Sk8 is a relatively happy anime so I don't see a lot of time travel fics… *tosses this into the void*
ooo
Kaoru woke up on a perfectly normal Saturday in a bed he hadn't slept in for almost a decade. It was his childhood bed, and his mother was knocking on the door to call him to breakfast. Kaoru had gotten up, looked in the mirror, and had a little panic at the fact that he was seventeen again.
He was supposed to be twenty-seven.
Well, after the little panic, what could Kaoru do? He pushed down all his emotions, ate breakfast with his mother, and when Monday rolled around he went to school.
He'd been in Kojiro's class their senior year; Kaoru had no memory which classroom he was in or where his locker was. He took his backpack to class and followed Kojiro to find his desk; they'd always switched their assigned seats with classmates so they could sit together. It looks like this time they'd nabbed the window seats. Staring at his own reflection in the window, Kaoru felt a deep pang when he saw his young, pretty features look back at him. He still wasn't used to having a lip ring again, and he kept lightly grazing his fingers over it. His old hair style was artfully gelled into place; he'd kept this style until Kaoru had decided in his early twenties that he couldn't pull it off anymore and it was too much work besides. But this morning he'd put in the effort, going through the motions feeling like a ghost.
"Kaoru, are you all right?" Kojiro asked him, and Kaoru still couldn't get over how young Kojiro looked. So skinny. "You're quiet today."
"Just tired," Kaoru said flatly.
"You skipped out this weekend," Kojiro said, a mixture of concerned and annoyed. "Where were you?"
"Busy," Kaoru said, and ten years outside of time. Thankfully the teacher came in to start the class before he had to answer more questions.
Dear lord, had Kaoru really known all this material as a child? He had vague memories of calculus, but none of how to actually solve anything. Rather than listening to the teacher, he skimmed back to earlier chapters and started reading explanations of the basics in a panic.
During lunch, he told Kojiro he'd be staying in the classroom to finish homework. Kojiro looked at him like he'd gone crazy; Kaoru had generally done decently in school, but he was never so diligent to do his work during lunch. Still, he wasn't quite ready to face…
"Adam said to meet him on the rooftop for lunch," Kojiro said, still looking at Kaoru strangely. "I thought you'd want to go, since he hasn't been wanting to get lunch with us lately."
"Hmm," Kaoru said disinterestedly, although he quietly filed away the information. Adam was already starting to get bored with them at this time, then. "Not today."
He knew he was acting strange, not bickering with Kojiro as they used to (and still had, ten years later). He was treating him—and everyone else—like they were clients at work, polite and distant. Still, Kaoru felt too wrong-footed to behave any way else. He knew it was Kojiro, but it wasn't his Kojiro. This person, he hadn't spoken to this person in a decade.
And to be honest… he felt weird, okay? He'd been in love with Kojiro at age twenty-seven, not at age seventeen. Being around Kojiro made him feel like a creepy old man! Jesus, if he was stuck in this body, he wasn't dating until he was at least in his twenties.
...Not that he'd ever done much dating anyway. When he'd been interested in Adam, Adam had never been interested. And later when Kaoru had wanted Kojiro, Kojiro had never wanted him either.
Kaoru sighed. If this was his new life, maybe he should just give up on romance entirely. Right now he was a creepy old man in a kid's body, and even when he got older, he'd never had any luck to begin with.
"Kaoru… Kaoru!" Kojiro snapped his fingers in front of Kaoru's face. Kaoru blinked. The classroom had emptied, and only Kojiro was left. The school day had ended.
"What?" he asked.
"What's going on with you?" Kojiro said, his eyebrows wrinkled in concern. "You've been acting weird all day."
"I'm fine," Kaoru said with a frown. Even his own mother hadn't really noticed anything strange, but then, today had required a lot more exertion and effort. It figured that Kojiro would be the first to notice… but hopefully the last.
"If something's bothering you, you can tell me, you know," Kojiro muttered, looking away awkwardly. "Unless you're mad at me for some reason?"
"I'm not mad," Kaoru told him, standing and sliding his books into his bag. Well, there was one thing they could do which would take little acting on Kaoru's part. "Do you want to go skating?"
"Do you even need to ask?" Kojiro said, finally offering a grin. So young, Kaoru thought again with a pang.
Unfortunately, they ran into Adam in the hallway. Kaoru carefully kept his face impassive, but he felt his muscles tense. Kojiro didn't seem thrilled to see Adam, but he also didn't seem too angry. Kaoru figured Adam hadn't started behaving too violently yet, at least to their knowledge. Kaoru remembered they'd had their confrontation with Adam at the end of their senior year, but he couldn't remember how long before then Adam had started changing his behavior.
He did remember that they'd started S the previous summer, and he also remembered that Adam would move approximately a year from now.
Move early and leave us in peace, asshole, Kaoru thought to himself. He wondered if he was being unfair, since presumably Adam hadn't started sending skaters to the hospital yet. But when he looked at Adam now, all he could see was the man who had brutally struck him across his face and could very well have killed him. The cruelty would start soon, he knew, if it hadn't already.
"S tonight?" Adam asked, eyes impassive and cold. You're special, he remembered Adam used to say. Kaoru used to long to make those cold eyes warm. And for a while, he'd succeeded… Until Adam had grown bored and violent.
"Of course," Kojiro said. Kaoru looked away, and Adam quickly caught the motion.
"Kaoru, you're in, right? We missed you this weekend," Adam said, his smile clearly fake and irritated.
Back in the day, Kaoru would have been flattered, thinking that Adam was irritated because he missed him. Now, Kaoru knew Adam was just irritated because he'd been missing one of his toys.
"Whatever," Kaoru said, walking towards the school doors without waiting for either of the two boys. They'd follow anyway.
As soon as he hit the steps, he mounted his skateboard and started riding down the rails.
His old board wasn't Carla, but it was still a good, sentimental board that Kaoru was fond of. Even after Carla, he'd still kept it. He'd ridden it on the way to school today, a bit unfamiliar at first, but by the time he'd arrived, he found it still fit him like an old glove.
Kaoru was careful at the skatepark, not really remembering which tricks he'd known at that age and not wanting to draw any attention. Kojiro lacked the experience of his older self, but he still had the same devil-may-care attitude and easygoing smile. Kaoru's heart warmed in spite of himself and he started mimicking Kojiro's jumps. With a pang, Kaoru realized if he was stuck here, he'd have to go two years without Kojiro again when the boy went to Italy for culinary school.
"Did you see?" Kojiro asked when he landed a particularly challenging rotation, calling to Kaoru and Adam.
"Not bad," Kaoru said casually, but Kojiro's face lit up like he'd offered him an award. Unfortunately, Adam ruined it, as Adam was prone to do with most things.
"What he means to say is, not good, either," Adam says nastily, and Kojiro's smile disappeared. Kaoru felt a flicker of irritation. Kojiro and Kaoru might criticize each other's skating, but that was them. Kaoru was allowed to criticize Kojiro's heelflip because Kaoru had spent hours teaching him the heelflip... And vice versa, Kojiro had often helped Kaoru in return.
Adam never helped; he only competed. As a teen, Kaoru was so starstruck with Adam, he might've shrugged this off. But the shine had long since faded.
"Don't put words in my mouth," Kaoru said coldly. Kojiro looked at him surprised, which really made Kaoru feel like he'd been a poor friend as a teen.
"Oh? Sticking up for your boyfriend, Cherry?" Adam asked, a fake, sweet smile on his face. "He'll only drag you down, you know. Praise him like a dog and he'll become a dog."
"I'd rather stick up for him, than have a stick up my ass," Kaoru said, an equally sweet smile on his face. Kojiro choked, and Adam's smile disappeared.
"Oh? You're pretty mouthy for someone who hasn't won against me in years," Adam said, threatening and flirtatious all at once. He stepped forward into Kaoru's space, reaching out with a lackadaisical hand to lift Kaoru's face with a finger by the chin. "Maybe you need to be taught your place."
Without even thinking about it, Kaoru acted instinctively, slapping away Adam's hand... and kicking him in the shins. Hard. Much harder than when he kicked Kojiro in annoyance. Adam let out a distressed cry, buckling over, likely in surprise just as much as pain. Kojiro let out an exclamation, and Kaoru tried to hold it in, he really did, but—
A snort escaped him, and Kaoru drew a dainty fist over his own mouth, trying to contain his mirth. He knew he shouldn't laugh at someone in pain, but then he looked at Adam, and— hahaha.
Kojiro stared at him like he'd grown another head. Adam had reflexively bent over, hopping a bit on one foot as he held his shin, and he looked up at Kaoru with shocked, watering eyes. Well, they would be shocked, wouldn't they? Seventeen-year-old Kaoru had adored Adam, had blushed under Adam's empty flirtations, clung to his words, and strove for his approval. Seventeen-year-old Kaoru was a fool.
Still doesn't make up for a skateboard to the face, bastard, Kaoru thought to himself, snorting again when he thought of the sound Adam had made when he'd kicked him. It was sort of a "yaaoow," or maybe more of a "yaoaoaow." Kaoru wished Carla was here so she could replay it.
"Kaoru, what the hell?" Kojiro hissed, as Adam straightened up. Kaoru lowered the hand from his mouth, letting his smile fade.
"Maybe you need to be taught," Kaoru said, politely condescending. "To talk to people with a bit more respect."
Adam seemed speechless for a moment, before his eyes narrowed and his features twisted into an ugly expression.
"You little bitch," Adam said, and without warning slapped Kaoru right across the face, so hard Kaoru tasted blood. Kojiro lost it.
"You bastard," Kojiro yelled, making an aggressive move towards Adam, but Kaoru acted fast, arm darting out to catch him. "Kaoru, let me go!"
Kaoru still had his face turned to the side from where he'd rolled with the slap. He spat out the blood in his mouth, and then gave a short laugh, giving a vicious grin with bloody teeth. Fuck, this life still felt like a dream, but the pain sure felt real. He let go of Kojiro, but before Kojiro could move, Kaoru took initiative himself and roundhouse kicked Adam right in the face.
Before Adam could recover, Kaoru knocked Adam's skateboard out of his hands, and whipped it as far as he could in the other direction. He then grabbed Kojiro's hand and mounted his skateboard.
"Let's go," Kaoru said, feeling high as he tugged at Kojiro's hand. If he went back to the future now, he'd have no regrets… but he also didn't feel good about beating up a high schooler any more than this, so it was time to retreat.
"But, Kaoru," Kojiro protested, but Kaoru already started to skate away, knowing Kojiro would follow. Meanwhile, Adam would need a moment to recover from the kick and find his skateboard.
Kaoru's lip was bleeding, his cheek stung harshly, and it burned around his piercing where the metal had been driven into his gums. His mouth still tasted of blood.
But he'd just kicked Adam, he was skating recklessly through the city, and Kojiro was right there beside him. Kaoru let out a laugh, slowing down just a bit so Kojiro could catch up.
"Kaoru, what the hell?" Kojiro shouted again, leaning low on his board to gain speed. Kaoru just laughed again and went faster.
They kept skating for a while until they were sure there was no way Adam could catch them. Kaoru pulled off into an ally at last and Kojiro pulled in after him, panting to catch his breath.
"Kaoru," Kojiro said. "What was that?"
Kaoru hummed for a moment, leaning his back against the brick wall to catch his own breath. What was it? Morally dubious? Perhaps. A beautiful memory where Kaoru had no regrets? Absolutely.
"That," Kaoru said, before smiling again. His teeth were still red. "Was fun."
"Did something happen between you guys?" Kojiro asked, bewildered. Kaoru shrugged.
Now that the adrenaline had died, Kaoru wondered if picking a fight with Adam had really been a good idea. This world still didn't seem real; it felt like he was dreaming he was seventeen again with no rules to hold him back.
"Kaoru," Kojiro said again, and for the first time since he'd travelled to the past, Kaoru met his gaze and really looked at him.
"I've failed you, huh?" Kaoru said with a regretful half-smile. He'd told Kojiro when they were kids that he'd always chase the bullies away. And since they were five, Kaoru had… until Adam.
"What are you talking about?" Kojiro asked with frustration. "Why would you fight with Adam like that? I thought you— I thought you were in love with him."
Kaoru tensed, but he supposed they'd already had this conversation. Kojiro had tried to talk to him about it their junior year; Kaoru remembered it strongly because it'd been a particularly cringeworthy conversation. Kaoru had been defensive and they'd fought about it.
"Do you have to bring up my dark past?" Kaoru asked with a grimace.
"Dark past?" Kojiro shouted incredulously, clearly stressed out and reaching his limit. "You were fawning over him three days ago!"
"I didn't 'fawn,'" Kaoru snapped back.
"Kaoru, I am positive you still liked him on Friday," Kojiro insisted.
"Well, don't remind me," Kaoru said abrasively. "Do I go shouting to everyone how you wet the bed in the sixth grade?"
"That's different," Kojiro retorted. "Also, if you tell anyone, I'll tell them you still sleep with Kuma-chan."
"I do not!" Kaoru said heatedly, although thinking back, he might've still kept his teddy bear in his bed at this age. But at age twenty-seven, Kuma-chan was kept at his mother's house, and not at his adult apartment!
"I saw him in your room last week," Kojiro said with exasperation.
"Did not," Kaoru said.
"Did so!"
"Did not!"
"Agh," Kojiro threw his hands up in defeat. "Did so, but that's not the point! What happened between you and Adam?"
Kaoru let out a long breath, clunking his head back against the wall. He didn't actually want to lie to Kojiro, but he also didn't really know how to explain.
"Just...be honest with me," Kaoru said reluctantly. "How long… how long as Adam been an ass?"
How long had Kaoru been blinded by his stupid crush? As an adult, he'd thought back on it, but all the memories were tainted and subjective with his feelings at the time. He couldn't be sure. Kojiro looked at him a long moment, hesitating to answer.
"Kojiro," Kaoru said. "Honestly."
"I mean," Kojiro said with trepidation. "He was kind of always like that? But he's gotten like a hundred times worse since summer. I mostly just hung out with him 'cause you did."
"Ah," Kaoru said, a bit shocked despite himself. So, Kaoru had been blind all along. Kojiro hadn't even liked Adam; even as an adult, Kaoru hadn't realized that. He'd really failed Kojiro completely.
"Kaoru?" Kojiro asked anxiously. "Are you mad?"
"Getting mad at the truth is stupid," Kaoru sighed. "But I've been really stupid, huh?"
"You've always been a bit stupid, stupid," Kojiro said fondly, tentatively nudging at his shoulder.
"And you're nothing but stupid, stupid," Kaoru snorted. Kojiro's nudge turned into a small shove. Kaoru laughed.
"...You don't like him anymore?" Kojiro asked, sounding a bit hopeful, really pushing his luck if this had been teenage Kaoru. But, this Kaoru still felt guilty that he'd dragged Kojiro in with Adam, and hadn't protected him like he was supposed to. Anyway, this conversation never would have happened with teenage Kaoru in the first place.
"No," Kaoru said easily. "And thank goodness for that."
"Oh," Kojiro said, pleased. Kaoru couldn't believe that the first time around he'd missed Kojiro's dislike of Adam. He wondered what else he'd missed.
Kaoru figured that ditching Adam this early probably made them the bad guys, but… Well, Kaoru had learned the hard way with Adam that when people changed, they wouldn't change for you. Kaoru wasn't going to cling to some romantic notion that he could change Adam for the better. If Adam wanted to change, that was on him. Kaoru had placed enough hope in him for a lifetime; this lifetime, he was going to live free.
"Is there someone else you're interested in?" Kojiro blurted, and Kaoru blinked, refocusing on the conversation. All of a sudden he felt incredibly awkward, having this discussion with Kojiro of all people.
"No," Kaoru answered with a pang. Not in this timeline. "We're too young for romance anyway. I've decided I'm not dating anyone until I'm at least twenty."
"Twenty?" Kojiro asked in disbelief. "Why?"
"Hmm," Kaoru mused. "I'm not interested in dating a kid."
"You're a kid too," Kojiro exclaimed, sounding insistent. Kaoru snorted.
"Whatever," Kaoru said. "Maybe my taste will have improved by then."
"What kind of guy would you want to date then?" Kojiro asked persistently, and Kaoru glanced over at him. It was bizarre to be having this conversation with Kojiro now, when they'd never really spoke about it in Kaoru's old world. But, well, Kaoru was still in a good mood. Today, he'd roundhouse kicked Adam in the face. And in the shins. Oh, beautiful memories. He could humor Kojiro for a bit.
"Hmm," Kaoru said bemusedly. "Someone strong and manly."
"Like… muscular?" Kojiro said, sounding a bit disappointed.
"Sure," Kaoru agreed, a bit wistful. He'd never tell his Kojiro this in a million years, but this Kojiro wouldn't understand who he was describing. Kaoru felt a deep pang at the thought that he might not see his Kojiro for ten years. "A stupid muscle head. But mostly… someone loyal who stays by my side. Someone who spoils me, but also doesn't take my shit. Someone patient. He would cook well and be good with kids."
"...Are the muscles required?" Kojiro asked tentatively, before hurriedly adding, "I mean, Adam wasn't super buff, so maybe—"
"Didn't I say not to bring up my dark past?" Kaoru said irritably, deciding he'd had enough of this conversation. Instead, he forced himself to look at the Kojiro in front of him.
Kojiro's eyes were very bright, and his hair curled endearingly at the ends. It was plastered to his forehead with sweat, and his school uniform was ruffled from skateboarding. He looked so young and so hopeful.
This Kojiro wasn't who Kaoru was in love with, but this face was still loved. This was his best friend who'd stuck with him for over ten years, and if it was the same as his previous world, he'd stay there for at least another ten. This time, Kaoru was going to do a better job of remembering that.
"Just, the muscles," Kojiro persisted with frustration. He was so young, and Kaoru was going to protect him this time.
"We should probably head home," Kaoru said thoughtfully, pushing himself to his feet. He dusted off his pants where he'd sat down. "Are you coming for dinner?"
"Kaoru," Kojiro said urgently, as he pushed himself to his feet as well with a small stumble. Kaoru caught his arm to steady him. So, so skinny. "The muscles?"
"I think we've already talked about my love life more than enough for the day," Kaoru said disdainfully. "Actually, for the decade. Now, are you coming to dinner or not, dumbass?"
"You're the dumbass," Kojiro muttered. "I'm coming…"
"Hurry up then," Kaoru said, hopping on his skateboard. "Maybe we can get some homework done afterwards before S. You need to do my math homework."
"Who said I'll do it?" Kojiro objected. "Don't be so arrogant!"
"You'll do it, because I'm the only way you're going to pass English," Kaoru said snootily.
"Shut up, my English is fine!"
"America begs to differ," Kaoru said, thinking of their trip to L.A. in their early twenties.
"I've never been to America," Kojiro retorted.
"America will beg to differ," Kaoru corrected, raising his voice to carry over the sound of his wheels as he pushed off.
"At least I didn't call an 'integral' an 'intercom,'" Kojiro said pettily, and Kaoru didn't remember making that mistake, but knowing his past self, it was very likely true.
"Never happened," Kaoru said anyway.
"That's just a blatant lie!" Kojiro exclaimed, apparently shocked by the audacity. It was as if he hadn't known Kaoru for ten years.
"And you're a blatant loser," Kaoru told him.
"Says the four-eyes!"
"I'm wearing contacts!" Kaoru complained.
Kaoru thought maybe he should try and refrain from arguing with Kojiro, as he was the older and mature one now. But then again, that would be so out of character, Kojiro and Kaoru's mother would probably take him to get exorcised. Well, Kaoru had never been particularly mature around Kojiro anyway. Start as you mean to go on, he supposed.
They raced to Kaoru's house, and Kaoru won with a reckless laugh.
ooo
This doesn't seem a bad place to stop, but might continue this depending on response. Idk. I have a tentative outline. We'll see how I feel.