Title: No Bridge to Cross
Genre: Gravitation / Angst / Slash
Pairings: Tohma + Ryuichi
Disclaimer: Gravitation and its characters do not belong to me. They belong to Maki Murakami.
Author's Notes: Inspired by the airport scene and the realization that Ryuichi isn't so bouncy all the time in the anime. Well...yeah. I hope this one-shot did Ryuichi justice.
Readability's a 70.
Three years ago, he broke him. Three years later, he wanted him back.
He stood at the arrival hall of the airport, waiting anxiously for the one he waited for so long. Moments later, he spotted him – brown hair, opaque shades, and still two inches shorter than him, the familiar face of his blond manager behind him. 1
"Tohma!" he exclaimed, launching forward to embrace him. He took the chance to breathe in the familiar scent of pineapples he loved so much, losing himself in the embrace his friend willingly gave.
"Ryuichi, it's been a while," he said rather cautiously, afraid to scare him away. He remembered him three years ago, a mere shadow of the person he was, and he would kill himself if he hurt him all over again.
Ryuichi grinned, looking much like a Cheshire cat. Tohma diverted his attention to K, giving him a perfunctory nod and a rather stiff greeting that sounded fluid to anyone's ears but his. "Thanks for taking care of him," he said sincerely though it didn't sound sincere - not to him at least.
K shrugged, grinning widely and answered in fluid English. "No problem! It was a pleasure." He didn't change, not much in any case. Tohma was thankful – at least some things stayed the same.
K excused himself and he found himself closing the distance between himself and Ryuichi. "I missed you," he said gently, tenderly. Ryuichi stiffened fractionally and he could imagine his usually transparent blue eyes turn opaque.
"As did I," he said, suddenly sounding tired. Though unsaid, he could hear the tail-end of his reply echoing in his head.
As a friend.
He wanted to hurt himself for hurting his precious friend. He wanted to kill something, realizing at that moment that the past still haunted him, and that time did not breach the barrier formed between them due to his callous actions.
"I would love to hear you sing again," he said softly, trying not to let the disappointment that Ryuichi was closed to him, even after so long, show.
Ryuichi graced him with a sad smile, almost bitter. "I won't sing solo in Japan," he said simply. It sounded like a death sentence.
I won't sing for you alone.
Tohma stepped back, letting his own solid defenses build themselves back around him. A cold smile graced his face and he felt strangely detached. "But you'll sing as Nittle Grasper." It was a statement.
Ryuichi nodded, turning his head away as if he had been maintaining eye-contact all along – which perhaps he had. Tohma wouldn't know. "Of course, that's why I'm back."
Tohma turned away from him then. "K's here. We should go," he said once he spotted the blond. He felt rather than saw Ryuichi nod.
"Ah. Let's," he said before he transformed back into that cherry bouncy kid and went to pounce on K. He followed behind in a more sedate pace, wishing – not for the first time, that he could reverse the damage he had inflicted on his friend, almost-lover, and do something to breach the ever-widening gap between them.
Watching Ryuichi's ever-retreating back, he knew that the wish was an impossibility. A strange smile graced his lips.
Nittle Grasper would fall this time – he was almost sure of it. Clenching his fists, he walked on, his determination and regret hidden behind the cool mask he had on like a second skin. He would do everything in his power to make sure his premonition was wrong.
Everything.
He owed Ryuichi that much.
HNO3 - I just realized how morbid my stories are... Anyway, i hope you guys like it!