10/30/13 -- Crazy (Part 22/50)
[365 Days Challenge- 1 word a day (2013)]Title:Home Sweet Home: Crazy
Pairing/Character:AibaxNino, JunxNino, Kaze, ShoxOC / Ohno
Genre/Rating:Angst, Fluff, Friendship, Romance / G
Word Count:1426
Disclaimer:I own nothing but the plot
Summary:"I know it sounds crazy, but I want to try it.”
Warning:Character death
Pairing/Character:AibaxNino, JunxNino, Kaze, ShoxOC / Ohno
Genre/Rating:Angst, Fluff, Friendship, Romance / G
Word Count:1426
Disclaimer:I own nothing but the plot
Summary:"I know it sounds crazy, but I want to try it.”
Warning:Character death
It was forecasted that the rain would finally stop today, but it seems as if it was never going to let up. It was still pouring like crazy out there and I was completely fine with that. In fact, as soon as school is over, I will bury myself underneath my blankets and stay there the whole day; homework can wait.
Masa, on the other hand, wanted the rain to go away. He complained about how he was tired of being cooped up inside the Manor with a hundred other kids, and then being forced to read or do something boring. I told him it wasn't that bad because Sakurai-sensei barely bothered us about having a new scratch, or when one of us were getting sick. But I knew very well that Masa loved getting new scratches (battle scars, he called) and sometimes he would say that getting sick was kind of worth it as long as our adventures were super, duper fun. Well, he had a point. I was getting a bit tired of staying inside all day. Besides, it was Masa who made me enjoy the outdoors more.
Masa and I usually ate lunch by the stairs to the second floor. It was almost, always, usually empty and it was the only place we found where we were able to talk privately. Well, I dragged him there because I didn't like being around other students. Today, however, I showed up first. Usually, Masa would already be there because his classroom was near the stairs.
I knew I should have picked him up from his classroom as soon as the lunch bell rang, but I didn't feel like it. Instead, I ate alone, hoping that Masa would eventually show up, but he never did.
I finished lunch earlier that I had intended because I wanted to look for Masa. The school wasn't that big, so I probably would find him right away. First, though, I stopped by his classroom on the second floor. I recognized a few faces, those who lived with us back at the Manor, while others were simply strangers. However, I couldn’t find Masa’s face among the crowd.
All of a sudden, a girl stood before me. She had a shy smile on her face, but I could tell that she was very outgoing with how she wore her skirt above her knee. “Are you looking for Aiba-chan? He’s told me a lot about you, Ninomiya-kun. How you’re his best friend, and all.”
For some reason, this girl ticked me off. Something about how her eyes twinkled when she mentioned Masa’s name. Perhaps, does she…
“Aiba-chan is cute,” the girl continued. “Do you think you could give me his number? I tried asking him already, but he kept saying he doesn't have a phone. He’s probably just playing hard to get.”
Now she pissed me off.
I slammed my hand against the door frame, harder than I had originally intended to, but it startled the girl and her stupid smile vanished. I felt the the corner of my lip pull to a smirk. “Masaki’s not interest and he really doesn’t have a phone. Now, tell me where he is.”
“H-he ran off,” the girl stuttered as if she was suddenly intimidated by me. “He said he was going to the field, but he forgot his umbrella.”
I glared at her angrily for being so thick-minded. “And you didn’t stop him?”
“I--”
“Where’s his umbrella?”
The girl turned slightly to the right and pointed at a locker plastered in green paint. I pushed past her, not giving her the chance to speak when I saw she was going to open . There was a locker combination and it wasn’t that hard to figure out because Masa told me that he used my birthday as a combination for his lock. After I retrieved his green folding umbrella, I closed the locker door shut and ran past the annoying girl.
I wasn’t thinking when I ran from the comforting warmth of the school to the coldness of the spring shower. I needed my jacket and scarf to keep me warm, but my class was down the hall from Masa’s classroom and it would be a waste of time to go back for it. I groaned in frustration after deciding to the field instead. I was more worried about Masa than myself at the moment.
It didn’t take long for me to find the grass field and Masa running around the center of the field like he lost his mind. He looked like an idiot -- no, he was a complete idiot to begin with -- running around, his arms raised at the gray skies as he shouted something I wasn’t able to hear quite well.
“Masa, have you lost your mind?!” I yelled angrily as I kept up with him in the rain. “You’re soaking wet. Get under the umbrella. Now.”
But Masa wasn’t listening to me, even when he stopped running. He kept staring at the gray skies and he shouted again. “Rain, why must you ruin my fun! You’re supposed to stop today so Kazu, Jun and I could play outside!”
“Masa, enough. You’re--”
“I want to have fun with Kazu, hold his hands even though he’s shy about it, and tell him--” Masa paused all of a sudden and I thought something was wrong. I was so distracted with my worry that I didn’t notice Masa was staring at me.
“And tell him that I really, really like him.”
All of a sudden, Masa’s umbrella was knocked away from my hand as I fell on the soaking grass. It took me a few seconds to adjust my eyes from the sudden brightness and I hadn’t realised that it finally stopped raining. And I hadn’t noticed that Masa had me pinned down underneath him until I felt tiny drops of water land on my face.
“Kazu, I know I’m an idiot, but I can’t keep it in anymore. I kept telling myself that it was only because you’re my childhood friend that holding hands was the only thing I was limited to.
“I decided, when we were 10m that we'd be forever best friends. Until recently, I wanted to be with you forever, with Jun too, of course. Not as a friend, but something more than that. I know it sounds crazy, but I want to try it.”
I was speechless. I couldn’t tell if this was the Masa I knew at heart of ir ti was another Masa from some alternate universe. This Masa seemed much more mature as if he already had his life planned out before him. Not the easy-going Masa who had many nonsensical things to say.
However, on the other hand, I didn’t know how to reply. Masa was able to tell me his feelings while I kept them hidden since the beginning of this year. I envied his confidence in everything, but that’s what made me more attracted towards him. At least, I now knew how he felt for me. Somehow, it made me feel more confident about how I truly felt for him. I’m not going to hide it anymore.
I pushed Masa so he was the one pinned underneath me instead. “then I’m crazy, too, if I want to try it.”
It felt refreshing to see Masa’s wide smile again that I couldn’t help but smile myself…
“Now, about that annoying girl in your class…” I began as we walked to the nurse’s room. “I don’t know her name, but she’s this--”
“Oh, you mean Suzuki-chan?”
“Yeah, her. Stay away from her. I don’t like her at all.”
Masa punche me lightly on the arm and laughed heartily. “You mean you’re jealous.”
“I-I… um… yeah…” I turned from Masa’s playful glances when I felt my cheeks grow hot. It was a first for me to admit jealousy, but at least I could finally open up to him about it.
“Don’t worry, there was nothing in the first place,” Masa reassured. “Besides, now I know you like me, too, because you didn’t say it earlier.”
As I was about to complain, however, I felt Masa’s lips land briefly on my cheeks before he ran off. I froze and I could definitely feel my blood boiling inside of me. It was a good feeling. A very, very good feeling. Then I felt the corner of my lips curl into a smile. A real, genuine smile.
I was definitely looking forward to the future.
TBC
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