title: Distance
characters: Shindou Takuto, Tsurugi Kyousuke
pairing: kyoutaku
summary: it's almost time for Shindou to leave the country.
a/n: tumblr request!

It wasn't sudden news, nothing new. He had already told Tsurugi this before, he was the first to know. His parents had spoken to him about it, told him that his education would be better across the seas and he wasn't one to deny that fact. Especially when the focus would be more on his musical career rather than his football one.

Shindou didn't seem bothered by it, not at first. He heard talk about it when he was younger and knew that his time to leave Japan would be coming soon. It had been in the back of his mind until a year ago, when his parents had brought it up and finalized this decision. He'd have a year to spend in Japan and a year seemed to be like a long time. But, with school and sports and everything in between, time began to pass in the blink of an eye. And now, he only had one more week left.

Realization of it was slowly dawning upon him. It really started to hit in this final month, with friends wanting to spend time with him, asking for contact information. Now, it was hard to ignore the fact that he'd be moving thanks to the boxes in his room.

Tsurugi had offered to help, though it was more like he insisted. Shindou figured it was a way to spend more time with him. Of course, he told the striker he didn't have to, but he had made it clear he would.

So, he had come over to Shindou's home, nonchalantly walking into his room and looking at the unfolded boxes, at Shindou as he tried to decide what was needed for his travels and what he could leave behind.

The striker was assigned to put some books away, some clothes. Every now and then he'd glance at Shindou to see if he was alright and that he wasn't acting any...different. He seemed fine, more in his own little world of making the right decisions. It's like he wasn't bothered by this move at all, at leas on the surface.

"Let's take a break," Shindou was the one to say it after an hour of work.

Tsurugi nodded, heading towards the couch in his room, taking a seat beside the other. He looks out to the room, taking in the sight. It wasn't messy but not filled with the pianist's touch anymore. He knew the other wasn't taking everything, he'd be making trips back for holidays and other visits, but it was still lacking compared to how it used to be.

(He recalls jokingly asking if the pianist would try to pack his piano with him overseas. The fact that Shindou had hesitated on giving a response had made the younger chuckle, a rare sight.)

"Can you believe it's almost time?" Tsurugi speaks up as he glances over to Shindou.

"Truthfully, it feels as if it were just yesterday I told you I'd be leaving..." He replies. His gaze remains on the room, eyes distant, lost in thought. His lips remain in a thing line, neither sad nor happy. "Time really does fly, doesn't it?"

"Hmm." Tsurugi nods, quiet. There's a lot he wants to say, tell him that he'll miss him. That things would be weird without him around. But it doesn't feel right telling him this now. That's better left for the day when he'll actually leave and god that's really coming up soon, isn't it?

"I don't want to be alone."

It was a sudden statement that causes Tsurugi to turn and look to Shindou. His gaze had turned down, looking to his hands resting in his lap.

"You won't be."

Shindou turns his head slightly, raising a brow to him. He doesn't need to ask him to continue with that expression he's wearing.

"You'll have the team with you, figuratively."

"I wouldn't have ever guessed that after," he replies with a hint of sarcasm. It makes Tsurugi roll his eyes.

"And you'll have me. Not literally, but I'll keep in touch."

Shindou's thin lips turn into a small smile. He reaches out and puts a hand over Tsurugi's.

"I know. I want to do my best to keep in touch with you as well. Time differences might be a hurdle, but I plan to talk to you as much as possible. It's just..." His hand squeezes the other's. "It's different. Here, I have so many people with me, at home and at school. Being in a new country with no one familiar...I don't know if I'll get used to it." A sigh. "I would have loved for you to come with me."

But Tsurugi belonged here, with the team. He had a future here. Possibly out in the world to, but for now, his place was here, with Raimon.

"Sometimes I worry that I might not make any friends there. Perhaps they'd find me strange for being a foreigner and who could I turn to then? I won't even have Aria or Lute with me. I know you'll say I'm overthinking and that I'll do fine, but...it'll be hard."

"I still believe you can do it," he replies, sandwiching Shindou's hand and facing him. "Even if you do need a lot of encouragement from me, I'll make sure you survive out there."

"That doesn't sound very encouraging," he huffs.

"But it helps a bit, doesn't it?"

"It...does." A pause. "You know, I never thought you'd be the one to throw some type of we'll be in your heart speech at me. I think the team really has rubbed off on you," Shindou says with a light chuckle.

Tsurugi's cheeks flare up for a moment and he glances away. "It's just to help you get through this..."

Shindou smiles softly, taking this chance to lean towards him and press his lips against his cheek. "I know. Thank you, Kyousuke."