Crawling towards you on her bruised knees
Munakata Reisi is not the type to be driving through these streets. What kind of streets is he roaming in the first place? Well, even though he was the head of Annex four, a government building situated within Shizume, he was taking a shorter drive home. Though that was through the red light district, the one that makes you aware that you're clearly leaving Shizume to the suburban areas. He has no idea how it's thriving, but by the girls at the corner of the streets, he can tell that the sex trade is still booming.
He looks from right to left, slowly noticing how some of the prostitutes and others seemed to fan out. Although, his interest is peaked when a car suddenly pulls out in front of him, before swerving to the side- to apparently drop someone off. At first, the simple government worker plans to drive by, but stops himself when he sees who leaves.
It's a boy, no scratch that, a teenager. A teenage boy wearing what seemed to be high heeled boots, fishnet stockings, leather shorts and a very small sort of shirt that exposed his small hips and very frail abdomen. In most peoples eyes, Munakata assumed, he'd look very alluring but the first thing the bluet notices is how tiny he is. He doesn't really look… healthy. So, what could he do? As the other car sped off, the megane watched, noticing the small subtle movements of the male prostitute; especially that limp he now held.
So, what did he do? Quietly, he put just a bit of pressure onto the gas, and immediately pulled to the right- and that's when the other took notice. He saw those glasses flash, and a grimace almost appeared on the teen's face as Munakata rolled down the window, to greet him.
"What do you want?" A bitter, raspy voice suddenly asked, clearly irritated and that just made Munakata laugh.
"Well, I imagine that if I'm here, in a car and you're who I think you are, then I can assume you work within the sex trade. And it's common for most who are interested to drive up and tell you, yes?"
With the click of his tongue, the teen glared at the other before stating "You talk too much," and went around to the left side, to take a seat in the passengers spot. Munakata feels a sense of accomplishment- but wait… What was he doing, hiring a possibly under aged prostitute even though he definitely doesn't want to have sex. Did he take pity on him?
"Are you going to drive, or are you expecting me to give you road head?" That very same judgmental voice was back, ringing through Munakata's ears and reminding him that this kid probably just wanted to get this over with. With a light chuckle, he took the car out of park and immediately signaled, then drove back onto the road as safely as possible and started for his home.
He still has no idea what he's going to do.
Five minutes later, he's parked in his large driveway, at a house meant for a family of four and not a bachelor. The prostitute is surprised though, blinking his eyes in bewilderment as Munakata steps out of the right hand side, out of the drivers seat, so he could open the passenger door. Apparently the younger hadn't even noticed and when he did, just huffed and made his way out, eyes glaring behind his thick frames.
Munakata immediately opened the door, letting the younger in first person flicking the lights on- revealing a simple but modern house. It wasn't his dream house, a place where he could roam about within a traditional landscape, but this would definitely do. After removing his shoes, the prostitute just seemed to huff and walk out into the lobby, obviously looking for the bedroom.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" His impatience is evident, and that makes Munakata almost smirk. "Ah, I don't really want to get to that. Firstly, have you eaten at all?" For a minute, the others expression sort of turns… confused. "… Excuse me, that has nothing to do with the fact that you hired me to preform sexual favours." He clicks his tongue, in an all-knowing sense, and that just makes Munakata sigh.
"Well first, you should at least have a meal. When is the last time you sat down to eat?" Of course he doesn't even bother to stand around, because Munakata is already making his way to the kitchen- leaving the bespectacled teen… confused, for the most part. He scoffed and followed along- perhaps this guy had a food fetish or something like that.
About a half an hour later, Munakata finally presented a very small but satisfying meal to the prostitute, before finally decided to exchange names, well name. "I'm Munakata Reisi, by the way." And he was met by silence as the teen across from him continued to started to eat. To actually eat, although he touched none of his vegetable dishes, what Munakata had worked so hard on. It was a strange feeling, to see someone who was apparently so grouchy and so annoyed be enlightened by such a small gratitude. It made him want to… help him a bit more.
Although, he still didn't have this kid's name.
Once his new found friend was finished eating, that's when Munakata pushed him towards his bath, with a towel, some spare soap and a guest yukata in those pale, frail arms. After having a very one sided argument, said teen left to wash up while Munakata finished his dishes and made sure to at least get something small to eat.
When the teen emerged, Munakata became quite pleased with the result- he looked much more awake and alive now. His skin was still so pale and his pale blue yukata was hanging off of him, but he looked better. Although the face he was making wasn't very good, in general.
"You do realize that I'm wasting my time with your hospitality. I'll be taking my leave if all you wanted was to pick me up to feed me like some stray cat." Clearly he's offended in some way, and Munakata can see his problem. With a smooth sigh, the bluet grabs his wallet from his back pocket- and pulls out about about twenty thousand yen.
"This should cover you. Stay here for the night, you should be more trusting towards the compassion of others." The bluet remarks as he walks over, placing said bills in the hands of a seemingly shocked teen. "You may have the guest bedroom, I'll lead you to it." Silence rang through the house, except for the very soft steps of their feet- which surprised him. Why hadn't this fiery teen fought back? Well, apparently that small amount of money could prove very useful for him.
The next morning, Reisi found that bedroom empty with a note stating "Thank you."
Munakata starts making a habit of this. Each month, he'll pick up the prostitute, who was nice enough to actually give him a name, and take him home for the night. Of course he pays him though, because Reisi starts to realize that he can afford to lose money, especially on him.
His name is Saruhiko Fushimi, he's nineteen years old and still technically a minor. According to him, he spends most of his money on a boy named Misaki Yata, his ex-best friend and ex-lover. Apparently the two had also dated, but Saruhiko hadn't elaborated. Instead, Misaki joined a familiar gang of the area: Homra. Saruhiko had joined but he had been exiled- well he more or less quit- so now to make sure that his only friend was doing okay, he sent him mostly all his money.
So, how did Saruhiko survive?
Apparently it was mostly off selling his body, since sometimes he could gain some small amounts of money to help pay for his low rent and necessities. In a way, Reisi pities the boy because he's intelligent- by god is he intelligent- but for some reason he lacks all motivation. He's lazy, and that pisses him off more than it should. With a brain like that, it's a shame that he does nothing to stimulate it.
Well, it's not like the teen can even afford to put himself through school. And hell, with zero motivation, he doesn't really plan on it.
Soon after this little habit of his, Munakata starts to pick Saruhiko up more and more- almost as frequently as he can. Clearly the other walkers of the night notice this, and that's when the teen starts distancing himself from Munakata- and he sort of understands. And using the term "sort of" doesn't clearly cover it.
After a year and a half of being able to pick this teenager up, he doesn't come to the corner one night. Munakata is worried, but he decides to drive back home after waiting for about an hour. That night, someone shows up at his house at a peachy time of 5:31AM, about two hours before his alarm was supposed to go off.
He sees the sirens and his heart stops and shatters.
The door is opened as quickly as possible, and the two police officers begin with asking his name and whatnot, taking notes as if Munakata's answers depended on it. Although, his childish impatience gets the better of him, and he finally asks, "What happened?"
"Well, we were given this address by a friend of yours, Fushimi Saruhiko. You do know him correct?" That stuns Munakata, long enough to slowly swallow a forming lump in his throat. "I do, I've known him for quite a long time." That's a bit of a stretch, but he sounds convincing- so they continue.
"Currently, he's in critical condition in the hospital, he was shot multiple times, the police are suspecting it was drug related." Ah… well, Saruhiko had mentioned to Munakata about his addiction to cocaine, and how he could even barely hold himself back most of the time. To hear that he had been shot though… No.
"I'll visit him shortly, thank you for informing me." His tone is rushed, and by the time those local police officers get into their patrol car, Munakata is speeding through his house to properly dress himself. There was no way Saruhiko could be dying right now, no way in hell.
—-
When he arrives, he's surprised because there's a ginger who fits the description of Yata Misaki sitting in the lobby. With a small cough, Munakata takes a seat right across from him, and it's clear that the other is very upset by this news. Even for some nineteen year, Reisi isn't really taken aback by the others terrible wardrobe choices. Although, through the tears, the boy manages to stare right into him, as if he's trying to do something supernatural with his eyes.
"Who the fuck are you." It's a demand, not a question, and immediately Munakata lets a small smile grace his lips. "My name's Munakata Reisi, I'm a government worker at Annex 4, casually known as Scepter4-"
"I don't give two shits where you work, why the fuck are you here?! Only I'm allowed to see Saru!" So, he's protective all of a sudden? Slowly, Munakata's blue eyes narrow lightly, and he just chuckles lightly.
"I picked him up one night, fed him, bathed him and let him sleep in a proper establishment. I've been routinely helping your ex get through the months." For a moment, the ginger has nothing to say back, except scoff and rack his brain for a comeback. "Bullshit! And what the hell do you mean 'picked him up'?! He's not some fucking whore!" And that's where Munakata has to start digging into his inner-discipline skills, because this child needs a smack upside the head.
"He hasn't told you, has he?" Munakata muses to himself, and he can't even believe that Saruhiko kept such a secret. Sure, this child was his ex boyfriend and ex best friend, but was he just so clueless? "Told me what, asshole?! Saru and I are still best friends, he tells me everything!" Ah, you share his childish antics, how endearing.
"Nothing, just talking to myself." Munakata added, uncaring that the ginger just seemed to get even angrier at that. "What the fuck are you saying about him!?" Misaki shrieked, although it was loud enough to warrant attention from the receptionist. And that's when the doctor arrived, or at least one that was looking for both Munakata and Yata, to update them.
"You two are the closest to family, correct?" He asked, trying to remind himself that the patient currently in the ER only had few people who were allowed to visit him. After a powerful nod from Misaki, the elderly man took in a deep sigh, before reporting on his condition.
"Well, things are very worrisome for Fushimi-san. According to the surgeon, he'll need at least a few more hours to remove the two bullets from his chest, and the third one from his leg. He was shot a total of four times, once in the right hand, once in his upper left thigh and twice in the lower abdomen." … Christ. Munakata runs a hand through his hair, as Misaki slowly sits down in shock, a new wave of tears flooding his eyes immediately.
"Three of the four shots are not life threatening, but the last shot to enter him was very close to his left rib cage and lung, so we are taking every precaution necessary to remove the bullet. He's lost a lot of blood, though, and being a unique blood type does not help him." Of course, there were problems arising from this. Yet Munakata finds himself nodding, sitting back in the plastic lobby chair and maybe silently begging God to save this child, because he's still so young and needs to know how to feel love.
By the time Saruhiko is out of surgery, it's about nine in the morning and he's completely and utterly exhausted. That same elderly doctor appears with a younger one, who looks more exhausted than he does. Although, he takes a good look at both Munakata and Yata, before offering the two of the a comforting smile.
"He pulled through, although we almost lost him, twice. He'll be in recovery though, for the time being. One visitor at a time." A sigh of relief leaves his entire body, and immediately he finds a sudden amount of inner strength to push himself to start walking, to put one foot in front of the other. Apparently Misaki makes it to the bluet first, who appears to be just lying in bed,a bandage on his hand along with a white hospital dress. He sort of looks angelic, innocent and it's almost ironic because the work Saruhiko does is not pure.
Well, Munakata could forgive him for that.
The bluet goes home to take a two hour nap then return, happy to find that the ginger is gone. Saruhiko is still resting, unmoved and undisturbed in his peaceful bed and Munakata still feels guilty. Was it his fault? Logically, no, but somehow he still feels responsible; was this guilty? Quietly, he takes a hold of Saruhiko's left hand, the one unscathed by any bullet, and he sighs.
'Wake up for me, my prince.'
A few days later, Munakata gets a call while he's running a very important meeting. At first, he completely ignoring it, but after the four, fifth and even sixth ring- he steps away to answer. The hospital, that's who was calling, and he takes in a sharp breath. Why did this make him so anxious? He had been anticipating this call of course, so why…
"Munakata Reisi speaking." His voice is still formal and broad, he will not show signs of weakness.
"Hello yes, this is Yamamoto Hei calling, Fushimi-san's surgeon." Another pang of anxiety hits the usually calm and in-control Munakata." I'm calling to inform that he has woken up and is responding well to the treatment." With a simple statement, all worries are immediately washed away, causing Munakata's entire being to release a very shaky breath, almost like a broken laugh.
"Thank you for informing me, I shall visit later on." Once he hangs up, he becomes giddy- like some high school child after being asked to a formal dance by their secret crush. He easily finishes the meeting, practically rushing it as he immediately leaves for the hospital, but not before stopping to get roses.
When he shows up, Saruhiko is laying against the bed, half of it propped up so he can at least see what's going on. The bandages have clearly been changed on his hand, and he looks more miserable than usual. Formally, Munakata removes and hangs his coat up on a designated area, before placing the roses on the bedside table.
"Why are you here?" Is the very first thing he asks, and that just makes the bluet laugh. How funny Saruhiko. "Why do you think? I'm here to visit a friend." There is shock and surprise behind his eyes, although he immediately masks it. Ah, he keeps those walls up so high.
"I thought I was just someone that you took pity on." Well, that was an easy lie to decode, Munakata knew that in some way Saruhiko would start to live a more parasitic life off of the money, lodgement and food that he supplied him with. But that was fine, that was more than okay actually. Reisi really wanted someone to spoil anyway.
"Now, Saruhiko, if I pitied you, I would have made that clear. But instead I think of you as a dear friend of mine, one who's in need of assistance and will need some support." The words flow from his mouth before his brain can even start to form sentences. Was he talking on instinct? How illogical.
"… Ah." Well, that's temporarily stumped the bluet, and that's when he decides to finally let more of intentions become clear. With a swift movement, Reisi easily grabs the upper stem of a rose, pulling it out of its bouquet with its friends and holds it right up to the bluet's face, letting a gentle smile brush his face.
"I would just like to get to know you better, Saruhiko."
"… Tch." Was his only reply, and that's when Munakata traded in his smile for a playful smirk, as he placed the stem of the red rose right onto Saruhiko's earlobe, right on top of his glasses. At first, the other notices and frowns, immediately shaking his head to let the flower fall.
"Yeah yeah, whatever." Came a pouty reply from the grouchy, uncaring teenager. How childish indeed, and that just made Munakata laugh to himself. It's almost as if he's so cold on the inside, and warm on the inside, like the popular term "tsundere." Well of course, he'd have to test that theory out later, as he picked up the rose and let the one broken petal shatter itself right near Saruhiko's bullet wound.
"Ah, but for the rest of our friendship, I will refer to you as Saruhiko."
"Then I guess I'll just call you megane." He replies back, haughtily, trying to regain some of his dignity. Although, when he glances at Munakata… He seemed to be holding something back. He shot another look, but apparently something was just so funny that the other burst out into a fit.
Munakata hadn't laughed so hard in his damn life.