08 – Masking Issues
By Chronic Guardian
Written for Twelve Shots of Summer: Nine Tales, Week 8 – Nakama, Cursed Marks
"It would just be for this one conversation!" Tosai "Fret" Furosawa pleaded with hands clasped and head bowed as if asking for a blessing from the pope himself. "C'mon, man, I thought you were my nakama!"
"It's unhygenic," Rindo said flatly. "Even if you don't care about getting my germs all up in your system, I would."
"Awww, you care if I get sick?"
"I—" Rindo's face flushed with consternation, but he pressed on. "yes, but I meant the reverse: I would get all of your germs unless I washed the dang thing and probably changed out the filters. And I know what you're like, Fret."
"Wha—? Cough!" Fret jerked forward with the expulsion from his lungs, wiped his mouth with the back of his forearm, and pressed on like nothing had happened. "Whaddya mean, Rindude? C'mon, you know I'm good for it."
Rindo narrowed his eyes at his best friend and hooked his face mask over his own nose. "I've got a date coming up," he said. "I'm not going to miss it just because you got me sick."
"Invoking the date card?" Fret whined. "Dude, that's what this is all about! Look at this!" He pointed to a cluster of zits breaking out around his chin and mouth. "There's no way she'll give me the time of day with marks like these! That's why I need your mask: so I can swoop in, ask her out, and then clear things up before we actually go out. But this is a limited time offer, man! Who knows when I'm going to see her again?"
"You realize I usually wear a mask so I don't have to talk to people, right?"
"I—" Fret seemed to flounder for a moment before again finding his footing. "I just thought you were overly prepared. Look, Rindude, if it's that big a deal..."
For a moment of false hope, Rindo thought his best friend would man up, drop the subject, and dig his own darn mask out of whatever drawer he had stuffed it into.
Digging into his pocket, Fret produced a wad of yen bills. "Could you grab me a mask real quick?"
"Fret—"
"For your nakama?"
Rindo tried to put on a stone face as he took the cash and walked towards the closest drug store for a mask. If Fret knew how much leverage the sacred claim of ultimate friendship gave him, he might even rope Rindo in as a wingman.
Forget that, Rindo thought to himself with a weary smile. I may be your nakama, but you've gotta learn to fly for yourself. Under that mask, he would still be the same messy, pimpled, perfectly studied incompetence that was Fret. And sooner or later, he would have to accept that was the guy worth showing the world.
-End-
Author's Note:
I didn't think I would ever be writing for the NEO branch of the TWEWY timeline, but after recently doing some trophy hunting, I realized these two were a perfect fit for the Nakama prompt. Given their teenage perspective, I figured zits would be an appropriate Cursed Mark.
While this shot could conceivably fit into the Hybrid/Museverse, it could just as easily slot in with post canon, so place it where you will. Whatever you do, enjoy the moment. Have a good Summer!
-CG
7.31.2022
