Private Unspoken Memories

[Ashikawa Shun]

Shun knew the month was something he could never forget. Despite his many adventures, his dangerous battles, and his career focuses, Shun couldn't help but reminisce over old childhood memories. He had just finished a long shift at the bar owned by his oldest remaining friend. Their relationship was still quite rocky, but Shun felt nothing but admiration and care for his companion. Shion seemed to keep his distance when they weren't working alongside each other.

Shun had made quite the name for himself in this side of the world, sure, but he knew Shion had much deeper connections that required a lot more care and caution. The idea of them ever reaching the same closeness they once had felt far away. Shun sighed as he set a glass down, having just freshly shined it for the next shift.

He remembered how quiet Shion used to be, a nature that had definitely left him as he'd grown and ventured outside of the village with their lost family. Their venture to the hot springs felt so distant, yet not that long ago as he thought about it. He'd found his friend's scars quite beautiful back then. The way he'd been afraid of the water, how Shun moved him to shallower waters so they could enjoy themselves. He had even packed bentos for them to share, something Shun rarely found the time to be capable of these days.

Back then, he had only been able to understand the feeling after the kiss on his cheek as one of closeness, of familial comfort. The more he had grown and learned, though, showed him that he definitely felt more than that about his friend. Of course, by the time he'd realized the truth, their paths had led different directions and separated them. He smiled softly, shaking the thoughts away to keep up his cleaning. Usually, Shion would finish late shifts like this in his office, likely doing business owner paperwork and whatnot. Shun was surprised, however, when Shion made his way over to the bar where Shun was nearly finished cleaning up. "Oh, hey," he acknowledged his counterpart, bowing his head in a show of respect for the fact that Shion did still own the place, despite them working along the same level when the bar was open and running. "Want me to pour you a drink?"

WC: 393

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[Toraono Ryota]

Another spreadsheet glared back at him, a chaotic landscape of numbers he was desperately trying to tame. It was well past midnight, and the entire building seemed to be holding its breath, filled with silence, except, not quite. Faintly, through the floorboards, he could hear it. A low thrum of bass, the clinking of glasses as they were placed away... The sounds of the bar downstairs, owned and operated by none other than… him.

Shun.

Shion sighed, running a hand through his already messy hair. Shun. Even the name felt like a warm ember in the cold emptiness of the office. He remembered a bit of the past, how he was always there for him, and how quiet he was. Then… life happened. Different universities, different paths, different fears. They drifted apart, the unspoken promise of forever dissolving into the harsh reality of now. A sharp pang of regret filled him along with a mix of bittersweet nostalgia. He should go down there. He knew he should. But the fear, that little voice, whispered doubts in his ear. What would he say? What if he was happy, perfectly content, without Shion in his life?

Shion's heart clenched. He closed his books with a soft thud. Screw the spreadsheet. Screw the fear. He had to see him. He stood up, his legs a little shaky. He smoothed down his rumpled shirt and took a deep breath. As he walked to the stairwell, he felt a bit nervous. It was a mix of terror and exhilaration, a feeling he hadn't experienced in years.

As he sat down his eyes would dart to the place. It was well kept without his presence... and not to forget, it seemed like he was doing a whole lot better now. "Anything will be good.." Maybe a drink would calm his visible nerves. After he got his drink... he would close in a little to Shun, sitting closer and leaning more against the bar. Trying to almost get through the bar as if that were to be possible. "Say... Shun... Uhm... about the past..." He wasn't even sure, he started to stutter and felt himself getting red in his face. One big gulp... One giant gulp and he asked for refill.

 

[Ashikawa Shun]

Shun got to work the moment Shion agreed to a drink. He looked around for a moment. Despite their many shifts together, Shion had never made him aware what exactly he liked to drink. After a bit of thinking, Shun got to work on a simple cocktail, mixing a shot nicer whiskey and a shot of bourbon, mixing with some sweet vermouth and liquor. After a good stir and pour, he peeled a bit of lemon and twisted it over the cocktail glass, dressing it over the side and sliding it over to Shion.

Shion's blindness was something he'd begun to adapt to, always aiding him without comment if Shion struggled with a task. He would never make it obvious, but he hoped the sentiment was understood as something helpful and not judgmental. His fingers brushed Shion's as he pressed the base of the glass to his fingertips. Shun went back to work cleaning the last few glasses and the cups he'd used to mix the drink.

Shion's next set of words shocked him still, shot glass in hand as he was about to pour himself a bit of bourbon to share a nightcap with his friend. Shun looked to Shion, cursing himself for a moment when he realized Shion wouldn't necessarily catch his gaze. You remember?

Then again, the past was full of many things, not just the memories Shun had been thinking about. He noticed the flush on Shion's cheeks, wondering if he mixed too strong of a drink. "The past? You didn't strike me as the type to reminisce," he teased lightly, hoping to open up a bit of a lighter conversation than the heaviness the air seemed to carry around them. "What are you thinking about?" he pressed lightly, moving around the bar to take a seat next to Shion, setting the bourbon and an extra shot glass on the counter so he could reach if Shion decided he wanted another round.

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[Toraono Ryota]

He drained his glass in one long gulp, he felt how the burning liquid made its way down. He needed to talk to him, there was no other way. He needed to hear his voice again, to see if the ghost he carried was the same man standing before him. He needed to know if there was even the faintest flicker of what they once had. He stood up, the room spinning slightly. He took a deep breath, straightened his gilet, and started to walk towards him. Each step was heavier than the last, laden with the baggage of a decade of regret. Why did he leave? Why did he do that? Was there nothing, or was there still something?

He stopped in front of him, his heart pounding against his ribs like a trapped bird. He opened his mouth to speak, to say something, anything, but the words wouldn’t come. He was suddenly a nervous, tongue-tied boy again, overwhelmed by his presence. The silence stretched, thick and heavy.

Driven by a surge of reckless abandon, fueled by the drink earlier and the years of unspoken longing, he reached out, cupped his face in his hands, and leaned in. He didn't think, he didn't analyze, he just acted on the raw, desperate need that had been simmering within him for a decade. If he didn't back away... His lips met his, tentatively at first, then with a desperate urgency. The taste of him was familiar, intoxicating, a flood of memories washing over him. It was like coming home, a long and arduous journey finally reaching its destination. He closed his eyes, lost in the moment, in the possibility, in the sheer audacity of what he was doing. He pressed closer, deepening the kiss, pouring all his regret, all his longing, all his unspoken love into that single, desperate act.

 

[Ashikawa Shun]

Shun watched as Shion downed his drink, his eyes widening at the bold stroke. Not too strong then,
he thought. The glass was set down with a soft clink, and before Shun could even register the passing of time, Shion had closed the distance between them. He hadn’t even had a chance to pour his own shot, let alone sit comfortably, before Shion was standing right before him.

For a brief, breathless moment, Shun froze. The air between them thickened, charged with an unspoken tension that tugged at the edges of his thoughts. He opened his mouth, as if to say something - anything - to break the silence that felt both unbearable and necessary. There was so much he wanted to know, so many questions that swirled in his mind about what had led them to this point, so suddenly and so undeniably close. Shion, too, seemed to be struggling with words. His lips parted, but nothing came out. It was a familiar struggle, one Shun had seen in him before, but this time it stung in a way that made his heart thud painfully in his chest..

Without warning, he reached up, his fingers brushing against Shun’s face, tender and sure. Shun’s breath caught, and the flush that crept across his cheeks was instant. He was thankful that Shion wouldn't catch it. At least, he hoped. His cheeks were likely hot enough to give him away. Then, Shion's lips met his own. The world around Shun seemed to dissolve, fading away to nothing as he sank into the kiss, a deep, longing surrender to everything he had held back for so long. His hand moved on its own accord, finding its place at Shion’s waist, pulling him closer. The kiss was a release, an outpouring of every emotion Shun had kept hidden away - every aching thought, every lingering memory of a love that had never quite found its voice until now. His eyes fluttered closed as he lost himself in the feeling, savoring the warmth of Shion’s lips against his own, as if the kiss could erase the years of distance between them.

Fleeting, it was not, however. Shion pressed closer, and Shun followed along, his arm curling around Shion to pull him closer. The kiss was one of passion - heartfelt, longing, and shared memories seeming to lead them to finally grow close again. Shun knew, deep down, that one kiss - or even twenty - wouldn't fix the pain they'd experienced, but having Shion close like this again calmed Shun more than he realized he needed it to. It was a sense of peace he hadn’t realized he was missing, a quiet reassurance that, no matter what had happened before, they had found each other again. And that, for now, was enough.

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