Chapter Text
Okuyasu opened his eyes and looked over to his alarm clock, it reading 9:27am. He had gotten a much better night’s sleep compared to the night before and awoke energetically, excitement buzzing through his veins.
He always was excited to spend time with Josuke, but today especially so. Maybe because it had been a while, or maybe something else. His aunt’s teasing from the night before still floated through his mind, bringing a flush back to his cheeks. Her comment about seeing him shirtless flustered him badly, but now that he actually thought about it…
Okuyasu shook his head before his mind started to drift further, digging through his closet for something to wear. His aunt had bought him new swim trunks the day before, so he decided to wear those. And the button up she said would be a “good coverup for the beach”. She really thinks of everything, he thought as he threw off his pajamas and put on his new clothes.
As Okuyasu was deciding between wearing sandals or sneakers, there was a knock at the door.
“Come in!” He called out, not looking away from the pairs of shoes he was holding.
“Ooh, someone’s looking sharp!” Latifah whistled, entering the bedroom and sitting on the edge of Okuyasu’s messy bed. She wanted to say something but decided to hold her tongue, not wanting to damper her nephew’s excitement.
“That’s ‘cause of you!” Okuyasu looked towards his aunt with a grin. “I ain’t ever had clothes this nice before. Thank you again, by the way.” he added sheepishly.
“Please, it was my pleasure. I missed doing it, my boys don’t let me shop for them anymore.” Latifah sighed, before standing up to walk towards Okuyasu.
“Can’t decide what shoes to wear,” Okuyasu mumbled, weighing the two options in his hand. “Sandals are easier but I don’t like walkin’ around with my feet out, but sneakers are more of a pain to take off an’ on.”
“Just bring both! You can wear the sneakers to the beach then put on the sandals when you’re there.”
Realization spread across Okuyasu’s face. “Oh, that’s smart! I ain’t even think of that.” He tosses aside the sandals to put on fresh socks.
“Happy to help, hun!” Latifah replied. She scans him over before stopping at his hair, frowning slightly.
“Baby, I’m not trying to be rude but…”
Okuyasu stops putting on his sock to look up at her, a confused look on his face.
“…Your hair is a mess.”
“Huh? Oh!” he touches his hair with a chuckle. “Well yeah, I just woke up! I haven’t done it yet.”
“That’s not really what I mean, baby. Are you taking good care of it?” Latifah asks, grabbing Okuyasu’s face to turn it around to better examine his hair.
“Yeah? I wash it everyday.”
She hums, letting go of his face. “I should’ve figured. Honey,” she holds out her hand, helping Okuyasu stand up. “Your hair needs to be taken care of differently. Washing it everyday will just damage it.”
“But I don’t wanna get all gross!” Okuyasu barked, feeling frustrated. “What do y’ even mean, ain’t all hair the same?”
Latifah shakes her head, guiding Okuyasu to the bathroom. “Okuyasu dear, you are aware you’re half Nigerian.”
“I guess.” Okuyasu stands in front of the bathroom mirror. Now that she mentioned it, Okuyasu’s hair does look a little…fried.
“Right, and because of that you should have a more textured, dense hair texture. You remember you had pretty curly hair as a baby, right?”
“Yeah, actually. Guess I ain’t ever thought about it much.”
Latifah did her best to gently rake her fingers through Okuyasu’s hair, humming to herself. “From the looks of it your hair has been treated before.” She steps out of the bathroom for a moment and dips into her room. She comes back in with a bag and a stool.
“Oh, I remember Keicho puttin’ some funny smellin’ stuff in my hair every once in a while,” Okuyasu thinks as he’s guided to sit on the stepstool. “I haven’t kept up with it though, it burned ‘n I didn’t see the point.”
Latifah hummed again, putting the bag on the counter. Unzipping it, Okuyasu saw tons of hair products he’s never seen before: creams, oils, gels, heat protectants, and some products he couldn’t tell what they were as they were written in some other language.
“What he put in your hair is called a relaxer,” Latifah explained, grabbing an empty spray bottle from under the sink and filling it with warm water. “It’s a chemical that opens up your hair’s cuticles to make it straight. Your grandparents used it on me and your mother too.”
“Well I mean…it was easier to deal with that way, I guess.” Okuyasu mumbled, flinching at the sudden spray of water near his neck.
“Honestly, I don’t think so,” Latifah reasons, saturating Okuyasu’s hair with water before running a wide comb through it. “Your natural hair can be kept healthy and manageable if you take proper care of it. And I can help with that!”
“Really?”
“Sure! I do all my boy’s hair. And my own, if you couldn’t tell.” she flips her hair as she says this, a confident expression on her face. Okuyasu smiles and nods, letting his aunt get to work. After a lot of water, many different hair products, and pinches at Okuyasu’s side to stay still, Latifah steps back with a proud grin, wiping her brow.
Okuyasu looks at himself in the mirror. His hair has reverted back to its coily texture, and he’s never seen it so shiny and healthy looking. He stares in awe as he pulls a curl and watches it spring back into place.
“Good, right?” Latifah asks, coming up behind him and placing a hand on his shoulder.
“Yeah…” Okuyasu whispers, still awestruck. Latifah chuckles, before going to her bag and pulling out a finer comb with a sharp metal end. Okuyasu’s eyes widened, earning a laugh from his aunt.
“Relax hun, I’m just gonna braid your hair now. It’ll keep the moisture locked in and keep it healthy. It’ll help it grow longer too, if you care about that.” Latifah explains, gently scratching at Okuyasu’s scalp.
“Braids? Like…cornrows?”
“That’s one style, yes. Those are usually smaller and there’s more of them so it may take a while longer. I was gonna do two bigger braids so you don’t have to sit for too long, is that okay?” Latifah proposed, Okuyasu responding with a nod. She gets to work at an impressive speed, the two chatting away the whole time. Latifah finishes the second braid with a satisfied sigh, stepping back to examine her work.
“Dang, you’re fast! And I look amazing!” Okuyasu beams, checking himself out in the mirror. He poses and flexes and Latifah oohs and ahhs in response, the two breaking out into giggles.
“Mhm, that’s right. Always have faith in your auntie!” Latifah wraps her arms around Okuyasu’s shoulders and squeezes, Okuyasu hugging back with a huge grin. She pulls away after a second to take some of her hair products out of the bag and put them away in Okuyasu’s medicine cabinet.
“I’ll leave some of these things for you so you can start taking better care of your hair. And there’s a salon in S-City with a hair shop that has these kinds of products if you run out. I left their number and address near your phone.” Latifah explains, patting Okuyasu on the shoulder before taking her hair products back to her room.
Okuyasu stands there for a moment, feeling a bit overwhelmed. He wasn’t used to this level of thought or kindness being given to him, and he almost felt undeserving of it. But as he thought about it more he didn’t really understand why he felt that way. He shook his head to try and snap himself out of whatever he was feeling as he took the stepstool back to the storage closet where his aunt had grabbed it from.
He goes back to his room to grab his shoes, and heads downstairs to find some old grocery bag to carry them in.
“Okuyasu, hold on! I got something else for you!” Latifah yells from her room, and Okuyasu can hear something drop and a colorful word be thrown. Okuyasu laughs softly, when the sound of the knocking surprises him.
He looks at the clock on the wall and it reads 12:18pm. Shit, I’m late!, Okuyasu thought as he rushed over to the door to open it abruptly.
Josuke stumbled forward slightly just as he was about to knock on the door again but he recovers quickly. His hair is styled in his usual pompadour, and he’s wearing metallic purple swim trunks with a plain black t-shirt and sandals with gold chains on the straps. Okuyasu tries (and fails) to not stare too much, a slight blush spreading across his face. “H-hey dude! I wasn’t lookin’ at the time, so I’m still gettin’ ready.” Okuyasu laughs nervously, that same weird fluttery sensation he got over the phone returning.
Josuke’s eyes widen as he looks Okuyasu up and down, not subtle in the slightest. “No worries dude…uh, can I come in?”
“Oh! Yeah, of course bro!” Okuyasu moves aside, Josuke entering his home without taking his eyes off him. A rosy blush dusts his cheeks, and Okuyasu can’t help but think he looks cute. You can think your best friend is cute and it not be weird, right?
“You look…” Josuke pauses, crossing his arms and looking away bashfully. “Um, you look really nice. I like your hair.”
“Oh!” Okuyasu subconsciously reaches up and touches his hair, his own blush deepening. “Thanks, y’ look real nice too.”
The two stand there awkwardly, not knowing what to say.
“Waitwaitwaitwaitttt—”
The two turn to the sound coming from the stairs to see Latifah running down the stairs and towards the two boys, a bag in hand. She slides to a stop right in front of them, pausing to catch her breath.
“We weren’t leavin’ yet auntie, ya didn’t have t' run!” Okuyasu forced down a laugh, reaching to his aunt to check if she was okay. She held her hand up to stop him, taking a deep breath before standing up straight.
“Well I don’t know, I just heard knocking and—” she stops as she notices Josuke, who was standing very stiffly, not sure what to say.
“Oh, yeah! Auntie, this is Josuke,” Okuyasu introduces, turning to Josuke. “Josuke, this is my aunt Latifah!”
Josuke smiles nervously. “N-nice to meet you, ma’am!”
Latifah doesn’t speak for a moment, looking the boy over. Okuyasu and Josuke share a glance anxiously, unsure of what the silence means. Latifah then breaks out into a warm smile and the two sigh in relief simultaneously.
“The famous Josuke! It’s lovely to meet you honey,” she steps closer to Josuke and shakes his hand vigorously. “Oku here has said a lot of wonderful things about you!”
“Oh really?” Josuke asks, shooting a devilish look at Okuyasu’s direction. Okuyasu’s face burns a deep red, suddenly very eager to head out the door.
“Oh yeah! The boy adores you, he couldn’t stop talking about how handsome and wonderful you are—”
Both boys turn even more vivid shades of red. “HAHA OKAY GREAT YOU GUYS HAVE MET NOW LET'S GET GOING ‘KAY BYE” Okuyasu shouts quickly, slipping his shoes on and dragging Josuke away from his aunt and out the door. Okuyasu is almost out the door himself when his aunt stops him, shaking from laughter.
“Hold on, take this.” Latifah hands him the bag. “I packed you some beach stuff: snacks, drinks, sunscreen, et cetera. I figured you’d forget.” she gives him a wink, Okuyasu pouting in response.
He grumbles a thank you and gives her a kiss goodbye before trotting out of the house, catching up with Josuke who was waiting by his front gate. His face is still flushed but has lessened considerably, smirking as Okuyasu approaches.
“So you were talking me up, huh, Oku?” he asks mischievously, Okuyasu giving him a playful shove in response.
“Yeah, yeah, don’t let it go t’ yer head. Hold up a sec,” Okuyasu crouches down to put on his sneakers properly.
Josuke stares down at Okuyasu, his mind and heart racing. He couldn’t get over how different Okuyasu looked now, so used to seeing the boy in his small pompadour and modified school uniform. But he definitely wasn’t complaining—quite the opposite.
His hair had a healthy shine to it, and the braids were very flattering. Josuke especially liked his outfit, short green swim trunks with a purple and green leopard print button up that he had left completely unbuttoned with no other shirt underneath. Whether that was a stylistic choice or he’d just not noticed, Josuke didn’t ask (he didn’t want to risk him buttoning it up, besides it’s normal to want to see your best friend’s bare chest, isn’t it?)
“Alright, let’s get goin’!” Okuyasu exclaimed as he stood back up with a toothy grin. Josuke just nodded, feeling shy for staring at his friend for so long even though the other boy hadn’t noticed. The two walk side-by-side in silence, a tense feeling lingering in the air around them. Their short time apart had made certain feelings more apparent, but neither felt bold enough to acknowledge them yet.
Okuyasu started feeling more and more self conscious as they walked further into town, his bright outfit and new hairstyle earning him stares from random townspeople. As they passed a group of girls who began to whisper and giggle as the two walked away it made Okuyasu curl into himself, walking hunched over with his fists shoved into his pockets. Josuke looked over at him and stifled a small laugh at his friend’s odd posture and pouty expression.
“What’s wrong with you? You look constipated as hell dude.” Josuke asked playfully, elbowing his friend’s side. Okuyasu shot him a warning glare, causing Josuke to laugh a little louder.
“Man, shuddup! People keep lookin’ at me funny, it’s startin’ t’ piss me off.” Okuyasu grumbled as he picked up his pace, walking ahead of Josuke.
“Forget everybody else dude!” Josuke yelled back, jogging slightly to catch up. “You look awesome, I’m sure that’s why people are staring. And if they got an issue they can just say it to our faces.”
Okuyasu slowed down a bit, though he still continued to hunch over. “I guess. I dunno, maybe I do look ridiculous.”
“Okuyasu.” Josuke stopped dead in his tracks, grabbing Okuyasu’s shoulder and turning him around to face him. “Trust me, bro. You look amazing. If someone thinks otherwise they can just fuck off.”
Okuyasu looks away from Josuke, bringing his hand up to his face and biting his fingernail. He still didn’t seem convinced. Josuke’s face turns serious as he grabs both of Okuyasu’s arms, shaking him gently.
“I mean it, Okuyasu. Do you think I would ever lie and say you look fashionable when you don’t? I’m like, the best dressed person you know.”
Okuyasu paused his nail biting for a moment, nodding slowly. “That is true…”
Josuke smiles, wrapping his arm around Okuyasu in a sideways hug. “Exactly! So when I say you look good, I mean it. Just be confident dude, no one will say anything if you just own it.”
Okuyasu stares at Josuke with an unreadable expression, before suddenly looking ahead with a very serious expression. “Yeah! You’re right, fuck everybody else! I look great!”
Josuke beams, squeezing his friend’s shoulder. “That’s what I’m talkin’ about! See, self-confidence makes you even hotter.”
Okuyasu stills at that, turning to Josuke with a wide eyed expression and Josuke realizes what he said far too late. He feels his face flush, letting go of Okuyasu’s shoulders to hold up his hands defensively.
“I-I mean, it makes you look b-better, ya know? And, you know, looking confident is like, more appealing to people o-or something,” Josuke stumbles over his words, trying to backtrack. He groans and continues walking, not looking at Okuyasu to try and conceal the redness in his face. “Forget it. Let’s just keep going.”
Okuyasu stands there for a moment, awestruck. He definitely heard Josuke correctly. Makes you hotter? As in, Josuke already thinks he’s hot? Okuyasu still hadn’t fully processed Josuke’s words as he lightly jogs to catch back up to him and can’t help but stare at how red the back of his neck is. Cute.
The two finally arrive at the beach, finding it decently crowded with townspeople. They look around for a while until they find a slightly more empty spot on the beach and set their things down there, Josuke setting everything up nicely and Okuyasu racing and jumping into the water. Josuke shouts at him to come back to put on sunscreen.
The day goes by without a hitch besides some light flirting and averted gazes between the two boys, though that wasn’t unusual anyway. They built an impressively massive sandcastle, accidentally swallowed far too much saltwater, and inhaled all the various snacks and sandwiches Okuyasu’s aunt had packed.
The sun was lowering further in the sky as the two packed up their belongings and started to head back, joking and chatting casually. They decided to stop by their favorite ice cream place for a treat, Okuyasu insisting he pay saying “If someone spends anymore money on me right now I think I might explode.”
“Well, I definitely won’t argue over free ice cream,” Josuke grins as he orders a double scoop of his favorite.
The two walk out of the ice cream parlor, happily enjoying the cold dessert on such a warm day.
“Had t’ order the double scoop, huh Josuke?” Okuyasu asks cheekily, bumping his shoulder into the other boy.
“Hey, you offered! How could I say no to you paying for my ice cream?” Josuke bantered, bumping into Okuyasu in response. The two begin to roughhouse before Okuyasu almost drops his own ice cream and the two promptly stop, falling into a comfortable silence as they eat.
Okuyasu glances at Josuke and admires how his hair still looks perfect and how his skin shines from the sunscreen they had applied earlier. Okuyasu is often star struck at Josuke’s effortless elegance, how he looks so beautiful without even seeming to try. His mind wanders back to earlier when Josuke had called him hot accidentally. Okuyasu couldn’t understand how he was attractive compared to Josuke, but he was more happy about it than anything else.
He slowly walks closer to Josuke until their shoulders touch, though Josuke doesn’t make any comment about it. He’s talking about something involving a video game he was trying to complete, complaining about a particular level he was stuck on. Okuyasu just nodded along, mostly just staring at his friend’s lips rather than actually listening to what they were saying.
Okuyasu does a quick glance around and, once he’s sure no one was around or staring at them, interlocks his pinky with Josuke’s as subtly as he can. Josuke’s words falter for a moment, looking down at their connected hands and blushing slightly. He looks at Okuyasu with such a gentle, adoring expression it makes Okuyasu feel like his heart’s stopped. The two look away from each other bashfully as they continue their walk home in silence.
They stop in front of Okuyasu’s home, heavy feelings hanging in the air. Josuke stands in front of Okuyasu, sliding his whole hand into the others slowly, like he’s scared moving too fast will startle him. Okuyasu stares at their interlocked hands, a warm fuzziness flooding through his chest.
He looks up at Josuke, who averts his gaze and bites his lip nervously. Okuyasu steps closer to him, their faces inches away from each other. The two stare at each other quietly for a moment, taking in the scent of sunscreen and sea spray.
“I had a lot of fun today,” Josuke confesses softly, looking down at Okuyasu’s lips for a split second. “I missed hanging out with you. I know we only hadn’t seen each other for like, a day but—”
“—It felt like forever.” Okuyasu finishes his sentence, his gaze flitting between Josuke’s eyes and lips. “I feel the same way, dude. I don’t think I ever wanna be apart from ya for any longer than that.”
“Yeah, me neither.” Josuke breathes out, their faces inching closer and closer together.
Just as they were about to close the gap a familiar voice calls out to them makes them jump apart.
“Hi boys! Back already?” Latifah waved, completely unaware of the moment the two were having. She walked towards them, seemingly having gone off to run an errand and conveniently returned just now. “What’re you two up to now?”
“Nothing!” the two boys shout in sync, earning a raised eyebrow from Okuyasu’s aunt. She looks between the two nervous red-faced teenagers before her.
“Uh huh…” she replies slowly, sounding completely unconvinced. “Josuke, would you like to stay for dinner? I was planning on making stew! I’m not the best cook in the world, but I’ve got this down pretty well.”
“O-oh, I’d love to but it was already a struggle to get my mom to let me go out today so I’d rather not push it,” Josuke answers shyly, scratching the back of his neck.
“No worries, dear. I’ll make enough so Okuyasu can bring you some leftovers.” Latifah smiles and gives him a wink, before passing by the two boys and entering Okuyasu’s home.
The two boys stand there awkwardly, adrenaline from almost getting caught doing…something, rushing through their bodies. Okuyasu lets out a frustrated sigh before pulling Josuke into a hug, a surprised yelp escaping the taller boy’s lips.
“S-sorry, I should’ve—” Okuyasu starts to pull away before Josuke grabs him and pulls him back in clumsily.
“No, it’s okay! Just…caught me off guard a little.” Josuke embraces his friend tightly, nuzzling into his neck. Josuke breathes in the scent of strawberry ice cream and sun and sweat, melting into the shorter boy’s embrace. The two spend what feels like eternity and not long enough in that tight hug, wanting to do more but the momentum having passed.
Maybe some other time I’ll be able to do it, the two boys thought simultaneously.
They both pull away at the same time and just stare at each other for a moment, not wanting to let go. But the longer Josuke takes, the more chores he’ll have to do so with heavy reluctance he pulls away from Okuyasu’s arms, feeling suddenly cold from the loss of contact.
“See you tomorrow Okuyasu. You better save me some of that dinner your aunt’s making.” Josuke smiles faintly, Okuyasu swallows hard and nods.
“Yeah, I promise.”
The two wave at each other as Josuke turns and walks towards his own home down the street, that short distance feeling like an entire ocean between them. Okuyasu felt a little silly—this whole situation felt like it belonged in some overly dramatic romance film—but that did little to alleviate the ache in his chest. He wanted to chase after Josuke, turn him around, and kiss him so hard that neither of them could breathe.
But instead he just turns and walks into his home, the smell of spices and the sounds of food being prepped helping to sooth his nerves. He walks towards his kitchen and sees his aunt chopping some vegetables. She looks at him, a casual smile on her face.
“Have fun today?” she asks as she continues to dice.
“Yeah I had a lotta fun,” Okuyasu confesses softly, leaning against the door frame. “Wish he coulda stayed longer.”
Latifah looks up at him with a sympathetic expression. “Well, you two will see each other again tomorrow, that’s not too bad.”
“Yeah, but you’ll be gone though…” Okuyasu mutters quietly, looking down. Latifah doesn’t respond.
After a beat, Okuyasu looks up again. “Can I help you with anythin’?”
“You,” Latifah instructs, turning to fully look at Okuyasu with a hand on her hip. “Can help by taking a shower. You smell like outside.”
Okuyasu lifts his arm to sniff himself, frowning. “I don’t smell that bad! And what does outside even smell like??”
“Okuyasu…” Latifah warns, turning her back to him as she slides the diced vegetables into the pot on the stove.
Okuyasu groans, turning and making his way upstairs to the bathroom.
After their meal, the pair are lounging on the sofa watching TV, Okuyasu leaning against his aunt’s chest as she rubs his shoulder mindlessly.
“Oku, hun?”
“Mm?”
“When I got home earlier, and you and Josuke were outside…” Latifah inquires, and she can feel Okuyasu freezing beneath her. “Did I interrupt something?”
Okuyasu doesn’t respond. Latifah looks down at him and he averts his gaze.
“Okuyasu.”
“Okay, fine! Yes. Well, maybe. Ugh, I don’t know!” Okuyasu blurts out, turning and lying face down on the couch. Latifah sighs, patting her nephew on the back.
“My timing is just the worst, huh?” Latifah jokes, earning a sharp exhale from the boy below.
“…Kinda.” Okuyasu responds, his voice muffled into the couch cushions. He turns to lie on his back, staring up into the ceiling. His face is dusted with a deep blush.
“What were you two doing, if you don’t mind me asking?” Latifah questioned playfully. “Or maybe I don’t wanna know…”
“What? No! It wasn’t—” Okuyasu’s blush darkens, covering his face with his hands. “We just…almost kissed.”
Latifah’s eyes sparkled, desperately wanting to know more but holding her tongue, letting Okuyasu decide if he wants to continue speaking.
After a minute he removes his hands from his face, sighing. “I don’t know. We’d been spendin’ all our time together so goin’ without seein’ him put a lot of feelings into perspective for me or somethin'. Like,” Okuyasu readjusts, propping himself up on his elbows. “I just kinda realized that I wanna be by his side forever, y’know?. Then I started thinkin’ about other stuff and, I dunno, I guess I realized I…liked him. A lot. But I’m worried he doesn’t feel the same and I don't wanna mess up our friendship.” he lets out a shaky breath he didn’t even notice he was holding.
He finally makes eye contact with his aunt, whose eyes were welled up with tears. “That is just…so sweet…” she sobs, catching the younger boy off guard.
“A-auntie??!” Okuyasu exclaims, sitting upright.
“I’m okay, I’m okay,” she consoles, taking a deep breath to calm herself down before continuing. “Do you mind if this old lady gives you some advice?” Latifah asks, taking Okuyasu’s hands into hers. He shakes his head, looking very serious.
“Maybe this is more of an opinion,” she begins, squeezing Okuyasu’s hands gently. “But I’m 100% sure that boy feels the exact same way you do. So don’t be afraid to tell him all of that, I’m sure he’d be thrilled to hear it.”
“Really? How could y’ tell?” Okuyasu asks, eyes wide.
Latifah resists a smile as best as she can. “My dear boy. I could tell because I have eyes. That Josuke is very obviously head over heels for you. And I doubt you wouldn’t have almost kissed if he wasn’t interested.”
Okuyasu’s face goes through multiple different emotions in a very short amount of time. At this, Latifah can’t hold back and giggles quietly, trying to cover it up with a cough.
“Don’t rush your confession,” she advised. “Take your time, plan what you want to say. Everything will go correctly, trust me.”
Okuyasu nodded, looking away to consider his aunt’s words.
“Actually, Okuyasu…” Latifah began cautiously, letting go of her nephew’s hands. “I have some bad news.”
Okuyasu looks back at her nervously. Latifah leans back and pinches the bridge of her nose in frustration.
“The airline called earlier when you were out and turns out my flight got canceled. They got me a replacement flight, but it leaves at 3am.” she sighs, looking at Okuyasu with a gloomy expression.
“Wh—seriously?” Okuyasu asks, sadness tinged in his voice. “So you have to leave even sooner?”
Latifah’s eyes water as she nods, shaking her head. “I’m really pissed about it but there’s nothing I can do. I can’t fly any later. And the last train leaving Morioh is in around,” she looks at her watch, sighing. “half an hour.”
Okuyasu’s lip quivers. Latifah’s expression sours as tears start to pool in the corners of her eyes again. “Oh, don’t look at me like that hun, I’ll turn into a sobbing mess!”
“But I ain’t ready for ya t’ go yet!” Okuyasu cries, latching onto his aunt. She hugs him back even tighter, her tears falling freely now.
“I know, baby. Me either,” she sniffles, trying to compose herself. She pulled away from Okuyasu, his expression similar to a puppy’s. “To try and make up for that, I got you something.”
“Auntie…” Okuyasu begins to protest but was quickly shushed by his aunt as she stood and walked over to her bag, pulling out a brand new cellphone.
“Here,” she sits back down on the couch and places the phone into a shocked Okuyasu’s hand. “I got you a good phone plan that I’ll cover, so you don’t need to worry about making payments or anything.”
“But—” Okuyasu blinks, looking at the phone, then to his aunt. “T-this is too much, really—”
“Nope, none of that.” Latifah says sternly. “It may be a present for you, but it’s also for me. I want you to be able to talk to me whenever you need to. I want to know how you’re doing in school, how your friends are, everything. And if you ever need anything else you just ask and I’ll drop everything to come see you. You got that?”
Okuyasu stares at his aunt for a moment, mouth agape. After a moment he closes his mouth and swallows, nodding.
Latifah nods in return, pulling Okuyasu back in for one last strong hug. They stay there for a good while, before Latifah pulls away and stands, grabbing her bag and heading for the door. Okuyasu follows close behind, clutching his new phone tightly.
“Aunt Latifah?”
Latifah turns to her nephew, a sad smile on her face.
“Thank you,” Okuyasu grabs her hand and squeezes it gently. “for everything. I’m really, really glad y’ found me.”
Latifah’s eyes start to water again. “I’m glad you found me, baby.” she whispers, squeezing his hand in return.
“Do you want me to walk you to the station?” Okuyasu asks, not wanting to let go of her hand. Latifah shakes her head, pulling Okuyasu closer to give him a kiss on the forehead before turning and exiting out the front door.
Okuyasu stands in the open doorway, waving goodbye as his aunt walks away, hailing a cab. As one pulls up, just before she enters she turns and blows a kiss to Okuyasu, before getting in and driving off.
11 hours later, Latifah crashes onto her bed with a long sigh. She smiles to herself hearing her son's muffled conversations and laughter through the thin walls of their home. She desperately needed a nap, taking her cellphone out of her pocket to put it to charge before sleep took over.
Flipping it open she notices a red dot on her message app icon. She squints at the small screen, struggling to see without her reading glasses. Eventually she’s able to open the app and her smile widens at who the message is from.
MISS U !! ☻
HARD 2 TYPE WIT TH4S 8ING
She shakes her head with a laugh as she struggles to fight off the jetlag and send a reply back.
MISS U 2 HUN ♡
Latifah yawns as she sets her phone down on her nightstand, drifting off to sleep immediately after.