Hey guys, I'm back!! Well, this time it took me so long because I had softball tryouts all last week, and last week I had some tough stuff going on. We had to put my dog to sleep, but she was old and sick. Well, sorry to put all that on you, let's get to the story, shall we?
Disclaimer: I own nothing, nada, zero, zilch. Did everyone catch that? THIS IS NOT MINE!!! I just made up a story. BTW, I don't own RENT either…
Papier-mâché EmotionsBy: Meg-chan
The ambulance had just arrived. The blue and red lights spun in the night, the sound from the sirens echoing in the night. The sounds never reached the ears of a blue haired youth who stood watching and helpless as another man was carted away on a stretcher. He yearned to reach out and touch him, to feel him, anything to assure himself that he was really there, but they wouldn't let him near the redheaded young man. Behind him were two other young men. One stood silently, watching his best friend being whisked away, his hand enveloped in the hand of the man next to him. This second man had his other hand on his friend's shoulder. All of them tried their best to offer hope and reassurance, but even when it's offered so willingly, it's hard to take.
As soon as the paramedics had Genrou settled, Houjun went up to the most empathetic looking of them all and spoke to him in a hushed and nervous tone. "Um, excuse me sir. Do you think it would be alright if I rode with him?"
The man looked down at the teen before him and saw the concern and worry etched in the young features. His heart softened at once and he answered hurriedly, "Of course you can son. I know these things can be hard, but I'm almost positive that your friend is going to be all right. Just relax, okay?"
Houjun smiled his thanks and climbed in with the help of the friendly man. He knelt down on the floor of the ambulance next to his love. New tears filled the drying eyes as he took up Genrou's hand in his own. As Houjun's lips lightly touched the skin on Genrou's palm, all his thoughts were focused on the fiery soul and nothing else. A few heads in the vehicle turned away and cleared their throats at a very opportune time. The doors closed and the ambulance sped off into the night, Kouji and Hikou following closely behind in Hikou's car.
Approximately ten minutes later they had arrived and Houjun and Genrou were getting out of the ambulance. Genrou was taken directly into a private room where he could be examined and given the best care. They would not allow Houjun to follow with them at this time so he waited inside as Hikou and Kouji parked their car. The young artist was pacing back and forth, grief torn. He had experienced this before in his life, what with the unexpected death of his parents. But this was different. This person meant the world to him, and he would do anything just to ensure his future. Hikou and Kouji entered not long after. Kouji sat down and shuffled through 16-year-old magazines and began arranging them in alphabetical order (nervous habit).
Hikou walked over to his best friend and put a hand on his shoulder to stop him for a moment. The blue haired youth looked up at his friend and completely broke down. Hikou wrapped Houjun up in his large arms and held him as the tears poured down his face. Houjun continued to cry until he fell asleep. Hikou carried his friend over to an empty seat near Kouji and gently placed him in it. He then took the space next to Kouji for himself and leaned back in the chair. He reached out for Kouji's hand and gave it a firm squeeze.
Kouji looked up from what he had been doing to look in his boyfriend's eyes. What he saw there surprised him. It always did. The dedication and love never failed to shock him. "Do you think he'll be okay?"
Hikou smiled halfheartedly, "If he's half as resilient as you then there is no doubt in my mind. Besides, if he went through all that trouble for Houjun, he wouldn't leave him so soon. Just relax, it'll all work out. I promise."
Kouji gave a swift and soft peck to the cheek of his lover. Those words had reassured him and he now found that he was exhausted. He leaned over in his chair and placed his head on Hikou's shoulder. He didn't care who might see; at this moment all that was important was them and the contact that eased his troubled soul. Hikou moved slowly so as not to disturb him and placed his arm around the other boy's shoulders. He placed a soft kiss on his forehead and leaned back in his seat once again. Soon after they were both asleep.
~*~
Houjun awoke about an hour later and he took a peek at the clock that was hanging on the wall. He guessed that some news on Genrou's condition must of come in. He stood and walked over to the nurse's station where a young woman who looked very nervous was sitting. "Hello," she stated promptly, "Can I help you? Well, I'm not sure if I can, I'll try though. This is my first night in the ER and it's more than I would have ever guessed. I'm sorry; I tend to wander off when I talk. Can I help you?"
Houjun chuckled in spite of himself. "Well, yes you can. A young man named Genrou was brought in here about 2 hours ago, can you tell me what kind of condition he's in?"
"Oh yes, I remember him. Well, right now he's in ICU, but they're moving him into his own room right now. He's got some bad bruising and some broken bones. They had him in ICU just to monitor his condition and make sure it was stable. Everything seems to be going all right though."
"Ummm…is there anyway I could see him?"
"As soon as he's settled in his room I'll come and get you so that you can see him, okay?" She replied with a kind smile on her face.
"Thank you very much miss." Houjun sighed and returned to his seat. He picked up a magazine and began to read it. At least that's what he intended to do, but his mind was preoccupied that he didn't even notice that he was holding it upside-down. He put it down and wondered if everything would work out now. It seemed that things were better between him and Genrou, but did Genrou think the same thing? Houjun wasn't sure anymore. You could never tell with the fiery haired young man. He was an enigma wrapped in a riddled sealed in a puzzle. Houjun sighed and waited, drumming his fingers on the arm of the chair.
The young nurse came over to where Houjun was sitting not 10 minutes later and told him that it would be all right for him to see Genrou now. Houjun stood up to follow her and swallowed hard to ease the lump that was growing in his throat. He wasn't quite sure what was so nerve wracking about this short walk, but what ever it was, it was reducing this strong young man to an empty shell. The nurse slowed in front of the door, pointed it out smiling and turned back to where she was stationed. Houjun stood in front of the door, his right hand out stretched, clenching and un-clenching, and shaking all the while. He was able to gain enough control to grasp the knob and open the door. He walked into the small room and looked around. It was cozily furnished, the walls were a pail yellow, a small desk stood in the corner, another table was adorned with a vase of tulips, and one of those suspended TV's. In another corner of the room there was a bed in which Genrou was lying. The blankets on it were a pail blue almost the same color of Houjun's hair. There was an IV stuck in Genrou's arm and some other wires scattered around that Houjun was unsure of what were used for. All the equipment around the bed made Houjun uncomfortable, but that must have been nothing to what Genrou felt.
Houjun walked cautiously to Genrou's bedside and stood still for a moment. The redhead appeared to be asleep and he didn't want to wake him. Gingerly he picked up on of Genrou's hands, relieved to find that it was warm to the touch. When he gave a slight squeeze he saw Genrou shift a little at the pressure and watched as his eyes fluttered open. "H-houjun? Is that you? Damn it's good to see a familiar face."
Houjun looked into Genrou's eyes, and saw nothing but love, and this surprised him. What had he been expecting or looking for? Hatred, or something of the sort, after all, it was all because of Houjun that he was in here in the first place. When he saw none of this, he felt so relieved and at the same time, he felt awful. He hung his head and began to cry. "I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?" he choked out through the tears.
Genrou looked up in confusion, had he said anything to make Houjun feel it was his fault? He didn't blame him. If he hadn't cared about him, he never would have gone in the first place. "Houjun, what are ya talking about? Why should I blame you? If it's anyone's fault, it's Theo's. Who else's would it be? Houjun, look at me." Genrou lifted up the hand that wasn't clutched between Houjun's and held his chin lightly. He lifted up the young artist's chin so that they were eye to eye. Genrou rubbed his finger along the other man's cheek, wiping away his tears. "Houjun, I love you. Nothing will ever change that now. I know what I did before was wrong, but I hope ya can forgive me fer that. You heard what I said right? I'd do anythin' for ya. I figured out that what I feel is more important than what a bunch 'a bastards think 'a me. I'm the one who should be beggin' forgiveness here."
Houjun smiled down at his lover, his tears now those of joy. "Gods, of course I forgive you. As long as I can be with you, that's all that matters. Let's forget the past, the both of us. In the words of the great Jonathan Larson, 'No day but today'."
As he said these words, Houjun ran a hand along his love's cheek, caressing it softly. His fingers eventually fell upon the soft lips of the fiery young man. The young artist leaned down ever so slowly and placed a faint, but passionate all the same, kiss on the other's lips. Genrou reveled in the touch, however insignificant it may seem to a bystander.
As Houjun pulled away a rap was heard on the door. "Come in." Houjun called out, seating himself at the table. Hikou and Kouji walked in with a nurse, all three of them proceeded to surround Genrou's bed. "Hey buddy, how ya feelin'?"
"Kinda like I got hit by a bus, but I'm doin' all right otherwise."
"Well, this young man was lucky. He didn't break any ribs, just a small crack and that should heal in no time. But your leg is broken so we're going to have to keep you here for a week or two."
"Aw fuck, that sucks."
The nurse, who was getting on in years, looked more than a little flustered as she left the room. Kouji grinned at her reaction but turned serious again soon afterwards. "Gen, do ya mind tellin' me an' Hikou just what happened?"
He looked a little uncomfortable about the whole thing, but after some prompting from his friends, and plenty of help from Houjun he managed to get the whole story straight. Then Hikou said, "Well, some cops came by after you left Houjun. They already knew the story, but they were just coming to tell us what was going to be done with Theo. He is 18 and can be tried as an adult. Since there was an eyewitness there's a good chance that if this goes to court he'll get up to 10 years in jail. That's if you want to press charges."
Genrou remained quiet after he heard this. He wasn't quite sure what to do about the situation. He didn't want to go out with the whole story, that would be too public, most likely things could get worse for him and Houjun. He cleared his mind; he was too tired to be thinking about such things. "Ya know, I don't wanna think about that stuff now. We'll figure it out later. I'm wiped, all I wanna do right now is relax." Kouji sighed, he knew his friend wouldn't want to deal with the situation at hand, but could he really blame him? "All right man, we'll let you rest for now, but we'll be back. Get some rest buddy." Kouji and Hikou walked out of the room leaving Genrou and Houjun alone once more.
Houjun walked back over to Genrou's bedside and smiled down at his new rediscovered love. "I should probably go too and let you have your rest. I'll be back to see you every day, you can count on that, and "after a moment's hesitation he concluded the statement with" I love you." Genrou's eyes welled up with tears as he replied, "I love you too. And if ya don't come back I'll kick yer ass once I get out of here."
Houjun smiled at his love's expected crudeness. He leaned over the bed until his face was a mere three centimeters away from Genrou's and said in a seductive tone, "I can't wait until you're out of here." Then he leaned in all the way for a deep kiss that lasted until the still weak Genrou ran out of air. As they pulled away each smiled and said good-bye. As the door to the room closed and sigh of contentment could be heard from either side.
~*~
Hikou pulled into the driveway of Kouji's house to drop him off. As they kissed goodnight the world seemed right once more and helped to sooth the feelings of anxiety passing through the minds of both young men.
Okay, that's it for this chapter. What did you think? Let me know!! CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is cool (constructive being the key word there). I'm sorry it took so long, I'm busy!! But I'm trying!!
