20 - still_ciircee
This isn't currently plugged into the timeline but for those interested it connects directly to this.
Even when they were kids, Satoshi had known that Aiba was going to leave them someday. There was a kind of energy inside of Aiba that practically glowed like the sun under his skin and, like the sun, it needed to shine on the whole world. Put simply, it was uncontainable. Keeping Aiba at home would only end up tearing him apart. He was going to miss Aiba when he left but he was almost glad that he was finally going. There would undoubtedly be danger and tough times ahead for his friend but Satoshi knew-in the same way that he'd known that Aiba would go-that Aiba was going to be absolutely fine.
Jun was the one that he was really worried about. Jun's love was like Aiba's energy-fierce and barely leashed. Jun could let go but Satoshi wasn't sure how long Jun could refrain from reaching out.
When they'd been very small, Satoshi had hosted a sleepover. Jun had repeatedly assured everybody (his mother, Aiba's mum, Satoshi's whole family) that he wasn't afraid and it was no big deal. Satoshi could still close his eyes and feel the way Jun's hand had latched on to his in the dark, clinging all night long, through sleep and dreams, until the sun had come up again.
"Oh-chan, did you fall asleep out here?" Aiba asked.
Satoshi blinked at him. The world around him was pre-dawn dark and summer-morning cool in the cab of his tow truck. "Oh!" he said at last, remembering. He smiled. "No, I was thinking. About Jun."
Aiba's eyes dropped. "He's sleeping."
"I know." Aiba had known Jun for just as long as he had, after all. "That's why I came."
Aiba's eyes came back up and he smiled. "You could probably get him home without the tow truck, Oh-chan." There were little dark clouds over his sunshine, but they'd pass. They always did and Aiba always shone that much brighter because of them.
Satoshi leaned across the wide front seat and managed to work the handle of the passenger side door, opening it just a crack. "It's cheaper for me to pick up tires from the manufacturer," he said, straightening up. "I don't have to pay delivery that way. It's an hour away but it's mostly interstate so the drive isn't bad."
"You're my first ride, huh?" Aiba's smile glimmered into a grin. "You know, Jun spent the whole last week hissing at me to not pay for my rides with sex."
He and Aiba had shared a little bit of first-time(ish) fumbling and Satoshi felt perfectly at ease kissing Aiba once he'd climbed into the cab. "We won't tell him," he promised.
The drive was uneventful; Satoshi was quiet in general and Aiba was dozing against his shoulder as the miles grew beneath them. He stopped for gas some twenty minutes from the destination. It was a pre-pay place and he watched Aiba stretch and collect his backpack while he paid inside. There was nothing but excitement and sun when Aiba hopped out of the truck.
"Wait," he said, catching Aiba at the door, digging his wallet back out of his pocket. Jun would never, ever forgive him. "Here." He hated using credit cards but he had them and he knew the balances while he had no real clue how much money Aiba had with him.
"Oh-chan!" Aiba's face wrinkled around his laugh. "I have money."
"I know. I just." He wasn't worried. He just wanted to go with Aiba for as far as he could, even if it was just this last little memory. "I want a souvenir," he said.
Aiba giggled and hugged him. "Do you want something pretty or something useful?"
"Something interesting," he said, turning Aiba out of his arms. He walked back to the truck to fuel up, hearing the door chime as Aiba went inside.
He drove off alone as the sun came up and he didn't look back.
Even when they were kids, Satoshi had known that Aiba was going to leave them someday. There was a kind of energy inside of Aiba that practically glowed like the sun under his skin and, like the sun, it needed to shine on the whole world. Put simply, it was uncontainable. Keeping Aiba at home would only end up tearing him apart. He was going to miss Aiba when he left but he was almost glad that he was finally going. There would undoubtedly be danger and tough times ahead for his friend but Satoshi knew-in the same way that he'd known that Aiba would go-that Aiba was going to be absolutely fine.
Jun was the one that he was really worried about. Jun's love was like Aiba's energy-fierce and barely leashed. Jun could let go but Satoshi wasn't sure how long Jun could refrain from reaching out.
When they'd been very small, Satoshi had hosted a sleepover. Jun had repeatedly assured everybody (his mother, Aiba's mum, Satoshi's whole family) that he wasn't afraid and it was no big deal. Satoshi could still close his eyes and feel the way Jun's hand had latched on to his in the dark, clinging all night long, through sleep and dreams, until the sun had come up again.
"Oh-chan, did you fall asleep out here?" Aiba asked.
Satoshi blinked at him. The world around him was pre-dawn dark and summer-morning cool in the cab of his tow truck. "Oh!" he said at last, remembering. He smiled. "No, I was thinking. About Jun."
Aiba's eyes dropped. "He's sleeping."
"I know." Aiba had known Jun for just as long as he had, after all. "That's why I came."
Aiba's eyes came back up and he smiled. "You could probably get him home without the tow truck, Oh-chan." There were little dark clouds over his sunshine, but they'd pass. They always did and Aiba always shone that much brighter because of them.
Satoshi leaned across the wide front seat and managed to work the handle of the passenger side door, opening it just a crack. "It's cheaper for me to pick up tires from the manufacturer," he said, straightening up. "I don't have to pay delivery that way. It's an hour away but it's mostly interstate so the drive isn't bad."
"You're my first ride, huh?" Aiba's smile glimmered into a grin. "You know, Jun spent the whole last week hissing at me to not pay for my rides with sex."
He and Aiba had shared a little bit of first-time(ish) fumbling and Satoshi felt perfectly at ease kissing Aiba once he'd climbed into the cab. "We won't tell him," he promised.
The drive was uneventful; Satoshi was quiet in general and Aiba was dozing against his shoulder as the miles grew beneath them. He stopped for gas some twenty minutes from the destination. It was a pre-pay place and he watched Aiba stretch and collect his backpack while he paid inside. There was nothing but excitement and sun when Aiba hopped out of the truck.
"Wait," he said, catching Aiba at the door, digging his wallet back out of his pocket. Jun would never, ever forgive him. "Here." He hated using credit cards but he had them and he knew the balances while he had no real clue how much money Aiba had with him.
"Oh-chan!" Aiba's face wrinkled around his laugh. "I have money."
"I know. I just." He wasn't worried. He just wanted to go with Aiba for as far as he could, even if it was just this last little memory. "I want a souvenir," he said.
Aiba giggled and hugged him. "Do you want something pretty or something useful?"
"Something interesting," he said, turning Aiba out of his arms. He walked back to the truck to fuel up, hearing the door chime as Aiba went inside.
He drove off alone as the sun came up and he didn't look back.