One-Shot:空
Title:空
Pairings:JunxNino, AibaxSho, OT5
Genre:AU, Fluff, Romance, Friendship, Fantasy, Slight Angst?
Rating:PG
Disclaimer:Plot is mines and here I am wishing I own them T_T
Word Count:7389
Summary:Jun had to run away for Nino's sake, and to stop the nightmare from haunting them.
Fanfic Masterpost
++++++++++
Jun grabbed the small limp hand as he wailed and cried under the dark, and hard droplets plummeting from the sky to the cobblestones under his bare feet. As he ran and looked around the village, there was not a single light lit in this kind of night since it’s been raining hard the past few months. It was obvious that no one would be awake at this time since it was after midnight that he finally grabbed him and escaped from that horrid place. If he hadn’t done so, he would have been dead by then, making it his fault.
“Nino!” He cried as he continued to drag the limp body, “We’ll be there soon! Please just don’t...”
Jun couldn’t continue his sentence, afraid that what he’ll say next will come true. He was tempted to stop to see if what he was fearing had already come true, but he he heard a soft groan against the loud rain, letting him know that it wasn’t over yet. For you, Nino, he whispered in his own thoughts, anything.
With one determined push, Jun ran as fast as he could, with Nino fastened to his small back, looking around for anything available to hide in for the night. When he turned to his left, as if his prayers were heard, he saw a small hope of light creeping out of a bakery. Jun smiled a little at the sight, though he had wanted to share this moment with Nino, he let that smile go away. Without another second, Jun sped towards the light and took his chance to run inside and hide...
“Dammit, Masaki!” Jun snarled at the hyper teenaged, orphan for clumsily dropping the finest dough on the cement floor. “You do have big hands for something, right?! Use it correctly!”
“S-sorry,” Masaki mumbled-smiled as he grabbed more dough from the silver bowl, “I’ll be more careful.”
“Good,” Jun nodded, the crease in his eyebrows going away once he laid eyes on the the teenager’s soft smile, “Next time, it won’t be tolerated.” Though he said those words, he lingered around him for a while watching Masaki knead his hands in the dough. Jun was impressed with him since this was his first time working by himself without his or Satoshi’s help. He was glad he had taken the orphan into their home. Once the teenager was done with his first batch, Jun was certain that Masaki didn’t need anymore of his supervision after all. With a satisfied grunt and a small smile from the younger one, he dismissed him and stayed behind the kitchen to clean after Masaki’s piles of mess.
“Need help?” A soft and sleepy voice echoed from the behind as he stooped down to pick up a dirty rag.
“I thought you were with your folks?” Jun asked him in a flat tone, trying his best to hide the excitement in his voice. However, Satoshi knew him all too well that he heard the older man chuckle lightly.
“I said that? Hmm... I don’t remember.”
“You said it last night...”
“Oh.”
Jun didn’t say anything anymore, knowing that Satoshi was a man with very few words. While he continued to move about in the kitchen, Satoshi was already in his uniform and was helping him clean. He was about to stop him since he owed Satoshi so much, but he stopped himself when he saw Satoshi was smiling as he worked. There was no stopping him anymore once Satoshi was devoted to his work. Jun tried to distract him, once when he was a rebellious teen, and he ended up with a very red, and angry Satoshi. Ever since then, he just watched with curious eyes as the man worked his wonders in the small kitchen.
“Did you want to say something?” Satoshi asked him without looking up from scrubbing the wooden floors off of its one day old residue.
“I... Welcome back?” Jun opened his mouth to thank him for everything he has done ever since that coincidental rainy day, but instead, he greeted his presence as a question.
“Kind of too late for that,” Satoshi mumbled, “Why don’t you take a break? You look like you need it.”
“But the mess...”
“Don’t worry,” Satoshi sighed as he looked up with a warm smile on his round face, “I’ll bring Masaki in to take care of it. It is his own mess, right?”
“Y-yeah...” Jun mumbled. “Thanks.” With that done and said, Jun took his apron and hat off before hooking them up besides the archway. Maybe he didn’t have to thank him now, though he still feels a little guilty for not having the courage to bring himself to say two easy words. Sighing angrily at himself, he headed outside of the bakery, taking in the warm, and vibrant feeling the sunny weather was pouring down on him. However, he didn’t stay longer outside, worried that something will happen to Nino while he was idle.
On his way up the stairs, he heard a loud thud, followed by a soft and muffled groan. Jun’s eyes widened as ran to his shared room with Nino. As soon as he opened the door, he spotted his friend on the floor, groaning in pain as he clutched his right arm.
“Are you ok?!” Jun gasped in horror once he ran to Nino’s side to help him back up to their only bed. “I’ll just fetch--”
“Jun...” Nino groaned when he felt a hand grab his wrist, “Stay?...”
“Of course I will,” Jun told him, “But your elbow, it’ll leave a mark...”
“I don’t care,” Nino mumbled, “It will even if you ice it. It doesn’t even hurt anyways.”
“Liar,” Jun snapped, “I saw your face. It was obviously saying that you were in pain.”
“Was I that obvious?”
“Stop being stubborn and let me ice you anyways,” He rolled his eyes as he stood back up. “At least it doesn’t hurt if I--” Jun was pulled back down on the bed and didn’t realize sooner that he was in Nino’s arms. This type of interaction was normal, but Nino’s grip was strong that he had to squirm to face his friend. Once his eyes met Nino’s face, he can see tears forming in his eyes.
Jun knitted his eyebrows together in worry. “What’s the matter?”
“I saw him... He was running after us and he caught you... before he... before he...”
Nino’s broken voice stirred something inside of him, causing his hidden to anger to flare up a little. Even though that man was already out of their lives, he still hated himself for getting Nino involved in the first place. If only he hadn’t dared him to steal a bread from one of the old ladies, Nino would have never been caught by that man and use their bodies for letting them get away with it. And if he never met Nino, he would have had a normal life without him.
“Jun... he kil--”
“Don’t say anymore, please,” Jun begged of him before he too, would burst into tears, “Just forget it.”
“How can I, Jun? That memory haunts me all the time, and those nightmares... I can’t stop them...”
Jun knew what he was saying was true. Even he couldn’t forget their horrible childhood past that some other nights, he would wake up panting and sweating from his nightmares. Just like Nino had said, even he couldn’t stop them from coming. However, there was always something to make him feel better, a way that he found comfort in long before that horrible past. As he got up, without letting Nino know what he was up to, he shot his hand out which the latter accepted with a confused face.
“Uh...”
“Don’t say anything and just follow me.” With that said, he dragged Nino outside of the bakery. However, once he was outside, he was reminded of the past as he did the same thing to him before.
Jun stopped in his tracks as he saw a dark road ahead of him while the dark rain was pouring down the cobblestone ground. The whole entire street was silent and there was no one in sight, making it all the more harder to call for help. Behind him, he could hear Nino shiver and whine silently under the rain. They had to get out fast before that man, or his goonies, caught the both of them. Sighing deeply, Jun reached for the limp hand before the scene changed again.
Instead of the rain on a lonely, cold and rainy night, there were many people moving around, shouting, or walking around the busy street under the hot sun. Everyone was lively with many faces of smiles and laughter, while he was still stuck in his past. He knew he can never be like any of them if he tried by simply laughing and smiling like a normal villager.
“Jun, what’s the matter?”
“It’s nothing,” He lied, “I was just thinking...”
“It didn’t--”
“It’s really nothing,” Jun told him, “Let’s go.”
Before Nino could protest, Jun dragged him, feeling a bit stronger since he was fully aware that past wasn’t repeating itself. Nino was behind him, safe, and healthy, while he was just trying to make him and himself feel better from their haunting past. This was nothing like the past. They were grown up and that man probably died from karma.
“Lay down,” Jun ordered him once they reached a meadow not far from the village. Nino looked hesitant at first, but he eventually followed his orders. Once Nino was on the ground, he too followed in suit and laid as close as he can near Nino.
“Tell me why we are doing this again?”
“Look at the sky, Nino. What does this remind you of?”
“I don’t--” Nino cut himself off, and Jun can see that his face was showing a sense of familiarity, yet he was still confused, “It feels like we’ve done this before...”
“We have,” Jun grinned. “But it’s ok not to remember. You’ll hurt remembering it.”
“Oh, ok.”
As Jun settled onto the green grass, he felt Nino do the same thing. Unlike before when Nino was breathing rapidly that he was going to hyperventilate, he heard deep and even breaths coming from the latter. He must have fallen asleep when he wasn’t looking throughout the whole time they spent in silence. As Jun got up, however, he stopped when he saw just how peaceful Nino looked from the effects of being outside in a relaxed environment. He couldn’t stop the smile form on his lips, and his hand that went ahead to stroke Nino’s warm cheek. As the wind passed by, Jun hadn’t realized he was just inches away from his friends face.
Jun blinked his eyes twice before pulling up and letting out deep breaths. What was he doing? Nino was his friend and he shouldn’t be doing this. And what is this weird feeling inside of his stomach? Yes he couldn’t stop himself from watching his friend in such a peaceful state. He looked as if he was the most happiest person in the planet, but they both knew that that kind of feeling will never be accomplished. As Jun leaned closer to his friend’s face, his lips made contact with the hollow cheeks before he pulled away and placed Nino’s body in his arms. He didn’t have to know the strange feeling in his stomach, not know, or not ever...
“Look, Masaki. It’s simple. You just twist to the right,” Jun demonstrated as he did what he said, “Then you twist to the left... Then you repeat it before shaping it. How hard can that be?”
“Um... really hard?”
Jun slapped his hand on the counter table. “It’s not a question you can guess on, Masaki,” He gritted his teeth angrily, “Even Nino can do better than you, for someone who rarely comes out of his room a lot.”
“I heard that.”
“You were supposed to,” Jun pointed out to his friend who was putting a set of bread into the oven before turning to face Masaki again, “Now work on it and we’ll see if we need you for tomorrow.”
“Aye, aye cap’n!” Masaki stood up straight as he angled his hand on his forehead.
Jun rolled his eyes. He really couldn’t be mad at this simpleton since there was no way of changing his bubbly personality. “And if you accomplish, I’ll think about that dog you were talking about yesterday...” Just as Masaki’s mouth was about to open, Jun stuffed fresh bread in his mouth to prevent him from shrieking and breaking his eardrums altogether. Once Masaki was finished chewing so erratically and excitedly, he walked away from his station to the front of the store. Business was smooth as usual, with plentiful of villagers bustling around the small shop. As Jun made his way to the register, the door opened and the sound of bells jingling resounded.
“Wel--” Jun turned around immediately. There was no way he was still alive. He looked as if the years didn’t change him at all. What if he knows we are here? Jun panicked as he thought of the possibility and Nino at the same time. Oh my god, Nino. Quietly making it to the back, he pulled Masaki out to replace him and went besides Nino once Masaki disappeared.
“Nino, go upstairs. I... just go upstairs. Come back when I call you, ok?”
Instead of listening to him, Nino didn’t move and looked at him with confused eyes. Jun tried to explain through his eyes that everything was alright, but he can feel that his face wasn’t telling exactly that. Just as Jun was ready to drag him up the stairs, he heard heavy footsteps coming towards the kitchen, followed by Masaki begging for this person to stop.
“Where are they? I see them with my eyes yesterday! I swear it!”
“Sir, please, stop it,” Masaki begged, “You’re causing a disruption in the shop...”
“Shuddup!” The man yelled, “I know they are--”
Jun turned around and saw him, the man who haunted both his, and Nino’s dreams. He really did look as if the time hadn’t changed him, and even his drunkard habits hadn’t changed. The man must have drunk before coming in the shop.
“I knew it,” The man smirked as he came towards the both of them, causing Jun to stumble back and grab Nino’s shaky hands, “My eyes aren’t as bad as they are. Now come back to me, or else I’ll kill the both of you.”
“No!” Jun shrieked, “We can’t, and we aren’t going back. You don’t own us anymore!”
“Don’t own you...anymore?!” The man boomed out loud causing even Masaki to shiver in fright, “I’m sure as hell I own you! Now come--”
“I won’t let you!” Nino yelled as he ran in front of Jun, his arms spreading wide to protect him, “I’ll... I’ll call the knights! They’ll take you away, you know that?!”
“Call the knights on me?” The man laughed mockingly as he walked closer towards them. “Who do you think they’ll believe. A kid or me, who is far more superior than you, huh? Who do you think they’ll believe?!”
“What’s going on here?”
All heads turned to the door at the sound of a deep voice, followed by two knights rushing in with their swords in their hands; Masaki followed after. At least that teenager was of some use.
“Sir, leave this place,” The knight on Masaki’s right spoke up. “You are causing an unpleasant behavior in the middle of the day with your drunkard behavior. And you can’t just enter in here without permission.”
“I’m sorry, I had unfinished business,” He bowed before turning to face him and Nino with an ugly smirk on his face, “I’ll be back. Soon."
Jun shuddered once more at the sight of that man's ugly face. He always thought that he had gotten rid of that face in his memories, but turns out he still remembered him once the man entered the shop. The shop, Jun remembered as he wiped his hand across his apron, he might come again to bother us...
As Jun had concluded, the man came again the following weeks, making half of their paying customers to flee. All the man did around the store was bother-women mostly-the people around till they finally left because they couldn't take it anymore. And all Jun could do was ask Masaki to sub for him while he was in the kitchen protecting Nino if that man ever comes in again.
"Jun..." Nino breathed when a woman outside shrieked as the bells jingled at the same time. “My dream, it’s--”
“Don’t be stupid,” Jun spat as he grabbed Nino’s hand and squeezed it, “I’ll always be here for you, and you know that. That man will never touch any more hairs on yours on my body...”
“Jun...”
“We have to leave,” He finally told him after giving it some thought, “We can’t stay for Satoshi’s and Masaki’s sake. We shouldn’t have been here in the first place...” That’s right, they shouldn’t have been. All they were to the Ohno’s was a nuisance to them, nothing but lost kids who feed off of a small family like a parasite. Though he couldn’t stand to leave this place the more the thought about it. This shop, as Satoshi once told him, was his and Nino’s home, but with that man around he couldn’t call it their home anymore. It was just a safe haven to escape from that fat bastard.
“Nino, we’re leaving tonight. Don’t tell Satoshi, Masaki, or the others, you understand?”
His friend nodded weakly before looking away from his eyes, and sniffled as his hand went to his face. Jun knew he was going to cry, or wanting to cry, since their whole life-until now- was spent in this small shop. The bakery felt as if... it was already a part of him, yet he knew he they had to leave it in the end. He couldn’t bear to see his other friends to suffer as well, the same way he and Nino suffered in the past. It will be tonight, he told himself reassuringly though his hand was shaking as bad as Nino, there’s no looking back either.
As soon as business was closed for the day, Jun was shaking terribly by then. Nino was shaking as badly as he was but he was good at hiding his real emotions. This was it, their very last day here and they couldn’t even say a small goodbye to their closest friends. And as soon as the candles were put out, their presence from this place was nothing but a mere memory of two strangers. Just as he hooked his uniform up for the last time that day, he felt a hand gently land on his shoulder. Jun didn’t have to guess who it was since the man’s concerned eyes were on him the whole day.
“Jun, is there something you want to talk about with me? About... you and Nino?”
Jun refused to turn around and stayed there like a frozen lamp post. He couldn’t face Satoshi in the eyes, afraid that he will burst into tears and say useless words in his face. Instead of answering him, he frantically shook his head before heading towards his and Nino’s room. Satoshi didn’t have to know now. He’ll find out in the morning when either of them don’t show up for breakfast.
As soon as Jun entered their bedroom, it was pitch black making it a better place to weep silently without embarrassing himself. However, as the tears started to fall, he heard the door behind him open and close, then thin arms made their way around his waist. Jun sighed weakly against his friend’s tight embrace, glad that he wasn’t the only one that felt this way. Smiling, he twisted around Nino’s arm and put his arms around his friend’s neck. For you, Nino, everything.
The village became quiet, as did Nino when his eyes closed for a short nap before their departure. Seeing this, Jun slowly crept out of bed, trying his best not to wake him up, and walked slowly over to their small desk. He should at least thank Satoshi for everything until now, in a letter since he couldn’t bring himself to say those easy words for more than a decade, even when the Ohno’s accepted them with warm smiles. If I can’t say it, then I’ll tell him in words...
It felt as if the past was repeating itself again, except that they were grown and not weak, as rain poured on a strangely cold and summer night while they stood resting under a protruding roof. However, he didn’t let the memory get the better of him as he tugged his heavy clothed friend to his side, afraid that a hidden shadow will grab him out of nowhere. They intended to rest for the night, but they weren’t far from the bakery and someone could easily spot them, or worse, that man would take them when they were so vulnerable. Jun didn’t want that to happen. As soon as he heard a soft sigh from his friend, he pulled him under the rain again and continued along the path towards the dark forest.
It was a long walk, however, Jun could spot a small house from where they were headed. Although the village’s forest was obscure even in the daylight, it wasn’t that hard to spot the smallish house. It must have been a hideout for thieves, but it was better than nothing at the moment. Pulling Nino closer to his body, they walked towards that house, hoping that there was no one inside. And to his prayers, it was dead silent and there was not a single soul to be seen. Sighing deeply, Jun placed his friend on a makeshift bed before taking the small spot besides him. As Jun settled into their pile of clothes for blankets, he felt Nino’s warm hands grab his under the pile of clothes.
“Thank you, Jun.”
He smiled as he closed his eyes and held tightly onto Nino’s hand. Although the weird feeling from when they were under the calm skies came back, Jun pushed it away and ignored it for a good nights rest.
The first thing Jun wanted to do was stretch his arms out, but he was being held down by the heavy pile of clothes. At least they were dried out, by only a little. Just as he was about to wake Nino up, however, his eyes widened at the sound of something clunking from the back. Jun didn’t move a muscle, or dare to turn his eyes to look at this intruder. When the sound didn’t come back, he sighed in relief. It must be some animal, he thought as he slowly got up. I thought--
“Good morning!”
Jun’s eyes widened again at the sound of the loud and booming voice. There was no way it was Nino either since he was still fast asleep, and was holding onto his hand. It there was no way that an animal can talk so perfectly like a human being.
“Morning, sunshine. I made breakfast. I hope you and your friend will like it... he does seem a bit red...”
His eyes flickered to the right and saw that the man was right. Nino’s breathing was ragged and his eyebrows were knitted together as if he was having a horrible dream he couldn’t wake up from. However, he couldn’t focus on Nino as the man from the back of the house kept shuffling around. As Jun sat frozen under the clothes, he noticed that the house was packed with many things that looks like they have recently been used. When he noticed this, he suddenly stood up straight, feeling a bit dizzy as he did so, and apologized for barging into someone else’s home. Just as he was about to grab Nino and their belongings, he heard the man behind him lightly chuckle before saying
“It’s alright. You can stay. You needed a place last night right? I was so sleepy I didn’t hear you guys come in.”
“No, I’m sorry,” Jun apologized again anyways, “My friend and I will be leaving. Sorry for--”
“What’s the hurry for? There’s no need. Now come, bring your friend over so I can see what’s wrong with him.”
“But--”
“It’s alright,” The man chuckled again, causing Jun’s shoulders to loosen a bit. “I won’t bite. I promise.”
Jun couldn’t protest against the man any longer as he eyes Nino. It would be impossible to walk out anyways since they’ve used up all their energy last night to keep on walking, and for some warmth to share with each other. But if he stayed, it would be just like the Ohno’s.
“Well?” The man questioned, “Do you want him to get better or not?”
“Sorry,” Jun apologized as he bowed in a 90 degree angle, “I’ll stay for a while, though.”
“Good, now come and get breakfast. I tried my best to cook... though I doubt you’ll enjoy it, I’m not the best cook in this forest.”
“Thanks,” Jun mumbled as he picked Nino up and sat him on one of the wooden chairs. At least not everyone was stingy.
As Jun sat quietly, sipping his strangely flavored miso soup down, the man was touching his friend’s forehead and then his neck. He saw a weird look on his face, but that all went away when he nodded his head in silence.
“You’re friend has a slight pneumonia, but he’ll get better soon. Just don’t stay under the rain so much. Oh, I’m sorry,” the man chuckled, “I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Sakurai Sho, a traveling doctor.”
This time, Jun finally looked up. He saw that the man had such a beautiful face that he rarely sees on doctors. However, the more the man smiled, he looked more of like a chipmunk than a man. Sakurai Sho? I’ve heard that name somewhere.
Jun coughed and turned from his soup to face the doctor. “I’m Matsumoto Jun and he’s Ninomiya Kazunari.” When he looked in the man’s eyes, he saw a small amusement in them. Jun decided to ignore this and continued to drink his soup. On his second sip, however, he started coughing and hacking the soup out once he heard the man say
“Oh! You’re Satoshi’s friends. He talks a lot about you two, and a hyper kid who I really want to meet.”
“You...” Jun coughed into his hands before looking into the doctor’s eyes, “You know Satoshi?!”
“Of course! We are childhood friends. I don’t get to see him a lot though, but I visit when I have the time.”
“Then how come I’ve never seen you at the bakery then?”
“We randomly meet each other.”
So that was why his name was so familiar. Satoshi always addressed this man’s name whenever their small chats led to nowhere, but he never got himself to question who he was. Now that he’s facing the man, he could be in some deep trouble.
“Are you, by chance, visiting him today?”
The man grinned. “Yup. Oh, but if you live with Satoshi... what are the two of you doing out here? Shouldn’t you be at the bakery?”
“No,” he mumbled, “Satoshi must have found out by now that we aren’t there anymore. But if you do meet him, can you do us a favor and don’t mention us? I don’t want to cause anymore trouble.”
“Why?” Sho asked him curiously, one of his eyebrows raising, “Did something happen?”
“I-it’s nothing. It’s a long story. Besides,” He sighed as he dropped the spoon into the bowl in front of him, “We should get going. I don’t want to cause you any trouble either.”
“No, no, no, no,” Sho stopped him immediately as he came running towards the door and blocked it, “There’s no way you’re leaving. Satoshi will be heartbroken if you do.”
“Then can we at least stay here with his knowing, please? I’ll help around here.”
“Of course you can!” Sho grinned. “Any friends of Satoshi are mines too. You really don’t have to work around here though, I already have them to work for me.” The doctor pointed towards the wall near the only window in this house and saw a small house.
“What?”
“Fairies,” Sho winked, “I made friends with them and some agreed to work with me as long as I give them what they want. If you want, you can hang around. Just don’t touch my potions on the shelves. I don’t know what you’ll turn into.”
Jun shuddered at the thought of turning into something horrible like a monster from children’s book. As he settled back down, Nino was awake by then, asking him what was going on through his eyes.
“I’ll explain later,” Jun mumbled as he handed Nino a hot bowl of soup, “For now, drink this. You’ll feel better.”
Nino didn’t ask anymore as soon as he grabbed the bowl of soup. When he gulped it all down Sho disappeared and the two of them, plus the fairies that were probably still asleep, were all alone in the small house. As soon as Jun placed the bowls in the sink, he heard a small thud followed by a short fit of giggles and talking. Turns out the doctor wasn’t lying as Jun stumbled back from the scene displayed before him. There really was multi-colored fairies flying all over the place; even Nino looked shocked at the very sight.
“I thought they were only fairytales,” Nino mumbled as a blue fairy passed by him, giggling, “I never thought they were real...”
“Me too,” Jun mumbled, “That guy’s some doctor...”
While the fairies worked about in the house, Jun had some explaining to do since Nino still looked so confused and lost at the situation. Standing up, he offered a hand to which Nino took with a weak smile and headed out the backdoor he had spotted earlier; this house wasn’t as small as it looked like in the outside. As they walked outside, Jun continued on until he found what looked like a replica of the meadow he introduced Nino to. They didn’t lay down this time, however, and sat besides each other as they looked at the clouds swimming in the vast, blue sky.
“So you’re saying we crashed at Satoshi’s friend’s house by accident?” Nino asked him after he explained everything in one go.
“Yup. I asked if we can stay and he allowed us.”
“But it feels as if... we never left home...” Nino mumbled quietly to himself but Jun heard him loud and clear. He thought that he can withstand the thought to leaving everything behind, but hearing Nino’s shaky voice brought him to the edge of the cliff. As he wept, he felt Nino’s warm hand stroke his back lovingly, making it harder to stop the tears from pouring down.
“I’m sorry... I shouldn’t have...”
“It’s ok,” Jun smiled against his tears as he grabbed Nino’s hand, “I don’t mind.”
“Jun... um... I know this isn’t the right time to say it but... I--”
“Matsujun! Nino!”
Nino stopped talking halfway when they heard that familiar, and hyper voice calling their name. As they turned their heads around, they saw a teary eyed Masaki running towards them with Satoshi, whose face showed no expression whatsoever, following behind.
“Sho,” Jun stood up and glared at the doctor who came from behind Masaki, “You promised.”
“Sorry...” Sho bowed his head slightly as he rubbed the back of his neck, “Satoshi saw right through me. I hate keeping secrets from him anyways...”
Jun rolled his eyes. He should have gone with his gut feelings and left, but instead, he was caught by Satoshi. He couldn’t tell if Satoshi was happy to see them as his unchanging eyes locked onto his face. On the other hand, he and Nino were being strangled in a breathtaking hug by Masaki.
“I thought... you guys were gone for good. I couldn’t stop crying until Satoshi’s friend came and burst into his arms.” At Masaki words, Jun glared at the doctor again who seemed to have taken an interest towards the fairy that hovered outside. Of course he shouldn’t have trusted him. The man was a talking so much since he had awoken.
“Masaki,” Satoshi called for the teenager to had finally released the both of them, “Go and help Sho. I need to talk to them.”
“‘K...” Masaki mumbled flatly, though Jun can hear the excitement in that short response. Masaki must be happy to have another addition in what he liked to call his social circle. As soon as the teeanger ran off, while gasping from seeing the green fairy cluelessly wandering through the opened window, Satoshi walked towards them. For the first time, he was scared of Satoshi.
“You should have told me,” he whispered instead of screaming at their faces; Jun’s heart shook at the sound of his soft-spoken voice. “I would have let you and Nino stayed even if that man was bothering us. It’s not your fault, you know. I hate it when my family leaves without a word.”
Jun’s eyes popped open. Family? A family with Satoshi? No, he didn’t deserve it. He was nothing but a stranger that intruded in his life. There was no way he can be families with someone so kind and different compared to him.
“Think about Nino, Jun, and us, the others. You can’t leave just because you’re the only one. We’re here too, to protect Nino and you.”
“I...” Jun looked away from Satoshi’s softened gaze as tears came out again from his eyes. Damn these tears! Jun cursed as he furiously wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. Damn it!
“Come back home,” Satoshi told him in a voice that almost sounded like he was begging, “We can’t run without you and Nino gone. Even the villagers were asking where you were...”
“But that bastard... He’ll take Nino with him...”
“Don’t worry. We’ll take care of that situation. And don’t you dare leave again, I’ll find you since we all live under the same sky after all.”
As the tears continued to fall, however, Jun smiled and so did Nino. Once he heard Satoshi sigh in relief, the man retreated into the house, saying something about new ingredients for his new bread called melon pan. Once Satoshi disappeared, Jun turned to face the smiling Nino and asked him what he was trying to say earlier.
“I-it’s nothing!” Nino shrieked as soon and Jun asked him. “It w-wasn’t important...”
“You’re lying,” Jun narrowed his eyes, “Tell me, I promise I won’t laugh.”
“But-- It’s nothing!” Nino shouted again and started running to the doctor’s house. “I-ignore it!”
Jun stayed back for a while, his eyes still narrowing at his friend’s back. Nino was acting really strangely but he still couldn’t figure out what his friend was trying to say before Masaki had interrupted them. As much as he tried to figure out what it was, nothing was coming into mind so he shrugged it off and headed back to where everyone was. Throughout the whole day, however, he kept eyeing Nino who jumped when his eyes met his. There was definitely something weird going on with him...
“Satoshi...” Nino mumbled as he hid behind Jun and shook like a scared cat. That fat bastard was there again to bother them, and he seemed even more aggressive since he came in the middle of the night while they had just come back from Sho’s house.
“Go upstairs,” Satoshi told the both of them while he and Masaki were using themselves as shields, “We’ll take care of this.”
As much as he wanted to be with Nino, he had to face this. There was no running away anymore, not now. “I’ll stay,” he told the three of them, causing Nino behind him to pout and whine in disapproval. “Don’t worry, I promise he won’t touch us. I’ll be there. Just hide in the blankets.”
“But...”
“Nino, I’ll be there as soon as this is finished.”
“I... Ok... If you don’t come back... I’ll kill you...”
Jun grinned, taking Nino’s hand in his. “I promise.” Once he said those words, Nino turned around a little, then stopped. Just as Jun was about to tell him to go on, Nino spun on his heel at the same time Jun felt something wet and warm on his cheek. Stunned, Jun didn’t have the time to react and Nino disappeared when he realized what had happened. Perhaps, does Nino know?
“Ahahahaha!” The fat man laughed out loud, causing Jun to snap out of his dazed trance, “It seems *hic* you’ve forgotten about me...”
“We haven’t,” Satoshi growled, causing Jun and Masaki to jump in surprise at the man’s sudden change, “Now leave. Or else.”
“Or else what?!” The man bellowed, his stomach jumping up and down as he did so, “They belong to me *hic* they still need to pay *hic* for their bad deeds.”
“We were only kids,” Jun snarled, “We didn’t mean any of it!”
“Kids my ass,” The bastard slurred, “You--”
“Nino gave the apple back! We didn’t mean any harm unlike... unlike you!” Jun growled as he pointed at the man’s face, “You’re the one who committed a crime. Not us!”
“I did not... I’m no thief...”
“Not a thief, but a heartless bastard who beat up kids for fun.” He heard Masaki gasp while Satoshi continued to glare at the man as if he was unfazed with his and Nino’s story. “And use their small bodies to your own pleasure. I bet you still do it to kids you see.”
“I... Why you little!”
The man dashed forwards, his hands going for his neck. But because the man was so big and slow, Jun was able to dodge him while Satoshi and Masaki were tackling the man to the ground. But with two people against one, it wasn’t enough as the man pushed the both of them off and ran towards him with red eyes. Jun had seen him like this before, when he or Nino did something the fat bastard didn’t approve of. As the man came forward, Jun wasn’t scared at all. He still felt Nino’s wet kiss on his cheeks, giving him better confidence to fight the man off. When the man was almost at arms reach, Jun sent his feet forwards, causing the man to fly across the bakery, and shattering the glass windows.
“Take that, you fat bastard!” Jun yelled, “Don’t you dare use your hands to touch my Nino!”
The man however, stood back up. There was blood going down his arms, but he didn’t seem to falter from it. The bastard then smirked as he stepped over the open window, blood pouring out at every step he took. When the bastard came closer, Jun can see that his eyes were starting to droop and his pace was becoming slower by then. As the man continued, Jun only had to take a step back to let the man fall to his unconsciousness. And just like that, the man was taken away by the knights that came by from the villagers complaints. And just like that, the man was gone from their lives, forever, and from Nino...
Jun retreated back upstairs, back to where he shared his room with Nino, as soon as the racket they had caused was excused. It felt as if they had never left, also thanks to Sho for being a blabber mouth. When he entered the room, it was pitch black and he can hear soft whimpering in the corner of the room, right where their bed was.
“Nino?” Jun panicked as he ran to the bed and grabbed Nino in his arms, “Don’t worry, it’s me! It’s over!”
“I...” Nino whimpered as his body shook so hard in his arms, “I thought it was Jun who was thrown outside... I...”
“Look,” Jun grabbed Nino’s chin to make his eyes meet his, “I’m fine. See? No blood!”
“But I was afraid. I thought--”
Jun didn’t let Nino continued as he tilted his head to the side and capture his thin lips in a kiss. That shut him up at least, and his shaking finally stopped. He was about to pull away but Nino brought his arms around his neck, deepening the kiss as he was falling back to the bed. So this was what he felt towards Nino...
“Damn it, Masaki,” Jun scolded the teenager, though he was chuckling as he thumped the back of the teen’s head, “Don’t point your dog’s damn poop towards my face. Its gross enough that you’re touching it with your bare hands.”
“But smell it!” Masaki insisted, the small poop threatening to land on his face at anytime, “It doesn’t smell like anything!” Just as Jun feared that the poop would accidentally land on his face, he saw a mess of hair come between the two of them and then Masaki screaming loudly after. As the teenager ran around, screaming and begging to have the poop taken out of his face, the person in front of him was having a fit of laughter.
“Masaki deserves it, he was about to put poop on your perfect face.”
“Nino...” Jun tried to scold him, but he too, was laughing as he watched the teenager run around, carelessly bumping into trees. When Masaki fell down, however, Sho was there immediately, picking him back up on his feet. On the other hand, Satoshi was on the other side of the meadow, playing with Masaki’s puppy.
“You didn’t have to do that, you know?”
Nino turned around, a pout on his thin lips. “But I don’t want to taste poop when I kiss you. I want to taste Jun only.”
“Oh.”
“Lay down with me?”
Nodding, Jun laid down besides Nino who was spreading his limbs all over the grass. Jun did the same as he stared at the sky. It was a bright day out, and they can finally have some peace without a heavy burden to keep them from seeing the blue skies. It was rather clear today, but there was something that was still bothering him.
“Nino, what was it you wanted to tell me. Back at Sho’s house?”
“Hmm? Oh that? I don’t think it matters,” Nino told him, but this time he wasn’t as jumpy, “I think you already know.”
“I do? No I don’t.”
“Jun, you already--”
“Spit it out,” he cut him off, “I really want to hear what you wanted to say.”
“Fine,” Nino grumbled in a way a kid does when he had no choice but to give in, “I like you.”
Jun grinned. He already knew what it was the first time they kissed, but he really wanted Nino to say it out loud. Proudly, and under such a beautiful sky. “How much?”
Nino grumbled. “Do I have to?”
“Yes.”
“Fine. I like you as much as...” Nino paused before taking his hand and then using his other hand to point at the blue mass hovering over them, “... the sky. I like you by that much.”
“Good,” Jun grinned, satisfied at his answer, “But I like you as much as the universe. Let’s see if you can beat me.”
Nino scoffed and rolled his eyes. “You’re so funny, Jun. But I know you like me as much as those skies. Don’t make a competition out of this.”
“Oh, I won’t,” Jun grinned as he sneakily grabbed a handful of mud nearby, threw it on Nino’s face and stood up, running to avoid an attack much worse than his, “But we’ll see who can throw mud at each other and cover them up until they can’t see.” As Jun ran, he can see that the others had caught on to what they were doing and joined in.
Smirking, Nino got up with a handful of mud. “You’re on.”
~~~~
A/N: Phew! Took me two days to write this after two weeks, I think, of being gone. And since I was free after deciding to do my homework instead of procrastinating, I came up with this. Been wanting to write this a long time ago though, with the pairing as Juntoshi. But for right now, my fangirl heart screams Matsumiya. And don't worry, I'm still doing other pairings; that is if I have time.
Thanks for those who added me and commented! Btw
Oh, my bais swtiched to Nino, and my OTP is currently Matsumiya, if you haven't noticed. And about the layout... I'm too lazy to change it because I still love Ohmiya though.
Comments are <3!
Pairings:JunxNino, AibaxSho, OT5
Genre:AU, Fluff, Romance, Friendship, Fantasy, Slight Angst?
Rating:PG
Disclaimer:Plot is mines and here I am wishing I own them T_T
Word Count:7389
Summary:Jun had to run away for Nino's sake, and to stop the nightmare from haunting them.
Fanfic Masterpost
++++++++++
Jun grabbed the small limp hand as he wailed and cried under the dark, and hard droplets plummeting from the sky to the cobblestones under his bare feet. As he ran and looked around the village, there was not a single light lit in this kind of night since it’s been raining hard the past few months. It was obvious that no one would be awake at this time since it was after midnight that he finally grabbed him and escaped from that horrid place. If he hadn’t done so, he would have been dead by then, making it his fault.
“Nino!” He cried as he continued to drag the limp body, “We’ll be there soon! Please just don’t...”
Jun couldn’t continue his sentence, afraid that what he’ll say next will come true. He was tempted to stop to see if what he was fearing had already come true, but he he heard a soft groan against the loud rain, letting him know that it wasn’t over yet. For you, Nino, he whispered in his own thoughts, anything.
With one determined push, Jun ran as fast as he could, with Nino fastened to his small back, looking around for anything available to hide in for the night. When he turned to his left, as if his prayers were heard, he saw a small hope of light creeping out of a bakery. Jun smiled a little at the sight, though he had wanted to share this moment with Nino, he let that smile go away. Without another second, Jun sped towards the light and took his chance to run inside and hide...
“Dammit, Masaki!” Jun snarled at the hyper teenaged, orphan for clumsily dropping the finest dough on the cement floor. “You do have big hands for something, right?! Use it correctly!”
“S-sorry,” Masaki mumbled-smiled as he grabbed more dough from the silver bowl, “I’ll be more careful.”
“Good,” Jun nodded, the crease in his eyebrows going away once he laid eyes on the the teenager’s soft smile, “Next time, it won’t be tolerated.” Though he said those words, he lingered around him for a while watching Masaki knead his hands in the dough. Jun was impressed with him since this was his first time working by himself without his or Satoshi’s help. He was glad he had taken the orphan into their home. Once the teenager was done with his first batch, Jun was certain that Masaki didn’t need anymore of his supervision after all. With a satisfied grunt and a small smile from the younger one, he dismissed him and stayed behind the kitchen to clean after Masaki’s piles of mess.
“Need help?” A soft and sleepy voice echoed from the behind as he stooped down to pick up a dirty rag.
“I thought you were with your folks?” Jun asked him in a flat tone, trying his best to hide the excitement in his voice. However, Satoshi knew him all too well that he heard the older man chuckle lightly.
“I said that? Hmm... I don’t remember.”
“You said it last night...”
“Oh.”
Jun didn’t say anything anymore, knowing that Satoshi was a man with very few words. While he continued to move about in the kitchen, Satoshi was already in his uniform and was helping him clean. He was about to stop him since he owed Satoshi so much, but he stopped himself when he saw Satoshi was smiling as he worked. There was no stopping him anymore once Satoshi was devoted to his work. Jun tried to distract him, once when he was a rebellious teen, and he ended up with a very red, and angry Satoshi. Ever since then, he just watched with curious eyes as the man worked his wonders in the small kitchen.
“Did you want to say something?” Satoshi asked him without looking up from scrubbing the wooden floors off of its one day old residue.
“I... Welcome back?” Jun opened his mouth to thank him for everything he has done ever since that coincidental rainy day, but instead, he greeted his presence as a question.
“Kind of too late for that,” Satoshi mumbled, “Why don’t you take a break? You look like you need it.”
“But the mess...”
“Don’t worry,” Satoshi sighed as he looked up with a warm smile on his round face, “I’ll bring Masaki in to take care of it. It is his own mess, right?”
“Y-yeah...” Jun mumbled. “Thanks.” With that done and said, Jun took his apron and hat off before hooking them up besides the archway. Maybe he didn’t have to thank him now, though he still feels a little guilty for not having the courage to bring himself to say two easy words. Sighing angrily at himself, he headed outside of the bakery, taking in the warm, and vibrant feeling the sunny weather was pouring down on him. However, he didn’t stay longer outside, worried that something will happen to Nino while he was idle.
On his way up the stairs, he heard a loud thud, followed by a soft and muffled groan. Jun’s eyes widened as ran to his shared room with Nino. As soon as he opened the door, he spotted his friend on the floor, groaning in pain as he clutched his right arm.
“Are you ok?!” Jun gasped in horror once he ran to Nino’s side to help him back up to their only bed. “I’ll just fetch--”
“Jun...” Nino groaned when he felt a hand grab his wrist, “Stay?...”
“Of course I will,” Jun told him, “But your elbow, it’ll leave a mark...”
“I don’t care,” Nino mumbled, “It will even if you ice it. It doesn’t even hurt anyways.”
“Liar,” Jun snapped, “I saw your face. It was obviously saying that you were in pain.”
“Was I that obvious?”
“Stop being stubborn and let me ice you anyways,” He rolled his eyes as he stood back up. “At least it doesn’t hurt if I--” Jun was pulled back down on the bed and didn’t realize sooner that he was in Nino’s arms. This type of interaction was normal, but Nino’s grip was strong that he had to squirm to face his friend. Once his eyes met Nino’s face, he can see tears forming in his eyes.
Jun knitted his eyebrows together in worry. “What’s the matter?”
“I saw him... He was running after us and he caught you... before he... before he...”
Nino’s broken voice stirred something inside of him, causing his hidden to anger to flare up a little. Even though that man was already out of their lives, he still hated himself for getting Nino involved in the first place. If only he hadn’t dared him to steal a bread from one of the old ladies, Nino would have never been caught by that man and use their bodies for letting them get away with it. And if he never met Nino, he would have had a normal life without him.
“Jun... he kil--”
“Don’t say anymore, please,” Jun begged of him before he too, would burst into tears, “Just forget it.”
“How can I, Jun? That memory haunts me all the time, and those nightmares... I can’t stop them...”
Jun knew what he was saying was true. Even he couldn’t forget their horrible childhood past that some other nights, he would wake up panting and sweating from his nightmares. Just like Nino had said, even he couldn’t stop them from coming. However, there was always something to make him feel better, a way that he found comfort in long before that horrible past. As he got up, without letting Nino know what he was up to, he shot his hand out which the latter accepted with a confused face.
“Uh...”
“Don’t say anything and just follow me.” With that said, he dragged Nino outside of the bakery. However, once he was outside, he was reminded of the past as he did the same thing to him before.
Jun stopped in his tracks as he saw a dark road ahead of him while the dark rain was pouring down the cobblestone ground. The whole entire street was silent and there was no one in sight, making it all the more harder to call for help. Behind him, he could hear Nino shiver and whine silently under the rain. They had to get out fast before that man, or his goonies, caught the both of them. Sighing deeply, Jun reached for the limp hand before the scene changed again.
Instead of the rain on a lonely, cold and rainy night, there were many people moving around, shouting, or walking around the busy street under the hot sun. Everyone was lively with many faces of smiles and laughter, while he was still stuck in his past. He knew he can never be like any of them if he tried by simply laughing and smiling like a normal villager.
“Jun, what’s the matter?”
“It’s nothing,” He lied, “I was just thinking...”
“It didn’t--”
“It’s really nothing,” Jun told him, “Let’s go.”
Before Nino could protest, Jun dragged him, feeling a bit stronger since he was fully aware that past wasn’t repeating itself. Nino was behind him, safe, and healthy, while he was just trying to make him and himself feel better from their haunting past. This was nothing like the past. They were grown up and that man probably died from karma.
“Lay down,” Jun ordered him once they reached a meadow not far from the village. Nino looked hesitant at first, but he eventually followed his orders. Once Nino was on the ground, he too followed in suit and laid as close as he can near Nino.
“Tell me why we are doing this again?”
“Look at the sky, Nino. What does this remind you of?”
“I don’t--” Nino cut himself off, and Jun can see that his face was showing a sense of familiarity, yet he was still confused, “It feels like we’ve done this before...”
“We have,” Jun grinned. “But it’s ok not to remember. You’ll hurt remembering it.”
“Oh, ok.”
As Jun settled onto the green grass, he felt Nino do the same thing. Unlike before when Nino was breathing rapidly that he was going to hyperventilate, he heard deep and even breaths coming from the latter. He must have fallen asleep when he wasn’t looking throughout the whole time they spent in silence. As Jun got up, however, he stopped when he saw just how peaceful Nino looked from the effects of being outside in a relaxed environment. He couldn’t stop the smile form on his lips, and his hand that went ahead to stroke Nino’s warm cheek. As the wind passed by, Jun hadn’t realized he was just inches away from his friends face.
Jun blinked his eyes twice before pulling up and letting out deep breaths. What was he doing? Nino was his friend and he shouldn’t be doing this. And what is this weird feeling inside of his stomach? Yes he couldn’t stop himself from watching his friend in such a peaceful state. He looked as if he was the most happiest person in the planet, but they both knew that that kind of feeling will never be accomplished. As Jun leaned closer to his friend’s face, his lips made contact with the hollow cheeks before he pulled away and placed Nino’s body in his arms. He didn’t have to know the strange feeling in his stomach, not know, or not ever...
“Look, Masaki. It’s simple. You just twist to the right,” Jun demonstrated as he did what he said, “Then you twist to the left... Then you repeat it before shaping it. How hard can that be?”
“Um... really hard?”
Jun slapped his hand on the counter table. “It’s not a question you can guess on, Masaki,” He gritted his teeth angrily, “Even Nino can do better than you, for someone who rarely comes out of his room a lot.”
“I heard that.”
“You were supposed to,” Jun pointed out to his friend who was putting a set of bread into the oven before turning to face Masaki again, “Now work on it and we’ll see if we need you for tomorrow.”
“Aye, aye cap’n!” Masaki stood up straight as he angled his hand on his forehead.
Jun rolled his eyes. He really couldn’t be mad at this simpleton since there was no way of changing his bubbly personality. “And if you accomplish, I’ll think about that dog you were talking about yesterday...” Just as Masaki’s mouth was about to open, Jun stuffed fresh bread in his mouth to prevent him from shrieking and breaking his eardrums altogether. Once Masaki was finished chewing so erratically and excitedly, he walked away from his station to the front of the store. Business was smooth as usual, with plentiful of villagers bustling around the small shop. As Jun made his way to the register, the door opened and the sound of bells jingling resounded.
“Wel--” Jun turned around immediately. There was no way he was still alive. He looked as if the years didn’t change him at all. What if he knows we are here? Jun panicked as he thought of the possibility and Nino at the same time. Oh my god, Nino. Quietly making it to the back, he pulled Masaki out to replace him and went besides Nino once Masaki disappeared.
“Nino, go upstairs. I... just go upstairs. Come back when I call you, ok?”
Instead of listening to him, Nino didn’t move and looked at him with confused eyes. Jun tried to explain through his eyes that everything was alright, but he can feel that his face wasn’t telling exactly that. Just as Jun was ready to drag him up the stairs, he heard heavy footsteps coming towards the kitchen, followed by Masaki begging for this person to stop.
“Where are they? I see them with my eyes yesterday! I swear it!”
“Sir, please, stop it,” Masaki begged, “You’re causing a disruption in the shop...”
“Shuddup!” The man yelled, “I know they are--”
Jun turned around and saw him, the man who haunted both his, and Nino’s dreams. He really did look as if the time hadn’t changed him, and even his drunkard habits hadn’t changed. The man must have drunk before coming in the shop.
“I knew it,” The man smirked as he came towards the both of them, causing Jun to stumble back and grab Nino’s shaky hands, “My eyes aren’t as bad as they are. Now come back to me, or else I’ll kill the both of you.”
“No!” Jun shrieked, “We can’t, and we aren’t going back. You don’t own us anymore!”
“Don’t own you...anymore?!” The man boomed out loud causing even Masaki to shiver in fright, “I’m sure as hell I own you! Now come--”
“I won’t let you!” Nino yelled as he ran in front of Jun, his arms spreading wide to protect him, “I’ll... I’ll call the knights! They’ll take you away, you know that?!”
“Call the knights on me?” The man laughed mockingly as he walked closer towards them. “Who do you think they’ll believe. A kid or me, who is far more superior than you, huh? Who do you think they’ll believe?!”
“What’s going on here?”
All heads turned to the door at the sound of a deep voice, followed by two knights rushing in with their swords in their hands; Masaki followed after. At least that teenager was of some use.
“Sir, leave this place,” The knight on Masaki’s right spoke up. “You are causing an unpleasant behavior in the middle of the day with your drunkard behavior. And you can’t just enter in here without permission.”
“I’m sorry, I had unfinished business,” He bowed before turning to face him and Nino with an ugly smirk on his face, “I’ll be back. Soon."
Jun shuddered once more at the sight of that man's ugly face. He always thought that he had gotten rid of that face in his memories, but turns out he still remembered him once the man entered the shop. The shop, Jun remembered as he wiped his hand across his apron, he might come again to bother us...
As Jun had concluded, the man came again the following weeks, making half of their paying customers to flee. All the man did around the store was bother-women mostly-the people around till they finally left because they couldn't take it anymore. And all Jun could do was ask Masaki to sub for him while he was in the kitchen protecting Nino if that man ever comes in again.
"Jun..." Nino breathed when a woman outside shrieked as the bells jingled at the same time. “My dream, it’s--”
“Don’t be stupid,” Jun spat as he grabbed Nino’s hand and squeezed it, “I’ll always be here for you, and you know that. That man will never touch any more hairs on yours on my body...”
“Jun...”
“We have to leave,” He finally told him after giving it some thought, “We can’t stay for Satoshi’s and Masaki’s sake. We shouldn’t have been here in the first place...” That’s right, they shouldn’t have been. All they were to the Ohno’s was a nuisance to them, nothing but lost kids who feed off of a small family like a parasite. Though he couldn’t stand to leave this place the more the thought about it. This shop, as Satoshi once told him, was his and Nino’s home, but with that man around he couldn’t call it their home anymore. It was just a safe haven to escape from that fat bastard.
“Nino, we’re leaving tonight. Don’t tell Satoshi, Masaki, or the others, you understand?”
His friend nodded weakly before looking away from his eyes, and sniffled as his hand went to his face. Jun knew he was going to cry, or wanting to cry, since their whole life-until now- was spent in this small shop. The bakery felt as if... it was already a part of him, yet he knew he they had to leave it in the end. He couldn’t bear to see his other friends to suffer as well, the same way he and Nino suffered in the past. It will be tonight, he told himself reassuringly though his hand was shaking as bad as Nino, there’s no looking back either.
As soon as business was closed for the day, Jun was shaking terribly by then. Nino was shaking as badly as he was but he was good at hiding his real emotions. This was it, their very last day here and they couldn’t even say a small goodbye to their closest friends. And as soon as the candles were put out, their presence from this place was nothing but a mere memory of two strangers. Just as he hooked his uniform up for the last time that day, he felt a hand gently land on his shoulder. Jun didn’t have to guess who it was since the man’s concerned eyes were on him the whole day.
“Jun, is there something you want to talk about with me? About... you and Nino?”
Jun refused to turn around and stayed there like a frozen lamp post. He couldn’t face Satoshi in the eyes, afraid that he will burst into tears and say useless words in his face. Instead of answering him, he frantically shook his head before heading towards his and Nino’s room. Satoshi didn’t have to know now. He’ll find out in the morning when either of them don’t show up for breakfast.
As soon as Jun entered their bedroom, it was pitch black making it a better place to weep silently without embarrassing himself. However, as the tears started to fall, he heard the door behind him open and close, then thin arms made their way around his waist. Jun sighed weakly against his friend’s tight embrace, glad that he wasn’t the only one that felt this way. Smiling, he twisted around Nino’s arm and put his arms around his friend’s neck. For you, Nino, everything.
The village became quiet, as did Nino when his eyes closed for a short nap before their departure. Seeing this, Jun slowly crept out of bed, trying his best not to wake him up, and walked slowly over to their small desk. He should at least thank Satoshi for everything until now, in a letter since he couldn’t bring himself to say those easy words for more than a decade, even when the Ohno’s accepted them with warm smiles. If I can’t say it, then I’ll tell him in words...
It felt as if the past was repeating itself again, except that they were grown and not weak, as rain poured on a strangely cold and summer night while they stood resting under a protruding roof. However, he didn’t let the memory get the better of him as he tugged his heavy clothed friend to his side, afraid that a hidden shadow will grab him out of nowhere. They intended to rest for the night, but they weren’t far from the bakery and someone could easily spot them, or worse, that man would take them when they were so vulnerable. Jun didn’t want that to happen. As soon as he heard a soft sigh from his friend, he pulled him under the rain again and continued along the path towards the dark forest.
It was a long walk, however, Jun could spot a small house from where they were headed. Although the village’s forest was obscure even in the daylight, it wasn’t that hard to spot the smallish house. It must have been a hideout for thieves, but it was better than nothing at the moment. Pulling Nino closer to his body, they walked towards that house, hoping that there was no one inside. And to his prayers, it was dead silent and there was not a single soul to be seen. Sighing deeply, Jun placed his friend on a makeshift bed before taking the small spot besides him. As Jun settled into their pile of clothes for blankets, he felt Nino’s warm hands grab his under the pile of clothes.
“Thank you, Jun.”
He smiled as he closed his eyes and held tightly onto Nino’s hand. Although the weird feeling from when they were under the calm skies came back, Jun pushed it away and ignored it for a good nights rest.
The first thing Jun wanted to do was stretch his arms out, but he was being held down by the heavy pile of clothes. At least they were dried out, by only a little. Just as he was about to wake Nino up, however, his eyes widened at the sound of something clunking from the back. Jun didn’t move a muscle, or dare to turn his eyes to look at this intruder. When the sound didn’t come back, he sighed in relief. It must be some animal, he thought as he slowly got up. I thought--
“Good morning!”
Jun’s eyes widened again at the sound of the loud and booming voice. There was no way it was Nino either since he was still fast asleep, and was holding onto his hand. It there was no way that an animal can talk so perfectly like a human being.
“Morning, sunshine. I made breakfast. I hope you and your friend will like it... he does seem a bit red...”
His eyes flickered to the right and saw that the man was right. Nino’s breathing was ragged and his eyebrows were knitted together as if he was having a horrible dream he couldn’t wake up from. However, he couldn’t focus on Nino as the man from the back of the house kept shuffling around. As Jun sat frozen under the clothes, he noticed that the house was packed with many things that looks like they have recently been used. When he noticed this, he suddenly stood up straight, feeling a bit dizzy as he did so, and apologized for barging into someone else’s home. Just as he was about to grab Nino and their belongings, he heard the man behind him lightly chuckle before saying
“It’s alright. You can stay. You needed a place last night right? I was so sleepy I didn’t hear you guys come in.”
“No, I’m sorry,” Jun apologized again anyways, “My friend and I will be leaving. Sorry for--”
“What’s the hurry for? There’s no need. Now come, bring your friend over so I can see what’s wrong with him.”
“But--”
“It’s alright,” The man chuckled again, causing Jun’s shoulders to loosen a bit. “I won’t bite. I promise.”
Jun couldn’t protest against the man any longer as he eyes Nino. It would be impossible to walk out anyways since they’ve used up all their energy last night to keep on walking, and for some warmth to share with each other. But if he stayed, it would be just like the Ohno’s.
“Well?” The man questioned, “Do you want him to get better or not?”
“Sorry,” Jun apologized as he bowed in a 90 degree angle, “I’ll stay for a while, though.”
“Good, now come and get breakfast. I tried my best to cook... though I doubt you’ll enjoy it, I’m not the best cook in this forest.”
“Thanks,” Jun mumbled as he picked Nino up and sat him on one of the wooden chairs. At least not everyone was stingy.
As Jun sat quietly, sipping his strangely flavored miso soup down, the man was touching his friend’s forehead and then his neck. He saw a weird look on his face, but that all went away when he nodded his head in silence.
“You’re friend has a slight pneumonia, but he’ll get better soon. Just don’t stay under the rain so much. Oh, I’m sorry,” the man chuckled, “I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Sakurai Sho, a traveling doctor.”
This time, Jun finally looked up. He saw that the man had such a beautiful face that he rarely sees on doctors. However, the more the man smiled, he looked more of like a chipmunk than a man. Sakurai Sho? I’ve heard that name somewhere.
Jun coughed and turned from his soup to face the doctor. “I’m Matsumoto Jun and he’s Ninomiya Kazunari.” When he looked in the man’s eyes, he saw a small amusement in them. Jun decided to ignore this and continued to drink his soup. On his second sip, however, he started coughing and hacking the soup out once he heard the man say
“Oh! You’re Satoshi’s friends. He talks a lot about you two, and a hyper kid who I really want to meet.”
“You...” Jun coughed into his hands before looking into the doctor’s eyes, “You know Satoshi?!”
“Of course! We are childhood friends. I don’t get to see him a lot though, but I visit when I have the time.”
“Then how come I’ve never seen you at the bakery then?”
“We randomly meet each other.”
So that was why his name was so familiar. Satoshi always addressed this man’s name whenever their small chats led to nowhere, but he never got himself to question who he was. Now that he’s facing the man, he could be in some deep trouble.
“Are you, by chance, visiting him today?”
The man grinned. “Yup. Oh, but if you live with Satoshi... what are the two of you doing out here? Shouldn’t you be at the bakery?”
“No,” he mumbled, “Satoshi must have found out by now that we aren’t there anymore. But if you do meet him, can you do us a favor and don’t mention us? I don’t want to cause anymore trouble.”
“Why?” Sho asked him curiously, one of his eyebrows raising, “Did something happen?”
“I-it’s nothing. It’s a long story. Besides,” He sighed as he dropped the spoon into the bowl in front of him, “We should get going. I don’t want to cause you any trouble either.”
“No, no, no, no,” Sho stopped him immediately as he came running towards the door and blocked it, “There’s no way you’re leaving. Satoshi will be heartbroken if you do.”
“Then can we at least stay here with his knowing, please? I’ll help around here.”
“Of course you can!” Sho grinned. “Any friends of Satoshi are mines too. You really don’t have to work around here though, I already have them to work for me.” The doctor pointed towards the wall near the only window in this house and saw a small house.
“What?”
“Fairies,” Sho winked, “I made friends with them and some agreed to work with me as long as I give them what they want. If you want, you can hang around. Just don’t touch my potions on the shelves. I don’t know what you’ll turn into.”
Jun shuddered at the thought of turning into something horrible like a monster from children’s book. As he settled back down, Nino was awake by then, asking him what was going on through his eyes.
“I’ll explain later,” Jun mumbled as he handed Nino a hot bowl of soup, “For now, drink this. You’ll feel better.”
Nino didn’t ask anymore as soon as he grabbed the bowl of soup. When he gulped it all down Sho disappeared and the two of them, plus the fairies that were probably still asleep, were all alone in the small house. As soon as Jun placed the bowls in the sink, he heard a small thud followed by a short fit of giggles and talking. Turns out the doctor wasn’t lying as Jun stumbled back from the scene displayed before him. There really was multi-colored fairies flying all over the place; even Nino looked shocked at the very sight.
“I thought they were only fairytales,” Nino mumbled as a blue fairy passed by him, giggling, “I never thought they were real...”
“Me too,” Jun mumbled, “That guy’s some doctor...”
While the fairies worked about in the house, Jun had some explaining to do since Nino still looked so confused and lost at the situation. Standing up, he offered a hand to which Nino took with a weak smile and headed out the backdoor he had spotted earlier; this house wasn’t as small as it looked like in the outside. As they walked outside, Jun continued on until he found what looked like a replica of the meadow he introduced Nino to. They didn’t lay down this time, however, and sat besides each other as they looked at the clouds swimming in the vast, blue sky.
“So you’re saying we crashed at Satoshi’s friend’s house by accident?” Nino asked him after he explained everything in one go.
“Yup. I asked if we can stay and he allowed us.”
“But it feels as if... we never left home...” Nino mumbled quietly to himself but Jun heard him loud and clear. He thought that he can withstand the thought to leaving everything behind, but hearing Nino’s shaky voice brought him to the edge of the cliff. As he wept, he felt Nino’s warm hand stroke his back lovingly, making it harder to stop the tears from pouring down.
“I’m sorry... I shouldn’t have...”
“It’s ok,” Jun smiled against his tears as he grabbed Nino’s hand, “I don’t mind.”
“Jun... um... I know this isn’t the right time to say it but... I--”
“Matsujun! Nino!”
Nino stopped talking halfway when they heard that familiar, and hyper voice calling their name. As they turned their heads around, they saw a teary eyed Masaki running towards them with Satoshi, whose face showed no expression whatsoever, following behind.
“Sho,” Jun stood up and glared at the doctor who came from behind Masaki, “You promised.”
“Sorry...” Sho bowed his head slightly as he rubbed the back of his neck, “Satoshi saw right through me. I hate keeping secrets from him anyways...”
Jun rolled his eyes. He should have gone with his gut feelings and left, but instead, he was caught by Satoshi. He couldn’t tell if Satoshi was happy to see them as his unchanging eyes locked onto his face. On the other hand, he and Nino were being strangled in a breathtaking hug by Masaki.
“I thought... you guys were gone for good. I couldn’t stop crying until Satoshi’s friend came and burst into his arms.” At Masaki words, Jun glared at the doctor again who seemed to have taken an interest towards the fairy that hovered outside. Of course he shouldn’t have trusted him. The man was a talking so much since he had awoken.
“Masaki,” Satoshi called for the teenager to had finally released the both of them, “Go and help Sho. I need to talk to them.”
“‘K...” Masaki mumbled flatly, though Jun can hear the excitement in that short response. Masaki must be happy to have another addition in what he liked to call his social circle. As soon as the teeanger ran off, while gasping from seeing the green fairy cluelessly wandering through the opened window, Satoshi walked towards them. For the first time, he was scared of Satoshi.
“You should have told me,” he whispered instead of screaming at their faces; Jun’s heart shook at the sound of his soft-spoken voice. “I would have let you and Nino stayed even if that man was bothering us. It’s not your fault, you know. I hate it when my family leaves without a word.”
Jun’s eyes popped open. Family? A family with Satoshi? No, he didn’t deserve it. He was nothing but a stranger that intruded in his life. There was no way he can be families with someone so kind and different compared to him.
“Think about Nino, Jun, and us, the others. You can’t leave just because you’re the only one. We’re here too, to protect Nino and you.”
“I...” Jun looked away from Satoshi’s softened gaze as tears came out again from his eyes. Damn these tears! Jun cursed as he furiously wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. Damn it!
“Come back home,” Satoshi told him in a voice that almost sounded like he was begging, “We can’t run without you and Nino gone. Even the villagers were asking where you were...”
“But that bastard... He’ll take Nino with him...”
“Don’t worry. We’ll take care of that situation. And don’t you dare leave again, I’ll find you since we all live under the same sky after all.”
As the tears continued to fall, however, Jun smiled and so did Nino. Once he heard Satoshi sigh in relief, the man retreated into the house, saying something about new ingredients for his new bread called melon pan. Once Satoshi disappeared, Jun turned to face the smiling Nino and asked him what he was trying to say earlier.
“I-it’s nothing!” Nino shrieked as soon and Jun asked him. “It w-wasn’t important...”
“You’re lying,” Jun narrowed his eyes, “Tell me, I promise I won’t laugh.”
“But-- It’s nothing!” Nino shouted again and started running to the doctor’s house. “I-ignore it!”
Jun stayed back for a while, his eyes still narrowing at his friend’s back. Nino was acting really strangely but he still couldn’t figure out what his friend was trying to say before Masaki had interrupted them. As much as he tried to figure out what it was, nothing was coming into mind so he shrugged it off and headed back to where everyone was. Throughout the whole day, however, he kept eyeing Nino who jumped when his eyes met his. There was definitely something weird going on with him...
“Satoshi...” Nino mumbled as he hid behind Jun and shook like a scared cat. That fat bastard was there again to bother them, and he seemed even more aggressive since he came in the middle of the night while they had just come back from Sho’s house.
“Go upstairs,” Satoshi told the both of them while he and Masaki were using themselves as shields, “We’ll take care of this.”
As much as he wanted to be with Nino, he had to face this. There was no running away anymore, not now. “I’ll stay,” he told the three of them, causing Nino behind him to pout and whine in disapproval. “Don’t worry, I promise he won’t touch us. I’ll be there. Just hide in the blankets.”
“But...”
“Nino, I’ll be there as soon as this is finished.”
“I... Ok... If you don’t come back... I’ll kill you...”
Jun grinned, taking Nino’s hand in his. “I promise.” Once he said those words, Nino turned around a little, then stopped. Just as Jun was about to tell him to go on, Nino spun on his heel at the same time Jun felt something wet and warm on his cheek. Stunned, Jun didn’t have the time to react and Nino disappeared when he realized what had happened. Perhaps, does Nino know?
“Ahahahaha!” The fat man laughed out loud, causing Jun to snap out of his dazed trance, “It seems *hic* you’ve forgotten about me...”
“We haven’t,” Satoshi growled, causing Jun and Masaki to jump in surprise at the man’s sudden change, “Now leave. Or else.”
“Or else what?!” The man bellowed, his stomach jumping up and down as he did so, “They belong to me *hic* they still need to pay *hic* for their bad deeds.”
“We were only kids,” Jun snarled, “We didn’t mean any of it!”
“Kids my ass,” The bastard slurred, “You--”
“Nino gave the apple back! We didn’t mean any harm unlike... unlike you!” Jun growled as he pointed at the man’s face, “You’re the one who committed a crime. Not us!”
“I did not... I’m no thief...”
“Not a thief, but a heartless bastard who beat up kids for fun.” He heard Masaki gasp while Satoshi continued to glare at the man as if he was unfazed with his and Nino’s story. “And use their small bodies to your own pleasure. I bet you still do it to kids you see.”
“I... Why you little!”
The man dashed forwards, his hands going for his neck. But because the man was so big and slow, Jun was able to dodge him while Satoshi and Masaki were tackling the man to the ground. But with two people against one, it wasn’t enough as the man pushed the both of them off and ran towards him with red eyes. Jun had seen him like this before, when he or Nino did something the fat bastard didn’t approve of. As the man came forward, Jun wasn’t scared at all. He still felt Nino’s wet kiss on his cheeks, giving him better confidence to fight the man off. When the man was almost at arms reach, Jun sent his feet forwards, causing the man to fly across the bakery, and shattering the glass windows.
“Take that, you fat bastard!” Jun yelled, “Don’t you dare use your hands to touch my Nino!”
The man however, stood back up. There was blood going down his arms, but he didn’t seem to falter from it. The bastard then smirked as he stepped over the open window, blood pouring out at every step he took. When the bastard came closer, Jun can see that his eyes were starting to droop and his pace was becoming slower by then. As the man continued, Jun only had to take a step back to let the man fall to his unconsciousness. And just like that, the man was taken away by the knights that came by from the villagers complaints. And just like that, the man was gone from their lives, forever, and from Nino...
Jun retreated back upstairs, back to where he shared his room with Nino, as soon as the racket they had caused was excused. It felt as if they had never left, also thanks to Sho for being a blabber mouth. When he entered the room, it was pitch black and he can hear soft whimpering in the corner of the room, right where their bed was.
“Nino?” Jun panicked as he ran to the bed and grabbed Nino in his arms, “Don’t worry, it’s me! It’s over!”
“I...” Nino whimpered as his body shook so hard in his arms, “I thought it was Jun who was thrown outside... I...”
“Look,” Jun grabbed Nino’s chin to make his eyes meet his, “I’m fine. See? No blood!”
“But I was afraid. I thought--”
Jun didn’t let Nino continued as he tilted his head to the side and capture his thin lips in a kiss. That shut him up at least, and his shaking finally stopped. He was about to pull away but Nino brought his arms around his neck, deepening the kiss as he was falling back to the bed. So this was what he felt towards Nino...
“Damn it, Masaki,” Jun scolded the teenager, though he was chuckling as he thumped the back of the teen’s head, “Don’t point your dog’s damn poop towards my face. Its gross enough that you’re touching it with your bare hands.”
“But smell it!” Masaki insisted, the small poop threatening to land on his face at anytime, “It doesn’t smell like anything!” Just as Jun feared that the poop would accidentally land on his face, he saw a mess of hair come between the two of them and then Masaki screaming loudly after. As the teenager ran around, screaming and begging to have the poop taken out of his face, the person in front of him was having a fit of laughter.
“Masaki deserves it, he was about to put poop on your perfect face.”
“Nino...” Jun tried to scold him, but he too, was laughing as he watched the teenager run around, carelessly bumping into trees. When Masaki fell down, however, Sho was there immediately, picking him back up on his feet. On the other hand, Satoshi was on the other side of the meadow, playing with Masaki’s puppy.
“You didn’t have to do that, you know?”
Nino turned around, a pout on his thin lips. “But I don’t want to taste poop when I kiss you. I want to taste Jun only.”
“Oh.”
“Lay down with me?”
Nodding, Jun laid down besides Nino who was spreading his limbs all over the grass. Jun did the same as he stared at the sky. It was a bright day out, and they can finally have some peace without a heavy burden to keep them from seeing the blue skies. It was rather clear today, but there was something that was still bothering him.
“Nino, what was it you wanted to tell me. Back at Sho’s house?”
“Hmm? Oh that? I don’t think it matters,” Nino told him, but this time he wasn’t as jumpy, “I think you already know.”
“I do? No I don’t.”
“Jun, you already--”
“Spit it out,” he cut him off, “I really want to hear what you wanted to say.”
“Fine,” Nino grumbled in a way a kid does when he had no choice but to give in, “I like you.”
Jun grinned. He already knew what it was the first time they kissed, but he really wanted Nino to say it out loud. Proudly, and under such a beautiful sky. “How much?”
Nino grumbled. “Do I have to?”
“Yes.”
“Fine. I like you as much as...” Nino paused before taking his hand and then using his other hand to point at the blue mass hovering over them, “... the sky. I like you by that much.”
“Good,” Jun grinned, satisfied at his answer, “But I like you as much as the universe. Let’s see if you can beat me.”
Nino scoffed and rolled his eyes. “You’re so funny, Jun. But I know you like me as much as those skies. Don’t make a competition out of this.”
“Oh, I won’t,” Jun grinned as he sneakily grabbed a handful of mud nearby, threw it on Nino’s face and stood up, running to avoid an attack much worse than his, “But we’ll see who can throw mud at each other and cover them up until they can’t see.” As Jun ran, he can see that the others had caught on to what they were doing and joined in.
Smirking, Nino got up with a handful of mud. “You’re on.”
~~~~
A/N: Phew! Took me two days to write this after two weeks, I think, of being gone. And since I was free after deciding to do my homework instead of procrastinating, I came up with this. Been wanting to write this a long time ago though, with the pairing as Juntoshi. But for right now, my fangirl heart screams Matsumiya. And don't worry, I'm still doing other pairings; that is if I have time.
Thanks for those who added me and commented! Btw
Oh, my bais swtiched to Nino, and my OTP is currently Matsumiya, if you haven't noticed. And about the layout... I'm too lazy to change it because I still love Ohmiya though.
Comments are <3!