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If Ryuu could only use one word to describe Ennoshita Chikara, he'd choose to stay speechless.
Ennoshita was one of his best friends. He was calm and collected. He was kind to most. He helped him study, even though he didn't deserve that. He was all of those amazing things, but no one ever noticed.
No one ever noticed when he'd walk into practice with bags under his eyes. No one noticed when he had bruises that couldn't have been from practice. No one noticed the scars on his thighs. No one noticed when his eyes were bloodshot.
No one noticed.
Except Ryuu.
He could see what no one else could. He tried to help. Tried to be more present. He could tell that Ennoshita appreciated it. He was hiding tears less and standing up for himself more. Things were getting better.
Ryuu couldn't help but feel proud of himself. He'd been able to help someone and not screw it up. It made him feel even better when he realized who he helped.
-
Ryuu was in the middle of a crisis.
You know that moment when you realize that something you believed in was false? That's how he felt.
He spent his entire life liking girls. He had always liked the way girls looked. His mind always said he was straight.
His body, however, had a different idea.
He quickly realized that he was not, in fact, straight. If waking up in the morning with an uncomfortable hard-on after a dream about a faceless guy kissing at his neck was any indication.
Naturally, he was slightly off kilter for a bit. Questioning one’s sexuality is pretty draining, but if Ryuu was anything, he was stubborn. He refused to let this bother him. He didn't have to acknowledge this. He still liked girls. All he had to do was act like normal.
Ryuu went about his life as normal. He accepted that guys were just as great as girls, if not more. (Although, he refuses to admit that...)
He still had those dreams where he woke up in a sweat with heat pooling in his gut. At this point, it was more of an inconvenience than anything. He wasn't worried about it, though. He prided himself on his mental strength.
-
As time went on, his dreams got oddly more specific. The faceless men got more familiar. He heard voices that shouldn't be in these kinds of dreams.
He got flashes of pale skin, brown hair, tired eyes, lean muscle. He heard a calm voice whispering in his ear. He felt feathery touches from calloused hands. He felt his own hands tangled in soft locks.
He woke up.
He shook it out of his mind saying it didn't mean anything.
It happened again.
Rinse and Repeat.
-
Ryuu could help but notice how beautiful Ennoshita was.
Even when he was doing something as mundane as eating lunch, he had some charm. His tongue flicked out every once in a while to catch a stray crumb. His hands wrapped around his chopsticks perfectly. His cheeks puffed out from being filled, but he didn't look weird. At least, he didn't to Ryuu.
He tried not to stare. He really did, but subtlety isn't his forte. He was caught, but he always brushed it off with a dumb comment. It always worked.
He simply talked it off and eventually everyone stopped listening. They all thought he was his usual self. Being as loud and talkative as he is every other day. Screwing around with Yuu and Hinata. Using his intimidation tactics on everyone.
Ryuu knew he talked a lot.
That's why when it came to Ennoshita Chikara, he'd rather stay silent.