A normal Sunday.

Is that too much to ask for?

The moment Kaidou Shun accidentally walks into his parents having a huge argument at the front door is the moment he realizes that, yes, a normal Sunday is in fact too much to ask for.

It takes him a second to realize what exactly is going on, but when the weight of the situation sinks in he wastes no time scurrying back up the stairs like the coward he is. He doesn't bother to listen to what they're fighting about, their angry words drowned out by the thumping of his feet against the stairs. As soon as he hops off the last step he turns the corner so fast he slides and nearly falls to the floor as he stumbles into the closest room, slamming the door shut and leaning his back against it.

Before he can collect his thoughts, there's a loud clack, and not even a second later an object falls directly onto Shun's head and slides off, hitting the floor with a dissonant clash. Hissing out in surprise and slight pain, he brings a hand to his head as he screws his eyes shut. When he opens his eyes he's looking down at his socks, quick to notice there's an empty towel rack next to his feet. He lifts his head up slowly, giving the towels scattered across the floor a long stare before it finally clicks.

Shun sighs, the pain ebbing away into annoyance. Why did he have to overreact so much? It was just an argument, it wasn't as if his parents had never fought before.

He bends down to pick up the rack, and with nothing better to do he listens in on their conversation. It wasn't as if he had a choice- they were so loud he had no clue how he didn't notice it sooner.

"Why do you always leave as soon as you get home?!" His mom yells. "You've been away on trips longer than you've been at home!"

"Do you actually think I'm happy with this too? But, hell, what am I gonna do, just not go to work and get fired?!" His dad retorts.

"It's just absurd! They call you for so many business trips you'd think it'd be easier if we moved! There has to be a better solution to this, your kids need their father!"

"Don't you dare bring them into this conversation. This has nothing to do th-"

"This has everything to do with them!"

Shun jolts, nearly dropping the towel he's holding as he suddenly remembers his siblings. The panic in his chest is gone faster than it hit him, however, as he hastily reminds himself that Sora's at the local library studying for entrance exams and Toki's at a birthday party for some kid named Yuuta. Both of them aren't home right now.

It's just him.

Shun's frown deepens as he folds the towel in his hands and sets it on the rack. He turns around back to the floor and- oh, that was the last of them? Good. He makes the motion to turn back around- only to stop midway, eyes transfixed on the mirror before him.

It's just him.

Dad's not usually home- but when he is, and when Mom's home too, it usually ends up the same way: Shun coming to the rescue and comforting Sora and Toki whenever their parents started to argue- from something as simple as holding them tightly to going as far as to take them out on the town just to get away from the house, he was always the one to make them feel better. This time was different.

It's just him.

Sora and Toki aren't here- he doesn't have to step up to his role as the big brother and protect them. He doesn't have to put on a brave face anymore.

It's just him.

His face falters. His eyes start to water. He takes a shaky breath, hesitating for a brief moment before reaching for the faucet and turning the nozzle. Trembling hands let go of the handle and hover under the steady stream of water. He closes his eyes and lowers his head down to the sink as his hands meet him half way, splashing the cold, biting water onto his face.

What was he thinking? He was the Jet Black Wings- he didn't put on any fronts, he was just naturally awesome and courageous like that! Shaking his head, he lifts himself up, opening his eyes and giving his reflection a big, reassuring smile. He was more than capable on his own, he convinced himself, turning off the water.

The smile stayed plastered to his face as he patted himself dry with one of the towels he just set up. With each movement he repeated his mantra over and over in his head, the words ringing through his head as he left the bathroom and entered his room. His red eyes land on his phone, sitting atop his bed, and the mantra stops all at once.

"No," Shun mumbles, pulling his gaze away and turning his head to the side haughtily. "The Jet Black Wings is a great hero, he needs no one but himself!" He exclaims.

But there were plenty of great heroes that had sidekicks. Batman had Robin, All-Might had Nighteye, Ash had Pikachu; surely there'd be no harm if he were to find a partner to help him save the world from Dark Reunion, right?

Giving into temptation, Shun shuffles over to his bed, grabbing his phone and collapsing onto the mattress. Peeling his cheek away from his pillow, he turned on his phone and opened the messaging app. He already had the perfect person in mind, typing out his message and sending it before he had a chance to think it over.

jet black wings

hey

Not even a minute had passed before his phone dinged, and a new message was on his screen.

carnage middle's murder weapon

Hey.

Why did he always have to text with proper grammar? It always caught him off guard.

jet black wings

wyd rn

carnage middle's murder weapon

Nothing much, just chilling.

You need something?

Shun's face flushed. Was he really that obvious?

jet black wings

do u mind if i uhhh vent a lil?

carnage middle's murder weapon

Like in Among Us?

Shun snorted, letting his phone fall to his bed as he facepalmed. Was he really being serious? There was no way. Picking his phone up, he rolled over onto his back.

jet black wings

no?

lmao

carnage middle's murder weapon

?

OH!

My bad.

What's up?

Shun's lips split apart as he lets out a loud laugh. So he was being serious! Unbelievable. He wasn't complaining though- he hadn't even said anything about why he was texting him and he already felt much better. The realization makes Shun a little flustered, his cheeks tinting pink as he fixates on answering the question given to him.

There's a bit of a problem- he didn't actually think he'd get this far. Now that he was here, he wasn't quite sure what to say or how to say it. It took him a few tries to settle on an answer, typing up whole paragraphs only to delete them in their entirety before finally coming up with something decent enough to send.

jet black wings

nothing much

it's just

my parents are fighting super loud and theyre right in front of the front door

so im kinda uhh

trapped? in the house at the moment bc i rlly dont wanna get anywhere near them

Perfect. He got the message across without sounding too desperate. Now all he had to do was wait!

Shun stared at his phone screen, waiting eagerly for a message to pop up. As the seconds ticked by, his hopefulness started to turn into something more doubtful. Had he said something wrong? He reread his messages but, nope, they seemed alright to him. Yet it said his messages were read and the bubble that popped up whenever someone typed was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he was just thinking of a response? Yeah, that seemed to make sense.

Like a puppy waiting for its owner to return, he waited with baited breath, eyes never leaving his phone screen as he tossed and turned in anticipation. A few minutes had passed, and he still had no response. Now he was really worried. Did he overshare? Did he come off too strong? What if he made things awkward between them? What if he ruined their friendship?

Shun was too busy thinking up a storm to notice the sound of something hitting his window not once, but twice. His panic got the best of him, and he found himself typing up an apology paragraph, unaware of the world around him. In the middle of his furious tapping, he saw the three dots pop up and immediately stopped what he was doing, selecting all of his text and cutting it, nibbling on his bottom lip as he watched the three dots move. After a few seconds, his phone dinged, and a new message was on his screen.

carnage middle's murder weapon

Hey, can you open your window?

Ah! Shun's expression lit up as he held the phone close to him. Everything was fine! He was just overthinking things. A sigh of relief left him as he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, rereading the message. So he just needed some fresh air, huh? That was smart, perhaps that could help him clear his head a bit.

Shun swings his feet off of his bed and onto the floor, standing up just a little too fast and making his way to his window, ignoring the slight dizziness he felt. He struggles with the latch for a solid minute, and by the time he unlocks it the dizziness from earlier is gone. Grabbing the latch, he swings his window open at full force, leaning forward.

Immediately, he gets nailed in the face by something small and hard and very painful. Shun yowls in pain, stumbling backwards away from the window as his hand flies to his face. As he backs up, his heel bumps into something; combined with the socks he was still wearing, his feet slip off of the tile and up into the air. This time around he actually falls to the floor, landing on his ass with an unceremonious thud.

A faint "Shit!" can be heard in the distance. The Jet Black Wings scans his surroundings for something unfamiliar. Between him and the window lays a small rock that definitely wasn't there before. Grabbing the rock, Shun rises to his feet, daring to take another look out of his window to find...

"Aren!" He exclaims, face lighting up once again.

"Shun!" Aren cries out, a look of surprise and guilt on his face. "I'm so sorry! You were taking a while and I wasn't sure if you were in your room or if I even had the right room in the first place so I just-"

"It's okay!" There's a slight laughing tone to his words as Shun leans forward, clutching the windowsill with his free hand. "What are you doing here?!"

"I got your message so I came to help you!" Aren answered.

Shun's eyebrows raise in surprise. "But I sent that message like three minutes ago!" Yes, he had kept track, and yes, he had a mini-breakdown in the span of, like, three minutes- but that was besides the point!

Aren blinks, merely shrugging his shoulders and offering Shun a sheepish smile. "Okay, so maybe I broke a few speed limits and made a few illegal turns to get here, but so what?!"

Shun pouts. "Aren...!" He clutches the rock tightly, swinging his arm back and tossing it out of the window. He's not the best thrower, however, and the rock just falls straight down next to the house.

"I panicked, okay?!" Aren walks closer to the house, kneeling down to the ground and picking up the rock that Shun tried chucking at him. "I just... wanted to be here for you."

Shun immediately stops whining, another blush starting to bloom on his face. "That's..." His voice trails off as he averts his gaze, unsure of what to say. "Thank you, Aren." He turns his attention back to his friend, offering him a grin big enough to make him squint his eyes closed. A few seconds later, his eyes shoot open in realization. "But... How is this gonna work out?" Shun yells out, turning his head back into his room. "My parents are blocking the door! I can't go down there!" He frowns slightly.

Aren chuckles. "Just jump!" He calls out, his arms open wide.

"WHAT?!" Nearly giving himself whiplash from how hard he turned his head, Shun stares down at Aren with a bewildered expression. "You want me to jump?!"

"Yeah!" Aren nods. "You'll fall just like that rock ya threw, and I'll catch ya! C'mon!"

Shun gulps. There was no way he could do it. He was never a fan of heights, and if his parents found out that he snuck out of the house who knows what would happen. He closes his eyes, gripping the edge of the window tightly. He can still hear his parents going back and forth. He remembers how scared he was just a few minutes ago, and after a few seconds of hesitation he decides that jumping out from the second story window was far better than having to listen to his parents argue about whatever the hell they were on about now for any longer. Squeezing his eyes even tighter, he musters up all of his strength and presses down on the ledge as hard as he can, jumping up and swinging his legs over the window ledge. The second he feels his body start to plummet downwards, he lets out a shrill scream, the forces of gravity pressing down on his gut and knocking the wind out of him, cutting off his scream on a raspy note.

As he promised, Aren catches Shun with a surprisingly small amount of difficulty, grunting upon impact. The force made his knees buckle and crash into the ground, yet he was still upright with Shun in his arms. "See?" He asks, a smile on his face. "Told ya I'd catch ya."

"Holy Eden," Shun breathes, gripping tightly onto Aren's shirt as his eyes shoot open. He can see his window from here, and, woah, he actually did it. He jumped out of his window. He got over his fear of heights and actually jumped from a second story.

His breath hitches in his throat as he stares up at the sky, his head starting to spin. Okay, so maybe he wasn't quite over his fear of heights yet, but the point still stands. "Thank you," He mumbles, starting to feel a little numb.

"It's no problem." Aren assures him. "I just wanted to help."

Help...

He had nearly forgotten about why Aren was here in the first place. Although his head is buzzing with thoughts and his heartbeat is roaring in his ears, he can no longer hear his parents arguing despite how hard he was listening to the noises around him. Shun lets out a small victory laugh. He can no longer hear their voices; but now the heartbeat pounding in his ears feels more loud, the buzzing in his head feels more suffocating than his parents could ever be. This sudden onslaught of noise combined with the adrenaline still coursing through his veins from the fall, it's all suddenly too much for Shun to handle. He buries his head into the crook of Aren's neck, gripping onto his letterman jacket as tightly as his shaking hands could manage.

"There, there," Aren coos softly, pulling Shun closer to him. He shifts the weight to one arm, bringing his other arm up in order to gently run his hand through the soft, blue hair. "I'm right here, okay?" He assures, the repeated strokes of his hand nearly lulling Shun to sleep.

"Thank you, Aren," Shun repeats.

And here he thought that a normal Sunday might've been too much to ask for- this, whatever this was, was much more than he could ever ask for. Yet here he was, a hiccup shaking his body as he felt himself start to tear up. It's just him and Aren. And that's all he needs.

Word Count: 2.7k Words

Author's Note: HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHUN! This is super late, whoops! I had this idea for only a month but I only just now got to writing it. Hehe, my bad! Hope you enjoyed :D