Fanfiction [MASHIKYU]

2 - 8

Mashiho

On my third night in my new dorm, I wake up in the middle of the night feeling extremely disoriented. At first I think it's a derealisation attack and I am not in the mood, but it doesn't feel like a dream. It's like when you're on holiday or sleeping over at a friend's house, that feeling when you wake up and it's like the entire world has been tipped upside down and you've just travelled through time and space into an alternate dimension because this is not your room. I've woken up in the middle of the night every night I've slept here so far, I think because it's unfamiliar. I frown at the darkness around me, just wishing I could get a good sleep.

Then I notice something's different about tonight than when I woke up yesterday and the day before. Usually I can hear Junkyu softly snoring in the bed below me, but now I can't.

"Junkyu? Are you awake?" I whisper, because this would be the only reason that he's not breathing loudly. He doesn't respond.

My stomach twists unpleasantly and I suddenly feel very awake. I carefully make my way down the ladder to see Junkyu isn't in his bed. I guess he could've gone to the bathroom... but now I feel nervous and my stupid head is making me think scary things, so I walk out of our room to look for him.

It doesn't take me long to find him. Because he's... in the kitchen?

"What are you doing?" I half-say half-whisper, squinting in the light.

Junkyu jumps, not having noticed I was standing there. "I'm... um... I may or may not be making a cake."

I check my phone for the time— I'd brought it with me to use the torch, but I'd opened the door to see the kitchen light on. "It's three in the morning, Junkyu. Literally why?"

He smooths his hair, which was sticking up in all directions, and I realise mine probably is too, but right now I don't really care because I'm just so confused.

"I... wanted to surprise you with a birthday cake." He blushes as he says it.

"It's not my birthday."

"I know that! I was just thinking about what you said at the maze with how we never ate cake on your birthday, so I thought I'd do this to make up for it."

I stare at him for a few moments. Junkyu, with bed hair, in his pyjamas, in the kitchen, making me a birthday cake even though it's not my birthday, at three a.m. I smile as I walk up to him behind the kitchen counter and look around for the recipe.

"What are you doing?" It's Junkyu who asks me this time.

"I'm helping you. Where's the recipe?"

Junkyu lets out a laugh, then covers his mouth and drops his voice again to not wake up any of the other members. "I will not allow you to help make your own birthday cake. And there's no recipe, I'm going from memory from when I made a cake a few years ago."

"That alarms me. Clearly you do need help..."

I try to convince Junkyu to follow a recipe I find on my phone, but he refuses, saying he's already started and he will be continuing like this to prove his competence. I tell him competent people use recipes, but he won't hear another word of it, so I humour him and go along with his misguided instructions.

I am very, very surprised when the cake comes out of the oven looking and smelling edible.

"Oh my God," Junkyu breathes as I pull it out and place it in front of him. "I'm... I'm a chef. I'm Chef Junkyu."

Then he winces and looks embarrassed, which puzzles me.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"Oh... nothing. I just, don't usually say that out loud."