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11:11, Laughing Like Spring
The smallest raindrop of the windowpane surprisingly sped past the fatter one.
Watching the rain was relaxing, except Shun was also making them race. He was rooting for the bigger one, sure that it's weight would be the reason it won, but the smaller one proved him wrong. Shun sighed, he always seemed to lose.
Shun shivered slightly, he had forgotton to bring his jumper, and it was the start of winter. His red banadges were the only thing keeping him warm, thanks to the school's thin shirts that were required for the dresscode.
"Mr. Kaidou, did you get all that?" The teacher asked him, and Shun perked up from his desk at the mention of his name. "This information is relevent for your next test." Shit. He hadn't been listening. He bit his lips, thinking of a way to ask her to repeat what she had said without it being obvious that he had dozed off. "I- uhm-"
Shun was always bad at talking when nervous. At times, he couldn't even speak. His words would be simply gone.
The bell then rang, dismissing the class. Most people would draw a sigh of relief, but Shun's stomach dropped even more. His mother would not be happy if he got less than 90% on that test.
Before he could get up from his seat, Aren had made his way over, towering over Shun more than he already did when Shun was standing. "Yo, Shun!" He grinned, "you want to come with me to our base?" Shun really wanted to, but he had to turn down the offer as he desperately needed to study.
"Sorry, Aren, I need to study for the test tomorrow."
Aren frowned, "but you've been studying for that test since last fortnight! You should take a break-" he paused, before adding in quietly, "-you deserve one."
Was he trying to guilt trip him? Well, that wasn't going to work.
"Sorrrrry," Shun stretched out, "Mama's going to be really mad- upset with me if I don't get a good score." Aren was probably one of the only people Shun was comfortable being himself around. Aren respected him and his chunnibyou, and everything else about him.
"Fineeee," Aren copied him, teasingly. Shun rolled his eyes, but laughed along. He then saw Saiki from the corner of his red eyes, near the doorway, who rolled his own eyes.
"Saiki!" Shun smiled, waving, "aren't you walking home with us?" Saiki shook his head. "Yare, yare, not today, I need to be home quick, and you guys are going to slow me down." That's fair, we do tend to take forvever.
"Okay!" Shun smiled, adding a wave when Saiki continued to walk off, "see ya'!"
"See you tomorrow, Saiki!" Aren added straight after. Aren waited as Shun started to pack his stuff. They walked out of the classroom together, "Shun," Aren asked, the shorter one looking up at him, "you must be cold- I saw you shivering." Damn, he could notice?
Was he always that observative? Or was it only with Shun?
"Do you want my jacket?"
Shun felt his face heat up at the thought of him wearing his best friend's jacket. "Nah, I'm all good! The Jet Black Wings doesn't get cold!"
Aren laughed softly, again. "You sure? I don't need it, and you get sick pretty easily."
Shun gasped, offended, throwing his palm to his chest. "Wow, thanks a lot! The Jet Black Wings never gets sick! Especially when he has to fight The Dark Reunion!"
"Uh huh," was Aren's only response.
Shun pouted slightly up at him, Aren only rolled his eyes, playfully. They both laughed.
They stopped when they reached the school building's paddock. It was pouring outside.
"Woah," Aren laughed, "it's raining cats and dogs!" Shun tilted his head, confused. "Huh?"
Aren chuckled, ruffling his blue hair. "It's an expression, cutie."
Wha-
What did Aren just call him?
Cutie.
CUTIE.
"Ah!- the Jet Black Wings sees!" He blurted out, pulling a mini umbrella from out of his bag. "Do you have your own?" Shun asked Aren, but he already knew the answer to that. Aren shook his head, though he was smirking slightly.
"That's alright," Shun said, thinking nothing of it. "We can share mine-"
"-I have a better idea," Aren interrupted Shun- rude-, taking his hands and suddenly pulling him into the rain. It was all a blur for Shun, until he felt sudden coldness interract with him. He jumped, finding his consciousness. "Gah! Aren!" Shun giggled, feeling the rain on his skin (hehe, see what I did there?). His hair was now dripping, wet, and his clothes were damp, after only a few seconds of being in the rain.
"What?" Aren laughed, loud, pure, full- heartedly, laughs. "Come with me!" He yelled, thoughtlessly. Shun laughed along with him. "I'll race you to the park!"
"What?" Shun asked, shocked.
"I'll race you, gee, do I need to repeat myself again?"
"Nope!" Shun exclaimed, excited.
They ran through the rain.
Aren was way faster and fit than Shun could ever be, but he adjusted his speed just so Shun could keep up with him. Shun saw how the rain fell on Aren's face, he watched as it traveled through Aren's hair and stained his glasses. They ran through the public streets, getting many dirty looks from people under their own umbrella's.
Normally, Shun would be more embarrassed, but doing it with Aren was reassuring. "You losing me?" Aren asked, slowing down chuckling.
Shun was definitely tired, already panting, but it was worth it. He was having so much fun.
They finally stopped when they came to the familiar children's park- the one they always passed on the way home each day.
They sat together on a bench under a tree. Both were laughing carelessly. "You're so...' Shun gasped for air, he lost it all from laughing so hard. "Amazing? Incredible?" Aren asked, flicking his short purple hair, which resulted in barely anything. "Hah! You wish!"
Shun leaned his head on Aren's shoulder, sighing softly. "But you really are..." he mumbled, quietly, closing his eyes.
"What was that?" Aren grinned, looking down at him.
"Nothin'."
"Aw, c'mon, don't be such a grump!"
"You want to see grump?" Shun asked, threateningly. "I'll show you grump!"
He opened his mini, black umbrella, tipping it upside down. Aren raised an eyebrow, confused, before Shun tipped it up again, over his head. "Gah!" Aren yelped, throwing his arms over his head in a flinch. Shun giggled, before Aren looks at him with a devious smile.
"Wait, Aren!" Shun laughed, shielding himself with his arms. Aren stood up and yanked him by his red bandages back into the rain, smiling evilly the whole time. This time, Shun was the one to yelp. He tried to run away, but Aren kept a firm grip on his palms. He looked like a naughty child trying but failing to run away from their parent.
"Aren!" He laughed, but then it turned into a wince when his bandages started to pick into his skin. "Aren!"
The purple haired boy immediately stopped, letting go of his wrists. "I'm so sorry, Shun! Fuck, did I hurt you?" He started inspecting them, even though his bandages were still on, so he was looking at really nothing. "No, it's... okay," Shun told him, before splashing him with more water.
Aren scrunched up his eyebrows. "Youuuuu."
"Indeed-" Shun let out a squeak when Aren tackled him, leaving Shun unable to escape. "You're in trouble..." Aren dragged out in a sing- songy voice. "Oh no."
Aren took Shun's umbrella, impatiently waiting for it to fill up. While he was, Shun tried unsuccessfully to get out of Aren's death grip, but he just held on to the smaller boy tighter.
That was when Shun realised that they looked oddly like... a couple...
He was in Aren's arms, they were playing in the rain, one umbrella.
Shun's face heated up, and he realised how much he started sweating.
He-
Suddenly, he felt a sudden gush of cold water fall on him. Not just a trickle, a whole ocean.
"Aren!" Shun tried to laugh, but he ended up coughing instead, choking on the water. "Sorry, Shun," Aren wiped Shun's mop of blue hair out of his eyes. Shun blushed at the gesture.
"Shit- are you getting sick?" Aren asked, joy suddenly turning into worry, reaching for his forehead again, this time to check his temperature. "You feel warm, fuck, sorry, I should've known." What, that he was weak?
"N- no," Shun stuttered, "I'm fine!" He smiled, assuring Aren that he really was, until he felt a sneeze tickle his nose. He tried to hold it in, but failed.
Ugh, perfect timing. The world hates me, I know how much of a worry Aren can be.
Aren immediately pulled off his own jumper, wrapping it around Shun. Shun froze as Aren slipped his arms through the holes, then zipped in up gently. Now they really looked like a couple.
"Should I take you home now?"
Should he take him home now? Shun could go home by himself! Only couples did that! "No..." Shun mumbled, before adding. "I don't want to go back right now, I'm having lot's of fun, can we stay here a bit longer?"
Aren looked down, surprised by his response, but it soon turned into a smile. He looked proud. Aren took out the umbrella and stuck his hand out, waiting for Shun to take it. "Aren, wha-"
"Come, dance with me!" He exclaimed, grinning. Shun blushed again. "To what? There's no music- the sound of rain?"
"Why not?" His smirk grew wider.
"Aren!" Shun hissed, covering his face, embarrassed, "we're in public!"
"And? Trust me- it will be fun," and after a while, he added, "...you deserve fun."
After a moment of hesitation, Shun uncertainly took Aren's hand. Aren smile somehow grew wider, Shun didn't think that it was possible. He immediately spins Shun around, laughing when Shun squeals when he almost trips.
Aren danced to a rhythm that doesn't even exist. Shun tried to join in after a few seconds, but stopped, scared that he would embarrass himself. "Don't be such a dork!" Aren teased him. Shun was surprised how long Aren can grin for. He hasn't stopped, but his smile was one of the most charming things about him.
Shun hesitated, before stepping closer to Aren. Aren took his arm and guided him. Surprisingly, Aren was not a bad dancer, at all. But there had been many surprises that day, so Shun should've expected it.
They stepped to the song the rain made as it fell onto the ground.
"We look so stupid," Shun stated, laughing softly. Aren shrugged, "then so be it, I don't care. I like being with you."
The words made Shun almost choke. Aren didn't care, he just wanted to be with him!
He felt so light- headed and dizzy from the happiness, that he tripped on his feet, yanking forwards into Aren. The stronger boy caught him, their faces hovering inches away from the other. Shun felt their noses touch slightly. "Uhm, thanks! Aren!" He squeaked, aware of how much he was blushing. He pulled away from his best friend.
Aren just stood frozen for a few seconds, before chuckling slightly.
"Anytime, Shun."
And that's when Shun realised the time. It was getting really dark, and his mama would be mad. "Ack! Look at the sky!" Shun hurriedly tried to shake Aren's jumper off himself. "I better be going! Well, see you-!"
Aren grabbed the other boy's skinny wrist. "Shun, no need to hurry, I'll walk you home."
And after a while, he put his jumper back on Shun, "and keep this, you can give it back to me tomorrow."
"I can't-"
"I know you're cold, Shun-baby, I know."
Normally that name that only Aren and his Mama used, was teasing when it came from Aren. Now Shun wished it wasn't.
"And then I, the Jet Black Wings, easily took them down!"
Aren smiled down at the short one. He loved hearing the cute boy talk.
He noted how the sunlight reflected in his crimson eyes, how it made it turn quite scarlett-y red. How his baby blue hair blew gently with the wind, even though it was wet.
And he absolutely dreaded when it was time to them to part ways.
Instead, he insisted of walking Shun all the way to his house, claiming that he wanted to make sure any of his family were home, just incase he was really getting sick. (In which Shun replied, "hah! The Jet Black Wings doesn't need anyone too!" Aren just stared at him till he gave up. "Ugh, that would be... nice.").
When the two of them got to Shun's home, Aren had the sudden urge to just spill everything out. His crush, his feelings, how he was stupidly, deeply in love with his best friend.
But he couldn't, no matter how much he tried. He had heard that 'everyone had a weakness', which he didn't know his until now.
Was Shun his weakness? His small, skinny, 5'1, delusional best friend? Yeah, that sounded right.
The more time Shun took trying to find his house keys in his school bag, the more words and thoughts formed in Aren's mind.
Hurry up, Shun.
Aren started to impatiently tap his foot against the concrete.
"Found it!" Shun cheered, and Aren let out a huge breath. He watched as Shun entered his house, shouting, "Mama? I'm home!"
No response.
He nervously stared at Aren, with a look that seemed to say, 'I don't want to say this out loud because I'll sound clingy, but can you come with me?'
Aren just smiled and followed him in, slipping his shoes off. He knew his way around Shun's house well, so he knew where his room was and went right upstairs.
He threw himself on Shun's bed, switching the TV on, trying to take his mind off of his best friend.
He knew he heard Shun coming when he heard a sneeze come from the stairs. "Aren!" Shun laughed when he entered his own room, "geez, acting like you live here, huh?"
"Well, you practically live at my house, so it's only fair."
Only silence came from Shun, and Aren realised what he had just said. Shun normally spent time at Aren's more than his own home, and Aren knew why.
Because he felt the need to, thanks to his amazing mother.
"Yeah..." Shun said, slowly, "that is fair!"
Oh, how did that poor summer child hide his hurt so easy? "Sorry, Shun," Aren muttered, but loud enough that Shun could hear.
"Nah, that's all good!" But then why did his voice break? It might of not been a lot, but it still did.
"Do you want any snacks?" Shun asked, being the amazing guy he is. "Yeah, sure, I'll get them though- you rest- don't think that I didn't hear you sneeze when-!" but Shun had already flown downstairs.
Aren sighed. "Stubborn as ever," he muttered, starting the show without Shun. The show was "The Disastrous Life of Saiki Kusuo", which Aren thought was funny, wasn't their friend, Saiki's first name also Kusuo? What a coincidence.
Shun came back with snacks in his hands. "Aren, move your butt and give me some space on my own bed!" He whined. Aren just snickered. "If you don't make room for me by the time I come back, I..."
Aren snorted at his friend's response, until asking, "wait- where are you going?"
"I- uh- dropped some packets on the way up."
"Of course you did!"
"Hey!" Shun pouted, crossing his arms like a baby before exiting his room for probably the fifth time that evening. Aren, just to piss his off, just spread his body further to take up more room.
"Oh, hell no," Shun's voice came back. "Hah!" Aren smirked at him, pulling Shun's blankets over his head to tease him.
Shun said nothing for a while, and Aren considered if he should get out from under the blankets incase he had actually hurt his vulnerable friend's feelings, until he felt something land on top of him.
"Did you just throw yourself on top of me?" Aren asked, not moving just to make sure it wasn't something like a gaming set. "...yeah," was the answer he got coming from a voice on top of him.
Shun was surprisingly very light, which kind of worried Aren. Maybe tomorrow he would invite him to a restaurant or something- or was that too romantic for 'friends'? Instead, Aren was able to just sit up, and he heard Shun yelp, "ack! Aren!"
He heard a thud and assumed that it was Shun falling on the floor. Aren emerged from under the sheets. "Oof, sorry, Shun, you all good?"
"Ha, of course I am, the Jet Black Wings doesn't get hurt!" He said, but at the same time he checked his arm which had a purple-ish bruise on it, and winced. It was crazy how easily Shun got bruised up, even if it was from the smallest things.
"Eesh, sorry, here, let me see-"
"Nonsense!" Shun yelled, covering his eye in his signature Jet Black Wings pose. "The Jet Black Wings is fine!"
Aren rolled his eyes. "If you say so..."
They ended up watching an anime called 'Assasination Classroom', and which Aren swore he saw Saiki in the background of one of the scene's. It was crazy, that guy was everywhere.
"We should start studying," Shun stated, eyeing the clock on his bedroom walls. "Mama could be home anytime now."
"Alright," Aren smiled, but really he was having so much fun. But there wasn't one day where he went to Shun's place without studying. Shun grabbed his notebooks and pens, and so did Aren.
"Hey, Shun," Aren asked, "can you help me with this question, I'm kinda stuck on it." "Sure!" Shun replied, happily.
Was Aren really stuck on the question? No. Did he want to hear Shun's beautiful voice instead? Yes.
They studied for another twenty mintues or so, until Aren realised how Shun's eyes started to droop. "Shun, are you tired?" He asked his overworked friend.
"Noooo..." Shun's words started to drift off. His head would've almost hit the table, if Aren's reflexes didn't kick in and catch it.
But most importantly, Shun's head was cupped in his hand!
Okay, probably the least important thing right now, but Aren couldn't help it!
Suddenly, a notification popped up on Shun's phone, but before Shun could turn his head to grab it, Aren pulled him in.
Fuck, he almost froze, but he had already started, no point chickening out now.
He leaned down, placing his lips onto Shun's, Shun's head still in his hand. Aren closed his eyes, scared of Shun's reaction. What if he pulled away? What if he decided he never wanted to be friends with him again?
But instead, Aren realised that Shun had leaned in, tilting his head more. He felt as Shun's hand made their way to his neck, wrapping them around it. Shun was the one who pulled away, but it wasn't a long time before their lips met again.
This time it was Aren who pulled away. Shun looked up at him. He looked... scared.
"Now what?" He whispered. "I love you, Aren, I do. But now what?"
Aren, confused, stared at his beautiful eyes, telling him, "I love you too, Shun."
"Aren," Shun said, voice small as ever. "Now what? Are we dating now?"
"Do you want to?"
Shun stayed quiet for a few seconds, before nodding. "Yes, yes I do, but..."
Aren raised an eyebrow.
The shorter one took a deep breath before saying. "My mum and... really everyone in my family but Sora and Toki- well, Toki doesn't even know about this stuff- are really homophobic. What if they find out? What will I do? Aren, I'm scared."
Aren hugged the other one, tight as he could without hurting him.
"We'll find a way, I wont let anything happen to you."
"You know how my mama is," he said, words muffled by Aren's chest. "Aren, I'm scared."
"We can worry about that shit later," Aren said. He kissed his boyfriend's forehead. "Because, holy fuck, you have a fever, Shun- I knew I shouldn't of taken you in the rain."