The last time he saw Maruki he was a skin and bone, still with a tiny frame, muscle mass was still noticeable on him.


Maruki had not been there long, so stopping was easy. The bar was gently placed back in the holders above his head, his legs on either side of the thin bench.
“Yeah, it kills time. Why?” Huffing slightly, Maruki wiped his forehead. In appearance, Maruki had not changed at all from the end of the school year. His baby cheeks were still very apparent, his wide round eyes were still surprisingly happy, height and weight looked the same. Yet something was different about him, something that Jikan couldn't pin point.


Jikan looked down at him, google eying him almost. Those sweet, coffee eyes surrounded by glistening golden skin had Jikan frozen for a moment. Having been only a month, but with only one friend, Jikan found that it seemed much longer without seeing Maruki.
“Ah, oh, no. just wondering.” Jikan darted his eyes away after he noticed he was staring “Well, I um, I’ll leave you be.” He looked around nervously, attempting to keep his eyes off of him. “You probably need your concentration.” Jikan backed away slowly before spinning and walking away.


Maruki looked down at his lap as Jikan spoke, he never was one for strong eye contact, it made him feel obligated to do something. Nibbling on his bottom lip for a moment, he decided to stop Jikan before he left.
“Oi, Jikan. I’m not doing anything after. Want to go get a slush drink or something?” it was rare for Maruki to be nice, but as his mother had told him, it wasn't good to push people away.


Jikan stopped in his tracks when Maruki was talking. He darted back to him, happier then ever.
“Yes! I’d love to!” Jikan shouted accidentally. Finally a date that he didn't initiate though he would never tell Maruki that he considered the time they spent together dates.


Maruki nodded and lied down again, a small smile in the corner of his full lips.it felt odd to be nice once in a while, even to those who obsessed over others. The routine of two hours of various exercises for the day was finally over. Maruki jogged back home to take a quick shower before he went out with Jikan. When he was finished and got dressed into some street worthy clothes, he was surprised that Jikan was waiting outside his door for him.


The two walked down the dusk lit, quiet street, actually talking for once. First was common small talk about the weather. Of course with Maruki it turned into a small argument about the wind, if it was actually caused by the sun or not. After a few moments of silence, Jikan looked over to Maruki, looking over his attire.
“I like your clothes, are they new?” the silence was getting awkward, and he hadn’t complimented Maruki for a while.


Maruki looked down at himself, he had forgotten what he slipped over his still wet body. A long white fitted t-shirt with a single black skull and cross bones on it and text of ‘dead or alive’ underneath it. On his hips, he wore hip fitting, baggy, black microfiber pants with two open pockets on the right leg. Along the tops of the pockets were deep bars of neon yellow. Atop his white shirt was a faux silk black shirt with fabricated metallic stars scattered around.
“Oh thanks.” Maruki looked to his friend briefly, his coffee eyes looking away once again. His black attire matching his shiny black hair made his coffee eyes pop through his thin bangs. Those sweet coffee eyes returned to Jikan, looking over his clothing. “Is that a new shirt?” Asking to be nice, with no real interest yet he made it very convincing.


Jikan slightly blushed at Maruki’s question. Though it was entirely wrong, he was still happy Maruki noticed his clothing.
“No, no. This shirt I got last year. Do you like it?” The taller boy looked to his friend, eyes gleaming with hope.


Maruki looked over at the boy, his attire was clean and simple. A black holding up dark washed jeans that seemed centimeters too long for him, the still intact hems covered the laces of his running sneakers. His basic navy blue t-shirt with an abstract cityscape printed across the chest seemed fresh and new. His dark blue hoody was only half zipped up, weather was too nice to bundle up.
“Yes of course, it looks soft.” He thought that he was being abnormally kind, but it was the truth. Maruki tossed his hair gently, looking forward again.


The taller boy looked down at Maruki, almost concerned about his kindness as well.
“It is. Want to feel?” Though out of his comfort zone, Jikan felt comfortable enough around his friend to as him something as such. With a light chuckle and a small promising shake of the head, Maruki almost insultingly denied. “Oh, okei then.” Jikan paused a moment, a small grin growing on his lips “Your loss then.”


A pair of narrowed, unimpressed eyes slowly, almost comically scanned over towards Jikan. That was the first time he had ever heard such a line.
“My loss?” Falling right into his trap, Maruki dropped his shoulders and pouted slightly. “Fine, I’ll feel it.” Looking straight down the street, Maruki felt the small sleeve on Jikan’s shoulder. The small boy shrugged convincingly, “Eh, it’s soft I guess.” Maruki had a small grin form in the corner of his lips.


Jikan drooped forward, pouting in a whiny manner.
“Maa chan!” As soon as he hears his own words he stiffened, petrified. “A-ano. I’m sorry. I didn't mean to.” Jikan did feel genuinely sorry, Maruki told him not to call him by any form of nickname. Since that day he did very well, this one time was only a slip of the tongue.


Maruki’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing his nickname again. Waving off the mistake this one time, he looked off to the side, sadness has struck, and his quivering voice did not hide that well.
“No that's fine. I wont be around Aiya anytime soon anyways.” Lost in a train of thought about him now, Maruki was not even aware that he spoke of him.


Jikan stopped walking, only for a couple of steps.
“Wait, who’s that?” Jikan darted next to Maruki again, hoping for an answer. Never hearing of this person, Jikan was worried that Maruki was paired with this person. “Is that your girlfriend?” Having never met a male with that name, he assumed that Aiya was a female.


Hearing his question about who Aiya was, Maruki realized that he slipped up as well. Nervously running the side of his finger under his nose, his eyes darted to Jikan’s questioning face.
“No-no one. I don't even know why I said it.” Now the only person that swam in his mind was Aiya, hopefully Jikan would drop the subject so they could enjoy their drink together.


Jikan looked at Maruki’s lost eyes, he know he was stinking deeply about something.
“So is she your girlfriend?” Jikan was getting frustrated the longer it took him to answer. There was a buzz in the back of his skull that was convincing that his and this Aiya person were an item. The flare that was growing on Jikan’s cheeks was a growing jealousy.


Maruki’s teeth clenched together angrily, he inhaled deeply through his nose slowly. He didn't want to ruin this evening by snapping at Jikan’s stupidity.
“Aiya is a boy.” Though calm and collected, Maruki had anger in his voice nonetheless, Aiya was a very touchy subject.
Though never considering himself what he assumed Jikan was, Maruki did consider himself and Aiya an item. For TV being an only experience comparison for him, that was where he learned that others who cared for someone and looked after someone usually ended up as a couple.
“Aiya is my other half.” Thinking to himself, there was no other way that he could put it. Aiya was good, Aiya was timid, Aiya was sweet. Him and Aiya were a complete person when they were together.


Jikan’s eyes widened, his mind was still focused on the dating subject.
“You and Aiya are…” not fully asking the question, assuming Maruki got what he meant as to where he was going. “Can, can I see him?” Curiosity now lay in the boys eyes.


Maruki was getting very touchy now that Jikan started to pry into the subject. Normally this was why Maruki was very careful in not mentioning Aiya’s name. unfortunately he failed just this one time.
“Look Jikan. Aiya is a boy, he was my best friend from childhood. And if I cant see him, you cant see him. Lets just go to the shop, get a slush and stop talking about the one person that I cared about that I cant see anymore.” Maruki was entirely defeated this time, reality finally set in that he could not see his one true friend anytime soon. The only hope he had left was that Aiya would not forget about him.


Jikan stepped over the line this time, but why wasn't Maruki shunning him like he normally did? Fiddling his fingers like he normally did when he was nervous, Jikan parted his lips as if he wanted to speak. No sound came out for the no words he had in his mind to say.
“I, I’m sorry I didn't know. I wont say it anymore.” Jealousy still lay deep in his heart, prying digging deeper in its meaty flesh, wanting to get out. Sooner or later, those tunnels of jealousy in his heart would soon break it, he knew that all too well. It didn't matter how hard he tried, he couldn't help but have feelings grow for Maruki, he was the only one that actually agreed to be friends with him, ever.


The rest of the walk to the small sit down shop was silent between the two. Upon arriving at the shop, Maruki ordered himself a watermelon slush, which contained one whole small watermelon. Jikan ordered a mango passion fruit smoothie for himself. When they received their drinks, Jikan’s looked milkier then it should have been, causing a small wrinkle on his nose to form. The two sat on the couch across from the