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31_days2008-11-16 10:17 pm
issen4.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2008-11-16 10:17 pm
[Nov 16] [Initial D/Prince of Tennis/Hikago] Slip Roads 16/31
Title: Slip Roads 16/31
Day/Theme: 16 Nov/misunderstandings stemming from contrasting courting styles.
Series: Initial D/Prince of Tennis/Hikago
Character/Pairing: previous Takahashi Ryousuke/Fuji Yuuta
Rating: PG-13, references to incest between brothers
-----------------
Ryousuke was only mildly disconcerted the next morning--almost noon, actually--when he came down to the kitchen for breakfast and found only Touya there. "Good morning, Touya-san," he said, thinking that for all of Touya's remarks on Shindou pottering in his hosts' kitchen, he clearly didn't have a qualm himself about doing the same. But then he was aware, from remarks that his mother made, that his grandfather's two friends were settling in fine.
"Good morning," Touya said, "again. Breakfast?"
Ryousuke was starting to appreciate Touya's understated sense of humour. "I'll help myself," he said, going to the counter. His mother had already made breakfast--Touya was only heating the miso soup up. It was the day for his mother's gardening club to meet, he remembered; she must have left the house early. His father was already at the hospital. "I wonder if Keisuke is up," he said, realising with chagrin that he had nearly forgotten about talking to Keisuke.
"Keisuke-san didn't come back until it was nearly dawn," Touya said. "He's probably sleeping."
"He's been going out very late," Ryousuke said. He couldn't blame Keisuke for catching up with all the other racers in the area, though. Unlike Ryousuke, who had made the decision to retire himself from street racing, Keisuke still counted himself as part of the loose racing fraternity in Gunma.
"He's chasing something that isn't there," Touya said.
His voice was so soft that Ryousuke didn't realise what he had said at first. "Excuse me?" he asked, the rice scoop still stuck in the rice cooker.
"We talked a few times in the evening, before he goes out," Touya said.
"Like Shindou and I?" Ryousuke speculated, trying to imagine his younger brother--his younger, brash brother--making conversation with someone as sober and controlled as Touya.
Touya ladled soup into individual bowls. "Not really. Keisuke-san isn't someone who connects with people who are not car racers," he observed. "But all the time that he's spending outside, when he had made the effort to come back to Japan, only shows that he's looking for what can't be found."
Shindou had said something similar. Ryousuke concentrated on scooping rice into a bowl and carrying it to the kitchen island--no point bringing it all the way to the dining room when all he wanted was a quick meal--and finding chopsticks and spoon. "Are all Go players so perceptive?" he asked finally, swallowing his impulse to ask what it was Keisuke was looking for. He had known that Shindou was observant, but it had slipped his mind that Touya, too, was a Go player.
"Keisuke-san's not someone who keeps his emotions under wraps automatically," Touya said. "In certain matters, he's an open book." He pushed a bowl of miso soup towards Ryousuke. "He came back for you. Didn't he." He was not asking a question. "I heard him talking to you one night," Touya continued, "about why he had come back."
Ryousuke only stared, trying to deny what he had heard. Keisuke had tried to waylay him a few times after that night. The things he had said, weaving a future for the two of them outside Japan, had been tempting, so much so that Ryousuke had to pretend that he didn't hear anything through his bedroom door.
"What he said..." Touya coughed. "Please do not misunderstand, Ryousuke-san, I do not mean to do anything about it."
His mouth felt dry because he hadn't eaten anything, Ryousuke thought, and not because of his nervousness. Yes, Keisuke had come back for him, for a relationship that he could never give. He slipped his soup, not wanting to answer too quickly. He had thought it was risky to say too much to Shindou, but it turned out that Touya was more dangerous. How had he forgotten that it was Touya who was the watcher in his and Shindou's relationship?
Like Shindou, Touya called him 'Ryousuke-san', but Ryousuke was starting to think that he did so not in imitation of Shindou, who was casual to the point of rudeness. No, there was something more.
Touya said, "But there is something in Keisuke-san that can push him to the point of unreason, and that is his determination to be with you." He stopped, drawing out a pause that rapidly grew too heavy, and continued, "It's of little benefit to either of you, to prolong a stalemate."
Ryousuke swallowed. Yes, very like Shindou. Yet not exactly...
But it seemed that Touya didn't expect an answer from him. He only went to the cabinet and found a tray, on which he arranged bowls of rice, miso soup and a dish of pickles, together with chopsticks.
"Is Shindou-san still asleep?" Ryousuke asked, deciding on impulse to pretend that he hadn't heard Touya's remarks.
"He'll be getting up any moment now," Touya said. He looked at Ryousuke, and his expression softened. "I shouldn't interfere--it's none of my business," Before Ryousuke could demur, Touya went on, "He had a bad dream last night," and then looked surprised, as though he hadn't meant to say that.
"Bad dream?" Remembering Shindou from last night, it didn't seem likely.
There was a whisper of air being expelled from Touya, like a sigh. "Talking about what Go means to him... about the person who taught him Go... it saddens him. But it wasn't your fault."
Courtesy dictated that Ryousuke apologise, though. "I'm sorry," he said. He was starting to understand why it was that someone as reserved as Touya seemed so protective of Shindou, who seemed too impulsive and bold to need any such shelter.
Touya shook his head. "Please don't. Shindou would be mortified if he knew I had told you."
Curiosity made Ryousuke ask as he remembered another snippet of the earlier conversation, "Does that really happen, when Shindou teaches Go, he scares-"
Touya nodded. "He's too intense. Passionate, without knowing how to hide it. Or not seeing the need for it, really. It frightens those who have yet to see the beauty in Go. He can be as professional as... well, my father could wish, but when he is playing, something inside him..." he paused, as though suddenly realising he was speaking to Ryousuke and didn't want to reveal anything else personal to him. "Excuse me, Ryousuke-san, I don't want this to get cold," he said and picked up the tray, starting to leave the kitchen.
An impulse made Ryousuke say, "Keisuke knows my decision. He has always known."
Touya, pausing at the door and standing very still, said, "Really?" Then he walked away, leaving not even a whisper of air in his wake
Ryousuke was aware of a sense of growing chagrin. He had always been the one who made the decisions, but he had never really explained himself to Keisuke. Ryousuke leaned back, closing his eyes as the truth of that 'Really?' hit him. And that was why Touya called him 'Ryousuke-san', he thought.
(tbc)
Day/Theme: 16 Nov/misunderstandings stemming from contrasting courting styles.
Series: Initial D/Prince of Tennis/Hikago
Character/Pairing: previous Takahashi Ryousuke/Fuji Yuuta
Rating: PG-13, references to incest between brothers
-----------------
Ryousuke was only mildly disconcerted the next morning--almost noon, actually--when he came down to the kitchen for breakfast and found only Touya there. "Good morning, Touya-san," he said, thinking that for all of Touya's remarks on Shindou pottering in his hosts' kitchen, he clearly didn't have a qualm himself about doing the same. But then he was aware, from remarks that his mother made, that his grandfather's two friends were settling in fine.
"Good morning," Touya said, "again. Breakfast?"
Ryousuke was starting to appreciate Touya's understated sense of humour. "I'll help myself," he said, going to the counter. His mother had already made breakfast--Touya was only heating the miso soup up. It was the day for his mother's gardening club to meet, he remembered; she must have left the house early. His father was already at the hospital. "I wonder if Keisuke is up," he said, realising with chagrin that he had nearly forgotten about talking to Keisuke.
"Keisuke-san didn't come back until it was nearly dawn," Touya said. "He's probably sleeping."
"He's been going out very late," Ryousuke said. He couldn't blame Keisuke for catching up with all the other racers in the area, though. Unlike Ryousuke, who had made the decision to retire himself from street racing, Keisuke still counted himself as part of the loose racing fraternity in Gunma.
"He's chasing something that isn't there," Touya said.
His voice was so soft that Ryousuke didn't realise what he had said at first. "Excuse me?" he asked, the rice scoop still stuck in the rice cooker.
"We talked a few times in the evening, before he goes out," Touya said.
"Like Shindou and I?" Ryousuke speculated, trying to imagine his younger brother--his younger, brash brother--making conversation with someone as sober and controlled as Touya.
Touya ladled soup into individual bowls. "Not really. Keisuke-san isn't someone who connects with people who are not car racers," he observed. "But all the time that he's spending outside, when he had made the effort to come back to Japan, only shows that he's looking for what can't be found."
Shindou had said something similar. Ryousuke concentrated on scooping rice into a bowl and carrying it to the kitchen island--no point bringing it all the way to the dining room when all he wanted was a quick meal--and finding chopsticks and spoon. "Are all Go players so perceptive?" he asked finally, swallowing his impulse to ask what it was Keisuke was looking for. He had known that Shindou was observant, but it had slipped his mind that Touya, too, was a Go player.
"Keisuke-san's not someone who keeps his emotions under wraps automatically," Touya said. "In certain matters, he's an open book." He pushed a bowl of miso soup towards Ryousuke. "He came back for you. Didn't he." He was not asking a question. "I heard him talking to you one night," Touya continued, "about why he had come back."
Ryousuke only stared, trying to deny what he had heard. Keisuke had tried to waylay him a few times after that night. The things he had said, weaving a future for the two of them outside Japan, had been tempting, so much so that Ryousuke had to pretend that he didn't hear anything through his bedroom door.
"What he said..." Touya coughed. "Please do not misunderstand, Ryousuke-san, I do not mean to do anything about it."
His mouth felt dry because he hadn't eaten anything, Ryousuke thought, and not because of his nervousness. Yes, Keisuke had come back for him, for a relationship that he could never give. He slipped his soup, not wanting to answer too quickly. He had thought it was risky to say too much to Shindou, but it turned out that Touya was more dangerous. How had he forgotten that it was Touya who was the watcher in his and Shindou's relationship?
Like Shindou, Touya called him 'Ryousuke-san', but Ryousuke was starting to think that he did so not in imitation of Shindou, who was casual to the point of rudeness. No, there was something more.
Touya said, "But there is something in Keisuke-san that can push him to the point of unreason, and that is his determination to be with you." He stopped, drawing out a pause that rapidly grew too heavy, and continued, "It's of little benefit to either of you, to prolong a stalemate."
Ryousuke swallowed. Yes, very like Shindou. Yet not exactly...
But it seemed that Touya didn't expect an answer from him. He only went to the cabinet and found a tray, on which he arranged bowls of rice, miso soup and a dish of pickles, together with chopsticks.
"Is Shindou-san still asleep?" Ryousuke asked, deciding on impulse to pretend that he hadn't heard Touya's remarks.
"He'll be getting up any moment now," Touya said. He looked at Ryousuke, and his expression softened. "I shouldn't interfere--it's none of my business," Before Ryousuke could demur, Touya went on, "He had a bad dream last night," and then looked surprised, as though he hadn't meant to say that.
"Bad dream?" Remembering Shindou from last night, it didn't seem likely.
There was a whisper of air being expelled from Touya, like a sigh. "Talking about what Go means to him... about the person who taught him Go... it saddens him. But it wasn't your fault."
Courtesy dictated that Ryousuke apologise, though. "I'm sorry," he said. He was starting to understand why it was that someone as reserved as Touya seemed so protective of Shindou, who seemed too impulsive and bold to need any such shelter.
Touya shook his head. "Please don't. Shindou would be mortified if he knew I had told you."
Curiosity made Ryousuke ask as he remembered another snippet of the earlier conversation, "Does that really happen, when Shindou teaches Go, he scares-"
Touya nodded. "He's too intense. Passionate, without knowing how to hide it. Or not seeing the need for it, really. It frightens those who have yet to see the beauty in Go. He can be as professional as... well, my father could wish, but when he is playing, something inside him..." he paused, as though suddenly realising he was speaking to Ryousuke and didn't want to reveal anything else personal to him. "Excuse me, Ryousuke-san, I don't want this to get cold," he said and picked up the tray, starting to leave the kitchen.
An impulse made Ryousuke say, "Keisuke knows my decision. He has always known."
Touya, pausing at the door and standing very still, said, "Really?" Then he walked away, leaving not even a whisper of air in his wake
Ryousuke was aware of a sense of growing chagrin. He had always been the one who made the decisions, but he had never really explained himself to Keisuke. Ryousuke leaned back, closing his eyes as the truth of that 'Really?' hit him. And that was why Touya called him 'Ryousuke-san', he thought.
(tbc)