Next Summer

Title: Next Summer
Group/Pairing: Arashi/Sakumiya
Prompt: no. 044: Surface
Word Count: 3674
Rating: PG
Summary: Nino’s tired of being at the beach alone every summer.
Note: I was really excited to write this fic, but in the end I only like the beginning. I gt lazy orz (that’s why I’m only posting it on my WP this time instead of here and LJ). I don’t think I fully captured their characters and I wanted to get deeper into their relationship, but I couldn’t pull it off. Idk why \: Maybe I tried to make it too long. Anyway, I hope other people enjoy more than I do |D Time to start Jun’s bday fic!

——

The sky in front of him was the clearest blue, cut in half by the deep blue-green of the ocean and the paint stroke of rocks on the horizon. His feet dangled from the wall he was sitting on, scraping the sides when he bounced his legs. In one hand he held a popsicle, the other dug into the grit of the edge of the ground. The day was perfect. Hot, not humid, clear, the rays of sun beating down on his skin, but the cool breeze of wind just enough to soothe its heat. The day was perfect, but he was perfectly bored as he continued to stare out into the horizon that he was so used to. Every year, every summer he came to the same spot. But growing older, things changed. Now, having just turned 17, he couldn’t just run off with another child and spend the day with them. No. He loved this scenery, the freedom, but the loneliness of everyday was just as bad as being alone in his room with only his games to accompany him.

It was only ten o’clock as Nino stared at the beach in front of him; literally his front yard just a ladder away; and people were already crowding its surface. Licking his dripping popsicle, the young boy surveyed the area. His second day here, but there had been nothing interesting, no one to watch nor to take note of. He wasn’t really used to this feeling of nothingness while being at his family’s summer home. Never had he felt so alone or like he didn’t have anything to do. It was an awkward and lonely feeling. And although it was ridiculous, he knew, he stared and searched the beach as if hoping to find someone he knew, someone he could walk up to and just strike up a conversation with because they were familiar.

With a grunt, Nino stood. His popsicle was done. He wiped the grit from his palm on his swim shorts and trudged across the hot green top into the house. There stood his older sister and her two friends (he hadn’t been able to get any of his few friends to tag along with him this year) lathering sunscreen onto each other. Nino looked away with a grimace as they teased him and giggled, thinking him embarrassed when he really just didn’t care. They didn’t understand anything. Yet he watched longingly as the three ran onto the beach and down to the low tide, wishing only slightly that it wouldn’t be awkward for him to go with them.

Resigned, Nino threw the popsicle stick away and took off his shirt, deciding to go down to the rocks before the tide started to come in. After applying a large amount of sunscreen to his white skin, he ran across the hot surface of the green top and ambled down the steps, looking around him. He had always thought that this house was so great, but none of the other beach-goers ever seemed to notice it too much, he’d realized. They never looked at him with jealousy as he walked down the steps though he stared at them with a condescending smile every day from the edge of the wall.

With a slightly frustrated sigh, he jumped from the lower ledge of the wall onto the beach, relishing the feel of the cool, wet sand beneath his bare feet. Although he didn’t really like the ocean itself (for nothing more than the fact that he got seasick easily), he loved the beach and how clean this one especially was. He took it slow walking towards the rocks, seeing a family to his left flying a kite in the steady breeze, a pair of kids building a castle (that was really more like a mound) and only a few people in the chilling water. This beach water was near to impossible to stay in for too long, being a low 65 degrees nearly every day, but it was great for tubing and relaxing at high tide.

Nino reached the rocks and stared up at them. Even from up close they didn’t seem to go that far into the ocean. But he knew better. Getting as far out as to be able to step in the water again took about 20 minutes. And even then there were the far rocks, though even more beautiful stunningly dangerous. He knew too well.

With his toe, Nino tipped over a small rock and watched a small crab scuttle away and disappear in the sand. He chuckled and started to amble up the rocks. Nino had no plan to go far, he wasn’t even wearing shoes, but still just walking on the smaller rocks was a task. Without thinking, he put out his hands to steady him as he stepped lightly on the barnacle clad rocks. He clicked his tongue in frustration, but continued to walk unsteadily; he was bored after all. Maybe if he could at least get to where the little pools of water filled with starfish and crabs and snails were, he could stop and look through them for a while.

After some tedious moments of walking while looking solely at his feet, Nino glanced up. Surprised he had come so far, he looked around, confused. People seemed to be leaving the beach. Then he turned his head toward the sky; it was a deathly grey. “Shit,” he moaned and hurriedly turned around, losing his already unsure footing as he did so.

Startled, Nino braced himself, expecting in less than a few seconds to encounter some severe pain, but it never came. Instead, there was a strong grip around his right arm, holding him in place rather sturdily. Immediately, he stiffened at the touch and once he had himself steadied, the hand released him. He looked up, embarrassed and frustrated, to see a young man about his age looking down at him worriedly. Weird that he hadn’t noticed him there before. The boy said something, but Nino ignored him and started walking towards the beach only to slip on another rock. Again, the hand caught him in a steady hold, keeping him upright without a problem. “Will you let go?” Nino muttered, and the hand was gone.

“Sorry,” the boy said, in a voice that was rich and deep like freshly melted chocolate. Nino stared at his feet, continuing to walk and the other boy followed in silence. He was tempted to look back, to ask why the other guy was even there, but he didn’t. Not until he was safely on the sand and the first few drops of rain began to trickle from the sky.

Quickly, Nino turned to stare up at the other guy. His dark brown hair was tussled thoroughly by the wind and unlike Nino, he wore a shirt to cover his chest. Dark, worried eyes searched his and Nino took a step back, suddenly flustered. “Anyway,” he started, as though they had been conversing the whole way back, “thanks for helping me.”

The boy smiled a half smile, but Nino held his stance. “It’s starting to rain,” he said in his deep voice as the two got drenched. “Do you need a ride to back where you’re staying?”

Nino grimaced, raising his hand and pointing to where his summer house was. “I’m right there.” Then, without saying anything more, he ran across the beach back to his house. He grabbed a towel as he entered, his mom fussing over his sister, and looked out the window on to the beach. It was completely empty. The handsome boy wasn’t there anymore. Nino cursed himself for being so stupid. Why had he acted so strange in front of him? “Oh well,” he muttered as he trudged to his room, “I probably won’t see him again anyway.”

—

Nino’s feet swung from the wall again, though today they were covered in band aids. The storm had cleared overnight and people once more crowded the beach below. He sighed, frustrated. His mom had forbid him the night before to go out on the beach today due to his damaged feet. She had scolded him for at least 20 minutes, telling him he needs to take better care of himself. Nino was sick of this tirade of hers. It happened every time he stayed in front of the TV or playing games for longer than recommended. He used to fight back, but he had learned recently to put up with it. Today though, he wouldn’t disobey her. His feet hurt too much.

“Seawater would be good for those,” said a familiar voice out of nowhere. Shocked, Nino looked around. Not seeing the boy from the day before around him, he looked down, beneath the wall, and frowned.

“You’re not allowed to be on this wall,” he said in a voice more venomous than he had intended. “See, it says ‘private property’ along it.” It was his pet peeve to see people placing their things on his wall, but even more so when they sat or stood on it. He could only say something about it if they did though.

The boy below him smirked and crossed his arms. Standing where he was, his head cocked back to look Nino, was so close that is Nino had the strength he could have lowered himself and kicked him in the face. Not that he would do that, even if his feet weren’t hurting. But still. “I know, idiot. I come here every summer.” And he pointed to the house right of Nino. “I’m allowed here, too. My family owns all the houses to your right of the one you’re staying at.”

Nino pursed his lips, glared, and turned away from the boy beneath him, laying down on the ground with his arms crossed behind his head. “I see you almost every summer,” he continued in his deep voice and Nino groaned loudly in obvious annoyance. “But you never seem to notice me.”  Nino ignored this comment, because it was more or less true. He wondered how he’d never seen the guy before, although he was always watching people. Especially if he stayed right next door. “Rich jerk,” he muttered under his breath.

The boy was quiet for so long that Nino was beginning to wonder if he’d left just like that. With some trouble, he pulled himself up and peeked below him. With a shock, he found that the boy was still standing there. The boy grabbed his sensitive feet, smiled up at him, and said, “I’m Sakurai Sho and I’ll be here for another two weeks,” before jumping onto the beach and running away without looking back.

——

Nino’s butt and fingertips were immersed in the chilly water as he drifted along the waves in a black tire tube. In the tube next to him, Sho had his head bent so far back that his dark hair brushed the water. The night Sho had introduced himself to Nino, he’d peered over the fence that separated them, called Nino to him, and they began talking. It was against Nino’s morals to talk to such an obviously stuck-up and rich person, he thought, but it turned out that Sho wasn’t exactly like that. Although he was an honor student and going to an Ivy League college, he didn’t brag about it. It also seemed that he was quite shy, as he was saying now, and that he’d went out on a limb the day he introduced himself.

Nino snorted and when the next wave bumped him forward, he kicked Sho in the face, not hard, but with enough pressure to make Sho’s head jerk up and water fly. The two tubes were tied together by a rope wrapped around a very large rock that held them down. Sho had been the one to carry it. He, surprisingly, was well built, compared to Nino who was white and virtually muscle less.

“Nino,” he whined. “That hurt,” Nino, whose eyes had trailed down Sho’s exposed body, turned away with a slight face and a click of his tongue.

“No it didn’t,” he countered, “you’re just weak.”

Sho turned a knowing smile towards him and his eyes narrowed, signifying that he was about to say something that would irk Nino even more. “Says the one who couldn’t even pick up the rock.” Nino growled in mock anger (he wasn’t the type of person to work out unless he needed to) and splashed water on Sho who just laughed at him and shook his head like a wet dog. “Anyway,” he said, his face turning a little more serious, “I’m surprised you’re even able to sit out on the tube. Don’t you get seasick?”

Nino dipped his fingers in the cold water again. “Like this, I’m fine.” Once Sho realized Nino wasn’t going to say anything more, he nodded and dipped his head back into the water.

For a while the two stayed like that. Nino had realized earlier that when they were together, there wasn’t really anything to talk about. He was going to be a freshman in a community college once summer ended while Sho was going to be a junior in the Ivy League, Nino played games while Sho read the newspaper. The only thing they seemed to have in common was the fact that they came to the beach every summer.

“I wonder why I never noticed you before,” Nino muttered, splashing some water off the tip of his fingers.

Sho chuckled , but didn’t lift his head. When he talked, his voice sounded strained due to the angle of his neck and Nino couldn’t help but shake his head. “I don’t know either. I don’t see you every year, but I have seen you a lot. Maybe you don’t get out enough?”

Nino splashed water on Sho’s face at the obvious attack to his pearly white skin. “Who cares about that, I go out enough during the summer.” He kept just the right amount of pride in his voice but he knew that Sho was laughing at him, though his face was turned away. “Whatever, at least I’m not a spoiled brat who stays inside studying all the time.”

This time, Sho sat up, a slightly hurt look on his face. “I’m not spoiled,” he replied sadly. “And I do other things other than studying.” The hurt in Sho’s voice made Nino’s heart clench and he slid off of his tube.

“I’m going in,” he said, slipping under the tube. Bring these up when you’re done. As Nino started walking to the shore, he heard Sho sigh behind him and imagined him putting his head back in the water.  Nino gritted his teeth and jumped onto the wall. This was going to be hard, he realized, being friends with Sho. But it would at least him from being bored every day.

——

Sho was there for dinner and Nino poked at his food as his mother fawned over him. Nino was annoyed, irritated, and frustrated, the three feelings swirling around in him as his mother laughed and Sho smiled in embarrassment. Fed up, he dropped his fork onto his plate, stood up, and dumped the food he had barely touched into the trash. Placing his dishes on the sink, he shoved his hands into his pockets and left the house to sit on the wall. No one said anything as he left. His sister and her friends, too, were fawning over Sho. Good, he though bitterly, now he can get a girlfriend, too. Though he didn’t even know if Sho had one or not.

Nino walked down the stairs to the beach and jumped onto the cold sand. The setting sun turned the scenery hues of orange, yellow, and red. Such a relaxing color that Nino loved. He strode to the water which wasn’t fully out yet and stood at the edge, taking deep breaths.  A few minutes later, he felt a presence behind him and automatically knew it was Sho.

“All she ever does is scold me,” he complained, kicking the water. Sho put a hand on his shoulder and Nino flinched, but neither of them moved it away. Nino realized he didn’t want the touch to go away.

“It’s cause you’re her kid, and I’m not.” Sho’s voice was soft and comforting and Nino turned his head away so Sho couldn’t see the understanding in his eyes even if he tried.

——

Nino crossed his legs on the bench on his deck and positioned his guitar. He stroked its body before placing his hands on the strings and playing. Soft noted floated from the guitar and Nino closed his eyes, strumming without much interest to if it formed a song or not. He just wanted to play.

In all honesty, he was tired and he wanted to go home, though he didn’t know the exact reason. He hung out with Sho every day, he didn’t have to study or anything, and it wasn’t like he had an urge for his computer when he had his DS with him, but he still felt like he wanted to leave.

Nino opened his eyes and moved his hands up and down the strings before settling on a note and playing a song. He sung quietly along, his eyes following his hand movements. When the song was finished he dropped his hands and sighed.

“That was very good,” came Sho’s voice out of nowhere and Nino jumped. Sho emerged from around the corner of the house, clapping. “I didn’t know you could play guitar.”

“Why would I need to tell you something like that?” Nino retorted, strumming random notes again as Sho sat next to him.

“Can you play something for me?” Sho asked hopefully, staring at Nino’s hands. Nino shook his head and moved to the over, away from Sho who was incredibly close. The proximity made his cheeks hot and his stomach twist. Sho crossed his arms but continued to stare at Nino until he huffed an exasperated breath. Sho smiled brightly and told him a song to play which Nino immediately started strumming to. “You’re good,” Sho said, obviously awed.

“I know,” Nino replied confidently before putting the guitar aside. “Why do you come over here all the time?” He asked suddenly, closing his eyes. The heat was making him tired.

After a few seconds, Sho replied. “Because we’re friends, aren’t we?”

——

The sound of popcorn popping filled the background noise as Nino inserted an old cassette tape into the TV. His mom and sister and her friends were out visiting family that Nino didn’t necessarily get along with so he had opted to stay home. And Sho had invited himself over once again, standing in front of the microwave as though his presence would make it pop faster.

“It’s an old movie,” Nino said again and Sho nodded. “You might not like it.”

“Whatever, it’s better than being with my family.” Nino settled for that and sat on the couch, waiting for Sho to come over.

When the popcorn was finished, he sat right next to him and handed the bag over to Nino. “So when are you leaving?” He asked, his eyes watching Nino instead of the TV. Nino busied himself by shaking the bag, pulling it open, and eating a few pieces before replying. He didn’t like his answer and he knew Sho wouldn’t either.

“The day after tomorrow.” Sho’s eyes stayed on him, but he kept his on the TV, stuffing his face full of popcorn. For the duration of the movie they sat like that, quiet and seemingly immersed in the movie but Nino knew better. He didn’t want to leave his new friend. The thought that he wouldn’t be able to see him until the next summer made his heart hurt. They had only known each other for a little over a week, but it was enough for Nino to grow attached and he knew that Sho was attached to him to and it made his heart jolt a little.

The movie ended suddenly and Nino stared blankly at the screen before rising, intending to turn it to the TV, but Sho grabbed his hand and pulled him back onto the couch. Nino shot him an annoyed look, ready to open his mouth to say something nasty, but Sho’s eyes pierced him, pleading. He turned his head away abruptly, cheeks fuming. Although he tried to pull his hand from Sho’s grasp, the older boy wouldn’t let go and Nino gave up quickly, his heart thudding.

“Will you come over to my house for tomorrow night?” Sho asked, his voice quiet, rough, and sad. Nino turned to look at him finally, and he nodded.

——

Nino crawled into Sho’s bed upon his invitation, only slightly perturbed by the situation. “Don’t you have a girlfriend or something?” He huffed, embarrassed.

“No,” Sho laughed. “Why, do you?” The incredibility in Sho’s voice made Nino want to hit him, but he replied just as sarcastically.

“The closest thing I’ve had to a date was with my hand and a tissue.” Sho snorted and Nino smirked, pulling the covers over him. They were quiet for a while more. Hesitantly, Nino turned around so he could face his ‘friend’ and smiled when he saw than Sho’s eyes were closed. Sho had warned him that he was a crazy sleeper, but Nino didn’t care. Especially not as he moved closer to him, snuggling into his warm body. Sho’s eyes opened a crack and he smiled softly as Nino blushed. He threw a strong arm around the smaller boy and pulled him closer, snuggling tight

“I don’t want you to go,” Sho sighed tiredly.

“There’s always next summer,” Nino said through a yawn. And frankly, he was looking forward to what would happen then and to finding out what had changed since the last time they’d seen each other, entangled in the other’s arms.