A Present Wrapped in Red Bandages | Kubokai

Happy Birthday Aren!

Out of all seventeen birthdays he's ever had, Aren can say without a doubt that this is definitely the best one he's ever had by a landslide. Yes, it's even better than his fourth birthday where his parents taught him how to beat up the other kids at school, and although he's reluctant to admit it, this birthday was also ranked above his twelfth birthday when he got his first motorcycle.

He spent the morning with his family, visiting some old friends of theirs before racing his parents all the way home- which, unsurprisingly enough, he won thanks to a few dirty tricks up his sleeve alongside going over a speed limit or two. Around an hour or so before sunset, Aren left home to spend some time with his friends, stopping at some ramen place that Riki swore on before dropping by a karaoke place. A little too late they realized that the only person in the group who could actually sing was Kokomi, but the horrible off-key singing didn't stop Aren from having the time of his life with all of the people he's grown close to ever since he transferred to PK Academy. It's thanks to them that he was able to start a brand new, normal life.

Time flies by in an instant, and before they know it, it's time for everyone to go their separate ways. Exchanging goodbyes with most of his friends, he watches them until they disappear out of sight before turning to face the one person still remaining.

"You ready to go to our hideout?" Shun asks him, an impish smirk on his face as he leans against the wall.

Aren nods, stuffing his hands in his pocket and pulling out his keys. "You seem eager," He muses, slipping his pointer finger through the ring and twirling his keychain around. "You got something else planned for me? Or are you just excited to ride with me?"

It appears that he's right about one (if not both) of his conclusions. Shun pushes himself off against the wall, his face a shade of red similar to the bandages covering his hands as he sputters out a response. "W-Whatever are you talking about?!" He blurts out, curling up his fists. "Have- have you been brainwashed by Dark Reunion?!"

Aren shakes his head, turning around and walking over to his motorcycle. "Well, since you don't care about the ride all that much, I suppose you could just walk over," He turns his head over his shoulder, giving Shun a smirk of his own.

"N-No!" Shun runs to Aren's side in an instant. "Please let me ride with you! That's too far of a walk!" He whines. Aren chuckles, ruffling his hand through his friend's light blue hair before handing him his helmet.

It seems like an ordinary conversation, but every one of Shun's words stick to him like a bloodstain on his letterman jacket, plaguing his thoughts from the ride over to the hideout all the way through the night. Now, the chuunibyou is sound asleep next to him, mumbling some nonsense about Dark Reunion while remaining blissfully unaware of Aren's internal dilemma.

Although he wasn't certain as to when it first began, Aren harbored strong romantic feelings towards Shun. It was obvious to some people, such as Kokomi and Kusuo; but to others (including the object of his affections himself) it remained unknown. He's tried confessing to Shun on multiple occasions, sometimes recruiting the friends who knew about his crush for help, but each and every time it went right over the chuunibyou's head. It definitely hurt his heart each time his advances would be played off as part of a Dark Reunion plot, but he found it too cute to be too upset over it.

Stuck at a standstill, the only thing Aren could do was let his hopeless romantic mind wander- and wander it did. In a matter of seconds he was thinking back to earlier on in the day, when it was just him and Shun. He looked so cute whenever he'd get excited about riding motorcycles, and he looked ten times cuter when he was flustered- the way his voice raised in pitch whenever he switched to the defensive was definitely more endearing than it should've been. To top it all off, getting to cruise on his motorbike with Shun's arms wrapped tightly around him as the sun started to sink into the distant horizon made it a moment that Aren wanted to frame and hang up on his bedroom wall so he could cherish it whenever he was home.

He was definitely overanalyzing that little moment in time, he knew that, but there was no helping the surge of pure happiness that raged within him whenever he was with Shun. The best part of it all was when he referred to the hideout as theirs. Not the gang's hideout, not the Jet Black Wings' hideout, but theirs. A place made especially for just the two of them, a little haven for only them, no one else. The stillness of the night combined with what little sky he could see through the shoddy roof of the hideout if he squinted hard enough made it truly feel like they were the only two people in the world. In that moment, the only thing that mattered was them. Nothing else.

Aren rolls on his side, watching the rise and fall of Shun's resting figure with a content feeling settling in his bones. His restless eyes wander down to his hands, free from the usual red bandages that kept his powers at bay. For a while, the former delinquent always wondered how they felt. It's not as if Shun's never touched him before- from the handshake they first shared to whenever he'd hold onto him while he drove his bike, there's been plenty of contact between the two- he just happened to be constantly wearing those bandages whenever said contact occurred. Now that it was well into the night and Shun was sound asleep, the only thing stopping him from finding out were his own nerves.

Taking a shaky breath to calm himself down, he places his hand gingerly on top of Shun's hand, admiring how soft and cold and small it felt in comparison to his own hand. Aren absentmindedly brushes a thumb over Shun's fingers, and he's never been more sure of himself as he gently prods at his ring finger. He was definitely going to marry Shun; and it was a damn good thing he got a ton of money for his birthday- he needed to start saving up for a ring. After that he'd have to save up for the wedding. And don't even get him started on the honeymoon. Not to mention that at some point in time they would definitely need to buy a house suitable enough for their family. Speaking of family, doesn't adopting kids cost money? How much would a kid even cost? Perhaps one of his old gang members could hook him up somehow...

"Aren..."

Aren's train of thought stops dead in its tracks as he refocuses his gaze on Shun, who's still fast asleep. Sighing happily to himself, he gives Shun's hand a light squeeze, wondering how on earth it was possible for someone as cute as Shun to be here with him. Instead of giving him a solid response, the chuunibyou merely smiles in his sleep, blissfully unaware of how much power those words held over Aren as he mumbled his name for a second time.

Somehow coming back down to reality, Aren reminds himself that they'd cross those bridges from earlier when they get there. Hell, they still had a long ways to go considering they weren't even dating yet. Despite that major obstacle sitting directly between him and his fantasies, his thumb is still rubbing circles against Shun's ring finger as his mind wanders yet again.

Out of all seventeen birthdays he's ever had, Aren can say without a doubt that this is definitely the best one he's ever had by a landslide; getting to spend precious time alone with Shun was more than he could ever ask for. Satisfied with how perfectly the day went, the birthday boy finally falls asleep with only a single question left lingering in his mind: Would Shun be a ring size 5 or 6?

Word Count: 1,400 Words

Author's Note: HAPPY BIRTHDAY AREN WOOOOOO!!! I started this series a week ago and finally finished yesterday, just in time to celebrate best boy's birthday. A bit of a shout out to a friend of mine, aSilentPassion , for introducing me to the series and, in turn, introducing me to one of my favorite ships. Hope you guys enjoyed, and if you did then expect another bday oneshot for Shun's upcoming birthday in a month (and a day) from now!