Drabbles of Friendship
Drabble One
Title: Silent Exchange
Rating: G
Characters: Yuto/Yamada
Summary: Sometimes, even in silence, two is good company.
Note: Failed attempt at real-life drama....as in no dragons or teens with superpowers :P
He shuffles his lanky frame through the door, rolling his copy of the latest Myojo magazine in his hand. Keito had noticed it too.
Why wouldn’t he?
The guitar strumming English Boy was his best friend after all.
Hmmm…best friend?
The practices together…the stage plays…the variety shows…
Those long walks home from school…
The sleepovers…
The excited conversations about seniors, groups, debuting…
When had the derailment begun?
The Shounen Club duet…
The frequent pairing in photoshoots…
The sickeningly sweet scripted interviews…
Maybe they shouldn’t have made their friendship so public, because when they had to keep it up for the cameras…it had become more or less part of a script than anything else.
Just another show for the fans…a hopeless façade…
That very strong friendship had dissipated in the blink of an eye. He had found comfort in Keito’s company as Yamada’s schedule got tighter. Even though he used to pretty much ignore the English Boy before, Yamada’s absence was enough to bring Keito into the spotlight.
Even though Yamada had never openly approached him about it, he kind of guessed that the older boy did mind. They started having frequent fights, he hated those fights…it was all too much…enough to tear them apart.
Weren’t fights normal for good friends? Didn’t fights bring you closer?
He wonders…did Yamada feel any different after that, or had he moved on?
When he thinks about it now, Yamada never ceased to mention him in interviews, even though at the beginning, he did. So, what did that mean?
He knew the only thing that changed was them spending every single moment together and ignoring the world around. He didn’t cling to
Yamada anymore and Yamada had never been the clingy type himself so there was no difference there.
Ironically though, in most pictures, whether for magazine, live shows, paparazzi pictures even, they could always be found around each other. Even during the Hitomi no Screen PV shooting, he found it really natural to fall beside Yamada as they left the set, side by side.
He wonders really, what Yamada had meant when he had said that their relationship had changed and that their friendship had become deeper.
It was true Yamada hardly kept secrets, but sometimes there was no telling what he really had in mind.
He freezes at the doorframe as his eyes linger on the only person seated on the large table in the empty room; a manga in one hand, chopsticks in another.
‘Coincidence, that’s all it was,’ he tries to assure himself.
He watches with slight amusement as the chopsticks descend upon a shrimp in the bento and rises up into the mouth of the holder while his somewhat tired yet alert eyes remain transfixed upon the manga.
“You should watch what you’re eating,” he says walking in, getting a soft hmm as a reply. He looks around for another chair and watches silently as Yamada pushes a chair from his side to Yuto’s, eyes unmoving from their previous object of interest. With a quick nod, he pulls the chair closer to himself and settles upon it, withdrawing his music player and lodging the earphones in his ears.
He frowns as he hears the noisy scrunching of wrapper and fingers the volume control but stops as he notices a packet of wafers pushed towards him.
Have some.
He reaches out and picks one up.
Thanks.
He bites into the wafer and cocks an eyebrow.
Chocolate?
He sees Yamada look back at him and shrug.
Once in a while…
He goes back to chewing as Yamada returns to his manga. He sees a roll of thread on Yamada’s side bang and automatically leans forward. Yamada stirs at his movement and looks at the boy confused but nonetheless inclines his body towards him until Yuto’s fingers are around his stray curl. Yuto tugs slightly until the ball of thread slips onto his palm.
Both boys stare at the little thing as if it is the season’s first snowflake before Yuto lets it fall to the floor gracefully.
Yamada resumes his reading. Yuto switches the songs in his player.
Yuto realizes his facial muscles are stretching his lips into a smile. Yamada had just answered all his questions.
Nothing about him had changed at all.
He aims a playful kick at Yamada’s chair, and the other boy frowns as the jerk makes him lose his last wafer. He gives an irritated sideway glance at the taller boy who beams in return, before rolling his eyes.
You’re such a kid.
Yuto winks.
I know.
Yamada turns away, obviously irritated. He doesn’t notice the teary glint in the younger’s eyes or him getting softly to his feet. Yet, he couldn’t ignore the warm arms around his shoulders, or the head resting against his. He smiles, leaning back into the embrace.
Sorry for disturbing you.
You know I didn’t really mind baka.
Yamada pushes the other away gently, playfully. The taller boy pouts and shuffles to the other end of the room, diving onto the vacant couch.
Keito and Daiki walk in. Their excited chatter breaks the peaceful silence. They stop though as they see the silent Yamada, engrossed in his book and the lanky Yuto, successfully outgrowing the couch, his back to them.
Daiki sighs.
‘ They were two different people when they were together back in the early days’, he thinks as he shuffles to sit next to Yamada as Keito moves to the couch to remind Yuto of their jacket shooting.
They fail to see the lightness of their expressions or the genuine sweetness of those now rare smiles.
“Did you guys even talk for a bit?” Daiki asks Yamada who hums in reply as Yuto and Keito stroll out for their shoot.
Yuto chuckles lightly as he closes the door behind them. Yamada smiles to himself.
We don’t need words…not anymore.
Note: Based on Keito’s answer in the Jump Member’s selection Myojo 2010 and my silly little-girl faith in friendship…I saw a few great friendships crumble in front of me…and I was so surprised how many more people encouraged them to be farther apart than to get back together…
I loved this friendship from the start…and still believe its there…and hope it remains…and not just for the cameras.