I woke up to rays of sunlight streaming through the window, bathing over my bed and warming my face. For some reason my eyes felt a little crusty, and as I shifted to rub the tiredness out of them, I leaned back into his sleeping form, felt his arms around me, his chest rise and fall against my back. My movement seemed to wake him, for he stopped, his breathing halted in a huge yawn, and his arms wrapped around me tighter, and closer to my shoulders. My head rested just above his chest, right below his neck, and I twisted around to meet his orange gaze, and maybe recall what had happened before.
Had-Had I been crying? Yes, I remember now, I had been worried about something ridiculously stupid, but that didn't matter now. All that mattered was that I was wrapped up in Jun's arms, safe from anything that would try to hurt me; from the world. His grip was amazingly reassuring, I remember that from last night, how it felt to have his arms around me, his protective body shielding me from the outside, just when it felt like everything was crumbling down on top of me. He was my childhood friend, my best friend, the friend that was always there for me, even when I wasn't there for him because I was too busy falling apart-just like Humpty Dumpty, he put me back together again.
For this I owed him-I probably owed him a thousand favors, but what could I do, a weak and pathetic girl, who was amazingly shy, and worried too often, about silly things that no one else ought to ever worry about. What could I do?
I got up and wriggled free from his grasp, hopping down from the bed, and slipping into some fuzzy socks that were awaiting my frozen feet by the side of my bed. Jun was still holding onto my arm as I stood up to leave, and just as I turned to go, his grip tightened around my wrist, and he pulled me closer, so that my hips lightly grazed the side of the bed. I had to admit, I was a bit surprised. Since when had Jun ever been so needy?
"I really wish I could stay with you longer, Jun, but-"
"But what?" He asked pleadingly, eyeing me suspiciously, his hand tightening around me. I studied him carefully, taking in his unusual condition. His hair, a perfect light blonde, was wild, and matted in places, his fiery orange eyes were tired, and his expression, besides pleading and sleepy, was very weary, and stressed out. I was actually starting to be a little concerned.
As I was thinking, he got ahold of me with his other hand, and yanked me onto the bed. I giggled, and collapsed against him, making him laugh and grin widely, a welcome sight right now after what I'd seen.
At this, I tried to get up and make a break for it, but he grabbed me quickly and pulled me down, then, of all things, started to tickle me on my stomach, and I burst out in uncontrollable laughter, kicking to try and get away.
Laughing and screaming at the same time, I managed to get a kick in to his face, and he fell back, releasing my arms, and giving me just enough time to scramble to my feet and stumble out of bed before he had a chance to respond. I got up and looked around to see him putting a hand to the area by his nose, and moaning uncontrollably. I froze, and he looked at me, his eyes watering, hurt showing in his gaze. Instantly, I felt bad, and I rushed to his side, reaching out to touch him.
"Jun..." I whispered tentatively, soothingly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry..."
"Got you!" He shouted suddenly. I leapt back in surprise, but he snatched up my wrist before I had a chance to retreat, and pulled me up onto the bed, holding me level with him. His expression grew serious.
"Please," He whispered. "Don't go. Just stay with me a little longer." He looked desperate, and again, I grew worried, and my curiosity finally got the better of me. I sighed in defeat.
"Fine." I huffed. At these words, his shoulders relaxed, and he let out a soft sigh of relief, collapsing back against the pillow, my hand still enclosed in his. He closed his eyes and leaned back, leaving his neck exposed and in the open. I drew myself up and scooted closer to him, settling myself on his left hand side, burying my face into the part of him that connects his neck and shoulder. I nuzzled closer, and turned my body toward him, pressing myself against his side. I wound my hand around his neck, and pushed his hair back, stroking his forehead, and feeling his hair between my fingers, stroking it. He moaned a little, anxiously, sleepily, and I noticed his forehead was wet with perspiration. I could tell he was stressed out, and it worried me, it wasn't like him. Was he sick? It was as if he had mono, but how would he get that? Sickness seemed to be the only explanation for his strange behavior. I pulled the covers closer around him, and continued stroking his hair.
I began to feel bored, and withdrawing my hand from around his neck, I brought it closer to me, and let it rest in a loose fist above his chest. Sub-consciously I started to play my fingers gradually up his neck, stopping just below his chin, and tracing smooth, vertical waves up and down the front of his neck, my fingertips softly following the lines and curvature of his throat. Slowly, my fingers drew dedicate lines up and down his windpipe, and I felt him swallow nervously under my fingertips, a low moan escaping his throat. I let my hand stroke his neck, my fingers grazing just below his jaw-line. Suddenly, out of nowhere, his hand shot up and wrapped around my fingers, stopping them from moving. I gasped, but the sound came out all muffled against Jun's neck.
"Hikari, stop." He whispered in a strained voice. "You're-You've gotta stop doing that."
What? What do you mean?
"W-why?" I asked uncertainty, pulling away slightly. "What is it?"
"You have no idea what you're doing to me." His voice came out strained. I quickly sat up, finding his eyes and searching them for clues as to what he was saying.
"What do you mean?" I asked, staring into his fiery red eyes.
He rolled over onto his side, letting out a frustrated grunt.
"You wouldn't understand..." He said, slightly muffled into his pillow, and this time there was a trace of pain in his voice.
"Jun, what's wrong?" I couldn't keep the worry out of my voice; something definitely wasn't right. When he didn't respond, I placed a hand on his shoulder, and my other hand I used to stroke his light blonde hair. He took a breath.
"It's just that...we're just... friends. I don't want us to just be friends."
"You don't want us to be friends?" Now that hurt.
"No, it's not like that. What I meant to say is, I want us to be more than just friends.
My eyes widened in the realization of what he just said. Did he really just say that? He stared at me intently, then at the ground, looking embarrassed, and fearful, all at once.
"See? I knew you wouldn't understand." He mumbled against his pillow, trying to hide his disappointment. But I could plainly see the sadness in his eyes, and I couldn't stand it. He was my protector, my friend, my hero, my lifesaver, without him, I was nothing. I loved him, more than anything, or anyone-not like a brother, or a friend-like a crush; the biggest crush I've ever had. I wanted Jun as more than a friend too.
I wrapped my hand around Jun's neck, lifting him up slightly, and looked into his eyes.
"No...I understand perfectly." I said, in a soft whisper, gently propping up his neck, and bringing his face slowly closer to mine.
Anticipation shown in his widened eyes, his mouth opening slightly. "It's you who doesn't understand..." And with these words I closed the distance between us, my lips meeting his for the first time, warm, and delicate, soft, and comforting, and I could feel his smile against my lips. We pulled away, and I settled down against him again, pressing my lips against his cheek, and then his neck, cuddling him, and stroking his hair, pressing against his cute face, a smile plastered to my lips.
