Finally more of this one too! Sorry it's been awhile. And sorry there isn't
more Farf and Nagi yet, there will be in the next chapter most likely, if
not then the chapter after that. I promise! ;) And of course, just when
things couldn't get any sappier, here comes to angst! Come on, it's me! I
can't write without a dose of angst thrown in somewhere. But it's just
setting up for more sweet sap, don't worry. *lol* ;)
~*~
"Hey Red, nice of you to show up. Practice only started half an hour ago." Schuldich shrugged, not saying anything. He and Bradley had gotten a little pressed for time, and the result had been Schuldich getting to soccer practice half an hour late. Usually it wouldn't have been a problem; actually it wasn't a problem, at least not with anyone important. Except for the team captain, Yushi Koneko. The twelfth grader had some immense dislike of the German prodigy, probably because he had almost beaten the older boy for the position of captain. Yushi glared as Schuldich simply walked past him, quickly stretching before he joined the rest of the boys doing laps around the track. "Don't walk away from me when I'm talking to you Red."
"Don't call me Red. Only my friends do that." Schuldich quickly flashed him a smile, as he resumed his stretches. Yushi quickly strode up to him, annoyed.
"Why are you late anyways? Fucking your boyfriend?" Schuldich froze, staring at his outstretched leg. No one at school knew he gay, and Brad never picked him up at the high school, always at Nagi's school down the road, away from Schuldich's classmates. It wasn't something he wanted to get out either.
"What are you talking about Yushi? I don't have a boyfriend." Schuldich didn't look up at the boy; he simply kept stretching.
"Right, that older guy who's always at your games, the one who drove you here. You think I don't know? I've known for a while. I just haven't said anything yet. You think everyone else wants to be on a team with some fag? You better watch out for yourself. I could make your high school life a living hell. Now finish your stretches and do five laps of the field. Maybe I should make you do ten, since you were late." Yushi laughed to himself, walking away to join the rest of the team. Schuldich finished his stretches, his mind reeling. How could Yushi have found out? Or was he simply playing with him, guessing and assuming, seeing if he could find some hold over the German boy. Schuldich started running, trying to get his mind off of Yushi. He could always easily sway Yushi's opinion in his mind, but Schuldich wasn't keen on using his powers too much at school. And there was something about Yushi that intimidated him. He finished his laps, joining the rest of the team. His coach called him over, the rest of the team were practicing different plays in small groups, passing and kicking the balls around the field. Yushi stood by the coach, a smirk present on his face.
"I want the two of you to practice goal kicks together. Take turns playing goal, and while you're at it talk some strategy for the game, different plays you'd like to run, who you think should be playing what cut, all that sort of stuff. After all Yushi, once you graduate Schuldich will move into your captain position next year, so I want him to get a good grasp of everything throughout the year. That's all." He dismissed the two, walking towards the benches to sit and observe. Schuldich followed Yushi to the empty end of the field, as Yushi took the goalie position first.
"Come on kid, show me what ya got. Don't let me intimidate you." Schuldich stared at the boy in front of him, intimidate? It had to just be a coincidence in wording; it couldn't be anything else. He shook his muddled head, trying to clear his thoughts. He stared Yushi down, intent on driving the ball into his teammate's skull. As he quickly approached the net, and pulled back to kick the ball, Yushi simply said "Fag" and threw Schuldich off so much he nearly missed even hitting the net. Yushi smirked again, picking the ball up and throwing it towards the German, as it knocked the wind out of him as he caught it. Why was he letting this idiot get to him so bad? Why didn't he just screw with Yushi's mind and get it over with? He dropped the ball onto the ground, kicking it as hard as possible, sending Yushi tumbling back into the net. As the older boy sat back up, Schuldich smiled at him, mouthing a silent "sorry". Yushi glared at his assistant captain, walking up to Schuldich and dropping the ball at his feet.
"Okay, you scored. Get in nets. We'll switch after we score on each other. See who does better. After all, blocking is all about using your hands, so you should have a pretty good mastery over that." Yushi winked, as he pushed Schuldich towards the net, a little harder than was required. If it weren't for Schuldich's good balance, he would have tripped in front of Yushi. He took up a spot in the middle of the net, his eyes trained on Yushi ahead of him. Yushi kicked a few shots, easy blocks, but with each one they kept getting harder and swifter, and it took a toll on Schuldich after taking a few of them. Yushi lined up for his fifth shot, and Schuldich got ready to block it, and was subsequently knocked backwards, the breath taken from his lungs. It took him a moment to be able to breathe, and he felt a distinct pain in his chest. Yushi sauntered over towards him, kneeling by his side. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize how hard I must have kicked that. You are okay, aren't you?" He smirked down at Schuldich, who struggled to sit up. They heard the fall of footsteps behind them, and Yushi's facial expression changed immediately.
"What happened?" The older boy stood up, looking overly distraught and worried.
"Coach I don't know, I just guess I got caught up and kicked it so hard I must have hurt him, I'm so sorry! Maybe we should get the physician out here, I'm really worried, oh god I'm so stupid! I hope I didn't hurt him." Schuldich was taken aback at the change in Yushi; screw soccer, he should be in the drama club. Schuldich painfully stood up, his chest aching.
"I'm okay. I just need to sit down and take a break." He tried not to convey the full amount of pain he was really feeling, faking it for the sake of pride.
"Yushi, help him to the locker room. I don't want you straining yourself; take a shower and go home and rest, no buts about it! I need you rested for the game this week." Coach left no room for argument, as Yushi didn't hesitate in sliding an arm around Schuldich's shoulders, trying his best to look worried. Schuldich didn't complain, as he actually needed the help to walk. When they were in the privacy of the locker room, Yushi shoved him on the ground, standing over him and pressing down on his chest.
"Let that be a lesson to you, you little queer. I don't like you and I never have. You better know your place, or else I will screw with you. You understand?" Yushi glared at him, a backhanded slap laying into the German's face. Schuldich nodded, not really knowing what else to do. Yushi stood up, kicking him in the ribs, which sent a flare of pain through his body. The older boy sat down on a bench, watching him. "Now get changed and get the fuck out of here so I can get back out there with my team." Schuldich opened his locker, pain still searing through his side. He took his clothes out, unsure of how he'd be able to bend over to unlace his cleats. He sat down on the bench, waiting for a moment, hoping some of the pain would subside. He was aware of Yushi watching him, his eyes trained on him.
"You don't have to stay here, you can go back out there and practice. You need it." Schuldich couldn't resist getting that last jab in; as he tried to lean down to unlace his cleats. Yushi stood up, coming over to stand in front of him.
"You really don't listen well." He punched Schuldich in the side, causing the German to double over in pain, forgetting the laces of his cleats. Yushi leaned in to him, whispering in his ear. "If you ever do anything to piss me off again, I'll get you kicked off the team. Then I'll beat the shit out of you, and then after that, maybe I'll give you the pleasure of fucking you up the ass, since I know you like it that way you fag. Now don't ever breathe a word of this to anyone, otherwise you'll be in serious trouble." Yushi stood back up, walking out of the change room. Schuldich sat still on the bench, trying not to cry. But he was in so much pain; Yushi must have really done a number on his ribs. He hoped none of them were broken. He struggled to unlace his cleats, then barely being able to proceed to changing into his other clothing, packing everything back up in his bag. Now came the really hard part. Finding some way to explain this to Brad. All Schuldich wanted right now was to feel the American's strong arms around him, holding him and kissing him, taking his pain away. He just wanted to sleep. But waking up and explaining this mess to Brad would be a whole other deal, and he needed to figure out something fast. He picked his bag up, barely able to carry it, as he headed for the doors. He called Brad on his cell phone, telling him to come and get him. Brad was surprised at the early call, but said nothing. Schuldich waited for him outside the front of the school, sitting on the steps. He saw the black jeep pull up, but couldn't bring himself to stand up. As Brad walked up to him, Schuldich fought harder with each glance to keep his tears in check. He stood up, wincing as a new pain shot through his side. Brad noticed, and rushed to his side.
"Schu, what is it? You didn't tell me you were hurt!" Brad could barely keep himself from taking Schuldich in his arms right there, but didn't want to arouse any attention of anyone who could possibly be around. He picked up Schuldich's bag from the ground, as he waited for him to speak.
"Bradley, just take me home, and don't ask. I'm just really sore and I need to get out of here." Schuldich could barely keep from flinging himself against Brad, as he struggled to walk to the jeep. He sat down in the soft leather seat, taking short, quick breaths, as long deep ones caused him too much pain; he needed to get away from the school and into Brad's arms before he started hyperventilating. Brad realized the seriousness of his condition, peeling away from the school and towards their home quickly. He didn't say anything on the way home; he simply laid one hand on Schuldich's, squeezing it tightly. Schuldich calmed down a little on the drive home, Brad's presence comforting him already. They made it to their place in record time, as Brad pulled into the garage, shutting off the engine and hopping out the side, rushing over to the passenger side of the jeep.
"Are you okay to walk, or do you want me to carry you inside?" Schuldich shook his head, stepping out of the jeep. He winced as he walked to the door, Brad at his side. Brad opened the door for him, quickly following him in. Schuldich stopped to kick his shoes off, as he made his way down the hall, pushing the door to their room open and heading straight for the bed. He sat down, finally breaking down and crying. Brad sat beside him, worry creasing his face. "Oh baby what's wrong? Schu what happened?"
"Bradley, just hold me please." He sobbed into the American's chest, each shake causing him more pain. Brad's arms wrapped around him, as he sat back against the headboard, carefully pulling Schuldich against him, holding the sobbing boy next to him. He waited until the redhead stopped crying, and seemed to gain a little control.
"Okay, now will you tell me what happened?" Brad held his face up, staring down into Schuldich's misty eyes.
"We were practicing and I just got a really hard ball to my ribs. I'll be okay really, I just needed to lie down and rest. I'm feeling better already." He faked a little smile, meeting Brad's questioning eyes. With a sigh and a shake of the head, Brad settled in more comfortably in the bed, holding Schuldich in his arms, worry creasing his mind. He knew there had to be more to the story than Schuldich was telling him, he was hiding something. But he was obviously in pain, and Brad didn't want to cause him any more discomfort, he could wait until the morning to question him again.
~*~
"Hey Red, nice of you to show up. Practice only started half an hour ago." Schuldich shrugged, not saying anything. He and Bradley had gotten a little pressed for time, and the result had been Schuldich getting to soccer practice half an hour late. Usually it wouldn't have been a problem; actually it wasn't a problem, at least not with anyone important. Except for the team captain, Yushi Koneko. The twelfth grader had some immense dislike of the German prodigy, probably because he had almost beaten the older boy for the position of captain. Yushi glared as Schuldich simply walked past him, quickly stretching before he joined the rest of the boys doing laps around the track. "Don't walk away from me when I'm talking to you Red."
"Don't call me Red. Only my friends do that." Schuldich quickly flashed him a smile, as he resumed his stretches. Yushi quickly strode up to him, annoyed.
"Why are you late anyways? Fucking your boyfriend?" Schuldich froze, staring at his outstretched leg. No one at school knew he gay, and Brad never picked him up at the high school, always at Nagi's school down the road, away from Schuldich's classmates. It wasn't something he wanted to get out either.
"What are you talking about Yushi? I don't have a boyfriend." Schuldich didn't look up at the boy; he simply kept stretching.
"Right, that older guy who's always at your games, the one who drove you here. You think I don't know? I've known for a while. I just haven't said anything yet. You think everyone else wants to be on a team with some fag? You better watch out for yourself. I could make your high school life a living hell. Now finish your stretches and do five laps of the field. Maybe I should make you do ten, since you were late." Yushi laughed to himself, walking away to join the rest of the team. Schuldich finished his stretches, his mind reeling. How could Yushi have found out? Or was he simply playing with him, guessing and assuming, seeing if he could find some hold over the German boy. Schuldich started running, trying to get his mind off of Yushi. He could always easily sway Yushi's opinion in his mind, but Schuldich wasn't keen on using his powers too much at school. And there was something about Yushi that intimidated him. He finished his laps, joining the rest of the team. His coach called him over, the rest of the team were practicing different plays in small groups, passing and kicking the balls around the field. Yushi stood by the coach, a smirk present on his face.
"I want the two of you to practice goal kicks together. Take turns playing goal, and while you're at it talk some strategy for the game, different plays you'd like to run, who you think should be playing what cut, all that sort of stuff. After all Yushi, once you graduate Schuldich will move into your captain position next year, so I want him to get a good grasp of everything throughout the year. That's all." He dismissed the two, walking towards the benches to sit and observe. Schuldich followed Yushi to the empty end of the field, as Yushi took the goalie position first.
"Come on kid, show me what ya got. Don't let me intimidate you." Schuldich stared at the boy in front of him, intimidate? It had to just be a coincidence in wording; it couldn't be anything else. He shook his muddled head, trying to clear his thoughts. He stared Yushi down, intent on driving the ball into his teammate's skull. As he quickly approached the net, and pulled back to kick the ball, Yushi simply said "Fag" and threw Schuldich off so much he nearly missed even hitting the net. Yushi smirked again, picking the ball up and throwing it towards the German, as it knocked the wind out of him as he caught it. Why was he letting this idiot get to him so bad? Why didn't he just screw with Yushi's mind and get it over with? He dropped the ball onto the ground, kicking it as hard as possible, sending Yushi tumbling back into the net. As the older boy sat back up, Schuldich smiled at him, mouthing a silent "sorry". Yushi glared at his assistant captain, walking up to Schuldich and dropping the ball at his feet.
"Okay, you scored. Get in nets. We'll switch after we score on each other. See who does better. After all, blocking is all about using your hands, so you should have a pretty good mastery over that." Yushi winked, as he pushed Schuldich towards the net, a little harder than was required. If it weren't for Schuldich's good balance, he would have tripped in front of Yushi. He took up a spot in the middle of the net, his eyes trained on Yushi ahead of him. Yushi kicked a few shots, easy blocks, but with each one they kept getting harder and swifter, and it took a toll on Schuldich after taking a few of them. Yushi lined up for his fifth shot, and Schuldich got ready to block it, and was subsequently knocked backwards, the breath taken from his lungs. It took him a moment to be able to breathe, and he felt a distinct pain in his chest. Yushi sauntered over towards him, kneeling by his side. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize how hard I must have kicked that. You are okay, aren't you?" He smirked down at Schuldich, who struggled to sit up. They heard the fall of footsteps behind them, and Yushi's facial expression changed immediately.
"What happened?" The older boy stood up, looking overly distraught and worried.
"Coach I don't know, I just guess I got caught up and kicked it so hard I must have hurt him, I'm so sorry! Maybe we should get the physician out here, I'm really worried, oh god I'm so stupid! I hope I didn't hurt him." Schuldich was taken aback at the change in Yushi; screw soccer, he should be in the drama club. Schuldich painfully stood up, his chest aching.
"I'm okay. I just need to sit down and take a break." He tried not to convey the full amount of pain he was really feeling, faking it for the sake of pride.
"Yushi, help him to the locker room. I don't want you straining yourself; take a shower and go home and rest, no buts about it! I need you rested for the game this week." Coach left no room for argument, as Yushi didn't hesitate in sliding an arm around Schuldich's shoulders, trying his best to look worried. Schuldich didn't complain, as he actually needed the help to walk. When they were in the privacy of the locker room, Yushi shoved him on the ground, standing over him and pressing down on his chest.
"Let that be a lesson to you, you little queer. I don't like you and I never have. You better know your place, or else I will screw with you. You understand?" Yushi glared at him, a backhanded slap laying into the German's face. Schuldich nodded, not really knowing what else to do. Yushi stood up, kicking him in the ribs, which sent a flare of pain through his body. The older boy sat down on a bench, watching him. "Now get changed and get the fuck out of here so I can get back out there with my team." Schuldich opened his locker, pain still searing through his side. He took his clothes out, unsure of how he'd be able to bend over to unlace his cleats. He sat down on the bench, waiting for a moment, hoping some of the pain would subside. He was aware of Yushi watching him, his eyes trained on him.
"You don't have to stay here, you can go back out there and practice. You need it." Schuldich couldn't resist getting that last jab in; as he tried to lean down to unlace his cleats. Yushi stood up, coming over to stand in front of him.
"You really don't listen well." He punched Schuldich in the side, causing the German to double over in pain, forgetting the laces of his cleats. Yushi leaned in to him, whispering in his ear. "If you ever do anything to piss me off again, I'll get you kicked off the team. Then I'll beat the shit out of you, and then after that, maybe I'll give you the pleasure of fucking you up the ass, since I know you like it that way you fag. Now don't ever breathe a word of this to anyone, otherwise you'll be in serious trouble." Yushi stood back up, walking out of the change room. Schuldich sat still on the bench, trying not to cry. But he was in so much pain; Yushi must have really done a number on his ribs. He hoped none of them were broken. He struggled to unlace his cleats, then barely being able to proceed to changing into his other clothing, packing everything back up in his bag. Now came the really hard part. Finding some way to explain this to Brad. All Schuldich wanted right now was to feel the American's strong arms around him, holding him and kissing him, taking his pain away. He just wanted to sleep. But waking up and explaining this mess to Brad would be a whole other deal, and he needed to figure out something fast. He picked his bag up, barely able to carry it, as he headed for the doors. He called Brad on his cell phone, telling him to come and get him. Brad was surprised at the early call, but said nothing. Schuldich waited for him outside the front of the school, sitting on the steps. He saw the black jeep pull up, but couldn't bring himself to stand up. As Brad walked up to him, Schuldich fought harder with each glance to keep his tears in check. He stood up, wincing as a new pain shot through his side. Brad noticed, and rushed to his side.
"Schu, what is it? You didn't tell me you were hurt!" Brad could barely keep himself from taking Schuldich in his arms right there, but didn't want to arouse any attention of anyone who could possibly be around. He picked up Schuldich's bag from the ground, as he waited for him to speak.
"Bradley, just take me home, and don't ask. I'm just really sore and I need to get out of here." Schuldich could barely keep from flinging himself against Brad, as he struggled to walk to the jeep. He sat down in the soft leather seat, taking short, quick breaths, as long deep ones caused him too much pain; he needed to get away from the school and into Brad's arms before he started hyperventilating. Brad realized the seriousness of his condition, peeling away from the school and towards their home quickly. He didn't say anything on the way home; he simply laid one hand on Schuldich's, squeezing it tightly. Schuldich calmed down a little on the drive home, Brad's presence comforting him already. They made it to their place in record time, as Brad pulled into the garage, shutting off the engine and hopping out the side, rushing over to the passenger side of the jeep.
"Are you okay to walk, or do you want me to carry you inside?" Schuldich shook his head, stepping out of the jeep. He winced as he walked to the door, Brad at his side. Brad opened the door for him, quickly following him in. Schuldich stopped to kick his shoes off, as he made his way down the hall, pushing the door to their room open and heading straight for the bed. He sat down, finally breaking down and crying. Brad sat beside him, worry creasing his face. "Oh baby what's wrong? Schu what happened?"
"Bradley, just hold me please." He sobbed into the American's chest, each shake causing him more pain. Brad's arms wrapped around him, as he sat back against the headboard, carefully pulling Schuldich against him, holding the sobbing boy next to him. He waited until the redhead stopped crying, and seemed to gain a little control.
"Okay, now will you tell me what happened?" Brad held his face up, staring down into Schuldich's misty eyes.
"We were practicing and I just got a really hard ball to my ribs. I'll be okay really, I just needed to lie down and rest. I'm feeling better already." He faked a little smile, meeting Brad's questioning eyes. With a sigh and a shake of the head, Brad settled in more comfortably in the bed, holding Schuldich in his arms, worry creasing his mind. He knew there had to be more to the story than Schuldich was telling him, he was hiding something. But he was obviously in pain, and Brad didn't want to cause him any more discomfort, he could wait until the morning to question him again.
