50 - still_ciircee
Just a short bit because I miss the trip.
Aiba supposed they were getting close to Las Vegas. There were more lights around and fewer stars to be found. They wouldn't reach it tonight, he decided. Tomorrow would be good enough. Tomorrow night, so that they could see the lights rise up out of the desert. He glanced over at Jun, behind the wheel of Sho's Dart. "Jun?"
He could see the liquid shine of Jun's eyes flicker in his direction, catching and holding the light from the instrument panel in the dark car. "Hm?"
"Let's pull over at the next rest stop and get some sleep."
"I'm fine," Jun said and Aiba thought it was instinctive. "You can crawl in back with Nino if you want," he offered.
Aiba automatically glanced over his shoulder. Nino was shrouded in shadow but the body of his guitar gleamed softly in the light of a passing car. "He'd kick me," Aiba decided, turning around again. "Anyhow, I'm not tired."
"Then why do you want to stop?" Jun asked. Aiba could see him glance over again.
Somehow it seemed stupid to just say that he wanted them all awake when they reached Vegas, that it wouldn't be the same with Nino asleep in the back and Sho sleeping in the cab of Ohno's pickup behind them. It seemed lame to say that Nino should be with Ohno when it happened. "I want us to all be awake when we get to Las Vegas. And I think Nino should be with Oh-chan since it was his suggestion," Aiba said. He didn't mind sounding stupid when he was with Jun.
Jun's smile flashed bright against the dark. "Sap," he said, his voice humming with laughter and warmth.
Aiba's heart fluttered. He reached out and pulled Jun's closest hand from the steering wheel, lacing their fingers together. "I'm so glad you came, Mattsun."
He expected Jun to pull his hand away again and was happily surprised when Jun's fingers tightened around his own in a brief squeeze. "It's…" Jun hesitated. "Nice," he said at last. "It's nice," he repeated with a little more strength and conviction.
They had grown up together in their small town; there wasn't much about Jun that Aiba didn't know and couldn't figure out. Jun was a person who took chances-cutting his hair on a whim, bungee jumping on a dare with Matsu-nii, kissing Mao-chan-but he was also somebody who thrived on the day-to-day living and working and doing his best at both of those things. Aiba knew Jun and knew that Jun was still searching for his place in this trip with him, trying to figure out just what it was that he was doing out on the road instead of back at Johnny's. He rubbed his thumb over Jun's palm.
"I always wanted to take you out with me one day," Aiba softly said. "I wanted to show you the world. My world."
Jun took a deep-sounding breath and let it out again in a sigh. "It won't solve things. This thing with Nino and Satoshi or Sho's problem. You-" he stopped.
It didn't have to solve things, Aiba thought. But he also strongly suspected that it, in some strange way, it would. Like Captain J and Mari and himself and Daigo it would work out and the answers would be there, right in their hands. "Don't you think it was a miracle that we all met?" Aiba said. "Me and Sho, and then me and Sho and Nino, and then Nino and Oh-chan and you and Sho-chan?" He looked out the window at the stars still there. "I think things will work out. Because we're together."
"Sap," Jun repeated. But their hands were still joined and Jun didn't pull away even when he put the turn signal on for the rest stop ahead.
Aiba supposed they were getting close to Las Vegas. There were more lights around and fewer stars to be found. They wouldn't reach it tonight, he decided. Tomorrow would be good enough. Tomorrow night, so that they could see the lights rise up out of the desert. He glanced over at Jun, behind the wheel of Sho's Dart. "Jun?"
He could see the liquid shine of Jun's eyes flicker in his direction, catching and holding the light from the instrument panel in the dark car. "Hm?"
"Let's pull over at the next rest stop and get some sleep."
"I'm fine," Jun said and Aiba thought it was instinctive. "You can crawl in back with Nino if you want," he offered.
Aiba automatically glanced over his shoulder. Nino was shrouded in shadow but the body of his guitar gleamed softly in the light of a passing car. "He'd kick me," Aiba decided, turning around again. "Anyhow, I'm not tired."
"Then why do you want to stop?" Jun asked. Aiba could see him glance over again.
Somehow it seemed stupid to just say that he wanted them all awake when they reached Vegas, that it wouldn't be the same with Nino asleep in the back and Sho sleeping in the cab of Ohno's pickup behind them. It seemed lame to say that Nino should be with Ohno when it happened. "I want us to all be awake when we get to Las Vegas. And I think Nino should be with Oh-chan since it was his suggestion," Aiba said. He didn't mind sounding stupid when he was with Jun.
Jun's smile flashed bright against the dark. "Sap," he said, his voice humming with laughter and warmth.
Aiba's heart fluttered. He reached out and pulled Jun's closest hand from the steering wheel, lacing their fingers together. "I'm so glad you came, Mattsun."
He expected Jun to pull his hand away again and was happily surprised when Jun's fingers tightened around his own in a brief squeeze. "It's…" Jun hesitated. "Nice," he said at last. "It's nice," he repeated with a little more strength and conviction.
They had grown up together in their small town; there wasn't much about Jun that Aiba didn't know and couldn't figure out. Jun was a person who took chances-cutting his hair on a whim, bungee jumping on a dare with Matsu-nii, kissing Mao-chan-but he was also somebody who thrived on the day-to-day living and working and doing his best at both of those things. Aiba knew Jun and knew that Jun was still searching for his place in this trip with him, trying to figure out just what it was that he was doing out on the road instead of back at Johnny's. He rubbed his thumb over Jun's palm.
"I always wanted to take you out with me one day," Aiba softly said. "I wanted to show you the world. My world."
Jun took a deep-sounding breath and let it out again in a sigh. "It won't solve things. This thing with Nino and Satoshi or Sho's problem. You-" he stopped.
It didn't have to solve things, Aiba thought. But he also strongly suspected that it, in some strange way, it would. Like Captain J and Mari and himself and Daigo it would work out and the answers would be there, right in their hands. "Don't you think it was a miracle that we all met?" Aiba said. "Me and Sho, and then me and Sho and Nino, and then Nino and Oh-chan and you and Sho-chan?" He looked out the window at the stars still there. "I think things will work out. Because we're together."
"Sap," Jun repeated. But their hands were still joined and Jun didn't pull away even when he put the turn signal on for the rest stop ahead.