Title:Masaki
Pairing:JunxAiba
Genre:Fluff, Friendship, Adventure-ish
Rating:G
Disclaimer:I own nothing but the plot
Word Count:3550
Summary:Jun disliked it when Masaki takes him along to what he calls "adventures."
 

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Aiba Masaki was and always will be the sweetest and friendliest person anyone can ever come across with. He was the kind of friend who was always there for you no matter the situation, or whoever you are, for that matter. That’s what Jun liked about Masaki, which is why he became friends with him in the first place. He liked that side of Masaki that was always gentle and calm in even the most critical situations; the blue amidst the yellow.

But there are times, though, when Jun absolutely hated Masaki, but not to the extent where he ignored Masaki (he did that once because Masaki wasn’t thinking, and the both of them ended up getting punished badly by both of their mothers for sneaking in an adult club). Almost everyday, Masaki would go on these things he called “adventures.” Well, they are adventures, but to Jun, it wasn’t. While Masaki saw it as an adventure, Jun saw it as a trip to his death. He disliked that side of Masaki, the wild and daring side.

Masaki, in fact, had been that way since Jun met him. The first memory he had of being in one of those adventures was the first time he broke a bone, which was coincidentally, in the first grade. Jun remembered crying so hard, blaming Masaki for the accident. But Masaki, the bright person he was, told him that he wasn’t going to die from it (his friend wasn’t that bright in the head, though). Because of that accident, Jun almost lost a friend, but he eventually came to forgive him, thinking that Masaki wasn’t going to do the same thing again. But boy, was he wrong. As the years passed and they grew older, injuries and such followed.

Unfortunately, today was one of those days.

It was always on a Thursday, and Jun had no idea why, but he knew when to avoid Masaki before school, during lunch, or after school. However, the past Thursdays for the longest time in their friendship, he was eventually dragged along. The fact that Masaki knew him too well, Jun wished his friend didn’t. Masaki knew where he was (as if he had this telepathic connection to Jun) and he knew exactly where he headed to avoid him. After all, Masaki was and always will be his best friend.

As soon as class was over and Jun had put the last of his materials away, he quickly sped to the door. But a tall-ish and peach-smelling person blocked his path. He knew all too well who it was.

“Junny,” Masaki mewled, his arm automatically linking with his, “I know where we’re going today.”

Jun pulled away, or tried to, but Masaki’s grip was just too strong. “No, Masaki. I have somewhere else to go to.”

His friend whined and Jun can picture a puppy-like pout on his face, the one that always made him give in. It was a good thing he wasn’t facing his friend.

“But you always say that when all you do is go home and nap... Just come with me today, please? I promise you won’t get hurt.”

He rolled his eyes. “You always say that, too, Masaki. The cut on my arm hasn’t healed yet from three weeks ago.”

“I know that, Jun. Which is why I brought something with me today!”

“And what is--”

He was unable to continue his question as Masaki dragged him hastily through the hallways...

“No,” he repeated for the hundredth time as Masaki continued to beg persistently. There was no way he was going this time. The fact that Masaki brought many survival kits and such, and many medical boxes meant that today’s adventure was going to require that much. “No, absolutely not.”

“But it’s going to be fun! I promise you won’t get hurt.”

“I can see that,” Jun hissed, pulling his arm when Masaki tried reaching for it.

“You’re not going to die either, I can promise you that too.”

His words immediately reminded him of the first grade. “No, Masaka, I seriously don’t want to break a bone. If you want to go so badly, why don’t you just go with Sho or Satoshi.”

They met Sakurai Sho, a junior in their high school, when they were all in the same art class; they met Ohno Satoshi in the same class too, a junior as well. He learned later, according to Masaki, that the two were in a relationship. At first, Jun reacted with disgust since they were both boys, but Jun eventually got used to the idea since they still acted normally when they found out that he found out. Strange, though, they had completely different personalities. Sho was the one aware of everything, while Ohno looked like he was in outer space. Sho was intelligent as well (not that Satoshi was), while Satoshi seems to survive on his own knowledge. But Jun noticed something funny: Sho was terribly bad and drawing while Satoshi was very excellent at it. Must explain why the both of them were taking art class.

Masaki crossed his arms, a frown forming on his face. “No! Sho is boring, and Satoshi always spaces out. But not you Jun. You’re very very fun to be with! Especially when you’re screaming like a girl!”

Jun clamped his hands over Masaki’s mouth as he looked around to see if anyone was looking. They were still on school grounds, for god’s sake, and Masaki just didn’t know how to keep his voice a tone lower. Thankfully, everyone just seemed to go their own way.

Jun gritted his teeth. Eventually, there was no choice but to go with Masaki. If he didn’t, he would have to face a very depressed Masaki the next day, and he didn’t want to face that again. In fact, he did once though, when Jun rejected him for an adventure. Oh, it was a very horrible day. “Fine, If I do go, you’re paying for my hospital bills.”

Masaki beamed, his hands going for his shoulders. “Awesome! Thanks Junny.”

“And stop calling me that,” he hissed.
 

Jun held onto Masaki’s warm and sweaty hand, asking himself why he still went on with it. They were further away from school, probably 2 miles from there to where they currently stood on: a cliff, which is why Jun held Masaki (for safety purposes). They were overlooking a forest that Jun didn’t even know existed in the town they were living in. But with Masaki, the forest eventually needed to be found. It was a never ending forest, Jun noticed, and he wished he hadn’t went on with Masaki. He turned around, pulling his hand from Masaki, but his friend was fast enough to react and grabbed his hand again.

“Let’s go!” Masaki yelled enthusiastically, as once again, he dragged him along.

And off they went...

Jun shrieked when he felt a bug land on his arm. As obvious as it was, Masaki began to laugh his off. This kind of thing was normal: Jun screaming like a girl, Masaki laughing off and watching him from the side and not helping him at all. Oh, how he wanted to run away from the forest, for making him paranoid, and Masaki, for dragging him into this and for being his friend. But he was too focused on the bug that he couldn’t run away at all. It was a mosquito, a bug that Jun hated the most because it blood, gives off a disease, and flies around weirdly.

“Help me!” Jun shrieked, trying to take the bug off his arm.

“Did you eat something sweet earlier?” Masaki laughed, offering not help at all whatsoever.

“No, I didn’t!”

Masaki’s smirked. ”Oh... They must be attracted to you blood then.”

“I don’t care! Just get it off me!”

“Ok, geez. Just let me get something to make them go away.”

“Then you better hurry it up!”

Since he was too busy flailing his arm around to keep the mosquito anywhere but his body, he wasn’t aware that he was moving around a bit too much. As he continued to flail, screaming for his life, he felt his foot fasten on something. Jun stopped for a brief moment, blinking in confusion as he looked down. He was unable to register anything else when he fell, face first, to the ground.

There were the sounds of birds flapping their wings in the wind.

“Jun!” Masaki’s voice brought him back from his long scream of pain. “Oh my god! I just turned my back on you for a second, and then you’re on the ground when I finally found the thing to keep the mosquito away! What happened?!”

“I tripped,” Jun groaned in pain, half-glared angrily at Masaki, as he clutched his ankle, “No thanks to you...”

"I'm so sorry," Masaki cried as he helped him up.

As soon as he was back on his feet, or one of them, he shot Masaki a glare. "I'm going home, Masaki."

"But we haven't finished--"

Jun pushed him away, refusing to look at Masaki. Honestly, he couldn't be mad at him since Masaki his only real and close friend, but he needed to let him know that he needed space, and their friendship didn't mean that they needed to get injured all the time. Though it seems that Masaki relied on him for these adventures. As he took a step forward from Masaki, he felt a stab of pain make its way up to his awareness. If it weren't for Masaki, he would have fallen to the ground again.

"Jun... you really can't go anywhere with that foot," Masaki pointed out the obvious.

"Then I'll drag myself home," Jun snapped.

"No, you can't!" Masaki said, pulling him back. "I'll help you, ok? I'll do my best to do anything--"

"Then heal it."

"Jun, you know I can't."

"You said you could do anything."

"I..."

"That's what I thought." Just as he was about leave again, however, this time he fell.

Another flock of birds flew from high up the trees...

Masaki wasn’t that strong, or well-built, to carry someone on his back, and Jun knew that. But his friend, being persistent and the worry-tart that he is, kept insisting that he would carry him on his back. Jun, however, just wanted to go back home, where it’s safe both from serious injuries and Masaki. But with his foot, it was obvious he couldn’t go on without assistance from none other than Masaki, who wanted to proceed with the adventure. With a groan, he eventually gave in. The rest of the adventure was spent with Masaki whistling and struggling to keep him on his back.

“Do you know exactly where we are going?” Jun asked Masaki an hour later on their fifth break time. As he sat watching his friend move around aimlessly, he fixed the bandages that Masaki failed to apply properly around his ankle.

Masaki, with the smile that never left his face, shook his head. “Nope! That’s what makes it an adventure: not knowing where we’re going to discover something we aren’t expecting!”

“Ma--” Jun groaned, unable to believe that he still considered Masaki as a best friend, someone who wouldn’t hurt him literally. Yet there he was, sitting besides Masaki (well, aside the fact that his ankle was injured) instead of calling for an ambulance, or something, to drag him out of the forest and into somewhere else safe. He decided then, not to shout at him, not yet. “Masa,” Jun tended to call him in that way when he spoke softly to him, “ it’s getting late. Why don’t we continue this Friday after school?”

Masaki pouted as he shook his head.” Nope. Junny will want to skip out of it and not want to go. It’s better now when we are still here.”

“I know, but...”

“It has to be today,” Masaki continued. “It can’t be any other day.”

Jun looked at his friend thoughtfully. “And why is that?”

“I...” Masaki turned away from him, making it harder for Jun to see his face. But he turned to face him again, the smile he had on his face still present. “It’s nothing! Come Jun, enough rest time! We have an adventure to finish!”

Once again, he groaned as Masaki helped him up. But it was the good kind of groan as he shot his friend a smile. Although being around Masaki was dangerous, he was still his friend no matter what.

“We are here!” Masaki announced, causing Jun to stir in between his short nap.

Earlier, while Masaki kept going on and on about things he already heard at the beginning of the adventure, he fell asleep. Not that it was boring, but being out too much without taking long breaks was really tiring.

“Here where?” Jun asked groggily as Masaki set him on the ground.

“Here,” Masaki said, not caring enough to give him hints.

“Here whe--”

“Use your eyes,” Masaki giggled.

But Jun didn’t want to. He wanted to keep his eyes closed so the sleep won’t go away. However, Masaki, being ignorant that he is, forced his eyes open. Then there was the sudden flash of bright light that caused Jun to turn away. He remembered checking his watch earlier that it was 6PM, meaning that the sun was ready to set. When he turned to look back, however, the sudden brightness had dimmed and Jun can clearly see what Masaki wanted him to see; he gasped.

The light that almost blinded him was coming from a log cabin, like the one in those western movies, in front of a green-blue lake. There were little trees surrounding it, making the place seem big enough to camp in over the summer; there was only one tree besides the cabin that held a tire swing on one of its branches. Strangely, as Jun’s eyes feasted on the scenery, he wondered if he had been here before. Everything just seemed oddly familiar as he had been here before, especially that swing.

Jun hummed thoughtfully. “I thought you didn’t know where we were going?”

“I didn’t!” Masaki beamed, “But I knew where this was.”

“Masa, what do you mean?”

“Don’t you remember?” Masaki asked him as if he expected that he does remember whatever it is he wanted him to.

“No. Was I supposed to remember something? I’ve never been here.”

“But you have,” Masaki said, the happy note is his voice from earlier disappearing.

“No, you’re wrong. Today’s my first time being here.”

“But Jun... you should have at least remembered this place... this is where we...” Masaki paused as he averted his eyes elsewhere.

Jun continued to stare at his friend, wondering when he’s going to continue, but to his surprise, Masaki didn’t. Was it something he said? He’s never been to this place. He doesn’t remember seeing a cabin like the one before them, or the lake, or this forest at all -- He didn’t even know this existed altogether. Without a word, Masaki ran off to the cabin, leaving Jun helpless on the ground. He called for Masaki three times before he watched his friend disappear behind the front door, but Masaki never turned around, or bothered to look back.

Now what? Turn back around, find the way out, and go home? But how? He was completely useless without Masaki, now that he thought about it, and he feared that being on his own would be worse without Masaki around. To make the hopeless feeling worse, it was getting dark and Jun felt more lost than ever.

He struggled to get back back on his feet, and when he finally stood up, he limped over the the front door. He saw his friend’s silhouette through the small screen on the door. Masaki was sitting on what seemed like a chair, his back facing the door, in front of a huge window that exposed the lack. Jun was able to see that much, but he couldn’t see his friend’s face. Seeing his friend in such a state was a first for him. He’s never seen Masaki so quiet and reserved, instead of speaking in a loud voice and telling him everything he wanted him to know.

Jun knocked on the door and called for his friend through the screen opening. Masaki didn’t answer at all, even though Jun made his voice and his knocking louder. He eventually gave up and stepped away from the cabin. He decided it was best to leave him alone for a while, to let Masaki think without him screaming over his thoughts. Sighing, he moved over to the table and hoped that Masaki will come out of the cabin...

It was getting late, and it seemed that Masaki was never going to come out. Jun has been sitting on the same spot for almost an hour, and he it felt as if he didn’t have a bottom anymore. That’s it, he couldn’t take it anymore. He needed to get home, where it’s warm, safe, and not outside in the middle of nowhere. As he got up to head over to the cabin, however, his foot got caught in something and he stumbled clumsily to the only tree. If the tire swing wasn’t there, he would have fallen face first again.

He sighed in relief, silently thanking the tire for saving him. He was about to head to the cabin again, when all of a sudden, something hit him.

”Masaki!” Jun beamed as he jumped up and down excitedly, and impatiently as Masaki slowly made his way towards him. “Look what I found!”

He pointed to a log cabin that was completely vacant. On the other side of the cabin was a tree, so lonely and leafless by itself. The cabin was besides a green-blue lake that reflected the sun shining from above the skies. Suddenly, Jun had an idea. As Masaki slowly (it would probably take Masaki an hour to actually reach him) walked to meet him up, Jun was up and about trying to find something to make the tree seem less lonely.

A flower maybe? He thought as he eyed a bed of flowers off the the other side of the cabin. He trotted to the flower of bed, plucking out two of them, one for Masaki and one for him, for the tree. Once he dug its roots besides the tree, it looked a little less lonely. Jun took a step back, grinning proudly as he pretended his fingers were a camera.

“Perfect,” He said. “Just for Masaki and me.”

“Jun!” Masaki shouted, finally caught up with him. What worried Jun, though, was the look of pain on his friend’s face. “I... I think I sprained my ankle.”

He quickly ran to his friend, opening up his arms to let Masaki use him as a support. As soon as his friend’s arm was tightly secured around him, he brought him to the log table he saw earlier and demanded that he take his shoes off. Turns out Masaki sprained his ankle and it was turning purple and blue. It was a good thing Jun brought a medical box.

“There,” He said at last once he was finished putting the bandages on his ankle.

“Junny?” It was the first time he heard Masaki calling him that way. Somehow, he liked it a little bit even though it sounded girly.

“Hmm?”

“I think we should add a tire swing.”

He turned to look at the tree and saw a branch sticking out. It looked strong enough to hold their weight.

Jun beamed. “Ok! We’ll add it when my dad isn’t looking.”

“Cool,” Masaki smiled.

Jun laughed as he remembered he and Masaki being on trouble that day for ditching their parents. They got grounded because of it, but at least they found one place where they could escape. But since that day, he remembered, they never went back. Must be why he had forgotten about it, and the fact he forgot how he loved going on adventures with Masaki. But they were kids then...

“Damn,” He cursed as he stood up, careful not to touch the area where he dug the flowers in (they must be resting since it’s fall). Once he was finally on his feet, he walked all the way to the other side of the cabin. As expected, his friend was still there, sitting in front of the window. Jun knocked the glass, not caring if it will shatter because of him.

He grinned. “I remember everything,” Jun said.

This time, Masaki heard him. The smile that disappeared was back on Masaki’s face. Jun suddenly felt as if the sun had come back up.

“Happy friendship anniversary!” Masaki beamed.

It was on a Thursday when they became friends, Jun remembered. And it was a day when he and Masaki found this cabin together a year later into their friendship.

Masaki must be the reason why he went on with the adventure anyways with his wild and daring friend. Even if he got hurt along the way, Masaki was always there.

END