Prodigal Son
Fandom: Infinity Train
Relationships: Ryan Akagi & Ryan Akagi's Family, Ryan Akagi & Ryan Akagi's Siblings
Characters Featured: Ryan Akagi's Father, Ryan Akagi's Siblings, Ryan Akagi, Ryan Akagi's Family, Min-Gi Park
Summary: Sort of a "Big Ri, Little Ry" sequel? Ryan talks to his parents for the first time in two years since he's left home after graduation. Ryan still hasn't told them about the van.
Notes: N/A
Other Tags:rymin is somewhat implied here but it's not the focus , Family Issues , Father-Son Relationship , dont take the title too seriously , Family Dynamics , Ambiguous/Open Ending , Post-Train
“Mom’s home.” Riley leaned on the doorframe of his room. “Do you…want me to tell her you’re here? I can bring some of the leftovers up here if you want?”
Ryan shrugged, eyes lazily trained on the peeling paint on the ceiling.
“She’s gonna find out eventually.”
She sat on the edge of the bed and ruffled his hair.
“You don't have to talk to her if you don’t want to-”
“It’s been over a year, I’ve gotta rip the bandage off at some point.” He sat up and pulled his knees to his chest. “I owe it to them at least for being gone for so long. Just…give me a moment.”
Riley nodded and left Ryan alone with his thoughts. He figured this day was coming one way or another. He wished Min-Gi was still here with him through this. Min would probably give his hand a gentle squeeze under the table. Maybe it’d lessen the weight on his chest a little.
Min was back home with his parents, also getting used to each other’s presence once more. From what he saw, his parents were just glad their son was home safe and sound. Ryan wasn’t sure if his parents even knew he ever came back the first time before the train.
The door opened slowly, and his mom poked her head inside. Her eyes met with Ryan’s, and she gasped. For a moment, they stood in place staring at each other. His mother’s eyes flashed between disbelief, fear, and shock.
“Ryan?” her voice sounded hollow and shaky, almost haunted.
“Yeah.” He internally cursed himself for sounding like a young child. She took a few pensive steps into the room, looking around. Ryan steeled himself and got off of his bed to meet his mother halfway there. He had to look down at her to see her. She gently reached her hand out to his face but stopped when Ryan flinched. After the entire ordeal with Morgan on the train, he’d grown wary of anything that came too close to his face. He sighed and lowered his head once more.
His mom slightly opened her mouth but closed it after a moment of silence. She did this multiple times.
“When did you get back?” she asked finally.
“About a week or two ago. I crashed at Min’s place before coming here. I wanted to…get myself ready I guess.”
“Get ready for what?”
“Seeing you guys again.”
From the corner of his eye, he saw Riley peeking behind the door. His mom turned around and spotted her.
“You can stop spying on us, Riley. Come inside,” she said. Riley stepped in, the other siblings flanking her.
“Were you all hiding behind my door?” Ryan groaned.
“We wanted to make sure everything was ok,” Ruth said. His mom turned on them.
“Did you guys know he came back? How long has he been here?”
“He just showed up this afternoon at the front door. At first, I didn’t believe it was him,” Riley admitted. “We wanted Ryan to talk to you first.”
“If you want us to leave I’ll send all of them out, Ryan,” Ruth added, earning a glare from her younger brothers.
“It’s fine.”
“I think we should wait for your father to get here before we go any further. So I suggest you get your story straight,” his mom finally said. “And I hope you’ve eaten something since you got here.”
He nodded as his mom shooed his family members out of his room and followed soon after them. Ruth scooped up both of the youngest brothers in her arms and hauled them away. Ryan closed the door behind them all and sank to the ground. They’d only exchanged a few words and he already felt drained. He could only imagine the conversation they’d have once his dad was thrown into the mix.
He picked up his guitar case lying on the ground and brought it to his bed. There, he sat cross-legged as he rifled through its contents. He tossed aside clothes, papers with scribbles all over them, his lucky guitar pic, and more. Unsatisfied, he pulled the guitar itself from the case and started to gently strum it. He had no idea what song he was playing but provided a small sense of comfort for him as the low rumble of an oncoming storm grew outside.
He wasn’t sure when he fell asleep, but he was jolted awake by someone shaking him by his shoulders.
“I know you’re really tired and all, but Dad’s here now and we’re having dinner,” went the voice of one of his brothers. Jacob? Or maybe Jude? Either way, he turned over on his side, hugging his guitar close.
“Five more minutes,” he mumbled.
“Come on, dude, don’t keep him waiting. Please.” The voice was softer this time.
He frowned and brought himself up. Jude stared back at him with an impatient expression. He followed Jude to the table. All his other siblings sat around the table. His father sat in the center, already eating. He paused when Ryan walked over.
“The prodigal son has finally graced us with our presence,” he said quietly, not even looking up.
“Yeah,” Ryan said, again cringing at the crack in his voice. “I’m back.”
“Sit.” There was no edge or malice in his voice, and yet Ryan couldn’t help but feel uneasy and pensive. He squeezed in between Riley and Ruth, causing the two to grumble because their conversation had been interrupted. Everyone continued to eat as his mom got him his own plate.
“So, what have you been up to this past year?” his mom asked as she sat down herself.
“I left town the day after graduation to tour solo, but I’m sure you guys know that already,” he started. He tensed when he noticed his dad pause his eating again, but got over himself. “At some point, I came back…because I wanted Min to tour with me. And we did. But we got horribly lost along the way. It took forever to get back.”
He fell quiet, allowing his rehearsed lie to sink in for the second time. It may have worked on his siblings, but his parents seemed unconvinced.
“How many albums did you sell?” his dad asked.
“Well, we had a few gigs here and there as we traveled-”
“That’s not what I asked.” He still hadn’t looked up. “How many albums have you sold?”
“It’s…been a work in progress.” his face burned, and he looked down at his barely touched plate. “We’ve got a few songs out though! Maybe when Min-Gi comes over we can show you guys…”
He trailed off when he couldn’t detect a hint of a reaction from his father. He sighed and focused on finishing his meal.
“ Did you and Min meet any famous people on your trip?” Jude asked quietly, breaking the tense silence at the table.
“We ran into Ridge Irvine at a diner. He gave us autographs,” he said, looking up. Ryan felt his shoulders relax slightly seeing his youngest brother looking awestruck at him. The feeling didn’t last long, as it was replaced with a tenfold amount of guilt for lying to him. “We… ended up having to sell them to get home though.”
“I didn’t see the van outside,” his dad spoke up once more. Ryan’s mind flashed back to him standing at the gas station. His third ex-girlfriend Casey and her flowing blonde hair drove off with the van, his last-ditch attempt to save their relationship. Nothing but the clothes on his back and the guitar with his whole life stuffed into the case. He was so sure things were going well with Casey, and then--
“Ryan? Where’s the van?” Riley asked. She moved her head forward in a way that his father was completely blocked from view.
“Somewhere…” he mumbled. If there was a time for that death trap of a train to show up so he wouldn't have to have this conversation, it would be right now. Jude excused himself quickly, leaving to close the windows nearby so the oncoming storm wouldn't blow into their house.
“What?”
“It’s not here…I gave it up.”
“Ryan, that was your father’s van,” his mom said, frowning.
“I know…I…”
“Who did you give it to? Can we get it back from them?”
“I don’t know where she is.”
“You gave the van to some random girl?”
“You had a girlfriend?” Jacob jumped in, standing up. Ruth caught the tipping glass near her younger brother before it spilled all over the table.“If I go out on a tour does that mean I’ll get a girlfriend too?”
“Sit down,” his mom scolded, sobering him with a hard stare. The 15-year-old scowled and sat back down. “Ryan, are you telling us the truth?”
“I am. I had a girlfriend, we broke up, and I gave her the van as a parting gift.”
“So you and Min-Gi walked the rest of the way home?”
He froze. He’d completely forgotten about Min-Gi. For a split second, he considered telling them everything about the train and the magical talking bell they friended and the numerous train denizens that tried to kill them--
“Yes. We did,” he said finally.
“So, you ran off with the van I gave you for over a year to do your whole… tour. And now you’ve come back with no van, 0 sold albums, and nothing to show for yourself.”
“I did the best I could in the time I was out there. Why do you suddenly care so much?” He stood up suddenly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jude lingering by the window. Surely it doesn’t take that long to close a window?
“I care if it involves my van suddenly going missing and my eldest son is the last person who ran off with it on a whim.” His father remained seated but kept eye contact with him.
“It’s not a whim! I couldn’t stay in Powell Lake. You know tha-“
“And then you somehow dragged Min-Gi into this whole thing? When he was preparing to attend one of the best universities in the country?”
“Min didn’t even want to go to Uni,” he said defensively.
“He sounded really excited when his parents came over with the news,” his mom said. “He told us all about the different things he’d do once he got on campus. He’s gonna major in finance, with an emphasis in-”
“He was lying! He only said he was excited to go because he felt he had to. He didn’t think he had any other option.”
“Did you put him up to this?” his dad asked. This time, it sounded accusatory.
“No!” his voice cracked slightly. “ I mean… not intentionally…”
“What?”
“Mom, Dad. Ryan just got back. We should at least be happy nothing bad happened to him,” Riley cut in. “We can deal with the van later. Let’s just finish dinner. Jude, come back here, please.”
“I think I’m gonna continue eating in my room,” Ryan said, picking up his plate and heading to his room. No one went after him. It was definitely storming hard outside now. Hours after his plate had been long empty, left on the bed rest, he lay on his side holding his guitar close to him.
“Ryan,” Riley said from behind the door. “It’s just me and Ruth here. Can we come in?”
He didn’t respond.
“We saved some dessert for you,” Ruth added. “Before the twins could eat all of it.”
Still no response. Someone lightly tapped on his door.
“We’ll leave you alone if you want us to. Just say the word.”
He sighed, pulling himself over to the door and opening it.
“What is it?” he asked.
“We wanted to make sure you were ok,’ Ruth said. “Dinner got a little…”
“Awkward…” Riley finished. “Ryan, I promise Mom and Dad don’t hate you.”
“Then how come I can’t do anything in this house without being wrong?” he asked. “How come it’s always disappointed sighs and looks and whatnot? You guys never got that. Especially not from Dad.”
“Dad’s hard on us too,” Ruth interjected.
“And he’s like that because he cares about us and wants us to do good,” Riley continued. Ryan scowled and lay back on his bed with his arms crossed. He curled up on his side so his back was facing his sisters.
“If you two came here to gang up on me, then I’m not in the mood for it.”
“Can you at least talk to Dad without either of you walking off sulking? Please?”
“Fine...”
“Thank you.”
“Not right now though.”
“Alright.” The two gave him a hug and sat on either side of him on the bed.
“So… what songs did you and Min come up with?” Ruth asked. “You wanna show us?”
“It wouldn't be the same without Min here,” he said hesitantly. “I don’t think we should bother him and his family right now.”
“Fine, we’ll talk about something else. What happened with you and this girl you apparently gave the van to?”
“Riley…”
“I’m curious!”
“I met her at a gig, we hit it off and I thought we’d be long-term. She dumped me at a gas station. Nothing more, nothing less,” he snapped. Riley sulked and crossed her arms. He sighed. “Sorry…”
“Do you want to watch Rock and Rule tonight? It’ll just be us, you, and the twins. Like old times,” Ruth asked. Ryan shrugged.
“Only if you two promise not to talk the entire time!”
“Deal.”
“No promises,” Riley joked.
A few minutes later Ryan sat in between Jude and Ruth with a bowl of ice cream in his lap as Jacob turned on the TV.
When there were about 10 minutes left in the movie, there was a knock at the door. Ryan went up to let Min-Gi in.
“You guys were watching Rock and Rule without me?” he gasped, pouting slightly.
“I would’ve called you over if I knew you weren’t busy with your parents and all,” Ryan rambled. Min laughed and squeezed his shoulder.
“I’m joking, promise. But I didn’t come over for that.”
“Oh. Do you wanna come over to the kitchen? I needed to clean my bowl anyway.”
Min nodded and followed Ryan to the kitchen. As he washed his bowl in the sink, Min Gi leaned on the counter next to him.
“Did everything go ok with your parents?” Min asked quietly. Ryan’s soap-filled hand paused mid-scrub.
“Not really,” he sighed. “They didn’t get too mad about the van but… I figured I’d end up coming home to disappoint them anyways.”
Ryan finished up cleaning his bowl and spoon before putting them away to dry.
“Sorry, Ry.”
“...I’m used to it.”
Min Gi frowned, causing Ryan to avoid his gaze.
“My parents want us to talk about…our next steps,” he heard Min-Gi suddenly bring up. “We’ve missed so much since we were gone.”
“Your uni acceptance. Maybe they’ll still let you in if-”
“I told you,” Min said, taking one of Ryan’s hands and holding it up to his chest. Ryan looked up at his unsmiling but determined face. “You’re stuck with me. That means no uni, no risk assessment finance majors, and certainly no fairytale-themed restaurants with white asshole bosses.”
“Have you told your parents this?” Ryan asked when he managed to find his voice.
“I told them I needed more time to think about things,” Min admitted, his voice lowering a few octaves. “I came here to clear my head a bit.”
“Are you feeling ok?” Ryan held him by his arms, gently but firmly.
“Yeah, mostly. Besides, I missed you.” he gave Ryan a soft smile that sent a slight flutter of excitement through his stomach
Ryan couldn't help but snort a little from the sensation.
“We’ve been stuck together on a train for months and you still haven’t gotten sick of me?” he teased.
“Well…” Min pretended to think.
“Come on!”
“I’m teasing, promise,” Min-Gi laughed, squeezing his shoulder. “If neither of us is gonna talk to our parents tonight, I think we should make up for lost time. Well, without the looming threat of angry train denizens that want to kill us and all.”
“So, do you want to go to Dumpty’s?”
“Absolutely not,” Min said with absolute seriousness.
“Point taken.”
“I have somewhere else in mind, anyways.”
But before the two could make it out the door, Riley and Ruth stopped them.
“Where are you two going?” Ruth asked, slightly blocking the door.
“It’s barely been a day since we’ve seen you in two years and you’re running off for who knows how long?” Riley added.
“I’ll bring him back, I promise,” Min Gi assured the two. “We’re just going out for a bit.”
Riley looked unconvinced, but Ruth shrugged.
“Bring him back by midnight, please.”
“Or else,” Riley warned. She and Ruth weren’t twins, but you’d almost never see one sister without the other backing her up. Min Gi nodded and pulled Ryan out of the door. As soon as the door shut, Min-Gi broke into a sprint.
“Where are we going?” Ryan asked, trying to keep up with Min-Gi.
“You’ll see. Come on!”
The two ran into the night for ten minutes before Min suddenly stopped when they arrived in what appeared to be a barren field with an abandoned barn nearby.
“So… any particular reason you brought me here, Min?” Ryan asked.
“I wanted to make sure your siblings did not secretly follow us here,” Min answered, heading to the barn. After they made their way to the roof, Min lay back, beckoning for Ryan to join him. The two lay side by side in silence. Ryan’s mind burned from every single thought running through his mind as he looked at Min casually gaze at the stars above them. Eventually, he sat back up suddenly.
“I know you said you didn't want to go to uni anymore,” he said.
“Yeah?”
“But…are you sure you want us to be Chicken Choice Judy again?”
“Ryan, I said--”
“I know! But I want this to be your decision too. No more dragging you along with things without asking first. And only if you're one hundred percent into it.”
“I’m sure, Ryan,” Min sighed. “I was so stupid running away the first time.”
“I don’t think you’re stupid,” Ryan said suddenly. “I should’ve given you a bigger heads up before… heading off into God knows where.”
“I should have at least checked on you after the battle of the bands. I came by the next morning, your sister said you were gone. In a single night, I thought I’d ruined everything. Our band, our friendship… and…you know….”
“... and… what?”
It was getting dark, but Ryan swore he saw a slight red color spread across Min-Gi’s cheeks. He decided not to comment on it.
“I…It’s not important. Not right now at least,” Min said after a beat. “When the time’s right, I’ll tell you. Promise. For now… we’ve got to talk to our parents at some point.”
“Tomorrow,” Ryan said.
“Tomorrow,” he agreed.
He helped Ryan down the roof and they walked home together.
Riley stood outside the door by the time the two arrived.
“One minute before midnight. A bit too soon to push your luck,” she said, but she looked incredibly relieved to see them both. Min wished them both goodnight and walked towards his house as Ryan followed Riley back into their own.
“What were you guys doing that you two ran off so fast?” She pondered, closing the door behind them.
“Making sure my nosy older sisters weren’t following us or eavesdropping,” Ryan shot back, sticking his tongue out slightly as she rolled her eyes.
“Aww, you didn’t want little ol’ me interrupting you two’s love confession?” she teased. When she gently pulled at his cheek, he quickly moved back, heat rising to his face.
“We just talked for a while about what to do next, that’s it. I’m kind of tired now, so if you don’t mind I’d like to just go to sleep now.”
“Whatever you say.”
He sighed when she finally walked into her and Ruth’s shared room. He made his way to his own room and collapsed onto the bed almost immediately.
The next morning woke him up with the sound of his mother’s laughter and a guitar playing. Following the sound, he found his mom leaning on his dad’s shoulder, laughing as he strummed an old acoustic guitar he hadn’t seen his dad take out of the closet in years. The noise quieted down once the two spotted Ryan standing there. Feeling awkward, he turned to retreat back to his room.
“You can stay, Ryan,” his dad said.
He took a seat on the couch adjacent to the one his parents sat on.
‘I didn’t know you still had that guitar,” Ryan lied. “I… thought you got rid of it.”
“I haven’t gotten the chance to use it in a while,’ he said. “Your mother and I were cleaning the closet and found some stuff from before we were married. I thought I’d dust it off for old time's sake.”
“You did tell me you met mom through a gig.”
“Yep, and the song I was playing was the song I was performing when we met.”
“And the same one he played when we got married,” his mom added, pressing a kiss to his dad’s temple.
“Were you in a band like me?” Ryan asked.
“Was in one. ‘Til the leader ran off with the money we’d earned and left us stranded after a gig. We drifted apart after that, and I went solo. Then I met Yui.”
“So everything worked out.”
“Not exactly. After I married Yui, we settled down and I got a more stable job. Then we had you guys along the way.”
“Why?”
“Getting gigs is wildly unpredictable out there. Paid ones, especially. And I wasn’t going to be young forever. I loved every minute of it-well, most of it- but at some point, I realized it just wasn’t something I could spend the rest of my life doing.”
“It’s something I would want to do for the rest of my life,” Ryan said suddenly, standing up. Both parents looked up at him. “I know you guys have a right to be mad at me for everything, but I can’t be stuck in this place for the rest of my life. I don’t care how difficult things get out there. Not as long as I’m going through it all with someone who cares about me as much as I care about him.”
His dad took a deep breath, and he braced himself for another long talk. “I’m not mad at you, Ryan.”
“You’re…not?”
“Well, I’m still kind of mad about the van and we will need to discuss that at some point. But, I understand why you wanted to leave so badly. You’re 19 now, right? Around that time I started that band with my college friends. Which is why I let you take the van and go on a silly road trip so you could understand what it’s like out there. Maybe you’d come to your senses sooner than I did. ”
Ryan frowned.
“I already came to my senses. This is something I want to do and see to the end…wherever it is. Just because it didn’t work out for you doesn’t mean it can’t work out for me. That has to count for something, right?”
His dad sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“This is not something we are going to see eye to eye on any time soon,” he admitted. “I just hope you’re careful and… don’t make the same mistakes I did. And certainly don’t go missing for about two years without so much as a call or letter.”
“I won’t this time, promise.”
“Thank you,” his dad said after a long pause. He picked his guitar back up and started playing again. Ryan got back up and headed back to his room. He saw his sisters’ door slightly cracked ajar. He rolled his eyes and opened it further, causing both women to yelp and stumble forwards.
“Really, guys?”
“The twins are doing it too,” Ruth huffed, pointing to their also slightly ajar door. He pulled open their door and the twins came out one piled on top of the other.
“Is Dad still mad at you?” Jacob asked, not even bothering to explain why he and his brother had been behind the door.
“No. I mean, I don’t think he is. That conversation went…better than usual.”
He went back into his room, but just as he was about to close the door, he noticed Jude standing in the doorway. To no one’s surprise, the rest of his siblings were also there. He sighed and let all of them into his room.
“You’re not gonna leave again, are you?” Jacob asked sadly. “At least take us with you this time!”
“You still need to graduate high school before you even think of touring, dude,” he laughed. “I’ll give you guys tickets to our New York concert. Backstage passes, even!”
He looked up to see none of his siblings laughed or even cracked a smile.
“I know we can’t fix everything within a day or two, but you’ve got to at least let us try,” Ruth said, standing up.
“I’m…not leaving right away. But I still really want to do this.”
“I get it.”
“I’m…sorry.”
“What for?”
“You know…Leaving you guys again,” he mumbled.
“Ry, as much as it hurts seeing you leave, I also don’t want me or any of us to be holding you back.”
“We’re gonna make the most of the time we have with you now. However long it is.” Ruth added, patting his back.
“Plus you’ll visit us and call when you’re not touring, right? Jacob asked.
“Of course,” Ryan said. “But for now, I’m still kind of tired and want to go back to sleep, so if you guys would uh, please leave my room now?”
Ruth nodded, but the twins scrambled out of the room before she could haul them out. She laughed as she and Riley followed soon after, closing the door behind them.