[Fic] Goodbye is not Forever
Mar. 24th, 2014 02:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
te_chan01Title-Goodbye is not Forever.
Pairing- Eito Friendship. (A tiny, squint-worthy amount of Yasuba)
Rating- PG
Genre- AU
Word Length- 5030
Disclaimer- Totally fictional :)
Summary- They had been together since they were young, but when everyone starts pulling away to pursue what's important to them, Subaru can't handle it.
Early Elementary
“You guy’s ready?”
Seven boys stood outside in the blazing summer sun, their hands extended, and serious, intense looks across their faces as they stared at each other.
“But this is gross.”
“You have to do it, Yasu. You can’t be a ranger if you don’t do it. It’s what men do.”
“But, Subaru, we’re not men! And spitting is nasty! And I don’t wanna touch anyone else’s spit either.”
“Get over it, Yasu! If we gotta do it, so do you!”
“Ryo’s right. Let’s do this already, it’s almost time for dinner. Ready? One, two, three!”
Ptooh!
The seven boys, hands still extended and wet, nodded at each other. Subaru was first, shoving his hand into the middle of the circle, palm up, followed by Yoko, Hina, Maru, Yasu, Ryo, and Tacchon, slapping their hands on top of each other’s, palms down. “From now on,” Subaru announces. “We will be…The Eight Rangers!”
“That’s stupid.” Hina cut in. “There’s only seven of us.”
“No one said Subaru could count.” Yoko said, snickering.
“Shut up! I can count just fine! Eight is just cooler than seven! And,” Subaru shook the spitty hands off of his own and picked up a stick, drawing an eight in the dirt. “If you turn the eight sideways, it makes an infinity sign!”
The others oo’d and aah’d and the drawing. “It means forever. ‘Cause we’ll be friends forever.” Subaru explained to the others proudly. It made perfect sense, as much sense it could make to kids under ten years old.
“We’re gonna save the world!” Subaru shouted to his friends. “We’re gonna be the best hero’s ever!”
~*~
Late Elementary
“Help! Help! I need help!”
“Did you hear that?” Hina asked, lounging back against the bars of the play set.
“Sounds like a damsel in distress!” Maru shouted, springing up from his seat in the sand. “We need to save her!”
“Quick! Eight Rangers, assemble!”
Six boys gathered around each other, grabbing colored capes off the ground and tying them around their necks before bumping knuckles together and yelling “OI!” before running off toward the cry for help.
Dangling off the highest point of the monkey bars, wrapped tight in several layers of rope, was the ‘damsel in distress’, known as Yasuko for the time being. Being the smallest member at the time, he was the easiest choice to hoist up and tie to the bars for their game. Yasu wasn’t too afraid. Heights were nothing, and the rope wasn’t too scratchy, and he was sure his friends would be getting him down any minute. His arms hurt from being tied to his side so long, and it was starting to get warm under all the rope, but it was worth it to get all the attention for once.
From across the field, Yasu could see everyone running toward him. He started swinging himself and yelling ‘help!’ again, just to get back into the game. It had gotten lonely, hanging there all by himself.
“Don’t worry, miss!” Maru called to him as they arrived at the monkey bars. “We’ll save you!”
Maru got down on his hands and knees, and one by one, the others climbed onto each other to reach their captured lady. Being the lightest of them all, Subaru climbed to the top and reached toward the rope. Just as his fingertips touched the knot, a voice from inside the house called the boys in for lunch. The words hit Tacchon’s ears first and before Hina, Ryo, and Subaru could move, Tacchon was out of the stack, leaving five boys in a bruised heap on the ground.
“Tacchon, that hurt!” Hina yelled, chasing angrily after Tacchon, followed closely by the others, either equally mad as Hina or starving like Tacchon.
Yasu dangled from the bar, all on his own, hoping they didn’t really forget to save him.
~*~
Junior High
“Okay, guys.” Hina whispered as they huddled in a circle. “We have a real mission this time. This isn’t a game.” A squeak came from Maru as Subaru poked him in various places, making Hina grit his teeth and his good hitting hand twitch. “Get your head in the game! We need to work carefully and quietly. We can’t get caught! You know what’ll happen?!”
“Jail?!” Yasu gasps a little too loud. Hina refrains from hitting Yasu as much as he can. He is too innocent, and Hina felt terrible after he accidently knocked Yasu out while trying to get Maru. Hina just took a heavy breath.
“No, not jail. But Yoko will definitely be trapped in there. We’ll probably get grounded and won’t be able to see each other in a long, long time.”
It was serious business from there on out. Tacchon, having had a growth spurt that sent him towering over his friends, was too tall to sneak around and was instead sent to do look out by the elevator, reading pamphlets to look natural. Hina would chat up the nurse’s station as a distraction for the others to get through. Ryo, Yasu, and Subaru snuck past behind Hina’s back without a nurse taking notice at all. Once they were past the view of the nurse’s station, they dashed off in the direction of Yoko’s room.
Coast had been clear so far, no nurses or doctors, no family members to be seen. “This is too easy.” Ryo mumbled to his partners. “Surely, there’s something here. Yoko’s ma wouldn’t leave him here alone.”
As if on cue, out of Yoko’s room came his mother, followed by two little boys, too hyper for their own good as their mother tried to lead them down the hall, straight for the rescue team. All three of them gasped at the same time and ran for cover: Ryo under an empty nearby nurse’s desk, Yasu under a bench, and Subaru behind a potted plant. Luckily, the woman had been too distracted to notice the boys in the terrible hiding spots. With incredulous looks at each other, they jumped out of the spots and ran into the room before anyone would catch them or have the chance to enter the room.
“Thank God you guys are here!” Yoko exclaimed as he saw his friends. “I’ve been dying! It’s so boring! And look!” he gestured to the pile of books on the cart next to his bed. “They’re making me do homework!”
“Don’t worry, Yoko. We’re here to save you!” Subaru turned to Yasu and Ryo. “Yasu, you get the crutches from the cabinet. Ryo, get his bag. Let’s get outta here fast!”
Subaru pulled Yoko up from his bed, trying his best to keep Yoko upright and off his broken leg. Ryo had the bag over his shoulder and Yasu was clumsily trying to get the crutches to Yoko, who had yet to try them out. The three stood by Yoko’s side and behind him to make sure he didn’t fall as he hobbled toward the outside. They’d all be in worse trouble if the break was made worse.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Yoko’s mother greeted them just as they got to the door. The color flushed out of the boys faces.
“Ma! I thought you went to get food!”
“Yeah well, we ran into one of your friends being rather suspicious in the hall.” Behind the woman stood Maru, in the grips of Yoko’s younger brothers, hanging his head in shame.
“Shit,” Subaru swore. “We forgot about Maru.”
"Next time, " Yoko's mother said in a low voice. "Make sure no one gets caught."
They all hung their heads, knowing they had failed to save Yoko and that they wouldn't be a whole group for weeks while he recovered. The four boys trudged out of the room, not looking forward to breaking the news to everyone else.
~*~
Late Junior High
“Wait-“Maru holds the magazine up to the light, as if it would change the image at all. “Wait wait wait wait!”
“What’re you ‘wait’ing about?!” Hina snaps as Maru says ‘wait’ for about the twentieth time.
“This looks a lot like Tacchon!”
“Lemme see!” Yasu bounds over, snatching the magazine away from Maru, followed by Ryo who was trying to seem a lot less interested than he was. “Wow, look at that! It is Tacchon!”
“His profile’s even there.” Ryo points out. “No wonder he’s been gone so much. He’s been modeling.”
“I thought something was weird. He hasn’t been finishing our bentou’s lately.” Yoko says from his corner of the room where he had his face buried in his Game Boy.
“And he’s been missing school a lot.” Subaru added.
The room fell quiet as the group mulled this over. It was weird having one of them missing, even for a few hours while they were all together. To them, it wasn’t just a person missing, it was a whole part of who they were, what made them the group they managed to form and hold together since they were small. It hurt all of them to find out from a magazine that Tacchon had become a model instead of from Tacchon himself.
“What’re we going to do?” Ryo asked sadly.
“Should we…save him?” Subaru asked, sounding too innocent to be himself.
Hina shook his head. “We can’t do anything. It’s what Tacchon wants to do.”
They all nod solemnly, knowing it’s true, but not wanting to accept it.
~*~
High School, Year One
“Hina, get your ass over here! We have a meeting!” Yoko shouts over the speaker of his cell phone. It sits in the middle of the circle created by the five boys.
“Yeah, well, I have studying to do!” Hina replied, his voice ringing throughout the room. Even on the phone his voice has an angry power.
“Come on, Hina, you’re always studying!” Maru complains.
“That’s why I’m passing and all of you are failing!”
“You know the Rangers meet on Thursdays!” Subaru yells into the phone. “We’ve met on Thursdays since first grade!”
“And where’s Tacchon? Is he there? You botherin’ him?”
“That’s different!” Yasu chimes in. “It’s his work, so…”
“And this is mine. Sorry that I actually WANT to have good grades. Sorry I can’t play stupid games anymore with you guys.” The line went dead as Hina hung up on the group.
“He didn’t mean it.” Ryo patted Yasu’s shoulder when he heard him sniff. “He’s just stressed.”
“This isn’t a stupid game!” Subaru said through gritted teeth. The group looked at him, seeing how hurt he was at Hina abandoning them. “It’s a lot more than that!”
"Don't worry about it. Hina will be back, probably." Maru tried to sound reassuring, but he wasn't too sure about it himself. They all know if Hina set his mind on something, it wasn't easy to pull him away.
"He's so fucking stupid!" Subaru spat angrily, falling back against the couch, folding his arms across his chest. "He thinks he's so smart but he can't tell what's important. We're more important. He can do homework anytime, but we won't be waiting around forever for him!" No one said anything, but exchanged worried glances. Nothing they could say would make the situation any better, and Subaru wasn't hearing any of it anyway. He was too mad to listen. They were all sad Hina wasn't going to be with them, but it was on a whole different level for Subaru. "Well, fuck him too, then. If he doesn't need us, we don't need him."
~*~
Music boomed from the gymnasium. Peoples chatter and laughter could be heard out in the hall, having to yell over the beats. Ryo’s voice resonated over them all. The notes of his guitar bounced off the walls. Girls were screaming for him as if he were famous. Then again, he just may as well be. It was as if Ryo grew up overnight, going from a childish boy to a sexy young man so quickly, attracting so much attention it was impossible to be around him. It was as if an appointment was needed.
“What’re you doing out here, Subaru?” Yasu asks as he steps out of the gym. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”
“Just needed some air.”
Yasu smiled sadly and took a seat next to him on the bench. “No date tonight? Weren’t you going to ask Mi-chan to the dance?”
“She’s too busy dancing with Yoko. Apparently Yoko’s her type.”
“O-Oh…well, what about Ayumi-chan? She seemed to like you!”
“Decided she wasn’t going to show. Then shows up with some third year shit.”
Yasu didn’t know what to say. He had been so excited to go to the dance, he didn’t care about having a date, or the fact that most of his friends either had dates or weren’t there. Or, in Ryo’s case, too far away to get to anymore. He saw how happy his friends were, and in turn it made him happy. But Subaru seemed so down. He wanted to cheer him up, but wasn’t sure how.
“Hey, know what?” Yasu asked, nudging his shoulder against Subaru’s, slipping on the best smile he could muster. “I’ll be your date!”
He got an eyebrow raise, a sideways glance, but also a small smile and a tiny, short laugh, more than Yasu could’ve hoped for. “You’re so weird, Yasu.”
“Heh, I know. That’s why you love me!”
"Yeah, yeah."
"Hey! You guys!" Maru called and waved at them from the other end of the foyer. "What're you guys doing out here? The party's getting pretty wild in there! Come on!"
Yasu grabbed Subaru's wrist and pulled him up, ignoring any protest. He knew Subaru needed some fun, and Yasu was going to give it to him whether he wanted it or not.
~*~
High School, Year Two
“Hold still, Yoko. You can’t move or we’ll fall!” Subaru scolds from the top of the three person tower.
“Well, y-you know-“Yoko struggles to say. All his strength is going to holding his friends on his shoulders. “There’s a such thing c-called a l-ladder!”
“It was in the shed! We don’t have time to go looking through one of those! We need to save the poor guy now before he gets away!”
Yoko is standing, back against the tree for balance, sweating buckets. Yasu sits on his shoulders, legs wrapped around Yoko’s back, holding onto Subaru’s feet on his shoulders. It’s a dangerous situation. If the wind starts blowing, it’ll surely knock them all over.
“Hurry up! You’re getting heavy!” Yasu cries, starting to shake.
“Don’t talk complain about heavy! I’m on the bottom!”
“Almost got him!” Subaru reached toward the cat perched on a branch just out of reach. He stands on his toes, hearing a disapproving whine from Yasu below. He grabs on to a branch with one hand and reaches for the animal with the other, then with one slight jump, grips the cat’s fur. Of course, no one likes their hair being pulled. The cat leapt up and attacked Subaru’s hand. “Oh Shit!” He shakes his hand as hard as he can, sending the cat out of the tree onto Yasu’s head below, causing Yasu to jerk away, right off of Yoko’s shoulders, sending them falling to the ground.
“Oh, you got her out of the tree!” The three hear from the house. “Thank you so much!”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Yoko sits up, rubbing the bump forming on the back of his head. Yasu lay face down on the grass, arms and legs spread wide. Subaru, who had still been hanging from the branch when the other two fell, dropped to the ground.
“Why isn’t Maru here to help us?” Subaru asked the woman. “I mean, you're his neighbor.”
“Oh, he’s gone on a trip. Out of the country.”
“Out of the country?!” Yoko and Subaru say in surprise. “He never told us!”
“It was very sudden. The tickets were a gift. If only I could remember where he went…”
“When’ll he be back?” Subaru asks, not happy that they were left out of news about a friend yet again.
“That’s a good question…Well, he’s with family members, so he’ll be fine and come home when the time is right.” Maru’s neighbor scooped the cat in her arms and turned back inside her house. “Thank you again for saving my cat.”
“Down another one.” Subaru mumbled angrily to himself, kicking a rock toward Maru’s house as soon as the front door.
“He’ll be back.” Yoko assures him.
“He abandoned us too. Didn’t even tell us he was going. It’s not that hard to text one of us!”
“Let’s go home, Subaru. It’s late, and we need to take Yasu home.”
“Whatever. Who needs those other guys anyway? We’re fine without them. We have tons of fun and they’re missing out.”
Yoko didn’t dare tell him the truth, that they hadn’t had any fun in quite a while. He didn’t dare mention that now that Maru was MIA, their last form of entertainment was gone, and Yoko wasn’t sure how long they could actually keep this going. Their group was already broken in his eyes, and everyone was finding interests elsewhere. He didn’t understand why Subaru clung so desperately to the group, but everyone was growing up, and there was no way he could stop that from happening and keep everyone here. Instead, he worked with Subaru to pick Yasu up off the ground and carry him home, hoping Maru came home soon to save Subaru from breaking apart.
~*~
High School, Year 3
“It’s only us now, Yasu.” Subaru said, taking a drag from a cigarette before passing it to Yasu. They sat outside at Subaru's, leaning against the rails of the balcony, watching clouds cover the stars they’d been watching for hours. It seemed fitting, Subaru thought. His feelings were clouding over, becoming dark and depressing, covering the light he used to have.
“Yeah, now that Yoko has a girlfriend, he spends all his time with her.” Yasu takes a drag and coughs, not yet used to smoking, and passes it back.
Subaru laughs hollowly. “How the hell did he get one anyway? He’s always shy and awkward. It won’t last.”
Yasu shrugs. “It might. Yoko’s a pretty decent guy. I mean, if I were a girl, I wouldn’t say no to him.”
“That’s quite a statement, Yasu. You trying to tell me something?” Yasu’s face turns red, and instead of answering, he shoves the cigarette in his mouth, throwing Subaru into a fit of laughter. “Well, at least I can count on you to always be here. You’re the only one that’s stuck around through all these years. And we’re graduating tomorrow, so think of how much time we’ll have to do things! We’ll have work and shit like that, but it’ll be great. Just the two of us.”
Yasu turned away, putting his concentration on the shape of the smoke rising from the stick, already half gone. “Actually, Subaru…” Yasu’s heart was thudding in his chest, afraid to go on. He felt Subaru tense against him, could sense the smile dissolving from his face. Maybe Tacchon and Maru had the right idea of not telling anyone they were leaving. It must’ve hurt a lot less. “I was thinking…maybe I’ll go to college, you know? Learn some stuff.”
“What kind of stuff?” Yasu could hear the strain in his voice, trying not to sound like he was angry, but it was obvious.
“I was thinking of…designing clothes. ‘Cause I like them so much, I thought it would be fun to do for a job.”
“Good for you.” Subaru said, not sounding the least bit supportive. It hit a nerve in Yasu.
“You know, you could be happy for me. This was a big decision, and something I’m really excited about.”
“How do you expect me to be happy when you’re leaving me too?”
“Because that’s what friends do!” Yasu said, standing up with a jolt. “Friends support friends in what they want to do! They don’t make them feel bad because they want to go off and experience things, the way you do! You bad mouth everyone as if they hurt you personally by pursuing what’s important to them! None of it had anything to do with you!” Yasu’s hands had balled into fists out of frustration and were shaking. He’d been holding that in since first year, after Subaru started talking shit about Ryo after he became popular. It wasn’t fair for him to do those things to people he always called ‘friends’.
“I’m sorry.” Subaru mumbled, head down. “I am happy for you. You’re just the only one left. I don’t want you to go too.”
The anger melted out of Yasu as his heart started to ache for his friend. He knelt back down next to his friend. Subaru’s hands were clenched so tightly together they were turning white, and he was biting his lip so hard to keep it from shaking. He was doing all he could do to keep himself from crying. Shota sighed sadly, wrapping his arms around Subaru’s shoulders, leaning his head against him. “It won’t be forever.” Yasu tried to reassure him, rubbing his hand against his back. “We can still see each other during my breaks. And we can call and text each other. We’ll stay in touch.”
Subaru nodded, knowing Yasu would do just that. He knew Yasu still talked to their other friends occasionally. Friends were important and dear to him, and Subaru knew he hated losing them as much as he did. Subaru only wished the others cared enough about him to contact him once in a while. But as Shota's words sank in, he realized he didn't deserve them. He had been terrible to them, and with his 'screw them' attitude, he didn't bother to keep in touch, either. He deserved to be pushed to the side and forgotten about, and it made his chest ache. Almost everyone dear to him was gone, and he was sure he would never see them again. But, he thought, at least he still had Yasu. He held onto Yasu’s arm tight, knowing he’d have to let him go someday, but he would keep him there as long as possible.
~*~
Four Years Later
Subaru grumbled to himself as he stomped up the stairs to his apartment. It had been a long day. Working as an assistant in an office is not where he saw himself to be, but then again he never thought of what he was going to do with himself in the future. It was a decent paying job and he was able to live a little more than comfortably, but his bosses were total assholes, and he was sure they hated him from the day he started. He knew it had to do with his appearance, with his long hair and the holes in his ears, and the tattoo he got on his hand that had gone unnoticed by the interviewer certainly didn’t sit well. There wasn’t a thing he could do about his ears, but he had since cut his hair and the tattoo was hardly noticeable anymore. He looked just like everyone else in the office, and it made him feel awful and conforming. His favorite part of the day was leaving the office and graciously raising his two middle fingers at the building and stalking off home.
He reached his apartment and immediately started stripping off the god damn suffocating suit he was forced to wear. He threw the jacket and tie over the back of the couch and just let his pants fall and kicked them into a corner as he made his way to his bedroom. The button up shirt was pulled off over his head, not wanting to waste time undoing the buttons. He put a pair of grey sweatpants on and an old, oversized, comfy t-shirt. He could finally breathe.
He left the room for the couch and the TV, hoping to catch the music show he watched every week. On the cabinet next to the hallway, his answering machine blinked. He considered ignoring it, figuring it was just another telemarketer, but pressed the play button anyway.
“Happy Birthday, Subaru!” his eyes widened as he heard Yasu’s voice fill the silent room. It had been well over two years since they last talked. He hadn’t even remembered it was his own birthday. “I’m so sorry we’ve lost touch, but I want to make it up to you! I have a big surprised planned, and you’re really gonna like it! I miss you a lot! I’m gonna try to come and see you soon, okay?” The recording clicked off and Subaru couldn’t help smiling. Yasu had remembered and called when no one else had. Even better, Shota was sending him something and was planning to see him. It may have been so long since they’ve last spoke, but Subaru never thought Yasu forgot him.
Then, there was a clang from the kitchen, and a loud ‘shh’ noise. Chills crept up Subaru’s spine, and he could feel the hairs on his arms standing up. Someone else was in his apartment. There was a tall, hard candle holder on the cabinet- a present from his mother that he was forced to keep out. He picked it up and held it like a bat as he slowly made his way to the kitchen. The room was pitch black, since Subaru generally doesn’t turn on all his lights in the house if he doesn't need them. A few more noises came, a shuffling, a knock, and a strange-sounding high-pitched giggle. The fuck is this guy doing?! Subaru asked himself, figuring most burglars tried to keep themselves quiet. There had to be more than one person too, because each noise was followed by an angry round of ‘shh’s’. There was even more rustling and shuffling, then a loud thump of the floor. In one swift move, Subaru flicked the kitchen light on and swung the candle stick in front of him, hoping he looked threatening.
But when he saw Yasu lying face-down on his kitchen floor, the candlestick dropped right out of his hands. “…Yasu?”
Yasu jumped up as he heard his name. “H-Happy Birthday!” he shouted, throwing his hands up. “Surprise!”
“What’re you doing here?!” His voice came out loud and his voice cracked at the shock of seeing Yasu here, in person, after just hearing his voice on the recording. “You’re the surprise?”
“Yeah, I am, but…Well this wasn’t how the plan was supposed to go-“
“God damn it Maru get the fuck off my stomach!” Hina’s angry yell pierced the air as Maru was kicked out of the hiding spot under the table, sliding across the hard floor until his head connected with the counter door. Yasu’s face turned beet red and his arms fell to his side.
“Hina?” Subaru couldn’t believe he’d just heard that voice. He hadn’t seen Hina since their first year in high school in anything more than passing in the hall. Hina crawled out from under the table, followed by Yoko at his heels, rubbing his back from being cramped for who knows how long. He hadn’t even seen Ryo sitting on the counter in the corner until he hopped off, giving Subaru an awkward smile. Maru had stood up, holding a paper towel to his forehead to stop the bleeding from a small cut he got when Hina kicked him into the cabinet. There was a partial cake on the table with a few presents.
“Uhm,” Yasu spoke up, now looking unsure about his plan. He fiddled with his hands. “Well, I gathered everyone here, because I missed everyone, and I knew you did too, so, it’s like a reunion.”
“It wasn’t all Yasu’s idea. I called him too about it.” Yoko said, not about to let Yasu take all the credit.
“Yoko was the one to contact Hina, and he knew where Maru was.”
“Yeah, turned out he lived right down the street from me and I didn’t even know it.” Hina shot a look at Maru, who quickly turned his head to avoid Hina’s eyes. “For two whole years.”
“And I’m on break for now.” Ryo added, still looking uncomfortable but happy to be around his old friends again. “Y’know. Between tours and stuff. And Tacchon and I actually collaborated together with Yasu a while ago with a line of clothes.”
Shota smiled brightly. “When Ryo found out about the work I was doing, he requested me to help him work with his apparel team.”
“Tacchon couldn’t make it, could he?” Subaru asked, noticing there were only six of them standing in the kitchen. The others eyed each other, confused. They stood in silence, until sounds could be heard from under the table again. They all looked under the table, and there sat Tacchon, the whole cake in his lap, popping forkful after forkful into his mouth, relishing the taste, mumbling about damn diets and how good it tasted after all these years. They all burst into fits of laughter, most of them falling to the floor and holding their stomachs.
Subaru stared at them all, all six of them, in total and utter shock he was seeing all of them again. They were all laughing together, jabbing each other, making fun, as they had all those years before. He missed it so much it made his chest ache seeing it. He never thought he would see them all together again. Perhaps he’d see Yasu, but never then all. Yet here they all were, smiling, having a good time, as though they had never been a part in the first place. He tried to ignore the prick at his eyes, but he’d never been very good at controlling his body.
“Subaru?” Maru caught everyone else’s attention and set it on Subaru, who was trying desperately to keep the tears from falling. It would only bring him torture later.
“Are you going to cry?” Hina asked, a mix of amusement and slight worry in his voice.
“I’m not going to cry, damn it!” Subaru yelled, turning his back to his friends and wiping his arm against his eyes. “Something got in my eye!”
“Sure, sure it did.”
From behind, Subaru felt several arms wrap around him. “You don’t have to cry.” Yasu said, closest to him. “We all love you.”
"You knew how important we all were to each other, but we didn't see it.” Yoko said.
“Yeah,” Maru chimed in. “And we missed everyone too. We were just too busy to realize it.” Everyone agreed, throwing in their own sentiments about times before, not helping Subaru keep from tearing up. He had given up on his friends so easily before, but they had all restored his faith in them.
“Uhm, well, I had more plans for tonight.” Yasu spoke up, breaking up the group hug. “We brought presents! And we had a cake…”
“Key word is had. Tacchon ate the whole damn thing!” Ryo scolded Tacchon who didn’t seem the least bit ashamed for eating it and just smiled proudly to himself.
“We also brought music and a bunch of movies!” Maru pulled the stash out of the pack he had around his shoulders. “And Sho-chan brought the alcohol!”
Hina’s attention was caught at the word ‘alcohol’. “Well, what’re we waiting for?! Let’s get this party started!”
Everyone start whooping and hollering, causing commotion as music was put on and the alcohol was set out. Subaru still stood in the entry way to the kitchen, his back facing his friends, holding his head in his hand. Yasu tilted his head and went to his friend.
“You okay, Subaru?” Yasu asked, worried. “You like the surprise, don’t you?”
Subaru moved his hand from his face and looked at Yasu, giving him a small smile. “Yeah, I like it. Thank you, Yasu. It means a lot. But,” He took a deep breath, his chest still hurting. "Do I really deserve this? After being such an ass to everyone?"
Shota smiled sadly at his friend. "Of course you do. That was all in the past. We all wanted to do this, because even if you said we didn't need the others, we all knew, deep down, you were hurt and angry because you cherished us so much. So, we want to be together again. With everyone."
Subaru nodded to Yasu, taking Yasu's hand and squeezing it. "Thank you, again."
Yasu smiled and squeezed his hand back. “You're welcome. Now, come on. Let’s have some fun!” he pulled Subaru right into the middle of things. Subaru couldn’t feel more grateful to his friends for setting all of this up. He hadn’t felt this happy in so long. He knew, from then on, that they wouldn’t be able to stay away from each other for so long again. They would have to say good bye eventually, but it wouldn’t be forever.
~*~
A/N: This was actually a lot of fun to write. I don't know where the idea came from, but I just ran with it to see where it would go, and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Though there could be a bit of a hint at a pairing, I tried to keep them out, just for a change. (But I'm so biased it didn't work hehe~) But, anyway, thank you for reading! Comments are <3!
Pairing- Eito Friendship. (A tiny, squint-worthy amount of Yasuba)
Rating- PG
Genre- AU
Word Length- 5030
Disclaimer- Totally fictional :)
Summary- They had been together since they were young, but when everyone starts pulling away to pursue what's important to them, Subaru can't handle it.
Early Elementary
“You guy’s ready?”
Seven boys stood outside in the blazing summer sun, their hands extended, and serious, intense looks across their faces as they stared at each other.
“But this is gross.”
“You have to do it, Yasu. You can’t be a ranger if you don’t do it. It’s what men do.”
“But, Subaru, we’re not men! And spitting is nasty! And I don’t wanna touch anyone else’s spit either.”
“Get over it, Yasu! If we gotta do it, so do you!”
“Ryo’s right. Let’s do this already, it’s almost time for dinner. Ready? One, two, three!”
Ptooh!
The seven boys, hands still extended and wet, nodded at each other. Subaru was first, shoving his hand into the middle of the circle, palm up, followed by Yoko, Hina, Maru, Yasu, Ryo, and Tacchon, slapping their hands on top of each other’s, palms down. “From now on,” Subaru announces. “We will be…The Eight Rangers!”
“That’s stupid.” Hina cut in. “There’s only seven of us.”
“No one said Subaru could count.” Yoko said, snickering.
“Shut up! I can count just fine! Eight is just cooler than seven! And,” Subaru shook the spitty hands off of his own and picked up a stick, drawing an eight in the dirt. “If you turn the eight sideways, it makes an infinity sign!”
The others oo’d and aah’d and the drawing. “It means forever. ‘Cause we’ll be friends forever.” Subaru explained to the others proudly. It made perfect sense, as much sense it could make to kids under ten years old.
“We’re gonna save the world!” Subaru shouted to his friends. “We’re gonna be the best hero’s ever!”
~*~
Late Elementary
“Help! Help! I need help!”
“Did you hear that?” Hina asked, lounging back against the bars of the play set.
“Sounds like a damsel in distress!” Maru shouted, springing up from his seat in the sand. “We need to save her!”
“Quick! Eight Rangers, assemble!”
Six boys gathered around each other, grabbing colored capes off the ground and tying them around their necks before bumping knuckles together and yelling “OI!” before running off toward the cry for help.
Dangling off the highest point of the monkey bars, wrapped tight in several layers of rope, was the ‘damsel in distress’, known as Yasuko for the time being. Being the smallest member at the time, he was the easiest choice to hoist up and tie to the bars for their game. Yasu wasn’t too afraid. Heights were nothing, and the rope wasn’t too scratchy, and he was sure his friends would be getting him down any minute. His arms hurt from being tied to his side so long, and it was starting to get warm under all the rope, but it was worth it to get all the attention for once.
From across the field, Yasu could see everyone running toward him. He started swinging himself and yelling ‘help!’ again, just to get back into the game. It had gotten lonely, hanging there all by himself.
“Don’t worry, miss!” Maru called to him as they arrived at the monkey bars. “We’ll save you!”
Maru got down on his hands and knees, and one by one, the others climbed onto each other to reach their captured lady. Being the lightest of them all, Subaru climbed to the top and reached toward the rope. Just as his fingertips touched the knot, a voice from inside the house called the boys in for lunch. The words hit Tacchon’s ears first and before Hina, Ryo, and Subaru could move, Tacchon was out of the stack, leaving five boys in a bruised heap on the ground.
“Tacchon, that hurt!” Hina yelled, chasing angrily after Tacchon, followed closely by the others, either equally mad as Hina or starving like Tacchon.
Yasu dangled from the bar, all on his own, hoping they didn’t really forget to save him.
~*~
Junior High
“Okay, guys.” Hina whispered as they huddled in a circle. “We have a real mission this time. This isn’t a game.” A squeak came from Maru as Subaru poked him in various places, making Hina grit his teeth and his good hitting hand twitch. “Get your head in the game! We need to work carefully and quietly. We can’t get caught! You know what’ll happen?!”
“Jail?!” Yasu gasps a little too loud. Hina refrains from hitting Yasu as much as he can. He is too innocent, and Hina felt terrible after he accidently knocked Yasu out while trying to get Maru. Hina just took a heavy breath.
“No, not jail. But Yoko will definitely be trapped in there. We’ll probably get grounded and won’t be able to see each other in a long, long time.”
It was serious business from there on out. Tacchon, having had a growth spurt that sent him towering over his friends, was too tall to sneak around and was instead sent to do look out by the elevator, reading pamphlets to look natural. Hina would chat up the nurse’s station as a distraction for the others to get through. Ryo, Yasu, and Subaru snuck past behind Hina’s back without a nurse taking notice at all. Once they were past the view of the nurse’s station, they dashed off in the direction of Yoko’s room.
Coast had been clear so far, no nurses or doctors, no family members to be seen. “This is too easy.” Ryo mumbled to his partners. “Surely, there’s something here. Yoko’s ma wouldn’t leave him here alone.”
As if on cue, out of Yoko’s room came his mother, followed by two little boys, too hyper for their own good as their mother tried to lead them down the hall, straight for the rescue team. All three of them gasped at the same time and ran for cover: Ryo under an empty nearby nurse’s desk, Yasu under a bench, and Subaru behind a potted plant. Luckily, the woman had been too distracted to notice the boys in the terrible hiding spots. With incredulous looks at each other, they jumped out of the spots and ran into the room before anyone would catch them or have the chance to enter the room.
“Thank God you guys are here!” Yoko exclaimed as he saw his friends. “I’ve been dying! It’s so boring! And look!” he gestured to the pile of books on the cart next to his bed. “They’re making me do homework!”
“Don’t worry, Yoko. We’re here to save you!” Subaru turned to Yasu and Ryo. “Yasu, you get the crutches from the cabinet. Ryo, get his bag. Let’s get outta here fast!”
Subaru pulled Yoko up from his bed, trying his best to keep Yoko upright and off his broken leg. Ryo had the bag over his shoulder and Yasu was clumsily trying to get the crutches to Yoko, who had yet to try them out. The three stood by Yoko’s side and behind him to make sure he didn’t fall as he hobbled toward the outside. They’d all be in worse trouble if the break was made worse.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Yoko’s mother greeted them just as they got to the door. The color flushed out of the boys faces.
“Ma! I thought you went to get food!”
“Yeah well, we ran into one of your friends being rather suspicious in the hall.” Behind the woman stood Maru, in the grips of Yoko’s younger brothers, hanging his head in shame.
“Shit,” Subaru swore. “We forgot about Maru.”
"Next time, " Yoko's mother said in a low voice. "Make sure no one gets caught."
They all hung their heads, knowing they had failed to save Yoko and that they wouldn't be a whole group for weeks while he recovered. The four boys trudged out of the room, not looking forward to breaking the news to everyone else.
~*~
Late Junior High
“Wait-“Maru holds the magazine up to the light, as if it would change the image at all. “Wait wait wait wait!”
“What’re you ‘wait’ing about?!” Hina snaps as Maru says ‘wait’ for about the twentieth time.
“This looks a lot like Tacchon!”
“Lemme see!” Yasu bounds over, snatching the magazine away from Maru, followed by Ryo who was trying to seem a lot less interested than he was. “Wow, look at that! It is Tacchon!”
“His profile’s even there.” Ryo points out. “No wonder he’s been gone so much. He’s been modeling.”
“I thought something was weird. He hasn’t been finishing our bentou’s lately.” Yoko says from his corner of the room where he had his face buried in his Game Boy.
“And he’s been missing school a lot.” Subaru added.
The room fell quiet as the group mulled this over. It was weird having one of them missing, even for a few hours while they were all together. To them, it wasn’t just a person missing, it was a whole part of who they were, what made them the group they managed to form and hold together since they were small. It hurt all of them to find out from a magazine that Tacchon had become a model instead of from Tacchon himself.
“What’re we going to do?” Ryo asked sadly.
“Should we…save him?” Subaru asked, sounding too innocent to be himself.
Hina shook his head. “We can’t do anything. It’s what Tacchon wants to do.”
They all nod solemnly, knowing it’s true, but not wanting to accept it.
~*~
High School, Year One
“Hina, get your ass over here! We have a meeting!” Yoko shouts over the speaker of his cell phone. It sits in the middle of the circle created by the five boys.
“Yeah, well, I have studying to do!” Hina replied, his voice ringing throughout the room. Even on the phone his voice has an angry power.
“Come on, Hina, you’re always studying!” Maru complains.
“That’s why I’m passing and all of you are failing!”
“You know the Rangers meet on Thursdays!” Subaru yells into the phone. “We’ve met on Thursdays since first grade!”
“And where’s Tacchon? Is he there? You botherin’ him?”
“That’s different!” Yasu chimes in. “It’s his work, so…”
“And this is mine. Sorry that I actually WANT to have good grades. Sorry I can’t play stupid games anymore with you guys.” The line went dead as Hina hung up on the group.
“He didn’t mean it.” Ryo patted Yasu’s shoulder when he heard him sniff. “He’s just stressed.”
“This isn’t a stupid game!” Subaru said through gritted teeth. The group looked at him, seeing how hurt he was at Hina abandoning them. “It’s a lot more than that!”
"Don't worry about it. Hina will be back, probably." Maru tried to sound reassuring, but he wasn't too sure about it himself. They all know if Hina set his mind on something, it wasn't easy to pull him away.
"He's so fucking stupid!" Subaru spat angrily, falling back against the couch, folding his arms across his chest. "He thinks he's so smart but he can't tell what's important. We're more important. He can do homework anytime, but we won't be waiting around forever for him!" No one said anything, but exchanged worried glances. Nothing they could say would make the situation any better, and Subaru wasn't hearing any of it anyway. He was too mad to listen. They were all sad Hina wasn't going to be with them, but it was on a whole different level for Subaru. "Well, fuck him too, then. If he doesn't need us, we don't need him."
~*~
Music boomed from the gymnasium. Peoples chatter and laughter could be heard out in the hall, having to yell over the beats. Ryo’s voice resonated over them all. The notes of his guitar bounced off the walls. Girls were screaming for him as if he were famous. Then again, he just may as well be. It was as if Ryo grew up overnight, going from a childish boy to a sexy young man so quickly, attracting so much attention it was impossible to be around him. It was as if an appointment was needed.
“What’re you doing out here, Subaru?” Yasu asks as he steps out of the gym. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”
“Just needed some air.”
Yasu smiled sadly and took a seat next to him on the bench. “No date tonight? Weren’t you going to ask Mi-chan to the dance?”
“She’s too busy dancing with Yoko. Apparently Yoko’s her type.”
“O-Oh…well, what about Ayumi-chan? She seemed to like you!”
“Decided she wasn’t going to show. Then shows up with some third year shit.”
Yasu didn’t know what to say. He had been so excited to go to the dance, he didn’t care about having a date, or the fact that most of his friends either had dates or weren’t there. Or, in Ryo’s case, too far away to get to anymore. He saw how happy his friends were, and in turn it made him happy. But Subaru seemed so down. He wanted to cheer him up, but wasn’t sure how.
“Hey, know what?” Yasu asked, nudging his shoulder against Subaru’s, slipping on the best smile he could muster. “I’ll be your date!”
He got an eyebrow raise, a sideways glance, but also a small smile and a tiny, short laugh, more than Yasu could’ve hoped for. “You’re so weird, Yasu.”
“Heh, I know. That’s why you love me!”
"Yeah, yeah."
"Hey! You guys!" Maru called and waved at them from the other end of the foyer. "What're you guys doing out here? The party's getting pretty wild in there! Come on!"
Yasu grabbed Subaru's wrist and pulled him up, ignoring any protest. He knew Subaru needed some fun, and Yasu was going to give it to him whether he wanted it or not.
~*~
High School, Year Two
“Hold still, Yoko. You can’t move or we’ll fall!” Subaru scolds from the top of the three person tower.
“Well, y-you know-“Yoko struggles to say. All his strength is going to holding his friends on his shoulders. “There’s a such thing c-called a l-ladder!”
“It was in the shed! We don’t have time to go looking through one of those! We need to save the poor guy now before he gets away!”
Yoko is standing, back against the tree for balance, sweating buckets. Yasu sits on his shoulders, legs wrapped around Yoko’s back, holding onto Subaru’s feet on his shoulders. It’s a dangerous situation. If the wind starts blowing, it’ll surely knock them all over.
“Hurry up! You’re getting heavy!” Yasu cries, starting to shake.
“Don’t talk complain about heavy! I’m on the bottom!”
“Almost got him!” Subaru reached toward the cat perched on a branch just out of reach. He stands on his toes, hearing a disapproving whine from Yasu below. He grabs on to a branch with one hand and reaches for the animal with the other, then with one slight jump, grips the cat’s fur. Of course, no one likes their hair being pulled. The cat leapt up and attacked Subaru’s hand. “Oh Shit!” He shakes his hand as hard as he can, sending the cat out of the tree onto Yasu’s head below, causing Yasu to jerk away, right off of Yoko’s shoulders, sending them falling to the ground.
“Oh, you got her out of the tree!” The three hear from the house. “Thank you so much!”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Yoko sits up, rubbing the bump forming on the back of his head. Yasu lay face down on the grass, arms and legs spread wide. Subaru, who had still been hanging from the branch when the other two fell, dropped to the ground.
“Why isn’t Maru here to help us?” Subaru asked the woman. “I mean, you're his neighbor.”
“Oh, he’s gone on a trip. Out of the country.”
“Out of the country?!” Yoko and Subaru say in surprise. “He never told us!”
“It was very sudden. The tickets were a gift. If only I could remember where he went…”
“When’ll he be back?” Subaru asks, not happy that they were left out of news about a friend yet again.
“That’s a good question…Well, he’s with family members, so he’ll be fine and come home when the time is right.” Maru’s neighbor scooped the cat in her arms and turned back inside her house. “Thank you again for saving my cat.”
“Down another one.” Subaru mumbled angrily to himself, kicking a rock toward Maru’s house as soon as the front door.
“He’ll be back.” Yoko assures him.
“He abandoned us too. Didn’t even tell us he was going. It’s not that hard to text one of us!”
“Let’s go home, Subaru. It’s late, and we need to take Yasu home.”
“Whatever. Who needs those other guys anyway? We’re fine without them. We have tons of fun and they’re missing out.”
Yoko didn’t dare tell him the truth, that they hadn’t had any fun in quite a while. He didn’t dare mention that now that Maru was MIA, their last form of entertainment was gone, and Yoko wasn’t sure how long they could actually keep this going. Their group was already broken in his eyes, and everyone was finding interests elsewhere. He didn’t understand why Subaru clung so desperately to the group, but everyone was growing up, and there was no way he could stop that from happening and keep everyone here. Instead, he worked with Subaru to pick Yasu up off the ground and carry him home, hoping Maru came home soon to save Subaru from breaking apart.
~*~
High School, Year 3
“It’s only us now, Yasu.” Subaru said, taking a drag from a cigarette before passing it to Yasu. They sat outside at Subaru's, leaning against the rails of the balcony, watching clouds cover the stars they’d been watching for hours. It seemed fitting, Subaru thought. His feelings were clouding over, becoming dark and depressing, covering the light he used to have.
“Yeah, now that Yoko has a girlfriend, he spends all his time with her.” Yasu takes a drag and coughs, not yet used to smoking, and passes it back.
Subaru laughs hollowly. “How the hell did he get one anyway? He’s always shy and awkward. It won’t last.”
Yasu shrugs. “It might. Yoko’s a pretty decent guy. I mean, if I were a girl, I wouldn’t say no to him.”
“That’s quite a statement, Yasu. You trying to tell me something?” Yasu’s face turns red, and instead of answering, he shoves the cigarette in his mouth, throwing Subaru into a fit of laughter. “Well, at least I can count on you to always be here. You’re the only one that’s stuck around through all these years. And we’re graduating tomorrow, so think of how much time we’ll have to do things! We’ll have work and shit like that, but it’ll be great. Just the two of us.”
Yasu turned away, putting his concentration on the shape of the smoke rising from the stick, already half gone. “Actually, Subaru…” Yasu’s heart was thudding in his chest, afraid to go on. He felt Subaru tense against him, could sense the smile dissolving from his face. Maybe Tacchon and Maru had the right idea of not telling anyone they were leaving. It must’ve hurt a lot less. “I was thinking…maybe I’ll go to college, you know? Learn some stuff.”
“What kind of stuff?” Yasu could hear the strain in his voice, trying not to sound like he was angry, but it was obvious.
“I was thinking of…designing clothes. ‘Cause I like them so much, I thought it would be fun to do for a job.”
“Good for you.” Subaru said, not sounding the least bit supportive. It hit a nerve in Yasu.
“You know, you could be happy for me. This was a big decision, and something I’m really excited about.”
“How do you expect me to be happy when you’re leaving me too?”
“Because that’s what friends do!” Yasu said, standing up with a jolt. “Friends support friends in what they want to do! They don’t make them feel bad because they want to go off and experience things, the way you do! You bad mouth everyone as if they hurt you personally by pursuing what’s important to them! None of it had anything to do with you!” Yasu’s hands had balled into fists out of frustration and were shaking. He’d been holding that in since first year, after Subaru started talking shit about Ryo after he became popular. It wasn’t fair for him to do those things to people he always called ‘friends’.
“I’m sorry.” Subaru mumbled, head down. “I am happy for you. You’re just the only one left. I don’t want you to go too.”
The anger melted out of Yasu as his heart started to ache for his friend. He knelt back down next to his friend. Subaru’s hands were clenched so tightly together they were turning white, and he was biting his lip so hard to keep it from shaking. He was doing all he could do to keep himself from crying. Shota sighed sadly, wrapping his arms around Subaru’s shoulders, leaning his head against him. “It won’t be forever.” Yasu tried to reassure him, rubbing his hand against his back. “We can still see each other during my breaks. And we can call and text each other. We’ll stay in touch.”
Subaru nodded, knowing Yasu would do just that. He knew Yasu still talked to their other friends occasionally. Friends were important and dear to him, and Subaru knew he hated losing them as much as he did. Subaru only wished the others cared enough about him to contact him once in a while. But as Shota's words sank in, he realized he didn't deserve them. He had been terrible to them, and with his 'screw them' attitude, he didn't bother to keep in touch, either. He deserved to be pushed to the side and forgotten about, and it made his chest ache. Almost everyone dear to him was gone, and he was sure he would never see them again. But, he thought, at least he still had Yasu. He held onto Yasu’s arm tight, knowing he’d have to let him go someday, but he would keep him there as long as possible.
~*~
Four Years Later
Subaru grumbled to himself as he stomped up the stairs to his apartment. It had been a long day. Working as an assistant in an office is not where he saw himself to be, but then again he never thought of what he was going to do with himself in the future. It was a decent paying job and he was able to live a little more than comfortably, but his bosses were total assholes, and he was sure they hated him from the day he started. He knew it had to do with his appearance, with his long hair and the holes in his ears, and the tattoo he got on his hand that had gone unnoticed by the interviewer certainly didn’t sit well. There wasn’t a thing he could do about his ears, but he had since cut his hair and the tattoo was hardly noticeable anymore. He looked just like everyone else in the office, and it made him feel awful and conforming. His favorite part of the day was leaving the office and graciously raising his two middle fingers at the building and stalking off home.
He reached his apartment and immediately started stripping off the god damn suffocating suit he was forced to wear. He threw the jacket and tie over the back of the couch and just let his pants fall and kicked them into a corner as he made his way to his bedroom. The button up shirt was pulled off over his head, not wanting to waste time undoing the buttons. He put a pair of grey sweatpants on and an old, oversized, comfy t-shirt. He could finally breathe.
He left the room for the couch and the TV, hoping to catch the music show he watched every week. On the cabinet next to the hallway, his answering machine blinked. He considered ignoring it, figuring it was just another telemarketer, but pressed the play button anyway.
“Happy Birthday, Subaru!” his eyes widened as he heard Yasu’s voice fill the silent room. It had been well over two years since they last talked. He hadn’t even remembered it was his own birthday. “I’m so sorry we’ve lost touch, but I want to make it up to you! I have a big surprised planned, and you’re really gonna like it! I miss you a lot! I’m gonna try to come and see you soon, okay?” The recording clicked off and Subaru couldn’t help smiling. Yasu had remembered and called when no one else had. Even better, Shota was sending him something and was planning to see him. It may have been so long since they’ve last spoke, but Subaru never thought Yasu forgot him.
Then, there was a clang from the kitchen, and a loud ‘shh’ noise. Chills crept up Subaru’s spine, and he could feel the hairs on his arms standing up. Someone else was in his apartment. There was a tall, hard candle holder on the cabinet- a present from his mother that he was forced to keep out. He picked it up and held it like a bat as he slowly made his way to the kitchen. The room was pitch black, since Subaru generally doesn’t turn on all his lights in the house if he doesn't need them. A few more noises came, a shuffling, a knock, and a strange-sounding high-pitched giggle. The fuck is this guy doing?! Subaru asked himself, figuring most burglars tried to keep themselves quiet. There had to be more than one person too, because each noise was followed by an angry round of ‘shh’s’. There was even more rustling and shuffling, then a loud thump of the floor. In one swift move, Subaru flicked the kitchen light on and swung the candle stick in front of him, hoping he looked threatening.
But when he saw Yasu lying face-down on his kitchen floor, the candlestick dropped right out of his hands. “…Yasu?”
Yasu jumped up as he heard his name. “H-Happy Birthday!” he shouted, throwing his hands up. “Surprise!”
“What’re you doing here?!” His voice came out loud and his voice cracked at the shock of seeing Yasu here, in person, after just hearing his voice on the recording. “You’re the surprise?”
“Yeah, I am, but…Well this wasn’t how the plan was supposed to go-“
“God damn it Maru get the fuck off my stomach!” Hina’s angry yell pierced the air as Maru was kicked out of the hiding spot under the table, sliding across the hard floor until his head connected with the counter door. Yasu’s face turned beet red and his arms fell to his side.
“Hina?” Subaru couldn’t believe he’d just heard that voice. He hadn’t seen Hina since their first year in high school in anything more than passing in the hall. Hina crawled out from under the table, followed by Yoko at his heels, rubbing his back from being cramped for who knows how long. He hadn’t even seen Ryo sitting on the counter in the corner until he hopped off, giving Subaru an awkward smile. Maru had stood up, holding a paper towel to his forehead to stop the bleeding from a small cut he got when Hina kicked him into the cabinet. There was a partial cake on the table with a few presents.
“Uhm,” Yasu spoke up, now looking unsure about his plan. He fiddled with his hands. “Well, I gathered everyone here, because I missed everyone, and I knew you did too, so, it’s like a reunion.”
“It wasn’t all Yasu’s idea. I called him too about it.” Yoko said, not about to let Yasu take all the credit.
“Yoko was the one to contact Hina, and he knew where Maru was.”
“Yeah, turned out he lived right down the street from me and I didn’t even know it.” Hina shot a look at Maru, who quickly turned his head to avoid Hina’s eyes. “For two whole years.”
“And I’m on break for now.” Ryo added, still looking uncomfortable but happy to be around his old friends again. “Y’know. Between tours and stuff. And Tacchon and I actually collaborated together with Yasu a while ago with a line of clothes.”
Shota smiled brightly. “When Ryo found out about the work I was doing, he requested me to help him work with his apparel team.”
“Tacchon couldn’t make it, could he?” Subaru asked, noticing there were only six of them standing in the kitchen. The others eyed each other, confused. They stood in silence, until sounds could be heard from under the table again. They all looked under the table, and there sat Tacchon, the whole cake in his lap, popping forkful after forkful into his mouth, relishing the taste, mumbling about damn diets and how good it tasted after all these years. They all burst into fits of laughter, most of them falling to the floor and holding their stomachs.
Subaru stared at them all, all six of them, in total and utter shock he was seeing all of them again. They were all laughing together, jabbing each other, making fun, as they had all those years before. He missed it so much it made his chest ache seeing it. He never thought he would see them all together again. Perhaps he’d see Yasu, but never then all. Yet here they all were, smiling, having a good time, as though they had never been a part in the first place. He tried to ignore the prick at his eyes, but he’d never been very good at controlling his body.
“Subaru?” Maru caught everyone else’s attention and set it on Subaru, who was trying desperately to keep the tears from falling. It would only bring him torture later.
“Are you going to cry?” Hina asked, a mix of amusement and slight worry in his voice.
“I’m not going to cry, damn it!” Subaru yelled, turning his back to his friends and wiping his arm against his eyes. “Something got in my eye!”
“Sure, sure it did.”
From behind, Subaru felt several arms wrap around him. “You don’t have to cry.” Yasu said, closest to him. “We all love you.”
"You knew how important we all were to each other, but we didn't see it.” Yoko said.
“Yeah,” Maru chimed in. “And we missed everyone too. We were just too busy to realize it.” Everyone agreed, throwing in their own sentiments about times before, not helping Subaru keep from tearing up. He had given up on his friends so easily before, but they had all restored his faith in them.
“Uhm, well, I had more plans for tonight.” Yasu spoke up, breaking up the group hug. “We brought presents! And we had a cake…”
“Key word is had. Tacchon ate the whole damn thing!” Ryo scolded Tacchon who didn’t seem the least bit ashamed for eating it and just smiled proudly to himself.
“We also brought music and a bunch of movies!” Maru pulled the stash out of the pack he had around his shoulders. “And Sho-chan brought the alcohol!”
Hina’s attention was caught at the word ‘alcohol’. “Well, what’re we waiting for?! Let’s get this party started!”
Everyone start whooping and hollering, causing commotion as music was put on and the alcohol was set out. Subaru still stood in the entry way to the kitchen, his back facing his friends, holding his head in his hand. Yasu tilted his head and went to his friend.
“You okay, Subaru?” Yasu asked, worried. “You like the surprise, don’t you?”
Subaru moved his hand from his face and looked at Yasu, giving him a small smile. “Yeah, I like it. Thank you, Yasu. It means a lot. But,” He took a deep breath, his chest still hurting. "Do I really deserve this? After being such an ass to everyone?"
Shota smiled sadly at his friend. "Of course you do. That was all in the past. We all wanted to do this, because even if you said we didn't need the others, we all knew, deep down, you were hurt and angry because you cherished us so much. So, we want to be together again. With everyone."
Subaru nodded to Yasu, taking Yasu's hand and squeezing it. "Thank you, again."
Yasu smiled and squeezed his hand back. “You're welcome. Now, come on. Let’s have some fun!” he pulled Subaru right into the middle of things. Subaru couldn’t feel more grateful to his friends for setting all of this up. He hadn’t felt this happy in so long. He knew, from then on, that they wouldn’t be able to stay away from each other for so long again. They would have to say good bye eventually, but it wouldn’t be forever.
~*~
A/N: This was actually a lot of fun to write. I don't know where the idea came from, but I just ran with it to see where it would go, and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Though there could be a bit of a hint at a pairing, I tried to keep them out, just for a change. (But I'm so biased it didn't work hehe~) But, anyway, thank you for reading! Comments are <3!
