The cold water stun Jun's pale flesh as he stood motionless in his shower. It usually took five minutes at most to shower, but today he took five minutes to stand there, soaking himself in the stinging pellets. He didn't bother with shampoo or conditioner as he stepped out, slinging a towel around his waist, or care that he was dripping water all over his mother's floor even though he knew that she was going to beat him half senseless when she found out.
A scorching scream.
There it is, Jun thought, slipping his striped orange jacket he loved on. He carefully moved over to his bed, lifting the window up without so much as a sound. There were only seconds until his mother burst through his room. Without a second thought, he tossed his leg over the window and jumped.
If there was such a thing as a graceful landing, Jun didn't know how to do it. He landed flat on his butt, biting down on his lip so he wouldn't scream. Alerting his mother he was already out of the house would be game over for him. It certainly wasn't his dad he got his running speed from. There was no way he was going to chance getting caught and dragged back home when all he wanted was out.
Hikari was leaning against the side of her house, watching the blond boy without a word. She had her arms crossed, and when Jun saw that a slight frown perched on his face. He scratched his head, looking—searching—for the right words, but nothing seemed to come up, so he shrugged, earning him a look of disdain from his childhood friend.
She walked over to him, grabbing his hand, dragging him forward towards the outer woods.
"Where are we going?" Jun asked.
"I didn't really want to stay."
Liar, Jun thought. He knew his friend. She was the homey type. Even though her job required her to travel, she was always home whenever she could muster the freetime. Sometimes he wondered what she saw in the little town that felt like his prison at times. He'd never ask her that. He was scared she might realize he never really liked the idea of staying put in a home. The boy was his father's son, after all. There was no helping these things.
"It's a beautiful sky," Hikari sighed, stretching her body in the tall grass. She bent her arms behind her head and closed her eyes to the blinding sun.
"Please," Jun scoffed. "It's the same sky we've seen plenty of times."
"Nope. There's never a day where the sky's the same. Each day is something new, something we've never seen before. The sky is always changing, always moving." She sat up, giving the boy a sideways smile. "Sometimes I think you're like the sky."
"Then you're like the sun."
"A pun?"
Jun moaned. He shifted his eyes as his cheeks tinted the slightest pink. "I didn't mean it like that."
"I know."
"Then don't say stuff like that. It's embarrassing."
"Most of the stuff you do on a daily basis would be considered 'embarrassing,' but you just trudge along like it's no big deal. It's always either me or Kouki who end up getting embarrassed because of you." She sighed, giving Jun a tired look. "Honestly, I don't see anything wrong with saying your feelings. Who cares if they're annoying or sad or if they make other people feel somewhat uncomfortable? It's proof that you're human, that you feel something. It's our gift, right?"
Jun's mouth twitched, the corner curling upwards. His chest tingled. It was a light feeling, but it was a feeling that was so deep it scared him just a bit. "You're right."
She leaned back on her elbows. "You're not the only one who thinks it's suffocating there. Sometimes I just want to scream and run far away and never look back. It's not solving any problems, though. It's just running away from them."
He nodded.
Hikari looked to the lake. It shimmered blue, a bit of white where the sun hit the sparkling waves. Then she looked to Jun, gave him a small smile. She placed her hand on top of his. "But it's our home. It's the one place we can come back to time and time again and never be pushed out; we'll always be welcomed back with smiles and open arms. That's why I don't want to run away from here. A home is some place special. You're my home, Jun. You're my home, my sky, my sun, my everything. I wouldn't be where I am today without you."
There was nothing in the boy's face that said what he was thinking. He sat there, staring blankly at his best friend, letting the shock flow freely through his body like it was a virus being carried by his blood. He sat there, and he stared, for the longest time until he finally opened his mouth.
"You know, Hikari, you're always one step ahead of me with everything you do. We both started our journeys at the same time with the same goals, yet you're the one that became champion even though I got everywhere first." He watched her brows furrow together, then blushed a bit more. "It's relevant! Because it's always been me following you, and I've always wanted to be the first one to say it, but then you just all of a sudden—"
"Jun!" Hikari yelled. "Get to the point."
He mumbled something about fining her before he snapped his head back up. His blush was evident. When Hikari smirked, he blushed even more. "I like you."
"Now see?" she laughed, leaning forward to give him a quick peck on the cheek. "I wasn't the first one to say it."
"You implied it," he mumbled.
"You said it," she retorted.
"Whatever. Have it your way. I don't care anymore."
"Thank you, Jun." Hikari rested her head on the boy's shoulder, smiling to herself. "I always feel like I can do anything when you're around."
He slid his fingers through her hair. Once or twice he grazed his fingers on her neck, causing her to slightly shiver. If she wasn't leaning on him, he'd never have noticed. His stomach clenched.
"Well!" Jun shot up from the grass, knocking Hikari back a little. She opened her mouth, but she could only managed to give him a "What the hell are you doing?!" look. "Places to be, things to explore, trouble to get into. You know, Jun things. Gotta go do 'em before the day's over. Sorry, Hikari! Bye."
Hikari let her shoulders fall, her face in a discontented frown. "You know what you are, Jun? You're an idiot."