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“…uu…”
Hmmm…
“Ry…uu…”
Ughh, go away….
“Oi, wake up already!”
Annoyed, Ryuu tilted his head towards the voice calling out to him. It didn’t sound like either of his dads, nor his annoying little brother, so who could it be? Was he still dreaming?
“You’re going to miss out on breakfast if you don’t get up.”
Huh? Breakfast? Dad’s not home right now to make… Slowly opening his eyes, Ryuu tried to make out the person talking to him. It took a few blinks until a male figure became visible.
“Raise and shine, sleeping beauty.”
There was a few seconds of silence before Ryuu jolted straight up in his bed.
“Whoa, calm down there buddy!”
“Who are you?!”
“Huh?”
Swiftly moving against the wall, Ryuu panicked. How did this random stranger get into his room? How did they know his name? And why were they mentioning breakfast?! They don’t live here!
“Dude, you’re freaking me out, are you okay?”
“What? No!” Was it the smartest move talking to the random stranger in your room? No, but Ryuu needed answers. “And you’re the one freaking me out! How the hell did you get into my room?!”
“Your room? What nonsense are you talking about, this is our dorm room.”
“Our…what?” From there, Ryuu glanced around the room. There was a second bed in front of him, two separate closets, desks and a huge window right in the center. A place suited for two people to live in.
Tension filled his chest, how did he end up here? Did he round up getting in here by accident? But how? The last thing he remembered doing was tucking himself into bed and falling asleep in his room. Unless he’s remembering things wrong, there’s no way he could’ve magically ended up in this room…right?
Something else nudged at his mind, but he couldn’t put a finger on it. It probably wasn’t important anyway. Did his dad know where he was? Surely he would grow concerned and call to ask where-
Jackpot! His phone! The answer to all his unanswered questions should lay there. Ryuu started rummaging through the bed to find it, relieved when he felt the familiar rectangular device underneath the pillow. Expecting to see his new edition phone, Ryuu was shocked when he pulled out a flip phone instead.
This isn’t my phone… were Ryuu’s initial thoughts, but on closer inspection, the two animal keychains dangling from the side told him otherwise. Those keychains were gifted to him alongside the phone. “To add more flair,” his father noted when handing the items to him.
Ryuu didn’t want to put much thought into how his phone magically transformed, it would only cause more confusion if he did. That isn’t what he needed right now. What he needed was to figure out if his dads were looking for him. He flipped open his new device and checked what it had. No notifications, missed calls or messages. Weird, but okay, maybe his dads didn’t realize he was gone, he’ll just call them. However, when he checked the save contact list, he was shocked to see no saved numbers. Not a single one.
Ryuu stared at the empty list. How is this possible? This is supposedly my phone, so why doesn’t it have any of my saved information? I’m so confused… Existing out of the app, the screen now displayed a calendar and the time.
Wednesday, September 13, 2017 (5:50am)
Ryuu blinked once. Then again…and again. This thing is all wrong! It’s February, not September! And the year is wrong too! What the hell is going on?!
“What’s with you? You look like you saw a ghost or something.”
For a moment, Ryuu completely forgot there was another person with him in the room. He looked up at the stranger and winched at the puzzled expression they were giving him. The stranger looked around his age, maybe slightly older, had dark brown hair that was parted to one side and dark-gray eyes.
Judging from the unbuttoned white dress shirt and blazer in hand, they were in the middle of getting dressed. Looking even closer, the blazer they were holding looked similar to the one Ryuu wore to school. A highschool student, he concluded. Just like him.
Maybe he’s not a threat after all…
“Uhh, Ryuu?”
Ryuu flinched. “Y-Yes?!”
“Everything alright? You’re staring at me like I have something on my face.”
“U-Uh…”
“…Do I actually have something on there?”
The concerned expression on the stranger’s face made Ryuu hold in a laugh. “No, there’s nothing on your face.”
The stranger sighed in relief. “Oh thank goodness. For a second, I thought I didn’t wipe off all the uh…dried drool…”
Ryuu couldn’t hold in the laughter any longer. Yeah, definitely not a threat.
“Yeah, yeah laugh all you want,” The stranger huffed. “Actually, please do! You’re back to your normal self.”
Upon hearing that, Ryuu froze, his laughter coming to a halt. The brief moment of peace vanished when it settled back where he was.
“Never mind, now you look like a scared puppy.”
“A scared…puppy?” He didn’t expect to hear a comment like that.
“You should see how you look right now! It's like you received the worst news ever in your life.”
Well, you’re not entirely wrong there… he was in some random high school student’s room, his smartphone magically transformed into a flip phone. (He still didn’t want to think about how that happened.) He was confused out of his mind and worst of all, no one he knew bothered to contact him. Terrible news for anyone to hear in the morning.
“I know I asked this already, but are you okay?”
Ryuu could just lie and say that was fine, the stranger didn’t need to know how he was feeling. But, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. “N-Not really…if I’m being honest, I feel very sluggish.”
“If that’s the case, why don’t you go wash your face? There’s still some time left before breakfast.”
That… sounds like a good idea. Perhaps Ryuu could get some answers to his situation once he left the room. Not only that, washing any sleepinesses left might help him focus better. It’s decided then.
“Yeah, I’ll do that.”
“Great,” The stranger grabbed a towel from one of the desks and handed it to Ryuu. “Go get rid of that sleepy dust from your eyes!”
Accepting the towel, Ryuu smiled. “Thank you…umm?” Right, he doesn’t know the stranger’s name. Well this is awkward, I can’t just say, “Thanks for the towel, random stranger!” That’s too weird. The sudden laughter snapped Ryuu out of his thoughts.
“Man, dreamland has you trapped behind its doors, you can’t even remember my own name!”
Ryuu blushed. “Well, I…”
“The name’s Shuichi, now don’t you forget it!”
Shuichi… For some reason, the name gave a sense of familiarity to Ryuu, despite only meeting him today. “R-Right, how could I forget? Sorry about that, S-Shuichi-san.”
Shuichi waved him off. “Don’t worry about it, just get yourself ready for today.”
Ryuu nodded, getting himself out of bed and stretching. He took one last look around the room before heading towards the door. Slipping into one of the available slippers, he placed his hand on the handle and was about to open it when suddenly, it hit him. Ryuu awkwardly turned to face Shuichi again.
“Umm, where’s the bathroom?”
When laughter erupted in the room, Ryuu wanted nothing more, but to crawl inside a hole and never come out. He probably looked like a lost child looking for their parents with the way he asked that question. Which, in a way, he kinda was.
“Oh man, you’re killing me with your behavior today!”
“G-Glad you’re enjoying this…”
“Oh, I am!” Shuichi managed to wheeze out. “You’re so adorable, Ryuu.”
“A-Adora-“ Ryuu stuttered, face warming up from embarrassment. How was Shuichi so comfortable with him already? No one would call someone they just met adorable! Would they? Ryuu didn’t know. Regardless, more unanswered questions kept getting added to his ever growing list.
“Keep heading down the hall and make a left, you’ll see it once you’re there.” Shuichi finally said after calming down from his laughing fit.
“T-Thanks…”
“Of course! Need me to hold your hand so I can guide you there safely?”
“Nope, I can find it myself, thank you very much!” Forcefully opening the door, Ryuu stepped out. Shuichi’s laughter was the last thing Ryuu heard before it got mumbled out by the door closing.
Geez, what’s with him? Why did he call me that? Glancing up at the door one more time, Ryuu sighed and headed down the hall. Whatever, I shouldn’t focus on that right now, the bathroom is my main priority. Examining the unfamiliar walls around him, Ryuu started to feel on edge.
Shuichi-san said “dorm room” earlier, so this has to be a high school dormitory, but why am I here? Why would they accept some random kid who doesn’t attend this school? No less, let them sleep in one of their student’s rooms, it makes no sense.
Pulling out his brand new flip phone to distract himself, Ryuu looked through its contents again. He expected nothing to be different, but it didn’t hurt to check again. Maybe, somebody finally realized he was gone. Much to his dismay, nothing had changed.
Neither dad nor father tried to contact me yet, aren’t they concerned about my absence? Ryuu stopped in his tracks and stared at the now black screen. Maybe…they’re too busy doting on my brother to even realize I’m not there. Scoffing, Ryuu shoved his phone back into his pocket. I wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case.
When his little brother came into the picture, Ryuu wasn’t bothered by the fact their dads’ undivided attention went towards him. The kid was only five years old and needed their attention. However, it only started bothering him when he realized that was all they would focus on.
His brother came first for everything. Important school event? We’re right there with you son! Play time? Sure, let’s play kiddo. You’re hungry? Have your favorite meal! But whenever Ryuu needed something, or just wanted to talk, they would give him the same excuses on why they couldn’t.
Not right now, Ryuu. Your brother needs something.
Oh, Sorry Ryuu! Can’t right now, but I promise to make it up to you later!
You should know I’m busy with stuff, we can talk later.
Ryuu tried to be reasonable with them, working as a pilot and school gym coach wasn’t an easy task, especially while raising two kids. He admired their ability to handle everything on their plate. Plus, Ryuu wasn’t a little kid anymore. He could take care of himself, no need for his doting dads to intervene. But, when the same thing kept constantly happening, Ryuu couldn’t stop the growing anger building up inside him.
It also didn’t help that he was a tad envious of his little brother getting all their attention. It reminded him of the days where he was in that spot, being spoiled and loved by two of the greatest people he knew.
Ryuu sighed, maybe he’s overthinking everything. The stress of being away from home and not having anyone contact him was probably getting to his head. The weird occurrences that were also happening weren't helping his case either. Shaking his head, Ryuu pressed further towards the bathroom. He should just listen to what Shuichi said and wash his face. That would relieve him in some way.
Hopefully.
Reaching his destination, Ryuu made his way inside. To his luck, no one was inside. Heading towards one of the empty sinks, he placed his towel down and looked up at the mirror. That's when his heart sank.
W-What the fuc-
Ryuu moved closer to the mirror to examine what he was looking at. His appearance, down to his height, changed . He no longer looked like the newly turned eighteen year old. Instead, it appeared that reverted back to when he was sixteen. His sharp facial features and eyes are now more roundish and soft like. The piercings on his ears are gone, and his hair was slightly shorter than before. Ryuu trailed his hand down his face in utter disbelief.
This can’t be…I-I have to be dreaming!
Quickly turning on the faucet, Ryuu splashed water on his face, not caring about the temperature nor the water falling onto the floor. When he looked back up in the mirror, he was staring at the same startled boy. Back to splashing his face again, more aggressively this time.
This has to be a dream! None of this is real!
A few minutes of constant splashing later, Ryuu turned off the water and grabbed the towel next to him. He began wiping the running water off his face, not caring about the pain being inflicted by rubbing it too hard against his face. Before he removed the towel, Ryuu took a moment to regain his cool.
When you take this thing off, you’ll be back to your old self. None of what you saw was real, all if it was in your head. Okay? On the count of three, we’ll remove the towel. One…
Ryuu took a deep breath,
Two…
And exhaled.
Three!
Removing the towel off his face, Ryuu examined himself again. Nothing, none of his efforts to change worked. He still looked the same. The only new thing present was his face being red from the aggressive rubbing he did.
Frustrated, Ryuu threw the towel down onto the sink. Nothing was making sense to him anymore. First, waking up in an unfamiliar room, then his phone transforming and now, he aged backwards? What the hell was going on? Could Shuichi be right about being trapped in dreamland? It sounded ridiculous as hell, but it’s the only logical reason Ryuu could accept. Maybe he’s a deep slumber and couldn’t get out of it.
However, there’s one huge flaw with that theory, Ryuu wasn’t much of a heavy sleeper. Any small sound would be enough to wake him up. With all noises being made, Surely, he would’ve been awake by now. There was another flaw with his theory, everything felt too real. To the sounds he heard, things he touched and talking with Shuichi, none of it felt fake.
Placing a hand on his cheek, Ryuu glanced up at the mirror again, his reflection looking back at him. A combination of fear, confusion and anger were all present on his young face. An expression he hated seeing, Ryuu clenched his jaw.
This isn’t a dream.
He closed his eyes shut, feeling tears start to form in them.
This is a nightmare.
Not wanting to stay any longer, Ryuu grabbed the towel he tossed and rushed towards the door. Only to bump into somebody as they were entering.
“Ah, shit,” The collision made him step backwards slightly. “I’m so sorry about that, are you okay-“ Ryuu drew in a sharp breath when he got a glance of the person he bumped into.
“I’m alright, just be careful next time.” Blue eyes glanced over to him. “Are you okay?”
Ryuu couldn’t stop the word that came out of his mouth the moment that question left the person’s mouth. “F-Father?!”
”What?”
Ryuu slapped his hand over his mouth. The blue-eyed person raised an eyebrow at that.
“Uhh, what did you just call me?”
“A-Ah, nothing! I just woke up not that long and I’m kinda out of it, don’t mind me!” Ryuu laughed nervously. He knew he sounded beyond absurd, but with him trying to wrap his mind around what he was seeing, it’s the only explanation he could come up with. Great fucking excuse, Ryuu. He’s not going to fall for that-
“Umm, okay then?”
Holy shit, it actually worked.
Ryuu watched as the blue-eyed person scratched the back of his head, awkwardly looking to his side.
“Well, back to the topic at hand, are you alright-“
“Oh, look at the time, I gotta go! Breakfast is about to be served right?”
“Uh yeah, but what about-“
Ryuu bowed his head down. “Sorry again for bumping into you and uhh, I’ll see you around, probably!” He lifted himself up and bolted into the hallway. “Bye!”
“Oi, no running in the hallway!”
Upon hearing that familiar command, Ryuu slowed down, but kept a fast walking speed. From there, he tried to process what he just saw. That’s impossible, there is no way that was…The image of that person’s blonde hair, blue eyes and taken aback expression flashed in his mind. It can’t be.
There was no doubt about it, the person he bumped into was indeed, his father. But not the version he’s used to seeing. No, it was the high school version of him. How could Ryuu ever forget that delinquent look his father had?
“Whoa, is this how you looked back in high school? You look like a delinquent!”
“Yeah? Didn’t I look so cool back then?”
“You look really intimidating.”
“I’ll take that as a complement, kiddo.”
Ryuu didn’t think his situation could get even weirder, but somehow, it did. And he didn’t know how to comprehend it.
If that was father, then that must mean…!
Lost in his thoughts, Ryuu didn’t see the tall figure coming out the door and bumped into him.
“Whoa there!”
Ryuu felt a pair of arms on his and looked up at the person holding them. His whole face went blank. There he was.
“Are you okay?”
“Da-“ Ryuu shut his mouth before he could finish that word. “Uh…yes, I’m okay. Sorry I didn’t see you there.”
“It’s okay, glad you’re not hurt.”
Ryuu nodded and pulled away, staring up at the taller figure in front of him. Even at this age, his dad was still a giant and well built. But, he still had that charming and goofy smile he was known for. The smile that eased Ryuu for a brief moment.
“Kagi-kun, you’re still here? Don’t you have to go to practice?”
Ryuu jolted at the voice coming from behind him.
“Hirano-san! I was, but I accidentally bumped into this guy here.”
Why did you have to mention me? Ryuu gulped and slowly backed away from Kagi-kun, turning to face Hirano.
“Oh, it’s you.” Hirano’s direct tone made Ryuu tense up. “You shouldn’t be running in the hallways, you know.”
“Y-Yes, I’m sorry about that. It won’t happen again.”
“It better not.”
Ryuu winced. I was right, you were intimidating back then father.
“You know him, Hirano-san?” Kagi-kun asked.
“Nah, I bumped into him in the bathroom.”
“Ohh, what a coincidence that we both bumped into the same person!”
Hirano laughed. “I guess so.”
Ryuu watched the interaction in front of him. Both figures were immersed in their own world, completely forgetting the third person watching them.
Even at this age, nothing changed between them, Ryuu let out a soft chuckle. Amazing…
Ryuu froze when both Hirano and Kagi-kun turned to face him. Fuck-
“Umm, see you around then!”
Ryuu turned and made his way back towards Shuichi’s room. Not wanting to think about how he probably left the two of them confused with his interaction. Once making it back inside the room, Ryuu looked for Shuichi. Relieved when he didn’t find him, he sighed loudly and slumped against the door frame.
I can’t believe that all just happened. Ryuu slid down the door and sat down. But, I think I get it now. While things were still confusing, Ryuu understands what situation he caught himself in. It would explain why he looked younger, why his phone had the current date and year and his dads’ appearance.
He time traveled, somehow, to the past. How did it happen? He had no idea. He thought this stuff only happened in fiction, but apparently not! That also explains why his dads hadn’t contacted him. How could they? They’re highschool students! They shouldn’t know about their future son at this time. Ryuu doesn’t even know if they’re even a couple yet.
Judging from how they acted, they might be dating. Or not. He couldn’t be sure. Regardless, Ryuu was stuck in the past, and he needed to find a way back to his current time.
There’s only one question…how the hell do you do that? Ryuu couldn’t tell Shuichi or his dads about this, they would look at him like he was crazy. There was also the possibility of messing with current events happening right now. Ryuu didn’t want that, especially if it ended up interfering with his dads’ relationship in this timeline. In short, Ryuu was on his own.
In a world he’s not familiar with. Without his dads, without his little brother. Nobody.
All alone.
Ryuu laughed, bringing his legs up to his chest. “So that's how it is…what strange paradox I ended up in, huh?” He himself into his knees, tears slowly falling down his face.
“I fucking hate this.”