A/N: Originally posted in Ao3. Once upon a morning, I decided to post it here HAHA. Guess I'm too impulsive when I woke up. Actually, I'm not too confident to post this fic here but whatever HAHA. In any case, I hope you enjoy the adventure of our favorite pair.
Summary: One simple question embarks a journey of two teenage boys who found solace among themselves. A journey of escape from the despair and unfavored life; Discovering limits in a certain place where no boundaries preventing their explorations of what their young selves could reach.
Characters: Sendoh, Rukawa
Genre: Adventure/Romance/Drama
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the SD characters used in this fic.
Warning: This contains drama.
A blinded path with no clear direction to go. Pedaling his only ride on a street somewhere in Kanagawa. No specific destination. No certain place to head onto. But to keep going until the rage grasping his chest, from a phone call argument, subsides.
'You are going to live with me, or you'll rot in Japan.'
Live under one roof with his second wife who happens to be the main reason his mother left them? And then what? Babysit his three-year old half-brother he has never even met? How will he live in peace with these people he blames for his broken self?
Earphones plugged. Playing a loud metallic song banging his eardrums. One way to calm his perturbed mind. How could he not? A father. One biological-related person; Living in a mansion with three luxurious cars; Earning millions or billions in a year - but can't even support his first born son's only endeavor without requiring such manipulative conditions?
'Business administration course and I will allow you to pursue your senseless sport. After university, you'll discard that dream and work for my company.'
"Pfft." He'll die first before he surrendered his mother sport.
But what can an eighteen-year old boy do? An American life to pursue an NBA career is too far from his reach. An impossible dream for his young age. Years would take to afford one plane ticket by earning a minimum wage from a part-time job in a small earning café he's working on. How much more of living alone and renting an apartment all by himself?
He snorted. A rich father but needs to work part-time? He's a curse of his life.
A sudden halt. Captured by a beautiful scenery all of a sudden. Inhaling this perfection he doesn't knew existed. The cold wind brushing few strands of his raven fringes, allowing to feel a touch of the flaunting image right before his eyes. Perfected by a bridge connecting the astonishing view and his current bland location.
He parked his bike near a wooden bench and sat himself to intake more of this tranquil picture.
If only...
If only his mother never left him...
If only he's old enough to support his own self...
If only he's born from a seed of another father...
If only...
"That was a huge amount of air you intake. I thought I'm going to get breathless."
A voice he heard, which seems to be talking to him. He gave it a glance, eyeing in the corner. Eyebrows met in the center of his nose bridge upon recognizing the man sitting on the other bench, parallel to his. Not giving a care, he rolled his eyeballs back to the scenery. No one can disturb this peace he needed in this time of self-comforting.
"In a mess right now rookie? You seem troubled, judging by that heavy breathing of yours."
His fists clenched on top of his legs, starting to get annoyed.
"Let me guess, girl trouble? I can help you. I'm expert on that part." he said followed by a click of his tongue. Probably winked too, but who cares?
A little sigh he returned. Contemplating if he should find a better spot to experience this view... alone... in peace... away from this person whose existence is only required for a one-on-one Saturday match.
"Money? Is it money?"
'If I say yes, what will you do?' he responded in his thoughts alone. Apparently, his guess is on point. Money is the root cause of his problem.
"Sorry. Not the right person to talk to about that." he laughed.
His eyelids flinched in annoyance. 'Jerk.'
"Family problem?"
That's it! The last straw. "We're not friends. Leave me alone." he blurt out and stood from his seat, attempting to leave with his bicycle.
"'Cause I do..."
He halted. Turning his head slowly to the guy on the bench, Sendoh Akira. Known for his optimistic, careless, free-spirited and charming aura, but what his eyes sees at this moment... is but a vulnerable one. Body half bent with elbows on top of his legs. Hands rubbing against each other, as if cold or thinking deeply. And eyes filled with inexplainable sadness, boring at the shared view he describes as perfection.
Ambivalent but... his hand slides down from his bicycle's clutch, took a step back and returned to his previous seat, joining the night full of deadly silence with his unwanted or more like unexpected companion.
A heavy intake of air he heard as he felt the movement from his peripheral view. Sendoh moved back from his position and leaned against the backseat of the bench with an arm hanging atop of it and body tilted to his direction. One leg on top of the other. "Thanks for staying." he heard him say.
An eyebrow flinched. "I didn't stay for you."
"You are about to go a while ago."
He paused for a moment. "I forgot... I'm not done thinking." A joke he uttered, earning a loud laugh from the other guy. A brief smirk escaped him.
"Will you look at that. Your lips stretched. Didn't know it can form a smile."
He snorted and quickly straightened the curve of his mouth, returning back to his usual expressionless self.
"It's a wonderful view isn't it?" he said, referring to the perfect scenery.
He stayed quiet.
"Like a view of a somewhat perfect family..."
Rukawa eyed him again in the corner. So it is a family problem. Coincidence? Though in his part, his relationship with his father is far to be called a family.
"I remember this move I've watched just few days ago." Sendoh says. "Downloaded illegally if you know what I mean." A chuckle.
Of course he knew. A cinema ticket right now is highly expensive for someone saving all his extra money for an NBA dream. A long way to go but who wants to spend the fruits of his labor when you can download it freely?
"A movie of a perfect family broken by one deep secret."
Rukawa averted his gaze on the other side. 'Tch. No need for a movie.' he thought, referring to his own impaired experience.
"And then one day, the eldest son discovered something that shattered his life."
His eyeballs back on the unwanted companion. "Let me guess, the father is busted when accompanying a different woman for a prenatal checkup?"
Sendoh's fingers formed a gun and fires at him. "Correct. Honey-glazed doughnut for you... later." he teased and continued. "Didn't know Rukawa Kaede, the strongest of them all, watch those kinds of movie?" he laughed at his own mockery.
"Tch. Who doesn't?" His reply. A movie he never knew existed until he rode a bus going to somewhere in Nagoya which unexpectedly got this built-in player at the back of each seats. The only selection however is heavy drama movies. But since it's a four-hour ride, and it's the only movie that took his interest, so why not play-
WAIT!
His eyebrows lifted in shock and turned his head abruptly to his companion when a sudden realization came to his mind. Sendoh is on his bitter smile, confirming his intuition. "I found out a while ago. Resulting for me to wander around, with nowhere else to go... and it lead me here. I couldn't face my mother... or even the devil... not yet..."
A pain he knew. A pain he felt years ago and the familiarity all came back at this point in time.
Sendoh bent his head to the left to rub his nape. "I was passing by a clinic from a friend's birthday party. Then I saw him coming out, with a woman clinging on his arms; same age as my mom, with a belly as round as a basketball. Probably 4-5 months based on its size."
Rukawa turned back at the scenery whose existence is not important anymore. His mind is now occupied by the dilemma carried by the stranger. "You... you may be mistaken." Rukawa was taken aback by his own self. An advice he never thought could come from him, but if giving his point of view, it may be a misconception. Who knows? Maybe a friend of his old man's friend? Or not?
A scoff. "I found a receipt from his pocket pants months ago when mother asked me to prepare the laundry. Prenatal vitamins, maternity clothing, pregnancy books? All swiped off from his card." he turned to Rukawa. "Still doubting?" He gave it a chuckle and a heavy sigh right after. "Mom knows, I am sure. I hear her cries from my room and sometimes at the kitchen almost every night. But she'll face us the next day with her caring smile..." he continued. "And if a dentist, who got his own clinic, began travelling consistently every weekend... What will you think?"
He remained mummed. All evidence is on point.
"I am not stupid. I'm a grown-ass boy." he added. Stares softened on the ground. "I just... couldn't accept he'll do this to my mom... especially to my most precious 10-year old brother."
No words can comfort anyone in this kind of pain. He had this before and it broke him to pieces.
"Dad may leave us sooner or later..." Sendoh added. Words of fears coming from a teenage boy who seems to be enjoying a high-spirited life until this particular day.
"Believe me..." Rukawa muttered. "It might do you better. Been there..."
Sendoh's eyebrow flinched, but a smirk on lips. "Got father issues too? Is that why you're here?"
He shrugged in response. Not wanting to share more of his troubles but thought of giving some comforting words to the guy he barely knew but shared the same fate.
A scoff of amusement escaped Sendoh, lips curling, gaze back at the scenery with a yacht passing under the connecting bridge.
Minutes of silence have passed until Sendoh speaks. "I know a place."
He heard, tilting his head a little to the side, waiting for Sendoh to continue. "A place to throw all your troubles and worries. Shout to your heart's content with no one cursing back at you." He chortled. "And the world will remain still but your burden is lifted from you... even for a little while." Rukawa is still baffled of what to feel but felt interested on what he's implying. Sendoh then stood and patted the back of his pants, dusting it off. "And since we're sharing the same troubles..." He turned his gaze down to Rukawa. "So..." and offered an opened palm.
"Do you want to?"
TBC