, from group therapy, he said you were his therapist...”
“Oi!” Yasu pokes him in the cheek. “I’m not talking about work.”
Subaru pouts, Yasu sticks his tongue. Subaru glares, Yasu laughs. And Subaru rolls them around and kisses him.
“What if a handsome crazy person tries to seduce you?” Subaru starts trailing kisses down Yasu’s neck and chest, stopping to play with Yasu’s navel pin with his tongue and teeth. Yasu makes a nice sound and writhes a bit under him.
“I’ve got one of those already,” he says, his voice attractively breathless already. He slips his fingers in Subaru’s hair and rakes his nails on his nape.
Subaru looks up and grins at him. “If he’s handsome enough, I’d let him join.”
Yasu laughs and hits him over the head.
Meeting Maru (gen, hints of Subaru/Yasu), after Threads
"Oh. Subaru!"
Subaru looks up from the row of CDs he's been browsing through and his eyes widen as he comes face to face with Maruyama Ryuhei from group therapy.
"I didn't know you lived in this area," Maru says.
Subaru doesn't live in the area at all, Yasu does, but he's not going to say that. "Aah... I didn't know you lived in this area either," Subaru replies, glancing nervously at Yasu who's standing with his back to them a few rows away.
"I don't," Maru grins. "But this is one of the best music store in all Osaka."
Subaru nods. Maru's a nice guy, one of the first people in group therapy that Subaru's been comfortable enough with to actually hold a conversation. But meeting him like this, away from the hospital, is a bit awkward. Is it okay for Maru to see him with Yasu? Is Subaru supposed to pretend that they didn't come together? Somehow, the mere idea makes Subaru want to reach out for Yasu's hand.
"This is a bit weird, isn't it?" Maru looks down and smiles almost sheepishly.
Subaru nods again. He wants to say something to make things less weird but he doesn't know what.