Past and Present - Sleepovers

[chickshades]

There was a knock at the door and Shouhei looked up from where he was just pulling the covers back on his bed. He glanced towards his phone, the time projecting itself into the air above it: 11:19 pm. A bit bewildered, he moved towards the door and slowly opened it, peeking out hesitantly. The perplexed expression on his face didn't change once he finally saw who was on the opposite side of the door. Bandou was there, in a baggy t-shirt and pajama pants decorated with small Batman logos. And even though he looked as though he just rolled out of bed, his hat and glasses were where they always were.

"San-chan?"

Bandou looked down, shifting his arm slightly in the sling that still hung around his neck. "Can I stay here tonight?"

The confusion immediately vacated Shouhei's expression, and he grinned. That was something he hadn't heard in years. There was a pause and he did a mock peek over his shoulder. "Well, my mom's still awake so you'll have to sneak in through the window." He thumbed over his shoulder towards the back of the apartment where the only window in the place was located.

Bandou looked up, giving him a blank stare before pushing Shouhei aside and letting himself in. "Shut up."

Despite the command, a soft chuckle escaped Shouhei's lips. Locking the door behind them, he follwed Bandou inside. "Did you walk all the way here in your pajamas?"

"Yeah." Bandou's short temper was doing little to hide itself. "It took me a long time to put them on with this damn broken arm."

Shouhei's smile faded slightly. "I'm sorry, San-chan..." Bandou cut him off with a shrug. "...ah. Does Yata know you're here?" It didn't really matter, he guessed, but he didn't want the vanguard to worry if there was no reason to. "Yeah I left him a note. He was in the shower, I think." It was stated blandly enough as Bandou was busy climbing into Shouhei's tiny bed without any hesitation, taking care to not lean on his arm.

The smile returned to Shouhei's face. Now this was nostalgic. "You know, San-chan," he started, flicking the bedside light off. "I still have the same tiny bed. We've grown a lot since middle school."

"Whatever."

"You always ended up curled up right next to me anyway, so I guess it really doesn't matter."

"Just get in the bed, already." There was a hollow sadness that punctuated Bandou's dry comments. Shouhei obeyed, climbing into the bed next to his friend. If this was anything like the time's past, Bandou wasn't just coming over for a sleepover. There was something on his mind, the difficult part was getting him to let it out.

The two lay next to each other for a few minutes, side by side, each calmly watching the other relax and breathe. It was only after Bandou gave a light yawn that Shouhei reached up and removed the hat and sunglasses that were still fixed upon his face. Bandou blinked a few times. Even with only the light from the outside streetlamps illuminating the room, it was so much brighter without his dark lenses shading his eyes. Sometimes he'd even forget he had them on, almost breaking them when he rolled over onto his stomach mid-sleep. But, having them removed also meant he was visible, that any emotion he was trying to hide behind that barrier was now in the open. It cause a crease to form in his brow and he pulled the blanket up closer to his chin, perhaps in a secondary attempt to cover himself up.

Shouhei could sense the unease. "You know, I kinda missed this," he began as he placed Bandou's accessories on the nightstand.

"Why?" Bandou interrupted, that familiar petty tone resurfacing in his voice. "I never came over for a good reason."

"I know, but..." He trailed off, unsure of how to get Bandou to let out whatever it was he was holding back. "It's just familiar, I guess." A smile worked its way back onto his face, "Remember how you used to throw rocks at my bedroom window to get my attention?" Shouhei laughed softly, recalling the sound with vivid accuracy...

----- Five years earlier -----

clink! A pause. clink!

Shouhei looked towards his window where the sound was coming from. He already knew what is was and parting the curtains, he pushed up on the sliding window. "San-chan?"

"Lemme up," the voice of his close friend came up from the yard below.

Shouhei hesitated and Bandou saw his silhouette turn to look behind him. "Mom's still up," he whispered, probably still loud enough for her to hear if she was right outside the door. He heard Bandou curse under his breath. "Do you want me to just go ask her if you can stay over?" He knew what Bandou's answer would be but he couldn't help but ask, perhaps merely out of habit.

"No, she'll call my parents. You know that." Bandou was starting to sound impatient. "Just lemme up." He was already hoisting himself up the tree that stood outside his friend's window.

"Okay, just hold on. I'll go tell her I'm going to bed." Bandou sat in the tree for a good five minutes before the window reopened and Shouhei held a hand out to him.

"You gotta be quiet, though. Okay San-chan?"

"I know, idiot. This isn't the first time I've snuck over." He was tall, so it was a bit difficult to climb through the small window without making any noise, but somehow he always manged. And once inside, Bandou burrowed his way under the covers of Shouhei's bed, curling up and pulling the blankets up to his chin. Shouhei didn't hesitate at following suit, and soon the two were nestled close to one another, somehow finding enough space on the tiny bed.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Shouhei asked after a few minutes of silence. He didn't have to ask what had happened or if something was wrong. It was the reason Bandou came over every time.

"I don't know..." The blankets were pulled tighter around him as he responded. "Can we just go to sleep?"

"That's not going to help you feel better, San-chan."

"It's also not going to change anything."

Shouhei fell silent. His friend had always been there for him, coming in and rescuing him whenever he did something stupid or without thinking. But here Bandou was in need, and Shouhei had no idea how to help. All he could do was listen and hope that, somehow, Bandou could make it through to the next day with that comfort.

He sighed softly and reached out towards his friend, placing his arms around the taller boy's back and shifting forward on the mattress so as to pull him into an embrace. He could feel Bandou stiffen at the sudden intimate contact, but Shouhei just rubbed his back gently, "They don't know what they're missing out on, you know."

At those words, Bandou's muscles suddenly relaxed and he fell limp against Shouhei's chest. A small whimper escaped him and he slowly winded his arms around him, as well. What Shouhei had said was true, and while it was meant to be reassuring, it hit him harder as realization that his family had never even attempted to find out how great he could be.

The next few minutes passed with Bandou quietly sobbing into his friend's shoulder, and Shouhei calmly stroking his back, attempting to quietly coax all the fear, sorrow and anger out of him.

----- Back in present day -----

The sad, yet somehow still comforting memory left Shouhei's mind as Bandou broke the silence that had fallen between them. "I'm sorry."

Shouhei blinked, "hmm?" That wasn't something he was expecting to hear. "Sorry for what?"

"Being the way I am. Treating you like I do." Bandou shifted slightly. His arm was really aching, but he wouldn't complain. Yeah Shouhei had gotten into that mess on his own, but he almost felt he deserved the broken limb for being so ungrateful towards his long time friend.

Shouhei's confusion didn't last long as he watched Bandou fuss with his cast. Even when he was being quiet, Bandou was still fairly easy to read, at least in Shouhei's mind. "San-chan's always been petty like that," Shouhei smiled and Bandou looked as though he was going to protest that accusation, despite practically outing himself for it seconds before. But Shouhei didn't let him, and continued his thought, "It's what makes San-chan, San-chan. But there's nothing wrong with that.

"You're too nice, you know that?" But he was grateful to hear it. And shifting closer, he pressed himself against his friend's body, holding on as best he could with his broken arm. "And I missed that," Bandou mumbled into Shouhei's shoulder. "I missed you."

He wasn't quite crying this time, but the tears that did come were not of sorrow and pain, but of happiness and relief.