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Aren had been promising to take Shun to an onsen where the both of them could go for ages now— Shun had only been to an onsen with his mom when he was a little kid, and Aren wouldn't stop extolling their benefits. How lovely it was to soak in a pottery tub in hot water, lie in the shallow baths and look up at the sky, sweat out all of their woes in a sauna, or spend a moment in perfect silence with a best friend, watching nature pass them by from the big windows.
Unfortunately, the tattoo-friendly onsens that Aren frequented were full of his old gang buddies and types worse than that, and the both of them agreed that for a dude with no dick, it wouldn't be the most relaxing experience for him, so the both of them had been looking in to places that would be pleasant for the both of them. It was a long mess of calling different places and asking policies on this or that, asking how busy they were on certain days and times, in an attempt to figure out a nice experience. They finally found a nice onsen— on weeknights, apparently, it was practically a ghost town. The only catch was that it was way, way out of town. It would be a two hour train ride, and they'd end up having to catch it back in the middle of the night.
It wasn't that he didn't want to be somewhere strange in the dead of night, it was that he'd have to convince his mother to let him go.
With Aren.
Who she was not a big fan of.
"But Mom—"
"Shun-baby, it'll be dangerous on your own. And it's a school night, you'll be distracted the next day because you'd be so tired. And I don't trust you going somewhere all alone with Kuboyasu, what if he tries something and you can't stick up for yourself?" She pulled him in to a stubborn hug, petting his hair.
"Mom..." He hugged her back with some reluctance, before pulling away with a frown. "Everyone else can go to an onsen. And... I finally found one that will be safe for me. And Ar-- Kuboyasu is a gentleman, I promise. He's really smart, too, and we can study together on the train..."
"Shun," she said, firmly, arms crossing. "I won't let you go out of town with your boyfriend to an onsen when you'll both be naked—"
"Mom oh my god he's not my boyfriend—" Shun covered his face in embarassment, and his mother raised her eyebrows in suprise, a smile tugging at her lips.
"Eh? What do you mean? You walk home together every day, and he's always got his arm around you..."
"Nooo, ahhh! He's my best friend, it's not at all like that."
Now his mother seemed more entertained than cautious, shaking her head and giving a long sigh. "Baby Shun. This sounds like a date...." She thought for a long second. "... If you go, you can't go out this weekend."
He winced. Alas. A sacrifice he'd have to make. ".... Okay."
"You be careful, okay? Text me when you're there and when you're on the way home and make sure to come say hi when you get home and—"
"Mom, I will. I promise."
She looked like she was about to start crying, sniffling. "Baby Shun... You're getting so big. I remember when you were still my tiny boy... I love you so much."
She brought him in to a very tight hug, which made it hard for him to breathe, but....
"... I love you too, mom."
She was clingy, and maybe a little overbearing, but it was clear she cared.
Shun spent the whole day buzzing to Saiki (who seemed particularly uninterested, as usual), about how much he was looking forward to going to an onsen for the first time in years, showing him outfits home on his phone that he clearly also couldn't care less about. He'd put together a few outfits the night before, Saiki telling him he'd probably put way too much thought in to all of this especially since he'd end up taking it off. He was so snarky. Shun loved that guy. Nendo spent the day questioning him about how excited he seemed, especially since the pair of them seemed to hang out all the time. It was because of the onsen, duh. It didn't matter that he'd never really seemed interested in it before.
They met at the train station, arm in arm, as always— studying on the train didn't get end up happening, since he got super motion sick, leaning against his friend with an achey belly and closed eyes as the other spent the train ride drawing. He'd spent a lot of time planning an outfit— a pentagram choker, ripped jeans, an oversized button up patterned with skulls— all of which he thought would look badass. Unfortunately those effects were negated by the fact he could barely talk without throwing up. It took time for him to get used to the motion, and eventually he could sip water and carry basic conversation. He wasn't sure what to expect.
"Do you think they'll let me bind?"
"Mm?" Aren looked up from his drawing. "Well... No, I don't, it still counts as underclothes, you know?"
"I guess... You're not going to be weird about it, right?!" He huffed, before he got hit with another wave of nausea, sipping his water to sooth his tummy.
"No, man, I'm not a creep. Besides, you're not gonna act weird about my chest being out, right?"
"Duh."
"It's the same for you, then. You're my best friend. I'm not going to oogle you if you don't oogle me. "
He washed off in the showers, Aren in the one next to him. Neither of them had acknowledged each other, and the absence of clothes made it even more clear that the both of them were blushing. He took a second to look in the mirror, a little self-conscious. He wasn't attractive for any gender, in his opinion— he had belly fat, love handles, hips, and just enough breast tissue to make him feel dysphoric. His hips and thighs were littered with stretch marks, his arms and shins littered with scars and scabs. He took a deep breath, pulling himself together— Aren had moved from where his stall was to place a hand on Shun's shoulder. "Are you okay..?"
Shun supposed he'd never been very good at keeping his emotions hidden away. He wiped away the tears pooling in his eyes and cleared his throat. "Definitely."
Aren glanced him up and down, then moved to mess with his hair. "You have nothing to be embarassed of," Aren assured him. "Dude, look at those leg muscles! I bet you could jump buildings." Shun was jostled affectionately, and he gave a small laugh. It didn't cure all of his woes, but it made him feel a lot merrier. It wasn't like Shun was staring, but his friend was absolutely ripped. He'd seen him without a shirt before, so this was nothing new, but he was muscles on muscles, scars and tattoos staining his skin. Shun couldn't pretend he wasn't blushing when it showed up pretty clearly on his pale skin, and hiding his face didn't matter if the blush showed up across his chest, too.
"Uh. I wore ankle weights." He tried to regain his confidence as Aren led him out in to the springs, the hand on his shoulder steering him around.
"And those platforms you wear are heavy as hell. Leg muscle just makes sense."
"Not to brag, but once I jumped from the ground to Nendo's shoulders. "
"... Why?"
He cleared his throat. "Not because I was scared! Not because I was scared, uh, I- I needed a better vantage point!"
"Of course. Because you're historically known for being brave," he teased.
The pair of them had the onsen to themselves, so he didn't feel too guilty about how their voices echoed around the relaxing space. Shun had to admit, it was pretty relaxing— the sauna felt like it made him sweat out all of his worries, the ceramic baths made him feel like a tealeaf, and the views of the nature astounded him.
And then there was the shallow baths. A little cooler than the others, two stone slaps where they could lie on their backs placed next to each other, the water around them lapping at their bodies. The stars above them sparkled, unhindered by the city lights. He could see what felt like every single star in the galaxy.
"When I was little," Aren started, breaking the silence between them, "I used to wonder what was out there. I thought aliens would appear at any minute and take me away."
"Why you?" Aren never opened up in such an abstract manner. It was nice to hear him talk like this.
"I thought I was one of them. That maybe I'd been left on earth by accident.... I didn't understand the people around me, and when I was little, I thought it was because I must have been from... Somewhere out there."
Shun nodded along with him, giving a soft sigh. "I understand that... This might be shocking, but the dark reunion.... I'm unsure if it's real."
A long silence. ".... It is shocking."
"I know. But it makes things make more sense... A shadowy organisation controlling things, doesn't that help explain things?"
Aren gave a content hum, and Shun noticed that his hand had dropped to his side, between the pair of them. "It really does... You understand me, Shun."
Another long silence. Cautiously, he extended his own hand to take Aren's, biting his lip as the other intertwined their fingers. "You understand me, too... Aren?"
"Shun."
"I think... We should be more than friends." Oh, his mother was so right. This was absolutely a date. Oh god. "I think... We should...." He cleared his throat, and Aren gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, motivating him to continue. "I think we should date. If you're... If you're in to boys. And if you're in to me."
He glanced over at Aren, who's eyes were still fixed on the stars, heart tightening with anxiety as he awaited the other's response.
But he was smiling. It seemed like he was smiling so broadly he couldn't even talk. It took what seemed like hours before he responded, "yeah. I think that's a good idea."
This was a good idea. Even if he'd be tired for the entirety of the next day. Without this trip, he knew he wouldn't have the courage to ask in a million years.
He fell asleep on the train on the way back, head against Aren's chest, cozy in his new boyfriend's arms. Realistically, he knew this was a long time coming. They were closer than anyone else he knew, they built a hideout together, they spent all of their time together... But it still suprised him that the other had accepted. He felt all warm and fuzzy.
Aren was ever the gentleman, walking him home, hand in hand. He gave a long pause as they stopped in front of the house, before he quietly asked, "can... Can I kiss your cheek?"
"I wish you would," Shun eagerly responded, closing his eyes as his new... Date.... Guy.... Partner? No. Uh. As his Aren kissed his cheek. He stood on his toes to return the kiss to the other boy's jaw with flushed cheeks. "... I'll see you tomorrow, Aren." He relaxed, opening his arms to invite the other in to a hug. He hugged him back, holding him close.
"See you tomorrow, handsome."
Handsome. Aren thought he was handsome. He was practically walking in air as he went inside, stopping inside his mother's office. She looked up from her laptop with a small smile, brightening when she saw the look on her son's face. "Shun-baby, did you have fun?"
He sat across from her with a big grin. "Um. Yes."
"And?"
"... It was a date."
She shook her head with an almost identical grin to Shun's, giving a quiet laugh. "Of course. Of course it was... And he was a gentleman?"
"Such a gentleman. It was.... I... Actually.... Asked him out."
"Shun!" She gave a soft sigh. "Look at you. Growing up so fast..."
"You're not upset?"
"I'm just glad you told me. And... Even though my heart is screaming, that you're growing up too fast... I haven't seen you look this happy in ages." She reached over to pinch his cheek. "I love you. I just want you to be happy, healthy, and successful. And happiness obviously comes first. Shun, honey, Shun, no, please don't cry. " She stepped around the desk to wrap him in a hug, and he hugged her back tightly. "I had no idea you were so anxious about telling me things like this..."
Shun rested his head against his mother's shoulder, like he did when he was just a little kid. "I just... I want you to be proud of me."
"Shun, I'll always be proud of you." She offered a smile, starting to get teary eyed herself. "I still have a picture of you from the day you came out to me, when I finally met my son... I have your name change certificate framed at work, right next to the first report card you got, and the first poem you wrote. It's barely legible, but I read it every day. Because I'm proud of you... And with senior year coming up, I just want you to be prepared... I'm sorry that I've been so controlling, and it breaks my heart that you felt like you couldn't share things with me."
Shun wiped his eyes on his sleeve. "... Thank you, mom. I'll... I'll try to be more open."
"And I'll try to be someone you feel comfortable talking to. Go to bed, Shun, it's late, and you need sleep." She let him break away, dabbing her eyes. "Shun-baby? I love you."
"I love you too, mom." He offered a shaky smile. Yeah. It was about time he slept.
He'd had a good day. It was worth getting scolded for falling asleep in class for.